The office has finally granted my vacation. Today I return home early, feeling like a schoolgirl on her summer break. Much to my surprise, however, I find Sam inside my apartment turning my space into her beauty parlor. This woman! I scoff and step in.

She's busy polishing her long nails with a huge manicure kit on the coffee table. Her short bleached hair cascades freely down her giraffe neck, like the bombshell she is, and I only see a fashion model in her. She's quite a beauty, and she knows that fact so well.

"Hi, Kiki!" She beams, and I hate that name. "You're home early. Let me guess, we're going on that trip." Her eyes flash expectantly.

"How did you get in?" Ignoring her excitement, I close the door behind me.

She frowns and then drops her long legs from the table. "Kira, I told you to stop hiding your keys under the flowerpot, didn't I? But well, I'm glad you didn't listen."

"Well, I should've guessed," I murmur, pulling a hair clip to free my dusky brown curls. What a day! "When did you get here?" I ask Sam as I head toward the bedroom, ready to get cozy into something loose.

"About an hour ago," Sam replies, "and I'm fine in case you've forgotten about my health!"

A smile stretches across my lips.

"I'm glad you are. Have you had lunch yet? Or still on a diet?"

"Depends," she says. "Are you going to cook?"

"Lasagna or Spanish omelet?" I glance at her via the wall partition acting as my enormous bookshelf.

"Lasagna, please." She grins from ear to ear.

"As long as you wash the dishes," I mutter.

She chuckles. "Evil witch!"

"Sleeping beauty would've been proud." I smile softly and start whipping off my clothes.

Moments later I ask Sam about the guy she's supposedly dating. It turns out they met during work, and she allegedly volunteered to tour him around the city since he's not from L.A. Other intimate details follow that I refuse to listen to, but in a nutshell, she seems to like him.

"He's not just a hangup, Kira. I seriously like him." She sounds sincere.

And it's a first.

"Okay, I'm not arguing. Is he rich? Because I don't think he's a pauper if you're that excited." I lie lazily on the couch, waiting for the lasagna to bake properly in the oven.

"No, he's loaded," Sam says, shrugging heedlessly.

As expected.

"Is he handsome? Like... enough to make terrific babies?"

Sam stays silent for a second as if meditating on my question, before brewing a flushing smile and saying, "He's extremely breathtaking."

Interesting.

Now I'm curious to meet this amazing man enough to make the incredible Samantha Ford drool over him. I understand my friend loves playing big leagues, but she never takes any of those rich boys seriously. But now I think she's serious about this one.

Perhaps he is not just a boy. Maybe he's a real man at last. No? I mentally shrug.

The next morning, a few hours before our flight, I bump into Amelia, my next-door neighbor who never stops talking about aura and energy. She's into Tarot reading, and I'm not a believer. As usual, she smiles jovially, her big green eyes shimmering brighter than the blazing summer sun above.

"Morning, Kira," she greets me with that extra enthusiasm that always catches me off-guard. "You look specifically beautiful today."

I arch my brows, smothering a laugh. "Amelia, I'm wearing my pajamas, and I'm holding a bag of trash. Are you kidding me?"

She waves her chubby hand sassily, her mood still at its sublime. "I'm talking about your inner beauty, dear. I can see luck, luck, luck; you're surrounded with nothing but luck!"

I frown. "What luck, Amelia?"

"Love," she says stoutly. "You'll soon be blessed with lots of love. It may even feel surreal, dear, but you have to be ready to embrace it."

"Excuse me?" I fail to contain my laughter.

Can she tell that dudes hardly visit my house and assume I'm in need of one? Goodness!

Seeing my puzzled expression, Amelia laughs awkwardly. "Oh, I'm so excited for you, Kira." She almost jumps.

This is... disturbing.

"Okay. Well, I'm going on a vacation for a while, so I hope you stay safe and... Enjoy your summer," I inform her, hoping to just end this session of whatever the name is.

