Ethan turned to Dakota who had watched the women leave the office. The other man looked as surprised as he felt.

"Did she really just return to Paradise?"

Ethan could only nod.

"She really is staying with Bella?"

"Guess so," Ethan said, "Listen we've got work to do."

Dakota just looked at him.

"Aren't you going to say something to her?"

"Everything's been said when she left," Ethan said, "She's not back because of me."

"How do you know that?"

Ethan just did and he'd accepted the fact that what they shared as good as it had been was in the past. When she told him she was leaving over a year ago, she hadn't left it open ended or mentioned coming back to Paradise. When her house had sold and Martha had moved in, he thought that sealed the deal yet here she was back in town.

"I just do," he said, "Now we've got a meeting to attend with the merchants."

Dakota made a face.

"I don't know why they need us there."

Ethan reached for some coffee. He needed something stronger but it was early yet. His day had already turned upside down and he didn't know if that'd improve with the upcoming meeting. Darrin would try to call the shots but Ethan knew he had a job to do. He also knew that he wouldn't act to push or encourage Bella to leave town. Mostly because that was the right, the lawful way to handle it but now…no the fact that Amelia had been with her had nothing to do with it.

"We'll find out I'm thinking."

They went to get some paperwork that Ethan would get a headache trying to read but he was getting better at it.

"Axelrod and some of the others are already making plans."

"Let them," Ethan said, "They don't have to welcome them but they can't force them out of town."

"They're going to try."

"They won't get very far," Ethan said, "If they decide to try anything."

But they'd shown their intolerance in the past and Ethan and Dakota had both found themselves to be targets of it more than once.

"Not going to discourage them," Dakota said, "Not by a long shot."

Claire looked up and saw the two women and couldn't believe it. She'd made a quick deposit in the bank and then headed on to the school but then looking up, she saw them.

Bella Rogers and Amelia, the dime store novel heroine and he uncle's ex-fiancée somehow together in the same place…the last place she expected to see either one of them.

"Mrs. Lawson…"

Amelia looked up at her and smiled.

"Hello Claire, good to see you."

The two women embraced and they finished, Claire furrowed her brow.

"I didn't know you came back."

"Last night," she said, "Claire this is…"

Claire broke out into a grin.

"Bella Rogers…I read books about you."

The other woman nodded back at her.

"I heard they'd been written and some of them are true."

Amelia looked at both of them.

"Bella…this is Claire, she's Ethan Cord's niece."

The older woman nodded.

"I see…well there must be quite a story there," she said, "Maybe Claire you would like to come to see the ranch sometime and I can hear it."

Claire felt uncertain.

"I…I'll have to think about it…I'd like to see it."

Bella nodded.

"Go talk to your Uncle Ethan about it. He and I do know each other."

Claire wondered about that but she was curious to know more about the woman she'd read about in books.

"He's meeting with the merchants later on."

Bella and Amelia looked at each other.

"Yes I know that," Bella said, "and we know what it's about but really we're just here to set up a working ranch so some of our women can support themselves in a meaningful way."

Amelia interjected.

"We'll be attending the meeting," she said, "to make sure they don't try to run us out of town with pitchforks."

Claire didn't disagree with her. She remembered what it'd been like some times in Paradise when someone new came to town and some of the business owners had been less than tolerant. Sometimes organizing into mobs threatening to use violence against those they disliked or feared. She never understood it and more than once she'd found herself standing between both sides with her uncle.

Bella chuckled.

"They might try to do that but I know Ethan…even when we were on different sides, he took a stand and he didn't back down no matter what."

Claire nodded. She knew that about her uncle for sure. She'd witnessed it often enough.

"If they think they can keep us out of the meeting…"

"They won't…"

Claire looked at Amelia and wondered what her uncle thought about her sudden return to Paradise. Maybe he'd just found out.

"It's open to all people who have business in this town and that includes ranchers."

Bella nodded.

"Then we'll go of course."

