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M iss Lily, Miss Lily!” Alma’s daughter Elsie squealed as she ran through the tall grass between the two houses.

Lily dropped her pincushion on the floor and ran outside just as the sun had begun to slide down the western horizon. All kinds of thoughts shot through her mind: Alma had fallen and needed help. Abbie had climbed a tree—again—and couldn’t get down. Or worse yet, something was wrong with Daisy.

“Well, don’t you look pretty with the sun on your lovely red hair,” Matt said as he followed Elsie to the house.

“Did I hear yelling?” Daisy rounded the end of the house with Claude right behind her. “Is everything all right?”

Elsie danced around like she heard music in her head. “Mama sent me and Matt to tell you and Daisy to come to supper at the bunkhouse. It will be ready in a few minutes, and I get to sit by you, and Mama says Abbie can sit by Daisy.”

“Everything is fine,” Lily told Daisy. “It just looks like we have a supper invitation.”

“Yes, Claude just told me. Beulah is here, too, and we can send Frannie’s pants and those four housedresses we made back to town with her,” Daisy said.

“Shall we?” Matt offered Lily his arm.

“Is this a big thing? Should I change into something fancier?” she asked as she slipped her arm through his.

“You look great,” he told her and then whispered, “Claude and Daisy have a big announcement to make, but I can’t tell anyone.”

According to Lily’s mother, she’d inherited her red hair, height, and quick temper from her grandmother on her father’s side.

The Boyle family had come to America from Ireland along with their worst traits.

That very Irish anger shot up through her body like a blast of pure fire.

That Claude had to tell someone his secret was understandable, but why hadn’t Daisy confided in her?

She did back before you moved out here to live among the sheep, but now she has a man in her life and she’s in love, Miz Raven’s voice scolded.

Tears welled up in the back of Lily’s eyes, but she blinked them away.

Daisy and Claude were about to announce their engagement, or else that they were engaged and leaving on the next wagon train that came through the area.

Either way, Daisy would not be living in the same house with her anymore, and if the latter was the news, Lily might not ever see her again.

“You are awfully quiet,” Matt said. “Did you have a hard day?”

Not until right now, Lily thought.

“Kind of,” she said. “But I’m glad to get to spend the evening with you.”

“Me, too, because it will be our last one for a week,” he said. “It’s my turn to take part of the sheep to the far pasture to graze. I’ll be out there alone, but I’ll be thinking of you every single minute.”

“Do you do this often?” she asked.

He nodded. “My turn to be a shepherd and take the sheep to one part of the farm or the other comes around once a month. Mozelle and I live in whichever shepherd’s shack near where we herd the sheep for that week.”

“I’ll miss you coming by in the evenings,” she whispered.

Elsie had been skipping along ahead of them, but she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. She put her finger over her lips and pointed to the ground. “Come and see what I found.”

All four adults eased up on the spot and looked down at a beautiful butterfly sitting on a wild forget-me-not flower. Matt leaned over and kissed Lily on the cheek. “The color on its wings and the little flower are both the same color as your eyes.”

“Isn’t it pretty?” Elsie whispered.

“Yes, it is,” Daisy answered.

The butterfly was still for another few seconds; then, in a fleeting moment, it took flight and disappeared into the thick foliage of a nearby tree.

Lily was reminded of how quickly things had changed since she and Daisy had arrived in Autrie.

Had someone told her back in those days what the future would hold, she wouldn’t have believed a single word.

A memory surfaced of that first night when they’d arrived in the hotel–dining room.

Elsie and Abbie had been so sweet, but then Joshua punished them for what he’d considered rudeness.

Who would have thought those little girls would ever have so much joy in their young lives now?

“A penny for your thoughts?” Matt said as they walked on toward the bunkhouse.

“I’d rather have a good-night kiss tonight,” she said.

Matt grinned. “Gladly.”

“I was thinking about how fast things can change. We’ve only been in this area a few weeks and .

..” She was annoyed that those precious children had had to endure hardships, and also that her world had been turned upside down so quickly.

Her mind was spinning in circles, but she couldn’t seem to slow it down.

They walked up on the bunkhouse porch, and Matt opened the door for her. “I’m glad for the way things have worked out in that time. Are you having regrets?”

“Not a single one,” she answered, but she wondered if she truly meant what she had said.

