Earth and Sky

think I’d shout back at Lisa either,” Grant quipped.

    Izzie laughed; then she turned serious. “Hugh deserved better than her.”

    “You like him, don’t you?”

    Izzie sighed. “I’m not supposed to like him, Grant. He’s my brother-in-law. He’s Danny’s dad and I’m Danny’s aunt. Lisa and Mom would throw me out of the house if I chose Hugh’s side.”

    “Too bad we have to choose sides, hey?” Grant saw the parallel between Izzie and Hunter. They had more reason to get along than just being brother and sister.

    They mounted their horses and rode back to the homestead. Neither said anything more about riding fences, but Grant figured it was just an excuse to talk anyway. He knew he wanted to talk to Hunter, if for no other reason than to warn Hunter that he wasn’t fooling Izzie, but he had no idea how to go about it.

    Less than a week after his conversation with Izzie, the opportunity presented itself. It was actually Hunter who approached him.

    “I’m going over to Gable’s ranch to buy some horses,” Hunter told Grant one evening in the stable block. One of the wrangler’s horses had gone lame, and Grant had suggested he take a look at it before they called the vet.

    “Going to buy a replacement for Davenport too?” Grant asked without looking up from the hoof he was inspecting.

    “Possibly,” Hunter answered evasively. “I would have asked you along, but I didn’t think putting you and Gable in the same place was a good idea.”

    Grant looked up at Hunter and saw the insecurity in his face. “Very considerate of you. Does he know I work here?”

    Hunter shook his head. “I’d like you to give me your opinion on the horses when we unload them, though.”

    “Okay, I will,” Grant assured him. “You taking Tim with you?”

    “Yeah, probably,” Hunter answered.

    Grant nodded. “He’s got a good eye, just like his big brother.” He could tell how much Hunter still missed Hugh.

    Hunter lingered for a while as Grant continued examining the horse’s hind leg, and then started walking out. Just as he rounded the barn door, Grant called him back. “Hunter?”

    “Yes.”

    Grant stood by the horse, looking at Hunter with the midday sun behind his back. For a moment he didn’t speak, simply enjoying the view of a very angelic-looking Hunter; then he broke out of his reverie. “I wanted to say ‘give my regards to Gable’, but I guess you better not. Just let me know how he’s doing, okay?”

    Hunter tipped his hat before walking out.

Chapter 11

    Hunter loved going to Gable’s ranch. It was so different from his own that it was like walking into a different world. While Hunter had horses of various ages, from newborn foals to horses reaching retirement age, Gable’s horses were all between two and four years old. Gable usually bought them at auction shortly after they were weaned off their mothers and then spent two years turning them into good, sturdy working horses that took excellent guidance from even the most inexperienced riders.

    There was nothing fancy about Gable’s horses, no Thoroughbreds or fickle riding ponies. Most of the stock he bought were quarter horses. Occasionally he couldn’t resist a half-breed Appaloosa or a paint, but every single horse he bought he managed to turn into a reliable steed for a rancher or wrangler.

    Gable’s ranch was a two-man operation, but Hunter knew how hard it was to get good help. In the past, whenever Gable was without a ranch hand, the place would look a little dilapidated. The horses were always well taken care of, but the barn could usually use a coat of paint, and the ranch house would have weeds growing in the garden.

    That wasn’t the case now. Hunter had heard that Gable had found a helping hand, which was good news, since Gable had injured his leg quite badly in an accident the year before. For a while, Hunter had ordered his men to take some work off Gable’s hands while he recuperated, but that hadn’t lasted long. Gable was still limping quite badly, but he’d refused any more help all too soon.

    Now a young man who’d introduced himself as Flynn was clearly helping out quite a bit around Gable’s ranch. Everything was neatly stashed away inside the barn, and the house looked like it got some regular maintenance too. Even Gable’s beat-up truck looked washed.

    “Gable around?” Hunter asked Flynn.

    “Yeah, he’ll be here soon. He’s out in the range. Anything I can help you