Almost three years had passed since Maggie and Chester had left for Port Bell the first time. They came back each summer to stay at the inn more as guests then actually to work as the inn's owners, although Chester would go over the records with Jamie and approved how he had done. The Inn was doing well he had built on two more rooms.

Jamie had recieved a letter from Chester telling him they would be going to England this summer so that Maggie could see her baby sister, and that they probably wouldn't be coming back Maggie's condition had worsened. He advised Jamie to go see Seth as quickly as possible.

Jamie wondered what that was about, he knew Seth would come by later tonight to play cards with Jack, Neils, and himself, Lewis would come and tend bar.The ladies had sewing circle tonight and the five men were kind of left to their own devices.

"You are early," Jamie said when Seth came into the empty public room, Havern had just left from having his dinner. No one else had came in.

"Did you get a letter from Chester?" Seth asked, he had gotten his four days ago but he had been so busy chasing cattle theives he just now had time to come by.

"Yes I did.I need to see you it seems," Jamie said, he was curious yet he dreaded it somehow. Would they have to sell the pub he wondered.

"Chester is giving you the inn, but there are two items, one is a small stipend you must pay to Chesters niece for her sons education, and the other is a bill of debt owed Timberlane. I have talked to him at the Cattleman's meeting and he said just pay what you can each month, he has you on the book now," Seth said.

"Giving the inn to me?" Jamie asked.

"Yes with the debts I might add," Seth said.

Jamie could not believe it, he really owned the inn. For so long he had thought of Chester when making decisions, wrote Chester for advice on things that could wait, or asking if his choices had been good when there was not time to write and wait for the reply. Now he owned the Inn and could do as he pleased Octavia was right this was paradise.

Timberlanes bill was quite large, but nothing Jamie couldn't handle paid over time. He did wonder why Chester owed so much he figured it must be the new stable, it was three times the size of the old one. ten stalls instead of four, living quarters upstairs over half the barn, hay storage over the other half, a tool room and a feed room, and a room for a groom if they ever hired one.

Jamie signed the papers, and Lewis would keep a copy in the township records, and Jamie would keep the other copy.

"Greetings Lewis," shouts from the public room, alerted Jamie that Lewis had arrived for his shift, and the crowd of drinkers had arrived as well and saw with relief that Jack had served them. Jack should be his partner he thought, and decided that was something he should talk to Octavia about.

Lewis was very popular with the men at the pub, he had a never ending supply of jokes, dirty stories, and had a way of defusing fights Jamie admired. Lewis also liked paying off his tab in this way so Astrid didn't scold him about food and wine he purchased. He did not like her cooking and on cooks two nights out she would cook something he would feed it to his dog Misty on the sly and then pop of to the pub to have something delicious Jack had prepared.

"How's Astrid and the children Lewis?" Jamie asked.

"Astrid is fat and sassy. Justin is doing well at boarding school, Todd is doing so-so at day school, Thoren is into everything driving my wife crazy, and we have a new baby on the way I do believe," Lewis laughed.

"Great Octavia is going to have a child as well probably in fall early winter," Jamie said smiling.

"I am hoping this one is a girl, we have 3 boys, you?"

"I would like another boy," Jamie said smiling, "thanks for coming Lewis."

"Anytime," Lewis said thinking he would have a steak tonight before going home, Jack cooked them better then his cook did.

Neils arrived and they went to the back room to play cards.

"You know what we should call this group? The Fidelity Gamesmen Club," Jack laughed.

Neils laughed, he enjoyed Jack's wit, and said, "Why Fidelity I can see gamesmen."

"Because none of us cheat on our wives, nor do they cheat on us," Jack said, "Seems most men in this town are either cuckolds or cheaters, just the four of us and Lewis are not."

"Olga and I are deeply in love, we would not even think of looking at another. You could add my father to that list," Neils said seriously.

"Yes," Jamie agreed.

"Janette, Myrah, Orsen, and Ivan see that he is too busy to think of other women." Neils chuckled.

