Soon after the sun had sunk below the horizon, I heard voices shouting. "Hoss! Rosemary!"

It was a relief to step outside the shack and be met by Adam. Dressed all in black, as was his usual habit, it was difficult to see him. Once he was assured that I was well, he fired his pistol three times in the air and then dismounted.

To say that he was surprised to find our two prisoners would have been an understatement. Hoss and I had to explain what had happened twice; once for Adam and then again for Ben and Joe when they arrived soon after we had finished our first explanation.

And then there was a debate on whether it would be better to take our prisoners to the Ponderosa and wait until morning to transport them to the sheriff. Hoss and Ben were on the side that it was better to wait, with Joe and Adam saying we were just as close to Virginia City at the line shack.

I let them argue as I set about putting things away. Wilson was listening with an intensity that I didn't like. Most times, I didn't like to take sides when it came to a family disagreement. "Ron's parents will be missing him," I said, interrupting the discussion. "What are the odds that they might raise a hue and cry in town that would warn Mr. Troy that his plans have been upset?"

The Cartwrights all paused, exchanging looks. "She does have a point, Pa," Joe was quick to say.

With a sigh, Ben agreed. "But who will take Rosemary home?"

Home. The Ponderosa house. It would be all too easy to just let them handle the matter themselves. A warm meal, hot tea, and a soft bed called to me. But, no. I would tell my story to the sheriff.

"I'll come with you."

And that is how I ended up riding behind Joe on Cochise into Virginia City after dark. Their hands tied, Ron and Wilson were on their own horses. Adam and Ben were leading the pair to make sure neither tried to get away. Hoss came at the back of our little convoy, and I kept glancing over my shoulder to make sure he didn't fall behind.

I'd never been in Virginia City at this hour before. The houses on the edge of the town were dark and then so were many of the stores, but the closer we got to the center of the town, the more I could hear laughing. The saloons were brightly lit, and it seemed there were many men enjoying the pleasures contained there.

But at one of the saloon's, a crowd had gathered at the swinging doors. The men were all murmuring together, pushing and shoving to get close enough they could get in. That, I knew, was not normal.

"I wonder what's happening there," Joe said before I could voice my curiosity.

"Never mind that," Ben said sternly. "We're going straight to Roy's office."

"Ben!" I recognized the sheriff's voice and saw the man coming from the door of the saloon. We all came to a halt as he approached. "What are you doing in town? What's happened?"
"We found these two trespassers on the Ponderosa," Ben said, nodding to our prisoners. "Cal Wilson fired on Hoss and Rosemary without provocation. I want to press charges against him."

Sheriff Coffee glanced over his shoulder at the saloon. "Take them to the jail," he said. "You know how to put them in the cells. I'll be along as soon as I've managed this crowd."
Adam's forehead creased. "What's happened?"

"Alpheus Troy has been murdered."

"What?" Ron exclaimed, his tone horrified. "No!"

"What happened?" Ben asked in concern.

"It's hard to tell," Sheriff Coffee admitted. "There was a gunshot from Troy's office and when Sam went up to see what had happened, he found Troy dead. The doc came, but there was nothing he could do. Might be a deal gone wrong, but who knows? No one saw anything. Or, at least, no one is admitting they saw anything."

"He can't be dead! He still owes me money!" Wilson burst out angrily.

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Money for what?"

But Wilson seemed to think better of his words and remained silent. "I want to go home," Ron said, his voice shaking. "When my parents hear about this—"

"This makes two times in as many days that you've been brought in for trespassing, Mr. Cowan," Sheriff Coffee said sharply. "You're not walking away from it this time. At the very least, you're going to spend a night in jail and think about what you've done."

The crowd parted then. Two men carried out a blanket covered cot between them. The mortal remains of Alpheus Troy. No one seemed sad to see it, reminding me of how I'd said the man had a lonely existence.

Would anyone mourn him now that he was gone?

