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"Cliff?" she said in a tentative voice

"What day is it?" he asked

"Friday"

"Is this the Friday I invited you for dinner?"

Her heart fell and she nodded He’d forgotten Still, she tried to smile as she said, "I’etic "I’m so sorry, Grace I didn’t realize it was this Friday As you can see, we’re having a probleriot colic"

"Colic?" In Grace’s experience, that was an ail their first few est, as the infant screa in horses," Cliff explained "The vet’s here and we’re doing everything we can to save hiht be necessary" He removed his hat and wiped his forearm across his brow "I’m sorry, Grace, we’ll have dinner another ti to push up her sleeves and help to whatever extent she could

"I was about toit out when it’s ready"

Cliff nodded "Great I’d appreciate that"

"Don’t give it a second thought"

Once inside the kitchen, Grace searched through several cupboards until she located the coffee grounds While the coffee brewed, she brought out bread andthe haerator She wasn’t sure how long this crisis had been in effect, but she guessed that Cliff, Cal and the vet could use so was ready, Grace carried a tray with the coffeepot and a plate of sandwiches into the barn Doc Neas the first one to notice Grace’s presence As she stood, she sratitude

"I’d love a cup of that coffee With crea for her

Cliff, as on his knees beside the stallion, barely glanced over his shoulder A large tube came out of the horse’s mouth and to Grace’s uneducated eye, the aniently stroking the blacktones Grace realized that for the first ti Apparently he could communicate with horses better than hu of hot coffee He took it froement She offered soaht’s chances?"

The vet shrugged "Could go either way"

Grace knew that Cliff had a large financial investment in this stallion, but there was more to it He loved that horse He’d often talked about his dreaht was the very basis of Cliff’s future in ranching She speculated that losing the stallion could set him back years But it would be a personal loss aswhat else to do, Grace stepped into the background and waited She didn’t feel she could just walk away She ive him any real help, but she wanted Cliff to know she cared

After an hour she saw that she wasn’t contributing anything No one wanted more food or coffee, so she returned to the house It took her all of five minutes to clean up the kitchen Bored, she turned on the television, flicking froram for more than a few minutes Every half hour she went to the barn to see as happening, but there seeress As Doc Newame

At ten Grace fell asleep in front of the television, waking with a start at shortly after eleven She looked outside and saw that Doc Newain, Grace saw that nothing had changed Cliff and Cal were still with Midnight; neither seemed to notice her As quietly as she could, she slipped out of the barn and went back to the house to collect her things

Not wanting to interrupt Cliff, she cli depressed She orried about Midnight’s colic, of course, and extremely upset by Cliff’s attitude toward her She wondered if he regretted the dinner invitation Even if Midnight hadn’t taken sick, it wouldn’t have ht she was co to dinner He’d htest interest in seeing her If anything, he see when she let herself into the house and their obvious pleasure at her return coht on her phone was blinking After leaving her purse on the washing machine, she sat down at her small kitchen table to listen, pen in hand

A faint smile touched her lips at the sound of her best friend’s voice Olivia wanted to hear all about Grace’s "hot" dinner date "Phone when you get home I don’t care how late it is"

Reluctantly Grace reached for the telephone Olivia answered on the first ring

"Don’t you have anything better to do on a Friday night than sit by the phone?" Grace chided