"Ivan? Your father has another son I did not know that," Seth said amazed at a man so healthy at age sixtytwo he could sire another child.

"Yes, he is so proud of them." Neils said smiling.

"He brought Orsen in once a week to play chess with me, a handsome child, then once Ivan was born he started not coming in as much." Jamie said.

"A man needs sons." Jack said.

"Yes he is a lucky man, good health and three sons, I am lucky to have adopted Josiah and now our new infant son Philip." Seth said smiling

"I was so excited when Alan was born, then we had Adam this spring, I was thrilled, in paradise, after two girls I wondered if I had a son in me," Jack chuckled.

"I have a feeling Quentin is it for me," Jamie said, "Maylissa and Delilah just turned five this winter, and Monique is three, and Annabelle will be one next month, I suspect our new child will be a girl as well."

"Two boys are all I can handle, Roland has all these high ideas and Alexander is scared witless of bugs, and doesn't act as a normal boy at all. I don't envy you raising four girls with the way young men are these days. Milicent and Valerie are going to be hard enough for me," Neils said, glad Roland wasn't one of those wild young men. He was so involved in his studies and hobbies Neils was sure he hadn't even noticed young ladies.

"Make that three to worry about, Maylissa will thrash any boy that messes with her," Jamie said proudly, his daughter who wanted to be just like her father when she grew up much to Octavia's horror.

Jamie was thinking about what had happened the other day, it had been Jennys day to work, she only worked two days a week now that she had a child.

Jamie had gone up to tell her to make sure Captain Ferrins room was made up, that he had written he would be here today.

He had opened Ferrins room and ran right into Lewis, completely naked and someone was in the clothes keep.

"Not you too!" Jamie had said, partly disgusted partly amazed that Jenny would be with so many men.

"Don't say anything," Lewis pleaded. Jamie shrugged and left.

"Lewis can't be in this club," Neils said bringing Jamie back to the present.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"He is not faithful to my sister, and I do not blame him too much, my sister refuses him her wifely dutys because she wants no more children, but I guess she slipped." Neils said, aware that she too was carrying a child.

"Well," Seth said, "five men out of a town of 104 men, not a good sign of the times in which we live."

"We could probably add Mr. Dutcher and Mr. Havern to our fidality no cuckold club," Jack said looking up as Quentin came in.

"Well Mr. Dutcher yes, but not Mr. Havern or Mr. Vanderpool. you see we.. . er I followed him and he goes to see Mrs. Vanderpool quite often, and Mrs. Chastain too."

"Really?" Jamie said giving Quentin a warning look.

"Yes," Quentin said looking a bit worried, was he in trouble.

"Well Mrs. Chastain is a widow and does laundry, and Mrs. Vanderpool is a widow as well." Niels said wondering why Havern would want to see an old lady.

"She has a daughter but she is not allowed to play with the likes of Lissa or me," Quentin giggled.

"Oh Mrs. Vanderpool's daughter," Seth said, now this made things interesting.

"She arrived about a week ago with her little girl, in a fancy carriage." Jack said.

The other three men looked at him.

"I saw the fancy carriage when I was going to the freight office, Mrs. Amberly knew who she was and was telling Mrs. Timberlane," Jack explained.

Quentin grinned, uncle Jack had eavesdropped and da didn't scold him.

"Well gentlemen, I know wherin the problem of fidelity lies, arranged marriages, we all chose our wives and our wives chose us, arranged marriages are the crux of the problem." Seth said.

"Oh I agree, I refuse to pick mates for my children, as long as the person is decent it does not matter. I know both Madolyn Coats and my fathers nanny, I forget ther name like Roland, it does not matter which he chooses, they are both proper good young women," Neils said.

"Well I am never getting married," Quentin said making a face.

The men laughed.

"I think we all said that when we were ten," Neils said grinning.

"You will change your mind, and find a girl you like," Jamie said smiling.

