Dang it

Alec shakes his head before glancing back over his shoulder. "Right." He knew good and well Ryan had fixed his motorcycle, but there was obviously no arguing with her. 

Wandering back to the counter, he retrieves the keys and stops for one last moment to look at Ryan. It was the wrong thing to do, because tears suddenly spring into his eyes before he can stop them. Oh how he hated himself for the choices he'd made. 

"Dang it, Ryan." His voice was but a hoarse whisper. "Why do I have to love you so much?" 

Stepping towards the door, his feet seem to have a will of their own as he stops right beside her. And in the blink of an eye, he'd planted a soft kiss on her cheek. 

Turning quickly, he exits the building and aims for his bike.


Jeff grins, knowing Katie was right - if Hunter did her wrong, he'd have this whole ranch on his tail. He seemed too smart for that though.

As quietness lingers while they ride, the last thing Jeff expected was for Katie to choose the new subject that she did. A lump rises in his throat, and he fiddles with his reins for a few moments. He knew exactly what she was referring to. Was it that obvious where his mind had been.

"Yeah..." A weary sort of sigh slips out before he can stop it. Spotting a clearing along the trail, he turns Hawk towards it, stopping just short of the small field of tall grass and wild flowers. The sun shone down warmly on the scene, creating an almost surreal picture.

Leaning forward to rest his arms on the saddlehorn, Jeff's eyes roam the clearing. "Some days are harder than others," he admits. "Especially when I forget I'm surrounded by family and I get to feeling lonely." He couldn't help it that there were days it just didn't matter how much family he had around or how much they loved him. There was just a hole in his heart that left him lonely in ways the others here couldn't remedy.

Watching a butterfly flit from flower to flower, he gains a small smile. "She would have loved it here. Your mother, I mean. I think she would have taken to the ranch just like you have."

Swallowing hard, he looks down for a moment, finding it just a little difficult to keep a handle on his emotions. "I'm so glad she left me you," he continues softly. "I've even thought about moving to Nevada just so I could be closer to you but... I wouldn't want you to feel smothered."