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Saturday morning, Emma was surprised to see Colton accompanying Rosie. He brought Emma a large bouquet of flowers and seemed almost embarrassed when Emma fussed over them.

“They’re so beautiful.” She drew the flowers to her face and breathed in. “Oh, and they smell so sweet.”

The collection of roses and other blossoms reminded Emma of times when Tommy had brought her flowers. The memory was bittersweet.

“Are you better now?” Rosie asked, coming to kiss Emma’s cheek.

“Much better. I made them stop giving me so much medicine for the pain. I don’t like feeling so strange, and that medicine left me confused. I told them I didn’t want to take it unless things got really bad. The doctor told me I should begin feeling better and better.”

Rosie nodded and smiled. “You will, because I’ve prayed for you.”

“I’m glad you did, Rose. I think when I get out of here, I need to do a bunch of that myself.”

Colton cleared his throat and glanced toward the door. The conversation appeared to be making him uncomfortable. Emma took pity on him.

“What did you learn about the woman ... at the wedding?” She found it difficult to speak of what Stella Mikkelson had done.

“She’s dead,” Colton replied matter-of-factly.

Emma put her hand to her heart. “What? Dead? How?”

“She hanged herself. That same night.”

Emma could hardly believe it. “How could that happen?” The woman had tried to turn the gun on herself in the church.

It shouldn’t be such a surprise that she’d find a way to end her life, but still, it was shocking.

After all, she was carrying a life within her.

Tommy’s child. A baby innocent of all wrongdoing.

“The jailer said he’d checked on her at bedtime, and she had asked for a Bible. When he came to wake her for breakfast, she was gone.”

“How terrible.” Emma hated what Stella had done, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to hate the woman. Instead, she felt great pity and sadness.

Colton stepped to the edge of Emma’s bed. “I know this might seem awfully soon to discuss, but have you decided where you’ll go after the doctor releases you?”

“Emma’s going to live with us.” Rosie spoke as though the matter were settled.

“I haven’t really thought about anything except Tommy and what happened.”

“We’re burying him this afternoon at Trinity Cemetery. I felt we might as well proceed. Forgive me for not asking you first. You were in so much pain, and the doctor said you most likely wouldn’t be out until next week. Even then he felt you’d be too weak to attend a funeral.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Thank you for managing everything. I know Tommy would have wanted it that way.”

She looked toward the window and thought again of the Mikkelson woman. Had her family come to claim her and her unborn child? What would they do? Suicide was not at all an acceptable means of death. Was there a special cemetery for such people?

“We’ll bury him by our parents and Aunt Clementine. There’s a large plot of land for any of the family who needs it.” Colton looked down at her. “I’m so glad we won’t be needing another space for you.”

Emma drew in a long breath. “It could have been very different. Of course, that woman didn’t aim her gun at me. I don’t know why.”

“You did nothing wrong. You were as much a victim as she was,” Colton declared. “Tommy was the one at fault.”

Emma tried to move, but she was too weak. “Colton, could you help me to sit up? I’d hate to call the nurse.”

“Of course.”

Emma handed Rosie the flowers, and Colton moved in to put his hands under each of her arms. “I hope I’m doing this right.”

He lifted her and helped her settle back once again. Emma ignored the pain and gave him a nod of approval once he stepped back. “Thank you. That’s better.”

Rosie started to hand her back the flowers, but Emma waved her off. “I think you should probably take them home with you. I can come and see them there later. The nurse wouldn’t approve of them being here in the room.”

“I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.” Colton glanced around the room. “Seems pretty sterile and stark.”

“I’m sure it’s all about keeping things clean and tidy.” Emma folded her hands against her bandaged midsection.

“You are going to live with us, aren’t you?” Rosie asked without prompting.

“I hadn’t really thought about it.” What little she had con sidered of the future had been focused more on her decision from the previous night.

“We want you to come and stay with us. You are a Benton, and it was Tommy’s desire that you both live at the house until you found another place.” Colton was most encouraging.

“My father and stepmother want me to move back to Cheyenne and live at their ranch. Clara suggested I come back to live with them.”

“But you said no, right?” Rosie asked. “You said I could live with you.”

Emma knew the arrangement they’d agreed upon, but with Tommy dead, she seriously doubted Colton, as head of the family, would allow his sister to go off with Emma.

Besides, she and Tommy had never planned to leave Dallas permanently.

