Letty wasn't quite sure of why she let the girl come without protest. She decided it was because she didn't want to turn down the opportunity of a friend. Actually, she kind of liked her. Lindsay was sweet and cheery like Mia, but she was also firm and straight-forward like her. By quarter 'til six, she had the set of keys to her new house. It wasn't huge, but it was more than big enough for her. She knew Dom would be furious for her taking a chunk of the cash from the last heist, but she figured he would get over it; she earned that money too. Lindsay had helped talk Mary Fay into six hundred a month; not bad for a fully furnished house on a month to month lease.

By the time they had finished taking off all the dusty, white sheets, rearranging the furniture, and bringing in Letty's things, the sun had set. They sat out on the front porch, trying to cool off. "I think we need to go out and celebrate," Lindsay announced.

Letty laughed, "I think I'll pass on this one."

"No," Lindsay whined and attempted to put on her best puppy dog eyes, "You have to come out and have some fun. It would be good for you to let loose a little."

"You think so?"

"Girl, from the way you looked when you slumped into that barstool earlier, you deserve to have some fun." Nodding her head in reluctant agreement, Letty stood and announced she was going to shower.

"Okay, hun, I'll finish putting the dishes in the cabinets." Half an hour later, both girls, freshly showered, stood in front of the bathroom mirror applying their make-up. Truthfully, Letty wanted nothing more than to curl up on the dusty, old sofa and cry herself to sleep. On the other hand, she was glad Lindsay was not about to let her wallow in self-pity. And it was true, she'd been down for too long; it was time for her to have some fun. Lindsay, discovering she was the same size as Letty, had borrowed a frayed denim mini and a red halter. Rummaging through Letty's jewelry box, Lindsay pulled out some earrings followed by a pair of dog tags.

"Were you in the military?" she asked quizzically.

"No," Letty cried, snatching them from her hand.

"Sorry," Lindsay answered with wide eyes.

"My bad," Letty apologized quickly, "It's just that they're special."

She had taken them off the morning she had left, wanting to hide the name from her eye: Torretto, Dominic A. He'd given them to her the day he got home. Six months in the military, and Dom was allowed to come home on leave. He was so excited to be home for Tony's big race in Palm Dale. He was dishonorable discharged after he nearly beat Linder to death. She'd never forget the fear in his eyes as he stared out the back of the squad car. She'd never forget her own eyes mirroring that fear.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she finished pulling on her jeans and black T-shirt and headed downstairs, where Lindsay had vanished to. Neither of them said anything as they got into the Nissan. By the time they reached the parking lot of the little honkey-tonk, both were all smiles, though.

Letty felt somewhat out of place in the smoky, little bar. Lindsay kept exchanging greetings with other people, smiling, laughing, and introducing Letty. She was swept away quickly, though, and this left Letty standing against the back wall, quietly sipping her Corona. People looked over at her curiously, but she expected it from people who had known every other person in the town their whole lives; she was a newcomer, of which, there weren't many. But no one bothered her, just smiled politely and moved on. "Now, how come you're sitting over here all by your lonesome, darlin'?" A sweet southern voice asked with a smile. She turned to look at the man who had come to stand next to her. He was tall, his dark brown eyes hooded by the rim of a white cowboy hat.

"I didn't know people in Texas really wore cowboy hats," she laughed, sipping her beer.

"Ah, ya see," he smiled, "We never used to, but with the stereotypes and all, we figured we might as well please the tourists."

"From the way people are looking at me, I wouldn't think you got many of those."

"Nah, they don't mean no harm," he replied, "They just like to think they have to keep tabs on everyone. Name's Lance." He extended his hand. She shook it, his large, calloused hand enveloping her own.

"Letty," she smiled, "So, Lance, are you like a real cowboy?" She asked, twirling her hand in the air to mimic a lasso.

"I'm a cowboy-hat-wearing-big-belt-buckle-horse-riding-cattle-roping Texan, if that's what you mean." She laughed, enjoying the way he poked fun at himself. "What about you?"

"I guess I'm a tough-in-your-face-car-racing-Californian," she giggled, finishing off her beer.

"Pfft. So cliché." She almost snorted out the remainder of her Corona but managed to keep the liquid down as she erupted into laughter. "How 'bout a dance?" he offered, putting out his hand.

