Yesterday afternoon had given Christine the most awful shock of her life when she had seen her husband lying there injured, it had taken all her strength and poise to regain her composure and focus so that she could help Faith do her job and help Peter in his hour of need. She had watched him lying there ever so peaceful and he was ever so handsome just like when she had first met him and all the memories came flooding back. She had known that he was coming and she had expected him just to step out of the cab and they would have the tearful reunion that she was expecting. Faith had never expected Christine to go home afterwards by any means so she had left them together in the night and she knew that Christine had wanted to be there when he woke up even if it wasn't until morning. She hadn't anticipated that she would fall asleep herself but it happened as she had sat with him on the bed well into the night.

She had slept right through and, as she stirred a little at first light, she realised how uncomfortable she felt as she had spent most of the night right on the edge of the bed. She too felt thirsty and soon she started to open her eyes and try to focus without rubbing them and, after blinking them a few times she saw Peter, her long lost husband staring straight at her in the early morning. He had spent most of the early hours unconvinced, still thinking that it was all a dream but it was strange how he could feel her up against him. She gasped and said nothing and then she just wrapped her arm around him and they just lay there silently together. He thought that she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen with her big eyes and her shock of black hair. Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't focus but that didn't matter, he couldn't move his left arm but that didn't seem to matter either. They both refused to let go of each other just in case it truly was a dream but soon Christine looked at him with the same love that she had for him back at Bakersfield. She looked at him through her watery eyes, "Hello sailor man." He had tears in his eyes as he remembered that this was the first thing that she had said to him at the dance when he fell in love at first sight.

He tried unsuccessfully to sit up as soon as she had and he felt dizzy and lightheaded, "just lie back down and rest my darling and I'll get you some water," he couldn't take his eyes off her and he still wondered whether it was all real and not a fantasy after all. He looked at his arm and how it was all bandaged up and it was all a mystery to him but, all he cared about was the lady who was sitting next to him. "You gave us all quite a scare yesterday my darling and Mr O'Malley filled us in with what happened." Suddenly Peter remembered being confronted with a pistol being pointed straight at him and now he was concerned and there was anxiety in his voice, "is Mr O'Malley alright, I remember that he was right there with me." Christine sat down very carefully next to him so that she didn't cause him any more grief with his arm. "Mr O'Malley said that you were very brave out there but you took a shot in your arm and now that is why you are in here with me, Mr O'Malley is fine. He said that awful man tried to rob you."

She comforted him in her arms and she started to count her blessings as she knew that things could have easily turned out very differently for the worse. She was never, ever going to let him go and she told him so as she held him tightly. He had waited so desperately for this moment after years at sea and the endless hours on the trains and now they were here together at last. He was trying hard not to focus on yesterday's events as he also knew that he had been in grave danger so close to Hope Valley and he may not have seen Christine ever again. He was thankful that Mr O'Malley was alright and safe and anything else would have to wait. He just wanted to sit with his cup of water and look at his wife, she was just as she was all those years ago.

It was still silent outside and the sun was yet to appear but that hadn't stopped a visitor from silently creeping into the room after being careful with the front door that usually made a scraping noise when it would shut on its own. She had wondered if they would be awake yet but she could see them quietly together arm in arm looking into each other's eyes. This was a sight that she had yearned for just like her friend sitting here and she, like everyone else, fell in love with Peter instantly. "Welcome to Hope Valley Captain Peter," as she gently kissed him on the cheek. Faith hurried about her work as she was still concerned about his arm which was going to need regular attention for quite some time. She asked him how he felt, she was ready for his dismissal of any further need of attention and that he would be quite alright. He would run into an obstacle if he tried to provide his own diagnosis to her.

She got in first, "Someone else tried to tell me that he was going to be alright and when he got up to leave I sat him straight down again, I told him that he might be in charge when he is out there but in here, I am the boss." Peter smiled at her, "aye aye captain," he knew exactly who he was talking to and she was exactly as he had imagined her to be, "Doctor Faith Carter I presume, I read about you in my copy of the paper here and how you brought the two little twin girls into the world, I couldn't wait until I met you." She took his temperature and he said how he felt some dizziness when he had tried to sit up. "That's what Mountie Nathan had said to me so it was from then on that he realised that he actually had to listen to me."

