"I really don't think it's necessary to do this," Jack complained again to Lisa as they walked to the trailer he'd rented. Just looking at it, Jack saw just how pitiful it was, much like his trip had been before Lisa had arrived to kick some sense into him and set him straight. There would be no love loss leaving this hunk of junk, and he had no plans to ever be back, not to this place. Jack glanced around, hopeful they could get in and out quickly and be on their way to Phoenix.

"You know what they say," Lisa glanced over at him with a nod and continued, "Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer."

"One, they weren't my friends," he made a face at her. "Two, why would they be enemies?"

"Well, when I pulled up yesterday, you certainly looked like a chummy group, not that I should have been surprised that you were swimming with ladies down here. I get it," she grinned. "I fell hard myself. No, today, I thought the muffins would be a nice peace offering. They were clearly surprised about me, all of them intent on winning you over and possibly making a new life maybe up in Canada," she raised an eyebrow at him before chuckling lightly.

Jack rolled his eyes and waved his hand, "Let's finish up at this place and get out of here. I've never been so excited about a drive across the desert," Jack admitted, and the two laughed as Jack opened the door to his place. He watched as Lisa looked around, clearly horrified at his living conditions.

"Jack, this is awful, and it's so hot in here," she said, horrified, looking at him. "I hate to imagine you spending two more weeks here."

"Yeah, well, as I told you just yesterday, and by the way," he smiled at her, "it seems like it was much longer than just yesterday you arrived like a breath of fresh air calling me an idiot. I'm so glad you came for me," he told her, reaching for her hand and clasping it in his.

"Yoo-hoo," they heard, and Jack closed his eyes and groaned as he did. He raised an eyebrow at Lisa and gestured their clasped hands toward the door. "I'm going to let you greet them."

"How do you get a pack of cougars off your back-you feed them," Lisa nodded, smirking at Jack, and she picked up the box of muffins and set out on her mission. Jack watched, shaking his head as he finished cleaning up.

"Hi there," Lisa said as she opened the door to greet the women.

"Oh, ahh, Lisa," Rosemary greeted her, and while Jack couldn't see her, he could hear the disappointment in Rosemary's voice. "Just came by to chat with Jack."

"Well, we are closing up here, getting ready to head out, back to Alberta," Lisa explained. "I really did want to thank all of you for watching out for Jack, and we brought you these muffins." Jack listened quietly, trying not to get involved. He was so tired of the women.

"Oh, Val," he heard Rosemary yell, and he groaned quietly, knowing it wasn't just Rosemary outside. "Come over here. Look, Jack got us muffins." Jack shook his head, wanting to correct them. LISA had gotten the muffins, not that he was that into details, but her name had been omitted on purpose. It was clear to him he'd have to step in and make it very clear once again that LISA was the only woman in his life.

Jack heard commotion outside, and by the voices, it sounded like the entire group had been summoned, the "Cougars" as Lisa had coined them. Lisa was holding her ground at the door, managing to keep them at bay staying outside, but he decided it was time to relieve her.

"Why hello," he said, walking up behind Lisa and putting his arm around her shoulder as he stood there with her. "Lisa and I are just getting ready to get on the road and start the trip back to Alberta."

"Oh, we are going to miss you, Jack," Agatha frowned at him. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yes, Jack, we wanted to make sure this is what you want," Val nodded.

"I'm really happy to be heading home with Lisa," Jack smiled and gave a nod to the women. He gestured to the muffins Lisa had, "We picked up these muffins to well, say goodbye and all. It's been nice talking to all of you." Jack hated to say that, but saying anything actually true, like their baked goods were terrible, their conversation boring-well, that was just rude.

"You know, we were talking and have become such good friends," Val said, gesturing to Jack. "You never know, Jack, we might just surprise you and see what life is like in Canada this summer. We remember, Hudson, Alberta."

"Oh, well, that would be a very long journey," Lisa shook her head at the women. "Trust me, I just drove it. Plus," she shrugged, "summer is so busy at the ranch. Jack is very busy with the herd, there are always repairs to make, the horses need to be exercised daily, and just well, it's a lot. It was lovely meeting all of you. Hopefully, you find the perfect place for your summer trip."

