Flashback: Matt Wheeler's POV

I should have known it would happen like this.

Matthew Wheeler stood at the window of his study and watched the drizzling rain pour down the outer walls of the Manor House garage.

Every time I have the vehicles washed and waxed it rains outside.

"Oh well," he murmured to himself.

He turned away from the window, sat back down at his massive mahogany desk, and began going over some paperwork requiring his signature. It didn't take long before he was finished with the task and back at the window again. This time, his gaze fell on the stables.

Bill's apartment lights are still not on, yet, he observed. And, I know he's not in the stable. Where can he be?

The middle aged business man pensively rested a closed fist against his chin, supported under the elbow by his other arm across his middle. He looked to be contemplating the fate of the nation, as if he were the President standing in The Oval Office. His mind raced with concern for the young groom who was now more like family than an employee.

Surely, he didn't take a horse out in this storm. He's too smart for that. But, then, where is he? His truck's still here.

It was then that he saw the flicker of a light bobbing up and down in the distance.

"What in the world?" Matthew asked himself under his breath.

With great care to avoid alarming anyone else in the household, he moved quietly to the back door of the mansion and slipped out to meet Bill Regan who was now galloping rapidly into the yard on horseback.

"Bill? Is that you? Is everything alright?"

The rider, obviously startled, quickly pulled his horse to a stop and sat panting in the darkness.

"It's…it's me. I'm sorry, Mr. Wheeler. I know I shouldn't have…taken a horse out…in this weather...but…Hallie Belden was stuck out in the preserve…and…"

"Say no more. You'd think that girl was as unlucky as her cousin. I'm sure her family is grateful to you for finding her and taking her home…that is…you did find her, didn't you?"

"Of course…you think I'd come back without her?" Regan replied shortly.

Oh great. He's mad about something, I can tell.

"Why don't you go get yourself dried off? You can tell me all about your adventure tomorrow," Matt offered kindly.

Suddenly, it seemed as if all the fight had gone out of the young man sitting on the horse in front of him. He hunched low in the saddle, shoulders slouched in defeat.

"If…you aren't too busy, right now…I…uh…I would actually like to speak to you tonight, sir." Regan's voice seemed to catch in his throat at the end, leading Matt to believe that something was, indeed, very wrong.

"Certainly. I'll be in my study. Just come on in when you're ready. I'll have Miss Trask bring us something warm to drink."

As Bill rode off into the stable, Matt turned toward the house with a heavy heart.

I guess it's been a while since we had a talk about Dan. Seeing Hallie must have brought out some grief he needs to share. I just don't know how to help him when I can't stop missing the kid, myself. I pass his old room down the hall and think about him lying in there…so sick...

Matt paused at the back door to say a heart-felt prayer before squaring his shoulders and going inside.

Oh God, help me know what to say to this poor man, he begged.

…Later on, in Matt's study…

"What? No coffee for you, Bill? Oh, I forgot. You don't drink coffee. Sorry about that. Then, have you ever tried one of these Belgian truffles before?" Matthew pointed to the twist-wrapped sweets in the candy dish on his desk. "They are some of the most delicious…"

"Uh…no sir" Regan interrupted nervously, "I mean…no thank you. I appreciate it, but I'm not one for chocolates either…"

"Not like Dan was, huh?" Matt asked softly. "Oh, that was my secret way of getting him to keep his medicine down on those really rough days, I'll tell you. He was a lot like me in that respect. When nothing else would tempt him…I'd give him chocolate, and he could never say no."

Matt watched Bill wringing his hands and squirming nervously in his seat, so he decided to help him get to the heart of the matter as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"You probably missed him a lot more today, having seen his girlfriend, yes? Is she having…a hard time, too?"

Bill looked about ready to jump out of his skin at this.

"Mr. Wheeler, listen, about Hallie…"

"Oh come on, now," Matt interrupted. "How many times have I told you? Call me Matt."

"Alright, Matt. I…uh…actually…seeing Hallie today is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

"I understand. I do. And, it's alright. I'm sure talking with her probably brought up a lot of different emotions for you…"

"You have no idea," Bill replied cryptically.

"Then tell me about it."

"Well…okay. Um…earlier today, we…uh…we flew Dan's kite…"

"You did? That's great! I know he really wanted you to do that. How nice!"

"Look, I know you're trying to help, but if you keep interrupting me, I'll never get this out, alright?" Bill sighed, exasperated.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bill. Go ahead. I'll keep my mouth shut." The older man had to bite his lip to keep from commenting further, thinking that he must look like his daughter Honey when she's trying to contain her own nervous chatter.

"See…the thing is…while we were out there today, …I… no, we…" Bill ran his hands through his red hair, gave a frustrated groan, and slapped his hands down quickly on the arms of his chair. He took a deep breath to finish his thought by rattling off a dozen ideas at once. "We realized something that we never noticed before and…well…she had to go, but she came back later…and…and then we argued…and…she went off in the preserve…and then I went after her…and…she hurt her foot…and the lightning was everywhere…so we hid out at Maypenny's 'till the storm passed…and then…you know…we talked…and…and…" He stopped.

