Here's the latest installment of the FF story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and the feedback!

Matt got off of the phone with Christina, frustrated that she had hung up on him. She had called him earlier when he had been unpacking his bags in his uncle's house after having driven in all the way from Houston the previous day. After checking his voice mail, he had tried to return her call. He had flown in a couple of days earlier from L.A. and had stayed with some friends from his years at Rice University and they had painted the town red. Mostly them because after all, Matt had been in a serious relationship with Christina for over a year and they weren't engaged or anything but he had been thinking about it. He did some drinking and some pool playing with his buddies but not so much carousing.

She of course still flew around the world on modeling gigs and he had begun setting up his own company in the golden state of California. What had been called for years, the Promised Land filled with new opportunities for those brave enough to venture there. Matt loved his adopted state, not as much as Texas of course but he had bought a small building to house the offices of his new business, which he felt pretty sure would became a major force in the economic world. At least enough for his father to notice that his only son had been a chip off the old block at least in that regard. Even if they were so different in many other ways, they both had been blessed with plenty of business acumen and drive.

When Christina didn't travel for work, they shared a rented house in Beverly Hills. He didn't like it very much but it suited him fine because he spent most of his time working and trying to seek clients. And when he wasn't doing that, he had been attending physical therapy to more fully recover from his injuries he had suffered during his military stint. His leg didn't bother him much anymore, didn't get stiff hours after exertion. He had as always kept himself in top physical condition running and swimming and lifting weights in a small gym inside his house. The limp that had defined him in the past six months grew less and less noticeable with each passing day. Certainly much so than the last time he had dropped in on Wild Fork for Will's memorial service some months ago. Some stormy days those had been, he recalled but he had begun to come to terms with his cousin's loss and his own feelings of guilt. If it hadn't been for the tough love C.J. had thrown at him, he didn't know if he'd have made it.

He had left the fledgling business and the house in L.A. to come back out to Texas to come out to talk some sense into C.J. because he really wanted her to help him build his company. She had the legal eagle diploma and skills and the same work and play ethic he did. But lately she hadn't been answering his emails or phone calls. So he had decided to take the more direct approach.

Christina hadn't been too happy about that. He realized not for the first time that she had never really warmed to his best friend. Never did anything like accuse him of sleeping with her or anything but he could see the question in her eyes when C.J.'s name came up in conversation. He had heard from his uncle that she still lived in his guest house after quitting her job with Jack. That had stunned him when he had first heard it because pursuing criminal law had always been her dream. But she had quit and hadn't gotten a job anywhere else at least not in the legal field since Will's funeral.

He had called Alexis when he first arrived in Houston to ask her questions about C.J. and Alexis hadn't seemed all that happy to hear from him or to talk about someone Matt had assumed was one of her closest friends. Her voice had been tight and her words carefully chosen but he could sense the tension on the other end of the line.

She hadn't told him much just that she saw C.J. from time to time working as a waitress at the Wrangler after she had quit working with Jack. Nadine had resented her taking a job at her hangout spot and had tried to pick fights with her on several occasions but C.J. didn't bite. She just served drinks, waited tables and did her job there during the nights she worked.

Matt didn't like her working there but knew he didn't have much to say about it. If he tried to push her to do one thing, she would push back just as hard. He had learned quickly enough not to try that with her again when they'd both been younger. That lesson had stuck with him until he made the same mistake several months ago while staying on at the ranch after they buried the empty coffin in memory of his cousin. This job with the Wrangler though had thrown him through a loop given that she hadn't even liked to hang there while growing up.

But she had been working there he thought until last night when he met up with an old friend to shoot some pool there and he had seen C.J. Not dressed like a waitress at least which accentuated women's more physical attributes. He had started to head straight toward her to talk to her about her job but she had already seen him coming. She had stood in his path, arms folded and before he could even slip a word out, she had hers ready.

"If you're coming here to talk me out of working here, you're too late."

That surprised him and he raised his brows.

"Yes, you heard me," she continued, "I've already quit and I'm picking up my last paycheck."

He started to follow her to the manager's office.

"That's…great…"

She turned to face him.

"Is it really," she said, "Because you don't think I should be earning money with my body instead of my brains?"

"I never said that C.J."

She sighed, as they waited outside for the manager to come and cut her loose with her check.

"But you thought it," she said, "I can read it in your eyes right now and you just got here…what a few hours ago?"

"I was in Houston for a couple of days."

"Hanging out with your friends," she asked, "and not your girlfriend who's back in L.A."

"She's away on a modeling job…"

"Does she know why you're here?"

He nodded.

She folded her arms again; boy he could see she really had a chip on her shoulder and eyes that could kill a man. Did that come from the short time she had spent working at this watering hole slapping the hands of men who tried to grab or touch her as she worked? Was it something else? He just knew he had looked straight at his best friend and didn't recognize her.

"C.J…"

"I've…Ron let me in to get my check," she said, hitting the door again, "Listen, you really don't have the right to tell me where to work…"

"But you quit that job with Jack."

She hid her face even while she looked at him.

"Yes I did," she said, "Like I told you, It wasn't what I really wanted."

