She rolls over in her bed and reaches for her phone - checking the time and realizing that her nerves have gotten the best of her. The anxiety of starting a new job has caused her to toss and turn throughout the night and as she blinks the fogginess of slumber out of her eyes, her vision clears and she finds that she's now woken up nineteen minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She falls back, her head hitting the pillow as she stares up at the ceiling - thinking about if she's the type of person that'll make a good receptionist and assistant to a government official. Her head moves back and forth from side-to-side, willing that thought to be pushed from her mind as she reminds herself that this isn't just anyone that she'll be working for. Her new boss isn't some stranger but instead someone that she has known for years.

It's the first time she's getting to saddle up her horse by herself. No one else is there to help her or tell her what to do and at first she finds herself grateful for it but as she begins to walk the large stallion out of the stall she realizes that was her first mistake. The second was not having a proper hold on the lead before sliding the door open. Her horse rushes out - causing her to the fall to the ground as she watches him move towards Erin and the guy she's always hanging out with in between competitions. The two of them talking and laughing as they walk side-by-side. Nadia yells out to them and sees Erin push the guy to the side a little before she moves her arm to get the attention of the frantic horse.

"Easy kid. Easy." She hears Erin murmur as the horse puts on the brakes and stops just to the side of her. Nadia stands and brushes the dirt off her hands on the front of her chaps. And when she looks up again she sees Erin running her hand up and down her horse's face as the guy reaches out to grab the lead.

"Easy." The deep voice of the guy repeats as he looks over the saddle when the large animal kicks his back feet up.

"Are you ok?" Erin asks as they meet her halfway.

"Yeah, I'm just glad he let me know I made a mistake now." Nadia admits and the other two teenagers nod.

"It's ok, I've seen dozens of horses get saddled up and still made a mistake or two when doing it by myself for the first time. At least he made it known before you got out there." Erin notes and Nadia nods.

"See the back cinch?" Erin's friend asks as he points to the leather strap wrapped around the horse's belly.

"The tuff of hair there means it's already chafing which is why he's kicking his rear legs. If you had tried to get on him - he would have thrown you like a bronco." He tells her and she nods with wide eyes - knowing it could have been much worse.

"Thanks." She says as he adjusts the back cinch for her.

"No problem." He shrugs.

"Nadia this is Jay. Jay, Nadia." Erin introduces them and Jay tips his hat to Nadia.

"Nice to meet you Nadia." He says politely and she smiles meekly and nods in return.

She groans quietly as she has an internal debate with herself on whether or not she should just start getting ready takes precedence over the distant memory. Then she's up - making her way to her dresser to grab one of the outfits Erin borrowed her until she can get some of her own, dressy business attire. She finds herself wondering if her friend is still asleep or if she even went to sleep, as she makes her way out of her bedroom. Her question is instantly answered when she hears some movement coming from the kitchen. She takes in a deep breath - inhaling the enticing smell of what she can only assume is breakfast for the both of them.

"Hey." She greets as enters the kitchen and Erin turns to give her a tired smile.

"Morning." Erin says back, her smile widening ever-so-slightly as her eyes meet Nadia's briefly before her attention goes back to the pans in front of her.

"I thought maybe you'd still be sleeping." Nadia admits as she moves in to pluck a strip of bacon off the plate next to the stove.

Erin nods. "Couldn't really sleep."

"Me either." That simple sentence gets Erin's attention as she turns off the stove and faces her. And Nadia gets a closer look at her friend and sees that the dark circles marring the skin beneath her eyes are still present - letting her know that she's hasn't been sleeping again. And if she had to guess the last time she actually got a decent amount of sleep is when she spent the night with Jay almost two weeks ago. But she doesn't mention it - knowing that Erin won't admit that, that is why she is having trouble sleeping.

"Do you really think I'll be good at this?" Nadia asks and Erin sighs - it's something that Nadia can't quite discern. She's not sure what the other woman is thinking but she remains quiet - trying not to let the lack of response get to or discourage her.

