Colorado Wild - Colorado Heart 1 by Sara York Page A

eyebrow. "Craig was very jealous of me."
    "I didn't know this. Why didn't I know?"
    "He hid it well. Grant and I hav e always been close. Before Craig came on the ranch there were a few other guys, but then there was Craig then Grant. Grant and I hit it off. We were very close friends, even sleeping in the same bed on occasion." Marshal rolled his eyes. "See, that's how Craig would look when we said we shared a bed. We didn't have sex or anything, just talked a lot. We clicked. He was like my brother. Then Craig went on this mission with Grant. They were alone in the outback of Australia for eight weeks. Grant said they fell in love. I tried to tell Grant I didn't think Craig was really that into him, but he told me to shut it. Our friendship was different."
    James stepped away, turning to face the room. "Dang, I didn't know any of this."
    "You wouldn't have. It was before Duff brought you and Mike in. Anyway, we stayed friends, but we weren't close. Then Grant and I went on a mission together and we reconnected. I said nothing about Craig. I wasn't going to bring that up again. The man was insanely jealous. He got pissed and fought with Duff. Apparently he'd already decided to leave."
    "So when that happened, did Grant talk to you?"
    "No, he's been friendly, professional but not the old Grant that I was best friends with."
    "Fuck. And now Craig has found Grant again."
    "Yeah, but if he knew where I was, I'd be dead. He sent me a letter, telling me as much. Said I was the cause of their breakup."
    "Did you tell Grant?" James stepped close and stared up at him.
    "No, I didn't. I didn't talk to Duff either."
    "But—really? Why not?"
    "Craig was trouble and I was glad to be rid of him."
    "You have to tell Duff when we return and you need to show him the letter. You didn't toss it?"
    "No, it's in my room at the ranch."
    "What do we do now?"
    "We make sure we have our shit together and wait for Grant to call."
    James nodded then moved to the bathroom, packing up their toiletries and wiping down the surfaces they might have touched. Marshal cleaned the main room, returning everything they'd pulled out back into their bags. He was about to start packing away the gun he'd been cleaning when his phone rang. He answered and didn't say a word.
    "Marshal, I'm not coming back to the hotel." Grant was quiet, his voice strained.
    "Shit."
    "I've checked a few times and he was following me. I think I've lost him, but I'm not positive. It's too much to risk."
    "Do you think he knows about —"
    "No. He knows how we operate. Do not follow the usual contingency for being discovered. He'll expect it and find you."
    "Business as usual then?"
    "You're lead. I trust you. I'm burning this phone. I'll see you stateside."
    The phone connection died, cutting off all communication with Grant until they made it back to the States. He wouldn’t fail James, and he sure as hell wouldn't fail Grant or Duff. They expected him to complete this mission even if his personal life was shot to hell. He'd always suspected Craig would come back and make trouble, but he hadn't guessed it would happen on a mission.

 
    Chapter Ten
     
     
    Roger had fallen asleep on the couch after watching a movie. With Grant gone, he'd been out of sorts and unable to let go enough to sleep. Duff hadn't said anything—yet. Last night during dinner, Mike had said something about Grant and then cut his eyes to Roger. Maybe it was obvious that he was missing the guy. He hoped that he could control himself better but he clearly had a few issues to take care of.
    A noise sounded behind him and he jumped, bolting off the couch. First thing he noticed was the TV had been turned off. He walked over to the television, finding it cold. His body heated in embarrassment that someone had found him sleeping and he hadn't woken. If he'd slept through that, why was he waking up now? Another noise brought his attention to the back of the house and the garage entrance.
    They all had guns and were