Missing Scenes from Return to Rock Springs #3

Wednesday Morning at Dr. Melvin's

Jess ate the last bite of his second biscuit with the last bit of bacon and egg on his plate.

Ma Poole was sitting across from Jess at the make-shift table that Dr. Melvin had set up in his outer office. She held the bread basket out to Jess, "There's three more in here if ya want 'im, Jess. And there's plenty more bacon."

He smiled at Ma as he reached out to take one of the biscuits, "I'm gonna git fat if I don't start doing somethin' besides eat, but it shor feels good ta be able ta reach out and git my own food. Now if I could jest git this sling off my left arm."

"That's not going to happen until I tell you it's time for that." Doc appeared again from upstairs. He had finished eating a few minutes ago and had gone up to get his jacket. "Jess, Ma is going to stay here this morning while I go check on Mr. Haskell."

"Ya really think I need a babysitter?" Jess was more than a little irritated.

"I trust we won't have a repeat of Monday a week ago when I went to see Mr. Haskell last time." Doc sounded official, but the smile on his face gave him away.

"Well, I might just go on over to Ma's this morning. Don't ya think I'm well enough now?"

"You know what I think, young man. And you are not about to go up those steps while I'm gone. You will wait until I get back in a couple of hours. Now don't look like that, Jess Harper." Doc had noticed the stubborn look on his patient's face. "I know that you got all the way up with no problem yesterday, but you still had to rest a few minutes before you made your way back down. And yes, yes, I know that you did a lot better yesterday than you did the day before. But I want you to be strong enough to go up and down without having to rest. We'll try again after I get back, and I have already given Ma strict instructions that she's supposed to throttle you if you don't do what I say."

Jess grinned at Ma, "Well, we cain't hav' that so I guess I'll hav' ta do what you want."

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can." Melvin announced as he headed for the door. But then he turned back to Ma, "Don't worry about moving that table out of the way, Ma. And don't let him try to lift it either." He said pointing at Jess as he went out the door.

Jess shook his head in frustration, but then turning to Ma, he became serious, "I shor' hope he'll let me outta here today. I feel fine."

Noticing that Jess was eyeing the plate of bacon, Ma passed it to him. "It would be nice to have ya back at the boarding house, but ya have ta realize that he's jest trying ta do what's best fer ya."

Just then Caroline entered the room, "Good Morning, Jess, Ma." She went over and put her hand lovingly on Jess's right arm as he started to stand up. "Don't get up, Jess. I can see you're still eating breakfast." Taking her cape off, she looked into his eyes, "I saw Dr. Melvin on the way out. He told me that Ma was supposed to be the disciplinarian to keep you in line while he was gone, but that I could be nice to you." She giggled as she finished speaking.

"Hmm," was all Jess said as he crunched on another piece of bacon.

"Well, I'm not so sure I can keep 'im in line if he doesn't want to be there." Ma laughed. "You want a cup of coffee, Carrie?"

"No, Ma'am, I've already eaten." Then turning back to Jess, "Seriously, did Doc say when you might get to go back to the boarding house?"

"I was hoping this morning, but it looks like he's gonna make me go up and down the stairs here again 'fore he agrees." Jess shook his head in frustration, "I cain't wait to get outta here and go where I want to."

Sitting down beside him, Carrie grinned, "And just where do you want to go, Sheriff Harper?"

"Outside of these two rooms!" Jess finished eating and stood up, beginning to pace around the room.

"Well, it's pretty chilly out this morning." Ma stated. "That's why I brought your jacket with me today. It'll probably be warm enough without it late this afternoon, but I wanted it to be here if Doc let you go back with me this morning."

Jess continued pacing, "He better let me outta here when he gets back."

Ma stood up and began to clear the dishes off of the table just as Donnie poked his head into the outer office. "C'mon in Donnie. I'm boxing the dishes up now. Ya wanna biscuit and some bacon, Donnie?"

"No, Ma'am."

"I'm gonna put them in the bread basket on the top here. If ya git hungry while yer doin' the chores at tha boarding house, ya eat 'im then, ya hear?" Ma said as she handed Donnie the full box.

The teenager grinned at Ma as he took the box of dishes, "Mornin' Jess. Mornin' Miss Caroline."

Jess and Caroline wished Donnie "Good Morning" as he headed back to Ma's with the box of dishes and breakfast remains.

Jess was still pacing around the outer office, "Ma, do you really think that ya need ta babysit me?"

"Of course, not! I'm not really babysittin' ya. I told ya when ya first took this job that this town has a whole lotta gossips. Now don't look at me like that, Jess." Ma took a deep breath, "This town's got a whole lotta good people too. But it has its share of busybodies. Everybody in town knows yer almost well. With Doc gone for a couple of hours and Caroline here, Doc and I thought it best that I be the chaperone." Ma glanced over at Caroline who looked shocked and embarrassed at the same time, "Not that I'm implying anything about you, Carrie." Then turning back to Jess, "And I don't think you'd ever put Caroline in an awkward position. But like I said this town's got a whole mess of gossips. It's best that we don't give 'im somethin' ta talk about." She smiled at Jess and added, "Besides, I promised Doc that I would give the inner office and sickroom a good cleaning while I was here. And if you two don't mind none, I'm gonna git ta that right now." She glanced back at Caroline, "I'm shor' you two kin think of somethin' to talk about while I'm busy." Ma couldn't help but smile to herself as she went into the inner office and got busy cleaning. She might have agreed with Doc that she needed to chaperone, but she could certainly do that at a respectable distance while Jess and Carrie had a chance to visit with each other.

Carrie went over and sat on the bench in the outer office and watched Jess pace back and forth in the room. "Jess, please come over here and sit with me. I have to help at the store in a couple of hours. Besides, don't you want to save your strength for when Dr. Melvin makes you climb the stairs again when he gets back?"

"I'm sorry, Carrie. I didn't mean ta ignore ya." Jess immediately went over to the bench and sat down beside her. "So when do you hav' ta be at the store."

"I promised my parents I would be there by 10 o'clock this morning. They understand that I want to spend time with you, but they really do need me to be there some now that Mandy's on her way to Baltimore."

"So is it gonna be a big problem for them when we git married?" Jess hadn't even considered what it would be like for Bill and Julia with both Amanda and Caroline leaving Rock Springs.

"No, I don't think so. They knew that each of us would get married and leave some day. Besides, Amanda will only be gone for the school year and Cecilia will be through with school after this year. So, it'll work out fine even if they have to hire someone for a year. After that they could manage with just Cecilia if Mandy decides to stay in Baltimore." She looked up into his eyes, "But I don't really want to talk about my parents and the store. Tell me more about Laramie."

He turned more toward her, "I will, but I don't wanna talk right now." He placed his right hand gently under her chin and turned her face upward so that her lips met his as he leaned in to kiss her passionately, slowly moving his hand from her chin to caress the back of her neck. He wished that his left arm was not still in the sling. He wanted to encase her shoulders in his arms, draw her close to him, and kiss her forever.

After a few minutes, Jess realized that Ma was still moving around in the inner office, and he slowly released her. With his check brushing past her ear, he softly asked, "What did ya want ta know 'bout Laramie?"

"Everything." She said a little breathlessly.

"It's a nice town, Carrie, you'll like it there. The Sheriff's a great friend of mine. You'll like 'im. His name is Mort Cory. And there's a General Store, a bakery, and a bank. Of course, there's the stage office, a school and livery. All the normal things. And then there Maude's Café. It's a little plain compared ta Mae's, but Maude makes great food. That is the few times we actually eat in town. And there's a nice church with a ladies' group. Daisy will introduce ya to all the ladies . . ." He stopped short as he noticed Carrie shaking her head and grinning at him.

"It sounds like a wonderful town, Jess." She looked right into his eyes, "But what I really want to know is more about your family there."

"Ya've already met Slim. And you know 'bout Daisy and Mike. I haven't told you 'bout Andy. He's Slim's younger brother. He's back east in college right now."

"Yes, you've told me that there's your housekeeper, Daisy, and that Mike's parents were killed on their way west. But what are they really like?" She looked a little apprehensive, "I guess what I'm really asking is if you think they'll like me?"

