Rachel woke to the loud rumbling buzz of a helicopter flying low over the house. The sound filled her with a terrible sense of foreboding. If a helicopter was flying in. That meant they were flying someone out. She hugged her arms around herself, praying that Dakota wasn't hurt. Or worse. Rachel swung herself out of bed, pulling a worn pair of jeans over her underwear and rushing down the stairs still in her pajama shirt. The first person she spotted was Summer. The woman was lounging on the couch with a paperback book in her hands, seemingly unaffected by the helicopter fly by.

"Do you know what's happening?," Rachel asked. Summer looked up from her book, her face a mask of confusion.

"What's happening with what?," she asked.

"The helicopter that just buzzed us," Rachel said as she rushed past the woman on her way out the front door. Monica was out on the porch in her bare feet, shading her eyes to watch for the helicopter's return. Seeing that Monica was just as concerned as she was gave Rachel an odd feeling of relief. At least she wasn't alone in her terror.

"Do you know anything?," Rachel asked. Monica lowered her hand, shaking her head. She knew someone was hurt or dead. They wouldn't have called for the helicopter otherwise. But she didn't know who was hurt or what happened.

Monica extended her hand and Rachel reached for it, grasping it tightly in her own before she moved in closer and wrapped her arms around the petite woman. Monica was quick to return her embrace. Rachel could only imagine how the woman was feeling. To have just lost one child so recently only to now be worried that something might have happened to the other one. Or to her husband. She had to be an emotional wreck.

"Well there's no way I'm going back to sleep," Monica said. Her voice had a quake to it despite how quietly she was speaking. "I think I'll go down and see if Gator needs any help."

Rachel nodded her agreement. Since there was nothing they could do for their loved ones at the moment, she needed something to keep her busy. She would go crazy sitting around and waiting for news.

"Lemme go get the rest of the way dressed and I'll come with you," Rachel offered. The two women held on to each other for a little longer, both of them drawing some much needed comfort from the embrace. Monica whispered, telling her that the kids were going to be okay. But Rachel wasn't sure who the woman was trying to convince, her or herself. Giving Monica one last gentle squeeze, Rachel let go and headed back into the house. She passed Summer on her way through the living room, rolling her eyes at the woman. Summer seemed awfully nonchalant for someone who also had a loved one out on the horse trail. Rachel wasn't sure of the exact status of Summer and John's relationship. But they were sleeping in the same bed. One would think Summer would at least have the decency to drum up a bit of concern. Even if it was fake.

Rachel brushed her teeth and switched her sleep shirt out for a bra and tank top before she headed down to the area where all the large white party tents were set up. Despite the flurry of activity that surrounded them and the abundance of work there was left to do, the hours that passed seemed to tick by. Rachel continuously glanced in the direction that the cowboys left in, noticing that Monica was doing the same.

"They're back," Monica hissed, grabbing Rachel's arm and hanging on with both hands. Rachel could only see a group of riders on horses at first. They were too far away to make out individual faces. She watched with bated breath, praying for a glimpse of Dakota's blue hair. But even that would be obscured under the black cowboy hat the girl was wearing when she left. Monica spotted her family first. Kayce was in front of the group with Tate riding to his left. Tears sprang from her eyes and she blinked, letting them run down her face instead of wiping them away. Rachel craned her neck, her eyes searching desperately for some sign of her daughter. She felt the panic rising in her chest when more and more people became visible and she still couldn't see the girl.

"There," Monica said, "...behind Carter." Rachel gasped as the relief flooded her body. Dakota was on the same horse as Carter, riding behind the taller boy. That's why Rachel wasn't able to spot her at first. Rachel choked, trying to stop her tears before they spilled over.

"If you don't cry when you see your family riding back to you, should you even have one?," Monica said with a soft smile. Rachel smiled back through her tears.

When the riders got close enough that they began to swing down off their horses, Rachel moved. She rushed for her daughter, crushing the girl against her chest. In a rare show of empathy from the often prickly teenager, Dakota hugged her back just as fiercely.

