right. I’ll ride him for you a few times. We might need to give him some stern training, though.”
Hunter sighed. He knew Grant was right but didn’t want to admit it. It was too close to admitting defeat, and he wasn’t about to turn over for anyone, least of all Grant. “I suppose I could buy another horse from Gable. As a backup.”
“Yeah,” Grant replied, stifling a chuckle, “merely as a backup, of course.”
Although he realized Grant was mocking him, deep down, Hunter was glad of the banter. Grant didn’t seem to be fazed by what had happened the night before, which made it easier for Hunter to relax around him. Maybe they could do this. Maybe they could just work together and become friends.
Grant dismounted, and water splashed up as his feet landed in the mud. It was only now, in the full light of day, that it was clear how damaged the gate really was. Hunter jumped down as well and tied up the two horses while Grant surveyed the wood they’d hurriedly patched up the night before.
“Looks like we’ll need a new side post. This one is pretty rotten,” Grant evaluated. “The lock is broken, which we knew, and the top beam needs replacing too.”
“We can measure the size of wood we need and use the truck to bring it over here when the workers bring it back this afternoon,” Hunter agreed. “You’re good at this,” he added, sounding surprised as he watched Grant take the measurements.
Grant shrugged. “I didn’t work on ranches all my life. Started out making furniture when I lived in the city. School was never really my thing. I wanted to go out and make money, but with barely a high school education, my options were either a life of crime or becoming a carpentry assistant. Lucky for me, the second option was the most appealing.”
Hunter was more than a little surprised to hear Grant talk about himself. This was the most he’d ever learned about the guy. “You’re definitely good with your hands.”
Grant threw Hunter a teasing look that made him blush.
Hunter wished he could take back his words, or at least make them less open for interpretation. He was happy Grant didn’t say anything, but there was no doubt about what he was thinking. Hunter thought it too: that Grant had shown just how talented his hands were when he’d made Hunter come the night before. Hunter’s pants were growing tight just remembering those hands.
Grant broke the tension by purposely bumping into Hunter and handing him one side of a folding measure. “Hold that so we can get accurate measurements.”
Although Hunter was usually the organized one, now he was glad Grant knew what he was doing too.
Grant pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and jotted down the numbers. “I think I saw a few pieces of wood in the worker’s shed that will do nicely for this.”
Hunter shook his head to stop daydreaming and looked up at Grant. “Yeah, I suppose. You’re the man. I trust your judgment.” He was going to have to pull himself together and start acting like the boss again, before Grant started taking advantage of him. For now, the big guy just gave him an understanding look, and that was good, but Grant was still staff.
Hunter knew he was going to have to make a decision on a new foreman soon. Although Grant had only been with them for a short time, Hunter knew that Grant had all the qualities to make a good foreman. The only problem was that he’d been the last one hired, and the other wranglers might object to seeing Grant rise through the ranks. And then there was the obvious attraction, of course. Were these feelings Hunter had for Grant clouding his judgment? Not to mention they’d have to work pretty closely together. With Hugh, that had never been a problem. Hugh was his brother-in-law and one of his best friends since childhood. They could pretty much read each other’s minds. But now, with Hugh gone, was Grant really his best choice?
“Okay, I’m all done. Do we need to
Hunter sighed. He knew Grant was right but didn’t want to admit it. It was too close to admitting defeat, and he wasn’t about to turn over for anyone, least of all Grant. “I suppose I could buy another horse from Gable. As a backup.”
“Yeah,” Grant replied, stifling a chuckle, “merely as a backup, of course.”
Although he realized Grant was mocking him, deep down, Hunter was glad of the banter. Grant didn’t seem to be fazed by what had happened the night before, which made it easier for Hunter to relax around him. Maybe they could do this. Maybe they could just work together and become friends.
Grant dismounted, and water splashed up as his feet landed in the mud. It was only now, in the full light of day, that it was clear how damaged the gate really was. Hunter jumped down as well and tied up the two horses while Grant surveyed the wood they’d hurriedly patched up the night before.
“Looks like we’ll need a new side post. This one is pretty rotten,” Grant evaluated. “The lock is broken, which we knew, and the top beam needs replacing too.”
“We can measure the size of wood we need and use the truck to bring it over here when the workers bring it back this afternoon,” Hunter agreed. “You’re good at this,” he added, sounding surprised as he watched Grant take the measurements.
Grant shrugged. “I didn’t work on ranches all my life. Started out making furniture when I lived in the city. School was never really my thing. I wanted to go out and make money, but with barely a high school education, my options were either a life of crime or becoming a carpentry assistant. Lucky for me, the second option was the most appealing.”
Hunter was more than a little surprised to hear Grant talk about himself. This was the most he’d ever learned about the guy. “You’re definitely good with your hands.”
Grant threw Hunter a teasing look that made him blush.
Hunter wished he could take back his words, or at least make them less open for interpretation. He was happy Grant didn’t say anything, but there was no doubt about what he was thinking. Hunter thought it too: that Grant had shown just how talented his hands were when he’d made Hunter come the night before. Hunter’s pants were growing tight just remembering those hands.
Grant broke the tension by purposely bumping into Hunter and handing him one side of a folding measure. “Hold that so we can get accurate measurements.”
Although Hunter was usually the organized one, now he was glad Grant knew what he was doing too.
Grant pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and jotted down the numbers. “I think I saw a few pieces of wood in the worker’s shed that will do nicely for this.”
Hunter shook his head to stop daydreaming and looked up at Grant. “Yeah, I suppose. You’re the man. I trust your judgment.” He was going to have to pull himself together and start acting like the boss again, before Grant started taking advantage of him. For now, the big guy just gave him an understanding look, and that was good, but Grant was still staff.
Hunter knew he was going to have to make a decision on a new foreman soon. Although Grant had only been with them for a short time, Hunter knew that Grant had all the qualities to make a good foreman. The only problem was that he’d been the last one hired, and the other wranglers might object to seeing Grant rise through the ranks. And then there was the obvious attraction, of course. Were these feelings Hunter had for Grant clouding his judgment? Not to mention they’d have to work pretty closely together. With Hugh, that had never been a problem. Hugh was his brother-in-law and one of his best friends since childhood. They could pretty much read each other’s minds. But now, with Hugh gone, was Grant really his best choice?
“Okay, I’m all done. Do we need to
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