Claire wondered how others like Martha Wyatt and her father would respond to their appearance. But then she knew that her uncle and Dakota could handle that.

"You might want to wish your uncle good luck," Bella said, "But like I said, he's always been a fair man even when I didn't agree with him."

Claire didn't know what to say to that but she had students to teach this morning.

"I've got to get to the school," she said, "It's really nice to see you again Mrs. Lawson and meet you…Miss Rogers…"

Bella smiled.

"Call me Bella and come see us soon."

Claire walked away towards the church marveling at how nice Bella had been; after all she had become famous. Some say infamous but she knew that not all of what she heard about her could be true…or all the truth about her. She didn't know what her uncle would say about it but she knew she wanted to go visit the ranch.

"She seems like a nice young lady," Bella said, "Smart too."

Amelia nodded.

"She's very bright," she said, "and she's a great teacher. Taught her uncle how to read better…"

Bella chuckled.

"I'll try not to hold it against her," she said, "I'm not sure that's a great thing."

Amelia smiled.

"He didn't take to it at first but he grew to like reading," she said, "He never had any formal learning."

Bella shrugged.

"Neither did I," she said, "and I think both of us made it just fine. But how do you read him?"

Amelia paused.

"Seems like the man I knew when I left," she said, "I know I hurt him when I did that but I had to do it."

Bella nodded.

"Course you did…you're right too," she said, "He stays marshal, it's kill or be killed and many marshal's end up getting killed."

Amelia and she walked back to their horses.

"I was so scared I would find out that he was dead," she said, "Never knowing when it'd be the last time I'd ever see him. Wake up one morning and he didn't come home and never would again."

"Ethan's strong and he's tough, very smart too," Bella said, "He won't die easily."

Amelia sighed.

"He almost did a couple of times," she said, "and that last time in the hotel…no that's when I decided I couldn't handle being with him."

"But you decided differently…"

Amelia shrugged and then went to untie her horse.

"Everything's different know," she said, "You know that and I can't give him what he needs and wants. Besides, it looks like he's got someone."

Bella pursed her lips.

"Oh you mean the uptight woman standing next to him?"

Amelia suppressed a smile. Bella's description being pretty apt about Martha but then she'd spent quite a lot of time with women from her status in society. Pierce had aspired to reach that status through any one of a dozen or so schemes put together mainly to con people out of their money.

"Don't worry about her," Bella said, "if she thinks she'd going to be able to change him."

"I know from experience that doesn't work," Amelia said, "and then I discovered I didn't want that at all."

Bella sighed.

"I think she and her father will be the biggest obstacles for us," she said, "I think we need to prepare for that meeting tonight so it won't turn into a lynch mob."

Amelia nodded. After all, she'd seen it before in Paradise. She'd seen the town folk even turn on Ethan or try to exile him until the time came when they needed him.

They rode back to the ranch to strategize with the others.

The bar packed up quickly with business owners who shut up their shops early to air their complaints to the bartender while the ale and whisky flowed. One of the bar girls Sarah smiled at the men as they sat at the bar and around a couple of tables.

Axelrod looked at the group of them.

"We can't take this sitting down," he said, "I say one of you gets up and takes control of that meeting."

Applegate sighed.

"You always want one of us to do the hard work. Why don't you tell him?"

Axelrod just grimaced.

"Mr. Beckett why don't you tell Cord…?"

But Beckett didn't look much interested.

"Once an outlaw always an outlaw," said Slim who owns the feed store, "I don't believe for one second an outlaw can change. Any more than you can dress up a pig and invite it for an after dinner smoke in your parlor."

The other men nodded and Axelrod smiled. Paradise didn't have a mayor to oversee it but if it did, he knew he'd be perfect for the job. Maybe he should start a campaign to get himself in that position, and then he could make the decisions, let others do the difficult work.

Doc Carter just shook his head at the lot of them. Axelrod always liked to rile people up to do things when his own griping wasn't making him feel good. The man would give himself an ulcer.

