She was awoken the next morning by a knock on the cabin door. Grumbling, she got out of bed and shuffled over to the door. She opened it and was shocked to see her father standing on the other side of the threshold.

"What are you doin' here?" she growled, her voice hoarse from sleep.

Phillip smiled sheepishly down at his daughter. He took off his hat and held it by the brim in front of him. "Hello, Madeline. I heard you were staying here."

"Who told you?"

"Your uncle."

Damn that man, she thought as she frowned and shifted her weight from foot to foot. "What do you want?"

"I…I came to apologize to you, my dear. I'm sorry for how our conversation went at Edgar's office." His eyes flickered from her to his hat and back as he explained, "I didn't expect to see you in town ever again, especially since you've been gone for a year. And…And I'm sorry for not believing you. Your uncle informed me of everything you've done." He shook his head and smirked up at her. "My daughter's a bounty hunter. I can only imagine what your mother would say."

Maddie ducked her head and hid her face behind her hair.

"I also wanted to see if you would like to have dinner with me at the Blackwater Restaurant. It's been a while since we've been there—it'll be like old times, and I want to hear all about what you've been up to."

"I'm busy," she replied curtly. "I've got bounties to go after."

"Can't that wait? It's just dinner with your old man." He looked her up and down and frowned. "Do you have something more…formal to wear?"

Maddie scoffed and spread out her arms, gesturing to herself with a downward nod. "What you see is what you get."

"Can…Can I interest you in a new dress? It'll be my gift to you for returning home."

"Don't waste your money, Father. I don't wear those ghastly things anymore."

"You did when you were little."

"I've grown up."

Phillip leaned in, and his voice softened with concern as he uttered, "People are gonna talk, Madeline. Young ladies don't wear men's clothing."

She crossed her arms. "Neither do they know how to shoot a gun or bring in bounties, but I do."

Phillip looked down and sighed. He stared down at his hat and fiddled with it in his hands before he looked back up at her. "So, will you go eat with your old man today?"

She glanced off to the side. "I don't know…"

"Please, my dear. Just for the afternoon."

A long moment passed before she sighed and bowed her head. She nodded as she looked back at her father and said, "Alright, I'll meet you there."

He smiled. "I'll give you some time to freshen up. Let's say one o'clock…?"

Maddie nodded. "Sounds good to me."

He nodded, turned around, and walked down the three steps and around the corner to his hitched horse. Maddie closed the door afterwards and stood blinking and staring down at the floor, not processing what just happened.

Great, she thought with a bemused frown. I can't believe I just agreed to that. Then again, he was practically begging. What does he want with me, anyways?

She kept herself from dwelling on it further by making coffee, eating breakfast, then heading over to the store, where she bought a new set of clothes (of similar color to her old ones) and a bar of soap. She went back to her cabin, fetched water for a bath, then went inside and stripped off her old clothes and set them aside while she took a much-needed bath. She cleaned her wound and changed bandages after she dried off, then changed into her new clothes and combed through her hair. Once her hair was somewhat dry, she pulled it back into a long braid, put on her hat, gun belt, and duster. Then she saddled up her horse and rode to Blackwater.

She hitched Gypsy on the other side of the road from the restaurant, then walked over and stood waiting for her father by the entrance. She checked her pocket watch. It read twelve fifty-five. He arrived just a minute before their appointed time and hitched his horse beside Gypsy, then walked towards her. He was dressed in a grey suit, white shirt, tan boots, blue tie, and a dark blue bowler hat.

Phillip smiled as he came up to her. "You changed clothes, I see."

Maddie nodded. "I figured I should get a little spruced up." She gestured to him. "Looks like you did too."

He opened the door for her. "Shall we?"

She smirked and passed through. He followed and closed the door behind them.

The Blackwater Restaurant was as she remembered: stylish, classy, and full of sophisticated people. As they stopped in front of the welcoming desk, many an eye turned upon them. Judgmental looks and shocked glances were thrown at Maddie; she glared at them all and raised her chin defiantly, while her father averted their stares. Once they were shown to their seats, Phillip pulled out a chair for Maddie, who took it and, after scooting in her chair, she immediately picked up the menu, reading it to busy herself. Her father did the same, and the minutes passed by slowly as they decided what to order. After a time, however, Maddie felt his gaze upon her, and she looked up at him and blinked as she noticed the strange expression upon his face as he looked her over more closely.

"What's wrong, Father?"

A sad glimmer entered his eyes as he replied, "I have missed you, Madeline. I was so afraid I'd never see you again…And now that you're back, it's…it's like looking at your mother." Tears began to well in his eyes. "You look just like her, you know, and you've certainly inherited her tenacious spirit."

Her jaw dropped open, and she struggled to speak as her eyes began to swim in tears. She blinked them away and looked down at the menu, hiding her face from her father behind her hat.

"I'm sorry."

She met gazes with him once more. "For what?"

"For driving my only daughter away. I never meant to do that, you know."

Maddie put down the menu and clasped her hands atop it. "What's done is done. That's all in the past—I'm over it."

"No, you're not, and neither am I."

"What do you want me to say? That things will be different, that we'll be a family again? What do you want from me, Father?"

"I want your forgiveness."

Words failed her as she sat staring at him.

"I know it's not going to be easy," Phillip continued, leaning towards her with his elbows on the table and his hands reaching for hers. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me now, maybe not even tomorrow or in a couple months, but eventually."

Maddie withdrew her hands and placed them upon her lap. She stared down at them and frowned, not knowing what to say.

