Elizabeth twisted, trying to move herself into a more comfort position. She sat next to Lucas on the dirt dusted cabin floor. Both of them had their hands and feet tied, their arms pulled behind their backs.

Again, she twisted her wrists, trying to loosen the rope binding her. The fraying cords dug into her skin, making her wince. It was no use.

With a sigh she leaned her head against the wall. She glanced across to the other end of the room where Johnny sat lazily in a chair next to the window. Every so often he pulled the stained and faded sheer back, and peeked outside.

Another man, whose name had never been spoken, leaned back in a chair in the other corner. His loud snoring echoed through the small room.

Elizabeth sighed, realizing the hopelessness of their situation. Again, she silently asked God for a miracle.

"I'm sorry."

She jumped at Lucas' rasped words. Her eyes darted to him, and her heart twisted at the sorry sight he made. He sat slumped against the wall, his eyes shut tight. His head had already begun to bruise where the kindling had hit him. However, the small cut in the center had stopped bleeding thankfully.

She mulled his words over in her head. He was sorry? Her brows pinched, as she eyed him.

"For what?"

"For this." He motioned around them, lifting his tied feet to make his point. His lips pressed tight, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. "I prayed so hard you wouldn't become involved in this."

Inside her brain swirled with questions. How was Lucas involved in this? And why had Lucas not told her that Jeanie was his sister?

This last question puzzled her the most. She couldn't help but feel betrayed that he hadn't told her. Didn't he trust her? Yet if a man like Spurlock was hunting her down, he must have had his reasons.

And that brought a new question. What kind of trouble was Jeanie in?

She looked to Lucas, keeping her voice low. "Why didn't you tell me about Jeanie?"

Lucas sighed deeply, then winced, the action obviously causing him pain. His eyes went to the ceiling, taking on a distant look. "I wanted to. So many times."

He shook his head softly. "She told me that she was going to tell everyone the truth. And then when you told me that she had explained everything I thought she had."

Understanding began to dawn on Elizabeth, and yet she was still so confused. "I don't understand." She looked to her skirt, shaking her head. Inside she fought to wrap her brain around everything. "Why keep it a secret? Why didn't…"

"Because I promised her I would." Elizabeth's eyes came up to find his staring back at her. A sadness rested in his gaze. A heavy weight laden inside.

What was it? What was the burden he seemed to be carrying? Finally, he sighed, his face telling her she may soon find out.

"Six years ago," he began, "Jeanie married a man named Scottie McElroy, and moved out west to be with him and his family." A smile touched his face, a shine covering his eyes.

"She was so happy and so in love. Our father..." He hesitated, his face instantly dropping. "Disapproved of him greatly. So much he didn't even go to the wedding."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "He didn't attend his daughter's wedding?" Instantly she felt her heart go out to Jeanie. Her own father had disapproved of Jack at first, but she couldn't imagine not having him at her wedding.

Apparently, Lucas wasn't pleased with the outcome either, as a hardness filled his gaze. His jaw tensed. "He believed Scottie was unreliable, untrustworthy, and forbid Jeanie to marry him. But Jeanie was so in love with him and the adventure of starting a life together."

He sighed deeply, his head shaking sorrowfully. "But sadly, my father was right."

Elizabeth's brows furrowed, as she watched Lucas' face become very serious. "What do you mean?"

His eyes dropped. "It's not my story to tell."

Elizabeth wanted to press more, but decided she'd better not. Lucas was trying to respect his sister's privacy, and she respected him for it.

After a moment Lucas' mouth moved as if to speak, but the words didn't come right away. "Scottie…passed away two years ago." Tears suddenly filled his eyes, and Elizabeth felt her heart ache with his pain. "And with no family around my little sister was left lost, and with a giant broken heart."

"Oh, poor Jeanie." Tears stung her eyes as her own loss rushed fresh to the surface. Instantly she felt a connection to the girl. Jeanie was even younger than she had been when she'd lost Jack. And yet she'd never have guessed that Jeanie had been through such a terrible tragedy.

Jeanie had such a light in her eyes. A love for life that just shone straight from her heart.

And with one look at Lucas, she had no doubt as to the love he felt for his baby sister. It made her heart swell, yet brought a pain to her chest at the same time.

But his story didn't explain why he'd kept Jeanie's identity a secret, or why Spurlock wanted her. Suddenly a name Spurlock had mentioned earlier came to mind.

"Who's Harvey?"

Suddenly Lucas' face tensed. "Scottie's father." Iron laced his voice, his jaw locking.

Still, she was confused. "What does he have to do with Jeanie or you?"

"Scottie stole a lot of money from his father." Lucas explained, his eyes looking ahead at nothing in particular.

"After he passed Harvey demanded that Jeanie pay him back. It took her months but she finally managed to repay the debt." Lucas shook his head, his lips pressed tight together. "But that wasn't enough and Harvey continued to demand that she pay him more and more money."

Instantly Elizabeth felt disgust for this 'Harvey.' What kind of father-in-law stole money from his recently widowed daughter-in-law? Still Lucas continued on.

"Finally, she decided to run away in the middle of the night to get away from him. She then wrote to me, saying she was in Buxton, and was trying to open a café there. So, I moved out there to help her get back on her feet."

He paused for a moment, wincing as he attempted to move into a more comfortable position. Elizabeth wished she could take his pain from him. Or at least offer a supporting hand. He swallowed hard, exhaling deeply before continuing.

