"I'm fine, all the better for seeing you" he said, taking her by the arm.

Caroline smiled, "Careful I might charge you a doctor's fee."

Joseph was about to make a joke back about not being able to afford it but, well, Caroline knew he could. His family was rich, she was, well, not. If they were back in Vermont, this wouldn't even be happening, couldn't be happening. But out here on the Frontier, despite the efforts of some to import the social snobbery of the East by the likes of Mrs Wigfall and Mrs Orr, they were equals, just two souls, washed up together in this slow moving, dead-and-alive little town in the Middle of Nowhere, U.S.A.

Instead, he smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Listen, I've been posted into town for a while on a top secret mission. Do you want to hear all about it?" he asked with a conspiratorial grin.

"Really?" she wasn't sure he wasn't just teasing, "Umm, sure..although I will make it a point in the future to never share any top secret stuff with you, Joseph."

"Oh Lord, you're right. I forgot I'm supposed not to tell people about my top secret spy mission. I'd better keep quiet about it after all." he teased "I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be interested, anyway." He grinned happily, thinking to torture her for a bit. In his experience, women couldn't bear knowing that there were secrets that they were not party to, and Caroline was all woman! 

Jemima Wigfall passed them on the street.

"Howdy Lieutenant, hello Miss Mundee" the second greeting was a little less effusive than the first. She didn't stop to chat, thank goodness: she was far too shy in Joseph's presence, and not Caroline's biggest fan, but as she passed, added: "Any sign of Steelgraves' men attacking the Hospital building site yet, Lieutenant? Aw well, I'll keep an eye on it while you've..." she looked Caroline up and down "... got your hands full." 

"Oh, er, thanks" stammered Joseph. Clearly, he'd already told some people about his 'secret mission'. He glanced at Caroline and gave an embarrassed chuckle "Lot of blabbermouths in this town!"

"I don't got anything good to say about the Evergreen ranch and the Steelgraves but how can they attack what ain't even been built yet? Makes no sense ta me. So you sayin' that's your job here?"

"That's my job, Ma'am!" he said, looking brave. "Oh, and they'll be starting that building work any minute, I'm told." shrugged the subaltern officer "... and as soon as the first brick's laid or wooden post's hammered in..." Joseph was a little hazy about how hospitals got themselves built "... those Steelgrave ruffians will come along and knock them down and I'm supposed to..." He frowned. "Oh, I remember, I don't need to do anything, I'm just the excuse why the Army can then become involved because I'm.. urm... in the hospital."

He looked down at Caroline and put on a smirking, proud face "Pretty neat plan, huh?"

"That's my job, Ma'am!" he said, looking brave. "Oh, and they'll be starting that building work any minute, I'm told."

Caroline huffed, "Nothing much gets done in this little leafy burg."

"Annnnny minute." repeated Joseph.

"... and as soon as the first brick's laid or wooden post's hammered in..... those Steelgrave ruffians will come along and knock them down and I'm supposed to..." He frowned. "Oh, I remember, I don't need to do anything, I'm just the excuse why the Army can then become involved because I'm.. urm... in the hospital."

Caroline looked at him like 'what the hell?'

"Yeah, you didn't see me at the Wigfalls, I'm in the hospital. What you saw was a hallucination caused by overexcitement, due to the prospect of walking out with a handsome, wounded cavalry officer. Did I say 'cavalry officer' maybe 'dashing hero' is more apposite. Anyhow..." He looked down at Caroline and put on a smirking, proud face "Pretty neat plan, huh?"

"Umm, well I ain't no soldier boy but that sounds kinda stupid ta me," was her blunt assessment.

He frowned.

"Miss, I suggest that you attend West Point for three years before you start casting aspersions on my Colonel's strategic... er... strategies!" he dragged his eyes away from her beautiful face and looked at where they had actually walked to. They were outside the Hotel. "Oh! Are we dining?" he asked. "Our usual table?"

"If you say so. But as fer yer colonel, I've heard from a few of the troopers who come inta the saloon that he never even leaves that fort of his," Caroline countered.

Joseph gave a hollow laugh.

"The Colonel? Are you serious? Why, he..." the Lieutenant frowned "... well... he's a busy man. Lots of erm... paperwork." Come to think of it, that one time he had tried to persuade the commandant of the Fort to leave his wooden palisades to inspect Greene's balloon experiments he had seemed very reticent, kept muttering something about 'Bettles is out there!' Greene hadn't wanted to push it.

Joseph dragged his eyes away from her beautiful face and looked at where they had actually walked to. They were outside the Hotel. "Oh! Are we dining?" he asked. "Our usual table?"

"Now? I had come over to answer yer note which by the way never give it to someone who will then let Arabella get her claws on it, please," she made a request.

"Ooooh, Jemima didn't bring it personally, huh?" the officer nodded. "Wouldn't enter the 'den of sin and iniquity' I guess."

"Well, you hungry?" he asked.

"Didn't know we'd do it now? But I suppose we could long as we're here. I work in the evenin'  anyhow. I'll take whatever table they got."

Joseph led her in, and as he did, dropped another interesting bombshell.

"I've got us an invite for somewhere different to eat on Sunday, that's your night off, right?" he said nonchalantly. 

"Oh thanks, tryin' ta make a girl feel good about herself huh?" Caroline knew he was trying to be funny. Right?

"That's all right, Ma'am, all part of the service!" he smiled genially and they entered the Hotel.

"I've got us an invite for somewhere different to eat on Sunday, that's your night off, right?" he said nonchalantly.

"Oh? Yeah, it's my night off. So where and who invited you then?" Caroline was intrigued.

"Well..." he stopped and gathered his words carefully "... it's someone with a... well, a romantic way of looking at the world, you might say. Someone who has an empathy for couples, er, pairs of people, who maybe would like to spend some time alone together, but have to meet in public places like streets and saloons and..." he looked around "... Hotel restaurants. It's nothing sordid. It's just an opportunity to be together, just you and me, just the two of us. You see, this young person..."

It was painfully obvious by his avoidance of naming a name who this particular 'romantic' young 'person' might be!