"Nurse Glover, can you please release your husband for just a brief moment so that I can check something else, you can have him back shortly," she smiled at her and realised that she might be fighting a losing battle but Christine did get around to relinquishing her grip on him but she said that it would only be for a moment. Faith examined his wrist which was a very painful experience but she was satisfied that nothing was broken. "Mr O'Malley told us how you hurt your wrist, he said how he was still alive thanks to you Peter, he said that he hardly knew you but you were one of the nicest people who he had ever met." Faith had a lump in her throat as she could see instantly how the women could fall in love with him, "We need that arm to be immobilised for quite some time so you will have to take life easy for a while but I'm sure that it isn't going to be a problem for you," She sat him in the chair and let Nurse Christine organise a sling for him and then she looked at him lovingly, "welcome home captain."

He didn't refuse Christine's help for support when he stood up and she knew that he wanted to see what it was like outside, it was only going to be for a moment but that would be quite sufficient as he knew that he would need to rest. Faith opened the door and he walked out with Christine onto the landing to the rapturous cheer and applause from the gathering of about two hundred of the townsfolk, all with candles, who had found out about his arrival to the town. Faith was overcome and she had tears in her eyes, "Peter, none of these people have left here overnight, they have prayed for your safe arrival every day since Christine found out that you were looking for her, this is your family from now on."

Faith had brought his jacket in earlier from the cab before O'Malley had taken it to tend to his horses at the stable once he knew that Peter was in good hands and the other man was in complete custody. When Peter went through the door he was in his uniform albeit with his arm in a sling. He just stood there marvelling at folks who he didn't even know, who had come and waited all night to see him. "You people have made me feel so welcome and I have to tell you, I'm alright and I am so glad to finally be here." He choked back tears that he had held back for four years, "thank you everybody, I never expected anything like this." Christine stood with him arm in arm and thought, "now I really feel that he is home at last.

He needed to sit down again as Faith's diagnosis was coming true, he would have to take life easy so he sat back inside with another cup of water, the loss of blood would take effect. Two Mounties and a lady came inside at Faith's request and waited for Peter to catch his breath. Elizabeth was clinging tightly to both of them and she was close to tears as she tried to introduce herself to him but Peter knew instantly who she was, "you're the schoolteacher aren't you; I know you from the picture in the paper that I have carried since I was in Masterton, I've never let it go and I read the story every day and looked at the picture of the beautiful lady on the steps. Thank you for helping me Miss Thatcher."

Faith wanted him to rest but there were two more introductions that needed to be made. "Sir, I'm Captain Eric Foster and I would like you to meet Senior Constable Nathan Grant who is the resident Mountie in this district. We have a lot to talk about but you should relax now, this has been a lot for you to take in." Peter remembered the names of the Mounties from the police inspector and from Susan, "Nathan, I'm sorry that you had to chase me all over the country but now, I'm glad to finally meet you and hopefully, your fiancé will be able to forgive me." Nathan had warmed to this man from the start. "Oh, don't you worry, Fiona said that punishment for interfering with our wedding plans, you will be the first on the list to get an invitation to our ceremony." Christine put her arms around the captain, "Peter, Captain Foster here was the one who started the ball rolling and saved me from being hysterical, captain, thank you for everything." Peter wanted to shake hands but then he remembered how sore his right wrist was, "Captain, you must be very proud of Nathan and Simon, Judge Monroe wanted me to send his regards." Captain Foster swung around and looked at Nathan who was now trying to melt into the corner.

The lone lady in the wheelchair had sat quietly across the street and had not wanted to be a burden or get in the way. She had been very frightened as she had remembered her dream and it was very explicit where it had shown Eric and Elizabeth standing over somebody in a hospital bed and how distraught they were. She hoped and prayed that Christine's husband wasn't going to be the dying man from her dream but she had no way of knowing. She had heard Elizabeth scream out that a man had been shot and the stage had raced past. She had asked Jason to get her a candle and she sat there as the sun went down and she shivered in fright. Jason reported back to her as soon as he had known anything. "Sandra, it's the sea captain in there and Doctor Faith is attending to him, she said that it looks a lot worse than it really is so we can only hope."

