Read Online Betting on Grace by Nicole Edwards - Free Book Online Page A

was a regular occurrence at the
ranch, although many of the guests came solely for riding horses, which, being
in Texas, the weather allowed for almost year round. Dead Heat Ranch was known
for the riding trails that had been forged into the beautiful Texas Hill
Country, along with the giant lake they had on the premises. The fishing wasn’t
as good other lakes in the area, but Grace believed many of their guests came,
a lot of them returning more than once, to enjoy the hospitality and the
one-on-one attention they received.
    Each week, on Monday morning, Hope led them through
the guest list and any activities that had been planned or requested. Grace would
assign each of her sisters, along with many of the wranglers, to each guest,
ensuring that everyone who visited had someone who would show them around.
    Maddie and her father had arrived on the ranch late
yesterday evening and were staying for a full two weeks, which was about twice
as long as the average length of stay for their guests. Not that she had a
problem with that. The longer they stayed, the easier it was for her to get the
activities lined up. After this tour this morning, she would give them a
questionnaire so that she could learn what other interests they had so that,
during their stay, she could ensure they had the best experience possible.
    All part of her day-to-day.
    “If you’re up for the walk, I can show you the
stables,” Grace said, glancing down at Maddie. “I need to check on my horse,
make sure he’s been fed.”
    “You don’t feed him?” Maddie asked, sounding somewhat
disappointed in Grace, which, again, made Grace smile.
    “Most days I do,” she answered, heading toward the
back doors of the barn that would lead them in the direction of the stable.
“Sometimes, like today, when I get to hang out with cool people like you and
your dad, I ask one of the wranglers to make sure he gets fed.”
    “What’s a wrangler?” Maddie asked.
    “That’s what we call the cowboys who work here.
They’re responsible for taking care of the animals.”
    “Will I get to meet a cowboy?”
    “I’m sure you will,” Grace told her.
    Approaching the stables just a few minutes later,
Grace heard Astro Boy neighing softly, followed by a couple of snorts. Yes, she
knew she was late. He wasn’t going to be happy with her, but maybe if he was
lucky, she’d take him to the arena later. Grace had a feeling Maddie would
enjoy watching Astro Boy do what she’d trained him to do.
    The question was whether or not she was up for it. It
had been a long time since Grace had been in front of an audience.
     
    ■□■□■□■□
     
    Mercy practically crawled toward the main house. She
had no idea what her deal was, but she hadn’t slept much at all last night.
Actually, for several nights now. Tossing and turning, she continued to have
the most unwelcome dream. And, yes, damn it, she realized she was referring to
the dream as unwelcome , not disturbing or inappropriate or… Yeah, unwelcome was the best she could come up with to describe it.
    “Mornin’,” she greeted her father as she stepped into
the brightly lit kitchen, where they generally would meet up for coffee each
morning.
    “Good mornin’,” Jerry replied, folding over the
newspaper he had been reading and placing it neatly on the table in front of
him.
    She noticed immediately that his salutation contained
the word “good," unlike hers. That was her first clue that he was far too
perky for that time of day, which was exactly why she stood staring at him
blankly. Was it her or was he in a strangely good mood?
    “ What ?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled from
the frown on his face. “What’s the matter with you?”
    Laughing, Mercy shook her head and made her way to the
coffeepot. “Nothin’,” she said, praying that the caffeine was going to help
erase some of the cobwebs in her brain. That dream was making it damn near
impossible for her to function. Unfortunately, there was