I stayed with Kana until Dr. Ayame came down early the next morning. She brought me a cup of strong, black coffee, saying, "Hiro told me you insisted on standing guard last night. How's the patient? Has he woken up at all?"

I gratefully accepted the steaming cup and suddenly feeling very tired, quickly took a sip as I replied, "Just once. He was confused at first, but seemed to clear up a little once I reminded him where he was. He recognized me right away, he just didn't know where he was or remember what had happened at first."

Dr. Ayame smiled, saying, "I think he'd recognize you even if he had total amnesia, Alice."

I blushed a little and continued, "He didn't want any more medication then. He... he was talking kind of strangely, though. Was it because of the painkillers you gave him?"

"Could be," she replied. "What'd he say?" So I related the conversation to her, and she looked at me thoughtfully, saying slowly, "It sounds to me like he was perfectly lucid, just possibly a little more blunt than usual, even for him. But I think he was simply speaking from his heart, Alice. And it's very good advice."

She looked down at Kana for a moment, then turned to me and said, "Well, you must be about done in. And you've got farm chores to do. I'll have to see about finding someone to tend to his animals. He's not going to be able to do that for a while!"

"Oh, I'll see to them, Dr. Ayame." She started to protest, but I cut her off, saying, "No, really—he's such a good friend, and I know he'd do the same for me. Besides, I'm the only one in town who's familiar enough with his horses and his routine to care for them for him. So when he wakes up, tell him I'm taking care of his animals. I'll even put a sign up that his business is closed for a few days, though I don't think that's absolutely necessary. Okay?"

After a minute's hesitation, Dr. Ayame nodded consent. "Okay. You're right, you're the one best suited. But as soon as you've taken care of your farm and his animals, I want you asleep in your bed! You look like you're about to fall asleep where you're standing."

I nodded, saying, "I'd planned to pay some New Year's calls today, but they'll have to wait. I think my friends will understand. I might talk to Georgia when I go to Bluebell next, though, and see if she'd be able to come and stay here to take care of things for Kana while he's out of commission. She's even better suited than I am, since she's every bit as horse-crazy as he is!"

"That's not a bad idea," Dr. Ayame commented. "Now get going—I want you in bed as soon as possible!"

I drained my mug and stood up, then I knelt next to Kana and as softly as I possibly could, I kissed the top of his head. He smiled slightly but remained asleep, so I said goodbye to Dr. Ayame and hurried off.

I stopped at Kana's house first, as it was on my way. I tended to his horses and left them to graze in the warm spring sun—for spring had arrived overnight. Then I fed the cats and dogs in his shop, and I found a piece of paper to make into a sign, which I taped over the signboard outside his shop door as I left. "I should be planting my spring crops today," I thought ruefully to myself as I slowly walked down my long driveway, "but I'm just too exhausted. It'll have to wait until tomorrow." I looked regretfully at my empty fields, then tiredly tended my animals before finally stumbling into my house. I shed my clothes, too tired to even pick them up from where they'd fallen on the floor, too tired even to put on pajamas. I just crawled into bed in my underclothes and was asleep within seconds.

I awoke to the sound of knocking on my door, followed by the sound of my door opening and closing quietly. I sat up, dazed and confused, and looked around. The room was softly lit by richly golden sunlight, so I guessed it must be late afternoon. I blinked, trying to focus, then I realized two things: first, I wasn't alone, and second, I was wearing nothing but a bra and panties. I squealed and hauled my covers up to my neck, as I realized that Cam was standing there in my kitchen, red-faced and flustered. "C-C-Cam?" I stammered, scarlet with embarrassment. "Wha... ?"

"I'm so sorry," he interrupted. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I tried to be as quiet as I could. We all heard from Dirk about what happened with Kana. He said you were up all night sitting with him and that you were taking care of his animals and everything. Laney thought you'd be too exhausted to cook, so she fixed up a basket of food and asked me to bring it to you. Georgia loaned me a horse and rode over with me; she's going to take care of his animals tonight, and go visit him at the clinic." He set a basket on the table, then turned his back to me, still bright red with embarrassment. "So... ahh... I guess I'll be going. I'm sorry for startling you."

He started to head towards the door, but I called out, "Wait, Cam! Please don't go. I'd like you to stay. Just, uhh... just close your eyes for a second while I get my robe." He seemed to tense slightly, but he nodded and kept his back to me while I hastened to slip my kimono over my shoulders, tying the sash into a quick knot. "Okay, I'm... well, covered at least. Let me start the kettle, and then I'll get dressed." He turned around, blushing again at the sight of me in my robe, and sat down on the sofa. I filled the kettle and set it to boil, then picked out some clothes and hurried to the bathroom to change. It felt hot in the house, so I guessed it had turned into quite a warm, sunny day. I felt another pang of regret that I hadn't been able to plant anything today. Maybe if I worked late... but then I remembered I hadn't yet bought seeds from Gombe. I gave up with a regretful sigh and dressed, changing my underclothes and pulling on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless cotton blouse that I tied at the waist. Tying my hair back into a ponytail, I hung up my robe and went out.

