Amelia looked up when she saw Claire bringing the boys to the ranch in the wagon and as soon as she pulled the reins, they jumped on out to run into the barn to find the puppies. Claire joined her after she tied up the horses.
"Where's Ms Rogers?"
"She's in the house working on the dinner with Rosie. She'll be out soon."
"I brought some dessert," Claire said, "Crumb cake…I've been working on it since Mary gave me the recipe."
Amelia smiled.
"She's going to let some of the women play the fiddle," she said, "She packed some to take with us but hasn't had a chance to try them out."
"That'll be fun…I know Uncle Ethan mentioned something about dancing."
"Yes he did…he'll be here after he's done in town."
Claire sighed.
"I saw him before I came out here," she said, "I know that he's frustrated with Darrin about those security men and they just make me nervous when I'm working in Axelrod's store."
"They make me nervous too but if they make the merchants happy, that's what matters to the Wyatts."
"Martha was upset too," she said, "about the reporter asking questions about them."
That surprised Amelia.
"Why would he do that? He didn't listen about them before."
"Before what…?"
Claire looked at her puzzled.
"Back in San Francisco, two of them killed a man," Amelia said, "That's what the reporter's asking about."
"He asked you didn't he?"
Amelia paused for a long moment and then nodded.
"Why would he ask you?"
"Because I saw the man get killed," Amelia said, "He didn't do anything wrong except when they weren't being nice. They were security men who worked for one of the most powerful players in the city."
"But they weren't good men."
"No they weren't," Amelia said, "They were dangerous men. They just took his life like it meant nothing and I don't think it was the only life."
Claire shook her head.
"How awful of them," she said, "but that was back there wasn't it?"
Amelia started walking towards the house so Claire walked with her.
"I don't know anything about the men that Darrin hired and neither does Ethan," she said, "They could be anybody…even outlaws trying to take advantage of people's trusts to take from them."
Claire furrowed her brow.
"So that's why Uncle Ethan is trying to find out more about them?"
Amelia nodded.
"Yes before Founder's Day," she said, "and with Daggett and his gang out there…he and Dakota are going to be very busy."
"I know but they'll do their jobs to keep everyone safe."
Amelia knew that but she had lost her ability to feel like that and she'd settle just for making it through each day at a time. Sometime it was more a struggle than other times but she'd learned that she harbored the strength to do that. Though it left her exhausted at the end of the day and then there were the dreams….well they'd pass with time as she moved forward with her life. They had to as this experience couldn't stay with her forever.
Ben and George ran out of the barn with the puppies yipping at their heels. Their laughter filled the air and Claire just looked over at them shaking her head.
"I know Uncle Ethan's going to weaken and let them bring one home."
"It'd be a good thing Claire," Amelia said, "the mother's good at keeping predators away from the barn."
Claire nodded.
"Good for the chickens," she said, "Two got out and didn't come back so the coyotes and foxes might be back."
Amelia remembered back two years ago when a bunch of hens had been slaughtered by Reverend Hill who had come to town preaching redemption and salvation but had been out to kill Ethan after destroying him first. But he had been shot dead inside the church after Ethan had responded to his ultimatum to meet him in town after he'd held her hostage.
"Then you really need a guard dog."
She looked up and saw a man on horseback approach and she saw that it was Ethan. He must have gotten off his work early. Things had been quiet in town despite the petty crimes and Dakota was more than capable of handling the watch.
He slid off his horse and walked up to her after tying the reins loosely.
"Hi there…"
She smiled at him.
"I see you're early."
"Dakota's riding around now to make sure everything's quiet and Clancy's helping him."
She knew that Clancy never backed away from a request to help out with the marshaling and Ethan had grown to trust him. He slid his arms around her and drew her close kissing her softly on the mouth. The laughter of his nephews attracted their attention afterward and Ethan just shook his head.
"Guess we'll be getting a dog."
She stroked his face.
"It'll work out and besides they'll be good for the ranch."
He grinned.
"It'll probably be better at it than I ever will be."
They walked together to join Bella inside the house.
