At the sound of the office door opening, Lucas looked up to see Micah stepping inside.
"Well, it's about time you got back," he greeted. "I was just getting ready to send a search party out after you."
"I'm sorry I'm late. Old friend caught me just as I was leaving Artesia; time got away from us. Anything happen while I was gone?"
"With the exception of a few brawls over at Sweeney's, everything was quiet. New packet of wanted posters and reports came in on the evening stage."
Nodding, the marshal stepped to the pot bellied stove and poured himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat at the desk. "Where's Mark? I'm surprised he isn't in here thumbing through those."
"He got through them before I did," he chuckled. "I sent him over to the hotel about an hour ago. Didn't want him staying up too late, waiting for you."
"I'm sorry to keep you in town another night."
"I'm certainly not complaining, and Mark's meeting friends to go fishing first thing, anyway. You have any trouble with your prisoner?"
"Nothing that I couldn't handle."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You think I can't do my job?"
"No. It's just that I was there when we took Jacobs in. He gave us both a run for our money."
"I made it back in one piece; nothing for you to worry about."
"Alright," Lucas answered, raising his hands in surrender as he stood from the desk. "I'll see you Sunday."
"Have a good night."
Lucas left the office and made his way to the hotel, greeting the clerk before starting up the staircase. As he entered his room, the rancher was surprised to hear his son's voice greet him.
"Micah make it back?"
"You're supposed to be asleep."
"Couldn't." Mark sat up, watching as his father placed his Winchester in the corner of the room. "I could see you were worried about him… kinda made me worried."
Lucas nodded, unbuttoning his shirt as he sat down on the bed. "Just got back; he was delayed leaving Artesia."
"Pa, how come you ain't never been a marshal?"
"I used to be a deputy. You know that."
"But that's a deputy. I mean being a town marshal, like Micah."
"Can't very well be a rancher if I'm a marshal, now can I?"
"But if you were a marshal, we could live in town and-"
Lucas raised an eyebrow, reaching down to pull off his boots. "Since when do you want to live in town?"
"Well… I've just been thinking. I mean… it sure is nice being closer to all my friends and… well, dinner at the hotel's a whole lot better than our cooking."
"You really think we'd always eat at the hotel if we lived in town?"
"…Reckon not…"
"And I suppose you'd be all set to get rid of BlueBoy, and your fishing holes at the ranch, and your garden? How about all the peace and quiet? Just yesterday you were complaining about all the late-night noise. And if I were a marshal, we'd be living in another town, away from Micah and Milly- not to mention Milly's apple pie."
"…I guess the ranch ain't all that bad. Still though, you'd make the best marshal there ever was."
"I'll leave that to Micah and stick to herding our cattle. It's getting late, we both need to turn in." Lucas pulled back the covers as he went on, "And if you wake early, try to be quiet and leave me a note."
"I will."
Despite his father's warning, Mark still managed to rouse Lucas as he slipped out the door the next morning. Resigning to his fate, the rancher pulled himself out of bed before making his way down to the restaurant for breakfast, surprised by who he found sitting at a corner table.
"Miss Miller?"
The woman looked up, a pleasant smile crossing her face. "It's Mrs. Rolf now," she pleasantly answered. "Mr. McCain, how wonderful to see you again."
"Rolf? You mean you and him…?"
"That we did," a voice called from behind him.
Lucas turned around to see Christopher Rolf walking towards him. "Mr. Rolf… what brings the two of you back to North Fork?"
"Please, Christopher is fine. And the answer to that question is a bit of a long story." The man sat down, gesturing for the rancher to join them as he went on, "After the doctor gave me a clean bill of health, Tess and I planned to settle in St. Louis. But the months we spent there during my recovery…"
"It made us realize what we had left behind, out here."
"We tried settling in Texas, near Lubbock. Tess and I both worked at establishing our homestead, and I was going to take up teaching again this fall."
"It really was a wonderful community," Teresa added. "They were all so welcoming and helpful. Seems every time I turned around, there was another caller offering to help with something. And despite his insistence that the teaching position was just fine, Christopher had at least three job offers within the first week."
"But?"
"…But a man from my past came to town."
"I see."
"As I made clear during my previous visit, I take no pleasure in killing. I've never shot someone unjustly, and while eight was an exact figure… there are several more that I've wounded. This man was one of them."
"…Mr. McCain, you must understand that Christopher did everything he could to avoid getting into a gunfight with this man, but he wouldn't have it. Christopher didn't have a choice."
"The only reason I'm sitting here today is that he missed his first shot. Gave me time to turn and draw."
"He tried to shoot you in the back?"
The man nodded. "How he missed, I'll never know."
"And because of that, the folks ran you out of town? Your wife was right; you had no choice. They can't blame you for defending yourself."
"It was too late. Longdon had already spread enough rumors about my past. So we packed up again and headed farther west. A bridge got washed out a few days back, so our stage got diverted here."
"Stage? I met the stage last night."
"As Christopher said, our stage was diverted. It must have been close to midnight when it got in."
"I just missed you, then. I was sitting up at our marshal's office last night, waiting for him to return from delivering a prisoner. It was half past eleven when he rode in."
"Must have been later than we realized," Tess chuckled. "After the day we had, I don't think I could have told you what territory we were in, let alone what time it was."
"Are you getting back on the stage this morning?"
Christopher shook his head. "Our layover is through the weekend. We don't leave until Monday morning."
"In that case, why don't the two of you come for supper at the ranch this evening?"
"Oh, we couldn't impose," Tess stated.
