Even though it hadn't been planned, most of the town turned out for Doc's marriage to Ma Sutton. After all, Doc had been part of the town from the very first - and until not very long ago, he had been the one delivering babies and tending to accidents and illness.

So the small wedding filled the church - and spilled out into the street. Standing with the couple, Nick and Jess exchanged smiles as they heard the slight nervous shaking in Ma's voice as she recited the vows.

Afterwards, Martha Hawkins (now to be known as 'Ma' Hawkins) confided that she really didn't mind all the *fuss*, since her first marriage had consisted of herself, Ethan Sutton, the preacher and the preacher's wife as a witness. "I figure ev'ry woman oughta have at least one big weddin' in her life," she told Jess. "I figure you don't agree, seein' as how you didn't want a big weddin'."

"I changed my mind, Ma," Jess reminded her. "Of course, it took my almost losing Nick to do that."

Ma nodded to where Elizabeth and Thad were dancing together. "Now, those two need a big weddin - but I can't convince them of that."

The couple in question had both insisted that they didn't want to plan a huge affair only to have to cancel or postpone it because a patient needed them, or something similar. "Surely Thad realizes that he can rely on Doc to take care of his patients in that case," was Jess' comment.

"You know how Thad is - as dedicated to his patients as Doc is -"

"Is, Ma? Shouldn't that be 'was'?"

The woman chuckled. "Don't let that old man fool ya, Jess. He might have handed his practice over to Thad, but they're still his patients."

"Well, while you and Doc are gone on your trip, I'll try to have a discussion with Elizabeth and Thad about it."

Doc had convinced Ma to take a trip up to Sutton's Creek so that he could meet her other two sons, since neither of them had come down for the wedding. "It's gonna be strange, bein' back up there. Eban says it's like the old days, but he wasn't around for the 'old days'," she said.

"You don't think he would let you go back there if it was still like it was the first time that Nick and I saw it, do you?"

"No. I've tried to warn Doc 'bout what we might be gettin' into, but he's determined that we're goin'."

"Well, consider this: he's never had any children of his own - now he has four, and would like to meet the two that aren't here."

"I took that into account, child," she nodded as Nick and Doc appeared from the crowd.

"Would you like to dance?" Doc asked his bride, and she grinned.

"Does a dog like t'hunt?" she replied, giving him her hand.

"Uh oh," Jess said, glancing at Nick. "Do you see -"

"I see," Nick confirmed.

Across the room, Eban asked Rose to dance, and led her out onto the floor. "Do something, Nick," Jess whispered, trying to watch both couples. "Before Ma sees -"

"Too late," Nick told her as Eban and Rose passed his mother and Doc.

"Tell me when it's over," Jess said, covering her eyes. Peeking through her fingers, she saw Ma's gaze fix on the boy and Rose, but the expected explosion didn't happen, and Jess dropped her hands again. "What -?"

"I expect Eban knew that she wouldn't create a ruckus, but if I were him, I'd be expecting her to corner him about it at some point."

"If *I* were him, I'd stay out of her way until after she and Doc leave on their trip."

"That won't be until tomorrow afternoon," Nick reminded her. "They're taking the train east, then another spur out to Braddock, then travelling down to Sutton's Creek by road."

"According to Eban, there's actually a road now, instead of the goat track that we had to use."

"That's something, anyway. But I don't think Eban can keep out of her sights until tomorrow afternoon."

"And maybe he doesn't *want* to," Jess told him, watching as the dance ended and Eban led Rose over to where Ma and Doc were now standing.

"That boy has a death wish," Nick declared, slowly heading in that direction with Jess close behind.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Rose was saying.

"Doc tells me that ya work at the saloon," Ma said.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm one of the hostesses."

Ma glanced at Nick. "She good at her job?" she asked him.

"Very good. Rose was working for Lily when I came to town."

"I'd only been there for a year or so by then," Rose explained. "To me, it's not really much different than being a waitress at the Cafe - only we sit down and talk to our customers."

Ma gave the girl a thoughtful look as she considered Rose's words. "Ya could be right, at that. Why don't ya come for Sunday dinner tomorrow and we'll talk afore Doc and I catch our train?"

"Martha -" Doc said, "I thought we would have dinner at the Cafe -"

"Nonsense. We'll have dinner at our place."

"What ever you say, dear."

=======================

"Mrs. Hawkins," Rose said as she helped Ma finish dinner, "I know you have reservations about Eban and me keeping company -"

"He's a good boy," Ma said. "I don't want him t'get hurt."

"Believe me, I would never want to hurt Eban. He really is a good man."

"How old are ya?" Ma was nothing if not direct.

"I'm twenty two."

"And you been workin' for -"

"I was sixteen when I started working for Lily," Rose told her. "I'm an orphan, you see. My only family is an uncle that, well, I couldn't stay with. He wasn't a nice person."

"Where ya from?"

"El Paso. Lily and I met on the stagecoach when she was coming out here to buy the saloon. We started talking, and she offered me a job."

"If it was in any other saloon, I'd be worried, but knowin' how Nick runs his place -"

"Lily ran it the same way," Rose told her. "I suppose that I could quit the saloon and go to work at the cafe, but - well, I like getting to know people. Talking to them. I know about most of the customers' families and their jobs - "

"And if ya get married? Would ya want to keep doin' what you're doin?"

"It would depend on my husband, I suppose. If it was someone like Eban, I'd likely quit and have babies."

Ma looked at her. "Ya want children, then?"

"I'd love to have several children, if that's what God wants."

"So you don't just go t'church because it's expected - you're a believer."

"Oh, yes, ma'am."

"I s'pose ya know that Eban's got money - and more com'in one day?"

Rose sighed. "I know all about that - That's not why I like him." She lifted her hand. "I promise."

Ma finally smiled and handed the girl a bowl of potatoes. "Take this in and I'll bring the chicken."

======================

"Now," Jess began as they gathered in the parlor over coffee, "Elizabeth and Thad - what is this nonsense about not wanting a big wedding?"

Nick coughed, having choked on his coffee because of her question. "You, darlin', are *not* the one to ask that question."

"I do seem to recall that you didn't want a big fancy wedding," Elizabeth nodded.

"*I* changed my mind," Jess reminded her sister. "But I always expected that you and Amanda would want big weddings."

"It's a fair question, Elizabeth," Lily agreed.

"We just feel like it would be a waste," Elizabeth answered. "What if we plan a big, elaborate wedding and then something happens and we have to cancel it?"

"There *is* another doctor in town," Nick told them.

"I know," Thad nodded. "But Uncle Mark has retired, and I -"

"And he's still available to see patients if necessary," Jess said to finish his comment. "I really think that he can handle anything that comes up for the amount of time it would take for your wedding."

From outside, they heard the sound of a heavy wagon and horses in front of the house. "Whoa!" someone called out.

"What on earth -?" Kevin asked, putting his cup down to head to the front door and outside to find a covered wagon sitting there. The others followed behind him in time to see a young man just jumping out of the seat, and Jenks was calling out.

"Boss!"

"What's going on?" Kevin wanted to know.

"Found this wagon crossing the Eastern range, Boss. This here kid was driving it - but I think the doc needs to look at the woman inside -"

Thad climbed into the seat and peered into the back before turning to say, "Elizabeth, get my bag out of the buggy, please. Lily, Jess, I'll need some clean towels -"

Elizabeth turned and grabbed medical bag, while Mariana turned and went to get the towels from the bath. When she returned with them, Jess handed the towels into the back of the wagon.

"What's going on, Thad?" Nick questioned, helping Elizabeth up into the wagon.

"There's a woman in here who looks as if she's about to have a baby," Thad called back. He disappeared into the wagon again before calling out again. "Looks like she's been in labor for some time -"

"For most of the last day," the young man told them. "I was trying to find someone to help - there's not much between - where we started and here."

"Is she your sister?" Thad asked.

"No. No, she's - my stepmother. Angie."

"Do you know how far along she is?" Thad wanted to know.

"What - oh, um, she was saying that she would probably have the baby soon - so near on to nine months."

"What's going on, Ma?" Ben asked, coming out onto the porch.

"We're still figuring that out, son," Kevin answered. "Mariana, would you -?" he asked, hoping she would take the boy inside with her.

"Mariana," Lily said, giving Kate to her as well. "Maybe you could ask Cassie to come over and help for a few minutes?"

Cassie appeared from the direction of her house, wiping her hands on an apron. "I'm here, Miss Lily. I'll take Katie, Mariana."

Mariana nodded, and turned her attention to the boy who was still standing there. "Come on, Mr. Ben," she said, putting a hand on Ben's shoulder and turning him back toward the house. "You can help me with the dishes."

"Well, okay," Ben said, but he didn't look happy about it.

"What's your name?" Jess asked the young man. He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, with dark hair in need of a barber's shears, and blue eyes with a hint of steel in them.

"Cole," he answered, hesitating slightly before finishing, "Morton. Cole Morton."

"What on earth were you and your stepmother doing in a wagon out here by yourselves?" Lily wanted to know. Cole didn't answer, so she asked, "Where did you come from?"

"We had a small place this side of Taos," he said.

"What about your father?"

Nick's question clearly made Cole uncomfortable. "He was - away. He goes away a lot. On business."

The sound of a baby's cry came from the wagon, and Thad said, "It's a boy."

Elizabeth, holding the baby, moved to the back of the wagon where the others were now gathered.

"A boy," Cole sighed, sounding upset.

"Is that a problem?" Nick wanted to know.

"Elizabeth, give the baby to Jess or Lily - I need your help."

"On my way, doctor," she said, almost shoving the newborn into Jess' arms before turning back to where Thad was working to save Angie's life.

Jess stood there, holding the tiny baby. Touching a finger to his cheek, she smiled at him. "You're adorable," she whispered, feeling Nick's arm around her. She looked up at him, then back at the baby.

"Why is the fact that the baby is a boy a problem, Cole?" Nick asked again.

Cole shook his head. "Look, as soon as Angie's able to travel, we'll be gone and it won't matter -"

Thad came out of the wagon, helping Elizabeth to the ground. "I'm afraid that your stepmother won't be going anywhere, young man."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

Putting his hand on Cole's shoulder, Thad explained, "I'm sorry, but - she started bleeding - there was nothing I could do. She's dead."

Cole's shoulders slumped as he heard the words. "Maybe it's for the best," he sighed. "I just have to try and find a place for -" he lifted an arm to wipe his eyes, "for my brother and me so no one can find us."

"So you *are* running from someone," Nick said.

"You ever heard for the Cochran brothers?" he asked, looking at each of them.

"I have," Nick told him. "They're bounty hunters. And from what I've heard, they don't usually bring their prey back alive."

"And they don't much care how they trap that prey," Cole said. "If Angie hadn't convinced them that Father would stop in town before coming out to the ranch, we wouldn't have been able to get away."

"So these men are after your father," Kevin mused.

"Who is your father?" Jess wanted to know, still focused on the baby.

Cole took a deep breath. "Buck Martin."

