Amelia knew when she saw Ethan ride up to her he's had some words for her. But she'd prepared for that because she wasn't going to stay cooped up in that cabin in the mountains a moment longer. She had recovered enough to go back to the ranch with Bella riding alongside her and she felt better back on home turf.
He got off his horse and tied it loosely to the corral post and walked towards her. She thought he might speak first but he slid his arms around her waist pulling her close to him. He kissed her on the mouth and she just inhaled his scent feeling so much better that he was here right now.
Even if it meant he was cross with her. After he broke off the kiss to take in the sight of her, she felt compelled to say something.
"Ethan…I know what you're going to say but I just couldn't stay," she said, "Virgil's a loner and I'm sure he'll be happy to have his solitude back."
He sighed, stroking her back with his hands while gazing at her.
"Amelia…you're safer there."
"From what," she said, "I told you it was an accident."
He paused.
"I know better," he said, "Why won't you tell me what really happened?"
She furrowed her brow.
"Look Ethan…whatever happened, I'm fine now and I'm not doing any hard work just helping do the books…Claire's inside and the boys are chasing the pups around."
"Who tried to hurt you?"
She looked away from him for a moment and her body tensed underneath his touch. But she didn't say anything and he knew she wouldn't, he didn't know why. He had his suspicions but until she told him he couldn't act on them.
"Why don't we go inside," she said, "Rosie's got some stew on the stove and I think there are some leftover cookies."
He went inside the main house with her and Claire smiled up from where she sat at the table with ledgers stacked in front of her. Rosie invited them in the kitchen to get some stew to eat and it smelled delicious so all of them did that and added some freshly baked bread just out of the oven. They went back to the table to eat and Bella joined them.
"I just came back from talking to Wayne who owns the spread next to us," she said, "he's interested in looking at some of the yearlings if they're for sale."
"Of course they are," Amelia said, "and both Clara and Dorothy have done great work with them."
She'd been instructing them on how to handle them, to train them so they could be broken to saddle when they were older. But the two women learned quickly and had been doing very well so far. Amelia wasn't surprised that Wayne wanted some of the horses. They were bred well for working on a ranch and the work had already been started.
Bella smiled.
"He's got a couple in mind already," she said, "The sorrel filly and the bay colt with the two white socks."
Amelia nodded thinking those to be appropriate choices.
"Clara and Dorothy will work them in the morning," she said, "He can drop by then to take a look. Maybe run them through the paces himself."
Ethan listened with interest.
"I've been thinking about buying that bay colt out in the paddock now," he said, "in addition to the other one for the boys."
Amelia brightened up.
"That'll be good," she said, "that colt's doing well in his training with Carla."
It seemed that their horse operation was up and running already as they had hoped when they first came up with the idea to raise and sell horses on their own spread. Soon enough they'd increase the mares they'd breed to some of the neighbors' cutting horses.
"Nobody's been bothering us for a while," Bella said.
Amelia sighed.
"They're too busy talking about what happened to Walton and how much he deserved it."
Ethan heard the resignation in her voice and knew it came from some place deep inside of her.
"He didn't deserve it," he said, "but I'm not getting anywhere on this investigation until someone steps forward who saw something."
Bella shrugged.
"No one will…his life isn't worth their safety," she said, "Those men…who did this, they'll stop at nothing to cover their tracks. The smart people know that…the others will find out soon enough that having killers in their midst makes everyone unsafe."
Ethan couldn't argue with that.
"Dakota, Charlie and I are asking everybody," he said, "but so far…nothing. We talked to Burke one of the men and he was called away by his boss before he could say anything."
"He's not going to say anything," Amelia said, "he'll remain quiet as long as Darrin keeps paying him."
Ethan figured he probably got bonuses for what he and Trevor had done that night, roughing the guy up before even delivering him to Charlie and Dakota in the office. But he had no proof of that though he might follow up with the bank to see if any transfers were made…then again he remembered who now owned and ran the bank.
"I know it's hard Ethan but you have to keep after him," Bella said, "These lawmen are covering up and trying to take over your job and get paid for it at the same time."
"We can't stop what Darrin's doing even though I know it's a racket."
Bella chuckled.
"It's more than that and you know it," she said, "How much you want to bet his men are doing these crimes?"
Ethan had his own suspicions so he wasn't taking that bet. Amelia got up to take the dishes to the basin to rinse them. She had her own way of dealing with the man who had murdered Walton…she just needed to wait for a good time to put her plan in action.
The sun set and Ethan knew that he should gather up the children on the wagon and head on out back to their house but he felt himself not willing to leave just yet. Amelia had washed up the dishes with Rosie and while the others had moved to the living area of the house, she had walked outside towards the corral just standing there watching the young horses inside of it.
He knew because he had followed her out there and he watched her for a bit before heading on over. She didn't look his way as she approached. Not turning her head away from the horses until he stood next to her close enough so their shoulders brushed.
"When you going to talk about it?"
She frowned as she looked at him for the first time.
"Talk about what?"
"Tell me what's going on here," he said, "What you're holding back from me."
She felt irritation fill her like it did anytime he hit the mark on something she kept hidden away. Damn the man for being so perceptive…it made him a great marshal but it unnerved her sometimes. Not that she made it a practice to lie to him or anyone but every time she thought about telling him…she stopped herself. Imagining that he might not be able to get the upper hand on the men ruthless enough to kill two men hundreds of miles apart…and that he'd pay the price. Daggett had occupied the minds of Ethan and the deputy marshals a lot but they had dangerous men in their midst.
One of them had killed Warrick.
She'd flinch at the memory of his name and the images attached to it if Ethan hadn't been so close to her. She didn't want him to know about the connection she'd made between the two killings. She'd known that Burke had picked up on it somehow and that's why he'd tried to kill her out in the woods, far away from Paradise. If he'd succeeded, it might have taken days to find her body.
That had been the plan hastily thought up on the spot when they met eyes for the first time since…that awful time back in San Francisco. After all, he'd done more than kill a man; he'd tried to kill her soul because her no good husband had angered him and his partner.
"Amelia…you know you can tell me anything."
She glanced over at him.
"I told you everything," she said, "It's not easy you know."
He slid his arm around her drawing her closer to him.
"I know…but if there's something going on here, I wish you'd tell me."
A part of her wanted to tell him everything but the stronger part of herself took over and she kept her silence. For him to get hurt or killed as a result of learning the truth was more than she could bear. She could live with what happened to her but if anything happened to him…she didn't even want to think about it.
Tomorrow she'd go to town and face off with Burke and one way or another, she'd get him out of their lives.