Thanks for reading and responding. I know that everyone is anxious for Sean to wake up, so let me just say that it's coming, and soon. So please hang in here.

Thanks again for the feedback. And have a Safe and Happy 4th!

Chapter Forty

Jeremy lay back on the couch, bouncing Danielle on his stomach, feeling happy at her giggles and love, while he noted her growth, and her features that were now developing into an adorable combination of him and her mother. She was his daughter he thought with pride, as he stared up into eyes that mirrored his own, which had always been the case through blood he mused, but now he was emotionally connected to Danielle, and her to him. For she was always delighted to see him when he came to visit, and would cry hysterically when he'd go to leave. Lucy had even mentioned how the child would look for him when he wasn't there. That even though Danielle could not yet convey what she was thinking through words, she could display her feelings through actions. And would every morning run to the parlor to see if he was there, and would cry for what seem like hours, when she found the room empty. In addition, it was becoming harder to get the child to sleep Lucy had said, stating that the child was almost always fussy and restless when it was her bedtime, but when he was around, Danielle would immediately doze off to sleep. Lucy had then stated that the child never had those tendencies before he came along, and then went on to state that she was thankful that the Chambers weren't around enough to question why the child displayed such behavior. Danielle was his family, Jeremy thought as he again lifted his daughter in the air, his heart warming at seeing her smile, and she knew it; she felt it even at her young age. And that meant that he could now take her, resume his plan without being worried that it would distress her. Only there was one problem…the Logans. Despite the trying situation caused by him being in that house, he had to stay, at least until Sean fully recovered. If he recovered, which Jeremy hoped that he would. Then he'd have to go. Cause though he cared deeply for the Logans, and wanted to remain with the family, he couldn't deny where his heart truly lie, and that was with his daughter – Danielle.

"Okay Danielle, it's time for your nap." Lucy announced as she entered the room, carrying a blanket in her hand, interrupting Jeremy's time with his daughter.

"So soon?" Jeremy asked with disappointment. "I just got here." he uttered merrily as he lifted Danielle in the air, causing her giggle and shriek.

"I thought that you came here to see me." Lucy stated, a bit annoyed as she came over to the couch.

"Lucy you know I did." He declared in between smiles and coos at his little girl. "But Danielle is so cute, I can't resist wanting to see her too."

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes as she took Danielle from Jeremy's hands. "It's been this way since day one." She said, while Jeremy whispered words of comfort to the now fretting child. "And I'm tired of it." She added.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy said as he sat up on the couch, knowing that their constant arguing and his endless apologies were wearing thin. "Should I…" He began, but paused, hesitant to ask if he needed to come along while she put Danielle to bed. "Should I be gone when you come back?" He asked instead, now thinking how in the past she'd asked him to leave when she'd become annoyed with his attention to Danielle.

"No." She replied stiffly, over Danielle's cries. "We need to talk." She ended seriously, stifling Jeremy's sigh of relief, before she then turned and disappeared from the room; leaving the boy worried that the worst was about to come. That she was going to do what she'd been threatening for months, which was to break things off, and unbeknownst to her, cut him off from his daughter.