Daisy was nervous, not about her decisions, but because she had been on the fence all day about whether to tell Lily the secret or not. She and Claude had talked just that morning, and she had almost blurted everything out to Lily several times that day.

“Come in,” Alma said with a bright smile on her face. “Supper is on the tables and ready for us all to take a seat.”

Beulah crossed the room and hugged both Lily and Daisy. “I’ve got some news that’s going to shock both of you—but first, we eat. Alma has fixed up a wonderful mutton stew, and we don’t want it to get cold.”

“Save your forks,” Alma said when everyone was seated. “We have apple pies with whipped cream for dessert.”

Lily nudged Daisy on the shoulder as they sat down at the long table for eight. “Have you been keeping secrets from me?”

“Only for one day, and it’s about to come out,” Daisy answered. “I wanted to tell you, but Claude and I agreed to keep it to ourselves until we could share it with everyone.”

Lily turned slightly to focus on Matt. “How did you find out?”

He leaned over and whispered, “They had no idea I was in the loft of the barn when they were ... well, you know.”

Daisy frowned and drew her brows down. “Then Claude didn’t actually tell you?”

Matt shook his head. “I was eavesdropping—but then, in my defense, I could have spoiled the moment if I had come down from the loft.”

Now Lily was both relieved and jealous at the same time, and wishing that she had snuck off to the barn with Matt. She had been so busy putting the final touches on the pants that she hadn’t even realized Daisy had left the house.

Beulah stood up at one of the other tables and tapped her spoon on a pint jar filled with sweet tea.

“Maggie and Tobias have bought a rig from Elijah, and they will be joining a wagon train coming through the area real soon. Most likely their first stop will be right here on the farm for at least one night before they head on north. They plan to leave the group in Dodge City, Kansas, and retire there to be close to Maggie’s sister.

Maggie assures us that she will continue to work for women in that area. ”

“I hope he’s sincere,” Daisy said, “and not just leaving Autrie because of families being able to sit together.”

“He does, and he seems to be happy about the move,” Beulah said. “And a new one started preaching in Joshua’s old place last Sunday. He came over from Nechesville. That reminds me, I have a letter for Daisy and Lily postmarked from there.”

“Changes are happening,” Matt whispered in Lily’s ear.

“Constantly,” Lily replied.

Daisy took Claude’s hand in hers, and together they stood up. “We had no idea about Maggie and the preacher,” she said, “but we’ll be joining Maggie and Tobias on that same journey.”

“I asked Daisy to marry me this morning, and she said yes, so we’ll be having a wedding between now and next Sunday. Uncle Elijah is bringing us a covered wagon rig tomorrow, and then we will begin getting it ready to travel,” Claude announced.

Lily gave Daisy a hug, but tears flooded her cheeks the whole time. “You deserve happiness, but I’m going to miss you so, so much.”

“You and Matt could come with us,” Daisy suggested.

Matt raised an eyebrow at Lily. “Do you want to do that?”

“Do you?” she asked.

“Not in a million years, but I won’t stand in your way if you want to go,” Matt answered.

Abigail stood up and brought another basket of bread to the table. When she set it down, she leaned in between Lily and Matt to whisper softly for Lily’s ears only. “You should go with Daisy. With what we know now, you sure aren’t worthy to be in the family.”

“But Matt told me—”

“And it’s the truth,” Abigail said. “But those were different times. We won’t ever accept you, Lily Boyle—or whatever your real name is.”

“What makes you think it’s not Lily Boyle?”

“Most women like you cover up their real identity,” she hissed.

“Is everything all right?” Matt asked from her other side.

“Just fine,” Lily lied.

That evening, Lily paced the floor, back and forth, from the living room to the kitchen and on into her bedroom, and then started all over again.

Midnight had come and gone, and Daisy was still on the porch with Claude.

Lily washed up, put on her nightgown, and stretched out on her bed, but she couldn’t sleep.

Finally, she heard the hinges on the front door squeak and Daisy tiptoeing across the floor.

“It’s about time,” Lily called out.

“You’re not my mother,” Daisy teased, and then added, “Thank goodness!”

Lily slung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “But I’ve waited up for you so we can talk about you leaving. You’ve only known Claude for a little while. What happened to courting? Isn’t that supposed to last a year?”

Daisy leaned against the doorjamb. Both of her eyebrows shot up halfway to the ceiling. “Spare me any more of the lectures. My gut tells me this is what I want.”