Everyone enjoyed the day and true to form Bessie came up to Rud before they left to thank him for the hospitality. Rud said he needed to know something and did not want to ask in front of others. He asked Bessie why she wanted to come here before asking him to look after the girls. She could have asked them anytime they were visiting with her, and the answer would have been the same.

Bessie said she was worried about the girls coming to the valley by themselves. She wanted to know if it was something the girls could do and if they would be safe. Rud said he understood, but why now? Bessie indicated the girl's father had come looking for them twice, and always about this time of the year when travel from the cities was easier.

Last year she had caught their brother watching her house. So far, she believed the girls had not been seen but had an uneasy feeling about the brother. She just wanted someplace the girls could go to be safe.

Rud said, "You mean all of you." Bessie said she was not leaving her home for any reason and certainly not for the likes of those two. Rud said, "Okay, Grandma," which earned him a thump on the arm from Bessie.

Billy hitched the horses to the wagon, drove it up near the cabin, and stayed on the driver's bench. The mule was tied to the back. Martha and Alice were saying goodbye to Patience as Bessie climbed up next to Billy. Billy looked a little uneasy sitting next to Bessie.

Alice saw Bessie next to Billy and gave Bessie an angry look. Bessie said, "Okay, okay. I will sit on my new bench. Thank you, Rud." As she sat on the bench Rud had added to her wagon, Bessie winked at Patience and said, "Can I keep him until tomorrow? He needs to work off some of this youthful energy splitting the rest of the wood he cut last time."

Patience told Billy, "Just be home by dark this time." Billy nodded and shifted a little towards Alice, who had quickly taken the spot next to him. Once Martha was aboard, Billy flipped the reins to get the team moving.

Rud stood with his arm around Patience, watching the wagon head out of the valley. When they heard the sound of shod hooves on the rocky hill, Rud kissed Patience softly and turned to finish his chores before nightfall.

Ever since the conversation with Bessie that morning, Rud had been thinking about what he would need to do in case the girls came here needing his help. He would need a plan, and the sooner, the better.

The hideout was built for the three, but with the chance Martha and Alice may also need the hideout, Rud and Billy expanded the size, stocked it with more provisions, and hung a partition so the girls would have some privacy. Even if they never needed the hideout, it was good to have it just in case.

* * * * *

Rud had made both Billy and Patience practice with the firearms he had. He rarely used them because the powder was expensive and did not keep very well, and with no source of lead for forming the lead balls without buying it, they just were not practical for anything other than defense and taking larger animals.

Both Billy and Patience became proficient at loading and shooting the rifles and pistols. Rud had quite a few of each, and as they were not cheap, Patience asked Rud why he had so many. Rud replied, "I keep what I kill." He had always planned to trade some of them but never did. Rud thought someone might recognize one as belonging to a specific individual and ask questions.

The days again settled into a routine: wood, food, homestead, furs, and trade goods. Rud and Billy had built bunk beds to go in the cabin. Rud slept on the bottom, and Billy slept in the top bunk. It was much better than the floor, and Billy was no longer sleeping in the same bed as his sister. But unfortunately for Rud, it eliminated the chance of Patience ever sleeping next to him on the tattered old rug again.

With the approach of winter, Rud started thinking about what he would need to have as far as furs and trade goods, and what he would need to trade them for in the spring. The extra money he had saved thanks to his mother's lesson was mostly gone. He had to plan for three, and he needed to make sure they would have enough to sell or trade for the supplies they would need in the following year.

They would visit with Bessie once a month, and Bessie and the girls would come to the valley once a month. It seemed like what they needed Bessie had and what Bessie needed, Rud, Patience, or Billy could provide. Everyone worked hard, and both homes were nearly set for winter as far as the essentials – wood for warmth, food to last the winter, and feed for the animals.

The special project Rud and Billy had been working on was complete, and both thought it had turned out very well. The gold was soft compared to the iron Rud usually worked with, so he had to be very careful when crafting it into shape. Rud was proud of what he had made, and best of all, Patience was unaware.

With the days much shorter and the temperatures notably colder, Rud and Patience still went down by the lake and spent time sitting together on the half log bench. The insecurity both he and Patience had felt early in their romance had disappeared, and they were confident and comfortable with each other.

Life now for Rud was as different as night and day from his life before Patience. Rud loved his new life. Rud was not one to be complacent, though, and he wondered what was on the horizon that would challenge his new life. Whatever it was, at least he was no longer alone.

* * * * *

Patience, too, was enjoying her new life. She could not believe how different her life was from before Rud saved her. Rud and Billy were her family now, and Bessie, Martha, and Alice were family too. Patience often missed her mother and father. She longed to ask her mother about things only a mother and daughter can share. She knew her mother would have come to love Rud as a son. Even her father would have to admit Rud was a good man.

The only thing that could make her life more perfect was to be Rud's wife, and she hoped it would happen in the spring. When she talked with Bessie, she sometimes asked if Rud had said anything about marriage. Bessie just smiled and said, "No, but be patient. It will happen. In the springtime, it's not just the wild animals that start looking for mates."

When it was just the girls talking, the subject of having children would come up, and the thought was a bit frightening to Patience. She guessed it is to all women. But having Rud as her husband and having children was something she did want.

Patience avoided talking about love around Martha as it had to have a different meaning to her. Martha sometimes would bring it up, but the conversation was short, and Martha would usually just look sad. Patience knew Martha wanted a normal life but was not sure she could ever have one. Patience hoped Martha would meet the love of her life one day and find her happiness just like she had.

Billy was sleeping in the bunk bed now, so Patience was alone in the big bed. She dreamed of the day it would be her and Rud every night, and she could fall asleep in his arms. The night she had spent on the tattered old rug was amazing, but she did not dare do that again. She did not trust herself, nor would she have blamed Rud for wanting to take it further than just sleeping.

She still dreamed of her wedding night, and although her previous life was gone, she held onto that dream. Instead of a handsome prince, her dream now was to share it with the handsome, rough woodsman who had saved her life. He was her life now, she had given her life to him, and spring could not come soon enough.

Patience wished she had known Rud before that day on the docks. She probably would have stuck up her nose at a village boy, but knew love would have found a way for them to be together.

Sometimes she would dream Rud was at the parties and events she had attended in town. She would see him across the room, looking at her. He was tall, strong, and handsome, and all the girls would try and attract his attention, but he was only looking at her. There were butterflies in her stomach as Rud approached and nervously asked her to dance. The dream always ended with her dancing in Rud's arms.

But those were just dreams. What Patience wished was she could have been there the night his parents were killed so she could have helped him as he helped her. She could not have changed the events that occurred but could have been there for the living after. The thought of Rud going through all that alone made her sad, especially when she considered her father might have been responsible.

She thought about Billy and Alice and how they were inseparable. Alice had already said she would marry Billy when she was older. Patience thought if there ever were two people meant to be together from the start, it was those two. Patience thought how wonderful they could be friends, learn to trust, treasure, and know each other so well before they reach the stage in their lives when being a woman and a man became so important.