On the way

Cindy's eyes widen at the sound of Wes on the other end of the line. "Wes...Wes, are you okay? What..." He's already telling her he's on his way, then hangs up. She blinks, a wry grin twitching the corner of her mouth, and she shuts her phone off to wait.

Glancing at the clock, she predicts the amount of time it would take for her husband to arrive, and sure enough, it's twice as fast as normal.

As he struggles with the door, Cindy cringes. "Wes...hun....slow down, I..." She watches him go down the hall, then leave the house, only to finally return for her.

Stifling a laugh, Cindy accepts the help to the car. Pulling on her seatbelt, she glances over to Wes. "Now take it easy, just calm down, will you?" How ironic that she was the one telling him to be calm.

As the hit a little bump in the road, Cindy's met with another wave of pain. Holding in a cry, her hand slips over to find Wes', her fingers tightening around his. She might be perfectly calm on the outside, but on the inside she was a bit frightened. Things had not been easy when she'd had Jason so many years ago, and she only prayed that this time around it would be easier.


Clint's eyes widen as he sees Wes laid flat by the phone cord, then stumble around, barely able to talk before he shoots out of the shop. He just stares at the door for a minute before a grin spreads. Looking over to the open door of the office, he calls out. "Hey, Wendy. You might wanna give your mom a call. We got a Henson baby on the way and one father who may need attention as well."

He laughs and shakes his head, leaning back into the engine of the car. Looked like he'd be on his own for this one. He'd have to find the problem himself. Wes wouldn't be back any time soon.


As the truck pulls in to the ranch yard, Cindy has a bit of relief. Parked, and walking slowly to Angel's office, they're met by a smiling Becky who immediately steps in to help. "Well, looks like we're going to have some excitement today after all." She smiles up at Wes, having heard about his frantic behavior from her son. "We might just have to call you Daddy by the end of the day." She tucks an arm around Cindy as they step into Angel's office, guiding her to the back room and directing Wes to stay up in the front room for now.


Kyle's jaw drops in faked shock at Misty's comment, then he recovers, his eyes narrowing with playfulness. Rushing beside her, with his good arm he puts her in a side headlock and drags her down the hall a ways before he finally lets her go with a light shove with his shoulder to make her stagger. "I know," he whispers, "In realty you've missed my...charming...voice." He bats his eyes at her, then sprints for the exit, knowing that he's in trouble now.

Once they're to his truck and pulling out, Kyle hangs a left, not really sure where they're going, but figuring he'll think of somewhere good to go as he sees it.

His phone beeping makes him roll his eyes. Picking it up, he hands it to Misty to read the text message while he drives. "And we're going to go for Mexican food today," he states decidedly. "Unless that's a message from someone inviting us to something better."

The text message is from Jason.
Phil called. Rocky can't come. Show canceled. Relax the weekend. More later.


Luke sits in the tack room, rubbing oil into one of the saddles. It seemed he spent a lot of time here lately...it was one of the few tasks around the barn that he could handle himself.

A spasm of pain shoots down his leg and he holds his breath until it passes, gritting his teeth and continuing to work. It was getting harder to ignore these bouts. A few weeks ago he was up and walking almost like normal. But it didn't take but a couple days for him to be right back where he'd been. Most of the time he walked with a cane. If he went on any outings, he used a wheelchair.

He hated it...he hated feeling helpless, and he hate being helpless around those he cared about.

A tap on the doorway makes him look up and he lifts an eyebrow at Trent. The two men usually avoided each other. Though they never fought, and though much of the tension between them had eventually subsided, they were far from friends.

Luke looks at him with question. "Yeah?"

Trent shrugs and enters, his hands hooked in his pockets. "Cindy's having her baby."

"Oh yeah?" A smile spreads on Luke's face. "Good."

Trent grins a little. "Yeah...Wes is beside himself."

"I bet he is." Luke chuckles and returns to his work. "He's been hyped since they first found out Cindy was pregnant."

Trent can't help his laugh. He steps in a little further and sinks down on another bench, quiet for several moments. "Those two seem pretty happy."

Luke pauses again, now wondering why Trent was sticking around. That wasn't like him. "Yeah, they do. Looks like they were made for each other."

