“Where do you want this one, Pops?” Hubert asked, lifting a heavy trunk from the dolly filled with baggage from the train resting at the train station.

“Does it have a tag?” Athos asked, striding over to where Hubert worked alongside the regular porters.

“Only one that says ‘Haskell’,” Hubert said.

Athos came over, checked the tag, nodded, and gestured to a small pile forming against the side of the stationhouse. “Put it there for now. If no one comes forward to claim it, I’ll check the train’s records.”

“Okay.”

He carried the trunk to where his father had indicated and stacked it with the others. It’d been years since he’d helped out at the train station. Seven years, to be exact. He’d forgotten how strenuous the work was. No wonder his father hired men to do all the lifting these days. Athos wasn’t an old man by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be either. Hubert had jumped at the chance to help him out, filling in while one of the regular porters was in Salt Lake City, visiting his family for the holidays.

Working his muscles also gave him the clarity he needed to chart a course for his future. He had decisions to make, now that he’d spent his life savings to bail out the Bonnevilles. San Francisco was just the beginning. His old job would provide enough to build the foundations of the life he wanted for Bebe, but deep within, he knew he could do more than just provide for her. He wanted her not only to be happy, but to feel fulfilled after years of living under her family’s thumb.

If only he felt more at ease about how he’d left things with Vivian that morning.

“What’s that look for?” his father asked as Hubert walked back to the dolly of baggage. The man always had had an uncanny ability to tell when Hubert was mulling something over.

Hubert shrugged, then took the last few suitcases off the dolly so the regular porter could wheel it back to the baggage car. “I’m just wishing Bebe had been at the ranch this morning when I took the paperwork for the loan to Vivian.”

His father hummed. They’d discussed the whole thing right after Hubert returned from the ranch, before he started working. “I don’t blame you for not trusting Vivian.”

“It’s not that, exactly,” Hubert started. The problem was, that’s exactly what it was. He didn’t trust Vivian. Sure, she’d been happy. Melinda had been ecstatic. But the whole encounter had left Hubert wondering if he’d done the right thing. The older Bonneville sisters hadn’t exactly been brimming with gratitude.

“You think the way will be smooth for you to marry Bebe now?” Athos asked, checking a few things off on the list he carried, then glancing to Hubert.

Hubert put the suitcases down, then scratched his head. “To tell you the truth, Pops. I’m not sure. Something wasn’t right with the Bonneville sisters earlier.”

“If you ask me, something’s not right with them most of the time,” Athos drawled.

Hubert cracked a smile, but it didn’t feel right. “It was more than that,” he went on. “I showed Vivian the paper from the bank saying the loan was paid off in full and explained that I used my money to pay it. I thought Vivian was going to throttle me, of all things. But when I told her that I didn’t expect anything in return, I was doing it because I loved Bebe and knew she would only be happy if the ranch was secure, well, it was like something snapped in Vivian.”

“Huh.” Athos nodded, then took a moment to give instructions to one of the regular porters.

Hubert pushed a hand through his hair, thinking about how he could explain the way Vivian had flushed with anger at his kindness, and how her expression had pinched with resentment. Like she would have rather died than accept that someone she didn’t like could be responsible for saving her bacon. There really wasn’t much of a way to explain something that he didn’t understand. He didn’t need Vivian or Melinda to like him, but surely they could accept that he’d help them because of Bebe.

“Bebe.” No sooner had she popped into his thoughts than he glanced up and saw her storming toward the train platform from the livery. His heart swelled and leapt in his chest, and he marched away from the pile of baggage to meet her.

His rushing steps slowed, though, when he saw her wild-eyed fury. “Explain yourself,” she shouted, balling her fists. “Explain yourself right now, Hubert Strong.”

Hubert’s mouth flopped open like a fish on dry land. “Uh….” The force of Bebe’s anger left him with no clue where to start or what kind of explanation she wanted. “I paid a visit to the ranch this morning,” he said, figuring it was best to start at the beginning.

“I know you did.”

