Rio raced up to the top of the bluff, Neil close behind. She came to a halt at Olivia's house, and sure enough, there was Flash, riderless, reins trailing on the ground. Neil caught up to her, panting from the run, and she said, "Can you take care of Flash? I'm going to go look for Vaughn." Then she turned and started to run towards the path into the woods, but Neil grabbed her arm.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not going up there alone in the dark. Besides, what if he did manage to hurt himself? You gonna carry him back all by yourself? You can go looking for him—I seriously doubt I could stop you, anyway. But I'm coming with you. We'll bring his horse with us, in case we need him."

Rio hesitated, then nodded curtly before turning back to the path and running towards the forest, Neil leading the gelding as he hurried after her. He didn't like this turn of events—didn't like that she was so concerned about this former lover of hers, for one thing. But, he had to admit to himself, it was typical of her to be so worried about others. She was always looking out for people, worrying about them, helping them, caring for them... even strangers. That was something he'd never really developed a knack for, himself, and couldn't really understand it in her. But... he had to admit that he admired it, maybe even envied her for it.

She vanished into the shadows of the forest ahead of him, and moments later he heard a dull thud and a crashing among the bushes, followed by muffled expletives. Fearful that she'd somehow managed to hurt herself already, he broke into a run, pulling the gelding along with him. As his eyes adjusted to the near-absence of light under the trees, he saw not one, but two figures lying on the ground, and realized that she'd managed to actually collide with someone this time. He helped her up, then turned to the other figure.

It was Vaughn.

"What the hell, Rio?" he exclaimed, picking himself up and brushing himself off while Neil helped Rio to her feet.

"Vaughn? I think that's my line—where have you been? What were you thinking, just disappearing like that? Everyone was worried about you!"

"Everyone?" he asked, looking skeptically at Neil.

Neil shrugged. "I wasn't worried. I just thought you might've fallen and broken your neck or something. No skin off my nose."

Rio scowled at him, then groaned and gingerly prodded her nose. "Let's go back out into the light. I think my nose is bleeding."

Sure enough, a dark rivulet was starting to trickle down her lip. Without a word, Vaughn pulled the bandana off from around his neck and handed it to her, and she pressed it against her nose, tilting her head back.

"Sorry to worry you," he said, though he didn't look all that sorry, really, Neil thought to himself. "I did have an accident of sorts. I got a little overheated, and I guess I forgot my water bottle back in your barn. Some of the local guys and gals were out for a walk and found me just in the nick of time. They gave me a hand and some water to drink, and while I rested, we all got to talking. Next thing we knew, it was getting dark, and the ladies wanted to have a bonfire. They tried to find you two, but they couldn't track you down."

"What about Flash? What happened to him? Why was he running around loose like that?" Rio asked, slightly muffled by the edges of the cloth.

"I'd just put his bridle back on him to go search for you when a burning log cracked with a loud bang. The noise startled him, and he bolted. I was chasing after him when you ran into me."

Just then, Rod and a slender young woman with long black hair emerged from the shadows of the woods. "Hey! You found him! And Rio and Neil, too!" Rod exclaimed.

"There you are," the lady with him sighed, turning to look at Rio. "I was a little worried when we couldn't find you—not too worried, though, since I was sure you were with Neil." She walked over to her and put an arm around her waist, giving her a little squeeze.

Rio laughed as she returned the embrace. "I'm fine, Irie—we were having dinner at the inn, that's all. Rosie had her calf today, and she had a real hard time of it. We were both wiped out afterwards." Turning to Vaughn, she said, "I assume you've met Iroha, then? She's my dearest friend here in Echo Village. She moved here not long after I did, and we've been close ever since."

Vaughn nodded. "Yep, I've made her acquaintance, as well as a few others."

"Well, now that the lost have been found, let's all head back to the river—everyone's waiting for us," Rod exclaimed. "You two are coming, too, right?"

Neil shook his head. "Nah, not my thing. Besides, I'm beat." Then he caught sight of the disappointed look on Rio's face and sighed. "You know... you can go without me. It's okay, it's not like I mind or anything. At least, not as long as...." He looked over at Vaughn with a scowl. "On second thought, I'll come along after all."

