The saloon was hopping with thirsty lumberjacks who wanted to relax, play a few games of cards, and be in the company of a pretty woman. Nicole stayed behind the bar since Caleb thought she still needed some training. Of course, watching the girls work also helped with Nicole's training.

Inwardly, Nicole groaned. Did Caleb expect her to act like the others? There was no way she could openly – and boldly – flirt like they were doing. The men would pull the women down to sit on their laps, and Nicole blushed just thinking about it. Most definitely, she would blush profusely. The men would tease her, which in turn, would make her more embarrassed.

"Don't be afraid," Weston said, nudging her arm.

She looked at the other bartender and smiled. He was like a brother to the other girls, and she should think of him that way, too. He seemed slightly younger than her, but maybe his baby-face made him appear too much more youthful. He was sweet to all the girls, and Nicole was still trying to get used to him. He always wore black, and she wondered if he didn't have any other colors of clothes.

"Weston, you don't understand. I'm afraid because I have never done anything like this before."

His forehead creased, and his gaze narrowed. "You've never flirted with men?"

"Never. My father wouldn't allow it."

He gasped, and his eye widened. "Then how... how did you expect you to... um, you know, find a man?"

She chuckled over how he awkwardly asked her that personal question. "I think my father wanted to be the one to pick my husband, instead of allowing me to find one."

Weston expelled a heavy breath, shaking his head. "Nikki, if you ask me, you are very lucky to have come to this place and have these women teach you."

She held her breath, not knowing whether to get upset with him for shortening her name or not. Yet, if she was supposed to think of him as a brother as the other girls did, then perhaps she shouldn't get mad. Sighing, she nodded. "I pray you're right, Weston."

He patted her arm. "I am." He winked. "In fact, if you need any pointers, feel free to ask me. Or," he stepped closer to her and leaned toward her ear, "if you need to practice on anyone, I'm your man."

Shock vibrated through her. So maybe he didn't want her to think of him as a brother. Yet, even if she didn't think that way about him, she wasn't attracted to him. She could never do as he suggested. "I'll think about it."

He moved away and filled another mug, and handed it to the patron sitting on the stool at the counter. She turned her gaze back on the girls as she continued her task of washing the dirty mugs and glasses. After a few minutes, Weston returned. He stood too close to her, but she wasn't sure what to say to get him to move.

"A few men have been asking about you." Weston's eyebrows waggled. "I let them know that you're in training for now. They are most eager to get to know you better."

Silently, she groaned. She prayed Weston didn't mean what she thought he meant. She was not like Brenda or the other girls. Nicole would never do that. "Thank you for letting them know I'm in training."

She shifted her stance, trying to turn her back on him. Unfortunately, the gesture didn't make him want to move away. She wasn't an outward rude person, but she could be if the situation called for it.

"Weston? How long have you been a bartender?" she asked over her shoulder, still trying to appear busy.

"Almost a year now. Caleb has been great in teaching me new techniques."

"How nice." She glanced at him. "Have you always wanted to work in a saloon?"

"No. I thought about going into my grandfather's profession."

"What is that?"

Weston grinned. "My grandfather is the doctor here in Stumptown."

She gasped in surprise. "Doctor Stiles is your grandfather?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful. I believe being a doctor is a great idea. Every town needs at least two, if you ask me."

"Well, I'd rather be a bartender. I get squeamish when I see blood and guts. I was with my grandfather once while he was working on a patient, and I nearly lost my lunch." Weston cringed. "But my grandfather loves blood and guts."

She chuckled. "I suppose if you go into that profession, one would have to like looking at the inside of a person's body."

"Exactly."

She turned back to washing the mugs. A minute later, Weston leaned against her again.

"I heard Caleb took you to his ranch and taught you how to shoot a gun." His voice was almost a whisper.

Nicole wasn't sure why he was acting this way toward her. Perhaps he didn't want those sitting at the bar to know what the girls had learned earlier today. "Yes. We all learned."

"So, do you think you're an expert now?"

She chuckled. "I'm not even close. The first time I shot the rifle, I nearly fell over."

Weston laughed. "Yeah, rifles definitely have more of a kick than a gun."