"Lise is right," Jack quietly groaned, which he knew Lisa heard because she snickered. He waved at the ladies, "Summer is just really busy, almost no time for anything fun." He didn't want to look at Lisa for fear of giving away the fact they both loved summers and spending time together outside on trail rides and at the fishing cabin. "If you ladies excuse us, we are just packing up to get on the road. We need to get over to Phoenix."

"Lisa, do you travel a lot in the summer for work, all those horse races?" Val asked.

Lisa smiled at them, Jack glancing at her, noting it was not her genuine smile, "I do sometimes, but I'm planning on being home a lot more this summer. Enjoy the muffins," she said, handing them off to Rosemary and gesturing back toward Jack who was throwing out things from his refrigerator. "I'm going to help Jack so we can get going."

Lisa closed the door, turning back to Jack with a grin on her face, and he just shook his head at her, lowering his voice, knowing they were nearby.

"I'll be impressed if they don't knock again in another minute," he whispered, and she smacked at his arm.

"Finish up," she gestured quickly at him. "I am getting the creeps just being in here, and why is it so hot?" Lisa fanned herself as Jack finished with the refrigerator.

"I told you," he sighed. "The air conditioner in this place is awful."

She continued to fan at herself, "I am dying, Jack. There is no circulation in here. I suppose it doesn't help that I seem to constantly be having hot flashes."

He eyed her and gestured, "You've not mentioned that before. Is that something recent?"

She rolled her eyes, "Joy of my life, started a couple months ago, so yes, with everything else going on, that's been such a fun development, hot flashes and menopause."

He made a face at her, "I'm sorry, Lise. I don't know much about all of that, other than I know it's a lot of hormone issues. I've told you Lyndy was sick a long time. She died at 52, and those last few years, there it was hard to tell what illness complaint was what, so I didn't really hear much about that from her. I am sorry you have to deal with that on top of everything else, but I mean, you are turning 50 in a few months, so I guess it's one of those things. We are quite the mess."

"Yes, we are," she sighed. "Just know," she pointed at him, "you agreed to stick with me, so if in the middle of the night when you are all warm and cozy, if I remove every blanket and bedding layer, there's a reason. On top of the recurring nightmare that I found you in the field, that's been keeping me up at night too, waking up just in a drenching sweat, almost like standing in this place right now."

"Well, let's get out of here, both for your sanity and mine," he nodded quickly. "I haven't wanted to get out of a place more than I do right now, even if we have to drive separately the next couple hours to Phoenix to dump my rental truck, and if you need to remove every blanket at night," he smiled fondly at her reaching to squeeze her hand, "that's okay. You're right next to me where you belong, and I'll take anything that comes with that." She returned his smile, nodding at him and then looking around at the abysmal trailer.

"Are you all set here?" Lisa asked, fanning herself again.

Jack looked around, nodding at her. He'd done most of the clean up last night, but it was now finished.

"Let's go, first to face your cougars," he winked at Lisa and gestured outside. "You know they are waiting outside, not far."

Lisa reached for his hand, "Let's go, Cowboy. No time like the present."

An hour later, they were finally on the road, finally headed toward Phoenix, finally getting started on the rest of their lives. Jack was following Lisa, grateful they'd been able to make a relatively easy getaway from his dump of a rental. The women had all wanted to hug him, and Lisa had just grinned his way as she packed the last few of his things in the back of her car. The cougars, they'd at least been cordial to Lisa, but Val had been very forward, whispering to him that he should call her when things ended with Lisa, slipping her number in his hand. He'd called Lisa about it after getting on the road, the two having a good laugh over that, and he also had crumpled up and had that number there to throw away first chance he got. He was now off the phone with Lisa, following behind her Porsche, just letting his mind wander at the wonderful woman she was.

