After a beautiful evening together the night before, Solomon offered to take her to three of the art galleries in town the next morning. Then they will check with the Western Union office and possibly have brunch together.
“Oh, Hope, I want to be able to take care of us, so that never again will I have to depend on someone else for our needs. Although, I could get used to Solomon. He's amazing, isn't he?” she asks her daughter who yawns in response.
A knock on the door startles her. Solomon is running late, and Faith has a sense that something is wrong, she didn’t hear the carriage. Swiftly, she places Hope on the couch and covers her. A quick step moves her to the corner and lifts her rifle, cocking it with a swift familiar motion of her wrist. Another knock, this time more insistent has her aiming her now loaded rifle at the door.
“Who is it?” she asks without opening the door. No answer. Just another knock and the sounds of footsteps retreating. She's trembling now, and she sees a shadow move past the window in the living room. Faith moves quickly to the couch to protect Hope, and yells out, “I have a gun! Go away, or I will shoot you!”
Nothing, not a sound can be heard. Faith slips her finger to the smooth trigger of the rifle and glances down at Hope. The scraping of a wooden window in her back room has Faith trembling. Heavy footsteps and she raises her gun firing a shot through the hall, straight into the back room of the house and quickly cocks the rifle again. The concussion of the blast startles Hope, and she starts crying.
Solomon is pulling up when he hears the shotgun blast. He leaps from the wagon and runs with his pistol drawn. “Faith!” he roars out. She tears open the door, holding a screaming baby to her chest and a smoking rifle.
“Out back, someone tried to come in the back window!” She’s terrified and relieved to see him.
“Stay here!” he orders and runs around the back of the house while Faith backs into the corner of the small porch. She bounces Hope and coos in her ear.
“It’s okay, Hope. We’re safe now. It’s okay.” The startled screams turn to hiccups and Faith see’s movement and turns her head losing her breath. Aiden is on a horse staring at her with a triumphant smile. He tips his hat and kicks his horse into a gallop before she can scream for help.
“No, no, no….” she gasps and rushes inside. She places Hope on the bed and drags out her bag. Solomon returns and finds her weeping and stuffing clothes into a bag. Hope is laying on the bed, kicking her feet and Faith's in a frenzy of movement, “I have to go!”
“Faith, what’s going on? I told you to stay…” he stops when she looks up at him with her eyes full of terror.
She points past him to the wall where a knife is pinning a piece of paper. It’s the piece of paper with the list of art galleries on them.
“I lost it yesterday, I thought,” he whispers.
“He left it stuck to the w... w... wall,” she hiccups and continues packing.
Solomon grabs her by her upper arms and stills her. “Faith! Who did this?”
“Aiden was here. He wanted me to know that he was here, and when you ran out back, he rode around the side on his horse, Solomon. He knows where I am!” her voice is getting louder and louder and he can feel her trembling.
“Faith! I won’t let anything happen to either of you. I promise. Look at me!” he demands gruffly.
“You don't know what he's capable of Solomon! He told me in clear words what he would do to me once. Billy thought I was being dramatic. I begged him to come home. You don’t understand.” She shoves him away and starts shoving clothing into a bag, once more.
When Solomon tries to stop her, she turns and points, “That's Billy's knife!” she screams at him. “I don't know how he got it, but I know we aren't safe here any longer.”
Solomon's mind is spinning. He's terrified of losing her. When he heard the gunshot, his heart almost stopped. His decision made, he pulls her close and kisses her softly.
“He's gone now, Faith, but you're right, it’s not safe for you here. This morning I stopped at the Western Union office, that's why I was late. They have the jobs posted. I brought them for you to look at. If you're interested in one of them, then you can be on a train this afternoon. We can sell your art on the way, Faith.”
Faith burst into tears and throws herself into his arms. “Solomon,” she mumbles, and he lifts her into his arms and sits on the edge of the bed with her in his lap. He holds her until the trembling stops, and both of them laugh when Hope coos.
Faith looks up and her heart sighs. She takes his mouth softly at first, then more urgently. “I want to remember the taste of you, the feel of you,” she whispers between kisses. Mostly, the sense of belonging she feels when she's in his arms. Moaning, Faith opens her mouth and his tongue darts inside dancing with hers. The pleasure is so intense she is certain that he will think her a harlot, but the possessiveness in his kiss wipes her mind of all doubt.
Solomon pulls back and stares into her eyes. “You are driving me to distraction, Faith. What I wouldn't give to take you and run? I have half a mind to do just that,” his hands grip her upper arms tightly
