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She'd sent him a text, telling him that she was making a large dinner and needed some help in consuming it. With the promise of a pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn bread and all the extra fixings she knew would bring a country cowboy over to her small little casa, Jules had decided to add a few wink face and kiss blowing emojis in at the mention of "dessert" to seal the deal.

What she didn't send him was the head's up that there would be a third dinner guest at the table that evening. The dinner guest that happened to have been forced to look down barrel of a shot gun only earlier that day, carried by the cowboy himself.

If Jimmy Wayne thought he was going to get away with behavior like that, then his Momma had failed him and Julianne Payne was about to give him a much needed lesson in manners.

"Solas, do you mind putting ice in the glasses? I think we're almost ready, my friend should be arriving shortly." She mused aloud, looking over the table and all of the glorious food it held upon it. It would be a crying tragedy if he through a big enough fit for them not to enjoy it but if Jules had her way, they'd all eat like a proper family would and both of her guests would behave, lest she get out the literal whip and make them behave.

Hands moved to adjust the table cloth for the twelfth or so time, all-too ready for the guest of honor to appear.

Dallas had been muttering to himself about blowing holes in his barn for almost an hour. He had blown the holes through, regretted it only a little because the woman had just been stubborn like Knot had been. He didn't want to admit that it hurt to see her standing there, like Knot had, scooping horse s**t and whatever like she damn well knew how too.

He hated even more that he reminded himself over and over again, that this is why he didn't get attached to people. Things, animals, people. They all left at some point, so it was better to live fast and loose.

He thought this all, while mumbling about the holes in his barn that he was currently patching up with some boards. Least it added a little character to the nearly pristine building.

He had just finished when Jules text came, and he squinted at it. Immediately suspicious since Jules NEVER sent kissy faces but hey....maybe she came around to warming up to him. Speaking of attachments, he thought.

A quick shower and change of clothes, had the cowboy parking his red mustang in her driveway and sauntering out. Neighbors were used to seeing the large cowboy come and go by now.

"If we start with dessert Jules, You'd make my dinner amazing." He hadn't noticed the sedan that had been parked out his ranch just earlier today, removing his boots, jacket and hat and placing them on the coat rack. Mostly cause he wasn't going to ruin a potentially good evening by upsetting the nurse.

"Smells ********-" He stepped into the dinner room, eyes landing on Solas at the table and immediately scowling.

He had been duped.

Solas was dutifully dispensing ice into the glasses when she heard the car pull up. She took the seat indicated for her when she was finished, setting the bowl off to the side to be collected later for clean up. Solas stiffened as she heard the swagger of boots on the porch. The footfalls, though sauntering instead quick and furious, were very familiar. Black eyes darted to Jules as she heard the voice.

That woman was cunning.

Her eyes immediately moved to Dallas as the man entered the dining room, and Solas stared at him. Her posture was taunt, and she was ready to spring from the table the moment the man looked like he might pull out another firearm she didn't doubt he had. Her gaze stayed on the man, even as Jules' intercepted him.

When the woman introduced her, Solas replied,

"If it's any consolation to you, I've been duped as well."

Had she known that Jules' had invited the man when she made the text, she would have Pink Panther'd her way out of here long ago. She needed to get Nadia her car back.

Releasing the burly man's arm, Jule's kept her demeanor dangerously chipper, smiling from one guest and then to the other as she made her way towards the seat adjacent to Dallas's.

"Oh, neither one of you were aware the other was coming. If I'd told you, both of you wouldn't have bothered attending."

She said it matter-of-factly, as if it were painfully obvious for the world to see. And really, it was obvious from the way Solas sat in her chair and the way Dallas fumed in his.

Blue eyes turned to the cowboy to her left and she slid over the wine bottle to the man. It wasn't whiskey, it wasn't liquor but it did have at least an alcohol content to calm his furious, selfish self down with.

"It was my understanding that you two didn't get off on the right feet and we're going to fix that." The older woman continued on with her explanation as she then began to help herself to the various dishes scattered around the table, serving small portions onto her plate as she spoke. "Our friend," -- her eyes cut over to Dallas, sharp enough to be considered figurative daggers --- "Asked us to greet her companion and I think a proper introduction is in order. We owe her that, at the very least."

