Conflicting

Levi finally shook himself loose from the chair and got himself to his feet. "Secretary? What secretary?" He took the rescued papers from the visitor, his hand brushing against hers as he did. "Thanks. We just, sorta, um..."

"What he's trying to say," Keith interrupted, "is that we've bit off more than the two of us can chew and we don't have a secretary, let alone one on vacation."

"We will though." Levi tossed the papers onto the desk in yet another haphazard pile. "Soon. We hope to, I mean. We're looking." He stopped, his cheeks finally back to their normal color, and gave her a crooked smile. "I'm Levi." He offered her a handshake. "You're not looking for a job are you?" he teased.

Keith rolled his eyes. "No, she tripped over my cleaning supplies out there and was gracious enough to bring them in with a stiff reminder not to forget them out there again."

Levi's eyes twinkled as he looked down at her. "Good, 'cause when I tried that, he didn't listen. You sure you don't want a job?"

"Levi!" Keith chided. The phone rang again an he sighed before going to his own desk to answer it.


Lydia was confused at seeing Grace come in the back door, but obeyed and kept quiet. Once she realized what was really going on as she peeked out from behind the curtains, tears pooled in her eyes. She would want to help anyone - but this was her son. So staying inside without going to help him hurt her heart.

Jared glanced up as Grace came out on the porch, unable to help the surprise that flashed in his eyes, even though he tried to hide it. The surprise was quickly replaced by his irritation though, and he looked away before taking the box of bandages. Able to get to his knee through the tear in his jeans, he simply covered the wound with a couple bandaids until he could clean it more thoroughly.

"You can come tomorrow," he growled, "but don't expect any cooperation from me. Not after you decided leaving me out there on my own was a good idea." He hurt all over. He was wet. He was cold. He was embarrassed. And he was angry.

"If that's what therapy is, you can take it and shove it."


"Oh..." Lane blinked. "Yeah...yeah, sure." Being the center of attention wasn't quite what he'd had in mind, but Angel was right - there would be a lot of questions from more than on person, most likely.

The door suddenly opened again. "Hey, Angel would you..." Luke's voice trailed off as he saw Lane. He was about ready to apologize for interrupting, thinking it was just a ranch visitor, but then, no one was scheduled to arrive today, and...did he know him?

Lane turned to see him, his eyes taking in everything from how Luke had aged, to the leg braces, to the cane he used. "Hi, Luke."

Luke glanced at Angel, then back again, silent until it finally dawned on him. "Mississippi?"

"The one and only."

"Oh wow..." Luke slowly stepped all the way into the office, his eyes wide. "What...brings you here?"

"Just in the area." Lane smiled. "Thought it was about time I saw my sister again."

"I'd say so. It's been what...?"

Lane shrugged. "I've never been too good at math."

Luke tried to think that far back, but it wasn't easy. He at least knew Mississippi had never met his niece so it had been a very long time. "Well it's good to see you. Staying long?"

"I've got some time to spare, so I'd like to hang around a few days and see everyone."

"Good...good." There was an awkward pause before Luke looked back to Angel. "Um..." He paused, then chuckled. "I have no idea why I came here," he admitted. "I'd retrace my steps, but I don't think my legs will let me." He rolled his eyes and eased down in a chair so he wouldn't fall down. At least today he was up and moving. Yesterday the pain had been so bad, he hadn't even been able to get out of bed. "Um, the bunk next to Eric's is open, I think. Number five," he mused before looking to Lane. "Unless you wanna stay in the house with us. We've got a spare room - I'm sure Angel wouldn't mind."

"Oh, no, it's okay, I'll stay in the bunk." Lane waved off the offer. "I wanna see y'all, not impose. Angel was just gonna get folks together," he continued so Luke wouldn't argue with him, "so I wouldn't have to repeat myself a hundred times. I didn't mean to cause a stir."

"Well, it's not every day someone from that far in the past shows up without warning."

"Right..." Lane finally slapped his hat back on his head and glanced back to Angel. "I'll, um... grab some of my stuff outta my truck, if that's okay. I can find the bunk alright."

Only after he'd left did Luke look to Angel, his eyes still a bit wide. "This is certainly a surprise. I wonder what made him decide to come here after all these years..."

