Brian finished the paragraph he was writing for an assignment and set down his pencil, stretching out his hand. He sighed and stood up, needing a break from his homework. Ms. Morales had really been bumping up his workload now that he was getting older. Katie was playing on the rug just in front of him; he was keeping an eye on her as well. Seeing that she was happily occupied with her bunny, he walked into the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water.

After a moment, his stomach growled, and it occurred to Brian just how hungry he was. He walked back into the living room, looking at the clock on the mantel. 6:45. Already? He thought. No wonder he was so hungry, this was about the time they typically sat down to eat dinner. Dr. Mike was usually home by now, she must have gotten caught up with a patient at the clinic. Hopefully nothing too serious, he thought. Colleen should have been home by now as well. Brian knew she was helping out at Andrew's clinic today, but she said she would be home in time to help with supper. Colleen was a great cook, and it was certainly an adjustment when she left for college and they had to rely on more of the cooking by themselves. Dr. Mike's cooking had improved greatly over the years, but it still didn't compare to Colleen's.

She should be home by now, Brian thought. She had planned on cooking, maybe she forgot? Either way, he was hungry, and Sully probably was too. He may as well start supper before it got to be any later.

Brian picked up Katie and walked outside to find Sully, where he was patching up a weak spot in the barn. "Sully," he called.

"Yeah?" The man looked up and tossed the hair out of his face, squinting into the late afternoon sun.

"It's getting late. Should I start making supper? Colleen and Ma aren't back yet."

"Is it that late already?" He looked up, noting the far position of the sun in the sky.

"Yeah, it's after 6:30," he paused, "Colleen should've been back by now, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe her and Andrew got caught up with someone at the clinic. I wouldn't be surprised if your Ma was still with someone, too." Being married to a doctor certainly taught Sully to be ready for the unexpected. Michaela tried to work as normal of a schedule as she could, especially since Katie was born, but there were plenty of instances when she was late or worked odd hours because of a patient. It had happened plenty of times before, and was likely what was holding Colleen and/or Michaela up in town now. There was even a chance they were together with someone who needed help.

"Should I start dinner then?"

"Yeah I suppose. I'll help ya." Sully stood, putting his tools back in the crate beside him. "No sense in waiting, maybe we can even have it finished by the time they get back."

"Do you think they'll be back soon?"

He took Katie from Brian, swinging her in the air and getting a smile. "I'm sure they will. It's not like your ma to stay late without sending someone to let us know."

"What about Colleen?"

Sully looked down at Brian, he didn't look worried, but he had known the boy for a long time, he could hear the faint worry in the rise of his voice. "I'm sure everything's fine, Brian. She's with Andrew. We'll give her a little more time. If she's not home within the hour I'll ride out to the hotel and make sure everything's okay." He really didn't think that anything was wrong, though he decided to keep a close eye on the time, just in case.

"Okay. Thanks Sully."

Sully patted his hand on Brian's shoulder as they went inside to make dinner.

About thirty minutes later, Michaela finally made it home, ready to see her family after a long day at the clinic. She put Flash in her stable and gave her an extra pat before heading inside. She opened the door to the smell of gravy and biscuits, "Oh, it smells wonderful in here. Sorry I'm late." She removed her hat and jacket, putting them on the hooks by the door. "Mr. Howard came in late with Samuel. He was climbing a tree and fell and broke his arm."

"Is going to he alright?" Brian knew Samuel from school, he was several years younger than him but was a very friendly and kind little boy.

"He's going to be just fine. It was a clean break, which is better for healing. He'll have to wear a cast for a few weeks but after that he should be as good as knew." Michaela walked over to Katie, who was sitting in her high chair, and gave her a kiss, "Hi, my sweetie," she cooed. She looked up in curiosity at Brian and Sully in the kitchen. "You two are cooking dinner?"

"Yeah," Brian said while stirring a pot on the stove. "Colleen's still at Andrew's."

"She's not back yet?" Michaela said in surprise.

"We haven't seen her." Sully said, pulling down some plates to set the table.

"Hmm," she pondered. "It's getting late, Andrew's clinic is closed by now. Hopefully everything's all right."

"Well, you just got back." He added. "Maybe her and Andrew got caught up with someone, too."

"Maybe," Michaela said with a frown. She didn't like the uneasy feeling that came over her.

Sully stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sure Colleen's fine. You know what it's like." He brushed a piece of hair behind her shoulders. "Don't worry, if she's not home soon I'll go over to the clinic and check it out."

