Grace watched Lizzy as she watched Bryce leave the room. Her pallor was quite striking.

"Are you all right?" She asked, forgetting about her tear stained face and how she must look as concern for Lizzy's wellbeing took precedence.

"I'm fine, I think I'm just a little jetlagged that's all." Lizzy sat down slowly in the chair across from Grace, looking at her closely. "So, are congratulations in order?" she asked softly.

"For what?" Grace was confused by the question. She was sitting before Lizzy with a tear stained face, not looking her best, what was there to congratulate her about?

"You and Brian? Bryce said he was glad about the two of you?" Lizzy looked at her shoe where it dangled on her foot. Grace got the impression that the answer was important to her but she wasn't sure why.

"No, there's nothing between me and Brian. There never has been. Bryce thought there was but-" She shrugged, not finishing her statement.

"He's glad that there nothing between the two of you?" Lizzy looked confused for a moment and then it was as if someone turned on a switch. "Bryce wanted you to stay for dinner, he said you two needed to talk."

"That's what he said," Grace confirmed, waiting for Lizzy to go on the defensive again as she had so many times in the past.

Lizzy nodded. "I was sure it was Rainer," she said almost to herself. There was no reason for Grace to answer so she just sat silently and watched Lizzy's color return to normal. Suddenly, without a doubt, Grace knew it was about Brian. She remembered Brian had acted much the same way when Cassie had mentioned Lizzy in front of him.

What was it Bryce had said in the hotel, he had caused scars for both her and Brian? Were Brian and Lizzy in love? If they were, why weren't they together?

Lizzy gave Grace a brilliant smile. "Let's go find you something to wear. Mom is about your size, and she has some wonderful things. If not, we'll try Dana. I think Cassie and I are a little too full figured for you to fit into our clothes.

Grace was led out of the study, but they were stopped in the hall by Gertrude.

"There you are, I've been instructed to move your stuff into the room you had the last time you were here. Ms. Elizabeth and Richard went down to your trailer and are collecting your things." If Gertrude noticed Grace's blotchy and tear stained face she kept it to herself as she lead the way up the stairs to her room.

"I'll go look through Mom's things and see if I can find something for you to wear," Lizzy said, continuing on down the hall as Gertrude opened her door.

"I think a nice bath and a rest will do you a world of good."

Grace just nodded silently, she was too tired to fight them. There were too many of them.

*******

She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress that Lizzy had picked for her was beautiful and fit her well. It was a jade green wrap dress that fell to just above her knees. The neckline was low but not so low as to be indecent and it had three quarter length sleeves. There was also a pair of matching black pumps that must have been Elizabeth's as well.

Everything she needed had been thoughtfully provided for her so that she was able to make up her face and tame her curly hair with little trouble. She put on her glasses, taking one last look at herself in the mirror before she left the room. She knew that she had put it off as long as she could and she needed to join the others downstairs.

She was the last one to enter the very full living room and there was a pause in the conversations as she stood in the doorway. Elizabeth was quick to reach her and pull her over to where she, Cassie, Dana, and Lizzy had been talking.

"You clean up nice," Dana said with a sweet smile. "I was a little worried earlier when you arrived all covered in dirt, but I will have to now agree with Cassie, you are lovely."

Grace flushed at the compliment, murmuring words of thanks as she accepted the drink that Rainer handed to her before putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. "Did you and Bryce sort it all out?" He looked down at her and she avoided his gaze by looking into her glass.

"There was nothing to sort out," she denied.

"That's a fib, Dr. Grace Winston, and you and I both know it. But I will mind my own business." He sipped his drink looking over at Bryce and Mason who had been cornered by Melinda.

Grace looked around and her eyes meet Bryce's but he had his usual calm look. Clive was on the other side of the room talking to Doug and Quinn so she only exchanged a nod of greeting with him. There were two brothers missing but Grace didn't feel comfortable enough to ask where they were.

The talk was general and others joined and left their group so that all she had to do was sit next to Elizabeth, who everyone, her children included, seemed drawn toward. Dinner was announced and the group made their way across the hall to the dining room.

Bryce held her back as the others moved forward. "I thought you would like to know that I talked to Brian today and we sorted out a few things." His hand was at her elbow and his side was pressed against hers so that he could talk softly in her ear.

She turned to look up at him. "What is there between Lizzy and Brian? Is that what you were talking about when you said that you had caused him some scars?" He looked down at her and she turned towards him, the space between them was almost non-existent as he kept hold of her elbow.

"I've never been sure, but I think there is something between them. It's always been a guess on my part, and I'll not deny that I warned Brian about how, due to Lizzy's lack of experience, I thought she was ready to make a mistake." He looked grim as he said it.

"Bryce," Grace said, saddened by his interference.

"The only defense I can give is that I had no idea what loving someone meant." His eyes meet hers and her heart stopped at what she saw there.

"Bryce?" Was he saying that he loved her? Was she reading him correctly, or did she want it to be true so badly that she was making it all up in her head?