"To this?" she waved a hand in the air, signaling to the blaring country music.

"Unless you think you can't," he shrugged.

"Come on," she laughed, "I've seen Urban Cowboy. Two-stepping can't be too hard." Surprisingly, Letty caught on pretty quickly, and soon, the two were gliding around the dance floor. Letting her worries go, she allowed herself to be spun around, laughing as she almost tripped.

"See," Lance smiled as he led them in quick circles, "And I thought Californians couldn't two-step." Letty laughed, allowing herself to be dipped dramatically and then flung out into the crowd. He drew her back in and they continued to rock to and fro to the fast beat of the music. She had to admit, Lindsay was right, she was having fun. Speaking of Lindsay, she saw her blond hair across the room, laughing and throwing darts with two other girls and another guy. As the song wound down, she thanked Lance for the dance.

"My pleasure," he smiled and kissed her hand before turning and heading to the bar. With a smile, Letty joined the group huddled in the back corner of the room.

"Hey, Letty!" Lindsay beamed, "Guys, this is Letty. Letty this is Benny, Cindy, and Jodi." Benny was a tall guy in dusty jeans and a baseball cap, Cindy had bright red hair an infectious smile, and Jodi had short dark hair flattened under a cowgirl hat. Letty shook hands with all of them, and before she knew it, she was coming in second in their mini darts tournament. They were all a lot of fun, and Letty was laughing and cutting lose. Three rounds of tequila, four Coronas, and three line dances later, Letty was fumbling through the bartender's phonebook trying to find the number of a cab company. "Need some help?" Lance asked, sitting down at the bar.

"Can you help me find a cab company?" she slurred with a smile. It was nice not to be angry for once when she was drunk. Every other time she drank, she got pissed off about something. Dom, racer skanks, anything would set her off, but she was determined not to let thoughts of Dom ruin her evening.

"I can give you a ride home," he offered. Letty raised a suspicious eyebrow. "No, really," he raised his hands in innocence, "I'll drop you off at your door and be on my way home. Scouts' honor." With a laugh, she nodded in acceptance.

"Hey Lindsay," she hollered over at Lindsay, who was caught in an epic battle of thumb war with Benny, "Lance's gonna take me home."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she laughed and resumed her vain attempt to wrestle Benny's thumb down.

"C'mon," Lance laughed, pulling her up and out of the bar. He helped her into the passenger side of his pick-up and climbed in behind the wheel. "So what brings ya to our neck of the woods?" he asked, steering the truck out of the parking lot.

"That's a weird saying for two reasons. One, there are no woods around here, and two, what exactly is the "neck" of the woods, and how do you get to it? I mean, what if you end up in the throat of the woods?"

"All right, you've got a point. Well, what brings you to Henderson, then?" Letty felt a roll of nausea hit her as they stopped for a red light.

"I just couldn't handle my life anymore, so I decided to change it."

"Fair enough," he replied, continuing through the empty intersection as the light changed to green. "Well, it seems like things might get a little more interesting with someone new in the mix." She didn't answer, just placed her burning forehead against the cool glass of the window. After what seemed like hours, Lance pulled the truck to a halt outside of her little home. Stepping out, he walked around and opened her door for her. When was the last time Dom had done that?

"Whoa," he laughed as she collapsed against him, trying to find footing against the asphalt. "You gonna make it?"

"Yeah," she groaned, hating her taste for liquor at the moment. He helped her hobble up the little gravel path, and she leaned against him for support as she dug in her pockets for her keys. Maybe she should start carrying a purse; at least then her pockets wouldn't be full of shit all the time. Finally finding the little key ring, she pulled it free and squinted to find the keyhole.

"Here," Lance laughed as he took the key and opened the door.

"Thanks," she smiled dopily as she headed inside. One step, two step, thud. She landed in a heap across the runner in the hall, so Lance obliged to help her upstairs and into bed. As her head lulled on his shoulders as they climbed each step precariously, she caught the scent of musky cologne and leather. Finally, they reached her bedroom, and he helped her lie down across the puffy comforter.

"Well, Miss Letty," he smiled as he removed her boots, "It certainly was a pleasure dancing with you. I hope I'll get to see more of you." And with that, he turned and left the room. She heard the pick-up rumble to life, but she was asleep by the time he pulled away.