Chapter Four

In the long months since Ivy was last in Montana, the landscape hadn't changed. Not surprising. Little changed in these parts. Her daddy might order one of the workers to slap a new coat of paint on an outbuilding, but the fields and mountains remained untouched by time.

As Meadow drove the pickup beneath the gate leading off the property, Ivy studied the ironwork making up the arch with the Gracey name in the center. Three zillion years ago, some ancestor had placed the name there, and there it would remain until some future Gracey ducked out of the ranching tradition.

Ivy knotted her fingers in her lap. Ever since Meadow told her she was going to visit their father in the hospital, Ivy's nerves had kicked in.

She'd seen enough hospital shows on TV to know that it wasn't reality. In reality, people died in those places. They never came home to their generations-old ranches.

Glancing at her sister, she attempted to gauge her mood. All she could make out was that Meadow was as beautiful as ever. Though she did notice a new glow within her sister, what she could only guess was happiness. When Meadow looked at Colton, she lit up like a firefly in a mason jar.

"I'm really happy for you, Meadow."

Surprise registered on her face when she turned her head. "Where did that come from?"

"Can't I be happy for my sister?"

"I'm glad you are, don't get me wrong. I just wondered what made you say that."

"You're different with Colton. It's been a while since I've seen you smile."

At that, Meadow's face took on the exact opposite expression. Pain pinched at the corner of her eye that Ivy could see in profile.

"There hasn't been a lot to smile over."

"No," she agreed.

Silence stretched between them, the only sound the hum of tires on the highway leading to the small town of Eden, and beyond that, to a larger hospital where their father was fighting for his life.

"I won't lie, Ivy. It was really hard after you left."

A lump lodged in her throat. She turned her blurry vision to her knotted fingers. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't stay."

"I'd say I understand, but I'd be lying. I've been lonely. You know how withdrawn Daddy is. He barely speaks to anyone unless it's about selling cattle. And even then, I think he's just putting on an act that he's fine. But after Mom and then Forest—"

"Don't even say it." She threw a hand up to stop her sister from saying more, from saying something that would cause Ivy to break.

She could not break. For a long time now, she suspected that once the tears began to fall, the dam would shatter, and there would be no stopping the gush of pain she'd been holding in forever.

Meadow popped open the lid of the center console and reached inside. She withdrew an envelope and held it out to Ivy.

She eyed the object as if it was an explosive. "I don't want that."

"You don't even know what it is."

"I know I don't want to read it."

Meadow thrust it at her. "Read it."

With a low groan, she took the envelope and turned it over. When she saw her name scrawled in Forest's handwriting, her stomach bottomed out.

"No way. I'm not reading this." She tried to open the console and shove it back inside, but Meadow jammed her arm down on top of the lid, holding it shut.

Across the space, their gazes locked in a battle of wills.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get out of this, she edged her fingernail beneath the seal and tore into the envelope.

As soon as she pulled out the single page, a photograph fluttered into her lap.

Sucking in a breath, she picked up the photo. Oh god. Forest stood in the center of a group of his military buddies, all smiling at the camera.

Her heart flexed. Her throat blazed with tears she refused to release.

Her brother looked more careworn. Life had beat him down when their mother died, but his duty to his country had etched lines into his face that weren't there when he enlisted.

For a painful heartbeat, she stared at his face, missing him with every fiber of her soul. The funny moments they shared; the big, warm, brotherly hugs he gave whenever she or Meadow needed one.

He was there for them the way their father hadn't been able to be after their mother passed. Ivy never expected Meadow would have to pick up her slack, or have to keep the ranch going. Now Ivy felt even more terrible for leaving Meadow to deal with things on her own.

Next to Forest, she recognized two other faces in the picture. She wasn't sure if the things they'd done in the line of duty had aged them as well, but Colton did wear a hint of strain around his eyes. And Hunter… Well, he looked just as stern as he did in person.

Several other guys filled out the wings of the group photo, but she didn't recognize any of them.

She flipped the photo over to see if there was a date when it was taken, but the back was blank.

When she studied the image again, her gaze ran back to Hunter. Dammit. He was her brother's friend. One that had his back in battle. Someone Forest trusted. He couldn't be all bad, even if he was irritating.

Taking up the letter, she unfolded it and skimmed the words her brother had written—his last message to her.

Tears swam in her vision, but she blinked rapidly to clear them and began to read.

His words conveyed that he worried about her. How young she still was. How much life she had to live with no parents to guide her—and if she was reading this letter, then he wasn't around either.

