Bear tackled Will and attacked the boy with kisses. Grace laughed as he squirmed away and Bear gave chase. The sight was relaxing and chased all responsibilities away. Sitting uphill from the playing children, she wrapped her arms around her knees and let out a slow breath. The sun was starting to enter its descent for the night and their playtime would soon be over.

Quiet footsteps approached and she glanced over her shoulder. Jeff took a seat next to her and took up a pose similar to hers.

"They look like they're having a lot of fun."

"They are."

"Why aren't you in on it?"

She took a deep breath and he knew. Drawing out a handkerchief, he handed it to her and she carefully wiped the blood out of her mouth.

"You really need to talk to Reese about this."

"Finding out he has a son is unnerving enough. I can't put this on him as well."

Jeff took a deep breath and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She let the contact help ease the growing despair inside her and it gave her a bit of free of mind.

"Cliff handled Reese but I imagine he is going to come wanting answers."

She nodded and he took the handkerchief back. The man kissed her brow and squeezed her shoulder. She watched him leave and looked back at the children. Will was collapsed onto his back and Bear was resting between him and Grace. Standing up slowly, she brushed her jeans off and walked down toward the three.

Will sat up and Grace stood as she approached. Bear stretched and nuzzled her hand.

"How about you two get cleaned up while I get dinner going."

Grace glanced at her brother and asked "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Will kept his comment to himself and the four walked uphill toward the house. As they approached, she spotted the blonde man standing on the porch with her father. Will caught her arm and she looked back at him.

"Don't worry."

He took a deep breath and Grace guided him into the house. The boy barely acknowledged the man as he disappeared inside and she caught her father's glance as she stepped indoors. Reese turned back to Mack and the man nodded. Taking a deep breath, he followed the woman inside and heard the two children running upstairs. He ran a hand through his hair as he entered the kitchen and found the woman seasoning some steaks.

"If you want to grill me, you'll have to help get this ready."

Smirking, he watched her put the steaks on a tray and wash her hands. She dried them quickly and moved to the counter.

"At least help set the table."

He glanced at the waiting dishes and glasses and silently distributed them around the table. When he looked back at her, she was snapping some beans. Putting the utensils around the table, he heard someone approach and found Mack entering the room. The man pulled out some drink and poured a glass. Joe took it when it was offered and stopped long enough to take a sip.

Reese watched the man leave again and finished setting the table. He watched the woman slip the meat onto a tray and carry it to the back door. She handed the meat off and came back in to wash her hands.

"Can we talk?"

She took a deep breath and turned off the faucet. Drying her hands, she straightened her shoulders and looked back at the man. He was on the other side of the counter waiting and she took another drink from her glass.

"That looks awful."

She smirked and said "You get used to it."

He watched her dig out the lettuce from the refrigerator and put it on the counter. Silently he came around and helped her distribute lettuce to bowls setting aside for use.

"Will knows who you are."

"Why?"

She kept her eyes on her work and said "It was the right thing to do. He may not have seen you but he knew his father wasn't too far away if something happened."

"How does Grace fit into the picture?"

"I adopted her and she is his little sister, blood or no blood."

Reese turned his amber eyes on her and she felt them try to lure her to him but she finished the lettuce and carried half of the bowls to the table. He brought the others over and watched her go back to the fridge. She pulled out dressing and steak sauces for the meat.

"How long have you been running this place?"

She risked a glance at him and said "About seven years."

He caught the guarded look in her brown eyes but kept silent. She resumed finishing the table and he studied the differences in her since she had left his place. She didn't bare any sort of injury remnants but something seemed off, very off. The back door opened and he watched Billy bring in the finished steaks. The man handed it to her and she transferred them to a clean platter.

"We being civil in here?"

His eyes met the older brother's and he heard "I'm not you."

Billy chuckled and said "Still doesn't mean I can't protect you from the big bad wolf."

She shot him a look and the man grew quiet. He scratched his head and silently left the room. She waited for him to leave and let out a quiet sigh.

"Is everything okay?"

She brought the steaks to the table and said "Yeah."

His eyes narrowed when she stood next to him and she kept her eyes down as she walked back to the counter. She took another drink and heard the running footsteps from upstairs. Putting her glass down, she waited as Will reached the kitchen first with Teddy behind him and Grace just after.

"Clean?"

Will nodded and asked "Can I help?"

She nodded and Reese watched as the two siblings pulled out drink options. They poured the usual drinks for the family and Will looked up at Reese.

"What do you want?"

