Betting on Grace

by Nicole Edwards

  Truth be told, Lane was quite partial to watching her with her horse. She loved that animal, and he was pretty sure she would’ve found a way to keep him at her cabin if it was at all feasible. She spent a significant amount of time with Astro Boy, refusing to allow anyone else to do more than feed him. And she was a sight to behold when she rode Astro Boy, which Lane suddenly figured out was her plan.

  The sound of footsteps shuffling in the soft dirt behind him had Lane turning to see Grant walking his way. The scowl on his face told Lane that Grant’s week wasn’t getting any better than the last time he’d seen him.

  “Mercy text you?” Lane asked as Grant approached.

  “Yeah,” Grant grumbled.

  “Have you seen her?”

  “Nope.”

  Well, it sucked to know that Grant still wasn’t back to his normal chatty self. The guy really needed to get out of his funk. Lane wasn’t at all fond of the mood, but more important, he wasn’t happy with not knowing what had spawned it in the first place.

  Turning away from Grant, Lane tilted his head in the direction of the arena floor, where Gracie was currently leading Astro Boy. “Look.”

  Lane made his way beneath the bleachers, trying to get a better view of Gracie and her horse. Reaching up, Lane clasped his fingers on one of the metal rungs of the benches that were standing tall and proud over his head. He was peering through the aluminum steps, hidden from view of the little girl and the man when Grant joined him.

  “Okay,” Gracie said, her voice echoing in the cavernous arena. “Maddie, I’ve got a job for you. Astro Boy really likes when you clap. So I expect to hear you loud and clear, all right?”

  Lane realized that Gracie was talking to the little girl, Maddie, who was once again smacking her hands together gleefully while Gracie turned and said something to Astro Boy. The huge black-and-white paint knelt on one knee, bowing toward the little girl, which earned him a loud squeal in return.

  “I haven’t done this in a long time,” Gracie continued, keeping her eye on Maddie as she started walking Astro Boy several feet one way and then turning him back, all while she rubbed her hand down his big nose, using the bridle to keep his head close to hers.

  Lane glanced around the arena, noticing that there were barrels set up — one on each end. And that could only mean…

  “Holy shit,” Grant whispered, speaking Lane’s thoughts aloud. “Is she…?”

  “Looks like it.”

  And from that moment forward, Lane was rendered speechless, unable to do anything other than watch Gracie. And just like her name, the woman was pure grace as she led her horse around while still talking to the little girl.

  “Are you ready?” Gracie asked.

  “Hell yeah,” Lane mumbled softly.

  “Yes!” Maddie screamed.

  Lane watched as Gracie walked Astro Boy several more feet, speaking to him tenderly as she did, readjusting the way she was holding his reins. When she began jogging, kicking up the dirt beneath her boots, Lane knew he wasn’t going to be able to look away. And then she was running, Astro Boy trotting beside her, clearly doing just as she instructed.

  Son of a…

  Gracie mounted the horse while Astro Boy was at a full gallop, her much shorter legs keeping up until she propelled herself up and into the saddle. She directed Astro Boy with the ease of a cowgirl who knew her horse better than she knew herself. Lane was pretty sure his jaw was on the floor at that point.

  Likely for the little girl’s benefit, Gracie had Astro Boy perform a few basic stunts, a couple of high steps, a dizzying turn. Nothing significant, but clearly enough to impress Maddie. Then everything seemed to morph into slow motion as Gracie called out to Astro Boy, a signal for him to run.

  And he did.

  Riding full out, Gracie sprinted Astro Boy around the arena a couple of times, the little girl clapping louder and louder until the man was joining in as well. The energy in the place jumped several levels, and Lane realized he was holding his breath.

  Then Gracie kicked it up another notch, running Astro Boy from one end to the other, circling the barrel, both horse and rider leaning into the turn perfectly timed. Lane observed in awe as Gracie raced that horse, Astro Boy doing exactly as Gracie wanted, until finally, they were coming to an abrupt stop directly in front of the little girl.

  “That was awesome!” Maddie yelled.

