Amelia worried about the mare that hadn't been seen since she'd been turned out. She figured that she must have taken off further into the meadow but she knew she should go out and check. So she'd saddled up her horse to take off looking for her.
"You sure you want to go alone?"
She got on her horse and looked at Bella.
"I'll be fine," she said, "She's almost due and if she had her foal we'll need to bring her back here."
"You might need help putting the foal on your horse to bring back."
Amelia smiled.
"I'll be fine and besides you've got all the horses here to handle. Ethan will be coming back later today to take another look at them."
Bella smiled.
"He's coming here mainly to see you."
Amelia blew a tendril of hair away from her face.
"I'll be back later," she said, I'm going to check on the north meadow near the foothills."
Bella nodded.
"Okay then…good luck and be careful out there."
Amelia took off at a canter towards the meadow. She wasn't in any hurry. She just wanted to make sure the mare was safe. She'd been unnerved by what had happened yesterday with Darrin's men coming and hassling them over some petty thefts in town. She knew she was right in that no one committed those crimes except Darrin's own men because they needed to have crimes reported in order to generate new customers for their security because Paradise had been quiet for the past few months according to Ethan.
Bella, her and the other women were simply used as scapegoats to blame, to focus the efforts of the security men against to get attention off of them committing the crimes. But she knew that Darrin had tapped into more than that from the store owners…he had figured out how to get them to aim their fears at the former outlaw in their midst.
But Ethan had stopped the men and sent them on their way, even as Amelia knew they'd be back. She didn't think that these were scrupulous men; if they had been former marshals or deputies then maybe they were fired for bad conduct. Then when someone like Darrin offers them more money than they can imagine, they'll fit whatever role he assigns them.
She didn't want to think about them, she wanted to focus on finding the mare. She didn't want to think about Ethan either and what happened by the barn the other night. He hadn't liked what she said to him but there was nothing he could do to change all that had happened. She had to put it behind her somehow and move on with her life. Working with Bella on her ranch let her do that.
Seeing Ethan again after all these months just brought back everything to her including what they'd shared both good and bad. She knew the truth behind why she'd returned to Paradise but it didn't matter now. Living each day at a time that's what she focused on doing.
She galloped out into the meadow near the foothills and still nothing. Then ahead she looked and saw the mare. She just stood there not grazing and Amelia urged her horse on to her.
Ethan had tried to talk to Darrin about what his men had done at Bella's ranch but the man eluded him. He had walked into the bank demanding to speak with him and the teller had told him that he was busy conducting business and not to be disturbed most of the day.
Martha came out then and smiled at him.
"Ethan…what are you doing here?"
He kept his mouth grim.
"I'm looking for your father but he's too busy to talk."
Martha nodded.
"Yes…he's got an important wire to send to the investors and he's still checking his data," she said, "Plus he's got more of his security forces coming in a day or two."
Ethan sighed.
"That's what I need to talk to him about," he said, "what happened yesterday at the ranch."
"Ranch?"
"Bella's ranch," Ethan said, "he ordered Buster and some of his men out there to interview the women there about the thefts."
Martha didn't look too concerned.
"Well that's just to be expected," she said, "Now that most of the merchants are customers of the security team, they're just doing their job."
Ethan pointed to his chest.
"It's my job and my responsibility. It's what I was appointed by the towns people including those merchants to do as marshal."
She smiled to try and appease him.
"Yes Ethan but you need help," she said, "Face it, if the Daggett gang showed up tomorrow you'd be outnumbered without those men."
"I told him and the merchants I can handle the Daggett gang. How do I know that these men can do the job? So far all they've done is shown up and harassed women."
Martha frowned.
"Ethan I'm sure that's an exaggeration."
"Not really…scared one young lady who's had enough to be afraid of in her life and Dakota and I had to draw our guns to get them to leave."
"Oh dear…My father didn't tell me about that."
That didn't surprise Ethan. Darrin probably kept a lot close to his chest hidden from even his own daughter. But he needed to go in there and set things straight with Darrin about how his men weren't going to be allowed to do that anymore.
"Did he tell you that his men didn't interview anyone else," he said, "Now Dakota and I talked to all the ranchers to find out if they knew anything, if anything suspicious had been noticed…not just one rancher…not just Bella Rogers."
She smiled weakly.
"I suppose I could talk to my father and ask what happened but Ethan he really is busy. The stakes are quite high with some of the investors."
Ethan sighed.
"I'm thinking they might be too high."
She shook her head.
"Oh no Ethan…it's not like you're thinking."
"Then how is then? I'm not having people harassed to line Darrin's pockets or those of his men."
She sighed.
"Ethan you can't see him today…but I'll talk to him and maybe by tomorrow…"
But he'd had enough.
"I'll be seeing him before then."
He walked out of the bank and went to get his horse. He had to ride out to Bella's to look at the horses again. He'd had his eye on a couple of them but truth be told, it wasn't the horses he was mainly interested in seeing.
What Amelia had said to him yesterday had stuck with him since then. It had troubled him too because she didn't feel she could share more with him than had slipped out. Okay, then that was fair enough but he still wanted to spend time with her.
So he rode out to the ranch but she wasn't there when he arrived.
Amelia tried to lead the mare away but the horse had started sweating, her flanks were damp and she acted agitated. She must be in the earliest stages of labor to deliver her foal. But Amelia didn't want her out in the open and with the dark clouds ready to swoop down in to the valley from the mountains, it'd be storming pretty soon.
It probably wouldn't last too long but could dump a lot of rain in that period of time, enough to flood. The mare whinnied and Amelia could see her struggle. She stroked the mare's neck with her hand talking to her softly.
She looked around her for a safer place for the mare to deliver and her eyes fell on the sheer mountain side, made of rock. Some of the rocks had openings like caves that could be quite spacious and after scanning the sheet rock carefully she found what she needed.
She went to take a closer look to make sure no animals like bears were living inside it but it looked deserted. So she went to get the mare to lead her inside along with her horse. She always packed in case she needed to spend the night outdoors so she knew she'd be fine if she had to do that. The mare found a spot in the cave where someone at some time had laid dried grasses and she pawed it with her hooves, probably looking for a birthing spot. All Amelia could do was keep watching her ready to step in and assist if it became necessary.
Ethan had hit the ranch and saw Bella standing there with Clara talking by the paddock. He got off his horse and walked up to her.
"What's going on now," Bella asked.
"I'm just out here to look at the horses," he said, "Amelia said she'd show them to me."
Bella sighed.
"She's been out all day looking for the mare who's due," she said, "I expected her back which means that she must have found the mare and can't lead her back."
"Where did she head?"
"North meadow by the foothills," Bella said, "The mare will be fine but the weather's turned, a storm could be blowing down pretty quick."
Ethan saw that when he looked at the dark clouds now moving to block the sun.
"I'll go look for her," he said, "Make sure she and the mare are doing okay."
Bella nodded.
"Please do Ethan…I worry about her," she said, "and if the mare's delivered, she'll need someone to help her bring them back here."
Ethan went to swing back on his horse.
"I'll go find her then…"
He spurred his horse to a gallop and took off across the meadow as the first rain drops started to fall.