EPISODE 351
Written by: Bre L Drew
July 14, 2025
Last Time on Town and Country
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Feeling left out of her biological family, Emma began to form a bond with Sarah Lynn during Elijah and Lenny’s wedding.
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Will and Martha continued to grow closer.
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Despite being married to Jordan, Tommy texted Tanner, insisting they needed to talk.
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Tanner finds herself torn between her lingering feelings for Tommy and her relationship with Presley.
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Steven and Courtney’s marriage remains strained following the revelation that Steven kept Emma’s paternity a secret—and his decision to invite Evan to live with them without informing Courtney.
FRANKLIN FARM: MAIN HOUSE
This summer morning casts its bright sun and rising temperatures throughout Radcliffe, Kentucky. Meanwhile, inside the main house on Franklin Farm, Sarah Lynn Saunders gathers the last of the food from the counter and carries it to the table.
She is delighted to hear not only the clattering of forks against plates and various conversations but also Otis, her grandson’s three-year-old border collie, lightly barking.
It does the matriarch’s heart good to see her home filled again with family. At the table sit her youngest daughter, Martha Saunders; her young son, SJ; her newly married granddaughter, Lenny Barker; her new husband, Elijah Barker; and Will Jackson, who she considers family at this point too.
She maneuvers herself to the table.
“More sausages and biscuits straight out of the oven.”
A collective “Thanks” signifies their appreciation.
“Here you go, O,” the little boy says quietly, sneaking the dog a piece of bacon before Otis trots over to his own food dish on the other side of the kitchen.
Will praises the meal: “This food is slammin'.”
“I must agree with Will—everything is delicious, Mrs. Saunders,” Elijah says.
Lenny takes a sip of orange juice. “What they said and more, Grandma.”
Sarah Lynn accepts the compliments, touched, as she sits at the head of the table. “I appreciate it—and I also appreciate having you all under this roof. It’s been a while since we were together.”
Martha takes a sip of coffee. “I’ve got to confess, I like mornings like this.”
A few seconds pass before the front doorbell rings, gaining their attention.
Will clears his throat. “I’ll get it.” He quickly wipes his mouth with a napkin before leaving the room.
“Speaking of mornings, this is my first one going back to work since being in the clear,” Lenny announces.
The young woman will be returning to her job as a farmhand on the family farm, which she had to take a leave from when she was diagnosed with leukemia.
Elijah, sitting beside her, swallows the last of a biscuit and turns to his wife. “I’m excited for you, but promise me you’ll take it easy until you get back in the swing of things, okay?”
Lenny, dressed in dark blue farm coveralls with her shaven head now growing into a buzzcut, assures him she will and that she’s excited to get back to it.
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***
Will is visibly surprised when he opens the door—it’s Emma Covington Laurent, wearing a floral button-front blouse and
dark bellbottom jeans, holding her handbag.
“Good morning,” the nightclub manager greets her.
“Good morning,” she replies.
“Uh, is this uncomfortable for you? I mean, we work together, and we used to be…” She stops herself from saying they were once involved. “And now I’m here.”
“No, I’m good,” Will says as he steps back to let her inside. He shuts the door behind them. “It ain’t awkward. You being here, I mean—you're family and all.”
Emma looks around the living room, then back at him. “Well, it’s still taking some time for me to get used to the idea that I have this whole other family I didn’t know about until recently.”
As Will is about to say something else, the kitchen spills into the living room as Martha enters, spotting her newfound aunt. SJ runs upstairs to finish washing up before leaving for the day.
“I’m not interrupting you two, am I?” Martha asks, recalling how she saw them dancing close together in the barn during the wedding reception.
“Actually, I’m here to speak with your mother,” Emma says.
Martha doesn’t hide her surprise at that announcement. “Well, she’s in there.” She tilts her head toward the kitchen.
Emma, speaking mostly to Will, says she’ll see him later before she walks into the kitchen.
Lenny, finishing the last of her orange juice, notices her great-aunt—the woman who saved her life by donating bone marrow.
“Hey,” Lenny greets her as she gets up from the table.
“Hey to you,” Emma replies. “Look at you—it’s good to see you.” The two had bonded while the younger woman was in the hospital.
Elijah greets Emma. “Well, I'd better get my stuff so I can make it to campus on time.” He is currently in his second year of law school, taking a summer course.
He and Lenny leave the kitchen, leaving the sisters-in-law together.