Nicole couldn't stop the grin from stretching her mouth as she remembered that moment. The other girls seemed to catch on quickly, but Nicole struggled with her learning. For some reason, she couldn't keep her arm straight while using the gun, and when she had the rifle, the danged thing kept knocking her backward.

One particular time, Caleb stood right in back of her, using his body as a brace so she wouldn't fall over. He had guided her arms on the way to hold the rifle, then again when she held the pistol. Warmth had spread through her from his nearness, and she became breathless. Feeling him so close had created tingles inside her that lasted throughout their lesson. Even thinking about it now caused her heartbeat to quicken.

"Nicole?" Mary's voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

Nicole snapped alert and looked at her new friend. Mary motioned toward the stage. Oh, dear! Nicole knew what that meant. It was time to lift her skirts and kicked up her heels. Heavens, this was such an improper dance. Indeed, her father would have heart palpitations if he knew what she was doing right now.

Mumbling an apology to Weston, she hurried with Mary up to the stage to join the other girls. Timothy's fingers brought the piano to life with the music that Nicole had learned the dance to. She smiled and tried to enjoy herself. After all, she needed to at least look like she was having fun.

Thankfully, she kept up with the other girls and didn't miss a step. Once they were finished, the roar of the crowd gave evidence of their success. Nicole smiled fully as she left the stage. On her way back to the bar, several men reached out and grabbed her arm, inviting her to sit on their lap. She declined sweetly and continued on her way. When she moved around the counter and stood by Weston, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Would she ever feel like she belonged here? For some reason, she had a bad feeling that she would never feel comfortable in a place like this.

* * * *

Exhausted from her busy night, Nicole slowly walked back to the boarding house, rubbing the achy muscles in her neck. She was certain that the muscles in her legs would be complaining tomorrow after dancing the Can-Can twice in one night.

At two o'clock in the morning, the air was bitter cold, and the small wind coming from the east wasn't helping any. Actually, it was helping to keep her awake, which was good. She tightened her cloak around her, trying to ward off the chill. The moon's brightness helped guide the way, yet several times the clouds passed over it, creating more shadows around her.

From a distance, a coyote howled, and seconds later, a dog barked. Since the wild animal sounded far away, she wasn't worried about it trying to attack her. However, after taking a few more steps, she heard another noise. Shuffling of feet on the boardwalk came her way.

Nicole peeked over her shoulder, but she didn't see anyone. She quickened her walk and slowly slid her hand inside the pocket of her cloak, feeling the pistol that Caleb had given her. He had warned the girls to carry it when they were alone.

She turned down a side street. Now the boarding house was in view... as long as another cloud didn't cover the moon.

Once again, someone's footsteps sounded as though they were heading her way. She looked over her shoulder again but only saw shadows. This time, one of the shadows moved.

Fear clawed through her, and she broke out into a run. This only made the footsteps behind her go faster.

With a shaky hand, she withdrew the pistol. Don't be afraid. She recalled what Caleb had said about a bear coming toward them. They had to remain in control.

Suddenly, the toe of her booted heel caught on something, and she tripped. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her knees screamed in pain since they had nothing to protect them from scraping the rocks beneath her. The pistol fell from her grasp.

She panicked and searched the shadows, moving her hand all around her on the ground. The crunching of rocks and dirt from the person following grew near. Finally, her hand brushed against the steel of the weapon. She grasped it and swung around, pointing the gun at whoever was coming her way.

The clouds had picked that moment to hide her light. She must do something. Now. She didn't want to end up like Brenda.

Trying to keep her aim steady, she narrowed her gaze on the shadowy target... and fired. The loud explosion from the bullet leaving the barrel startled her, making her fall back. A second later, she heard a man's voice cry out before falling.

"Nikki?" The man groaned painfully. "Why did you shoot me?"

Nicole gasped. "Weston?" On hands and knees, she crawled toward his voice. Once she reached him, the clouds moved away from the moon, giving her light once again.

Weston lay on the ground, clutching his arm as blood poured between his fingers and coated his coat. The pain in his expression broke her heart.

"Oh, Weston, forgive me. I didn't know it was you. Your black clothes blended in with the shadows."

