When Will looked over his shoulder to find Tessa and found her trailing behind, he gestured her by his side.

"So what do you think?" he inquired.

"I never thought of training the horses like that. I assume it must work if you're using it," she said.

Will grinned lopsidedly. "Actually, it's a test to see how it works. I'm not sure how Kent did it. We just always left it to him." Will paused. "I saw the technique in a magazine and thought that it seemed easy enough. It's what police use to train their mounts so-" Will shrugged and seemed to say It should work for me.

"What's her name?" Tessa asked.

Will laughed deeply. "You have an obsession with names, don't you?" Tessa drew herself up angrily and was about to snap at him when he held up his hands in defense.

"Okay, okay. No need to get all puffed up about it like a threatened porcupine. Her name's simply Brownie. She was a little girl's horse but when her parents got her a pony instead, we bought her off of them." Will patted the mare's neck. "She's a great little horse for trail rides but we have to make sure that the kids we put up on her are as safe as if they're on the ground. That's my job now."

"Do you think I could help?" Tessa asked meekly.

Will looked quickly at her but made sure to school his expression to neutrality. "Actually, I'm going to need someone to help in a week or so when I work on her with a rider. You wouldn't mind?"

Tessa shook her head excitedly. "Why do you think I offered? I love horses and riding. I have ever since I was a little girl. What I told you about my riding was true," she said simply, with none of the previous haughtiness or bragging.

"I told ya' I believe you. I saw you introduce yourselves to those horses in the barn." The man nodded his approval and Tessa blushed with pleasure. She smiled up at him and he grinned back.

When Brownie was sufficiently cool they walked back to the barn and Tessa helped Will to groom the mare. She found that the mare had a disposition to match her name, sweet and very friendly. Tessa discovered one of her tickle spots and the horse's bottom lip relaxed with happiness.

Will watched the way that Tessa and the mare interacted and saw the makings of a real horsewoman. If she wasn't already, he told himself. Will had Tessa dump a bucket of carrots and grain into the mare's feed bucket and, with a parting slap on the neck, left Brownie to enjoy her treat.

They walked to the main house to grab some lunch and on the way Tessa found pleasure in Will's company. Besides their love for horses, they also shared the desire of working at the camp after graduation. Tessa found herself laughing more and more and feeling an easiness in his presence that surprised her, even as it made her smile.

The Aumlin girl had changed from a haughty brat into a witty, charming young woman whom Will found himself liking more and more. Her eyes sparkled and her fair cheeks were rosy with happiness. Will found himself hoping that some of that was due to his presence.

When they reached the front door Will swept ahead and opened the door for her. He hid the smile that forced itself onto his face when Tessa had to keep her jaw from dropping at the chivalrous sentiment. Then she just smiled and stepped through the door.

"You can clean up first," he offered.

Tessa screwed her face up and arched one eyebrow. "I don't think so. You smell the worst and I think that you need to do more than just 'clean up.'" Tessa looked him up and down and then snorted as she walked into the kitchen.

"Brat," he muttered.

"I heard that," chirped Tessa, peeking her head around the doorway. She smiled sweetly and ducked back into the kitchen.

The man shook his head, refraining from further comment and decided to take the girl's advice, however it was given.

Will had to admit that the warm water felt good. When he emerged and went to the kitchen, Tessa had already cleaned herself up and looked fresh and renewed. Merri, Kelly, Mark, and Shelley were already seated at the table with sandwiches before them. Tessa was at the counter and when Will entered the room she turned.

"Ham or turkey?" she asked simply.

"Turkey, please."

Will sat at the table between Mark and Shelley and poured himself a glass of lemonade from the pitcher on the table. The other people at the table seemed to be different than before the Aumlins had arrived. Merri and Kelly were talking about their children and his employer actually had a smile on her face. Her children, Mark and Shelley, were behaving like normal siblings again, arguing over petty disagreements. Will smiled, pleased that the family that he had made his own was beginning to heal the wounds that death had left in its wake.

Tessa set his sandwich before him and took her place across from him. She took in his freshly scrubbed and shaven face and damp hair.

"Quite an improvement," was all she said before taking a bite of her sandwich.

Will thought he saw the two women's eyes flick in their direction and the faintest hue of red suffuse Tessa's creamy face. His eyes narrowed, picking up the way that Tessa flicked her eyes from him to her mother and aunt and blushed again. The two women had grown silent and Will could tell that both were fighting laughter.