Buck Martin was a notorious hired killer, wanted almost everywhere else other than the territory. Various posters had differing rewards offered for him, anywhere from five hundred dollars up to a hundred thousand. All of them had one thing in common: that he was wanted dead or alive.

"You said your name was Morton," Nick pointed out.

"That's the name he used in Taos," Cole told them. "The name we used so - people wouldn't know who he was, I guess."

"Why don't we go inside so that I can check the baby out?" Thad suggested. "And Cole here looks as though he could use something to eat."

"We stopped for breakfast yesterday, and that's when Angie started feeling bad, so I kept going to try and find help."

"Thank God that He sent you here," Elizabeth said, holding out her hands to take the baby from Jess. But Jess shook her head and turned toward the house, still carrying the infant, so Elizabeth accepted Thad's arm to escort her back into the house.

"Not sure what God had to do with it, ma'am," Cole replied as he was guided into the house and into the parlor, where he began to look around the room.

"Quite a bit, I think," Elizabeth said. "He sent you to a place where there was a doctor to deliver your brother."

"But he let Angie die," Cole pointed out.

"You yourself said that it might have been for the best."

Thad spoke up at last. "Elizabeth, would you care to help me?"

"I'll carry him upstairs," Jess said when Elizabeth attempted again to take the baby from her. "He's - used to me."

As Thad and Elizabeth followed Jess upstairs, Kevin turned to Nick. "I think that might be a problem," he noted.

"Possibly," Nick agreed, standing in the doorway, watching them.

"I'm going to go have Pedro and some of the men take care of that team and wagon," Kevin announced.

"We won't be here that long, Mr. -"

"Donager. I'm Kevin. This is my wife, Lily. The baby is Kate - and I think you saw our son, Ben. As for how long you'll be here - that baby won't be able to go anywhere for a little while, so you're both welcome to stay here for the time being."

Cole looked at Nick. "Are you a Donager, too?"

"No, I'm Nick Everett. The lady who was carrying your brother is my wife, Jess."

Kevin moved toward the door. "Nick?"

"I'll stay in here," Nick answered.

"Come on, Cole," Lily said, "Let's go find you some food."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Nick watched Cole eat, realizing that he'd been more than a little hungry. He also looked tired, and worried. "Do you think that the Cochran brothers are following you?"

Cole shrugged. "Not sure. They showed up at the house looking for Father - scared Angie half to death. When they first showed up asking for Buck Martin, I told them that I didn't know anyone with that name, that my father was Buck Morton, and they started laughing. That's when they showed me a wanted poster - Buck Martin, wanted for murder -" he sat there for a minute before continuing. "Until that moment, I hadn't known what Father did when he was away from the ranch. He always said he was looking over stock for the ranch - never did bring much of it back, though. That's when Angie told them that he always stopped in town before coming back to the ranch, and that he was expected within a few days, and they rode back toward Taos. She said that we had to get out of there before they came back. I guess I was in shock - and angry. I didn't want to go, but she told me that when they found out that Father wouldn't come from town, they'd be back - and that they would kill us. So I tossed what I could into the wagon, and we took off to the West. I don't know - maybe the trip - maybe it caused her death." He sighed. "We were never really close. I didn't like that he brought her home. A man like him should've never gotten married at all."

"What happened to your mother, Cole?" Lily asked.

"She got sick and died when I was ten. Five years ago, almost."

"Who stayed with you after she died?" Nick questioned.

"Father, mostly. He took some time off, but when he did have to go away, I stayed with friends in town."

"Was your father due back when you claimed?"

"No. He knew that the baby would be coming soon, and he told Angie that he'd be home for that, but we never really knew when he would show up. Guess he's off killing someone else." Lily and Nick exchanged a look at the bitterness in his voice.

"And if he does get back, and finds you and her gone -"

"He'll start looking for us," Cole told him.

====================

"He's a little small," Thad announced after the examination, "but his heart seems strong. Truthfully, I'm amazed he's alive at all, considering the fact that he was a full breech. Most of the time, that type of birth ends badly for mother *and* child."

Elizabeth brought a basin of water over to the bed to finish cleaning the baby, but Jess took it from her and did the job herself. "I'll go get some of Kate's diapers," she decided, "since I don't have anything else to do." Jess looked at her, and Elizabeth shook her head. "Go on. I'll be right back.

"I do think I'll examine Cole," Thad told said. "If he's agreeable. He looks a bit thin and pale -"

"Not sure that he'll agree," Jess told him. "He seems a bit surly."

"With reason. I got the impression that his father's a wanted man -"

Jess nodded. "For murder, mostly. He's a hired killer. I'm honestly surprised that he has a family at all. Men like that don't, usually."

"Here we are," Elizabeth said as she returned with the diaper and pin. Handing them to Jess, she didn't even try to take over this time.

=====================

Cole finally agreed that they would stay - at least for a few days, even though Thad warned him that the baby would need to be to be taken care of for longer, and retrieved whatever he could out of the wagon before taking his things to the room that Cassie had used upon her arrival with Ben.

Jess was determined to take care of the baby, and had convinced Kevin to go up to the attic and dig out the second cradle stored there. Lily provided linens and bottles and diapers for the infant, shushing her husband when he tried to talk some sense into his sister.

"Elizabeth, can't you do anything about -?" he began, but she shook her head. "Jess is right: the baby probably has become used to her. Babies sometimes sense who's holding them - It won't hurt anything. Jess does have experience taking care of babies, remember? Only this time, instead of taking care of two babies, it's only one."

Kevin sighed and shook his head. "Nick's the one I feel sorry for. Getting thrust into all of this without being able to say no."

====================

Nick showed Cole into the guest room. "That door goes into Ben's - the door's locked, so he won't come in."

Cole shrugged, putting the bundle of clothes on the bed. "He's Mr. Donager's son?"

"Yeah. His and Lily's. Your brother will be with Jess and me two doors down that way, the room at the back of the hall."

"He won't be any trouble?"

"No. Jess has experience taking care of babies. She raised her two sisters after their mother died when they were born." Nick watched him for a minute before asking, "How do you know for sure that your father is Buck Martin, Cole? Couldn't he really be Buck Morton?"

The young man shook his head. "Angie told me that it was true when those men left; and she showed me my Mother's Bible - I'd never seen it. I didn't even know she had one. I think that Father kept it hidden away so I wouldn't find out the truth - that my father was Buck Martin - a cold-blooded killer."

"You seemed worried that you have a brother," Nick recalled. "Why is that a problem?"

"Just a - a feeling I have. If he'd been a girl, I don't think Father would have cared. But - he's got this *thing* about a son. Said once that he wanted me to be like him - He'll feel that way about that baby, too. I don't want to be like him. I don't want anything more to do with him. I'm just - I'm afraid that the only way I'll ever get away from him - is after he's dead."

The boy's words troubled Nick, but he kept quiet. This wasn't the time to share about problems with his own father. "You get some rest. As for breakfast, we're usually pretty lax. Just wander down when you feel like it. Mariana keeps it out on the buffet until pretty late."

"Thanks. Night - Mr. Everett."

"Good night."

====================

Nick woke to a dark room - and knew from how cold the bed was that Jess wasn't with him. "Jess?" he whispered, looking around as he heard a soft, rhythmic sound and finally saw her sitting in the rocking chair beside the window. That was something else that she had asked Kevin to retrieve - the same chair she had used to rock her sisters to sleep almost twenty years ago.

"I'm over here," she replied, continuing to rock, the baby in her arms. "He got fussy - I didn't want to risk him waking you," she explained as he got out of bed and found his robe.

Coming over to her, he sat on the window seat. "It's okay," he said.

"Are you sure you don't mind my taking care of him?"

"Why would I mind?" he asked, reaching out to touch the baby's fist. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he wanted to know.

"No. I already gave him a bottle, and changed him - he should be back to sleep soon."

"You've done this before, I imagine."

"A very long time ago," she sighed. "I wasn't sure - You think I've gone crazy, don't you?"

"Not at all."

"Maybe I have - I'd made my peace with our possibly never being blessed with a child. Really, I had. For the first few months we were married, I prayed and hoped, but it didn't happen. So I resolved to be happy with what I *did* have. And I am. But when I held this little baby in my arms today, I - something happened."

"It's understandable," Nick told her.

"I'll tell you something else: I don't think I can stand to give him up."

"Jess, darlin'," Nick sighed, "He has a brother -"

"And do you really think that Cole can take care of him? He's still a child himself. He's only fifteen. I thought, maybe - they would *both* stay?" she suggested.

"They also have a father out there - somewhere," Nick reminded her. "And I somehow don't think that Buck Martin will agree to just - hand his sons over to complete strangers."

"Just something to think about," Jess sighed. "Cole needs a man around who's not a killer. You and Kevin fit that bill. And this little one - he's going to need a father who can be there for him."

"We'll talk about it," he told her. "Right now, I think he's asleep."

She nodded and let Nick help her out of the chair, then placed the baby into the cradle beside the bed. "There you go, sweetie," she whispered. "Sleep tight."

"Now come back to bed," he told her, untying her robe. "We both need our sleep."

"I'm not sleepy," she told him as he slid back under the covers beside her.

Nick's eyes widened. "Jess -"

"Shh," she admonished him, moving closer. "We have to be quiet."

===================

"Good morning, Cole," Jess said as he entered the dining room the next morning for breakfast. She was holding the baby, and Cole came over to her.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Perfect. He's already had his breakfast, and now I'm having mine."

"Thank you for taking care of him."

"No need to thank me," she assured him. "He's a sweet baby. I do think we need to find something other than 'baby' to call him, though. Did your father or stepmother ever mention any name that they -"

"No. Not that I remember hearing about, anyway."

"Do you have a name you'd like to give him, then? He's your brother -"

Ben came into the room, stopping when he saw them. "Aunt Jess? Is that -" he stopped and peered at the baby in her arms. "That's not Kate," he told her.

"No, it's not," she agreed, turning to Cole. "Kate is Ben's baby sister. She's almost eight months old. This is Cole's baby brother," she told Ben.

Ben looked at Cole. "Lucky you. I wanted a baby brother, but I got a *sister*."

"And I wanted a baby sister," Cole told him.

"We could swap!" Ben declared, going over to the buffet and starting to fill his plate. Jess was the only adult in the house who didn't jump up to do it for him.

"Ben!" Jess exclaimed. "I don't think your mother would approve."

"Good try, kid," Cole told him, but there was a smile on his face.

"Eat your breakfast, Ben," Jess said. "Or you're going to be late for school."

Ben bowed his head and a moment later said, "Amen," before digging in.

"What happened to your arm?" Cole asked Ben.

"I got trapped in a mine cave-in," Ben told him between bites of egg and bacon. "You going to school?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Cole answered, looking at Jess as Lily, carrying Kate, and Elizabeth came into the room.

"Your son is trying to trade his baby sister for Cole's baby brother," Jess informed Lily.

"Oh really?"

"I was only joking, Ma," Ben said. "I love Kate. Really."

