Author's Note: Thanks mjmm for continuing to post comments. As I said before, they really do encourage me to continue. I will try to update at least once a week, but that may change once Summer classes start next month.

Chapter Four

Jeremy sat under a tree admiring the beautiful pond. All of the Logan's property was spectacular, but there was something special about the view before him. It seemed to soothe his soul and take him back to a time when he was most content, a time with her. It was hard not to think of her on a day like today, when the sky was cloudless and the nature around him sang with life and color. It was as if she was near, charming him with her gentle kisses. He inhaled deeply, taking in the cool breeze as it washed over him. She would love this place, he thought as he gazed down at the photo he was holding in his hand. Though it was crinkled, worn from his constant need to glance at it, the beautiful face staring back at him could still be distinguished. He again closed his eyes, remembering a time when they spent an afternoon just like today, enjoying everything nature had to offer…

"What are you doing!?" Clay yelled from afar, interrupting Jeremy's pleasant thoughts. Not wanting Clay to see the photo, Jeremy quickly put it away before Clay reached him.

"What do you want!?" Jeremy retorted, annoyed that Clay had found him.

"Why aren't you doing your chores?" Clay snapped once he reached Jeremy

"I'm almost done" he said angrily as he brushed the grass off his pants "I was just taking a break before I finished up. Do you have a problem with that?"

Clay looked at Jeremy suspiciously; his curiosity peeked by what he had crammed into his pocket. Clay didn't get a good look at it; he was too far away, but he was sure it was a photograph.

"No" Clay lied, knowing that he needed to play it cool if he wanted Jeremy to help him "I came out here because I need your help bringing the horses out of the west pasture. Pa's gone to town and two of our stable hands went home sick."

"Didn't you hear me when I said I still have chores to finish?" Jeremy asked as he began walking towards his horse "How will I finish my work if I'm helping you the rest of the afternoon."

"Look" Clay said, restraining his irritation as he followed Jeremy "It shouldn't take no more than 45 minutes to do the round up, but if it takes longer…I'll help you finish your chores."

Jeremy stopped and looked at Clay doubtfully. He didn't trust a word he said about helping him, but he didn't really have a choice considering he was living and working on the Logan ranch.

"Ok" Jeremy agreed, climbing onto his horse "But if you so much as hint that you're not going to help me finish up my work, Mr. Logan will hear about it."

"I won't." Clay promised grudgingly as he mounted his own steed, still thinking about what he saw earlier. Who was the person in the Jeremy's photograph? He was definitely hiding something, Clay thought, and he was going to find out what it was.

Standing in front of the door Vivian straightened her dress, then lightly touched her hair to make sure it was in place. It had been three days since her heart to heart with Wilhelmina and already she was back in full swing. Wilhelmina was happy to see her resume her routine around the house and was even more thrilled when Vivian revealed her plans to go to town, that's why she could never know about this visit, Vivian thought. If Wilhelmina ever found out about her stop off at Sean's, she would be furious. Vivian originally planned to come to town and do a little shopping, but when she passed Sean's office, those plans changed and she decided to pay a call on him. She wanted to apologize for the argument they had the last time they talked, and though she knew it was over between them, there was still a small part of her that wanted to be near him and hoped that him seeing her again would make him realize he couldn't live without her.

Vivian tidied herself once more then knocked.

"Come in" A voice said.

Vivian opened the door and was surprised and disappointed to find another man sitting behind Sean's desk.

"Can I help you?" Pete asked seeing Vivian's obvious despondency.

"Who are you?" Vivian asked snobbishly.

"Well that's no way to greet someone whose office you've barged into." Pete said annoyed.

"I didn't barge into this office, I knocked" Vivian countered, peeved "And this is not your office…Now where is Sean Logan?"

"Hmmm" Pete said "Finally, I find out what the lady wants. Mr. Logan isn't here."

"How soon will he return?" She demanded.

"He's meeting with a merchant, so it could be a while, but you can wait for him if you'd like."

"No thank you" Vivian answered as she turned to go.

"You're not going to even tell me your name… I'm sure Mr. Logan would want to know who stopped by." Pete said as he stood.