"Course, they'll like ya. They'll love ya, Carrie." He could tell that she wanted him to tell her more about the people that she would be sharing the ranch with. "Daisy's our housekeeper, but she's really more like a mother ta all of us. She's a widow who travelled west thinking that she'd purchased a store in Sherman, Wyoming. The deed was worthless. On the first day that we met her, she really helped us convince the circuit judge that Mike would have a good home with us. Slim and me owed her the minute we met her. And she's almost as good as a doctor. She was a nurse during the war, and she's helped us git over bein' sick several times. She lost her only son during the war, Carrie, but she's found a new family with us. I know that you two will git along jest fine. You've got nothing ta worry 'bout there. And Mike's a great kid. Course he's a normal ten-year old boy. He can git into mischief, but he's got a heart of gold." He stopped then and looked right into her beautiful golden eyes, a little scared that she would think the ranch was too lonely, "Are ya sure ya won't mind living twelve miles from town? I know yer used ta livin' in town. Heck, Laramie won't seem like much after the cities ya've lived in."

Caroline sat up a little straighter, "Oh, Jess, I don't care how far it is from town or what the town's like. As long as you're there, I'll be happy. It'll be our home." She put her hand on his face, "I wouldn't care if it was twelve miles from nowhere as long as you're there, and you're my husband." She leaned in and kissed him again. "And don't you go think that I'm a city girl. You know darn well I can shoot a . . ."

He put his finger on her lips and softly said, "Oh, I know ya kin shoot straight." Then he gave her his most impish grin, "Just please don't ever git mad at me 'cause I know ya've got great aim." Before she could reply, he held her close and kissed her again. Then pulling away a little, "I just hope ya'll be happy turning the bunkhouse into our home." They'd discussed the bunkhouse before, but Jess knew it was a far sight less of a home then the one she was living in now. "I figure that's really the only way that we'll have a room ta ourselves. At first I mean. I promise we'll add to it and make it a real home. It might take some time, but I'll fix it any way ya want, Carrie. I promise ya I will." He waited for her reaction.

"Like I said I'd live in a line shack twelve miles from nowhere just to be with you for the rest of my life." She reassured him, "I'll work with you to make it our home. You've got nothing to worry about, Jess Harper. I'm no spoiled city girl. You don't really think that I am, do you?"

"I think you're perfect just the way ya are. I just hope I can make ya happy."

"Of course, we'll be happy. You're more than I ever wanted in a husband."

The time flew by, and soon the clock in the outer office was approaching 10 o'clock. "I really have to go." Carrie stood up reluctantly; it was obvious that she didn't want to leave.

Jess stood up and took her face in his hand again. He kissed her, and he could tell that she would have stayed in his embrace if she could have.

She finally pulled gently away, "I've really got to go, Jess. I'm going to be late now. I'll be back first thing in the morning, and I'll spend the whole day with you tomorrow."

"I hope that I'm across the street at Ma's in the morning."

"I know you do. I hope that's where I'll find you tomorrow." Caroline glanced lovingly back at him as she hurried out the door and down the street to the General Store.

Ma soon finished cleaning the inner office and sickroom, and she came back into the outer office. "Has Caroline already gone?"

Jess was pacing around the room, "Yeah."

"Ya might as well quit pacing, Jess. Probably be at least another half hour before Doc Melvin gits back." She smiled at him, "Let's sit and talk a while."

"Feels like all I do is sit." He reluctantly sat down in a chair in the outer office opposite Ma. "What do ya want ta talk about?"

"You know that Carrie's arranged for Mrs. Denson ta make her dress. Hav' ya got somethan' ta wear ta tha wedding?"

"Yeah, Bill said he'd have some suits for me ta try on as soon as I'm able ta git down ta the store. If that don't work, I'll just wear the clothes I normally wear to dances and such."

"And have ya thought about where you're going to buy the ring for Carrie that you have been saving up fer?"

Jess rubbed his right hand through his hair, shaking his head, "Dadgum, I dunno where I'll find a ring. That's the problem with bein' stuck in here. I've got lots of things I need to take care of besides my job!"

"Well, maybe it won't be a problem ta git a proper ring."

"Where am I gonna find one?"

"If I was you, I'd go see Mac Mitchell as soon as Doc says ya kin walk 'round town."

Jess thought for a moment before he said, "Mac Mitchell. I cain't place 'im. Who's that?"

Ma tried to act very casual, "He has a small repair shop down toward the Lone Spur Saloon. I'm shor' ya've seen it on yer rounds."

Jess thought for a minute. It seemed like ages since he had been on rounds, but he knew that it had really only been twelve days since the last time he was healthy and making his rounds through town. "The clock repair guy? Ya think he'd have a weddin' ring?"

"Well, he repairs a lot more than clocks. He repairs jewelry and lotsa things." She paused, watching Jess shake his head and knowing that he wouldn't want to buy Caroline a second-hand ring. "But he sometimes has brand new things fer sale. He makes trips ta Denver, St. Louie, and lots of places easta here every few years. And he's been known ta buy up new things back east and sell 'em in his shop. That's where I'd start. Mac's an honest man, Jess. He'll do ya right if he has any new jewelry fer sale."

Before long Doc walked back into the office. Ignoring Jess's inquisitive look, he turned toward Ma Poole and winking at her said, "Did our patient do what he was supposed to do this morning, Ma?"

Ma smiled back at Dr. Melvin while casting Jess a glance, "He was the perfect patient, Doc, but he shor has paced around the office here."

Turning to Jess, "Are you ready to climb those stairs again, young man?"

"Ya bet I am!" Jess moved as fast as he could to the bottom of the stairs, climbed them swiftly, turned around immediately and came back down. He felt weak as he came down the last step, but he wasn't about to let on to Dr. Melvin. He managed to walk back to the chair he had previously occupied and tried to sit down as normally as he could.

Jess's ruse was not lost on the doctor who easily picked up on the fact that Jess had not yet spoken a word, probably because he needed to rest a minute so he would not sound winded. But Melvin assessed that Jess was strong enough to return to the boarding house as long as he agreed to follow instructions. Walking over to look Jess directly in the face, Melvin tried to look stern, "If I allow you to go back to the boarding house, do you promise to rest for another couple of days before you go out and about?"

"Yeah." Jess was still a little out of breath.

"And you'll lie down part of each day for the rest of this week? At least two hours each afternoon?"

Jess hated that idea, but he knew that if he didn't agree to follow instructions Melvin would keep him in the sickroom another day or two. "Yes."

"And you promise you won't even try to go back to the office for another week?"

"Another week! Doc, the town's paying me to be the Sheriff. I need ta do the job." Jess's frustration was clearly evident.

"Yes, you do, but you'll not even enter that office for another week. And it really doesn't matter if you agree or not because I've already told Ben Jackson to come get me if you show up there."

Jess didn't answer Melvin; he just glared at him.

"You want to go back to Ma's this morning or not?"

"Alright, alright. I'll do whatever ya say." Jess was sullenly ready to agree to the doctor's stipulations in order to get back to the boarding house.

"Good. Then we'll get your things together and let you go to Ma's. I'll come buy first thing Saturday morning and let you know if you can start getting out and about the town a little. If you do well enough you can go back to partial days at the office after one week and maybe really get back to work in two weeks."

Jess retrieved the jacket that Ma had brought and put in the sickroom. As he and Ma started toward the door to the street, Jess turned back to Dr. Melvin, "Thanks, Doc, for everything you've done. I guess that I am not the best patient that ya've ever had, but I do appreciate ya puttin' up with me."

Doc reached out to shake Jess's hand, "Let's just say you're not the absolute worse patient I've had." Melvin gave him a big smile.

"What do I owe ya? Not sure that I kin pay all at once, Doc, but I promise that I'll git the bill paid as soon as I kin."

"The bill's already been paid, son."

"What?" Jess wasn't sure that he'd heard correctly.

"The town council's been paying the bill all along, Sheriff. Mark Howard has paid me the bill each week. And he said to come by as soon as you went back to Ma's and he'd pay whatever is left."

Jess couldn't believe his ears. He felt a lump in his throat as he replied, "I didn't expect the council ta do that."

