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out. Lane, sure.
He was the closest thing to backup that Hope had. Being she was the head wrangler,
he worked closely with Hope day in and day out. However, Grant was the ranch
foreman, so it did make sense. Sort of.
    “I needed to talk to him about something.”
    As much as Lane wanted to be nosy and question her
further, he knew better. He was doing his best not to raise suspicions as it
was when it came to his relationship with Grant. Everyone knew the two of them
were friends, and that they hung out during their off time, but even he knew it
would look a little questionable for him to get all up in someone’s business
for searching for Grant.
    “If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re lookin’ for
him.”
    “Thanks,” Hope mumbled and then walked off.
    Well, hell. That had been too easy.
    Lane stood staring after her for a heartbeat. He had
half a mind to go to Grant’s to see if the man was hiding out, but the smell of
food coming from the kitchen was calling his name.
    Turning back the way he’d been headed, he forced his
feet to move.
    God, he was tired. They’d had one hell of a day with
the new horses they’d brought in, and it had gone from bad to worse when one of
the summer wranglers had wound up getting stomped on because his idiot ass had
done exactly the opposite of what he’d been instructed to do. That incident had
required help from Zach, the ranch’s medic, followed by the EMTs from the
neighboring town paying them a visit. Thankfully, the kid was going to be fine,
but he was going to have one hell of a bruise in the meantime. The dumbass.
    Lane yanked open the screen door leading to the dining
area just in time to nearly run into Gracie for the second time that day. Only
this time, she looked up before he had a chance to feel her pressed up against
him. The sparkle he saw in her eyes did wonders for his exhaustion but not much
for his hunger. Although, now he was hungry for something else entirely.
    “Hey,” Gracie greeted.
    “No, I haven’t seen Grant,” Lane declared a little
forcefully, pulling his hat off his head as was customary when entering the
dining room.
    “Good to know,” she said with a smile. “Actually, I
just saw him. He was heading to his cabin.”
    “Hope’s lookin’ for him,” Lane explained.
    “Well, if she’s smart, she won’t seek him out
tonight.”
    “Somethin’ wrong?”
    “He’s in a piss-poor mood,” she said bluntly.
    “So nothing’s changed since this morning?” Lane asked
facetiously, forcing a smile. “You didn’t eat yet, did you?” He tried to keep
his eyes on her but found himself looking over her head to the plates of food
that had been set out for supper.
    The dining area was set up family style, with a buffet
placed on two long tables against one wall, one wrangler making sure they never
ran out of food while another assisted with cleaning the tables for the guests.
The ranch personnel ate for free, and the kitchen staff generally made enough
to feed a small army, but they all pitched in to ensure everything was kept
clean. It looked like they were on their toes tonight, which was a good thing
since Lane was prepared to scarf down enough for at least four people.
    “Not yet. I don’t think,” Gracie said softly, turning
to look around them before continuing, “that tonight’s gonna be a good night.
I’ve been avoidin’ Faith for the last half hour, but I really do need to see
what she wants.”
    “What about later?” he asked, realizing he sounded
exceedingly hopeful.
    “I really have to check with her first. God only knows
what she wants. After that, I’m hopin’ to head home and take a shower.”
    “Hmm…,” he said, suddenly thinking about Gracie in the
shower. Before he could tell her that he’d grab the food and meet her there, he
caught sight of Faith, Gracie’s youngest sister, coming at them as if wild dogs
were nipping at her ass.
    “Hey, Gracie!”
    Yep, his dinner plans had just been thwarted. So