He lingered over his sandwich even after the three Bruntman's and Kelly had left. Merri wanted to take her sister on a tour of the ranch. This left him alone with Tessa once more.

She had finished and was cleaning up her crumbs and plate. Will stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and nodded when Tessa offered to remove his setting. Will watched and studied her.

She was quite small and he couldn't imagine her being atop a huge thoroughbred, as she had told him she rode. She couldn't possibly top five foot three and she was slim as a willow switch. There was substance to her, though, she wasn't just thin. Her face was round and very appealing with full lips and a straight nose, which was framed with high cheekbones. Her eyes were a deep brown and steady, not sliding away when looked into. The oddity was her hair. A bright auburn that begged Will to run his fingers through it. Kelly Aumlin didn't have red hair and neither did anyone else on that side of the family, for Will had seen Merri's photo albums. This led Will to believe that Tessa's father must have had vivid red hair.

Tessa walked back to the table and Will acted as if he had just turned his eyes upon her. She sat down and rested her chin on her folded hands, looking expectantly at the man across from her.

"Well, what now?" she asked.

Will studied her face and saw a longing there that he knew he could fulfill. "Wanna go for a ride?"

Tessa's eyes glowed and Will rose from the table. He didn't need an answer. They left the house and made their way to the barn, passing Merri, Kelly and the kids on the way. Will informed them of his and Tessa's activities. He saw the look between the three women again and looked hard at Merri. She had tried to set him up with other girls after Amy. . .

A tap on his shoulder broke through Will's heavy thoughts and he followed Tessa into the barn. He noticed how she immediately made her way to the end of the stalls and didn't stop until she had reached Summer Hue's stall. Will smiled. Count on the girl to choose Kent's favorite mount.

Will stepped up behind Tessa as she held her hand out to the mare and sighed. Summer was very picky and Kent had been the only one who she had willingly carried. It was very apparent that Summer had chosen another for she was butting Tessa in the chest and whuffling softly.

"Well, looks like she's accepted you, Tessa. Might as well tack her up, she won't be happy any other way!" Will watched as the girl's face transformed into an angelic smile and was tempted to kiss her. . .

Will refrained from telling Tessa the mare's story, deciding to save it until later. He showed Tessa where to find the gear and left her to herself.

He went back the way he came in and stopped in front of a mousy gelding named Merlin. The horse had a Roman nose and a sober hang to his mouth. Merlin was responsive though and Will had started him himself.

"Hey, Merl. Hey, yeah. . ." Will ran his hand along the heavy head and cooed to the perked up ears. After slipping the halter over Merlin's head, he led him out and hitched him to a ring beside the stall.

To his right, Will saw Tessa picking out Summer's hooves and smiled at the way that girl and horse had taken to each other. It almost seemed that Tessa had been Kent's child and not her own father's the way that she dealt with horses.

Will quickly groomed the large gelding and was tacking up just as Tessa was leading her ride out of the barn. He paused to watch as she mounted and lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Tessa held the reins in her left hand and grabbed a handful of hair with the same. She placed her right over the swell of the pommel and no sooner had her left foot slid into the stirrup then Tessa's right leg was over the mare's back and the girl was settled in the saddle. Will had only seen such a smooth mount one other time - when Kent was still alive.

He averted his eyes as Tessa glanced over her shoulder at him and tightened the girth one last time. Leading the gelding out of the large barn, he slipped the reins over Merlin's ears and heaved himself into the saddle with none of the grace that his riding partner had just exhibited.

"That was an awesome mount," Will commented. "Are you sure you've only been riding for six years?" He smiled and Tessa beamed with the compliment.

"Actually, up to about five months ago, I couldn't, I just didn't have the strength. Then I was going to do a show where it was mandatory to mount up for the judge. I had always just pulled myself into the saddle before so Janie, my trainer, told me that we were going to work on a new mount up. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too hard," she paused and an impish glint glowed in her eyes. "And it's unique enough to warrant the blue ribbon - twice!"

"Aren't we the humble sort," Will jabbed, pleased to see Tessa blush and look off balance. It's about time, he thought. That's the way I've felt since she came.

They were silent as Will led them around the ranch, giving Tessa a guided tour of her new residence. He noticed how she drifted toward the roan's paddock and subtly cut her off, directing her back to the heart of the ranch.

This time Will took them through the spread and into the trees on the other side. Tessa took long deep breaths and sighed with the tranquility that the laid-back, country atmosphere placed upon her. All around her horse's hooves were multicolored flowers; she later learned some of their names: Mountain Columbine, Lupine, Asters, Corn Lilies, Indian Paintbrush.

