Martha looked up at Buster and then back over at Ernie. She didn't want to say or do anything that would get Ernie going after it like an attack dog. She really didn't know anything about what had happened but she knew that if Ernie was here, he must be up to something.

Had he lied about doing a story on Bella Rogers? After all that's what he had said he was going to do. But he'd spent so little time with the notorious outlaw, much too little if she were the subject of the story. Yes, he had to add interviews with people who knew her but he spent all his time with other people and he'd spent some of it with Amelia. Asking questions in a way that got him kicked off of Bella's ranch. There must definitely be something to that. She knew that Amelia had witnessed the murder of that Warrick person but what did that have to do with Paradise and what she and her father were trying to here.

Paradise would wither up and die, for real this time if she and her father hadn't shown up to save it. Doing so would help the town and its people and it would add to her father's business empire. He's already been a success when he arrived here but fulfilling his plans for this town would elevate him to greater heights. But now Ernie had been asking so many questions of different people and Buster had shown up in her office with what looked like unsettling news. She knew that by looking at his face.

"What is it?"

Buster sighed, taking in that the reporter was in the room with them.

"You want him to stay?"

Martha looked over at Ernie.

"Maybe you'd better leave us alone."

Ernie didn't seem eager to go but when they remained silent, he finally walked out of the room.

"Good riddance," she said, "He's asking so many questions."

"Then he'd better not find out about what just happened."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Trevor and Burke just caught a vandal," he said, "He's in jail not saying nothing but he's got beat up."

"By the men…?"

Buster nodded.

"He wasn't caught in the act but he was in the vicinity," Buster said, "It had to be him. He complained and struggled with them and they had to get rough. It's what the merchants wanted, for the people hitting their shops to be stopped."

Martha knew that from the meetings but how badly was this person beaten up? She didn't want to ask. When her father found out about it, he'd handle it.

"Where's Ethan…why didn't he handle it?"

"He's at Bella Roger's ranch having dinner with his children," Buster said, "Dakota's in the saloon losing at poker. What Trevor and Burke had to do was unavoidable."

Martha just sighed.

"Is he badly hurt? Will he need Doc Carter?"

Buster shook his head.

"He'll sleep it off," he said, "and the marshal can decide what to do with him tomorrow."

Martha thought that would work as she had more work to do before she headed out home. She hoped that Ethan would return to town so she could see him and the news that he'd been out at Bella's ranch didn't please her. They had been getting closer the way that she wanted until Bella had arrived…or rather Amelia his ex-fiancée had also come back.

He had been spending quite a bit of time at Bella's ranch since then. She'd been so busy with working with her father and on the planning for Founder's Day she hadn't paid much attention. She hadn't thought that he'd want to rekindle anything with her since they had broken off their engagement before she left.

Only when she'd eaten lunch with both of them, they seemed more interested in each other than in the planning session for the upcoming celebration.

"I think Ethan will handle it just fine," Martha said, "until he's picked up to go to trial on it in front of the circuit judge."

"That'll be a while," Buster said, "the cases are backing up."

"We can't concern ourselves about that," Martha said, "We can only be concerned about improving the town and we're heading in the right direction."

"Even if the marshal doesn't want us here," Buster said, "He's made that clear to us."

Martha shrugged.

"He'll get over it when he realizes that you're a great asset to him in keeping the peace in this town."

She didn't really know when that would happen but she knew it would happen. Ethan would just have to realize it was what the businessmen wanted. Buster moved to the door.

"I have to go back out to the saloon," he said, "I'll see if Dakota's still there and talk with him."

She nodded and he left the office.

Amelia and Ethan walked a bit before he'd head back to load the children on the wagon and take them home. She'd linked her arm with his and they'd gone to look at the horses grazing in the pastures under the moonlight.

"They sure are looking nice…you should get a good price for them."

Amelia knew that the horses had thrived since they'd been turned out to graze. She and Bella had talked about selling some of them as stock horses and some ranchers had expressed interest in them.

"We hope…put a lot of work into them," she said, "We picked up most of them on a sale a couple days outside of San Francisco."

He'd remembered the night they had just ridden them into town, down the main street while he and others had watched.

"Ben and George can't wait to pick up their horse."

She smiled.

"It's a nice one and coming along nicely...Clara's very good with him."

"They also still want a puppy."

She chuckled.

"I told you it'd be a good guard dog."

He slid his arm around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. It felt good to be back with him like this just spending time together and not thinking much about the future. Maybe he was thinking about it but she just couldn't think that far ahead.

"You got to head on back soon," she said, "It's getting late and the children have school tomorrow."

"Claire reminded me of that," he said, "I…the children and I had a very good time…"

She smiled.

"I did too and your dancing…have you been practicing?"

"No…just gotten more careful where I put my feet," he said, "What about you…?"

"I did a little bit," she said, "I spent some time in Reno and ran into an old friend. He's married to a nice woman and they own a ranch. They threw a party like this one and invited me. I had a great time…I was still feeling upset from leaving Paradise…and you but that's when I realized how much I'd needed to get away."

She saw his face change.

"No…not from you…I don't think it was ever about you. I just needed to go out in the world and do the things I'd always wanted to do on my own. I got married so young Ethan and then I was a wife…and then a wife whose husband took off on her…then it was about surviving with the only thing I had left which was the bank."

He squeezed his arm around her waist remembering what it'd been like in those days. She'd closed herself off from everything but the bank and he hadn't realized at the time how much Pierce's leaving had hurt her.

"Nothing wrong with that," he said, "I'd already seen most of the world I wanted to see."

They started to walk back where Claire was waiting with Ben and George sitting in the wagon. But they stopped before they reached their and he took his hands firmly in his own, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her on the mouth and she responded.

He traced her mouth with his fingers when they let go and then got into the wagon with the children to head back home.

She watched them leave and Bella walked up to her.

"I told you he knows what he wants."

Amelia sighed.

"I know…I just hope that I can make this work."

"You trust him don't you?"

Amelia nodded.

"You don't trust yourself?"

Amelia looked at her hands.

"I don't know myself…what I've become."

Bella smiled at her.

"Oh yes you do," she said, "I know it's been very hard Amelia but he's the man you love and why you came back here."

Amelia knew it too but she had many doubts and none of them involved how she felt about him. But she was trying to work through them and not knowing how to do it. A part of her felt so isolated from everyone else including the people she'd known.

She had to find a way to change that.

Dakota had left the saloon after losing a couple more hands of poker and headed towards the office. He ran into two of the armed security, Burke and Trevor who were standing near the doorway.

"What's going on here?"

"We handed off a man that we caught vandalizing one of the businesses to Charlie."

Dakota frowned.

"Who is he?"

"Wouldn't say of course…but we'll look at the posters tomorrow, see if there's a match."

Dakota shrugged.

"Probably won't be," he said, walking inside.

He saw the young man in the cell lying on the cot, seemingly asleep.

"How long's he been like that?"

Charlie shrugged.

"Not long after he came in," he said, "He was banged up a bit but he settled on down once he knew he'd be in at least a night."

They both walked away from the cell and Dakota started to leave.

"You turning in for the night," Charlie asked.

Dakota nodded.

"Quiet night here except at the saloon," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow…"

Charlie nodded and Dakota left the office, walking right past Burke and Trevor who still stood there watching him go.