Earth and Sky

waiting room up front.

    “You’re good at staying calm,” Hunter sighed.

    Grant shrugged. “He’s a shrimp. Ten years ago I would have reacted, but now I’ve learned my lesson. Ten years ago I almost killed a guy. I’m not letting that happen again.”

    “You almost killed a guy?” Hunter parroted.

    Grant nodded. “Long story.”

    Hunter smiled. It wasn’t any of his business. He felt good about Grant’s self-restraint, though. If he’d reacted like Hugh had, they’d all be in trouble.

    Grant leaned forward and looked at the opposite wall. “Izzie told me this wasn’t the first time Hugh’s defended her against Delco?”

    “Delco never treated her right,” Hunter answered. “He always acted like she was his possession and nobody could look at, let alone touch her. Hugh’s a gentleman all the way. He thinks a woman is something to treasure.”

    “He’s got the right idea,” Grant agreed. “Especially Izzie. She’s everything a man could want in a woman. Knows how to saddle a horse, muck out a stable, and still look good on a night out on the town.”

    Hunter chuckled and shook his head. He felt relaxed around Grant now, which surprised him. “So do you have your eye on Izzie?”

    Grant shook his head. “Naah, she’s a great girl and a good friend, but you know me. She needs a guy who loves her for her. I can’t give her that.”

    Hunter looked at Grant but averted his eyes as soon as Grant met his gaze. Grant’s statement suddenly awoke the tension between them again.

    Then the sheriff came into the waiting room with Hugh. “Grant, can I talk to you now?”

    Hugh took Grant’s place.

    “You okay?” Hunter asked.

    Hugh rested his elbows on his knees and sighed. “I can’t do this anymore, Hunter.”

    “Can’t do what?” Hunter felt uneasy all of a sudden. He had no idea what to expect, and he didn’t like that feeling.

    “Lisa and I are getting a divorce.”

    “You’re what ?”

    Hugh looked at Hunter, and there was no doubt in Hunter’s mind that his brother-in-law wasn’t kidding.

    “All this because of a bar brawl?”

    Hugh rolled his eyes and smiled a little uneasily. “We’ve been talking about it for a while and always said we’d wait until Danny was older, but I can’t do this anymore.”

    Hunter was stunned into silence. He kept looking at Hugh and back at the door through which Grant had disappeared and then back at Hugh.

    “You know I only married Lisa because I got her pregnant, right?”

    Hunter nodded. “Yeah, but I thought you loved her too?”

    Hugh shook his head. “The girl I was in love with was Izzie. Only she was way too young. She was fourteen then, so I couldn’t even get close to her. And by the time she was eighteen, she had other boyfriends and Lisa had taken a liking to me. I figured Izzie wasn’t interested in me, so I took what I could get. But I never really loved Lisa, although I swear I tried.”

    The men sat next to each other, mimicking each other’s posture and not saying anything for long, tense moments.

    “I told Izzie I loved her when we were sitting together in the other room.”

    Hunter looked up at Hugh. “You mean she never knew?”

    “Oh, course not!” Hugh answered. “I’ve been married to her big sister for ten years, Hunter.”

    “And how did she react?”

    Hugh shrugged. “She was nice about it but made it pretty clear she didn’t think we had a future.”

    Hunter cocked his head in understanding.

    “So you see I can’t stay. I’m sorry, man, but you’re going to have to find another foreman. Talk to Grant. He’s a good guy.”

    Hunter didn’t know what to say. Sure, they were shorthanded all the time and he was going to miss having someone he trusted completely to run the day-to-day stuff around the ranch, but it was more than that. Hugh leaving meant Danny was going to miss his father and Hunter was losing his best friend. He and Hugh had been as close as two guys could be since they were in elementary school, yet he’d never known about Hugh’s feelings for Izzie.

    They sat together in silence until the sheriff came into the waiting room with Grant and Izzie.

    “Okay, everything is settled. Delco wanted to press assault charges against Hugh, but Izzie countered by telling him that if he did that, she’d file charges against him herself, and there are plenty of witnesses who’ll testify that Delco slugged Grant without provocation, so I think he’s got nowhere