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Asa gazed out the window of his carriage, watching as the people of Lexington hurried about their daily business, thinking how everything was working out perfectly, business was on the upswing, the authorities weren't investigating the attack on Sean, and though Sean wasn't awake to see it, he was finished in Lexington, and his family was paying dearly for his indiscretion. Everything was indeed working out as planned, well almost everything. For he still had to deal with Pete, and now there was the situation with Vivian, which had become a perpetual thorn in his side. First she'd nearly ruined his plans at the Assemblyman's Dinner, then there was her accident, and now it was the memory loss, which had forced him to act as if Sean was still her fiancé. When Asa first learned that his daughter was asking for Sean, his original plan was to lie to her about Sean, tell her he was out of town, but never that their engagement was still on. He only planned to do this until she fully recovered from the accident, but that had all changed when she'd confronted him about Sean being hurt. He'd been stunned when Vivian had come into his office and demanded to know the truth, stating that she'd overheard the servants talking about Sean being beat up. Asa had then told her about the attack, and was about to tell her the truth about her and Sean's relationship, when she suddenly fell to the floor, passing out. When she came to, she was mumbling that she had to see Sean. But Asa had instantly discouraged her, telling her that she still wasn't well, and was therefore in no position to visit with Sean. Asa had then sent for the doctor, who confirmed his belief that Vivian was not well, and had instructed him to hold off on telling her the truth until she was mentally sound. That had been the situation for the past three days Asa reviewed, him trying to maintain that lie as the truth, by keeping Vivian from visiting Sean, which had been a challenge to say the least. For Wilhelmina had insisted that Vivian be told the truth and had stopped short of saying that she would do the honors herself, before Asa had quieted the woman with a threat and added that she'd better keep the other servants quiet. And then there was Vivian with her endless requests to visit Sean, stating that she had a right because he was her fiancé, but Asa had successfully rebuffed her requests, citing the doctor's orders for her to remain at home. It was a mess Asa thought with frustration, a mess that he had no idea how he was going to clean up. It would be so much easier if Sean were dead he thought coldly. For if Sean were out of the way, it wouldn't matter what the truth was surrounding he and his daughter's relationship, but the man wasn't dead Asa thought and in all honesty he didn't want such an occurrence. For though he hated Sean Logan with the heat of a thousand suns, he didn't want him to die. He didn't want him to escape the ramifications of his tryst with that Negro. And he didn't want to be pestered with the "wrath" of Ned Logan he mused with a laugh. The man had been livid when he'd came by to confront him about Sean's unfortunate encounter, and Asa was fearful, and shaken at the time, but that had all passed, almost instantly. He knew that Ned Logan didn't have it in him to be a real threat. His visit was merely an impulse to the anger and hurt he felt over Sean being attacked. Asa now slipped on his hat, as his carriage reached it's destination, his mind now on the important meeting he was about to attend. The Sean Vivian mess would have to wait he briefly thought, right now he had business to attend to, business which was thankfully going well.

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Isaac led the horse into the barn; his mind heavily on his heartbroken daughter. It had been three days since Sean had been beaten up and left for dead, and still the young man had not recovered. And at this point, it looked as if him getting better may never happen. For the Specialist Ned had brought in from Louisville had declared the same thing as the previous doctor, that there was nothing more that could be done for Sean. And that though the young man appeared to be holding up well, it was only a matter of time before Sean's condition would begin to take a toll on his body. Marita had been crushed upon hearing this news. For she'd nearly run from the Logan's home, eventually stopping in the garden, where Isaac had found her broken and crying. Isaac quietly sighed, his heart panging at the thought of his daughter's pain. He wished so much that he could've done something to prevent this all from happening, to prevent her from facing such heartache due to her relationship with Sean. But there was no use in crying over spilled milk he again sighed to himself. All he could do now was give Marita his love, comfort her, and protect her from the consequences of all that had happened, which thankfully hadn't been a difficult task he thought. Being as there hadn't been another attack since the ambush on Ned and Sean, which could in part be due to the armed guards Ned had precautiously placed around the perimeter of the property, and due to Sean being incapacitated. There was no reason for anyone to attack if the object of their hatred had been taken care of. And that's why Isaac had ordered Marita to stay on the ranch, had forbidden her to venture outside of the property. If she was set on remaining in Lexington, he didn't want her roaming around town where she could be subjected to the verbal cruelty he'd encountered when he'd ventured out, or worse, some form of violence…

"Ned!" Isaac said with surprise when he turned a corner and saw the man emerging from a stall, carrying a bucket in the hand that wasn't in a sling. "What are you doing out here? Me and the workers can handle the workload."

