"Hey, Hannah!" Adam called passing through the living room to the kitchen.

"What?" She asked. She had just put away the lunch dishes.

"I need a favor." He said.

"I told you, I'm not taking that belly dancing class. It isn't going to happen." Crane who had been sitting at the table spit out the milk he'd been drinking.

"I'm sitting right here!" He said cleaning up the milk.

Adam rolled his eyes at her. "Funny. No, I need you to stop by and pick up some paperwork from Taylor when you are in town today."

"Me? I thought you were going to meet with him." She looked up nervously.

"Yeah, but he's got some conference call thing he has to do, and that storm yesterday, busted up one of the storage sheds. We got to get it fixed before the rain. You just need to swing by the hotel and get it."

"The hotel?" She asked.

"Yeah, I know it cuts into your hour of freedom, and all, but it will be quick." Adam studied her face. It wasn't like her to complain.

"I guess, I could." She said hesitantly.

"Something wrong?" He asked looking at her.

"No-o." She turned back to the dishes. He stepped behind her and put his arms around her.

"Ford said you burnt a cake yesterday. Are you alright, honey?"

She pushed him away suddenly angry. "What? I've got to do everything perfectly! Why does everyone have to make such a big deal about a stupid cake! Honestly. Everyone needs to calm way down about a stupid mistake!" She turned and stormed off upstairs.

Crane looked up surprised and stood next to Adam. "What was that about?" He asked.

"I don't know." Adam said surprised; hurt.

Crane put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe the kids teased her about the cake?"

He shook his head. "No, something's wrong." He sighed. "We better go work on that shed. Looks like a bad storm's coming."

***7***

Hannah leaned against the barn wall. "I need your help, but I don't want you talking to Adam."

"This sounds like a terrible idea." Brian looked up from where he was trying to repair the fuel line on the old tractor which had decided to break, again.

"Please." She said.

"Oh, no! Don't do that big eye thing you girls always do!" He looked up at her. "What is it?"

"Go with me into town." She said.

"That's it? I thought you were getting an hour of freedom. No babies, no brothers, no nieces."

"I just have to stop by and pick something up from Taylor for Adam, and I don't want to go there alone." She chewed the corner of her lip.

"Hannah!" Brian said alarmed. "Wait a second."

"Brian, it's not that big of a deal. I just was hoping you could tag along." She turned away from him. "But if it's too much to ask . . ."

"Hey, is there something we need to know about?" He said seriously.

"No, don't get all big-brothery on me. Listen, just tag along with me, please."

"I suppose we're going to leave Adam out of it?" He asked.

"That was the plan." She said.

"I'll change my shirt."

***7***

They rode in silence, but Brian kept glancing at her.

"I'm not talking about it." She said. "So, don't waste time trying to come up with a good approach."

"Hey, if he's been . . ."

"This deal is important to the ranch. I'm a grown woman. I can manage." She said. He looked at her. "Well, I'm a grown woman who's smart enough to know how to manage things. Look, if you are with me. He'll have no opportunity, and then I don't have to reject him, and the deal goes on just fine."

"And Adam lives happily ignorant." Brian said.

"He's happy about it, and it is a good deal. Just because Taylor's a jerk, doesn't mean everything has to get spoiled. And how often do you see him this happy about the ranch? It's like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and I'm not going to be the one to pile it all back on, are you?" She looked up at her brother-in-law.

"No, I guess not." He said. "I'm telling you right now, Sis. If he gives me even a hint of a reason, I'll kick his . . ."

"Brian! We're trying to keep peace and not blow this deal, right?"

"I'm just warning you." He said, but meeting her steely gaze, he relented and said, "Alright."

***7***

"This is Brian McFadden." He tried to make his voice friendly. "Adam said you had some paperwork for us." He spoke quietly into the hotel phone.

"Yeah, no, I can do that." He hung up. "He said he'd meet me at the coffee shop. He was out running errands. Listen, I'll go meet with him, and you do what you were going to do. No reason for you to see him at all, right?" She moved to take a step towards him.

"Hannah McFadden, if you kiss me, every woman in this room, will think I'm taken." He put his hand up blocking her.

"You work hard at trying to be a jerk, don't you?" She said with a smile.

"Well, it don't come easy." He said with a grin. "I'll meet you back at the jeep in an hour or so?" He asked, and then turned to leave.

"If anyone's interested," He heard Hannah say loudly as he left. "That's my brother Brian. He's single and a surprisingly good cook."

He turned around and shook a finger at her, but she just smiled sweetly.

***7***

"Well, you look lovely." Marie said smiling and hugging Hannah.

"You are a miracle worker, Marie. It is so much better now that they are on a schedule. We slept for nearly six and half hours straight the other night! It was heaven!"

"Oh, those boys! I miss them." Marie said.

"You're coming Sunday, aren't you?" Hannah asked.

"I'll be there. Are you hungry?"

"No, I've got my "hour of freedom". Ford, Evan, Guthrie and Izzy are all watching the boys." She smiled at Marie. "I've got a lot to squeeze into a small space of time." She hugged Marie again. "See you Sunday."

Marie watched her leave, but something caught her eye. A brown-haired man in a business suit turned and followed her. He was the young man she'd seen around earlier in the week. She turned to Sarah, one of her waitresses. "Who's that?" She asked pointing.

"Oh, that's the fella from Springs Industries. He's a jerk. He came in three mornings in a row, and kept "accidentally" bumping into me. And then had the nerve to leave a dollar tip! A dollar!"

Marie frowned watching him cross the street, following behind Hannah.