Betting on Grace Read online

  He wasn’t quite as decked out in western gear as his daughter, but he was sporting jeans and a polo, which was a positive sign. Grace still found it baffling that there were men and women alike who would come to ride horses wearing less-than-appropriate apparel, namely shoes. Daring a look, Grace confirmed that the man was wearing sneakers. She smiled to herself as she looked back up at him. “My name’s Grace Lambert. Welcome to Dead Heat Ranch. Hopefully someone already told you that I’d be your guide for the entire time you’re here, which, if I remember correctly, is two full weeks?”

  “Yes!” Maddie exclaimed. “I get to be a cowgirl for two whole weeks.”

  Ben chuckled at his daughter before meeting Grace’s eyes, his smile strengthening with each passing second. “Yes, we’re here for two weeks.”

  “Y’all are gonna have a great time. I promise. And we’re gonna do a lot of fun stuff. Starting now. This mornin’, I’m here to show Maddie the horses, maybe take y’all for a ride if you’d like.”

  Maddie jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  Ben chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets and once again directing his focus on Maddie. “She loves horses. I’ve promised her we’d do this for a long time. So, here we are. Whatever you’re willing to teach us, we’re your eager students.”

  “Have you ever been on a horse, Maddie?” Grace questioned.

  “Nope! But I wanna ride one.”

  Grace couldn’t help but share the little girl’s enthusiasm.

  “So, I hear you wanted a tour of the barn?” Grace asked, once again speaking to the little girl.

  “I wanna see the horses,” Maddie corrected, her smile like a ray of sunshine.

  “Well, the horses aren’t actually in the barn. We keep them in stables. And on this ranch, we have many horses, which means we have a lot of stables. How about I show you the main barn first, then we’ll head over there.” Grace pointed toward the largest stable on the property, the one that they had recently relocated all of the family’s horses to. “That’s where I keep my horse. His name’s Astro Boy.”

  They had previously housed several of their personal horses in the barn, but with the significant changes being made to the ranch in recent weeks, they had decided to allocate the barn fully to housing things other than the animals. Initially, Grace had refused to move Astro Boy, her beloved five-year-old paint, but when Grant had informed her that they were also upgrading the main stable, she’d relented to their demands.

  “Are there any real cowboys here?” Maddie asked as Grace started to amble toward the barn, the pair falling into step beside her.

  “Real? Like the guys who wear boots and have horses?” Grace teased, referring to Maddie’s definition of “real.”

  Maddie nodded, bouncing as she walked.

  “Last I checked, we have roughly forty, I think,” Grace explained. “Everyone who works here also lives here.”

  “I wanna live here!” Maddie exclaimed, making her father chuckle. “We get to stay in a real cabin. It has walls and floors that are made of wood and everything. I get to sleep in a bunk bed. On the top. Oh, and I have a TV in my room! I don’t have a TV in my room at home. That’s why I like this place. I can hear the horses and cows when I’m sitting on my bed. Oh, but the stove is kinda weird.”

  Grace laughed as she tried to keep up with Maddie. The girl clearly wasn’t shy, that was for sure.

  Each of the cabins that they reserved for the guests was individually decorated to enhance the rustic appeal of the ranch. Somewhat drastically, in Grace’s honest opinion. She knew there were working wood stoves placed in several, which was probably what Maddie was referring to.

  As the three of them made their way into the shadowy interior of the barn, Grace explained what everything was, including the hay and the various equipment that they had stored there. Maddie was full of questions, continuing to pelt Grace with one after another, which she answered quickly and efficiently.

  This type of tour was a regular occurrence at the ranch, although many of the guests came solely for riding horses, which, being in Texas, the weather allowed for almost year round. Dead Heat Ranch was known for the riding trails that had been forged into the beautiful Texas Hill Country, along with the giant lake they had on the premises. The fishing wasn’t as good other lakes in the area, but Grace believed many of their guests came, a lot of them returning more than once, to enjoy the hospitality and the one-on-one attention they received.

  Each week, on Monday morning, Hope led them through the guest list and any activities that had been planned or requested. Grace would assign each of her sisters, along with many of the wranglers, to each guest, ensuring that everyone who visited had someone who would show them around.

  Maddie and her father had arrived on the ranch late yesterday evening and were staying for a full two weeks, which was about twice as long as the average length of stay for their guests. Not that she had a problem with that. The longer they stayed, the easier it was for her to get the activities lined up. After this tour this morning, she would give them a questionnaire so that she could learn what other interests they had so that, during their stay, she could ensure they had the best experience possible.

  All part of her day-to-day.

  “If you’re up for the walk, I can show you the stables,” Grace said, glancing down at Maddie. “I need to check on my horse, make sure he’s been fed.”

  “You don’t feed him?” Maddie asked, sounding somewhat disappointed in Grace, which, again, made Grace smile.

  “Most days I do,” she answered, heading toward the back doors of the barn that would lead them in the direction of the stable. “Sometimes, like today, when I get to hang out with cool people like you and your dad, I ask one of the wranglers to make sure he gets fed.”

  “What’s a wrangler?” Maddie asked.