The kettle had just reached a boil, so I started the tea brewing. Suddenly realizing that I hadn't eaten anything but a couple of cookies since breakfast the day before and that I was ravenous, I grabbed Laney's basket and started pulling things out, exclaiming in delight as I unearthed sandwiches, salads, fruit, cheese, cookies, cake, and even a bottle of chilled wine. My eyes filled with tears of gratitude at her kindness, and I turned to Cam, saying, "I can't believe how much stuff Laney packed! It's just so sweet of her. I don't know how to thank her! Or you, for bringing it all this way. You have no idea how tired I am—or how hungry!"

Cam rose and joined me, saying "I'm glad you're pleased. We were both glad to do something for you. You're always so kind, looking after others and never asking for anything in return. You never ask for help, either—I've never once heard of you posting a request on the message board for yourself—so this is a rare chance for others to do things for you for a change."

He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me closer, hugging me to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I put my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, feeling blissfully happy. "It's so nice to feel appreciated," I thought.

I was happy just standing there in Cam's embrace, but after a minute, my stomach growled—loudly—reminding me that I needed to eat, and soon. I jumped, startled, and turned bright red. Cam laughed and steered me towards the table, then waited on me—bringing me tea and a heaping plate of food. I insisted that he sit down and join me, so he did, though he didn't eat much. Or at least not as much as I did, but then I was ravenous. I really tried hard not to wolf my food, but I didn't quite succeed—I just wolfed a little more slowly.

After a while, I was too full to eat another bite, and I pushed my plate away with a contented sigh. Cam raised an eyebrow as he twirled a forkful of salad, swishing it through the last dregs of dressing on his plate. "Full already?" he asked teasingly.

"Please, Cam, don't make fun of me!" I protested. "I really was hungry—the last time I ate anything was the cookies I had with you yesterday!"

Cam's other eyebrow shot up in surprise and he dropped his fork as he exclaimed, "You haven't eaten in over a day? And after doing all that housework, and horseback riding, and all that stuff that happened last night, and then doing your chores plus Kana's? For goddess's sake, Alice! You need to take better care of yourself than that! And honestly, I wasn't picking on you. I was surprised that you ate so little. But now I'm even more surprised, and to be honest, a little worried. Your health is important—you're important." I nodded, feeling somewhat abashed after his mild lecture. Seeing my chastened expression, he reached for my hand and squeezed it. "I just want to know that you're okay. I don't want to have to be constantly worrying that you're off fainting in the woods somewhere, exhausted and half-starved!"

He stood up and started to carry dishes to the kitchen, putting leftovers into my old-fashioned ice box and washing up. He chased me off when I tried to interpose, telling me that I still looked pretty worn out. "Don't worry, I promise not to break anything. Now go sit down and rest!" he said, twisting the dishtowel into a rat tail and menacing me with it when I was slow to obey. I yelped and darted out of the kitchen, quickly sitting down on the sofa. I didn't really mind him cleaning up—I was grateful, in fact, as I was still very tired. But I didn't like to be told what to do, nor did I like to let people do things for me. I never had—I'd always preferred to do things myself than to ask for help.

A few minutes later, unable to bear just sitting and doing nothing, I jumped up and grabbed my mending basket and started to work on some mending I had to do. I had quite a lot to do, and I was falling behind. Not only did I have my own clothing to mend, I'd also taken in some of the mending for several villagers, mostly bachelors who lacked skill with a needle and thread. I had a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts for Kana, a jacket for Mikhail, a canvas work apron for Sheng, two pairs of pants and three shirts for Dirk, a few bandanas and a down vest for Mako, and a blouse and a dress for Reina.

When Cam joined me, bringing the wine from the basket out with him along with a couple of glasses, he found me half-buried in a pile of clothes, my needle flying as I whittled down my pile of repairs. I set aside the pair of pants I was working on to take the glass he offered, and I noticed him looking oddly at the assortment of clothing that surrounded me. I laughed as I put everything back in the work basket to make room for him to sit, and I explained, showing him some of the repairs I had made so far as I set the articles of clothing aside in my large basket. He seemed impressed by how neatly and quickly I effected my repairs, but he also looked exasperated, saying only, "I thought I told you to rest!" as he laughed at my inability to simply sit and do nothing.

He sat down next to me on the small sofa, picking up his glass and leaning back. I snuggled up to him, tucking my feet up under me and leaning my head against his chest. He transferred his glass to his other hand and put his arm around my shoulders, gently stroking my back. We sat like that for a while, enjoying the peaceful evening and each other's company as we sipped our wine.

After a time, I looked up at him, and caught a wistful, far-away expression on his face. "Penny for your thoughts?" I said softly.

He started and looked down at me, turning a little red. "Oh, ahhh... n-nothing. It was... nothing," he stammered.

"Oh, c'mon. 'Fess up!" I said—now it was my turn to tease him. "Tell me, what was it you were thinking about? You looked like you were a million miles away!"

