Kneeling next to Fred, Gabriel showed the boy for about the tenth time how to cast the line into the water. The previous nine attempts had resulted in the bait landing on the edge of the bank of the creek. This time, the bait found its way to the water, though just barely.

"I got it in the water!" Fred exclaimed.

"Very good," Gabriel praised, though he knew Fred was never going to catch anything that close to the bank. He wasn't about to tell the little boy that.

Glancing to his right, he watched as Lillian attempted to cast her line into the water after untangling it from her first attempt. Instead of heading for the water though the hook caught on her skirt.

"Ooopps," Lillian said, looking down at her skirt.

"Here let me help you," Gabriel said, moving quickly to her side. He carefully freed the hook from the skirt. "I don't think there is any permanent damage," he told Lillian as he got to his feet.

"Thank-you," Lillian murmured. "This is a lot harder than I remember it being," she added.

"When is the last time you went fishing?"

"When I was twelve, I think," Lillian replied. "My father took me. I don't think we caught much that day, though."

Gabriel smiled. "Well if we don't catch much today then I guess the sandwiches Eleanor brought are going to be the main course for our picnic," he commented.

"Maybe Chuck and the two older boys are having more luck," Lillian said as she cast a look up the creek in their direction. From this distance she couldn't tell if the three of them were catching anything or not.

As it was a nice day, especially for late October, Lillian and Grace had elected to take the children for a picnic after the Sunday church service. Grace had asked Chuck along while Lillian had invited Gabriel to join them. It had been Gabriel who had suggested trying to catch fish for their lunch and the three boys had been excited about the prospect. Surprisingly, Mary Louise had said she wanted to fish as well, which left Eleanor and Grace to entertain Sophia at the picnic site.

"Let's hope," Gabriel replied. "Would you like a refresher lesson about how to cast a fishing pole?"

Lillian opened her mouth to reply but Mary Louise spoke first.

"I caught one," Mary Louise exclaimed.

Gabriel and Lillian looked in her direction to see her reeling in her line. The bow of the rod told them that she had indeed caught something.

"Do you need help?" Gabriel asked.

"I got this," Mary Louise stated confidently.

"Okay," Gabriel said with a smile. He and Lillian watched as the little girl reeled in the fish, took it off the hook and attached the fish to a line Gabriel had brought to string the fish they had caught on. "She's clearly done this before," he stated, looking at Lillian.

"She grew up on a farm before losing her parents," Lillian told him softly.

"I want to catch a fish," Fred pouted.

"Let me help you," Mary Louise said, putting down her own pole and going over to help Fred recast his pole.

Gabriel turned to Lillian. "I think Fred has a good teacher," he remarked. "Shall I give you a few reminders, Miss Walsh?"

"You may," Lillian told him.

Stepping up behind Lillian, Gabriel put his arms around her as he told her how to hold the pole and go about throwing the line into the water. Though he could have stepped away after casting the line, Gabriel remained where he was, using it as an excuse to stay close to her.

"So now we just wait for the fish to bite."

"That's the idea," Gabriel said quietly into her ear.

"I kind of hope one don't bite for a while," Lillian commented as she let herself lean back against Gabriel.

"We won't have fish for lunch if that happens."

"Sandwiches aren't so bad," Lillian replied.

"No, they're not," Gabriel replied, fighting the urge to kiss her. They had two young children standing nearby that they were suppose to be watching. The fact that they were near water was even more of a reason not to do something that would distract them both.

The minutes ticked by, neither pair having any luck with the fish but enjoying themselves anyway. A small tug on the pole she held, caught Lillian's attention.

"I think I got one," she said.

"Well reel it in," Gabriel stated, one hand still on the pole, the other resting on Lillian's waist.

Lillian reeled in the fish. It was slightly smaller than the one Mary Louise had caught but still a good size.

"Maybe you could get it off the hook," Lillian suggested, looking at Gabriel as the fish dangled in the air from the hook.

Gabriel chuckled. "I can do that," he replied moving to take the fish off of Lillian's hook.

"You got one, Fred," Mary Louise exclaimed next to them. "Reel in the line!"

Fred started to do just that, struggling a bit as the fish fought him.

"Need some help there, Fred?" Gabriel asked as he strung the fish Lillian had caught on the line with the other one.

"I can get it," Fred said, slowly reeling in the line. Eventually, the little boy had managed to bring the fish out of the water. It lay on the bank of the creek still flopping on the hook.

"Nice job," Gabriel told him as he moved to retrieve the fish.