  “That’s what we call the cowboys who work here. They’re responsible for taking care of the animals.”

  “Will I get to meet a cowboy?”

  “I’m sure you will,” Grace told her.

  Approaching the stables just a few minutes later, Grace heard Astro Boy neighing softly, followed by a couple of snorts. Yes, she knew she was late. He wasn’t going to be happy with her, but maybe if he was lucky, she’d take him to the arena later. Grace had a feeling Maddie would enjoy watching Astro Boy do what she’d trained him to do.

  The question was whether or not she was up for it. It had been a long time since Grace had been in front of an audience.

  ■□■□■□■□

  Mercy practically crawled toward the main house. She had no idea what her deal was, but she hadn’t slept much at all last night. Actually, for several nights now. Tossing and turning, she continued to have the most unwelcome dream. And, yes, damn it, she realized she was referring to the dream as unwelcome, not disturbing or inappropriate or… Yeah, unwelcome was the best she could come up with to describe it.

  “Mornin’,” she greeted her father as she stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, where they generally would meet up for coffee each morning.

  “Good mornin’,” Jerry replied, folding over the newspaper he had been reading and placing it neatly on the table in front of him.

  She noticed immediately that his salutation contained the word “good," unlike hers. That was her first clue that he was far too perky for that time of day, which was exactly why she stood staring at him blankly. Was it her or was he in a strangely good mood?

  “What?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled from the frown on his face. “What’s the matter with you?”

  Laughing, Mercy shook her head and made her way to the coffeepot. “Nothin’,” she said, praying that the caffeine was going to help erase some of the cobwebs in her brain. That dream was making it damn near impossible for her to function. Unfortunately, there was only one person to blame for that and … tag, she was it.

  “Did you sleep well?” Jerry asked, again his tone far more lively than she expe
cted.

  “Perfectly,” she lied. “You?”

  “Never better.”

  Okay, something was really off. Maybe she was still dreaming.

  “Ouch,” she muttered when she pinched her forearm just to make sure. Nope, not dreaming.

  “Did Gracie assign you to a guest this week?” her father asked, his voice coming from behind her as she filled one of the nondescript white mugs with coffee.

  “Yep,” she told him. “Gracie had it in for me this week. She put me with a group of women coming here for a ‘cowgirl’ retreat,” Mercy explained, lifting her hands in the air and crooking her fingers to signal the quotes.

  Those were her favorite.

  Cowgirls.

  Riiiight.

  If she had to guess, there would be at least three, possibly up to five; all of them were going to want to hang out by the pool in their skimpy little bikinis and wait for the wranglers to pass by. ’Cause that’s what cowgirls do. Which they would do. Every day throughout their stay. Then, when Mercy tried to convince them to go horseback riding, or something equally cowgirl-ish, they’d squeal and giggle and agree only if one of the men taught them what they were supposed to do.

  Oh, joy, something to look forward to.

  “They won’t be here until Thursday, though,” Mercy tacked on as she stirred sugar and cream into her mug.

  “What’ll you do till then?” Jerry questioned.

  Mercy raised one eyebrow and glared at him over her shoulder. “Are you insinuating that I don’t have anything to do around here?”

  A huge smirk replaced the stern expression on Jerry Lambert’s face. Her father loved to give her a hard time about not doing anything around the ranch. She, along with her four sisters, spent their days from sunup to sundown working, usually seven days a week. For Mercy, working at the ranch wasn’t a job. It was a way of life, and she loved it.

  “Nope. Not me,” he answered, sipping his coffee and staring back at her over the rim of his cup.

  “What about you? Did she stick you with someone this week?” Mercy asked.

  Her father usually wasn’t assigned to a guest, but for whatever reason, he had been getting more and more involved in the physical activities in recent weeks. In fact, Mercy was pretty sure he’d had a lobotomy because his entire demeanor had changed over the course of the last few months.

  “Nope, but I offered to head up a couple of the trail rides.”

  “You sure your old butt can handle bein’ in a saddle all day?” Mercy teased as she made her way to a small table, sliding a chair out with her foot before sliding into it.

  “Girlie, I can still outride you any day of the week.”

  Mercy laughed, leaning her chair back on two legs. She was the fastest rider on the ranch, and with her horse, Shadow Mist, they were an unbeatable team. “Right. Believe that if you want to, Pops. If you ever want me to prove you wrong, just name the time and place. I’m ready.”

  Jerry snickered, placing his coffee cup on the table and relaxing in his chair, his work-roughened hands resting on his trim, flat stomach. Mercy didn’t squirm as her father seemingly studied her. This was a recurring conversation, the two of them ribbing one another about who was faster. There was a time when her father had held that title at Dead Heat Ranch, but not since Mercy had been a teenager.

  “You’re on,” Jerry finally said, his smile transforming his face from average to handsome instantly.

  Mercy dropped her chair back to the floor with a resounding thud. “Shi— Er … crap,” Mercy squealed when her coffee sloshed over the edge of her cup and onto her hand. Shaking her hand to knock off the liquid, Mercy stared at her father. “Are you serious?” she asked, unable to hold back her excitement. For years, she’d tried to goad her father into racing her. Not many people at the ranch would because they didn’t like being left in the dust.

