Ethan did meet up with John Taylor to go catch himself some fish for dinner. The children had all headed off to school so they'd be starting their chores when he came back hopefully with a mess of them for everyone to eat. He wanted to relax after another day spent in town having to deal with Axelrod, Sam and the ever pushy Darrin Wyatt.

Dakota had fixed the door for him so that the lock didn't jam and Ethan had listened to another litany of complaints from Wyatt, who found him eating lunch with Martha at the restaurant. She'd invited him after he'd broken up a fight between two petty thieves over what to steal from the grocery stand. They were both cooling off in jail under Charlie's watch so that Ethan could go spend some time fishing.

John Taylor awaited him on the banks near where the river fed the lake nice cool water from the mountain springs. His pole in the water, his hook needing no bait because he had his own way of catching fish but Ethan being not so capable had borrowed some worms from George's collection in the garden.

"So how was marshaling today?"

Ethan made a face as he sat down.

"More complaints than anything else," he said, "One small fight over whether to steal a bunch of radishes or a dozen eggs."

John Taylor smiled.

"Did they ever settle it?"

Ethan prepared his pole.

"No they didn't…unless they are talking in jail."

John Taylor cast his line back in the water.

"The quiet before the storm…"

Ethan furrowed his brow, catching the note of concern in his friend's voice.

"What do you mean?"

John Taylor paused.

"There's been a lot of violence Ethan by that new gang."

Ethan nodded.

"Dylan Daggett and his bunch," he said, "Dakota and I been getting wires on them. But they're sticking to the bigger cities."

"Never be too sure with someone like that," John Taylor said, "When I saw him, he had just killed his first man. Only 12 years old, wanted to please his daddy who was a bank robber."

Ethan had heard about that, some story that changed some of the details each time it'd been told.

"He's a ruthless man," John Taylor continued, "Some say born bad but I think he's just wanting to be his daddy."

"They hung him didn't they?"

"Yeah…in Stockton I think some years ago. Murdering a bunch of people on a stagecoach…"

That would lead a man to the hangman's noose. But from what Ethan had heard in more recent wires, he'd changed. He'd gotten himself involved in a larger gang, with ties far away. He didn't know who pulled the strings with them but the path of violence they had blazed was different than the more usual outlaws.

"You think they'd come to Paradise?"

John Taylor just looked out into the water.

"Not much here to attract their interest…yet."

Meaning the town just wasn't big enough or generating enough of an economy for Daggett and his men to bother traveling on here to loot.

"But Paradise will get more business if Wyatt has his way."

John Taylor shrugged.

"If his plan works," he said, "I see Bella Rogers has gotten a lot done on that spread she bought."

Ethan passed it while riding home. The fencing looked much better in the portion that bordered the road and he'd heard they had bought a good share of new lumber for the buildings. Ben and George had been real excited to start helping Bella out.

"Looks like we've got company," John Taylor said, "Your neighbors."

Ethan looked out and saw two women sitting on some rocks near the waterfall that Amelia had always liked though she hadn't seemed too happy when she found out he saw her swimming there. But that'd been back when she'd shot some young boy robbing her bank.

"They look happy enough," John Taylor said, "Looks like Amelia and someone else."

The other woman had blonde hair, cut shorter than most women wore it and she seemed a bit younger. Ethan knew that a couple of girls around Claire's age had joined up with Bella before she came to Paradise.

"Perfect day for swimming too…"

Ethan couldn't argue there. It'd been blazing hot even for this time of year and he'd been tempted to strip some clothing off and take a swim. Though that seemed out of the question now…he didn't think the women would appreciate it and besides he had to catch some dinner.

But he still liked to watch.

Amelia splashed in the water thinking how good it felt on a hot day like this one. The sun would start to set soon behind the mountains, cooling the air off slowly but until then…she enjoyed swimming in the lake to her favorite spot.

She remembered all the times she'd done this in the mornings, enjoying herself until she had to slip back into that role of being a serious businesswomen and banker.

Until Ethan casually mentioned during a buggy ride that he'd seen her by the lake….while he'd been fishing. She felt embarrassment rush through her as it sunk in what he meant and she couldn't even look at him all the way back to her house.

But that was then and she and Clara had finished cleaning out the stalls in the barn to lay out new straw for the horses. Their clothes had itched with pieces of it that had gotten under their clothes and the heat inside the barn had stifled them.