They intended to travel plenty and part of the time take Rosie with them, but moving away wasn’t proposed.

Colton cleared his throat. “You can hardly travel to Cheyenne until you’re healed. And even the ranch is too far. I suggest you come and stay in Tommy’s room as you had planned. Your family is welcome to come there and visit you as much as they like.”

“And I can take care of you.” Rosie gave Emma a big smile. “You’ll be my patient.”

Emma chuckled. “I suppose that does sound like the best solution. I just wasn’t sure you’d still want me.”

“We do want her. Don’t we, Colton?”

Emma met Colton’s dark eyes. For a moment he just stared at her. Sometimes she didn’t think he cared much for her. She always feared that he thought she was only marrying Tommy for his money.

“Yes, we want her.” His voice was so low that Emma barely heard him.

“So when can you leave the hospital?” Rosie asked.

“I don’t know. The doctor said it would be a few days, Rosie. We must just wait and see. He wants to make sure my wound doesn’t get infected.”

“It won’t. I prayed that you would get well fast, and you will.”

Emma loved Rosie’s childlike faith in God. “I’m sure if you’ve prayed, then everything will go well.”

Colton frowned, but Emma ignored it. Rosie, however, leaned in to kiss Emma on the cheek once again. “I’m so glad God kept you from dying like Tommy. I miss Tommy. He liked to make me laugh.”

“He did. He liked to make me laugh too. I guess there won’t be quite as much laughter now.”

“Do you think Tommy went to hell?” Rosie asked.

Emma felt a catch in her throat. “I’ve been thinking about that. I had a long talk last night with my stepmother.”

“Last night?” Colton asked.

“Yes, she snuck in after visiting hours. She said she felt compelled to come to me, and it turned out she was right. It gave me a great deal of comfort. She prayed with me.”

“But you don’t believe in that stuff.”

It was hard not to look away, but Emma continued to keep her gaze fixed on Colton. “I walked away from God for a great many years, but after nearly dying, I was forced to revisit my convictions—or lack thereof.”

“So now you’re religious?”

“Not exactly. I did ask God to forgive me. I’m not sure what it will mean for my life. I just felt so alone last night, as well as guilty.”

“Guilty for what? You did nothing wrong.” Colton’s tone was firm and insistent. “This is what I hate about religion.”

“I did plenty wrong, but—”

The room door opened, and Clara gave a light knock just as she spied Colton and Rosie. “Oh, I see you already have visitors.”

“We were just leaving,” Colton announced. “We’re burying Tommy this afternoon at three. Trinity Cemetery, if you’re so inclined to join us. It’s just family.”

Clara nodded. “Thank you. I’m sure my folks will want to be there. David took the children back to the ranch with the exception of the baby, so I won’t be able to attend.”

“It won’t be a long service, nor all that formal. You can bring the child if you want to be there.”

Clara looked to Emma and gave a slight nod. “Thank you.”

Colton moved from the bedside and took hold of Rosie. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Emma.”

“I love you, Emma,” Rosie said, giving her yet another kiss.

“I love you, Rosie. Don’t forget to put the flowers in water.”

“I won’t.”

Emma watched them leave. She wished so much that she might leave this place too. A sigh escaped her lips.

“You sound tired.”

“Weary of this place.” Emma looked to her sister. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to leave soon.”

“Will you come back to the ranch or go to Cheyenne with Father and Lucille? I know they want you to be with them.”

“Neither. I won’t be up to travel for a while, so I’ll go stay at the Benton house as I had figured to do after marrying Tommy. Rosie is adamant that I come and let her nurse me.”

“Is that really appropriate?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I did marry Tommy. We might have had no chance to live as man and wife, but I’m still legally a Benton.”

“Yes, but it’ll be just you and Rosie and ... Colton.”

Emma chuckled and felt the pull across her stomach. She pressed her hand against the pain. “And a staff of ten who live on the premises. So if you’re worried about any improprieties, I assure you there is never a private moment in that house. Besides, Colton has no interest in me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Emma shook her head. “He studies everyone in great detail. Colton is an observer of everything and everyone.” Yet even as she said it, Emma couldn’t help but remember the way he’d looked at her just moments earlier. She’d had the strangest feeling that he wanted to say so much more than he had.

Colton stared down at the open grave and felt a sense of emptiness. Was that all there was left to a soul after death? A hole in the ground? A wooden box? A handful of mourners to say prayers and sing hymns?