  “I’ll say,” Grant whispered, still standing beside Lane. “Have you ever seen her ride like that before?”

  “No,” Lane answered. He knew she was good with horses, but he’d never seen anything as spectacular as Gracie racing that beautiful horse at full speed, circling those barrels as if she’d done it a million times before. She was good enough to have gone pro.

  Which made him wonder … why hadn’t she?

  ■□■□■□■□

  By the time Astro Boy came to a stop, Gracie was breathing hard. Leaning forward, she talked to her horse while petting his face gently, telling him how proud she was.

  “Very impressive, Gracie,” Ben called, standing up and leading his daughter down to the rails that lined the front of the bleachers.

  “Thank you,” she replied, encouraging Astro Boy to move closer to the stands.

  “Where did you learn to do that?” he asked as Maddie stood on the bottom rung and leaned over to pet Astro Boy’s head, Ben’s hand resting on Maddie’s back, probably to keep her from leaning too far over.

  “My mother,” she told him, a sharp pang of loss echoing in her chest.

  Her mother had taught her how to barrel race when Gracie was little. Being that her mother had been a champion barrel racer herself, Gracie had wanted to grow up to be just like her. She’d worked hard at a very young age, always adoring the time she had to spend with her mother, the two of them out in the arena — not the same one they were in now — working to perfect her form.

  But then her mother had died, and Gracie had buried her dream of going pro right along with her. She continued to race, but only when no one knew she was out there. Ever since she’d gotten Astro Boy, Gracie had known that he was meant to run. She was pretty sure he loved it as much as she did, and they were quite the pair.

  Not that she wanted anyone to know. It was difficult to keep her family and friends in the dark because they were a nosy bunch, but either she was successful or they were keeping their mouths shut where her extracurricular activity was concerned. She tended to believe it was the latter. What she didn’t want was for people to start pushing her toward something she didn’t want to do anymore. Sure, it was fun to race Astro Boy from time to time, but she didn’t want to do it for a crowd. Grace was more than content with the way things were, spending her days working at the ranch. No rodeos for her. No thank you.

  The sound of boots on the bleachers had Grace looking over her shoulder.

  Oh, crap.

  Coming toward her, with matching stunned expressions on their handsome faces, were Lane and Grant.

  “Real cowboys, Dad,” Maddie whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Hey, darlin’,” Lane greeted Maddie, his signature crooked smirk falling into place.

  Grace found the little girl was grinning ear to ear, likely falling head over heels in love with the man on sight. Rather than respond, Maddie giggled while grabbing on to her father’s hand as if he were her lifeline.

  “What’s your name?” Lane asked, squatting down in front of Maddie.

  Grace half listened to the conversation, her attention turning to Grant, who was staring back at her as though he’d never seen her before. Rubbing Astro Boy’s head, Grace tried not to fidget under the scrutiny of his gaze.

  They’d seen her race, if she had to guess. Which was exactly why she didn’t want anyone to watch, having absolutely no desire to endure any of their questions or encouragement. And she could see in Grant’s expressive blue eyes that he had loads of questions.

  “Can we, Dad?” Maddie called out, drawing Grace�
��s attention back to her.

  “Sure, if that’s okay with Gracie,” Ben replied.

  “Can we, Gracie? Can we have supper with you and the two cowboys? Pretty please?”

  Grace laughed, enjoying the little girl’s fervor. And yes, she did have to eat, but she shot Lane a look that promised retribution. He simply tipped the edge of his mouth into a sexy smile that made her body ignite immediately.

  “Sure you can,” Grace answered, pulling her eyes away from Lane. “What time is it, anyway?”

  “Four-thirty,” Ben said quickly.

  “How ’bout we meet in the dining hall at five,” Grace told Maddie.

  The little girl clapped her hands giddily as she nodded.

  “Come on, kiddo,” Ben said to Maddie. “Let’s go wash up so we can eat.”

  “See you in a little while, Gracie! Bye, cowboys!” Maddie called out as her father led her toward the exit.

