After everyone agreed to go along with Tina's proposed meeting time and place, Rio gave Neil a quick kiss, grinning at his grumbling protests, and swung back up into her saddle. "Come on, Vaughn," she called as she turned her horse towards the woods behind the plaza. "There's three paths out of the village, and this is one of them. Follow me," and she urged her mare ahead and vanished into the deep shade of the forest.

Vaughn started after her, but Neil grabbed hold of Flash's reins as he started to trot past. "Remember," he growled, scowling up at him, "Hands off."

Looking down at him with one eyebrow raised, Vaughn drawled, "Son, if you were more 'hands on,' you wouldn't have to worry about what anyone else's hands were up to." Then he jerked the reins free and headed towards the forest at a canter, ignoring Neil's black scowl boring into his back.

The trail was wide enough along that stretch for two to ride abreast, so he pulled up alongside Rio and slowed to match her mare's gait. She glanced over at him, saying, "I have a couple of people I need to see on the west side of the village. This trail is kind of a back road through the woods between the two ends of the village. The path splits, and you can either go on up the mountain or head back into the village—that's the second way in or out of town." As she spoke, they reached the fork, and she turned her mare south.

A few minutes later, the woods thinned, and they stepped out of the shadows into the dazzling brilliance of the summer afternoon. Vaughn soon recognized the back of the inn up ahead, and he recognized a few houses that he'd halfway noticed yesterday. Rio turned her horse towards one of these, a pretty cottage surrounded by flowers and nestled into a little recess in the surrounding wilderness. She dismounted at the gate, then turned and looked up at him, waiting, so he slid to the ground and walked over.

"This is Olivia's house. She runs the teashop on weekends. I need to talk to her for a few minutes, so come on in and meet her. She's a lovely person—inside and out. But she's taken," she added with a grin.

Vaughn snorted. "As if I cared, anyway."

She laughed as she pushed open the gate. "Well, wait 'til you meet her. Everyone falls in love with her, at least a little bit—women as well as men."

"Did you?" Vaughn asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Madly," Rio said, laughing again, "but just in a schoolgirl-crushy kind of way. She really is a delightful person, though." Then she pushed the door open and stepped in.

"Liv! Are you home?" she called, looking around.

A voice floated in from the back of the house—a sweet, lilting voice, as smooth as silk and as soft as a lullaby, calling "Yes, I'm here! I'm in the back yard, so just come on through!"

Rio led him through a neat, pretty sitting room, decorated with flowers and houseplants everywhere, and on through a door at the back of the house. He stepped out into the sunshine and found himself in a small but luxuriant garden—an exotic paradise in miniature. And most exotic of all was the lady rising from her seat in a bower of jasmine and eglantine. Tall and willowy, with long waves of snowy white hair touched with the faintest tinge of lilac rippling over her shoulders and down her back, her skin bronzed nearly as deeply as Rio's, and dressed in layer upon layer of loose, flowing fabric in shades of purple and gold. She looked like a princess or perhaps even a goddess, and Vaughn wondered how it was that such a being came to rest in this isolated mountain village.

"Vaughn, you're staring," Rio whispered to him as she elbowed him in the ribs, her eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. He shook himself as if waking and frowned down at her, but she'd already turned towards their hostess as she stepped gracefully around pots of hothouse flowers towards them, her hands outstretched as she welcomed her guests.

"Rio," she exclaimed in her lyrical voice, "I'm delighted to see you. Who is your handsome friend?"

"This is Vaughn. He's going to be helping me out on the farm, so I'm sure you'll see him around," she replied, turning to Vaughn with a grin.

"Vaughn? Welcome to our little village. I do hope you'll be happy here," Olivia said, turning towards him with large, liquid, blue-violet eyes.

"Y-yes, ma'am," he replied, slightly flustered. "I reckon so." Then recollecting himself, he hastily tipped his hat, his cheeks slightly flushed.

Turning back to Rio, she asked, "Will you take a glass of iced tea? Or perhaps some lemonade? No? Then to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I'm just stopping by to let you know that the peaches and mangos are coming in, as well as the crop of summer tea leaves, so if you want any for your shop, come on by soon. Early morning's best for picking, before it gets too hot."

