Please don't haze me! I'm sorry it's taken me so long, and I know I promised last time that I had the next few chapters written in my head... but this time I actually do have plans. In fact, I plan on getting started on the next chapter as soon as this is posted! How's that sound?

Thank you all for your patience and dedication to this story. Now that I finished Switch (pending a sequel), I plan on getting this one and RMW going again and finished!

I would suggest re-reading the last couple chapters over again if it's not fresh in your mind.

I appreciate the subs/favs/reviews/alerts! Thank you so much!

xxxxx

The fast walk and the way her body was swaying from side to side was oddly comforting, given the situation. She wanted to make the horse go faster, but she knew that she didn't have the balance nor talent to be able to hold on, and the last thing she needed was to take a tumble and possibly hurt herself during her quest to find her love.

Naomi really wished that she could just let her mind rest. She couldn't though. There were too many unanswered questions, and they weren't all directed toward Emily. They were about her though, or at least had something to do with her.

The secrets that Jenna Fitch were holding were causing Emily pain, which meant that Naomi wanted to get to the bottom of them. She didn't know what the Mother Fitch was hiding, she didn't really care, but she did care about the red head. Why did it seem like there was a conspiracy surrounding the death of Rain? Why was Jenna not being forthcoming with the information and events that happened that day? It really shouldn't be Naomi's problem and the fact that it is... is a bit unnerving for her.

Her mind quickly moved to the next subject. Emily. Her beautiful, beautiful, Emily.

She sighed.

She could see red hair flashing in her vision, but Naomi soon realized it was just a mirage. She was being too hopeful.

Her hope, though, was starting to thin out. The further she got from the barn and into the vast pasture and surrounding area, the less confident she felt about actually finding Emily.

"Whoa," Naomi said softly as she pulled back on the reins.

Sir Paint stopped as he was instructed. The stallion pranced slightly to the side as if he was trying to tell his rider that he was listening, but that he didn't want to do so. His head was moving up and down and he was snorting.

"What is it, boy?"

Naomi could hear the stallion paw the ground with his hoof a few times, but the blonde had no idea what that meant. It wasn't as if she could read the animal like her red headed goddess could. She didn't have that connection to the animal kingdom like Emily did. Frustration was starting to mount within her, and she let a mix between a groan and a growl rip from deep within her. The blond tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down, but it wasn't helping.

Low dark clouds started to roll in, like a blanket of charcoal atop her. She shivered against the cold. Blue eyes looked around seeing no sign of Emily or Thunder. It was time to give up.

"Okay Sir Paint, let's go back to the stables," Naomi said aloud, feeling rather foolish for talking to the horse. She pulled the reins to the right to turn back, but was met with resistance. "C'mon boy," she said, tugging harder on the leather straps, but again the stallion wouldn't turn. "Sir Paint!" Naomi said louder and more insistently.

"Fucking..."

She wasn't able to finish her sentence before she was forced to grasp onto the saddle horn as the equine below her started to move off to the left in a trot. Naomi's body was bouncing up and down in the saddle awkwardly, and it took everything she had not to lose her balance.

With all her attention on staying in the saddle she didn't see the red head standing in the waist high yellow grass.

"Naomi?" A trembling soft voice said.

Azure pools looked up just as she lost her balance, tumbling to the ground and rolling to a stop.

"Christ, Naomi!" Emily called out as she ran over to the fallen blonde.

Naomi sat up so quickly that she felt a bit faint. Adrenaline was flowing through her. It felt amazing and confusing all at the same time. She clambered to her feet just in time for the red head to grab onto her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

In honesty, the blonde had no idea if she was alright or not, nor did she care. The only thing she could think about was the fact that Emily was here, stood in front of her. She didn't waste any time in grasping Emily's cheeks and pulling their heads together to connect their lips.

Ice and fire soon filled her.

Emily was stunned for a few moments before she let herself melt into the woman before her. It felt good. She had had enough time to calm down and the anger had long since evaporated from her. "I'm so sorry," she muttered between kisses.

"It's okay," Naomi whispered into her red head's mouth. Naomi could have stayed there all day and night, but when she started to feel drops of water soaking into her clothes, she regrettably pulled away. Emily tried to hold her tighter and the blonde laughed slightly. "Ems, it's going to start pissing rain, plus I think we should talk about what happened... I... I don't ever want that to happen again, okay?"

Emily sighed and nodded her head, but soon a seductively sinister smirk passed over her delicate, damp features. "We don't have to go far..." her husky sweet voice whispered.

"Huh?" Naomi intelligently responded as she felt a hand pulling her in the direction of some trees. "Um... where are you taking me?"

"You'll see," Emily replied excitedly as she walked quicker through the trees, still pulling Naomi along behind her.

Naomi didn't like going into something not knowing, it caused her hackles to rise defensively. Before she could inform Emily of this fact, she turned a corner and they walked through a small wooden door. Her eyes glanced around the small log shack to see a small single bed and candles sat on a small table next to it. The scent of smoke invaded her nostrils and she scrunched up her nose.

"Sorry, if I'd known you were coming I wouldn't have bothered blowing them out," Emily noted as she closed the door and turned back toward Naomi. She grabbed a lighter on the table and started to spark up the various wicks. There weren't a ton, but a good eight or nine of them, and Emily lit them fairly quickly.

