Not sure what to do, JV closed the door and headed for her room. The couple in the kitchen stopped her. 

"Someone had fun last night," Rebecca said, her voice teasing. 

"It's not what it looks like," JV cringed at the sound of her own words, that only made it look more like what it already looked like. 

Rebecca lifted one brow and looked her up and down, "How on earth did you end up at Steve's last night barefoot? Did you shift?" She took in the clothes JV still wore under the quilt now hanging open. "No, you didn't shift or you wouldn't have clothes. No shoes and no coat? What were you thinking?" 

JV took a deep breath and let it out in a rush, "I couldn't sleep, I went out to the porch planning to shift and go for a run, but something stopped me. Then Steve was there, saying he didn't want to stay up again or have to go looking for me."

"Again?" Rebecca asked.

"So he invited me over to his place to watch a movie," JV ignored the question, "I fell asleep, then he did too." 

"Steve fell asleep with someone in his house?" Nick asked from his seat at the table. 

"He said I'd curled up against him before he fell asleep." She glanced out the window. "Anyway, we woke up to this," she motioned outside, "and he wouldn't let me come back on my own." 

"I don't blame him," Nick said. 

"If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a shower and get dressed."

"Go ahead. I'm headed out to help with the animals anyway." Nick said, standing.

JV left the couple and made her way to her room. 

* * *

JV finished her shower and went back to her room to dress, and hopefully get a little work done. She'd made the bed she'd only tossed and turned in the night before and picked up her laundry when a soft knock sounded on the door. "Yes?" she knew it had to be Rebecca. They were the only two in the house, she'd heard Nick leave as she got in the shower and she hadn’t scented anyone new when she came out. 

"Am I bothering you?" the other woman pushed the door open. 

"Not at all, what's on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask you something, if you don't mind,” she leaned against the door frame, “I hope I'm not being too nosy." 

"Well, I don't know." JV gave her new friend a mock serious look, "Why don't you ask and I'll tell you if it’s too much."

Rebecca laughed as she stepped into the room. "You said Steve fell asleep, do you have any idea what time that was?"

"Oh, hang on," she looked up at the ceiling and talked her way through the evening before. "It was about eleven when I went outside, and it couldn't have taken us more than thirty minutes to start the movie, that movie is about two and a half hours. He said he fell asleep before the movie ended, so before two."

Rebecca blinked. "All right. When did you wake up?"

"He said it was seven when I asked, and he needed to get to work, there was maybe twenty or thirty minutes, max, between when we woke and when he dropped me at the door." 

Rebecca looked intrigued. 

"Why?" JV asked.

"Come on in the other room. I'll fix us some breakfast while we talk," Rebecca suggested, giving herself a minute or two to figure out how to explain. In the kitchen, she started pulling things from the cabinet, "Pancakes sound good?" she asked. 

"Great," JV fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table and waited for Rebecca to start talking.

Rebecca started mixing the batter, "It caught our attention when you said Steve fell asleep. I've been here a little over two years, and while I wouldn't say Steve sleeps around, it’s safe to say he never lacks for female company." 

Jealousy flashed through JV. She ignored it. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't help it. The thought of him sleeping with someone else hurt. He had no way of knowing she'd never found anyone she'd been willing to go that far with.

"But I’ve noticed, no matter who Steve spends his time with, no one sleeps over. Ever," Rebecca continued.

"It wasn't like that-"

Rebecca held up one flour-dusted hand, stopping JV mid-protest, "I'm not saying it is. I'm telling you what I know." 

JV blinked, "Okay."

"Also, he's had a couple of visitors since I got here. They either stay in the bunkhouse or in town. Nick tells me Steve doesn't sleep much, maybe two to three hours a night and never with anyone in the house."

JV was silent for a moment, considering Rebecca’s words. "But he slept at least five hours last night." 

"Exactly. With you in his house." Rebecca flipped several pancakes and looked at JV to see if she understood.

JV's heart soared. The idea that he couldn't, or wouldn't, sleep with anyone in his house, yet he’d not only fallen asleep with her, but he'd slept longer than usual, a lot longer, gave her hope. It made her believe he might let something develop between them. "I see what you're getting at. Does Nick have any insight?"

"Not really. He said it was interesting, but that's all."

"It is interesting, and encouraging. It gives me somewhere to work from."

* * *

JV spent the day in her room. She was finally able to focus, and she worked straight through lunch. Her dedication paid off and resulted in a finished product. She sent it to her client for approval just in time for dinner. She closed her laptop and stood. She was stretching the stiffness out of her neck and back when she sensed him nearby. Steve was in the house. 

A knock sounded on her bedroom door, different from Rebecca's. 

"Yes?" she called. 

"Rebecca sent me to tell you dinner's ready," Steve's voice was muffled by the door. 

JV opened the door, "I was just on my way."

"I hope you had a good afternoon," Steve said as they headed for the table. 

"I did. I finally finished my project; I just sent it to my client." 

"That's great. I hope he likes what you've done." 

His sudden friendliness made JV suspicious, but she wasn't going to question it. She might ruin it. "Me too, I don't want to have to re-do it. I had a hard enough time getting it done the first time." 

"You think you're done with the restless nights?" he asked.

JV could have sworn he seemed disappointed, "I doubt it. I haven't really slept well in a long time."

"How long?" 

"Years."

"One, two?" he scowled.

"Closer to five or six." She looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

"That's a long time to not sleep."

"It is." She didn't let on that she knew that he didn't rest much either, or that last night had been the best night's sleep she'd had in a long time. 

They joined Nick and Rebecca at the table, talking and getting to know each other better. Over the last week, JV had spent more time with Rebecca than anyone else and she liked her. She got along well with Nick, too, though she'd spent less time with him. She felt sure, if things worked out with Steve, she could make a home in this Chanat. She respected these people as pack leaders and thought they would make great friends, too. 

"We're supposed to get more snow in the next few days, we need to make sure we're prepared," Nick said. He and Steve were discussing ranch business.

"I've got all the cattle in the east pasture, we just have to make sure they're taken care of and don't jump the fence."

"Sounds good, how are we doing-" 

The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the front door. 

Steve looked at Nick, then Rebecca, "Are you expecting anyone?" 

"No," said Nick. 

Steve frowned slightly when Rebecca shook her head. Without another word, Steve stood and went to the door. 

JV heard a high-pitched voice, young and threaded with panic, then Steve's deeper tone, but she couldn't make out what was being said. 

A moment later, Steve came back to the kitchen, a girl who looked about 16 trailing behind him. "Sir," he said, "I'm going to have to go, we've got a couple of kids fighting. I've already called Bobby, he's on his way up. He'll stay until I get back."

"Go," Nick didn't argue or ask for details, "fill me in later."

Steve nodded once then herded the girl back toward the door.