[Clara & Jacob outside]   Jacob’s attempt to kiss Clara wasn’t successful, but the reaction could have been a lot worse.   "Whoa!" and that's when Clara put up one hand about even with both sets of lips, blocking any contact even as she stepped back.   The failed Romeo let his Juliet separate from him and stood with his hands held out uselessly where the pretty little pie maker had just been standing. He looked down at them, deciding the least embarrassing way to dispose of them. In the end he shoved them in his pockets, out of the way and maybe symbolically putting them where they couldn’t be tempted to do more mischief.   "Jacob, we ....we have only known each other now for....minutes not even hours," she pointed out in a voice just above a whisper.   He nodded sadly. “I guess that was pretty stupid of me.” He admitted.   "I meant what I said by boundaries, apparently unlike you," Clara wasn't angry, more like disappointed.   He gave a tight little philosophical smile, the kind you do when something you know is going to go wrong does go wrong, and nodded.   “I’m sorry, Clara, that was unforgivable. I can’t expect you to forget it: I can only beg you to try and find it in your heart to forgive me and not to think too harshly of me in the future. You see, I don’t think I’ll ever be this close to you ever again: and if I hadn’t have tried to kiss you, even ever so chastely, I’d have woken up tomorrow morning, and every morning after that for the rest of my life, and kicked myself and said ‘you idiot Lutz, why didn’t you try and kiss the most beautiful girl you ever met on that one magical night when you stood arm in arm with her under a new moon.’”   “Course, what I forgot was that you’re not just a pretty face, you’re not just a vision of loveliness for me to moon over and sigh about, you’re a real person, you’re an intelligent, interesting, wonderful person, funny too, in your own dry way.” He smiled a little. “And I just ruined any chance of getting to know that person as a … well, as a real friend, what with my…” he rolled his eyes at himself “…’romantical ways’. So, it looks like I swapped one regret for another. Well, that’s life, I guess.” He sighed sadly.   “I’d better take you back to the dance” he said, then added rather stiffly, as if he felt it necessary to draw a line under the whole affair “I’m really, genuinely sorry for my ungentlemanly conduct Miss Redmond, and I honestly hope I haven’t ruined your evening too badly.”   @Wayfarer

Inside Lickskillet, Clara, Bridget, Jonah   Jonah was quite relieved when he and the young woman made it to the safety of the cafe and the door was shut behind them...he was no hero, so he was more than happy to be off the street.  At least the farmer who had been tossed from his wagon was up and moving, so Jonah could see to him later.   "Hurry, come in! Bridget are you alright?" Clare greeted them.   "Thank you."  Smiling, Jonah nodded to the waitress, impressed to see that she was ready for trouble, and hoping that trouble didn't come this way!  And it was a relief that she knew the girl from the street, Bridget, so it might help keep things from getting too awkward.   “Bank’s robbed” she managed, closing her eyes in an act of will to force the words out of her mouth, and then blinking as she squeezed out a supplementary “Got ma pennies.”   There was something in the speech pattern, even those few words, that indicated some sort of problem and helped to explain why Miss Bridget had been so oblivious to the danger.   As for the gentleman, "Doctor I believe...I am Clara Redmond. I know Bridget, we are friends."   "Miss Redmond," Jonah bowed slightly to Clara, then gently took Bridget's hand and placed a light kiss on it.  "And Miss Bridget, it's a pleasure, you can call me Jonah.  And a lady doesn't need her pennies when a gentleman is around. So, what are we buying?"  Especially while the bank was being robbed!   @Wayfarer; @Javia            

"Thank ya, Speed."  Addy managed a little smile as she nodded.  He was right, most folks came to her anyway if they had a concern about Weedy, and there had never been any indication of other family that cared enough to seek out the well-being of the mother, much the less her son.   "I'll just do what I need for him fer now," she declared quietly, "make sure he knows he has a home.  I truly do appreciate all yer help, Speed.  Didn't never plan on bein' a Ma, but I guess that's what I been doin' an' I'll do what I can ta help th' boy...kinda taken a fondness to him.  Means I''ll hafta get some proper education fer myself, though, can't have th' boy bein' smarter'n me."   She sighed and shook her head.  "Kinda funny that I been doin' this pretty much all along, but now it's more official-like, it seems so dauntin'.  Just don't go lookin' too hard fer kin, all right?  'Course, there's always Mexico!"  She grinned widely.   @Flip

Tole stopped just as he started to walk away, "Boss? They're new hands on the Evergreen, said the cows just wandered onto their range, which makes no sense, I mean I ain't fer sure, but seems a ways fer cows to be wandering."   Case blinked a couple of times in disbelief of what he had just heard. "They'da had to cross some country to get onto Evergreen range, just don't seem right. I want to talk to 'em, get the straight of this. Smacks of a couple men out to lift a few beefs, maybe sell 'em, they ask for money?"   "Nope. ell, they didn't ask me. Was Sloan that brought 'em in, but they was huntin' a place to hide 'em. Don't believe they ever asked about money, but he'd be the one  you need to ask."   "The you get him for me, Toole. And them two after." Case stated.   "Yes sir," And with that he was moving. It didn't take long for him to get back with Sloane in tow.   "Yeah boss?" The outlaw asked.   "These two that brought in these cows. that try to sell 'em to you?"   "No sir, never mentioned sellin' 'em, said the needed a place to stash 'em was all. Figgered this was as good a place as any, an' we'd either move 'em north with the rest, 'er run 'em back to Lost Lake, one way 'er tuther."   Case smiled in spite of himself. "Run 'em back would you? Hell Sloane, likely as not they'd hang you for a rustler. From here on, don't take in nothin' from nobody that don't ride with us, including my old mans help."   "Got it." Sloane replied.   "Get me the two riders from the Evergreen." Case said.   @Wayfarer  

[Doc Danforth, Clara & Bridget]   Bridget was more than pleased to be taken into the diner by the nice, slightly sad, man. She didn’t realize that she was meant to be cowering in fear from the outlaws in there, she was looking forward to a nice slice of Ms. Em’s Apple Pie, and to looking at the pretty menu and pretending she could read it.   "Hurry, come in! Bridget are you alright?" Clare greeted them.   The ginger girl beamed a broad smile to see her friend Clara. She liked the serious dark-haired girl, and not just because she’d saved her from the bullies who had pushed her in the mud, or because she brought her nice things to eat when ever she came into the Diner place. Clara took life seriously and tried to do things right. Bridget trusted and felt close enough to Clara, indeed, to actually speak out loud in her presence, even if it was in halting and uncertain tones.   “Bank’s robbed” she managed, closing her eyes in an act of will to force the words out of her mouth, and then blinking as she squeezed out a supplementary “Got ma pennies.” And she opened the palm of her hand, clad as it was in a fine lace glove to show Clara the two red cents that she was just about to try and deposit in the raided bank.   As for the gentleman, "Doctor I believe...I am Clara Redmond. I know Bridget, we are friends."   The man was a doctor? Bridget’s heart leaped in fright. The only doctor she had ever known had kept her as a virtual slave for years, made her beg for him, treated her like dirt. She instinctively drew back from him: but then looking again at him, decided he wasn’t evil, she just felt he was kindly and nice and wanted to help her.   “Good doctor.” She assured Clara, in case she was worried, too.   @Bongo @Wayfarer