"Grayson, I'm afraid there is nothing I can tell you that I haven't already told Callie." Raymond said as he sat across from Callie and Grayson at his desk. His leg was bouncing nervously and his adams apple was working up and down as he tapped his pen on his desktop.

Grayson leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out the best he could in front of the tiny desk.

"I want to see my father-in-laws will, Mr. Collier." he replied calmly. Raymond's face paled considerably though he had already heard the marriage news from Thomas.

"Grayson, there is nothing to see." Raymond replied as he shuffled through some papers on his desk. "Now if you two don't mind I have work I need to be getting done." Grayson laid his forearms on the desk and leaned forward.

"Actually we do mind, Raymond. You see that will is very much my wife's business and I don't know if you've heard or not but I've got a bit of a temper when it comes to people not giving Callie what she wants." Callie bit her lip to keep from laughing as Raymond's face turned green. She had often wondered why everyone was so afraid of Grayson. Yeah he was big and he looked awfully scary when he wanted to but he was actually pretty harmless… Or at least he was with her.

"I can't help you, Grayson. Now the two of you need leave my office or else I'll have to call Sheriff Potter." Raymond said and Grayson noticed his eyes fly to the green safe in the corner for easily the fiftieth time since they'd come into his office. Grayson nodded and stood up holding his hands up as a sign of peace.

"Okay, we'll leave." he said. Callie stood quickly and glared up at him and he saw her temper flare in her blue eyes.

"What do you mean we'll leave! I want to see that will!"

"Come on, honey, the man said there is nothing to see." Grayson said turning his back to Raymond and giving Callie a look that clearly said 'trust me'. Callie nodded and then smiled over at Raymond.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Collier." she said politely. Raymond didn't know what to make of this sudden change in her attitude but he was thankful for it. He tipped his bowler hat to her and then Grayson led her out the door.

Raymond leaned back in his chair and looked at the picture of his wife and son sitting on his desk. He hated lying to Callie but Thomas had made it clear that Clair and Raymond Junior would die if Raymond told her the truth and he would not risk their lives.

"Would you mind telling me why we walked away that easily?" Callie asked Grayson as they made their way back to the hotel.

"Let's just say I realized he wasn't going to talk and I came up with a new plan." he replied. Callie raised her brow.

"What kind of plan?" she asked.

"I'd rather not tell you, that way if I get caught sheriff Potter won't be able to arrest you."

"You're going to do something illegal!" Callie demanded. Grayson shrugged as he opened the door to their room and motioned her inside.

"It's only illegal if I get caught." he said. "You have every right to see that will and I'm going to make sure you do." Grayson shut the door and started laying kisses along the back of her neck. Callie stiffened and pulled away from him.

"I'm not in the mood." she stated. "I'm going to go see what I can get done at Annie's." She started back for the door.

"Callie…" Grayson said reaching for her hand but she moved her hand out of his reach.

"I'm not mad, Gray, but I'm not going to encourage this idea of yours and I'm sure there is something I can be doing at Annie's." Grayson stared at the door after she'd slammed it walking out and he shoved his hand through his hair.

He had always known Callie had a temper and a stubborn streak a mile wide but he hadn't expected it to kick in the day after they got married.

888

Grayson caught up with James later that evening as he walked out of the mercantile.

"James, I need your help with something tonight." Grayson said. James scratched at his red beard and nodded.

"What do you need?"

"I plan on stealing Raymond Collier's safe tonight and I need somebody standing guard out front." Grayson replied in a calm voice as if the two men were merely discussing the weather.

"Have you lost your mind!" James demanded wide-eyed. Grayson shook his head.

"I don't think so." he said. Grayson was happy that James and he were back to their old friendship. James no longer acted like he was afraid Grayson would kill him every time he opened his mouth.

"Why are you stealing his safe?"

"Because he won't let Callie see her fathers will and I think it's in that safe." Grayson replied as if this should be obvious.

"So you're going to break the law for Callie." James asked shaking his head.

"Yeah." Grayson replied with a shrug. "Look I don't need you to do any actual stealing, just keep an eye out by the front door and I'm going to get Peter to watch at the back."

"Does Callie know about this?" James asked leaning against his wagon full of supplies. Grayson shook his head.

"No." he said quickly. "She knows I have something in mind but I didn't tell her what."

