Bella smiled.
"I don't think it'll ever work."
Martha's nostrils flared.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Bella said, "This whole plan you have for sprucing up Paradise is like gussing up a pig, and it's not going to be pretty for long."
Martha looked at her scornfully. Her father fiddled with his napkin on his lap.
"I hardly think you're the expert on improving an old mining town," she said, "Being a woman of such ill repute."
Bella chuckled.
"We all can change Martha…most of us anyway but I know all about towns like Paradise. I used to rob them and no improvement plan can survive in a town without industry and Paradise's always been the mines whether it's gold or copper."
Martha sniffed.
"You're wrong about that," she said, "and besides if Paradise is so bad, why are you here?"
Bella leaned forward.
"I like towns like this," she said, "They're good for fresh starts because usually the hoity toity types, the ones who stand on pedestals and judge people usually steer clear of them."
"Well I…"
"So what happened with you Martha Wyatt?"
Amelia looked at the nonplussed woman and then her father cleared his throat.
"Listen Miss Rogers…"
"You can call me Bella, my friends do and so do some of my enemies."
"Miss Rogers…I really don't think that Paradise is the place where you want to…as you call it settle down. Why not pack up your harlots…"
"Ex-harlots…"
"Once a harlot, always a harlot…"
Bella smiled again.
"I thought that was only true about judgmental folks."
Amelia watched Darrin's face grow rigid and she knew he didn't like being challenged. Probably never did most of his life because she'd heard about his business. He'd been part of one of the most powerful families in California that went back several generations.
"I bet your pardon?"
Amelia looked over at Ethan and his jaw was set.
"I can't believe that someone of your stature is hanging out with an outlaw…"
Was he addressing her? Presumably so, because as he picked up his glass he stared at her.
"I pick my company carefully Mr. Wyatt and I agree with what she said."
He didn't like that and she knew he was quite angry with them but had the experience and self control to contain it behind a tight lipped smile.
"Then you have certainly fallen from grace haven't you," he said, "Hopefully not as far as those other women she brought with her."
Amelia sighed at the arrogant pitiful man in front of her but Ethan looked angry with him and she saw his body go rigid even though his face betrayed nothing.
"Now you listen here Mr. Wyatt, you'd better think twice about talking about her like that."
Darrin turned toward the marshal.
"Oh yeah…I remember you two used to be engaged weren't you? But you didn't get married."
Ethan clenched his jaw and Amelia saw a trace of the hurt that had been on his face when she broke it off and even more so when she told him she was leaving Paradise. But only because she knew him so well.
"Mr. Wyatt, what happened with us is none of your concern," she said, "We're here in town to do business and all we ask is that you give us the same opportunities to do that as the other business owners."
Martha sniffed.
"The other business owners didn't run bordellos which appears to be Ms Rogers last known address."
Amelia tilted her face.
"You really know them well enough to know that?"
Martha hesitated and looked at her father.
"Why I…"
Darrin looked straight at Amelia.
"I can't believe a woman like yourself would support a woman like her with her past."
Amelia shook her head.
"You don't even know me," she said, "You don't know where I came from or anything I did so how can you make that kind of statement?"
Darrin smiled.
"I knew you were married to a con man who stole from you and just about everyone else."
Amelia grew silent for a moment and then Bella spoke up.
"It happens to the best of us," Bella said, "I ran back into a type or two like that myself. It's hard being a single woman in the West."
Martha smiled like her father.
"Yes I can only imagine the hardships," she said, "but you robbed people and you were involved in some very unseemly enterprises."
Bella took a drink from her glass.
"Most of these women didn't want to do the things they needed to do to eat or to have shelter," she said, "This is their way of putting their pasts behind them and starting from a clean slate."
"A slate can never be completely cleaned."
Bella looked at her for a moment.
"Yeah maybe you're right," she said, "not even those of women like yourself who look down on everyone below you to feel superior."
"Why I…"
Bella turned to Ethan.
"You sure know how to pick them…"
Then she got up and walked to the bar to refresh her drink. Martha looked over at Ethan.
"You see…she's completely unrepentant about her past."
Amelia snorted.
"You really think you're better than her?"
Martha pinched her face.
"I know I am…there's something called class and you either have it or not and she'll never have it."
Amelia shook her head.
"Pathetic…"
She put her napkin down and turned to Ethan.
"Thank you for dinner," she said, "but I think I'll leave you two alone."
He looked at her as she stood up.
"Amelia…"
She smiled at him.
"Have a nice evening…"
She walked away from him and went to join Bella near the bar. Sam had left and Hank the other bartender seemed to have no trouble refilling Bella's glass which she gulped on down. Amelia didn't feel like another drink but stayed with her.
"That woman is a snooty…"
Amelia nodded.
"I thought I had my moments…"
Bella smiled.
"You probably did but you've got something she'll never have under that corset, a heart."
Amelia shrugged.
"Lot of good that does," she said, "Sometimes I think I'd be better off without it."
Bella frowned.
"No…never Amelia…I know it's been very tough but it'll all come back."
Amelia sighed.
"I don't know about that," she said, "Just seeing him again…it's so hard…much harder than I thought."
"You want him back don't you?"
Amelia just looked at her and headed out of the bar without a word.
Martha wiped the corner of her mouth but her hand shook.
"The nerve of those women…"
Ethan suppressed a smile and Darrin's mouth wore a fine line.
