"Snowy River's so far away Anna." The dark haired woman counted the layers of fabric, marking them on a piece of paper before arguing the man trying to unload another one from his cart. "No, I don't want that color, I wanted cerulean. Not midnight. Don't you know your colors?"

"Snowy River's my home, Mary." The smaller, blonde woman sucked in as Mary swept by her, carrying bundle of fabric to the back room. "I need to go and check my house there. A spread is only yours if you actually care for it."

"A spread is yours if the deed says it is and I thought you told me your friend, Gwen something or other, was taking care of it."

"I'm sure she is but that's not the point, Mary."

"No," Mary set the fabric down, "The point is you're entirely too attached to that large, faraway, plot of dirt out in the middle of nowhere instead of focusing on the here and now."

"It's not a plot of dirt."

"According to my father, any land you can't use for farming is dirt and not really worth much." Mary checked her list and hollered out the backdoor, "next time bring cerulean. If you need help then ask a woman to tell you what color that is."

"Mary." Anna sighed, shaking her head.

Mark came back into the room to see Anna kneading her forehead. "What? I want to make sure I have cerulean."

"He obviously has no idea what cerulean is."

"Hence why I'm drilling it into him."

"The poor man's just trying to do his job." Anna motioned with her hand toward the door where the man grumbled, loading the fabric back into his cart.

"He wants me to pay full price for a half-filled work order? I don't think so."

"You don't even know if he has cerulean."

"And neither does he, hence the problem." Mary sniffed, "I thought you were on my side in this."

Anna shook her head, "I'm late and if I don't open those doors on time the students will think there's no school and run to who knows where then I'll never get them back to class."

"Just promise me if you are foolish enough to trek all the way to Snowy River just to see your little house you'll at least take someone with you."

"I've lived here my whole life Mary. I'm not afraid of being alone."

"I'm not worried about you alone in the bush, Anna, I'm worried about you alone in the bush when there are bushrangers everywhere." Mary put her hands on Anna's shoulders, "They just hired a new deputy to take care of them the problem's that serious."

"I don't doubt it's serious but I'm not worried."

"You should be if Carson hired someone new to help him find them. You should see him, he's imposing."

"'I've already seen him," Anna collected her small handbag and her coat. She looked up to see Mary's jaw partially dropped, "What?"

"How've you already met him?"

"I said I saw him, not that I met him."

"How?"

"He was standing next to Sheriff Carson on the porch of the Sheriff's office the other day. I walked by with the children and caught a glimpse."

"How's he look?"

"Professional. Older than I was expecting but capable." Anna grinned, "He came in his first day and scuffled with Thomas in the street. Laid him out cold is what Tom Branson said and all the children who saw anything about it couldn't stop buzzing about it all day."

"Tom Branson would say anything to get attention at the bar," Mary frowned, pulling as a length of fabric before clamping it in place, "And if the new deputy did punch out Mr. Barrow then I'll be all the more excited to know him."

"I'm sure you would. Just try not to cause a scuffle yourself."

"I'm the soul of appropriate behavior, Anna."

"Of course you are." Anna waved goodbye as Mary took a pair of shears to the fabric and left the store.

Just as she exited the shop someone bumped into her. Anna tried to backpedal but caught the heel of her shoe on a board. In the moment when her life flashed before her eyes a hand gripped her arm and the other went around her waist, catching her before she hit the planks of the porch.

She looked up into the deepest eyes she ever lost herself in and took a moment to stare while catching her breath. She blinked as the voice reached her ears and she nodded. Anna shook her head, getting a hold of herself, and stepped away, standing straight.

"Sorry?" She pulled at her skirt, making sure it hung straight as the man chuckled.

"I asked if you were alright."

"More than." Anna patted at her hair, making sure her hat was still in place. "Thanks to your quick thinking I didn't have to find a way to explain my ungracious tumble to anyone."

"Seeing as it was all my fault I take no pride in it." He tipped his hat, "I just wish I'd been watching where I was going but I'm afraid I got distracted."

