Wednesday came around faster than Sam expected. Stone said he would take her to the airport himself if she still wanted to leave today. It was hard to believe only three days had passed since she'd cursed Carla's name for sending her here. For the first time she could remember, she'd truly been able to relax for more than a few hours.

If it was possible, she even felt younger here.

The day at the lake had been unbelievably fun. She hadn't gone in the water because that was something she still wasn’t ready for. She had however, played, poorly but with great effort, volleyball on the shore with some of the other women.

Bryce, Alex, Sunny and Autumn were thrilled when Sam joined them at the nets. It was a foreign feeling, but a good one, being able to just relax in their presence.

Sam’s life was all about being larger, being better than everyone around her. It was a necessity to keep her spot in the food chain. Being here, where no one cared who she was, or what deal she was working on, it was a different world. It was a world she wasn't ready to say goodbye to.

So no, she wouldn't be asking Stone to take her to the airport tonight. There was no reason she shouldn't let him sweat a little though. She elected to wait until the dance was over to tell him she’d decided to stay the full two weeks.

Sam checked her watch. Bryce, Alex and Sunny had invited themselves to her cabin to get ready for the dance and she didn’t have the heart to say no after they’d so readily welcomed her into their group earlier.

In truth, Sam was a little nervous. She'd never had girlfriends except for Carla. Her life didn't permit it, but it wasn't only that. She'd never wanted girlfriends.

She didn't want to talk about her family or her past or her job or her love life, and what else was there? Those were the things that made a life, those were the things girls talked about. So she avoided relationships, but she couldn't say no, when the group insisted at the lake that they all meet to get ready for the dance. Bryce seemed reluctant as well, but she'd agreed to come along in the end.

* * *

Thankfully, the trek from the showers back to her cabin was a short one. Sam washed and dried her hair, used the outlets there to apply a bit of curl and silently thanked Carla for packing the oversized curlers that currently adorned her head. She wore only the big, flannel bathrobe, as not to disturb aforementioned curlers and said another silent thanks that she didn’t run into any other people on the walk back to her cabin. She just made it inside when she heard a knock, then Alex calling out, "Sam, we're here!"

Crossing back to the door, Sam opened it to Alex and Sunny. The two women were beautiful opposites of each other.

Alex was average in height, but nothing else. The woman was stunningly exotic. She had sleek, dark hair that fell in a glossy sheet to her waist. She had high cheekbones and full lips, a straight, petite nose and dark, almond shaped eyes that played every emotion for the world to see. It was hard to believe Alex was a veterinarian and horse wrangler. Though her features were agonizingly delicate, Alex was a strong, tough lady.

Sunny, was exactly as her name implied. Tall. Not as tall as Sam, but taller than Alex. Her lightly tanned skin and full head of blonde, corkscrew curls set off eyes that lay at an interesting midpoint of blue and green. Her vivacious, outgoing personality made her type of woman who drew others in, made them smile just by being herself.

"Please," Sam smiled at the pair. “Come in - and bring your - luggage? Exactly how much preparation are you planning on doing, Sunny?”

Sunny laughed, an easy, melodic sound. “It’s a dance.” She chided in her adorable Southern accent. “All the boys will be there and we must do our best to impress.” She gave a flick of those flouncy curls and winked at Sam.

"Don't you already have a husband?" Alex questioned with curiosity. “And isn't he going to be there?"

"Oh psh!” Sunny waved a hand in the air. “Just because I’m an extremely happily married woman, doesn't mean I get to slouch on my appearance. Jake loves it when I get all gussied up so he can twirl me around and show off what he's got. Makes him feel all big and manly. Makes him want to use all that big manliness on me later." A huge grin and another wink from Sunny had Sam changing the subject fast.

"Is Bryce coming?"

"Bryce told me this morning that her boyfriend wants her to get ready with him." Sunny interjected. "He seems like a super controlling asshat, if you ask me. She's so sweet and timid. I don't know what she sees in him. She's the kind of girl who should have a fantastic guy."

Sam nodded. She'd noticed Heath’s mood swings and whispered verbal assaults. "Should we check on her?"

"If she doesn't make it to the dance,” Alex answered. “Then definitely yes. I don't like that guy at all. He gives me bad juju vibes."

"Ok then.” Sunny proceeded. “We’ll keep an eye out for Bryce. For now, let's get going. Sam? What are you wearing?"

With that, they were off. The three women helping each other with hair and makeup, commenting and giggling over clothing and lingerie choices.

"Because what you wear under your clothes is just as important as the clothes themselves.”