  “Yep. Dead serious.”

  Mercy smiled, on both the outside and the inside, her stomach churning with exhilaration. “When? Where?” she asked, putting her coffee mug down on the table so that she didn’t drop it.

  “Sunday mornin’. Before it gets too hot.”

  “Scared of a little heat, Pops?” she teased, knowing that he was more concerned about the horses than anything else.

  He merely replied with a tilt of one dark eyebrow up toward his hairline.

  “Fine. Sunday mornin’.” Mercy stood, nearly knocking her chair over. “I’m gonna let everyone know.”

  “Great,” Jerry muttered, still smiling as he sipped from his cup again.

  Mercy headed to the door, ready to run outside and announce to the ranch that she was going to leave her father in the dust, but she stopped instead. Turning to look at her father, she smiled at him. “Love you, Pops.”

  “Love you, too, girlie,” he replied, his eyes softening. “This much.”

  Mercy grinned. Her father had started telling them that when they were little. It had been a game at first because he didn’t use his arms or his hands to signal how much he was talking about. According to Jerry, he meant this much as all encompassing. It was still something he said to them, and every single time, Mercy felt just as giddy as she had when she was a little girl.

  “You might wanna take some ridin’ lessons this week,” she informed him as she pushed the screen door open. “You’re gonna need ’em.”

  With that, she went outside, the sound of her father’s roaring laugh following her as she did.

  Yep, it was safe to say that this week was looking up. And she could only hope that the anticipation of the race would help to keep that unwelcome dream from disrupting her sleep.

  If not, she was going to have to do something about Cody Mercer because that damn mechanic was getting on her last nerve.

  The worst part about it … he didn’t even know.

  Chapter Six

  Lane’s afternoon was ending about as well as his morning had started. From the instant that his eyes had peeled open, thanks to the annoying sound of his cell phone’s alarm, it seemed as though he had been on his feet. And now, when he would’ve preferred to be heading back to the bunkhouse for a quick shower and then over to the dining hall for supper, he was being summoned to the arena.

  For what, he had no idea.

  The text had come from Mercy, which was a little surprising, but the message was clear.

  Get to the arena now.

  Yes, ma’am. It wasn’t like he didn’t have other things to do, thank you very much.

  Fortunately, he hadn’t been on the scheduled trail ride for the day, but that meant he’d been busting his ass working on fixing one of the back stables that had practically caved in on itself about a month ago. They had moved the existing horses from that stable several weeks before that, due to its condition, but now that they had acquired several more, they needed the thing desperately.

  It felt as though they had been working more in the last couple of months than in the three years that he’d been there, combined. They were expanding, that was for sure. Not that he minded that the ranch seemed to be doing well. As far as he was concerned, Dead Heat Ranch’s success was his success. And loving what he did made it all the sweeter.

  But with work came exhaustion, something Lane was definitely feeling. He wanted to go jump headfirst into the swimming pool to cool off. Shit, it had been almost two months since he’d taken the time to do even that much. Then again, his priorities these days, other than work, were Gracie and Grant. He was more than willing to spend every spare second he had with the two of them. Even if it meant he had to forego sleep.

  Lane looked up to see that he was only a few feet from his destination, a sigh of relief escaping him. Getting out of the blazing sun was his goal, and the arena was going to offer some much-needed shade, although it wouldn’t do much for the one-hundred-plus-degree temps.

  Dead Heat Ranch’s event arena was rather impressive. The thing rivaled in size any state fair arena that Lane had ever seen, although the seating capa
city was significantly less. The giant steel structure had to have cost a freaking fortune — not that Lane had any idea how much — but it was clearly worth the investment since it was always being used. Most of the time, Gracie, or one of her sisters, was teaching beginning riders what it meant to be on a horse within the steel building, and that was usually so they could avoid subjecting the horses to the direct sun.

  From time to time, they would hold a miniature version of a rodeo for the guests, complete with a couple of bulls that the wranglers would try to outlast for that eight seconds of glory. Lane was proud to admit that he was a damn fine bull rider, even though it had been nearly a year since he’d been on the back of one. At thirty-two, he’d outgrown the need to be bucked off a seventeen-hundred-pound pissed-off animal.

  But today, there weren’t any kids running around chasing one another or any of the wranglers leading animals to and from. No, right now the place appeared to be a ghost town. Lane didn’t even see Mercy when he stepped into the shade, making his way toward the bleachers on one side. The sound of clapping brought Lane’s attention up to the staggered metal benches that rose up from the ground. There, on the bottom row, was a little girl and a man, sitting side by side. Lane was about to question what she was clapping about, but then he stopped dead in his tracks.

  No questions needed.

  Lane stood motionless, completely hypnotized by the sexy, petite cowgirl making her way out into the arena, Astro Boy proudly walking beside her. Gracie was dwarfed by the size of the horse, but even from as far away as Lane was, she was what drew his attention.

  The woman was breathtaking. Long, golden-blond hair, those interesting blue-green eyes, her cute little nose, and those lips… Oh, damn. If he weren’t careful, he’d be sporting wood just by thinking of how hot she looked in those sexy jeans, too.