She came to a stop in front of him, chest heaving and cheeks pink. And even though her eyes were wide with anger, Hubert thought she was the most beautiful and most desirable thing in the world. In fact, he had half a mind to whisk her into his arms, prickles, spitfire and all, and carry her down to Vernon’s house and his bedroom.

“Okay,” he said instead, raising his hands to appease her. “I brought Vivian and Melinda some paperwork from the bank.”

“Are you going back to San Francisco?” she demanded, fear suddenly taking over from her fury.

Hubert paused, shifting his weight and running a hand through his hair. So Vivian had mentioned that part of what he’d told her. Instinct told him Bebe hadn’t gotten the full story, but experience warned him he had to be careful how he filled in the gaps.

“If we want to have the kind of life that you deserve, without having to scrimp and save to scrape by, then yeah, I’ll have to go back to my old job in San Francisco.”

Apparently, he said the wrong thing.

“How could you?” Bebe raged, punching him in the arm. “After everything we’ve been through, after what we did the other day. How could you just leave me again? Again. How dare you walk out on me a second time?”

“Whoa, whoa. Bebe, wait.”

“You are a terrible, horrible person, Hubert Strong. You’re a faithless, lying, toad.”

“Hold on there a second.”

“You’re a heartless, feckless villain is what you are, and I’ll never forgive you. Never.”

“Bebe.” He grabbed her forearms, holding her tightly.

“Vivian was right.”

“Vivian?” Dread filled Hubert’s gut, but with it, understanding.

“She told me you would leave me again. She was right. All men are pigs.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Hubert told her in a loud voice. Maybe a little too loud. More than a few of the passengers waiting to board the train craned their necks to see what was going on.

Bebe continued to wriggle and squirm in Hubert’s grip, so he slid an arm around her waist and tugged her close. That stopped her struggling in a hurry. Her cheeks were still pink and her eyes still bright with emotion, but she glanced up at him with a flare of desire.

“I’m not leaving you,” Hubert repeated.

“But…but you’re going back to San Francisco,” she said, her voice tight and squeaky.

Hubert let out a breath and grinned at her. Let everyone call him a fool for loving such a temperamental vixen. No doubt they’d have more than a few fights in the years to come. But he looked forward to it. He’d always loved Bebe’s energy and her determination to stand up for herself. To prove it, he leaned in and kissed her.

She squeaked, tensing for a moment before softening. Her sound of protest turned to a long, heartfelt sigh. It didn’t matter how many people were watching them, Hubert took his time, caressing her lips with his own, sliding his tongue alongside hers until she was purring instead of hissing.

“Now,” he said once she was loose and warm in his arms. “What exactly did Vivian tell you?”

Bebe made a few weak sounds before her voice formed into words. “She told me you were abandoning me, going back to San Francisco.”

Hubert blinked. “And?”

Bebe frowned. “And what? Are you leaving or aren’t you?”

Hubert clenched his jaw, beginning to see that he was right not to trust Vivian. “Did she tell you anything else?”

“Like what?” Bebe’s anger began to wake anew.

“Did Vivian tell you anything else?”

Bebe’s anger shifted to confusion. “Someone paid off the loan on the ranch.”

“Someone?” Hubert growled, furious. There was no way that Vivian Bonneville would keep that kind of information from her sister. No way.

“Do you know who?” Bebe asked, expectation making her seem several years younger all of a sudden.

“Yeah,” Hubert nodded, grinning. “Me.”

Bebe flinched. “You?” Her eyes went wide. “You paid off our loan?”

“I did.”

“You?”

“Are you surprised?”

“Yes! Why would you do that?”

“Because I love you, and I want you to be happy.”

“But…but….” She shook her head, looking utterly baffled. Then she glared up at him. “Why didn’t Vivian tell me?”

“I don’t have the first clue. Your sisters are a mystery to me, and one I don’t particularly care to solve.”

“How could she?” Bebe blinked. Hubert could feel the restless, angry energy coursing through her as she quivered in his arms. Then she blinked and turned all of that energy on him. “How could you?”

“How could I pay off your loan?”

“No!” She stomped. “After all that, how could you still go back to San Francisco.”