Olivia clapped her hands in delight. "How lovely! Thank you so much, Rio. Your produce really is the best. Do you know, some of the regular visitors ask for your tea by name? You're getting quite a reputation!"

Rio laughed. "Thanks, Liv, that's kind of you to say. We need to get going, but do stop by anytime!" They waved to her as they turned back towards the house, and Vaughn sighed as they shut the front door behind them and mounted their horses, earning yet another laugh from Rio.

Next, Rio headed down the winding path leading from the bluff. She stopped in front of a small shop and dismounted. "Come on in and meet Yuri," she said as she turned towards the front door. "If you want to get yourself some new clothes, this is the place to go." Vaughn sighed and resolutely followed her in.

"Rio! How nice to see you," a young woman half-hidden by a pile of fabrics called as they walked through the door. "Oh, and you brought a friend?" She stepped around from behind her work table, looking shy. "How, uh, how do you do?" she asked, holding out a hand to Vaughn.

He took it and gave it a gentle shake. "Fine, thanks. Pleased to meet you."

"Yuri, this is Vaughn. He's going to be working on my farm, so I'm showing him around," Rio explained.

"Oh, that's nice. I know you've been working your fingers to the bone lately. That's a lot for one person to manage alone, especially with all you've been doing for the village, too. I had hoped that Neil.... Well, anyway, what can I do for you?"

Overlooking the comment regarding her boyfriend, Rio said, "Well, you know the Fireworks Festival is coming up soon, and I don't have anything that I want to wear to it. I was hoping you could help me out with that?"

Vaughn groaned to himself—clothes shopping, of all things. Almost as detestable as carrots—not quite, but close. He leaned against a counter and stoically prepared himself for a long wait.

Yuri pulled at her lip as she thought. "Well, I have some nice new skirts in... I don't think they're really your style though. Let's see...." She dug through a rack and pulled out a trio of skirts—all longish and full, one in a light cotton print, one in chambray, and one a tiered skirt made of different floral prints.

Rio scowled. "No, they aren't are they. I want something casual, since I'll be sitting on the grass, but I want something that's... well, kind of romantic? Sexy, but not at all vampy. I'm not going to a nightclub, after all."

"Hmmm... sexy yet sweet.... Ah! I think I know juuuust...." Once more she dove into her racks of clothing. After a few minutes of digging around, she pulled out a hanger with a pair of bleached, distressed short shorts and a pair of hangers with lacey, sheer tops hanging from them. "Here we are!" she proclaimed with a satisfied nod as she held them up for Rio's inspection.

"I don't know..." Rio said, looking at the tops doubtfully. "Those are awfully skimpy, aren't they?"

"Yes, on their own, but when you layer them.... Here, take these back and try them on, see if you like them and how they fit."

Rio took the clothes from her and went back to the changing room. She stepped back out a few minutes later dressed in the outfit, and Yuri walked around her, revolving like a satellite around a star as she inspected the effect and the fit with a critical eye. Vaughn took a look at her and let out a long, low whistle. Rio blushed, and Yuri glanced over at him, startled from her professional reverie, and smiled. "Well, it seems your friend here approves, anyway. It does look terrific on you—the white lace is very striking against your dark tan. The shorts are a little baggy, and the shoulders of the outer top need some alteration. The camisole is fine—you're a little tall for it, but it still looks good, just a little more cropped than was intended. If you like it, I can alter them and get them to you well before the day of the festival."

"I guess it's not very revealing layered like this—and I'll be wearing it at night, anyway," Rio mused. "All right, I'll take it. Thanks, Yuri!" She disappeared again for a few minutes, then returned and handed the new things to Yuri and paid up. Yuri said she'd have it ready within a week, and they took their leave.

As Rio mounted Sahara, Vaughn looked up at her. "Better watch out, Rio."

She looked at him in surprise as he swung up into his saddle. "For what?"

"You could really get a man worked up dressed like that. Just... be careful."

She flushed and frowned at him. "Back off, Vaughn. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she said, and urged her mare ahead, this time heading east.

Vaughn shrugged, muttering to himself, "Don't say I didn't warn you," before following after her.

