Melanie stopped briefly at her house in order to change out of her ruined clothes before she strapped the disobedient horse into the sulky at drove to the ranch. She was still burning with anger and embarrassment over the man at the creek and planned to tell Louise all about it. Knowing Lou, she would probably see the funny side of it, and she and Melanie could laugh over the unfortunate event.

As she approached the main house she was surprised to see that no one was working in the yards, in fact the whole ranch seemed deserted. Melanie drew the sulky to a stop and jumped down, glancing around for any sign of life. There was a quick movement of curtains from Louise's parlor window and her friend immediately rushed out to greet her, her face lit up with joy.

"Melly, you're here, this is perfect timing!" she beamed and kissed Melanie's cheek. She wondered what had prompted such good humor in her friend, for she visited everyday and was not used to receiving such an excited welcome.

"I want you to meet someone," Lou said breathlessly, almost pulling her into the house. Melanie laughed at her strange behavior and was more than a little curious as to its cause.

There was a crowd gathered in the parlor with the entire ranch family surrounding a tall man in a dark suit. The children were hopping with excitement around him, while Kid and Teaspoon smiled broadly. Louise and Melanie entered the room and the man turned to face them. Melanie was shocked to see he was the same man from the creek, the last man on earth she would ever want to run into again.

"Melly, this our old, dear friend, James Butler Hickok," Lou said, still grasping her arm. "Jimmy, our good friend and neighbor, Melanie Brooks."

Jimmy smiled at her knowingly, and Melanie was afraid he would make some joke about how that had already met that very morning. But instead he just bowed his head slightly.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Brooks."

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Hickok," she replied evenly, but a slight blush crept up her neck which only seemed to make his eyes twinkle more. Melanie was suddenly afraid that everyone was looking at her intently, and tried to cover her embarrassment. "Only it is Mrs. Brooks."

"Mrs. Brooks," he repeated quietly, and Melanie wondered if she did not see a flash of disappointment in his dark eyes at the revelation. Before she could even ponder this he had turned away from her and began talking to Kid again.

"He just turned up out of the blue, we haven't seen him in a couple of years. We never know when Jimmy will suddenly appear out of nowhere," Louise told her absently before stepping forward to retrieve Charlie from clambering on Jimmy's feet.

"I know what you mean," Melanie whispered to herself.

Jimmy's arrival at the ranch prompted Kid to announce they would all take the rest of the day off, and Tom's new wife, Mary, fixed a grand feast for them to celebrate. Only Cholo, who had never liked Jimmy from the start, refrained from joining in and was content to sit outside whittling while the party continued indoors. At least this time Hickok had brought some joy with him instead of sorrow, but Cholo had no doubt that it would eventually follow. Pistoleros like him always caused trouble.

Melanie was quiet during lunch as everyone urged Jimmy to tell them of his exploits since they last saw him. Jamie's eyes were practically popping out of his head as he listened in awe to his uncle's tales of his time as marshal in Fort Hays. There was no doubt in her mind that the incorrigible seven-year-old idolized the man. Kid and Louise too were so happy to see him they could not stop smiling, and she even noticed Teaspoon wipe a tear from his eye as he surveyed his family seated around him. The band of Pony Express riders were the only family the man had, and having Jimmy around again provoked great emotion in him.

After a while Jimmy began to enjoy the attention his family bestowed upon him, relieved that the unease he had felt the last time he visited had gone. He could not tell them the truth about his life now - not all of it anyway - and yet they listened to him intently and believed his embellishments. Throughout the meal he stole glances at the silent woman at the other end of the table when he thought the others wouldn't notice. She was scrupulously avoiding his eyes but he did not seek to mock her. As he spoke he was wondering what she thought of him and his tales, though he could not explain why.

