"I should be getting home, Anita," Emma admitted after they'd shown Cassandra around the boarding house.

"Of course," Anita agreed, glancing out the window at the late afternoon sky. "I'll take you in the cart."

"Can I come along?" Cassandra asked. "I ain't quite used to being cooped up in a town."

"Of course." Anita turned her gaze to Lauren. "You stay and get yourself cleaned up for supper. You look like you've been rolling around in a pig sty."

Lauren wiped her dirty hand on her dress. "It ain't that bad."

Emma, Cassandra and Anita loaded into the cart. They hadn't traveled far from town when they came upon Ben. "Hello ladies," he greeted with a tip of his head.

Anita smiled. "Hello Ben. We were just taking Emma home."

"I'll ride with you," Ben offered. "I was heading that way on my way up the mountain."

"Why are you going on the mountain?" Emma questioned.

His features were strained. "A funeral. Not one I'm too keen on performing but it is my duty as the preacher."

"Preacher?!" Cassandra demanded. "You can't be a preacher! Every preacher I've ever meant is either old or fat. Why, you're plumb handsome!"

Emma gasped with surprise, Anita laughed quietly into her hand and Ben's eyes widened so comically that they appeared ready to pop from his head.

He cleared his throat as his cheeks turned a deeper red than Emma had ever seen. "Uh... well.. thank you, ma'am. You.. uh.. you're quite lovely, yourself....I.." Ben cleared his throat loudly and tugged at his collar. "I don't believe we've ever met."

"No, you haven't," Anita aided the flustered man. "This is Cassandra. She just moved to Silver Falls to stay with me awhile. Cassandra, this is Ben Owens. He's our local preacher."

Cassandra smiled as she picked at trousers. "It's nice to meet you, Benjamin. I probably shouldn't have come out and said what I did... I don't have real good manners. That's one of the reasons my pa sent me to Miss Anita's."

Ben shook his head, seeming to overcome his initial shock and embarrassment. "Don't apologize, Miss Cassandra. I enjoyed the compliment and it's good to meet people who say exactly what they mean."

"That's me," Cassandra beamed. "No filter."

"Oh dear..." Anita muttered. "I'm afraid this one might make Lauren seem like a walk in the park on a Sunday afternoon."

Emma bit her lip a moment before asking, "Who's funeral are you on your way to?"

Ben's eyes softened. "Not that funeral." Then he shrugged. "Unfortunately." Before Emma had time to fully process what he'd just said, Ben continued. "Apparently a man was up there during that storm a week or so ago and he got turned around and walked off a cliff. They just recently found his body and have asked me to come speak a few words. I'm supposed to say a few good things about the deceased and offer his family comfort that he's gone to heaven...."

Ben let out a sigh and glanced at the scenery. "And then pray for the Lord to forgive me for the sin of lying."

Again Emma gasped before stifling her laugher behind her hand. Anita was quick to scold Ben, though Emma was certain the older woman was fighting a smile. Cassandra, however, smacked her leg and laughed so loudly, she startled several birds in a nearby tree.

Ben cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter in the saddle.

The rest of the ride passed quickly with easy conversation and laughter. Emma found that she liked Cassandra. The woman was certainly rough around the edges but she seemed honest and friendly enough.

When they arrived at the cabin, Emma couldn't hold back her smile. Liam was in the yard using a two man saw with Kyle to cut branches off a tree.

He looked so strong.. so handsome.

Liam looked up, his eyes caught hers and a smile formed on his face as well. Emma's heart sped up while butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

"I'm guessing that must be your man. He sure does look at you like a man in love," Cassandra noted.

Emma blushed and glanced down at her skirt. Anita smiled. "Emma's been good for my nephew. And he looks at her that way because that's exactly what he is."

Patrick, Liam, Chase and Kyle stopped their work and, while Chase, Kyle and Liam approached the cart, Patrick made a quick escape to the barn—clearly he still wasn't quite ready to risk conversation with Anita.

"I'd like for all of you to meet Cassandra," Anita spoke up, motioning toward the woman who was shifting in the seat and tugging at the knees of her trousers. "Cassandra, this is Liam, Chase and Kyle," Anita added, pointing to them each in turn. "And the coward that tucked tail and ran into the barn when he saw me was Patrick."

"He's not really mean," Chase countered. "He's just got the good sense to realize Anita is a woman you don't want to tangle with."

Liam helped Emma from the cart and as the group continued with small talk, he pulled her slightly to the side. "Did you have a good time?"

Emma smiled up at him and nodded. "I did. I..." She bit her lip. "I told Anita about what happened on the mountain..."

Liam tensed and Emma saw the guilt in his eyes. She knew he blamed himself for what Shade had done. "And?" he asked tightly.

Emma placed a tender hand on his cheek and felt her heart swell as Liam leaned into her touch. "And, I'm okay."

Liam stared down at his wife and was once again amazed at the strength in women. He believed her when she said she was okay. Emma was no liar and Liam could read her emotions like a book.

She was tiny, small and delicate and yet she had greater strength than men three times her size.

"I'll be going now," Ben called out.

"Have fun telling lies at that funeral, Ben," Cassandra replied.

Liam frowned. "Funeral?"

"Lies?" Chase chimed in. "I thought holy men didn't tell lies."

Ben cleared his throat. "Of course we can, Chase. The Lord allows us three a year to use wisely," he stated dryly. Ben turned his attention to Liam. "A mountain man died during that storm a week ago. He got turned around up in that fog and walked right off a cliff."

The hairs on the back of Liam's neck rose to attention. "Who?"

"Shade Marxton is his name. I'd rather not speak for him but I do as I'm asked."

Liam felt the shock Emma felt as she gripped his hand tightly. Liam himself was feeling pretty damn shocked. Shade Marxton was dead? He'd died the day of the storm?

"Hell, I thought mountain men knew those mountains and cliffs like the back of their hands. How does one walk off of one?" Chase demanded.

"Maybe he had help," Kyle stated.

Anita huffed. "Yes, the good Lord himself led the man up there and threw him off just to save us all the headache."

"Anita!" Emma and Cassandra gasped in unison.

Anita shrugged. "What? I refuse to sit and act as if his death is any great loss." She shot Emma a pointed look. "It is my most heartfelt belief that he got exactly what he deserved."

"Damn straight he did," Liam all but growled.

He was still trying to figure out how that had happened. Chase was right. Mountain men knew the mountains. They didn't just wonder off a cliff.....

He felt eyes on him and glanced toward the barn to see Patrick watching him closely. His father had disappeared the night of the storm after Liam and Emma had returned home. Liam hadn't read much into it, or the limp the man had had the next morning—he'd assumed Patrick had just gone into town and possibly drank too much and stumbled his way into a curled ankle.

But what if that wasn't what had happened.... Patrick had seemed awful mad that night. And Patrick knew those mountains just as well as any mountain man.

Their gazes met and Liam saw his father give the smallest of nods.

Hell.

Just when Liam thought he was figuring things out life had thrown yet another surprise his way.