Michaela shook her head, thinking. "No, I'll go. If someone's hurt they may need another doctor." She turned and gave Brian a reassuring smile, "I'm sure she'll be home soon." It was entirely possible that Colleen and Andrew simply lost track of time. After all, if they needed additional medical help, surely someone would have sent for her.

Dinner was ready shortly, so they went ahead and ate, all secretly waiting for Colleen to walk through the door. When they were finished, Michaela was nearly bouncing out of her seat. She had every reason to believe that things were fine, she knew better than anyone the uncertainty of a doctor's schedule. But, like before, she couldn't help shake the uneasy feeling she had.

"Brian," she started, "I know you helped cook dinner, but would you mind cleaning up? I'm going to ride out to Andrew's."

"Sure, ma, no problem." Brian started to stack the plates from the table and bring them into the kitchen.

"I'll go with you, just in case," Sully said as he stood and cleared his own plate.

"No, you stay here with Brian and Katie. It's likely just a patient that came in late. I should be back soon."

"Alright," Sully said after a moment. It was still early and light enough out that he wasn't too concerned. "But if there's any trouble, you send someone to come and get me right away."

"Of course," she said, leaning up to give him a kiss. "Hopefully I won't be long." She walked over to Katie and planted a kiss on the top of her head. She put on her coat and hat and headed out to the barn.

A short while later Michaela made her way into town. There were still a handful of people finishing dinner at Grace's, though the town was showing signs of quieting down for the night. It took her another few minutes to make her way out to Preston's lodge. Once she arrived, she tied up Flash and made her way to the side of the building where Andrew's office was located. She knocked twice, waiting a moment for a reply. After another minute, she knocked again, louder this time. "Andrew?" she called. She turned the knob, pushing against the door, but it wouldn't open. She tried the door again, confirming it was locked. "Huh," she said to herself. She walked to the front doors of the hotel and made her way inside. She spotted a man named Stewart Brownell, who had recently begin working for Preston, at the front desk. "Stewart," she called out.

The man looked up from his ledger with a smile, "Hello Dr. Mike, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Colleen or Andrew. Colleen was out here assisting him today and I expected her home by now."

"Oh, I'm sorry to say I haven't seen either of them. We had a couple whose wagon needed some fixing, so I was out back for the past few hours. I just came back in a short while ago. The clinic is usually closed by now though. Maybe they're at Grace's?"

"Maybe," Michaela said disappointedly. "They were here earlier though?" she clarified.

"I saw them come back from lunch, but that was early this afternoon. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it's not your fault. I'm just wondering where they could be. Is Preston around?"

"Haven't seen him in a while. He went into town in a rush, so much that I couldn't even ask him for what."

"Thank you, Stewart. I appreciate it."

"You'll find them. Andrew and Colleen are both responsible young adults. They're around here somewhere."

Michaela reached out and put her hand on the man's arm. "Thank you. You're right. I'm going to try and track down Preston."

"Good luck." He called with a hopeful smile.

Michaela gave a wave as she exited the building.

She mounted Flash and was off in the direction of town quickly, determined to find Preston. So they weren't at the hotel… maybe they were at Grace's and she didn't see them while riding past? But Colleen said she would be home for dinner... maybe she was enjoying her time with Andrew and got distracted. She knew Colleen liked him, sometimes young love could blind you.

Making her way back into the heart of town, she stopped at Grace's first, not seeing Andrew or Colleen. She then looked around for Preston's tall frame. No luck. She decided to try the Mercantile next before Loren closed down for the day, if he hadn't already. As she got closer, she audibly exhaled in relief as she spotted Preston talking to Loren just outside the store. "Preston!" she called.

He looked over at once, a serious look on his face. "Michaela," he said as he walked over and waited for her to dismount her horse. "Just who I've been looking for."

"Well, I've been looking for you. Have you seen Colleen or Andrew recently?"

A confused expression crossed Preston's features. "No, as a matter of fact, that's why I've been looking for you. I haven't seen them since this afternoon."

"Do you remember what time you last saw them?" Michaela asked.

"It was before three, I know that. I met the train coming in because I had a shipment. I stopped in to talk with Andrew right before that. Colleen was with him."

"Yes, she was assisting him today. And you're sure you didn't see them after that?" She looked at him seriously.

"I'm sure, Michaela. I was at the bank most of the afternoon. I haven't seen them since I left the resort." He was equally serious, his brows knitted together. "But when I just went back, I found out that Andrew missed two appointments this afternoon. My guests are not happy."