"We have to do something about them," she said, "This can't go on…who knows who'll show up next?"
Ethan shook his head.
"You're not going to do anything," he said, "but let them operate their business like anyone else."
"But she ran a bordello…"
"And she robbed businesses including banks," Darrin said, "Didn't Mrs. Lawson once own a bank?"
Ethan nodded. He still couldn't figure out what had brought the two seemingly very different women together. But he'd deal with that later. Right now, he didn't like where this dinner conversation was going, after all he had to keep the peace.
Martha just shook her head.
"I can't believe that a woman who owned a bank would hang out with an outlaw."
Ethan looked at the two of them dressed up in their formal attire. Sure, he was dressed up in some of his nicer duds but they still paled from those of the people with him.
"Everyone can change," he said, "I'm a town marshal after all."
Martha pressed her lips together.
"That's different Ethan," she said, "Not all people are as motivated as yourself."
Ethan reached for his glass and discovered it was empty. It might be a good time to take a breather from this conversation and refill it.
"Excuse me…Martha…Mr. Wyatt."
He got up and left to head on over to the bar where he saw Bella chatting it up with Hank.
"Where's Sam?"
Both turned to look at him.
"He's taking a break," Hank said, "Talking with Delia out back."
Ethan smiled. Delia had been a bar girl who decided that she'd rather try running his accounts instead and she turned out to have a mind for it.
"So how was dessert?"
Ethan ordered his glass refilled.
"Haven't gotten that far yet…"
"And you're already hitting to refill your glass," she said, "Must be thrilling company you got there."
He sipped his Scotch.
"We're not here to make trouble."
"I hope not…all I'm giving you Bella is a chance," he said, "It's your choice what to do with it."
She smiled.
"Why Ethan you have doubts…?"
He knew better than to answer that question.
"Where's Amelia?"
"She went outside," Bella said, "She's feeling a bit temperamental."
Ethan smiled.
"I've seen that side."
"She's been the best kind of help," Bella said, "So I don't hold it against her. Besides, my fault for bringing you up."
Ethan blinked his eyes.
"Why'd you do that?"
Bella leaned against the bar.
"Oh because I know you two had a thing for each other."
He sipped his scotch again.
"That was a while ago," he said, "before she left Paradise."
Bella nodded.
"I know it had to do with your decision to put yourself on the line with this job."
"Partly...said something about having no life without me if I died…"
"Ah yes," Bella said, "I heard about that too but she's had time to think about it and she might have learned otherwise."
"I hope so…I don't want to see her unhappy and I don't want to cause it."
Bella furrowed her brow.
"Is that what you think you did?"
Ethan looked at his glass, now half empty.
"I don't know what to think," he said, "I've struggled with a lot in my life. Learning how to be a father, trying to put my gun down…didn't work and we just discussed my ranching skills."
Bella chuckled.
"I know…I'm sure it won't come naturally to me either but I'm thinking it will to some of these women. After all, a couple grew up on ranches, they just forgot about it."
Ethan finished up his drink.
"I won't interfere but I will keep an eye on what you're doing."
Bella sighed.
"I figured as much and I have no trouble with that," she said, "but if I see you around my ranch, I'm going to put you to work."
His mouth twitched.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"I'm sure we'll find something for you to do," she said, "It'd be good for you and Amelia to catch up."
He put his glass down on the bar and when Hank moved to refill it, he shook his head.
"She doesn't seem to want to do that."
Bella's face turned serious.
"Do it anyway," she said, "She does care a lot about you more than just about anyone. I do know that. She just didn't want to watch you die and bury you."
"I know…but I couldn't promise her that wouldn't happen," he said, "It's not fair."
Bella gestured to the door.
"I know…I thought about shooting a lawman once or twice but I never did it."
"I'm glad."
"I got to get back to the ranch," she said, "We got to start bright and early tomorrow."
They headed to the door.
"Claire and the younger ones will be coming out to see you," he said, "I told them it's okay."
Bella laughed.
"I might put them to work too…but I know Amelia will be happy to see them."
They both headed outside and Ethan saw Amelia standing by her buckskin horse. They walked over to her.
"Guess we'll be heading back to the ranch," Bella said.
"You two be okay traveling by yourselves?"
Bella grabbed her horse's reins to get aboard.
"We'll be fine, but thanks for asking."
They all said goodnight and Ethan watched them leave as Martha and Darrin joined him outside. Martha looked quite miffed.
"We thought we lost you."
"I was just seeing them off," Ethan said, "Two women riding back into the valley at night."
Martha sighed.
"I'm sure they can take care of themselves," she said, "but you missed dessert."
"I'm sorry about that," Ethan said, "so you leaving?"
Martha nodded and looked at her father.
"Yes it's getting late and we're looking into some ideas for Founder's Day. It's coming up in a few weeks."
Darrin nodded.
"We'll make it the best celebration this town has ever seen."
Ethan smiled. In recent years, it'd been hard to get people excited over the town's founding. Darrin and Martha would have their work cut out for them.
"Good luck with that…"
Martha slipped her arm in Ethan's.
"Come on…it'll be good for the town…just what it needs."
Ethan didn't feel too sure about that.
"I'll see you later," he said, "I need to get back to the children."
They said goodbye and Ethan went to get his horse wondering what the future held and how long it would take for the Wyatt's and Bella's group to be on a collision course.