His mind wandered, going back to the first time he met her, the barbecue, all those years ago. Sure, he'd heard her name around town, had heard her dad's name when he was alive, but that was about it. There was a fine line around Hudson between those who worked cattle ranches and those who worked the elite horse circuits. It wasn't that the two groups didn't get along; they just ran in completely different circles. Never in his wildest dreams would he have fallen for the wealthy, much younger, absolutely beautiful Lisa Stillman. It just wasn't in the cards for him. However, Amy, his sweet Amy, who had just lost her mom, seemed to have brought Lisa into his life. He hadn't wanted to like Lisa, well, at least not in a romantic way. She had seemed like a very genuine and warm person. He'd noticed that right away. She was sweet and friendly, very touchy, but again in more of a loving way, not how the cougars had been with him at his rental. She had been kind to Amy and had given her a chance to work with her horse, and for that, he'd been really grateful and had told Lisa that first day at the barbecue. Her warmth when talking about her impression of Amy and all had touched Jack. He'd noticed her smile and her sparkling eyes, but truthfully, that first day, romance wasn't on his brain. He'd been a widower for well over a decade at that point and was content in living his life. What had been sneaking up on him, and he hadn't realized until he spent the greater part of an hour talking to Lisa that day was how lonely he was. When he'd lost Marion, he hadn't just lost his daughter; he'd lost a trusted friend and companion. Talking to Lou and Amy, well that wasn't the same at home, and Jack had found himself really enjoying Lisa's company. She was easy to talk to, funny, and well, by the end of the evening, when he was alone again at the house, his mind had wandered to the lovely Lisa Stillman, who had greatly impressed him. He knew she was loaded, which didn't interest him at all, but he'd been so impressed that she'd come to the ranch, had complimented his simple burgers, knowing that she could have been just about anywhere else, eating much fancier food.

It wasn't until he walked out to the picnic she'd set out when the truck overheated that he was clued in that she was interested in him. Jack could still see her blonde hair sparkling in the bright sunshine, her lovely smile just radiating there on her face. No, that day, he'd thought he was helping a new friend, but very quickly, he realized and was somewhat flattered, that she seemed to like him. After the Dan debacle, where Jack had been a total idiot, assuming Lisa was still married, he'd profusely apologized taking her home, where he'd almost surprised himself in wanting to kiss her. He had, a very, very welcome kiss from Lisa there as he dropped her off, and that had come along with an invitation from him to take her to the fishing cabin. Well, the rest, they say, is history because he'd really enjoyed their date to the cabin. Her willingness to try something new, something so out of her comfort zone had been flattering to him. Once home, he'd felt horrible for rambling on about his deceased wife while on a date and had even called Lisa to apologize, but that conversation had turned with her asking more. That had surprised him, but she was genuinely interested in knowing everything about Jack, and much of his life to that point had included a wife. Things after that had developed slowly at first, behind closed doors, really out of sight of the girls. Jack was fiercely private, still was, he knew, and he had not wanted anything on display. He wanted their relationship to be theirs. It wasn't like he hid Lisa from his life, but their relationship was not up for discussion with Amy or Lou. Now, they'd noticed her name slipping into conversations, and as time went on, they had given him smiles and nods when she'd stopped over. With Ben staying with them, it had at first seemed she was just there as his aunt to check on him, but once Ben moved on, well, the girls quickly realized there was more, and that was fine. Jack just didn't want to talk about it with them. He remembered the first real dinner she had stayed to eat with Lou and Amy. It had been lovely, just the four of them, and he'd been so happy to have Lisa laugh and joke with the girls. Jack had served burgers, truthfully at Lisa's request, Lisa joking with him she'd not had as good of one once since that first picnic. They'd enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch that night, the first of many, many glasses of wine the two had enjoyed on the same porch these last eight years. Now, it was time to fully commit himself to Lisa, to do something he'd never expected, not all those years ago. He loved her. He loved her so much, and he'd meant it last night that he was not opposed to marriage, not at all. He just had never expected to be re-married. Early on, yes, he had to work through a lot, but he had. He'd let Lyndy go, and until he did, he didn't realize he'd been holding so dearly onto her. He was ready to fully commit to Lisa, and he knew that she adored him and wanted to be married. She'd mentioned it a few times over the years, and yeah, he really should have addressed this sooner. Now, though, it was time, and he had some thoughts on that.

Doing what he never expected to do and what would completely floor Marion, Jack picked up the phone and with eyes focused on the road, on Lisa in front of him, on the idea of the two of them moving forward as they were doing driving down the road, he dialed a familiar number.

"Tim," Jack said when Tim answered.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you had another heart attack," Tim said quickly.

"Now why would you say that? I'm calling you," he gestured, not that anyone could see him, his voice frustrated.

"Well, it's not like we've been chatting like schoolgirls, Jack. I mean, you haven't returned my calls, and now today, you actually did answer, and now you're calling me again. Wait, you miss me. That's it."

