Once the thundering herd of horses had disappeared over the ridge, the small group of landowners encouraged Trago back into his helicopter with promises that legal action would be taken if he ever showed his face in the area again. Seth Ely had arrived just in time from his family's lookout to give Trago a speech loaded with legal jargon that seemed to confuse and scare him enough to climb back into his helicopter.

"I'm going to go tell Mom and Dad that we're safe!" Jen yelled to Sam over the roar of the rising helicopter. Sam nodded to show she had heard before her friend reined her horse back towards her family's ranch. The Forster's and their ranch hands had all turned for Riverbend as well, no doubt looking forward to a little peace and quiet after the past few days dealing with Slocum and Trago. Sam was about to urge Ace to follow when she felt a nudge to her knee.

She didn't know how she could have missed the fiery black mare fidgeting next to her, despite the quiet cowboy sitting astride her. The helicopter must have made her temporarily deaf to Witch's annoyed snorts as her rider forced her to stand close to Ace.

"Want to go for a ride?" Jake asked in his simple way, his expressive brown eyes – mustang eyes, Sam thought – looking past her shoulder at the flat playa. They had hardly seen each other since he had returned from college, and Sam had to keep her response from sounding too eager as she grinned at her oldest friend.

"Race you to La Charla?"

The question was hardly out of her mouth when Jake took off. Sam gave a yell of protest as she urged Ace after him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her father and the Ely family riding off together laughing amicably, no doubt about the never ending competitiveness between their offspring.

Sam knew she'd have to get lucky to catch Jake and Witch now. The jet-black mare never lost a race when given a head start. Poor little Ace could run as fast as his stocky mustang legs would go and he would never catch Witch. It was a shame Sam had left Tempest at home, though the helicopter would have spooked her to the point of no return. Sam had been dying to show Jake how far her training with the filly had progressed in his absence.

Jake was nearly to the river, a sparkling snake in the midday sun as it wound through the desert. Jake's chin-length black hair had blown out of its leather tie and whipped around underneath his black cowboy hat as he encouraged Witch the last few lengths to the water.

Sam pulled up next to Jake a few seconds late, her jaw already set against his lazy, tom-cat grin. She'd hug a cactus before she'd admit it, but that smile she'd come to know gave her stomach a quick flip.

"You and that mustang of yours still can't catch me," he teased, swinging down off of Witch and leading her to the river's edge. Sam followed suit and rolled her eyes.

"Give me another year to get Tempest riding ready and you'll be in trouble," she retorted. They left the horses ground tied and moved to sit on a boulder, their boulder.

"She giving you much trouble?" Jake asked, keeping his eyes on the flowing water in front of them.

"No more than expected," she shrugged, playing with her frayed braid over her shoulder, "She's still a little head shy. I've been trying to work on getting her used to tack so we won't have a problem when its time to work on accepting riders, but she's not the biggest fan of bits."

"I don't know too many horses who enjoy having metal shoved in their mouths," Jake mused. Sam looked at him indignantly.

"You know I'd never shove a bit in a horses…"

"Easy Brat, I know. Just saying."

As easily as Jake could infuriate her, she was still glad to have him home. Jen was a great girl friend, but when it came to her love of horses the only one that could match her was Jake.

"Maybe you can help me train her this summer…?" Sam suggested, digging her toe in the dirt. She fully expected Jake to tell her he was too busy, that he had to work to pay for school, or even that he didn't want to train some silly filly with her.

But when she looked back up at him he was smiling, in a quiet way that made her skin tingle. How does he do that? She shuddered mentally.

"I always said I'd stick to you like glue, didn't I?" he reminded her of the promise he'd made her five years ago, "Well I haven't done the best job, being at school and all, so I guess I better make up for it."

"Is that your funny way of saying yes, cowboy?" Sam asked, trying to hide the way his declaration affected her. He didn't answer – typical – but stood up and offered Sam a hand. She allowed him to pull her to her feet and followed him back to where the horses grazed on small patches of playa grass.

"Let's put it this way," Jake said as he swung onto Witch's back, "It'd be nice if you had a horse that was an actual challenge for us."