"Yay!" Rod exclaimed, turning to start back up the path.

"Let's go to my farm first, though. You can put Flash away for the night, and I can grab something to eat and drink to take with us. Oh, and Rod—you can have these," she added, taking the bag from Neil's hand and passing it to him. "There's a slice of chocolate cake in there for you, to thank you for helping Neil earlier. There's a cream puff, too, that you can give to Lissie. I know how much she loves sweets!"

"All right, we'll go on back and let the others know everyone's okay," Iroha said. "You'll find us by the upper river, in that big meadow just past where the path turns to go up the mountainside. See you soon!" Then she and Rod hurried back towards the woods.

**************

Back at the farm, Vaughn led Flash to the barn while Neil and Rio headed into the house. Looking at the scowl on Neil's face, Rio sighed. "You know, you don't have to come with me. I mean, I'd love your company, but I'll be fine if you just want to go home and go to bed. You don't have to force yourself on my account."

"I'm just not real keen on the idea of leaving you alone with Vaughn like that," Neil grumbled.

Rio smiled and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck. "I'll hardly be alone, not when there's a bunch of others," she said with a laugh, then kissed him. "If you want to go home, then go home. Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

Stifling a huge yawn, Neil said, "Well... are you sure? I'm still not crazy about the idea... but I'm practically falling asleep on my feet."

"I'm sure. I'll be fine." She kissed him again, then grinned up at him mischievously. "Want me to come tuck you in? Give you some goodnight kisses?"

He frowned at her as his cheeks reddened. "No. Just go enjoy the shindig. I'll see you at the river in the morning." Hearing Vaughn stomping up the porch steps, he gave her a quick kiss and pulled her arms from his neck just as the door opened.

Vaughn raised an eyebrow as he looked at Neil's flushed cheeks. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No!" Neil growled.

"Unfortunately...." Rio added with a wistful sigh, earning a frown from Neil.

"Right. Well, you said something about food and drinks... want me to carry anything? I don't s'pose the store's still open this late?"

"No, Hana closed up shop hours ago. Why? Do you need something?" Rio asked as she headed into the kitchen.

"Naw, I was just thinking that some cold beer sounds pretty good. It's a warm night, and downright hot next to that fire."

Rio opened her refrigerator door. "Gotcha covered," she said, gesturing towards a full case of lager.

Vaughn tipped his hat back and grinned at her. "So I see. Well, I'll carry that, and you two can carry the other stuff."

"Oh, Neil's changed his mind. He's worn out, so he's going home to bed," Rio commented, rummaging in her refrigerator. "Let's see... I have some potato salad here, and some coleslaw.... Oh! I have another loaf of focaccia from the other night, I can stuff that.... And I have a mess of fresh corn on the cob, I can bring some of it to roast in the coals. That should do it," she said, piling bags and containers on the counter.

As she started slicing cheese and tomatoes for the focaccia, Neil came over to her. "Well, I guess I'm gonna head home. Thanks for dinner," he said, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Have fun," he added, turning to leave.

"Don't worry, we will," Vaughn drawled as he walked past.

Neil stopped and glared at him. "You'd better not have too much fun," he snapped, then left.

"When the cat's away...." Vaughn called after him, just as the door banged shut.

"Vaughn...." Rio said, and sighed as she resumed her preparations.

"I know, I know, Rio. But damned if I can help it. What do you see in him, anyway?"

"One might have asked me the same thing about you," she said, drily, as she cut the focaccia into wedges and wrapped it in foil. "There. If we put this by the fire, it'll warm up and the cheese will get all nice and melty."

They packed all the food and some paper plates and plastic cutlery and cups into a large tote bag, along with some big bottles of cold drinks, one each of iced tea and lemonade. Rio carried the tote bag, Vaughn picked up the cold beer, and they headed out the door. They walked along the path together in silence, Vaughn deep in thought while Rio watched for any sign of the playful little family of weasels that lived near the river between the village and the falls.

When they reached the meadow, the fire was blazing high, illuminating the field for some little ways all around. Cheerful cries greeted them as they approached, and room was made for them on the logs that served as makeshift seating.

