Man, Wife And Little Wonder

Johnny rested his hand on Gracie’s shoulder. “This is my niece, Gracie.”

As much as was possible, Henry’s face softened. “I was sorry to hear about Janelle.” Then he added meaningfully, “She was a good girl.” He frowned down at Gracie. “Are you a good girl?”

Gracie nodded vigorously. “Johnny said so.”

“Humph. Don’t break anything in the store. If you don’t break anything, I’ll give you a candy.” Henry shuffled behind the counter, mumbling about apples falling close to the tree.

Johnny drew a deep breath and headed down the aisle to the peanut butter. Grace knew he would find it in the same place that it had been ten years ago.

“He’s Grumpy,” Gracie chimed, looking back at Henry.

“Old grouch hasn’t changed any, that’s for sure,” Johnny muttered.

“No, like Grumpy the dwarf,” Gracie explained.

Grace laughed. “You mean the dwarf in Snow White?”

“Johnny reads it to me,” Gracie said, choosing peanut butter and leaving Grace to contend with the appealing image of Johnny reading a fairy tale, his niece cuddled beside him.

In all her years of daydreaming about Johnny, it was certainly not something she’d ever imagined before.

Gracie’s presence seemed to have quite an effect on Johnny. Years ago, Johnny and Henry had had a running feud, Johnny laughing off every battle. Now he almost seemed bothered by his lingering reputation, most likely because of Gracie.

Along with Gracie’s peanut butter, they chose oranges and celery and ham. Grace insisted she had anything else they might need, but when they reached the counter, Gracie wanted cupcakes. Johnny immediately went in search of the treat with Gracie, holding his niece’s hand. Grace dug in her skirt pocket for quarters to buy Gracie candy, thinking maybe Johnny had changed some after all—

A crash came from the back of the store, followed by the thunder of rolling canned goods.

Grace closed her eyes. Maybe not.

Chapter Two

Gracie.

Grace dropped her quarters on the counter. Henry glared into the mirror over the door, that look of old in his eyes. Ignoring him, she ran to the pyramid of soup cans she’d seen at the back of the store.

She found Johnny holding Gracie safe in his arms, cans rocking to a halt at his feet.

His anxious gaze met Grace’s over top of the little girl’s head. His breath rushed out. “She’s all right.”

Grace felt the tension leave her, only to have it rise again as Henry came to survey the damage, something he’d done often in Johnny’s presence. In the quiet aftermath, the whir of a ceiling fan brought to mind the time Johnny had dropped a bag of flour in front of Henry’s old floor model fan. Grace caught her lip, recalling the shouting match that had ensued. Actually, it had seemed funny at the time.

Henry glowered at Johnny. “Figured it was you.”

Gracie clutched her arms about Johnny’s neck. “Johnny didn’t do it.”

“Humph. Heard that before.”

Gracie’s soft little arms squeezed the defiance right out of Johnny. He wasn’t going to get in a yelling match with old Henry, not with Gracie listening—and Grace.

Johnny narrowed his gaze. Grace was trying not to laugh, her eyes sparkling at him. A sense of déjà vu washed over him. He recalled Grace laughing at him that way years ago, as he stood in this store, powdered with flour, Henry dusted with it, too, while the old man called him a delinquent.

And they said you couldn’t go home again.

Johnny stood rooted in the past, recalling the way Grace had laughed at him that day, her long hair spilling past the shoulders of the faded shirt she wore. In some ways, she’d changed. Her hair now swung across her shoulders, which were covered in the soft white cotton of a formfitting T-shirt beneath the sassy little dress she wore. She looked sexy as hell.

But in another way, she was still the same Grace, daring to laugh at him with those green eyes.

And that was sexy, too.

“You clean this up, Johnny Tremont. I’ve got a customer. And don’t forget, I’ve got mirrors.” Henry turned toward the front of the store, muttering about dented cans and delinquents.

Grace grinned openly and Johnny shot her a menacing look. She’d watched him sweep up flour years ago, grinning at him over the rim of a cola bottle. “Are you going to help stack these cans, or just stand and watch?”

Gracie squirmed, wanting down. “Can I help?”

Johnny set little Gracie on her feet. “You bet. We’ll rebuild the pyramid and you can put on the top can. Do you think we should let Grace help?”

Gracie gave a quick nod.

“You’re in,” Johnny said, smirking at Grace.

She was a good sport—too much so, Johnny decided. Grace crouched in her flirty dress, giving him flashes of smooth slim thigh as they worked toward the center of the pile from opposite directions. Little Gracie had a great time, while Johnny suffered.

Until the moment he saw Grace again, Johnny had only thought of marriage to her in terms of keeping guardianship of Gracie. Now he found himself rethinking the idea on a more primal level.

There were a lot of cans, and he gave Gracie a break, sending her to put the cupcakes on Henry’s counter. He and Grace had inched almost nose to nose, and as their knees brushed, she wobbled. He reached out and curled his hand about her arm, and the softness of her skin stilled him.

He knew Grace felt his tension when she paused. He smoothed his thumb across her skin and got a jolt out of her direct gaze.

He wondered what she’d do if he kissed her.

Never one to wonder for. long, Johnny leaned closer. Grace smelled heavenly. Sweet and womanly, a potent combination. Her eyes seemed to glaze over, focused on his mouth as he eased it toward her pink parted lips—

“Henry’s got mirrors,” she whispered, not quite breaking the spell. They hovered inches apart, Johnny not giving a damn about mirrors, yet aware it probably mattered to Grace, who likely remembered what a kiss with Johnny Tremont used to mean to a girl’s reputation in Ashville—never mind if a kiss had been all that had happened.

Gracie came running back then and Johnny didn’t miss the quick way Grace backed off. Even faster than he. He could feel her wary gaze upon him, though, likely seeing him in a new light. She’d probably always thought of him as a pesky older brother, in the same way he’d thought of her as a sister. So all these sexual vibes bouncing between them had to be as much a shock to her as they were to him.

Johnny stacked the remaining cans, lifting Gracie to place the last one on top as promised. Their task accomplished, the three of them headed for the front of the store. Johnny was aware that Grace kept her distance.

Under Henry’s watchful eye, Johnny paid for his purchases. He hoisted the sack in his arms and led the way to the door.

“Come get a candy, little girl,” Henry called to Gracie, amazing Johnny. Even more amazing, Gracie ran back and Henry handed a lollipop down to her.

“Thank you,” Gracie said in a near whisper.

Johnny couldn’t have been more surprised if Gracie had shouted. Not that Gracie was ill-mannered; she was usually just too shy to. talk, without Johnny by her side to prompt the conversation. But then, Gracie thought Henry was a dwarf.

Johnny’s imagination didn’t stretch quite that far.