Sunny had said and Sam agreed. The two things she loved to splurge on more than anything were shoes and lingerie. Even though it was usually for her eyes only, she loved the feeling, the idea of lace and ribbon under a power suit. Soft and hard all wrapped in a stunning package.

As they applied the finishing touches, Sam had the thought that these were women she wouldn't mind having as friends. She had no idea what they would think, how they would act, if they knew who she was, but for now, she was determined to enjoy the gift of their company.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Alex glanced at Sam with a sheepish grin.

“I told the guys to come get us." Alex shrugged. “I hope that was ok."

Sam's heart thudded in her chest. She reprimanded herself for her nervousness at the thought of opening the door to Stone. She'd known she would see him tonight, had been looking forward to it. So why was she suddenly feeling like a teenager getting picked up for homecoming? If she'd gone to homecoming, she imagined it might’ve felt like this.

Taking a breath, she opened the door, then found herself working hard to keep her brain from stalling out.

Stone stood front and center, smiling down at her with that intense gaze, looking like some kind of dream out of Cowboy GQ - if that was even a thing.

It probably wasn’t.

It should be.

He wore a clean, pressed white shirt tucked into dark jeans that hugged his muscular thighs for all they were worth. A shiny pair of black boots adorned his feet, his signature black hat sat squarely on his handsome head.

Dean and Jake stood on either side of Stone, looking just as mouthwatering. Sam wondered, trying and failing to keep her hormones in check, if this was something the boys had rehearsed. It felt like a movie-worthy moment.

Dean was Stone's identical twin, so logically, he was every bit as handsome as his brother. There was just something about Stone that spoke to Sam in a way Dean didn't.

Maybe Dean wasn't setting those treacherous butterflies aflutter because he was married. She didn't know and it didn't matter anyway, because Stone was looking at her like he'd like to eat her up and she was close to wishing he would. She didn’t waver under his heavy gaze, grinning back at him when a slow smile split his face, because yes, she’d had to have those pink, snakeskin boots after all.

* * *

Stone gave Sam a slow sweep with his eyes, unable to contain the grin that played on his lips. She was looking sexy as hell in a white sundress, cut in a sweetheart neckline with wide shoulder straps, showing a tantalizing hint of cleavage. Her red hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, and her eyes... those eyes did it for him every time she turned them his way. Tonight they were made up with a smoky shadow that made them look like gems, sparking in the waning sunlight.

The reason he was grinning though, that was because of the boots. A pair of pink, snakeskin cowboy boots with tiny crystals strategically interspersed throughout the stitching. Totally outrageous, yet somehow, totally Samantha.

"You’re gorgeous, Sam."

"Thank you.” She breathed, holding his stare. “You don't look too bad yourself."

He smiled at her again and reached for her hand.

“Are you ready?” He watched her swallow, knew she understood his meaning, but was not expecting her response.

“Are you?” She challenged with a gleam in her eye.

Oh Baby, he thought, you have no idea.

“Oh, I’m more than ready, Sweetness.”

“Ok you two!” Sunny stepped past them with a huff. “Can you just go inside or something? All this sexual tension is making me sweat. We can go to the dance without you.”

Sam giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Stone couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her eyes were wide with embarrassment, her cheeks tinged with color. She looked back and forth between Alex and Sunny before the trio burst into laughter. Right then, Samantha looked to him exactly like everything he wanted.

As Dean and Jake collected Alex and Sunny, Dean leaned down for a kiss from Alex that made Sam blush. Jake leaned into Sunny's ear, whispering something that made her blush. The woman’s cheeks turned a dark shade of pink while she bit her lower lip, then straightened quickly, exclaiming, “Ok! I guess we're all ready to go! But we’ve got a dance to get to, so let's go have some fun."

Stone leaned in close to whisper in Sam's ear, kept his lips a millimeter from her skin, and smiled secretly when he felt a shiver go through her.

“I hope you’re ready to dance, Sweetness. Think you can resist my charms?"

He placed his hand on the small of her back, pressed her forward, and chuckled deeply when she responded with a tinge of sass, “I think I’ll be able to manage”.

* * *

“This is amazing!” Sunny exclaimed when they walked into the large, open floor barn. "For a bunch of cowboys, ya’ll sure do know how to clean the place up."

Sunny grinned at Dean when Alex interjected, “These cowboys have a lot of talents you wouldn't expect." Then blushed, as much as her dark skin would allow, looking away, suddenly aware of what she'd said. Sunny just laughed mischievously, dragging Jake away to check everything out.

The high rafters were strung with tiny, white lights, gleaming and twinkling in the dim evening light. Near the back, a live band warmed up their instruments.