He caught up to her and fell in alongside her. She remained silent, though, as they passed a few more houses and shops until they came full circle to Emma's house. She was in her front yard this time, weeding a flowerbed, and she waved to them cheerily as they rode past and over the bridge on the road out of town.

"This is the final path you can take from the village—the one you must have arrived by, if you met Neil on the road." She stopped at a fork in the road, and looked towards the east. "This leads to the main road, which will take you to some of the other towns around here, and eventually to the lowlands and the cities." Then she turned her horse and looked up the path leading north. "The trail leads to the bridge that crosses the river near the falls, then on to the mountain. We'll be meeting the others here tomorrow, then taking the trail up to the lake near the mountain's peak."

Before she could start up the trail, though, they were startled by a shrill voice shouting her name. Turning, they saw a young boy racing up the path. They stopped and waited for him to catch up to them. He paused, panting for breath, then looked up at Rio. "Rio, Neil says to come to your farm quick! He says your cow's having her calf, and she's having a bad time!"

Looking startled, she looked over at Vaughn. "Thanks, Toni. Crap, I'd better get over there. You've still got hours of daylight, though, if you want to go on ahead and explore. Other than right here, where the path splits and heads to the main road, the only other path that doesn't eventually lead back to the village is the one that heads down into the mines. I'd avoid that one, though, while you're on horseback anyway. And be careful where the trail gets narrow and steep—you don't want to fall off a cliff or something."

She turned and urged her mare into a gallop, hurrying back to her farm. Vaughn watched her go, Toni running after her, until she was out of sight. Then he looked up the path, thinking. Finally he made up his mind, and continued on towards the mountain.

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

"Well, here you are, Rio," Neil said, wearily wiping the rivulets of sweat from his forehead. "A big, strong fellow, too. What do you want to call him?" He sat tiredly on a bale of hay. This had been Rosie's first calf, and it had not been an easy delivery. But she'd pulled through, and now both mother and baby were resting. The afternoon had long since given way to the shadows of the evening, and he caught the distant trilling of a hermit thrush singing a lullaby to the sun.

Rio sighed. She didn't have space for a bull on her farm, not at present anyway. "He is a handsome little guy. Too bad I can't keep him. I'll just call him, oh...."

"How about Vaughn?" Neil suggested.

"Vaughn? Why?"

"They're both full of bullshit," he replied, drily.

Rio rolled her eyes and snorted, then rose and brushed the straw from her legs. "I think I'll just call him Brownie, since that's what color he is. I'll hand him over to you once he's weaned from his mama, and you can sell him at your shop or to a dealer, whatever you think's best." She stretched, arching her back and wincing as something popped loudly. She held out a hand to Neil and pulled him up. "Come on, let's get cleaned up and go out to dinner. My treat. Do you want to go to Clement's, or to the inn? The inn's a little quieter...."

"Yeah, but if we go there, you know Niko's just gonna shove a cream puff in my face. He's determined to convert me into a dessert lover," Neil grumbled.

"I'll save you from the big scary cream puff if he comes at you with one, I promise," Rio said with a tired smile. "Meet you at your house in half an hour or so?"

"Sure," Neil said with a sigh. Then he looked over at Rio, who was gazing fondly at the newborn and his mother, and a tender look came into his eyes. "Hey," he said, reaching out for her. "C'mere." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, rubbing his cheek against her hair. She smelled of straw and sweat and muck and even a little bit of blood from the past few hours' work—but he didn't care. After all, he did, too.

She leaned tiredly into him, then reluctantly tore her gaze from the little bull calf with a sigh. "I guess we should go. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Neil chuckled—a rarity for him. "You have an insatiable appetite," he said, kissing her on top of her head.

"Hey—farming's hard work!" she protested.

"True," he admitted with a smile, then he took her hand and led her out of the barn.

They parted at the pasture gate. "See you in a little while," he said, then he gave her a kiss, allowing himself to linger a little longer than usual this time, since they were alone. Though he was becoming more comfortable around her and with their relationship, it was a painfully slow process. He was intensely introverted and private by nature, and that made him uncomfortable expressing himself around others. She was glad that he was finally starting to feel at ease with her, despite how long it was taking.

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

Hossan was delighted to see them walk into the small restaurant at his inn, and due to the lateness of the hour, he had no trouble seating them at a quiet table. He held out menus, but they waved them away. "Thanks, but I already know what I want," Neil said.

