Disclaimer:Supernatural is not mine. More's the pity. They belong to Kripke Enterprise and the CW Network. I am not making any money from this; I am simply playing in the fantastic sandbox that Kripke created with these two characters.

Synopsis: Samuel Campbell (Sam) is called home from Palo Alto, CA when his father is killed in an accident at the ranch. His sister Gwen remained in the family business, though it was always his father's intention that Sam should run the family business. Her husband Christian has taken over running the business, but the ranch is losing money and since Sam is the sole executor of the estate he is forced to return. Upon returning home, he finds his family's business is a wreck; an unknown corporation is trying to buy them out.

After interviewing several men to take the spot of one of the hands, Sam's foreman Bobby Singer eventually settles on Dean Winchester. This is after the man saves Sam's life in a bar one night. The cowboy brings his own baggage including a small son. He is also running from something in his past that he desperately wants to keep buried.

Warnings: This is an unrelated AU story with Male/Male pairings. If you don't like that sort of thing, DO NOT READ THIS STORY. There is also foul language interspersed throughout the story, so be on the look out for that. Dean and Sam are unrelated in this story, since I don't really write Wincest. But I do like the dynamic between these two characters. ALSO IF YOU READ MY OTHER WINCHESTER STORIES…YOU MAY NOT LIKE THIS ONE. PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS.

Chapter 4

Neighbors

Emery stared out the large window from the back seat of the Impala. He was holding a bright green plastic dinosaur that resembled the T-Rex from Toy Story against his chest; his small head bobbing in time to the song on the radio. 'Renegade' by Styx, drifting through the car in gently rolls of guitar and melody.

Dean smiled as he looked in the rearview mirror, the song; one of his favorites had him humming within minutes. The classic rock song was one of the few things that he remembered from his childhood. Okay, so he remembered a few other things, but this was one of the very few that didn't have awful memories of his upbringing attached to it. He shuddered and gripped he steering wheel tighter.

"Dad?" Emery's small voice cut through the music and Dean reached down to lower the volume.

"Yeah, kiddo?" His eyes flickered to the road again as the turn-off for the Bar S ranch came into view. It was after six o'clock and the sun was sitting so that it reflected painfully off his window, his squinted and reached for his sunglasses.

"Will I have any friends?" His voice was hopeful as he ran his tiny fingers over the beloved toy and stared at his father's reflection.

Dean's heart sank. There weren't any children at the ranch…at least none that he knew of. "I don't know buddy…guess we'll have to wait and see." The little boy's blonde head nodded resolutely and he turned back toward the side window. They fell into silence and the song finished out before another ballad took its place.

The dusty road was shorter than he remembered. Dean wasn't sure if it was actually the road or the fact that he was both anxious and nervous to see Sam again. He couldn't afford to get involved with anyone. He wasn't even sure if he could have friends…his life was so complicated…and dangerous.

If these people found out what he'd…no, I am not thinking about that right now. Concentrate on the road, Dean. Guilt poured though him and his heart sank at what he'd done to get away. Don't thing about that. He thought silently…he'd done what he had to. He glanced back at Emery and his jaw jumped in agitation…and I'd do it again.

The black Chevy crested the rolling hills and he swallowed nervously as the large house loomed in the distance. He swung the car off toward the barn, since that's where Mr. Singer had told him to go this afternoon.

A large black Yukon sat in the driveway and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. It was an unconscious reaction to seeing the SUV…the same type of vehicle that he'd been seeing his entire life…but this one probably wasn't armored. He pulled up, putting the lever in park before helping Emery out of the back seat. The child clutched the toy more tightly against his chest and reached out for Dean's hand.

They walked toward the large barn. The smell of the wooden ships mixed with the damp dirt that made up the footing in the arena assaulted Dean's nose at the same time. He pulled in a long slow breath, his eyelids dropping closed in pleasure. "Dad…this place is real big." The child said softly as they entered through the large double doors of the indoor riding arena.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" Dean's voice was tight as he blinked a couple of times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the difference in the light. A man on a horse in the center of the arena pulled his full attention and he couldn't help but stare openly.

A large gleaming black stallion was executing flawless reining patterns and Dean found that he couldn't tear his gaze away. The muscles on the animal's shoulders bunched as it sat back on its hocks and spun in one of the tightest pirouette turns he'd ever witnessed.