Lily kept a straight face for as long as she could before laughing. "I know you do, Benji," she said. "Have you finished breakfast?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go finish getting ready for school so you'll be ready when your Aunt Elizabeth finishes hers."

"I'll be glad when I can ride Brownie into town again," Ben grumbled as he left the room.

"Brownie's his horse, I guess," Cole noted.

"He is. But until his arm heals, I don't want him riding the pony - especially into town. Since this is the last week of school, he won't have to worry about it, and his arm will be well by the time it starts back up."

"Were you going to school back in Taos, Cole?" Jess wanted to know.

"Yes, ma'am." He finished his breakfast, tossing his napkin onto the table. "May I go outside?"

"Of course," Jess answered. "You're free to go wherever you'd like, Cole. You're not a prisoner here. You're our guest."

He hesitated after standing up and came over to where Jess was sitting to look at his brother. "You were asking about a name, ma'am - whatever you decide will be okay." With that, he left the room toward the parlor.

"What's that all about?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"I just asked him if he knew what his father or stepmother planned to name the baby. We have to call the poor dear something, don't we?" She saw the look that her sister and sister-in-law gave each other. "Look, I know - he's not mine. But right now, I feel like he needs a name - other than 'baby' or 'sweetie' -" Standing up, she said, "Excuse me, but he needs changing."

"I told Thad that I'd look at the baby before leaving for town," Elizabeth called after her.

Jess paused. "Nick's still asleep, -"

"Why don't you change him in Kate's room?" Lily suggested. "And then Elizabeth can examine him before she leaves."

Jess nodded and left the dining room. "I'd better finish my breakfast," Elizabeth said.

=================

Pedro was getting out of the buggy when Cole came out of the house. "You need help getting in, Mr. Ben?" he asked, but Ben shook his head.

"I'll wait til Aunt Elizabeth comes out."

Cole came down the steps. "How'd you manage to get caught in a cave in?" he asked.

"I was looking for a missing calf. Stupid bull wandered into the mine and I went in to get him out. The roof caved in and trapped us in there. Took six men to dig us out."

"You were lucky that you just broke your arm."

"Not lucky," Ben told him. "Blessed. God was watching out for me."

"If he had been, you wouldn't have gotten trapped to start with."

"If he hadn't been, my Pa and the others wouldn't have found me and I'd have died," Ben countered. He lifted his arm. "God had a reason for this - He has a reason for everything, even if we don't know what that reason is. He was watching out for you and your brother when he brought you here."

"You really believe that, don't you?"

Ben nodded, putting his books into the buggy. "Yep, I do."

"Someone else said the same thing to me yesterday," Cole mused. "Your Aunt Elizabeth, I think."

"What about me?" Elizabeth asked as she came out of the house pulling on her gloves. "Cole, would you mind helping Ben into the buggy, please?"

"Sure," he said, lifting the boy up.

"Thanks," Ben told him.

"You're welcome."

"See you later," Ben said as Elizabeth picked up the reins.

"Giddyup."

Cole stood watching the buggy disappear up the road before turning with the intention of going around the house to the barn, but stopped as the front door opened again and Jess appeared. Frowning, he asked, "Where's -"

"Sleeping. Cassie's with him in Kate's room."

"Your husband -"

"Nick," Jess supplied.

"He's still in bed? I figured he'd be up early with Mr. Donager, working on the ranch."

She didn't ask how he knew that Kevin had been up early. "No, Nick doesn't do much work on the ranch. He owns a saloon in Providence."

The blue eyes widened in surprise. "A saloon?"

"Oh, it's worse than that," she continued. "He's a gambler, as well."

"Wow."

Jess laughed softly. "He's working tonight, and that usually means he'll be in late."

"I thought maybe - the baby kept him awake last night."

"Not at all. He - the baby barely cried at all. You see why we need to find him a name? Something to call him - at least until your father finds you -"

"I hope he *never* finds us," Cole declared, curling his fingers into fists. "Or - *him* anyway. I can take care of myself, but -"

Jess frowned. "You're not saying that your father would - hurt your brother - or you?"

"No. Not physically. Don't you see? He's better off not being raised by - by a killer," Cole declared, turning and running around the corner of the house.

"Cole!" Jess called after him, and almost went after him, but Nick spoke from the porch.

"Let him go, darlin," he said. "Give it some time."

She turned to look in the direction that Cole had gone before moving back up to join her husband. "He's so lost, Nick."

"I know," Nick sighed. "I know."

=======================

Kevin was talking to Pedro about the tack room when Cole walked over to the corral and rested his arms on the top rail to look at the horses inside. Once Pedro left him, Kevin moved over to where the young man was standing. "That paint's a good looking animal," Cole observed, watching the black and white horse as it moved around the rail, as if looking for a way out of the pen. "Looks ready to run."

"He's a good horse - came out of one of Cochise' war ponies," Kevin told him.

"Really?"

"Cochise himself gave the horse to my Pa."

"Since it looks as though I'm going to be here for awhile, I'd like to find a way to earn my - and my brother's keep, Mr. Donager."

"You don't have to -"

"I'll be needing money when I - when we finally go on, so -"

"You mentioned that you and your father had a ranch around Taos?"

"It's his. I don't want any part of it. But when he was gone, I did most of the work. I've herded cows, done branding, shod horses - a little of everything. Just give me a chance and I'll show you what I can do."

Kevin looked at him for a moment before calling, "Pedro!"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Cut the pinto out and put a saddle on him. Cole's going out to the herd with me."

"Yessir."

"Go in the house and let Jess know where you'll be, and then come back out here."

"Yes, Mr. Donager!"

"Call me Kevin - or, if you don't think you can do that, I'll answer to Boss."

"Yes, Boss," Cole responded before turning to run back toward the house.

Kevin shook his head, smiling.

=====================

Cole entered the house, looking around. "Mrs. Everett -" he stopped in the doorway to the parlor as he saw Nick standing that. "Mr. Everett. Where is your wife?"

"Upstairs with your brother. Why?"

"Mr. Donager told me to let her know that I'm riding out with him for the afternoon. I asked him to give me a job."

"I'll let her know."

"Thanks." He paused instead of leaving the room again. "Um - she told me that you run a saloon in town?"

"Did she also tell you that I'm a gambler?" Nick asked, grinning.

"She did. Is it true?"

"It is. Does that shock you?"

"I don't know. Angie taught me to play poker - she used to work in a saloon - that's where she met my - father."

"Are you any good at it?"

"I used to beat her, but she said it wasn't hard to do with only two people playing."

"She was right. You need at least four players for a good game. We'll have to play a hand or two sometime."

"I'd like that," Cole agreed, smiling - and Nick returned the smile. It was the first real smile he'd seen from the boy since his arrival. "I'd better get going before he decides that I've changed my mind and leaves without me."

Nick stood in the parlor doorway as he left. Jess, carrying the baby, came down the stairs. "Who was that?" she asked him.

"Cole. He's going out with Kevin this afternoon. Apparently he asked for a job."

"He doesn't have to -" she began, turning as though she planned to stop him, but Nick took her arm.

"Jess, darlin', let him be. If he wants to help Kevin, then he should."

She sighed, looking down at the baby. "Your big brother is stubborn, little one." She looked at Nick. "We do need to give him a name."

"And when his father shows up?"

"*If* he shows up," she corrected, pacing the room, gently rocking the baby as she moved. "I've been thinking about that. If he shows up, how will he know that this is *his* son? We can tell him that Angie died before she had her baby. We can tell him this is *our* baby if he asks."

"And can we ask Cole to lie to his father?"

"I don't think he would mind. He wants to protect -" she sighed. "He needs a *name*!" she exclaimed in a quiet tone so not to disturb the infant.

"Caleb," Nick said, and Jess stopped pacing and turned to look at him.

"What?"

"You wanted a name. I suggested Caleb."

Jess blinked away the confusion and looked down at the baby, who had opened his eyes and seemed to be looking at her. "What do you think about that name?" she asked as Nick came over to join her. "Caleb?"

Nick touched the baby's hand, then his cheek. "What do you say?" he asked.

"I think he likes it," she said, looking up at Nick, who gave her a kiss. "Thank you."

"I'm not approving your plan - we'll need to discuss it with Cole - and everyone on the ranch will have to be in on it - if even one of the hands let slip that Angie was alive when they got here -"

"They're all good men - I'm sure we can do it, Nick."

"We'll talk to Cole about it after supper -"

"I thought you were going in to work?"

"Family takes precedence," he told her.

"I love you." Caleb started fussing. "I love you, too," she told the baby. "And I just bet that you're hungry again." She smiled. "Do you want to hold him while I get his bottle ready?" she asked.

"Love to," he said, making the transfer from her arms to his. "Why don't we go watch her?" he asked, following Jess into the kitchen.

===================

"They're not here, Shane!" the dirty brown haired man called out as he entered the house. "I told you that they sent us on a wild goose chase! I bet Martin never goes into town, too scared that someone might recognize him."

"Good for us that he don't, hey, brother Thane?" Shane Cochran said as he entered the house behind Thane. He was a year younger than Thane, and had the same dirty hair - only his was lighter. "Or else we'd miss out on all that money."

"We're not gonna get any money if we don't find him, and that boy and his woman were our only way to do that."

"He's still gotta come back here, don't he? He's got no way of knowin' that they took off. He'll come back looking for his woman. And probably pretty quick, too, seein' as how she was about to have a kid. If we wait around here -"

"And what if this time he does stop off in town and finds out that we've been asking questions about his kin?" Thane shook his head. "No, we gotta find his boy and his woman. Look for tracks leading away from here that we can follow."

=======================

"Nick found the perfect name for the baby," Jess told everyone as they began supper.

Cole looked at her, expectantly. "What name?" he asked.

"Caleb," Nick announced.

"Perfect!" Elizabeth declared.

"Caleb's a good name!" Ben exclaimed. "He was a good, Godly man!"

"You're right, Benji," Lily agreed.

"Who was he?" Cole asked. "The one Ben was talking about. A family member?"

"No," Ben said. "He was one of the men that went into the Promised Land to look it over."

"Oh. He's from the Bible," Cole nodded. "Ok."

"Do you approve, Cole? After all, he is your brother -"

"Sure. I said whatever name you chose would be okay, didn't I?"

"How did Cole do out on the range today, Kevin?" Jess asked, and immediately realized that she probably shouldn't have mentioned it with Ben in the room as she saw his look of surprise.

"He did a very good job. He told me that he had a little experience, and he was right. You should have seen him chasing down a bull that was determined to get away from the rest of the herd -"

Kevin watched his son as Cole talked about working with the other hands. Ben picked at his food, and when his mother asked about it, he told her that he was just a little tired and asked to be excused from the table so that he could go play with Daisy.

Kevin squeezed Lily's hand and spoke. "You're excused, son." Seeing Lily's confusion, he shook his head as Cole continued to talk about what he'd done.