He looked down at me, then set his glass down on the table and stroked my cheek gently. "I... I was just thinking how nice it would be if... if we could be like this all the time. You know, what it would be like if we were married, and I could spend every evening with you this way." He turned scarlet and looked away with a sigh.

I stared at him for a minute, feeling my own face flushing, then nestled my cheek against his chest again, saying "Yeah... I think that sounds pretty nice, too...."

He quickly looked at me, then he lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes. "Alice...." he murmured softly. He took the glass from my hand and set it on the table, then he leaned down and kissed me, pulling me closer. After a minute, he pulled away, then he scooped me up in his arms and pulled me onto his lap.

I put my arms around his neck and again we kissed. I tasted the wine on his breath and breathed the scents of the outdoors and scents from the café, fresh baked bread and spices—as well as the ubiquitous scents of flowers and herbs clinging to him. "Being kissed by him is like being caressed by a warm, gentle, spring breeze in a flower garden," I thought as I melted into his embrace. He held me lightly as we kissed, one arm wrapped around me, supporting my shoulders, while his other hand ran lightly up and down my leg, caressing me gently.

I don't know how long we sat like that, just kissing, but after some time, we were startled by a knock on the door. Georgia immediately stepped in, then stopped, turning red with embarrassment, when she saw us snuggled together on the sofa. Her hand flew to her mouth as she said, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I was... I was just stopping by to see if Cam was ready to head back! I'll... umm, I'll just go... " she stammered, obviously trying to think where she could go and wait discreetly.

Cam and I looked at each other, and I smiled. I rose as she started to shrink back out the door, and I called to her, "No, please come on in, Georgia. I wanted to talk to you."

She returned, looking curious but still a little embarrassed. I took her hands and said, "Georgia, I wondered... this might be a little presumptuous of me, but.... You know Kana's going to need help for a while, probably a few weeks at least, until his arm has healed enough for him to handle the animals on his own, right? And he'll need help with his shop—if it stays closed until he's mended, well, that'll be really hard on him, losing all that income. So...."

I hesitated, then Georgia's face brightened, and she said, "Oh! I could come and help out! His shop is just like Daddy's, and I looove horses! If I take it real easy, I can ride Dakota over, then she can visit with Hayate while I'm here. Do you know if there is an extra guest room in the town hall? Mikhail is staying there, right?"

"Oh, Georgia!" I exclaimed. "That is just exactly what I was going to ask you. I'm so glad you suggested it yourself! So what do you think? I don't know how long he'll need help, but I'd think at least a couple of weeks, probably longer. Can your dad spare you that long?"

"Oh, sure—he can get Ash to help out a little, and between you and me and the fencepost, Daddy could use the extra exercise! Oh, this is great! I'm going to ride back to town right this minute to talk to Daddy about it. Oh, I should talk to Ina first to be sure about a room, and then... " She trailed off, happily murmuring to herself a list of things she needed to do or pack as she hurried out the door, not even thinking to close it behind her in her distraction.

I gently closed it, then returned to Cam, saying, "Now... where were we?" as I settled back onto his lap and put my arms back around his neck.

This time we had barely even resumed our kiss when another knock came to the door. I sighed and leaned my head against Cam's chest, murmuring, "I swear, Cam, I don't get this many visitors often!" He smiled, though he looked wistful as he kissed the tip of my nose. Before I could move, though, the door opened, and Mikhail stepped in. He froze when he saw the two of us together, just stood staring silently at us. Then he swiftly turned and left, closing the door with a bang behind him.

I looked in alarm at Cam, getting up and saying, "Cam, I'd better go talk to him. Can you wait here?"

He grabbed my arm as I turned to run to the door, and pulled me back. His eyes searched mine as he asked, "And what are you going to tell him, Alice? Have you made up your mind? Or are you just going to remind him that you're still thinking it over and haven't decided?" I gasped, stung by his words, sensitive as I was to the subject.

His eyes softened as he pulled me down on the sofa next to him, saying, "I'm sorry. I know you're not doing it on purpose, and I honestly don't begrudge you the time you need to make up your mind. Still, it is hard, not just the waiting and the uncertainty—that I can bear. It's... it's seeing you with someone else that gets to me. It makes me seethe inside, and I find myself wanting to do things that I would never have thought myself even capable of before. And Mikhail seems to be more temperamental than I am—I'm sure it must affect him, too. Do you see?"

I slowly nodded, then said, "But Cam, even if I can't tell him anything new or helpful, I can't just let him go, either. Don't you understand? Imagine if it was you, and you walked in to see me with him the way he found us. You'd be furious and hurt, but how much more hurt would you be if I didn't come after you and try to talk to you? You know it would be worse for me to just let you go than to come after you. At least then you'd know that I cared."

Reluctantly, Cam nodded and let go of my arm. "But," he called after me as I rushed to the door, "I'll be waiting right here for you to come back!" I flashed a grateful smile at him as I hastily slipped my shoes on. Then I ran out the door and into the lengthening shadows of the evening.