When I finally returned to the Hatfield homestead after my bust-up with Cap, I found it eerily quiet.

I had decided on the long ride home that I needed to play my cards right. I had acted foolishly with Cap and Johnse and I couldn't afford to do the same with their parents. No matter my personal feelings, I had to understand where I was, who I was dealing with. And getting myself kicked out or causing more animosity around the subject of Roseanna wouldn't make any progress.

If I wanted to help my friend in anyway, I needed to help myself first. I had mentally prepared my speech, how I was going to approach each member of the Hatfield family and what I was going to say, how I was going to say it. But I didn't get that chance.

I soon learned that Johnse had gone off to lick his wounds at his drip-still, while Cap had headed to Mate Creek, mumbling something about staying with Jim Vance for a few days. Anse had taken the other children off on an impromptu visit to their Uncle Ellison's, no doubt in an attempt to release some of the tension that was festering in his house. Needless to say, I was somewhat relieved – and also nervous – to find myself alone with Levicy.

"Was wonderin' when you'd reappear," she commented casually as I entered the kitchen. She stood at the table kneading some dough. "Here, sit. Slice up some of these here apples for the pie I'm makin' for the Wolfords. Robert E's been talkin' non-stop 'bout their daughter Mariah. Figured I might as well make a trip down to speak with Lou-Ellen t'see if there might be something there. We mother's like to gossip as I'm sure you know."

Her small talk unnerved me a bit, especially as we had never talked about little things like this before, like we were two sisters or good friends chatting about the goings-on of the neighborhood. But, I sat down at the table and started slicing and dicing the apples, my hands shaking slightly with nerves. Levicy kept kneading, but I could feel her eyes on me.

"Tell me 'bout your mother, Emma," she said, cutting through the silence and I glanced up in surprised.

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Well her name would be a good start," she replied and gave a comforting smile. "I ain't asked nothin' bout your family before, though it seems you know all the good and bad sides of mine by now."

"Nora," I replied, my discomfort easing somewhat, but a new pain in my chest reemerged slowly. "Her name was Nora Tierney and she grew up in Cork, Ireland."

"And your Pa?"

"Lee Anderson. They met in New York and got married. Dad always said it was love at first sight for him, though Mom took more convincing."

"We women usually do," Levicy agreed. "And they didn't have any other children?"

"Mom couldn't have kids. I was adopted. Left at a firehouse shortly after I was born and my parent's decided that I was the one."

Levicy looked saddened by this and I quickly reassured her that I had known my whole life and that I had come to accept it.

"No, it ain't that," she replied. "I just can't understand why someone wouldn't want their child. And I can't imagine not being able to have kids of my own. It must have been hard for your mother."

"Well," I said, my temper rising slightly. "Maybe my birth mother had problems and knew she couldn't raise a child. Maybe she didn't have a supportive family." I let the point hang in the air and Levicy gave me a look.

I felt a sharp pain in my finger and gasped, looking down to see a thin but pulsing stream of blood drip onto the table.

"Oh, come here," Levicy tutted, standing up and grabbing a cloth from the counter. She wetted it and wrapped it around my hand, putting pressure on the wound. I winced at the sting. "I know that you don't agree with what happened," she said and I clenched my jaw to prevent myself from speaking out. I just needed to keep my mouth shut, for once. "And I know you're tired of hearin' that you don't understand our ways here. I know how hard it must be for you. But you gotta understand Miss Emma Anderson, that we Ma's and Pa's, it don't matter what year we're in, we're always gonna love our children and do what we think is best for them. I'm sure your Ma would understand that."

"And sending Roseanna away was what was best?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, trying to understand. My mother would never have done that to someone who needed help.

"For Johnse, yes." Levicy squeezed my hand and let me pull away. "It ain't good for the girl, I know. And I'm sorry 'bout that, but we have to look after our own. Johnse ain't in no place to start a family now and I knew it would just cause problems with them McCoys. That's why I sent her away. And Anse…well, he's got his pride and he makes some rash decisions. I ain't sayin' it's right what happened, but it did and we gotta live with it."

"You don't want to be involved in your grandchild's life?" I asked, hoping to pull on her heartstrings.

"Maybe in some years it will be possible, but right now, there's too much bad blood between Anse and Ol' Ran'll. 'Sides, better for Roseanna all around to be back with her kin. Her mama will take care of her. Sally is tough, but she loves her children somethin' fierce, just like me. And I can promise you if the situation was reversed…well, I doubt Ran'll would let you stay in his house on account of his son Calvin takin' a likin' to you."

She raised her eyebrows at me, indicating she knew far more than I appreciated.

