Two days after entering the hospital with several broken bones and bruises covering every square inch of her body, she was moved from ICU to a regular room, allowing her to receive visitors. Sean seemed determined to fill her in on everything about his friendship with Courtney and the men in Courtney’s life. Telling her about how Sean and Courtney met and became friends because they were both in love with people they couldn’t have and were traveling the rodeo circuit, because for someone who acted so pretentious, she actually loved to barrel race and had grown up on a ranch.

He told her about how he met and became friends with Devon, Clint, and Cole because they were working protection for Courtney when something Cole had been involved in in D.C. had leaked back to Texas and was risking the woman he loved, even as he was married to another woman, whom he had since divorced. Sean called the whole thing a business deal gone wrong but she hadn’t dwelled on the meaning since she was in information overload.

Later, with Sean refusing to leave her side Cole had broken the one visitor rule and joined the two of them and he managed to shed a little light on the subject when he said that he had been forced into the sham of a marriage as part of his duties for a job and would have been divorced quickly had he not ended up thinking he had impregnating the woman he was married to while he was in love with his fiancée.

The reality of the situation was horrible but Cole had felt stuck and broke things off with Courtney and since Sean wasn’t in a relationship the two of them stuck together and got closer, in a strictly platonic way, leading to Cole thinking that the two of them were in a relationship for a long time. It wasn’t until Sean’s dad’s funeral that Cole realized that Sean was not in love with Courtney but Cole was stuck in a marriage, until he learned that the child was not his after all and he was able to start divorce proceedings. Because his ex-wife could be a bitch she had drug the whole thing out and he had only returned home days before Katherine’s abduction, which was caused by Courtney’s panicked runner and put Katherine in a situation where she had almost died.

It helped to understand the dynamics of the situation and because she had her own experience with heartbreak she could understand why, at least in a sense, Courtney had done the things that she had, and it made it a little easier to accept that the other woman would probably be a part of their lives.

Sean finally left the hospital to go home and change and shower, she was shocked to see her next visitor.

Courtney walked through the door timidly. As soon as she stepped in, she could only stand there, her mouth hanging open.

"A little much, isn't it?" Katherine asked with dry humor.

"Umm, well, only if you aren't opening a specialty flower shop. Where on earth did he find so many peach-colored roses?"

"I have no idea. It was like this when they wheeled me in here. Of course, I haven't been able to shake him until now."

"Yeah, he was saying good-bye to the guys when I came up here."

"They are quiet a bunch, but they seem pretty intimidating. I see you have your hands full."

"Not as much as you'd think. Clint is pretty self-sufficient and tends to be a loner, Cole spends most of his time in D.C., so he is barely ever around, and Devon thinks I’m just helpless and only need a little pocket money to be content."

"Typical male behavior..."

"Yeah."

Both women were taken aback at the easy camaraderie between them after each had each disliked the other so intensely for so long.

"What about..."

"You know, we..."

Both spoke at once, and they erupted into laughter.

"Go ahead," Katherine invited.

"Okay, look, I just wanted to tell you myself that I am sorry. I know I caused all this, but there has never been anything between Ev and me. He is like a brother to me. I grabbed on to him with both hands because of that. No emotion, no sex, and he can’t break my heart, you know?"

"You didn't cause any of this, Courtney. I was gullible and unsure of myself. I knew deep down that Sean loved me, but he had also hurt me before, so I was terrified to trust him again."

"Yeah, I know that feeling well. How much is safe to feel after they've left your heart in tatters before?"

"Cole?"

"How'd you... Ev, right?"

"Well, partially. He was very sparing with the details and the rest I sort of pieced together myself after Cole came to see me. He still loves you, too, you know?"

"We're just too different. I don't know, maybe. Ugh, I hate him!"

"Really?" Katherine asked laughingly.

"I avoided the man successfully for years, didn’t have to be around him or his plastic Barbie bitch of a wife more than a handful of times, and now I won’t be able to escape him. I swear he'd follow me to the bathroom if my brother weren't there."

"Well, I'd get used to it. You've been hiding behind Sean for years, but Cole won’t buy that now, especially since he is finally free to do what he wants with his life."

"You know, I like you. I guess we're going to have to be friends now."

"Looks like it."

"Ev is going to be back soon, and he's not ready to forgive me yet. The last thing I need is for him to find me here."

"Courtney? If you love him, give it a shot; if you really love him, it’s worth the fight."

Courtney walked over to the bed, bending to kiss her cheeks.

"You know, I may just do that. Get well soon. I don't know how many more roses should be killed on the altar of love this week."

After Courtney walked out the door, Katherine caught herself thinking she could actually come to like the other woman.

Since this was the first time Sean had left her side, it was the first time she had been left alone, so it was the first time anyone had gotten to see her. As soon as the door started to swing closed behind Courtney, Sheriff walked in and peeked around the corner.

"So it’s true, he's finally left? Boy, they were not kidding about the flowers either. What was the boy thinking? I heard he actually asked if they would paint the room peach and then got huffy when they wouldn't let him change the curtains and sheets. Thelma says we have to keep him; is there any way I can change your mind?"

"Nope, sorry, Sheriff, I’m keeping him as long as he'll stay this time around."

Sheriff laughed softly and then, hearing a knock at the door, he bent over to kiss Katy's brow. "Be happy, darlin'. We love you."

Katherine stared at him in confusion as Sean walked in carrying the largest bouquet of peach roses she had ever seen.

"Good Lord, boy, did you have to bring even more of those things?"

Sparing a smile for Sheriff, he handed the flowers to Katherine as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey, beautiful, how are you feeling?"

"Better." She reached up with her right hand wrapped in a bandage and touched his cheek. "You look tired. Have you slept at all?"

"About five hours altogether since you left the house."

"Sean! Go home and get some rest."

"No, I'll go home when you do."

"At least sit down, then. I can’t believe you have been awake all this time."

"I will. I want to tell you something first." He kneeled down on one knee as he spoke. "When I was in my senior year of high school, my mom sat me down one night when Dad was working late, and gave me something she wanted me to give you when the time was right."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an old antique-looking ring box.

"My grandmother gave this to her to pass on to me when I found the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with. You see, my mother was a wise woman and knew even when we were so young that eventually this would happen."

He took the ring from the box and picked up her left hand.

"What do you say, Peach? Want to give me a lifetime? Maybe throw in a couple of kids for good measure?"

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah. Yes, of course!" Looking up at him, she frantically gestured for him to come to her.

Standing up, he bent at the waist and put a hand on each cheek. "I really love you, Peach. I don't ever want to spend a day without you."

"You won’t. I love you, my Cowboy."

When their lips met, Sheriff quickly swiped at the salty liquid leaking from his eyes and left the room to the kids he had always felt were his own. As he walked the hallway of the hospital, he heard his wife of forty-five years let out a shout of laughter from a patient’s room. Riding on the moment of sheer happiness, he walked inside and grabbed his wife from behind, whirling her around to kiss her. "I love you, wife."

As the female patient in the bed let out a whoop, Thelma looked up at her husband of so long and still had stars in her eyes. "I love you more, handsome."

With a quick pat to her bottom, Sheriff left the room, whistling.