After supper, Kevin excused himself from the others and went outside to find Ben sitting with Daisy, looking as though he'd lost his best friend. "Hey, son, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ben said, but Kevin sat down on the step beside him.

"You're upset that I took Cole out with me today, aren't you?"

"You said I could go when school's out," Ben reminded him.

"And you will. But - well, Cole needs something to do right now. Except for his brother, he's all alone in the world -"

"What about his Pa?"

Kevin thought about the best way to explain that situation. "Well, you see, Cole and his father aren't close. Not like we are. And from what Cole has said he's been gone a lot. He asked me to give him a job, so he wasn't just out there riding around with me - he was working. And you will be, too, once that wing heals. Can you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so. Cole needs to know people care about him."

"Yes." Kevin was always amazed at the flashes of maturity that Ben showed. He was going to be a great man someday.

=================

Once Ben was up in his bed, the adults and Cole gathered in the parlor. Cole looked at Nick and asked, "I thought you were going to be in town this evening?"

"I decided there were more important things going on here," Nick told him. Looking at Jess, he said, "It's your idea, Jess, darlin'."

She nodded and stood up, holding Caleb. "Cole, you said earlier that you wanted to protect Caleb from your father -"

"That's right."

"Well, I might have a way that we could do that. I'm not sure how much it would protect you - but -"

"I don't care about me. I can take care of myself," he said again, and saw the smiles around the room. "What?" he asked.

"That's Jess' favorite phrase," Elizabeth explained. "I can take care of myself. She's said it for as long as any of us can remember."

"Really?" He asked, finally smiling as well.

"Getting back to the topic of discussion," Jess said, refocusing everyone.

"Whatever I have to do to make sure Caleb's safe, I'll do it," Cole said.

With her best courtroom demeanor, Jess laid out the basics of her plan to Cole and everyone else. "So your plan is - if anyone shows up looking for us," Cole said, "to tell them that Angie *and* her baby died before we got here, and that Caleb is your and Mr. Everett's baby?"

"Basically, yes."

Cole shook his head. "It won't work. Maybe if the bounty hunters show up - they could still use me to trap my father. But when *he* shows up - he'll insist on seeing her grave -"

"There's a small cemetery not too far from here. We've used it for hands who died while working and had no family ties to the area," Kevin explained. "We could bury her there - you could tell him that you thought it was best not to take her body into town and have to answer questions."

"One thing -" Jess added, "This won't work unless we all go along with it. And that includes the hands."

Kevin nodded. "I'll take care of that. From what I saw today, they all like Cole."

"I hate asking Ben to lie," Jess said. "He's not very good at keeping secrets- right Nick?" Nick grinned and nodded as they all recalled the two times he had asked the boy to keep a secret from Jess.

"I think Kevin and I can manage to explain it to him - if he knows it's to keep Caleb and Cole safe, I think he can be trusted."

"What about Thad?" Nick said, and all eyes turned to Elizabeth.

"I'm sure he'll go along - and he can probably help with convincing everyone in town that Caleb is Jess and Nick's -"

"Do you really think that everyone in town will believe that I just had a baby?" Jess asked, looking down at the little boy she was carrying as she stopped beside Nick.

"Jess, darlin', by the time we're done, they'll all be sure they already knew it was going to happen, even though you wanted to keep it quiet because you didn't want any 'fuss' about it," Nick assured her, taking her hand in his.

"Well, Cole?" Jess asked. "What do you say?"

"Say all of this works and Father accepts the story and leaves - and I convince him that I don't want to go with him? What happens then?"

"You and Caleb are welcome to stay here for as long as you want," Nick assured him.

"It sounds like it might work - but - well, it could expose all of you to danger," Cole pointed out. "It could put you between those men and Father."

"Won't be the first time we've been in that spot," Kevin told him.

"I think it's - worth trying. Caleb needs to have a chance for a normal life." Nick caught Cole's seeming exemption of himself from that 'normal life', but remained silent.

"Then tomorrow morning, we'll have a graveside service for Angie," Jess nodded.

"It might also be a good idea for Cole to move out to the bunkhouse," Kevin pointed out. "Might look strange, us letting a new hand stay here in the house with the family."

"That's no problem," Cole said.

"You're sure?" Kevin questioned. "It can get a bit rowdy out there at times. They're all good men, but -"

"You survived spending time out there when you were younger, Kevin," Jess reminded her brother. "I'm sure that Cole will as well."

"Might as well move out there tonight," Cole agreed. "I'll go get my things."

"And I'll take you out and find you a bunk - and talk to the hands," Kevin decided. To Lily, he said, "Can you see if Ben's still awake enough for us to talk to when I get back inside?"

Cole stopped in front of Jess and Nick. "Whatever happens, - I want to thank you -" he turned to include all of them, "for everything your doing for me - and for Caleb."

=======================

To Lily's surprise, Ben was indeed still awake when she entered his room. "I heard Pa over in Cole's room," he told her. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," she told him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Cole's just moving out to the bunkhouse for a little while."

"Why?"

"Your Pa will be here in a minute and then we'll explain. You like Cole, don't you?"

Ben nodded. "Sure. I bet sleeping in the bunkhouse would be fun."

"I imagine that you'll get a chance to sleep out there once you're a little older," she told him. "Benji, Cole's father -"

"Pa told me earlier that they don't get along."

"No, and he would rather his father not know where he or his brother are."

"You mean he wants to hide from him?"

"That's right. Sometimes people who have children don't treat them very well - I know that's hard for you to understand -"

"I wanted to hide from Aunt Margaret sometimes," Ben told her. "She never hit me or anything, but sometimes she wasn't very nice."

"So you do understand," Lily said, feeling sad as she heard him talk about her late sister. "We all have to pretend a few things until Cole's father gets here and hopefully decides to let them stay with us."

He looked up at her. "You mean, he and Caleb might stay here forever?"

"Would you mind if that happens?"

"No. They'd be like cousins - like Jonathan is to me and Kate, wouldn't they?"

"That's right." Lily made a mental note to remind her husband about his third sister - and the fact that they needed to bring her into the loop about all of this.

"What are we supposed to pretend?" he asked.

"Well, first off - that Caleb is Aunt Jess and Uncle Nick's baby."

"But - that's not pretend," he insisted. "That would be a lie!"

"In a way," Lily said slowly. "But you've seen the way Aunt Jess is with baby Caleb-"

"She's like you are with Katie," Ben nodded.

"Exactly. If things work out, I think that she and Uncle Nick will be adopting Caleb - and Cole, of course. Do you remember what adoption is?"

"That's what Pa did with me," he said. "Because he loves me and wants me to be his son." He looked thoughtful, but before he could say anything else, Kevin spoke from the doorway.

"And you *are* my son," he said, entering the room.

"Did you get him settled in?"

"I did. And apparently it took less time for me to explain things to the men that you've managed here."

"I was waiting for some help," she pointed out. "You were talking to grown men."

"Ben's a big boy. I think he's able to understand. Now - what you need to know," he said to the boy, "is that if anyone you don't know asks, Caleb is your cousin, and he's only a few days old. And Cole is a new hand on the ranch who came on Sunday in a wagon."

"And then I got sent into the house," Ben nodded. "So that's all I know."

"I know - you don't like to lie, and that's good. But we could be saving a life by telling this one. Are we okay?"

Ben looked from one to the other before nodding. "Yeah. We're okay." He took a deep breath. "And I'm going to say a prayer that God will be with us, even though we have to lie."

"God knows the truth, Benji," Lily told him. "And He'll hear your prayer."

======================

The next morning, soon after Elizabeth and Ben left for town, there was a simple service in the Diamond D cemetery. Kevin said a few words over Angie Martin's grave before he and Cole rode out to join the rest of the hands - this time building a corral in an arroyo.

Nick went in the other direction, after making Jess promise to keep a rifle handy and watch for any strangers. "I've seen the Cochran brothers at work," he told her. "They're not to be trusted."

"We'll be fine," she assured him. "Cassie and Mariana are both here - they'll help watch the babies while Lily and I keep a lookout. Do you really think they'll get here before Cole's father?"

"Well, we know from Cole that they were in the vicinity of Taos and the ranch - so if they go back out there and find out their bait has escaped, they'll start trying to track Cole and Angie -"

"Hopefully the flats will keep them searching for awhile -"

"I wouldn't count on it, don't forget, there are two of them. I'll be back as soon as I start spreading the word in town about our new arrival," he touched Caleb's cheek.

"Good luck," she wished him as he got up into Spirit's saddle. "Be careful. I love you."

"Love you," he replied before heading out.

=======================

"I'm not at all sure that this is a good idea, Elizabeth," Thad said after listening to her relay the plan. "Do you really expect anyone in Providence to believe that Jess has had a baby in the last few days? They all saw her on Sunday -"

"Thad, we have to try, at least. For the sake of Cole and Caleb -"

He sighed. "Nick's right. You're all crazy. And if he's going along with this, I might just think it's contagious." Another sigh. "And I guess I've caught it as well - okay."

Elizabeth threw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

Thad accepted her jubilant embrace before saying, "I'll try. If anyone asks -"

"Jess doesn't like a lot of fuss made over her - so it would make sense for her not to want anyone but close family and you to know that she was even going to *have* a baby until after it was born." She turned toward the door - "Now, we need to go see Amanda -"

"Amanda?" His eyes widened. "She doesn't know about any of this, does she?"

"Not yet. That's why you're going to pay a call to check on the baby and then we can fill her in."

"Did I say crazy?" Thad muttered, watching as she hung the sign in the door and then grabbed his medical bag, "Make that certifiable."

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"I just said that I love you," he told her, following her from the office.

=====================

Nick stopped by Lucas' office and told him what was going on - and about the possibility of the Cochran brothers, as well as Buck Martin in the area.

The Sheriff shook his head after hearing the story, but agreed to go along with it. "Martin's not wanted for anything in the Territory, Nick," he said at last. "As far as anyone knows, he's never done any of his killing here.

"I'm not asking you to arrest him, Lucas. Just keep an eye on him if he shows up. As for the Cochrans -"

"Those two are bad news - but as long as they don't cause any problems - I can ask them to leave town, but - Knowing them, they'll start a fight or something and give me a reason to toss em in jail. I guess I could pin a badge on you again -" But Nick was already shaking his head.

"Sorry. Like I said, I'm a family man now - and you know how Jess feels about your taking on a man with a wife and kids as a deputy."

"Well, you're still deputized, as far as I'm concerned, even without the badge." Lucas chuckled. "Still not sure if everyone in town is going to buy into this little scheme of hers. But it's worth a shot to protect those children. They're probably safe enough out on the ranch. From the Cochrans, anyway. Not sure anyplace is safe from Buck Martin, honestly." His eyes narrowed. "You be careful."

=================

"Hi, boss!" Jake said when Nick entered the saloon. "I expected you last night - is everything okay?"

"Everything's great, Jake," Nick said with a huge smile. "Congratulate me! I'm a father!"

Jake's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "What?! A - What?"

