"Guess I'm going to have to wean her off honey now," Sam said as they put Tempest back in her pasture after lunch that afternoon.

"Won't be too hard," Jake shrugged, "The key is for her to associate the bit with good things."

"Face it, you spoil horses," Sam teased, heading for Ace's stall. Wyatt had asked them to check the fences, and the best way was on horseback.

"Says the peppermint princess," Jake scoffed. Sam smiled and pulled the very object out of her pocket. The noise of the wrapper made Ace poke his head over his door.

"He loves me," Sam sighed, stroking her pony's velvet nose. Jake shook his head.

"Some love, reinforced by candy," he said, opening the stall where he kept Witch. The black mare truly did love him, and she proved it by not allowing anyone else to touch her without a swift bite or kick. He stroked her neck quietly for a moment and was surprised when Sam appeared next to him in Witch's stall.

"I don't need candy for every horse you know," She said and walked up to Witch. Jake tensed, ready to pull Sam out of harms way, but the ornery mare didn't flinch. Sam scratched her black withers and Witch turned to nudge Sam gently.

"Who do you think rode her while you were at school?" Sam shrugged.

Jake struggled to mask his surprise. He knew Witch had been kept in shape, but he assumed his brothers lunged her or possibly even attempted to ride her. He didn't think that Sam would take her on. He was even more surprised at how kind Witch was towards his friend.

"She wouldn't let anyone else near her." Sam explained, "I'm sorry, I hope it's alright."

Jake shook himself out of shock, "No, its fine. Its good, I just can't believe she let you near her."

Sam shrugged, "I guess she knew me pretty well. I had to work a little bit to actually make her like me. I wore that old track sweatshirt you gave me, and I think it helped because it still smells like you…"

Sam seemed to realize she was saying too much, because she blushed bright red and excused herself to tack up Ace. Jake couldn't help the giddy feeling that erupted into a grin at the thought of her wearing his sweatshirt and winning over his mare. He had the sudden urge to never leave Riverbend again and stay by Sam's side as long as possible. It wasn't such a bad idea, he thought.

"You going to tack that horse, or check fences on foot?" Sam called from the stable entrance.

A few minutes later Jake met Sam out in the yard with a fully tacked Witch. They swung up and jogged off in the direction of the north pasture. Jake noticed Sam was biting her lip and decided to break the awkward silence.

"So how often do you wear my sweatshirt?" He asked, and Sam's jaw dropped. She was not used to him being so forward. He just smiled.

"Well this is the desert, I don't need it in the heat."

"It can get cool at night." He countered. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Why do you want to know? You did give it to me, its mine." She pushed Ace into a faster jog to keep up with Witch.

"Why do you wear it?" He asked, and now his tone was serious. He was actually curious about the answer to his question, and slightly nervous too.

"Well it helps Witch…" She said, and Jake felt a twinge of disappointment.

"I see." He said, looking down at the fence he was supposed to be inspecting as they rode. He had already bared too much and being vulnerable was not something he made a habit of. He heard Sam exhale loudly but didn't trust himself to look back. They continued in silence for another half hour, not finding any breaks in the ratchet wire, until they came upon the La Charla.

"Let's let the horses have a drink and rest," Sam said, dismounting next to a Joshua tree and letting Ace enjoy the fresh water. Jake followed suit and joined her under the tree, still silent and not trusting himself to speak.

"Jake," Sam said, not looking at him but staring at her hands as she wrung them together, "Witch wasn't happy when you left. She got even more angry, if possible and wouldn't even let your brothers bring her in the barn."

Jake raised his eyebrows. No one had told him about Witch's behavior. They probably didn't want him dropping everything at school over a horse, which he might have done had he known.

"I knew you wouldn't want her to continue like that, so I made it a priority to help her," Sam said, holding up her hand when he tried to thank her, or possibly scold her for involving herself with a rogue mare, "I knew how she was feeling, you going to college was hard for everyone, but she couldn't understand where you were or that you would come back."

Jake nodded. His heart had jumped when Sam admitted to empathizing with his mare.

"The sweatshirt did remind Witch of you, and when I realized that I used it to help her bond with me," Sam took a deep breath and glanced at him, "But that's not why I was wearing it in the first place. I probably wear that thing every night. I started wearing it in September after my first cattle drive without you. It's so big on me, but it comforts me. It makes me feel safe. Kind of like you do."

