"Well, I'm looking forward to being on the trail as much as I've enjoyed all these beautiful hotels and restaurants, and I have a few surprises...and that should teach you to let me shop unattended!"

Laughing, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze.  "And thank you for not fussing about the sewing machine.  I'm sure we can fix the cabinet, and once I figure out how it works, I can make those curtains for the bunkhouse!"  Truth was, she wasn't much for sewing, but now that she had a household to run, it made sense to have a machine to help her with mending, and making new clothes and linens, and she could even offer its use to Clara.  "I can embroider the horses' initials onto their blankets and your kerchiefs...it'll be lovely!"

She did enjoy teasing him, and he gave back as good as she gave him, and she hoped their children had stiff spines and good senses of humor!

"Seems I may have created a monster, you're right, that'll teach me." He said with a grin. "Be glad to get out of the monkey suits and back to the comfortable clothes, you know, like you wish to be, no need for corsets and the like, I'll be back to who I am, well, not that in a suit I'm me, but you understand what I'm saying." He was lost trying to explain himself and his desire to get back to being Pronto Pike and not Barnabas Pike, though both are one and the same.

"I guess it's easier to say that I am eager to get outta these big towns and back on the trail home." He added, "I didn't realize I missed it like I do, home, the small town with its trials and tribulations an' goin's on the way they do. Not that I don't like the folks in town, I do, and I'll be glad to be amongst 'em again!" He was conflicted, there was surely a part of him that liked the high life, but a larger part that wanted the small town life.

"I understand," Emeline assured him, "I've seen it, the two men...and I love them both.  I know I've been the same, being out here, living like this, makes me feel a little like I'm playing a role, a fun one, mind you, but I'm looking forward to being in the role at home, something where we're building and making a difference."

Vacation, sight-seeing, that was fun, and they had helped a few people along the way, but after a time, it wasn't fulfilling.  "Besides, I want to make sure everything is ready for the baby with plenty of time left."  She grinned.  "I need to make a blanket, and a christening dress, and diapers...maybe a canopy for the cradle that someone might build?"

"Yep, alla that and more to be done once we're home." He said in agreement. She was all that he had ever thought of in a woman, and more. She was everything to him, his world, he just wanted to hurry up and get that world back to Montana, and it could not been soon enough.

"There's a lot of stuff already in the house, furniture and the like, things I saw you looking at in them catalogs, or maybe at the Anderson's Mercantile, or the General Store. All delivered an' settin' in the rooms where they go, we just gotta move 'em where we want 'em." He told her. "Oh, an' we can take back whatever we don't want or, exchange. They knew I done the ordering." And then he laughed, knowing some might not be what she wanted.

The waiter came to the table. "Excuse the wait, a busy evening and I'm the only one here, may I take your order?" He asked pleasantly. Barnabas looked to Em.

"Ah, well, I'm sure you have exquisite taste in furniture!"  Emeline grinned, although she was insanely curious about what he had chosen, and was all the more excited to get home.  At least she had time to brace herself for what she might find!

When the waiter approached, she contemplated for a moment, then ordered, "I'll have the baked trout in pastry and whatever the vegetables are."  She glanced at Barnabas, "And I think champagne is in order?"  This was the last day of luxury, after all, may as well celebrate the start to the journey home.

"Champagne? Certainly! Ain't much for the bubbly, beefsteak, medium rare, a baked potato an' whatever else comes with that." Pronto ordered. It was their last night in civilization, and yes, a celebration, of sorts was in order. It had been quite the journey from Kalispell to this evening in Carson City, waiting on that last train ride north.

"Ya know, I believe I got the nicest things available, not a whole lot, but enough for a start at furnishing the house." He began, "I know that doin' that's a woman's job, cuz you got a better eye for it. An' mostly you know what you want, an' I may have missed the mark. So, if what's there ain't right, well, jest say the word an' Ill haul 'er back to town. Then we'll go huntin' through the catalogs an' order up what it is you want."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Barnabas," Emeline insisted.  She didn't want to make him feel bad about his choices, and she really wasn't too picky.  "I mean, so long as nothing is made out of antlers."  Her tone lowered.  "Nothing is made out of antlers, is it?"

No, she wasn't picky, after all, most of what she had in the rooms above the cafe was second-hand, but she did have a limit!

She was chuckling as the waiter brought the champagne over and poured their glasses.  She raised hers to Barnabas, and declared, "To furniture without antlers!"

"Oh, in the bunkhouse, of course!"  Emeline grinned as she sipped her champagne.  "Antler furniture will go perfectly with the lace curtains!"  Pity the poor cowhands if she and Barnabas ever started a competition to see who could annoy whom the most!

"As long as we have those rocking chairs on the porch, I'll be happy."  She knew it would be rare, they would be too busy, but now and again, she'd make sure they sat on the porch, relaxed, and enjoyed what they were building.  "No sense in having a wonderful place and not being able to enjoy it now and again, right?"  Then she corrected, "Oh, I know that working there, building it, will be wonderful, but we'll have to remember to sometimes just sit and take it in."  Something she hadn't had the leisure to do with her cafe, but she'd been looking forward to that day.

"Yep, I agree that settin' on that porch watching that waterfall do what it does, relaxin' and enjoyin' the place. Great idea. I know that we'll both be busy, but we do need to take the time, and enjoy what we have." He agreed. "Might be some difficult to get that time, but I think we'll just have to force ourselves to take it."

"Like snatchin' it away from what we're thinkin' is more important than us. Can't be doin' that. I do know that there will be times whatever we're doing will be more important to what we're buildin' but we'll need to come on back and make time for us, other than at night before sleep overtakes us, or eatin' supper with the kids. Time. Slips away like water over them falls."

Then their supper arrived.