Buck was torn in two directions. He wanted to make this moment last for the rest of his life, yet he never wanted to see her again. She was on the other side of the fireplace, on her bedroll, resting with her face turned to him. It was boring them to death just waiting the rain out, but they had no other choice. Buck's plan to make her angry was slowly but safely pushed to the very back of his head. He still wanted to do it, but he couldn't. She was so sweet and warm and wonderful and...

He sighed deeply and let his head down on the bedroll again. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what life was like before he met her. Before he even saw her. Funny as it may seem, he couldn't recall a single moment.

Cami looked up. Buck seemed to be asleep on the other side of the straining flames, and watching him brought out a number of emotions. He was so handsome, so beautiful. He wasn't at all like those boys her friends talked about. They were either "cute" or "dandy" but Buck was so much more. He was everything. She wished she remembered the date of that first day she saw him, but she couldn't be sure when exactly it was. But today was the twentieth. That much she did know. She would always remember this day, and especially this moment. Watching him like this was perhaps not very ladylike, but at least it was satisfying. And as long as he was asleep he wouldn't know about it anyway. So she kept peering at him through the flames.

~*~*~*~

Joshua Johnson stalked into the marshal's office with a stern look on his face. Teaspoon however could see there was more than anger in his eyes; there was a lot of sadness and scare too. And pain.

"Can I help you, Mr. Johnson?" he asked from behind his desk; letting his feet land on the floor again.

"My daughter's missing, marshal!" Johnson ejaculated and walked up to the older man's desk, removing his hat as he went.

"Which one?" Teaspoon asked and sat up straight in the chair.

"The younger one, Cami."

Teaspoon looked into the scared father's eyes and read the sincerity of his shock.

"How do you know she's really missing?" he asked pedagogically.

"She left this," Johnson said and fished up a note from his vest pocket.

Teaspoon read the note a couple of times.

Teaspoon looked up and studied Johnson's face.

"She's never done anything like this before!" the younger man cried. "What am I to do?"

"Says right here she'll come back, don't it?" Teaspoon pointed out.

"But what if something happened to her?"

"How old is your daughter, Mr. Johnson?" Teaspoon asked back.

"Almost eighteen. Seventeen," Johnson said and let his right hand comb through his short brown hair.

"She's about old enough to take care of herself, don't you think?" Teaspoon said.

"Are you saying I shouldn't worry at all?" Johnson almost cried in Teaspoon's face.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying your daughter may not be in trouble at all. She did say in that note she knew where she was going." Joshua Johnson looked into the marshal's eyes and received a calm and steady look.

"You know," he started with a much calmer voice. "Her mother says she did the exact same thing when she was Cami's age. She told me she went away and had her entire family worried, only to return a couple of days later with a man."

Teaspoon nodded. "Does Cami know about this?"

"Sure. She and her mother have a very close relationship. What are you implying, marshal?"

"Maybe, and don't take this too seriously now, but maybe." Teaspoon started and rose from the chair. He went around his desk and placed a comforting hand on Johnson's shoulder. "Maybe your daughter is facing the same dilemma your wife once did."

"What dilemma is that?" Johnson asked.

"Your wife must have had a crush on that man she returned with, am I right?"

"Yes, but how...??"

"I know my fair share about women, Mr. Johnson. Been married a few times, see." Johnson looked at Teaspoon's face and tried to get the hint. "Anyway, have your daughter ever had a crush before?"

"Not to my knowledge. Oh, and my wife and I talk a lot about that, so I'm sure I would have known if Cami was swooning about some young man," Johnson said and his entire face lit up. "Do you think she is?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Teaspoon asked with a grin. "I tell you what, if you wanna go after your daughter I can't stop ya, but if she ain't back by the end of the week I'll send out a man or two to look for her. How's that?"

"Thanks, marshal."

Johnson shook Teaspoon's hand and went outside.

"Mr. Johnson!" Teaspoon called him back, holding up the note from Cami. Johnson nodded his thanks and took the note. Teaspoon watched him mount and ride home, then walked inside his office again. The whole conversation only had him thinking about Buck.

"Son, is that why you left too?" he asked to the silence.