Her own wine glass was filled and she took a drink, letting the silence sink in before she continued. "So you two are going to sit here and eat with me and once we're done, Dallas, you can sulk off to your ranch and Solas, you can..." her little finger twirled as she held the stem of the glass, "... do whatever it was you were going to do after meeting the two of us."

Another swallow and she shared her attention with the two of them.

"Do we understand each other?"

Jules had him there, had he known that Solas was here, he wouldn't have bothered to come. It was one thing for Jules to befriend her...It was another for Dallas to open up again and attempt it. Regardless of Knot's letter asking him too.

That was irritating too, the fact he knew that he was letting Knot down, though she deserved nothing more from him. It was irritating to think that she was still holding some semblance of sway over him.

He poured a generous amount of wine, leaning back in the chair. Alcohol had a way of cutting some of the temper and even if it wasn't his preferred dark alcohols...it was something. He took a hefty drink, ignoring the bitterness and sighed.

In Jules house, he'd respect her. He wasn't happy, but he'd respect his woman. She was trying to do something he wasn't.

"Not gonna apologize for shootin' at 'er." Dallas mumbled, "Came on to my ranch, all high and mighty." He mumbled into his wine and looked at her. "Next time we meet, you gonna come to a bar. You work your way up to the ranch. Ya hear me?"

Jules said to stay, but Solas was thinking about her exit out of here. What was she going to do? Stare at the roast the entire time until dinner was over? As she contemplated her excuse to get out, she was also planning how to give Nadia her keys back without actually talking to the woman right now. She already knew she wouldn't want to talk about this right now. Knew that Nadia was far too clever and would be able to read her if she saw her.

She also was, most importantly, keeping an eye on Dallas' movement out of her peripheral, and half an ear on his words. Just in case. All of her thoughts immediately came to a halt though, at the part he wasn't mumbling into his wine, directed at her. Solas stilled, and briefly her eyes widened a tad. What the man had said was further backed by Jules agreeing, and then suggesting a place.

And just like that---she felt a bit of hope again. And just like that---she hated yet loved that the all the few important men in her life could make her do a 180 with a few simple words.

Solas looked up from the roast and looked the man in the eye. "Yes." She answered, immediately in reply with no hesitation. She looked at him for a bit longer before looking over at Jules as she spoke. "I do." The woman said in regards to the question, and listened to the story. Funny, she had heard it before. From herself in her journals that she had written as Knot, but hearing it from straight from Jules, it was special. It was the woman including her (as the 'cousin' Solas), and there were no words to describe how appreciative she was for the inclusion.

"I'd like that very much." And as Jules spoke, the woman finally helped herself to some food, getting some roast, cornbread, and mashed potatoes. A corner of her lips couldn't help but pull up in a ghost of amusement. Yes. Guns and introductions seemed to be a MO.

"Did he give you a heads up, Jules?" The woman asked after a moment, "Or did he just impose himself on you?"

"Of course he imposed on me, I didn't know him from Adam and there he was, asking me if I knew where a CVS or Walgreens was when he ---"

Dallas was more than happy to add his two cents into the story, including the after affairs once he'd been stitched up and cleaned up properly. Cheeks grew scarlet in a matter of seconds and it was Jule's turn to let out a squeak as her elbow reached over to jab into the heavy man's side.

"Jimmy Wayne, that is not appropriate dinner conversation!"

Lord help her, she was going to end up cracking up another bottle or two of wine, before this night was over with. Even if it came at the expense of her privacy, though, she was secretly delighted in how relaxed the burly man was growing, even initiating conversation with the young woman on his own.

Promising. It was very, very promising.

"Hopefully she mentioned about how this man's practically a slave driver on his farm," she cut in before reaching over to refill her wine glass, then pouring another out for her companions before downing the contents in front of her.

He was feeling good and didn't care for Jules protesting.

"All conversation is appropriate." The burly man shook his wine glass. "Your cousin came to me and sat on my lap and made her demands."

He eyed her.

"She wore more of those garter leggy things though. I like them. Jules should get some. Red lacy ones, ey there babe?"