As word got out about the arrival of Christine's husband, townsfolk started to appear in numbers with candles as well and soon the street was crowded and not a word was uttered as they all just waited into the night. Allie and Fiona came and sat with her and she was grateful for the company and support. Elizabeth and Joseph were the only ones who knew about her vivid dream which showed somebody apparently on their deathbed. She had prayed each day that it was not going to be Nathan or Simon. She had seen someone taken prisoner after some lengthy round of instruction from Gene Tully surprisingly and then, eventually Mr O'Malley drove the stage to the stable to attend to the horses. Fiona could see the anxiety in Sandra's face as she sat with her candle not uttering a word. There was something else going on in Sandra's mind and they just had to wait. It was a long night with no breeze to speak of and no leaves rustling or any birds.

They all saw Doctor Faith arrive back at the Infirmary in the early hours of the morning when it was still dark and the only words that they all got from her was that Captain Peter was inside with his wife Christine and that she was very confident of a full speedy recovery. With that, she had disappeared quietly inside and it seemed like an eternity before anything else eventuated. Not one candle had gone out through the night and nobody had fallen asleep as they waited and waited, they all just wanted to see the man who they had prayed for to be alright. They hung on to Faith's words which were encouraging but they still weren't going to be happy until they would see him for themselves. Sandra's heart began to beat stronger when she saw the door open and Christine emerged with the man in the naval officer's uniform. She wanted to cry but she couldn't and her joy was tempered by how she remembered when they got the message that Nathan had been found safe and sound after all those weeks. She felt drained but relieved that Christine's husband was not the subject of her dream but it still remained that her vision was just as clear to her as it was that night.

Peter had been tempted to stay and walk out and meet these wonderful folks who had seen fit to wait outside all night genuinely concerned about his welfare. Unfortunately, he was just not up to it and, as Faith had requested, he needed to settle down and maybe even sleep for a while. It had been a big morning for him and Christine and it was a lot to take in and he was quite weary despite being very happy, his arm was going to take care of itself and he would have to do what he was told. He had barely settled down and nobody had noticed that the door hadn't closed properly and it was ajar. Faith went to close it and right before her eyes a little hurricane rushed past her and she frowned like before and tried unsuccessfully to grab him but it was too late.

This had happened many times before to no avail and no amount of warnings or complaints seemed to make any difference. He had rushed inside and jumped up onto Peter's lap with his muddy paws and he started licking his face, "Rusty, get down right now or you won't be allowed in here anymore." The little brown doggie didn't seem to care whether it was a place where sick people got looked after and, after all, if Christine was allowed in here then he should be allowed inside as well. Peter was put off guard but soon he realised how important this little fella was and he hugged him and didn't care about any mud. "Hello little fella, I knew all about you even when I was more than two thousand miles away, you're just like what I imagined." Christine grinned as she scolded him but Rusty was taking no notice and he wasn't going to be sent anywhere. "He was Auntie Christine's doggie before but she gave him to me and now he's mine," a pretty little blonde girl appeared, "I can drive my daddy's car and I'm going to be a teacher like Auntie Elizabeth."

A stern but kindly lady appeared, "Emily, get that horrible little bag of fluff out of here before I take a broom to him." She knew her words would fall on deaf ears just like always but everybody could see how she loved her daughter. "Hello sir, I'm Rosemary Coulter and I know who you must be, we have been waiting so impatiently for you and you are finally here, I'm sorry for your injury but Doctor Faith is the best there is." Peter could see that Rosemary was a livewire and a busy part of the township and his assumptions were soon borne out when she said how she ran the local paper, 'The Valley Voice'. She gasped when he produced his copy of the paper and told her where he had found it. Rusty hadn't moved and he had settled quietly on Peter's lap. Emily didn't mind, "He likes you, when you get better you can play with us."