"Well maybe if I found one like Lissa," Quentin said, he loved his sister even if she was a pest about following him and Roscoe some times.

Jamie and Jack laughed, Seth and Neils looked questioningly as if wanting in on the joke.

"Lissa wantes to be a boy," Jamie explained, "She can ride better then most boys her age too, she has claimed Bow."

Seth was impressed Warren had just gone from a cob to a horse at 14.

Neils smiled too, a girl that liked to play as a boy would be attractive to a boy of ten, who was repulsed by girls in general.

"Your turn to deal," Neils said looking at Jack.

Jack grinned and delt, as Quentin got bored and wandered off to see what Roscoe was doing.

The ladies sewing circle had ended early, because it had been at the Coates house and Caroline was sick. Octavia invited, Clarise, Astrid, Kate, and Olga back to her house for tea and cake. Olga had declined what with a new baby and she was not sure her daughter Milicent who was 11 was up to watching baby Valerie that long.

I am glad Olga did not come, I like her but she is so quiet," Clarise said as they sat before the fire to dry off after running through the rain like school girls.

"Unlike your mother," Astrid laughed.

"Oh please," Clarise sighed, she and her parents, especially her mother did not get along, but she was smiling.

"I wonder what the men talk about?" Octavia asked, wanting to get off the subject of Maryetta Dupree Amberly, being half French herself she understood Maryetta's temperment. But the woman was driving on and on this night, poor Clarise, Octavia had wished to slap Maryetta. Clarise was different, cooler headed more intelligent.

"Nothing as hot as the subject we were talking of, that is for sure," Astrid laughed.

Octavia noticed she was more relaxed with just the four of them in the room.

"I should say," Kate giggled.

"Well talking about your husband being with other women is certainly a burning subject," Clarise said as Octavia got up to make more tea and serve tarts.

"Well I did not say anything there. because some of those women can not keep gossip to themselves. But if Lewis was with another woman I would not mind because it is the nature of the beast. But I would not want to know about it, as Maryetta seems to know about all of Jacobs lovers,"Astrid said as they sat at the table, now dryer and warmed.

"Seth would not want any other woman, and that was why I wished to be with him not only is he sweet and kind, but he is nothing like my father," Clarise sighed.

"I agree, Seth, Jack, Jamie, and the Swensens are probably the only men in town that are not with other women," Kate said.

"Yes my father and brother are very true to their wives, I was really wrong about Janette too, she is the perfect wife for my father, he is very happy," Astrid said smiling.

"I know she is so dear, I also know Jamie would never cheat on me," Octavia said, thinking how upset kissing Kate, when he had no idea she was coming to find him had made him.

"Not Jack either, he said he had enough of that in his younger days, and he is happy now, he never knew what happy was until he met me," Kate said smiling.

"I think Lewis was true to me until after I had Thoren, I couldn't I was so weak for months just as my mother had been after having my sister that passed away at three days of age. Luckily I had Minnie and she found a wet nurse and took wonderful care of us," Astrid explained.

"Good servants are a Godsend, I am so grateful for Molly, although Leatha helps me a lot too." Clarise agreed.

"I do not know how you do it Kate and Octavia, you have more children then we do, and no servants," Astrid said.

"Well I was a servant," Kate said then gritted her teeth, oh why had she said that.

"Jamie is a good husband and he hired he a housekeeper to come in two or so days a week to help me out. A nice widow lady Mrs. Chastain." Octavia said.

"What do you think of Mrs. Timberlane's ideas of improving our town?" Clarise said changing the subject away from servants, and making Kate more comfortable.

"I think it is wonderful," Octavia said smiling, she really liked Clarise a lot.

"She does have good ideas, I am glad Mrs. Coates invited her," Astrid agreed.

"I very much like the idea she has for some kind of little meeting for girls, to teach them skills they may not learn in the home," Kate said, thinking Johanna and Amelia could very much benefit from ladylike pursuits.

"Yes, arts and crafts a mother may not have skill to teach," Clarise said.

