Hope Valley no longer existing? Hope Valley is now Copper Valley? Impossible! Lucas found himself leaning forward in the wagon, silently urging the horses to go faster. He scoffed at himself. Even though he wished he had never come to Hope Valley it was still his home...for now. Once he got back to town (and confirmed it was still called Hope Valley), he'd go straight to his office and sign the papers Wyman Walden had delivered the day before. Lucas had put off signing them in the hopes that Elizabeth might come to talk to him before school started or maybe she would leave him a note in the library. But the morning had come and no visit from Elizabeth. After Lucas had heard the clear peeling of the new school bell, he had gone to the library under the guise to make sure everything was in order. In his heart, Lucas knew he was really checking to see if she had left a card, a letter, a note, anything to give an indication of her true feelings for him. Lucas had spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon coming to the slow realization that Elizabeth's silence was perhaps her upper-class, Hamilton upbringing way of saying "No." Finally, the town's water tower came into view. Welcome to Copper Valley. Lucas blinked to briefly relax his tired eyes. Maybe he was more exhausted than he thought, but when he looked at the sign again the strange name was still there. He shook his head, vigorously rubbed his eyes with his hands, no matter what he did the sign did not change. "Sam, what does that sign say?" Lucas asked his peculiar friend seated next to him. "Welcome to Copper Valley," Sam confirmed. As they rode closer to the center of town, Lucas let out a humorless chuckle. "Alright, who did you get to change the sign? Was it Robert?" Lucas remembered Robert saying he was trying to work as many jobs as possible to earn money for a horse. But somehow Lucas could not see Robert stooping to a job that would meddle with town property. "I didn't have anything to do with that sign. This really is Copper Valley." Sam told Lucas, pure honesty shining from his eyes. "Makes sense since this area is rich in copper deposits." Lucas decided to not press the issue any further with the mysterious peddler. As soon as they arrived back at the saloon, this short, but bizarre, adventure would be over and he could sign the papers and officially turn the Queen of Hearts over to Mr. Walden. He decided to let Sam have his fun...for the moment. The wagon rolled into town, almost passing the Queen of Hearts. "Stop!" Lucas instructed Sam in a voice louder than he normally gave directions. "This is where my ride ends." Sam looked at Lucas, bewildered. "Why do you want to stop here?" "Because this is my establishment and I have business to attend to in my office." He gave Sam a brief reply due to common courtesy, but nothing more. "You sure about that, young man?" Sam inquired, lifting his gaze to the sign above them. Instead of the brown Queen of Hearts sign that had been hanging outside his saloon for the past several years, a black sign was hanging with the words "The Painted Belle" on it. Now the prank had gone too far! Lucas' lips formed a thin line as he struggled to maintain his composure. He had worked so hard to create a welcoming and wholesome environment where anyone in the town could come and enjoy either some clean entertainment in a game of cards, or a delicious gourmet meal. While there were rooms upstairs that made it more of a hotel, Lucas conducted all his business with a strict code of morality. And he would tolerate nothing less from either his patrons or employees. This new sign was smuggly rubbing the immorality it represented in the face of all who passed by. Lucas jumped down from the wagon seat, determined to find out who were the ones behind these offensive changes. He did not look back to see if Sam followed or not, he was too upset to care at the moment. Whoever this prankster was, they were going to learn that while Lucas was a patient and peace-loving man with a sense of humor, they had pushed him too far! Without feeling the slightest bit of hesitation, Lucas grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open, disgusted by the sight that greeted him. There was an overwhelming amount of scarlet satin and velvet along with an obscene layer of cigar smoke filling the room. Everyone and everything in the room delighted in being tawdry. Lucas battled the nausea threatening to rise in his throat. A middle-aged man with graying hair and cunning ivy colored eyes approached. "Can I get a table for you gentlemen? Or are there other entertainments you're interested in?" The man's voice oozed with slippery charm. A conniving businessman who would say anything he thought a potential client would want to hear. At the sound of the door closing behind him, Lucas noticed Sam had followed him inside. A few moments ago, Lucas had been frustrated with the odd peddler, but now he was thankful to have a friend, albeit a new one, standing beside him. Not allowing his eyes to stray to the left or to the right, Lucas questioned the man in front of him, "Who are you and what have you done to my establishment?" His voice edged with steel. The man's eyes narrowed slightly, reminding Lucas of a snake. "You must mean my establishment. And the name is Wyman Walden." He extended his hand to Lucas in a gesture of friendly greeting, but Lucas was not fooled. The man was quicksand. Lucas kept his hands fixed at his sides. "How long has it been under your proprietorship?" He would glean all the information he could from Walden and then he would approach either Bill or Nathan to check its validity. Wyman retracted his hand, chuckling softly. "Not that it's any of your business, but I've owned this business for almost two years. It's the oldest of my businesses here," he said with a note of pride at his small empire. Oh, dear God! Please don't tell me this man has multiple holdings here in town. Lucas shuddered inside at the thought while maintaining his best poker face on the exterior. "Fascinating. Because I remember purchasing this business over two and a half years ago." Lucas subtly emphasized how he had purchased the saloon more than six months prior to Wyman's claim. "I have the receipt for the bill of sale in my office, if you care to inspect it. But the town was very relieved to sell this saloon after what happened with the previous owners." Wyman rocked back on his heels in smug victory. "Previous owners? The saloon has never had joint owners at one time." Lucas was feeling a headache quickly approaching from going in mental circles with this unscrupulous man. "Ah but it did. A Mr. Avery and a Mr. Gowan I believe. And now if you'll excuse me, I must attend to some business." Wyman walked away, leaving Lucas and Sam to show themselves to the door. Never in his life had Lucas been so happy to be dismissed. He opened the door and gestured for Sam to precede him and then walked out, firmly closing the door behind him. Walking a few paces towards the street, Lucas inhaled and exhaled deeply before turning to face Sam. "That was one of the most bizarre conversations I've had in my life. What is going on?" Sam gave a little shrug of his shoulders. "Don't you remember your wish, Lucas? Well, your wish has been granted. You get to see what Hope Valley would be like if you'd never come here." Lucas stared back in confused silence, not quite sure what to do or say next. He ran a hand through his thick, dark hair as he surveyed the activity on the main street. The town certainly did not look frumpy or run-down, but rather it was too garish looking, too flashy. It didn't have the small-town appeal that had attracted Lucas all those months ago. Turning to his right, Lucas noticed a familiar sight. Something he had never been so relieved to see. So relieved that he started sprinting down the street.