"The helicopter," Rachel huffed, "I was so worried that something happened to you." Dakota kept her voice low as she explained what actually happened. An old man died in his sleep during the night. The helicopter was called out to fly his body back.

"Mister John said to keep quiet about it 'cause he wants to talk to the dead guy's wife before she finds out some other way," Dakota whispered. Rachel nodded, understanding now why no one seemed to know anything about what happened. The information was deliberately withheld to save that woman the pain of finding out about her husband's death from a stranger. Rachel watched as John headed towards one of the larger tents. He knelt down and spoke to one of the women that was helping them with the food preparations. Rachel guessed the woman was the one that lost her husband. And when the woman began to cry, Rachel's suspicion was confirmed. With her emotions already running high, Rachel found herself crying all over again as she watched John hug the woman.

"Uncle Rip said not to be sad 'cause that man lived a good life and died doing something he loved," Dakota said, though Rachel could still hear a small hitch of emotion in her daughter's voice. Dakota didn't cry. But Rachel guessed the girl might have already cried herself out when the man's dead body was discovered.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur of frenzied activity. The young cattle were branded and vaccinated. The thrill of playing cowgirl hadn't worn off for Dakota yet. And Rachel watched nervously from the fences as her daughter repeatedly rushed into the thick of the commotion to administer the vaccines. She finally had to look away when the girl took her turn with the branding iron.

"It's for their own good," John said. Rachel turned, favoring the man with a smile. With all the activity she didn't realize he'd approached.

"I know," she agreed. "But it has to hurt. I can't believe Dakota. She won't even kill a spider if we find one in the house. She lets them go outside." John laughed at the idea. With her little smart mouth comments, Dakota reminded him a bit of Beth when she was that age. Though Rachel's daughter didn't have the hard edge that losing her mother had given Beth, he still wouldn't have guessed Dakota for a bleeding heart spider releaser.

"I heard you might be staying on," he said, the statement coming out more like a question. Rachel glanced at him and nodded. She didn't have all her ducks in a row just yet. But she found a location for her bakery. And she emailed her realtor, letting the woman know she was ready to sell her parent's house.

"I'm going to start looking for an apartment in Bozeman tomorrow," she said, the small smile on John's face not escaping her.

"There's no rush," he assured her. "I know it's a drive into town from the ranch, but Dakota could stay here while you work. She'd be safe here." John watched the different expressions that flickered across Rachel's face. There was a flash of shock. Before this moment, she didn't know he was aware of the situation with her ex husband. And then she looked down, her cheeks flushing with shame and embarrassment. "Dakota's father won't come out here looking for trouble," John added with a soft chuckle. "...not unless he has a death wish."

"Dakota told you?," Rachel asked, her blue eyes flicking towards him once before she stared back down at her hands.

"She told Rip. Rip told me," John admitted. "I don't think it's a secret that Rip would like you and Dakota to stay. And I'd like that too." John paused, gauging Rachel's reaction to his offer. He didn't want to oversell. But he wanted to make sure she knew he was sincere about his offer. Not only did Rip want Rachel to stay, Monica seemed to like her as well. And anything that helped bring Kayce back into the fold was a definite plus.

"You've seen the house. There's plenty of room. You wouldn't be imposing. Why don't you take a little time and think about it?"

"I'll think about it," Rachel agreed. "Thank you so much. For everything." She was still grieving the loss of her own parents. And reeling from her biological mother's rejection. To suddenly find strangers that were so willing to make her a part of their family felt surreal. Surreal but good. Rachel felt the tears welling up. And this time she followed Monica's example and just let them roll down her cheeks as she turned and wrapped her arms around John. They were allowed one more brief moment together before his assistant called him away for some sort of governor related task.

Rachel turned her attention back to the cattle, relieved that Dakota no longer had control over the branding iron. Some of the more experienced cowboys had taken charge, sending the kids back towards the fences to watch while they sped the process up. Rip was off to the side, showing Dakota how to hold a lasso. Learning how to rope and ride wouldn't be Rachel's first choice of extracurricular activities for her daughter. With all the hooves and large animals, it felt like it had the potential to be dangerous. But at least the girl was off her phone for once. And the look of delight on her face was well worth the risks.