The dinner was delicious and everyone ate all of it leaving nothing left over before the musicians came out and people started dancing. Amelia and Ethan took to the impromptu floor and fell naturally back into it. Ethan really wasn't that bad of a dancer and she enjoyed the way he held her as they remembered the steps.
Claire had tried teaching Joseph to dance but he wasn't having any part of it. He'd ridden to the ranch arriving just in time for dinner after spending time with Doc Carter on a patient.
"No need to be dancing," he said, "Too much else to do."
He'd been working very hard, more so than he'd done with anything so far in his life and Amelia knew he wanted to follow in Doc Carter's footsteps someday. The pay wasn't much but it'd help him save up for college eventually and Doc Carter had promised to help sponsor him. Maybe the ladies' auxiliary could do some fundraising for Joseph's education too if he agreed to come back afterward and treat patients here for a while.
She remembered the days when the town's barber had been the closest thing to a doctor…except John Taylor. He'd saved her life when she'd needed a bullet wound treated that the barber wouldn't dare touch. Ethan had sent Joseph out to fetch him even as the marshal at the time was hauling him to jail for shooting her accidently. She hadn't known that until they told her sometime afterward, her sole thought had been on protecting George and when she learned the truth, she hadn't held it against him.
Now their bodies fit together nicely as they danced first more lively and then it slowed down and she looked up into his face. She remembered what it'd been like before she'd left, before their engagement had gone bust.
"This is nice…"
The music had stopped and he led her off the floor to get something to drink. They went and sat together on the porch steps watching everyone else.
"Yes…I really enjoyed it…I forgot how good it felt."
He took one of her hands in his own and she liked the strength of his grip, the warmth of his skin. She leaned slightly towards him.
"You think you're ready to try it again?"
She paused for a long moment. Her heart leapt when he'd asked his question but she still felt so unsure of everything. Not her feelings for him but their future together. She didn't even know what her own future held right now.
"You don't have to answer right now."
She sighed.
"I don't know right now," she said, "A lot happened even before I left town…and I'm really trying hard to put what happened in San Francisco behind me."
He wrapped his other hand around her hand that was already in his grasp.
"There's no rush Amelia," he said, "I'm a patient man."
She arched her brows.
"Are you…I might really test that…but I have to trust myself."
He smiled.
"Amelia I'm willing to wait however long it takes. I'm not going anywhere."
She sighed looking ahead at the party.
"I don't know what Ernie's really doing here," she said, "I thought it was to do a story on Bella but he seems more interested in Warrick and his murder."
"He must know that Daggett and his gang didn't do it."
"He acted like I was responsible."
He looked at her, coaxing a tendril of hair off of her face.
"You're not…but whoever killed him is out there somewhere."
She nodded, fully knowing that and she'd been looking over her shoulder more than she'd admit but the men hadn't come looking for her so far at least not that she was aware.
In town, Martha worked in her office after her father had left the building to get some dinner at the saloon. She still had some planning to do for Founder's Day and then she'd join him. She had questioned him about Ethan's concern about the security men and her father had said all the right things. She'd figured they were not the way that the marshal had tried to paint them.
She heard footsteps in her office and then Ernie poked his head in the doorway.
"May I ask you several questions?"
She sighed in exasperation and just shot him an annoyed look.
"I already answered your questions," she said, "I can't believe that you're still poking around. Weren't you supposed to be writing about that outlaw woman?"
He nodded.
"The story's changed somewhat. I'm interested in finding out who killed that gentleman…"
"You mean Warrick right, well I fail to see what that has to do with what's happening here in Paradise a long distance away."
"You know that the only witness to the murder lives in this town," he said, "That's Amelia…"
"I know that and I know that you talked to her and that Bella Rogers kicked you off her ranch."
He looked rueful.
"She didn't like how I was questioning Amelia but I had to find out the truth," he said, "That's my job.
She folded her arms.
"But what does that have to do with me and my father? What we have planned has nothing to do with it."
"I know that but didn't your father hire security men from San Francisco?"
She felt herself losing patience with him.
"Yes but like I said, he checked them out ahead of time…they worked for some of the most influential people in that city. They would never have anything to do with anything so sordid."
"You sure about that?"
Now she wanted to kick him out of her office. But right then Buster walked into the room.