The next part of this FF story is up! Life is getting interesting on the ranch. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the comments!


When Matt landed the helicopter outside the ranch house, he looked around but didn't see any sign of C.J. or even Bo or Lamar for that matter. A trace of fear sliced through his heart but he kept it at bay as he stepped down from his helicopter and started looking around. Relax, he told himself, Duval had only been at large for a little more than a day and hadn't had enough time to come to the ranch if that had indeed been his plan. But if so, where the hell was everybody?

Suddenly he heard the sound of splashing come from the direction of the swimming pool and the loud squealing of what sounded like a…pig. Relief hit him as he realized that Beulah must have gotten loose again and the others were busy trying to round her up. He walked towards the pool where he used to swim laps in daily and there was Beulah paddling around in the pool with Bo and Lamar trying to grab hold of her.

"Now get a hold of her," Bo ordered Lamar, "before she slips away again."

Lamar sighed, spitting out water.

"I darn tried that already," he said, "She's too busy taking her bath to pay us much mind."

Matt stood by the edge of the pool.

"Do you two need any help," he asked.

Both ranch hands looked up at Matt and smiled broadly.

"Why hello there Houston," Bo said, "It's just Beulah had it in her mind that she wanted to go for a swim."

"I can see that."

"We'll get her on out of here mighty quick…"

Matt looked around.

"Where's C.J. anyway?"

His question was answered when he looked up and saw her standing there covered head to toe with what looked like grime and half the grass from the neighboring pastures.

"Well C.J. just look at you," he said, beginning to approach her.

She switched her weight from one foot to the other.

"I've been quite busy," she said in response.

Amusement sparkled in his eyes and a smile formed on his lips.

"I can see that," he said, "What happened…I mean besides Beulah?"

She shook her head, flinging off bits of grass.

"You don't want to know."

He began to approach her and she threw up her hands.

"Not one step closer Houston…"

He looked at her puzzled, but stopped in his tracks. Then an odor caught his nose that seemed awfully familiar.

"Is that what I think it is," he asked.

She nodded.

"We got sprayed on the far pasture when we were herding some of Slade's yearlings," she said.

Suddenly the splashing increased in intensity behind both of them.

"Beulah, stop carrying on like that," Bo shouted, "They're won't be any water left in the pool."

The 500 pound sow didn't seem to care a bit as she played happily in the water, keeping both ranch hands at bay. C.J. just shook her head again and jumped in the pool to help Bo and Lamar get Beulah out of the pool. She swam to where the pig was and then tread water.

"Come on Beulah," she said, softly, "I've got some fresh apple pie in the kitchen."

Of course she had just told a lie but she figured by the time Beulah figured it out, she would be out of the pool and back on dry land. But Beulah just wasn't buying it and kept slurping up the water with her mouth and spraying it everywhere.

"Damn pig," Bo muttered after she blasted him in the face, "I'll stuff an apple in your mouth and serve you for dinner by sundown."

C.J. chided him.

"Shush now," she said, "You're going to hurt her feelings."

"She aint got feelings," Bo said, "I named her after the ex-wife for a reason."

Matt moved closer to the pool.

"Would you like me to help you," he said.

Bo shook his head.

"No reason for you to get your clothes wet," he said, "Unless we could herd Beulah over to you and then hoist her up and you could just grab her by the scruff of the neck."

Matt frowned.

"I don't think she's got one."

Bo shrugged.

"Well just grab her front end."

Matt nodded and the three people in the pool began persuading Beulah to move towards the shallow end. Then they grabbed hold of her hind end and middle and tried to hoist her out of the pool so that Matt could grab her. But Beulah wiggled her body and flung people aside. Matt tried to grab her, slipped and fell right into the pool. Now with four humans splashing around in the pool in their clothes, Beulah took one look at them and swam to the end of the pool before scampering up the steps and out of the pool. She trotted off to the barn, leaving some frustrated people in her wake.

"She did that on purpose," Bo claimed.

Lamar chuckled.

"Just like the other Beulah would have," he said.

Matt looked at C.J. who looked like most of the grime and pasture had been rinsed off of her anyway. She smiled at him ruefully.

"I'm a mess," she said, "but I did fix up the guest house for you before all this happened."

He reached out and stroked her hair off of her face.

"You are really a sight for sore eyes," he said.

She started to chuckle at that but something stopped her.

"So are you."

Everyone got out of the pool and C.J. excused herself and went off to take a quick shower and change her clothes. Bo and Lamar went to make sure that Beulah had made it to the barn and settled herself back in her pen. Matt took his bags and walked to the guest house and after he stepped inside the door, he saw that indeed C.J. had been busy fixing it up. He didn't unpack his clothes but went to the kitchen and inside the refrigerator, he found some beer. He pulled out a bottle and drank some of it before heading off to change his own clothes to head back to the ranch house.