The man glanced at Joe and found her watching them from aside. He turned back to Will and gave a single nod. The boy poured a glass of water for him and Grace brought it to the table.

"Mom, can we go riding tonight?"

"If one of your uncles is willing to keep an eye on you two."

Will frowned and Reese almost smirked at the resemblance to his mother. Grace glanced back at him and he recognized the studying look in her eye. Here was a child that had been left an orphan and had been accepted into this family and the mysterious father of her brother stood in the same room with them.

"Teddy, did you and your mother get settled in?"

He nodded and said "Yeah. She's outside talking to Jeff."

Joe smirked and said "Will."

The boy nodded and left the room. She heard the door shut and watched Grace take a seat at the table. Teddy sat across from her and she risked another look at Reese. He turned his focus to the table and heard the door open again in the hall. Will reappeared with his uncles, Mack, and Calli shortly behind.

Mack caught the man's shoulder and said "Sit by me."

He took the offered chair on the man's right and watched Jeff take the seat at the end of the table. Calli sat next to Teddy and Will and Billy sat on both sides of Grace. He glanced back at Joe and found her missing.

Mack leaned back in his seat and said "Joe will eat later. She has a lot of work to get done yet."

His jaw tightened as he saw the look passed among the brothers but he held his tongue. The meal started in silence but soon enough the kids were talking about their semester at school. It slowly began to feel like the meals he had grown up having over here when he was a young kid except it was missing the one person he had been best friends with when they were so young. Slowly the dinner ended and he settled himself on the front porch steps while Jeff and his sister did the dishes. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the burning sky and felt the stiffening in his shoulder worsening.

Glancing down the driveway to the light in the barn, he slowly released the held breath and heard the door open behind him. Will came outside and took a seat next to him. The boy didn't look at him but Reese waited for him to start.

"You should probably ice your shoulder tonight."

"Are you a doctor?"

He smirked and said "No. That's Mom."

"Is that so?"

He nodded and said "She's had to stitch me up loads of times and get muscle aches to go away."

Reese met the boy's gaze this time and looked into the younger versions of his own eyes. Will's smirk slowly fell away and he looked away.

"Are you going to be sticking around?"

"I haven't thought that far."

He took a deep breath and said "It would do you some good if you did."

Reese glanced back down at him and asked "How so?"

He shrugged and said "You were injured and until the Doc Jones says you're clear you won't be able to leave."

"Unless Champ has suddenly gone lame, I don't think that is a problem."

Will quickly looked up at him but remained quiet. The look said everything and he knew that was not what he wanted to hear.

"I'll talk to Joe about it."

A little relief appeared on the boy's face and he stood up.

"Reese, think you could handle riding a little tonight before it gets too late."

"None of your uncles up to it?"

He shrugged and said "I just want to see who I get it from."

"Get what?"

"The natural ability to stay in my seat at my age."

Slowly a smirk crossed his face and he nodded. Will led him into the barn and walked down the large aisle toward his colt. Reese found Champ watching from a spare stall and he quietly approached the stallion. Champ leaned into the greeting touch and he glanced over his shoulder. Will was guiding a black colt out and he helped the kid with the saddle and bridle.

"What's his name?"

Will adjusted the straps and stirrups to his liking and said "Pagan."

Smirking, he watched the blonde boy swing up into the saddle and returned to Champ. The stallion was getting excited as he was saddled and his bridle was slid into place. It didn't take any coaxing to get the stallion outside and Reese swung up into the saddle. His shoulder complained with a new wave of pain but he ignored it and stopped Champ next to Pagan. Will glanced at him and took off toward the hills at the base of the surrounding woodland.

He watched the pair fly through the tall grass and glanced back at the barn. His eyes caught the brown pair watching from the door and he pushed Champ to get going. They raced into the pasture and quickly came up behind Will. The kid's natural ease in the saddle was so startling to witness but then again both he and Joe had been practically raised in saddles. They raced through the hills and came to a stop at the edge of the woodland.

He glanced up at the darkening sky and heard "I better head back. Getting late."

Looking back at Will, he watched the boy swing Pagan around and fly back toward the house. Silently Champ followed and they slowed when they came up on the barn. Swinging to the ground, he walked Champ back inside to his stall and removed his tack. He hung it on the wall where it had previously hung and rubbed his friend down. When he left the stall, he walked to the open door and found Will hopping up the steps to the front door.