"He missed two appointments?"

"Yes, Luisa Jenkins and Roger Sullivan both reported that when they went to the clinic for their scheduled appointments no one was there. The door was locked and no one answered. Roger waited for over forty minutes just in case Andrew showed up."

Now Michaela was really starting to get nervous. "It's not like Andrew to miss appointments. He takes his work very seriously."

"I know that." The tiniest hint of worry passed over Preston's face. He may be all about business, but it was clear that a part of Preston was worried about Andrew.

Michaela turned to Loren, who had been standing by silently. "Loren, have you seen either of them?"

"Ah… no," he said with a frown. "They were both at Grace's for lunch today but I haven't seen em' since. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Loren. Maybe someone else has. I'll go over to Grace's, Preston, can you talk to Jake?"

"I already did," Preston said with a sigh. "Neither Jake nor Horace has seen them."

"What about someone at the saloon? Have you stopped there?"

"No, but I'll go right now."

"Okay, if no one at Grace's has seen them I'll go and get Matthew." She removed her hat and smoothed down her hair nervously.

"We'll find them, Michaela. Let's go." Preston said with determination.

Michaela simply nodded as she made her way over towards Grace's, stopping to leave Flash at Robert E's along the way.

"Evening, Dr. Mike," Grace called as she washed some dishes in a basin. Robert E was there as well helping her clean up. About a dozen people sat scattered at different tables finishing their meals. "It's a little late to see you out here."

"Yes, I know. Grace, Robert E, have either of you seen Colleen? Or Andrew?"

The couple didn't like the worried look upon their friend's face. Grace shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen them since lunch. You can't find them?"

Michaela sighed. "No. Colleen never came home and Andrew missed some appointments this afternoon. Preston doesn't know where they are either."

"Oh Lord," Grace said as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I haven't seen them either, but I'll help you look." Robert E said, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Thank you, Robert E," Michaela said softly. "Preston's over at Hanks, I'm going to finish talking to everyone around here. Could you get Matthew?"

"Of course," he said, quickly making his way over to the Sherriff's office.

Ten minutes later, Michaela had talked to everyone at Grace's with no luck. She made her way over to the Golden Nugget and found Preston and Hank talking just inside the doorway.

"I don't know, Hank." Preston argued as Michaela joined their conversation.

Hank leaned casually against the wall, "Maybe him and Colleen ran off together. They have been looking awfully friendly lately," he said with his trademark smirk.

"Colleen wouldn't do that, Hank," Michaela interjected.

"And Andrew wouldn't leave his patients," Preston added.

Hank raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "What do you mean, leave his patients?"

"He missed two appointments this afternoon." Preston continued, "I've worked with him long enough to know how important his patients are to him. It's not like him to be a no-show. Colleen was assisting him today, and I know she wouldn't leave a patient either." He glanced at Michaela, receiving a look of appreciation. It was true though, he didn't know Colleen as personally as Andrew, but he had still known her for a while, long enough to know that she would make a good doctor someday.

"Huh," Hank considered, taking in this information. He hated to admit it, but what Preston was saying made sense. "Maybe you're right. Something might have happened. We'll find them, I'll get my horse."

"Thank you, Hank, meet us at my clinic." They exchanged a nod as he walked out of the saloon. Hank may be tough, brash, and at times downright cruel, but there was something about him, a need to do what was right, call it protectiveness even for this town and its members, that appeared from time to time. If there was a search party or someone in need of saving, you bet Hank was a part of that team.

Michaela and Preston walked across the street to the clinic where they saw Robert E, Grace, and Matthew waiting for them.
"Dr. Mike," Matthew said as he rushed forward, grabbing one of her shoulder's gently and leaning in. "No one's seem them?" The worry was all over his face. This was his little sister that was missing.

"No. No one's seen them since this afternoon."

He nodded his head. "We're going to find them. We're rounding up people now. I'll get Sully."

"Let me come with you," Grace added quickly, "I'll watch the children Dr. Mike. Matthew, I'll get Anthony and follow you out."

"Thank you, Grace," said Michaela, grabbing the woman's hand. "Hopefully we won't be gone long."

"You go find your girl," she said with fierce nod. She turned to Robert E, "Be careful now, you hear?" She gave him a quick hug and a kiss.

"You know I will." He said, with a swift nod.

She turned get Anthony from the cafe as Matthew hopped on his horse to head out to the homestead.