Nick pulled out one of his cigars that he very rarely smoked and handed it over to the bartender. "It's a boy, too. We named him Caleb -"

"You're telling me that Miss Jess was - she didn't look - on Sunday -" Jake sputtered.

"I'll leave it up to you to let the girls know about the good news," Nick said. "Oh, and I won't be coming in to work for awhile. Want to spend as much time as I can with the family."

"Boss, wait minute. How is that we didn't know - why didn't you tell us?"

"You know how Jess is. She figured there would be all kinds of fuss made over her having a baby, so she swore us all to secrecy. But now that the baby's here, she released us from that promise. So I'm spreading the word! Later!" Nick said, walking back out onto the boardwalk and heading to the cafe, where he ordered a cup of coffee and informed the customers and Betsy and Milly of the news.

======================

"That sounds like one of Jess' plans," Amanda said, shaking her head with a smile in Thad's direction. "She always said that I was the sensible one - I can see all kinds of problems with this, but of course I'll go along. You're lucky that Andrew is over in the church, and Mother Lee is with her widows group, preparing lunch. May I tell Andrew the full story?"

"Of course," Elizabeth said. "I think we can trust him. But -"

"I'm sure that Mother Lee can be trusted as well, but it might be best if we don't tell her everything right now."

"Amanda, may I ask - Have your sisters always been this crazy?"

"They have," she told him. "And what's more, after seeing Nick, I'm sure it's-"

"Contagious," Thad finished, sighing.

"So have you changed your mind about marrying me?" Elizabeth asked the doctor.

He chuckled. "Not on your life," he said, lifting her hand to his lips. "You all need someone around to look out for you."

===================

Jess finished giving Caleb a bottle and handed him over to Cassie to put in his cradle. The sound of a horse's hooves sent her to the front door. Looking out, she smiled. "It's Nick," she told Cassie.

"I'll take the baby upstairs," Cassie told her. "Give you a few minutes alone with him."

"Thank you, Cassie."

"Don't thank me too soon. I might need someone to return the favor once I have my baby."

"Just ask," Jess answered, turning as Nick came in from the kitchen. "You're back earlier than I expected," she told him, giving him a kiss.

Nick returned the kiss, then looked around. "Where's the baby?"

"Cassie took him upstairs for a few minutes."

"Ah," he nodded, giving her a proper kiss. "And Lily?"

"Taking a nap with Kate."

"Mmmm," he murmured with another kiss.

"How did it go in town?"

He grinned. "By this evening, you and I and our new arrival are going to be the talk of the town," he said, dropping onto the sofa, pulling her along with him. "Lucas said he would keep an eye open for the Cochrans or Buck Martin."

"Do you know if Elizabeth talked to Thad and Amanda?"

"No idea. But I have every confidence in your sister's ability to wrap Thad around her little finger."

"I'm sure Amanda will go along with the plan. Even if she has reservations."

"So now, we wait," Nick said. "And be ready when some of your friends from town just happen to 'drop by' to meet Caleb."

Jess sighed deeply. "And I'll have to convince them that I'm still not fully recovered from giving birth -" Nick kissed her again. "Would you kiss me like that if I had *really* just had a baby?" she asked him.

"Every day, all the time," he promised. Standing up, he held out his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To see Caleb," he told her.

=============================

Kevin climbed up the rocky hill toward the calf near the top as Cole stood watching. "How on earth did you get up here, little one?" Kevin asked the animal, shooing it back down the hill. As he took a step, he froze as he heard the unmistakable sound of a rattlesnake preparing to strike.

Cole stood not far away, frozen as well. "Don't move, Boss," he said in a calm voice.

Further down the hill, Hank stood watching. "I can't get a shot from here, Boss," he said.

"I can," Cole replied, slowly extending his right arm toward the foreman. "Toss me your gun."

Kevin saw Hank's look of uncertainty, but gave a slow nod. "Do it."

As the rattle sped up, Hank tossed his sidearm to the boy, butt first. Cole caught the gun, aimed and fired.

The only sound on the range was the echo of the gunshot. Kevin looked down to find that the snake had been shot just behind the head, giving it no chance to strike.

Cole turned and handed the gun back to Hank. "It's got good balance," was his only comment as he continued back toward his horse.

Hank was obviously surprised. "I've never seen anything like it," he declared. "He caught the gun, aimed and fired like it was something he did every day -"

Having recovered his wits, Kevin hurried to catch up to the young man. "Cole!"

Cole stopped beside his mount, his shoulders falling as he turned. "Yes, sir?"

"You never said you could shoot like that."

"No one asked," Cole pointed out. He sighed. "My father taught me how to shoot. He said I was a natural," he said with a derisive laugh. "He even bought me a gun that I wore when I was out working the ranch. He said that knowing how to use it could come in handy."

"Well, it did today. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Do you still have the gun?" Kevin asked.

"It's in the wagon. I wouldn't have brought it along, but Angie put it in there - said we might need it if the Cochrans caught up to us. I reminded her that we had the rifle, and that would work for any varmits that we might run into, but she insisted, so I didn't argue. But I'd just as soon never see it again."

Kevin nodded. "I understand." He glanced at Hank. "I don't think the rest of the bunkhouse needs to know the details about what happened here, do you, Hank?"

"Nope. All I saw was the kid here shooting a rattlesnake to save your life," Hank said as some of the others rode up.

"What's going on, Boss?" Robert asked. "We heard a shot."

"Just a little rattlesnake trouble. It's taken care of. Let's get back to work. Those horses on the southwestern range are waiting."

"More like running," Robert said with a grin. "Com'on, boys!"

Hank lassoed the cow that had decided to turn into a mountain goat and began pulling it back toward the main herd, leaving Kevin and Cole alone. "Just how well can you shoot, Cole?"

"I'm faster than my father."

"How do you know something like that?"

"He unloaded both guns and had me draw on him - I beat him every time. Thing is, I'm not sure I could do it if I knew - if the guns were loaded."

"That does make a difference," Kevin nodded. "I've seen how accurate you are -" he looked back up the hill toward the spot where the snake's carcass still lay. "Is that pretty consistent?"

"For the most part," Cole nodded.

"Look, I know that you don't like the idea, but - with two bounty hunters looking for you, it might be a good idea if you're able to defend yourself should they find you and no one else is around."

"Mr. Donager, I -"

"Just think about it, okay? It's your decision. If you can't stop them, they'll use you to trap him - and I doubt that you'd come out of that alive, either." Kevin tried one more argument. "And if I let anything happen to you, my sister and Nick are liable to skin me alive."

Cole chuckled. "You really think so?"

"It's not just Caleb they care about, believe me."

"Okay. I'll wear it tomorrow."

"Let's go. Have you ever gone after a herd of wild horses?"

"Never had a chance."

"You will today. Let's ride."

=========================

Far enough away so as not to be seen, Thane Cochran lowered the binoculars. "Is that the kid?" Shane asked.

"Yeah. But we've got a problem."

"What problem?"

Thane watched the two men ride to the southwest, then rolled over to sit on a rock. "He's as good a shot as his old man. He got off a shot that was - We gotta rethink this, Shane."

"Rethink? Aren't we going to take Buck Martin out like we agreed?"

"Relax. We're going to take him out - but it's too risky, trying to take the kid."

"What about the woman? We could still take her - Martin might be more likely to follow her anyway. I mean, she's about t'have a kid, ain't she?"

"Shut up, you idiot, let me think." Thane stood and paced across the small clearing. "We'll wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"For Martin to come looking for his son and woman. When he gets home, he'll find them gone just we did, and he'll follow them out here - just like we did. And then we'll take him out."

"Where we gonna wait, Thane?" Shane wanted to know. "There ain't no places to camp out here that cain't be seen for miles -"

"Nearest town is Providence up to the north -"

"Providence?" Shane started shaking his head from side to side. "I ain't goin' there, Thane. I've talked t'people who've been there. They got *one* saloon, and don't allow fightin' or gettin' drunk - and ev'ryone in town - ev'ryone goes t'church on Sundays!"

Thane took his battered hat and slapped his brother several times to stop him from talking. "Shut up! I didn't say we were going to stay there, did I? We'll find someplace where we can keep an eye on the ranch. Let's head north and look for a place."

======================

"Your first visitors are arriving," Lily told Jess and Nick. Jess was sitting in the parlor, baby Caleb's cradle beside her chair, while Nick was sitting on the sofa to the other side of the cradle.

"Who is it?" Jess asked.

"Amanda -" she saw Jess relax slightly before continuing, "and Mrs. Lee."

"Here we go, darlin'," Nick said, reaching out to take her hand and give her a wink.

She grinned and smoothed her robe. "Do I look presentable?" she asked.

"Behave yourselves," Lily warned as a knock came on the front door. Crossing the entryhall, she opened it. "Amanda. Mrs. Lee. Welcome!"

"As soon as Amanda finally told me what had happened, I insisted that I come with her to see Jessica and her baby," Rebecca Lee explained.

"They're in the parlor," Lily explained, waving them forward. "I'll go have Mariana bring us some coffee -"

"Tea, if you don't mind, dear," Mrs. Lee said as she followed Amanda into the room.

Amanda leaned down to give her older sister a hug. "I'm so happy for you," she said, moving over to look at the baby. "He's adorable!" she declared, "Come and look at this baby, Mother Lee! Isn't he just the most handsome baby you've ever seen?" She looked at Jess. "May I -"

"Of course," Jess nodded as Mrs. Lee finally approached.

"Where is Jonathan, Amanda?" Jess asked.

"Elizabeth offered to watch him when I told her that we were coming out here."

Once she had picked up the baby, Amanda sat down next to Nick. "He looks a little like Nick, I think," she declared.

"I think so, too," Jess told her. "Don't you agree, Mrs. Lee?"

"It's the dark hair, of course," Mrs. Lee observed, lifting her gaze to the portrait of John Donager over the mantle. "I do think he has his grandfather's eyes, however."

Jess managed not to laugh at the comment. "I suppose that I really should apologize to you for my not letting anyone know about any of this," she told Mrs. Lee. "But I really just didn't want any fuss -"

"I must say, Jessica, that you look remarkably well for just having had a baby two days ago. I remember after I had Andrew -"

"You were back playing the organ two days after he was born," Jess reminded her.

"Perhaps. But I do know that I wasn't dancing at a wedding the day before I gave birth - In fact, I was confined to bed for the last two months before he was born."

"I had to convince everyone that I wasn't going to have a baby, didn't I? If I had allowed Thad to confine me to my bed, I would have gone mad with boredom."

She sighed. "Mark and Martha are going to be so disappointed not to have been here. I'm surprised that they left at all, knowing how close it was to your time."

"They don't know about it," Jess told her.

"You didn't tell Mark Hawkins that you were going to have a baby? Jessica -" she hesitated, as if she had been about to say Donager, but quickly changed it. "Everett, that man brought you into this world - and you didn't give him the opportunity to at least be here when you had your first child?"