"Yes I can sing well enough, but I am not as gifted in music the way you are Kate," Astrid added. "Perhaps I could teach girls grooming and how to fix their hair."

"Your hair always looks wonderful," Kate said.

You will never guess what we women were discussing this night," Octavia said with a smile.

"Cross stitching?" Jamie asked.

"No, Fidelity, I am so lucky we love each other so much," Octavia said smiling.

"Yes we are, and the men were talking on the same subject. I would never think of even looking at another woman," He said and kissed her, she reached over and extinguished the candle.

Cass had moved out a year ago and had bought his own place, Oly Swensen's old freight house and depot, because Oly and Neils had built a bigger and nicer one a block from the Inn

Cass had so much work he had brought his brothers to work with him. Kane from his sailing ship and then Keith still in his teens from his aunts in Rivers Edge.

Cass still helped him out from time to time and Jenny worked two days a week since she had a little girl Cassandra.

A new blacksmith had come to town, he had apprenticed and worked for the Quaker blacksmith in Arcadia, the best blacksmith in the whole area, where Jamie took his own horses even thought it was further then Rivers Edge.

Jamie had arranged for Terrence Hill to come and set up shop after finding out from the Quaker blacksmith that the man wished his own business.

Most people were happy to have a blacksmith in town, especially one trained by an old master, and Terrance was very good. But a few blackballed Dawsons Inn and refused to use a free man. Jamie thought if he owned Terrance it would have been different.

Timberlane threw the biggest fit, but refused when Neils offered to buy Jamie's debt, he accepted Jamie's payment and offered more wood on credit just refused to come to the pub or use Terrence on his horses.

Business was as good as ever, and Jamie was making money, some he reinvested in a bit of expansion.

The trouble however started when Amberly over charged Terrence for supplies,

"I can not believe this," Jamie said, "he swindled you with those prices!"

"Do not upset yourself so. I will make the money back. But I would like it if you would purchase things for me in Rivers Edge or Arcadia from now on," Terrence told Jamie calmly.

Jamie could see why Naomi, Roscoe, Quentin, the dogs and horses liked this man so much. He had a quietness and gentle way about him that could calm any human or animal. Because Jamie had been seeing red.

The boys went fishing, as soon as Quentin got home from school Jack wanted some fish, Havern always had fish on Friday.

"Amberly is a swindler," Quentin said looking at Roscoe.

"What are we going to do," Roscoe almost groaned.

"He is a pig," Quentin said.

Quentin thought about this, he had never liked Amberly since the day they had bought Naomi and Roscoe. Sure other people had servants, but they were either free or treated like Lewis and Seth's servants like part of the family.

"You are scheming, and I do not want to get into trouble . . ." Roscoe started, he was upset about it too but Quentin was furious. Terrence was a good guy and his mother really liked him, as did he.

"I know . . .remember the polk berry paint we made?" Quentin said grinning.

"Oh do I, my mama nearly scrubbed my hide off getting it off," Roscoe laughed.

"Well I think people need to see what a swindler he is," Quentin said remembering some people in the pub complaining about Amberly having his servants out early on Sunday morning white washing the store, last week that had been.

The next morning people of Amberly had to grin at the big purple lettering on the side of his store.

"Who could have done this?" Amberly asked everyone.

"Probably someone you swindled, could be anyone," Oly laughed.

"I don't swindle people." Amberly sighed.

"Well some of your prices could be a bit lower," Mrs. Coats said, wondering who could have done it but thinking the person was educated and tall.

Later Roscoe was in the kitchen hurrying to finish his chores so he and Quentin could go fishing, when Amberly and his overseer Mr. Johnson came in.

"Where is Ronald I am going to kill him." Amberly shouted.

"Calm down boss." Johnson said.

Roscoe's eyes widened, Amberly knew it was him someone had seen him and Quentin with the ladder. He ran back into the kitchen, and out the back door. Quentin was just saddling Bess.