She looked around and looked up at her mother curiously, "mum, where's Marie, did she come with us or is she still with dad." A pretty little girl poked her head out shyly from behind Christine's dress and stared at Peter. He looked at her with a grin and noticed the big eyes and the beautiful black hair, he suddenly remembered little Renata and how similar they looked. He remembered that Marie was Christine's mother's name and then the grin disappeared and a look of puzzlement came on his face. "What a pretty little girl we have here, she is so gorgeous," he noticed how she seemed to be clinging tightly to Christine but she never took her eyes off him for a moment. Christine slowly brought her over to him and her voice was breaking, "Peter, this is your daughter, her name is Marie."

Peter was stunned and was unable think or speak or do anything, "I told a mum on the train how lucky she was to have her little daughter and she slept on my lap all night, now I have the most beautiful little girl in the world and she looks just like her mum." He didn't want to frighten this shy little one but she let him take her tiny little hand in his but there was still no smile. Elizabeth had come inside with Rosemary and now she was crying in her arms. She had waited for this day forever and this moment ever since Christine had told her of her husband and how she had no idea where he was and whether she would ever see him again. Marie looked up at her mum who knelt down beside her, "Marie, this is your daddy, he's come home at last to be with us." Peter stared at her and he couldn't contain the tears in his eyes, "He looked at her and he saw Christine, Susan and Carla and even a little bit of his mother in her.

His left arm was a nuisance to him as he couldn't use it when he wanted to hug his little girl, he thought of all the years when he was away and they were so far apart. He could at least find one arm to put around his wife and then he spoke to them through his tears and croaky voice, "Christine, my darling, you had to do all this on your own and I wasn't here for you and Marie, I promise that we will never be apart or alone ever again." He thought of the gains that he had made from being a crewmember to eventually being one in command and how Christine had dedicated herself to a career in nursing and she had her child on her own. He looked around the room and thanked Faith and Elizabeth for looking after them all this time. Elizabeth told him how Rosemary had befriended Christine's grandmother and that was how everything started from there. "Peter, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when Bert passed away, he was a lovely man and I wish that he could be here to see all of us and Marie, his great granddaughter."

"I am lucky to still be here and it's thanks to that young fella who got shot, is he going to be alright ma'am." O'Malley was a tired, forlorn picture as he sat alone in the stables and he hadn't got around to looking after his horses. He was quite shaken up after the aggressive confrontation and he had been muttering to himself about how close they had come to a bitter end. He couldn't get the sight of that gun out of his head. Amy and Tully had come down to the stables to help him with the horses and it was a sad sight that had confronted them with O'Malley being genuinely concerned about the young sea captain. "I really thought that man was going to finish us off, just over a silly robbery. He was mighty cocky standing behind that gun and who knows what might have happened."

Nobody knew more about being confronted with mortal danger and personal loss so Tully was just the right man to listen to O'Malley as they sat there. He was not about to let Amy fix O'Malley's beloved horses on her own so the three of them worked together and soon a conversation was struck up about driving a stagecoach and the love and care for horses over the years. Amy knew that this was therapeutic for Gene as well and now she was starting to see a different man to the one who had been decimated and sitting in the cell and wishing to die. Amy had volunteered to look after these horses many times and O'Malley was confident in her ability, "Mr O'Malley, you don't have to worry, Christine's husband is going to be just fine. Doctor Faith did the operation while he was unconscious and he is now all bandaged up and in the morning he will be as good as new and ready to go.

O'Malley heaved a huge sigh of relief as he hadn't had any chance to see where Peter had been hit and he raced his coach as fast as they could go to get to the Infirmary for help. It most certainly had looked worse to him than it was. "That's good news Amy, I was really worried for him, especially when he had stumbled and nearly collapsed into my arms, it was a struggle to get him back into the cab and I don't apologise for that other man's broken ribs, he had it coming and, so help me, I would do it again." Gene completely understood and he was pleased that it seemed that him being there had eased his tension. "Gene, we haven't seen you here in Hope Valley before, you have come here in the middle of tragedy and then this happened. Had you heard about the young Mountie who died recently in a fire." Gene became silent and reflective, "yes Mr O'Malley, that young man, Adrian Metcalfe was my partner from Cape Fullarton, he died in my arms."

