"I'm truly sorry, Sam, for snapping at you the way I did." Tim says with a sigh as he brushes back his hair. "You're good people."

"No need for apologies." Sam smiles.

"I tell you what...." Tim says as he crosses his arms on the table, his eyes meeting those of the older man. "We'll take you up on your offer but we won't stay here for free."

"I'm not taking your money, Tim." Sam states as he too crosses his arms on the table and stares at the young outlaw across the table from him.

The other members of the gang and Lilly sit quietly as they watch the showdown between the two men.

"That's good, cause we don't have any money." Tim says. "But I can't help but notice that your farm is a piece of sh*t."

"Tim!" Adam scolds Tim for his rudeness as Sam begins to laugh.

"No, Adam, he's right." Sam nods with a chuckle. "It's falling apart. I'm getting too old to keep up with it."

"From what I can see, your chicken house is about to fall in. Your barn ain't far behind it. The roof on your house will be leaking soon if it ain't repaired. And I definitely don't see how that corral is even holding the horses." Tim says with a raised brow. "And don't even get me started about that knee-high grass in your garden."

"D*mn, you've got balls." Sam laughs.

Tim tries to keep from smiling as he hears Adam's quiet reply. "Mhmm."

"We'll pay for a place to stay by fixing what's needed around here and even help you with the garden." Tim says.

"Sounds like a pretty good deal." Sam nods. "I'll supply the materials needed."

"And I'll supply you three meals a day." Lilly adds with a smile.

"Alright!" Rob says with a huge grin causing Lilly to giggle.

"But right now, I need to get this cleaned up so I can make a trip into town to pick up a few things." Lilly stands and begins to gather the dishes.

"Don't worry about that, Ms. Lilly." Austin says as he stands from the table. "We'll get this."

"Yeah, it's the least we can do after that awesome breakfast." Nate smiles.

"Rob, why don't you ride into town with her to help her." Tim says. "She doesn't need to go alone."

"Sure thing. I'll go hook the horses up to the wagon." Rob says as he gets up from the table. 

Sam follows Lilly to their bedroom. He starts making out a list of things that will be needed for repairs as she gets ready to go to town. The gang gets busy cleaning up the kitchen.

"You know, it feels kinda like...." Lilly starts as she ties her long hair back into a ponytail. "God needed Abraham and Lucas back but he sent us five to help ease our grief."

"Yeah, but Lilly, don't get too attached to these boys. You know they'll probably leave once the repairs are done." Sam says in a sad tone.

"I could tell you the same thing." She smiles as she kisses his cheek.

"Probably." Sam chuckles lightly. "Tim has a lot of spunk. I like that. He definitely doesn't beat around the bush."

"Reminds me a lot of someone else, in their younger days." She winks as she takes the list from her husband's hand.

Most of the women that the gang encounters are either prostitutes or city women dressed in long fancy dresses. Lilly walking out of their bedroom dressed in pants, boots, a buttoned-up shirt, cowboy hat and a knife strapped to her hip took them all by surprise. She was still as beautiful as always but was definitely a lady that you wouldn't want to mess with.

"We'll try not to be too long." Lilly says as Chance takes her by the hand and helps her up into the wagon next to Rob.

"Y'all be careful." Sam says as he steps back from the wagon.

"Your wife looks like a badass." Tim comments as they watch the wagon pull away.

"She is a badass." Sam says, looking around at Tim with a proud look on his face.

The guys follow Sam around to the side of the barn. He uncovers a large pile of lumber.

"I have plenty of lumber but not that many nails and hammers. Lilly is picking up some while she's in town." Sam says. "It'll be hours before they get back."

"Well, we can always get started on that pitiful looking garden." Tim says with a smirk.

"Have you boys ever done any gardening before?" Sam asks as they walk toward the old garden shed.

"As a matter of fact, yes. My mom had the biggest garden in Nederland. She'd grow enough vegetables to feed us and still have enough to sell at the general store in town to help with money. I used to help her after school." Tim answers.

"I would work with my dad in the fields plowing." Adam adds.

"I didn't do much gardening but I sure picked a lot of cotton." Austin chuckles.

"Being from the Alabama Gulf Coast, I didn't do any gardening but I'm a quick learner." Chance laughs. 

"Did you fish?" Sam asks as he handed out the hoes.

"All the time." Chance smiles.

"I spent my weekends fishing in my uncle's pond." Austin adds.

"Well, just behind that line of trees right there is a large pond with some very nice bass and bluegill in it." Sam says. "You boys help yourselves. There are fishing poles in this shed somewhere."

Chance and Austin hurry inside the shed to find what they needed.

"I was thinking...." Adam says as he looks out across the garden area. "You have a lot more room here to make your garden bigger."

"I was hoping to do that but it's hard to keep up with the garden with just me." Sam says.

"Apparently." Tim chuckles as he and Nate begin to hoe away the weeds around the tomato plants.

"Well, it's not just you now." Adam says as he begins to walk toward the corral. "Which horse do you use to pull the plow?"

"That red mare." Sam answers. He had to smile at the boys being so willing to help.

Adam leads the mare over to the plow at the end of the garden and hooks her up to it.

**a/n: this is the type of plow that Adam will be using:

"Man, this brings back old memories." He says with a smile as he begins to unbutton his shirt.

Tim glances up and has to do a double-take when he sees his boyfriend removing his shirt exposing the undershirt he was wearing. His blonde hair hanging down his back in a ponytail.

"D*mn." Tim says quietly staring at his lover.

"Something wrong, son?" Sam asks as he overhears the brunette.

"What? Oh, no." Tim quickly shakes his head and turns his attention back to his hoeing.

"I want you to know how much I really appreciate this, Tim." Sam says as they all begin to work.

"Well, we appreciate having a place to stay." Tim says. "Sleeping on the ground all the time does a number on your back."

"Oh, believe me, I remember." Sam chuckles.

Tim stops long enough to wipe the sweat from his face. He brushes his hair back as once again his eyes catch sight of his lover. Sweat glistening on his body. His muscular biceps flexing as he maneuvers the plow through the soil.

"Oh, sh*t." Tim moans quietly as he feels that familiar twitch in his pants.

*********

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