"Amberly knows its me, and he going to kill me, he yelling in the pub," Roscoe cried.

QUentin looked around tighten the cinch and said, "Jump on we got to hide you."

"What is going on?" Seth asked irratated Amberly had interupted his early dinner, he had been too busy to eat a midday meal.

"I have been swindled," Amberly said, "and they defaced my property as well what are you going to do about it?"

"Let me eat in peace then we will discuss it," Seth sighed.

Quentin did not come home at dark. Both Octavia and Jamie were worried, but they had both been busy. Quentin had said something about spending the night camped out. But that was next week Jamie was pretty positive.

Jamie had to go to the inn the next morning to recieve an order Swensens was to deliver from Portland. Neils made most people come down to the new frieght office but since Jamie was a friend, and he had such big orders Neils had his men deliver early in the morning so no one else would see and ask for the same service.

Octavia was going out to check on the girls who were weeding the garden and tending the chickens, when she saw Quentin's mare Bess still saddled and looking tired.

"Come on girl, whoa easy," Octavia said, noticing the mare had a chipped hoof and missing shoe.

Bess came, she too was getting older and wiser she knew Octavia would give her some grain and take the hot saddle off her back.

After taking care of the mare, Octavia saddled her own mare Ruffles, Bow's daughter, and then took the girls over to Kate's on foot, Kate would be baking at home today and didn't mind watching the girls.

Octavia rode Ruffles to town, hoping Jack had gone in, she had forgotten to ask Kate in her rush to go to Jamie.

She ran from the bright sunny backstreet where she had tossed Ruffles reigns over the hitching rail, throught the empty kitchen no Jack or Jamie or Naomi. The kitchen was spotless and smelled of good things as a kitchen should. She ran on into the even darker public room and almost ran right into Jamie in her panic to find him. "Octavia," Jamie said startled a bit, he had been putting wine up and had not heard her come in. She had almost caused him to drop the bottle he had been putting away but he quickly shelved it and turned to her.

"Jamie! Bess is home, no Quentin, she has thrown a shoe and is favouring the leg a bit, Quentin could be out there and hurt," Octavia cried, she had held it together for this long.

"Calm down," Jamie said.

"I can't Oh Jamie, he is only ten! Maybe I should go find Seth," Octavia cried.

"Seth came a little while before you did to get Captain Ferrin to got to Sloans Cross to get Ronald Norbert," Jamie explained. As he walked out through the kitchen, Jack had gone to Rivers Edge for supplies. He couldn't just shut the public house.

"Whatever for?" Octavia asked, wondering if he was the cattle theif.

"Yesterday Amberly was in here screaming for his blood, evidently the man felt a bull Amberly sold him was no good, so he thought he would buy a pair of servants for false bank notes to get his money back," Jamie sighed.

"Oh that is not good, there is Naomi," Octavia said trying to calm her shaking.

"Naomi, could you send Roscoe to fetch Mr. Lewis?" Jamie asked.

"Roscoe did not come home last night, I thought he stayed at your house as he does sometimes," Naomi said, now her smile was fading and she looked as worried as Octavia.

"No, Roscoe must be with Quentin," Octavia said.

"Yes'm I believe so. Mr. Jamie I will run and fetch Mr. Lewis, what you wish me to tell him?" Naomi asked.

"Naomi take my horse, just do not let her run," Octavia said.

"Tell Lewis, I need to have him tend pub for the day, double pay and a free room if I am not back by night fall." Jamie said, knowing that Lewis often complained of night blindness but it was an excuse to spend the night with a woman who was not his wife.

"Naomi be careful," Octavia warned, Ruffles was young and Naomi could ride but she was outhorsed on such a filly.

"Where could they have gone," Jamie thought, wondering where to start, then he saw Terrence and walked over to the blacksmith.

"I don't know, surely someone saw them," Octavia said, knowing how nosey everyone in town was. People were always making comments about Quentin and his servant riding around the countryside.