"And what?" Matt prompted after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"And… I'm in love with her." Bill blurted out.

"You…you what?" Matthew felt the smile fading from his face. He let his coffee mug slip down to rest on the desk in front of him.

"I've fallen for Hallie Belden. Oh, gosh, you gotta believe I didn't want to. It just…sort of…surfaced over the course of the past few years. But, I can't stop it. And now, I'm not so sure I want to, anymore. I know it's going to get tough, but she's worth it, Matt. She is! Except…well, her uncle isn't exactly…happy about it, right now. In fact, he sort of threw me off his place…"

"Woah! Slow down!" Matt suddenly felt as if the room was getting smaller. Was this actually happening? He knew this was a very serious matter. "You say you love Hallie, and …you…you've told Peter Belden about this?"

Bill nodded his head miserably.

"Just now. When I took her home. Oh, boy, what am I going to do?" The young groom put his head in his hands and stared at the floor. "He thinks it's wrong for us to be together. He doesn't trust us."

"Well, does…does Hallie return your love?"

"Yes. And, she agrees with me that Dan would have been okay with it."

Matt felt a sharp pain in his heart, realizing that Bill's words could be true.

This could either be a terrible mistake or… a perfectly beautiful match he mused.

"What did she say to Peter?"

"Basically, she told him she respected his opinion, but he was just going to have to get used to the idea."

As floored about all of this as Matt felt, he couldn't help but laugh at Bill's comment.

"Sounds like Miss Hallie, alright," he chuckled. "That young lady isn't one for tact, is she?"

Bill shook his head mournfully in agreement. When he looked up again, his wide emerald eyes were filled with uncertainty.

"Are you disappointed and mad at me, too? Are you…are you going to fire me?"

Again, Matthew was floored.

"Fire you? Why…whatever for? Bill, after all that Maddie and I have invested in you, after all the ways we've included you and Dan in our family… how could you ever even dream that I would do such a thing?"

"I…I don't know…it's just…"

"I'm shocked about this, of course," Matt interrupted, "and obviously the age difference is cause for some concern. However, Bill, I could never be mad at you for falling in love. Honestly, son, it's not as if she were a child. Hallie's a grown woman, now. If the two of you are certain what you feel is real, then I wish you all the joy in the world. And, I'm sure her family will eventually feel the same way…given time."

Matt could see the relief visibly taking over Bill's body. He looked as if he could finally breathe again.

"Of course, if you're ever going to erase any doubts Peter may have about your intentions being honest, then we'd better get busy," Matthew said with a firm voice. He decided it was time to give this young man a dose of tough love that could motivate him toward a brighter future.

"What do you mean?" The uncertainty in Bill's voice matched the look in his eyes.

"Let's face it; you're almost thirty years old, you have no college education, and you hold the same job as you did nearly a decade ago. That's no good. A nice girl needs more than that."

"Wow, when you put it that way…" Regan looked hurt.

"Come man, don't get offended. It's time to drop personal feelings and have a discussion about more important business." Matthew folded his hands on the desk in front of him and allowed all emotion to fade from his face. "Now that we've assessed where you are, let's discuss where you want to be five years from now. I seem to recall that you once told Dan you were planning on buying some land and starting your own horse ranch one day. I think that's an excellent idea. Although I know you had hoped to partner with Dan, I can honestly say that none of my other business partners have ever complained about me, and I do have a lot of experience in starting new ventures…"

"Wait. Are you saying you want to help me start my own ranch?"

Matt could see that Bill was beginning to catch on.

"That's precisely what I am saying. Now, don't go thinking this is a handout. I want full partnership to start with. I assure you, it won't be easy, and I'm expecting you to continue on here until you can turn enough profit on the ranch to give me my cut out of it, as well as support yourself…and perhaps a family. But, with proper planning, and finding the right location, I'm certain we can make a very lucrative business together. That is…until you buy me out and take over on your own."

Bill opened his mouth as if to protest, yet he couldn't seem to get anything out beyond a stammered, "But…"

"Naturally, we can't expect this all to happen right away." Matt decided to keep plowing on with his plan to give Regan more time to gather his wits. "We'll have to be very patient and put in a lot of hard work. And, perhaps, we'll have to do some boarding of horses from time to time; maybe start out using the property for other projects until the grounds can be perfectly tailored to our specific needs. I wonder if Mart Belden would like to rent some of our land to work on his spinach farming endeavors..."

"Our land? You mean the land we haven't even bought yet?" Bill gave a nervous laugh.

"Don't slow me down with details," Matt feigned a bit of light-hearted frustration to counteract the stern business voice he had been using to deliver his ideas. He stood up behind his desk , looked down his nose at Bill, and gave him a mixed look of severity and fatherly care. "You do trust me, don't you?"