Matt made it back to the ranch house afterward and C.J. had still been in her bedroom, his old room, getting dressed. He had taken his beer and sat on the back porch drinking it while taking in the peaceful surroundings. He had only been here a couple of hours and he already felt much better than he had when he left the city. No longer feeling the weight of his conversation with Zack on his shoulders. He knew he had done the right thing but it was always difficult to sever a friendship even if for the right reasons. But after learning how his long time friend had treated C.J. years ago, he couldn't forgive him for his callous attitude towards her. When he had returned home from his vacation that summer, he hadn't known about that the relationship between C.J. and Zack had gone that route, but he had detected a new layer of wariness in her demeanor. He had never figured out where that subtle change in her had come from but now he knew.

Nothing wary about her now as she had seemed genuinely happy to see him and he had felt a pang of guilt strike him that he hadn't told her about Duval's escape from prison and his desire to protect her in case Duval came out to their neck of the woods for revenge. Now that he had arrived, he had decided not to let her stray too far away from him…just in case but how would he sell that sudden closeness to the person who knew him better than anyone else did?

Suddenly he heard the noise of an approaching truck and saw that one had arrived and parked not too far away from where he sat drinking his beer. Caution ruled his response until he figured out who had arrived. Slade stepped out of the truck and Matt felt some level of relief. That it wasn't Duval or one of his terrorists out to commit mayhem but then again, why was Slade dropping by so casually? When Slade saw Matt, he smiled and approached him.

"You're Matt Houston," he said, "I remember you from the party the other night."

Matt nodded slowly.

"You're Slade, the guy who was tending bar," he said, "C.J.'s ex-boyfriend from your years as a financial broker in the city."

"You've got me," he said, "But I have to say I love this rural life. I don't think I could ever go back to my old life."

Matt couldn't blame him. He felt the same way whenever he left the frantic pace of life in L.A. to come out here or anywhere else off the beaten path. Still, he wondered just how much of a regular fixture this guy was in C.J.'s life living just down the road from her.

"What are you doing here," he asked.

Slade looked at him and Matt sensed he was sizing him up behind his congenial attitude.

"I'm here to help pay for the damage to the fence," he said, "Some of my yearlings busted through it this morning to get at some grass."

Matt shrugged.

"That can happen," he said, "C.J.'s just gotten out of the shower and is getting dressed. We're getting ready to have dinner."

At least he assumed that dinner was somewhere on the itinerary. He didn't actually know what plans C.J. had made for this evening. Slade raised his brows but smiled again.

"Then I won't be a bother," he said, "I'll just leave the check for her…"

"What do you mean that you're a bother," a feminine voice said.

Both men looked up and saw C.J. approach, her hair still damp, while dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt. Matt did a double take thinking that her clothes sure flattered her figure. He looked over at Slade and noticed he seemed interested in her as well.

"C.J., Hi," Slade said, "I just came here to drop off my share of the money to pay for that new fencing."

"Don't worry about it Slade," she said, "We already had plenty of leftover lumber and the guys and I fixed it right up quick. Not without a few interruptions of course."

"It doesn't seem right to make you pay for all of it," she said.

C.J. thought about it.

"Well you could make it up by joining us for dinner tonight," she said, "I've got baked chicken and vegetables plenty of them and only five of us to eat them."

He looked at her, pleasantly surprised and then nodded.

"That'd be real nice, C.J."

She smiled and then looked over at her best friend.

"That's okay with you Houston isn't it?"

He nodded. Why wouldn't it be?


With that settled, C.J. left them both and returned to the kitchen to see if the chicken had been cooked long enough. Bo and Lamar had helped her dig up one of their old family recipes, one of the few that didn't involve frying anything or stirring it for hours near the barn. Lulu had set the table nicely and C.J. had put some wild flowers she had collected in a vase as a centerpiece. She hadn't been sure where this domestic side of hers was coming from, but when it didn't unnerve her, she kind of liked it. Both men appeared to appreciate it too when they entered and saw the spread.

"Did you cook all this C.J.," Matt asked.

She nodded happily.

"Now don't make fun of my cooking skills Houston," she said, "I know I've burned entire chickens and even sides of beef and venison in the past but I've really been working at my culinary skills."

"It looks delicious C.J.," Slade said.

"I wasn't going to tease you C.J.," Matt said, a bit taken aback, "I was going to tell you that I couldn't wait to try it."

She smiled at both of them.

"Then let's sit down and dig in," she said, "Bo and Lamar are still washing up."

"I thought Beulah was going to be dinner for a while there," Matt said, as they sat down.

C.J. passed the plate of chicken around.

"I don't think Bo would ever do such a thing," she said, "He just says that to try to keep Beulah in line. She's a bit headstrong."

Matt's mouth curved into a smile.

"Sounds like someone I know."

Slade scooped some roasted potatoes on his plate.

"This is a really great meal," he said, "I haven't tasted chicken this good in a long time."

