“You let me know if Mr. Tompkins gives you a hard time about opening an account,” Emma was telling Priscilla when Jimmy caught up to them.

Priscilla smiled. “I am used to him.”

“Good.” Emma touched her on the arm. “And if you need anything, you come look at what I have. I have so much stored away.”

“Thank you,” Priscilla said. “Thank you so much.”

“You are welcome.” She gave Priscilla and quick hug and then hugged Jimmy as well. “I will see you both the day after tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Emma,” Jimmy said. He turned to Priscilla. “I know you are tired, but I was wondering if you wanted to take a ride before it got dark.” Sam had mentioned sunsets, might as well start tonight, Jimmy decided.

Priscilla looked surprised, but she said, “Sure, that would be nice. But I don’t have a horse.”

Suddenly Jimmy wondered if he had one as well.

“You can keep one of the Express horses,” Emma told him. “A wedding present from all of us.”

“Thank you, Emma,” Jimmy responded gratefully. Emma knew it would be too hard to be a deputy without one and buying a horse with a baby on the way just seemed foolish.

“Why don’t you use my buggy tonight,” Emma continued. “Just leave it in the livery when you are done and I’ll have one of the boys bring it back tomorrow.”

“Emma,” Jimmy said once more. His heart rose into his throat. She was going to the station and he was not going with her. “You have done so much for me. How can I ever thank you?”

“Be happy, Jimmy, just be happy,” Emma murmured, suddenly overcome. She wiped her eyes and said, “I’m going to give Sam the pleasure of taking me home. See you both soon.” With that Emma hurried away.

“You ready?” Jimmy asked once Emma was out of sight and Priscilla nodded. They found Emma’s buggy and Jimmy helped Priscilla up. In a few short moments, they were trotting down the main road. Jimmy guided the buggy to a bluff.

“Do you think you can climb up it?” he pointed. “It’s not a hard walk.”

“I’m not infirm,” Priscilla laughed, “just expecting.” She clambered down the buggy and began walking. Jimmy caught up to her, catching her hand with his.

Once they reached the top of the hill, Jimmy spread his jacket on the ground and sat. Priscilla took a seat next to him.

“It’s pretty up here,” she remarked, looking around.

Jimmy smiled as he leaned back on his elbows. “This is one of my favorite spots. You can see for miles.” The rolling hills were covered with the tall grass, with a few patches of wildflowers blooming here and there and a small creek nestled in between two taller hills. “Sometimes I can even see some buffalo,” he added.

“Really?”

Jimmy nodded.

Priscilla continued to look around and Jimmy waited for some magic to begin. The sun was setting and he had to admit, Sam was right, it was beautiful, but it did not seem to make much of an impression on Priscilla. She appeared deep in thought.

He cleared his throat. This was going to be so difficult but he had to do it. “I’m so sorry that man hurt you.” He had so much guilt inside him, knowing that Priscilla had been hurt, knowing that Ester had died and both occurred because of him. He could do nothing for Ester. But he could try to help Priscilla. Lorna had told him Priscilla might have gotten so bad because she kept all the pain inside her. The least Jimmy could do was ease some of her bottled up anguish.

Priscilla looked at him, a slight frown marring her features.

“Back on Ester and Martin’s farm,” he continued. “I would have never stayed there if I knew what would happen to you. And Ester,” he whispered. He put a hand on her arm. “Would it help if you talked about it?” he asked.

“I really don’t remember it clearly,” Priscilla replied. “I remember that man grabbing me.” She stopped. “And Ester coming out.” She covered her face with her hands.

Jimmy sat upright and put his arms around her. “I’m so sorry. That was all my fault.”

“It wasn’t.” Jimmy heard her muffled voice.

“I would have done anything I could have to spare you from seeing that,” he told her quietly. “To have Ester still with Martin,” he added.

For a long while Jimmy simply held her close, stroking her hair. When she finally raised her head, he asked, “Does it help to talk about it?”

She nodded. “I really don’t remember it much. I mostly remember being scared and feeling so awful knowing that Ester was dead. It should have been me.”

“No!” Jimmy said fiercely. He could not have taken that. Ester was a sweet kind woman who deserved a much better end than what she got. But Jimmy was certain seeing Priscilla’s lifeless body lying there broken the way Ester’s had been would have cut him to his very soul. “I couldn’t have taken that,” he continued in a quieter voice.

“I try to tell myself that bad things happen all the time. It’s just so much harder when they happen to good people,” Priscilla said softly.

Jimmy held her face in his hands. “I’ll do my level best to make sure no one ever hurts you like that. Anyone that wants to get to you will have to go through me first,” he vowed.

“I’m not just worried about myself,” Priscilla told him. “I don’t think I could take it if anything happened to you.”

“Teaspoon thinks I have more lives that a cat,” he grinned.

When Priscilla smiled, Jimmy pulled her close once more, lying back down and watching as the sky turned from a vibrant shade of orange to a smoky violet. Soon after a few twinkling stars appeared.

Jimmy stroked Priscilla’s back and said after a long while of simply holding her tightly, “We don’t have to stay out here. I know you are tired.”

Priscilla shook her head. “I was just thinking about the things we did to you.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jimmy grinned. “Don’t be. I deserved them. In a way it makes me feel better.”

“Better?” Priscilla said, her surprise apparent. “How? Why?”

“I was a louse and you didn’t let me get away with it.”

Priscilla giggled. “It wasn’t all my doing. Grace thought of the bee trick. And Lorna thought of the mud in the shower pail. Jane thought of the burr.”

“And what did you think of?” Jimmy asked teasingly.

“Turning your water red.”

“That one scared me. How’d you do it?”

“Grinding up a certain kind of mushroom and slipping it into your drink. Putting it in food works just as well. I did it to Lorna a couple of years ago. It scared her too.

“I thought of locking you in the outhouse too,” Priscilla admitted, still smiling.

“You think a lot about that particular body part, don’t you?” Jimmy said, grinning wickedly.

“I do not!” Priscilla feigned shock. “I am a lady.”

“Since when?” Jimmy laughed, rolling over and pinning her to the ground.

Priscilla reached a hand up and pushed his hat away. Then she wound her hand in his hair and pulled his mouth toward hers.

Slow, he reminded himself. Sam had told him to wait and he would. For now he would be content with kisses.