And there in the center of the stallions back was…Sam. The animal had to be close to 17hh, because otherwise the ridiculously tall man would have his long legs dragging in the dirt. Sam's face was determined; sweat dripping from his temples as he expertly maneuvered the horse through the end of the pattern with a beautiful rollback that sent Dean's eyebrows into his hairline in surprise.

Sam was good. Probably better than he was.

Emery pointed at the horse and grinned. "Horsey!" He squealed excitedly. Sam's eyes flashed in their direction and his face split into a wide grin that brought out deep dimples making Dean's breath catch in his chest. The little boy wriggled his fingers out of Dean's hand and ran to the fence crawling up so he could get a better look.

"Dean." Sam said easily as he walked the glistening animal over toward them. The enormous stallion dropped his head and snuffled at the child's hair in interest. Emery giggled.

Dean noticed that Sam's left eye was a deep purple-black color and there was a far better bandage, than the one he'd fashioned in the motel, covering the cut above the other man's eye. "This must be Emery?" His blue-green eyes flickered up for confirmation, which Dean easily answered with a slight nod. "Hey kiddo…this is Too Tidy War Eagle…" He reached down and patted the stallion's sleek neck. The horse tossed his head and then settled back into his previous position.

The little boy snorted. "That's a weird name." He said honestly as he ran his fingers over the soft muzzle of the stallion.

"I know right?" Sam answered easily. "I call him Eagle." He leaned forward like he was telling the child a secret. "The other one is his 'official name'. But he doesn't like it…too long." Emery giggled and turned sparkling blue eyes toward Dean.

"Come pet the horsey, daddy." His small body was vibrating with sheer joy as he waved his father forward.

Dean smiled and stepped toward the fence…and Sam. His gaze lingered on the other man's smile for longer than was really necessary before he reached up to let the horse smell him. The stallion simply dropped his head into Dean's opened palm expecting some sort of treat to be there. "He's a 'Too Tidy' baby, right?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Uh…yeah. How'd you know?"

Dean shrugged. "Well the name kinda gave it away…" Sam laughed at that. "And he moves like his great grand-sire."

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that'd do it, right? Really know your stuff don't ya…" Winchester nodded and Sam stepped off the stallion in a practiced move, loosening the girth with a single pull of the leather. The horse blew out a grateful puff of air and swatted at an errant fly with his long tail. "So I see you got the job…"

"Wouldn't be here otherwise." Dean answered quickly.

Sam wasn't sure why, but the comment hit a little deeper than it should have. A part of him was hoping that the guy wanted to catch up with him again. "Well, I think Bobby's in his office if you wanna let him know you're here." He started walking the horse toward the Iron Gate before turning back toward them. "Can he help me put Eagle away?" Sam was pointing at Emery, who turned huge hopeful eyes in his father's direction.

Dean shrugged. "If you don't think he'll be in the way…"

"Nope, I'd love the help." Sam shot back as he pushed the gate open. The little boy was sprinting toward him, his forgotten toy left in the dirt near Dean's feet.

"Okay…just let me know if…"

"I will." Sam looked at the grinning child and then glanced up at Dean. "And I won't need to." He reached down and lifted the child onto the back of the horse, who flicked its tail and followed Sam like a puppy dog out of the arena.

"I guess I'll just go find Mr. Singer then…" Dean mumbled with a shrug to no one but the empty arena. He reached down and grabbed the toy before heading in the direction of the offices.

XXXX

Sam drove the four-wheeler toward the house on the outskirts of the property. It was a newer duplex style and up until four hours ago both sides had been empty. But after learning that Dean had taken the job, Sam had headed out there with some of his own belongings and claimed the side that wouldn't belong to Winchester and his son. Just over the rise was the larger home where Bobby and Ellen lived. The foreman's wife had happily agreed to keep an eye on the little boy while Dean worked. She'd been lonely since Jo had left for school so this would give her someone to cart around again.

The double-sided home was decently sized. Each side having three bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a small kitchen with a living room. Plus the real bonus with this particular home was that it had a large fire pit complete with a brick-grilling surface in the back.

Bobby had rolled his eyes and told Sam that he thought this whole plan was crazy when he'd told the old man that he was moving out here for the foreseeable future. Sam had simply shrugged and packed his essentials. All the homes for the hands were fully furnished, since most of the workers that showed up on the ranch weren't packing much more than their boots.

