The night had brought not only a lack of sleep, but strange dreams the few times he dozed off, so it was no surprise that Nathan was groggy as he rolled out of bed the next morning. An extra cup of coffee would have to help him get through until lunchtime.
Watching as Allie left for school, Nathan went back to his room to retrieve the letter, sliding it into his pocket prior to leaving the house.
Now he had some investigating to do.
His walk to town was slower than normal due to his lack of rest overnight, but he was there shortly and headed to the infirmary.
Entering the building, Nathan was surprised to hear two voices coming from the examining room, one sounding suspiciously like Lucas's. "Faith? It's Nathan," he called out.
"Come on back," Lucas answered, bringing Nathan to the room where he saw Lucas sitting on a table being checked over by Faith.
"Everything alright?"
"I had a little accident while decorating at the saloon, a minor cut," Lucas replied.
"I'll need to stitch this up, should only need about 5 sutures, I think. Did you need something, Nathan?" Faith turned to get her supplies and glanced in his direction.
"No. I had a question for you, but it will keep. Take care of yourself, Lucas."
As he turned to leave, Lucas and Faith looked at each other. "What do you suppose that was about?" she asked.
"I don't know Nathan well enough to venture a guess," Lucas answered.
"Alright, let's get this over with."
###
Removing his hat as he entered the barber shop, Nathan sat down when he saw Fiona was busy styling Mei's hair.
"Oh, hi Nathan," Fiona said brightly. "Need a haircut?" Mei smiled and nodded in his direction.
"Hi, ladies. Maybe just a trim. I don't mind waiting."
"It will be a few moments."
Nathan watched as Fiona arranged the other woman's hair and had a thought. "That's a nice style. Are you meeting someone special for dinner tonight?"
"I certainly am."
"Really? Who's the lucky guy?" he asked curiously.
"Actually, there is no guy. I'm going out with Faith and Fiona tonight. We are meeting at the saloon."
"Oh? That sounds like fun. Uh... Fiona, I forgot I have an appointment. I'll have to come back for that trim. See you both later," he sputtered out as he stood and left quickly.
Fiona and Mei watched him leave and then looked at each other and shrugged.
###
"Hey Bill." Nathan walked into the jail to find the judge sitting at his desk.
"What's wrong with you? Lose your best friend?"
"Someone put a letter on my porch last night."
"Oh?" Bill said starting to smile. "From a lady?"
"I don't know. It wasn't signed."
"A secret admirer? Well, what did it say?" Bill's voice welled with excitement.
"Read it for yourself." The words were followed by Nathan laying an envelope on the desk. Bill picked it up and opened it, a big smile on his face. As soon as he read the words, his expression turned serious.
"That's it? Nothing else? Just the one line?"
"That's all that was in the envelope. I thought perhaps it might be from Faith or Mei, but it seems they have plans for the evening. Fiona too. I don't know who else might have written it... since it's signed with a heart."
"I see." Bill's words were clipped, his countenance solemn.
"What aren't you saying, Bill?"
"My hope is that you have simply caught the eye of a shy young woman about town. But there is a possibility that it could be someone with malicious intent."
"Yeah," Nathan snickered, rolling his eyes. "Because all outlaws sign their notes with a heart."
"I'm sure it's harmless, but I will feel better if I follow you to make sure everything is on the up and up. You put on your best suit, and I'll cover you. Once I see everything is okay, I'll go back home."
"If you're concerned, I should bring my firearm also," Nathan added.
"On a date? I'm certain I'm overreacting and shouldn't have made you nervous, but I'm a worrywart. Nathan, I don't believe this is anything other than what it appears to be, but I want to be cautious. I'll stay out of sight unless I'm needed. She'll never see me. It's all kind of romantic, isn't it?" Bill's smile was enough to soothe Nathan's anxiety.
Exhaling loudly, Nathan chuckled and threw up his hands. "Okay. I'll get dressed up to meet my secret admirer who could be an outlaw. What could go wrong?"