Luck? Love? Yeah, right.

"Oh, that's it!" she exhorts stoutly.

"What is?" I ask, grinning bemusedly.

God, I hope this woman is okay in the head.

"No spoiler, Kira," she says. "Just enjoy yourself, dear. And remember, if your head doesn't know the answer, then your heart will." She beams, and disappears, leaving me completely stunned.

What is she talking about?

I shake my head, sighing. Sometimes you just have to take people as they are. With my smile intact, I dispose of the trash bag and slowly climb the stairs back inside.

We are finally heading to L.A International Airport for our afternoon flight. My friend arranged everything, including the tickets. I'm not sure what I'm doing, honestly. It's all crazy that I'm following Sam's whim while I'm the safety mom between us.

We fly for two hours until the plane lands at Bozeman Yellowstone Airport. Finally! I feel quite rejuvenated after my long nap. I don't understand how I did it, but I slept almost the entire time.

It's a bright afternoon as we head to the arrival's curb with our suitcases, the weather less scorching in comparison to the burning L.A. In fact, it feels cool and refreshing here. Beautiful even.

I ask Sam impatiently, "What's next?"

"Wait, Liam said he'd send someone to pick us up." She parades around with her phone. "I just need to wait for his call," she tells me absently while tapping on it.

"Send someone? Just great," I mumble, exhausted in manners.

This is seriously crazy. What am I doing, really? I can't help going back to the part of me that's still conscious. Sam keeps roaming around until I suddenly see her on the phone a minute later. And then a grin manipulates her face, turning her all mushy and cheesy. So unlike her.

Is she falling in love or something? I swear I can't tell. But I'm happy for her.

Sometime later a tall rugged man in a denim shirt and pants approaches us, wearing a black cowboy hat and boots that speak loudly of his originality. He must be the one we've been waiting for. I smile as Sam talks to him, and her excitement is beyond explanation.

"No problem, this is all we have," she says, and it's the only thing I manage to hear.

The guy reaches for our suitcases and he finally takes notice of me. He looks like a wild brunette, sturdy and... serious? He's got an intriguing look that most Southern boys have.

Hot even. Howdy, Kira Jones!

"Hi," he greets me with a curt smile. "I'm Peter; let me help you with these."

A deep southern accent.

"Kira. Pleasure." I let him do his thing before we all head to the van parked outside. "Wow." I'm immediately captured by the wonderful Montana sky.

So smooth, so blue.

"Loving it already?" Sam teases.

"I guess." I suck in a fresh breath.

Peter places our stuff inside the car with ease. I watch his hard, tanned body which seems accustomed to heavy jobs, moving swiftly. He's hot, honestly.

Well, it's impossible not to admire God's creation sometimes.

The van starts right away. Sam strikes up a conversation with Peter, and I engage myself with the fascinating view through the half-scrolled window as we slowly dispatch from the airport and urban civilization.

"So, Peter. Are you related to Liam?" Sam asks him.

"No," says Peter. "Sir Liam is my boss."

Sir Liam? Interesting.

Attempting to stay oblivious to the two, I grab my camera from the handbag and start clicking some pictures of whatever draws my attention.

"How long will the ride take?" Again, she continues tormenting the poor guy.

"About one hour," he answers.

"Oh boy," she mutters, exhaling heavily.

Ignoring their voices, I focus my attention on the enchanting snow-capped mountain range and enormous landscapes covered with serene shades of green. Everything looks breathtaking. It feels ethereal.

Interesting farmhouses, cows, and horses grazing into the pastureland stream into view as we pass by, and cowboys riding their horses ignite the trill that make me grin like a fool, heart fluttering and all.

There's something wild about cowboys that I perhaps need to explore. Goodness, what am I thinking now? A sigh lurches out of my lips as I clear my sultry thoughts to chastise myself.