"Oooh! You brought food!" Felicity exclaimed, diving into the tote bag and rummaging around.

Rio laughed, and pulled out the foil-wrapped focaccia and placed it on a flat stone near the edge of the fire. "Here, anyone who wants corn grab an ear or two and clean it. Remember not to take the husks off—just the silk!"

They cleaned the corn and placed it, wrapped tightly in the husks, around the edge of the fire, and then they all grabbed drinks—a bottle of beer or a plastic cup of tea or lemonade—and sat back down in the flickering glow of the flames, most of them taking seats on the logs, except for Rio and Felicity. Rio sat on the ground, her back against the log between Vaughn and Iroha, and Felicity sat on the ground between Rod's feet, leaning against his leg as she ate.

"Ahh, I love a big, roaring fire," Tina sighed, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as she leaned forward.

"That's not too surprising, love," a man sitting near her said, peering over his glasses at her with laughing eyes. "Your hair looks like flames."

"You're one to talk, Allen," she retorted. "Yours does, too!"

"Hmm.... No, his hair looks more like maple trees in autumn," Iroha said as she took a sip of tea.

"In the mountains of my homeland," said a pretty, tow-headed young man in a soft voice, "they say that the trees turn red in the autumn chill because they are blushing at the sight of young lovers holding each other tightly to share their warmth."

"Oh, Amir, that's so romantic!" Felicity sighed as she took a large bite of coleslaw.

"Well, if that's true, then the only ones that could possibly cause the trees around here to turn crimson would be you and Rod. Neil and Rio certainly aren't contributing anything there!" Allen said with a laugh.

"Shut up, Allen," Rio said with a scowl as she took a sip of her beer.

"Yeah, honestly I'm surprised that Neil ever managed to work up the nerve to kiss you the first time!" Rod said, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't. I'd bet anything that Rio kissed him instead," Allen grinned mischievously, waving his bottle towards her.

"Shut up, Allen," Rio snapped between clenched teeth.

Allen burst into laughter—long peals of helpless mirth. Taking his glasses off and wiping his eyes with the hem of his shirt, he said, "Don't tell me I'm right? My dear, I was only teasing you, I swear!"

"Remember our first kiss, Rio?" Vaughn mused, staring into the fire.

Rio scowled at him and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the exclamations of her friends.

"Your what?!?" Tina and Felicity cried in unison, leaning in towards them excitedly.

"Whoah! Hey, does Neil know?" Rod exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I suspected there was a history between you from your interactions at my shop earlier," Yuri mused.

"Oooh! How positively dishy! I had no idea! Do tell—every last detail!" Allen exclaimed, his eyes shining with delight at this unexpected development.

Only Amir and Iroha remained silent, the former not yet well-enough acquainted with Rio to comment, and the latter for reasons of her own.

Brushing her hand across her eyes as she sighed, Rio took a few swallows of her beer before responding. Glaring up at Vaughn, she said, "Well, in answer to your question—no. I don't remember it at all."

"Oooh, harsh!" Allen exclaimed.

"I was drunk—totally plastered."

"Well, so what happened?" Tina exclaimed, looking from her to Vaughn and back again.

"You started it. You finish it," she grumbled, still scowling, taking another swig from her bottle.

Turning to stare into the flames again, Vaughn thought for a moment before speaking. "Well," he drawled at last, "it was a chilly evening late in the fall. The day had been mild and sunny, but once the sun started to go down, it cooled off pretty fast. I'd finished my day's work and decided to go for a stroll on one of the uninhabited islands nearby—I spent a lot of time there, since it was usually deserted. I'm not really much of a people person."

Tina opened her mouth to make a facetious comment, but Felicity caught her and smacked her knee, putting a finger on her lips to silence her.

Oblivious to this near-interruption, Vaughn continued. "Sometimes Rio'd be there—that's where I first laid eyes on her. She was there that night, and to my surprise, she was drinking. I mean really drinking. Not just one or two—she meant business...."

**************

Vaughn stepped off the small skiff he'd rowed over to Meadow Island, in search of some solitude after a long day's work. He pulled it up onto the shore and strolled up to the grassy plain that comprised most of the small island. To his dismay, he saw a seated figure in the distance, on the opposite end of the island from him. Pausing, he peered at the shape ahead. Then he sighed, realizing it was Rio—the resident farmer.

