"Levi, it will be okay, really. I'm feeling fine, besides you know that Doctor Baker twisted his ankle getting out of his buggy. He would come out here if he could. He just wants to make sure the babies are doing okay, he also needs to take the stitches out of Ellie's face too." Hope said to her husband. This was exasperating. The man was about to drive her absolutely crazy. She had to admit that after she'd gotten over being upset, she did like the idea of having Claire around. She never dreamed that she would get so tired from the simple day to day activities, not to mention her cumbersome size.

She felt like she was as big as a barn, but according to Grace and Anne, she was barely bigger than most women having just one baby. It didn't make her feel any better though. But she did truly like having Claire there; she really did enjoy the girl's company. Who knows how long she'll have it though, if Tuck has his way, Claire would be married to him and tending their own home.

Tuck was very handsome, with his wavy blonde hair, just a little too long, and his soft brown eyes. Eyes that followed that poor girl every time she was near. It was hard to tell if she was uninterested in him or just unaware of his feelings for her. She was leaning towards Claire just not being aware of his feelings. It was almost like; she didn't think that a man like Tuck could be interested in her. Hhhmmm, maybe she should have a talk with the girl.

It took longer than normal to get to town. They didn't have a buggy, just a wagon, so Levi drove extra slow, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible. It was almost laughable, almost. They finally pulled up to the doctor's office, Levi set the brake then ran around to help her down, then turned and got Ellie.

Hope walked into Doc Baker's office, not waiting for her husband to open the door for her. That was one thing she could do for herself. "Good afternoon, Hope, Levi and Ellie. I'm so sorry you had to come to town, but I just didn't see any way for me to get out to your place, and I really wanted to check you Hope and make sure everything is going as it should. I also need to take out those stitches." He said as he ruffled Ellie's blonde curls.

Doc hobbled into his examination room, pulled up a chair to the examination table and sat down. Levi picked Ellie up, laying her down for Doc to remove her stitches. "Is it going to hurt?" She asked in a small voice.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ellie; it's going to sting a little. But it shouldn't hurt. Okay?" Ellie nodded, trying so hard to be a big girl.

"Will you hold my hand Mama, please?"

"Oh sweetie, of course I will." Hope said as Levi pulled up another chair for her to sit down.

Five minutes and twenty stitches later, Doc was examining his handy work. "It looks really good, but you're always going to have a scar. It will fade some with time, turning more white and less pink. But at least it missed your eye. Besides, as pretty as you are, the boys won't even see that little scar."

Ellie got up and walked over to the window, pulling back the white linen curtains to look at her reflection. She turned her head this way and that, but it was just too light outside. A flash of black caught her eyes and she looked across the street to see Blake and his papa. "Blake and his papa are in the mercantile, can I go see them?"

"I'll take her over there." Levi said as he took his daughter's small hand, leading her out the door.

Doc had just finished his exam when Levi came back in the room. The three of them sat down. "Everything's looking good but I do want to ask you a few questions and I want you to tell me the truth. If you don't think you can with your over protective husband in the room, I'll send him out." He said it with humor but he meant what he said. Levi would not be the first husband he'd made leave.

Hope cut her eyes over to Levi and almost laughed at the look on his face. "I'll be honest with you."

Half an hour later, they left Doc Baker's office and went across the street to get Ellie. Cole had just finished paying for his order and handed Ellie and Blake each a piece of peppermint when Levi walked up to them. Anne was at the front of the store picking up a few things and Hope stopped to talk with her.

"Thanks for letting her stay with you while we were at Doc's." Levi said to his friend.

"Anytime. You know we love Ellie like she was our own. In fact, why don't you let her ride home with us? You can come get her sometime this evening. Grace still really misses having a little girl around. By the way, everything ok with Hope?"

Levi looked down at the kids for a second. "Ellie, why don't you go give Hope a hug and kiss bye before you leave with Cole and Blake?" Once the kids were gone, Levi continued. "He's a little worried because Hope is just such a small person. The good thing is, she hasn't gotten really big, but he does want her to rest." Cole raised his eye brows at that. "I know. I know. She's not happy about that, but she's just going to have to deal with it. Doc told her that he wanted her to be sitting or lying down at least 20 of the 24 hours each day."

"Oh, I know she just loved that." Cole drawled. The woman was like his Grace, always in motion and doing something.

"We are going to have lunch at the diner. Do you want to join us?"

"No, we had better get on back to the Double C. You two go enjoy your time together while you can. You know in a few weeks you won't be able to. I'll see you this evening when you come to get little miss Ellie." Cole turned to get the children, said goodbye to Hope, and Anne, then left.

"So what did Doc Baker say?" Anne asked once Cole had taken the children with him.

"He said that everything looked good. Apparently this is relatively small for twins." Hope said as she laid both hands on her stomach. Sighing heavily, she finished, "He also said that I'm to either be sitting or laying down the remainder of my time."

Anne laid a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "I know it's hard but it will be so worth it. And I know you, if you don't follow Doc's orders and something happened, you would never forgive yourself."

"You're right on both accounts. It will be worth it and I would never forgive myself. That's why Levi is taking me to lunch at the diner today. From here on, I will be doing nothing but waiting." She said with a little laugh. They said their good byes and she and Levi continued to the diner for lunch.

As they walked arm in arm, they nodded a good afternoon here and there. Sometimes stopping to speak to a few of their friends. A few minutes later, they walked into the diner and took a seat. They noticed several strangers as they glanced around looking for familiar faces. They ordered their food and were simply enjoying each other's conversation.

Hope kept feeling like she was being watched, but whenever she glanced around the room, she didn't see anyone looking at her. "You keep looking around. Are you searching for someone?" Levi said in a teasing tone.

"No, it's – it's nothing." Hope said as she once again glanced around the room with her eyes landing on a handsome man dinning alone. She smiled politely, but something about him caused a shiver to run down her spine.

The smile faded from his face as he watched the woman he loved shutter slightly. "Alright, what's going on? I saw you just a second ago."

"I feel like someone is watching me, but when I look around, I don't see anyone. There was a man sitting across the room, when I met his eyes, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was creepy. He's gone now though." She smiled reassuringly.

Levi watched her brows draw together slightly and he knew his wife wasn't telling him the truth. A feeling of dread began in the pit of his stomach and slowly spread throughout his body. "Did you recognize him?" He tried to make the question as light as possible. The last thing he wanted or needed was for her to get upset.

"No, not really. There was just something about him that I didn't like. Wait, you don't think I know him, do you?"

He could see the panic start to fill her eyes, so he reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Of course not, silly." Just then their food was brought out and set on the table. "Mmmm, smells delicious. Let's eat." A smile was on his face, but his mind was turning. Could that man be someone she knew? The odds were slim, but one just never knew. It was such a small, small world. He'd have to send one of his men back to town to talk to Andy and see what information could be found about any strangers in town, especially the train. He didn't know why, but for some reason it had made an unscheduled stop.

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