"It wasn't until about two months later that I learned about Harvey. And soon after I discovered that he'd found her, and was blackmailing her into giving him nearly all her earnings from the café."

Elizabeth's eyes had grown wider and wider with every word from Lucas. "Lucas…" She breathed, her mind spinning with all this information. "What did you do?" She finally managed.

Lucas shrugged helplessly. "The only thing I could think of. I made a deal with him. I'd pay him two thousand dollars, and he'd never come near my sister again." A fire burned in his eyes, as he nearly spat the final words out.

Elizabeth watched his face twist. "I thought it was over. But now he's back, and….and I'm so sorry Elizabeth."

His final words came out in a whispered breath. A lump formed in her throat, as she saw the tears in his eyes.

"Lucas…"

"I never meant to get you involved." He shook his head, looking so miserable.

Elizabeth scooted herself closer, wanting to comfort him somehow. She didn't blame him for anything, despite all he'd told her. In her heart she knew that he had done everything he could to protect her and his sister. Her chest swelled just at the thought.

If only she could place a hand to his shoulder, or turn his face to hers. Truthfully, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but her tied wrists and feet prohibited her from doing anything.

Instead, she softened her voice, leaning forward so she could see his face better. "This isn't your fault."

Lucas didn't meet her eyes, continuing to stare at the far wall. "But it is." His eyes glazed over, his voice quiet.

"I tried to protect you. I figured you'd be safer not knowing anything, and so I let you think Jeanie was an old childhood friend." His mouth quirked in a sad smile, as he shook his head. But then it fell, a deep sigh escaping him. "I thought I could protect you both, but in the end, I did the opposite."

Moister stung the back of her eyes, as she saw the guilt written on his face. She leaned forward, trying to catch his gaze.

"Lucas," she whispered. "None of this is your fault."

He didn't look at her, his face tensing. How did she make him believe her? "You can't blame yourself for Harvey's actions." She continued. "And you certainly can't blame yourself for Mr. Spurlock's."

Finally, he did look at her, his eyes holding a question. "Why does he want you?"

Suddenly her stomach twisted. That was a very good question. Yet the thought of explaining the 'incident' from eight years ago made her insides squirm. It really wasn't a memory she liked to dwell on. But he'd shared so much with her, and her situation with Spurlock really required an explanation.

She took a breath.

"There was….an incident when I first moved to Hope Valley." The words didn't come easy, seeming to stick to her tongue. "He…um…burned down the old church, and tried to blame a widow who'd turned down his…advances…"

She shivered, remembering her conversation with Cat, the widow Spurlock had harassed. She mentally shook herself from the memory, swallowing hard. "But when I found out that he was the one who was behind everything he…."

She hesitated, the memory of Spurlock pointing his gun at her replaying before her eyes. Her palms began to sweat remembering just how angry and violent he'd become. He'd been relentless back then. What would he do now?

She could feel Lucas' eyes on her, searching her face. "He what?" He asked softly.

Maybe it was better to skip the ending. It would only cause him more worry. "It doesn't matter." She shrugged, trying to sound as innocent as she could. "Anyway, he must blame me for…."

"Elizabeth." Lucas' quiet voice stopped her. She looked to him, and found his dark eyes looking deep inside her. His voice was gentle, yet determined. "What did he do?"

Elizabeth swallowed, summoning moister to her dry throat. "He…tried to… to shoot me." She watched Lucas' eyes widen, his face tensing. "Jack stopped him before he was able to." She added quickly, trying to soften the blow.

Lucas' lips pressed tight, his gaze dropping. "And now he wants to finish the job." His voice was low, his words a statement, not a question.

She sighed, the realization sinking through her. "I believe so."

Lucas became quiet for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. She sunk back against the wall, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. Lord, please save us from this danger.

She then glanced over and found Lucas watching her. His eyes darkened, his voice husky. "Elizabeth, I promise you that I will get us out of this."

A warmth filled her as she heard the determination in his voice. He meant what he'd said, and her heart swelled as she felt the depth of emotion in his words. For a moment their eyes locked on each other.

Her mind suddenly recalled his declaration from earlier that night. I'm in love with you. And with one look in his dark gaze, she knew it was true.

Her chest swirled, so many emotions tumbling over each other. Was she in love with him? The question startled her. Yet it was probably because she already knew the answer.

But she couldn't think about that now.

Instead, she slowly leaned toward him, resting her head on his shoulder. She breathed in the warmth and safety she felt against him, the feeling covering her like a soft blanket. His head came down, his beard brushing against her skin as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I promise." He whispered.

And somehow, she believed him.

Bill pulled his horse to a sudden stop, straining to see the trees and shrubs before him. It was hard enough to ride through the forest during the day, let alone in the cold and dark of night. Suddenly, something caught his eye, and he nudged his steed forward.

A broken branch dangled from a tree. He sighed in relief, a small spark of hope igniting in his chest.

Someone had come through this way. And from one look at the leaf trampled ground, he knew he was on the right path.

He'd learned from Clara that Elizabeth had stepped out to "take care of something." Then after discovering from Gustave that Lucas had been gone for about the same time, he managed to put two and two together. He'd figured that either Lucas and Elizabeth had gone to talk things over, and lost track of time, or they were in serious trouble.

Then through a miracle from God Himself he'd found hoof prints a short distance from the pond. A lot of them. And his hopes that Lucas and Elizabeth were somewhere talking things out soon had died.

He pressed on, nudging his horse forward. He had to find them, and he silently prayed that God would keep them safe until he did.