Amelia looked over to see the young man with dark curly hair staring at her. She thought him to be handsome just short of six feet tall with broad shoulders. He looked as if he'd cleaned up before joining them for the meal. She walked up to him.
"Hello…welcome to Paradise," she said, "We're just about to eat. You're welcome to join us."
He nodded, with a small smile.
"Thank you…my friends and I…we were riding hard the past couple days," he said, "The rain's really been coming down."
She smiled at him.
"Yes…more so than usual this time of year and it's kept the roads closed…It's amazing you made it to town at all."
His eyes narrowed slightly, his smile faltered.
"We found…a small trail across a meadow," he said, "The horses handled it just fine."
That didn't surprise her that they'd found a small trail off of the roads. There had been many of them, some more worn than others from past travelers. After all when the mines were operating, so many people had arrived on foot or horseback...however way they could arrive to seek their fortunes.
"You're Roger…right?"
He nodded.
"I'm Amelia…Amelia Cord. My husband's Ethan, the town marshal."
Something shifted in his eyes and she wondered at it but then he smiled again.
"Nice to meet you," he said, "Jack and Clinton…they are here too."
She had seen then earlier by the bar where they'd gotten themselves glasses of whisky. That had raised their spirits quite a bit and they had started talking to each other near the tables of food. Claire walked up to her.
"Mary said that the last of the food is done," she said, "She needs some help."
Amelia followed Claire into the kitchen but she couldn't get her mind off of Roger. He'd seen like a nice gentleman…something about him drew her. Maybe it was the impression that he'd been traveling around the country winding up in different cities and towns just as she had done more than a year ago. Mary smiled at her and handed her a plate which had a loaf of freshly baked bread.
"Put that next to the potatoes and gravy…"
Amelia took it to the dining area to put on the table while looking around to see where Roger had gone. But she didn't see him.
Ethan stood outside as the rain began to ebb again. That's what it had done all day, pouring down hard one moment and then easing up the next. He couldn't wait until the worst of the rainy season was a distant memory behind them. He knew it'd happen and he knew when the summer heat arrived and baked the valley dry that they'd be missing some of that rain. Summer would bring its own rewards. Picnics and trips to the lake to spend hours fishing…then frying the catch over a fire…maybe camping under the stars after spending time telling stories.
Lucy would be old enough to go with them at some point though that was some ways off. He couldn't wait until he could take her out fishing and riding horses with Ben and George. She might be a girl but that didn't matter. Amelia had grown up on horseback herself and looked forward to their daughter learning the same skills.
He looked up and saw Dakota heading towards him with Clayton. The man had been restless since realizing he couldn't send out his wires today to get more information on the bank robbers he pursued.
"The food will be ready soon," Ethan told him, "if you want to join us."
Clayton just nodded grimly.
"I wished the rain would stop."
"Your wires will wait until morning," Ethan said, "You can try then…the men you're hunting…more than likely they're holing up out of sight."
Clayton sighed.
"I can imagine them doing that…it seems like the perfect time to catch up with them and find them."
Ethan shook his head.
"No…you risk getting hurt that way," he said, "You don't want to corner them by yourself."
Clayton made a face.
"I wouldn't be alone if you'd do your job and help me."
Ethan smiled.
"I told you what I'd do if they showed up in my territory but until then…not much I can do…"
"You could form a posse when the weather clears and go with me," Clayton said, "He can go too…"
Dakota shrugged.
"You heard the marshal," he said, "More than likely your gang will wind up in Virginia City or maybe Reno…you wired the authorities there already didn't you?"
Clayton nodded.
"Then the marshals in those cities will keep an eye out for them," he said, "if they wind up heading that way."
Clayton folded his arms.
"What if they don't? What if they wind up coming this way?"
Dakota shrugged.
"Then we'll be waiting for them…makes more sense than going chasing after them."
Ethan thought it to be a waste of time to go running after the bank robbers. He'd had enough work in his own town keeping the cabin fever caused by people not being able to leave town on account of the rain from driving people crazy enough to commit mayhem. There'd been some fights; men brawling in the street getting all muddy because they were stir crazy from being immobilized by the storms.
Clayton just shook his head.
"I don't understand that at all," he said, "but I will wire Virginia City and Reno again tomorrow morning."
He went back into the hotel to join the others for the meal. Ethan and Dakota watched him, knowing that he hadn't been happy with what they'd told him.
"You think he's going to go out on his own after them?"
Ethan shrugged.
"He'd be foolish if he did. He strikes me as determined to go after them but so far he's been smart about it."
"That could change Ethan…"
Ethan knew that…he'd been there himself before he'd been a marshal…even back when before he'd become a man. He's seen it in other men as well. But even if he ran off looking for the gang, he wouldn't likely find him and that would definitely be the less dangerous outcome.
The two of them went inside to join the others.
Everyone lined up to get their food and while the children went into another room to eat, the adults stayed in the main restaurant. Claire went to help with the children while Amelia tended to Lucy. She noticed how Charles and Claire flirted with each other…or she tried to flirt with him but he seemed to be a bit on the shy side.
She left them to look after the children and went back to join the others.
Ethan looked up and saw Amelia gather some food on her plate and sit next to him at one of the tables. They started eating as Roger and Jack sat across from them. Ethan noticed that Clayton had also gotten a plate filled with food and then sat at another table.
"The food's delicious…"
She smiled at her husband.
"If we ever lose Scotty and Mary we'll all be in big trouble."
Ethan looked over at Roger and Jack who seemed to have been quite hungry attacking their food with vigor.
"You two enjoying the meal?"
Roger looked up and nodded.
"Been a while since we ate such good food," he said, "been living on hardtack, jerky and really bad coffee for a while now."
Ethan had been there himself plenty of times and that first home cooked meal after coming back from traveling on a job…there were few things better.
"So how long you two been married," Roger asked.
Ethan and Amelia looked at each other.
"Almost a year," Ethan said, "but we've known each other for longer."
Roger digested that while forking more food into his mouth.
"You have older children…I saw them earlier."
Amelia smiled.
"They're Ethan's niece and nephews," she said, "They've been living in Paradise since before his sister…their mother died."
"The baby…"
"She's ours…she's born during the summer."
He didn't ask any more questions focusing on his meal and Amelia wondered why he seemed to want to know more about Ethan and her. Was it idle curiosity about people he'd just met or was it something else? She couldn't figure out why he'd be so interested in them.
Ethan looked as if he were trying to figure out the man sitting across from them too. But he remained quiet.
"What about you Roger," she asked, "What about your family?"
Roger's fork froze and he looked down at his plate for a moment before looking up at her.
"I don't got any…except for my friends here."
Amelia heard his voice thick with emotion that surprised her. She sipped from her glass of wine looking at the man in front of her trying to figure out why she had a sense that she'd known him but without knowing from where.