Heather woke up early Sunday morning. The girls were still sleeping so she poured herself a cup of coffee and curled up on the couch with her Bible. Sean had read it diligently every morning and evening. Since he had died, she'd been on rocky ground with the Almighty. She still believed in Him. It just seemed like maybe he'd forgotten about the young widow with two darling daughters. This was the second morning she'd felt drawn to read and so she did. By the time the girls scrambled into the living room, she'd been reading for nearly an hour. They climbed up and snuggled next to her. She put her arms around both of them, and, for the first time since Sean's passing, she thanked her heavenly Father for something. And that was her sweet little daughters. Because Sean may have passed on. But her Creator had given her a legacy of love. And right now, that was more than enough

Heather had been acting cold since the moment she showed up and Stetson was about to blow a fuse. Did I do something wrong? Is she mad at me? As he watched Ringo, the pinto he'd placed Layla on, walk around the round pen, he realized he had to know. Or die trying.

"Dad. Could you take over for just a second." Stetson asked. Hank sent him a knowing look, which Stetson ignored, and grabbed the lead from him. Without bothering to hide his intentions, he bee-lined for Heather. She was over by the five-wire fence petting Drifter. He walked up beside her without saying a word. For some reason, he felt tongue-tied around her.

"I noticed Aiden wasn't out here. Is he working?" she finally asked. He was grateful because it ended the awkward silence.

"No. Cameron went into labor on Friday. He hasn't left her side since she had the baby." And he hadn't. Stetson had teased that he was like a magnet.

"Home birth?" Heather asked.

"Yeah. All of them have been. Cameron claims it's the best way to do it." Another awkward pause.

"Girl or boy?" She asked.

"Another little boy. Aaron Ezekiel Dalton. He weighed nine pounds and thirteen ounces."

"Big little guy then." Stetson couldn't stand the small talk any longer.

"Heather. Did I do something to upset you?" he demanded. She ignored his question completely and motioned to the horse in front of her.

"What's her name?" He looked at what he'd taken to calling his "problem child" and answered.

"His. He's a gelding. And his name is Drifter."

"How did he get that name?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know. I've kinda started to wonder if it's more of a nickname for his brain. If he has one." She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not exactly...all there. Or he is, and he's too stubborn to do a thing I say." Stetson grumbled.

"Maybe you aren't using the right approach."

"Heather, I've been training horses since I was twelve years old. I know when it's the horse and I know when it's the training. And this time, it's the horse." he insisted stubbornly.

"I think any horse can be tamed if you teach it to respect you first." she said sincerely.

"And that's coming from a woman that's only ridden a few times?" he asked. Heather ignored his jab. She didn't speak for a long while. Then she glanced over at the horizon where the sun wasn't even close to setting and spoke.

"I should probably get the girls back home. Thank you for teaching Layla. I know she loved it. And Amora loved the puppies." she added. Heather turned to go and, to Stetson, the moment seemed too final. He wanted to reach out and stop her but he couldn't. Something held him rooted in his place. He watched as she gathered up the girls and herded them towards her little car. He had to figure out what was wrong. Finally breaking from the stillness, he walked toward her car. She'd just finished buckling up both girls when he reached it.

"You guys would be welcome next Sunday if you'd like to come." He shoved his hands in his pockets and held his breath. Please say yes.

"I'm sorry. I can't." she said. No explanation. Just four little words he didn't want to hear.

"Why?" Stetson asked. She turned to open the driver's door but he leaned against it. "Heather, please." She looked up at him and sighed.

"The girls are getting too attached to you. I can't let that happen." She looked slightly guilty and he wondered if that had been a lie to cover up the real reason.

"What's wrong with that?" he asked. Heather huffed.

"You wouldn't understand." she said. He winced at the words so like his own had been that night he invited her for supper. At least he'd made it right. "Please move." she said.

