After making her way downstairs to the hotel lobby, Sarah went over to the front desk. The clerk, who she had found was called Walter Simpson was busy with another guest.

When he had finished he turned to Sarah, "Good morning Mrs. Thornton-Carlton."

"Good morning," she said as she stepped closer to the desk, "Could you please tell me how I can go about getting a letter out to Lost Lake Ranch?"

Walter nodded, "Yes, Mr. Wentworth asked me to send you right in when you came down."

Sarah frowned a little, "Mr. Wentworth?"

"Yes...it seems that he has made some inquiries on your behalf." Walter smiled, "Part of the service we give at the Belle. If you ever wish me to help you on any matter just let me know."

"I will, " Sarah answered cautiously. She wasn't quite enthralled by the way Mr. Simpson had subtlety hinted that he would also give to the same depth of service has Mr. Wentworth obviously had.

She asked Walter to let Mr. Wentworth know that she was there. He came back about a minute later and told her that she could go in.

As Sarah entered his office, Matt smiled. She looked well-rested and was dressed very smartly. He went over to her, "Mrs. Thornton-Carlton, it is nice to see you again. I do hope that you have found everything to your liking. At the Belle, we pride ourselves on giving our guests the best service we can."

Sarah answered his question saying that she was pleased with the service. She then directed her attention to finding out the reason why he wanted to see her.

Matt admired her straightforwardness in wanting to get down to the purpose of his request to see her. He offered her a seat, which she politely declined. "Mr. Wentworth, I do appreciate your offer but I do have urgent business that I need to see to."

"Yes, I know and what I wanted to tell you that it has already been taken care off." He paused to gauge her reaction before going on, "I was able to send a message out to Lost Lake on your behalf. I know a couple of the ranch hands, and one happened to be in town yesterday getting the mail and some supplies. I expect your cousin will be here either today or tomorrow."

A frown appeared on Sarah's face. She hadn't expected anyone to act on her behalf to contact Shade and she wasn't sure what to think of it. Maybe it was part of the service the hotel gave but the owner should have had at least told her what he done and not spring it on her like this. Here she was thinking she would have another day or two to prepare and now it could happen today. The long-crafted letter she had in her hand now felt odd.

"I suppose I should thank for your help," she said solemnly, "So, I will say thank you but in the future, I would like to be advise of your intentions."

Matt sighed heavily, "You're right I should have told you and I did intend to but..."

"I know you were distracted by other things," By now she was getting a little bit vexed at what had occurred. "I hope you don't make a habit of interfering with all of your guests' personal business."

Before he answer, she held up her in a stopping motion, "It's not that I appreciate your help, it's more the fact that you did not ask me if you could. I have never liked men making assumptions about me or for me."

Sarah turned to leave, "When my cousin arrives could you direct him to my room. If I'm not there could you please ask him to wait. I will probably out shopping, so I won't be long gone."

With that, she walked out of the office.

Shade walked out of the White Rose Inn and Cafe, pausing on the sidewalk for a moment. He had ridden in early after receiving a short missive informing him of his cousin's presence at the Belle-St. Regis. He honestly did not remember her too clearly, but he was concerned that she had shown up so soon after Chance's death. There had never been much in the way of contact between the various members of the Thornton family that he could recall. Of course, Shade had been gone for many years. Things could have changed during that time. He just hoped that Sarah Thornton-Carlton did not plan on trying to make trouble regarding his niece and nephew's inheritance.

While those thoughts meandered through his head, Shade continued walking along the boardwalk in the direction of Kalispell's hotel. It made a grand statement, but surprisingly, it was also doing very well. Shade guessed that even the frontier needed a touch of class and elegance from time to time.

After stepping through the doors of the Belle, Shade wondered if he looked as out of place as he felt. He removed his hat and brushed a hand through his dark hair as he walked to the front desk to ask for his cousin. He offered a smile for the man behind the desk, "I received a message that Mrs. Sarah Thornton-Carlton was a guest here. Can you get word to her that her cousin, Shade, is here to see her?"

After receiving Shade's request, Walter Simpson made his way quickly upstairs and back again. "She'll be down in just a moment."

A few minutes later, Sarah came down the stairs. She went over to Walter who pointed out Shade to her. As she approached her cousin, she could see a family resemblance, especially to her younger brother, Harvey. When she reached him, she held out her hand, "Hello, Shade. It's been a while."