"I think the fact that you're even asking that shows that you will be good at this job - that you're going to be great at it." Erin tells her with so much conviction.

She whispers her thanks as Erin pulls her into a side hug.

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you know I'm not going to try and steal your man?" Nadia jokes as they pull away from each other.

"He's not-" Erin tries to deny it but she can't even finish that sentence and the smile on her face - the one that has gotten bigger just by the mention of Jay being her man - gives way that he is in fact all hers.

"Oh, no? So I guess I can finally make my move on him then?" Nadia throws in and just as she expected, the remark earns her a pointed look and the smile all but disappears from Erin's face.

"That's what I thought." Nadia retorts and Erin chuckles lightly and goes back to preparing three plates of food - one of which is soon wrapped in aluminum foil and placed on the stove between the burners to keep the food warm.

Then she thinks about how tired Erin looks again and feels compelled to ask. "Don't take this the wrong way-"

She hesitates for a moment when Erin stops eating to give her a confused look.

"Not that I don't love having you as a roommate but why haven't you been staying with him if that's where you actually get sleep?"

Erin's eyebrows furrow a little in confusion. And it's Nadia's turn to give her friend a pointed look to let her know that she's not hiding the truth well.

"Honestly?" Erin sighs again. "I don't know. I mean I want to be there and he said he wants me there but I'm afraid that I'll fuck it up again in someway."

"Well you're coming into the office with me, right?" Nadia asks to which Erin nods.

"I was going to. I wanted to be there if you have any questions and then get back to the case."

"So you can talk to him when we get there?"

Erin just nods as she takes another bite of her food.

The conversation drops off there as they both finish eating and then go their separate ways to get ready.


The blazer she has on gets straighten for the umpteenth since she put it on, the moment she steps out of the car and onto the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop.

"You pull on that jacket any more, you're going to rip it." Erin quips as she stands across from her - looking at her over the top of the car.

"Nads, you're going to do amazing." Adding to the conversation they were having on the drive there.

"And even if you don't, it's not like Jay is going to say anything." Erin jokes but Nadia is sure to show in her expression that she doesn't find her comment funny.

"Come on Nads, this can't possibly be harder than managing a bar and dealing with drunken patrons on a nightly basis. You got this." Erin states as she nudges her side gently.

Nadia stays quiet after that, only talking when the barista asks what she coffee she wants. They even wait in silence with Erin checking the emails and text messages on her phone while Nadia watches the people behind the counter make their coffee.

"Erin?" A man says behind them and Nadia notices the way Erin tenses when he says her name but she doesn't turn or even acknowledge the guy as he gets closer to where they're standing.

Nadia looks from her friend to the dirty blonde man to their right - watching as he stops just a few feet away from Erin.

"Hey. I've been trying to get ahold of you for weeks." He says next and still Erin doesn't even lift her head until she hears her name being called from the barista with their order.

"We need to go." Erin says to her as she nods toward the door.

"Hey." The guy says as he grabs Erin's arm and pulls her back.

"Let me go now." She practically growls and it causes the guy to release her arm rather quickly.

Nadia looks back to see him still looking stunned and standing on the sidewalk even as they drive away. Her gaze only leaves the rearview mirror when they turn the corner - just before he moves to his own car and follows behind them.

"Who was that?" Nadia asks after a little while.

"No one." Erin replies simply, her voice still rough with anger but the younger of the two woman pushes on - obviously gathering that, that guy was once someone to her friend.

"Nadia please drop it." Erin says next and that gets Nadia to stop - noting the tension still present in her shoulders.


He mumbles under his breath as he stops the truck and slams the gear into reverse when he sees a calf on the outside of the fence. The young animal seems unfazed as she stands parallel to the barbed wire of the fence. Jay still uses caution when approaching - not wanting the hundred pound calf to bolt onto the road he just came from.

"Easy girl." He says as he places the rope in his hand around the young heifer"s neck.