"I caught a fish," Fred said, looking up at Lillian.

"You sure did," Lillian replied, smiling down at him, knowing that it was a memory Fred would remember in the years to come.

An hour later, the group had reconvened at the clearing where Eleanor, Grace and Sophia had set up the picnic blanket. They had caught eight fish between them, which would be enough that everyone could have some fish though the sandwiches would probably be needed as well.

"Christian and Vincent want to see how to clean the fish. I'll do that if you don't mind getting a fire started," Chuck said to Gabriel as they approached the picnic blanket that Eleanor, Grace and Sophia were sitting on.

"That's fine," Gabriel replied.

"I want to see too," Fred piped up.

Chuck looked toward Lillian for guidance.

"Ah, I need your help getting the rest of the food set out, Fred," Lillian told the little boy.

"Okay, Miss Lillian," Fred agreed.

"What about you, Grace?" Chuck asked holding up the two strings of fishes. "Want to learn a new skill?"

"Ah," Grace said, trying to think up a polite way of getting out of the task. "Perhaps learning how to build a fire might be a more useful skill for me to learn first, if Gabriel doesn't mind teaching me."

"I would be happy to," Gabriel told her, as he tried to keep a straight face, having noticed the color draining from her face at the mention of cleaning fish.

"Fair enough," Chuck said, casually. "Come on boys," he told Christian and Vincent he said, leading the way to a spot to clean the fish.

"You just didn't want to clean fish, did you?" Gabriel asked as Grace walked toward him.

"Was it that obvious?" Grace asked.

Gabriel smiled. "The pale complexion gave you away," he confessed. "However, to make this look good, you are going to have to learn how to build a fire now."

Grace gave a shrug. "Lead the way."

Later that night, Gabriel sat on the front porch of the orphanage, waiting for Lillian who was inside putting the children to bed. The earlier unseasonable warmth of the day had faded and Gabriel found the night air chilly even with his jacket. Despite that, he didn't plan on going home without saying good night to Lillian.

The sound of the door opening caused Gabriel to look in that direction. Lillian was wrapping a shawl around her shoulders as she stepped outside. The light of the porch lamp caught her eyes, making them sparkle.

"You look beautiful," Gabriel said, as he got to his feet.

Lillian ducked her head at the compliment though her words didn't acknowledge it. "I thought Grace and Chuck were out here with you?"

"They decided to take a walk," Gabriel told her. "I think they wanted some time alone."

"Probably," Lillian conceded. "Or they were just trying to stay a little warmer," she added, pulling her shawl tight around herself.

"Shall we go for a walk ourselves?" Gabriel offered.

"That sounds nice," Lillian replied.

Gabriel offered Lillian his arm. As Lillian looped her arm through his, Gabriel grabbed a lantern with his free hand and led her down the steps.

Choosing the opposite direction that he had seen Grace and Chuck head in, Gabriel led Lillian across the property, the lantern casting light across the ground they were walking.

"I noticed you were talking with Mrs. Stewart after the service this morning," Gabriel ventured, knowing that Tess Stewart wasn't the safest subject when it came to Lillian.

"Yes," Lillian replied. "It was actually a pleasant conversation considering it was with Tess," she told him. "She was actually asking me questions about the adoption process."

"Adoption? Tess Stewart?"

Lillian chuckled. "It was a bit of a surprise for me too," she admitted. "Though perhaps it shouldn't have been. Chuck did say that his mother had taken a shine to Fred when Chuck took him over to the ranch. Besides, maybe someone to care for is exactly what Tess needs to help heal her broken heart."

"And Fred?"

"Maybe they need each other. He did enjoy being at the ranch. Fred talked about it for days. He even had some nice things to say about, Tess. A child needs to be treated fairly and know that they are loved. If those two things are met, being strict with a child isn't usually going to hurt them unless the child is a sensitive child."

Gabriel nodded, agreeing with her assessment. The little boy had mentioned Tess during near the end of their first compass and map reading lesson. He may have just been on the ranch for a few hours, but it had made an impression on Fred. Besides, though his own father hadn't been much on showing his emotions, he had been fair when it came to discipline. Gabriel had never doubted the man loved him, despite the lack of affection and as far as he knew, his sisters felt the same. Even despite his father's disappointment in his career choice Gabriel had no doubt that he was loved and that on some level his father was proud of him. Not that his father would ever admit to that out of fear of encouraging Matthew not to have an interest in the ranch as well.