Sam wasn't blushing, but she was desperately blinking back the tears that had sprung to her eyes. Jake's heart was pounding now, but he hardly noticed. He was focused on the red head next to him, silently begging her to continue.

"So if you were wondering why I wear it, its because I missed you. I missed you a lot and I think its because I'm a lot more attached to you than I realized. I guess I'm like Witch in that way." She smiled a little and glanced at him again.

Jake didn't even try to hide his emotions now. He was sad, because he had made her unhappy, but he couldn't ignore the thrill he felt when she admitted her attachment to him. He just hoped it was the same kind of attachment he had to her, one of more than just friendship.

Sam looked up at Jake after her confession. She hadn't exactly spilled all her feelings, but she knew Jake could figure it out. His usual stone-faced expression was gone, and in its place she saw everything. He was surprised, he was proud, he was happy, and he was even a little sad. His deep brown eyes found hers and he shook his head, his mouth slightly open with unsaid thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Sam said quickly, brushing her hands off on her jeans and standing up, "I didn't mean to unload on you. Just answering your question."

She started to walk towards Ace when she felt Jake catch her arm and pull her back to him. He caught her off guard and she ended up stumbling into his chest. Jake didn't seem to mind and grasped her by her upper arms. When she looked up at him her stomach gave a flip as she saw the spark in his deep brown eyes.

"Just give me a second, Samantha, will you?" He said, though his tone was softer than usual, so she didn't argue. She rarely argued when he used her full name. He didn't remove his hold on her arms.

"Sam, I missed you too," He began, his eyes holding her steady, "A lot. And I didn't have a sweatshirt, but I did have that drawing of Blackie you gave me. I put it on the back of my door so every time I left I knew I was that much closer to seeing you again."

Sam's eyes were wide, but there was a hint of a smile forming on her face. Jake slid his hands down her arms, giving her goose bumps, to take her hands.

"I missed Witch, but it was you who I thought about everyday," he said, and Sam was amazed Jake Ely, man of few words, was even still speaking, "You've always been my Sam."

Tears leaked from Sam's eyes unbidden as she took a quick breath. Jake was still holding her hands and his mustang eyes were alive with passion.

"So what does that mean, Jake?" She asked quietly. The butterflies stirred in her stomach, but she had to know. The feelings that she had for Jake that had been locked in her heart for so long were screaming to get out, but she waited with bated breath for him to confirm her hope.

Jake stared down at her for a moment and Sam was suddenly worried he would revert to his shy cowboy self and clam up. But instead of his hand shooting to the back of his neck he squeezed hers tighter. Instead of looking down at his scuffed boots he held her gaze. College had done him some good, Sam couldn't help thinking.

"I guess it means I'm pretty attached to you too, Brat," He said softly. Sam felt a twinge of disappointment, although she couldn't blame him when she had used the same vague words to describe her feelings. But Jake, for once, wasn't done talking.

"And I don't mean attached like 'stuck like glue'," He repeated his old protective mantra, "I mean, heck Sam, I've always loved you like my own sibling, but they aren't half as pretty and sure don't give me nerves like you have a way of doing. You drive me crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way. Seems I can't help falling for you as much as you can't help falling off that crazy horse of yours."

Sam didn't bother taking the time to ask which horse or even take offense at his comment. Her brain was too busy processing the fact that Jacob Ely had just admitted to falling in love with her. He had even said the word 'love' somewhere in that multi-worded confession, which had Sam's eyes as big as the moon. She had to take a deep breath before she even considered responding.

Jake waited patiently for her reaction. He hadn't meant to come right out and tell her he loved her, he didn't even know that's what he felt until this moment. He was thankful he hadn't strung those exact three words together quite yet, but there was something about Sam that broke through all of his reservations.

Sam seemed to have collected herself after her initial shock and Jake was suddenly nervous at what she might have to say. He was about to start kicking himself for saying so much when Sam grinned.

"Seems you can't keep me from falling off that horse as much as you can't keep me from loving you Jacob Ely."

Looking back on that moment, Jake would later regret not pulling Sam to him and kissing her immediately. Instead he had to replay what she had just said in his mind to be sure he had heard her correctly. His heart was pounding wildly as he tugged her closer.

"Sam I…"

CRASH

There were days Jake really hated that horse.