“Then what happened?” Ma asked.

Eli gingerly touched the bump on his head and winced. “If ya ask me, I think they musta overheard somethin’ ‘bout Oscar’s weddin’ present from the Cookes …”

“What?” Sadie said in shock. “But they discussed that with Oscar well over a month ago, on his wedding day! How could they … wait. You said they looked familiar?”

“I’m sure I’ve seen them ‘round town before, Mrs. Cooke,” Eli said.

“Cyrus did have a group of men stay at the hotel about that time,” Sadie said. “But would they have waited that long just to get their hands on a measly eight cattle?”

“Beggin’ yer pardon, Mrs. Cooke,” Eli said. “But ‘a measly eight cattle’ could mean food for a whole winter for some folks.”

“I’m sure it would,” Lily agreed. “You’d be surprised what suddenly becomes valuable during hard times. But what I don’t understand is what happened to Emeline.”

“Well, to tell ya the truth, I ain’t sure.”

“Wha’d’y’mean yer not sure?” Ma asked. “When’d y’last see ‘er?”

Eli repositioned himself on the bed to better look at her. “Emeline kept … now please don’t take this wrong, Mrs. White …”

“Go on.”

“She kept goin’ on ‘bout this letter yer son Anson sent, frettin’ over it and frettin’ over it. Even wrote him back a few times, but she’d always crumple up them letters, throw ‘em away and start new ones.”

“She did?” Lily said in surprise, glanced at the others and quickly calmed herself.

“You don’t think she was on her way here, do you?” Sadie said.

“I hate to say it, but I think so,” Eli said.

Sadie began to pace the room. “Now let’s not panic until we have this figured out. Logan is supposed to arrive with the cattle today or tomorrow.”

“And if them varmints that took my sister are after them, they’d be ‘round here too.”

“And that’s why you’re here?” Lily asked.

“Yep. I figger Emeline might’ve decided to try answerin’ Anson’s letter in person. Or maybe she just wanted to see what it’s like to ride in this direction. I know that sounds silly, but that’d be Emeline. She’s kind of a dreamer sometimes.”

“You mean she’d saddle a horse and take off for the day, alone, just to … look around?!” Lily asked, aghast.

Eli nodded sagely. “On the surface my sister’s one of the most practical gals ya ever did see. But once in a while she gets these notions in her head …”

“So th’men who might be after the Cookes’ cattle might’ve run ‘cross her ‘n took her with ‘em?” Ma asked.

“That’s what I think,” Eli said. “After all, Emeline’s not one to let herself get abducted. In fact, I’d feel sorry for the man fool enough to try.”

Sadie nodded. “Yes, that does sound like Emeline.” She looked at Ma. “When will Oscar and Anson be back?”

“Any time now,” Ma said. “Oscar’ll wanna make sure the stock’s okay ‘n check th’fences, but if those men’re after his weddin’ present, they’ll probably try’n take ‘em well ‘fore they get here. This place’s too busy – too many folks here to stop ‘em.”

“Stop who?” Anson asked as he came back into the room. “All clear out there, Ma,” he added quickly, then turned to Eli. “What are ya talking about? Where’s Emeline?”

“Calm down, son,” Ma advised. “We’ve got this figured out. Now we need to decide on what to do next.”

“What happened?” Anson asked again in agitation.

“I’ll tell him.” Lily took Anson by the shoulders and turned him to face her. “It seems Emeline was unable to determine what to do about your letter,” she told him calmly. “She was apparently quite emotional –”

Anson’s eyebrows shot skyward. “What do you mean?”

“Let me finish. It looks like she may have been riding this way to talk to you, but was waylaid. Perhaps – and this is only our best guess, but perhaps – by a group that found out about the cattle the Cookes are sending here. Some men may have overheard the Cookes talking with Oscar about it and were lying in wait when Emeline stumbled across them. That’s the way it looks right now.”

Anson took a few seconds to digest that, then turned to Eli. “Ya saw her with these men?”

Eli shook his head, and wished he hadn’t. “Mmph. I was trackin’ her horse, picked up the trail of a half-dozen riders I figger must’ve caught up to her, and tracked the lot to ‘bout a few hours ride from here. At least I think it was a few hours ride – somebody hit me on the head with somethin’, so I don’t got a good sense of where I was. Took my horse too. When I came to, I knew I needed help, and this was the closest place, so …” He began to sway.

“We’d best let ‘im rest a li’l,” Ma said. “Anson, where’s Oscar?”

“Checkin’ the barn again.”