"Besides, Tess was just asking questions," Lillian continued. "She said she wasn't sure yet. I suggested that perhaps she could have Fred over to the ranch again sometime and see how things went. I haven't mentioned it to Fred yet, but right now the plan is to drop him off around lunch time this Saturday. I thought I might give Tess a day or two to think it through. If she reconsiders, it might be better if Fred wasn't aware of it in the first place."

"I hope things work out," Gabriel replied. "I'll be heading out of town myself come Saturday," he mentioned, seeing an opportunity to bring up his pending trip to High River.

"Oh? Where are you going?"

Gabriel didn't miss the concern in her voice. It was something he wished he could protect her from, but knew that it wouldn't be healthy for their relationship to even try.

"I received a summons for Jack Trenton's trial," Gabriel replied. "The trial will take place in High River the following Tuesday. Nathan is coming to Brookfield and we'll ride down for the trial together."

Next to him, Gabriel felt the shiver that went through Lillian. He had a feeling that it hadn't been caused by the chill in the air.

"Lillian, are you okay?" Gabriel asked, looking over at her as he stopped walking. With her arm still looped through his, it effectively brought Lillian to a stop as well.

There wasn't a quick reply to the question but Gabriel waited patiently for Lillian to collect her thoughts and emotions before answering. A quick response probably would have worried him more.

"I'm not sure," Lillian finally admitted quietly. "I thought I was past what happened but when you mentioned the trial, it suddenly seemed like it just happened."

"I understand. I felt some of that myself when I read the summons."

"I wish you didn't have to go, but I know you do. Most of the time I wish none of what had happened had taken place and then other times I wonder if I would still be struggling with my feelings for you if those events hadn't taken place."

"Things happen for a reason," Gabriel replied. "I know people often say that just for something comforting to say, but I truly believe that sentiment. Maybe we don't know why things happen. Maybe we can't understand God's timing. Perhaps we can't see the good that comes from them at the time but God had a reason."

Lillian nodded. Even in the limited light Gabriel could tell that there was something more on her mind.

"What is it, Lillian?" Gabriel asked, hoping to prompt her into telling him what was on her mind.

"Your comment about God's timing got me thinking about something. You said after everything that had happened that you didn't feel like you accomplished much, but despite not being able to do much against the intruder, your arrival was perfect timing," Lillian told him. She took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "Shortly before you knocked on the door, that man had threatened to rape either me or Grace, though his eyes were specifically on me when he said the words. If you hadn't shown up and distracted him, I think he would have followed through on that threat."

Freeing his arm from her, Gabriel reached out and put his arm around her. As he pulled her close to him with one arm, the lantern still in his other hand, Lillian put her arms around him, allowing herself to rest against Gabriel.

"I am so sorry that you had to deal with that, Lillian," Gabriel told her as she rested her head against his chest. "I would give anything to have protected you from even that threat."

"But that is all, it is - a threat," Lillian said. "If you hadn't shown up when you did and drew that man's attention from me it would have been worse. I'm sorry you got hurt because of it but you did protect me. I don't want you to be in doubt of that."

"I will always do my best to protect you and everyone else that lives at this orphanage, Lillian," Gabriel told her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I know you will," Lillian said. "I just don't ever want to be the reason you get hurt again," she told him in a shaky voice.

"What happened was not your fault, Lillian," Gabriel told her. "The blame for everything that happened that day lies with Jack Trenton and I intend to make sure he pays for his actions," he assured her, realizing that he needed to accept that fact for himself as well. Yes, he would have preferred to have caught Jack before he had been able to even threaten Lillian, Grace, Eleanor and the children. He had done what he could to try to do just that, but Jack had still slipped by him. However, that didn't make him responsible for what Jack had done. He had also done what he could to keep everyone safe when he had discovered Jack was at the orphanage.

No, it hadn't been the outcome he would have preferred. However, it also could have been worse than it had been. Lillian's confession had made him realize how much worse it could have been.

God's timing.

That is what had taken place that day. Yes, they all had emotional scars from that day, some deeper than others, but like his physical injuries, they would heal with time. They would help each other to heal and perhaps the healing process would make those relationships stronger. That seemed to be the case with him and Lillian.

"Just be safe when you go," Lillian told him, still tightly holding on to him.

"I will be," Gabriel promised her. "I also won't be alone," he reminded her, his arm still securely around her. He didn't plan on letting go until Lillian released him. He wanted to keep her in his embrace and offer her comfort for as long as he could.