Betting on Grace by Nicole Edwards

very young age, always adoring the time she had to spend with her mother, the
two of them out in the arena — not the same one they were in now — working to
perfect her form.
    But then her mother had died, and Gracie had buried
her dream of going pro right along with her. She continued to race, but only
when no one knew she was out there. Ever since she’d gotten Astro Boy, Gracie
had known that he was meant to run. She was pretty sure he loved it as much as
she did, and they were quite the pair.
    Not that she wanted anyone to know. It was difficult
to keep her family and friends in the dark because they were a nosy bunch, but
either she was successful or they were keeping their mouths shut where her
extracurricular activity was concerned. She tended to believe it was the
latter. What she didn’t want was for people to start pushing her toward
something she didn’t want to do anymore. Sure, it was fun to race Astro Boy
from time to time, but she didn’t want to do it for a crowd. Grace was more
than content with the way things were, spending her days working at the ranch.
No rodeos for her. No thank you.
    The sound of boots on the bleachers had Grace looking
over her shoulder.
    Oh, crap.
    Coming toward her, with matching stunned expressions
on their handsome faces, were Lane and Grant.
    “Real cowboys, Dad,” Maddie whispered, loud enough for
everyone to hear.
    “Hey, darlin’,” Lane greeted Maddie, his signature crooked
smirk falling into place.
    Grace found the little girl was grinning ear to ear,
likely falling head over heels in love with the man on sight. Rather than
respond, Maddie giggled while grabbing on to her father’s hand as if he were
her lifeline.
    “What’s your name?” Lane asked, squatting down in
front of Maddie.
    Grace half listened to the conversation, her attention
turning to Grant, who was staring back at her as though he’d never seen her
before. Rubbing Astro Boy’s head, Grace tried not to fidget under the scrutiny
of his gaze.
    They’d seen her race, if she had to guess. Which was
exactly why she didn’t want anyone to watch, having absolutely no desire to
endure any of their questions or encouragement. And she could see in Grant’s
expressive blue eyes that he had loads of questions.
    “Can we, Dad?” Maddie called out, drawing Grace’s
attention back to her.
    “Sure, if that’s okay with Gracie,” Ben replied.
    “Can we, Gracie? Can we have supper with you and the
two cowboys? Pretty please?”
    Grace laughed, enjoying the little girl’s fervor. And
yes, she did have to eat, but she shot Lane a look that promised retribution.
He simply tipped the edge of his mouth into a sexy smile that made her body
ignite immediately.
    “Sure you can,” Grace answered, pulling her eyes away
from Lane. “What time is it, anyway?”
    “Four-thirty,” Ben said quickly.
    “How ’bout we meet in the dining hall at five,” Grace
told Maddie.
    The little girl clapped her hands giddily as she
nodded.
    “Come on, kiddo,” Ben said to Maddie. “Let’s go wash
up so we can eat.”
    “See you in a little while, Gracie! Bye, cowboys!”
Maddie called out as her father led her toward the exit.
    Crap.
    And now Grace was left alone with Grant and Lane.
Clearly, she hadn’t thought that one through all the way.
    “Don’t say a word,” she told them, twisting in the
saddle, preparing to lead Astro Boy back toward the stable.
    She heard the creak of metal followed by the thud of
boots on dirt, and she knew the two men had scaled the railing and were now
following her outside.
    “Why…?”
    Grace quickly cut Lane off before he could get the
question out. Turning to face them both, she glared down into their faces,
daring them to argue with her. “I mean it. Don’t. Don’t ask me about anything
you saw today. I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Lane didn’t say a word, but as she slid her gaze back
and forth between the two of them, she knew they were preparing the questions
they