The sunlight slipped through the covered window and the small ray rested on her face. She stretched her arms above her head and rolled onto her back. The man resting next to her was still sound asleep and she brushed a strand of blonde hair away from his face. A quiet knock came from the door and she sat up. Slipping out of the bed, she dressed quickly and fixed her hair as she approached the door.

She slid the lock off and turned the knob. When she pulled the door open, she met the clerk's sympathetic face and stepped out into the hall. She shut the door behind her and turned to the woman.

"I'm sorry but your brothers want to see you."

"Where are they?"

"Downstairs in the lobby. I told them I would come get you."

She nodded and said "Give me a few minutes."

The clerk left her standing in the hallway and she leaned back against the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back into the room and located her boots by the window. Slipping them on, she pulled her hair back out of her face and took the ring off her finger, slipping it onto the chain she wore around her neck. When she opened the door again, she glanced back at the bed and walked down the hall. Descending the steps quietly, she spotted the three waiting at the desk.

Jeff turned his gaze on her first and she took a deep breath as she approached them. They each looked at her and she kept quiet.

"Pack your stuff."

"No."

Jeff's face darkened and he growled "You come home with us or we will make sure you do."

"And what about Reese?"

Billy snorted and said "We'll leave him be if you leave with us without alerting him."

Her brown eyes stared back at her brothers and she felt her own pride rising. Glancing at Cliff, she saw the same look in his face but also sympathy.

"What I do with my personal life has nothing to do with you three."

Jeff caught her shoulder and said "It does if it is the reason our father is on the verge of dying."

"What?"

Cliff let out a sigh and said "He was injured while riding after we found this."

The man handed her the newspaper and her eyes were pulled to the front page. A secret shot of her and Reese talking with the pastor a week ago looked back at her. Holding back the sigh, she looked back at her brothers and handed the paper back to Cliff. She turned away and walked upstairs, feeling their gazes following each step. When she reached the confines of the room, she barely kept the moan in her throat and silently gathered her items.

She packed quickly and looked back at Reese when she closed the bag. She walked over to the bedside table and quickly wrote a brief note. Leaving it for him to find, she slid her fingers through his hair and grabbed her bag. Sliding it over her shoulder, she left the room and walked downstairs.

Her mind cleared as her pulse quickened with each step. She felt the sweat starting to slide down her spine and her lungs beginning to lose their air supply. Reaching the driveway, she pushed her muscles until she stood at the porch steps and then she caught her breath as she stretched her muscles loose. Bear lifted his head as she bent one knee and stretched the other and she rubbed his head. Feeling looser, she stood up straight and let him into the house.

He trotted to the kitchen and she followed as she listened for any movement upstairs. Standing in the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and took a drink. Bear stood at his bowl and let out a whine. Putting her drink down, she grabbed a cub of food from the cabinet and filled his dish. He dug into it as she finished her water and let her pulse settle.

Running her hand over her neck, she left the kitchen and climbed the stairs. Stopping by her door, she found it cracked and slowly pushed the door in. The bed was empty and made up. Walking into her room, she turned the bathroom light on and started the shower to allow the water to heat. Looking around her room again, she grabbed the stack of clothes she pulled out earlier and walked back into the bathroom.

When she stood under the warm water, she let out a quiet sigh and felt her muscles finally release. When she turned the water off, she dried her skin off and dressed in denim jeans and a white t-shirt. Running a comb through her hair, she pulled the wet locks up off her neck and left the room. Silently she walked downstairs with her boots in hand and returned to the kitchen. Leaning against the counter, she slid her boots on and laced them.

She stood up slowly and walked around the counter to whip up something for Reese to eat. As she cooked the eggs in the skillets, she heard the quiet footsteps stop behind her.

"Are you going to eat some of that?"

She put the eggs on a plate and poured a glass of juice. He continued to watch her from the doorway as she put the food on the table and grabbed him some eating utensils. Her silence answered his question and the usual calm look rested on his face. He took a seat in front of the food and watched her wash the dishes. Silently he ate the fresh food and emptied his glass.

He carried them to the sink and she quickly washed them. When she dried her hands, she turned around and found him leaning back against the counter with a firm gaze set on her.

"Did you get some sleep?"

He nodded and asked "You?"

"The usual."

She walked around the counter and stepped into the hall. She walked outside and felt the fur slip behind her before the door shut. Bear trotted beside her as they entered the barn and she turned the lights on. He looked up at her and she scratched his head before stepping into the office to get a pair of work gloves.

"Want some help?"

Looking over her shoulder, she found the blonde man in the doorway and tossed him a pair of gloves.

"Stop when your shoulder starts bothering you."

He let her out of the office and they began to move the horses out into the pasture. The morning slowly passed as the stalls were cleaned and the horses were put through their daily exercises. When the sun rested directly above the land, Joe tossed her work gloves into their box and stretched her arms over her head. She glanced at Reese and found the man removing his gloves. He put them away and they left the office. They walked over to the porch and took seats on the top step.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

"How is the shoulder?"

Rotating it slightly, he felt the pain flair but could feel a difference from the day before. Looking over at Joe, he met her brown gaze and she stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I need a drink."

He watched her disappear inside and looked back toward the barn. They had spent the whole morning working side by side and not a word had been spoken. Bear appeared and silently made his way up to the steps. He sat in front of Reese and the man slowly scratched one ear. As he leaned into the touch, his tail wagged in the dirt and Reese smirked.

The door opened behind him and he found the woman bringing out two drinks. She handed him a cold beer and had a glass of water for herself. When she took her seat, Bear sniffed the beer and moved to Joe. She scratched his chin and took a drink.

"Thanks."