"I've been calling you."

Rachel turned, slightly shocked to see that Jamie had suddenly appeared at her side. She was so focused on watching Dakota and Rip together that her normal hypervigilance had momentarily slipped away. He left his fancy suit at home this time. In its place he was wearing a plaid button down shirt, boots, and a hat that looked every bit as authentic as the men in the ring roping the small cattle had on. He looked drop dead sexy, like he stepped straight off the cover of a cheesy western romance novel. Rachel sighed heavily, knowing that her hair was in a sloppy mom bun and there was frosting smeared across the leg of her ripped jeans. This was not how she pictured herself looking when she saw Jamie again. She could never compete with the praying mantis business woman. But Rachel rather hoped she'd at least have clean clothes on and her hair brushed when she confronted Jamie about his late night guest.

"Call your girlfriend instead," Rachel suggested. "I'm sure she'll answer."

"She's not my girlfriend," Jamie said. And Rachel had to admit, he sounded convincing. She reminded herself that he was a lawyer. Being a good liar came with the territory.

"Who is she then?" Rachel turned to face him, cocking her hand up on her hip as she waited for him to explain himself. Like his suits, Jamie's jeans and shirt fit him like they were custom made for his body. And she was having a hard time not picturing what he looked like under his clothes. Her eyes trailed down to his midsection, imagining the trail of silky hair on his stomach that led to the thicker patch of hair above his dick. And how good he felt inside her. Like nothing she ever felt before in her life. Rachel forced her eyes back up. There was a dark shadow of stubble on his jawline. And Jamie had dark bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept well. Or maybe not at all. Rachel fought back the pang of sympathy she felt for him.
"She works for Market Equities," Jamie said, immediately realizing that Market Equities didn't mean anything to Rachel. She didn't know anything about the airport or the land deal or any potential lawsuits. "It's this company that's fighting with my dad over his land. They want to build an airport here. Sarah works for them."

"You're trying to tell me that she was coming over for some kind of business meeting?," Rachel asked, her voice rising in disbelief. She saw that woman with her hands all over him. Jamie shook his head.

"No. She came over because I've been sleeping with her," he reluctantly admitted. "But we were not in a relationship. She was just trying to pump me for information and screw with my family." Jamie paused as he tried to think up a good reason why he'd gone along with Sarah's advances. Because he didn't think saying Sarah was hot and he wanted to nail her would go over well with Rachel. The truth was, he wasn't sure why he did it. He knew it was stupid at the time. But maybe he was just a glutton for punishment. And he secretly wanted to hurt his dad. For what John let Beth do to him during the governor candidate announcement. It certainly wasn't because he had some emotional attachment or romantic interest in Sarah herself. He was sure of that. "I don't know why I went along with it. I do stupid things sometimes without thinking I guess. She came over because I stopped returning her texts."

"She's not your girlfriend?," Rachel clarified. Jamie shook his head.

"No."

Rachel raked her blue eyes over him, trying to decide if she believed his story. She wanted to believe it. And probably would have taken him at his word if she hadn't fallen for her husband's ridiculous excuses time after time only to be made to feel like a fool when she discovered he was lying. Rachel was wary of starting up another relationship where she would be constantly cheated on and lied to. On the other side of that coin, Rachel felt it wasn't fair for her to put the burden of her husband's affairs on Jamie. They weren't even officially together. Which meant he was single and free to do as he pleased, including sleeping with fake breasted corporate lawyers. It was clear that he wasn't expecting that woman to show up. The hurt and upset it caused her wasn't intentional. And Rachel had to flip a little of the blame back on herself. She slept with Jamie on their first date. And she didn't bother to ask him if he was seeing anyone else before she let him take her to bed.

"My ex-husband was a cheater," Rachel explained. "That's not on you. But I can't see someone that's playing the field like that."

"I'm not, I swear," Jamie promised. And though he knew it would take Rachel some time to believe that after what happened, he really wasn't that kind of guy at all. He'd never been smooth with women. It was hard enough to get one woman interested, let alone two at the same time. And he had a tendency to fall hard and fast, often to his own detriment. Once he was locked in on a girl, it was hard for him to even think about anything else. He was up all night thinking about Rachel. And talking himself out of driving out to the ranch and begging her forgiveness at three in the morning.

