Trinity sat in her office, looking out the window at the snow falling over the mountains. Shaw Holdings was at the top of the tallest building in Sweet Springs. True, the tallest building was built by Shaw and was only four stories, but it towered over those around it.

She leaned back in her chair and played with the necklace her parents had given her for her twenty-first birthday. The last birthday before her life had steadily begun its downward spiral. She had purged everything in her life that came after it, which had been almost everything she owned.

Sweet Springs was her new start, a chance for her to put all of the bad memories behind her and stop looking over her shoulder. The fact that it was New Year's day and she was at the office wasn't lost on her, but it beat being at home alone.

With a sigh, she put her expressionless mask back into place and turned back towards the work piled on her desk. She couldn't help her startled jerk or the quick look of fear as she noted a male figure standing in the doorway to her office. Christopher, her ex-husband had always done that and for a brief moment, she had thought it was him, but she quickly noted it was Levi and regained control.

"May I?" he asked, waving to the chair in front of her desk.

"Sure," she smiled, leaning back in her chair once more, forcing herself to relax.

Levi was dressed in his usual blue jeans, button-down work shirt, and old beat-up boots. He was also holding his cowboy hat in his hands, but as he sat down, he placed it on the table next to him.

"It's New Year's day, you should be at home enjoying the day," he commented as he took his seat. He lacked his usual open expression, and his mood was hard to read.

"I could say the same thing to you," Trinity returned with a raised eyebrow.

"You could, but cows don't take a day off," he shrugged. Levi not only owned Shaw Holdings, but he also owned one of the biggest ranches in Wyoming, and if given a choice, he would always be working the animals and land instead of sitting in his office behind a desk.

Trinity had asked him once why he didn't sell the business and become a rancher full time. He had responded with a sad smile, saying that without the business, he couldn't afford the ranch, and the depressing truth was that it was a fact. She had done the numbers one day out of curiosity, and owning a ranch in the modern world wasn't a very feasible business plan. It could be done, but not easily and never with much profit, unless one turned to mass production and feed yards, something Levi wasn't willing to do.

Levi's eyes studied her as he rested his chin in his hand. Trinity sat still, trying not to be affected by his penetrating gaze. He had never looked at her in such a way before.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, licking her lips nervously. She never let her nerves show, and Levi picked up on the tell as his eyes narrowed, following the movement.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem to be...unsettled." He watched her as she pasted a smile on her face.

"No, I'm fine. Perhaps a bit overwhelmed by all of the work on my desk." She nodded towards her desk.

He looked as if he wanted to push the point, and Trinity held her breath praying he would leave it alone while doing her best to keep her expression calm as she felt panic rise.

Levi must have thought better of it as he waved to the papers in front of her. "Write me a job description, and we'll get you some help." With the matter dealt with another silence fell between them.

"What is it, Levi?" she asked, almost frightened that he was going to fire her or tell her she had done something wrong.

"Josiah has bailed on the Denver trip." He leaned forward, looking at his feet. "I need you to go with me."

Trinity was confused by his reluctance to tell her. She had traveled with him in the past plenty of times. Perhaps he had heard the rumor.

"Look, if this is about the rumors, they're nothing, and it doesn't matter," Trinity said without thinking.

"What rumors?" he asked, his head jerking up as he looked at her.

Trinity bit her lip as she realized her mistake. "Nothing, it doesn't matter. I can go to Denver; there shouldn't be any problems."

"Trinity," he softly warned her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she cursed herself. She normally wasn't so careless.

"I overheard some employees talking, and they mentioned the idea of us..." she couldn't finish the statement. "Anyway, I thought that you might have heard about it and might be hesitant to take me because of it."

He sat back, obviously amused by the rumor. "People think that we are having an affair?" he clarified.

Trinity nodded. "Yes, but they also think I could be having an affair with Josiah as well." She had been relieved that he had been amused but as soon as she mentioned Josiah, he became angry.

"Josiah?" he asked

Trinity nodded again, watching as he stood and started to pace.

"It doesn't matter, does it. I mean, it's not true, and besides, Rita will be going with us." She sat up watching him pace.

"No, she won't, her husband is having shoulder surgery that week. Since Josiah and I were going to both be out, she thought it was a good time to schedule it." He stopped pacing and ran his hand over his mouth and jaw.

"It's fine, Levi." Trinity tried to assure him once more as she swallowed through the sudden lump in her throat.

"I'm not so sure it is fine, Trinity," he said.

"What does that mean? Why wouldn't it be fine?" she asked, confused by his tone. There was a hidden meaning in it.

He ignored her as he walked over and picked up his hat, rolling it between his fingers. "When you first noticed me a few minutes ago, I saw fear in your eyes. What was that all about?" he asked softly.

Damn, she had hoped he hadn't noticed. "I'm alone in an office building, and you startled me." She gave him her best 'isn't that obvious' look.

Levi tilted his head and studied her once more. "Perhaps you're right. I should arrange for some self-defense classes."

Trinity wasn't sure about a self-defense class, but she was relieved that he had bought her excuse because she didn't want to tell anyone, least of all him, about her ex-husband.

"I'll have Shana text you the details about the trip," he said after a few moments, changing the subject.

Great, Shana, Trinity thought. That would add fuel to the fire. However, she let none of these thoughts show as she watched him leave.

Once he was gone, she fell back into her chair.

Something had changed with their conversation, but she wasn't sure what it was or how to change it back.

*******

Levi slowly walked down the hall, entering his office and closing his door behind him as he threw his hat on the long sofa against the wall by the door. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he walked towards the window.

Trinity had always been confident and cool, not emotionless, but reserved. Now she reminded him of a skittish foal that was anxiously watching those around it. Waiting to bolt should the need arise, and it was unlike her.

There was already enough tension between them. Levi had noticed it at the previous night's party, thinking that maybe she had picked up on his feelings for her, so he had been relieved that it was a rumor that had caused the unusual behavior.

Plus, the rumor meant that the idea of the two of them in a relationship wasn't as unbelievable to others as he had thought it might be.

Now that he knew what had caused the change in Trinity, it begged the question, was she attracted to either him or Josiah. If he had to guess, before this evening, he would say that she had never thought of either him or Josiah in a romantic way, but now that may not be the case.

The real question was which one of them was she attracted to? The idea that it might be Josiah made his gut turn.

Levi hadn't wanted to take her on the trip to Denver before, but with their current unsettled state, he was even more against it.