Some Like It Hot: An Erotic Romance Anthology

“Where’s Faith?” Jerry Lambert asked, her father’s question not directed at anyone in particular. Or so it seemed.

Grace sipped her coffee, once again pretending there wasn’t another hot cowboy walking through the back door of the ranch’s main house right about…

Now.

“Mornin’,” Lane Miller greeted as the back door slammed behind him.

His ears must’ve been burning.

Doing what she did best, Grace ignored him too as she answered her father. “Don’t know. She said she was stoppin’ by first thing, but you know, it’s only six-thirty. Some people like the sun to be up before they climb outta bed on Monday mornin’.”

Grace hadn’t seen her youngest sister since yesterday morning. In fact, she hadn’t seen any of her sisters because she’d managed to spend her one day off during the week hiding out from everyone, including her family, but most importantly the two cowboys now hogging the coffee pot. Sunday was the only day she didn’t work, and in order to stick to that promise she’d made to herself about taking time to relax, she refused to head to the main house for fear someone would put her to work.

Or that she’d run into these two.

It always happened that way.

“How’s it goin’, Lane?” Jerry greeted one of Dead Heat’s few permanent wranglers, a man Grace tried to stay away from as much, if not more so, than Grant.

“Good, sir. Got a group coming in this mornin’. Plannin’ a day ride.”

Lane Miller had been working at Dead Heat Ranch for at least three years. For the most part, he handled the horses that they used for the trail rides. He also led those rides with the guests who frequented the place.

Did she mention that Dead Heat Ranch was a working dude ranch?

Grace’s father didn’t respond, just nodded his head. They were all used to it. The man ran one of Texas’ largest dude ranches, but he said very little. Unless, of course, one of the guests pulled him into a conversation, then you could pretty much guarantee the man wouldn’t shut up.

When she had drained her coffee, Grace pushed back her chair and got to her feet. Perfect timing too since Lane and Grant looked like they were settling in to stay awhile as they relaxed casually against the counter.

Rinsing her cup, she placed it in the dishwasher, murmured a good-bye to her father and snuck out the door as fast as her feet would take her.

Grace hadn’t made it far when she heard the screen door slam once more. With her head down, she made a beeline for the barn, hoping like hell someone was there. Because if not, that meant she was about to find herself alone with one, or possibly two, nearly irresistible cowboys.

It’s the way her mornings usually went.

“Grace! Hold up!”

“No thanks!” she hollered back, not bothering to look behind her. “Not interested in what you’re sellin’, cowboy!”

The sexy chuckle that followed belonged to Grant. She would recognize it just about anywhere.

Shit.

Grace stepped into the shadows of the barn about the same time Grant caught up to her.

“What’s the rush?” he asked and thankfully, he didn’t try to touch her, although he was close enough that she could smell the sexy scent of his aftershave.

“Workin’. You might try it sometime. I think it’s why we pay you, right?” Grace was purposely trying to piss him off. It was the only way she could usually put some distance between the two of them.

And she had a damn good reason to put as much space between her and…

“Hey,” Lane called, stepping into the barn just a few feet behind Grant.

… him.

Crap.

Double trouble. That’s what these two were.

“Go on, Gracie,” Grant taunted. “Give Lane your ‘you should be workin’’ speech. He’s waitin’.”

“Shut up.”

Sometimes she felt like a cantankerous teenager when these two were around. Especially Grant. She’d known him for more years than she could remember. He was, at thirty-two, only a few years older than she was, but at the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Grace knew she should be long past the stage where she went on the defensive with these two annoying cowboys. After all, she had managed to fend them off for… Well, forever.

And ok, so they weren’t so much annoying as they were relentless. But just like she had told Grant, she wasn’t buying what they were selling. Mainly because she had no idea what they were selling. Or to whom they were selling it. Based on what she’d seen just a few days ago, she wasn’t sure she had the right anatomy to fulfill either one of them.

“She’s back to that?” Lane asked in that laid-back, country drawl that didn’t fool her at all.

Just as she did every morning, Grace moved toward Astro Boy’s stall. It was the first item on her daily to-do list. Astro Boy was her five-year-old paint horse, and he was hers and hers alone which was why she came to check on him every morning and again every afternoon. That was if she didn’t spend part of the day riding him around the ranch.

Although Dead Heat Ranch had a number of horses, most of them were geldings that they used for the trail rides with the guests. And due to the fact the guests were restricted to the more docile horses, no one was allowed to ride Astro Boy. And he knew it too.

“Hey, boy,” she greeted him with a grin as she pushed open the metal stall door that kept him safely inside. Just seeing him could turn her mood from bad to good in an instant. “Miss me?”

She received a heavy snort and a nudge in response. Grace placed her palm flat on his wide nose and smiled up at him.

“I did,” Grant answered, although her question definitely hadn’t been directed at him.

Grace ignored him; instead, making her way into Astro Boy’s stall as she took his brush and went to work.

All hope of the two men going on about their business died when Lane came to stand beside Grant, both of them leaning casually against the inner wall of the stall. Glancing up, she noticed that Lane was, in fact, standing incredibly close to Grant. She quickly looked away, hoping they couldn’t read her mind.

Because if they could, they would probably realize that their secret was out.

???????

Grant Kingsley couldn’t take his eyes off Gracie. Then again, that was a problem he’d had for quite a few years. And it wouldn’t be a problem if the woman would just pay a little attention to him. He knew she wanted to. It was in her eyes when she looked at him. That damn sure wasn’t indifference he saw in her blue-green gaze.

That was lust.

But for the better part of the last few years, Gracie Lambert had successfully dodged every single one of Grant’s advances. She’d dodged Lane’s too, but Grant figured she had no idea they’d knowingly been pursuing her simultaneously. Then again, how could she know? Although it certainly hadn’t started out that way.

It started out innocently enough – if two competitive cowboys, a twelve pack of beer, a game of pool, and an obnoxious bet could be considered innocent. Regardless, that night, Grant and Lane had agreed that, since they were both vying for the pretty cowgirl’s affections, they’d see who could win a date with her first.

That was two years ago.

Yeah. For two fucking years, they’d been trying and failing to get Gracie Lambert to admit to her attraction to them. Neither of them had made it even remotely close to getting a date with the beautiful woman though.

That hadn’t stopped them from trying.

“Look, boys, I’ve got things to do today. So if you don’t mind,” Gracie said without looking up at them.

“I don’t mind. Do you mind?” Lane asked with his usual laidback excitement. “Cuz I could stand here all day and enjoy the view. I don’t mind watching. I happen to like it actually. Unless of course, you’d just like to say you’ll go out with me. Then I’ll back off. And I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Grant glanced over at Lane. He was rambling more than usual and that wa

s saying something. Once he got started, the guy didn’t usually let up. For some strange reason, Grant found that trait oddly appealing.

Gracie clearly didn’t if the frown on her pretty face was anything to go by.

“Lay off,” Gracie bit out, her eyes slamming into Lane’s face before they crashed into Grant’s a moment later.

Crap. They’d gone and pissed her off again.

Gracie wanted them to believe that everything they did pissed her off, but Grant had been around long enough to know that the woman wasn’t mad. At least not at them. She was mad at herself because she liked them. Maybe not enough to fall into bed with either of them, but Gracie certainly didn’t hide her attraction as well as she probably hoped she did. Which was the main reason Grant didn’t back off, even when she insisted.