Amelia saw him again in her dreams. The man that she'd killed in the church only the dream had been elsewhere. She hadn't been killed when the stagecoach fell over, none of them had been. The wreckage that remained made it difficult to get out especially since a couple of the men were injured. One businessman held a broken arm while another had a stream of blood flowing down his face.

"Where…are we?"

She felt dizzy at first, her vision hazy. Maybe she'd been knocked out for a bit. She struggled to remember what had happened. She'd been sitting across from the businessman, just closing her eyes trying to get some sleep while the coach bounced down the trail. They had wound through some mountains and just arrived at a valley and then…that part she couldn't remember at all.

"I don't know," was all she could say as she struggled to move.

She felt some pain but nothing really serious. Her arms and legs worked and once her vision cleared, she only felt an ache in her shoulder. Maybe she'd hit it on her way to the floor.

"Where's the driver," one asked, "Did he hit something?"

She didn't hear anything outside just silence. Didn't hear any horses or know if they had been injured or run off.

Suddenly she heard some men's voices and then a gunshot split the air. It jolted her with its nearness but she thought; maybe the driver had used a gun to kill an injured horse. Then suddenly she heard more voices and she froze.

"Driver's dead now…let's check inside the coach…"

She heard them circle the stagecoach and she tried to make herself smaller while still allowing herself to see.

Then she heard the efforts of a man pulling at the door but it proved to be stuck.

"Who are they," one of the men asked, "Are they here to help us?"

A sense of foreboding hit Amelia.

"I don't think so…"

Then the stage coach finally opened and she saw two men with guns aimed at them. One of them sneered to the other.

"Well look at what we got here."

She woke up suddenly in the darkness, in a sweat looking around her. Just stillness met her, no men and she struggled to get up when suddenly someone grabbed hold of her. She gritted her teeth and resisted.

"Now hold on Amelia…it's just me…"

The voice sounded familiar and so did the man's touch. She looked up and saw the silhouette of Ethan's face as he sat on the bed holding onto her. He wore his long sleeved undershirt and pants, looking at her.

"Ethan…what…I…"

He sighed, cupping her face with his hand.

"Sounds like you had a bad dream."

"Sounds…?"

"Yep….I heard you yelling at someone to get away so I came running," he said, "Thought someone broke in."

She shook her head.

"No….I don't know why I'd do that…I don't remember dreaming."

He stroked her face and her eyes looked at him.

"Well you must have had a bad one," he said, "Not surprised with everything that's been going on."

She looked down at her hands which still shook.

"I think this is back to the accident."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"What accident?"

She swallowed down some fear.

"I was on a stagecoach…on my way someplace and it crashed."

"Were you hurt?"

She paused and then shook her head.

"No…I'm the only one who survived it."

His eyes widened and he moved closer to her on the bed.

"Oh…god…"

She tried to smile and this time she stroked his face.

"I survived Ethan…and I'm here," she said, "Maybe I should go back to sleep."

He moved himself even closer to her.

"Maybe I should join you."

She looked at him.

"Ethan…what are you doing?"

But she moved so he could lie next to her on the bed.

"Look we both need some sleep and it's a bit chilly."

She pursed her lips.

"I'm warm…"

He smiled at her.

"I'm now too," he said, "I don't want you to be alone…with whatever you're dreaming."

She sighed.

"It's no big deal."

"You could have died it sounds like if everyone else did."

She didn't answer that but her face changed suddenly, and what was there, tugged at him.

"I didn't...though…"

But she didn't finish.

"I'm not ready to Ethan," she said, "There's so much I still want…but I didn't know what else to do."

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She relaxed and rested her head on his chest.

"You'll do it Amelia," he said, "Nothing's going to happen to you. Reade was a sorry excuse for a human being and he probably got what was coming to him."

"I didn't know I'd ever see him again," she said, "I didn't expect…"

"What?"

"That he'd be a lawman…."

Her voice started getting fainter and he knew she'd be drifting off soon. At least if she had any more nightmares he'd be there.

Claire and Dakota woke up early at the ranch and then took their horses back into town. She sometime lost patient with her uncle's only deputy but he knew how to do his job. Even if he did exasperate her with some of what he said.

"So what are we going to do?"

Dakota reined in his gelding.

"Ethan must still be out there, maybe he found Amelia by now."

"They can't come back," she said, "Everyone here will be looking for them."

"He's probably holed up somewhere trying to figure out what to do."

Claire knew her uncle was smart; he'd lived this long already through some pretty bad scrapes. But she never lost the fear she had as the one who handled the responsibilities in the family when he took off.

"I just hope they're safe."

"We probably won't hear from them," he said, "Ethan will want to take her to the judge once he's got a plan."

"But they'll put her in jail."

"Maybe not," Dakota said, "Not if he comes up with something good."

Claire hoped so as long as it didn't get him or Amelia killed. But in the meantime she and Dakota had to figure out what to do with the townsfolk who refused to be forced back to work in the mines. They met up with Nellie on the edge of town. Claire slid off her horse as did Dakota to talk to her.

"What's going on?"

Nellie smiled.

"I slipped a wire out this morning," she said, "asking for some expertise on smelters and how they contaminate mines."

Claire nodded.

"The doctor in Paradise was killed," she said, "Is there another one?"

Nellie nodded.

"I sent the wire to Chicago," she said, "But that's further away. I don't know what will come back. But we have to find out the dangers."

"We will…Dakota and I want to go take a look at the mines but they're closed off."

Nellie digested that.

"Are there guards?"

"I don't know," Claire said, "but we can find out…"

Dakota shrugged.

"We could go and look from a distance," he said, "there's one road in and that's where they'd be posted."

Claire smiled.

"Sounds like a plan we'd better get going."

She went to get back on her horse and Dakota tried to keep pace.

"Wait Claire maybe you'd better stay here."

She shot him a look.

"Dakota you need my help and you'd better get used to it because I'm not stopping until I find out what's going on and we've got to hear from Ethan."

Dakota just shrugged again and went to get on his horse to ride out with her.

Amelia woke up to the smell of more rabbit and some coffee. Ethan brought her a plate of food and a mug of coffee and she ate, feeling suddenly very hungry.

"You slept well."

She nodded as she sipped her coffee. She hadn't woken up again and when she finally did, morning sunlight streamed through the window and she felt refreshed.

"We are leaving today?"

"Maybe…weather's looking better…if we start before midday, I know a town where we can be by nightfall."

"You sure you want to go near it?"

He smiled.

"It's more of an outpost," he said, "but no one will pay much mind to us."

She shrugged and finished her meal.

"How'd you sleep," she asked.

He smiled wider.

"Very well…of course since I was nice and warm…"

She just shot him a look.

"It wasn't…bad having you there."

He rubbed his neck.

"We've done a little bit more than that," he said, "so you shouldn't be shy."

She furrowed her brow and then put her plate down.

"That was a while ago Ethan…"

"Not too long…"

"I've been gone a year…"

"When I kissed you last night, it didn't feel like much time had passed at all."

Her skin flushed pink.

"I know…but I can't feel anything Ethan."

"Why not…I'm not going to let them hang you," he said, "I'll figure out a plan."

She looked at him for a long moment.

"It's not just that…"

"Then what…?

She got out of bed.

"I can't tell you…"

And she walked out of the room while he watched.