"Mm-hmm..." Trent thinks. "Mick and Rosetta sure look like they're happy too."

Now Luke looks up at Trent, questioning the motive of this conversation. It was rare to chat with him, let alone on a subject such as this. "Yes...they do. Been a long time coming with them."

"I suppose so." Trent looks down, picking at a loose thread on hsi jeans. "So...when are you and Angel gonna tie the knot?"

Luke's shoulders drop and he sighs. "Look, Trent, I don't know what you're getting at, but you know good and well that she and I are staying together, whether you're back in the picture now or not."

Trent looks back up quickly, his eyes widening slightly. "Hey, take it easy. I didn't mean anything like that."

"Well why else would you make it your business?"

"Because I see the look in Angel's eyes when she looks at you." Trent cocks his head. "There was a time she looked at me like that...and I'd give just about anything to get that again. But I know you're her man now, not me."

Luke swallows hard. "What's your point?"

"My point is, she's being a whole lot more patient than a lot of women would be."

"You think I'm dragging my feet?"

"Yes."

Luke grows defensive. "This really isn't any of your business."

"I know, but I just couldn't not say anything." Trent shakes his head. "Why haven't you married her yet?"

Luke concentrates on the saddle in front of him, rubbing the oil in just a little harder. Trent of all people, had to be the one to bring it up. "I guess I keep hoping for better days."

"With what? What could be better?"

"The Agency...my health."

Trent sighs. "First off, we got two couples here who dared to prove their love and nothing bad has happened. The Agency has backed off and from what I hear, they're hitting the folks in Nevada now more than here. And second..." He looks to Luke's legs then back up at his face. "Do you think Angel loves you less just because you can't walk as well as you used to?"

Luke rolls his eyes. "It's just that we decided we wouldn't get married until we knew the Agency was over."

"You think she'd turn you down if you said you wanted to get married sooner?" Trent looks to Luke, but receives no response. "Forget about that excuse, Luke. It's your legs, isn't it?"

"Maybe." Luke looks down. "I just...I don't know. I'm already enough of a burden to her the way it is. What kind of responsibility will she be taking on if I were her husband? At least now I can rely on other people and not always her. In the middle of the night when I get into trouble, it's Sparky...or Jeff. I don't want Angel to have to worry about me twenty-four/seven. It isn't fair to her."

Trent purses his lips. "Don't you respect her enough to make up her own mind? Or do you think you're more intelligent and therefore you feel the need to make decisions for her?"

"That's not fair."

"No, you're the one not being fair," Trent retorts. "You're making up Angel's mind for her, when you know good and well that she'd marry you tomorrow in a heartbeat if you asked. She loves you, Luke...and if taking care of you is part of the package deal, then she not only doesn't mind, but she enjoys it. She doesn't like to see you hurting, but being able to help you gives her fulfillment...because she's helping the one she loves."

"But what good am I?" Luke argues. "I can't give her a home...I can't get a job to earn the money to support us. Oh, sure, I could get some kind of disability benefits, but how much would that be?"

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself." Trent shakes his head. "If you're too proud to stay here and let her have her practice here, and remain here at the ranch, then that's stupid. Look at Mick. If ever a man had pride, it's him. If ever a man wanted to provide for his own family and be the man of the house, it's him. And look...he moved into Rosetta's place. She's still running this ranch. Sure, he helps out, and he's got the horse training business here. But in reality, he moved into her world, not the other way around. And you think he cares? No...why? Because he's with her and that's what matters most. Not his status...not his money...not his position."

Luke swallows hard and leans his arms on the saddle, feeling the pains of the pointed statements. He wasn't used to this, let alone from Trent. "I just...want to give her what she deserves."

Trent offers a slight grin. "When will you get it, that she doesn't care about what she deserves? All she cares about is having you...you, Luke...she loves you. Quit putting her off."

Luke eventually looks up, his eyes narrowing. "Why do you suddenly care about this? You of all people?"

Trent grows a little more serious, the melancholy in his eyes. "I guess because I care about that woman enough that I want her to be happy, and I know she'll be most happy with you. You know good and well that if I thought I had another chance, I'd take it. But I don't...and there is no chance. She has eyes only for you, and you need to stop taking it for granted."