"Say did you see the boys yesterday?" Jamie asked.

"Sure did. They took out of here very fast, I called to them I don't know if they heard. They went north up Pike road." Terrence said.

"North on Pike road, wonder what is out there," Jamie said.

"Arcadia, but don't think they would go that far," Terrance sighed, he had heard them talking and now he was worried about the boys too, he was very fond of them.

Lewis came in with Naomi, and just said, "Go don't worry about this place, Naomi and I can cope until Jack gets back!"

Jamie rode double with Octavia, he had taken Bow in so Jack could use her to the wagon to go get supplies, Jamie was buying as little as possible from Amberly.

He came in the house after saddling his colt.

"Where is Piper and Sugar?" Jamie asked, he had called for them but they hadn't came, Piper could track anything, and Sugar was almost as good.

"I haven't seen Piper since I fed him this morning and Sugar had puppies last night," Octavia sighed.

"This one looks like Piper as a puppy," Jamie laughed kissing the puppy.

"Lissa wants that one, the only boy," Octavia said, as she hurried to pack his saddle bag with a canteen of water and some dried fruit and jerked meat.

"Then she should have him, Piper is getting old I don't think he hears well any more," Jamie said wishing the dog was with him.

Jamie followed Pike road where it came to a Y one road was Arcadia Springs Road and the other one not much more then a dusty path choked with grass this time of year was Rock Canyon Road, it lead to Stanchfield to the west.

He was wondering which way to go when he saw Coates and his son Eddie, with a wagon load of bricks they were coming from Stanchfield where there was a brickmaker.

"Easy boy," Jamie told Juniper, he was really full of himself today.

"Greetings Warwick," Coates said smiling slightly.

"Good day Mr. Coates, did you happen to see my boy Quentin?" Jamie asked.

"No sorry, but then we were taking a mare to trade and she was giving me a bit of a fit leaving her foal." Coates said.

"I did sir,it was yesterday when we were going to Stanchfield. On a horse he and his servant boy they turned down the canyon there, riding pretty fast, they had fishing poles. I didn't know there was any place to fish down there," Eddie said shrugging.

"There isn't thats Indian land, nothing there but worthless land too poor to farm," Coates said.

"Thank you Eddie," Jamie said, and trotted off thinking they had been here yesterday, but how far had they gone, and what in Gods name were they doing out here, they lived east of town.

Jamie turned North at the path that led off to the canyon, which narrowed down where three horses would have trouble walking side by side, and a wagon could barely make it, but wasn't really that big or rocky.

He dismounted the colt, he was acting nervous and Jamie wondered if there was a cougar about.

As soon as Jamie started to walk Juniper calmed a bit, Jamie was upset why had his son and Roscoe came out this far. Then Jamie saw the horse hoofprints in the dust, where the wind couldn't blow the dust about and erase them.

Jamie did not like this when he passed the rocks ahead he was in Indian land, and Ferrin had warned whites not to go there. The townspeople had wanted to attack the Indians who they had heard stole and killed cattle.

Even when Seth had proven it to be white men, someone saw cattle out here and thought the Indians had taken them. Seth reasoned that broken bridle found at one farm and tracks at other proved that the guilty parties were white men. Indian horses were not shod, and they did not use steel bits made in England.

Then Jamie found a horseshoe it was bent a little and he could see where Bess might have fallen and struggled to stand. Now he was very worried.

He looked around the canyon was narrow here, long ago maybe a river bottom. Juniper was pawing the ground every time he stopped.

He noticed he had passed the marked rocks that he guessed were indian words for keep out. Then a bit further along he found a piece of what had been Quentin's fishing pole. There was no blood and he could see a couple of tracks, one booted one bare ahead.

Just then Juniper let out a snort and shied yanking the reigns from Jamies grasp, then Jamie heard it, thundering hooves of animals and they were bearing down on him, there was no where to go but up.