He complied but opened her door before she could. Women were so unfathomable. He'd done something nice for her and now she was giving him the cold shoulder. She got in and he shut the door before backing up. As he watched her drive away, he realized how empty he felt, and he wished he could pretend like the feelings he had didn't exist. But they did. And they were strong.

Heather chewed her lower lip as she drove down the highway. She'd wanted to tell him so badly but the timing seemed awful. Besides, they could never end up together. The whole town would label her a gold digger for sure. Not to mention the fact that he had plenty of problems from his past which seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Who would want to end up with someone like that? You, stupid. She ignored the voice. It was right. But she didn't need a reminder.

She listened to the girls chatter for the rest of the way home. Which was mainly Layla talking about how much she loved horses and Amora chanting "puppy, puppy, puppy". By the time they got home, she'd decided to give Devin a call. After sending the girls to play in their room, she started fixing up supper. She dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello, big sister. What's up?" Devin greeted.

"Just thought I would give you a call and see how you were getting along." she said.

"Well. I am doing just fine. What about you?" He asked the question with a gentle tone that reminded her of Stetson. So what? Everything reminds you of him.

"Well, not gonna lie. I've been better." she said sadly.

"Uh oh. Cough it up." Devin said. She laughed.

"No way. Just me being emotional." Heather said. It was his turn to laugh.

"Heather, I grew up in NYC. I've known my fair share of emotional women, and, for the most part, you never seemed that way to me. So, if something is bothering you, I want to know what it is." Heather couldn't help but appreciate her brother's kindness.

"Dev, it's dumb. Honestly. So...when are you gonna come visit?" He made a comment about her avoiding the subject but admitted that he'd been thinking of visiting before his next semester started. By the time the phone call ended, he'd agreed to visit in another few weeks. She was so excited she could barely contain it.

"Girls! Supper!" The girls came barreling out of the room as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. After helping them wash up, they sat down for supper. What she hadn't anticipated was Layla's non-stop talk of "Mr. Stetson". Half-way through their dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup, she was thoroughly tired of hearing his name. She thought about him enough for everyone.

And now that Layla was attached, she feared her daughter would get hurt. She thought of telling the girls about Devin's visit but decided against it. It would be a great surprise for them. She had told them very little about her family. But they'd heard more about Devin than anybody else. Not because she didn't like her family. She just honestly had very few things to share that shed a positive light on them. And she figured it would be better to say nothing at all than to say something negative.

"Mommy?" Heather glanced up at the sound of Layla's voice. "I think we should make Mr. Stetson some cookies. He was very nice to us." She internally groaned at the very idea. The last thing she wanted to do was make the fancy-pants rancher a batch of cookies. But, at the same time, her daughter's manners were impeccable and she wasn't about to ruin them.

"Of course, sweetheart." She forced enthusiasm into her voice. "We can all make them together and then I will give them to him the next time he comes into the store." Layla happily agreed and took her dishes into the kitchen when she finished. It wasn't a foolproof plan because he might not come in right away. But, if he didn't, she convinced herself to deliver them. She silently prayed that he would have a reason to come into the store while she was working so she wouldn't have the trouble of running out to the D&S.

After Heather cleaned up the supper dishes, they made a trip to the store and grabbed the necessary ingredients for chocolate chip cookies. She knew they wouldn't have time to bake them tonight but at least she was on her way to keeping her deal with Layla. No matter how bad she didn't want to.

Stetson had spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Shay to ride. She had selflessly asked him to help Layla first, claiming that she didn't mind waiting. He couldn't have been more proud of her. As he tucked her in for bed, she shot him a concerned look.

"Daddy, is everything okay?" He looked down at his intuitive daughter and tweaked her nose.

"Of course, sugar. Why do you ask?"

"You seem sad." she said. Did he? Well. He was. He wanted to know why Heather seemed to suddenly hate him. He'd tried extra hard to be kind to her but it seemed like he couldn't quite get through to her.