"The town's appreciative, Jess, especially the Simpsons. Everybody in Rock Springs knows that you're the only reason why Caroline and who knows how many more people are alive and well. If you hadn't first been suspicious of Leroy Cooley pretending to be a newspaperman and then his brother when he came to town, Lord knows what would have happened here." Doc gently patted Jess's back, being careful not to touch his left shoulder. "This town takes responsibility for its lawmen. Now you do what I tell you and you'll be back to giving these people your best in a couple of weeks."

The late morning breeze was cool, but it felt wonderful to Jess as he walked out of the doctor's office. Just being outside pleased him immensely as he crossed the street with Ma. If it had been a few degrees warmer, he would have loved to sit in one of the rockers on the porch for a while, but he knew that Ma would discourage that idea considering the current temperature. What little was left of the morning passed quickly, and soon Ma fixed him some lunch. After eating, Jess couldn't believe how exhausted he was. Taking Ma up on her offer of letting him nap on the sofa in the parlor rather than going upstairs to his room, he realized just how right Doc Melvin was. As much as he hated to admit it, just this little bit of activity outside of Doc's office proved that he was far from being completely healthy. However, he couldn't wait until Saturday morning when he hoped the doctor's visit would result in permission to walk around town. The first thing he wanted to do was to go talk with Mac Mitchell about a ring.

Friday in Laramie

Amanda Simpson fidgeted as she sat on the stage. It had only been a few minutes after the stage had pulled out of Laramie that Len noticed her unusual behavior.

"Is something wrong, Mandy?" Her older brother asked.

She realized that she needed to calm her emotions enough to start acting more normal, but she was so excited that she would soon be face to face with Slim Sherman again. "I guess that I'm just ready for us to finally reach our destination, Len. Aren't you a little anxious to reach the Sherman Ranch and quit riding stages?" Amanda was extremely glad that she and her brother were the only passengers on the stagecoach. She was much too anxious to make small talk with strangers.

"I would like to stretch my legs a little bit." He agreed.

She hoped that she had managed to assure her older brother that she was only tired of the trip. She looked out the stagecoach window and thought again of the handsome blond rancher. Quit it, Mandy, or you're going to make a complete fool of yourself. You must not let your feelings be so obvious. Slim could have a steady girl. Even if he doesn't, there is no guarantee that he'll be interested in you at all. But she could dream, couldn't she? What if he didn't already have a love interest? Could she manage somehow to attract his attention? She had never been attracted to any man as much as she was to Slim Sherman, certainly much more than she had ever been attracted to Tate Nelson. Over the last couple of years, she had considered marrying Tate if he asked her. But she was well aware that she had only considered that as a last result to keep her from becoming an old maid. After all she was already twenty-four years old, which was much older than most young women were when they married. However, now that she had witnessed the change in her twenty-two year old sister once she had found true love, she didn't want to settle for a marriage of convenience to a man who was more like a good old friend than a love interest. Yes, she wanted the kind of love that Carrie had found with Jess, and she had the distinct impression that she would have that kind of love with Slim Sherman. Maybe this short visit to his home would give her some indication that he might be interested in her also. Well, she had today, this evening, and even some time in the morning before she and her brother would board the stage and leave the Sherman Ranch.

Soon Mose Shell slowed the stagecoach just a little as he rounded the last curve in the road on the approach to the Sherman relay station. Mandy barely waited for the stage to come to a complete stop before she was on her feet. Len gave her a quizzical look, "My, you really are tired of this trip, aren't you?"

Mandy barely heard her brother as she saw the stagecoach door being opened and saw Slim extend his hand to help her down.

"Welcome, Amanda, I'm so glad that you were able to come help with the plans for the extension on the house." Slim announced as her feet touched the ground. But then he turned to Len who was just exiting the stage. "You must be Len Simpson. I'm Slim Sherman, Jess Harper's partner."

"Good to meet you, Mr. Sherman." Len extended his had to Slim.

"Please call me Slim."

"Alright, and you can call me Len. Amanda has told me a lot about your partner, Jess, but I haven't met him yet. Guess, I won't get to until the wedding."

"You both need to come inside and meet Daisy." Slim turned to Mose who was holding the two small traveling bags that belonged to Len and Amanda, "You think you could come in and have a cup of coffee before we change the team?"

"Sounds good ta me. I won't have any passengers on the next leg so I kin push a little ta stay on schedule."

Slim would have rather had Amanda and Len meet Daisy without Mose's presence. But he knew that Mose would have a difficult time changing the team alone, and he really wanted to introduce Jess's future in-laws himself rather than to just send them into the ranch house on their own. He regretted his decision to allow Trace to check some fences today. He should have put that off until tomorrow so that Trace could have been here to help Mose change the team. What had he been thinking this morning? Chastising himself over that decision, Slim opened the door, led them all in, and directed Mose to put the bags down on the couch under the front window.

As Daisy placed the coffee pot on the table, Slim made the introductions.

"It's so good to meet you." Daisy gave them her friendliest smile, "Please have a seat and have some coffee and a piece of apple pie. It's been cooling just the right amount of time now."

Over a cup of coffee and a slice of pie each, a few minutes of small talk about their trip transpired before Slim and Mose headed out to change the team. Daisy poured another cup of coffee for Amanda and Len, and then gave Amanda her warmest smile, "Now you must tell me about your sister. I would never have expected a young lady to be able to lasso Jess Harper in just a few months. Was it love at first sight? "

Mandy smiled knowingly before she said, "I got the strong impression that they really didn't like each other very much the day they met. Carrie said Jess was on the stage with her the day he came to Rock Springs. Of course, we found out later that their first impressions of each other were due to a total misunderstanding." Mandy didn't really want to talk about the trial in Rawlins and her sister's fear that Jess was part of the gang that had raped and killed her best friends. "However, if you want my opinion, I think they soon had their eyes on each other. I kept telling Carrie that he looked at her in a way that told me he was obviously falling in love with her. And it was only a few days later that I noticed she beamed every time she saw him."

Slim came back in the house, "Stage has pulled out. Len, do you want to discuss the plans or would you rather relax a little before we get down to business?"

Len got up from the table, "Thank you for the wonderful pie and coffee, Mrs. Cooper."

"Oh, please call me Daisy. And I'm so glad that you liked it."

"Alright, Daisy." Len smiled at her and then turned to Mandy, "I know that you'll be able to help us figure out what Carrie would like, but Slim and I do need to see where the best place to start building is so we don't mess with any weight-baring walls. Slim, we can get started on that now. Have you given any thought to where you want to add the extension?"

The two men got busy discussing the options and left Daisy and Amanda to talk some more. "So tell me more about Caroline and what you think she would like in the extension to the house," Daisy inquired.

"Well, Len and I were talking on the way here. If it's alright with Slim, it would probably be nice to give them a little more space than just a bedroom. Maybe a sitting room or small parlor and a bedroom. Do you think that Slim would agree to that?"

"I don't see why not. I wonder though what we'd do for furniture." Daisy was obviously worried about the expense knowing the desperate financial situation they had been in before Jess took the job in Rock Springs.

"That won't be an issue, Daisy. My father and Len are planning to furnish the rooms as well as the building supplies. They want this to be part of their wedding present to Caroline and Jess."

"Oh, that is so nice. But wouldn't that be awfully expensive?" Daisy chose her words carefully. But she was wondering just how wealthy the Simpsons really were. Could someone who had been raised in wealth ever be happy on the Sherman Ranch?

Amanda was extremely perceptive and immediately sensed what Daisy might be thinking. She spoke with a gentle tone to her voice, "My father raised us to be very simple people, Daisy. But he has done well in owning general stores. He started out years ago in Missouri and Kansas and then headed farther west to Jefferson Territory and on to Rawlins. When Len was old enough, Pa decided that he should let Len run the store in Rawlins, and we moved on to Rock Springs where my father had just purchased a store from a woman who had recently been widowed and no longer wanted to run the store. Pa and Len will be able to buy the building materials and furniture at a significant discount from their suppliers. So it won't be nearly as expensive as you might think." She paused for a moment before she added, "Carrie and I grew up much like other girls in Wyoming until we went back east for more education. But we have not forgotten our roots. In fact, Carrie can outshoot Len any day when they are hunting, which she loves by the way."