C.J. looked pleased, really pleased Matt noticed. He wondered how interested she was in Slade. The guy certainly appeared interested in rekindling the old flame between the two of them. Matt just didn't trust him, he may be a rancher now but he still permeated some of that city slickness that had served him well in the financial corridors of Beverly Hills and similar haunts. Wait a minute here, what C.J. did with her personal life was her own business, he reminded himself.

"I think I'll have more of those potatoes," Matt said, "They really are roasted to perfection."

C.J. handed him the plate, throwing him a strange look.

"The carrots are so juicy," Slade raved, spooning more on his plate next to his roasted potatoes.

Matt agreed.

"The…"

She stopped eating and folded her arms.

"Hold it," she said, "What; did I walk into the judging room of a chili cook off or something? I know my food's not going to appear in any five star restaurant."

Bo and Lamar who had dressed up in their best jeans and shirts chose that point to walk in the dining room and sit down, helping themselves happily to the food.

"How's Beulah," C.J. asked.

"Yeah how is she," Matt seconded.

Bo and Lamar looked at each other and then at the two of them.

"She's just fine," he said, "She's tuckered out from her adventure and is sound asleep."

C.J. nodded.

"You two must be really hungry after all that excitement," she said, "There's plenty of food."

"And conversation," Lulu said, "with the two men here trying to impress C.J. by raving about her cooking."

Both men chose that time to wipe their mouths with their napkins. Bo and Lamar looked at each other.

"Her cooking's not bad," Bo said, "We've been busy teaching her everything we know."

C.J. put her hand over her face. Slade looked over at her.

"C.J., are you going to meet with ranchers who've contacted you tomorrow?"

She nodded.

"That's what I've been planning," she said, "We've got to go over everyone's mortgage letters from the bank."

"I think that something doesn't smell right with what the bank's doing," he said, "and the timing of these letters."

C.J. finished eating her potatoes.

"I agree Slade," she said, "but if that's the case, we've got to find out what their real plans are and prove it possibly in court."

Slade sighed.

"Do you think it will get that far?"

She shrugged.

"It's something we've got to keep in mind while we try to avoid it."

Matt looked at the both of them.

"Do you mind if I tag along," he said, "C.J. and I have handled a lot of these cases together."

"I don't have a problem with it," Slade said.

C.J. looked at Matt for a moment and he knew that something he had said had triggered suspicion within her. She was damn sharp and he had to be careful but he couldn't afford to let her go off by herself until Duval had been caught. Guilt nagged at him for not telling her about his escape but he had to find the right time to do that. She looked so happy and well…so relaxed in her beauty that he couldn't bear to worry her until he absolutely had to do so.

"Me neither," C.J. said finally, still looking at him.

Bo and Lamar then started to regal everyone at the table with their funny stories of their years spent ranching back in Texas and now in California, the state they couldn't seem to put permanently in the rear view mirror of their truck. C.J. watched them, smiling at their enthusiasm and their sheer love for this kind of life. She knew she had done the right thing when she called them up and invited them to come help her restore the ranch. Actually she had stopped just short of begging them to come back but they seemed more than happy to pack up their things and come back to the golden state. Even the fact that she had bought the ranch from Matt hadn't thrown them much. And since they had arrived, they'd had a lot of fun even while working hard from sunrise to sunset.

Matt looked happier than she had seen him in a while and she knew he warmed up to wearing jeans and a work shirt over a pinstriped suit or tuxedo. She hoped he would enjoy his time at the ranch, relaxing in the crisp air and sunshine and perhaps even doing some fishing in the lake. It surprised her that he had volunteered so quickly to help her on her work with the local ranchers on keeping their spreads but perhaps it shouldn't have. Helping her a bit was fine but she just had to make sure he didn't exert himself too much. After all, he was here to have fun and recharge his batteries before returning to his life in the city.

Matt looked over at his best friend, who appeared deep in thought even as she smiled at Bo and Lamar's stories. Her mahogany hair had settled around her shoulders in gentle curls and her eyes shone brightly. Her full mouth curved generously into laughter at one particular part of Bo's story and his throat caught for a second. He reached for his glass of water.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard all week," Slade said, "I had a horse like that once when I was growing up in Montana that I would swear was as smart as a human."

"Oh Hardtack was crafty all right," Bo continued, "but he wasn't all that smart."

C.J.'s eyes danced.

"Oh Lamar tell the story about how that horse threw you at the rodeo in Abilene."

Matt nodded.

"I'd like to hear it again."

So Lamar started telling it, showing off his amazing gift of recall when it came to describing events down to the smallest detail as everyone sat back and listened.

C.J. walked Slade back to his truck after dinner thanking him for coming. He turned around to face her.

"I'd like to do it again sometime," he said, quietly.

She patted him on the arm, nodding.

"Sure thing," she said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded to her and then got back in his truck to drive away. Matt watched him go too and he watched C.J. wondering what she thought about her ex-boyfriend. Wondering how he was going to tell her that a deranged terrorist might be coming after them. Wondering when his feelings towards her had begun to change….