Sitting on the steps of the schoolhouse, I shivered as a cold wind blew. Though it had been sunny the hour before, clouds had taken over the sky. I'd spent the morning getting my classroom organized and clean in preparation for the new term. I felt ready to face my students come Monday morning.

Alpheus Troy had been buried. Sheriff Coffee had made an investigation into the man's murder, but had found nothing conclusive. Whoever had committed the crime had gotten away with it.

Once he realized that he wasn't going to get paid, Cal Wilson confessed. Alpheus Troy had hired him and about five other men to cause trouble for the Cartwrights. He hadn't questioned why, but it wasn't hard to guess that Troy had been after the trees. It also wasn't a surprise that he was also supposed to kidnap me.

The ladies at church on Sunday had been both horrified and delighted when it became common knowledge that Troy had wanted to use me as leverage.

The Cowan family had packed up and left. Judge Walker had been lenient with Ron since he was under eighteen, making him pay a fine for attempted kidnapping and warning him to reconsider his behavior in the future. Sheriff Coffee's investigation revealed that Mr. Cowan had been on Troy's payroll, but nothing had come of that information.

At least I wouldn't have to put up with his insolence in my classroom anymore.

All four of the Cartwrights had assured me I was welcome to stay longer at the Ponderosa with them if I wanted. But I had insisted I was ready. Company was all well and good, but sometimes a little privacy was welcome. And I did not want to encourage the suspicions the ladies in town had.

The sound of a horse pulled me from my thoughts. I expected to see Joe, but instead, it was Slim Henry. I stood up as he rode toward the school.

"Hello," he said when he came to a stop.

"Hello."

He dismounted and then stood, shifting from foot to foot. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." This was the first I'd seen him since he left the Ponderosa. Adam had told me in private that he'd questioned Slim about that day. Slim swore he hadn't heard a thing and would have come help me if he'd known. Adam was satisfied the man was being honest, but I still had reservations.

"I wanted to apologize to you," he said to my surprise.

"Oh?"

Slim cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have ignored you like I did. It was stupid of me. My reasons were stupid. You deserve better than me."

I kept silent since I did agree with him. His reason to avoid me, because Ben Cartwright treated me like a daughter, was stupid. At least Slim was man enough to admit it.

Or had Adam talked him into this?

"I'm sorry I ignored you. I'm sorry I didn't explain sooner, and I'm sorry you were hurt by my actions."

His tone sounded sincere. "I accept your apology," I said without hesitation. And I meant it. I knew he hadn't meant to hurt me, even if that had been the result. Now maybe we could both put it behind us.

There was silence between us for a long minute. "I've been working on my land," he finally said. "It will take some time, but I think it will be a good ranch in a few years."

"I'm...happy for you."

His expression dimmed. "Do you love Joe Cartwright?"

Surprised, I blinked. "What? No," I said swiftly. "Why would you ask that?"

"I've seen you with him. You're happy. You talk to him so easily. And..." He shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't blame you. I think there isn't a girl in Virginia City who hasn't been in love with one of the Cartwrights."

"I suppose so." Wrapping my arms around my waist, I shook my head. "If I'm honest, I could be like the other girls. Joe is...well, Joe. But I don't want to risk ruining what I already have with the Cartwrights. They are my family now and I'm satisfied with that."

Though he nodded, I wasn't sure if he really understood. I didn't completely understand myself. "So, where does that leave us?" he asked. "Do I have a chance, Rosemary? Could we try again?"

"Maybe, but I think we should give it a little time. You're going to be busy with your land and I have my students." I gestured at the schoolhouse behind me as I spoke. "Maybe we jumped into things too fast before and we should take our time."

To my surprise, his face broke out into a wide smile. "I can do that. A girl like you is worth a little bit of a wait."

My cheeks burned with a blush as he mounted his horse. I watched him ride away. A tiny snowflake floated down and landed on my nose.

Fall had passed. What would winter bring?