Seamus O'Toole was not in a good mood. Not that that was anything new. He couldn't remember the last time he was in any kind of a mood he'd consider good. He was tired of riding, tired of Brady's nearly endless chatter about nothing in particular, tired of hunting rabbits for food, and he was especially tired of not having any money. The burly Irishman had done pretty much everything from searching out deserters for both the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War to bounty hunting after the war. He tried his hand at the faro tables in New Orleans and lost much more than he'd won and then drifted west, looking for whatever means he could to make a few dollars without having to put much effort into it. Brady tagged along for the ride. O'Toole didn't know if Brady was his first name or his last and he didn't care. They had met up while trailing deserters in Virginia. Most of the time he wished Brady would just ride off on his own, but he had gotten used to the man's company. He was pretty handy with a knife and his hunting skills were good enough to keep the two men from starving, so O'Toole let him ride along and didn't say anything about how much he was getting on his nerves.

That day, though, O'Toole told him.

"Brady, would you shut yer damn hole? I ain't heard myself think for the last ten miles," O'Toole growled in his thick Irish brogue.

"I'm just sayin', I could use a good hot meal, a nice bed, and a soft woman to keep me company, and maybe not in that order," Brady complained.

"Aye, and you won't get any of it because we ain't got no money, so it's rabbits for supper and rocks for a bed and whatever woman you dream of in yer sleep. Now shut up and let me do some thinkin'," O'Toole groused.

Brady opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it. He'd seen plenty of O'Toole's bad side since they'd met up in Virginia and he'd learned early on that was not a place he wanted to be. O'Toole could be plenty mean when he was irritated and downright murderous when he was angry, and Brady learned quickly that staying on O'Toole's good side, while not easy, was in his best interests.

O'Toole brought his horse to a stop under a small grove of trees along a creek and surveyed the area. Before long, some movement in the tall grass caught his eye. A pair of rabbits hopped playfully around each other. O'Toole motioned for Brady to keep still, and with an eye on the rabbits, he pulled his rifle from its scabbard and took aim. With a crack of the rifle and a puff of smoke, one of the rabbits fell to the ground.

"We'll make camp here," O'Toole growled. "Go grab that rabbit," he ordered Brady. He unsaddled his horse and tied the tired animal to a low branch, turning his ear to the east to make out the sound of hoofbeats. He stayed behind his horse but drew his pistol, just in case.

The hoofbeats grew louder. There were several riders from what O'Toole could tell, and they were coming up fast. He hoped Brady would take his time finding that rabbit. All he needed was that simple fool running his mouth. A small group of Army soldiers came up on the campsite. The leader waved his hand, nodding as the group rode by.

Later that evening as the two men feasted on rabbit cooked over a campfire, O'Toole had an idea. From his calculations, they weren't far from Fort Concho. He knew at some point a stage would be coming through carrying the payroll for the soldiers stationed at the fort, probably around the end of the month, as he recalled the number of soldiers who used to frequent the saloons and dance halls in New Orleans around the first of every month. That was only a week or so away. They'd camp out along the trail and watch for the stage, ambush it, and steal the money. Given the number of soldiers he estimated to be at the fort, it ought to be a pretty hefty sum. O'Toole chuckled to himself. He'd split the money with Brady, not fifty-fifty of course; maybe more like seventy-thirty, although eighty-twenty or less was more to O'Toole's liking, and send him on his way. He'd finally be rid of the man and, while he wouldn't be wealthy, he'd be a damn sight better off than he was now. And he wouldn't eat rabbit for supper anymore, that was for sure.

That night, as O'Toole listened to Brady snore as they slept by what remained of their campfire, he thought through his idea several times, plotting and honing until he was sure his plan was foolproof and he would be able to pull it off without a hitch. He could almost taste the whiskey, steak, and the sweet kiss of the woman he planned to have once the heist was over and the money was securely in his pocket. He grinned to himself as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the day soon that his roaming and wandering to make a living would be over for good.

"No! Absolutely not!" Lily cried adamantly. She looked up at Judd Weaver, her deep brown eyes filled with tears. Judd had just mentioned they should talk to the pastor at the church in Bovine and see about setting a date to be married.

