Matthew woke the next morning and reached for Lacey…only to find his bed empty. He sat up, frowning. She’d left him without a word.

They’d made love until he didn’t have the strength to move, then fallen asleep in each other’s arms…and she'd sneaked out of his bed in the middle of the night? It rankled him that she'd left so easily. Had he affected her so little? After the night they'd shared, he couldn't bring himself to believe that. His pride just wouldn't allow it.

He threw his blankets aside and pulled on his pants. He'd told his men to meet him at his office at nine for the trip to Fairhaven, but first he intended to have a few private words with Lacey.

He was on his horse before the sun had crested the top of the snow-covered mountains. Five minutes later he was knocking on the Martins’ front door.

Hazel answered, still in her robe. "Matthew? What the devil are you doing here this early in the morn—”

"I need to talk to Lacey."

“Lacey? She's not awake yet.”

“Excuse me.” He barged past her in a beeline for Lacey's bedroom.

"Now, hold on, young man!” Hazel sputtered. “You can't just go bargin’ in—"

Matthew stepped into Lacey's room. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it in case Hazel decided to be persistent. Lacey was still in bed, but not asleep. She was sitting up against her pillows with her hair fanned out like copper fire around her shoulders.

His breath caught at the sight of her and he respectfully took off his hat.

She looked startled to see him, and then a cool expression settled over her face. “Good morning.”

He nodded back, not trusting his own voice.

"I didn't expect you so early.”

“I didn't expect you to leave my bed in the middle of the night,” he rasped.

She had the grace to flush a little. “We have a busy day planned and I thought it best to get some sleep.”

What was wrong with her? She seemed a million miles away.

"Lacey, I came by to…to…” To what, genius? To berate her for leavin’ your bed before you'd given her permission? Just tell her you were dyin’ to see her again before one more second passed! "Are you all right?" he blurted out. "I mean…I thought I'd stop by and…well, and make sure…”

"I'm fine." She gave him a faint smile.

He wasn’t. It felt like a dull knife was plunging into his heart.

They stared at each other for a moment, her cold and distant, him unable to tear his eyes away from her beautiful face.

And then he realized what it was about her that seemed so different: She'd lost her edge, that acidic side of her that generally left him stinging from head to toe. The bitterness was gone from her eyes and only a sad kind of loneliness remained. He wanted to reach out and kiss that loneliness away—he’d never wanted to hold a woman so badly in his life. But if she’d wanted that, she wouldn’t have left him last night.

“I’ll, uh, head into town and round up the boys, then. We'll be back for you in about an hour.”

"I'll be ready to go.”

He put on his hat and turned for the door, his insides feeling like they'd been chewed up and spit out.

“Matthew?”

He turned back so fast his hat nearly fell off. "Yes?"

"We'll find that money," she said. "You can bet on it.”

"Right," he agreed.

"And then we can both get back to our lives," she added.

He nodded slowly. "I suppose you'll be leaving?”

"I'll come back and say good-bye to George and Hazel. Then…” She left the sentence hanging, but they both knew what she meant.

He nodded again.

"Aren't you going to ask where I'll be heading?”

He held her stare for a moment, waiting for his heart to finish breaking in two. “That’s none of my business.” He tugged his hat brim and headed straight for the front door.

He heard Hazel call to him from the drawing room. He ignored her. He was too beat up inside for a chat.

He left the house, heading across the porch and down the steps to his waiting horse.

Hazel followed him outside. “Matthew?! What the dickens is goin' on between you two?"

He swung up into his saddle and looked at her with his heart in his eyes. "Not a thing,” he said.

It wasn’t a lie. He'd fallen in love with a woman who didn't love him back. And nothing felt worse than that in the whole wide world.

* * *

Lacey didn't want to get out of bed. Her eyes had to be the size of blowholes after all the crying she'd done. Then Matthew had put her on the verge of tears again, by barging into her room, looking more handsome than ever.

She knew why he'd come, to make sure it was clear that there were no strings attached between them. She’d told him what he needed to hear—that she was fine—and now she had to convince herself it was true.

A soft knock came at her door and Hazel slipped into the room. "Are you all right, honey? Matthew just lit outta here like a bat from hell.”

"He's anxious to round up his deputies. We're leaving for Fairhaven in a couple of hours."

The woman scrutinized her. "Ya don't look to me like you're up to the trip."

"It doesn't matter," Lacey said. She swung around to sit on the edge of the bed. "I have to get that money back."

"That money's been awful important to you since ya came to town," Hazel said. "Don't suppose you'd care to tell me why, exactly?”

"My future depends on getting it back.”

"Your future," the woman repeated.

"That's all I can say."

The woman sat down on the bed beside her. Her chin quivered.“I know ya plan to leave as soon as that cash is recovered, honey. But I want ya to know—George and I want ya to know—that you will always have a place at our table.” She cupped Lacey’s cheek. “There will always be a bed waitin’ here for ya, Lacey."

Lacey’s eyes flooded with tears. "Thank you, Hazel.”

“I’m gonna miss ya,” the woman cried.

They fell into each other’s arms and sobbed like babies.

“You mean the world ta us.”

“You mean the world to me,” Lacey cried back.

Finally, they pulled away from each other and dashed at their tears.

“Now.” Hazel sniffed. "Matthew's comin' back for ya in an hour, and I know ya don't want him seein' you all swollen up and pink from cryin’.” She stood from the bed and wiped her face with the bottom of her apron. “So, get up and throw some cold water on that pretty face. George and I are headin' in to the restaurant, but I'll be back by three, just in case you get home from Fairhaven early." She smiled at Lacey through her tears. "Good luck, honey. And be safe.”

Lacey nodded. She was no longer capable of speech. Her throat had closed up so tightly it ached. She could only offer Hazel a teary smile as the woman left the room.

She sat on the bed, trying to pull herself together. She heard wagon harnesses rattling in the front yard and knew George and Hazel were leaving for town. She’d found a life here that she didn’t deserve, but she couldn’t let her breaking heart get in the way of what she still had to do.

She climbed out of bed and got dressed, determined to hold it together for the rest of the day. There’d be plenty of chances to cry over her loses on the way to California.

She spotted the strap of her purse under the bed and crouched down to pull out the bag. She’d been holding onto it like a life-line, unable to give up her last connection to the twenty-first century, but it belonged to a woman who no longer existed.

She heard a sound in the entryway and assumed Hazel had come back for something she’d forgotten. She opened her door to greet the woman, and froze.

It seemed Ned and Henry Rawlins had broken out of jail.