...Lane made himself scarce until about suppertime when Angel managed to gather most everyone in the main house. It was awkward at first, and not everyone remembered him at first, but once they realized who he was, the memories started coming back...

"Wow..." Mick was the first to step forward and offer a handshake. "Been a long time, Mississippi."

Lane grinned and shook his hand. "Lane, please. Mississippi is such a mouthful. And yeah, I guess it has been a while."

"Like...twenty years?" Trent was the last to walk in the back door and came up slowly.

Lane smirked a little. "Trent. Wondered when you'd show up. I'd say it's been a little more than that, but who's counting?"

Trent grinned. "Not me."

Once everyone who had known Lane had a chance to greet him, Mick set his hands on his hips. "So what in the world brings you here?"

"Oh, just...chasing the wind." Lane fiddled with his hat. "Passing through, had a nostalgic moment and thought I'd drop in."

Trent quirked an eyebrow. "Where you at nowadays anyway?"

"I hang my hat wherever it falls." Lane shrugged. "Guess that part of me hasn't changed much over the years."

Mick glanced at Rosetta before clearing his throat. "Well, um, if you're gonna stick around, what say we all catch up over supper? Becky's got something cooking in there that smells awfully good."

"I don't know how I could say no to that." Lane tossed Angel a look. "Guess you're stuck with me..."

...A couple hours later, Lane sat at one of the dining room tables with Angel, Luke, Wendy, Clint and the kids. He'd interacted with almost everyone, rather overwhelmed by so many wanting to talk to him. Not that he'd expected a poor reception, but they all seemed to be even more gracious than he remembered.

Though his eyes were tired, he tried to stay alert. Dinner was over, but the fellowship continued, and Lane was still the center of attention. Listening to something Luke said, his attention was diverted when he felt something on his leg. Looking down, his eyes met those of Kaylee. She grinned up at him and said something no one could interpret. Lane chuckled and moved his chair back a little. "And to what do I owe this visit?"

Kaylee reached up her hands and giggled.

"Boy, you're a friendly little tyke, aren't you?" Lane didn't mind, and lifted her up onto his lap to bounce her and make her giggle even more.

Across the table, Clint had his own lap full of Chase, who had conked out half an hour ago. "She kinda claims everybody around here as her own," he commented wryly.

Lane chuckled. He could see Wes in the little girl's eyes. "I don't mind."

"You seem pretty comfortable with it."

Lane just shrugged without really responding. He glanced over at Wendy for the umpteenth time though, lost in thought.

Luke saw it and quirked an eyebrow. "Hard to believe that much time has gone by huh?"

Lane snapped back to attention before giving Kaylee a pat and sending her on her way. "Yeah...yeah, sorry," he apologized to Wendy. "Just glad I finally got to meet my niece. I heard you were born, and today you're all grown up with kids of your own." His eyes flitted to Angel, then back again. "Time...really does fly."


Mick's eyes continued to watch Lane as they had all evening. He was glad to see their old friend. Their paths has crossed only for a short time, but that time had been good. After so many years though, no one was ever the same. And showing up out of the blue like this... Mick couldn't help but be alert. So far, his observations were somewhat conflicting.

Lane had laughed and smiled with everyone, yet physically, he sat rigid and on edge, not having relaxed once. He conversed easily, yet there were very few questions he'd answered straight - after several hours, it was still unclear where he lived, where he'd been or what he did for a living. He appeared to enjoy everyone's company, but had yet to actually be clear about what brought him here. He asked questions and conversed, but somehow it seemed he was surprised by nothing, as if he was already familiar with everyone here. Seeing kids like Wendy or Dylan, Luke's condition, hearing Trent had a daughter, finding out about Wes' time in the military - none of it seemed to surprise him. At the very least, Mick would surmise Lane wore many layers, built up by a past he wasn't willing to share. At the very most...Mick wasn't sure he wanted to assume the worst, but something just didn't feel right. He just hoped it was something simple that would take care of itself.

Realizing he'd been neglecting his own table, Mick glanced across to Rosetta. Eying her with mischief, he slid his foot under the table to nudge her playfully.