Victoria couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned before finally grabbing her thin robe and wrapping it around herself. George had fallen asleep at the table and she left him there. The man lived in a boat, the table was probably luxury in comparison. She smiled as she saw his drool soaked chin and she pulled his hat off slowly. The motion caused him to wake, and he stared at her a moment before raising his head and wiped his mouth with a sleeve.

"How long have I been asleep?" He growled in a groggy voice.

"Long enough." She ran her hand along his cheek and smiled at him. "I think I'm falling in love with my high school sweetheart." She whispered, a hint of raw emotion in her voice as she remembered those hot summer nights after graduation.

"Is that why you're out here waking me up?" He tried to laugh, but it didn't come out very well so he lapsed into silence instead.

She shook her head. "No. Just trying to figure you out."

"Don't bother." He smiled and pulled her down onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waste and nestled his head against her shoulder, breathing her scent in and nuzzling against her neck.

Victoria pulled his arms tighter before wrapping her own arms around his neck. "Stay with us?"

"You may be moving in with me." He teased.

She didn't take the joke well and loosened her arms a bit. "I don't know how to make this work, George. I can't lose the farm, it's everything. I've spent most of my life working these fields and building a home for me and Elias, I just can't leave. I know I owe the bank money and it's theirs until I've paid, but they haven't sweat and bled over it. They haven't cried onto the soil when the crop wouldn't grow or celebrated a new calf born. They haven't worked the hard ground until collapsing onto it..."

He stared at her for a long moment before pulling her face closer and pressing his rough lips against her soft ones. "We will make this work." He breathed, lips still touching before pulling back. "You'll have a new income coming in now, Victoria, don't worry."

She looked into his eyes as he stroked her cheek with one finger.

"I'm not going anywhere." He held his hand on her cheek, almost afraid to take it away.

She kissed him again and sighed softly, settling herself against his strong chest. "I never thought I'd be so afraid, after all these years, nothing gets me."

"Nope. You're a tough woman. Even the toughest need a hand now and again, I've got a load of good credit. Let me give it a shot. I'll go down there and see what I can do."

"Yes sir." She whispered kissing him on the cheek and than moving her hands to the back of his neck. Her lips found his again and became a kiss that was deep, passionate. They didn't hear Elias' door open nor did they see him creep into view.

He cleared his throat after a moment and they both jumped. He laughed and settled into the chair across from them.

Victoria struggled to stand, but Elias put his hand up. "I've been trying to fix you two up for years, do you think this bothers me?"

She fell back into George's lap and shook her head. "I guess not."

He smiled wide. "You two should get married now."

"Joke." She enunciated the word hard with a warning glance toward her son who was still grinning.

"Hey, why not?" George laughed as he found a place on Victoria's knee that was ticklish and she squirmed in his arms.

"Stop it!"

"Victoria?" He looked into her blue eyes. "Is it all that silly? Marry me."

She looked back into his eyes, not sure just how serious he was. "But… We've only been seeing each other a little while."

"On and off for years." He corrected with a grin.

"On and off for years." She agreed with a sigh. "Why not than?"

He leaned across the table and rested his hand on Elias' shoulder. "Well, do I have permission?"

Elias' eyes sparkled as he looked from his mother to George and back again. "That would make my day."

George grinned and pulled Victoria against him again, kissing her hard. "You sure?"

"Actually, yes I am." She laughed as he again found that spot on her knee. She shoved his hand away and covered her knee with her robe. "Maybe!"

He grinned and rested his forehead on her cheek and closed his eyes. "I love you, Victoria."

She caught her breath. She loved him dearly, had for some time though she had yet to tell him that directly. Even the 'falling in love' line she used on him wasn't quite "it." She pulled away and stared at him. "I know. I- love you very much, George." She nearly gasped as she said it.

Elias watched them for another long moment while they stared at each other. He was happy things were turning out so well and wondered if all that never happened would they have found each other like this? He shook his head to chase the thought away as he leaned back in the chair. "Let's go for a walk."

George's head shot toward him. "Do you have any idea how late it is, Elias?"

"About…. 3:47am."

"Smart ass." George pushed Victoria up and he stood himself. "Since you're so cocky about it, let's go."

Victoria slipped out of the kitchen and into her room. She reappeared a few moments later wearing jeans and a sweatshirt instead of the thin nightgown and robe she had.