"You worked hard."

He glanced at her and saw her sweeping her eyes over the property. A hint of weariness was starting to creep into her eyes and he could see her skin hinting at lightening with the stress. She finished her drink and set the glass on the porch.

"You look like you could use some rest."

"I'll be fine as long as I keep going."

The man frowned and watched her stand. She opened the door and took her glass inside. Bear moved up onto the porch and laid down next to him. The dog let out a sigh and he rubbed an ear in agreement. Finishing his beer, he set the bottle aside and took a deep breath. Bear's head shot up and he let out a bark.

Reese looked down the driveway and saw the incoming dust clouds. He stood up and heard the door open behind him momentarily before Joe reappeared. They watched one of the local buisness men draw his racing mount to a stop and she stepped off the porch.

The man swung to the ground and said "Joe, I need your help."

She caught the stallion's bridle and asked "What happened?"

"Mintre threw a shoe this morning and now he's favoring a leg."

"How long ago?"

"About an hour ago."

She left the horse and walked into the barn. Bear stayed next to Reese on the porch and they watched her guide Daemon out, ready for departure. The owner swung back into the saddle and glanced at Reese.

"You look good for being awfully ill."

The man remained quiet and Joe swung up into the saddle. She adjusted the reins in her hand and glanced at Reese.

"Stay here and rest till I get back."

He stood up and watched Bear sit beside him. The dog let out a whine but then he grew quiet. She glanced back at the owner and they took off down the driveway. When they disappeared from sight, he sighed and looked down at his companion. Bear wasn't happy about being left behind but he knew why she did it.

"Let's bring the horses in."

Bear's ears perked up and the dog followed him into the barn. He watched Reese bring the horses in one by one and situate them in their proper stalls for the rest of the day. Champ snorted as he opened the stall and guided the stallion out. His tail swished and he tossed his head as Reese saddled him for an afternoon ride. Bear stood up as the two approached and waited as Reese swung up into the saddle before taking off for the field.

They galloped through the grass and spent the afternoon enjoying the outdoors. The sun was slowly descending when he locked Champ back into his stall for the night. Bear was waiting on the porch, tired from the running, and Reese let him inside. The dog slowly walked to the kitchen to get a drink and he looked at the food selection they had. As he worked on some fish fillets for dinner, he heard the quiet whining coming from the hall and stopped long enough to let the dog back outside.

He got the table set and the fish finished cooking when he heard Bear barking. From the rapidness and excitement in the barking, he figured the dog was welcoming Joe back. As he set the food on the table he heard the door open in the hall and the dog continue barking as it was shut. He looked up when he heard Bear run up the stairs and the bedroom door shut at the top of the stairs. Pouring a glass of her medicine and a glass of water for himself, he set them on the table and cleaned up the counter while he waited for the two to come back downstairs.

"You didn't have to do all of this."

He looked over his shoulder at the tired voice and found the woman leaning against the doorway. She had washed her hands and face off and was in a black shirt instead of the white one. Silently she took a seat at the table and drank some from her glass. Bear came around the counter to Reese and settled down by the back door. Reese walked over to the table and sat across from the woman.

"I figured you would feel obligated to make something for dinner when you would be worn out."

She smirked but it didn't last more than a second. Her weariness from earlier had worsened and he could see the strain her body had undergone after the morning's work in the barn. Silently they ate and he studied the amount of food she was able to get down before stopping. She finished her drink as he cleaned up the table and began putting food away. As he put the last of it in the fridge, she joined him at the sink and began washing the dishes.

He caught her hand and said "Go relax. I've got this."

"It'll go faster if we both work on them."

His amber eyes settled on her and she slowly dried her hands. He waited for her to leave the room and finished the dishes. When everything was clean and put away, he dried his hands and left the kitchen. He saw the light on in the family room and stepped into the doorway. The woman was sitting in the chair, looking through some papers with Bear by her feet.

The dog stretched and glanced up at Joe. She finished looking through the papers and set them on a table next to the chair. Reese watched her run a hand through her hair and lean back into the chair.

"You look beat."

"You could say that."

Silently he entered the room and approached the chair. Bear got up to give him room and he caught her hand. Pulling her to her feet, he felt the light weight of her and picked her up. Her head rested on his shoulder as they left the room and she flipped the light off as they went through the doorway. Bear led them up the stairs to her room and Reese gently lowered her onto her bed.

She worked on removing her boots as he left and dropped them at the foot of her bed. Standing up, she felt her heavy legs threaten to buckle and forced them to carry her into the bathroom. Turning the light on, she shut the door and changed into her sweatpants and t-shirt. Running some cool water over her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Killing the light, she returned to her room and pulled the bedding down as she climbed into bed.

Bear came over to her and she scratched his head. He nuzzled her hand and let out a quiet whine.

"I'll be fine in the morning."

He sniffed her hand and licked it before settling into his bed pillow by the window. She brought the covers up over her and watched him drift to sleep. Her eyes grew heavy and she slowly succombed to sleep herself. Her door opened and Reese leaned against the doorway. He watched her rest and glanced at her protector.

The two were tired, but he knew it wasn't Bear who was in dire need of the sleep. Quietly he walked to the bed and sat down beside her. Her hair half covered her face and he brushed it behind her ear. He could see the tiredness in her face even as she slept and bit back the groan. Slipping his boots off, he left them by the door and shut it for the night.

He slid into bed without disturbing her and looked up at the ceiling. The woman would probably bite his head off for staying in here a second night but he wasn't going to be able to sleep in his room down the hall knowing how exhausted she was. Gently, he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her brow. The woman didn't budge and he watched her sleep until his eyes grew too heavy to keep open.