"I know." Ned responded as he placed the bucket on a nearby shelf. "I just got back from a meeting in town and was putting my horse away."

"Was a stable hand not standing by?" Isaac questioned with agitation, now thinking that someone wasn't doing their job. "Because if they weren't..."

"Isaac it's fine!" Ned snapped, causing the man to cease to speak. "I didn't want anyone to put the horse away okay! I wanted to do it myself!" He ended with frustration.

Isaac stood there stunned, taken aback by Ned's response, but fully understanding why the man had snapped.

"I'm sorry." Ned then sighed, briefly closing his eyes as he ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay." Isaac interjected, not needing the man to explain.

"No, it isn't." Ned scoffed. "Sean is at death's door, and now the business is starting to suffer."

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked, confusion in his voice.

"I lost the Ridley account."

"What?" Isaac uttered with shock, knowing that Mr. Ridley was a new client Ned had been working to acquire for weeks. And that sealing a deal with this man would expand Ned's business, which would in turn help pay for some of the additions he'd made to the ranch. "What happened?" Isaac queried. "I thought the deal was pretty much set."

"It was!" Ned stated with ire. "We were due to sign the contracts next week. But when we met today, Mr. Ridley announced that he was forgoing our deal because he'd gotten a better contract elsewhere. He didn't even want to discuss my counter offer, which meant that he'd made up his mind long before he sat down with me."

"But that doesn't make sense." Isaac replied. "Mr. Ridley knows that this is the best ranch in the south for breeding horses…"

"Oh but it does make sense." Ned countered hotly. "This has nothing to do with Mr. Ridley finding a better deal or a better ranch to breed his horses. This is about the Assemblyman's Dinner. He's refusing to do business with me because of Pete's lies and Sean's love for Marita." He said, now thinking of Sean's confession at the Dinner. "And he's not the only one." Ned resumed. "I saw two other clients while I was in town and they informed me that they're not sure if they want to renew their contracts when it expires next month."

"I don't know what to say." Isaac said, shaking his head in anger and disgust. Knowing that Ned's speculation was right on; considering the hostility he'd met when he was in town. White folks could be tolerant of a lot things Isaac mused, but not a white family, especially one as prominent as the Logans, embracing Negroes. "I'm sorry this is happening." Isaac conveyed with sincerity.

"Don't be." Ned stated angrily. "This mess lay solely at Asa's feet." He charged, now thinking of Asa's revenge at the Dinner, and how he still believed that the man was behind the attack on Sean.

"So what are you going to do?" Isaac asked. Certain that Ned wouldn't let this go.

"I don't know." Ned fumed, as thoughts of his injured son raced through his head. "I can't afford to be losing business right now. And as far as Asa goes, he'll never get his due with the local law." He deemed. "Hell, even if Clancy manages to get some Federal Marshalls down to investigate the attack, I doubt that anything will come of it."

"Hmrph." Isaac scoffed, again shaking his head in disgust.

"But that doesn't mean this is over!" Ned quickly asserted. "Asa may not get his due from the law, but he sure is hell going to get his due from me."

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Jeremy mounted his steed – unsteadily, still shaken by his talk with Lucy. She hadn't dumped him like he feared that she'd do, but she did do something worse; something that he never saw coming. She'd told him that she was leaving Lexington, going back to her hometown at the end of the year. Jeremy had been shocked, so much so that he thought that he might black out, for the wind had rushed from his lungs as if he'd been punched in the gut, which had in turn caused Lucy to mistakenly think that he'd been devastated by the idea of losing her. She had been thrilled to see him "care so much" and had said that he could always visit her in Verona, which was only 60 miles away. But that was out of the question Jeremy had thought; for though he liked Lucy, and had enjoyed her companionship, he wanted her to remain in Lexington, working for the Chambers, so that he could continue to see his daughter. But the girl wouldn't hear it, when he'd begged her to stay, by citing his "feelings," but omitting the truth. Lucy had then said unless he wanted to marry, she had to return to Verona to help her sister with the new baby once it was born. This had left Jeremy floored, and repulsed by the thought of replacing Anna with the act of marrying someone else. He was stuck he'd concluded and now mused, pushed into a corner that would force him to act; force him to do what he had again put off, which was to take his daughter – as soon as possible.