"Since when?"

She didn't answer that question and he didn't know if she would but then, Ron had answered the door and had gestured her to come inside. Matt followed and Ron sized him up.

"You're not going to cause any more trouble," he asked, "Because I just bought a new rack of cue sticks."

Matt shook his head.

"Just here with the lady to make sure you don't stiff her."

C.J. responded to that by rolling her eyes as Ron filled out the ledger and then gave it to her to sign before handing her check to her.

"We've enjoyed having you C.J.," he said, "If you ever change your mind…"

Matt looked over at C.J. but she was already out the door with her money.

"Later," was all she said.

He followed her out of the office as she prepared to leave the Wrangler.

"So what are you going to do now," he said.

"I'm already working on your uncle's ranch," she said, "Breaking and training yearlings."

Roy had told him that when he had arrived at the house, that she still lived with him in the guest house. That he wouldn't have been able to do all the work on the ranch without her. He felt that it had been good for her too and that he hoped Matt wouldn't get into arguments with her like the last time about what she was doing with her life. Matt said he would try his best but…

"What about your legal education?"

The one she had dreamed about most of the life he had known her and that she had slaved hard and sacrificed for three years before returning here.

She had this faraway look in her eyes.

"Maybe later…"

Then she walked away.

A day later and somewhat wiser, Matt thought about what she had given up but had decided if she didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't force her. He had woken up bright and early and had put on some shorts and a tee-shirt before heading out on a run around his uncle's spread. The sunlight reflected off of the nearby river which thread through the ranches and provided some of the irrigation, even as he felt the air begin to heat up. Back in L.A. he usually ran about eight miles and his legs had grown strong through his regimen. The countryside was much more beautiful here remaining immune to the summer's heat, an oasis and he marveled in its stillness.

Suddenly, some hoof beats disturbed it and he looked up to see C.J. riding a buckskin horse from across the field. Her hands on the horse's neck buried beneath its mane as the horse galloped toward the fence. It stopped just short and she dismounted swiftly to inspect a part of the fence just ahead of him. She hadn't seen him and had been intent on her work as she ran her hands over the worn wood, her face furrowed in concentration as he arrived. When she first saw him, a look of surprise mixed with wariness crossed her face but she tried to hide it. He walked up to the fence and placed his arms on it, leaning a bit as he watched her.

"You were up busy this morning," he noted.

She kept looking critically at the fence.

"I think it needs another nail or two."

"I think my uncle needs a new fence."

She tilted her head.

"That's a bit extreme, not to mention expensive."

Matt shrugged.

"He's got the money," he said, "He could build acres of new fences."

C.J. knew that was probably true but that Roy would patch up the fence first to extend the years of its usefulness.

"You know Houston, you were once more banged up than this fence," she said, "but they patched you up rather than replaced you with a newer model."

"Maybe," he said, carefully, "but it's just a fence we're talking about right?"

She softened her stance a little bit then and he didn't know but he might have seen a trace of a smile. Something he hadn't seen there that often lately.

"Careful, I saw that smile."

She resumed examining the fence.

"I think a nail or two…"

He reached for her hand then and she looked at him startled and then she pulled it away.

"What are you doing," she asked.

"I want to talk to you about last night," he said.

She did smile then.

"Careful Houston," she said, "A statement like that might get you into trouble."

"Why were you working there," he asked.

She looked at him directly.

"I needed the job," she said, "My uncle's estate left more taxes than anything else."

"He didn't own much of value."

"Only those boxes of photos of his dead family," she said, "He'd really died a long time ago."

"But you had the job with Jack."

She sighed.

"We've gone over that already," she said, "I quit, end of story and besides your uncle hired me and gave me a place to stay. He's been really great."

His eyes narrowed.

"What about your place?"

She rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"It wasn't the place I wanted it to be and I think your uncle needed the company ever since..."

Matt's Aunt Flo had left his uncle to spend some time in a mental health facility. It wasn't goodbye just that she had been struggling to come to terms with Will's death just like Roy had and needed professional help that none of them could offer.

"My uncle's been handling things okay?"

She read the concern in his eyes and the timbre in his voice.

"He's been doing the best he can," she said, "He visits her when she can handle it. He takes good care of her garden and her favorite horse in her absence."

"He was a company man for a long time," Matt said, "It's been hard enough for him to adjust as it is, and then to lose Will…then his wife."

This time she reached out to rest her hand on his while it sat on the fence rail. He looked at her suddenly, but she didn't meet his gaze.

"We help each other Houston," she said, "and we've are getting another batch of yearlings ready for the auction."

He nodded.

"They look impressive."

She smiled, and this time it filled her eyes.

"The best I've ever seen," she said, "Roy has a very good eye for horse flesh."

"He always did," Matt said, "I think my father envied him for that."

Matt's father and uncle still weren't on speaking terms even though they'd lived on ranches several miles apart for years until Matt's father sold his ranch and moved.

"Have you heard from him?"

Matt stroked his chin.

"He's in Europe, Germany last time I heard from him," he said, "He still wants me to come work for him."