Once the horses had been brushed, fed and watered, the three departed from the stables in the middle of the night and they had seen the gathering of folks with candles waiting for news of the sea captain. Amy had found Sandra and after a warm hug she said how she felt that Gene Tully was going to be alright. When Captain Peter and Christine emerged from the doorway in the morning she noticed that Gene had offered one of the loudest cheers and he nearly dropped his candle in the process. Ned and Florence had come later from the Mercantile after hurriedly scouring the store for every candle, new or old, that they could find. Amy was full of admiration for Faith and Christine and how they worked under pressure for people who they loved and she was sure that she had been a help from the beginning.

Captain Foster and Nathan asked people, once the vigil had dispersed, not to enter the jailhouse as they were starting to organise their investigation for what had happened and they didn't want any interaction with the prisoner who was cooling his heels in the cell. It had been Jason and Tully who had escorted that man bodily to the jail and, despite heated protests, placed leg irons and handcuffs on him for further security. It could become a volatile situation and they would have preferred the prison wagon to take him away as soon as possible but this man was not going anywhere soon. Captain Foster was adamant, "there are many questions that need answering and people to talk to before we will know what happened and why, I can't imagine that our guest in our cell is going to be very cooperative so we will have to proceed elsewhere." He asked Gene Tully to make sure that Mr O'Malley does not leave the town any time soon as he will be needed for any information that he can provide.

Captain Foster was starting to query many of the recent events and he knew that he didn't have the answers yet but now he was only just getting started. He didn't even bother with the prisoner who seemed to be resuming his earlier trait of being defiant and obnoxious in the face of his predicament. It appeared that he didn't realise just how much trouble he was in and maybe he would be released eventually and allowed to go on his way to wherever he was from. There were any number of credible theories to be had but at the moment, they were a long way from being substantiated. "Nathan, we can't discuss this case inside the jailhouse right in front of our prisoner, we should talk firstly to Mr O'Malley down at the stable and maybe he might be able to shed some light for us."

"We were only a few minutes away from Hope Valley and this man on a horse appeared out of nowhere and pulled out a gun and pointed it at us. He soon demanded that we step down from the carriage just like the old days. He didn't seem interested in me, only your sea captain, it looked like he had some dealings with him before and now he wanted to get even. He obviously knew that he was on the stage and he expected that he was going to take the officer for plenty." That answered one concern for the captain in that this wasn't a random attack by any means and now he needed to know why. This was a serious offence and someone doesn't carry a loaded weapon around unless he was prepared to use it.

Nathan and the captain listened to Mr O'Malley give an account as best as he could of the incident and how Peter had cleverly disarmed the offender. "It was barely a struggle sir, he took his eyes off the captain for just an instant and that was all that was needed, but the gun went off in the process." Captain Foster explained that the man should not have been there in the first place committing an armed robbery and he had no one else to blame for the gun going off. They thanked Mr O'Malley and told him that his eye witness description was going to go a long way to see that man gets put away for a very long time. They stood outside together, well out of the way of anyone else in the street and tried to digest what they had just heard. What was still puzzling was that they weren't any closer to knowing why this had happened and why Peter was targeted in the first place. The only way to resolve that was to get to talk to Peter as soon as possible. They would need the services of Mrs Thornton to help and they hoped to be able to do this without Christine and Marie being present.

Nathan was unapologetic for the ire in his voice as they walked back to the jailhouse and sat on the steps. He remembered the men who had attacked his father and how Allie had been in danger. He and Simon had tracked Peter all over the country only to have him placed at huge risk so close to home. He had very little sympathy for the type of people who gladly jumped at the chance to take advantage of others when it suited them to their detriment. He choked at the thought that Peter might not have been able to meet his daughter for the first time. Captain Foster was just as angry but you would never have known it, he was a leader and had been placed in charge with authority and with great responsibility and part of that duty was to seek justice and outcomes with a cool head. He was still going over what Mr O'Malley had told him.