He gave her a lopsided and self-effacing grin before he squeezed her elbow and turned her toward the dining room. When she looked back up at him his mask was firmly back in place where it remained through the rest of dinner.

Dinner went smoothly, but Grace didn't miss the covert glances that all of the Stevenses kept shooting her and Bryce. Their delay at entering the dining room hadn't gone unnoticed. After dinner they all returned to the living room and visited a little more before Clive stood to leave.

"I need to start back, Melinda, Grace, would you both like a lift back to the site?"

"Sure." Melinda stood and looked at Grace who shook her head.

"Grace is staying here with her family Clive," Elizabeth supplied as she approached him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Please come again soon, we love your visits."

If Clive was shocked by this news he didn't show it as he nodded and turned to leave, holding the door for Melinda, who was looking from her to the rest of the family disbelievingly.

"I didn't know you were family, Grace." Her voice sounded accusing.

"I assure you, she is," Elizabeth said taking Melinda's hand, "I hope you will come to the celebration in town tomorrow, there will be a party afterward, and I hope everyone on your team can attend." Elizabeth's charm worked as it usually did, and Melinda left the party feeling as if she had been included in their private circle.

"Our mother is a law unto herself," Cassie whispered in Grace's ear as she watched the scene. Grace looked over at Bryce who was wearing an amused expression on his face as he watched his mother.

After Clive and Melinda had left, Mason clapped his hands. "Well done Mom."

"You're lucky you so cute son, otherwise you never would have made it to adulthood," Elizabeth said as she motioned for Doug and they said their goodnights. It didn't take long for the others to follow and when Bryce excused himself saying he had some work to do, Grace decided that she had misunderstood his earlier look of love and took herself to her room to sit despondently on her bed.

She didn't know how long she sat there before there was a knock at her door and her heart jumped. She remembered the last time someone had knocked on her door. She slowly moved toward it, and when she opened it Bryce was standing there.

"Bryce." It was a whisper.

He pushed her into the room closing the door behind her. "We have to finish our talk, Kitten." Her heart contracted at the nickname. It meant all hope was not lost. He took her arm and pulled her down next to him on the bench at the end of the bed, holding her hands in his.

"You know that I don't hate you, I couldn't, but do you hate me?" he asked as he rubbed the palm of her hand. The action was sending tingles up her spine and she had to close her eyes. How could a simple touch from this man have such an effect on her.

"No, I never could."

"Why, I more than deserve it. I have been proud and stubborn, too stubborn to admit that I love you and that I need you. I have tried for a year to pretend that you haven't changed my life but you have. I have this horrible habit of thinking that I know best."

Grace nodded through her tears as she climbed onto his lap and kissed him. He loved her!

He kissed her back but eventually, with a groan, he tore himself away from her.

"This afternoon I told you to remember-"

"I do." She smiled.

"Stop Grace, listen to me, please. I don't have an easy life, I am never in one place for longer than a week. The interruptions to my life from my family are constant and if it's not them then it's this house and this land or the ranch in Texas. On top of all that I have a full time job. My biggest fear is that you will resent my family or hate me because I'm never there for you." Bryce gave her a little shake.

"Bryce, despite all that, whenever I needed you, you were always there. I was afraid that you would see me as one more responsibility that you had to manage."

He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck. "Kitten, you have no idea how badly I want to protect and save you from every bad thing that this world will throw at you. If I could go back and rewrite your childhood I would, and I would give all I have to do it."

"I don't need my past fixed, Bryce. It's made me who I am and it led me to you, and if you remember, even before you knew it, you were taking care of me. I wouldn't have the career I have if it hadn't been for you, but that's not why I love you."

He squeezed her tight as she said the words, his face was still buried in her neck.

"I love you because you want to help, not just me but everyone you meet. I love you because you like breakfast for dinner and your feet are ticklish. I love you because underneath that cool reserve is the heart of a gentle warrior. That's who you are Bryce, and you're mine and I'm yours. We'll figure out the rest, and I'll be happy with it as long as I don't have to live another year without you."

"I don't think I could last another year." He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You forgive me."

"Yes, I love you, do you forgive me, I'm not without fault."

"Yes, and I love you too, but let's not try to figure it all out tonight." He gave her his wickedly sexy grin that made her toes curl and she nodded as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You will marry me Grace."

She laughed. "Was that a question or an order?"

"Whichever one makes you my wife and Lady Grace."

They were silent for a few moments as Grace became overwhelmed at the thought of becoming a Lady.

"Bryce, do I have to be a Lady? Can't we just skip that part?"

"No Kitten, it's part of who I am. Don't worry, Mother will help you, and she has assured me that you're already a natural."

"Bryce!"

He laughed. "There are no secrets in this family, especially from Mother."

"I'm looking forward to it." And she was.

"To no secrets?" He looked at her like she was crazy.

"No, to having a family." Her voice broke.

"I'm looking forward to having you for the rest of my life. So we're even."

Grace didn't disagree since he took her lips in a fierce kiss, but she knew she was getting the better end of the deal.