“He’ll be back soon, then,” his mother said. “‘N fer Heaven’s sake, where’s Henry?”

“Downstairs guardin’ the front door,” Anson said. “Why?”

Ma rolled her one good eye and shook her head. “Well, least he’s doin’ his duty – better’n starin’ out at th’road. All right, ever’one back downstairs so we can decide what t’do.” She laid Eli back down, then shooed everyone else out the door and into the hall.

Lily hung back a moment. “Mr. Turner, er … may I call you Eli?”

“Sure.” He settled himself against the pillows.

“Are you hungry?”

“I was ‘til I got hit on the head. Now not so much.”

“I’ll check on you later. You get some rest.”

“Mrs. White?”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t wanna say this in front of Anson, but … I think Emeline’s kinda sweet on him too. But he’s so far away, ya know?”

She nodded with a sigh. “Yes, I know. You rest.”

* * *

“Someone needs to warn Logan,” Sadie said.

“Agreed,” said Oscar. “I’ll go.”

“Not this time,” Anson said. “I’ll do it.”

“And get yerself killed?” Oscar countered.

“But I’m the best shot!” Anson argued. “And I know yer worried I’ll do somethin’ foolish if ya find Emeline, so I’m puttin’ myself someplace else.”

“Both true. But they’re also why ya need to stay here with Henry and protect the family.”

Anson was about to retort, but snapped his mouth shut and looked at his mother.

“He’s right,” his mother said. “I’d feel safer if ya stayed with us.”

“Don’t worry, Ma,” Henry said. “Anson and I’ll make sure nothin’ happens to ya.”

She smiled at her sons. “I know.”

“Then it’s settled,” Oscar said. “I’ll find Logan and escort him back here.”

“But what about Emeline?” Anson asked. “Who knows what those scoundrels have done to her by now!”

“If they have her,” Oscar pointed out. “Remember, her brother never actually saw her with them, only that a group of horses had caught up to another horse.”

“I don’t know,” Henry said. “Willie told me Eli Turner’s a real good tracker.”

Sadie nodded. “He is good – he’s tracked quite a few times for Sheriff Hughes before.”

Oscar thought a moment. “Well, as I see it, there’s only one way to catch these men, provided there are any to catch. That’s to lure them out with the Cookes’ cattle if that’s what they’re really after.”

“But Emeline!” Anson pleaded.

“And what if they show up here?” Oscar asked. “And poor Henry’s left to defend the womenfolk on his own?”

Anson bit his lower lip, probably to keep his mouth shut. It didn’t work. “Dagnabit, Oscar! What makes ya think ya can handle six outlaws by yerself?”

Oscar smiled. “Pure size, intimidation and a couple rifles.”

“Yeehaw!” Henry whooped. “My brother’s gonna pound some heads!”

“Th’only poundin’ he needs to do is t’fix th’loose shingles on th’roof,” Ma said. “‘Member, Oscar, Eli said there were six o’em. There’s only one o’ya, two if ya count Logan, ‘n I don’t like them odds.” She turned to Anson. “Son, I know yer sweet on this gal, but we dunno where she is or if these men got ‘er. Wisest thing t’do is warn Mr. Kincaid, as he’s standin’ ‘tween them outlaws and the cows. Let’s face it, if they want th’cattle bad ‘nough, they might kill fer ‘em.”

“Ma, ya cain’t expect me to stand by and let …”

“I can ‘spect ya to do as I say, long as yer under my roof, son,” Ma said in a voice that allowed no argument. “Now we’re gonna get t’Logan first – then ya got yer outlaws. Then ya can ask ‘em ‘bout Emeline.”

Anson stiffened, closed his eyes, but finally nodded in surrender. “Yes, Ma.”

Sadie touched his. “Your mother’s right. You could spend hours or days trying to find these men. Let them come to you, or to Oscar and Logan. They’ll have a much better chance of locating Emeline if they’re able to interrogate one of them.”

“But what are they gonna do to her?” Anson was almost weeping in frustration.

Ma put a hand on his other arm to calm him. “Rest easy, Anson, we’ll tend ‘er when we find ‘er. She’ll be in good hands. And women’re valuable in these parts – they ain’t gonna kill ‘er.”

Anson’s lip twitched. “If they hurt her … I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”

Ma sighed again. “Anson Ezekiel White, ya’ll do no such thing! Last thing that poor girl needs is for ya t’go chargin’ in, guns blazin’ and puttin’ her in worse danger. Now you ‘n Henry go out ‘n do what needs doin’ t’get this place ready fer battle. Oscar’ll take care o’yer girl, y’know he will.”