Jake arrived at Riverbend Ranch just before dawn the following morning. Though it was hardly a question, Wyatt had assured Jake the previous day that he still had a job as a wrangler at Riverbend for the summer. While Jake enjoyed college and was proud to receive an education few in his family had, he had missed his routine of racing the sun to Riverbend each morning. Not only that, but he had found himself missing one resident of Riverbend in particular, not that he'd easily admit it.

As Jake tread the familiar path to the barn he crossed ways with Wyatt on his way out of the ranch house.

"Morning Jake," Wyatt touched his hat brim, "Why don't you head up to the house and have some breakfast. Grace has been waiting to get a chance to make sure they feed you right in college."

"Yes sir," Jake replied and veered left towards the house. Any other time and Jake would decline, but he had missed Grace Forster's cinnamon rolls and he had a good chance of running into…

"Oof"

Jake had opened the kitchen door and walked right into a wild haired, pajama clad Sam. To keep her from falling backwards, Jake circled his arms around her quickly.

"Jake!" she squeaked, stepping back from his arms hastily and straightening the oversized t-shirt she wore over a pair of pajama shorts. He couldn't help noticing that her long legs were already tanned and wondered how that happened when he'd only ever known her to wear her tattered pairs of jeans.

He realized too late that he had stared at her legs just a second too long. Sam had obviously asked him something and in his wonder he had missed it. Thanking his ancestors for his dark skin that hid his flaming blush, he cleared his throat and waited for her to repeat herself.

"What brings you to the house?" She mercifully asked again, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. When did we get so uncomfortable around each other? He wondered. It was only a few years ago he had dumped her in a water trough to clean her off for her father's wedding.

Grace entered the kitchen and saved him from answering and sounding as though he had made something up to come gawk at her legs.

"I told Wyatt to send him in," She told Sam, coming over to give Jake a hug, "I need to make sure he puts some weight back on before he goes back to school!"

"Thank you ma'am," Jake took off his hat and hung it by the door before sitting down, "I sure have missed your cooking."

Grace smiled warmly at him and motioned for him to take a seat next to Sam at the table, "I'm going to go see if those chickens have any fresh eggs for me."

Grace headed out into the ranch yard leaving Jake and Sam sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Jake was better at sitting in silence, Sam obviously wasn't.

"So…" She started, easing back in her chair and trying to look nonchalant. She crossed her legs, but the second her bare calf grazed Jake's knee she jolted back upright.

"Sorry," She said, laughing nervously, "So how was school?"

"Good," He answered, not able to come up with a better answer, "Missed it here though."

"It was weird with you gone," Sam admitted, carefully looking up at him through her lashes, "Everyone missed you."

Jake fiddled with a piece of leather around his wrist, but did not break eye contact, as he would have in the past.

"Did you miss me?" He asked, and watched as her eyes widened.

It seemed to take Sam a second to realize that Jake had actually just asked her a question and she hadn't dreamed it. His dark brown mustang eyes were still holding her own, an action that unsettled her as Jake rarely kept eye contact for long.

"Yes," She breathed. Jake's heart sped up, he had not expected her to answer so honestly.

"I mean, it took some getting used to not having you here to boss me around and keep me from having fun," Sam rambled, laughing nervously. That's more like the Sam I know, he thought to himself.

Jake had carefully hidden his expression, before replacing it with his usual tomcat grin.

"Someone's gotta keep you from hurtin' yourself, Brat," He said, his laughing eyes drawing the rise out of her as they always did.

"I was just fine without you for the past year," She replied, crossing her arms indignantly. Jake nearly rolled his eyes, but decided that would not help matters.

"Well then I guess you don't need me," He said, standing up from the table. He half-heartedly took a step towards his hat on the wall when she grabbed his arm.

"Yes I do." She said softly and Jake turned to find her blushing madly, but holding his gaze, "It's just not the same without you."

Her hand was still on his arm and Jake had nearly mustered up the courage to take it in his own when the kitchen door swung open. Sam jumped back into her chair and took a gulp of coffee, spluttering when she realized it was still too hot to drink.

"Goodness Samantha," Grace said as she set down her basket of fresh eggs on the counter, "I'm always telling you to slow down."

Jake took his seat again and dared a sidelong look at the red head. Her blush had grown, but she gave him a small smile that gave him a little hope. The summer was starting to look promising.