Every building in the town needed steps so Jason was there as always to help Sandra make her way into the Mercantile and make a phone call to her father at Fort Clay. Captain Foster had made a point of asking Florence to avoid any calls going to the jailhouse for the immediate future. She was rather surprised at a request like that but Sandra told her how the prisoner is in there and the less he would know and hear, the better it would be. "Hello father, we have good news from here but not without trepidation, the very handsome sea captain has now been reunited with his wife but he was the subject of a robbery attempt not far from the township. The assailant was captured and is under guard in the jailhouse. Captain Peter Glover was injured but he will survive. Eric has begun to conduct an investigation and I should have more to report to you in time. The partner of Constable Metcalfe was a big help and I believe that he will be alright as well and maybe, he might be prepared to resume his career as a Mountie. I may need to discuss that with you at some stage."

Mrs Thornton was, most probably still at the Infirmary so Nathan and the captain considered that they could wait for her or go down there themselves and see if they could talk to Peter if he was up to it. Christine was a strong lady and they now considered that she would be within her rights to know what had happened to her husband. They stood tentatively outside and waited to be invited inside to a place that looked more like a children's play group rather than an Infirmary. Emily had been just as talkative as ever and she had showed Peter how she could already read even though she wasn't at school yet. Peter was amused and he could see how apprehensive his little girl was as she had never had a daddy before and she had quite happily lived in Emily's shadow for much of the time.

Peter so badly wanted to be able to pick her up and hug and kiss her but he knew that it was going to take some time and he was sure that he was going to have plenty of that. He greeted the captain and Nathan again as they entered the room, "this little girl is going to be a work in progress I think." Captain Foster smiled, "I'm very confident sir that you will have solved that just in time to give her away at her wedding." Peter was horrified, "I will deal with any young man who comes anywhere near her." He was clearly not ready to have to think so far in the future. Nathan whispered quietly to Elizabeth while the parents attention was elsewhere, "Elizabeth, we need to talk to Captain Peter if you think that he is able, about yesterday's events, we can't get rid of our prisoner until our report is prepared and finalised so we will wait for you and Faith to decide."

They sat outside on the porch and Peter's first concern was for the welfare of Mr O'Malley. His mind was a lot clearer than before and he remembered how the coach driver was caught right in the middle of events and it was a such a very traumatic event which could be long lasting. Nathan thought how good this man was to consider someone else's welfare before his own, this was the man who guided his ship across the ocean for four years and his crew would have looked to him for leadership. "Captain, we have only just left him from the stables and his first concern was for you and then his horses, he was very helpful to us and he is going to be just fine. We had two people keep him company overnight. We hope that you are feeling alright and our little inquisition here is not going to cause you much fatigue."

Peter stared at the buildings and looked down the street where people were starting their day, "Nathan, I saw a man virtually limp his way across the country after surviving wounds in battle from overseas and having his leg repaired, just to be back with his family, I spoke to a young mother who had been chased out of her home at gunpoint with her family at a minutes' notice and she may never see her father ever again, no, I don't think that there is anything that will cause me any fatigue this morning." Nathan had to pause for a while to regain his own composure, this man had been worth the effort. "You'll have to excuse me if you see me having to catch my breath from time to time, I have just seen my daughter, the most beautiful little girl in the world who I knew nothing about for the very first time."

Captain Foster started things off and he wasn't really worried about any of the questions and which way things might come up, he just wanted to promote a conversation and much of it might provide an insight as to what happened and why, "Captain, the first thing that I am wondering about is whether this man is known to you in any way, I don't think that he will be prepared to cooperate with us at any stage." Christine and Elizabeth had just come out to join them on the steps. Peter recalled the gang of workers when they joined the train. "I came across this character on the train, a young man, his name was Vance and he came and sat with me and he was so proud of himself after receiving his first ever pay packet."