"I'm Vivian Winters," she answered sharply as she turned to face him.

"Vivian Winters?" Pete questioned "Sean's former fiancée?"

It stung for Vivian to hear herself being referred to as Sean's 'former fiancée'. She and Sean had been together so long, she didn't think she would ever get used to them being referenced apart.

"Yes, I am Vivian Winters, a good friend of Mr. Logan's." she corrected.

Pete was shocked that she would come by to visit Sean. Why would she do that, He thought, especially if Asa was right and Sean had told her he never loved her? Was she attempting to reunite with him? If so, that would put a wrinkle in Asa's plan.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Winters…I'm Pete Dixon, Mr. Logan's assistant" Pete said as he stuck out his hand.

Ignoring it, Vivian again turned to go.

"As I said you don't have to go" Pete repeated, in an attempt to stop her. "You can wait for Mr. Logan... I'd hate for you to have made a trip here for nothing."

"Thank you, but no" Vivian replied, then exited.

After Vivian's retreat Pete sat down and contemplated what just happened. He couldn't believe he'd finally met Vivian Winters, the woman in the middle of the mess between Sean and Asa, or rather the woman behind Asa's revenge on Sean. She was a beautiful lady, but a bit of a snob. He could see why things might not have worked out between her and Sean. He found her intriguing though and in the long run, it might prove useful to have her as a friend, he thought, very useful.

"You're back early" Pete said as Sean walked into the office "How did your meeting with Henry Langston go?"

Sean didn't answer, but removed his hat and headed for the file cabinet. Sensing something was wrong, Pete asked "Did something happen?"

"I guess you could say that." Sean finally answered as he threw the file he was holding on the desk "Asa Winters has offered Claison double the amount we offered for the hospital land."

"What" Pete said, feigning surprise. He had informed Asa days ago of Sean's plan and knew that he would immediately act on that information by offering Claison more money for the property. "So is Claison going to accept Asa's offer?" he asked.

"I don't know" Sean said as he paced "Mr. Langston said that Claison would likely want to sale to Asa because of the higher price he's offering, but he may be able to keep them with the city if he can convince them that the hospital would be a more visible project for the company than Asa's proposed endeavor…I wonder how Asa learned of the property we were considering." Sean continued out loud "No one knew about the deal except a small group of people."

"Asa Winters is a powerful man." Pete said, as he disguised the nervousness in his voice "Anyone could've slipped him the information."

"Yeah, I guess" Sean said "But I still don't understand why they would provide him with that kind of information, especially someone on the council. They know that if Asa gets this land, it'll only hurt us and the city."

Pete's anxiety increased upon hearing Sean scrutinizing how Asa knew what was going on. He had to stop this conversation before it led Sean to investigate further.

"It could've been someone at Claison" Pete countered attempting to steer Sean from the idea that someone on the inside was assisting Asa with his info "And besides, can't the city purchase another piece of property for the hospital"

"We could" Sean answered "But, there's no where else in town that would work with what we want to do. That lot was selected because it's the best location for a hospital."

"There's got to be something more you can do" Pete continued. He felt guilty about helping Asa sabotage Sean's plans, but in the same breath he was relived he was able to lead Sean away from any thoughts of a spy on the council.

"Is there a chance you can come up with more money to counter Asa's offer?" he asked.

"No" Sean said, as he finally sat down, running his hands through his hair. "There aren't enough funds in the budget to increase the amount of the land purchase. The additional monies we have will be used for the hospital construction. Plus, it's not like I'd need a small increase in funds, I would have to triple the offer, something the city can't afford."

Sean quietly wondered how things began to go so wrong. For a second there, it seemed as if his life was getting back on track. He'd convinced Clancy to reinstate him. He'd gotten Asa Winters out of his life forever, or so he thought. And he'd confessed his feelings to Marita, hoping they'd have a chance at a future together. Just as quickly as things had come together, they were falling apart again and in part due to Asa Winters. Sean knew that Asa wouldn't let what happened with Vivian go. He knew that the man would try to undermine his work, but this…Damn him, Sean thought.

"Vivian Winters came by…" Pete said interrupting Sean's musings.