"No!" Jack almost yelled into the phone. "Would you just be quiet. I am calling for a reason."

"So, you didn't have another heart attack?"

"I'm fine," Jack sighed, shaking his head. "I need your help, which is something I never thought I'd say."

"You need my help? Jack, are you sure you're okay? You've never asked for my help. Usually, you're trying to tell me what I've done wrong."

"If you mess this up, I'll be back to telling you what you did wrong. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Well, I'm kinda busy helping with the ranch, Jack. I mean, you took off for Arizona."

"Because my doctor told me to come here!" Jack now yelled.

"And before that, I kinda saved your life," Tim admitted.

"Tim!"

"I'm just messing with you, Jack. Sure, I'm your guy. You have helped me over the years, if we are bonding like high school girls now. What do you need me to do? Oh, please don't tell me you go pick up more cows. We can't handle more right now."

"No, this has to do with Lisa," Jack sighed, shaking his head and wondering if this call was even worth it.

"Lisa?" Tim's voice perked up. "You talked to Lisa? You took my advice and called her. I'm here for you, Jack, if it involves Lisa. You don't know what you've got there, Jack, and you've tried to sabotage that relationship at every turn."

"Would you just listen? I have not sabotaged anything. Lisa's here, with me," he admitted.

"Wait, what? Jack are you delusional now? Have you started seeing things? Lisa's in France. She left you, or more like it, you ended things you idiot."

"I'm definitely an idiot, but Lisa knew that and wouldn't tolerate it. I'm not delusional. She came back. Lisa arrived yesterday."

"So, wait," Tim paused, "this morning, when I told you to fix things with her, you didn't say anything."

"I know," Jack rolled his eyes and sighed. "To tell you the truth, I had no intention of mentioning Lisa being here. This is our time. On that note, the girls are not to know any of this. If they find out, it's because of you. No one else knows Lisa is here, and if the girls find out, I will personally make your life a nightmare. I've done it before, and I'll do it again."

"Right, right," Tim huffed. "Well, why are you telling me now? What's this favor? I am glad to hear you didn't throw her out. She's good for you, Jack."

" I know that, and that's why I called. Again, not a word of this. Do you understand? What I tell you stays right here."

"I promise, not a word. What's all the mystery?"

"I want to marry Lisa," Jack told him, and the line went silent. "Correction, I will marry Lisa." Jack leaned into his phone, as if that would help with the sound. "Tim, are you there?"

"Ahh, yeah, umm, wow, Jack, while I should have seen that coming, I have to say, old man, I never thought you'd man up and marry her. She loves you, and I know you love her."

"I do," Jack said quietly. "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything in the name of true love and romance. Come on, Jack. You know I'm a big softie for this kind of stuff. Oh, are you wanting to talk through a proposal idea?"

"No! I'm not some teenage girl! I don't need to talk through anything with you. I need your help with the ring."

"The ring? Wait, you want my help picking a ring?"

"Would you just stop talking and let me finish? I'm not asking for any advice. I have a ring, and before you jump in, no, I haven't been planning this exactly. The ring was my grandmother's. It's in my drawer, nightstand drawer. I have had it, obviously, a long time, and to tell you the truth, I figured I would just pass it down to Marion or one of the girls. Well, it's meant for Lisa, and I want to give it to her."

"Okay," Tim added. "Where do I come in? You have the girl and the ring."

"I want to give it to her down here before we get back home," Jack told him. "We're heading north, leaving the place I was staying. I am hoping I can meet you maybe in northern Montana and get the ring. We haven't planned the last week of our trip, but Lise is open to staying somewhere in Montana."

"I'm your guy!" Tim said excitedly. "Oh, this is so great. I'd fly to Arizona, Jack, to help with this. Now, this is what I'm talking about. I didn't just save you to have you yelling at everyone and ending things with Lisa. No, I saved you so you could fix things with Lisa, and for once, you listened."

"Yeah, well, Lisa refused to give up on me, on us," he grumbled. "Don't get me started. I've been an idiot."

"I'm sorry. Could you say that louder? Tell me something I don't know, and it hasn't just been since your heart attack. Jack-"

"Tim, stop talking. Now, are we going to discuss this, or do I just need to abandon any hope of doing this my way?"

"Start talking, Jack. I'm dialed in for romance, and this is what I'm talking about."