He expelled a ragged breath. "It's my fault. I should have let you know it was me."

Another set of footsteps pounded on the boardwalk before turning down the small street Nicole and Weston were on. This time, she was able to see who was coming. Caleb!

"What happened?" Caleb's frantic voice called out.

"I shot Weston," Nicole said as her throat tightened. "I didn't mean to."

Caleb knelt beside Weston and carefully took off the young man's coat. Immediately, Caleb shrugged out of his coat and removed his suspenders. He wrapped them around Weston's arm, just above the wound. He tightened the suspenders. Weston cried out.

"This will slow the bleeding," Caleb said calmly.

"Thank," Weston muttered. "I feel like such a fool. I was following Nikki to make sure she got home safe, but I didn't tell her I was the one watching her."

"Oh, Weston." Tears burned Nicole's eyes as she touched his chest. "You are so kind to worry about me. I wish you would have said something."

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I wish I would have said something, too."

"I'm going to help you stand," Caleb said. "We need to get you to Doctor Stiles' office."

As Caleb wrapped an arm around Weston's waist, Nicole assisted on the other side of the injured man until they were all standing. As they started walking, Weston stumbled slightly.

"Are you going to make it to the doctor's office?" Nicole asked.

"Yes. I think I'm just in shock."

"You'll be fine," Caleb encouraged. "From what I could tell, the bullet went clean through her arm. All doctor will have to do is sew a few stitches on both sides, wrap gauze around your arm, and you'll be able to go home."

Weston chuckled again. "You probably think I'm a weakling right now. But, I've never been shot before."

Guilt weighed heavily on Nicole's chest. Now she realized why she hated guns. She remained quiet as they helped Weston to the doctor's office, fighting the tears that were building up. She'd wait to cry until she got home. She didn't need either man worrying over her when Weston needed the attention right now.

It didn't take very long after reaching the doctor's office for Doctor Stiles to help Weston into a room.

"You were wise to bring him here immediately," Doctor Stiles said. "It won't take me long to sew him up. However, you two don't have to stay. If it's all right with Weston, he can stay here the night."

"Yes," Caleb answered for Weston. "Please keep him overnight." He looked at Weston. "And don't worry about coming to work tomorrow. You need to heal now."

Weston nodded. He looked at Nicole and frowned. "Once again, I'm sorry for scaring you."

Nicole fought back the tears. "You are forgiven as long as you forgive me for shooting you."

Weston chuckled lightly. "Then we're even."

As Nicole and Caleb left the doctor's office, the energy from what had happened left her body, making her feel colder than she was before. She tightened her cloak, but it wasn't helping. Soon, her body began to shake.

"Nicole? Are you all right?"

Caleb's caring voice was the key to her breakdown. She shook her head as the tears rushed forth. She leaned against him, pressing her face against his chest. Immediately, his arms wrapped around her.

"Shhh. It's all right now." His warm hands rubbed up and down her back.

"If he had only told me..." Her voice broke. "Oh, Caleb, I actually shot someone! What if I had killed him?"

"Nicole, my sweet." He cupped her chin and lifted her head until their eyes met. "And what if it was the person who killed Brenda? Then you would have saved yourself from your cousin's fate. You must look at it that way."

"I shall try."

"And we should also thank the Lord that Weston's injury isn't very bad at all. He'll be just fine. As a former doctor, I promise you that."

She licked her dry lips and nodded. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up." She stepped away from him and wiped the tears from her face. "I should go back to the boarding house now. I'm so very tired, even though after what happened, I'm sure I won't get any sleep."

"No."

Nicole gave Caleb a confused stare. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not letting you be by yourself tonight. I'll take you to my ranch. I have lots of empty bedrooms. I'm sure you'll find one that you will like."

Her heartbeat skipped a beat as a flutter rippled through her. She wasn't sure that was a good idea at all. She would definitely not sleep tonight knowing that they were in the same house – alone.

However, his invitation eased her nerves. Whether she slept or not, she knew she'd feel much safer with him around than if she was by herself.

"All right," she whispered. "I'll let you take me there."

The words spilled from her mouth without any complications. Heavens, what was she getting herself into now?