That left her and Meadow to cling to each other.

His next words burned.

You both have a lot of growing up to do. I wish I could be around to see the leaps you make, but I can't be there to protect you.

God, she hated being the baby of the family. Her father, brother and sister always gave her a pass whenever things got tough. "Go be Ivy" became something she heard so regularly that she could guess what they'd say before they ever said a word.

Holding Forest's letter containing his final words to her, she knew without a doubt what he was really telling her.

She needed to step up her game.

And she wanted to.

Now that he wasn't here, she needed to be there for her family.

She already suspected things were amiss when her credit card was declined. Obviously her father was neglecting his bills, perhaps avoiding life as depression took over.

She folded the letter and tucked it away along with the photo, but not before stealing one last look at the faces of her brother and his friends.

Dry-eyed, she looked at Meadow. "Let's go see Daddy."

Meadow searched her face. "Are you all right?"

She pushed out a small breath. "Yes. I'm fine. I mean…" she faltered. "It's hard. But I'm all right."

Her sister settled a hand on her arm. "You know I'm here for you, Ivy. I always will be. We have each other, and that will never change."

She nodded and squeezed her sister's fingers where they lay on her forearm. "I'm here for you too, sissy."

The old name she called Meadow when they grew up riding their bikes to the creek and coming back sunburned with scabby knees brought a warm feel to the truck.

"Was that a photo of Forest with his friends?" Meadow asked.

She nodded. "Colton and Hunter and a bunch of others I don't know. I'll show you later."

"I'd like to see. I wonder why he sent you a picture but not me or Daddy?"

She gulped around a new lump that threatened that big, solid dam she'd spent years and years building. She shored it up and swallowed hard.

"I'm not sure why he sent it to me." Even as she spoke the words, she could guess.

Forest had sent proof that she and Meadow were not alone—his Navy SEAL family had become their family.

He'd sent Colton to Meadow.

And Hunter can shovel manure.

* * * * *

Hunter drew in a deep breath of the breeze blowing at his face, relieved that it didn't carry notes of antiseptic and sickness like the hospital in Germany.

It definitely didn't smell like blood.

He studied the horses in the paddock. Three were nibbling at a big round bale of hay in the corner. Two were dozing in the sun. All of them were strong-bodied, with the agile legs that made them fast.

"Good stock."

If Colton was surprised, he didn't show it. He nodded. "Meadow trains them and sells them at auction. Breeds them too. It's big business for the Gracey."

The Gracey. He talked about the ranch like it was a living being. Someone to honor and care for.

Following the grand tour of the enormous spread, Hunter could understand how Colton's mind worked. The sprawling ranch that lazily stretched to the purple foothills looming before the sharp, jagged peaked mountains in the distance had him feeling the most alive he'd felt since the dawn before Operation Nicklaus.

Even thinking about that op made him inwardly cringe. He turned his attention to the horses again.

Colton stood next to him, legs braced and arms folded in a pose Hunter had seen him in often when they were discussing strategy—which made him wonder what Colton was holding back.

"I probably should have asked this before, but can you ride?"

He shot his friend a look. "Little late now, don't you think?"

He scrubbed a knuckle over his upper lip as if trying to stop a smile from spreading. "Yeah."

"I can ride. Growing up, I spent time at a buddy's ranch in Kentucky." A home away from the hell of his own home life.

"Good to hear I won't be picking you up off the ground—very much, anyway."

Hunter started to respond to the jeer, but the rumble of an ATV engine approached from behind them. They pivoted from the fence in time to see the driver come to a halt near the paddock. The passenger jumped off, and the driver circled the small vehicle.

Spotting Colton, they nodded in greeting before sauntering over to the paddock where Colton and Hunter stood watching the horses.

The tall, broad-shouldered guy dressed in worn jeans, cowboy boots and a black Stetson gave a nod to Hunter but said nothing.

He arched a brow at the guy. It was customary to introduce yourself to a newcomer first. This guy's momma must not have taught him any manners.

The stranger continued to stare at Hunter, sizing him up.

Seeing that he needed to be the bigger person, Hunter extended his hand. "Hunter Hart."

"Zach Webb. Guys call me Webb. You must be the new guy Colton told us about." He shot Colton a dark glance.

Okay. Now Hunter was putting the pieces together. Colton and Webb had some beef with each other.

Which meant Hunter had a problem with Webb too.

The other man sauntered over and extended a hand to Hunter. "I'm Marks."

Colton nudged Marks in the shoulder. "Marks is all-time shit shoveler."