Daisy breathed a silent sigh of relief. But then again she never really thought that Jess would choose a nabob to marry. Smiling, she said, "I imagine then that she will compete a little with Jess on a future hunting trip. I always thought that he would pick a very capable woman - that is if he ever decided to settle down and marry. Tell me more about her please. I am dying to meet her. Do you and she favor?"

"You can tell that we are sisters – at least that is what people tell us about the shape of our faces and our expressions. But Caroline is blonde and has very light brown eyes. They look almost golden brown. Pa tells us that his grandmother and his aunt had those eyes. So we are not similar in coloring. And come to think of it, we are rather opposite in the way we see things. Carrie is very careful and thoughtful. She has to be one hundred percent sure of things before she acts. She'll never take a chance or a risk. And if you ever need to tell her something, don't just give hints. She'll second guess what you mean every time. You have to say directly what you mean or she'll not understand what you are saying. But she's really a dear, Daisy. She has a huge heart, and she's loyal to a fault." Mandy stopped to take a breath, "And once she's made up her mind about something she's stubborn as a mule. Pa says she's the most stubborn and independent of all three of his girls."

Daisy smiled as she now understood why her dear Jess had proposed to such an educated and refined young woman. Sure they had similarities in terms of their loyalty, stubbornness, and independence, but they were true opposites in the way that Mandy described Carrie's careful deliberations and extreme caution. The good Lord knows that opposites attract more often than not. And, of course, Jess would pick a woman who was not only beautiful – Slim had already told her that – but could also give him a run for his money in terms of hunting skills. "Caroline sounds wonderful. I know that she and Jess will be very happy. Please tell that her that I cannot wait for the wedding."

"Oh, we can't tell her that we were here. And please make sure not to let Jess know our secret. Jess and Carrie are planning on living in the bunkhouse. My parents want the house extension to be a complete surprise when they get back from their honeymoon. And they would never forgive me if I ruined that surprise. I need to make sure that Len tells Slim that also. You don't think Slim has already mentioned our trip to Jess in a letter, do you?"

"You don't have anything to worry about there. Slim has been so busy since he got back from Rock Springs he hasn't had time to write a letter. He mentioned just last night that he's been meaning to write Jess and hasn't had time. But we do need to remember to tell him that this is all a secret." Daisy immediately liked Amanda, and she had the strong impression that Slim felt the same way. She had noticed that Slim had continuously glanced Amanda's way when they were all eating pie earlier. Was there another romance in the air? Time would tell, she told herself. "So what did you tell her when you left Rock Springs? Does she think that you are just visiting your brother?"

"Oh, I'm on my way to Baltimore to take the job that Caroline was supposed to have." Mandy related the entire story to Daisy.

When she finished, Daisy was quite impressed, "Amanda, you're a wonderful sister to go to Baltimore for a year so that Caroline could stay in Rock Springs and marry Jess."

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Len and Slim decided that the best place to add the extension would be to place a door on the back wall behind the dinner table and extend the house on the backside. They planned to build a living area closest to the rest of the house and then put Jess and Carrie's bedroom on the backside of their living area. Trace soon rode in from riding fences, and Slim let him go home early. Then the late stage from Laramie arrived bringing Mike home from school. The youngest member of the household was introduced to Amanda and Len and was full of questions about Jess and his fiancée. When Slim returned from changing the team with the driver, he entered the house through the kitchen door. He held back from the table that Mike and Amanda were sitting at while Mike drank a glass of milk. Slim immediately noticed that Amanda had taken it upon herself to answer all of Mike's questions. He saw the two of them engrossed in conversation as Daisy found some paper for Len to draw out the plans for the extension at the desk in the living room. Slim couldn't help but be impressed with the way that Amanda related to Mike. What a kind young woman, he thought. Not only is she beautiful, but she seems to really have a wonderful way with a ten-year old boy. Staying a little to the side, he quietly listened to her ask Mike about school and what subject he liked best. Mike finished his answer by saying, "But what I really like best is not school but spending time with Slim and Jess. I know that you say your sister's nice, but I hope that Jess will still have time for me once he gets hitched and brings her here."

"Hitched? Is that what young men in Laramie call being married?" Amanda asked with complete interest and caring.

"A friend at school told me that's what you call it. It's okay to say hitched ain't it, Miss Amanda?"

"Of course, it's okay to say hitched, but I bet that Daisy prefers that you say "isn't" rather than "ain't.," doesn't she?"

"Oh, it's not only Aunt Daisy. Slim is always tellin' me that too. The only one who doesn't always correct me is Jess. He does sometimes, but other times he just listens and lets me say what I want. I think it's cause he says ain't a lot too."

"You know, Mike, I think I've heard him say that a couple of times. And you know something else that he's talked about?"

"What?" Mike's eyes were wide open with interest.

"You. He thinks the world of you, Mike. And that's why I know that he'll still have lots of time for you after he and Carrie are hitched."

"Carrie? I thought her name was Caroline." Mike looked puzzled.

"Oh, it is, Mike. Carrie is short for Caroline. She likes both. It's just like my name is Amanda, but lots of times people call me Mandy."

"And you like both of them too?"

"Yes, you can call me Amanda or Mandy."

Just then Daisy finished watching Len sketch the diagram of the extension, "Mike, it's time that you did your chores and started your homework. You can visit with Amanda again after supper and this evening."

"Aw, Aunt Daisy, do I hav' ta? It's nice talking with Miss Amanda. And tomorrow is Saturday, and I don't have school."

"And you're going to do that homework today before you forget what your teacher assigned. Go on now and finish your outside chores so that you can do your homework before supper." Daisy spoke in her most authoritative tone, which Mike knew meant business. He slowly walked past Slim who ruffled the youngster's hair as he went by.

Slim walked toward Amanda, intending to talk with her. However, just then Len brought his sketch over from the desk. "Slim take a look at this please," he said as he spread the paper out on the table. "I've not drawn it to scale, of course, but I've indicated the dimensions on each side. That way I can figure out the amount of lumber we'll need when I get back to the store."

Slim stood very near Amanda as he studied the diagram, "That looks fine with me, Len. How long do you think it will take to finish the construction?" Slim was worried that an early winter could definitely slow down the progress.

"If it's alright with you, I could bring several men with me in a couple of weeks. If there are enough of us, we should be able to finish everything before the weather gets bad. Would scheduling for two weeks from now work with your duties here at the ranch?"

"I've already moved my cattle down to their winter pasture, so that should work just fine."

"Great." Then Len turned to Amanda, "Okay, Sis, it's your job now to figure out what furnishings we need to order and where everything will be placed." He handed Amanda the second piece of paper that Daisy had given him, "Might be a good idea to just put numbers on the diagram, and then list the pieces of the furniture with their number on this paper."

Slim said, "I need to check on what is taking Mike so long. Len, you want to get some fresh air and let the ladies work on the furniture plans."

"Sure." Len said as he and Slim headed out the door.

As Amanda began to study the diagram, Daisy sat down at the table across from her, "I'm so glad that you came with your brother, Amanda. With your advice, I'm sure that your sister will be quite happy with the furnishings for the extension.

Amanda smiled at her, "I certainly hope so. I think that Carrie would be happy if we fix their living area very similar to that same room in our house in Rock Springs. Maybe that would make her feel at home immediately. What do you think, Daisy?"

"Well, you know that I haven't even met your sister yet, and you'd have a much better idea of what would be comforting to her than I would." Daisy waited just a moment and then added, "But do you think that would make her homesick for Rock Springs?"

"Considering the way that Carrie and Jess look at each other, I think she'd be happy anywhere he is. And we'll still be close enough for us to see each other every now and then, right?" Continuing as Daisy nodded, "And if you and Slim will allow it, I'd love to stop by here and see Carrie when I go back to Rock Springs from Baltimore for Christmas and then again at the end of the school year."

"That would be wonderful, Amanda. I am sure that Slim will tell you that also." Daisy thought for a minute, "What are Caroline's favorite colors? I'd love to make some bed coverings if that would be alright with you."

"Of course! Carrie loves deep blues and deep greens. And she is also quite fond of yellow. I think she'd love any of those colors."