The quartet broke though the trees into a large field of swaying grasses and a sea of purple flowers. Tessa was left breathless and she pulled Summer up. Will looked at her quizzically and urged Merlin closer to the girl. When he made eye contact with her, he smiled and gloried in the impact that Lover's Field had on the girl.

Suddenly Summer's Hue shot into the purple flowers, a headlong gallop carrying her across the field. Will clucked and urged Merlin into following the mare and he cantered after Tessa. When Tessa reached the stream that was hidden by the tall grass, he stopped and watched as the girl shifted over Summer's shoulders instinctively in response to the mare's tensing muscles and the pair soared effortlessly over the water.

Merlin trotted toward the now standing Summer's Hue and his rider had a wry twist of a smile on his lips. "Just got an urge didn't you?" he asked dryly.

When Tessa nodded, he explained. "You just seem like the type to go flying off with out any idea of what is before you."

Tessa laughed and Will continued across the field. Words came easier between the two now.

"So who does Summer's Hue belong to? She's got too much fire and independence for simple trail rides." Tessa slapped the mare's neck lovingly and the mare trotted forward with eagerness.

Tessa stopped the horse with out thinking, letting her body do the work. Will hadn't moved forward with her, but was sitting pensively atop his monster of a gelding. Tessa eased her horse around and came shoulder to shoulder with the other rider.

"Was that the wrong question?" Tessa asked concernedly. She hoped she hadn't put her foot in her mouth. Then a thought struck her. "Was. . . was she Amy's?" She said this name with the awkwardness of talking of a stranger.

Will's head shot up and his eyes were wide and filled with pain. The girl leaned back and knew that she had just ruined a perfect day.

"I'm sorry, it's really none of my-"

Will cut her off. "No, that's okay." His voice was thick and he seemed close to tears. "No, she's not Amy's." His voice broke when he said the stranger's name and Tessa placed her hand on his arm in an unconscious gesture to soothe.

"You don't have to-"

"Amy never rode. She was afraid of horses, but she was so good with kids that when she applied for the job, Kent didn't think twice about hiring her. Like in the movies, we fell in love and she accepted my proposal after a year. We were going to get married as soon as we both turned eighteen." He paused and Tessa nudged her mare even closer.

"Three days before her birthday she got in an accident. She was on her way here. . . She was side swiped by a trucker and she was killed upon impact." Will looked up and Tessa's heart ached for him. The pain was so deep in his eyes.

"I look like her, don't I?" Tessa whispered. Will nodded dully and Tessa walked her mare forward. "Maybe I should go."

"No! Tess, I loved her so much and then you came and I could have sworn that it was Amy standing in the airport terminal. The eyes, the nose, the mouth - the only difference was the shade of the hair. Hers was more auburn." Will shifted his eyes and when Tessa made as if to go back, Will placed a restraining hand on her cantle. "Please don't leave me," he whispered.

Tessa backed Summer up and she thought that Will was going to hold her, but instead he gripped his reins with white-knuckled hands and flashed her what she assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile. To Tessa, he looked like death warmed over.

The day had lost its beauty and the warm sun shared none of its heat with the riders. They rode in a heavy silence and even the birds seemed to have stopped their singing in response to the mood.

When they had been riding for over an hour and mutually agreed in silence to turn back, they avoided the purple field. The ranch came into view and Tessa watched as Will visibly shook off his morbid airs.

"Your mount belonged to Kent. He was the only one she would let on her back. You make the second person that she's allowed." Will shook his head in remembrance. "When he first bought her he had intended her to be for the trail but after she threw the first three or four trainers he gave up and assumed private ownership. He was happy and she was happy. This is the first time that she's been ridden since. . . since-"

"I know," Tessa murmured.

"Looks like she's your horse now," he said lightly.

Tessa sat her horse and kept silent, not releasing the depressing afternoon as easily as her companion.

"Do you still love her?" Tessa asked.

Without hesitation, he answered, "I'll always love her, and she will always be a part of me, but I finally learned that to hold onto the past is to lose out on the present. I've let her rest and I try to keep only the good times in my heart." Will glanced at Tessa with heat in his eyes and the girl felt self-conscious, redness rising in her cheeks.

They passed onto the steading and the quiet bustle of ranch life soothed Tessa's heart. Will's story had made her very soul ache. Once the horses had been untacked and groomed, they walked together to the house, the silence between them as it was in the field: thick and expectant.