Earth and Sky

wonder what she meant.

    He didn’t have time to ponder it, since his cell phone rang. Hunter recognized Calley’s number. “Hi, Calley.”

    “It’s… Flynn,” a hesitant male voice answered. “From Gable’s ranch?”

    “Of course,” Hunter replied, taking a moment to get his thoughts in order. What was Flynn doing at Calley’s? And why was he calling him? “How’s Gable doing?” he asked. He almost added, “Grant told me he was getting better,” but at the last moment, he bit his tongue, remembering that mentioning Grant’s name was something best avoided around Gable, and probably Flynn too. Hunter vaguely remembered Grant telling him he’d had a rogue encounter with Flynn’s fist, putting to rest the question whether Gable had ever divulged anything about his relationship with Grant to Flynn.

    “He’s….” Flynn sighed deeply. “Listen, I can’t do this on the phone. Can I come by your place?”

    “Sure,” Hunter answered. “You know how to find us?”

    “Yeah, Calley’s given me directions.”

    Flynn’s hesitant voice worried Hunter. Had Gable taken a turn for the worse and Flynn been saddled with the responsibility to inform his friends?

    “Is everything okay, Flynn?”

    “Yes and no,” Flynn replied. “I’ll explain it to you when I get there.”

    Flynn terminated the call after that, leaving Hunter with a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Flynn said he’d be right over, so he’d know soon enough, but it still made him feel more than a little uneasy. What if something bad had happened to Gable? All this fooling around with Grant had left Hunter with very little time to think of other things, and he suddenly felt guilty that he hadn’t even taken the time to go visit Gable in the hospital. What kind of friend was he, anyway?

    “I thought you’d be all smiles, and here I find you brooding.”

    Hunter looked up to see Grant standing in the doorway. The smile returned instantly to his face. He got up and walked toward Grant, at the same time closing the door and pinning Grant to the wall next to it, kissing him fervently.

    “Good morning to you too, Cowboy,” Grant said after being released from the kiss.

    Hunter nuzzled him, loudly inhaling Grant’s scent. “I missed you and I wish we had more time, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

    “I’m hurt,” Grant replied with a mock indignant look.

    Hunter smiled shyly, his body still pressing Grant against the wall. “Flynn’s coming over. He didn’t sound too good. I’m afraid he might have bad news about Gable, so maybe it’s not such a good idea for you to hang around here.”

    Grant entangled his hand in Hunter’s hair and kissed him quickly before pushing him off. “You’re probably right.” He looked uncomfortable all of a sudden, as if he had some bad news too. “You will keep me posted, though?”

    Hunter nodded. “Of course. As soon as he leaves, I’ll come looking for you.”

    Grant smiled. “I’ll be in the woodshed, finishing what I started on Saturday. I was mucking it out when you dragged me—kicking and screaming, I might add—off to that motel in the middle of nowhere, remember?”

    “You put up a weak fight for such a big guy,” Hunter teased, quickly kissing Grant before letting him leave.

    When Grant opened the door to walk out, Flynn was standing just outside of it. Hunter could see his startled face, but Grant just nodded, tipped his nonexistent hat at him, and walked around him out into the hall.

    “Come in.” Hunter gestured at Flynn, hoping it would take away the tension. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

    “No, I’m fine,” Flynn answered. “I won’t take up much of your time.”

    “Sit down,” Hunter said, resisting the urge to pour himself a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker in his office. He didn’t really know how to get Flynn to put him out of his misery quickly, but he knew his nerves would be on edge if Flynn stalled. He couldn’t crawl behind his desk again, so he sat down on the edge of it. “What did you want to see me about?”

    Flynn took a deep breath. “I have a business proposition.”

    Hunter raised his eyebrows. Business? “Go on.”

    “Gable told me you’d always had your eye on Brenner, his stallion?”

    Hunter smiled. “It’s a magnificent animal and very easy to handle to boot. That’s a rare combination.”

    Flynn nodded, but he didn’t smile. He seemed to have a hard time forming the