"You gentlemen are a godsend," Emeline commented as she slid the pan of cookies into the oven. "And you can get work as cooks if chasing the southbound end of a northbound cow ever gets old!"

"No Ma'am, we're just here doin' what it is that needs doin', that's all." Pythias said. "Lendin' a hand when we can, where we can. Taday, it's in here. But chssin' them doggies, that's the life. Freedom out there ya cain't find in no other kinda work."

"Drivin' the chuck wagon an' makin' sure them buckaroos get fed the best we got on 'er, wouldn't do nothin' else." Nate said.

"Me too!" Danny piped up,. "But this here ranch is like nothin' we ever had before, ever."

With the first batch of cookies in and Wheeler all freshened up, she declared, "All right, time for another batch. We need sugar and butter to start, we'll cream that." She would let her helpers do the work while she directed them. "That needs about five minutes. Why do you suppose someone would lie to those poor people about Barnabas...Mr. Pike?"

Once more, it was too Pythias to answer her, "Well now, Misses Pike, yer man has a reputation, an' he gots some graveyards behind him. There's men that ain't forgot who he is, nor what he's done, and sooner than later, one of 'em's gonna come lookin' for him. Don't matter good 'er bad things what he's did. There's them wanting ta take down the reputation and own it fer themselves." He explained. Whoever set this girl an' her brother again you and Wheeler, that was to draw out Mister Pike. Leastways, that's my guess."