"But Lily, I thought you wanted to get married!" Judd was bewildered. It seemed to him, between all the rules of courting and proposing and now, apparently, getting married, he just couldn't get things right.

"I do, Judd, but not in that church. Not after how they treated me there." Lilly recalled the day they had gone to church with Hayes and Althea Cooper and her shame at being the subject of Rose Tinsley's malicious words and the whispers of others.

"But Lily," Judd began.

"No, no, no." Lily stamped her feet, her hands on her hips. "Not in that church. There has to be some other way. Can't a judge marry us?"

"Well, of course a judge can marry us, but it could be a good six months before the circuit judge comes back to town," Judd took Lily's hands, trying to calm her. "Do you really want to wait that long, Lily? I know I don't."

Lily let out a long sigh and sat down at her kitchen table. "No. I don't. But I don't want to be married in that church, either. Anywhere but in that building, Judd."

Judd was quiet for several long moments before an idea came to him. "Would you still be okay with the pastor marrying us, Lily, if it's not in the church?"

Lily gave Judd a puzzled look but nodded her agreement.

"Good. I may have an idea. Let me go talk to the pastor and I'll let you know."

Judd returned late that afternoon, feeling rather proud of himself. He had spoken with the pastor who had understood Lily's apprehension about being married in the church and had liked Judd's idea for a wedding site. Judd couldn't wait to tell Lily.

"Lily, remember that spot along the creek where we went on our first picnic?" Judd asked, dropping the armload of firewood into the bin by the woodstove in Lily's kitchen. As most evenings, Judd ate supper at Lily's house, and that evening was no different. He lifted the lid off a pot of stew bubbling on top of the woodstove and breathed in the delicious aroma. Lily swatted at him with a dishcloth.

"You just can't wait a few minutes until that is ready, can you?" she teased. "I remember that spot along the creek. I was scared nearly to death when White Wolf showed up and we almost got washed away when the storm came."

"Well, other than the storm and the visit from White Wolf, what do you think about that place?" Judd caught Lily around the waist with one arm and planted a kiss on her temple.

"It was beautiful there. Why do you ask?"

"What would you think about getting married there?" Judd asked hopefully.

Lily's dark eyes lit up and she nearly danced with glee. "There? That would be perfect!" She threw her arms around Judd's neck and kissed him full on the lips. "What a wonderful idea!"

"I talked to the pastor today. He understood why you didn't want to get married in the church and he liked the idea of marrying us by the creek. He told me to just let him know when and said he'd be happy to do it," Judd explained excitedly.

A million thoughts ran through Lily's head. She needed to talk to Althea, and she'd love to have a new dress to wear. It didn't have to be a fancy wedding dress like she used to see women wear back east, but she wanted something special and pretty. She wished her family could be there for the wedding, but she knew that wasn't possible. Not long after arriving in Bovine, she had written letters home that had gone unanswered and unreturned. Even if she still had family left, there wouldn't be enough time for them to make the trip west. In a way, it made her feel sad. She'd be getting married with no family there to walk her down the aisle or stand up for her.

"Lily, that dress is beautiful!" Althea gushed. Lily and Althea were at Sarah Plummer's dress shop where Sarah was making the final adjustments to Lily's wedding dress. Lily had decided to have one of her dresses remade into a special dress for her wedding day.

"Thank you, Althea," Lily twirled in front of the mirror, amazed at Sarah's transformation of the dress she had given her. Sarah had replaced the ruffled neckline and sleeves with lace that draped softly and elegantly off of Lily's slim shoulders. She had covered alternating panels of the very pale pink bodice with the same lace and had replaced the hook and eye closures with tiny pearl buttons and delicate fabric loops. The full skirt was remade into a cutaway overskirt that fell softly over three layers of lace ruffles that swayed gently with every move Lily made.

"My goodness," Lily breathed as she stopped in mid-twirl to stare in disbelief at the mirror image staring back at her. "Sarah, this is fit for a queen!"