"By what, there's not much in this town to distract."

"Oh," The man smiled at her, "There's more than enough."

Anna swallowed as heat rose to her face. Before she could respond Mary came out the shop door.

"Anna, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mary." Anna soothed, pointing Mary to the man dwarfing the both of them, "This gentleman was kind enough to save me some embarrassment if my skirts had flown up."

"Thank you for preserving the modesty and dignity of my friend, sir." Mary shook the man's hand, "Might I know the name of my friend's preserver?"

"Bates. John Bates. I'm the new Deputy to Sheriff Carson."

"Oh," Mary eyed Deputy Bates up and down, "You do cut quite the imposing figure Deputy Bates."

"John, please."

"I'm afraid my father taught me how to respect the law sir. That means I address you by your position as its protector."

"And who might your father be?"

"Robert Crawley." Mary sighed, "No doubt you already met him. He's either asking a favor from Carson or he's trying to get his workers out of their nightly cells for work in the morning."

"I did meet him and he seems the right kind of man for the job he does."

"Unfortunately." Mary sighed, "And you, how do you like our little town?"

"It's smaller than I'm used to but no less exciting."

"And where are you used to, Deputy Bates?" Anna cut in, nudging Mary to the side. "Not anywhere else in Victoria surely?"

"Not Victoria, no, and nowhere else in New South Wales."

"Where then?" Mary pressed and Anna shot her a glare.

"Ireland. I lived in Belfast and worked as a copper there."

"And came all the way here to ward off bushrangers and suss out stray cattle?" Mary whistled, "I give you my deepest condolences Deputy Bates."

"It's the life I want now, Ms. Crawley."

"It's Mrs. Crawley, actually." Mary smiled, "My husband, who I've no doubt you'll meet the next time his workers need some defending from the drunks who decide to pick a fight, is Matthew Crawley."

"I have heard about him. Sheriff Carson thinks he's an upstanding individual worthy of admiration and respect."

"He is all that and more. I can promise you won't be disappointed when you meet him though I hope it's under better circumstances than I just described." Mary shook John's hand again, "It was a pleasure meeting you Deputy Bates. I do hope you come to one of my father's dinner parties. Lately it's only been family and Anna."

"I don't see how that could be a bad thing." Deputy Bates looked past Mary at Anna, who smiled to herself and looked down. Mary, as usually, had not noticed.

"It's just tired. But, as I said, please come at the first opportunity. I'd love to hear about Ireland and I know my mother could use you to convince my father to travel there for their anniversary."

"Anything I can do to be of assistance." Deputy Bates raised his hat as Mary went back inside her shop.

He turned to Anna, still frozen in place, and stretched his mouth to a shy smile. "I'm sorry but Mrs. Crawley only gave me your first name."

"Everyone only knows me by my first name Deputy Bates."

"Then if that's the case I must insist you call me John, to put us on equal footing." He stepped off the porch and noted their height difference, "Metaphorically speaking that is."

"Well, like Mary said, I too received an education that instructed me to address my superiors as 'sir' and 'ma'am' unless they had another appellation and to meet acquaintances by their respectful titles. Seeing as you are both my superior and my recent acquaintance I'll be addressing you as Deputy Bates or Mr. Bates, I'm afraid."

"If we're going to be formal and I have no say in the matter-"

"Afraid you don't," Anna smirked at him and Mr. Bates nodded his head, as if accepting this fact.

"Than I'd rather you call me Mr. Bates." He shrugged, "But that still puts me at a disadvantage."

"How so, Mr. Bates?"

"I don't know your last name."

"I'm not your superior."

"I believe you are more than likely my superior in a great many ways." He stopped and faced her, "More to the point, I never call a lady by an informal greeting unless invited or we've known one another long enough to justify that kind of friendliness."

"I'll ease your conscience, Mr. Bates, by letting you know I'm not a lady so there's no need to preserve any notions of that." Anna's mouth twitched up at the corner.

"You're a lady to me and I'm sure I'll never meet a finer one."