"By the time we were sure, they were already planning their wedding and then the trip to Sutton's Creek. I knew how much Ma's been wanting to see her other two sons, so I made Thad promise not to tell either of them."

"That young man is going to have a lot of explaining to do when his uncle returns. Not to mention Martha." She took another sip of her tea. "You were very lucky that Thad just happened to be here on Sunday for dinner." "

"Mother Lee -" Amanda began, but Nick stood as Lily returned with the tea.

"Let me take that, Lily," he offered, putting it down onto the round table. "Mrs. Lee, Jess thought that she might be almost ready just before church on Sunday, so we asked Thad to come out for dinner just in case."

She nodded, but everyone could tell that Rebecca Lee wasn't totally convinced. "I wasn't lucky, Mrs. Lee," Jess said. "I was blessed that he was here when I needed him. I believe that God knew what He was doing."

"Of course He did. He always does." She accepted a cup of tea from Lily. "Thank you, dear." After taking a sip, she asked, "And Amanda said that you've chosen the name Caleb for the baby?"

"Nick chose it," Jess told her.

"Indeed?"

Nick smiled, reaching over to wrap the baby's hand around his finger. "Caleb Donager Everett," he said, ignoring Jess' eye blink at his words. "Just seemed to fit."

"It's a good, strong name," Amanda said. "And it does fit him, doesn't it, Jess?"

Jess nodded. "Yes," she agreed, reaching over to take Nick's hand. "Yes, it does." She gave Nick her cup. "Mrs. Lee, would you mind if - if I speak to Amanda - privately for a few minutes?"

"Of course not. We've stayed long enough, anyway, I think. You need to regain your strength. If you need anything, Jessica - don't hesitate to let me know, please." She leaned down and gave Jess a kiss on the cheek before standing up and telling Amanda, "I'll be waiting in the buggy, dear."

"I'll walk you out," Nick offered, standing up. "Excuse me, ladies," he said giving them a wink before he turned to follow her out of the house.

"He really does look like Nick," Amanda said. "I suppose she's right - it's the hair. But -"

"Thank you, Amanda, for going along with all of this -"

"What else could I do after Elizabeth told me what was going on? And poor Thad, pacing around the room, muttering about 'crazy families' the entire time." They all laughed softly at that picture.

"He's convinced that we're all quite mad," Jess said, taking the baby from her sister.

"How's Kate?" Amanda asked Lily.

"She's fine. But once she realizes that she's not the only baby in the house, that might change."

"Give her a big hug from her Aunt Amanda. I'll see her on Sunday, I'm sure."

"You're all invited out here for dinner on Sunday - if you don't have other plans."

"As far as I know, we don't, but I'll talk to Andrew and Mother Lee and get word back through Elizabeth."

=====================

Soon after they left the ranch house, Amanda said, "That baby is adorable, isn't he?"

"Yes," Mrs. Lee agreed. "But I don't believe for a moment that he is Jessica's child."

Amanda stopped the buggy and turned to look at her mother in law. "Why would you say that, Mother Lee?"

"Because I also don't believe that young Thad Mitchell would ever agree not to tell his uncle that Jessica was going to have a child. And if he knew, Mark would never have left town knowing that she might give birth before he could return."

"Mother Lee -" Amanda began, but fell silent under the older woman's steady gaze.

"You can tell me the truth, dear. Surely you can't think that I would tell anyone else. Have you ever known me to divulge something told me in confidence?"

"No, of course I haven't - but isn't that exactly what you're asking *me* to do?" Amanda queried. "I can't violate Jess' confidence to me, but I will promise that as soon as she says I can, you'll be the first to know. For the moment however, it's vitally important that everyone in town believe that Caleb is Jess and Nick's child."

"Very well. We need to get home if we're going to have supper ready on time for Andrew."

"Thank you, Mother Lee."

=========================

Nick was waiting in the barn when the hands rode in for the day, smiling as Cole went directly to the bunkhouse. "He looks tired," he said to Kevin.

"He probably is. I doubt he had to do this much work on that place of his father's."

"How did he do?"

Kevin handed Rusty's reins over to Pedro. "He's better than some supposedly experienced hands I've taken on. Let's go over to the corral so we can talk.

The corral was full of wild horses that they had just brought in, and Nick watched the animals for a moment. "Good looking bunch."

"Yeah. We have to send some out to the fort - I'd wait until supper to tell you about this - but -"

"What's the problem, Kevin?"

"Cole. He's an expert shot."

"With a rifle?"

Kevin shrugged. "Probably. But he got off an amazing shot and killed a rattler before it could bite me. Took the head off, Nick."

"I'm glad you didn't wait until supper. Knowing Jess feelings about rattlesnakes - what happened?"

After relating the details of the incident, Kevin said, "Hank and I were the only ones who saw him do it - and Hank won't tell anyone. Cole's agreed to wear his sidearm while he's working, but I think he's afraid that if he does, he's risking turning into his father."

"It takes someone twisted inside to hire out to kill people," Nick said. "That boy's not twisted -"

"Yet. If Martin gets hold of him -"

"From what you just told me, it's possible that Cole is just as worried about being forced to shoot his father at some point."

"Possibly," Kevin agreed. "I just thought you should know about it. I - also told him that he was welcome to stay here as long as he liked, that it's not just that baby that you and Jess are worried about."

"It's that obvious?" Nick questioned, sighing.

"To anyone looking. How did things go in town?"

===================

Over supper, Kevin gave Jess a glowing report about Cole's day - leaving out the part about almost being bit by a rattlesnake. Even Ben seemed interested, probably gathering information for when he got to go help out over the summer.

"I'm glad he did so well," Jess said. "I am sorry that he can't be over here for supper, though -"

"Well, he'll get good food out in the bunkhouse - you know that Pedro's as good a cook as Mariana. But I understand what you're saying. Hopefully, once everything is settled, he'll be ready to come back over here."

"I wouldn't be," Ben declared. "It would be fun to eat out there."

"Maybe we'll eat supper out there one night this summer," Kevin told the boy, making him smile from ear to ear.

After he left the table to go play with Daisy, Jess and Lily filled Kevin in on the visitors who had come to meet young Caleb just as Elizabeth and Thad arrived from town.

"The entire town is talking about it," Elizabeth declared, taking a cup of coffee from Lily. "Thank you. And almost everyone believes that Caleb really is Jess and Nick's son!"

"That's part of the reason why we're late," Thad explained, shaking his head when he was offered a cup of coffee. "Mrs. Collins at the hotel said that she and Milly had been out here late this afternoon."

"And of course Amanda and Mrs. Lee were here while I watched Jonathan."

"In the office," Thad clarified.

"Where he wasn't any problem," Elizabeth reminded him. "You said so yourself. While we were having supper at the cafe, Mrs. Collins came out of the kitchen said that Caleb looks so much like Nick -"

"Mrs. Lee thought he has Pa's eyes," Jess told them, looking down at the baby.

Elizabeth looked up at the portrait, then at Caleb. "She's right. There is -"

Thad rolled his eyes, sighing. "Elizabeth -"

"Well, they do," she insisted. "Right now, anyway."

"Thad, I told Mrs. Lee that we hadn't told your uncle or Ma about this baby so that they wouldn't cancel their trip - I don't know if she'll mention it to you -"

"I hadn't even considered what Uncle Mark or Ma's reactions would be to this - If he thinks for a minute that I kept something like that from him -"

"Tell him the truth. Tell them *both* the truth and have them come out to see me first thing."

"At least they're not expected back for a month - That gives us time. Has there been any sign of those two bounty hunters?"

"Not that we've seen - nor of Buck Martin," Nick answered.

"I figure that the Cochrans would have stayed at least one day in Taos before going back to the Martin ranch and finding Cole and Angie gone. They should show up soon."

"And so should Martin," Nick agreed. "Cole said that he wanted to be home when Angie had the baby, so it could have been any day. Lucas is keeping an eye out for any of them - said there's not much he could do about them. None of them are wanted for anything here in the Territory."

=================

Thane rode into Providence via North Street and found the Mercantile still open. Tying up his horse, he went inside, where two women were talking. "I suppose you heard the news about Jess?"

"That she had a baby on Sunday? Oh, yes. I'm shocked!"

"So is everyone else. She was dancing around at Doc's wedding on Saturday - I never saw any sign -"

"I had a cousin who never gained an pound when she was expecting."

"Well, I'm glad for her and Nick, of course. And I'm sure she's glad that it's a little boy. After raising her sisters -"

"Excuse me, Mabel. I have a customer -"

"Sure. Talk to you tomorrow," Mabel said, gathering up her packages. "I have to get home and put supper on the table for Ray."

The other woman looked at Thane. "We're about to close up, but what can I get for you?"

"Just needing some beans, coffee, hardtack - and you got any bacon and bread?"

"I have the beans and coffee - you can buy bread and slab bacon over at the cafe. Anything else?"

"Whiskey? I need a bottle."

"They sell bottles at the saloon - just next door. Cafe's past that."

"Thanks."

"I don't think I've seen you in Providence before. New in town?" the woman asked as she got the items he needed.

"My brother and I are just passing through. His horse came up lame, so I rode into town to get some supplies." He paid for the goods and left the store, stuffing the things into his saddlebag before heading toward the saloon. Stopping to look inside, he decided to get the bread and bacon first.

Once he'd done that, he stepped into the saloon, heading toward the bar. The bartender was wiping down the bar as he approached. "What can I get for you?" he asked.

"Whiskey."

One of the hostesses came over. "I need another beer, Jake," she told the bartender.

Jake slid the glass of whiskey over to Thane, and then got the beer. "Here you go, Cara. Leroy still winning?"

"You know it. He's more than a little upset that Nick's not here again."

"I'm sure you told him why."

"I did. But you know Leroy. Nothing - not even a new baby is more important than playing poker."

Thane finished his drink, using his shirt sleeve to wipe his mouth. "Can I buy a full bottle of whiskey?" he asked.

"Sure," Jake said, pulling one from the wall behind the counter. "Five bucks."

Thane blinked. "What?"

"Five. Dollars," Jake repeated.

"That's highway robbery!" Thane declared. "It better be good whiskey, that's all I got to say," he said, slapping the money onto the counter before storming out of the saloon.

"What was that about?" Cara asked Jake.

"He didn't like the price of a bottle," Jake told her. "He looks familiar - you ever seen him before?"

Cara thought for a moment. "Could be. Been awhile - and I can't remember where it was."

"Keep trying to remember," Jake said. "I've never seen him here, anyway."

"Yeah. It definitely wasn't here in Providence."

=========================

While Jess was getting Caleb fed and bathed, Nick told her that he was going to take a walk outside for a few minutes to stretch his legs. He went to the bunkhouse and opened the door. There was a poker game going on, and for a moment he considered joining in. But he also knew that winning against the hands would end the same way his games with his father's servants had ended. So he stood to the side, watching as Cole played the game.

The boy won the hand, and Nick found himself grinning as the boy looked up and saw him. "Mr. Everett," he said, standing quickly.