Back at home, Brian and Sully sat in the living room playing a game of checkers. The crackling and popping of the fire broke the silence, neither of them having much to say while they waited for Michaela and Colleen to return. Katie played on the floor sleepily next to them.

"Sully!" they heard a voice call from outside. They quickly got up, Brian grabbing Katie, and made their way out to the porch where they saw Matthew riding in quickly.

"Matthew?" Sully said worriedly seeing the look on the man's face. "What's wrong?"

"It's Colleen. No one's seen her or Andrew since this afternoon. They're nowhere in town."

"Alright," Sully said quickly, taking action. "Brian, bring me something of Colleen's for Wolf." He nodded at Matthew. "I'll get my horse." Matthew nodded back.

A minute later, a horse and wagon came down the road towards the homestead. As it got closer, Grace and Anthony came into view. "Sully," Grace said as she pulled up beside the house while Sully exited the paddock with his horse. "I'll stay with the children, you go." Anthony hopped down and stood beside his mother.

"Thank you, Grace," Sully said seriously. "I appreciate it."

Brian returned with Katie a moment later. He handed Sully one of Colleen's gloves. "Here you go."

"Thanks Brian. We'll be home with Colleen as soon as we can."

"Do you think she's alright?"

Sully turned and kneeled eye-to-eye with the boy, seeing his worry. "I'm sure Colleen's fine. Wherever she is, we're going to find her. Be good for Grace and help with Katie, alright?"

Brian nodded. "I will. Be safe."

"We will," he stood, giving Brian's shoulder a squeeze and pulling him into a hug. He kissed Katie softly on the cheek. "Thank you again Grace," he said as he came down the stairs. "Let's go." He said to Matthew as he walked past him and hopped on his horse. Within a minute, they were riding out, side-by-side, Wolf following behind.

"Grace?" Brian asked carefully.

"Yes Brian?"

He sighed. "Are people in town worried?"

Grace took a deep breath before continuing, deciding what to say. "Well… I'm not going to lie to you, some people are worried. It's not like Andrew to miss appointments, or for Colleen to run off. But they're going to find them. You know how people are in town, when someone needs help, they get it. You're going to see Colleen before you know it." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Brian gave a small one back. "You're right. Come on, Anthony, let's put the horse away." Grace took Katie from Brian's arms as he and Anthony unhitched the horse from the wagon and led it into the barn.

Sully and Matthew made good time as they made their way into town. As they approached Dr. Mike's clinic, they saw that a group comprised of Michaela, Jake, Hank, Robert E, and Preston was mounted up on their horses and ready to go. Several other members of the town including Dorothy and Loren surrounded them, discussing the situation.

"Sully!" Michaela called as she saw him approach.

"Michaela," he rode up alongside her, reaching out to touch her arm. "We're gonna find her. Both of them," he added, looking at the group around them. "Any idea of which way they might have gone?"

"We don't have any leads," Preston said in frustration.

"Well," Sully continued, taking charge, "we'll split up. Jake, Hank, you two go north out of town, check the valley and the creek. Robert E, Preston, Matthew, you three go west out past the woods, Michaela and I will go south, we'll cover the area near the reservation." Technically, he still wasn't welcome there, but he would rather cover the area himself than have someone else cross the soldier's path.

The men nodded in agreement, taking Sully's direction without complaint. The group of typically headstrong men, especially Jake and Hank, didn't always take direction so compliantly, but right now Sully's guess where to go was as good as theirs.

"Mr. Lodge!" A woman's voice called out all of a sudden. A horse and wagon turned the corner and came to a sharp stop before the group. A young couple sat on the bench. They were both dressed in expensive-looking clothing and the man was smoking a pipe. "You are looking for Dr. Cook, correct?" the woman asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nilsen?" Preston said, confusion clear in his voice. "Yes, we are looking for Andrew, along with Colleen Cooper, daughter of Dr. Mike and Sully here. Can I help you with something? Is there an emergency at the hotel?" John and Rose Nilsen had been staying at his hotel for nearly a week now. They were a wealthy couple from Denver who were enjoying a relaxing stay away from the hustle of the city.

"No, everything is fine," John said quickly, "but my wife here-"

"I saw Dr. Cook," she said softly. "I saw him and the girl, Colleen, leave this afternoon."

Everybody's ears perked up. "Where did you see them last?" Michaela said quickly.

"I was in the garden reading on the far side of the hotel. My husband was inside resting. He's been having some back pain, he even went to see Dr. Cook yesterday about it. I don't remember seeing the men go inside, but I did see them leave."