"Mouse." Jay calls out, seeing his friends and the wranglers he used to work with, moving the herd in the distance.

When that doesn't work, he whistles like he would to get his dogs' attention and it works. Earning him not just Mouse's attention but Adam and Kevin's as well. They all steer their horses to rush over to the fence line.

"How the hell did she manage that?" Adam questions rhetorically but Jay shrugs his shoulders in response anyway.

"She's too big to lift over without getting tangled in the wire." Kevin states and both Jay and Mouse nod in agreement.

"You'll need to cut the wire and then patch it once she's back over." Jay gestures to the barbed wire and then the other men do as they're told, quickly getting the calf over to the right side of the fence and back in with the herd.

"Might want to keep a couple men back to work the fenceline and patch that break. She got out somehow and if she could fit, I've no doubt the bigger heifers will figure out a way too." Jay adds as Kevin finishes securing the wires back onto the post.

"Thanks Boss." Adam says and Jay glares at him, not realizing that it was a genuine statement and not an offhanded remark.

"Do you miss it?" Mouse asks and Jay looks around them and stops to take in the herd of cattle and handful of men wrangling them.

"The work? Yeah. Your boss, no." Jay answers honestly and then bids them goodbye, reminding them to find the break just before he steps back on the road.

"Hey Jay." Kevin shouts, getting him to stop and turn back toward them.

"Whenever you and Erin get your own ranch, let us know." Kevin added and that earns a chuckle from Jay - coloring the latter intrigued by the idea of getting a ranch with Erin - a place that would be theirs. Jay basks in that thought for a moment longer before refocusing on responding so he can get to his office - get to her.

"You'll be my first call." He tells them and it's the other men's turn to nod before they return to their duties.

Jay glances around at the mountainous view surrounding them just as he hops back into his truck - thinking again about getting his own ranch with his girl.


They walk into the office and Erin goes straight the desk to look for the username and password that Jay said was left there for the recently reset laptop. Her moves are nervous and frantic as she searches each of the drawers before she stops, staring down at, from Nadia can tell is an empty drawer. But what's concealed within it, is a picture, one that was tucked all the way in the back of the bottom drawer. Erin remains silent and motionless even as Nadia announces that she found what they were looking for on the floor under the desk. Her hazel eyes remain on the glossy photograph as she reaches down to pick it up out of the drawer. The younger of the two notices every muscle in Erin's body stiffen again, much like when that guy approached her in the coffee shop.

"Erin, are you ok?" Nadia questions when she sees how pale Erin's gotten just within the last couple minutes.

"Good-" Jay cuts himself off when his eyes land on Erin - taking in her disheveled appearance and angry expression.

"What's wrong?" He asks as he takes off his hat and sets it on the top of the coat rack before moving over to them - more specifically Erin.

She sits on the edge of the desk and tosses the picture in between the three of them. Both Jay and Nadia's eyes widen when they see who's in the picture.

"Bethany?" Jay questions as he looks at the six people in the photo.

"That's the same guy from the coffee shop." Nadia points out and Erin huffs.

"What guy?" Jay asks and Erin looks up at him.

"Andrew." Erin answers and this time it's Jay that tenses.

Nadia knows she's heard that name recently but she wants to clarify. "Andrew as in-?"

"My ex and apparently that bitch's brother." Erin snarls and Jay steps in front of her then.

Nadia's heart throbs at the gentleness her friend's possess with one another even as the rigidness remains in their posture. The way they look into each other's eyes as he cups Erin's jaw and Erin holds onto his wrist makes Nadia swoon before she excuses herself to go to the restroom and allow them some privacy.

"I'm sorry." He whispers against her forehead after pressing a kiss there.

Erin shakes her head but he still remains close enough that his minty breath ghosts over her face. "You didn't know."

"But I should have-"

She places a kiss to his lips in order to stop him from blaming himself.