"You seem to like this place already, Ms. Kira," Peter says calmly with a faint smile, handling the steering wheel with so much ease.

He's looking at me via the rearview.

"Kira, please." I smile back. "And yes, this place is absolutely splendid." I fail to conceal the excitement, and he seems to quite understand.

"It won't be long, we're almost there," he says.

"Oh, that's great." I hope there'll be food, for I'm starving and I pray my tummy won't shame me as it usually does.

Well, I love eating.

It takes two or three minutes until I finally see a big and beautiful two-story house, surrounded by a well-trimmed garden of lush green grass and wildflowers and tall trees capable of drawing one's smile without any reason.

Peace, tranquillity, and serenity are all that I find by being here. It smells like home. But will it feel rightly so?

"Oh, finally." Sam stretches up with a long yawn. "Are you good, Kiki?" She glances over her shoulder, looking at me.

"Never been better," I answer while putting my camera inside my shoulder bag.

Peter dismounts the suitcases as I get off, my eyes refusing to stay still in one place. And then I spot two people emerging from the house, probably to regard our presence.

Breath catching up, I hold my horses.

One of them is a guy wearing a pair of perfectly fit jeans and a green apple plaid shirt. With that brown hat over his head, he's certainly another drop-dead gorgeous cowboy who could be the one my friend has fallen head-over-heels for.

The famous Sir Liam.

And another one is a woman—an older woman to be exact. She's dressed elegantly in a scarlet sweater dress and a pair of black wedge boots that complement her glossy, brunette hair falling haphazardly to her shoulders.

Sam jogs towards them, or him, smiling like a child facing the Christmas tree full of Santa's treats. The man smiles back at her as he approached closer, but it doesn't last long before his eyes meet mine in a very split second.

He frowns a bit.

Why?

Bad first impression on my part? Is the bright yellow sundress I'm wearing so bizarre?

"Welcome, Samantha," he says, his voice gentle and deep, quite different from Peter's croaky one.

"Thank you, Liam," Sam replies with her best smile. "Hello," she greets the gorgeous woman standing next to Liam.

"Hi, Samantha." The woman hugs and kisses her on the cheeks. Chiverlous!
"I'm so glad to meet you," she says, sincerity lacing her voice.

"Me, too." Sam's grin is impeccable.

"And that pretty one?" the woman queries while staring at me, her smile so bright and genuine that I feel at ease right away.

She's much older than us. Probably my mom's age if she was alive.

I politely smile back at her and whisper a shy hello.

"Oh, this is my best friend," Sam says pointedly. "Kira, this is Liam and his mother."

"Oh, pleased to meet you." Automatically I saunter toward the mother. "I'm Kira. Thanks for having us here. This place is so beautiful." I fail to hold the compliment.

"Aw, my pleasure, Kira," the woman mutters cordially. "What a lovely name. Welcome to our home, darling, I'm Eleanor." She slowly pulls me into a hug, and it feels so heavenly.

Her warmth is so motherly that it suddenly evokes something inside me.

"Thank you." I pull back awkwardly, trying not to show the aftermath of her gesture.

"Liam Darcy," the man says while moving near. He extends his hand toward me, his deep gaze piercing through my eyes so intensely. "Welcome to Montana," he adds.

His emotionless voice makes me gulp tightly, a bit intimidated by his strong aura. Slowly, I shake his hand, but astonishingly, our handshake sends something like an electric shock jolting my senses so jarringly.

I wince back, and we split hands rather quickly. My heart rate speeds up as I stare him in the eyes, and a deep frown flits across his face as he returns my gaze. To bury the hatchet, I smile, trying to ignore whatever has just happened.

"Something wrong?" Eleanor inquires carefully, her eyes gliding between her son and me.

Quite naturally, as though none of whatever I felt truly happened, Liam replies, "Nothing."

_____

A/N: Well, no comment! Is it the fireworks? Thank you for reading.

Stunning Lili as Sam