She was a young thing, just turned eighteen shortly after her arrival early last spring—or so Mirabelle had told him. He'd been sure she'd be no good at first, but then he met her... and everything changed. He tried so very hard not to think about her, to forget the way his heart had turned somersaults in his chest at that meeting and every meeting afterwards. Even now, he felt his heart flip-flopping at the sight of her in the distance, even though he'd known her for the better part of a year now.

Known her, in a manner of speaking. But really, he didn't know anything about her. Just that she was young, hard-working, good with both people and animals, and beautiful—incredibly beautiful. He wondered how it happened that she was still alone. He was sure she had to have other admirers... but then, where were they?

As he slowly made his way towards her, he realized she wasn't moving, just sitting there with her knees drawn up and her forehead resting on them. Maybe she'd fallen asleep like that, waiting for the sunset? Then he noticed a bottle of amber liquid next to her, half empty—whiskey, he saw, as he drew near enough to recognize the label. She'd probably nodded off, if she'd drunk that much by herself. He frowned—he hadn't realized she drank, and wondered if she was developing a problem. The legal age in the islands was eighteen, but that didn't mean everyone who was old enough could handle it—'specially the hard stuff. He bent over her, reaching out a hand to gently shake her awake, and then he heard the sound of a muffled sob.

Startled, he drew back. She wasn't asleep—she was crying. She was sitting all by herself on an uninhabited little island in the sea, drinking and crying. Not good, he thought to himself.

"Rio? You okay?" he said, quietly.

She sprang up and away, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. She relaxed when she saw it was him, and stood, swaying slightly, just looking at him. He saw that her face was wet with tears, and fought down the urge to wipe them from her cheeks. Instead he just untied the bandana he wore around his neck and handed it to her without a word.

After a brief hesitation, she took it from him and wiped her eyes. Then she sat back down and picked up the bottle. Removing the cap, she drank several large gulps.

"Hey, go slow, little missy. That's powerful stuff." She looked away, wiped her arm across her eyes, then offered the bottle to him. He took it and looked at her as she stared towards the shimmering golden reflection of the setting sun on the gently rolling waves, seeing fresh tears taking the place of those she'd dried a moment before. "Hey, you okay? You wanna talk about it?" he heard himself asking. He could hardly believe he'd even said those words—he usually avoided situations like this at any cost.

He took a swig from the bottle, then she held out her hand and he passed it back to her. She took a swig, too, then handed it back and leaned her head forward against her knees. "It's... I can't believe it's already been a year," she said, her voice muffled by her clothes and her body and her tears.

"A... year? A year since what?" he asked, baffled, before taking another pull at the bottle.

"Since they died," she said, her shoulders shaking.

"Who died?" he asked after a brief hesitation, more kindly this time.

"My... my parents. They were killed in an accident a year ago today. They were driving home in a storm, and there was... the road... th-there was a landslide. It swept everything in its path down the hill and into the ocean, taking them with it. They... they should have stayed where they were! They'd gone away for the weekend, for their anniversary... th-they didn't want to leave me alone for another night. They were worried about me. They should've stayed!" She burst into tears, hugging her legs tightly as if to try to still the trembling that shook her entire body.

Vaughn stared at her in astonishment. He'd no idea—he was pretty sure that no one there had any idea, in fact. So she'd come here, newly orphaned, and without hesitation, she dove in to save not just the ranch but the islands, too. She'd never given any hint of her personal tragedy, she always focused on anyone and everyone rather than on herself. He felt his heart constricting, and he wanted more than anything to offer her some comfort in return for all that she'd given him and everyone else.

He put his arm around her shoulders—gently but awkwardly, not knowing how she'd receive his gesture. But she leaned into him, and he drew her closer, absorbing some of her grief into his vast stores of stillness. When she reached for the bottle again, he took a quick drink and handed it back to her. It was nearly empty now, but then she pulled a second bottle from her backpack on the grass next to her, and he wondered just how many bottles she'd brought.

