Hannah watched Elias as he sat down at the table after he'd gotten her seated. They were at the boarding house where they'd be spending the night until they were ready to get an early start traveling in the morning.
It'd been a long day and she hadn't been able to nap in the stagecoach like he had done so she felt achy and exhausted yet too wired to sleep. She'd taken her bag up the flight of stairs to her room and had tried to nap after washing up but it still felt so damn hot without enough of a breeze to cool the air. So she'd just lay there looking at the ceiling relieved at least to be in a real bed. It felt firm and nice beneath her and she knew that when the sun set and the coolness filled the air, she'd get a restful sleep.
But she felt hungry too and went down to meet Elias for supper as she'd promised. He looked like he'd freshened up and smiled when he saw her. They both followed the waiter inside and when he led them to a table, he'd been the gentleman and seated her. Now looking at him she thought he looked nice enough, handsome in a way much different than Ethan but…she couldn't stop thinking of the man she'd wanted to marry since before she'd come back to Paradise.
Still it'd be a day or longer until she'd even see Ethan again and until then she could enjoy Elias' company. After all they'd worked together diligently back in Silver Crest on trying to solve the mystery of whether or not something in the mines had made the men who worked them too sick to leave their homes.
"They said the trout's good…and there's bass."
She sighed.
"I'm not into fish…do they have any beef?"
Elias nodded.
"They just killed a steer," he said, "They should have some of it served up on plates soon with some garden vegetables."
"Sounds good enough," she said, "I see they brought us a pitcher of cool tea."
"Yes…it's a bit warm but tastes good…"
She'd sipped it and found it refreshing. The dust being kicked up by the horses had coated her clothes and her throat had felt parched most of the day. She finished up her tea and then poured herself another glass of it. The waiter took their order and they just relaxed, enjoying the ambience of the dining room after the long day of traveling.
"You think we'll make it tomorrow?"
He nodded.
"Night time we should reach Stockton," he said, "I'm meeting a colleague there who'll help me on my report."
She sipped her tea.
"I'll be meeting Ethan I'm sure…I didn't tell him I was coming of course. He'll be so surprised."
"I imagine he will be…I hope things are going well with Amelia Lawson's case…"
Hannah waved a hand.
"I'm sure it's moving forward but if she murdered that man, there's not much to be done except for him to just say goodbye to her and move forward with his life…which is with me."
"Easier said than done," Elias said, "It must be hard on him even though they're not together anymore."
She paused.
"Life is tough but like I said, she's the past and I'm the future," she said, "I think we'll be married not long after we return home."
He glanced at her hand.
"You're not wearing a ring."
She set her mouth in a fine line.
"It's not official…yet but it will be," she said, "Ethan needs a woman who he can rely on in these difficult times…what with the children."
"Yes I imagine…you will be an asset to him no doubt."
"I hope so…," she said, "I know he'll be busy but hopefully we won't stay in Stockton too long."
"I'll be there for as long as it takes," Elias said, "Other doctors will be here to help with the filing of the court papers. If the judge puts an order on the mine to stay closed, then Brock and his men won't be able to do much."
"I hope you're successful…I hope we're both successful…."
He nodded.
"Here's to Stockton…"
They both raised their glasses and clinked them.
Amelia worked in the garden a bit later that afternoon into early evening. She'd be seeing Ethan later after supper. She felt quite hungry since she'd not eaten much so far, not having much of an appetite. Grace had walked by on her way out to the courtyard.
"You working late today…I'm done with sweeping in the halls."
Amelia looked up.
"They want extra tomatoes," she said, "I'm trying to find ripe ones…and then make sure there's enough water on the lettuce."
"It's too hot for it."
Amelia plucked off two plump tomatoes to put in her basket.
"I know but the dining room near the train station wants extra for their supper menu."
Grace looked around the courtyard.
"Where's Melanie?"
"She's sick…and back in her cell."
Grace kneeled down next to her.
"I'll help you…"
"You sure…this is your free time?"
Grace shrugged.
"Not much to do out here," she said, "Besides you look really tired."
Amelia stopped working and looked at her.
"I'm all right," she said, "It's just been so hot this past week."
Grace grimaced.
"This whole summer so far," she said, "Your husband coming by later."
Amelia nodded.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him," she said, "I don't know when I'm going back to court."
"It might be a while like it's been with me."
Amelia started attending to the lettuce.
"I hope not…either way I think I want to know what's ahead," she said, "but I just wish…"
"That you hadn't done it?"
Amelia had thought about it a lot lately. She'd had so much time including at night when she tried to sleep but there was no point in thinking about changing the past. What was done, was done…she'd just made a tough decision at a critical point and now had to live with it.
"What about that other witness?"
Grace meant Kristin who'd she mentioned and Amelia just looked down at what her hands were doing.
"My lawyer wants to talk with her but so does the prosecutor…I don't know…she saw what happened and she knows why…but she's a young woman, quite fragile…I don't know how'd she cope under pressure."
Grace picked chilies from several plants.
"Maybe she's tougher than you know," she said, "If she's your chance of getting out of here and going home…"
"I don't know if her testimony would do that," Amelia said, "It might make it harder to get out from under this mess."
Grace paused.
"Damn you got some tough choices," she said, "But you don't seem the type who'd kill someone without a reason, I mean to protect yourself…maybe someone you loved."
Amelia smiled at her.
"Thank you for saying that…I have killed in my life and I did it to protect other people," she said, "not because I wanted to…it was always self defense but…it still really bothered me when it happened. I felt like an accomplice to something…I didn't have a choice about but this, I had the choice and I made it…and I'd make it again."
"The same…"
"Yes…what am I supposed to do when he's going to hurt someone," she said, "I know what it's like when he and his gang robbed the stagecoach. They didn't hesitate to kill everyone but me…for a while I wished they did but I got away."
"Men have ways of making you wish they had killed you."
Amelia heard some very old emotions in her voice, as if she referred to some long ago history. She didn't know much about Grace. Just that she didn't belong in here.
"I…well I escaped and I thought I got away…until I saw him again in the church."
Amelia stopped there because she didn't want to think about it. She relived it every night in her sleep and woke up in a sweat. She wanted Ethan there with her to hold her in his arms, nestled in his warmth so she could fall asleep again but they were far apart now.
She missed him so much and wondered if they'd be close together again.
Ethan picked up a wire about Elias reaching Stockton the next day, late in the evening. He did want to talk to him about Silver Crest. Maybe something could help with Amelia's case…he needed to get her out of there. He'd even thought about busting her out so she'd escape but he knew that wasn't an option. One way or another they had to face what was going to happen.
But as he walked to the jail center, he worried about her. He'd asked her if she felt sick and she'd just told him the heat tired all the women out, just sapped the strength out of them but by nighttime she felt her energy return and felt like eating. He'd hoped that was it but he wondered…maybe he should get a doctor to look at her.
He knew what she'd say to that, not to fuss with her. That she was fine and would be okay until they were reunited again and could leave together.
The sun was setting so he'd know she'd be waiting in the courtyard and that they'd walk together for a little while, his arm wrapped around her waist and they'd talk as if they weren't there. As if they were an ordinary married couple…he'd want nothing more than that.
But he felt like he couldn't be further away from that point and he knew he had to change that.
