Amelia went to the hotel but believed it to be unnecessary. Really she could take care of herself and besides, Ethan had his hands full with this wife hunt of his on top of his marshaling. She bumped into Mary in the hallway nearly knocking the plate of sumptuous cakes out of her hands.
"Where you off to in a hurry?"
Amelia sighed.
"Ethan wants me to hide out here for a while"
Amusement in the woman's eyes she noticed as she adjusted the tray so it wouldn't fall.
"You waiting for him? I mean he's been needing something lately," Mary noted, "It's not my place really to say what but he's been awfully tense."
Amelia rolled her eyes.
"Nothing to do with that. He's seeing two women after all. This has to do with some marshals who rode to town from Virginia City."
Mary nodded slowly not quite getting it.
"They after someone here?"
"Yeah…me."
Mary didn't look all that surprised. But then Amelia remembered being in similar predicaments.
"I won't even ask," she said, "but you're welcome to hide out here if that's what you need. I'll be discreet about it and I won't even tell Scotty."
Amelia smiled.
"Really this is all silly but Ethan insisted."
Mary smiled back.
"He does care about you an awful lot at least until you broke his heart."
Amelia didn't want to rehash her history with the man she'd almost married. She wanted to focus on helping Miranda and the baby and if she got herself locked up either here or back in Virginia City, she wouldn't be able to do that.
"I do care…that's why I don't want him involved Mary," she said, "You remember the promise that was made don't you? You know with Huckleberry."
Mary sobered up immediately.
"I do…and how Ethan helped so much and then too when that man died…"
God, Amelia remembered that time too when she and Ethan had worked together to solve the murder of the town bully. Only the direction it had led them proved to be a thorny mess with only one solution.
"He'll do right Amelia like he did for us."
"I know that but he can't get too involved," Amelia said, "not more than is necessary."
Edwina walked up to them.
"Did I miss anything? What's going on here?"
The two women glanced at each other and then at her. Amelia shook her head.
"No…Ethan's working with some marshals from out of town right now but if you have anything planned…"
Edwina shook her head.
"Oh no…it can wait…besides I'm sure Stella's made her move already."
Amelia smiled.
"She comes on a bit strong doesn't she?"
Edwina nodded.
"She's thinking this is her only way out of the debt she owes," she said, "She doesn't even love him."
Amelia wondered if either women did because to love him…would only lead to heartbreak.
Mary sighed.
"She's a bit of a hussy if you ask me," she said, "Sometimes she comes off as not much different than a saloon girl."
Edwina shook her head.
"She used to be one but she quit," she said, "She's been trying a new life but I think her old one's got a hold on her."
Mary looked at her.
"What about you? You want to marry Ethan and be a mother to the children?"
Edwina nodded.
"I've always wanted to have a family," she said, "I'd be good for him…and good to them…if only he'd pick me."
Amelia thought about the two women in competition for the same thing…wanting different things from him. But what had she wanted from Ethan? She'd wanted him to love her enough to renounce the violent of his life. That hadn't happened and she'd walked away…no she'd run but she'd done her thinking.
She couldn't begrudge him for his choices even if she didn't think she'd survive them.
"Who do you think he'll pick?"
She blinked her eyes at Edwina not believing she'd asked her that question.
"What?"
"You know him well. You almost married him didn't you?"
Yeah, about three times but they were apart now and she had her own life to live which was in pure chaos right now.
"Do you think he'll pick Stella over me?"
Amelia shook her head.
"I don't have time for this…it's up to him after all. It's got nothing to do with me."
She walked up the stairs to hole herself up in one of the rooms out of sight.
Ethan watched Amelia as she did as he asked. The marshals would be looking for her once they picked up the dead body to take with them. He'd opened up an investigation but he didn't know much about the man except he was Miranda's sister and thus Carlton's brother in law and that someone had killed him. It didn't leave him much else to go on.
Amelia had more answers than she'd given but she kept herself from telling him and he didn't know why. She could infuriate him like no other person alive. He'd moved past her leaving him and he was actively seeking a new wife.
But he couldn't stop thinking about her and remembering…his skin prickled and he focused back on Charlie who was telling him that the marshals had packed up the body in a wooden coffin and put it on the back of their wagon.
"They want to talk to any witnesses. What should I tell them?"
Ethan sighed.
"I witnessed it and I told them what I know," he said, "leave it at that."
"What about Amelia?"
He looked directly at his deputy.
"Leave her out of it," he said, "I'll handle her and she's going to have to give me some answers."
Charlie threw him an odd look.
"Ethan…if she's done anything wrong, they're going to come and get her."
"Just let me handle it and her okay Charlie?"
His deputy threw up his hands.
"Okay…I've got other things to worry myself about than your ex-fiancée."
Ethan walked out of there and headed to the hotel.
Amelia sat on the bed inside one of the rooms. She didn't know how long she'd been there but it seemed like time had passed, enough time for the marshals to be gone.
She just wanted to figure out what to do next before anything happened to her friend. Before Carlton found her first…she didn't know what he would do. She just knew what he was capable of doing when he wanted his own way. When she had run into Miranda again after a bunch of years, she had thought her lucky…until she learned the truth.
Then the door opened and she saw him standing there.
"Ethan?"
