Page 7 of The Fear (The Hillers of Barratt County #7)

Grady had had a really crappy week. No denying that. He'd been up since five that morning, and it was now close to nine. He'd missed dinner and was starving. And hell—he thought it had been his turn to cook dinner tonight, too. He owed whoever had covered for him, big time.

All he wanted was some food and to be alone. To think and process what to do next. Then, he’d talk to Gene and they’d come up with a plan. He and Gene handled most of the day-to-day of the ranch, with help from Gunn. George and Guthrie and the girls would pitch in when needed, too.

But that wasn't going to happen. He stopped, the instant he walked into his own living room. Grady pulled in a deep breath and just…looked.

She was back again.

Hala sat curled up in the corner of his living room sectional, her legs tucked under her, a folder of papers open in her lap, and a bright purple pen in her girly little hand.

She wore a simple sundress, white with big yellow flowers, and her dark curls were pulled back in a messy ponytail.

She looked sweet, beautiful, and innocent. He just stopped walking and stared.

"Oh. Grady. We were wondering when you'd show up. Greer and Gia saved you some leftovers. It's in the fridge."

"Hallelujah. I am beyond starving." He just wanted to stand there and stare at her. She looked beautiful. Like…sunshine. Hope, happiness. That kind of thing.

"Did you get the orphaned calves taken care of? Gunn said something when he came back in for a few minutes."

His twin had had to leave, to help with a congregationer for a short time. But Gene and Grady had handled it, with help from the ranch foreman. Everything was at least done for the day.

"Yeah. Finally, I think. Hudson and Ryan go home today?

" The question came out more abrupt than he'd intended, but seeing her there had caught him off guard.

He'd gotten used to the idea that they'd all cleared out, that things had gone back to normal. That he’d be almost alone tonight. "Why are you still here?"

Not that he minded, though it probably sounded like he did. Grady didn't even have the energy at the moment to wince, honestly.

"Well, I feel real welcome. I am staying with your sisters again, so I can help your mother get ready for the barbecue in the morning. Greer's still upset by what you and Gene did to him yesterday."

Grady just grunted. It had been a Thursday morning well spent, as far as he was concerned. He didn't regret it at all. He looked at his knuckles, still raw. Well, the guy had deserved it. Big time. That punk was too damned old to be sniffing around Grady’s baby sister like that.

And getting Greer pregnant ? That guy was lucky Gene hadn’t killed him.

Grady had controlled himself, but barely.

Gene was a little more untamed than he was, though.

Grady suspected that was Gunn’s influence on him, really.

But damn, had it been close. He still had to fight the fury every time he thought about what that bastard had done to his baby sister.

"Where is she?" If Hala had stayed to be with Greer, shouldn't his sister be around somewhere?

Rather than leaving her little bestie unsupervised, where she could distract Grady like this?

The neck of her dress…hell, that was far too low, too thin, too short, too damned tempting.

Hala…needed a keeper. Before some guy got the wrong idea and just carried her off or something.

"Upstairs showering. She's tired—we helped your mom all evening—and very hormonal right now. Don't you dare be a butthead to her or anything." She glared at him in warning. Hell, she still looked adorable. “No buttheading, mister. I mean it.”

Because to Hala, Grady couldn't be anything else, apparently.

Having her right there in his living room was just irritating him for some reason.

He didn't know why. Maybe it was the bright sunny dress and the big dark eyes that were looking right through him?

The ponytail was really cute, though. Reminded him of when they were kids, and life was just far less complicated.

Everything sure as hell felt complicated right now.

"It's a Friday night, you didn't have another hot date with good old Luie?" The words just slipped out. He didn't even know why he said it. Her love life wasn't any of his business or anything like that. “What are you working on there?”

He turned her folder around. Worksheets, with big letter Ps colored in. She had put smiley faces and “great jobs” in the corners, in bright purple ink. How…cute. The little schoolmarm was grading papers in his living room.

"Luis. He goes by Luis. And is that any of your business? Shouldn't you eat your dinner and head off to your cave? Aren't cavemen holed up in their caves long before now?"

She smirked at him, that pretty mouth quirking right there on one side. Like it had ever since she’d been a little kid. That smirk had always driven him crazy. She knew it, too. This woman…had always done whatever she could to get beneath his skin. They’d almost made a game out of it for years.

It just felt different now than it had before.

"Right. Luis. Thought you two hit it off pretty well. Greer said you had." And it had just pissed Grady off when he’d heard Greer and his mother talking about Hala’s date.

Luis was far too experienced for a woman like Hala.

Didn't anyone else see that, care? He wanted to protect her from being hurt. That was all it was.

"We did. We're friends and colleagues. Why?"

"I just think you could do better."

The admission slipped out before he could stop it, and Hala's eyes widened in surprise.

"Better than Luis? What's wrong with Luis?" Big brown eyes just stared up at him.

What was it about her eyes?

They weren’t the eyes of a young girl, any longer. There were secrets hidden there. Secrets that tempted a man…

"Nothing's wrong with him. He's fine. Perfectly nice guy."

"But?"

"But nothing. Forget I said anything." He seriously had to get away from her before he did or said something completely stupid. Well, more idiotic than he already had.

"No." Hala moved to block his path to the kitchen. "You brought it up. What's your problem with Luis?"

Grady looked down at her. When had she moved so close? His hand reached up, like it had freewill or something. His fingers tangled in the ponytail. Damn, she was soft. He bet…every inch of her would be just as soft, silky. As that sank in, Grady almost lost the ability to breathe.

He wished…he had the right to find out.

She smacked his hand and glared up at him, a cute little garden fairy. Those were daisies on the dress, weren't they? Happy daisies. Epically Hala.

"Luis Sandoval's not right for you." On that…Grady was certain.

"Based on what? I thought you were friends with him. Like since high school."

The irritation in Grady's chest grew. Why was she defending Luis so hard? Had she really liked that doofus that much? He'd known Luis since they were no older than Ryan and Calvin. He liked him just fine, they were friends—but that didn’t mean he wanted Luis dating one of his own sisters—or their friends. He knew Luis—the guy wasn’t ready to be serious.

He’d told Grady that himself less than a year ago, after a relationship seriously gone wrong.

“Your brother should look out for you better. Especially with guys.”

“Are you serious?”

Of course he was. The last thing he would ever want was for someone to hurt this woman in front of him. Grady just didn’t know how to show her that at all.

Women were so damned confusing. Especially this one.