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stuff?” Zack asked, sidling up
to Amy.
    “Smelling salts. They’ll help her to come
to.”
    “Do they smell good?” Zack removed his hat
and coat and dropped them on the floor.
    “No,” Amy replied.
    He took the smelling salts away from her.
“Then don’t make her smell them. When I wake up, I like to smell
stuff that smells good. When my ma fried bacon, that always waked
me up. Why don’t you fry some bacon, Miss Amy? That will wake up my
aunt.”
    The men chuckled, and Amy smiled at Zack.
Jase had to admit the boy had a good point.
    Marietta stirred, lifting the back of her
hand to her forehead.
    “Easy, Marietta,” Amy said soothingly.
    Marietta rolled her head from side to side
and wiped her fingers over her eyes. “What happened?”
    “Honey, take it easy,” Amy said. “Don’t get
up just yet. You fainted.”
    “And Miss Amy tried to wake you up with some
stinky stuff,” Zack added. “I told her to fry some bacon ‘cause
that’s good at waking a person up.”
    Jase crouched next to the sofa and took
Marietta’s hand when Amy moved aside. “Are you all right?”
    She glanced at the hand he’d wrapped around
hers. “I’ll be fine in a minute. I’m sorry to have worried
you.”
    When he squeezed Marietta’s hand, Jase became
aware for the first time of their intimate connection. He hadn’t
realized he was touching her at all and quickly released his grasp.
He stood and looked at Will. “She’ll be okay now.”
    Will nodded and gave him a peculiar look. Had
he noticed what Jase had just learned himself? Was it written all
over his face that he was starting to care too much for
Marietta?
    “You men go to the kitchen and have some
coffee,” Amy suggested. “Take Zack with you and give him a glass of
milk.” She turned toward Marietta. “We need a few moments
alone.”
    Jase scooped Zack into his arms. “Come on,
big fella. Let’s see if Amy has any of her famous gingerbread men
in the kitchen.”
    When they were alone, Amy bent next to
Marietta. “Let me help you out of that cape and coat, honey. The
men will be occupied for a few minutes, and you and I can have a
little talk.”
    Marietta sat up and squirmed out of her coat.
“I’m sorry to be such a bother. I remember now what happened. Lt.
Carson told me Sledge Jackson has already left for the Missouri
River.”
    Amy bit her lip and nodded. “I’m afraid they
left when the skies turned gray. Mr. Jackson has a sixth sense
about the weather and said they could be delayed another week or so
if they didn’t get started right away. He wanted to get as many
miles behind him as he could before the storm caught up to
him.”
    “But that leaves me stranded here until the
stage returns weeks from now.” Marietta sat up and rubbed her hands
over her face. “What am I going to do, Amy?”
    “You’re going to stay with us.”
    Marietta shook her head. “I can’t. You barely
have enough room for yourselves. Zack and I would be terribly
underfoot.”
    “Nonsense,” Amy said. “Will and I talked it
over and agreed that if God spared you from the storm as we prayed
with all our might that He would, we would put you and Zack up here
in our home until you can catch the stage back to meet the boat at
the Missouri River.”
    “No. It will never work,” Marietta insisted.
“And what if the stage can’t travel? Who knows what kind of winter
this will be?”
    Amy smiled broadly. “It’s going to be a good
winter, I can feel it. The snow is already half-melted, and it will
melt some more tomorrow. We’ll have a mild winter--a happy winter.
I can feel it deep inside me.” She paused and sighed. “I know your
plans have been terribly upset, Marietta, but I feel blessed to
have a new friend to spend more time with me. Our invitation to you
is heartfelt and lovingly extended. I hope you’ll accept it in that
manner.”
    Marietta could scarcely believe what she was
hearing. Amy barely knew her, yet she spoke to her as lovingly