"What men?" Jake spoke up.

"There were two of them, both very tall, one had dark hair and the other light. I saw the taller one leave the clinic and behind him was Dr. Cook along with your daughter," she looked at Dr. Mike and Sully sympathetically, "the other man locked the door behind them and followed. They all got into the men's wagon and rode off. That's all I saw. They didn't make a scene, so I didn't think anything of it."

They all looked around at each other, listening to the woman's story.

She continued, "Anyways, like I was saying, I didn't think anything of it at the time. Anything, that is, until I saw the paper this evening while my husband and I were dining" She handed a newspaper to her husband who stepped down from the wagon and held it out toward Matthew. "Sherriff," he said, passing it off. "The second page."

Matthew opened up the newspaper and turned to the second page. Recognition and anger flashed through his eyes as he read. "You're saying these are the men that took Colleen?" He looked back at the couple.

"Who is it?" Sully asked, reaching out for the paper.

Matthew handed it over to him. "Bank robbers," He said, his face tense, "among other things. A group of men have been causing trouble all over the territory. I've had word of it for a while to be on the lookout for them around here."

"Does it describe 'em?" Hank asked, nodding to the paper.

Sully ran his eyes over the article before saying aloud, "According to a witness, one of the men stands well over 6 feet tall, has brown wavy hair, along with a mustache and beard, and stole a black quarter horse at the scene of the crime."

"There's three or four guys for sure," Matthew added. "I've been wired about a string of crimes, the most recent ones going through Denver, a bank robbery being one of them. All of the crimes have been committed by different men, individually, but they believe they're all connected."

"And you believe these are the men who took Andrew and Colleen?" Michaela asked, looking at the woman.

She nodded nervously. "I do. If you keep reading the article it describes the horse that was stolen. It had large white spots on just one of his hind legs, and his tail was cut shorter due to an accident. The horse that was hooked up to the men's wagon had those exact markings. I remember thinking I had never seen anything like it. One of the men also fits the description." She gestured towards the paper, "Denver isn't far," she said, referring to it being the Denver Post. Preston kept the most recent editions of all the nearby cities' papers and periodicals at his hotel. "When I read that in the paper, I thought that just maybe it was another horse and man that I saw, but after dinner, my husband and I were in the lobby and we heard a couple of guests talking about how the clinic was closed during their appointments, that Dr. Cook wasn't around without any notice. That's when I knew for sure."

Michaela and Sully both took deep breaths as they heard the woman's story. Dorothy placed a hand over her chest.

"I am very sorry," she continued. "I didn't know that anything was wrong at the time. They were all so calm when they left the clinic."

"Probably 'cause they didn't want to get caught," Jake added.

"I didn't know."

Michaela gave the woman a kind look, "You didn't know. There isn't anything you could have done. We appreciate you telling us."

The woman nodded.

"Is there anything else you remember seeing?" Matthew asked, growing impatient as all he wanted to do was go out there and find the men who took Colleen.

She looked up in thought. After a moment, she spoke up. "The only other thing I remember seeing is that Dr. Cook was holding something… I think a medical bag? That's the only other thing I recall."

"Someone in their party must have gotten injured," Dorothy spoke up.

'Yes, I believe you're right," Michaela said, processing everything.

"What are the chances these aren't the men from Denver and are just travelers passing through who needed medical attention?" Preston said, hoping that just maybe this was the case.

"I doubt it," Sully said, "the markings on the horse are too unique."

"And we're not far from Denver," Robert E added.

"It has to be them," said Michaela. "They wouldn't have left the clinic without letting anyone know they'd be gone, even if they were leaving in a rush."

"She's right," Sully said seriously. "And they've been gone for too long. If someone was hurt badly enough, they would have brought them into town or one of them would have come back for help."

Matthew nodded, a frown on his face. "We need to get out there now, it's going to be dark soon."

They all nodded in agreement as they began to head out in their respective directions. "Matthew," Michaela called, the man turning around on his horse. "Be careful," she said seriously.

Matthew simply nodded his head as he looked at her. "I will. You too. We're going to find her."

"We will," she said determinedly.

"Let's go," Sully said, clicking to his horse. "C'mon boy!" he called to Wolf, who ran behind them.

They all went off in various directions out of town, hoping that they would be able to find Colleen and Andrew while they still had daylight, and that by some chance it was a simple as a passer-by needing medical attention. Little did they know that the someones needing medical attention wouldn't let go of their hostages so easily…