"Vivian?" Sean said surprised. He didn't think she would come within ten feet of him after their last conversation. "What did she want?"

"She wanted to see you - obviously" Pete said "She's beautiful… but condescending."

"That's Vivian" Sean said as he began reviewing the file he'd thrown on the desk earlier.

"Any chance you two may…reconcile." Pete pried.

"No" Sean replied "Did she say something?"

"No" Pete answered "I was just under the impression that after what happened… you two were no longer… socializing."

With everything that had occurred the past few days, Vivian was the last thing Sean wanted to talk about. He was thankful that he was away when she came by. He could only guess she wanted to further discuss their relationship or lack there of. He had nothing else to say to her. All that could have been said had been and Sean really didn't want to discuss it anymore, not with her, not with anybody.

"Can we drop this please?" He snapped, agitated.

"Sure, I'm sorry" Pete said, noting that he'd hit a nerve.

"Anyone else drop by while I was out, Lloyd Spalding?" Sean asked.

"Yeah…"

As Pete gave Sean the details on Mr. Spalding's visit, he began to wonder what really caused Sean to break it off with Vivian. Based on the reaction he got when he mentioned her visit, it was clear that Sean had no interest in her, maybe even never loved her, as Asa proclaimed. Pete wondered then why would Sean agree to marry her, but more importantly why did he suddenly break it off. Pete suspected the answer to that question may be the ammunition Asa needed to destroy Sean Logan.

"Hey Alice" Marita said as she walked into the study. "You waiting for your Pa."

"No" Alice answered "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok" Marita said opting to sit on the couch with Alice instead of behind the desk "What's going on?"

Silence –

"Lately, Jeremy has been having some…personal issues and in an attempt to cheer him up, we're having a special dinner to welcome him to the family."

"That's great Alice" Marita said. "But is Jeremy ok?"

"I think he will be" Alice said excitedly. "Once he sees how much the family wants him here."

"So what can I do?" Marita asked.

"Well…we're serving all of Jeremy's favorite foods and he loves your strawberry custard…"

"Yes Alice I will make it." she answered before Alice could finish.

"Oh, thank you so much Marita!" Alice said as she gave her a hug. "Jeremy's going to be so surprised!"

"You really care about him don't you?" Marita asked as she pulled back, looking into the young woman's eyes.

Alice hesitated a moment then answered shyly. "Yes...I do. I know that he had a rough start when he first got here, but he is a good person."

As Marita watched Alice talk about Jeremy, she realized that her feelings for him were developing beyond friendship. If Alice wasn't careful her regard for Jeremy could easily turn into love.

"I'm happy that you want to help him." Marita said hesitantly. "But be careful… it's okay to care for Jeremy…on a friendship level, but anything more may cause problems."

"I know" Alice said softly.

It was ironic, Marita thought, the same advice she was giving Alice should've been conveyed to her many years ago regarding Sean; however, the problem then was that nobody knew her developing feelings for him and as a result, she fell hard. Noticing Marita's sad, distant look, Alice asked her if she was ok.

"I'm fine" Marita answered, forcing a smile "I just have a lot on my mind."

"I've heard that before" Alice said alarmed, remembering Jeremy's similar comments a few days earlier.

"It's nothing serious" Marita lied. "Just work"

Marita was so tired of the same excuse. If she said it one more time she would scream. Just before leaving, her pa had asked her why she was taking a stroll so late in the evening, and she lied, telling him she had a lot on her mind and wanted to clear it with the fresh evening air. It wasn't a total lie though, she did have a lot on her mind, just not what her pa thought. She was thinking of Sean. She had avoided him as long as she could, thinking any encounter would only magnify the pain they were both feeling, but after hearing Mr. Logan talk about how worried he was about him, she had to make sure he was okay.

When she reached the barn, she hesitated at the door, took a nervous breath, then entered. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she spotted Sean, inspecting the leaves, just like she expected. She stood there a moment, watching him, taking him in. Her heart longed to talk to him, really talk, like they did before their feelings changed things, but she wasn't there for that, she thought. She came by to check on him. Once she did that, she would leave.

"You need any help?" Marita asked softly.

