"I'm staying for the time being," Lucinda clarified. "My intent was to go back east, but now..."

But then she paused and looked away. Deep in thought about something, Aurelian figured and let her take her time. Unlike some folks (Arabella cough cough) he was as much a quiet listener as a talker.

"Now I think I might stay. Everyone here has been so kind to me. Like you said, good people."

"Wise decision I think. This community is growing too all the time and more and more we will begin to have much of what cities now have. What do they say? Civilization is relentless. For good and bad," opined the man.

She went over to the pie plate and uncovered it, glancing back at him. "You said a slice for you, and a slice for Wyatt, didn't you?"

"Yes ma'am, if you please. Wyatt will be most grateful," he smiled.

"Once Clara got hitched all of a sudden, I lost my in house baker so I have to come and pick up treats," he explained his presence. Well, plus he got to see his beloved daughter.

"What's going on?" he whispered urgently on the stairs.

"Nothing, can I not have some private time with my favorite husband?" Clara retorted.

"Isn't it a little rude to leave poor Mrs Dietrich to talk to your Pa all on her own?" he asked, innocently.

"Nonsense, my father is quite socially capable ....when he wants to be," Clara frowned as the pair entered the apartment and then she shut the door behind them.

"At least they're old, so they can't get up to anything!" he joked.

Serious Clara took him quite literally though, "He is not old...she is perhaps even a bit younger than my father. And they are both God fearing Christian folk................unlike us two hypocrite sinners."

Yes, they had went at it like rabbits their first real time of privacy - which was wrong. And sinful. And led to all sorts of consequences. And............well, she would do it again if somehow they could go back in time with a second chance. She loved Jacob with all her heart.

"Hey, I happen to like being a hypocrite sinner!" he countered smiling, but then he looked a little more serious.

"Well, you were a good one that day," Clara countered meaning it as a joke but there was a certain truth to it too. And had been just as bad.

"No, I mean..." he glanced into her beautiful brown eyes. His were hard an blue, almost mean looking in some ways: but there was a soft heart behind them. "... well, doesn't it bother you? If... what if they got married? I know what the memory of your Mother means to you."

"Bother me? Of course not. I expected my father to respect my wishes about you when we wanted to get married. I should now respect his desires on the matter. So if they get married, it will be because my father wants to marry her......and obviously....she agrees also. It does not change my love for my mother. But look at it this way, I am certain my mother wants him to be happy, life goes on," countered Clara.

"However you are assuming a lot. They are just chatting, a far cry from father proposing," she also pointed out.

"Pardon my saying so, but I think it's mostly good. This country could do with a little more civilization," the lady offered.

"Oh I most definitely think you are right," Aurelian replied with a nod.

***

"I'm sure your visits mean as much to her as they do to you," she said with a smile.

"I believe so, well at least I certainly hope so. But Clara has a new man in her life now and well....that's the way it is supposed to be," he shrugged then watched her cut up the pie. It looked mouth watering alright, he was indeed hungry.

"Shall I wrap this one up for you, or would you like to eat it here? I'm sure Clara will be down in a few minutes if you'd like to eat while you wait," Lucinda gave him options.

Aurelian only gave her a mischievous smile, "I'm not so sure she will be hurrying back down. My daughter is a hard worker, as I am sure you will find out soon enough if you haven't already but........she is human."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I hope I am not slipping the bonds of decency with such insinuations. We can change the subject."

It turned out that Aurelian's mind was working the same way Lucinda's was, and he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion on what his son-in-law and daughter might be doing upstairs.

Lucinda returned Aurelian's mischievous grin, although her cheeks were flushed slightly. "You haven't said anything I wasn't thinking. I'm not sure it would be considered decent, but..." she looked around the kitchen and then shrugged. "No one else is around to tell us it's indecent!"

She put a fork on the saucer and pushed the piece of pie toward him. "Here. Whatever happens, you should eat your pie." She poked her head out into the empty diner and glanced back at him, her eyes dancing a bit.

