They had to come out sometime, and early the next morning, it was Rud who first emerged. Dressed in his work clothes, he took a half step out before two slender arms pulled him back in. A few minutes later, he walked out again with those same two arms slipping from his shoulders as he went.

Rud was still pretty weak from his injuries, and the last thirty-six hours had done nothing for his recovery, but he felt great! Glad to finally be back home, Rud looked around the homestead and decided the first order of business was to walk down to the lake and sit on the half log bench.

Billy saw Rud sitting down by the lake and told Alice he would be back in a few minutes. Billy walked towards where Rud was seated. Alice decided to check on Patience and walked to the cabin door, knocked, then went inside. Patience came over and gave Alice a big hug. She told Alice she had been right, it was the best time of her life, and she was so happy.

Alice was curious about what they had been up to, but Patience said, "That young lady is a conversation you and I will have when you are seventeen, and Billy is about to put a ring on your finger!" Alice smiled. Finally, someone took her seriously!

Billy sat down next to Rud, neither one spoke for a few minutes. Rud finally said, "How was staying in the hideout?" Billy laughed, said the hideout was great, how was the cabin? Rud said, "Better than anything I could have ever imagined." Billy said, "Hey, you are talking about my sister! I guess we are officially brothers now." Rud said, "Yes, brother-in-law, officially. Otherwise, people would think I had married my sister."

Rud said he was proud to be part of Billy's family, and he thought of Billy not as a boy but as a man and a partner. Rud said, "You, me, and Patience are all partners in our valley." Billy said, "You should include Alice as she lives here too." Rud smiled and said, "Alice too." Remembering what Rud had said that first morning, Billy stated, "Everyone who lives here gets an equal share." Rud smiled and said, "You've got that right."

Billy, suddenly serious now, told Rud he had not thanked him for saving Martha, and Bessie. Rud said, "I was in a bad way. Had you, Alice, and Patience not shown up when you did, I am pretty sure I would not have been alive at the end of it. Ollie is brave, but I doubt he could have fought off those men alone. I should be thanking you."

Billy said, "I have no doubt you would have prevailed. But remember, Rud, you are not alone anymore. It's okay to let us help you, we're family." Rud said, "I understand that now."

After a few minutes, Billy said, "I am glad you did not kill Ollie, it looked like you were for a minute. He and Martha may have a future." Rud nodded in agreement, then said, "I like Ollie, and very much hope things work out between him and Martha. She deserves to be happy."

Billy told Rud he was thinking about building a cabin. Rud said it was time, then looked at Billy with a smile, and said, "Where does Alice want to build it?" Billy said, "If you feel like a little walk, I will show you."

* * * * *

Patience and Alice stood in the door of the cabin watching as Rud and Billy got up from the half-log bench and walked through the meadow. Patience said, "There goes my husband walking with my brother." Alice said, "I can't wait until Billy and I are married." Patience said, "I know it seems like a long time, but it will be here before you know it, and you and Billy will be married."

Alice wanted to tell Patience about her nights in the hideout. How beautiful the stars had been, how cold the hideout was, how warm Billy had felt next to her, and all about the plans for her and Billy's cabin. Patience told Alice, "I want to hear all about it."

As Patience and Alice walked back inside, a crow sitting on the roof of the cabin squawked loudly, stopping Alice in her tracks. Eyes wide Alice quickly spun around facing the door. Her eyes, used to the bright light outside, saw the cabin walls as dark, almost black, the open cabin door in contrast with the daylight streaming in. She took slow steps back towards the door. "This is it," she said softly. Patience, who was pouring water into Margaret's old coffee pot, replied, "What was that, honey?" Alice shuddered; the voice she had heard in her dream was Patience's voice.

At the door now, Alice looked again at Billy and Rud, waiting to see if Billy would do what she had seen in her dream. In the meadow, as Rud and Billy walked towards where her new home would be built, Billy stumbled, then bent down and picked up the stick he had stumbled on and threw it towards the woods. As Alice's hands flew to cover her mouth, she said, "This is the moment!"

Patience, teasing Alice, said, "Alice, tell you husband Billy we are getting low on kindling for the stove."

When Alice was a little girl, she would sometimes have very vivid dreams. She would tell her mother about her dreams, describing what she had seen in great detail. Her mother enjoyed listening as her baby girl told her of people and places Alice could not have possibly known. For her mother, it was a chance to hold Alice tightly and for a moment escape her sad life with an abusive husband.

In one of those dreams, Alice had seen this very moment. The crows, the bright doorway framed by dark walls, the lake, and the late-year brown grassy meadow. The man she would marry walking with a taller, rough-looking man. She had seen the man she would marry in other dreams and knew his face well. But in this dream, she heard a woman's voice that was not her mother's say her future husband's name, Billy.

Alice had believed her dreams would come true. Even her mother had said she must be seeing the future. But now she knew it was true, it was right in front of her. Alice turned to Patience, face beaming. Alice then realized Rud was the taller, rough-looking man in her dream, and her face went ashen in color. Patience looked at Alice, and with concern in her voice, said, "Alice, you look like someone walked across your grave." Alice responded, "Not mine."

Patience said, "Alice, you are scaring me." Alice sat down with her face in her hands for a few seconds and then sat up with a big smile. She said, "I know what to do!" Patience was confused but soon dismissed Alice's strange actions as Alice excitedly began to tell Patience about her night in the hideout.

Alice also told her since the wedding, she had different feelings for Billy and wasn't just sleeping against his back anymore. Patience yelled, "WHAT?" Alice told Patience, "NO, we are not doing THAT! I feel closer to Billy now than before."

Rather than just snuggling against his back, she now liked lying against his side, especially when he put his arms around her. She still felt the same way but now needed to be closer to Billy, to have him closer to her. Patience told Alice it was natural for her feelings to get stronger over time, but she could not let it go too far and violate Bessie's trust.

Patience asked Alice bluntly, "Do you understand what I mean by too far?" Alice responded, "Yes, I know what too far means, and we cannot do anything like that, or we can't sleep together anymore." Patience said, "Be careful, sometimes you get caught up in your feelings. I know if Rud and I slept together on that old rug again before we were married, we would have gone too far. I wanted to take things further, and I know Rud did as well." Alice told Patience nothing was more important to her and neither she nor Billy will allow anything to jeopardize them sleeping together.

Alice said, "I wish we could be married right now, it would be so much simpler." Patience reminded her good things are worth the wait. She was glad she and Rud waited as it made their first night as husband and wife so special. Alice said she understood and wanted that too. She was happy just waking up next to Billy each morning.

Then Alice said, "What do you mean if you slept with Rud again?" Patience was going to tell Alice it was none of her business but thought Alice might benefit from the lesson Patience had learned about trying to manipulate Rud's feelings. Alice listened intently and understood. Alice already sensed she had a certain power over Billy and needed to be careful.

In a few short weeks, life returned to normal around the homestead. Winter was just around the corner, so Rud and Billy hurried to get the homestead ready. They had plenty of food and firewood, and trapping would start after the first snow. The hay needed to be stacked, the last of the grain for the mule and horses needed to be harvested, and they needed to collect as much roughage from the fields as they could.

Patience kept an eye on Rud to make sure he didn't do too much too soon. Rud would push it, Patience would put her foot down, and they would end up in each other's arms. Rud knew Patience was onto his game, but it didn't seem to matter. Patience was enjoying their little game as well.