Shades of Gray (24 page)

Epilogue

Gray sat
behind the easel, brushing paint onto the canvass.  He had managed the right
shade of blonde for Kat’s hair and black for Lily’s, but there was a cheerful
glow in Kat’s skin tones that he couldn’t quite replicate.  The cheerful pallor
hadn’t been noticeable when he started the portrait last month.  The lighting
must have changed with the cooler temperatures.

“Mr. Gregory,”
Milly said from behind him.  “Mr. Shields from the General Store has arrived. 
She leaned forward and cupped her hand to her mouth.  “Should I send him away? 
He doesn’t have an appointment.”

Gray chuckled
as he dabbed the tip of his brush in the peach color and then touched it
lightly in the green.  He was determined to capture the love illuminating from
his wife’s face.  “That isn’t necessary, Milly.  Mr. Shields is always welcome
here.”

The servant
had taken to Oak Willow as if she had been born here.  She oversaw the
employment of each new hire and refused to accept anyone she did not approve
of.  She walked up behind him and stared over his shoulder.  “That is a
remarkable likeness.”  She snorted and spoke under her breath but loud enough
to be heard.  “It’s a shame you don’t see what’s there.”

Gray pulled
back the brush and turned his head toward her.  “Show Mr. Shields in, Milly.”

“Gray,” Mr.
Shields said as he stepped past Milly and onto the patio.

Lily giggled,
and Kat chased after her.  She caught her around the waist and swung her in the
air.  Gray sat his brush on the easel.  Clearly, today’s sitting was over.

“You have a
fine family, Grayson,” Mr. Shields said.  He beamed as though he was a proud
grandfather.  “I wasn’t always sure I did the right thing.”

Gray looked up
at him from over a soiled cloth.  Paint smears stained the rag.  “What do you
mean?”

Mr. Shields
stood with his feet distanced a shoulders’ width apart and his hands clasped
behind his back.  “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now.  When I
learned that Reece had sent for a bride from England, I was concerned.  We both
know what a life with him would have meant for any woman.”

Gray capped
the lid on the paint container. “Is that why you had me come into town to claim
that trunk instead of having it delivered?”    

“Why do you
think I kept it at my store for so long?”

Gray rubbed
the paint from his palette.  “You intended for me to meet Kat?”

A fresh cloth
fell to the ground.  Mr. Shields picked it up and hooked it over the easel
support.  “Knowing Reece,” he said.  “I was certain that whoever he engaged
would be a comely woman of good temperament.”

Gray listened
to the laughter filling the air and turned his attention to the females
responsible for it.  Kat did indeed have the qualities Mr. Shields spoke of.

“Katherine
didn’t need Reece,” Mr. Shields said.  “She needed you and more importantly,
you needed her.”

“When did you
become so concerned for my personal life?” Gray asked.

“I’m ready for
our picnic, Milton,” Laura said from inside the house.

Gray’s eyes
shot upward, and he looked from his mother to the merchant.

Mr. Shields
lifted his suspendered shoulders.  “She wouldn’t agree to date me until you had
someone in your life.”

Gray laughed. 
“You and my mother?”

“If you have
no objections,” Mr. Shields quickly added.

“No.  None. 
After what you’ve done for me, you have my blessings.”

Kat walked up
beside Gray and slipped her arms around his waist.  Gray kissed her forehead
and snuggled her close as Lily skipped into the house.

“Darling,”
Gray said and watched as Mr. Shields escorted Laura to the kitchen.  “It
appears as though the size of our family may be growing.” 

Kat smiled up
at him.  “It certainly is.”

Behind-the-Book

Sometimes
misspelled words are intentional, especially with names.  This poetic license
became a necessary tool to use while writing
Shades of Gray
.

I have always
liked the name Greyson and knew this was a perfect fit for the hero of this
book.  As friends tend to do, this character’s name became shortened from
Greyson to Grey by his fellow characters.  (You would be surprised at how much
input fictional characters have in the story the author is sharing.)

The words,
Grey Gregory looked a little redundant on the printed page.  Although a simple
solution would be to change the vowel, this action created a problem
distinguishing the character’s name from the color.  To keep the homonym from
becoming redundant, I swapped the vowels.  I hope this action didn’t distract
from the story.

About-the-author

Carol and her husband live in east Florida but look for
any opportunity to spend time in the North Carolina mountains.  No matter where
she goes, her laptop is sure to be with her.  She likes nothing better than
pounding out the next chapter of a new book while watching the fog roll in from
across the neighboring mountain peaks.

You
can find updates of new releases at
www.CarolASpradling.com
.