As the ember glow of the sky slowly began to tuck itself behind the towering thickets of the tree line, Jake leaned back into the white wrought iron chair on the terrace. With his ankle relaxing on his knee, he balanced his sketchpad in his lap. The crude round pencil wagged loosely between his fingers as he peered out across the stone walk at Teresa. The moment they had gotten home, with Lucy and Izzy settled, she'd changed into her plain chocolate garden dress and released the bottom half of her hair. It spun down in thick shimmering spirals which came to rest just above the small of her back. Now he watched her in a daze, as she leant over her champagne toned honeysuckle beds, picking out the dried tiny husks and tossing them into her basket. With every bow, her glossy mane fell over her shoulder and dipped down into the sweetly scented floras. Now and then, she swept back the fringe at her temple which had fallen too close to her eye.

"And then after a long day of hunting and findin' nothing, Grampaw came upon a drinking fool, who had fallen from his horse," Lucy waved her hands in front of her face to better emphasize her story telling. She sat on her knees in front of Izzy on a hand woven blanket, lined in vibrant blues, reds, and yellows, on the floor of the terrace. Izzy sat wobbling on her bottom with her legs stretched out before her. She laughed joyfully reaching out to catch Lucy's little fingers as they danced like rain passed her face. "Grampaw say's this man had no joy in his life, and the sun never shone on his head. And he was too headstrong to accept any sunshine from the people around him who were willing to share their light."

Jake pursed his lips to one side trying to place this latest story. There was a striking familiarity to this tale that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

"That's why the man did not want Grampaw's help at first. He told him mean things to try and scare Grampaw away," Lucy scrunched up her face and leered comically at Izzy who attempted to do the same. Then passing her hand across her face Lucy smiled, "Grampaw knew that the spirits wanted him to help this fool. He told the man that when you put others before you, the sun will shine and you will never be alone. And so he helped the man to his feet, he brought him back to his home, and showed the man kindness."

Jake sighed realizing he had become the product of a cautionary tale. Scratching with the flat end of the pencil to his temple, he smirked feeling a little sheepish. Well at least the man had cleaned up the story for her.

"And because Grampaw showed the drinking man kindness, the drinking man showed him kindness back." Lucy raised her hands above her head to show light shinning down. "And the sun finally shined on the man's head!"

Lucy turned away from Izzy's finger sucking, to watch Jake with an air of curiosity. "Papa did you ever meet the drinking man that never had any sunlight?"

"Yep," he refused to look up as he focused on his sketch of the Teresa's flowerbeds.

Lucy's face filled with wonder, "What was he like?"

"He was a real jacka-. . . You wouldn't have liked 'im," he said flatly at the painful truth.

Jake looked up in time to see Teresa waving at someone riding up the pathway through the trees. As Jake rose leaving his sketchpad in his seat, he waved as well, as Sully brought his horse to a halt. Even in the evening hours with the light dimming in the orange sky, Sully's golden highlights shimmered. His blue eyes pierced through the shadows like two sparkling pools of liquid lapis.

"What brings you out here so late?" Jake stood at the shoulder of Sully's horse, with his hands on his hips.

"Letter came in addressed to Teresa," Sully licked his lips nervously. He cleared his throat before pulling the letter from the inside of his coat and handed it to Jake. "I told Horace I'd drop it off on my way home."

Jake tapped the corner of the envelope into his cupped palm, without giving it a second thought. Raising an eyebrow, he observed Sully curiously. "Cloud Dancin' ever tell Katie that story about the Drinking man?"

Sully chuckled shifting on the bare back of his horse as it jostled in place. "Yeah. He also told her about the Jealous man that almost ruined his friendship with his rich best friend, because he thought something was going on with his wife," Sully winked down at him as he turned the horse around. "I wouldn't be cross him though."

"Why's that?" Jake called after him as he waved goodbye.

"Looks like he's the only in-law that likes yah!" Sully shouted as he disappeared down the pathway into the trees.

Jake tapped the envelope once more, before actually turning it over and reading the address. "Teresa Morales!"

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Jake eyed her with an air of suspicion as she stared down at the envelope. She shook her head with irritation at the fact that her family still did not accept Jake as her husband. They had held off acknowledging the rectangular annoyance until Lucy and Izzy were settled in their warms beds. Jake knew it couldn't be good news, as they hadn't responded to the wire or letter that was sent when Lucy and Izzy were born. Teresa paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, now and then gazing at Jake were he sat on the sofa, with his elbows planted nervously on his thighs.

With a deep breath, Teresa ripped the parchment open and wretched the letter out. The silence was palpable as Jake stood crossing over to her. He slid his hand over her shoulder, and up her neck gently rubbing, letting her know he was there. After a while, her whole body slumped as her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"Oh Jake," she said turning to face him. "My aunt is dying. She has pneumonia. . . I must go to her."

Jake immediately took her in his arms. As she laid her head against his chest, he let her sob, as he ran his hand up her back to hold her close. He heard the sound of the thick parchment of the letter crackle as it crumpled in her angry grasp. These were mournful tears, and yet they seem to stem from an anger he had never seen in her before. Pushing away from him Teresa smacked herself down onto the sofa as she tossed the letter resentfully into the fire. Her eyes seethed with the amber glow of the flames, until she looked up into Jake's furrowed face. "No matter how they have treated me, I must go to her. She is my aunt. How could I not?"

Together their eyes locked on the stairway leading up to their daughter's rooms. Jake was fully prepared to pack up everything and have them on the next train when he caught a glimpse of fear in her shaken expression.

"Teresa."

"No!" she cut him off wringing her hands in her lap.

"I won't let yah go alone," he knelt in front of her steadying her hands in his.

"Pneumonia is contagious. I will not risk them getting sick. Besides, with the hostility they have shown us I could never put them through that."

"I can't let you. . . Let's leave the girls with Clouding Dancin' and Dorothy, and I'll go with yah," Jake was adamant he wouldn't allow Teresa out of his sight.

Teresa leant forward pressing her forehead against Jake's. Her hands caressed his face before she brought him up so she could kiss him. Inhaling his intoxicating scent, as though she were memorizing him, she shook her head. "I will not be gone long. I promise."

With the exception of Lucy's abduction, Jake had never spent more than a workday away from his wife. A cool sense of alarm was radiating in his chest as he saw the resolve in her stance. She would be walking into the lion's den alone, which he knew wouldn't fair to well in his absence. Yet the prospect of either of his girls getting sick, caused him to shudder further. While he knew Lucy would be perfectly fine in Cloud Dancing's care, Izzy was still too young to be without at least one of her parents. It was with great pain that Jake sat beside her on the brocade sofa. He pulled her under his arm, feeling her body mold into his side, warm and safe. Squeezing his arm around her, he kissed the top of her lovely head. "I'll stay. I'll stay."