"I have to admit, it's some of my best work," Sarah Plummer blushed. "I don't often get a chance here in Bovine to make a dress like this, what with the dust and all, so it was a pleasure. And I'm glad you gave me a second chance, Miss Lily. I'm glad Miss Althea convinced me to give you a second chance."

When Lily mentioned to Althea she might want to have a wedding dress made, Althea went straight to Sarah Plummer's dress shop and told her that Lily Westfall might be paying her a visit to have a wedding dress made and that Lily was not going to take no for an answer. Sarah was to make that dress or Althea wouldn't have another stitch sewn in Sarah's shop ever again, not for herself and not for her daughter, either. A few days later, Lily dropped by Sarah's shop with a pale pink dress that she thought might make a beautiful wedding gown with the addition of a little lace here and there. Sarah's eyes nearly popped at the sight of the beautiful dress and she would have found it difficult to say no even without Althea's threat. She quickly sketched out an idea and showed it to Lily, who was instantly in agreement.

"And the best thing about it," Sarah added as she adjusted the lace draping at the neckline, "this can be your something old and your something new."

"All you need is something borrowed and something blue," Althea chimed. "You can wear the veil I wore when I married Cooper, and we'll tie your bouquet with a blue ribbon. You'll be all set."

Lily beamed with delight. When she had asked Althea if she would stand up for her, it was partly because she really had nobody else in Bovine to do it. Althea had proven herself time and time again to be a true friend, though, and Lily knew that she had made the right choice.

"There," Sarah Plummer snipped the final thread and tucked away her needle. The last adjustments were done and she was finally satisfied with how Lily's dress fit. "Best wishes on your wedding, Miss Lily."

"Thank you, Sarah, and thank you for creating such a beautiful, beautiful dress," Lily replied as she remained awestruck in front of the dress shop mirror, giving one last twirl to admire Sarah's work and her reflection.

"Cooper, can I ask you a question?" Judd Weaver and Hayes Cooper were sitting in front of the jail enjoying the sunshine and pleasant weather.

"Let me guess. You need to borrow my wagon to take wedding guests out to the creek the morning of the wedding," Cooper smirked.

"How did you know about that?" Weaver asked, taken aback. He had been planning to ask Cooper about borrowing his wagon, but that wasn't what he wanted to ask.

"I was talking to Feeney earlier today. He said you were using both his wagons the day of the wedding to take wedding guests out to the creek. Pretty good idea, actually." Cooper leaned back in his chair, tilting it back on two legs to lean against the side of the jail. "So yes, you can take my wagon, too."

"Well, thank you, Cooper, but that wasn't what I was going to ask."

"Oh? What were you going to ask?"

"I know I'm asking a lot, Cooper, but would you stand up for me when I marry Lily?" Judd asked nervously. It wasn't all that long ago that he and Cooper had gotten off to a pretty rocky start and he was sure Cooper hadn't forgotten those days.

"Of course I would, Weaver. It would be an honor," Cooper nodded his head in approval.

"I'm the one that's honored, Cooper," Judd Weaver could barely contain his excitement, or the grin that spread across his face. "And Cooper?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

The wedding was still several days away, but Judd Weaver could already feel the butterflies in his stomach. He wanted to ask Cooper if he was that nervous when he married Althea, but he thought better of it. It took enough nerve to ask him to stand up for him. Weaver wasn't about to ask him any more questions.

"You nervous?" Cooper asked.

Damn, Weaver thought. He didn't know how his boss and friend managed to do it, but he could swear that Cooper could read minds.

"Does it show?" Weaver asked.

"It doesn't have to. You're marrying a beautiful woman. If you weren't nervous, I'd say you were crazy," Cooper replied.

"Well, then, I'm nervous," Judd replied

"Good."

Weaver thought again about asking Cooper if he was nervous when he married Althea.

"I was scared to death when I married Althea."

Weaver looked at Cooper. How the hell does he do that, he wondered to himself.

"Scared to death," Cooper repeated. "But marrying that woman was the best thing I ever did. You'll see what I mean." Cooper gave Weaver a wink and a grin.

Weaver was sure he already did.