The rest of the day passed quickly. Amanda helped Daisy prepare and serve supper, and soon it was time for Mike to go to bed. The four adults passed the evening in front of the fire in the living room. But all too soon for Slim, it was time to call it a day. Amanda shared Daisy's room, and Len occupied Jess's empty bed.

The next morning, Slim arose quite early and started on the outside chores as daylight dawned. He had not slept particularly well. He'd kept thinking of Amanda throughout the night, but then he repeatedly told himself that she was headed for Baltimore as soon as she and her brother left on the early stage into Laramie. When he returned to the house, Daisy and Amanda were finishing making breakfast while Len was explaining to Mike that he must not let Jess know that he and Amanda had been in Laramie. The conversation at breakfast again reiterated the need for secrecy so the private quarters would be a total surprise, confirmed the extension plans, and made a double check of the furniture needed. Slim watched for an opening to have a conversation with Amanda, and he finally got his opportunity. Len said, "We'll keep in touch, Slim, and I'll telegraph you with the date that I'll return with friends to help with the construction." And then Daisy added, "Amanda, could you write down your address in Baltimore, so we can contact you if we need any more advice on what Carrie would like?" Slim jumped up and retrieved paper and pencil from his desk. "Yes, Mandy, we do need to know how to contact you."

Mandy looked into Slim's light blue eyes as he relished her undivided attention. "Of course, Slim," she said as she hurriedly wrote down Mrs. Stewart's name and the name of the girl's school in Baltimore. "Please do write and let me know how else I can be of help." She handed the paper back to Slim as she directed her comment specifically to him.

Soon they heard the westbound stage roll in, and as soon as Slim helped the driver change the team, they all headed outside. Len and Slim shook hands as Daisy gave Amanda a big hug. Then Amanda bent down to Mike, "Goodbye for now, Mike. I look forward to seeing you again at the wedding." Then she whispered in his ear, "And don't you worry another minute about Jess spending time with you after he and Carrie are hitched. I know he'll make plenty of time to spend just with you."

Her whispered comment brought a huge smile to Mike, "Bye, Miss Amanda. Bye, Mr. Len."

As Len turned to say goodbye to Mike, Slim gently touched Amanda's elbow. "Let me help you in the stage." As he took her hand, he quietly said, "I hope you won't mind if I write to you even if we don't have questions about the furniture."

"I'd really like that, Slim." She held his hand as long as she could, gazing into his eyes, "Please do write soon."

Slim had to let her hand go and step back as Len finished talking with Daisy and turned toward Slim to climb into the stagecoach. "So long, Len. I'll look forward to your telegram."

The final goodbyes were said, but Slim stood looking after the departing stage for a few minutes. As soon as the stagecoach pulled into Laramie, Amanda would board the train for Baltimore while Len continued west on the stage for Rawlins. If Len had not been accompanying Amanda, Slim would have escorted her into town in the buckboard and seen her off on the train. But with Len along, there was no way that he could offer to do that. He would have loved the opportunity to visit with her alone. He was very interested in getting to know this beautiful and kind woman better. There was just something about her that immensely appealed to Slim besides her incredible beauty and kindness to Mike. Maybe it was her carefree spirit or her infectious laughter that made him so attracted to her. He looked up to see Trace coming into the yard. Mentally shaking himself, he turned his attention to the chores of the day.

Early Saturday Afternoon in Rock Springs

Jess made his way toward Mac Mitchell's repair shop. It took him a lot longer than he had expected. It wasn't that he was too weak to make the walk although he was walking much more slowly than normal. He just didn't have the energy to walk at his normal pace. But the real reason for his slow progress was all the citizens of Rock Springs who wanted to talk with him and express their joy at seeing him out and about town. The line of people making those comments seemed endless. Jess was glad that he was so well liked, and he knew that all the people meant well. But it was all he could do to be polite and still make progress toward his destination. He had one thing on his mind and that was to see if Mitchell had a new and proper wedding ring for Carrie. He had waited for most of the morning for Doc Melvin to visit. And many times during those hours Jess had been tempted to forget about waiting for Doc's permission. But each time he started toward the door of the boarding house Ma Poole had managed to talk him out of it. "Now you well know that if you git down there, ya might not be well enough ta walk back. Ya don't want Mac to have to close his shop and git ya back here, do ya? Ya need to wait and see what Doc Melvin thinks."

Finally around eleven o'clock Melvin showed up, making profuse apologies for his late arrival, "Sorry to be so late getting here, Jess. Young Dave Taylor managed to break his leg falling out of a tree this morning. I had to make sure that it was set properly."

Jess couldn't be mad at the doctor. He knew he had to take care of the young boy, but he was very impatient while Melvin checked his left shoulder and advised that he needed to wear the sling for a few more days. He was even more impatient as Doc tried to assess how much of his strength he had gotten back. Melvin had him walk up the stairs to the second floor and back down three times in a row. Jess felt quite weak when he reached the first floor after the last trip, but he damn sure was not gonna let Melvin know that. Finally, the doctor said, "Alright, Jess, you can start walking around town a little later today. But don't push yourself. I mean a little. When you're tired, get back here and lay down. And you probably should continue to rest for a little while each afternoon. If you take care of yourself, you'll fully recover a whole lot quicker. You can go to church tomorrow, but remember I said no work at the office until Wednesday – and only half a day until a week from Wednesday." Seeing Jess's jaw tighten, he continued, "I know you don't think you need to do it my way, but you'll see just how tired you get when you push yourself too much. And I know you'll do that. Just don't set yourself back too much." He smiled as he added, "You've come along quite well, Sheriff. Much quicker than I imagined. I'll check on you again Tuesday afternoon before you try to put in half a day at work."

"Okay." Jess reluctantly said, "Thanks, Doc." He started to ask what he owed him for today's visit, but Melvin must have read his thoughts.

"You don't owe me a thing for either today or this coming Tuesday. Mark Howard has already paid me the town council funds in advance for today and Tuesday as he was directed." He wished Jess well, and Ma saw the doctor out.

When she returned to the parlor, Ma advised, "I don't think you need to try to go to Mac's right now. You didn't fool me or Doc this morning. You need to rest a little and then eat lunch before you go anywhere today. Why don't you take a nap in the parlor again? Wouldn't help you none to climb those stairs to your room."

Jess started to argue with her about needing to rest, but then he changed his mind. He didn't want to embarrass himself by being too weak to return to the boarding house on his own. He reluctantly lay down on the sofa in the parlor. The next thing he knew Ma was gently tapping his hand and calling his name. "Jess, it's about one thirty, and I've got your meal ready."

He couldn't believe that he had slept for almost two hours. He had eaten quickly and headed out for Mac Mitchell's. Finally he made his way past all the well-wishers and was approaching the shop. He could even hear the piano playing in the Lone Spur Saloon that was next to Mac's. Jess had never been in Mitchell's shop before. As he entered, he was surprised at how many items in need of repair were on the counter. He must do a pretty good business Jess thought.

"Aw, Sheriff Harper, it's good to see ya out and about. Ya must be feeling a lot better."

"I'm fine now. Thanks." Jess remembered that he had seen Mitchell in church.

"What can I do fer ya?"

"Any chance ya might have a wedding ring? A new one?"

Mac rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. Seems like I do have one." He pushed aside some of the items awaiting his attention and turned around to the shelves and drawers behind him. "Aw, yes, here it is. It's a real beauty and brand new."

Jess eagerly stepped up to the counter as Mac opened the ring case and held it out to Jess. He took the ring out of the case and eyed it carefully. "And it's never been worn?"

"You can tell that by how polished and free of scratches it is. High quality gold too, Sheriff."

Holding the ring, Jess thought that it appeared to be the right size for Carrie's slender finger. "It's mighty purdy. About how much are ya asking for it?"

"Tell ya tha truth I don't get many requests for wedding rings. Don't know why. Guess most people move here already married or they buy one in a bigger town. Ya know I think this ring has been in Rock Springs fer goin' on ten years now. I'd kinda be glad to git it sold."

They agreed on the price, which to Jess's relief he could afford. He laid the money on the counter, put the ring back in the case, and put it in his shirt pocket, securely buttoning the flap.