"Nope—I've just been promoted. Shovelin' shit is the newbie's job. He looks about as strong as you, and you handled a shovel pretty well."

Hunter could damn well use a shovel—to bury a man—if need be.

"Welcome to the Gracey. Later on, we'll see if you're any good at cards." Marks offered a grin and then walked away in slow, stiff strides, as if his back pained him after the hard labor of the day.

After he was out of earshot, Webb got to the point. "He knows?" he asked Colton.

"Not all of it."

Hunter folded his arms and adopted the same pose that Colton had before. "Care to fill me in now?"

Colton's spine stiffened. "A man came onto the ranch and attempted to take Meadow."

His eyes widened. "The one you killed?"

Colton gave a single hard nod. "I left her here with a ranch hand on watch. A guy we called Dude."

Hunter sent his buddy a sharp look. It surprised him that Colton had left her in another man's care. Hunter sure as hell wouldn't if he had someone important to him.

Colton went on, "I went to the bar with the idea to get people to talk about the things going on around here."

"What sort of things?"

"Meadow's horse was slaughtered." Webb's hardened tone gave Hunter a beat of pause as much as his contribution to the conversation.

Hunter ingested this information. "So someone is killing your horses and trying to steal your woman. What enemy does the family have?"

"That's what we're still trying to make out. There are cameras all over the ranch, and we've had a few trespassers. One came to the house to speak to Sean Gracey, Meadow and Forest's dad, and by the photo, it doesn't look like it's a friendly meeting."

"I'm following. And the guy who went missing?"

"It was the ranch hand, Dude." Colton scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw, creating a scuffing sound.

"What makes you think he didn't just take off?"

Webb met Hunter's stare. "He left the horse out. He never would have left a horse out."

"You think the man you killed got to him first?"

Colton nodded. "I do. We just haven't found a body yet."

A body. How many bodies had Hunter dropped in the name of duty? When he was still young and na?ve, he believed every single face of those he killed in the name of duty would forever be etched in his brain. That wasn't the case. In fact, he couldn't remember a single one.

He'd like to blame the military for making him into a cold, hardened machine, but that transformation began much, much sooner.

Now, Colton had given him a job. He had a purpose again, even if a small one.

"Tell me where to set up, and I'll cover fire watch." The military equivalent of night shift. It wasn't the same as defending cities under siege or raiding a terrorist bunker to rescue an American diplomat, but after being laid up so many months, Hunter was actually looking forward to doing something useful again.

Colton dropped his arms from his stiff pose. "There's time for that later, Hart. It's not all work around here."

He cocked a brow. "The card game Marks mentioned?"

Colton clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You and I are going to be having a bit of fun down at the local saloon."

"Does it involve grilling locals about who killed that horse?"

"Possibly." Colton turned to Webb. "You stay behind with Marks and the others."

Webb's dark glower and lowered brows didn't go unnoticed by Hunter. But the man said nothing, just whipped around and strode in the direction of the bunkhouse, kicking up dust from his boots with every step.

Hunter watched him go. Colton said nothing about the tension riding between him and Webb.

"Good thing he's not going along with us—seems like a real buzzkill."

Colton snorted. "You haven't lost your edge, Hart." His grin stretched. "Your first time down at Badlands is bound to go better than mine."

"What happened?"

"Somebody needed a spanking." Colton's words had Hunter chuckling, and it felt foreign.

"Somebody meaning Meadow?"

"That's right."

"Is that the reason you and Webb are circling each other like street fighters?"

"Part of it, though he doesn't know about the spanking. Webb's an asshole—there's no arguing that—but we've made a little peace with each other since the attack."

"Fighting on the same side of the line does that." He gave Colton a questioning look. "You think it's a good idea to hit the saloon and leave untrained men to watch the ranch while we're gone?"

He sobered. "I've armed them. They can all shoot. I need your skills of persuasion. You're good at getting people to talk. Maybe better than me."

"I'm definitely better than you."

Colton's lips twitched at one corner. "Damn, I've missed your company, brother."

Hunter had spent months recuperating alone, believing that he'd never again be with the brothers he fought with. "It's good to be here."

Colton extended a fist, and they bumped knuckles. "Get cleaned up. I'll get Meadow and we'll leave at sundown."

"What about the princess?"

He blinked at Hunter as if he didn't register who he was talking about. "Ah, you mean Ivy. I don't think she'll be going to the saloon with us."

The image of the beautiful but annoying blonde floated into his head. He grunted. "You're right. She'll want her beauty sleep."