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"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

Nathan considered himself lucky when he rode into town the next morning and didn't find Doctor Winters waiting for him. He was ready to reason with her if it was needed. He wanted to check the wounded man's condition, but as the coach driver was in the infirmary under the doctor's care, Nathan decided not to push his luck. He steered Newton to the road out of town, when Rosemary stopped him.

"Nathan!" she was running towards him, very distressed.

"Rosemary, something happened?"

"I think you should read this." She gave him a small piece of paper. The short note in very neat handwriting was addressed to Judge Avery. Doctor Winters was informing him that she borrowed a horse from the livery and was heading out of town. She asked him to check on her patient once in a while, though she didn't find it necessary, as she anticipated he would sleep the whole day.

"Where's Bill? I need to talk to him."

"I saw him at the café. Will you find her?"

Last night, Rosemary was the first person to greet the new doctor in town. She helped her in the infirmary and offered a change of clothes. What surprised her was that Anna (as they were now on a first-name basis) chose the simplest blouse, and her only determinant in choosing a skirt was that it had pockets. Not very fashionable, in Rosemary's opinion. But after yesterday's events, she was sure that she would like the new addition to their little town.

Nathan didn't answer, just nodded his head and steered Newton towards the café.

"Bill! Do you know anything about this?" he found Bill in the kitchen and didn't bother to start with a greeting.

"About what?"

"This!" Nathan gave him the note and waited for the realization to sink in.

"I was afraid that this would happen."

"We should've put her in jail for her own good."

"We may need back up. I'll make a call."

"I'm pretty sure I know where to start looking. I'll leave you some trial markers so that you'll be able to find us."

"Good luck."

This week was getting from bad to worse. Now, he didn't only have to catch the bad guys, he also had to make sure that the new doctor wouldn't get herself killed.

He knew where to start looking. He was pretty sure she went to the forest where the robbery happened, as she told him the night before that she didn't know which way the highwaymen were headed.

Surprisingly, he found her there, sitting on a tree stump, with a blacksmith's horse standing close by.

"You took your time." she didn't seem fazed. Rather looked like she owned the place.

"What are you even doing here?!" he got off his horse.

"What do you think? I'm waiting for you. Nice clothes, by the way." she looked at him approvingly and for a moment he forgot about his anger. He was wearing his civilian clothes. He didn't want his uniform to give away his identity.

"Come on, I'll show you something."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I will investigate. You will head back to Hope Valley."

"I will not go back to Hope Valley without my bag. Either you can go with me, or I will go alone."

This woman was unreasonable! And she had the same expression on her face that Allie had sometimes. He knew that one. It told him that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't change her mind.

"Fine" he sighed, though what he really wanted to do was scream. Or chop a lot of wood.

She guided him around a group of trees. What she showed him was very disturbing. Traces of blood were everywhere.

"I think someone was killed here. Do you see the drag marks?"

"And they disappear..." they were following them to the road "...here." Nathan pointed to the exact spot, where they couldn't see them anymore. What they could see, however, were wheel tracks.

"They didn't want to rob the stagecoach. They wanted to transport a body. Or bodies."

It wasn't hard to follow the tracks of the stagecoach wheels. There was only one road, leading to Robb, a town that Nathan knew well.

They were riding through the forest in silence. Nathan didn't want to analyze the situation that he found himself in, but he had to. He knew that the highwaymen were armed and that there were at least three of them. The most sensible thing to do would be to wait for Bill and the backup. He didn't have time for that. If they were at Robb, they could leave at any time, covering any traces.

"I know that I'm annoying," that got Nathan's attention. "Don't look at me like that. I know what you think of me. You're not trying very hard to hide it."

"But I was trying," he smiled a little.

"You're not very good at it, then."

"I know that it doesn't make sense to you. Putting myself in danger for a medical bag... This bag is nothing to you. But it is everything to me."

He wanted to say something but decided against it. She wanted to share something important, and he knew that she shouldn't be interrupted. She took a few deep breaths.

"My mother was Métis. My dad fell in love with her when he was stationed at Fish Creek. His supervisors overlooked it because my mother's brother was a tracker for the Mounties. We were living between two different worlds and weren't accepted in either... My mother died when I was ten. Dad sent us to Calgary to live with his sister. I wanted to stay with him. I begged him not to send me away. But my mum's death shattered him. He couldn't take care of us. In Calgary, no one mentioned my mother or her family. It was like she never existed..." her eyes became glossy. " I own only two things that belonged to her – her Bible and a diary."

"And they are in that bag."

"Yes. Do you think me stupid for putting myself in danger for that?"

He just met her yesterday, but the need to ease her pain was overwhelming.

"No. But I think you don't need to do everything on your own."

"My dad and my uncle were determined to keep us safe. But they knew they wouldn't be able to always be there for us. So, they taught us how to fend for ourselves so that we wouldn't have to rely on anyone."

The horses stopped, sensing their riders' distress. Nathan looked into her eyes and took her hand. He didn't like to share his thoughts and feelings. It made him feel vulnerable and his latest experience showed that maybe it's just better to stay silent. It had taken him a long time to open up to people of Hope Valley, now his friends. but even now, he would only share his thoughts if someone asked. With Anna... Something was different. He wanted to talk to her. It made him feel conflicted and strangely at peace. She needed what he had to say, and he wanted to share it.

"When I came to Hope Valley, I was used to fending for myself. I didn't want to be dependent. But this town... these people changed that. Tell me, did you ask for help yesterday and today?"

"No."

"Did you get it?"

"Yes. Everyone offered."

"Did they ask for anything in return?"

"No."

"I know it takes time, to feel that you can let people in, but people of Hope Valley are really worthy enough to try."

For the first time in her life, she felt truly understood. It dawned on her, why she wanted him here. Why she waited for him. She didn't even know him, but he made her feel safe and cared for. It was scary as hell and exciting at the same time. Her heart fluttered in her chest.