"Me, too," Rio said. "I'd like a bowl of extra spicy tom yum, the bibimbap with some kimchi on the side, and iced tea to drink, please." She smiled up at Hossan and looked over at Neil.

"Uh, I'll have the chirashi sushi, please. And, uh, I'll have iced tea, too. Thanks, Hossan."

"Sure thing," he beamed at them, then hurried off to the kitchen.

He brought their food out a very short while later, smiling happily as they thanked him. He returned to the kitchen, leaving them virtually alone. The only other occupants in the dining room were a small group of elderly ladies in a far corner, sipping tea as they talked and laughed in low tones among themselves.

"How can you eat that spicy crap all the time?" Neil asked, frowning, as he poked at his food with his chopsticks.

Rio shrugged. "I like it. My mom cooked a lot of spicy food. She was from the tropics, remember, and that's just how they cooked where she grew up. So spicy food reminds me of her, even when it's different spicy food than she cooked."

He didn't say anything more. He knew her parents had died, but she'd never said much about it or gone into details, and he didn't want to pry. He assumed that if she wanted to talk about it, that she would just do so.

Neil still had a lot to learn about women.

As feared, when Hossan came to clear their dishes away, he brought with him a huge, gooey cream puff, smothered in glossy chocolate ganache and oozing thick pastry cream. "When Niko heard you were here, Neil," Hossan said with a proud smile, "he prepared this especially for you! He says he's been working on improving his recipe, and he knows you'll love it this time!"

Looking down at the confection before him, Neil frowned and opened his mouth. Rio cut him off, though, saying, "Thank you both so much, Hossan! And can we get a slice of chocolate cake, too, please? And two coffees. Thanks!"

He lumbered off towards the kitchen, beaming with delight, and Neil scowled at her. "Thanks for your 'protection'."

Rio giggled and said, "Shh! Keep it down. I'll eat the cream puff, you big goof—I said I would, didn't I?"

"You're eating two desserts?" Neil said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "That's a lot of food, even for you."

"No, silly! The cake's for Rod—to thank him, you know, for closing up your shop and taking your animals and cart back for you. He was even nice enough to bring Jack back with him, so you can ride him tomorrow. Didn't you notice him bring him by?"

"Yeah, I guess vaguely, now that you mention it. I was kind of distracted at the time, you know, being elbow deep in a cow and all."

"I guess that would be a bit distracting," Rio agreed with a chuckle.

Just then, Hossan reappeared with a large slice of rich, dark chocolate cake and two steaming mugs. As he set the plate and cups before them, he said, "By the way, Rio, where's that friend of yours got to?"

"Friend?" Rio said, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah, you know—Vaughn. I haven't seen him all day."

"You... you haven't? That's odd, he should have gotten back some time ago." Rio scowled, thinking. "Let's see, it's been what... maybe seven hours now since you sent Toni for me? That's more than enough time to ride every trail on the mountain—twice, at least. Where could he have gotten to? You don't suppose... could he have had an accident?"

Hossan hurried off to wrap the desserts to go while Rio pulled out enough cash to cover the bill and tip. As soon as he handed them the bag, she darted out the door, Neil close behind. She was so oblivious in her concern that she nearly ran right into Olivia, and only Neil's speed in grabbing her arm and pulling her back prevented a collision.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she apologized, flustered. "Please excuse me, Liv, but I'm in a big hurry. I'll talk to you later." Then she started to race off, but Olivia clutched her arm.

"Oh, wait, Rio—I really need your help, just for a moment. A stray has arrived at my house, and I don't know where he came from or what to do with him."

"A... a stray?" Rio stopped, looking at her in bewilderment. "Wouldn't Rod—"

"Oh, he's not a dog. He's a horse. A great, big, black horse, with a big patch of white on his back covered with black spots. And he has a saddle, but no rider. Do you know to whom he belongs? I was hoping you'd recognize him, fond as you are of horses."

Rio's face visibly paled, even in the silvery moonlight, and she swayed as if her legs had suddenly grown weak. "Yes, I do—he belongs to Vaughn, who apparently never came back from his ride up the mountain."