Saving Grace (Madison Falls) Read Online Free PDF Page A

laundry. The glamorous life of the American housewife.”
    They moved to the kitchen. Grace’s nerves pinched at her sparse furnishings. “I’d offer you a chair, but…”
    “It’s okay.” Lucy waved a dismissive hand and leaned against the wall where a table would go if there was one. “When does your stuff arrive?”
    “Actually,” Grace went to the sink and filled her camping saucepan with what she hoped would make two cups of Nescafé. “My ‘stuff’ arrived when I did. I didn’t bring much.”
    “Oh.” Lucy’s tone dropped, then lifted. “Well, lucky you. You get to buy everything new.”
    “Uh huh.” Grace’s hands started to sweat as she put the pan on the burner. How could she lie to this nice woman? She had no interest in filling this house with a lot of stuff. As far as she was concerned, it was just a place to stay while her life sorted itself out. “I can’t do too much though.” Did she sound casual enough?
    “I hear you. Everything costs.” Lucy’s face brightened like a follow spot. “Our church is having a huge rummage sale this Saturday. I’ll bet you could find everything you need there.”
    A rummage sale? Was she kidding? Grace swallowed a laugh. “That sounds like fun.”
    Lucy beamed as she stepped over to the counter and removed the saran wrap from the brownies. “So, have you decided on a color scheme?”
    “A what?” Grace picked up her Nescafé jar. “Sorry I don’t have any real coffee.”
    “No problem. You’re not leaving it white, are you?”
    Grace set the small cup from the camping kit next to the Montana mug the bank had given her for opening her account. “No, I…I mean I haven’t really thought about it.” She plopped a spoonful of brown crystals into each vessel. “I’m not much of a decorator.” She bit her lower lip. She was actually much better at decorating than she was at lying. She’d have to get better at rearranging the truth if she expected this to work.
    “Really?” Lucy turned, her ponytail snapping like a flag. “I’m kind of a Martha Stewart wannabe, if you’d like any help.”
    “Great.” Just what she needed, Montana’s answer to Adrienne Neff.
    “It would be a good way for us to get better acquainted.” Lucy looked around, grabbing a couple of paper towels off a roll that sat on the counter. “Besides, now that my kids are getting older, I have time. And who couldn’t use a creative outlet?”
    Grace’s stomach twisted. The idea that decorating a house in a middle-of-nowhere town where she had no desire to live could even come close to qualifying as a creative outlet made her eyes sting. Forcing a weak smile, she poured the bubbling water into the cups. “Coffee’s ready. Such as it is.”
    Lucy traded a brownie on a towel for the mug. “Smells delicious. My husband prefers instant so that’s all I ever buy. I guess we have something in common.”
    Grace smiled tightly, then took a sip of the bitter brew. Lucy seemed nice, but it was improbable that the two of them shared very much in common.
    “Oh, I’d better warn you.” Lucy took a drink, making a pleased face. “The young single guys in town are going to be clamoring to meet you.”
    “Great.” Grace cringed involuntarily. Just what she needed—a bunch of cowhands with bouquets of wilted daisies stepping over each other to ask her to the town dance.
    “Don’t worry.” Lucy must have picked up on her sarcastic tone. “My baby brother is ten years younger than me—probably about your age. He’s been friends with all these guys since we were kids. I’ll let you know which ones are worth the bother.”
    Grace offered up a feeble smile. ‘Bother’ would be an understatement. What she didn’t need was a romance to muddy up her life right now. That was absolutely, without question, the last thing on her mind.

Chapter 6
    Eager to get this day off to a better start than the one previous, Grace settled into a booth at the Country Kitchen, Main