"I…I guess so…I mean, yes sir…but…"

"No buts. Just business, Bill. Are you in or out?"

"Of course I'm in. It would be…stupid… and…completely ungrateful of me not to...to jump at this opportunity. It's just…so much has happened today…and…and I owe you so much already."

"You owe me nothing but to respect me enough to listen to me." Matt walked around to the front of the desk and sat down in the leather chair beside his employee. He let the sympathy in his heart surface on his face. "If you mean what you say…if you're truly in love with her, then it's time you stopped doing just enough to get by in this world and start working on your dreams. It's the only way you'll ever be the man you think she deserves. The man Peter knows she deserves."

"Do you think I'm the man she deserves?" Bill asked quietly. Gone was the usual look of a harshly set jaw. He no longer appeared to have a short fuse ready to blow at any moment. Matt had only seen this depth of vulnerability in the young man a few, brief times before. Yet, he surmised this softer, less confident version of him was most likely the true Bill Regan.

Poor soul. He's probably never been made to feel worthy in his entire life.

"I think…"Matthew paused. He knew he had to do this carefully. "I think you can be anything you put your mind to Bill. I think you're a hard worker, a talented horseman…and a loyal friend." He reached over and gave Regan's shoulder a brotherly clap. "And, honestly, after getting to know Dan as well as I did at the end of his life, I think there are a lot of things Hallie might never have understood about him. I'm not convinced you aren't the better match for her."

This brought Regan to the point of blinking back tears, and Matt knew he'd said the right thing.

If his relationship with Hallie Belden is ever going to work, he can't go into it thinking he's second-best.

"Thank you, Matt," Bill whispered.

"Oh, don't thank me, yet. I'm going to hold your feet to the fire to keep you on track with your plans. You're probably going to wish you'd never told me any of this."

"I kinda already do. That boardroom face you were giving me a minute ago was a bit…intense."

The two men shared a good laugh as the young groom stood awkwardly to make his leave.

"Uh…Mr…uh…Matt?" Bill suddenly asked when he'd reached the door.

"Yes?"

"It isn't about the job or the education or…even about the money…is it? I mean, you said so yourself once that you and Mrs. Wheeler have had your own troubles along the way…even with all your business successes."

Matthew, now leaning against the front of his desk, folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side.

"You're right. It's all about choices, not finances. If you're determined to love each other no matter what…you'll make it work. But it is important for you to be satisfied with yourself before you ask someone else to share a lifetime with you. And…you really aren't happy with yourself right now…are you?"

Bill swallowed hard and gave his employer a knowing nod.

"I guess I just hadn't realized it."

"Don't worry. You'll be where you want to be soon enough. Just be patient, stay focused, and don't rush anything."

"How am I ever…ever…going to repay you?" Regan murmured quietly. "I mean…for everything. For this…what you did for Danny…everything?"

"I ask you again, do you trust me?" Matt knew this issue was at the heart of what kept Bill Regan so isolated and alone.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come here tonight. I wouldn't have wanted you to be the first to know."

Matt couldn't contain his smile any longer. It was what he needed to hear.

"Then repay me by making sure you don't forget to bring your kids by to see their old grandpa once and a while. That is, of course, if you and Hallie decide to have children someday."

It took a minute for the light of understanding to dawn in Bill's eyes, but when it did; it brought a slow, crooked smile to the young man's handsome face.

"You know, you're just barely old enough to be my father, and Mrs. Wheeler really looks young for her age…wouldn't you rather be known as a special aunt and uncle… or something like that?"

"Are you kidding? And blow another chance to spoil someone else's kids? Not on your life."

Bill gave a chuckle and nodded humbly.

And just when it seemed the somewhat embarrassed young man was about to turn and walk out of the room, he did something Matt had never expected.

He quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped his bulky arms around Matt in a big bear hug.

The older businessman was utterly shocked. He had never known Bill to touch anyone, aside from Dan.

"Woah! Give a man some warning before you squeeze the life out of him, next time," Matt laughed as Bill released him with an awkward smile.

"Sorry…I just…couldn't help myself."

"It's alright kid. I'm happy to be here for you. And, don't worry about Peter, okay? He'll understand. Give it time. Now, Harold Belden, on the other hand…"

"Who? Hallie's father? But, she said she thought he'd be okay with it! What do you mean?" Regan's voice was full of anxiety as he was being walked to the door by a now laughing Matt.

"I just wanted to see you panic again, Bill. Relax. It's all going to work out."

"Just for that, I'll make sure my children refer to you as 'the old man' or gramps," Regan teased back.

"But, if they say it with love, it will still be music to my ears," Matt replied. And, he meant it, too.

It was then that he realized his adopted son Jim Frayne was simply the first of three orphans he had learned to love as if they were his own sons. And, he was grateful to God for sending each of them his way.

Lord, you must have known I needed them just as much as they needed me.

He silently continued his prayer after Bill had gone.

…And God…be sure to let Dan know…I'm keeping my promise to him.