“Because I used my life savings to pay the loan. And I can’t earn enough in Haskell to give you the life you deserve.”

“And how is leaving me alone with a sister who deceived me and…and pulled my hair out going to solve anything?” Bebe shouted.

“I’m not—she pulled your hair out?”

“She tried to keep me from leaving the ranch to find out why you were leaving,” Bebe said, her eyes glassy with frustrated tears. “She was downright frightening.”

The pieces suddenly fit into place. Hubert let out a breath and hugged her.

“So let me get this straight. Vivian told you I was leaving, but she didn’t tell you I paid off the loan.”

“Yes.”

“And she tried to keep you from coming after me to demand an explanation.”

“She did.”

“Don’t you think that’s because she didn’t want you finding out I paid the loan?”

She paused before slowly answering. “That makes sense.”

“And don’t you think she also tried to stop you from leaving and coming with me?”

Bebe pulled back so fast it nearly knocked Hubert off balance. “Going with you?”

“Yes,” Hubert laughed, both frustrated by how hard it was to share something so simple and relieved that they were finally cutting through the confusion. “I want you to come to San Francisco with me.”

Bebe’s already pink cheeks flushed scarlet. “But…I thought….” She shook her head. “Go with you?”

“Yes.” Hubert pulled her back into his embrace, holding her tight. “I never want to live without you again, Bebe. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything. I knew you wouldn’t feel right about leaving your sisters when they were in a pinch, but now that they’re not in a pinch, well, I thought you might like a fresh start somewhere else.”

“But I can’t….” She leaned back and looked up at him. “Can I?”

Hubert kissed her lightly. “It was your father who stopped you from coming with me all those years ago. Rex is gone now. You’re a grown woman, capable of making your own decisions. If you want to come with me, well, then nothing would make me happier.”

“San Francisco.” Bebe spoke the word breathlessly. Excitement transformed her from frustrated and miserable to full of joy and brimming with youth in a heartbeat. “I could live in a big city. We could live in one of those new skyscraper buildings.”

Hubert laughed. “Well, maybe not exactly. But if you want to live five stories off the ground and walk up all those stairs, we can.”

“And could we go to the theater? And eat in fine restaurants?”

“As soon as we could afford to, yes.” He kissed her. “We could do whatever you wanted.”

“I’ll help out,” she vowed. “Whatever it takes. I’ll get a job sewing or teaching, or anything, really, if it will help us.”

“You don’t have to,” Hubert said, and when she started to frown, he said, “But if you want to, I won’t stop you.”

“Good.” A confident smile spread across her face. It sent shockwaves of desire through Hubert. There would never be a dull moment in his life with Bebe.

“And who knows,” he went on. “I might end up being sent overseas as a correspondent once again. We could visit Japan, China, India. We could travel the world if you want to.”

“That would be divine,” Bebe sighed. She threw her arms around Hubert’s neck and hugged him for all she was worth. “I’m so sorry I doubted you.”

“It’s all right,” he said, hugging her back, tenderness filling him. “You haven’t exactly had a lot of reasons to trust people in your life. But I promise you, I will never be false with you, and I will never leave you again.”

“And I promise that I won’t fly off the handle whenever I feel uncertain about things. I’ll do everything in my power to be a good, calm, happy wife.”

Hubert laughed. “Who said I wanted that?”

“Isn’t that what all men want?” She leaned back and looked at him with one brow arched.

Hubert chuckled and kissed her. “Bebe, I’ve loved you since I was a boy, in spite of how spoiled you used to be and in spite of everybody telling me not to get involved with a Bonneville girl. I’ve loved you because of your fire. If you suddenly turned into a meek and mild woman, I’d know something was wrong.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.” She planted one hand on her hip.

“It’s the highest compliment of all, my darling.” He circled his arms more tightly around her, grinning. “I love you for who you are, and I would never want you to change. I want you to always be my fickle, prickly, proud, strong Bebe.”

“Bebe Strong,” she said with a smile, sliding her arms around his waist. “I like the sound of that.”

“So do I,” Hubert said, kissing her as if all the world were suddenly theirs.