Lou looked around for where Kat had run. She smiled slightly as she saw the girl's silhouette at the corral, always where everyone went for comfort.

"You want to talk about it?" Lou asked softly as she leaned against the fence next to Kat.

Kat stared straight ahead and barely shook her head.

"You know," Lou started, trying to draw Kat out of her shell. "Kid and I were apart for awhile, and he had other girls, so I kinda know how you feel."

"No you don't." Kat said coldly. "You weren't one of those other girls."

"Now what do you mean by that?" Lou asked, slightly upset Kat was being so icy.

"You weren't in love with him knowing he would always love someone else." Kat explained unemotionally. Buck had told her about Jen, and she could accept that he had seen someone else. But she was angry he had left out the important little detail of him wanting Jen to be his wife.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what Buck was thinking." Lou began.

"Good! Because I have a pretty good idea." Kat interrupted abruptly.

"Now, Buck isn't like that." Lou defended.

Kat glared at Lou incredulously. She had known enough men in her life to know when she had been used.

"When did he propose to her?" Kat asked looking back toward nothingness. She had a pretty good idea that would prove her point.

Lou froze, not knowing how to answer. She wanted to be honest with her new friend, but didn't want to hurt her anymore so quickly. Lou stood torn for a moment and was relieved when she heard someone coming up behind them.

"Can I talk to Kat?" Buck asked cautiously as Lou turned to see who the visitor was.

Lou glanced at Kat. Kat continued staring straight ahead, but nodded slightly.

"I'll be inside." Lou muttered and left the two alone.

Buck stared at Kat's back for a few moments. He sighed when he accepted the fact she wasn't going to face him.

"Kat," Buck started as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Kat shrugged him away quickly, as if she'd been touched by fire. He pulled his hand back, not knowing what to do.

"How recent was she?" Kat asked so softly Buck almost didn't hear her.

"What?" Buck asked, not sure what answer Kat was looking for.

"When did you propose to her?" Kat clarified, still leaving her back to Buck.

"Yesterday, when you came here looking for me." Buck answered honestly, knowing he couldn't have any more secrets from her.

Kat drew in a ragged breath and closed her eyes against the pain.

"It was before I knew I'd ever see you again." Buck said, weakly trying to justify himself. Buck didn't know if Kat would have really been involved in his decision if she had turned up in Sweetwater earlier, but he knew it would have been a possibility. He loved Jen, but he really did like Kat.

Kat turned on Buck quickly, her eyes flashing angrily. She drew back and slapped him hard. Buck could catch tears glistening on her cheeks as she ran past him toward the house.

"Kat." Cody called softly as he knocked on her bedroom door.

Buck had returned to the bunkhouse upset after trying to talk to Kat. Cody had no desire to apologize to him. But, Cody knew he owed Kat an apology.

The door opened quickly, as if Kat had merely been walking by when he knocked. Cody walked in and found Kat packing.

"Going somewhere?" Cody asked, trying to start somewhere.

"There's nothing for me here." Kat stated plainly, as she busied herself with packing a bag. She had obviously been crying, but the tears had dried up. Cody looked at her red, swollen eyes and felt a twinge of guilt. "What do you want?" She asked angrily, not even looking at him.

"I'm sorry." Cody said softly as he reached for Kat's hand. "It was stupid of me to say what I did."

Kat pulled her hand away quickly.

"I'm the stupid one." She said, shaking her head. "I came here expecting too much." She finished in the strongest voice she could manage. "Not that it was any of your business."

Cody winced at Kat's callousness. He knew she was right, but he was concerned about her.

"There's more here than you think." Cody confessed. As he expected, that got Kat to stand still and look at him.

"I'm going back to Omaha." Kat said numbly.

"Is that what you really want?" Cody asked, taking Kat by the shoulders and forcing her to keep looking at him.

"It's all I have." Kat answered disappointedly. She sighed and tried to keep herself from crying again. She had been looking for so much more when she arrived in Sweetwater. She wanted to do something for herself after so many months of caring for her father. And he had encouraged her to go see Buck, even made her promise to give him the watch. She was glad now her father didn't find out what kind of man Buck really was.

"It'll still be there if you give Sweetwater a few more days." Cody argued, hoping he could talk Kat out of leaving. He liked this girl, even though she obviously wanted Buck. Cody hoped that by waiting, Kat would find something to make her happy. He didn't even care if it had anything to do with him, he just wanted to see the spark back in her eyes.

"Besides," Cody smiled. "Buck will be gone for a few days and you can both sort some things out."

Kat thought for a few moments. She had quickly come to like Buck and Cody's friends. And she really didn't know where she would go, but she was in no hurry to get there. For the first time since she had left Omaha, she felt like she could be herself and still fit in somewhere. She had to admit she didn't really want to leave.

"I'll give it a few days." Kat finally conceded.

Cody smiled widely and hugged her. He knew he loved the thought of her being there when he got back, partly because she would listen to his stories. He just hoped she wouldn't regret it.

"And Cody," Kat started as she pulled away from him.

"Yeah?" Cody asked.

"Next time you're worried about me, tell me one on one." She said sternly. "I'm not some fragile little child you have to protect."

"I promise." He smiled as he hugged her again.