Not my best

Slightly startled by the female voice behind him, Eric turns, only to be met by the flashlight beam. He holds his hands out to the sides in submission and squints in the bright light until Stacy lowers it. His expression was one of wry amusement. No, he wouldn't want to be a real prowler around here - he'd be dead meat for sure.

If it had been a week prior, Stacy's comment about the ticket would have irritated him. But tonight it simply brings a sheepish grin to his lips, his nose scrunching a little as he cringes. "I suppose I deserved that," he muses ruefully. "As far as the sound of my walk goes, don't get too used to it. I like to change my rhythm every now and again just to throw people off." His eyes were the only thing that revealed he was teasing.

Studying Stacy for a moment, one of his eyebrows lifts a little. Had she just given him a once-over? Again, what would have been irritating not that long ago, now made him feel rather amused. She was going to be living here whether he liked it or not. She was a part of this ranch now, whether he liked it or not. And today... as the feeling of defeat continued to rise within him... it just wasn't worth the fight to try and be at odds. So she'd given him a ticket. Who cared? It had been his fault to begin with and she'd only been doing her job. Him trying to avoid her lately really was pretty childish now that he thought about it.

His mouth opens for an apology but instead, it seemed Stacy was pretty close to an apology herself. Folding his arms, he cocks his head, letting some moonlight below the brim of his hat. Purposefully giving her once-over, he makes it obvious that he's returning her own stare she'd given him. A low chuckle surfaces. "Yeah... I don't got a reason to want things awkward either."

Letting his arms fall so he could put his hands in his pockets, he shifts his weight a little. "I suppose a man ain't got a right to disrespect a woman - let alone a woman with authority." Let alone a woman who was attractive as she, though that was something he wouldn't dare voice. "I guess maybe we got started out on the wrong foot." His crooked grin returns. "But I think it was mostly my fault. You haven't exactly seen me at my best."


Looking to Ashlee, Dylan feigns shock that she would want to get back at him in the game. The twitch at the corner of his mouth evolves into almost a full grin before he hides it again and sends an elbow her way instead. "Be nice... I'm an invalid here, remember?"

"Invalid?!" Jade's jaw drops and she threatens to whack his ankle that sat up beside her.

Dylan automatically flinches, then throws her a smirk. "Watch it."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll..." He really wasn't in a position to be making threats at all. Swinging his gaze back over to Ashlee, he nods. "Or I'll sic this firecracker on you."

"UNO!" Jeff waves his single card in the air. "Does anybody care?"

Jade gasps and throws down a Reverse, which forces Jeff to draw cards instead of playing his last. "Blame it on Dylan. He's stirring up all the trouble."

"Me?!" He leans over and shoves Ashlee playfully with his shoulder. "It's all her, I'm telling ya."


Con smiles as Katie takes her arm, and he leads the way outside. He lets her pick where to go eat, and it doesn't take long to be sitting down and eating their lunch.

Munching on a frenchfry, and after some smalltalk about nothing very important, he cocks his head, just studying Katie. It was nice to spend some time with his "little sister." It seemed they rarely got to see each other anymore other than just saying hi at work. A benefit was her sensitivity to him not hearing well and he could always count on her speaking up and didn't get embarrassed when he had to have her repeat something.

Today though... this lunch was about her, not him. "So..." The thoughtfulness remains in his eyes. "How are you really doing, Kat?" He meant it... this whole thing with Jason had to be rough and he really did want to know how Katie was holding up under it all.