"I'll bet that didn't go over well did it?" James asked with a grin. Grayson shook his head.

"No, it didn't go well at all. But she'll forgive me." James sighed.

"You're my best friend, Grayson. You know I'll have your back. What time are you doing this?"

"I was thinking about just after midnight." James coughed and glared up at him.

"How the hell am I supposed to explain to Lauren what I'm doing when I sneak out of the house in the middle of the night?" he demanded.

"I don't know. Just don't let her catch you." Grayson replied. James was mumbling under his breath as he climbed up in the wagon.

"I'll help you, Grayson, but if she catches me I'm sending her your way." Grayson laughed.

"I can handle Lauren." he promised and then he patted James's horse on the backside and sent him on his way.

Grayson made his way to the blacksmiths shop where Peter was currently pounding out a horseshoe. Grayson stood with his arms crossed in the doorway until Peter looked up and noticed him.

"For chrissakes, Grayson, you scared the hell out of me!" Peter exclaimed as he sat down his hammer. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help tonight." Grayson replied. Peter chuckled.

"Is Callie wearing you out? You need me to take over for a night?" he asked with a wink. Grayson took a step forward as he cracked his knuckles and Peter quickly picked his hammer back up.

"I've got a hammer." he stated. Grayson smiled and grabbed a large metal rake off the wall.

"You still feel safe with that hammer?" he asked as he tapped the handle of the rake against his hand. Peter let out a loud laugh.

"You're alright, Grayson. You've changed a lot." he said as he sat his hammer back down. Grayson sat the rake down as well and nodded.

"So have you." he replied.

"So what do you need my help with? Did you have any luck getting that will for Callie?"

"No." Grayson replied with frustration. "That's why I need your help. I'm going to break into Raymond's office tonight and steal his safe so I can crack it open and find the will myself."

"How the hell do you know how to crack a safe?" Peter asked. Grayson was surprised by the question. He had expected Peter to have the same reaction as James but then again Peter always had been a little crazy.

"Phillip and I weren't always little angels." Grayson replied with a chuckle. "Dad kept his liquor locked up in a safe like that one and we learned real quick how to crack it open." Peter laughed loudly.

"Yeah I'd say that'll do the trick." he said. "But, Grayson, that safe has to weigh at least four hundred pounds. You can't just pick it up and walk out of there with it." Grayson raised his brow.

"I can't?" Peter looked him up and down and then shrugged.

"Aww hell, yeah you probably can. What do you need me to do?"

"Stand guard at the back. James is gonna stand guard at the front. I'll go in and get the safe and I want to bring it back here to crack it since that can take a little bit of time. Then once I get what I'm looking for I'll put the safe back just the way I found it and we'll finally know what those two men have been working so hard to hide from Callie."

"Sounds good. What time?"

"A little after midnight." Peter nodded and picked his hammer back up.

"I'll be there. I gotta get back to work." Grayson nodded and then walked back out. He saw Annie and Callie walking out of the diner. They must have eaten dinner without him. He sighed and caught up to them at the hotel.

"Callie, I need to talk to you." he said. Callie shook her head.

"No you obviously won't be happy until you're in jail and I'm alone so I really don't think I have anything to say to you." she said. Grayson growled under his breath and then without warning he scooped Callie up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Have a good evening, Annie." he said though he could barely be heard over Callie's angry shouts and threats against his life. Annie just laughed and walked away shaking her head.

Grayson stopped at the clerks desk inside the hotel and asked for some hot water to be brought up for a bath and then he carried Callie up to the room and sat her down once they were inside.

"Grayson Fields, just because you are a giant does not mean you can just toss me over your shoulder and boss me around!" Callie scolded angrily. Grayson nodded.

"Yes it does." he replied fighting back a grin as he saw her blue eyes flash. Before Callie could respond there was a knock on the door and Grayson let in the maids who were carrying bucket fulls of hot water. They filled the tub quickly and then walked back out.

"Who is the bath for?" Callie asked.

"You." Grayson replied as he walked behind her and pulled the pins from her light blond hair, letting it escape and cascade down her back in waves.

"Gray, I'm not happy with you right now." Callie said though the fact that she was breathless and pressing her back against him made her words meaningless.