Sean looked over to find her standing there, looking like a dream. She'd been such a constant on his mind that he had to mentally shake himself to be sure she was real. When he saw that she was, he looked away.

"No" he responded as he continued checking the leaves, fighting the feelings her presence were stirring up in him.

Marita began examining the leaves anyway. "Your pa is very concerned about you…" she said "He came to me the other day and asked if you were okay… he said you've been distant... I told him it was your work… but we both know that's not it..."

Sean supposed his belief that he'd been keeping his heartache hidden was just that, a belief. The fact of the matter was he hadn't tried to hide his feelings around his family. It was far too difficult for him to pretend all was well when it wasn't.

"I'm not going to lie to you" he said as he stopped checking the leaves, giving her his full attention "I'm still hurting from our conversation, I guess I'll always be hurting from that…"

"I know" she said shakily as she held his gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Me too" he said, wanting to go to her.

They stood there, gazing at each other, unsure of what to do, to say next.

"So how's the hospital deal going?" Marita suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Not so good" Sean responded as he started checking the tobacco again. "Asa Winters is trying to acquire the land the city was planning to purchase for a building site. He's offering double the amount I'm offering; Hence Claison is looking into accepting his bid over mine."

"Isn't there something you can do about this?"

"Not really. My hands are tied. Henry Langston did say he might be able to convince his superiors to go with the city, but I don't know."

"Well that's good to hear" Marita said relived. "Maybe the deal will work out after all."

"I hope so."

"You know…" Sean continued slowly. "If this project comes through… I would like for you to come work with me on the contract and the budget."

Marita didn't know what to say, she wanted to help Sean in any way she could, but she feared what working with him might do to them both. They'd be seeing more of each other, working very closely. The situation would make it more difficult for them to move on with their lives and accept that they couldn't be together.

"I would like to help," Marita answered "But with everything that's happened… I don't know if it's such a good idea."

Sean understood Marita's concerns. He was concerned to. He didn't know if he could handle being so close to her everyday and knowing that they had no chance to be together. It would be torture, but all of that aside, she was the only person he knew who could do a great job with the contracts and budget. He needed her expertise to help make the project a success.

"I understand your reluctance" Sean said as he closed the space between them "But you are the only person I know and trust to do a good job on this. I promise you, no matter how difficult it may be…our time together will be strictly business."

Marita thought a moment about Sean's comments. She really did want to assist with the project. It would be a great experience and it was Sean's first big assignment as Deputy Director. She could put her feelings aside and work with him for a few weeks, until the contract and budget were completed. After all, the project went beyond their feelings, the hospital would ultimately help the people of Lexington.

"Okay" she finally answered. "That's if it's okay with your pa."

"I've already checked with pa." Sean said excitedly. "He said if you're okay with it. He's okay with it."

"Oh really" Marita laughed lightly. The ring of her laughter brought a joy to Sean's heart that he thought was lost.

"I had to be sure all paths were clear before asking your assistance." He said smiling.

"Hmm" Marita said still amused. "Well I won't be ordered around and I will not give up my students."

"Done" Sean said without hesitation.

"Ok then… I guess it's a deal." Marita said as she extended her hand.

"Deal" Sean said as clutched her hand.

As soon as their palms clasped the mood changed from the lightness of the previous moments to intensity neither could ignore. Their pulses increased sharply and they both became lost in each other's eyes. The heat between them was fervent causing a weightlessness in Marita's heart and an deep aching in Sean's soul. It was as if all the love and longing between them had fully come to the surface immersing them in that moment. They stood that way it seemed like hours before Sean slowly emerged from the waves of emotion he was feeling to realize he was allowing to happen exactly what he promised Marita wouldn't. He wanted her to believe they could keep things professional, if they ended up working together on the project, and this was not doing that…He quickly released her hand, successfully breaking the mood he didn't want to be free of.

"You better go" he said softly, as he backed away from her, not really wanting her to leave, but knowing it was the best thing "It's late, and I want to finish checking these leaves before I go to bed."

"Yes" Marita concurred, but like Sean, she didn't want the moment to end "I should get home."

"I'll let you know…if the project…"

"Okay…" Marita affirmed as she swiftly turned and left.