Chapter Three

Previously:

Nick handed him the money for the horses and then asked to see the surrey. It wasn't long before he'd handed Mr. Kleinman another thirty dollars. After the gentleman had helped hitch the horses to the surrey, Mr. Kleinman disappeared back into the stable. For Nick's and Elizabeth's part, they wasted no time in buying a few items at the small store, retrieving their things from the café and putting everything into the back of the newly purchased surrey. Soon they were driving out of town with one goal in mind….mail the letter in *Hildale and then get to *Silver Springs where Nick would contact the stagecoach driver who owed him a favor.

Elizabeth sat in their surrey outside Hildale's post office. They'd been to the bank where Nick had sent a wire to the Stockton bank, and then they'd come here. She'd have gone in with Nick only this post office had to be the smallest building she'd ever seen. There was barely enough room for the mail, the post mistress and one other person. When Nick opened the door and stepped out, Elizabeth leaned slightly forward. Due to the look of one who was being pulled in two directions was in his eyes, she told him it wasn't too late to change his mind. "Just because you've sent the letter doesn't mean we can't simply go back and…"

"No," Nick stopped her as he climbed in and sat down next to her, taking the reins in his hands as he did so. "Unless you can look me in the eye and honestly say you don't want me courting you, things stay the way they are. After all, Cliff is right. This is the only way to keep us and my family safe from Cass."

Elizabeth was feeling guilty. She remembered the conversation they'd had while traveling to Hildale; he'd spoken of his family and told one story after another. It still amazed her he'd so willingly walk away from it all just to court her. What if things didn't work…her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as realization dawned on her.

"You're not giving up the ranch, not yet anyway." Her words -which came out of the blue-at least they seemed to when it came to Nick-made the Stockton rancher mentally take step back. If he'd standing on the ground instead of sitting in the surrey, he'd probably would have actually stepped backwards. That is, until he guessed where the comment was coming from.

"You put two and two together, huh?" Nick couldn't help but smile just a little. He liked the fact that Elizabeth had taken the time to figure things out. With his habit of simply jumping into things without thinking-most of the time-it might be nice to have a wife who actually counteracted that habit.

Elizabeth nodded. "You've praised your brothers for their faithfulness, loyalty and countless other attributes. Heath isn't going to take the ranch with the idea it's his…well, not unless we wind up being away far longer than we hope. Even if we don't go to Stockton for a number of years, he'd want you to co-own the ranch with him. At least, that's what you're really hoping-isn't it?"

Nick slowly nodded. "Heaven help me but yes. Heath is as good as they come, as are my other brothers…and he's the heart of a rancher like me. He'll take care of the land and cattle-for as long as he needs to." He went on to admit he was still feeling more than guilty. "I do regret I was not being able to warn him. Best I can do is wait until I talk to my friend, and then send a telegram to Heath. I'll have to think of something that will, hopefully, let him and the rest of my family know that I'm still alive. That is, once they're told we're no longer living." That part, the fact that his family could very well think him dead before they got his telegram, tore him up inside only he knew of nothing else to do-not with his desire to court Elizabth. He then started looking around. While Hildale did have a post office and bank, there was still wasn't very much in the town….which made the fact that the bank existed surprising.

"Are you wondering where we're going to spend the night?" Elizabeth asked, knowing that the increasingly colder nights were making camping out less and less appealing. And they'd have to spend the night somewhere. The bank had said any money Nick had sent for wouldn't be available until the next afternoon-at the earliest.

"I was." Nick started driving towards a light brown building in the middle of the town. The cross on the top left no doubt it was the church. A rather stout gentleman dressed in dark suit and white collar had just opened the front door and stepped outside. It was obvious the man was a member of the clergy. There were four steps that led up to the landing where the good man stood.

Elizabeth pretty well guessed what Nick was thinking. Saying nothing, she simply kept quiet until they were standing in front of the gentleman who turned out to be Reverend Clay Lawson. "I don't see any place for travelers to spend the night." Nick was looking around as he spoke. "I was hoping we might sleep inside the church for one night. "We could tether our horses and surrey behind the building."

Reverend Lawson was just as friendly as Mr. Kleinman had been, and wasn't about to make the couple in front of him spend the night either on hard pews or a hard floor. "No need for that. My wife and I have a good barn in which to put your surrey and a couple of stalls for your horses. When it comes to the two of you, we have a nice sized room you can use. Though," he shrugged apologetically, "I'm afraid it has two twin beds instead of one nice sized one. Though, we could easily move the two beds together."

Nick and Elizabeth, who were thrilled with the news, weren't about to complain. "We'll manage, don't worry about that one. Nice beds are welcome any day," he told the reverend as he and Elizabeth followed the good man as he descended the steps. Soon they were in their surrey and following the reverend-who was on his horse-out of town and towards his home.

A/N The part about the size of the post office itself is not made up. I don't know if the post office I'm thinking of is still in use or not. Only, years back, I saw one just like the one I put in here.