Spade quickly gets dressed as Nikkie grabs her phone and enters Pard's number. The phone rings three times and Nikkie snarls into the answering machine. "Pard this is Nikkie, my man tells me that you were here and said we need to talk. We will be waiting on the front porch and when you get here we can talk. But you are going to be doing a lot of listening. Get your ass over here. Don't make me come over after you mister."

Slamming the phone down she puts on a sweat suit and heads for the door.

Spade, grinning evilly says, "Shall I bring you a beer babe? I think I might need one or four with you this pissed. If you kill him, can I have his hat? "

"If he's not smart and doesn't watch his mouth, that hat will be up his ass."

Sitting in the porch swing together, they talk quietly enjoying the stillness of the night. The only sound is the occasional howl of a coyote or an owl hooting in the trees.

They kiss and Nikkie giggles as Spade slips his hand under her sweat shirt, finding her braless. There is a sharp intake of breath as he massages her nipples, twisting and pulling them gently.

Her breathing becoming ragged, she bites his shoulder. "You keep that up mister and we'll find out if sex is possible in a porch swing."

Spade hears the sound of Pard's truck pulling into the drive and declares, "If this doesn't go the way you're thinking Nikkie, I'll be joining in." He reaches up to the outside switch and turns on the big yard light.

Pard walks up on the porch, "Hello Nikkie, I think we need to talk alone if your friend there doesn't mind. I thought you and I were umm kinda..."

Nikkie stands up and clears her throat, "Ahem, okay Pard that is what happens when you think too much. Now I'm going to save you some time and maybe I won't have to put a knot on your damn head. I talked to you twice before about thinking there is something between you and me.

Everything that you have done for me since I moved in here, you have been paid for. The two nights you spent here were because you came crying about sleeping in your barn because you had the inside of your damn house painted. I took those horses in because you were going to shoot them. Now then, you have five minutes to tell me what we need to talk about before I tell you to get your big ass off my property and don't come back without calling first."

Pard puts his hand on Nikkie's shoulder saying, "But Nikkie, I wanted us to..."

Before he can finish Nikkie steps around him and hammer locks his hand between his shoulders, reaches down from behind and grabs his belt, heaves up and takes him to his stomach on the porch. She places her knee on the side of his face, "Now mister I'm going to let you get up and if you don't get in that fucking truck and leave, I'll arrest you for criminal trespass and assault!! "

Spade sits with his mouth open, "Holy shit," and opens another beer.

Pard walks slowly to his truck, rubbing his arm, shoulders slumped. He drives away slowly without looking back.

Nikkie turns to Spade, "As for you mister, gimme that beer." She drains the beer and crunches the can. "Now get out of those clothes. I want you naked in our bed. We are going to fuck until one of us can't wiggle and then tomorrow your ass is mine, baby."

Two years later, Nikkie has retired from the road patrol. There is a big sign at the entrance to their drive that says, 'Spade's Weld Shop'. Right below that it says, 'Nicole's riding stables'.

A little further past the house is a brand new barn and a separate horse barn.

Ah, and there is a red dually truck and a big ol' cowboy that is a frequent guest of Nikkie and Spade.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, Pete