As the afternoon wore on Louise insisted the children go upstairs for a nap, much to the dismay of Jamie. He had plans to spend as much time as possible with his Uncle Jimmy so he too could be a marshal when he grew up. It took Kid's firm arms to carry him upstairs despite loud protests from the boy, and Louise followed with Charlie and Adam who were more complying. When Teaspoon excused himself from the room too and Tom returned to kitchen with his wife, Melanie found herself in the unsettling position of being alone with her 'savior'. She moved around the room uncomfortably as Jimmy watched her silently, hoping that he would not bring up the embarrassing events of that morning.

He opened his mouth to speak and Melanie immediately shot him a nervous glance warning him not to say a word about it. Jimmy paused for a split second and took pity on her, swallowing back the sarcastic remark he planned to say. He smiled instead and she surprised him by returning the grin, grateful that he was sparing her any further embarrassment. For another moment Jimmy was struck dumb by her smile which lit up her entire face and made her emerald eyes shine. Soon he cursed her beauty for making him suddenly feel nervous.

"Have you lived in Sweetwater long, Mrs. Brooks?" he asked eventually, putting on a polite façade. Jimmy wasn't one for small talk, and she could tell.

"For nearly five years now, Mr. Hickok. I've known Kid and Louise just as long," she replied equally politely. Neither of them sat down as their conversation continued, not realizing it was for the same nervous reason.

"Five years? Strange, I didn't meet you last time I was here."

"No, Louise told me I missed your visit. I had traveled home to Minneapolis… My father passed away."

"Oh, sorry."

"Thank you, Mr. Hickok."

"No, I'm sorry I missed meeting you then," he said. Melanie could not help but smile slightly at his cheek, though she knew she shouldn't encourage him.

"You can call me Bill, most people do these days."

"I'm sure they do, Mr. Hickok, you have quite a reputation," said Melanie.

Jimmy looked pleased but then realized that she was not paying him a compliment. His eyes soured a little as he knew the legend of Wild Bill Hickok was not something to impress the likes of Melanie Brooks. He was annoyed with himself for wanting to impress her too, to make her smile at him again. Jimmy had never seen anything to rival her smile.

"Don't believe everything you read in the papers, Mrs. Brooks," he retorted with a resigned, well practiced shrug.

"I don't, Jimmy," Melanie said quietly before Louise and Kid came back downstairs. She turned to them and announced that considering the unexpected arrival of their guest it was time she was going. She left Jimmy pondering her words and the look in her eyes when she said them.

"I take it she's a good friend of yours," Jimmy commented, breaking the night's silence.

"Hmm?" said Louise, who had almost drifted off to sleep as she and Jimmy sat in the swing on the porch enjoying the warm breeze. The Kid was down in the barn with Cholo and a sick mare, but other than that it had been a peaceful evening.

"Melanie Brooks. You two seem close." He tried to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible, hoping to start Louise talking about her. Jimmy had not been able to stop thinking about her all day, much to his displeasure. He kept picturing her standing in the river, her clothes and hair in disarray, still managing to be breathtakingly beautiful.

"We are. She's been a great friend to me these five years. I don't know what I would have done without her friendship, and the children just adore her." Lou did not question Jimmy's motives for asking about her, she was far too relaxed to be suspicious. "She and her husband are our closest neighbors, so we see her almost every day."

"Her husband?" Jimmy probed.

"Howard Brooks, he's the town banker. You'll meet him eventually, I guess."

"What's he like?"

"He's not good enough for her, that's for sure," she said, coloring a little whenever she had to think about Howard Brooks too much. Louise would never be able to forget the fact that occasionally he liked to hit his wife, and it was something that would always rankle her no matter Melanie's protestations that he wasn't that bad. Any man that hit a woman was bad in her books. No longer sleepy, she threw Jimmy a look and wondered why he was so interested in Melanie. "You're rather curious tonight, Jimmy Hickok."

"Just askin'," he replied, and abruptly announced he was turning in. "'Night, Lou."

"'Night," Louise echoed, and watched him go inside with a slight frown creasing her brow.