Earth and Sky

my age only want one thing, so you can keep them.”

    Hunter hoped guys Bernie’s age would keep their hands off her, since they were barely legal, but he didn’t comment on it. “I’m sure this one is no different. He’s got a reputation, Bernie. Don’t get involved.”

    Bernie raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Instead she walked out of the kitchen to answer the knock on the front door.

    Hunter was tempted to follow her but didn’t want Grant to see him. Instead, he opened the fridge and picked at some of the plates of cold cuts they were going to have for lunch.

    “You know better than that, Hunter,” his mother admonished him. As usual, she’d snuck into the kitchen without Hunter noticing her. “Take them out and put them on the table. It’s only polite to eat with everyone, not pick at them like some vagrant off the street.”

    Hunter felt caught the way only his mother could manage it. He took the Saran-wrapped plates out of the fridge and put them on the counter, trying not to chew too noticeably. When he turned around and faced her, the look his mother gave him made him not only feel eight years old again, but about four feet tall as well, although he was head and shoulders taller than the tiny woman.

    “You weren’t at church.”

    Hunter sighed, exasperated. “What it is today? First Bernie and now you. I don’t go to church every Sunday. This is nothing new, Mom.”

    “Well, if that’s the mood you’re in after a night on the town, I suggest you stay in next week.”

    And with that, she left him, seething, in the kitchen.

    Hunter paced to the window and back. Yes, he was in a foul mood, and he knew that wouldn’t do for Sunday lunch, which was generally a happy and relaxed meal around their house. He and Hugh would usually talk shop with Izzie, since she was the sister who most actively worked the ranch with them. If her boyfriend came along, he’d join them too, but he wasn’t coming today, since he worked the rodeo circuit. They’d all have lunch and then retreat to the porch while the other girls cleared the table and did the dishes. All in all, a very relaxed affair.

    So why was Hunter tense? Was it because he didn’t know whether Grant was coming as well? He had to stop fretting over the man so much. Hugh had hired him, and Hunter rarely questioned Hugh’s judgment.

    “You coming?” Bernie asked as she popped her head into the kitchen. “We’re all waiting for you. And the meat, of course,” she added happily, pointing at the dishes on the table.

    “What did Grant want?”

    “Asked for the day off. I called Hugh to give him an answer.”

    “He only started working here yesterday,” Hunter answered, picking up the plates of lunchmeat and pacing after Bernie. “He’s got some nerve.”

    “Hey!” Bernie called out. “I’m only the baby around here. Talk to Hugh!”

    Hunter dropped the cold cuts on the table in the dining room, and after seeing Grant standing there talking to Hugh, he paced outside.

    Hunter walked straight to the paddock where Davenport was grazing and whistled for the horse, who came closer reluctantly. Hunter walked him back to saddle him and rode out to the other side of the ranch. He’d been riding for a good half hour when he saw Izzie approaching on her trusted golden-brown gelding. Hunter smiled as he realized that no matter where he rode, she could always find him.

    He slowed Davenport down so Izzie could ride next to him. She didn’t say anything right away, as if she knew that Hunter wasn’t in the mood. As they neared a wooded area, she reached into her saddlebag and unearthed a paper-wrapped parcel of sandwiches.

    “Figured you’d be hungry after skipping lunch,” she said casually. “Don’t suppose you had breakfast either. Why don’t we sit down here?” She gestured at a shaded area near an upturned trough.

    They let the horses graze and sat down next to each other on the slightly rusted water basin.

    Izzie was probably Hunter’s favorite sister, not just because she more than pulled her weight around the ranch, but also because she knew when to shut up. At least most of the time she did.

    “So, what’s eating you?” she asked casually as she handed him an overstuffed sandwich.

    Hunter shrugged.

    “Is it Grant? I heard he was a good worker.”

    “You remember Grant from when he worked at Gable’s, right?”

    Izzie nodded as she bit into her bread. “And I also know he hit the road