Shade took the offered hand and gave it a brief, warm squeeze while he regarded the woman facing him. She was tall and very pretty with dark hair, dark eyes and engaging features. "Sarah, it has been awhile," he agreed, offering a brief lopsided smile. "Would you like to go somewhere for coffee? Sit here in the lobby and talk?" He did not say it aloud, but Shade wanted to find out why she had shown up in Kalispell out of the blue like this. Coming so soon after their legal troubles over custody of the twins, he could not help but be suspicious.

"We can have coffee here," she said pointing in the direction of the dining room, "There's a lot I want to ask you about, so the sooner we get started the better as I know that you're a busy man."

After finding a table at the far of end of the room, they ordered their coffees. As they waited, Sarah began, "You're probably why I came here. Well, first of all, circumstances arose that, well, made it necessary for me to leave San Francisco. My father requested that I come here first to find out what happen to Chance. He and Chance had been corresponding for some years after the death of your father. When he hadn't received a reply to his last letter, he was worried."

She paused, looking for the right words to say, "I found out on the stage trip here that Chance had died. I knew I had to get in touch with you as soon as I could so I could find out the details before writing my to father. It was sad to hear about Chance's death. You both made a great impression on me and my brothers when we came to visit all those years ago. If you don't want to go into details about what happen, I will understand but I would like to know."

Shade tried hard to remember how he and Chance could have made much of an impression on Sarah when her family had visited. He had been no more than twelve or thirteen at the time, and Chance would have been five years older than that and preparing for college. Perhaps it had been a combination of things. The grandeur of the ranch as well as meeting her two older cousins. It was hard to say. Shade seemed to recall a skinny little girl following him and Chance around as they did their chores. He had made time to take her riding, much more than that was a blur. Shade felt bad about that.

"Look, Sarah, I don't mind tellin' you what I know, which isn't much," Shade finally answered. "You need to know that it's not very pleasant. How much do you really want to know?"

"I suppose as much as you can or want to tell me. Anything that would help ease the mind of my father. I know that he and Chance had built up some sort of friendship even though they hadn't seen each in other in years. Father liked keeping in touch with the family here even though he has never had the chance to come back."

Sarah smiled reassuringly, "And in a way I would like to pay my respects as well."

"Well, we were told that Chance and Regina along with their two oldest children and one of the twins were ambushed by a rogue band of Indians on their way back from Missoula in June. Everyone except Cody, the youngest, was killed and their bodies burned beyond recognition along with their wagon," Shade schooled his voice to sound neutral and as matter-of-fact as possible given the subject matter. "Cody was later found by a passing stage and brought back to Kalispell. The remains were recovered by the Marshal's office, cremated, and the ashes interred at the family mausoleum on the ranch."

"To be honest, Sarah, there's some question about who actually killed them. However, taking care of the twins and their inheritance has overshadowed any investigation into the matter." Shade blew out a sharp breath and leaned back in his seat, dark blue eyes shadowed.

Joint post...

"Thank you for telling me about what happened.  I know that it must have been hard for you, having gone through a loss of my own."

Sarah sighed.  There wasn't much else she could say in regards to the matter of Chance's death.  She wanted to help out as much as she could but didn't quite know how to go about it.  There's was no way she could invite herself to go to the ranch - that would have to come from Shade and that would probably depend upon how comfortable he was with having a long-lost cousin come over and stay for a short time.  The best she could was to offer help and let him know that he was welcome to get in touch with her if he wanted to.

"I wish I could do or say something that could be of a comfort or a help to you at this time.  I'm not even sure what you think of me but if you're ever in a mind to stop by the hotel and talk or have a meal, I would like that."

"The hotel?" Shade raised his eyebrow. If pressed, he would admit that he was wary of a long-lost relative showing up out of the blue. However, there was also and old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. It was doubtful that Sarah or anyone in her family had designs on the twins' inheritance, but he could learn more about why she was in town if she was nearby. "The distance in from the ranch might not suit you, but you are welcome at the lodge. It would be good for the twins to get to know family."

Smiling, Sarah replied, "Yes, I would like that a lot.  I have to admit that the few days I have been here already, I have been at a loss since I don't know many people.  It will be nice to get to know you again and to meet Chance's children.  If there is anything you would like me to do just let me know."

She stood up, "I expect that you would like to leave soon."  She reached into her reticule and pulled out some money.  "If you need to hire or buy a buggy to carry my luggage, this should cover it.  I'll go and get my things and wait for in the lobby."

With that she left, feeling a bit relieved that she wouldn't be spending the next few days on her own.

Shade rose, intending to hand her the money back, but she had already whisked herself away. He pocketed the money with a wry smile. He could always give it back to her later since they kept a spare conveyance at the livery for just such occasions. Grabbing his hat, he jammed it on his head and headed out to get the trip to the ranch sorted.