Jesse Bannister stayed in Cactus Flats for about a week before returning home, but did not visit Emma again. He'd done what Angel Eyes had asked, but otherwise preferred to stay out of his business. But he felt sorry for the little boy his friend had so carelessly sired, though he was reasonably confident he'd do the best he could for him.

Once he got home, it was a few hours before he could tell Angel Eyes about his visit with Emma. He knew his friend would want to talk about the matter privately, so he had to wait until Anna was busy with something where she wouldn't be able to hear them talking.

"So, how did it go in Cactus Flats" Angel Eyes asked as soon as Anna had gone into the back yard to hang the laundry. "Did you see my boy?" He lit his pipe and leaned back in his chair as he waited for his friend's response.

"It went about as well as could be expected," Jesse reported. "Emma was naturally concerned about why you'd been gone so long without sending any word, but was relieved you were alive." After taking a sip of coffee, he added. "And yes, I saw your boy. Once he knew I was your friend, he wanted to know when you'd be coming back. He misses you. And he loved that wooden horse. He thought you'd sent it and called it 'Daddy's horsey,'"

After a long pause and a couple of puffs on his pipe, the other man finally asked, "And Emma? Was she very upset? Wanting me to come back right away?"

"Once she knew you were alive and recovering, she didn't seem to be very concerned about you for her own sake," Jesse replied. "Her main concern was how your absence was affecting your son. As for herself, she seemed to be managing just nicely."

He didn't mention finding the doctor there, who seemed right at home with her, just as he'd not let her know about Anna. It was between the two of them to work it out.

Angel Eyes was both relieved and a bit miffed. His ego had expected Emma to be pining for him, but recognized this might make it easier for him to tell Emma about Anna and to move on with his life.

Two weeks later, he left to do the first job he'd been hired for since being shot. He was reluctant to leave Anna, so soon after they'd fallen in love, but she reassured him she'd be patiently waiting for him when he returned.

Fortunately, the job had been a routine one with no complications, just the way he liked it. It also had been in the opposite direction from his previous job, so there would be no nosey sheriff connecting the dots.

After the job was completed, he headed toward Cactus Flats . He looked forward to seeing Lee, who'd probably grown like a beanstalk since he'd last been home. He didn't eagerly anticipate seeing Emma, expecting her to plead with him to remain with her. He couldn't deal with emotional manipulation, but he didn't want to hurt her, either. If they'd not had a child together, moving on would have been a lot easier, he would have simply disappeared completely from her life. It was too late to think about that now though.

About halfway to Cactus Flats, Angel Eyes came to a small town and decided to spend the night there. He was far enough away from where he'd done the job, so it was reasonably safe for him to do so. The horse could use a night's rest and he could do with a steak dinner and a good night's sleep before having to deal with Emma.

He checked in at the hotel after getting his horse squared away at the livery, then napped for two hours before going to eat. The food was excellent and he decided to take a walk around town after finishing his meal.

Being nearly out of pipe tobacco, he went to the town mercantile to restock his supply. It was Saturday, so the store was busy when he went in. As in most rural small towns, the mercantile was filled with farm families, who could shop on no other day.

Knowing there was nothing for it, he browsed around the store as he waited to get a clerk's attention. In the hat section, he noticed a boy's hat that was a near replica of his own. He decided to buy it for Lee, figuring if it was too big for him now, he'd soon be able to wear it. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, a hint of a smile came to him as he imagined the look on the boy's face when he gave it to him.

Moving along, he saw a table with a display of toys. Looking briefly at the selection he chose a small metal top. Lee would like this, too, he thought. Snatching it up, he took it to the counter, ready to get out of the store. A farmer in dirty work clothes reached the counter the same time as he did. Curling his lip at the sodbuster, he turned his attention to the clerk, who sensibly chose to wait on him first.

"I'll take two bags of pipe tobacco to go with this stuff," he told the clerk as he totalled his purchases. Five minutes later, he was back out on the street. After putting the stuff he bought in his room, he went to the nearby saloon to relax for a few hours. He didn't want to think about Emma right now, and figured getting a bit numb would help.

Two hours later, he went back to his room and slept soundly, his thoughts untroubled.

The next morning, he got a late start, but was finally on the road by ten. He'd had a good breakfast, and had taken a few extra biscuits to eat on the road. The weather was perfect for riding, neither too hot nor too cold, nor too windy.

As the miles went by, Angel Eyes imagined different scenarios that might occur when he finally saw Emma. He worked out what he might say to her to make her accept the inevitability of the situation with a minimum of fuss and drama.

He was going to do what he wanted to do, no matter what, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain for Emma. She'd been good to him and given him a son, so it was to the benefit of all three of them that he continue to get along with her. He would be coming to visit his son as often as was practical for him, so they needed to have a reasonably friendly relationship.

He arrived at the house from the back way, not going through town first. No one was out in the yard when he rode up, so he just went into the barn to tend to the horse before going inside the house. He gathered up his saddlebags and the gifts for Lee and went in the side door.

He found Emma sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. At the sound of the door closing, she looked up to see Angel Eyes standing in front of her.

"Oh, it's you."