He clambered up the slope but some of the cows were so paniced they were too, so he clumb up the tree and clung to a scrub and the tree for dear life praying it didn't give way and send him into the herd of charging cattle.

In the distance he could see Juniper running, it would be a long walk back to town.

"Damme his eyes, Carter run them cattle!" someone said.

Jamie jumped the branch creaked and he thought for a moment the whole thing was going to give, he started to climb up, and then he saw him.

"You!" Jamie said, and saw the balding younger Bean brother.

"Cockeral," the man said, and shoved Jamie.

Jamie realized the cows were gone, then pain and everything went black.

"You idiot you killed him, the red headed man known as Mr. Smith stormed. He was the boss of the rustlers.

"He is a constable," Bean complained. "Mr. Smith! Indians coming," Junior said rushing to them, he had been the young man who had tried to keep the others from driving the cattle so fast. Smith locked his fingers together and slugged Bean in his gut and left him writhing in pain.

"Come on Junior lets get out of this God forsaken place," Smith said.

When they got back down to the little valley behind the cliff where they had been camped last night. Smith grabbed Beans nag's reigns and handed them to Junior and said, "take his horse, let him walk back to the cabin."

"Yes sir Mr. Smith," Junior said, he had lost his horse trying to slow the cattle and had almost been trampled.

"I told everyone, no one is to be hurt," Smith sighed, Bean was dumber then a stump. He kind of hoped the Indians got him.

Junior smiled this sure beat working for Mr. Coates.

The following morning, after no Jamie or Quentin or word of either of them. Octavia was in the garden, telling Monique a story trying not to worry or cry when she saw Piper first gobbling down his food. Then he just waltzed in like nothing had happened. Dirty bedraggled and looking like he needed to burn his clothes and take a long bath.

"Quentin James Warwick where have you been?" she demanded.

Part of her wanted to throttle him, part of her wanted to bath him like she would Monique wrap him in a soft blanket and cuddle him close and never let him go.

"It's a long story," Quentin said, thinking his feet had blisters, he had cut around town miles he had walked and slept in someones hay. He had gotten turned around at night and lost. If Piper hadn't have found him asleep in the hay he don't know if he could have gotten home. Good Piper had been looking for him since he left.

"Oh I bet it is, and I want to hear it, but first throw those clothes away and take a bath, then you are going to town to find your father and take Bess and have her shod. But you better ride Bow and leave Bess in town. I imagine he will wish to see you in the wood shed," Octavia said angrily but tears of joy were in her eyes, her son was alive and well with a few bruises and bumps.

Quentin put on his blue suit it was tight and too small but he had nothing else clean, the rest of his clothes were wet hanging on the line. Mrs. Chastain had been here.

"Where you going now?" Lissa asked as he walked towards the barn. "To town to tell father I am alive and deserve a rodding," Quentin sighed. "I am coming with you!" Lissa said.

"No Lissa you can't come." Quentin said, "I have to lead Bess."

"You think you are a big man now or what?" Lisa said oh she wanted to punch him in the back.

"Monique come here," Delilah called, "you deserve a whacking mum cried and cried last night.

"I want horsey," Monique cried.

"you have to mind Piper, he is tired, I don't want him coming with me," Quentin told Monique.

"You are mean," Lissa says.

"Go ask mum if you can go," Quentin sighed, "But Piper is tired make him stay and rest."

"Sugar has puppies and I get one and you don't" Lissa said angrily. He knew mum wouldn't let her go to town with him, unless he asked.

"Kate gets one girl, and Mrs. Martin the other one, sorry Quentin," Delilah said softly, and she really did sound as if she felt sorry as Quentin bent and handed Pipers lead to Monique making her feel special and forget about getting a horse ride for the moment.

"Well she is my dog," Quentin sighed, "But it's all right. Piper stay with Monique, Monique keep Piper here that is your job."

Monique cooed and giggled cuddling Piper as Quentin himself did so long ago. A lifetime ago, Quentin thought, then saddled Bow and went to town.

Chapter 17

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