"Hey, you gonna give us a chance to win some of that back, aren't you, Cole?" Jenks asked.

"Maybe later," Cole told him.

"Can we talk?" Nick asked, and led the way out of the bunkhouse and over to the corral. "You're good."

"Good as you?" Cole questioned with a grin.

"Remains to be seen," was Nick's answer.

"How's Caleb?" he asked.

"Doing well. Jess is enjoying taking care of him." Nick looked out over the darkened landscape. "I heard you had some excitement today."

Cole sighed, leaning against the rail. "I hoped Mr. Donager wouldn't tell you about it."

"Why? You saved his life."

"I was lucky."

"I don't believe that. And I don't think you do, either. I think Kevin was the *lucky* one. Why does being a good shot with a handgun bother you so much?"

"Why do you think?! My *father* is a killer! He's killed who knows how many people- and not always with a gun. That poster that I saw said that he was wanted for burning a house down with four people inside. Four people that the killed because someone paid him money to do it!"

"But you're not your father, Cole," Nick pointed out. "If you were, you wouldn't be this upset."

"Isn't it true that if I'm wearing a gun, the chances of someone forcing me to draw on them are much higher?"

"You can always choose not to draw. You can walk away."

"Have you - walked away?"

"I have. More than once. And more than once, I've had to stand and fight."

"And what if I can't - stand and fight?" Cole wanted to know. "I know that I could draw more quickly against Father with an unloaded gun - but if - if the time comes and the guns are loaded - I don't know -"

"I hope you never have to find out," Nick told him. "I understand how you feel about your father, Cole. In part, at least. I mean, my own father wasn't a hired gunman - he was a railroad tycoon, born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth - just as I was." He saw Cole turn to look at him, his mouth open in surprise. "He married a woman chosen for him because of what she could bring to the marriage, and once they had a son, they lived separate lives in the same house. Father expected me to follow him into the family business - sent me to the finest college, to law school - and I hated it."

"You hated it?" Cole questioned.

"I didn't want to run a railroad or manage a dozen companies. I wanted to be a lawyer, but not for money. I wanted to help people who needed help. I used to sneak out at night to play poker with some of the servants, and when they refused to play because I won, I moved on to some gambling halls."

"Wow."

"Then the war started, and I enlisted."

"You fought in the war -"

"For awhile," Nick confirmed. "It wasn't romantic, or a great adventure, Cole. It was terrifying and bloody - and I hope I never have to go through anything like that again."

"Yeah," Cole nodded. "One of my friends back in Taos - his pa came back without an arm."

"Lots of men came back with empty sleeves or pant legs."

"Did you go back after the war? To your family?"

"No. Not long after the war began, Father used his connections to get me transferred to the War Department in Washington. I worked there as a lawyer for the rest of the war, mostly visiting hospitals and helping wounded soldiers make out their wills. When Father found out that I wasn't coming back to New York, he disinherited me." Nick laughed softly at the memory. "He didn't realize it, but that was the best thing he could have done, since I didn't want to be a rich man's son. I changed my name - dropped my father's name, kept my mother's maiden name, and stayed in touch with her. I started going from town to town, working as a lawyer when I could, and playing poker."

"And that's how you supported yourself?"

"Yes. Then Mother died, and left me a small inheritance out of her own money, and I was able to play poker more than practice law."

"And what about your father?"

"I never talked to him again - but he made one more attempt to get me to come home."

"How?"

"Changed his will again - left me everything. Before I could tell him that I didn't want it, he was gone."

"You sound sad."

"I do have regrets," Nick confirmed. "I should have gone back earlier, tried to talk to him. He hadn't changed, though. When I went back to settle the estate, his friends told me that he was still bitter and angry because I had left to begin with. Said that he'd only left me the estate because he knew I didn't want it."

"I'm sorry." He was silent for a moment. "So, you - own a railroad?"

Nick laughed. "I'm on the board of directors of the railroad, yes."

"Wow," Cole said again.

Nick put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Look, Cole, I know it's not the same thing, but I wanted you to know that I understand - and that if you ever need to talk - I'm here. So is Jess."

"Didn't she like her father? From what I heard today, she and John Donager were two peas in a pod."

"They were indeed. But Jess has gone through a lot of things - she's a lawyer herself, which you know," Cole nodded. "And she's had to use a gun to kill someone - to save my life. It's never easy. And it's not something you 'get over' quickly, if ever. Jess was blessed enough to have a family and a town who cared about her."

"And you?"

"And me," Nick agreed. "You have people here who care about you, as well. Me, Jess, Lily, Kevin, Elizabeth and Dr. Mitchell, Ben - as well as the ranch hands."

"You don't even know me," Cole said. "I've only been here two days -"

"And sometimes it doesn't take long to get to know a person. Now, why don't you go back to the bunkhouse and get some rest?"

"They're going to want me to play poker again."

"Tell 'em you'll give them a chance to win their money back tomorrow night. You've had a long day."

"I am tired. This place is so big -"

"I'm not sure that Jess or Kevin have been around the entire thing themselves, honestly. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Mr. Everett."

"Tell you what, Cole, call me Nick."

"Okay. Night, Nick. And thank you."

"Goodnight."

Nick stood by the corral, watching until he was back inside the bunkhouse before going back into the house.

=====================

Jess was just putting Caleb into his cradle as Nick entered the bedroom. She looked up at him, placing a finger against her lips. "He just fell asleep," she whispered, watching as Nick sat down to remove his boots. "I was about to go out looking for you."

"I was talking to Cole," he told her, standing up to remove his coat and vest.

"I thought that might be the case," she said, taking the clothes and placed them on the rack. "How is he?"

"Tired. Working here isn't the same as working on a small ranch. When I went to the bunkhouse to get him, he was playing poker."

"Poker? Really? How was he doing?"

"He was winning," Nick told her with a grin, stopping beside the cradle as Jess got into bed. "Night, little one," he said before going around the bed to join her. Jess turned over to rest her head on his chest. "The reason I wanted to talk to him was because of something Kevin told me that happened today."

"What happened?"

"Cole saved Kevin from being bit by a rattlesnake," he told her, and felt her shiver. Nick ran his hand on her back. "You okay?" She nodded, and Nick continued, telling her what had happened - and about his own conversation with the boy.

"Do you think he would actually draw against his father?" she asked.

"It's hard to say. He might - in order to keep Martin from finding out about Caleb." He sighed. "I think I'm going to draw up some adoption papers tomorrow. If Buck Martin shows up, I'm going to try to convince him that it's for the best for Cole to stay here. If I have the paper ready, he might sign it."

"Do you really think he'll agree to do that?"

"I hope so."

She looked at him. "It's a good thing that this didn't happen a month ago."

"Why?"

"Because we would only have been married for eight months, not nine. People would be convinced that they were right about our - relationship."

"What if it had happened then? Would you still have come up with this plan?" he asked.

Jess smiled. "I think so."

Nick lifted her chin to give her a kiss before pulling her into his arms.

===================

Nick woke to the sound of Caleb just starting to cry. Jess murmured something, but Nick touched her cheek. "Shh. I'll take care of him," he told her, grabbing his robe and putting it on as he went around the bed to pick up the baby. "Now, little one, we need to be quiet so your - so she can sleep." He grabbed a dry diaper and the powder, quickly changing Caleb before opening the door and leaving the room with him. "I bet you're hungry," he said, taking the back stairs down to the kitchen, where he managed to heat a bottle while bouncing the baby to keep him occupied. Going back upstairs, he slipped back into the bedroom and sat down in the rocking chair with the baby.

"Nick?" Jess said, sitting up.

"Over here, darlin'," he told her. "He needed changed and was hungry."

Resting her arms on her knees, she watched him. "Is there anything that you *can't* do?" she asked.

"Never been able to convince myself to try to break a horse," he told her. "And I can't live without you."

Caleb finished the bottle, and Nick rocked him for a few minutes longer before placing him back into the cradle and returning to bed. He was surprised when Jess put her arm around him. "I love you," she said.

Nick turned over. "I thought you'd gone back to sleep," he told her.

"I'm not sleepy," she told him.

=======================

"I thought you should know that the Cochran brothers are in the area," Lucas told Nick and Jess the next morning. "I haven't seen them, but at least three people in town described seeing someone yesterday evening who could have been Thane Cochran. He came into town to get supplies - said that he and his brother were staying outside of town because of their horses was lame."

"He didn't say where they were camping?" Nick asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Cara's the one who told me that she was sure it was Thane Cochran. She remembered having seen him before she came to Providence."

"No sign of Buck Martin?" Jess asked.

"Not yet. If they're watching for him, maybe they'll meet up away from town." He looked around. "Where is the older boy?" he wanted to know.

"Out with Kevin."

=====================

"What do you think about this?" Nick asked Jess as they went over the adoption papers for both boys.

She studied them before nodding. "They look good to me."

"Excuse me, Miss Jess, Mr. Nick -"

Jess looked up as Padro knocked on the doorframe. "Yes, Pedro?" she asked.

"There's a man out behind the barn, looking over the covered wagon," he told them.

Nick nodded. "Thanks for letting us know, Pedro. I'll be right out." Pedro left the room, and Nick took a deep breath as Jess spoke.

"I'll go -"

"You need to stay here with Caleb and Lily and Kate," he told her.

"But -"

"Jess, the story is that you just had a baby a few days ago, remember? If you go rushing out there to confront whoever it is -" He put his hands on his shoulders. "I'd feel better if I knew that you were in here."

"You're right. Your gun-"

Nick patted his coat pocket. "I have this one. I'd rather not tempt someone to pull a gun on me."

"Be careful."

"I will," he assured her, giving her a kiss before they left the room. "Take everyone upstairs."

She nodded, watching him go through to the kitchen.

=====================

Nick stepped out of the barn as the man pulled himself onto the seat. It wasn't either of the Cochran brothers, he realized. This man had dark hair with a silver streak, and blue eyes. "Can I help you?" Nick asked.

The man jumped down. "Yeah. I'm looking for the boy and woman who were in this wagon."

"Who are you?"

"Buck Morton."

"I'm Nick Everett," Nick said, shaking the offered hand. "Why are you looking for the people in the wagon?"

"My son Cole and my wife, Angie, came this direction - I followed the wagon from our ranch."

"He told us that his name was Martin, not Morton."

"Well," Martin said, "yes, I'm Buck Martin," he confirmed, waiting for Nick's reaction. When there wasn't one, he asked, "Where are they?"

"Cole is out working with my brother in law, Kevin Donager."

"And Angie?"

"Come with me." Martin untied his horse from the wagon and followed Nick to the small cemetery, finally stopping beside the new grave with a wooden marker that read "Angie Martin and infant", and the date. "She was dead when Cole pulled into the yard," he explained. "I'm sorry."

Martin shook his head. "Why were they in that wagon to begin with?"

"Cole said that the Cochran brothers came looking for you, and when they left to go into town, your wife convinced him that they needed to leave. She went into labor, and by the time they got here, she and the baby were dead."

