This is the conclusion to Grace and Lucas' story. I hope you like it. As always, your comments are always valuable. Enjoy :)
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Lucas again avoided Grace as much as he could. He could tell she was mad at him for walking out but he needed to sort out his feelings. He owed her that much. His sister had called telling him that she was coming for a visit. He was thrilled, he missed her since she and her husband moved. They weren't that far but work and other commitments meant they didn't see each other as often as they'd liked. Also her son, Ben, was terrified of horses. He wondered how she was going to get him here since last time he'd had a panic attack. He was looking forward to seeing Ben and his niece Lucy.
Grace continued to focus on work and the ranch not leaving a great deal of time for much else. She was a little frustrated with whatever flu bug she'd picked up. It didn't seem to want to leave. It wasn't too bad and she was trying to work through it. Lucas' sister and her family were coming for a visit. She was curious to meet his sister wondering what she'd be like.
Lucas' sister, Kate, arrived with her husband Jackson and their children in tow. The children were beautiful. Ben, at six, was shy and reserved, whereas Lucy was a precocious four year old. Grace fell in love with the children immediately as they did with her. Kate seemed relieved that there was another woman around and although she was initially hesitant around her she slowly warmed up. "Wanna come feed the horses with me?" Grace asked the kids. Lucy jumped for joy but Ben's visage clouded and she caught the edge of panic. He politely declined but Grace knew there was more going on.
After she took Lucy out for a while she came back to speak with Kate. "How long has Ben had this phobia of horses?" Grace asked. Kate seemed a little taken aback.
"Well he just doesn't like them." She hedged.
"Oh Kate, the boy is terrified. Don't sugar coat it." Jackson said exasperated.
"Do you think you can help?" Lucas said quietly. Grace looked at him. She could see that he was worried about his nephew. His concern touched her and threatened to break down the wall she'd built around herself regarding him.
"There's something I can try, there's no guarantee but it has worked well for many kids. It'll take some time to set up but I could try tomorrow if you like." She offered. Kate and Jackson were looking confused. Lucas explained about Grace's other job as a psychologist and she filled them in what she would be doing with Ben. They both whole heartedly agreed. It was very hard living in the country with a child afraid of horses.
Grace spent the following morning with Ben going through a program of intensive systematic desensitization. Ben was responding wonderfully and he was now confident enough to stand near a horse. Within the next hour Grace had him on Kendra's Smile and was walking him slowly around the paddock. Where there was a shy, frightened little boy now was a confident little man. Kate and Jackson had made themselves scarce but now they came out to see what was going on.
Kate dissolved into tears once she saw Ben on the horse. Jackson was nearly in tears himself. Lucas stood next to his sister staring at Grace. Grace couldn't meet his intense gaze so she concentrated on Ben. Eventually Ben came down off the horse and ran to his mother. His parents showered him with kisses and hugs and told him how proud they were of him. Being a typical child he wondered what all the fuss was about and went off to play.
Grace spent a moment going over some follow up exercises for Ben with Kate and Jackson before returning the horse to the stables. She was red with embarrassment from their profound gratitude. She had avoided looking at Lucas.
Grace jumped when she heard her name behind her. Her heart was beating fast as she turned to find him standing there. "Um, would you care to have dinner with us tonight?" he asked.
"I don't think that's a good idea Lucas." She practically whispered. Lucas noticed that she called him by his first name and something in him purred. He didn't want to pressure her but his sister could be a force of nature when she wanted something.
"I realize you and I haven't exactly ... Well, Kate is insisting you come to dinner. She wants to thank you for everything." He said.
Grace considered refusing but she really didn't want to insult Kate and Jackson. "Ok I'll come." She said and went back to putting the saddle away. She didn't have the courage to look at him, afraid of how she might react.
Lucas was beyond confused. Every fibre in his being wanted to reach out and touch her, hold her, kiss her senseless. Warring with his lust was an unprecedented tide of emotion. Her acceptance and invaluable assistance to his family. The way she charmed and played with the children. He couldn't breathe with the power of what he was feeling. "You were amazing with Ben." He whispered his voice choked with emotion. Before she could respond he'd left. Grace shook her head at trying to make sense of him or her reactions to him.
Dinner was a lively affair with everyone exited about Ben's achievements. Miss Em had outdone herself with the food with Kate's help. Kate told some amusing anecdotes about her childhood with Lucas much to his embarrassment. Kate put the kids to bed and the adults were settling in to drinks in the living room. "I should go. You guys have a lot of catching up to do." Grace said excusing herself from intruding on family time.
"Don't be silly, after what you've done for us I consider you family." Kate said and hugged her close. Grace was touched. It wasn't often she had this level of inclusion and feeling of family. Her emotions were all over the place and tears threatened to spill. Grace averted her face as she wiped at her eyes. She could feel Lucas' eyes on her and that made her uncomfortable. She wanted to cry and she definitely didn't want to do it in front of him.
"Thank you, but I do have an early start and I can't shirk my chores." She said as she bid them all a hasty good night before leaving.
"So baby brother, what's with you and Grace?" Kate asked. Lucas scowled at her. Sensing his wife's need to talk with her brother, Jackson excused himself to check on the kids. "So spill." Kate pressed.
"There's nothing to talk about." Lucas mumbled.
"You've got to be kidding me. The way you've been looking at her is not 'nothing'. So have you two ...?" Kate left it open.
"It's complicated." He allowed.
"Oh so you have, what, is there another guy?" Kate giggled. Lucas looked up angrily at the mention of Grace and another man.
"Oh my God you've got it bad haven't you. You're in love with her. My baby brother is in love." Kate sighed. Hearing it out loud confirmed it for him. He'd never felt this way about anyone before. He put his head in his hands.
"I've kinda made a mess of things sis." He confessed and told her about everything that had happened. He talked about why she came to Evening light in the first place, her run in with Tex and consequent illness, their night together, his attempts to talk to her. All of it came pouring out. He was grateful for his sister; she was so easy to talk to. Kate told him off for being an idiot but then tried to help him reason out his feelings.
"You've got to talk to her Lucas, you have to tell her." She said for the fifth time.
"Yeah and that went so well last time." He griped.
"Well this time you need to actually talk." Kate laughed. "Go on, go. And I'll pretend to be shocked in the morning when you didn't come home." She teased.
Lucas was nervous. What if she didn't feel the same way? He didn't think he could stand it. He hesitated at her door. Going to knock but pulling his hand away. He was acting like a lovesick teenager. Giving himself a mental shake he knocked on her door. Grace answered in her PJ's. She looked delectable but he tried to keep his thoughts focused. "We need to talk." He said.