Running a hand through his hair, he made his way inside and followed the kid into the kitchen. Will poured himself a glass of similar stuff that he had watched Joe drink earlier and the feeling of something being off returned. The kid washed his glass out when he was done and nodded as he walked past Reese to head upstairs. He waited until he knew everyone was done in the room and moved to the fridge. Pulling the door open, he pulled out the drink and set it on the counter.

Removing the cap, he took a sniff and felt a potent scent threaten to overwhelm him. Putting the cap back on, he put the stuff back into the fridge and shut the door. Running his hand through his hair, he turned around and found Mack watching him. He stopped and the man took a seat at the table.

"Just don't let Joe see you doing that."

"What is it?"

The man let out a slow breath and said "Medicine."

"For?"

The struggle he saw on Mack's face confirmed his gut feeling and he said "I don't need to know."

Mack smirked in relief and said "We're all in the den if you want to join us."

"I'm going to head up."

The man stood up and said "Joe will check that wound before she'll let you sleep."

He shook his head and asked "When did she become a medical expert?"

"That's what she went to school for."

Mack chuckled when he saw the small surprise in the man's eyes and left the kitchen. Staring at the empty doorway, he felt some of the uneasiness let up but the rest remained as strong as ever. Something was horribly off. There were too many secrets that involved two important people, especially the woman that had plagued his thoughts after she had left. He cleared his head and walked into the hall.

Climbing the stairs, he stopped at the landing and saw a light on just a few rooms from his. Voices were muffled but he could make out his son's young tone but not the other. Silently he approached the door and found Ted sitting on Will's bed, engrossed in a conversation with each other. He caught Will's gaze and headed down the hall to his room. Leaving the door cracked, he walked into his bathroom and turned the light on.

Removing his shirt, he began unwrapping his shoulder and tossed the wrapping once it was removed. Looking at the wound, he found it healing but still open enough to allow some blood loss when strained. Turning on the tap, he ran cold water over his face and took a deep breath. Hearing laughter, he turned the water off and grabbed a towel on his way out. He dried his hands and face and tossed the towel into a chair by the door.

Keeping his ears focused on the conversation down the hall, he dug out a worn t-shirt and slid it on. Moving into the hall, he returned to Will's room and found Joe tucking him and Teddy in.

"I think I get it from him."

"Is that so?"

Will nodded and she smirked.

"Get some sleep you two. You've both had a long day."

"We aren't that tired."

She shook her head and said "You need sleep if you want to go with Billy tomorrow."

"Where's he going?"

"Back to the old home up in the woodlands for the weekend."

Will smirked and Teddy asked "Mom okay with it?"

She nodded and said "She was coaxed into allowing it but I know you'll have fun."

She stood up and said "Get some rest. I don't want to hear anything else from this room."

"If you shut the door you won't."

She smirked as she turned the light off and said "Bear will."

She stepped into the hall and pulled the door shut. Her eyes moved to the amber ones watching and she followed him back into his room. She closed the door behind her and he watched her turn the light on in his bathroom.

"You need to chill your shoulder and I need to wrap it before you go to bed."

He sat on the bed and watched her dig out what she needed from the medicine cabinet. Silently she soaked a cloth in water and carried her supplies into the room. He slowly removed the shirt and laid it beside him. She carefully laid the cold cloth on his bare skin and felt the shudder slip through him.

"Why didn't you tell me about your degree?"

"Who told you?"

"Mack."

She pulled the cloth off and carried it back into the bathroom. He waited as she resoaked it and brought it back. The cold was worse this time and his jaw clenched to the shock.

"I wish they would butt out."

He smirked and said "They're family."

"More like four overprotective body guards."

"Why are they so scared when we're around each other?"

She peeled the cloth off and applied medicine to the wound. He held his tongue as her hands slid along his skin, leaving it tingling from the light touch.

"They think you'll lead me away from here."

He watched her skillfully wrap his shoulder and secure it. She took everything else back into the bathroom and put it away. As she washed her hands, he slid his shirt back on and watched her turn the bathroom light off.

"They don't know me."

"You should get some rest."

He caught her wrist as she walked toward the door and she looked back at him. Her eyes held the same guarded look and she seemed a little more than just tired tonight. Slowly he pulled her in front of him and she felt him brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"What's going on?"

A slow smirk appeared and she said "You're delusional. Get some sleep."

His eyes narrowed but he released her. She walked to the door and pulled it open as he pulled the bedding down. As he sat down, she looked back at him and silently pulled the door shut on her way out. He let out a sigh and looked at the shut door. His hand was still warm from her skin and he could feel the rush her presence gave his blood while her evasiveness left an uncomfortable knot growing in his gut.