The next morning, Lexi comes awake in great pain because she rolled over onto her right shoulder in her sleep. Even though it is early, she knows she won't be going back to sleep because of the pain. Getting ready for the day takes longer due to her injury. This is definitely one of those time she believes it would be better to be a man because at least they don't have to wear corsets and the other folderol and fripperies that women do!
Lexi realizes that she forgot to give Gabriel her gun to keep in the Mountie office. She doesn't want to take the risk of one of the children finding it and treating it like a toy. She puts the gun in her left skirt pocket after she removes the bullets from it. No sense in leaving it loaded or putting extra bullets in her left skirt pocket since she won't be firing the gun until Nurse Maggie clears her to start target practice with her left hand.
Once she is dressed, she makes her bed and leaves her room, closing the door. She stops by the boys' room to check on Simon expecting them all to still be asleep considering how early it is. However, when she peers into the room, Simon is missing from his bed.
Lexi descends the stairs as quickly as she dares, and sees Eleanor in the kitchen. She runs into the kitchen and asks if she has seen Simon. Eleanor answers that she hasn't, so Lexi checks the back door and sees that it is still locked. Then she runs to the front door and finds it unlocked. Just then, Lillian comes down the stairs and sees the frantic look on Lexi's face.
Lillian asks, "Lexi, what is wrong? Is Simon upset? I didn't see him upstairs."
Lexi cries, "Simon is missing! Unless you left the front door unlocked last night, I think he ran away!"
Just then, Vincent enters the living room. Lillian turns to him and says, "Please go tell Mountie Gabriel that we believe Simon has run away!" To Lexi she says, "I am going out looking on Benson. Since you cannot get on a horse, then maybe you should stay here and wait for Gabriel and Marcus."
Lexi exclaims, "No! I am responsible for that little boy! I will look for him on foot. Since he is small, I will better be able to look in little hidey-holes he can get in if I am on foot!"
Vincent runs toward town to get the Mounties while Lillian saddles Benson and heads out trying to cover as much ground as possible. Lexi follows what looks like the broken-up footprints of a little boy. Since the snow had been melting, it is a little harder to discern footprints. After about thirty minutes of looking, Lexi was really getting more and more worried that Simon could have met a predator like a bear or mountain lion. She increased her speed and kept yelling for Simon. About five minutes later, she hears something that sounded like a child crying. She follows the sound and discovers little Simon sitting on a log crying. Before sitting beside the boy, Lexi yells out, "I FOUND HIM!" Lexi sits next to Simon and cuddles him into her left side while enclosing him in the shawl Lillian gave her before she left the house.
Simon sniffles and tells her, that he tried to run away because he thought the Sgt. was going to make him go back to his uncle. He got out of the house this morning, but when he passed the same log three times he gave up. He tells her that once he decided to stop, he hoped she would find him especially since he was so cold.
Just then, they hear crashing through the underbrush of two horses coming their way. Seconds later, both Gabriel and Marcus appear on their mounts. The men dismount and lead their horses over to where Simon and Lexi are sitting. Lexi explains that Simon must have heard at least part of their conversation last night because he was scared that Sgt. Oakley was going to send him back to his uncle.
Gabriel crouches down in front of Simon and explains that they will all do their best to protect him from anyone who tries to hurt him. Then he asks, "Do you want to ride with me? I can get you back to the orphanage to a hot bath and maybe some hot chocolate. Miss Lexi can ride with Mountie Marcus." Simon shyly nodded.
Lexi counters, "How is that going to work? I need two good arms to mount a horse, and I only have one." No sooner does she complete her sentence; she feels Marcus grab her at the waist and pick her up. Next thing she knows, she is sitting sideways on Marcus's horse, Tenacious. Marcus waits for Gabriel to mount Apollo then he hands Simon up to him. Once Simon is happily settled in front of Gabriel, Marcus vaults up behind Lexi and gives her a grin before the Mounties set off for the orphanage with their passengers.
Once they reach the orphanage, Gabriel quickly dismounts and carries Simon straight into the kitchen where a hot bath is waiting for him. Marcus dismounts then helps Lexi to the ground. She mutters her thanks as she runs inside to check on Simon. This left Marcus to loop the reins of both horses over the railing of the front porch before following her. As Marcus enters the home, he finds the other children sitting in the dining room eating breakfast. Miss Eleanor brings in a plate full of eggs, bacon, and toast along with a cup of hot coffee and tells Marcus to sit down and dig in. Gabriel and Lillian walk in behind her carrying their own plates and cups to join the children for breakfast.
After breakfast, Lillian escorts all of the children but Simon to school. Marcus rides to the Mountie office to meet Sgt. Oakley to direct him to the orphanage and to help load the bodies of the bandits in the transport wagon. Once Simon was warm and fed, Gabriel explains some of the questions Sgt. Oakley would be asking him.
While snuggling next to Lexi's left side, Simon asks, "Can I just stay here or with Miss Lexi? I feel safe here. I heard my uncle tell my aunt that he just wants me to stay with them so he can have the money from my daddy's work. He says I am a bad boy, and that's why I have no parents." Lexi holds Simon a little tighter and looks over at Gabriel with fire in her eyes. Just then, Gabriel spies Sgt. Oakley ride up outside the orphanage. He gestures to Lexi that he is going outside, and Lexi nods.