They sat like that for a while, passing the bottle back and forth, watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon in a blaze of fiery glory. The sky gradually darkened and the moon rose behind them, bathing the islands in a silvery glow. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat, and said in a slightly slurred whisper, "I miss them, Vaughn. I miss them so much. We were so close, the three of us. I wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye... to tell them one last time how much I loved them.... And more than anything, I wish I'd told them to stay put another night and not that I was looking forward to them coming home."

After a minute, he said, "What... uh, what were your folks like?"

She took another drink, then handed the bottle back and flopped backwards onto the grass, staring up at the sky as the stars winked into sight, one by one. "Oh, look—over there. The evening star. Make a wish," she demanded, then paused—evidently making one herself. Then after a moment, she sighed and said, "Daddy was kind, gentle—he loved animals and flowers, and more than anything, he loved Mama and me. He was a teacher, and he taught language arts. Poetry was his favorite subject, though. He'd read it to us in the evening after dinner. He had a wonderful voice. Mama was sweet and patient, never complained even when money was tight. She was a hard worker, but she enjoyed what she did—almost made it look fun, even. She always had a smile on her face. I was their only child—they'd wanted more, but Mama couldn't."

After a long pause, Vaughn said, "They sound like good folk. I'm sorry, Rio. Dunno what else to say, but I am sorry. They'd be proud of you, I'm sure. You're a good kid."

She sat up again and took another long drink, then looked over at him with a frown. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Treat me like I'm a child. I'm eighteen, y'know. An adult. I have my own ranch an' I take care of myself. I can buy this crap," she added, sloshing the bottle in her hand. "You know the saying—if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it prob'ly is a duck. Well, I'm a duck now. I mean, an adult," she corrected, giggling a little.

"So I see. Kid, you may be eighteen, but I'm thirty-three. I'm way ahead of you. Almost old enough to be your dad."

"Don' call me kid. Call me Rio," she said, scowling at him.

He just raised an eyebrow and took the bottle from her, taking a long pull as he watched her.

"Go on," she said, impatiently, "say it."

"Say what?" he drawled.

"My name," she said, grabbing the bottle away and looking annoyed as all get-out.

"Maybe some other time, kid," he said, amused.

To his surprise, she shoved him back onto the ground and straddled him, hovering over him on her hands and knees, glowering into his face. "I'm not a kid," she snapped. He stared up at her with startled eyes, seeing traces of tears still staining her cheeks and smelling the scent of her—whiskey and salt and crushed grass and leaves and hay and grain.

And then she kissed him.

Her kiss was desperate, needy, urgent—a kiss utterly careless of consequences or tomorrows. It was sweet and piquant all at once, whiskey sharpening the taste of her into a diamond tip. It took his breath away as no other kiss had before. And when she finally pulled back, glaring defiantly down at him, he lay there and stared back at her for a long moment.

Then at last, still in a daze, he reached up and stroked her cheek lightly as he whispered, "Rio...."

**************

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!!" Tina squealed, clasping her hands together and bouncing on the log in excitement.

Looking panicked, Rio sat straight up and said, "Tina Louise Ferguson! Don't you dare breathe a word of this in your newspaper column, or I'll tell everyone all about the time you—"

"Okay, okay, I won't!" her friend interrupted, her face turning pale and her eyes widening. "But still! Oh! My! Gosh!!!"

"Then what happened?" Felicity asked, breathlessly, her eyes sparkling.

"I took her home and got her into bed..." Vaughn started.

"Did you take advantage of her?" Tina gasped, looking half indignant, half horrified, and entirely hopeful.

"No. I most certainly did not. As soon as she was safe at home, I returned to the inn and went to bed myself. Alone. And that was that." Vaughn said, exasperated.

"Awww..." said Tina, deflating. "I was hoping there was more to the story than that."

"Oh, there is. Lots more. Just not from that particular night."

Seeing her friend opening her mouth eagerly, Rio hastily scrambled to her feet. "Oh, look, everyone—the corn's ready! Grab an ear, quick, before it scorches!" And she picked up a hot ear of corn and threw it to Tina, who yelped as she grabbed the hot packet, forgetting all about her unasked question as a result. At least, for the moment....