Page 67 of Grady

As he made his way around the sprawling ranch, Grady was introduced to the other ranch hands and foremen. He was struck by the vastness of the land and its untapped potential.

From the moment they met, Grady knew that he and Maverick would become lifelong friends. They were both promoted to foremen at the same time, with Grady at twenty-six and Maverick at twenty-five. The two worked seamlessly together, earning the trust and respect of the Coleman family.

After driving for almost two hours, Grady finally arrived at his destination; a quaint cabin nestled amidst rolling hills and lush greenery. He parked his truck, retrieved his duffle bag from the back, and made his way toward the front door. There was no place he’d rather be than here right now, at the cabin with his parents, where he could find peace and solace in the familiar surroundings.

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Savannah sunk into the plush cushions of her sofa, her fingers absently running through Bentley’s soft fur. She could feel a lump forming in her throat, but she refused to let herself cry. Grady should have called by now. He should know that she was upset and needed him to reach out. But there was only silence.

“What is it with men, Bentley?” She sighed, leaning back against the soft fabric. “He knows I’m upset.”

She grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV, hoping todistract herself from the disappointment she felt. Her eyes scanned through channels, but nothing seemed interesting enough to hold her attention.

“Just what am I supposed to do while he sulks?” Savannah grumbled aloud, frustrated with Grady’s stubbornness.

She couldn’t wrap her head around why he hadn’t reached out yet. Sure, they had argued, but every couple had their disagreements. They just needed to move past it and forgive each other. All day yesterday she had hoped he would stop by her store like he usually did, but he never showed up. And today, she thought for sure he would have gotten over his anger and called by now, but once again, he hadn’t. She was not going to be the one to break and call him first. No way.

“Men,” she muttered to Bentley who was lazily sprawled out next to her, “I know I was the one who hung up, but he had to know I was pissed.”

Feeling restless and cooped up in her house, Savannah decided to take a drive into Clifton for some retail therapy. She wanted to get Bentley a new collar since he had outgrown his old one.

Racing up the stairs, she quickly changed into a comfortable t-shirt and jeans, then slid her feet into her pink flip-flops, before locking up her house and heading out in her car.

As she strolled along Main Street after parking her car, she couldn’t help but take in the bustling atmosphere. Usually, she was too busy running her store to enjoy the small-town charm. But today, with nothing else to do, she wanted to explore the local shops.

Entering almost every store she passed, Savannah couldn’t resist making a few unnecessary purchases. When she came upon the bakery, the delicious scent of fresh pastries and breads hit her like a wave. She couldn’t resist stepping inside and joining the line of people waiting for their turn. After leavingwith half a dozen mouth-watering cupcakes, she crossed the street to Scoops of Joy, an ice cream shop that she had always wanted to try. She ordered a chocolate chip cone and walked back outside, hoping it wouldn’t melt before she could finish it.

As she made her way along the sidewalk, juggling her box of cupcakes and cone, she spotted The Everyday Grind coffee shop down the street. She waved at Celine who was working behind the counter and decided to stop in and say hi.

“Hey, Vanna,” Celine said as she handed a customer a cup of coffee.

“I thought you didn’t work on the weekends.”

“I usually don’t, but Ainsleigh wasn’t feeling well, and since Killian is out of town on a case, I decided to cover for her.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Savannah said.

“Me too, but I think it’s just a bug. She should be back tomorrow. If not, we’ll deal with it. What are you doing?”

Savannah held up her bags. “Shopping. I wanted to explore today.”

Celine laughed. “Good for you.”

“I just wanted to stop in and say hi. I’m going to see if Maggie is home.”

“Okay. Thanks for stopping by.”

“Sure. See ya.” Savannah walked back out into the heat of the day. She put her bags in the trunk of her vehicle, then headed toward the alley behind her shop.

Savannah climbed up the stairs, knocked on Maggie’s door, and was greeted with a warm smile as her friend welcomed her inside.

“Vanna! Come in!” Maggie exclaimed.

Savannah stepped into the open apartment and took in its spacious layout. One large room served as living space with a TV mounted on one wall and a couch facing it. A couple of dressing screens were set up near one corner, with a bed hidden behindthem. Savannah admired the creative use of space.

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” she said, taking a seat on the couch.

“Thanks.” Maggie beamed. “I wasn’t a fan of having the bed out in the open, so I got these dressing screens to create a private area for it.”

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