"In fact...why don't we sit down out here?" She beckoned him out of the kitchen. Clara wouldn't mind, would she? There was no one else in the diner and the dishes were done. She and Aurelian could have a nice grownup conversation while Clara and Jacob had a nice grownup time in their room.

"Tell me about your farm," she said as she sat down at a table. "Do you raise crops, or cattle?"

The two engaged in knowing smiles, both well aware of what was probably going to or had already begun to happen upstairs. Nothing wrong with it, Clara and Jacob were married. Aurelian would have wished for a whole lot more self control from the young pair earlier but what was done was done. Clara was happy, Jacob seemed to be trying to be a good husband.

"You haven't said anything I wasn't thinking. I'm not sure it would be considered decent, but..." she looked around the kitchen and then shrugged. "No one else is around to tell us it's indecent!"

"Well, both of us were married, we know what goes on. As far as telling us anything, people can just mind their own business I say," he smiled, eying that pie slice.

She must have noticed where his eyes had traveled.

"Here. Whatever happens, you should eat your pie." She poked her head out into the empty diner and glanced back at him, her eyes dancing a bit.

"Well, I suppose as long as you are twisting my arm, I shall reluctantly obey," he grinned

"In fact...why don't we sit down out here?"

"Why don't we," he promptly sat and then picked up the fork to cut into the slice.

"Tell me about your farm," she said as she sat down at a table. "Do you raise crops, or cattle?"

"Well, it's a farm, so it's crops. I got a milk cow and that's it. It's not a lot of acreage but I got it at a cheap price, a good deal for certain. The soil is good. Plenty of water, there is even a lake on the back edge of the property. My kids like it for swimming (And other things it seemed with Clara)."

"That's the good. Most things come with the bad though too don't they," he shrugged then paused to eat a big bite before continuing, "It is sandwiched right between the two biggest ranches in the county - Evergreen and Lost Lake. Luckily I get along with the owners of Lost Lake. Evergreen...well, the man who owns that is hard for anyone to get along with. I know he wants my property. He hasn't come with an offer though....yet. Not that I'm looking for one. I'd rather not start over.......yet again. We originally came from Pennsylvania where I had a farm but well..........things didn't work out there. My wife convinced me to go west and start over. One 'start over' is enough for me."

Lucinda began to feel more at home around Aurelian and his humor. Humor always helped any situation, especially one like this one that could have proved quite awkward if they both did not have a sense of humor. Sitting across from him, she felt much less flustered than she had felt back in the church.

She listened intently as Aurelian described his farm. She should have realized the difference between a farm and a ranch before now, but had not. But now she knew. Francis hadn't wanted to be a rancher, he'd wanted to be a farmer like Aurelian.

"A lake," she murmured, her eyebrows rising. Francis had had to dig a well for them to get water for themselves and their animals. Would it have made any difference if they had had a lake? Probably not. Anyway, Aurelian was right. The good did come with the bad. Having a lake might have led to other problems.

When he finished speaking, she waited for a few seconds, her eyebrows furrowed. "You would never want to go back east? That wouldn't be starting over...would it?"

For her, it wouldn't be. She could go back to her family, to society, and to comfort. But it would be as a widow, not as an unmarried woman fresh from her societal debut. Would that change her life back east? Out here she was still considered marriageable.

"A lake," she murmured, her eyebrows rising.

"Yeah, sure....you know....those big things with lots of water in them," Aurelian teased. His conversations with Clara had often been filled with this sort of give and take and he missed that.

"You would never want to go back east? That wouldn't be starting over...would it?"

"Afraid it would, I left that world behind me. Sold what I had to pay for our trip out west. Later had to buy a wagon and team, supplies, to get around out here. I've got nothing back there. So, no, I would never want to go back anymore. It would almost be like Katherine died for nothing then if you know what I mean?"