Lily and Sadie stood off to one side watching this exchange, mouths flopped open like hooked fish. Battle?

Anson, though unhappy, took the hint. He smacked Henry on the arm and nodded at the front door. “C’mon, let’s go saddle Oscar’s horse.”

“I’ll get the rifles ready for ya, Oscar,” Henry said, then followed Anson out the door.

Oscar went straight to Lily and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry, Lily Fair. Everything’s gonna be all right.”

When he released her, she nodded and looked into his eyes. “I know. But please, please be careful.”

He gave her a light smile. “Always am.” He left the house to fetch his horse and a second rifle.

* * *

Lily paced the kitchen.

“Land sakes, chile,” Ma said as she put a batch of cookies in the oven, “stop that ‘fore y’wear out th’floor.”

“I’m sorry, Ma.” She leaned against the dry sink, her hands gripping the edge like a bird’s talons. “But this is just like when …”

“When what?” Sadie asked as she poured a bowl of cut-up potatoes into a hot pan. They sizzled and popped in the bacon grease.

“When the soldiers came. The war …”

Sadie looked at Ma, who wrung her hands in sympathy, then back to Lily. “Are you okay?”

Lily relaxed her grip. “Yes. This just brings back a lot of terrible memories.”

“I think I understand,” Sadie said. “Some of my father’s hands went to fight, on both sides. A lot of them never came back.”

Lily pressed her lips together and nodded. Both sides … for all she knew, some were in Sherman’s army that had ravaged and burned … she shook herself. No, she wasn’t going to think of such things, not now. She looked at Sadie, saw her sad expression and nodded slowly. “I’m sorry.”

“So were we.”

“‘Nough of this talk, y’two,” Ma said. “We got chores t’do, a patient t’take care of ‘n a couple hard-workin’ men that want breakfast.”

Lily and Sadie smiled and got back to work.

Soon breakfast was ready and the five people still in the house (aside from the sleeping Eli) sat at the table. Ma clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. “Oh Lord, Ya know what’s what wi’this outlaw business, ‘n Ya know what’s happened to Emeline …”

Lily swore she could feel Anson stiffen in his chair across the table. He sure had it bad for Emeline Turner – she had no doubt he’d take a bullet for her. That made her think of Oscar - would he die to protect her, risk life and limb to keep her safe? Her heart warmed as she realize he was more or less doing that right now.

So what about her – would she do what was necessary if they were threatened? Would she give up her life to save his? She’d seen others do it during the war. She’d done it herself when she tried to save her mother in-law. How could she do any less for her husband? Why wouldn’t she do whatever she could to …

“Amen,” Ma concluded.

Lily couldn’t suppress her smile. … to save the man she loved?

By the time they’d finished breakfast, she was giddy with the realization that yes, yes, YES, she was in love with Oscar. And then some. She whipped through the rest of her morning chores in no time, despite the threat of outlaws hanging over them.

“What’s going on?” Sadie finally asked as they settled in to do laundry. “You seem awful happy for some reason.”

“I am,” she said.

“Any particular reason?”

Lily smiled at her. “I love Oscar!”

Sadie laughed. “Well, I’d rather assumed that!”

Lily laughed too. “But I wasn’t truly sure until today.”

Sadie nodded in understanding. “Sometimes we do have to look at it a few times to understand what love is. I didn’t fall in love with Harrison right away, but it didn’t take me too long to see it was happening. I’d never been in love before – I didn’t know what to expect.”

“I’d thought I was in love before,” Lily mused. “But I think I was really in love with what I could get out of the relationship. My parents and John’s were both wealthy plantation owners. We were so smug, so … sure of everything. Then the war began, and he went off to fight, and …” She looked away, her eyes fixed on the barn. “So much has changed since then.”

“For the better, I hope,” Sadie said.

“Not until recently.” Lily shook her head with remembrance. “If you had said that to me a year ago, I would have probably slapped your face.”

Sadie put an arm on her shoulder. “I understand. I didn’t live through the aftermath of the war, but believe me when I say I understand.”

Lily nodded, trusting the woman’s words were true. But did it matter? She’d finally found happiness, peace and contentment with Oscar. He’d helped her heal from her scars, was still helping her. She was grateful beyond words.

Sadie gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then bent to their work. “Things will turn out. And who knows, Oscar and Logan might be here in time for supper. We’d better set an extra plate.”

“Yes,” Lily said. “We’d better.” With a smile and just a hint of trepidation, she got to work. Please, Lord, don’t let anyone get hurt. Let them come home safely. Even the cows.