"You have a band?” Sam asked with delight. “That's incredible! Do the members work on the ranch too?"

"No.” Stone replied, shaking his head. “They’re all from town. Angie, the singer, is the daughter of the boutique owner. She was in a car accident about a year ago. It messed her up something bad, but she sings like an angel. It's the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard. Brent owns the grocery store, plays the guitar. His wife, Cathleen, is the local hairdresser and plays the bass. Alexandra,” He nodded to a woman who looked like she could be Sunny's dark-haired twin. “Plays the drums. She teaches at the University. You met Chase at orientation. He plays the keyboard."

"Wow, this is fantastic!” She watched the group with interest while they tuned their instruments. “The only live music I’ve heard is Broadway or the Symphony Orchestra. This is going to be so much fun, but I should warn you Stone,” She crooked her finger at him. He leaned down so his ear was close to her mouth and she whispered to him, "I'm a horrible dancer."

He stood with a bark of laughter. “Impossible."

She laughed too and protested with a stomp of her pink boot. "I'm serious! I am the worst dancer I know."

"Know a lot of dancers, do you?"

"Well, Carla's kids are great dancers. Carla too. Have you seen that woman perform a salsa?”

"Matter of fact, I have. She's good, yeah. No worries though, if it comes to it, you just stand on my feet and I'll take you around, smooth and easy. Nobody'll know you're a terrible dancer."

He took her hand, leading her to one of the tables set up just outside the dance floor.

"Have a seat, I'll get us some drinks."

Sam sat at the bench and let her eyes wander around the barn. The dance floor took up the majority of floor space, but Greg and Naomi had a buffet set up across from the stage where the band started to play. People were milling about, eating and talking. She scanned the dancers already on the floor and caught site of Bryce and Heath. They looked like they were pretty cozy, so she guessed they’d patched up the differences they'd had earlier.

"Hey, Sam.” Dean and Alex joined her at the table. "What do you think?" Dean asked, gesturing around the barn.

“It's exquisite." Sam smiled at the two of them. "When Stone told me about the barn dance, this was not what I pictured. It is gorgeous. And Angie, I mean, incredible. She sounds like Nora Jones."

"Yeah.” Alex agreed, her voice laced with sadness. “She's so talented, the sweetest girl you'll ever meet."

"Hey!” Alex suddenly jumped from her chair, excitedly gesturing to Sam. “Do you know the electric slide?"

“No!” Sam giggled. “As I told Stone, I’m a horrible dancer."

“It's super easy and fun. Come on,” Alex grabbed Sam, pulling her out of her chair. “I'll show you how!”

As it turned out, the slide really was easy and Sam did have fun out on the floor with Alex. When the song ended, Sam told Alex she needed to sit, her ankle protesting all the stomping and sliding with a deep throb.

"Can I ask you something, Alex?" Sam glanced at Alex as they made their way back to the table.

Alex nodded. “Sure. Shoot.”

“What’s it like? Being married to someone who looks exactly like someone else? How did you choose between the two of them?"

"First of all, I didn’t have to choose between them, because Stone was married when Dean and I met.”

Stone was married? That little tidbit was good to know.

“Besides that,” Alex continued. “Stone has always been more… How do I say?” Alex searched for the right word. “Serious? He's the oldest, a few minutes older than Dean, older than the rest of his brothers in both years and experience. As long as I’ve known him, it seems like he always takes the shoulder of responsibility for the family. I think he needs to take care of them, to take care of things for them. His dad does a great job and is a good man.” Alex paused thoughtfully. Sam listened intently, needing to know everything Alex was telling her. “I just think it's Stone's personality. It’s also the reason he did so well in the military and why he's so good with the business." Alex smiled as Dean turned, caught her eye, and waved. "Dean is more fun, easier going. He’s still responsible and has a great sense of duty to his family, to me, but their personalities are totally different."

“I’ve heard that's how it is.” Sam remarked thoughtfully. “With twins. That they may look alike, yet have vastly different personalities. I’ve never known any, so I was curious."

Sam took a deep breath when she noticed the man of the hour standing from his seat, striding towards her with an easy gait, quickly eating up the distance between them.

"You two looked like you were having a good time out there." He smiled down at her. “No time to sit down now. If I remember correctly, you owe me a dance. All that rescuing I did deserves some payback."

"Alright you guys," Alex shook her head and laughed, "I'll leave you to work out the repayment.” She moved past them with a snicker, then sauntered back to the table where Dean waited, his eyes not leaving her for a second.

"I told you I’m not a good dancer." Sam cautioned, unable to control the upturn of her lips.

