Breaking the Rules (1st in Breaking Series)

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Elizabeth had forgotten all about Grant being at the house when she and Brody rode back into the ranch. She jumped from Chocolate and gave Brody orders to put the mare away and the cowboy had grumbled under his breath but he hadn't argued. It wasn't until Elizabeth walked into the house and saw Grant sitting in the parlor with her pa drinking scotch and talking like a couple of old friends, that she remembered passing the man.

"Pa, what are you doing? You were supposed to sit on the couch until I got back!" Elizabeth scolded. Both men turned to look at her, her pa with a guilty grin and Grant with a look of shock.

"Grant stopped by and I couldn't make the man sit alone in the parlor," Ernest replied.

"Miss Elizabeth, I apologize, I passed you on the way to town and didn't recognize you. You look... uh... different today." His eyes widened when they fell on the gun on her hip.

"Yes, this is what I normally wear around the ranch. Those fancy dresses get in the way when you're wrangling steers," she replied, not bothering to hide her accent with fancy dialect. She looked back at her pa, "The doc was busy," she lied. "He said he might ride out later in the week."

"I don't need that old doc. I'm dying, plain and simple, and all he ever says is, rest, rest, rest. Hell, I'll have plenty of time for that once I'm dead."

Elizabeth winced at the certainty in his tone and he rose to his feet, as did Grant, "I have to be getting out in the field and checking on the cattle. You and Grant should spend some time together, get to know each other a little." he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Then he looked at Grant and his blue eyes turned harder, "Anita will be here of course," he warned.

Grant nodded quickly, "Of course sir."

"But pa, I've got work to do," Elizabeth cut in.

Ernest shook his head as he walked toward the door. He stopped before walking out, "You can wait until later. Mr. Foster came a long way to get to know you, so treat him as well as you would any guest."

Elizabeth could see the hard, no nonsense look in her fathers eyes and she knew that if she disobeyed he would be angry, "Yes, pa," she replied and she reached up and pulled off her hat, letting her long braid fall down her back. She unhooked the gun belt from her hips and hung it by the door. She pressed a kiss to her father's weathered cheek before he walked out and then walked back over to the table.

Elizabeth's gaze landed on the half empty bottle of scotch on the table, "Mr. Foster, would you like to keep drinking your scotch this early or maybe you like to have Anita bring us some tea?"

Grant cleared his throat and nodded, "Tea would be fine, Miss Elizabeth. You don't mind if call you Elizabeth do you?"

Elizabeth wanted to tell him that yes, she minded and he better not call her Elizabeth but then she remembered the desperate look on her fathers face the night before, and she remembered Anita's words. Anita had been right. She owed it to her father to at least give Grant a chance.

"That would be fine," she replied, plastering a kind, charming smile on her face.

Anita came into the room carrying a pot of tea and Grant pulled out a chair for Elizabeth to sit down. Elizabeth bristled at having a man assume she needed him to pull out her chair but she bit back her smart retort and sat down.

"Thank you for the tea, ma'am," Grant flashed Anita a charming smile that was so white it seemed to sparkle. Anita blushed and stuttered as she smiled and backed out of the room.