"It's no imposition. Mark's out fishing now, and if I know my boy, he'll bring home enough fish to last us a week. I'd really appreciate having some help getting rid of it."
"If you're certain it's not trouble."
"No trouble at all."
"Mr. McCain-"
"Please, Christopher, call me Lucas."
He nodded as he went on, "Perhaps, while we're at the ranch, you could show me a thing or two about just what we're getting ourselves into. I got a taste of farming and cattle in Texas, and I'm just beginning to realize how much I don't know."
"I'd be happy to. Why don't I meet you back here around three o'clock with my buckboard, take you two back to the ranch, then you and I can ride out to check the cattle. Mark should be home by then to keep your wife company."
"Do I have to?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow at his son. "I thought you would be excited to have the Rolfs for dinner."
"I am, but… but why can't I go with you and Mr. Rolf?"
"It wouldn't be very polite to leave Mrs. Rolf here alone, now would it?"
"But… Pa… why do I have to be the one to keep her company? You're the one who invited her."
"Because Mr. Rolf and I have business to discuss."
"Can't she go with us?"
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't think Mrs. Rolf would be too partial to riding in a man's saddle."
"Well if you're not taking the buckboard, what's Mr. Rolf going to ride?"
"I'll put my old saddle on BlueBoy." Seeing his son's disappointment, Lucas went on, "We won't be out too long. Now I need to get going if I'm going to make it back to town by three. Do you want to come with me?"
Mark's face lit up at the invitation. "Can I drive the team?"
"Sure you can."
When they arrived in town, Lucas and Mark entered the hotel to find Christopher waiting in the lobby.
"Tess will be right down," he began. "She had a few things to take care of after shopping this afternoon. Mark, it's good to see you again. I'm sure you're enjoying the break from school?"
"Yes sir!"
"I heard that you went fishing this morning. Did you have any luck?"
The boy nodded. "But nothing like Billy; he caught this one fish- it must've been at least thirty-six inches long!"
"Thirty-six?" Lucas asked. "I thought this morning it was thirty."
"…Well I don't exactly remember… but it's been a long time since anyone's caught one that big."
The men suddenly turned at the sound of a voice coming from the staircase. "Sorry to keep you all waiting. Mr. McCain, thank you for coming to pick us up. And Mark, how lovely to see you again."
"Mrs. Rolf," he greeted, removing his hat.
"I hear you're going to keep me company while the men go out to check the cattle. I thought maybe you might give me a second chance to win back my honor?"
"Honor?" Lucas asked.
"Last time we were here, Mark took what little I had left; beat me at all three games of checkers. Well, Mark?"
"Yes ma'am!"
As long as the subject stayed away from gunfighting, Lucas allowed his son to ask the Rolfs questions about their time in Missouri and Texas as the four headed back to the ranch. Once they arrived, Mark and Teresa made their way inside while Lucas and Christopher took care of the team, then saddled up. Just as the pair were getting ready to ride out, a stagecoach was driven into the yard, drawing Mark and Mrs. Rolf from the house.
"Scotty, what brings you here?" Lucas asked.
"This coach needs special repairs up in Sante Fe. I thought I'd be able to make it, but I started having trouble about a half mile back. I think I can fix it up to make it to Sante Fe, but I don't think I can make it back to town like it is now. Mind if I work in your barn?"
"Go right ahead; need any help?"
"Naw, just need a place out of the sun. Sorry to trouble you."
"No trouble at all. Christopher and I are heading out to the range, but if you need someone to run you tools, give Mark a holler."
After Lucas helped Scotty lead the team into the barn, he mounted up and rode out with Christopher. Mark made sure the stage driver didn't need anything else, then returned to the house to set up the checkers board.
"Mrs. Rolf, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"What made you want to marry Mr. Rolf? Seems to me some women would be scared to marry a man like him. …Because of his reputation, I mean."
"I suppose some women might be. But as you know, when you really get to know Christopher, you find out that he is so much more than his gun."
"Do you think some women might be scared to marry my pa because of his reputation?"
"His reputation?"
"Well, yeah. I mean… oh, you don't know, do you?"
"I don't think I do."
"…Pa wouldn't be too happy if he heard me say this… he doesn't like to talk about it. But folks around here call him the Rifleman."
"Oh, I see. …And you think that might be keeping him from remarrying?"
"Not him, but… well, Pa had one friend, Mrs. Dodd… I think Pa liked her a whole lot. She was supposed to come back and visit, but… well, it's been more than a year now and I don't think Pa's heard from her. Then there's Miss Milly."
"The storekeeper in town?"
Mark nodded. "I think Pa really, really likes her… I think he likes her the way he liked my ma. …I really like her, too…"
"But you're afraid she wouldn't want to marry your father, because of his past?"
"…I heard her and my pa talking once. She said she doesn't like it how everyone has to carry guns around."
"No one likes it that everyone carries guns around. But I'm sure that if Miss Milly has taken the time to get to know your father, then she knows that there's more to him than his rifle."
"…But do you think it might keep her from wantin' to marry him?"
Teresa thought for a moment, smiled, then answered, "Not the Miss Milly I met in town."
After two games of checkers, Mark excused himself and ran to the outhouse. Upon his return to the cabin, he was surprised to find it empty. He walked out to the porch and looked around, then made his way towards the barn. As he stepped inside, Mark was confused to see Scotty digging up the dirt floor of the barn.
"…What are you doing?"
Startled, the driver grabbed his gun and turned around, firing before he realized who had entered the building.