"Nice doing business with ya, Sheriff. Who's the lucky lady?"

"Caroline Simpson. Think I'm the lucky one though." Jess grinned.

"Oh, yes, seems like someone recently told me she was gittin' married. When's the wedding?"

"Last Saturday in November."

"Not long at all. Glad that ring was here. Musta had yer name on it all along. Thank ya, Sheriff."

"Thank you!" Jess made his way outside and started back toward the boarding house. Once again, his progress was slow due to the many people who stopped to talk with him. He thought that he should go thank Mark Howard for paying Doc Melvin. But the longer he walked, the more he realized how tired he was again. Dadgum, he thought, this is gittin' mighty old! Never taken me this long to git over being shot. Course guess I've never bled that bad before. Last time I had this hard a time trying to git my strength back was when they let me outta that Yankee prison camp. He decided to speak with Mark and the other council members tomorrow at church. About half way back to Ma's he ran into Bryce who greeted him warmly.

"Jess, it's great ta see ya! How ya feeling?" Bryce couldn't help but notice that his boss looked pretty pale, and he also noticed little drops of sweat on Jess's upper lip even though the afternoon was a little cool.

"I'm fine. How's everything?"

"Jest making rounds. Ya know how busy this town is on Saturday afternoon. Where ya headed?" He slowed down and fell in step with Jess.

"Back ta Ma's."

"Is this the first day ya've been out?"

"Yeah."

Bryce decided he better escort Jess back to the boarding house. He didn't much like the way Jess looked, but he didn't comment further on Jess's health. "I'm headed that way. Mind if I walk with ya?"

"Nah. That'll be fine."

They made their way back at a slow pace. A couple of times Bryce wondered if he should reach out and support Jess a little, but he didn't want to offend him. Finally they reached Ma's, and Jess sat down on the bottom step leading up to the porch. "Think I'll jest sit here a minute," was all Jess said.

"Pretty day for that – a little cool – but nice. Think I'll go in and speak to Donnie a minute. Ya gonna sit here a little longer?"

Jess adjusted his jacket. "Yeah. It's not too cool, and it's good ta be outside fer a change."

Bryce went inside. He was worried that Jess was too weak to make his way up to the porch. He returned in a minute with Donnie and Ma. Donnie plopped down beside Jess, "Howdy, Jess. I haven't seen ya today. I've been busy chopping wood for Ma. Ya feelin' okay?"

"Thanks, Donnie, I'm fine."

Bryce and Ma exchanged glances. They stood and talked for a few minutes until Jess finally pulled himself up by using his right hand on the railing. Bryce stood close by wondering if Jess would be able to climb the few steps, which he finally managed to do.

"Jess, why don't ya go in the parlor? I've got some coffee ready, and I'll bring it ta ya. Bryce, come on in and have a cup." Bryce stayed fairly close to Jess as they went into the parlor while Donnie followed Ma into the kitchen. Jess made it over to the couch and slumped into its soft cushions. Sitting down he felt a little better. Ma brought the coffee and Donnie was carrying a tray with plates containing thick slices of pound cake. After they all spent a few minutes enjoying the cake and coffee, Bryce headed back out to finish his rounds, and Donnie went home for the day.

"Wore ya out a little, huh?" There was Ma's striking bluntness again, but her eyes showed nothing but compassion. "Ya cain't expect to be yer old self so soon, Jess."

"Guess not. That's for sure." Jess was certainly not pleased with his lack of energy.

"Well?" Ma smiled at him.

Jess reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the ring case. Opening it, he handed it to the older woman. "You were right, Ma. Mitchell had this beautiful ring, and he said it was brand new. It sure looks like it is."

"You kin trust Mac Mitchell, Jess. If he says it's brand new, it is. And this ring is a real beauty, Jess. It's perfect."

"I think so too, Ma."

She closed the case and handed it back to Jess. "I need to take the trays back to the kitchen. You rest a little. You're looking much better now that you've sat fer a few minutes." She hurriedly carried the trays from the parlor. She wasn't sure why, but she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was a touch sad about her youngest, but the moment was more bittersweet than anything else. She was thrilled that Jess had the ring for Carrie, and she knew that her decision was the correct one. Not only was it the best use of her son's cherished possession, but it was also helpful to someone whom she had mentally adopted as another son.

After two more weeks, Jess felt more like his old self. He had finally gotten the sling off of his left arm, and it didn't twinge much at all when he did normal movements. He had returned to full days at his Sheriff's job, and the doctor had even cleared him from needing any further medical care – that was as long as Jess agreed not to lift anything heavier than one of Ma's cast iron frying pans for another couple of weeks. Jess hated having Bart Patrick saddle and unsaddle Rocky every time he took him out for exercise, but he loved being well enough to ride him again.

Jess had taken Carrie to the long-awaited dinner at the café as soon as he was able, and they had made a habit of going to dinner at the café every Friday evening after that. The second Sunday afternoon in October was even mild enough for him to take her for a long buggy ride. They frequently discussed their future plans for the bunkhouse. The only thing that Carrie refused to discuss as they spent endless hours together was what her wedding dress looked like. She just teased him and always said, "Grooms aren't supposed to know anything about the dress until they see their bride walking down the church aisle." Mrs. Denson had altered one of the men's suits that Bill had gotten in the general store so that it was now a perfect fit.

Jess wrote his family in Laramie several times over the next weeks. Part of the reason was that he wanted to share so much about the upcoming wedding in addition to sending most of his salary back home. But also making frequent trips to the post office gave him another reason to drop in to see Carrie for a few minutes when he made his rounds. Usually those conversations resulted in confirming plans for the evenings. Jess was quite pleased with the most recent letter from Slim, who had written that Andy and Jonesy had confirmed that they would also be able to come to Rock Springs for the wedding. It had been way too long since he had seen Andy and Jonesy, and he was thrilled that they would be able to share in his wedding day.

Going to Rock Springs for the Wedding

Daisy and several of her friends finished the Double Wedding Ring Quilt the afternoon before she, Slim, and Mike were to leave for Rock Springs. Smiling to herself, she smoothed out the quilt on the new maple bed that Len had shipped to the ranch along with the vanity, vanity stool, dresser, and washstand for the bedroom. Daisy had remembered what Amanda had said about Caroline's favorite colors. The deep blue rings were perfect against the off-white background of the quilt. Next, she spread the embroidered dresser scarf over the new maple dresser. Daisy was a meticulously careful embroiderer. She had taken immense pains making sure to space the blue periwinkle flowers with their gorgeous deep green leaves evenly interspersed among the bright yellow daffodils. The dresser scarf looked perfect with the blue and white lamp on the dresser. She still needed to finish knitting the dark blue afghan that would be large enough to use as an extra bedcover during the coldest nights of a Wyoming winter. The afghan was not quite done, but she knew that she would be able to complete it while Jess and Carrie were still on their honeymoon in Cheyenne. Daisy gave both rooms one last inspection. Thinking that Amanda had done a beautiful job picking out the furniture and lamps for the newlyweds' bedroom and parlor, she closed the door to Jess and Carrie's new quarters as she went back into the main part of the ranch house.

At the same time, Slim, Mike, and Trace came in from their last evening chores. Trace was going to spend the night at the ranch house, and his slightly younger brother would join him in the morning. The two Jenkins boys were going to handle the stages and other ranch duties while the others were in Rock Springs. Tomorrow Daisy, Slim, and Mike would go into Laramie and take the train to Rock Springs. That way they would arrive early Thursday morning before the wedding on Saturday as Jess had requested. Mike and Trace were engrossed in conversation while Slim went straight over to his desk and pulled a letter out of his pocket.

"Oh, did Jess write another letter, Slim?" Daisy assumed that Mose had brought the letter on his last run of the day.

"Huh, no, Daisy." Slim said distractedly as he opened the letter.

Daisy couldn't help but smile. She well knew Slim's habit of eagerly reading the letters from a certain Amanda Simpson. And she had also witnessed Slim penning numerous letters at his desk and either taking them into Laramie himself or directing Mose to mail them as soon as the stage got into town. Since Amanda had visited toward the end of September, Daisy figured that both Slim and Amanda had written at least one letter a week to each other. She hadn't wanted to pry, but she would love to know where their relationship was heading. At least it wouldn't be long now before she found out since Mandy and Slim would have the opportunity to speak in person when they arrived in Rock Springs.