"You have to stop doing that." She tells him as she cups his jaw with her free hand and immediately sweeps her thumb over the stubble on his cheek.

"What? Kissing you? Because I'm pretty sure it was you that kissed me." He furrows his eyebrows with that.

She playfully smacks his pec. "No I meant the whole blaming yourself for what other people do thing." She tells him and that gets him to raise one of his eyebrows.

"Well I could say the same to you." He says and he leans back in to give a proper kiss to her lips. She just hums in agreement just before they break the kiss.

"Nadia said that you saw him at the coffee shop?" Jay asks as they both look back down at the picture once again.

"Yeah. He was saying that he's been trying to get ahold of me for weeks. And when I ignored him, he followed us out and grabbed my arm." She tells him, causing the tension in his shoulders to return.

"I'm fine. All I had to do was yell at him to let me go and he did." She assures him and he grins proudly at that.

"So he was acting like we wouldn't know his connection to the case? As if Bethany - if that's even her name - wouldn't have been telling them everything we were finding?" They come off as questions but he wasn't really asking and she understands that so she doesn't respond verbally. She just nods and he picks up on the instant shift in her mood.

"Hey." He says to her and she looks away from the desk and up at him once again.

"We're going to get them." He states and the look in her eyes tells him that she agrees.

Nadia walks back out and is relieved to see that both Jay and Erin seem less tense than they were just a few minutes ago. She sees both of them move to the side of the room where Erin puts down her belongings along with Jay's plate and coffee. She adverts her eyes when Jay kisses Erin's forehead - not missing the way Erin blushes with the sweet gesture.

The laptop in front of her gets opened and she watches the screen light up as the login page loads. She can hear the quiet conversation the other two people in the room are having but she's not sure what is being said - not that she'd want to eavesdrop. So, she focuses on entering in the username and password before changing it to something that she'll remember and is personalized to her.

"Huh. I'll be damned; she can type." He whispers but it earns him a glare from Erin.

"I told you she could type when you first brought that up. You didn't believe me?" She asks and he shrugs.

"I thought you agreed she'd be the best person for it. She's someone you know and can trust. Plus she needed and wanted to get out of that bar." Erin feels herself become a little defensive when it seems like he's questioning this decision.

"I do agree and I'm not second guessing this. I guess I still didn't know what to expect." He rebuttals and she rolls her eyes in an almost playful way just as the office phone rings.

"Livestock Commissioner Halstead's office, how can I help you?" Nadia answers in a sing-song voice on the first ring.

Impressed expressions spread across both Erin and Jay's faces when she places the person on hold on line one. And Erin raises an eyebrow with a smug grin dancing her lips as Nadia relays that information to them.

All he can do is nod and chuckle at the two women. He balances his breakfast and coffee in one hand and leans over to kiss Erin's temple once more before going into his office to pick up the call.

"See what'd I tell you? You got this Nads." Erin reassures and it coaxes a proud smile from the woman who's like a little sister to her.

"Thanks Erin." Nadia says back and then each of them set out to do their work. Erin opening up her own laptop and Nadia getting oriented with her new digs and tasks.


The three of them are all able to leave at the same time and Jay walks them to their car. But they stop short when they find that the back window of the mid-sized sedan has been broken with two large rocks having been thrown into it - causing the glass to shatter.

It both worries and angers all of them as they inform the police and contact the local auto body shop to get a new rear windshield ordered.

Once everything is squared away, Jay takes them back to the apartment.

"I think you should come stay with me." He tells them as he puts his truck in park.

"Both of you should - at least until we get these assholes." He adds and Nadia nods but to both of their surprise Erin seems hesitant as she looks down at her lap.

He reaches over and places two fingers under her chin, tapping them against her skin and that gets her to look up at him. No words are said between the two of them but Erin nods as if they just had an actual conversation.

They all get out of the truck and go up to the apartment. It's a quick in and out, the two women just needing to grab a week's worth of things before they're ready to go. The ride to the ranch is rather quiet the only noise coming from the radio during the short trip.

