The early morning drive back to the house was in silence, other than the rumble of the clunky, old car. Skye had a lot to think about. Maybe Vaughn wasn't so bad. Maybe he was just…complicated. He didn't smile, he didn't laugh, and he didn't really seem approachable. But Vaughn seemed like he cared. After all, he saved him from Shea, and who knows what could have happened.

Yeah, maybe the cowboy wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey, Vaughn…"

"Don't forget you're washing the windows when we get home. All of them."

Okay, Skye took it back. Vaughn was still a hard ass.

The Phantom grumbled in his seat. Washing windows? He still wasn't past the maid level yet? "God, nevermind." He folded his arms and looked out the window. Something told him this was going to be a long drive home.

When the two finally arrived back at the ranch, Skye noticed a rather expensive-looking red town car in the driveway, but not before Vaughn. To go with it was a tall, statuesque woman at their door. Deep red hair tumbled down her back over her blue, tight dress. A white shawl was over her shoulders to complete her ensemble. Her face had soft features and a round shape. She was beautiful, to say the least. But she wasn't a young thing. Her stride gave it away, and even her makeup couldn't hide her whole age. Skye guessed that she was a bit older than both he and Vaughn. Her eyes were a pretty sky blue, he had noticed, but with something else behind them. Skye knew those types of eyes; he had them himself. Greed and hunger, desire and deceit were behind them.

The rancher didn't seem happy to see the woman. He pulled into the driveway next to the woman's vehicle. "Stay in the car." Vaughn told Skye firmly, and got out himself.

He went up to the woman and they began to talk. Skye watched as they discussed something that seemed rather important. The woman made small gestures of annoyance, tapping her foot or folding her arms, while Vaughn remained stiff.

Skye wasn't entirely happy being out of the loop. And being the sneaky, nosy Phantom that he was, the male wasn't entirely above leaning over the driver's seat and rolling down the window to the slightest crack, just to be able to hear their voices.

"He's growing weaker by the day. I wish there was something I could do to help him." The woman placed her hands over her heart.

Vaughn's stoic look never changed. Skye too wasn't fooled. This woman may look like a movie star, but she's a terrible actress…

Skye tried to listen in as much as he could. He could only catch fragments of the conversation, thanks to the two changing their volumes. The redhead would sometimes raise her voice in frustration, then quiet down as if someone was listening in (and Skye was, of course). Skye only managed to catch that it seemed like someone Vaughn and the woman both knew was dying, and that they were fighting over something.

Eventually the woman threw up her hands and went back to her car in a huff, speeding out from the driveway.

Skye got out of the car, staring at Vaughn. Who was that girl? He went up to the door as the other male was opening it, Vaughn seeming to forget that Skye had still been in the car. "Who's the woman..?" Did Vaughn have a girlfriend? Vaughn certainly did attract women, didn't he? First there was Lanna, now this girl. Though, the other didn't seem very interested in either of them.

"Someone from a long time ago."

"Okay. Does she have a name?"

"Carmine." Vaughn answered tiredly, unlocking the door to the house. He sat down in the chair closest to the door and rested his head on his hand.

Skye closed the door behind them. "Well, what happened? She seemed pretty angry."

There was a small pause before Vaughn spoke. "She wants to rob my family for everything we've got."

Vaughn looked genuinely…distraught. That was something Skye never saw on the rancher's face before.

Skye took the seat next to Vaughn, looking at him, concerned. "If you…want to talk about it…" He wasn't sure how to comfort his temporary warden, but Vaughn did save him before. And Skye couldn't say he wasn't worried for Vaughn and his family.

After a minute of silence, the rancher finally opened up. He didn't have anyone else to confide in.

The two men sat in silence after Vaughn told his story. Skye was processing it all. Apparently, Vaughn had an older uncle that, against the family's wishes, married Carmine. They believed they were really in love, and Carmine's terrible acting must have been good enough to fool the old man.

Carmine didn't love him at all. She was only after what Vaughn's uncle had: hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial investments and bonds. Vaughn's uncle had been a smart man, watching his money carefully. And when the time came of his passing, he would leave his family with enough to live comfortably and pay off his death.

Carmine married Vaughn's uncle to gain the primary right to his estate after his death. But she hadn't counted on something:

Vaughn himself.

Vaughn was the true heir of his uncle's estate. His uncle had written it all in his will, and Vaughn had his consent papers locked up in his possession. Vaughn and his uncle had been close ever since the rancher was a child. His uncle was more of a father figure to him than his true father, and the older man hadn't had children in his life. Sadly, he wasn't able to produce children…So he found his youth in his nephew.

Despite being stoic and quiet in his adulthood, Vaughn had actually been a spirited and bright child. His interest was animals, as it had always been, and his uncle was the first to introduce him to ranching. His uncle owned fields where he housed horses, cows, and the like, and he taught Vaughn everything he knew until his age got the best of him.

And now Vaughn was faced with Carmine coming after him, and his uncle's estate. But he wouldn't let go of it. He would hold on to his uncle's memory with an iron grip.

"Wow…" Skye breathed, trying to cut the tension in the room. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm just going to have to fight this logically. As long as I have the consent papers, she can't do anything. If she comes at me, I'll just have to find some legal help."

Vaughn rose from his chair, rubbing his face before leaving the room.

Skye watched him, unsure of what to do. But he let it go. He couldn't do anything, after all, it wasn't his family.

As he stood up to get ready to wash the windows, the phone rang, making Skye jump a bit. He quickly grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Oh, is this Skye?"

The voice was familiar, considering he heard it about an hour ago. "One second…" Skye's voice flattened. "I'll get Vau-"

"Oh no." Carmine giggled, making Skye grimace on the other end. "I wanted to see you."