Dean was following him in his car. He'd finally convinced Emery that he couldn't ride on the ATV with Sam…but there had been some whining involved and finally Dean had just put his foot down and the little boy simply nodded. It was obvious that the two had a very special relationship and Sam found that he was desperate to learn more about the small Winchester family. Where had they come from? Why were they in Texas? And most of all…how did Sam keep them here? He ignored the fact that he himself was contemplating leaving at the end of the month.

Sam pulled up in front of the brick home and cut the engine as he stepped off. He heard the car's engine die as Dean parked and the metal creak of the door as it swung open. Dean looked at the sleeping child in the back seat; he bit his lower lip and looked up at Sam. The other man wandered in his direction when he didn't immediately grab the little boy.

Dean pointed at the sleeping child and Sam couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. "There's a bed inside…" He whispered. The other man nodded and gently gathered up the sleeping boy. He followed Sam into the house.

Once they'd laid the little guy down and pulled the door shut, Sam helped Dean get the rest of their bags fro the car. He was surprised to find that Dean had one and the little boy had two. "Is this it?" Sam asked as he set the bags down on the rug in the living room.

The other man nodded. "Yup, we travel a lot. So I keep it pretty light, it's easier that way." He looked around the small place and smiled. It was clean and the furniture was relatively up to date, not to mention that there was a decent sized flat screen in the corner. He pointed at the TV, "This work?"

Sam nodded. "Uh-huh…Direct TV and everything."

Dean made a face of approval and wandered through the home, stopping in the kitchen to marvel at the gas range and refrigerator. "Are all the homes this nice?" He was eyeing the large microwave and the brightly colored tiled surfaces of the kitchen.

"Yup." Sam answered quickly. Truthfully, he had no idea if all the homes were as up to date as this one. He watched as Dean pulled the cupboards open, eyeing the blank spaces.

"Uh…I've got food…if you don't mind it grilled?" He was mentally crossing his fingers as Dean turned toward him and smiled. The action reached his eyes and the corners crinkled in a way that made butterflies swarm in Sam's stomach.

"That's my favorite way to eat food…and you did promise me BBQ." He answered with that million-dollar grin.

They walked into the back yard and Sam showed him the fire pit, which he whistled at in appreciation. Sam smiled before they headed back inside. Dean was worried that Emery would wake up and he didn't want the little boy to be alone when he did.

Sam crossed his fingers and walked into his own place. Ellen had put his things away and stocked the refrigerator and cabinets, while he'd been working with the horses. Warmth flooded through him at the woman's insight and he shook his head with a smile. She knew Sam wouldn't think to go get himself groceries. He was used to the Singer's doing the shopping when they went to town…or his father's housekeeper, Maria. He pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to Dean. Sam was just reaching for the magnet on the door that had a bottle opener on it when Dean used the silver ring on his finger to flip the top off the bottle.

He chuckled at Sam's incredulous expression and simply grabbed the man's beer and did the same before handing it back to Sam. "More than just a piece of jewelry…it has a functional purpose too." He held the bottle out and waited for Sam to clink his beer against Dean's. "Thanks for the help today."

Sam nodded. "Uh, yeah…sure." His eyes were searching his home for any sign of spices as he took a long slow draw on the beer. He had absolutely no idea how to cook…so what was he going to make for Dean and Emery?

Dean watched as Sam stumbled through the kitchen, pulling out random spices that didn't belong together and such a strange assortment of vegetables that he wanted to laugh out loud. "Isn't that horseradish?" He asked as the other man grabbed the bulb from the pantry.

Sam turned a sheepish grin in his direction. "Honestly…I have no idea." He finally admitted.

"You've never cooked a day in your life have you?" He was struggling to control the laughter bubbling up inside at the 'deer in the headlights' look Sam shot at him. He finally shrugged and reached up to run his long fingers through his hair.

"What was your first clue?" He asked.

"When you tried to serve horseradish as a side dish." Dean said with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head. "Grab the stuff I set out and bring it over to my place." He was going through the cabinets and setting different items out faster than Sam could put them on the table.

TBC…

Author's Note: Since I have the first several chapters written I am posting this one, they may slow down by a few days as I catch up. The guys are headed out on a cattle run with clients paying for a good time, they get far more than they bargain for when a storm moves in.

Thank you for taking the time to review the last chapter, I'm so glad you guys liked the original direction of this one. Thank you, M64, Estelio nin, ThisIsTotallyNotGospel, Mrs Winchester, LeeMarieJack, redyellowgreenandblue, Grifter5280, kjdw, need2no, and several guests…for your support.

Please Review: They really do push me to post quicker.