Jay shows Nadia to one of the guest rooms as Erin goes to start dinner. She zones out rather quickly as she begins sautéing the onions for the dish. And she jumps when she feels his muscular arms wrap around her from behind but she soon melts into his embrace - leaning back against him as her hand rests on top of his.

"You alright?" He murmurs against the skin of her neck.

"It's just a lot to process." She admits and she feels him nod his head.

"I'm just glad neither of us are alone in it." She tells him next as she presses a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"Me too." He whispers before pulling away, hearing Nadia approaching the kitchen.

After dinner, Jay sets up the TV and VCR pressing play on the old device and trying to decipher what tape is inside based off the previews that take over the screen. He shrugs when he can't figure it out and moves to sit on the couch. Nadia calls it a night not long after the movie starts and Erin moves over to cuddle into Jay's side once he comes back from turning off the lights. She falls asleep within a few minutes and he pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to cover her with. He debates with himself on whether or not he should take her up to his room as he turns both the TV and VCR off while he moves out from under her. Taking in her peaceful state he decides against moving her and slides a pillow under her head in place of his thigh. Then he bends down to kiss her forehead before moving back - smiling when he sees Poppy jump up and nestle her head into the crook of Erin's bent knees.

After brushing his teeth and stripping down to his boxer briefs - he goes to lay down in his bed. He's not sure how long he sits there, staring at the ceiling - thinking about going back down to the couch to cuddle with Erin before he hears the distinct clicking of his dog's nails against the hard wood floor and then he sees Poppy prance into the room.

"Why aren't you downstairs with our girl, Pop?" He asks as if the dog can answer and then the door creaks open a little more.

"We got cold." Erin whispers as she steps into the room.

"I covered you with the blanket and started a fire." He whispers back and she nods and even in the moonlit room he can see that she's biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah but that's not the same." She tells him and he wonders what she means by that.

"It's not the same as having you next to me." She shrugs and he nods in understanding.

He shrugs this time. "I wanted to bring you up here but I didn't want to assume you'd want the same."

She takes another step closer so she's no longer standing in the doorway anymore.

"I can assure you that cuddling up to and sleeping next to you are both things I've wanted since the last time I was here." She's admits boldly, but it also comes out a little mumbled letting him know just how unsure she is about the statement while also giving away how tired she is.

He doesn't say anything else - choosing instead to lift up the comforter to invite her onto his bed. She shimmies out of her pajama pants and crawls over to him. His hands let go of the comforter in order to grab onto her waist - moving her over his body so she's straddling his abdomen. His fingers move under her shirt and up her back before moving back down until his pinkies graze the top of her panties. She braces herself with one hand on either side of his head, bending her elbows just enough for her to lean down so their faces are just centimeters apart as her hair falls like curtains around them. She smiles down at him and he returns one to her just before he lifts his head up to kiss her and she moves in to deepen it, causing his head to fall back against the pillow. He squeezes her hips gently and begins teasing the hem of her shirt. His right thumb grazes a raised line on her skin - tracing along the scar he's not familiar with, letting him know it's new. He thinks about asking about it as she's moves away and takes the spot next to him. But he's too confused and doesn't dwell on it as they both let themselves calm - focusing on getting their breathing under control just for them to share one more gentle kiss before saying goodnight and letting the exhaustion consume them.

They only get about an hour or so of sleep before being woken up with a jolt as shots are fired just outside the cabin.


A/N: I think this fic is already nearing the end. I anticipated for it to be a lot longer - probably my longest fic to date because I love this AU but lack of interest/readers/reviews (I get it, I know more and more people are moving on) but it also means lack of motivation to write/share/update. Hopefully I'll get out of this funk in the new year but I just wanted to let those of you still following along know that there's that possibility that it'll be wrapped up before I originally planned for. Thanks to those still reading and leaving nice reviews. I hope you all have a great week and Happy Holidays!