Naomi couldn't help the smile on her face as she walked to the small bed and sat down. Emily followed soon after and plopped down her chocolate gaze finding the fine lines of the blonde's jaw and neck, and she couldn't help but lick her lips.

"Ems..." Naomi said gently as Emily was leaning in toward her, which caused her to promptly stop.

"Yes?" Emily stated cautiously.

"What... what did I do... to make you so angry?"

Emily didn't immediately reply, which made Naomi extremely nervous. Her neck twisted to let her look into her lover's eyes, trying to coax a response out of her. It didn't work though, and she really didn't want to have to wrestle it out of her anyway. Instead, she let the silence descend around them. It wasn't altogether uncomfortable, but Naomi wanted answers and with the rain increasing, she was positive that they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. She could be patient, or at least try to be. It was never her strong suit, but she could give it a go for Emily.

The red head still didn't say anything, but she twisted her body and laid her head down on Naomi's lap. Subconsciously Naomi started to run her fingers through the vibrant red hair. Emily felt comforted and her body relaxed.

"It was stupid of me, really," Emily said as she brushed her lips against Naomi's clothed thigh.

Naomi stayed quiet, figuring that there was more that her lover would say.

"I just..." Emily audibly sighed, "... I'm not use to losing control like that. I'm so... I've been a bit of a control freak my whole life and when I... in the tack room... Naomi... I..."

Naomi spoke softly, "Emily, I understand."

Emily immediately turned over her gaze looking up to the blonde, "you... you do?"

Naomi nodded her head. "Yeah, Emsy. I know exactly how you feel. I mean, different yet the same."

"What?"

A laugh brewed from the blonde and she adjusted herself to lie back on the small bed which prompted Emily to crawl up to snuggle into her side. "I've done a lot of... questionable... things in my life, but I was always in control of what was going on. I always had a plan. I always knew what outcome I was going for. I didn't like having to improvise, but I did if the situation arose. Emily, you throw me so off balance in the most delicious way possible. It's... this... us... it's terrifying to let go and let someone else, let you, take control. But Ems... I need to have control over us sometimes too."

Emily was in her own mind, reflecting silently on what Naomi had said. So she did understand. She needed to give up being in charge sometimes. "Okay," she whispered.

The blonde felt that maybe she had said something wrong and her walls began to erect. Blue eyes stared at the ceiling of the little hut. The rain had increased and Naomi could imagine what it looked outside based on the pinging of water on the roof. Usually something like that would calm her and she would close her eyes and listen to it.

"Naomi..." Emily said, her voice so small and vulnerable that it nearly broke through the new walls that Naomi had just put up, but not quite.

"Yes," she said shortly. She regretted it as soon as it left her mouth, but she couldn't take it back.

Again Emily was soundless until she pulled away from Naomi. She reached under the bed to retrieve a small photo album. She started to flip through it, her eyes looking through it quickly.

"What do you have there?" Naomi asked curiously as she sat up and looked over Emily's shoulder. Her gaze took in the pictures on the current page. They all had to do with a rodeo and riding, but Naomi didn't recognize the people in them. Katie and Emily definitely weren't in any of them and neither was James.

Emily pointed to one of the young women's faces and spoke softly, "That's my mum."

Naomi's eyes opened wide as she recognized a much younger Jenna. Time had been fairly good to Mama Fitch. Her hair was long and dark and she wore a white cowgirl hat, and actually, she was rather beautiful. It wasn't just Jenna that she noticed, though, she saw the woman standing right next to her in the photo. The other woman's hair was shorter, probably about chin-length and blond.

At first it didn't seem strange at all that Jenna was stood next to this blonde girl, they probably were friends and competed together. The further they got in the album, the more she realized that whenever there was a picture of Jenna, the unknown blonde was close to her. It wasn't until the second to last page when Naomi put her hand on the page.

"What?" Emily asked as her head turned halfway to speak over her shoulder. Emily looked down to the picture. It didn't seem odd at all. Her mum was stood there holding the reins of her mare in one hand and a blue, first place ribbon in the other with a huge smile on her face.

Naomi moved her finger to the side of the picture where the blonde was almost cut out of the picture. She was mid-step, but that wasn't the interesting part. "Look at her face, Ems. Where is she looking, and what kind of look do you suppose that is?"

Chocolate browns moved to the edge of the photo and she took in the woman. She had her bottom lip tucked neatly under her tooth and her gaze was unmistakeably glued to Jenna's skin-tight jeans-covered arse. "Whaaaa...? Is she... Naoms... am I seeing things?"

"Nope, babe, that would be her eye-fucking your mum," she said with a laugh.

"Do you think mum knew?" Emily asked as she turned around fully to face Naomi.

A shrug lifted the blonde's shoulders, "Not sure. Where did you get this?" she asked as she pointed to the album.

"Oh, I found it in a box in the stable closet," Emily replied as she turned the page.

"Oh... I think your mum knew, alright," Naomi stated as she stared down at the next page.

xxxxx

Oh, a bit of a cliff-hanger. Sorry about that.

Let me know what you think, and feel free to give me a bit of crap for taking so long to update.

Of course, if you haven't already... you can always check out my other fics if you haven't already (yes, that was a shameless self-plug)!