Betting on Grace (32 page)

On all counts.

Grant was like dynamite — once his fuse was lit, he
went off, damn the consequences. Like when he’d assumed the worst about Jerry,
thinking the man would knowingly fire someone for something as trivial as
wanting to date one of his daughters. Or assuming that by paying off his
father, Grant would be able to buy the man’s silence. Or, worst of all,
assuming that Lane and Gracie knew how he really felt about them without ever
hearing the words.

Why he’d never bothered to tell them that he loved
them, he didn’t know. Ever since that first time when he’d mouthed the words to
Gracie, he’d felt the all-encompassing emotion building inside of him,
overwhelming him with its intensity, yet he’d never had the balls to say the words
out loud until last night.

But he still hadn’t said the words to Lane.

He was a jackass, that’s what he was.

“Hey,” Grant greeted the couple when they approached.

Lane was looking at him warily, and Gracie was
watching him intently, worry apparent on her beautiful face.

“Are you okay?” he asked Lane, his chest constricting
from the emotions threatening to strangle him.

God, he just wanted this day to be over. To go home
with them, fall into bed, and start fresh tomorrow. The only thing he needed
was to hold them, to know that they could get through this, that eventually
they could forgive him.

“I’ve got a few things to say,” Lane said abruptly,
releasing Gracie’s hand and stepping close until he was right in Grant’s face.

Grant sucked in a deep breath, ready to hear the
worst.

“If you ever feel the need to put me in my place, make
damn sure you’ve got your facts straight,” Lane began, his hand gripping the
front of Grant’s shirt. “If you ever doubt me, even a little bit, you better
have the balls to talk to me first. And lastly—”

Grant cut Lane off, yanking the man to him and
crushing his mouth to Lane’s. He got it. He had royally fucked up, and he
deserved every bit of Lane’s wrath, but right then and there, the only thing
that mattered was that Lane was okay. That Gracie was okay. And that they
weren’t ready to tell him to go to hell. God knew he deserved it for all the
shit he’d stirred up lately.

The kiss exploded, and Grant had never felt as good as
he did right then when Lane wrapped his big arms around him, pulling him
impossibly close, their tongues dueling, their hands searching. And the only
reason Grant pulled back was so that he could suck in air.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the only reason.

“I love you,” Grant said, cupping Lane’s face, his
eyes locked with Lane’s. “I should’ve told you a long damn time ago.”

They stood like that for several seconds, and then
Grant glanced over at Gracie. Dropping one hand from Lane’s chiseled jaw, Grant
held out his hand to her, and when she took it, he pulled her close. “I love
both of you. You deserve to hear it every damn day. I’m sorry.”

Gracie’s arms came around him, her head nestled
against his chest, and he thought for a moment that she was crying. But this
was his stubborn cowgirl, and he knew her better than that. She was, without
doubt, the strongest person he knew.

Releasing Lane, Grant gripped Gracie’s shoulders and
held her away from him so he could see her face. “You went to your father and
told him about us. I wish like hell that I could say I’d eventually have the
nerve to do that, to stand up for us, but these days, I’ve doubted everything
I’ve done.”

“You would’ve,” Gracie said, an affirmation that he
didn’t quite believe. “You both would’ve eventually.”

“But you did. You didn’t hesitate. I’m not sure you
even realize how much that means.”

“I did it because I’m not willin’ to let anyone come
between us,” Gracie said firmly, her chin jutting out. “I don’t care what
happens, or what people think. The three of us, we’re gonna make this work.”

Lane stepped close again and wrapped his arms around
Gracie, pulling her to him. Grant didn’t release her, either, and the three of
them stood there for the longest time, no one saying a word.

While the party continued in the arena behind them,
the laughter and cheering echoing out across the acres of land that belonged to
Dead Heat Ranch, Grant simply stood right there and thanked his lucky stars. He
wasn’t sure he deserved either of these two incredible people, but he knew one
thing for sure…

He damn sure wasn’t going to let them go.

Sunday morning

Race day

“Where’s Mercy?” Lane asked Grace as she walked into
the stables.

“I … uh… I don’t know.” Grace thought that Mercy
would’ve come straight to the stables to get Shadow Mist ready for the race.

Grace hadn’t been up for long, having slept in after
Lane and Grant had loved her until she was completely boneless the night
before. They had stayed at her place, at her request, something they had
actually talked about at length. The three of them were ready to take things to
the next level. And since the world hadn’t come crashing down around them last
night after they had ventured back to the party for a few minutes, Grace had
decided now was the time to take that step.

Now, as she stepped into the stable, she realized her
sister was MIA. In fact, she hadn’t seen Mercy since she had held her back from
getting in the middle of the fight that had erupted last night. But there was
Shadow Mist, standing in his stall right beside Astro Boy. “Where’s Outlaw?”
Grace asked, referring to the horse her father was going to ride.

“Dallas took him out already.”

“Can you call her?” Lane asked as he made his way to
Shadow Mist’s stall.