"And in the meantime," her father added, "I'd also like it if you told me everything that has happened to you in the year you've been away."

She scoffed as she looked back up at him. "Edgar already told you."

"Yes, but I want to hear it from the bounty hunter herself."

She couldn't help but smirk. "Alright, then." And so, she told him, everything from meeting Landon to going on bounty hunts with and without him, to going after the bounties in Tall Trees.

"What an adventure you have had," Phillip said.

Maddie found it difficult to voice her next question, but after a moment, she asked, "And…and what about you and…Helen?"

Phillip frowned and tucked his chin down onto his collarbone. "It's been…difficult. We haven't done much this past year except try to find you. Maddie, she's been so distraught over losing you. She blames herself, you know."

The young bounty hunter blinked. Before she could stop herself, she said, "You're kidding."

He shook his head and looked back up at his daughter. "No, Madeline, I'm not. We've been lost." He paused, looking closely at her. He smiled, eyes brimming in tears. "And now that you're back, it's been such a relief. She wants to see you. She wants you over at the house for tea and muffins."

Maddie couldn't help but stare in slack-jawed awe.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Because she never wanted to have me as her daughter when she moved in. And she always tried to make me into some prim and proper princess."

"That was then, and this is now, Maddie. Just give her a second chance. Please say you'll stop by and see us…see her."

Maddie hid her face behind her hat, thinking long and hard.

"Please, Maddie."

"We'll see, Father."

By that time, the waiter stopped by their table, donning a fancy suit and carrying the menus. They ordered the special: steak, potatoes, and vegetables. Maddie also requested a beer, while her father asked for a water. As the waiter walked off, Maddie looked at her father and asked, "What, no whiskey for you?"

Phillip shook his head. "I stopped drinking after you and your uncle helped me back home that last time. Remember? I haven't had a drop since."

"Wow."

"I've been keeping my promise to you, darling, even in your absence."

She didn't know what to say, so she looked over and stared out the windows. People bustled by on foot and on horseback. Day by day, it seemed like Blackwater grew. She voiced her thoughts, saying, "Blackwater sure is gettin' big. So many people in such a hurry to get nowhere."

Phillip snorted. "Indeed."

Soon afterwards, their meals arrived, as well as their drinks. They dug into their meals eagerly; a timid silence crept between them.

"When did you start drinking, Madeline?" he asked, a tone of negativity in his voice.

"A while ago," she hesitantly replied. "I had some tequila in Mexico. Haven't had much, though."

"Don't lie to me."

She blinked, her anger rising. "I'm not like how you used to be, if that's what you're implying."

He looked her deep in her eyes. "Just don't make it a regular occurrence in your life, that's all I'm saying. Be careful."

"I am." She gestured down to her drink. "It's only one beer, Father. That's all I'm havin'."

"Good," he said, and he returned to his meal.

They were quiet for a time, until Maddie broke the silence.

"It sure is nice to have a hot meal. Haven't had this good of a meal in a long time."

Phillip blinked and looked up at her with concern. "You do seem skinny, Maddie. Have you not been eating regularly?"

"I have been. It's just that I have to travel light. As a bounty hunter, you can't be burdened with a lot in your saddlebags. You just gotta have the necessities, and I'm fine with that. It just means eatin' quick meals beside the fire."

"You still hunt then?"

She nodded. "Of course. I hunt whenever I need to. Don't hunt anything big, though. A rabbit or two here and there, maybe a small deer once in a while." She smirked. "You remember that big elk in Tall Trees years ago?"

Phillip smirked and nodded. "I do. You were just fourteen when you took that big bull down. We had to take two trips just to get all the meat back home."

"You still got the antlers?"

He nodded again. "Got 'em hanging up on the wall above the fireplace."

She smiled. "We should go hunting again."

"We should. It's been a long time."

"Indeed."

The rest of their meal was spent in silence as they finished up. Once they were done, they went over to the bar, and Phillip paid for the meal. Then they left and walked back to their horses. For a long moment, they stood staring at each other.

"It was good to see you, Madeline."

"Yeah. You too."

Phillip smiled as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. Maddie blinked and returned the embrace after a few shocked seconds. "I'm glad you're back," he added, before he stepped back and released her. He turned and unhitched his horse, then mounted up. "Will you be staying at Manzanita Post, then?"

Maddie unhitched her horse as well and mounted up. "Yeah," she answered, not looking at him.

"You know you're more than welcome back at the house."

"I know, but I probably won't be in Blackwater for much long."

A look of pain and sadness flashed across his face. "What? Why?"

"I've got three more men on my list to bring in, and once I do, I'm gonna be heading to Cholla Springs."

"So soon? But you just got back to town!"

She nodded sadly. "I know." She smirked reassuringly at him and added, "But I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Be sure that you do, Madeline." He nudged his heels to his horse's sides, and as the horse started off down the street, he said, "I hope to see you soon, my dear. Come by the house some time."

"I will, Father. See you later."

She watched him ride off, and as she reined Gypsy around and kicked her into a lope and rode out of town, tears began to trickle down her cheeks. As she got onto the road, she spurred her horse into a sprint. Maddie began to sob as memories of her childhood, both delightful and depressing, came rushing back to molest her mind's eye. Her horse flew down the road back to Manzanita Post, and when she got to the cabin, she hitched her horse and immediately went inside, laying down on the bed and letting her sorrow overtake her.

Minutes passed, and as her sobs waned, she quieted down. After she calmed and collected herself, she went to the general store, bought a cigar, then went back to the cabin and smoked it outside, sitting on the wooden bench and contemplating.