Sarah Lynn gestures toward the kitchen table, where the spread of food still steams gently in the morning light. “Would you care for some breakfast? There’s plenty to go around.”
Even though the meal looks appetizing Emma offers a polite but subtle shake of her head. “No, thank you.”
Sarah Lynn looks at her curiously. “What’s up?”
Emma takes a breath, clearly preparing herself to speak. “Oh, I just needed to talk to someone about the shitstorm that is my life.”
Sarah Lynn senses there's more to it but decides not to press—at least not yet.
“Well, since it’s a beautiful day out... how about we venture into it?”
She offers a small, inviting smile.
Emma nods, grateful for the gentle shift in energy.
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***
Martha scrambles through her purse, muttering to herself as she searches for her keys. “I just had them…”
Will, still near the couch, glances around and spots the keys on the table beside the lamp. He picks them up and hands them over.
“Looking for these?”
Martha takes them with a quick smile. “Lifesaver. Thanks.”
Will notices how she’s avoiding even glancing toward the kitchen.
“You don’t wanna be round' Emma, do you?” he asks, already suspecting the answer.
Martha exhales. “I just don’t get it. What is she doing here to talk to my mother?”
Will shrugs, offering a calm perspective. “Sarah Lynn’s one of the best people I know. And I know you don’t wanna hear it—but if she’s willin’ to give Emma a chance, maybe you should too. Behind all that bougieness, she’s not a bad person.”
Martha doesn’t respond right away, her lips tight as she resists the urge to roll her eyes. She can’t help but remember that she and Will got together back when she had a crush on him—though she knows Will only did it to spare her feelings. Still, it doesn’t mean it didn’t piss her off.
Will steps closer, his tone softening. “I gotta be honest... I’ve been thinkin’ about you.”
Martha raises an eyebrow, unsure where this is going.
Will continues, “I wouldn’t mind spendin’ more time with you, Mar.”
She opens her mouth to reply, but Will gently cuts in.
“I know you just got outta something with Samuel. So how about—for now—we don’t label it past anything?”
Martha smirks as she moves toward the door. “Friends with slight benefits?”
Will chuckles. “Yeah... somethin’ like that.”
She gives him a small but genuine smile. Just then, SJ comes bounding down the stairs, sports duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
“I’m ready!” he calls out.
“Alright, buddy, let’s go,” Martha replies, grabbing her keys. She gives Will a lingering look before she and her son head out the door.
Will stands there a moment longer. His eyes drift toward the kitchen door, thoughtful, before he finally steps out.
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HOPE COTTAGE
Although not blessed with any strong vocal ability, Steven Sullivan finds himself humming a tune as he makes breakfast inside the kitchen of the two-story residential cottage he shares with his wife. The sizzling sounds of the pan and the savory smells put him in a decent mood.
Soon, heeled footsteps penetrate the atmosphere, making him look up to see Courtney Covington Sullivan dressed for the day in a sleeveless white blouse and black pencil skirt. Her long brown hair is partly in a ponytail, with the rest hanging near her shoulders as she carries her designer briefcase.
"Morning," he greets her.
Though things between them are slightly thawing out, tension still lingers.
The revelation of her aunt's biological ties to his family—something he and his mother knew—was hard enough. And now, they are preparing for an addition to the household: Steven’s teenage son, Evan, will soon be coming to live with them since Steven's ex-wife and her soon-to-be new husband are relocating to Boston. Courtney hadn’t known about it until Steven returned from Orlando.
"Morning," she responds. "It smells incredible in here. But you didn’t have to do all this."
"I wanted to," Steven remarks. "Besides, it’s been more than a minute since we had a meal together—or done anything together," he adds. "And I thought this is as good a time as any."
Courtney moves over to the cabinet and the coffee maker to fill up her cup.
"So, what time do you have to be in at the clinic?"
"Uh, around noon today. A relief vet is there now to cover until we can get someone more permanent," he says, referring to the animal clinic and shelter he essentially runs as a veterinarian.
Meanwhile, Steven moves the omelets and toast to the table. From the silence, Steven decides to bridge it.
"Look, Court, I know food and coffee won’t even come close to making it up to you. I know I was wrong for withholding the truth—and not considering you when I agreed to let Evan move in. But I at least want to show I’m committed to making things right."