"Okay," Rachel said, her expression finally softening.

Jamie reached for her hand, catching hold of it and rubbing his thumb back and forth across her palm. He felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders when instead of jerking away from his touch like he was worried she might, Rachel returned his small gesture of affection. Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips as she squeezed his hand back. They stayed that way, the time seeming to stretch out and expand as she smiled up at him. Her eyes were as blue as the sky behind her. And his eyes lingered on the tiny straps of her tank top and the way her jeans hugged the curve of her hips. Jamie lifted his other hand, setting it on her hip as he prepared to pull her in closer to him.

"RACHEL!"

The sound of her name being called so loudly startled them both. And Rachel turned to see Beth rushing in her direction. The woman inserted herself directly between Rachel and Jamie, shoving him back with a hard jab of her elbow. Rachel's eyes widened. And she was torn between laughing and cringing back in shock at Beth's unnecessary and rude behavior.

"I need your help inside," Beth huffed, locking her arm through Rachel's as she began to march her rather forcefully towards the house.

Jamie watched them walk away with an audible sigh, his eyes lingering on the way Rachel's hips swayed when she walked. He tried his best to ignore the obscene gesture Beth was directing at him, her hand behind her back with her middle finger up. Instead he focused on the way Rachel stopped and glanced back at him before Beth hurried her along. Jamie felt a tug on his sleeve. And he smiled when he turned to find Rachel's daughter straddling the top of the fence, one foot on either side.

"Hey fancy car," she quipped. "What'd you do ta piss my mom off?" Jamie just raised his brow at the girl, trying not to laugh at her antics as she scrambled up onto the top of the fence and began using it like a balance beam. "You still owe me twenty bucks for giving you her number," Dakota reminded him.

"I'm good for it," Jamie assured her. He furrowed his brows, shifting his body and preparing himself to catch the girl if she slipped and fell. He was considering whether or not he ought to tell her to get the hell down before she fell down. But thankfully, he saw Rip hauling ass in their direction.

"Dakota," he hollered. "This ain't a damn playground." Rip seized the girl by her legs, dragging her down off the fence. "Now go on and make yourself useful," he ordered, pointing Dakota back towards the busier area of the arena. She stuck her tongue out at him but Jamie saw that she also did as he instructed and headed back over to help with the calf vaccinations. Rip gave Jamie a tick of his chin, preparing to head after the girl. But Jamie stopped him before he could get too far.

"I might need your help again," Jamie warned. Rip stopped, slowly turning back around to face him.

"I told you after the last time, I'm done cleaning up your messes," Rip said, his tone low and serious. He turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"It's not my mess," Jamie added. "It's Rachel's mess." Rip stopped, his back going ramrod straight. It was obvious to Jamie that he now had the man's full attention. Rip moved closer to him, glancing in both directions to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.

"Rachel killed someone?," he asked, furrowing his brows in disbelief. The thought of Rachel killing someone in cold blood was so hard to imagine it was almost comical.
"No. Someone's trying to kill her."

"Her ex?," Rip asked. Jamie nodded his head, wondering how much Rip knew about the situation. Rip cast a curious glance in his direction. "Why do you care?," he asked. Jamie usually didn't care about anyone but himself. And Rip wasn't sure if he liked the man's sudden interest in his sister.

"Does it matter?," Jamie asked. Rip could get the job done by himself. But Jamie knew the man was smart enough to realize it would go easier with some help. Rip adjusted his hat, taking another look at the large crowd on the other side of the arena before he turned his attention back to Jamie. Rip took a moment to consider the situation. Then he gave Jamie a quick nod.

"We'll talk later," he said. "This ain't the time."

Jamie nodded, watching as Rip headed back towards the action without another word. Getting rid of Rachel's abusive ex would be a step in the right direction. But Jamie knew there was now a much larger obstacle in his way that would also have to be dealt with. His sister.