Grace snagged her phone from her pocket, contemplating
whether or not she should call her sister. Was Mercy hiding? She did seem to
have a difficult time dealing with the fact that their father was seeing
someone. Which, by the way, Grace had found out she missed meeting the mystery
woman last night. Faith had left her a text message informing her that their
father had a girlfriend and that … get this … Faith actually really liked her.

Luckily, Grace had been informed that she would get to
meet the woman who seemed to be making her father incredibly happy these days
tonight at dinner. Something she found she was actually looking forward to.

But right now, she really needed to find Mercy.

Figuring she wouldn’t know if she didn’t call, Grace
hit the
send
button after pulling up her sister’s number, waiting for
her to answer. On the second ring, Mercy answered, a rough hello echoing in
Grace’s ear.

Turning away from Lane, Grace said, “Are you comin’?”

“No.”

Well, that about covered it.

“What? Why? Dad’s gonna be here any minute,” Grace
whispered, not wanting Lane to overhear.

“I’m not comin’, Gracie. Figure it out yourself.”

Yep, and now the line was dead.

Shit.

Lane was opening Shadow Mist’s stall door when Grace
turned back around. “Hold on.”

She was met with a raised eyebrow as Lane started to
close the door on the eager horse.

“What’s up?”

“Get Astro Boy ready,” she instructed, sucking in
large amounts of oxygen as she realized just what she was proposing.

Thank heavens, Lane didn’t question her. He simply
locked Shadow Mist’s stall door and stepped over to Astro Boy’s.

As she stared down at the end of the stable, she saw
the hordes of people — guests and wranglers alike — all standing there waiting
for the big race that Mercy and Jerry had been spouting off about all week.
Grace didn’t want to let them down.

Even if it meant…

A rough snort sounded beside her head, and she glanced
over to see Astro Boy’s big snout. “Hey, boy,” she crooned, leaning into him
briefly. It was strange how he could make everything right in the world just by
being near. “You ready to run?” she whispered to him, stroking his nose.

Astro Boy offered another snort in response, his nose
nudging her shoulder.

“Well, let’s get this over with then.”

Fifteen minutes later, Grace was sitting astride Astro
Boy as he made his way out of the stable. She peered down at the people who
were waiting patiently as Jerry spoke to them individually.

When her father looked up, his eyes went wide once
they landed on her. She knew just how he felt. She was as surprised as he was.

“Where’s Mercy?” Jerry asked, strolling toward her.

“She’s … uh … not coming,” Grace stated.

“We don’t have to do this,” he told her, glancing over
his shoulder at all the people who had woken early just to be part of the race.

Grace sucked in more air, let it out slowly. She could
do this. She could.

Maybe if she said it enough, she would believe it. At
the moment, her tummy was doing somersaults, and she felt like the coffee she’d
had for breakfast might just come back up.

Not the way she really wanted this day to go.

So, taking another deep breath, she forced a smile as
she looked down at her father. “You scared?”

Jerry’s smile was radiant, easing some of her nerves.
“Not hardly,” he replied. “You can do this, kiddo.”

Grace nodded her head and then looked behind her to
see Lane and Grant watching her closely. The smile Lane gifted her with was
enough to bolster her confidence some more. And what she saw in Grant’s eyes
only strengthened her resolve.

She
could
do this.

“Who’s handlin’ the money?” Dallas called out, drawing
Grace’s attention to the wrangler making his way through the crowd. He was
chatting it up with all of the guests, taking money as people placed their
bets.

Crap.

They were betting.

And not a one of them had ever seen her race.

Well, no one other than Ben, Grant, and Lane.

“Gracie!”

Grace snapped her head around behind her to see Maddie
sitting on her father’s shoulders, her arms flailing with her excitement. Well,
well, well… What do you know? There beside Ben was her sister, Hope, looking
rather happy this morning.

She couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on
there.

Turning Astro Boy, she made her way over, smiling at
Maddie as she did.

“Are you here to wish me luck?” Grace asked.

“You don’t need luck. You’re awesome!” Maddie screamed
merrily.

“Thanks, kiddo.” Grace wasn’t so sure how much truth
there was in that statement, but she clung to it like a security blanket, her
gaze traveling over the crowd, watching people hand their money over to Dallas
while Trinity wrote down the amount and who placed the bet.

Shit. This was official.

And she couldn’t believe that Mercy had backed out on
her. Damn it.

“You need a minute?”

Grace turned toward the sound of her father’s voice,
noticing he was sitting astride Outlaw, right beside Grace and Astro Boy.

“I’m good,” she told him, forcing confidence into her
tone.

“Of course you are.”

“Who’re you bettin’ on, Grant?” Dallas asked, loud
enough for half the ranch to hear him.

“I’m bettin’ on Grace,” Grant replied smoothly, and his
confidence in that one sentence made her chest swell.

“And you, Lane?” Dallas asked.

“My money’s always on Grace. Always.”

Grace was pretty sure she might just break down and
cry right then and there. Thankfully, her father nudged Outlaw into a trot, directing
him out into the field where the race would take place.