I moved away from her, trying not to give too much away. If she knew about Calvin…

"I should apologize to Mr Hatfield, shouldn't I?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"I think it's best with him to pretend that none of this unpleasantness every happened." Relief coursed through me. "I doubt my son will be as willing to overlook whatever it is you said to him, though." It took me a moment to realize she wasn't talking about Johnse. "Don't know what happened to you two, but I'd give him a few days to cool off before you try and talk to him again. William's got his father stubbornness, that's for sure."

I nodded. At this point, I needed to just play along. Maybe Levicy was right, let a little time go by and then maybe everything would just work out.

"Okay. Thanks, Levicy."

She smiled to me. "Now get back to them apples, we got a pie to make."

I went to see Johnse a few days later; when he hadn't returned to the house, I knew I could find him at his drip still. Cap hadn't come back either, and while I thought he'd be with Jim Vance, Anse mentioned that he had come into work with Selkirk McCoy one day and Uncle Lias the next. I wasn't about to ride all over West Virginia to find him – I wasn't that desperate…yet – and I figured if I could get to Johnse first he might be able to smooth some things over for me in advance.

When I found him, he luckily wasn't in the drunken stupor he had been in the last time I visited. He was clearly depressed, however, with deep bags under his eyes and tired way about him. He gave me a small smile when he saw me and I knew that all was forgiven between us, though I felt that the lovable, boyish Johnse that I had come to know was long gone.

He was sitting on a log, cooking some beans and sausage for his dinner over the campfire. He looked up when he heard me approach and offered me a small smile, before looking back to his cooking. I quietly sat down next to him, Staring into the crackling fire and wondering just how to break the silence. I didn't need to worry, though, because after a few minutes Johnse nudged my knee with his. We nudged back and forth and back and froth and soon enough he smiled and offered me a sausage. I took it happily.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you," I mumbled through a mouthful. "You and Cap are right – I don't know how things are around here. And while I'm sorry for snapping at you, I won't apologize for how I feel about the situation and I hope you can respect that."

"I'm sorry too, Emma. For a lot of things." The smile on his face fell and his shoulders sagged. "I ain't like Pa. I ain't brave like him, you know? I can't stand up to them, defy the family. I know I should, but I just…I couldn't say goodbye to it all."

I understood. Anse had asked something impossible of his son and I tried to put myself in that position. Could I choose Cap over my parents (if they were still alive, of course)? Could I choose Cap over the future (if I ever had that choice to make)? I didn't know the answer, but I did know that I couldn't completely judge Johnse for what he had done.

"It's okay, Johnse. It'll be okay." I was not good at comforting people.

"But will it? I think I done messed this one up too much. I always liked to think that life was like one of them stories that you keep readin' us. That Roseanna might be like them girls in the books, like a Juliet. But I guess I ain't no Romeo, is all."

I stayed silent, but rubbed his back in an effort to be comforting. Johnse leaned into me, rest his head on my shoulder, and I was struck by how much like Cap he looked. They had the same jaw, the same eyes, and the same dimple on the chin. I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that it was Cap I was holding, as it was his muscular back I was touching and his hair I smelled. But it wasn't him – Johnse and Cap weren't the same and I immediately felt guilty for trying to replace him. There was no replacement for Cap and I swallowed a sob before it could escape me.

I missed him. It had been less than a week and I desperately missed him.

"I never asked if you were okay," I said, realizing that this was, unfortunately true. "I mean, you were kidnapped, weren't you?"

"I ain't some damsel in distress," he replied, grinning again. I was pleased his emotion seemed to swing easily back to being happier; all it took was keeping him somewhat distracted "Though, I ain't gonna lie, I was a bit worried there for a minute. Can't say I blame them, to be fair. I pro'ly would've done the same if it were you gettin' done by some McCoy bastard."

"Thanks, I guess," I chuckled, his sincerity coming through despite his teasing smile. It was nice to know he had my back. "But there's no need to kill anyone, on my account, I promise."

Johnse stood up and held his hand out to me, helping me to my feet.

"You wanna see somethin', Emma? Second most beautiful sight in West Virginia, I swear it."

I rolled my eyes, not giving into his line, but let him help me up nonetheless. He led me away from the drip still and further on up the road. We came around a bend and upon an opening in the woods. The trees were newly cut, opening up the area and it was obvious he had been working on clearing some space. At the far side, just before the path ducked back down towards the next farm and on down to the river, there were some posts marking out a large square.

"I'm gonna build me a cabin here," Johnse said proudly, walking over to the markers and indicating the area. "This here is gonna be the main room of the house. Won't be much at first but I figure I work on it over time, save some money, it will be a nice little place. Thinkin' I might get to have Roseanna and the baby come live here, once things calm down and all."

At least we were on the same page there: hoping that something in the not too distant future would change between the Hatfields and the McCoys and that those two could be together. I couldn't remember what happened to them, how they ended up. All I could do was my part to make sure that they were together in the end.

"I think it's going to be amazing, Johnse. And it's good for you to have your own place."