"Well there's about eight of us right now," Applegate said, "but it'll take more of us."

Charlie sighed.

"Why don't you wait until the meeting," he said, "I'm sure Cord will figure something out."

Axelrod glared at him.

"He's just going to do nothing," he said, "and let one of the most ruthless outlaws settle just outside of town."

Charlie shrugged.

"It's a ranch," he said, "They'll be plenty busy on it and probably won't come to town much."

Joseph stood in the doorway looking for Doc Carter. He had been doing some deliveries for him, mainly medicine for his patients. The more time he put in with Carter, the more he knew he wanted to be a doctor someday.

"That's not good enough," Axelrod said, "We've got to do more to protect our interests and our town."

Suddenly the door opened and they all looked to see who entered the bar. Joseph saw that Darrin stood there along with two other men he didn't recognize.

"Gentlemen," Darrin said, "I believe I can help you get what you want."

Then the doors closed behind him.

Ethan sat in his office as Ben and George were running around outside having been let out of school. All the energy that had been pent up all day released.

He had been getting ready for what he expected to be a packed house at the meeting tonight. He and Dakota would do what they needed to do to keep it orderly. He understood the sentiments of the townspeople but Bella Rogers and the women with her had rights too to live in the town. He might just have to protect those rights.

Dakota sat with him.

"You know it might get rough in there."

Ethan stroked his jawline

"I'm not going to let it get that far."

Dakota shook his head.

"I don't know why she decided to settle here."

Ethan looked directly at him.

"Why did you?"

Dakota hesitated.

"You really trust her."

Ethan leaned back in his chair.

"I don't trust many people," he said, "but no I don't. If she's changed that it'll become clear soon enough. But that doesn't mean they can't live here."

"I don't think they're going to see it that way."

Ethan knew Dakota was right but he had a job to do. He didn't have much choice and besides Amelia had returned to town with Bella which shocked him. How had the two of them hooked up together and which one had decided to settle in Paradise?

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Ethan looked up and saw Joseph standing there.

"What's going on?"

Joseph looked uneasy.

"It's Axelrod and the other businessmen," he said, "They're planning on trying to get the newcomers out of Paradise."

Ethan gritted his teeth.

"They're not going to do that," he said, "Dakota and I are going to be there."

"What about that Bella Rogers?"

"I imagine she'll be there too…"

"With Mrs. Lawson," Joseph said, "I saw them together in town."

Ethan knew that Bella would have a formidable ally in Amelia. Those men who wanted to get rid of Bella might not stand a chance.

"Tell you what Joseph," he said, "Dakota and I are going to be ready for whatever they try to do."

"This Mr. Wyatt's helping them," Joseph said, "He showed up just before I got there after running errands for Doc Carter."

Ethan and Dakota looked at each other not surprised.

"Well Mr. Wyatt's going to find out quickly enough that's not how we do business here," Ethan said, "We don't run people out of town."

"Not most of the time," Dakota said, "Besides from what I heard about Bella, she can more than hold her own."

Amelia and Bella got their horses ready to head into town. The meeting would be held at the church which was the closest to neutral territory. They had packed up some papers in their saddlebags.

"This isn't going to be easy," Bella said, "but then the best things never are and we can make this ranch work."

Amelia got on her horse once they left the barn.

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

Bella smiled at her.

"What if it means going against Ethan?"

Amelia furrowed her brow.

"I don't think it'll come to that," she said, "He has to uphold the law."

Bella got on her own horse, and then shortened the reins.

"You talk about him as if he's just the marshal and not your ex-fiancée."

Amelia started her horse moving and Bella rode along side of her.

"He is the marshal and what we shared in the past," she said, "must stay in the past."

"Amelia…"

She looked at Bella not willing to continue this discussion.

"No that's the way it's going to be," she said, "Now we've got to go start winning this battle."

The two women rode off to town.