"Mike, did you finish all the homework that the teacher wanted you to do since you'll miss several days of school?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I've done all the spelling and the math. Miss Bennett said to bring it all to her when I come back to school next week."

"Alright, then, you need to get ready for bed. And bring that travel bag that I've already packed for you out here and put it on the couch." Daisy pointed to the couch in the living room under the window. "I don't want you messing with it tonight."

Mike drudgingly did as he was told.

"And, Slim, I put one of my suitcases on your bed since Jess still has yours in Rock Springs. I've already packed mine. I just have a few things to add in the morning."

"Thanks, Daisy, I'll pack it mostly right now. And in the morning, I will put the last things in." Slim put Mandy's letter back in his pocket and headed off to pack, "Trace, you about ready to hit the sack?"

The two went off to the bedroom since Trace would sleep in Jess's bunk.

The next day the three loaded their bags on the buckboard and headed for town. Mike was quite excited, and Daisy and Slim thought that his excitement was a combination of getting to see Jess for the first time in months and the fact that the youngster had never previously ridden on a train. Slim had decided almost a month ago that they should take the more expensive train rather than taking the better part of two days to get to Rock Springs on the stage, especially considering the possibility of bad weather at the end of November. As soon as they got to Laramie, Slim left Daisy and Mike at Mae's Café and continued on to the train depot. He checked the bags and took the buckboard to the livery. As he was walking back toward the café to meet Daisy and Mike, he saw Mort Cory coming toward him.

"Hello, Mort."

"You gonna take the evening train to Rock Springs today?"

"Yep. I just hope that Mike goes to sleep on the train tonight so he'll be rested when we pull into Rock Springs in the morning. He's very excited to ride a train and see Jess again."

Mort had tried his best to find a fill-in deputy so he could attend the wedding, but it just hadn't worked out. "I wish we could all be there at the wedding, but I guess we cain't shut down the whole town so we can all go. Please be sure and tell Jess that quite a few of us are planning on giving him and his new bride a party as soon as they return to Laramie." Then Mort pulled out an envelope from under his vest, "And we'd like you to give this to Jess. There's a letter in there with a lot of signatures, and there's a good amount of cash in there too. We didn't know what they would need, but I'm shor' they can always use some money for their honeymoon trip."

"I'll be sure and give it to him as soon as we arrive. I know that Jess wishes you could be there, but I also know he understands that you can't leave the town unprotected." Slim knew that Mort would have rather made the trip to Rock Springs with the rest of them.

"Well, you all have a good trip. Give Jess and his bride my best. When are you coming back?"

"We'll be back here Monday evening. I'm headed to Mae's to meet Daisy and Mike. Why don't you come join us?"

Mort spent a few minutes taking with them in the café, and then it was time for the three to go back to the train depot and board the westbound train.

Arrival in Rock Springs

The first thing that Slim saw as he stepped off the train was Jess standing there wearing his Sheriff's badge with a huge smile on his face. "Bout time ya all got here, Pard," Jess said as he grabbed Slim's arm. Slim didn't have time to answer before Mike bounded off the train and made a leap toward Jess.

Scooping him up in his arms, Jess gave him a bear hug, "Hey, Tiger, how ya been?"

"Great now, Jess. I've missed you!"

"I've missed ya too, Tiger." Continuing to hold Mike in one arm, Jess turned to Daisy and hugged her with his other arm. "Daisy, I've missed you too."

"And we've missed you, Jess." She hugged him back.

Putting Mike down, Jess turned to Slim, "Let's grab your bags and head over to Ma's. She's gettin' breakfast ready for ya."

"That's good. I'm starving." Mike announced. Jess rubbed his hair, "Then come get your bag, and we'll hurry over to Ma's."

As they made the short walk to the boarding house, Daisy questioned Jess to make sure that he was well now.

"Don't worry, Daisy, I'm perfectly fine now."

"You sure look a lot better than the last time I saw you, Jess." Slim patted Jess's back as the younger man carried Daisy's suitcase.

"When will we get to meet Caroline? I'm so looking forward to it." Daisy smiled broadly at Jess.

"Ya don't have long to wait, Daisy. She's gonna meet us over at Ma's in jest a bit."

As soon as they entered the boarding house, Ma greeted them each warmly, "It's been too long since we've visited, Daisy." Then turning to Jess and Slim, "Jess, you and Slim take the bags and pick out three empty rooms near yours while Daisy, Mike, and me catch up a little. But don't take too long up there. Breakfast will be on the table in a few minutes."

Jess and Slim did as they were directed. As soon as they had deposited the three bags in separate rooms, Slim turned to Jess, "You know that Mort tried his best to come here, don't you?"

Jess nodded, "Yeah, he wrote me that it didn't work out for him to come."

"He hated missing your wedding." Then Slim pulled out the envelope from Mort, "The townsfolk back in Laramie are planning a party for you and Caroline when you get back. But in the meantime they wanted you to have this."

Opening the envelope and seeing all the signatures and cash, Jess was obviously very touched. He sat on the chair in Slim's room for a minute rereading the letter, "I don't deserve all this, Slim."

"Well, I think that you do." Then trying to lighten the mood, Slim quipped, "But even if you don't, Caroline certainly deserves it for being willing to marry you!" As he became more serious, he added, "Mort and the townspeople thought you might need some extra cash on your honeymoon trip to Cheyenne, and they really wanted to do this since they couldn't see you get married, Jess." Slim watched Jess's face carefully, and then said, "We better get back down there before Mike eats all the food up on the breakfast table. C'mon, pard."

Jess folded the envelope and put it in his pocket. When they got to the breakfast table, he introduced his family to Lori and Jeff, who had just entered the dining room. The conversation at the table revolved around the upcoming wedding. Soon Lori and Jeff headed off to their jobs, and Ma served more coffee to the adults and more milk for Mike. Jess told his family that Carrie would be coming to Ma's within the hour, and that they would get to meet all of Carrie's family that evening since the Simpson's had invited them all to dinner. Turning to Slim, he said, "I'm shor' that you remember meeting Bill, Julia, and Amanda when you were here in September, but we'll all get to meet Carrie's youngest sister, Cecilia, and Carrie's brother Len and his wife, Nancy, tonight. I haven't met the three of them yet either. I guess Andy and Jonesy will have to wait til the wedding to meet everyone since they won't be here til tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, their train will arrive early in the morning. What time are we supposed to be at the Simpson's, Jess?" Slim asked as he took another swallow of coffee.

"Carrie will let us know when she gits here this morning." Jess said.

"So when did Carrie's sisters get here? Weren't they both back east?" Slim couldn't contain his curiosity about Amanda any longer.

"Mandy and Cecilia were came in yesterday morning on the train, and Len and Nancy were coming in on the stage from Rawlins yesterday also. At least that's what Caroline said yesterday when she was at the office. I think I saw them git off at the stage depot, but I knew they wanted to go straight to Bill and Julia's to rest. Nancy is expecting their second child in a few months. Carrie said Nancy would need to rest after the stage ride and they wanted me ta wait until tonight ta meet them too." Jess stopped for a minute before he said, "I wish Francie and Ben could be here."

"Aw, they couldn't come, Jess? Are they doing alright?" Daisy looked concerned.

"Oh, they're doin' fine." Jess sighed, "Part of the problem was Francie didn't think I was serious when I first wrote her about the wedding. Seems she thought it was a big joke."

Slim laughed into his coffee cup while Jess gave him a stern look. Trying to stop laughing, Slim said, "I'm sorry, Jess. I don't mean anything, but you have to remember that I thought you were delirious when you first told me you were getting married. It was such a surprise."

"Yeah, I know, Slim. I guess that's how the news struck Francie too. She finally believed me when I included a note from Carrie in the next letter. But there's gonna be a little McKittrick, and Francie's too far along ta make the trip from California, especially considering there's probably already snow in the Sierra's."

"Why that's wonderful news, Jess! When's Francie due?" Daisy questioned.