"I might be a little sad." he admitted. Then he changed the subject quickly. "Who are you gonna pray for tonight?" Stetson asked. Even though he wasn't on good terms with the Almighty, he'd been faithful with teaching Shay about Him. He didn't do it perfectly, but, with his own skewed understanding, he was doing his best.

"Miss Heather and my new friend Layla. Oh! And Amora." He nodded. After she'd finished her prayer, he kissed her goodnight and turned out the bedroom light. He walked into the kitchen to find his mother whipping up pancake batter for the next morning.

"Hey, momma." She turned and smiled at him.

"You look tired." she said.

"I reckon I'm a bit tired. At least...mentally." She shot him a questioning look before turning back to the task at hand. It was her "you can tell me but don't have to" face and it always worked on him. "I can't figure her out." he confessed woefully.

"Shay or Heather?" she asked.

"Heather." He saw the corner of her mouth twitch as she attempted not to smile. She wrapped up the bowl and put it in the fridge before coming over by him and leaning back against the counter.

"What about her?" she asked.

"I've tried so hard to be kind to her. For a while, I felt like maybe she liked me, but now...now I don't know. She's acting kind of cold." he said.

"Did you ask her?"

"Yeah. She ignored me." he said.

"When did she start acting like that?" That question made him think. When had it started. That night at dinner had been fine. When had he seen her after that? He thought for a minute. The feed store!

"The other day when I went into the feed store. I went in to ask if she'd seen Lily 'cause I didn't want to cause any more trouble with Jake-" He stopped talking abruptly when she sent him a look that suggested he was crazy. "What?"

"Stetson, you've always been a pretty bright guy, but right now, I'm doubting your wisdom." she said.

"What are you talking about?" Confusion swept over him.

"Do you like Heather? I mean, like her?" The pointed question made him slightly uncomfortable.

"I-uh-well...yes." He could feel a blush creeping up his neck at the admission. Why was this so awkward? Why couldn't he handle this himself? He was, after all, a full-grown man.

"Well. If I was a guessing person, I would say the feeling is mutual." she said. His heart skipped a beat. It was one thing to think it yourself, but to have someone else say it made it seem more real. "But, Stetson, my son. How would you feel if she made a trip out here to see you just to ask how Matt was doing?" his mother asked with a mischievous grin. Now he was even more confused.

"What are you talking about? Why would she ask about Matt? Are they friends or something?" he asked, stupefied. She shook her head.

"Just answer the question." she demanded.

"I don't know. I guess I would wonder why she didn't just go ask him herself." he said honestly.

"Okay." She chuckled to herself but he couldn't find anything amusing. "Would you be...jealous maybe?" she hinted. He stared at her blankly.

"Momma. Why the heck would I be jealous?" She didn't answer the question but stared back. It slowly started to sink in. "Wait a minute." He held his hand up as reality sank in. "Are you saying- You don't actually think that-that she's jealous because I asked about Lily?" She nodded. "Are you kidding me? I was only asking because Jake's a wife-beater and I wanted to make sure she was alright." he exclaimed. Jill shushed him.

"I know that, Stetson. But she doesn't. What she knows is the talk of the town. And that news says that you and Lily were quite the couple back in high school." He grabbed a nearby bar stool and sank down on it. It was all starting to make sense. He slowly smiled.

"So, if she's jealous...then that means that she really does like me." His mother shook her head and smacked his shoulder.

"Men!" she muttered in a harsh but teasing tone. She kissed his forehead like she used to when he was just a kid and told him to get some sleep. Then she went upstairs. Which left him to his newfound revelation. It was the best news he'd had all month and that was saying something considering the bull purchase. She'd told him to get some sleep, but he didn't know if he would be able to. He got ready for bed and laid there for nearly an hour before exhaustion overcame him. But with the brand new revelation in the back of his mind, he slept like a baby. Or as he'd once heard it said, an adult without a baby. And only a true parent could understand the height and depth of that comparison.