George walked up to Claire and Amelia where they sat at the back of the schoolhouse.
"What's up George," Claire asked.
He looked troubled.
"Emily and the others want to go home," he said, "Ben and I are trying to tell stories to help them forget the bad men."
Claire smiled.
"That's good George," she said, "That'll help them feel better. We'll be able to go home soon."
"How soon…?"
Claire glanced over at Amelia.
"Soon… Uncle Ethan and Dakota are out there trying to help us be able to leave here and go home…"
George frowned.
"What about the party?"
"Party…?"
George nodded.
"Yes…the grownups party," he said, "and dancing? Wasn't your secret Valentine going to dance with you?"
Claire had almost forgotten about all that and hadn't figured out who it would be. She'd wondered if it had been Charles or Lukas or someone else…even, she dared not even think it, Dakota. No, she was pretty certain it wasn't him. He still thought of her as a young girl and not a woman even one who was teaching school right now and working at Axelrod's store not to mention saving up for college or traveling.
She didn't need to be told by anyone that she wasn't old enough for him or anyone else.
"I don't know who that person is George," she said, "I don't have any idea who it might be."
George furrowed his brow.
"It's not Lukas?"
She shrugged.
"He hasn't said anything to be about it…but then neither has Charles."
George just sighed.
"What about Dakota?"
She just stared at her brother not able to believe what he'd just said and then we went back to sit next to Ben and Emily who had a smile on her face. The children had held up amazingly well considering they were unable to leave the schoolhouse and were being held hostage by a gang of outlaws carrying a grudge. Really, if they were so upset with what had happened to their cousins in the hotel, they could have left the children out of it. But then Amelia remembered, that the other outlaws had used the children and women to pull the men into line to do what they wanted lest they start hurting their hostages or worth.
"He's already got a Valentine….," Claire said, even though George had left.
"Dakota's a nice man, with the makings of a better one," Amelia said, "but he's not ready to settle down."
"Neither am I…have I planned to do so many things before I do that…"
Amelia smiled at her.
"I should hope so," she said, "There's a whole world out there Claire and you'll have many adventures to last you the rest of your life."
"You had a lot of them didn't you?"
Amelia nodded.
"Yes…some with my husband of course but others when I left Paradise," she said, "I'm happy I was able to do it…though not all of it I want to remember."
Claire remembered what they'd all experienced months earlier but now later on, everything had changed in a much better way for all of them.
"I'd like to go to some of the big cities…San Francisco…Chicago…maybe back to St. Louis…"
That's where she'd had family but no one to take care of them except for Uncle Ethan. She did dream about looking at all the fine dresses in the stores and going to plays and musical revues at theaters, even circuses. But she hadn't yet decided whether or not she'd go to a teachers' college or travel first. It depended on how much money she'd earned to start with and so far she'd put away quite a bit of it at the bank.
Buck and Slim walked over to them.
"You eager to get out of here…?"
Amelia and Claire just looked at the two of them not saying anything.
"That marshal's going to get us the old Indian and the woman who killed my cousins and it's going to be a bit of a reunion."
Claire's eyes widened.
"What…what do you mean?"
Amelia knew the answer already but wasn't going to volunteer that information. As tempted as she was to tell him her real identity, she trusted Ethan enough to follow his lead. She'd just have to play along with it.
Buck just looked at the two women as if expecting differently and Amelia wondered if he did know the truth.
"Back when my cousins were here…a couple years ago…they holed up in a hotel with some hostages," he said, "Only because they had picked up the federal forces on their tail…they weren't going to hurt anyone who didn't try to escape."
Amelia sighed.
"Yes…that's what every outlaw says."
Buck sneered at her.
"They meant it but then the marshal tricked them into letting him in the hotel and then he ambushed them before they could defend themselves."
Amelia and Claire both looked at each other thinking that was twisting the facts a lot.
"They had robbed trains and killed innocent people including children," Amelia said, "That's what the federal lawmen from the railroads told the town."
"Nobody was innocent," Buck said, "If they had just given them the food and fresh horses…"
"It wouldn't have been enough just like it's not with you."
Buck narrowed his eyes.
"How do you know?"
Amelia stared back at him.
"That's a good guess isn't it? They wanted more than that…they robbed the town's bank."
He nodded.
"A young woman managed it," he said, "She got the gold, copper and notes for them."
"Of her own free will of course…"
Buck watched her more closely.
"What is it to you?"
Amelia drew a deep breath.
"Nothing…I was enjoying time with my husband before he got so busy doing other things."
"I have yet to meet your husband or even see him."
She shrugged.
"You're lucky about that," she said, "and it's good enough he's not around…you're going to have your hands full enough with the marshal."
She watched his face twitch, in humor.
"I can imagine…though any man worth his salt can keep his wife in line…"
"You've been married?"
He shook his head too quickly.
"My lifestyle doesn't keep a woman around long."
"I'm not surprised," she said, "Must be a lot of traveling in between all this amoral and criminal behavior."
He didn't seem to like that.
"You speak back to your husband a lot?"
"All the time," she said, "He often needs it."
"I have yet to meet your husband or even see him."
She shrugged.
"You're lucky about that," she said, "and it's good enough he's not around…you're going to have your hands full enough with the marshal."
She watched his face twitch, in humor.
"I can imagine…though any man worth his salt can keep his wife in line…"
"You've been married?"
He shook his head too quickly.
"My lifestyle doesn't keep a woman around long."
"I'm not surprised," she said, "Must be a lot of traveling in between all this amoral and criminal behavior."
He didn't seem to like that.
"You speak back to your husband a lot?"
"All the time," she said, "He often needs it."
She saw him scowl and get up to walk away again.
"We'll see how the marshal responds to our demands," he said, "If he'll bring the two others who killed my cousins in cold blood so I can exact some justice…the sooner that's done, the sooner you can all go home."
Amelia watched him head back to the front of the schoolhouse knowing what he had planned.
Ethan met up with John Taylor while Dakota and Clancy went to round up some other men. John Taylor looked calm enough, ready to face Buck and his cousins.
"I killed one of their cousins…after I'd saved his life…"
"You were doing it to protect another life."
"I know that," John Taylor said, "but he doesn't seem to care."
Ethan rubbed his jaw line.
"I have a plan."
John Taylor smiled at him.
"I expect you do," he said, "We've got to get those hostages out safely."
Ethan knew that one person in the equation was missing and that was Amelia but there's no way he'd expose her to danger especially since Buck already had captured her as one of the hostages. He just didn't know it and as long as that was the case…she'd be as safe as she could be under the circumstances.
He'd just have to find a way to confront Buck without her and then act against him before he could take it out on the hostages. That would be the tricky part but he knew he and the others would find a way to make it work.