"That's natural Houston," she said, "You're his only son and he wanted to pass along the empire he built to you."

"Even if I don't want it."

Her demeanor softened some more.

"You don't have to accept it," she said, "but there's nothing wrong with thanking him for thinking of you and your future."

"I'm creating my own future…in L.A."

"I know…I read your emails," she said, "You and Christina are building quite a life for yourselves."

He looked doubtful.

"She didn't want me to come here."

C.J. didn't look surprised.

"Why?"

He paused a while before answering.

"She thinks there's still something going on between us."

C.J. reacted.

"But that was over and done with before she even met up with you again," she said, "Surely you explained that to her."

He paused again.

"You did tell her we never had that kind of relationship."

"I never told her about the weekend we spent together," he said, "That's something that we shared between the two of us."

C.J. did understand, after all she didn't tell many people that she had slept with him either. Julia had figured it out and it just never had come up with her other boyfriends.

"Really…"

He looked serious.

"Yeah really."

Suddenly they heard the squeal of tires and a convertible stop next to them. C.J. and Matt looked over and saw Nadine sitting shotgun with another female friend. She smiled at Matt.

"I heard you were back in town."

Matt looked over at his ex, if she could be called that given that they never really had a relationship except for hitting the sheets a handful of times. She had married C.J.'s ex, Dylan and he had skipped out on her. Matt didn't wonder why.

"I'm here for a little while."

She gazed at him hungrily.

"How long?"

"Long enough to talk C.J. here into moving to L.A. with me."

Nadine's sultry smile dropped off of her face and she scowled at C.J.

"Oh drop it Nadine," C.J. said, "I'm not leaving with him. I've got plenty of work here."

Nadine sniffed.

"Oh that's right," she said, "You're playing with horses instead of my husband."

Matt looked at C.J. and her eyes had grown cold, more quickly than he thought possible.

"He's gone Nadine," she said, "and we both know why."

Nadine's face froze momentarily and then she waved her hand dismissively.

"I don't even think about that loser anymore," she said, "Good riddance to bad rubbish."

Matt figured that Nadine had moved on with her social life quickly enough and her bed hadn't remained cold for long after Dylan split.

"I mean if he had the hots for a tramp like you," Nadine continued.

Matt felt anger fill him.

"Nadine, there won't be any more of that," he said, "not around me and not around anyone else."

Nadine scoffed.

"Oh come on Matt," she said, "You've not been around here and watched her in action."

"What are you saying Nadine?"

"She tried to steal my husband," Nadine said, "just before he took off."

C.J. just shook her head.

"We both know that's not the truth Nadine."

Nadine folded her arms and curled her lip.

"Damn straight it is you little hussy," she said, "I should have put you in your place years ago."

C.J. knew that if she had tried, she'd have failed and that the other women knew that.

"All I asked Dylan was to stay away from me," she said, "He came after me Nadine."

But the other woman just shook her head.

"I ought to get out of this car and kick the crap out of you."

C.J. just stared back.

"No one's stopping you," she said, "But I should warn you, I hit back."

Matt stepped between the two women who clearly had strong feelings of animosity towards each other that had only ripened over time. If Dylan were the bone of contention between them, he wasn't worth it. But he suspected that Nadine's contention about C.J. being hot for him was off mark.

He turned to look at Nadine.

"Maybe you'd better leave now."

She glared at C.J. and the smiled up at him.

"Fine with me," she said, "Come by the Wrangler later and I'll buy you a drink. For old times' sake."

He sighed.

"I have a girlfriend Nadine," he said, "So maybe we should keep those old times where they belong…in the past."

She didn't appear to like that much but just smiled at him again, before the car pulled away and sped down the road. Then Matt turned towards C.J. and raised a brow. She just shrugged and returned to work.

"I've got nothing to say," she said, "Except what did you ever see in her?"

She had been a way to pass the time, mostly.

"C.J…"

"Okay," she relented, "Forget I asked."

"We need to talk," he said, "About what's been going on here."

She lifted her chin.

"There's nothing to talk," she said, "Maybe you'd better continue with your run before thins get too hot."

He looked at her and saw she had returned back to the fencing. He took off running through his uncle's ranch.

When he returned, he pulled off his sweaty shirt and walked into the kitchen where his uncle sat reading the newspaper and drinking some coffee.

"Had a good run," his uncle asked without looking at him.

"Pretty good," Matt said, "A bit hot towards the end."

"It's that time of year," Roy said, "It cools down enough at night."

Matt nodded, going to the refrigerator to get some juice.

"Ran into C.J.," he said, "She's fixing some fencing."

"She told me she would have it finished today," Roy said, "I think she needs some time to herself."

Was that an observation or a warning? Matt didn't know and couldn't read it in his uncle's voice.

"Nadine showed up and they almost got into it," he said, "I didn't know they hated each other so much."

"I don't think it's so much hate," Roy said, "as it is what happened with Dylan and C.J."

Matt narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about," he said, "Nadine said that C.J. stole her husband which I don't believe."

"C.J. didn't do anything to Dylan." Roy said, "It's that he tried to kill her."