Grace shot a smile over to Maddie, followed by a
thumbs-up before prodding Astro Boy. She could feel his self-assurance in the
way he moved. Astro Boy wasn’t used to racing, at least not more than what
Grace put him through in the arena and from time to time when she let him run
full out on the range. But this… This was a competition, and he’d be up against
another horse.

“You’ve got this, boy,” she told him, leaning forward
and running her hand down his face. “
We’ve
got this.”

Sitting back up, Grace pulled his reins to get him to
stop a few feet away from her father.

“Where’re we racin’ to?” she asked, noticing that
Grant was heading their way.

“To the big oak out there,” Jerry said, nodding his
head forward.

Grace looked out to the tree he was referring to. It
was quite a ways off, but not too far for Astro Boy.

“And back.”

Nodding her head in understanding, Grace met Grant’s
eyes as he came to stand in front of both horses.

“He might be my boss,” Grant said, nodding his head
toward Jerry, “but my money’s on you, darlin’.”

Another emotional bubble filled her chest, threatening
to make her lose her composure, but then Grant smiled.

“There’s time for that mushy stuff later, kids,” Jerry
stated, chuckling. Grace laughed with him, but she never took her eyes off
Grant.

“On one,” Grant stated firmly, his voice like thunder
as it echoed in the open space. The conversations that had been rattling on
behind her suddenly went silent, and Grace knew this was it.

Grace nodded at Grant while her father did the same.
Then she spared her dad one more look. “Good luck,” she said, her nerves
twisting and turning again.

“You’re gonna do fine,” he said, his voice low. “Your
momma would be so proud.”

Grace felt the tears climb up her sinuses, threatening
to cloud her vision. Yes, her mother would’ve been proud to see her out here.
Especially now, after so many years of hiding her passion from everyone.

“All right, y’all,” Grant hollered. “You ready?”

Another round of nods from her and her father, and
Grace gripped the reins, drawing her knees in against Astro Boy as she leaned
forward, tightening her core as Astro Boy began snorting, clearly feeling the
excitement in the air. Outlaw was beginning to get antsy as well, so Grant
started the count down.

“Three … two…”

Oh, God! Breathe, Grace!

“One!”

■□■□■□■□

Grant spun around on his heels when the two horses and
riders flew past him, his eyes on Gracie and Astro Boy. The horse was pure
power, his feet kicking up dirt and leaving a trail of dust behind him as he
raced in the direction Gracie pointed him. Almost neck in neck, Jerry and
Outlaw were speeding along, the pair looking as though they were born to run
like this.

In all the years Grant had spent at the ranch, he’d
seen Jerry race on several occasions. Not so much in recent years, but back in
the day, the man had always been willing to put a wrangler in his place when he
thought he could best him.

No one, to date, had ever beaten Jerry. No one except
for Mercy.

But as he watched in absolute wonder, he prayed that
Gracie would win. Not because he’d bet money on her, either. Because he
believed in her.

He had no clue how difficult it had been on her to put
aside her dream, scared to pursue it because she didn’t have her mother right
there with her. It had to have been the hardest thing a little girl had to do,
but Gracie had done it. And she’d hidden it well. Until the day that Mercy had set
him up, sending him and Lane over to the arena so that they would stumble on
Gracie’s show for the little girl, Grant had had no idea.

Then again, knowing the pure strength and conviction
that made up the most incredible woman in the world, Grant wasn’t sure why it
surprised him at all. Gracie was, as he’d said, the absolute strongest woman
he’d ever met.

“Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!” someone yelled from
behind him as Astro Boy made the turn around the tree, mere milliseconds before
Outlaw, but in the lead nonetheless. Grant watched as Jerry kicked it up
another notch, closing the gap between him and his daughter until Outlaw was
pulling into the lead.

From where he stood, Grant couldn’t see Gracie’s face,
but he could imagine the sheer determination.

“Come on, baby. You’ve got this,” he whispered to
himself.

An arm brushed up against his, but Grant didn’t tear
his gaze from the two horses coming his way. He knew without looking that Lane
was standing there, the tension between them palpable, all because they were
rooting her on.

God, Grant loved her. He loved her spirit, her
determination, her spunk. She was everything to him. Everything. And with
nothing standing in the way of their happiness, Grant had committed himself to
making these two people happy. No matter the cost. He was at a point where he
had no idea what he’d do without either of them — Lane or Gracie. They were his
life. The reason he smiled, especially when so much seemed to be going wrong.

“Come on, gorgeous!” Lane yelled.

Grant was tempted to nudge him but thought better of
it. If Lane didn’t have a problem showing the world just how he felt about this
woman, why should he?

But he couldn’t find his voice because he was coiled
tight, his heart pounding in tune to every hoofbeat.

“Oh, God! She’s gonna do it!”

Yes, she was. Although Jerry was a nose in front,
Grant watched in utter disbelief as Gracie leaned forward just slightly, her
long blond hair flying out behind her. He could see her mouth move, probably
saying something to Astro Boy and then…