"Yes I know." he replied as he wrapped his arms around her and began undoing the buttons of her light blue blouse. He pulled the blouse off and tossed it aside before moving his hands down to her skirt.

"You better not get yourself into trouble with whatever it is you have planned." Callie said as Grayson undid her skirt and it fell to the floor.

"I never get in trouble." Grayson said laying kisses along her bare shoulder as she stood there in nothing but her thin chemise. She raised her arms over her head and Grayson ran his fingers along her thighs as he grabbed the bottom hem of the chemise and pulled it over her head before tossing it in the corner.

Callie trembled as his hands roamed over her body causing fires everywhere his calloused fingers lingered. She forced herself away from him and walked to the tub swinging her hips slowly to tease him. She heard him growl out her name and smiled to herself. She climbed into the tub and sank down letting the hot water raise to her chin.

"Oh it feels like heaven." she said huskily and then she bit her bottom lip.

"You're an evil woman." Grayson said. Callie looked back at him.

"I could use some help washing my back." she said. Grayson smiled and began undoing his shirt.

"You can leave your clothes on, Gray." Callie teased. "You're only going to wash my back." Grayson threw his shirt aside and slid out of his pants and boots.

"That's what you think." he replied and Callie laughed happily as he slid into the tub behind her.

888

Grayson found James and Peter both waiting for him that night around twelve-thirty in the shadows behind Raymond Collier's office.

"So I see you managed to sneak away from Lauren." Grayson said to James as they looked up and down the quiet deserted streets of town.

"Yeah but if she wakes up and catches me gone I will put a bullet in your ass, Grayson." Grayson just laughed. "What about you? How'd you get away from Callie?"

"Let's just say she'll be out until morning." Grayson replied thinking back on the love they'd made all evening and well into the night. Peter chuckled.

"What about you, Peter?" Grayson asked. "Won't Peggy Sue be wondering where her man is at?" Peter snorted.

"Peggy Sue don't tell me what I can and can't do." he said smugly. Then he shrugged. "Besides she's out of town for the next week or so visiting her parents."

"Alright well let's get this over with so I can get back home before Lauren realizes I'm gone." James said. Peter stayed at the back while James and Grayson walked to the front door.

"It's locked." James said matter of factly. "How are you going to get in?" Grayson looked up and down the dark empty street and shrugged.

"I hadn't really thought of that." he replied. Then without warning he kicked out with his dirty boot and the lock gave way with a crack of splintering wood as the door flew open.

"That was loud." James said as the two men waited to see if anyone would be alerted by the sound and catch them in the act. Once they were satisfied they had not been heard Grayson grinned.

"It worked." he said and then he walked inside. Grayson looked around the dark office and his eyes fell on the green safe against the wall. He bent down and hoisted the heavy iron safe into his arms. Peter had been wrong. The safe didn't weight four hundred pounds, it weighed more like five hundred. He carried it out the door and whistled for Peter who came running around the building.

"Do you need some help?" James and Peter asked him at the same time. Grayson shook his head.

"I got it." he said. The three men made their way quickly to the blacksmith shop where Grayson happily sat the heavy safe back on the ground and then took several minutes to stretch his back out. Carrying that safe had tested his newly healed shoulder and Grayson was currently feeling the pain.

"So now what?" James' asked.

"Now I open it." Grayson replied. He placed his ear against the door of the safe and began to twist the dial.

"What the hell are doing?" Peter asked. Grayson glared up at him.

"I need it to be silent in order for this to work." he said. Peter nodded and put his hand over his mouth. Grayson smiled when he heard the click and he started twisting the dial slowly in the other direction until he heard the second click. Slowly, slowly he turned it back and at the sound of the third click he twisted the handle and the safe popped open.

"Well I'll be damned." James said. Grayson handed a pile full of papers to each man and grabbed a pile for himself.

"All we're interested in is Frank Logan's will." he said. The men got busy going through each paper. They were losing hope as the pile of papers they'd looked through grew taller and the pile still to be checked began to dwindle down to nothing.

Grayson was about to give up and shove everything back into the safe when Peter stood quickly.

"Found it!" he said. "And now it makes sense that Thomas wanted to marry Callie." Grayson grabbed the will and read over it quickly.

"Yes it does. I believe Callie and I will be going and having a talk with Thomas in the morning