  Crap.

  And now Grace was left alone with Grant and Lane. Clearly, she hadn’t thought that one through all the way.

  “Don’t say a word,” she told them, twisting in the saddle, preparing to lead Astro Boy back toward the stable.

  She heard the creak of metal followed by the thud of boots on dirt, and she knew the two men had scaled the railing and were now following her outside.

  “Why…?”

  Grace quickly cut Lane off before he could get the question out. Turning to face them both, she glared down into their faces, daring them to argue with her. “I mean it. Don’t. Don’t ask me about anything you saw today. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Lane didn’t say a word, but as she slid her gaze back and forth between the two of them, she knew they were preparing the questions they would likely bombard her with later. Maybe by then she’d be willing to tell them. But right now, with the memory of her mother weighing heavily on her heart, Grace just wanted a few minutes to herself.

  Half an hour later, Grace was entering the dining hall, looking around to see if she was the first of her little group to arrive. She didn’t see Ben or Maddie, but she did see Lane and Grant standing at the front of the food line, chatting with a wrangler who was adding additional plates to the buffet table.

  The place was busy, with other guests arriving for the final meal of the day, along with her sisters, her father, and several of the wranglers. In a few minutes, she knew the place would be loud, which was what she was anticipating. With any luck, there would be too much going on for anyone to question what they had seen a short while ago.

  “Hi, Gracie!” The excited voice chimed from behind Grace, so she turned to see Maddie standing there with an Oscar-worthy smile on her face.

  “Hey, Maddie. Are you hungry?”

  The excited little girl nodded her head emphatically, her pigtails bobbing.

  “Well, we better get in line before the cowboys take all the food.”

  Grace, Maddie, and Ben all joined the line, waiting patiently to reach the tables that held the food. Ben’s vivacious daughter was kind enough to provide comic relief, explaining in thorough detail all about their trip to the ranch. According to Maddie, she lived in Oklahoma with her dad but went to see her mother every other weekend when her mom wasn’t out of town. Grace noticed that when the little girl mentioned her mother, there was a pained expression on Ben’s face. She had to wonder whether their divorce — if they were actually divorced — was amicable. For some reason, she didn’t think so, but she definitely wasn’t going to pry into the details of his life.

  After filling their plates with chicken-fried steak, corn on the cob, and ranch-style beans, the three of them wound through the tables until they reached the larger one in the back. Grant and Lane were already seated, and Grace wanted to laugh when she noticed they had reserved her a chair. Between them.

  Rather than call attention to their clever move, she made her way over, sliding into the chair while Maddie did what Maddie did best — started asking questions.

  Grant and Lane were both good sports, sharing stories and answering questions. Neither of them seemed at all put off by the fact they were having dinner with a six-year-old and her father. In fact, Grant seemed to have relaxed somewhat since she’d seen him earlier.

  When they had finished their meal, Grant offered to escort Maddie to the dessert table, promising coffee upon his return for the adults. The conversation didn’t stall with their departure, though. Ben was interested in the inner workings of the ranch, but he seemed more comfortable asking Lane questions. Grace wasn’t sure whether that was because she was a girl — which she highly doubted — or because he figured she had enough to do just answering his daughter’s endless questions. Either way, Grace hung on to Lane’s every word, enjoying the easy way he interacted with Ben.

  A short while later, Grace was sipping coffee and listening to Maddie chatter away about what she wanted to do tomorrow, when Hope walked up to their table.

  “Hey,” Grace greeted her sister with a smile. “Ben, Maddie, this is my sister Hope.”

  You could’ve heard a pin drop at that very moment. The moment when Ben met Hope’s gaze from across the table, Grace was pretty certain she saw sparks fly.

  “Very nice to meet you, Maddie. Ben,” Hope said, her voice soft.

  “Are you a real cowgirl, too?” the energetic little girl asked Hope.

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “Awesome!”

  A round of laughter erupted, Grace leading the charge, but she noticed that Ben wasn’t laughing. His eyes were glued to Hope, and Grace saw something there. Something that threatened to set the smoke detectors off.