The two of them were still wearing clothes and would lay in the sun and dry off for a while before heading back. Just looking at the puffs of clouds gliding across the sky, the promised monsoon weather hadn't arrived yet. Thinking about nothing complicated at all, except how peaceful it was all around them.

"You going do the cooking tonight?"

Amelia smiled shaking her head.

"Never been my strongpoint," she said, "I'll be out doing some work in the barn."

"When's it going to be all finished?"

"I don't know Clara," Amelia said, "Soon I hope but we've still got a lot left to do."

Clara sighed, not being used to this kind of life. She'd grown up in San Francisco after all, spending most of her early life on the streets after her parents left her with an older aunt who later died.

"I like it here….so many trees and open space…you can see for miles not like the city."

"No, it's much different," Amelia said, "but they're both different from where I came from."

Clara furrowed her brow.

"Where was that again?"

"Australia…that's where I was born and I lived until I came on a ship over here with a bunch of other people."

"Was it fun?"

Amelia grimaced.

"Not really…we traveled for months and many people got sick from the trip. It was so much different than what I was used to, from where I grew up."

"Would you go back there?"

Amelia paused because she'd thought about it many times…but she'd closed that door on the part of her past though she still considered it home. Some longing had tugged at her but sometimes the only thing a person could do was to move forward.

"I don't think so," she said, "There's so much here. My ex husband Pierce, he showed me part of it but I learned most of it from others here."

Her ex-husband had turned out to be a real prize. When he'd finally divorced her after promising Ethan that if Ethan would save his neck, she'd felt such a huge load lift off of her to rid herself of him. She'd thought she loved him once but she realized that she'd never really knew him.

Especially now when he could be alive or dead…depending on whether the latest people he'd swindled had caught up with him. She knew these ones were much worse than all the others.

"Who's that over there?"

Amelia looked where Clara looked and saw two men fishing on a bank. One of them was clearly John Taylor and the other…

"Ethan…"

He seemed more focused on his fishing pole but he must have seen her. At least she was more dressed this time but she still felt…exposed.

"That man who's like the law and order here?"

Amelia nodded, watching him cast his line again.

"Isn't that Ms Rogers riding up to him now," Clara asked.

Amelia saw that the woman on horseback that had approached the two men was indeed Bella.

"Hi there…"

Ethan looked up and saw Bella on her horse looking down at him.

"Hi…You know John Taylor."

Bella smiled widely.

"Indeed I do, how are you doing old friend?"

Ethan's brows arched at what she'd called him. He glanced over at John Taylor who remained focused on Bella.

"Very well in my older age and what about you," John Taylor said, "I saw how this ranch is coming along."

Bella sighed.

"It's going to take a lot of work but we're ready for it."

Ethan gestured across the lake.

"Amelia's over there taking a break."

Bella's eyes twinkled.

"I see that. She and Clara there worked since sunrise on the barn so I told them they could take the afternoon off."

Ethan smiled.

"That's her favorite spot over there."

Bella paused.

"She really missed this town and I can see why."

Ethan looked puzzled.

"She always used to hate it or say that anyway."

"I heard about that part too…but she's glad to be back I think."

Ethan pulled his fishing pole back and cast the line out.

"She seemed in a rush to leave…when she decided she couldn't get back with me."

"A lot's changed since then," Bella said, "and I think she'll tell you about it when she's ready."

"Ready?"

Bella nodded.

"It's a long story and it's her story."

Ethan digested that and then nodded.

"Okay I'll be waiting."

She smiled at him.

"You were cute looking back then," she said, "but you've grown up into a very handsome man."

Ethan looked at John Taylor who suppressed a smile.

"I'm not saying it because I'm wanting anything from you."

"I didn't say that," Ethan said, "I told you I'm going to give you a chance. The rest is up to you."

She looked at him and nodded.

"I'll see you later…say we're thinking of having a dinner and inviting people to it," she said, "You interested in coming?"

Ethan smiled.

"I know the children would really like it….when is it?"

"It'll be before Founder's Day," she said, "I'll give you a date soon."

She left him then to head back to her own spread and he looked out to where he'd seen Amelia but she and the other woman were gone.

Then he heard movement in the grass behind him. He looked up and they were both there, still drying from being in the lake.

"Hi Amelia…Clara…"

Amelia looked at the other woman.

"We need to talk to you about something…"