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Marita walked into the church, instantly feeling a sense of peace, and relief that she'd encountered no trouble on the road. Though the church was only a couple of miles from the Logan ranch, and it was daylight outside, it could still be dangerous for her to be out alone, especially after everything that had happened. But she had to get away Marita thought as she made her way to a pew; she had to disobey her father's directive and leave the ranch. For memories of Sean were everywhere, memories that were beginning to crush her, to stifle the prayers she was praying for him; so she'd come to the church to calm her mind, and to strengthen her connection to God. Marita deeply inhaled as she now sat quiet on the pew, staring at the cross before her. The doctor had to be wrong she thought, now thinking of the Specialist's diagnosis; then quickly pushing what he'd said from her mind, not wanting to think of a life without Sean. Marita stifled a cry, as a surge of emotion tore through her heart; then she closed her eyes, as a single tear flowed down her face…

"God Please." She uttered quietly, praying for a miracle, praying that Sean would fully recover…

"You prayin for that Logan man?" a voice suddenly asked, nearly startling Marita from her prayer. But she held firm, and didn't utter an answer, keeping her eyes closed, hoping that the woman would get the point and leave her alone…

"You know your relations with that man is causin problems for us all." The woman continued, not caring that she was disrupting Marita's prayers. "Things were going so well between us Negroes and the Whites until this mess you stirred up with that Logan man. Now we can't even go into town without bein treated bad. It's like after the war all over again." The woman complained. "Even all of our evening affairs have stopped cause of word that the Klan is runnin around, lookin for any Negro woman to ravage or Negro man to lynch."

Marita still made no response. For there were so many emotions flowing through her. She felt angry, offended by the woman's intrusion on her prayer, offended that she was blaming her for the prejudices that had always existed around town. And Marita was also angry that the woman seemed to imply that Marita had been immune to the problems that had arisen. That she'd just "caused these problems," and was oblivious to the consequences. The woman had no idea what she'd been going through. For the man that she loved was now laying in his bed, fighting for his life, and there was nothing that she or any doctor could do about it. And she'd experienced just as much hostility as any one else, granted it had not been first hand, because her father had forbidden her from going to town, but she'd heard how her father had been treated when he'd went to town. How merchants had refused to see that he was there. How people whispered and stared, and how some even stated their racist views aloud, spouting hateful names as her father walked by. It had all deeply hurt her, and angered her greatly, but at the same time made her feel an enormous amount of guilt, which was apart of the feelings now rushing through her…

"You shouldn't be here." The lady again spoke, shattering Marita's thoughts. Marita then opened her eyes, wiping a tear from her cheek, as she turned to look at the woman who was standing in the aisle next to her pew.

"This is a church…" Marita uttered shakily, now recognizing the woman to be an elder of the church. "Which means it's open to anyone who wants to come in and pray."

"Well…I think you should pray someplace else." The woman countered firmly. "We don't need any trouble cause of you comin here." The woman said. "Now Ms. Price would never say anything bein the pastors wife and all, but I'm sayin something." The woman continued. "I'm sorry…but… you should go."

Marita was stunned, her heart panging at the woman's words. In all the years that she'd experienced prejudice, it never hurt more than it did right now. Fighting to hold her composure, to keep from breaking down, Marita briefly closed her eyes and drew a breath, then turned her gaze towards the cross on the stage and silently uttered another prayer. She then stood from the pew, saying nothing more to the woman who'd rebuked her, and made her way towards the exit of church, where she encountered an occasional friendly response, amongst the accusing gazes that came from the other members who were now entering the church.