"Charlie! Charlie you around?" He shouted, but there was no response, which meant little, he could actually be anywhere inside the building, or he could be making the rounds, that was a possibility. "Wentworth! Charlie Wentworth!" He shouted again.

As Charlie entered the Marshal's office from the back door, he heard someone shouting his last name.  For a moment, he wondered if it was someone looking for his older brother Matt as most people in town just called him deputy.  He made his way pass the jail (gaol) cells and into the main office.

"Pike? Barnabas Pike?", Charlie said in disbelief.  The surprise of seeing the man was evident on his face soon turned to relief.  Even though Guyer had recovered from getting shot, he still wasn't back on a full-time basis. Being the only law in town was a heavy responsibility at times.

Going up to Pike, he held out his hand, "Boy, I am glad to see you.  Folks were beginning to say that honeymoon of yours was never going to end."

Flip

"Oh my gosh! You are back, it is really you!"

"Yes, it's me!"  Now that she was back in her home, Emeline's emotions shifted from the fun and excitement of being on the road and seeing new places, to the comfortable sensations of familiar surroundings, and the 'nesting' feeling of wanting to have routine and consistency.  She was home, and she'd stay here for the foreseeable future!

Smiling widely, she held her arms open.

"I have missed you so much!"

"Me, too!"  Emeline hugged the girl back, perhaps a bit too tight and a bit too long, but she hadn't realized until now how much she'd come to think of Clara as a little sister.  "Look at you!"  Blinking tears, she held Clara at arm's length, taking the girl in.  "You look amazing!  I'm glad we're back before you have the baby.  We need to talk, about a lot of things, but that's for later!  And Mrs. Lutz's Cafe is looking good!"  She laughed.

"Okay, best I let you fill me in on what's going on around here. Kind of a shock, you know, this Cox fella treating Em and I like some sorta pilgrims new to town, and I've a herd coming up behind me, better than a dozen hands, a new house to see and get moved into. And then there's all'a whatever's been goin' on here in town an' out an' about." The initial rush had passed, and he had ahold of his emotions, this was, after all, his best friend he was asking about.

Charlie nodded, "Well, you better take a seat. There's a lot to tell."

After Pike had taken a seat, Charlie continued, "First of all, Speed is fine.  He's still recovering from getting shot and is doing light duties...mostly paperwork from his home but he has managed to come in here a couple of times during the last week or so. As for Cook and McNue, they were called back to Helena, last month, I think.  I've been so busy that some things are a bit of a blur."

He leaned back in his chair a little, "I don't know who this Cox is but I'm guessing you must have past the hospital site when you came back into town. It's about the only place that has new people in it since you left.  His boss would be Mason Aldridge who owns the company Leah Steelgrave hired to build the hospital.  You'll probably get to meet him at some point since he plans to stick around for a while.  Other than that, there have been some changes in town.  My brother Matt is now mayor...won it in a landslide but rumour has it that Elias Steelgrave wasn't happy with the result."

A faint laugh escaped, "Well, Elias Steelgrave isn't happy about a lot of things especially since Shade Thornton came back about a month or so ago.  Shade's been keeping a low profile for some reason and I've only seen him in town a few times.  As for what else has happened...there are few new businesses and changes in town.  I can give you the specifics now, or we can wait until you've settled back down."

Flip

"Oh, there's plenty of time for all that!"  There was no questioning that Clara had done a fine job, and Emeline would never question her honesty.  In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if the young woman hadn't been paying herself what she deserved, and Emeline would rectify that once she had a chance to look over the books.

"I don't even know where to start!"  There was so much she wanted to talk about -- the trip, their future, the cafe, now and going forward.  "I'd say to close for the day tomorrow, but I'll just be seeing the house for the first time, and the cattle will be arriving...and the horses...oh, Clara, they are beautiful!"

But then, something Clara had said..."It is your diner, Emeline. I had some folk ask me if I was running it or had bought it. I said I am only standing in for you until you returned."

Did that mean that Clara wasn't interested in staying on, and if that was the case, then what?  Well, no matter, they could discuss that later, after all the options had been laid out.  "Oh, but there are customers...I've three of our hands with me who are wanting coffee."  Emeline started putting mugs onto a tray, but then hesitated.  "You don't mind if I help, do you?"  After all, really, Clara was still in charge here, and Emeline had no intention of sweeping in and just pushing her aside.

"Yeah, Steelgrave don't like much'a anything, does he?" Pike asked, feeling much better about the situation, "Good Speed's okay, 'cept for bein' shot. Now, I reckon there's nobody in custody over this shootin', so any idea who done 'er why? Like maybe Case Steelgrave or one of his 'er Elias' boys? This one was a mystery, why would anyone shoot Speed Guyer, I mean he did have enemies an all."

Charlie shook his head slightly, "No-one is in custody and Speed is just as in the dark as we are.  We have no idea of who and why they shot him.  As far as I know, Case Steelgrave hasn't been seen around here for months, so he probably didn't do it but I wouldn't surprised if he paid someone to do it for him."

He was struggling with the idea of it, "So how'd it happen? Was it here in town 'er out somewheres? I just don't understand the reasoning of it, cuz it sure don't sound like no stand-up fight he was in." he shook his head in dismay, "Nope not at all. Oh, the Cox feller was at the hospital site and that seems to be commin' along just fine.

Mason Aldridge you say, the owner of the comp'ny out here, on the job? Well, Miss Steelgrave can surely pull some strings. Figgered it'd be a foreman tops. No threats against it so far I take it, I mean what I saw was still standin'."

"It was here in town. Things had been pretty quiet around here except for a few suspicious deaths, so Speed getting shot was totally unexpected. It shook up the town a little. Now everybody is a bit more wary of strangers and yeah, the hospital is going fine...for now.  Most people still reckon that Elias will do something to stop it from being finished. "

He leaned back in his chair a little, "I guess the main thing you need to know is that we have a new county judge.  His name is Adam Townsend...he was personally appointed by the Governor. He's only been here a few weeks and doesn't seem to have any other agenda than the one he was given."

Flip

"I've no doubt you've done a fine job managing the place," Emeline declared firmly, "and of course you can bring on help...the more business, the more help you need, right?"  It only just occurred to her that there was more to the business than just dealing with ordering and cooking the food, she really hadn't considered the hiring of extra staff, that had just seemed to happen.  "Besides, I stole your best dishwasher!"

Laughing, she picked up the tray.  "I'll see to the coffee refills and take orders."  She really did miss this, but she wasn't sure where, or if, it fit in her life anymore, and she wasn't exactly sure how to figure out what she wanted to do going forward.  Of course, part of that depended on Clara's thoughts on the cafe, and what she wanted to do.

"I'll just be a minute."  First, she carried the tray to the table where Pythias, Dallas and Larado were waiting, and set out four mugs, along with some sugar and creamer.  "There you are, gentlemen, did you know what you wanted?  I can attest that everything is amazing, and this evening, on the house!"