Anna felt her breath catch in her throat and coughed as if to dislodge it. "Mr. Bates you are possibly one of the most charming individuals I've ever met."

"I'll take that as a compliment," He reached for her hand and lifted it so gently Anna imagined it floated on its own, "With your surname."

"My students all call me 'Ms. Anna' Mr. Bates."

"But I'm not your student and I should set a good example of respect." His lips brushed over her hand and Anna suppressed the shivering tingle that vibrated from her hand through her whole body. "I am the deputy after all."

"Well," Anna tried to breath normally but her lungs seemed tighter than normal. "If we want to keep up your reputation then I guess you can call me 'Ms. Smith', Mr. Bates."

"Then it was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Smith." Mr. Bates more firmly planted the kiss on the back of her hand before dropping it. "I do hope we can meet again sometime."

"So do I, Mr. Bates." Anna smiled up at him, "Though I'm afraid it could be a spell before that can happen in more than a random act of chance."

"Children keep you busy?"

"They can be a raucous bunch but…" Anna paused, "How do you know I care for children?"

"The first day I was here I saw you pass by the front of the Sheriff's office," Mr. Bates pointed toward the building. "I assumed since the children were of all ages and none of them looked like you that either you shepherd them from place to place or you're their teacher. You temperament convinces me you're the latter but I've no argument with the former."

"It's often one and the same I'm afraid." Anna walked toward the schoolhouse and Mr. Bates kept pace with her. "But they tend toward the obedient and deferent, most of the time."

"I imagine they would."

"What makes you say that, Mr. Bates?"

"I might've paid more attention in school myself if I had someone like you to teach me, Ms. Smith," Mr. Bates stopped, his face dropping a little as he hurried to backtrack his words, "If that's not too bold to say."

"Even if it is too bold to say I appreciate boldness, Mr. Bates and I rather took it as the compliment you intended." Anna laughed a little, "Though you seem intelligent enough to've learned in school."

"I learned more from reading than I ever did in school. I spent more time in the corner or taking a ruler to the palms than I ever did writing beautifully with chalk on a slate."

"Troublemaker?"

"My mother always said so."

"Let me guess," Anna stepped in front of him as they reached the schoolhouse steps, "Your mother said it with a sigh, bemoaning you were a boy and therefore too rambunctious for her house?"

"You seem to've met my mother, Ms. Smith."

"No, but I've met more than enough mothers." Anna waved a hand at the schoolhouse, "But, while your mother moaned your father always said you were a growing boy just trying to expend your energy?"

"I hope that's what he would've said. I never met him so I'll never know" Mr. Bates' voice lowered and now it was Anna's turn for her face to fall.

"Mr. Bates please forgive me, that was thoughtless."

"There was no way for you to know, Ms. Smith." Mr. Bates held up a hand. "I'm sure you speak from experience with the boys in your classes and their fathers saying that to you."

"Yes." Anna nodded, a little too enthusiastically, still feeling the lingering sense of awkwardness at misspeaking. "Mr. Bates I do trouble apologize for saying something that might-"

"If we were all too worried about offending someone else we might never speak at all Ms. Smith." Mr. Bates stepped to the side as a line of children started into the schoolhouse. "I'd rather fumble on a few words and risk an apology or two than worry so much that I say nothing at all and those around me are equally silent."

"Truly?"

"Truly. I'd rather argue at the top of my voice with someone for a day than sit in silence for a moment." Mr. Bates held a hand up toward Anna, "And I hope we don't share too many moments of silence."

"Sometimes silence can say so much more than words, Mr. Bates." Anna took his hand and stared into Mr. Bates eyes. The whole world hushed for a brief instant before a thunder of feet echoed from inside the schoolhouse.

Mr. Bates pulled his hat slightly off his head, "It was my honor to meet you Ms. Smith."

"As equally as it was mine to meet you, Mr. Bates." Anna watched him walk away before herding the straggling students into the schoolhouse. "Now who knows how to draw the letter 'F'?"