"Looked to me like you were doing just fine.” Stone countered, his voice so rich, smooth, sliding through her, enticing her. “Besides,” He added. “It's a slow one now, not much difficulty there. Follow my lead and we'll be perfect.”

Sam found out just how difficult slow-dancing with Stone could be a few minutes later. When he'd taken her hands, put them over his shoulders, placed his own on her waist and pulled her close. She consciously took control of her breathing, forced her fingers to relax, and kept her disloyal body in check with more effort than she wanted to admit.

Stone was sex on a stick if she'd ever seen it and her body was letting her know exactly how it wanted this night to end. Fortunately, Sam had plenty of practice taking control of her body, keeping the important things forefront in her mind.

So she allowed herself to enjoy the feel of his hands on her, his muscular chest beneath her cheek as she leaned in, his soft hair brushing her fingertips as she caressed his neck, making him groan a little.

Angie was crooning soft and low about a boy and a girl and the backseat of a Chevy when Stone brought a finger to her chin, tilted her head to look into her eyes and asked the question she'd expected so much earlier.

"So, Sweetness, do you still want to go home, or do I get to keep you for a few more days?"

She sighed, then let herself smile ever so slightly.

“I’ve decided to stay the rest of my time."

The grin that burst across his face was like she'd just told him he'd won the lottery. He bent to kiss her cheek, lingered there for a moment, then let his lips brush her ear, making her shiver as he said, “I'm so happy to hear that. Can I walk you back to your cabin now?”

"Yeah.” She sighed. “Is there a gator we can use? My ankle is really sore.” She chuckled. “I blame Alex and her electric slide.”

"No worries there, Sweetness. I’ve got you." in one smooth motion, Stone placed one arm under her knees, one around her back, and picked her up like there was nothing to it.

"Stone!” She protested. “I'm too heavy. You can't carry me all the way to my cabin. I can walk if there's no gator."

"Nah, you’re light as feather.” He retorted. “We’re not that far from your cabin anyway."

Stone did carry her the whole way without even hinting at getting tired and she did like the way she felt in his arms, her head resting on his chest as he walked through the quiet night.

When they reached her cabin, with only the light of the moon breaking through the darkness, Stone gently set her down in front of the door and stood, looking down at her like she was the only thing that existed. Her breath hitched when he moved in close, when she could feel his breath intertwining with her own.

“I’ve wanted to do this all night." He whispered, his lips just millimeters from hers, his breath soft and warm over her skin. "Do you have any idea what you do to me? How you tempt me?"

Sam's heart pounded in her chest. She was sure it was so loud he could hear it.

"Stone.” She breathed. "I..."

* * *

Whatever Sam was about to say was lost when Stone closed the space between them, pressing his lips to hers. The rush of electricity between them was almost overwhelming. Stone brought a hand up to tangle in those silky strands he'd been longing to touch, held her exactly where he wanted her. He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, silently begging her to open for him. When she did, he swept inside and tasted all of her. She was as sweet as he’d imagined she would be and he had to remind himself to slow down. He moved his free hand to her hip, pulling her into himself and when she made a little noise in the back of her throat, it nearly undid him.

She tasted like strawberries and vanilla and he was dying to taste every inch of her. He let his mouth move to that sensitive spot at the edge of her jaw, just below her ear and felt her shudder as he kissed and nipped and wandered lower.

"Let me in, Samantha." It was a whispered plea. He needed more of her.

Then her hand was on his chest and she was pushing, pushing him back and he was coming back to his senses fast. He looked into her eyes and saw the fire burning there, but something else too. Fear? Anxiety?

"I'm sorry." He apologized breathlessly. “I'm sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have done that."

"No.” She whispered back, unable to meet his eyes. “No, don't be sorry. I’m sorry. That was. That was ... wow. I think that was the best kiss I’ve ever had. I just can't..."

She looked absolutely miserable. He couldn't stand it.

"Hey." Stone reached out to touch her cheek, smiling when she leaned into him. “It's okay, Sweetness. It's what I said before. Nothing you don't want."

“Stone, you don’t understand. It's not that I don't ... not that I don't want you. My body is screaming at me right now. I just, I can’t. I can’t and I’m sorry."

"Sam.” He spoke gently. “It’s okay. Meet me tomorrow morning, before we leave for the cattle drive. Meet me at Beauty's stall. Will you do that?"

“Yeah.” She sighed forlornly. “I'll meet you.”

He bent down, placed one last, sweet kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight, Sam. Thank you for the dance. For the kiss."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night, leaving her staring after him, lost in the battlefield of her own mind.