George grinned. "I love a lady in blue jeans."

"Is that in like every country song?" Elias asked as he followed them out.

"And every western written after the turn of the century."

"You mean when they were allowed to wear blue jeans?" Victoria added as she slid her arm around George and looped her other through Elias' arm. "Oh, I couldn't imagine farming in a petticoat."

George stared down at her. "Yeah, the only time I seen you in a dress was for a funeral or a weddin' you don't even wear one to regular Sunday service."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know this 'cause you make it to Sunday service, right?"

"I watch you leave." He blushed, the red brightening his face even in the midnight darkness. "From the bar." He added after a moment.

"Very Christian of you, George." She laid her head against his chest as he tightened his hold around her.

"I'm trying, Victoria." He said softly as he tipped his head so it rested on hers.

"All I can ask, George."

Elias let go of his mother's arm and hurried ahead as quickly as he could without losing his newly achieved footing.

"What is it?" Victoria called after him.

"Oh, nothing." He spun around and smiled. "Just wanted to see how fast I could go."

She turned her face up to George and caught him smiling proudly at Elias. "You're more a father to him than anyone." She whispered so Elias couldn't hear.

"Did his father ever call or write?"

"No."

George sighed. "I always thought him a better man. Nothing could make me leave you two and you ain't even really mine. Not yet."

Now she blushed. "Shush, soon enough."

He grasped her chin gently and turned her face to him to kiss her. "I'll have to find you a ring, madam."

"I don't need a ring." Her voice cracked as she stared up at him. "I have you, that's plenty."

"Oh, I'll get you one, you ain't talkin' me out of it."

She made herself look away from him. "I'm not good with a promise."

"We'll change that too. I'll give you a reason to trust a man again." He pulled her tight against him as they followed Elias up the road and toward town.

"Bet we'll startle Sheriff!" Elias called back. "No one's out this late in this tired town."

"You're right about that, Elias!" George laughed as he pulled Victoria along a little faster to keep up.

She was fighting tears neither of them saw in the dark. She wanted a fresh start, but she couldn't be satisfied until she was sure her home wasn't going to be pulled away from her. She moved her arm from around George and crossed them both tight against her chest.

"You're not cold are you?" George looked down at her, feeling her body tense as he spoke.

"No." She was short suddenly.

"Mood swings?" He teased gently before stopping completely and turning her toward him. "It's going to be alright."

"Everything that happened with Peter Morley, it just makes me worry. I threatened him. Kneed him good."

"Kneed him?" Sympathy washed over George's face as he pictured that pain. "What did he do to you, Victoria?"

She hesitated, realizing it wasn't too serious an offense she nearly mauled him over. "He kissed me."

"Oh." George stared at her a moment and leaned away, one eyebrow up. "Remind me not to kiss you."

She swatted him on the arm before shrugging. "No, it was… forced. He pushed me against the wall in the barn after I ended whatever 'we' were."

"And you kneed him? Doesn't sound that bad."

"No, I pushed him away and left the barn. He started screaming at me about how women like me 'always lose' or something to that effect. When I was served the foreclosure papers I realized just what kind of game he'd been playing with me."

"Ahh, when you left the dig to go into town?"

"In the Diner, that's where I got him. Than I mentioned the gun and waved my arms like a madwoman."

"I bet every man in that diner was cheering you, Victoria."

"Maybe. Elias says they're all afraid of me anyway, might as well cement that right?"

"No one will bother you." He put both hands on her shoulders and leaned his face close to hers. "You did what you had to do. He used you, he hung the land over your head and being a single mom… no one can blame you. You have me now, and I'm going to take care of you both. We'll figure it all out."

Elias had returned to them and was listening quietly as he watched the tears running down his mom's face. When they turned to look at him, he spoke. "I'm glad you're here, George. You're my best friend, and you love my mom. It's all that really matters."

Victoria nodded and looked back at George. "He always keeps me in perspective."

"Good job for a son." George nodded toward Elias and than pulled Victoria against him, wrapping his arms so tight around her he swore she'd be crushed. She returned the strength with her own arms wrapped around him. He realized she was crying harder now. "This is good right?"

"Yes." She looked up at him and smiled through the tears. "I'm tired of being alone."