"After a while this other man approached him and tried to coax him forcibly into playing cards with him and some of the others. Vance didn't want to and he was frightened and he was very relieved when I intervened. That man didn't like it when I suggested that he leave the lad alone. He was obviously used to having his own way and for the rest of the trip he showed his displeasure. It was disgusting how that man was trying to relieve the young man of his money, he didn't care about any ramifications like how he would have had to face his parents and tell them that he had lost his pay." Nathan listened to all of this and he knew that this man in jail deserved to be right where he was.

"Captain, did anyone say his name or who he was by any chance." Peter recalled how there were two other men from the gang on the train who were very despondent and they had said that Buster had taken them for all their money and they didn't have any to live on until the next pay. "I felt sorry for them and how they had to learn a lesson like that the hard way." Nathan was a law enforcement officer first and foremost but right now he was in two minds. He knew that man, Buster or whoever he was, would be spending the best part of the rest of his life behind bars but he wished that he could teach him some manners and humility before he left Hope Valley. Peter could see what was about to unfold and he tried with his sore hand to grab Nathan's arm, "Nathan, let it go, there is no need, he is going to have a long time to reflect on his actions and maybe he might learn something from others down the track."

Christine emerged from the inside and came and sat down with the little group, she put her head on Peter's shoulder and made sure that he was not going to be in discomfort. Peter added that he remembered that this Buster character was not around anywhere when the train had arrived at Buston, "he had gone into the other carriage and I never saw him again." Nathan and the captain felt like they had all the information that was available for the moment and they would be able to make some enquiries with the railroad company. Peter's wound was still raw and it would need constant attention, but now it seemed to be the least of his concern, Doctor Faith had done a good job for him. He was happy to just relax and stare up and down the street, his four year journey was over and he could feel the weight coming off his shoulders.

"Nathan, I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself but I can't get over how you and the other Mountie tailed me all over the country, Christine and I are going to be forever in your debt." He tried to squeeze Christine's hand but he let out a groan because his wrist hurt each time he moved it. Nathan shouldn't have been but he was slightly amused, "I hope that Buster's jaw takes a long time to heal, I imagine he wouldn't have known what hit him." Peter soon had a puzzled look on his face as he was looking around, "by the way, where is your other Mountie." Captain Foster had been sitting and noticing the relief on this man's face, he was going to see to it that there would be no loose ends as he had done so many times before as he knew, with a very sobering thought, that they had avoided another tragedy similar to Adrian Metcalfe.

"Senior Constable Simon Morgan was one of my staff at Fort Clay, a very highly valued member of the force, he now works out of Union City. When we first found out about you, we asked Captain Edwards and he released him so that he could accompany Nathan, I was able to get a phone call through to your mother at Ashford just before the storm hit and then all our communications were out of business from then on, it was frustrating but our best guess from then on was a little town called Grampton. Listening very intently, Elizabeth nestled up very close to Eric and felt very comfortable. If not for his clear thinking when it was needed, Peter may not be here at last. It had been a big twenty-four hours for Peter and they all knew that he needed to rest so they all looked up at each other and said that they had things to do.

Everybody else had moved except Elizabeth who had a silent gasp and clutched Captain Foster's arm without saying anything, she had caught a glimpse of the little girl standing quietly in the doorway and she was just gazing at the new man here who mummy had said was her daddy. Elizabeth could tell from her own experience with Little Jack when she could see that there were things going on in his mind and eventually he would say something. Marie had been used to seeing Emily sitting on her Daddy's lap and listening to him read a story to them. She had never mentioned anything like this to her mum but she might have started to wonder if she was supposed to have a daddy of her own to read her a story and where was he. Soon the others could see and everything went silent and Marie came out of the doorway and over on the steps to be with mummy. Rusty was with her as she asked ever so gently, "Daddy, can you read me a story when I go to bed." Peter had been sitting and facing the street and hadn't noticed Marie creeping towards them, the first thing he knew was when a little voice spoke to him. He turned around and looked in her eyes, "I'm going to read to you every night and I can't wait, Marie, my beautiful little princess, I'm home now for always and I'm here all the time for you and mummy."