Courtney sets aside the mug onto the counter, and as she’s about to respond, a faint sound breaks through. She realizes it’s her phone. She retrieves it from her briefcase by the fourth ring.
"Hello?" she answers.
"Hello to you too," Jacques Laurent says on the other end, which makes Courtney glance at her husband.
ESTHER SAUNDERS STABLES
OK
That had been Tanner Lockhart's response to Tommy last night after he had texted her to meet up, which she followed up with a time. She decided to do so in the morning before her shift started at her great-aunt's stables—partly out of responsibility due to her job, but also because she wanted to get whatever they needed out of the way before she changed her mind altogether.
As she walks onto the trail leading to the stables on this summer morning, the path feels very familiar. It’s a route she’s taken countless times during her years as a young equestrian, and it sparks a quiet nostalgia for her adolescence. Although she isn’t here to ride today, this is where she will be meeting her ex to talk—fitting, since it had also been their spot during their time together.
As she lifts her head from her thoughts, she sees Tommy Covington standing near the bench with his hands in his pockets, wearing a red short-sleeve polo shirt and jeans.
“Going into the office dressed like that? What would your co-workers think?” Tanner asks, somewhat jokingly.
Tommy smiles at her, impressed by the humor. “Well, I’m not going into the office today, so their impression of my casual attire will have to wait.”
Tanner doesn’t wait to ask, “So, why are we here, Tommy?”
“You know why,” Tommy replies. “We need to talk.”
Tanner dwells on the kiss they shared during her sister’s wedding reception—and how it never went further, although technically she’s still with Presley, even if they haven’t spoken since hours before the kiss.
“Talk about what exactly?” Tanner asks, as if she already knows the answer but is afraid to speak on it.
“Us,” he replies without a doubt.
HOPE COTTAGE
The stillness in the house remains until Courtney decides to speak.
"How are you?" she asks casually, watching Steven continue to set the table.
She doesn’t want him to know she’s speaking to Jacques. There’s nothing serious going on between the in-laws—at least not from her perspective—but Steven has speculated otherwise. Still, she doesn’t foresee anything happening, for obvious reasons.
"Can you not talk at the moment?" Jacques says in his potent French accent. He’s currently seated behind his desk in his office at the Covington Group.
"No, it’s alright," she replies.
Steven glances briefly at his wife.
"I was just checking in on you," Jacques adds curiously, aware that Courtney has been dealing with a lot lately.
"I’m fine. Doing as well as I can," she answers. "How are you?"
"To tell you the truth, I’ve been better," he says, reflecting on his growing distance from Emma—the lack of intimacy and even attention from his wife.
Courtney sees that Steven has finished laying everything out on the table.
"I have to go," she says softly into the phone, "but I’ll speak with you about the matter when I arrive."
"Okay," Jacques replies.
"Bye." She ends the call.
Grabbing her coffee mug, she walks to the table.
"So, who was that on the phone?" Steven asks.
"Oh, that was Evelyn," she answers smoothly. "Just checking in before I get there."
Steven nods, seemingly willing to accept it.
Though she believes her husband genuinely wants to make amends, a wave of guilt hits her. She hates lying—but didn’t want to start the morning with, It was Jacques, knowing Steven might read into something that isn't there.
She soon takes a seat adjacent to her husband. He reaches over and grabs her hand—a small but meaningful gesture toward rebuilding trust in their relationship. She smiles at him, then they begin partaking in the meal before she heads out to the office.
FRANKLIN FARM
The rural fields at Franklin Farm stretched peacefully under the bright summer sun—open land dotted with rows of crops, patches of wild grasses swaying in the breeze, and the occasional distant sound of livestock carried through the air.
Emma walks alongside Sarah Lynn on the well-worn dirt path, bordered by fencing and stretches of sun-scorched earth. She is mostly quiet, taking in the surroundings with a reflective gaze.
“I bet if you knew you were going to be out here, you would’ve dressed down, huh?” Sarah Lynn teases gently, nodding to Emma’s outfit
“That’s alright. Besides, the more I’m out here, the more I realize it’s not such a bad place to be. It almost takes my mind off things.”
Sarah Lynn glances sideways at her. “I take it things between you and your mother are still the same?”
Emma’s smile fades slightly. “I can’t bring myself to even speak to her. It’s like she wants to push the truth aside, just so everything can go back to how it should be… instead of how it really is.”