  Oh, crap.

  “Grant,” Hope spoke directly to the man sitting at her side, leaning over his shoulder. “I wanted to let you know that someone’s been callin’ the ranch for you. I haven’t been the one to answer it yet, but the girls who’re answerin’ the phone are gettin’ antsy. I think he said he was your dad.”

  Grace watched Grant’s entire body tense, his eyes narrow.

  Why would Grant’s father be calling the ranch?

  “Thanks,” Grant said roughly, his tone making the hair on the back of Grace’s neck lift.

  Grace didn’t have a chance to question him about it because Hope turned her attention toward her.

  “Hey, Grace,” Hope said, leaning down over Grace’s shoulder. “I wanted to see if we could have a meeting Thursday mornin’ at my house.”

  And Hope was asking her this now? Because, what … they weren’t going to see each other tomorrow? Grace didn’t feel comfortable questioning Hope in front of the guests — which she figured was Hope’s angle — so she simply nodded her head. “What time?”

  “Eight. If possible.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks. It was great to meet you both,” Hope stated, obviously talking to Ben and Maddie. “I hope you have a great time while you’re here. You’re lucky, you know that?”

  “Why?” Maddie asked, curiosity making her golden eyes glow.

  Grace held her breath, waiting to see what Hope was going to say. The woman was always completely professional — sometimes too much so — when guests were around.

  “My sister Gracie… She’s the best cowgirl at the ranch. You’re lucky to have her showing you around.”

  What the…

  Twisting so that she could see Hope still standing over her shoulder, Grace was speechless. Her face heated, embarrassment making her temperature spike. Her sister didn’t usually hand out compliments like that. Ever.

  “I know!” the little girl agreed. “She showed me how she races her horse, and tomorrow she’s gonna take me fishing.”

  Shit.

  Grace twirled back around in her seat fast enough to shake the table, not wanting to look at Hope.

  “Well, honey, I think you’re gonna have a fabulous time. It was nice meeting you, Ben,” Hope said before she turned and walked away from the table.

  Grace noticed that Ben was
still watching her sister, even when Hope stopped at another table to chat with guests. She had no idea what was running through his head, but the look on his face wasn’t lewd. No, she’d be more inclined to describe his expression as wonder.

  When a smile tipped the corner of his lips, Grace peeked over her shoulder one more time to see Hope looking back at him.

  Wow. And wonders never ceased.

  Chapter Seven

  “Hey, let’s get outta here for a little while,” Lane mumbled to Grant after they had cleaned off the table and headed toward the door.

  Ben and Maddie had excused themselves a short while ago. Apparently, seven thirty was the little girl’s bedtime, and if they didn’t head back, she’d find a way to get out of taking a bath, something Ben wasn’t looking forward to.

  “What’d you have in mind?” Grant asked, his eyes searching their surroundings to ensure no one was listening.

  “I don’t know. Somethin’ fun. Let’s grab the horses and head out for a bit.”

  As they stepped out onto the porch, Grant glanced up at the evening sky. Still cloudless, although the sun had begun its descent in the west, casting rays of pink and orange overhead. The days weren’t quite as long as they used to be, but he knew they still had quite a bit of daylight left to utilize.

  “I’m game,” Gracie said as she joined them.

  Hell, Grant hadn’t even realized she was there.

  “What d’ya say?” Lane asked Grant.

  “Why not,” Grant answered with a grin.

  Some time away from the place would do them some good. And unfortunately, they never had much of a chance to spend time together unless they were sneaking around anyway. An evening ride sounded like a good plan.

  Gracie led the way to the stables, and Grant walked alongside Lane, doing his best not to stare at Gracie’s ass. Right. Like he was really trying all that hard. The woman had one mighty fine ass.

  “Hey, cowboy, my face is up here,” Gracie said teasingly, drawing Grant’s gaze upward.

  Hell, he’d been so engrossed in watching the rhythmic sway of her hips that he hadn’t even realized she had stopped in front of Astro Boy’s stall.