"Any time now. Guess I'll be an uncle 'bout the same time I become a husband." Jess said with a grin. Then hearing a knock on Ma's front door, Jess said, "That has to be Carrie. I'll be right back." He hurried to the door to meet his bride.

Daisy smiled knowingly at Ma as she couldn't help but notice Jess's reaction to Caroline's arrival. Yes, he's definitely totally in love with her, Daisy thought. She had never seen Jess react in this way to any woman's arrival.

As soon as Caroline appeared in the dining room, Daisy was highly impressed with this remarkable young woman. Not only was she as pretty as a picture, but she was also the perfect complement to her much loved Jess. Daisy noticed that Caroline was genuinely interested in meeting Mike. Daisy and Slim had discussed the conversation that Amanda had had with Mike back at the ranch in September. In both Daisy and Slim's estimation, the initial meeting between Caroline and Mike was further reassurance that the boy's time with Jess was not at all in danger.

"My parents would like you to come to our house at 7:00 this evening." Carrie said as she sat down at the table.

"We'll be there," Slim responded.

"I do have ta go ta the office for a while today. Bryce is going to fill in for me later and part of tomorrow," Jess announced. As soon as he had returned to work full time, the town no longer needed to employ Bryce as a deputy. However, in addition to Bryce's work at the livery, Bill Simpson had hired Bryce part time at the General Store to help in Amanda's absence and the coming marriage of Carrie. Jess leaned down and gave Carrie a hug and kiss, "See ya tonight."

"Can I go with you, Jess, please?" Mike was already out of his chair at the table and pulling on Jess's arm.

"Now, Mike . . ." Daisy began.

But Jess grinned down at him, "I don't see why ya cain't come meet Ben and see the office. Why don't you come along, Hardrock?"

"Alright," Slim said standing up. "Thank you for a wonderful breakfast, Ma. We'll be back in a little while."

Daisy and Caroline were both glad that they had a chance to visit without the men. They had a wonderful conversation, and they both felt that they were instant friends before Carrie had to leave to help her father at the store. After that Daisy and Ma enjoyed being able to catch up with each other in person rather than just by letter. Daisy wasn't sure whether or not Ma was in on the secret extension to the ranch house, so she was careful not to mention it. She really enjoyed hearing more about the Simpsons from Ma. The more she heard Ma's impression of Carrie and Jess's relationship, the more she was convinced that her precious Jess had truly met the love of his life who was also the perfect choice for him as a wife. Around noon, Slim and Mike returned to the boarding house for lunch. Mike was so excited after spending time in the Sheriff's office with Jess all morning that Ma soon suggested that Donnie play checkers with him after their lunch.

Late that afternoon, Slim decided to walk back toward the Sheriff's office. Daisy and Ma were still enjoying each other's company, and Mike and Donnie seemed to have become fast friends. Jess had said that Bryce was going to take the evening rounds so that Jess could come back to Ma's earlier than normal. As Slim neared his destination, he saw Jess was pacing back and forth on the boardwalk outside of his office. "Are you heading somewhere, Jess?'

"Everythin's peaceable in town, and tha afternoon jest seems ta drag on and on, Slim. I jest came out for some fresh air." Jess pushed his hat back on his head as he propped his elbow on one of the posts in front of the office.

"Is that it or are you a nervous bridegroom?"

"Nervous?" Jess looked bewildered.

"Yes, nervous. You look like you're chopping at the bit, Jess."

Jess removed the twig that he had been chewing on from his mouth and pulled the collar of his coat a little closer to his neck as the afternoon was turning cold. "I wouldn't say I was nervous. Maybe I jest cain't wait for Saturday ta git here."

"Any second thoughts, Jess?" Slim didn't want to pry, but he also didn't know what was causing Jess's unusual behavior. His pard was usually more at ease unless he was faced with a difficult situation that he dreaded or an upcoming gunfight.

Jess looked shocked, "Why would ya ask that, Slim? Don't ya like Carrie?"

"Sure I like Carrie. I think she's great. I just wonder if you're sure about what you're doing."

Jess looked quite serious, "I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life, Slim. I cain't wait to marry Carrie." Then he stopped and pushed some dirt of the boardwalk with the tip of his boot, "I jest hope I can make her happy, Slim. I'm worried about the bunkhouse. Could ya do me a favorite and clean it up a little before we git back from Cheyenne?"

Slim couldn't help but notice the deep concern and frustration in Jess's voice. He wished he could reassure his pard that he would not have to bring his bride back to the bunkhouse. But he knew he couldn't break his word to Bill, Len, and Amanda to whom he had promised that he would keep the addition to the ranch house a secret until the newlyweds returned to the ranch. "I'll make sure that everything looks okay for you." Slim paused and looked Jess square in the eye, "Have you asked Carrie if she can be happy at the ranch, Jess?"

"Sure I have."

"And what did she say?"

Jess grinned, but he also looked slightly embarrassed, "She said she'd be happy in one of the line shacks as long as we were married."

"Don't you believe her?"

"Yeah, of course, I believe her."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well, ya know how women are, Slim. Sometimes they mean what they say at first, but then reality hits 'em and they don't much like it."

Slim grinned, "When did you become such an expert on women?"

"Dadgum, I ain't stupid enough ta think I'm an expert on women! I just don't want her ta be sorry that she married me and start wishing she was back at her nice house here in Rock Springs or that she had gone ta that fancy school in Baltimore."

"I don't think she'll do that, pard. From the looks of it, she's as sure about spending the rest of her life with you as you are about marrying her."

Just then Bryce came up to take over for Jess and the conversation ended abruptly as Jess turned to talk with Bryce. To Slim's relief Jess did not bring up the bunkhouse again as the two made their way back to the boarding house to get ready to go to the Simpson's.

While Slim had walked down to meet Jess, Donnie had gone home, and Daisy took the opportunity to have a private conversation with Mike. "Now, remember when you see Len and Amanda over at the Simpson's tonight, you are not supposed to have ever met them before."

"Ain't that kinda lyin', Aunt Daisy?" Mike wrinkled his nose a little as was his habit when he was confused about something.

"Isn't not ain't, Mike." Then Daisy thought for a minute before she continued, "It's not the whole truth, you're correct about that. But when you're trying to surprise someone you love and they will really like the surprise, it's okay not to share everything that you know with them. Do you see the difference?"

"I guess so." Mike was still questioning, "But what if Jess asks if I've ever met Len and Amanda before?"

"Now if he asked that and you said 'No' you would be lying. But Jess is not going to ask that unless you act like the cat that swallowed the canary. Jess has no reason to suspect that you or I have met them before. He has no way of knowing that Len and Amanda came to the ranch. So as long as you let someone introduce you to them and act like you're just meeting them, it will be fine. Just say, 'Nice to meet you' like you would anyone else. That's not lying, Mike. It's keeping the new rooms a surprise for Jess and Caroline. Okay?"

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Caroline and Amanda seem very different, don't they, Aunt Daisy?"

"What do you mean, Mike?"

"Amanda laughs a lot and jokes around – kinda like Jess does. And Caroline is more serious – sorta like Slim is. Ain't that what you think, Aunt Daisy?"

"'Isn't that what I think,' Mike. Don't say 'ain't.'"

"Isn't that what you think?" The youngster dutifully repeated.

"I see what you mean, Mike. But I think that happens frequently with people who fall in love. My grandmother always said that opposites attract and complement each other. She used to say that about my parents. My father was a little like Jess and my mother was definitely the more serious one. But they loved each other very much, and they were very happy. They sort of balanced each other out."

"So do you think Slim and Amanda will be opposites that attract too?"

Out of the mouth of babes, Daisy thought. She giggled when she replied, "Well, we have no way of knowing that, Mike. They may just become good friends who see each other because Caroline and Jess are married." Although she downplayed Mike's comment, she couldn't help but be curious about Slim and Amanda's long-distance relationship through letters. "Now let me see if your clothes are still clean enough to wear to the Simpsons?" She eyed him closely, "I think they are, but you need to go wash your face and hands. So march upstairs to your room now. And don't splatter your shirt. You best take it off while you wash, and then put it back on. And I need to go upstairs and freshen up a little also. We don't want to be late going to the Simpsons."