"I don't envy you," he said, smiling again. "Having to live with all them kids and not having a place to escape to. Feel free to come up here whenever you'd like. I know the house can get overwhelmin' sometimes."

"Thanks. And it isn't too bad, you and Cap make it bearable, to be honest."

"Cap been around?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "How much do you know?"

"Not much," he said, shrugging. "All I know is that Cap went off after you and when I saw him the next day, he wouldn't say nothin' 'bout it and asked Alex Messer to spend the night at his place. I figured somethin' been said, that he'd pissed you off some more and then wouldn't apologize." He grinned. "Cap don't apologize easy. Would rather just ignore a problem than admit he's wrong."

"I owe him an apology too," I admitted. "Only I don't know where to find him."

"I can tell him you're lookin' for him next time I see him, if you want. Or you can just head over to the loggin' site. He's there most days."

I didn't know what I would say to Cap when I saw him, but for now I comforted myself with the knowledge that at least one of the Hatfield boys was back on my side.

I took Johnse's advice a few days later, packing up a basket of muffins and heading off the Hatfield lumber yard, hoping to buy forgiveness with baked goods. I spent the whole ride going over in my head what I wanted to say to Cap and each option seemed worse and worse as I approached the worksite.

I had been a couple of times previously, enough to know Cap was probably off somewhere near one of the mills, but he usually came back to the main office at lunch time. That was good; I'd rather be there when he got back, rather than surprise him when he had a saw in his hand.

The business was booming - Devil Anse had certainly done well for himself after the way. There were probably thirty to forty men working for him, and Anse continued to be ambitious. I gave a wave to Tom Wallace and French Ellis as I past them, hitching Orion to the post and letting myself into the main office. Always smooth with my entrances, it looked like I walked right into a business meeting.

"Can we help you, Miss Anderson?"

Mr Hatfield looked at me from across his desk, annoyed. I blanched. Jim Vance, Uncle Lias and a strange man all looked at me expectantly.

"Sorry," I spluttered. "I…I was just bringing some muffins and - "

"Well, put 'em down over there then," Anse said dismissively, before turning his attention back to the stranger. "Apologies Mr Schmidt, you was sayin'?"

I busied myself unpacking the muffins, trying not to listen. But I was never good at that.

"Yes, vell, I've been looking for a new source of vood for my community. Vee have been, ov course, utilizing vood from Pennsylvania lumber yards. But ze pricing has been too much vor it to continue."

"I been hearin' rumors," Anse replied, "That you been meeting with Perry Cline up in Pikeville. Talkin' with him 'bout some of his timber. At least the timber I ain't got the rights to."

"Zis is true," Mr Schmidt. "But, avter meeting with Herr Cline, it is clear zat he is…vell, he is, as vee vould say, a scheisskopf."

I snorted and the four men all looked at me. Jim Vance was glaring, Lias looked confused and Anse was annoyed. But Mr Schmidt looked intrigued.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "Just ignore me."

"Sprechen sie Deutsch?" Mr Schmidt asked.

Four years of language study in high school, plus an exchange in Munich last summer…yeah, I spoke German.

"Ein bisschen," I replied, glancing nervously at Anse.

"Und wer bist du, junge Dame?"

"Ich heiße Emma."

"Emma. Ich heiße Peter Schmidt, und ich freue mich darauf, mit Herr Hatfield ins Geschäft zu gehen."

Anse sat up at the sound of his name on the foreign tongue. "Now, Mr Schmidt, I'd be very interested in speakin' with you - "

But Herr Schmidt held up his hand, and continued to look at me.

"Glaubst du, das wäre eine gute Idee?"

"Ja," I replied, nodding.

"Und sind diese Männer gute Männer?"

I glanced at them. Devil Anse Hatfield and Jim Vance, even Uncle Lias - were these good men? I didn't know if I could answer that honestly.

"Sie sind meine Familie."

Herr Schmidt paused and then broke out into a wide smile. He guffawed, grabbing his round stomach.

"Danke, Fräulein Emma," he said, before turning back to the men. He held out his hand. "It vould be a pleasure to vork vith you, Herr Hatfield. Now, Fräulein, be an angel and bring me ein Kuchen, zo Herr Hatfield und I can talk buziness."

Devil Anse shook the German's hand, glancing at me with a slight look of disbelief. I gave a sheepish smile and brought a muffin over to Herr Schmidt. The German focused his attention on the cake and began chatting with Lias, while Anse looked at me. In a lowered tone, he said, "Cap ain't here. Runnin' deliveries this week."

I blinked at him. "Oh, right. Thanks."

I said my farewells and my Auf wiedersehens and mounted back up. Maybe things were okay with me and Anse, thanks to my choice of how to fulfill my high school foreign language requirement. But Cap being gone for a week…that didn't bode well.

I wrapped my shawl around me tightly. The last few leaves were falling from the trees. Tomorrow was the first day of November.