She is still reeling from the truth—that she is the result of her mother
Deirdre’s long-ago affair with Jimmy Saunders, Sarah Lynn’s late father-in-law. A lifetime of identity has been rewritten with a single revelation.
“Look,” Sarah Lynn says gently, “I’m sure on some level Deirdre does want to fix things. All I’m saying is, don’t shut her out completely. You only get one mother in this lifetime. But it’s up to you where things go between you two.”
A moment of silence passes between them as the dirt crunches beneath their steps. Sarah Lynn gives her a knowing look.
“Anything else on your mind?”
Emma smirks faintly. “Guess I don’t have much of a poker face around you.” She sighs. “Things with Jacques and me... they’re not in a great place.”
Sarah Lynn nods, remembering the way Emma had hinted at it during the wedding.
“I guess finding out the truth about who I am is affecting more than just my relationship with my mom. It’s affecting my marriage too—emotionally and intimately.”
Sarah Lynn brushes a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “No marriage is simple. But have you tried talking to him? Really talking?”
“I’ve tried,” Emma replies, though her tone isn’t convincing.
Sarah Lynn gives her a look that says, not really.
“Okay,” Emma admits, “maybe not in the most tactful way. But he keeps saying it doesn’t matter where I come from, that I’m still the same person.”
She pauses, quietly turning his words over in her mind.
Then, after a moment, she changes the subject.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s really nice out here. Peaceful, even.”
Sarah Lynn smiles. “Makes sense. In a way, this is your land too.”
Emma is caught off guard by the sentiment. She hasn’t considered it like that before.
Sarah Lynn gestures ahead. “Since we’re already out here, let me show you, my greenhouse. It’s not as boring as you might think.”
Emma gives a small smile and nods. “Lead the way.”
The two women continue down the path, their footsteps soft against the quiet countryside stretching ahead like the start of something new.
ESTHER SAUNDERS STABLES
Tommy approaches her and looks into her dark brown eyes—as if by looking into them, he’s unlocking something she’s been keeping buried, too afraid to confront it.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he says quietly. “And I know, deep down, it’s the same for you. We can’t keep depriving ourselves of the one thing we both want.”
Tanner shakes her head, unable to hide her reaction to his words. She takes a strand of her shoulder-length brown hair and tucks it behind one ear.
The sounds of horses neighing and birds chirping around them maintain a sense of normalcy, but everything between them feels charged.
“Do I really have to list all the reasons why this can never happen?” she says. “Starting with my relationship with Presley and, more importantly, the fact that you’re married—to his sister. And let me tell you something: I can’t be part of some cheap affair. Not after seeing what it did to my own family.”
She pauses, the memory of her father’s affair with Tricia—the one that ended her parents’ marriage—weighing heavily on her.
Tommy steps closer. “My marriage to Jordan is in name only. You’re with Presley because you’re trying not to hurt him—not because you love him.”
Tanner snaps, “What the hell does that mean?”
Tommy doesn’t back down. “We’ve both seen what real love looks like. My parents. Elijah and Lenny. Even your parents—they’re back together. Why can’t we have that too?”
Tanner shakes her head. “The kiss we shared… that was already too far.”
Tommy disagrees, his voice soft but certain. “It was real. It meant something. You don’t love Presley the way you love me. You can try to hide it, but I know the truth.”
Tanner looks away, her mind flashing back to their heated argument in Hawaii—how angry she’d been, how broken—and then, how he’d slept with Jordan. It still stings.
“I know,” Tommy says, seeing it on her face. “It happened. Once. And it was the biggest mistake of my life. I regret it every single day.”
“Why is this so complicated?” Tanner whispers.
“But it doesn’t have to be like that when we're with one another.”
And then he kisses her—this time, more passionately. Tanner resists at first but quickly gives in, the feelings too strong, too deep to ignore.
They break apart, breathless.
Tanner asks, “What now?”
Tommy answers, “We’ll figure it out. We’ll meet here when we need to… where no one can see us.”
Emotionally, Tanner admits, “I love you. I never stopped… as much as I tried, I still do.” She looks away, conflicted. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“But you are,” Tommy says gently.
Tanner nods. “I have to talk to Presley. He deserves that much.”
She leans into Tommy, wrapping her arms around him. She doesn’t know where this is heading—but for now, she can’t deny how right it feels to be in his arms again.
​
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Tommy walks in on a close moment.
Sean checks in with Tricia.
Daniel marks his target.
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