Martin's jaw tightened at the news of the death of his wife and their unborn child. "I need to see my son," Martin said at last.

"He should be back before long, if you'd like to wait. My wife and her sister-in-law are in the house - "

"Thank you, but I'll wait out here so I can see Cole as soon as he rides in," Martin told him.

====================

"It's Cole's father," Nick told Lily and Jess when he returned to the house. "He's waiting for Cole."

"Isn't there some way that we can warn him?" Jess wanted to know. "I don't like the idea of him riding back in to find his father here."

"He's at the south end of the house," Nick told her. "He can see the barn and the front of the house from there - there's no way I can get away to warn Cole."

"What did he say about the baby?" Lily asked him.

"He seemed to accept that they were both dead when I showed him the grave. And he's determined to see Cole. I need my gun."

==========================

"That's him!" Shane declared. "Why are we just sittin' here? Let's go in there an take him!"

"There's people in the house," Thane told him. "Better if we wait until he rides back out."

"There's the kid!" Shane said, trying to keep quiet as they watched Cole ride his horse back toward the corral, calling out.

"Pedro!" he called, getting out of the saddle. "The Boss wants more nails -"

"Hello, son."

Cole went still, as Nick came out of the house. Slowly, he turned. "Father."

"Are you ready to go home?"

"I'm not going with you."

"You don't have a choice. You're my son."

"Buck Martin's son," Cole sneered.

"Maybe I should have told you -"

"Told me what? That you're a killer? You might as well ride out now - because I'm staying here."

"You're coming home, Cole," Martin said.

Nick stepped into Martin's field of vision. "Sounds to me as though he doesn't want to go with you."

"Nick -" Cole said, not taking his eyes off of his father, "stay out of this. I told you not to get into the middle of this."

"He's right. You've got no interest here, Everett. It's between me and my son."

Nick stepped closer to Cole, but lifted his hand away from his gun as he continued to watch Buck Martin. The slightest move that he was even considering drawing on Cole, and Nick fully planned to make sure it was the last thing the man ever did.

"Cole, I built that ranch for you -"

Cole gave a loud snort of disgust. "*You* built? I'm the one who's done most of the work there since I was ten years old - and before that, my mother worked herself to death doing it. Yeah, you brought the money, but for the amount of time you've been home, you might as well be a stranger. I don't know who you really are. And I don't want to know."

Nick frowned as he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye behind Cole - but before he could call out, a shot rang out that brought Buck to his knees. Cole whirled and knelt, aiming and shooting at the spot from where the shot had come.

Thane fell beside the barn, and Nick saw the sun glint off of another gunbarrel near the corral. "Look out, Cole!" Nick called out, firing at the second gunman. Shane Cochran fell into the open on his face, lying still.

Cole dropped his gun and ran across the space to where his father was now laying in the dust. "Father?" he said, putting his arms around the man.

"Says something," Martin managed, clearly in pain, "-that you - shot the man - killed me."

Nick knelt as well, hearing the death rattle as Cole looked at him. "Can you get a doctor -?"

"Won't - do any - good, son. Try - not to - hate me." He lifted blue eyes - so like those of his son - to Nick. "You - take care - of him. Promise - me."

"I promise," Nick pledged as Buck's head fell limp. As Cole bowed his head, Nick reached out to gently grasp his shoulder. From the direction of the house, he heard Jess and Lily come out onto the porch. "Cole -"

Suddenly, as if he were being chased by the devil himself, Cole leapt up and jumped into the saddle of his horse before riding away toward the south.

"Cole!" Jess called after him, coming down to join Nick beside Buck's lifeless body.

Nick pulled her into his arms, shaking his head. "He'll be back when he's ready, darlin'," he told her. "He needs some space to deal with what's happened."

"He doesn't need to be alone right now," she insisted.

Nick sighed. "You did the same thing after your father died," he reminded her. "In that, I think he has a lot in common with you. Give it some time. If he's not back by tomorrow morning, I'll go find him."

======================

After hearing the distant echo of three shots, Kevin rode back to the house, seeing Cole's horse galloping away to the south. Continuing to the house, he rode in to find Nick and Pedro carrying three bodies to the tackroom. Nick quickly told him what had happened

"Are Lily and Jess and the kids okay?" Kevin asked.

"Jess is worried about Cole, but - I thought it was a good idea to get the bodies out of sight before Ben comes in from school."

"Good idea. I'll go get the Sheriff."

"We'll probably bury Martin beside his wife - but as far as the Cochran brothers -"

"For all I care," Kevin said, "We could leave them out on the range and let the vultures pick their bones clean."

"Kevin -"

"There's a spot in the ranch cemetery a little from the rest of the graves - they can go there. *After* you talk to Lucas."

==========================

"I still want to talk to the boy," Lucas told Nick after hearing what had happened.

"As soon as he comes back, I'll get him into town to see you," Nick assured the sheriff.

"Technically, the Cochrans would get the reward offered for Martin - but since they're both dead -"

"And I've never heard that they have any family," Nick said. "Just two drifters who took to being bounty hunters at some point after the war."

"There's probably a case to be made for giving the bounty to his kids -"

"I doubt Cole will want it, Lucas," Jess told him. "But if he does, we'll let you know."

"Okay."

"Would you like to stay for supper, Lucas?" Lily asked. "By the time you get back to town -"

"Didn't leave anyone in charge when I came out," Lucas told her with a regretful sigh. "Be nice to have one of Mariana's meals again, though."

"I somehow doubt that anything terrible will happen in town while you're gone," Jess said. "Lily, will you tell Mariana that she needs to set another place for supper, please?"

Ben rushed into the house, putting his school books on the table in the parlor. "Hello," he called out, stopping as he saw all of the adults gathered into the room. "Sheriff Morgan?" Looking around, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not," Nick said. "We just invited the Sheriff to have supper with us, that's all."

"Oh. Okay."

"How did you get home, Benji?" Lily wanted to know.

"He rode double with me on Rusty," Kevin explained as he joined them. "Homework, son."

"Two days left of school, and I got *homework*," Ben muttered, picking up his books and heading toward the stairs.

"Some things never change," Lucas said, laughing.

==================

Jess woke once again to an empty bed. Sitting up, she could see that the baby was sleeping soundly in his cradle. Looking around the room, she finally saw Nick standing beside the window that overlooked the end of the house. Rising, she crossed to him. "Any sign yet?"

"No," he replied.

"You're worried about him."

"Not worried, just -" he sighed and a self-depreciating grin appeared. "I guess I am a little worried. He doesn't know the area - didn't take any provisions with him - he even left his gun behind."

"You were worried that he might have to shoot his father -"

"And he ended up shooting the man who killed his father," Nick nodded, resting his chin on the top of her head as she slid her arms around him. "He made me promise to take care of Cole. Just before he - died."

Jess tightened her arms around him, sensing that he needed her support. "I hear something," she told him, turning around to look outside. Lifting her hand, she pointed. "There."

Nick nodded, and she felt him take a deep breath, as though he'd been holding it all this time. Stepping away, he grabbed his pants and a shirt before pulling on his boots. "I'm going to go try to get him to come back to the house."

"Don't push," she said. "But I'll go make sure the bed is turned down in his room, just in case."

Nick gave her a quick, hard kiss on the lips before leaving the room. After making sure Caleb was still sleeping, she went down the hallway to the room beside Ben's and went inside.

======================

Nick was waiting in the barn when Cole rode the paint inside and got down to start removing the saddle and blanket. "Cole," he said in a quiet voice. The boy kept working. "I'm glad you came back."

"Did you want me to?" he asked after putting the blanket and saddle over a rail.

"You know that I did. I'm sorry about what happened -"

"Wasn't your fault - I think the second one was trying to shoot me, so - you saved my life." He removed the bit and turned the pony into its stall.

"How are you?" Nick asked as Cole started to move past him.

"Still numb, I think. Over the last few days I really thought that I wouldn't feel anything if - if I heard that he was dead. But seeing him, laying there -" He blinked quickly. "He - He really did care about me - a little, anyway, didn't he?"

"I think so."

"Still doesn't make what he did right," Cole said. "But I hope - hope that I can move on, remember the good times we had after my mother died."

"I'm glad you have those to memories," Nick said.

"You don't have any good memories with your father?"

"Not really. Even Christmas was a tense day that we were all glad when it was over."

"I'm sorry. But - you're making good memories, now, right? With Jess and the rest of the family?"

"I am. And I hope that I can include you *and* Caleb as part of my family, Cole." When Cole didn't respond, Nick felt somehow rejected. "I'm sorry. It's too soon -"

Suddenly Cole threw himself in Nick's arms. "I'd like to stay," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "If you and Jess really want me to. I mean, I know you took Caleb in, but -"

"It was always both of you, Cole," Nick said. "Son."

"Son?" Cole asked, finally looking up at him and putting some space between them, as if he were embarrassed at his actions.

"Jess and I - we want to adopt both of you. It would mean you'd be Cole Everett - if you agree."

"Would it mean that - I could call you Pa like Ben does Kevin?" Cole asked with a grin.

"It does. Now, Jess has your room ready over in the house - if you want to move back in there. I told her that you probably prefer living out in the bunkhouse -"

"I'll still be able to work on the ranch, if I live in the house, won't I?"

"If that's what you want to do. Come on. Let's not keep her waiting. She's been worrying - I don't think she's slept at all."

"I bet she's not the only one, - Pa."

"You'd win that bet," Nick said, laughing.

====================

Nick wasn't surprised to find Jess waiting for them when they went upstairs - after Nick showed him the trick about removing his boots so not to make too much noise. Jess turned toward the door as they entered the room, smiling - nervously, Nick thought - upon seeing the young man. "Cole," she said, moving forward to take his hand. "I'm glad you came home." Her words ended with her pulling him into a brief hug as Nick and Cole exchanged a look over her head.

"You need to get some sleep," Nick said. "There are still some details to be worked out - and a burial to attend to."

Cole nodded. "I understand," he said.

"There's some water in the basin," Jess told him, "in case you want to wash up - are you hungry? You missed supper -"

He shook his head. "No, I'll be fine until breakfast tomorrow -" he glanced at Nick again before saying, "Ma." Jess blinked, looking first surprised and then delighted. Cole laughed quietly, aware that Ben was beyond the connecting door as he explained, "Well, since Caleb's going to grow up calling you 'Ma' and 'Pa', I figure I might as well do the same, or else he might get confused. If *you* don't mind," he said to Jess.

Jess shook her head, giving him another hug. "I don't mind in the least, Cole," she assured him.

Nick placed a hand on her arm. "Come on, woman, it's late, and Caleb's going to be waking up soon for his bottle. Let the boy get some rest."

"Night," Cole said as the door closed behind them. He started unfastening his shirt as a soft voice came through the connecting door.

"Cole? Are you back?"

"I am," Cole replied. "Now get to sleep."

"Yippee!" Ben exclaimed, and Cole chuckled as he heard the bed springs creak on the boy's bed as he jumped back into it.

To Be Continued Part 2