Deb couldn't believe what she'd heard. They weren't even together anymore. It was all a show, a show put on to save face in a bet with Dan—a bet that obviously meant something of importance to Nathan and Haley. She had known something was different between them, but she'd merely assumed they were fighting. Married couples fought, Deb knew that more than anyone. That didn't necessarily mean things were coming to an end.

And Dan. She couldn't believe him, though she knew that by now she should have long since stopped being caught off guard by the horrible things he was capable of doing. She would never quite understand him. The minute she was almost convinced that he was a complete monster, he stepped up and did something that reminded her why she had fallen in love with him in the first place. But as soon as he'd returned safely to her good side, he started to show his horns again.

How dare he make a bet with his son and daughter-in-law concerning the fate of their marriage? It was a vile thing.

And yet… and yet it sounded, from what Deb had heard of Haley's conversation, that the bet was the primary thing keeping the tremulous relationship together at this moment.

There was love. Deb knew there was love still between the two, heard it in Haley's distraught voice, saw it glimmering in Nathan's eyes when he looked at his wife.

So what was the problem? It wasn't one of the things Haley had mentioned while on the phone, but Deb would have to figure that out before she could help the young couple, and help them she would. Besides the fact that she truly believed in Haley and Nathan's relationship, Dan had gone too far this time and needed to be taught a lesson.

Losing was the worst punishment for a guy like him.

Deb started planning that night before falling asleep beside Dan, every second fighting the urge to reach out and slap him for what he had done. When the morning came, she observed the way Nathan and Haley interacted and a small sort of understanding dawned on her. There was no doubt in her mind that this problem was one that could be—and would be—fixed.

The night before at dinner had thrown them both for a bit of a loop, and now Deb knew exactly why. She hoped that hadn't done any long-term damage between them. They acted a little more distant over breakfast, but she could almost see the tension gradually dissipating as time went on.

At Dan's request, the four of them went golfing that day. It was apparent on the drive to the course that the only one truly looking forward to it was Dan himself. Deb had taken up the sport to please her husband and could hold her own, but she was by no means an expert. Nathan honestly hated golfing, and he particularly abhorred the way his father got while playing. The only golf Haley was interested in was miniature golf, so she knew this was going to be an interesting experience.

Dan was the first to go, and he made a performance out of his swing. To the chagrin of everyone else present, his ball went sailing cleanly onto the green. It had been an excellent shot and he wasn't afraid to point it out while Nathan prepared to try his luck.

Silently praying that they all got through the day safely, Haley reached into her purse and fished out a red marker. Then she reached for one of the pristinely white golf balls and got to work.

By the time Dan had taken his eyes away from assessing Nathan's form, Haley had colored half of her ball red. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Stop that. What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

Haley looked up and gave him a half smile, more than ready to go head-to-head with her father-in-law. Aside from the bet, he was no threat to her and she wasn't willing to let him think that he intimidated her. Once he had, maybe, but not anymore. "Making it easier to find," she answered simply, continuing her work until the ball was completely red.

"You don't color golf balls to find them—especially my golf balls," Dan gritted out.

"Maybe you don't," she allowed, "but I'm afraid I don't have your wonderful shot or body alignment. I'm going to be looking through bushes for this ball and I want to be able to find it." She capped her pen and slipped it back into her bag with a smile on her face.

Deb couldn't stop herself from laughing as she watched the veins in Dan's neck twitch with annoyance. "It sounds reasonable to me, Dan."

He would have glared at his wife if it hadn't meant moving his death stare from Haley. "Golf is a very disciplined game, and you don't play it with bright red balls. It's a real sport, not your stupid miniature golf."

"No, if it were miniature golf the rest of us would be having fun." She moved past him and went to Nathan, who looked infinitely amused by watching the two go at it once more. Nathan never knew who would get the upper hand. At the beginning of their relationship it had been his father, but it seemed that Haley had gotten tougher since then.

Dan made a move to follow her, ready to give her a piece of his mind, but Nathan interrupted. "Dad, just leave it alone. She makes sense." Then he moved to take his swing, which effectively stopped his father from lashing out at Haley again.

Instead, he began criticizing what Nathan had done wrong.

From behind Dan, Haley shot Nathan a grateful smile and he returned it, sending the sound of his father's voice to the back of his mind.

Deb went next and, while her shot wasn't as good as Dan's, she held her own. Dan didn't bother to comment; he was too intent on watching Haley line up her shot with deeply rooted disgust glowing in his eyes.

She didn't try to beat Dan; she knew that was pointless because she'd never played golf before and she wasn't a particularly athletic person. More than that, she didn't care. Haley lifted the club and simply tried to move the ball in the direction of the hole—which, in her mind, was entirely too far away. In that, at least, she succeeded.

Dan immediately began his critique, and he had a lot to go into with Haley.

"I never claimed to be a golf pro and, honestly, I don't want to be one," Haley interrupted him. "Golf is your strong point, Dan, not mine."

"And what would yours be?" Dan asked, sneering.

"People skills," Nathan interjected, sliding an arm around her protectively. He'd had enough of his father already and it was only a few days into the trip. How everyone was supposed to survive the week was beyond him, but he would make sure that Haley was one of the ones that did.

Nathan and Haley climbed into their golf cart, with Nathan behind the wheel, and looked back at Deb and a rather stunned Dan. "We'll meet up with you when we find where that went." Then he drove away along the course.