Earth and Sky

though.”

    “And leave the kids here? Just you and me?”

    Grant nodded. He could tell Hunter saw the potential of the two of them getting away.

    “Let me talk to Mom first. No need to go out there if she thinks it’s a bad idea.”

    Grant could tell from Hunter’s smile that he figured he could persuade his mother to say yes. He also knew Hunter liked the idea of spending a few days in a hotel room with no family or kids to distract them, so there was no doubt in his mind that Hunter would make the time to talk with his mother as soon as possible.

    As Hunter predicted, it took a little persuading for his mother to say yes, and she had conditions. In the end, she, too, understood that it was all for the benefit of the children, whom she’d grown quite fond of as well, so Hunter and Grant packed an overnight bag and drove the truck to Las Vegas.

    Deciding to splurge a bit, they took a modest room in the Bellagio, where Christy’s postcard had come from, hoping to find her actually working there. After checking in, they walked around the hotel, talking to anyone from the housekeeping staff they ran into and asking whether they knew Christy or her friend Danielle. They had no luck, so after a few hours of fruitless searching, they ended up in a sports bar, where they decided to have dinner.

    Their server was a buff jock-type young man, and Grant felt a twitch of jealousy as he saw Hunter check out the guy’s ass. Hunter must have noticed, because when they were both scrutinizing the menu, Grant felt a smooth boot slide up his leg. Suddenly it stopped.

    “Don’t look behind you, but Delco’s here.”

    Although it was hard not to look, Grant leaned closer so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Izzie’s Delco? The shrimp with the attitude?”

    “The very same,” Hunter replied. “He’s at the bar with some friends, and he’s telling tall stories by the looks of it.”

    “Can you hear what he’s saying?”

    Hunter shook his head.

    Grant scooted out of the booth. “Order me a steak, medium rare with all the trimmings.”

    Hunter grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing? He knows what you look like, remember?”

    Grant cocked his head. “I know. I’ll be careful. I’m just curious.”

    Grant knew he was making Hunter nervous, but he had a debt to settle with the kid, and although he hoped it wouldn’t come to a confrontation, his fists ached to prove he wasn’t a pushover. Maybe he’d get his chance, maybe not. He discreetly walked past them, making sure Delco was in full performance mode, boasting to his friends. Grant pretended to study a menu as he lingered near the back of the bar, within earshot of Delco and his gang.

    It didn’t take Grant long to catch what he needed, and he took the long way back to the booth, where Hunter was sitting, watching out for him.

    “Don’t ever do that to me again,” Hunter snarled.

    “Did you order for us?”

    “Yes, I did, but I’m not kidding. I nearly popped an artery seeing you come that close to him. What if he’d looked up at the moment you passed them?”

    Grant chuckled. “He was boasting about stealing horses. Telling his mates how to do it.”

    “Stealing horses?” Hunter asked, his eyebrows reaching almost into his hairline.

    “Yup,” Grant replied calmly. “He said the trick was making it look like a cougar did it by not cutting the fence but putting a blanket over it to crush it down, and he talked about using a truck with threadbare tires that wouldn’t leave tire tracks.”

    “We’ve been fixing those kinds of fences since the spring!” Hunter said, having a hard time keeping his voice lower than a whisper. “He’s got some nerve.”

    “Exactly. He told his goons that the ranchers were a little puzzled that they stole young, untrained horses, but apparently, Delco has a buyer for them. And it makes it easier to disguise it as a predator rather than a horse thief. My vote goes to following Delco, dragging him into a dark alley, and beating the crap out of him.”

    “Grant!” Hunter admonished him. “You can’t just go around beating people up!”

    “Have a better idea?”

    “We have to catch him in the act. Did it sound like he was planning to try it again?”

    “Oh, yes,” Grant replied, sure of himself. “He was saying it was so easy he could easily make a living at it, and it was less work than the rodeo circuit.”

    “So let’s find Christy and then go home and set a trap for