Emiliano was helping two of the Regulators, Henry Newton Brown and Yginio, separate the hay and feed the horses. While working, he couldn't stop thinking about last night; he had fun. It had been a while since he camped that were not with the Regulators. Luke liked to push his buttons but in a playful manner. Emiliano knew he shouldn't trust him, but his heart was telling him otherwise; it confused him why he felt such a way. "Hey Emiliano, when ya finish, can ya go feed the pigs? For some reason, Billy hasn't done it," said Henry.

"Sure." He completed his task early and went to get the pigs' food. That was in another small barn that was far from the horse stables. Once there, he mixed the food, put them into two buckets, and walked toward the pigs' den. At the corner of his eyes, he noticed two figures walking toward the ranch. Emiliano was alert as he put the buckets down and ran toward the wooded fence to see who was arriving. As the figure got closer, he realized that they were women.

When they came into view, his heart momentarily stopped beating, and his eyes and lips widened. Emiliano jumped over the fence; his legs trembled. "G-Gouyen?"

Annmarie and Gouyen had small conversations during their walk until they noticed Emiliano from afar; they stopped. Gouyen saw her childhood friend stand in her path. Her heart stopped a beat; her eyes were filled with tears. She slowly began to run even though her feet and legs were exhausted from her long travel. 

Emiliano also began to run. He stopped while motioning out his arms; Gouyen jumped at him. They tightly hugged one another. Their warmth brought out their happiness. Emiliano felt Gouyen's tears dripping down his shirt. He had the sudden urge to cry but refrained himself. "G-Gouyen, I-I can't believe you're here! How did you find me!?" He then noticed her state. "Did you come here by yourself? You look like you've been through hell."

"My horse died on me, and I had to go on the road on foot, but I was fortunate to have found her." They looked at Annmarie, who watched everything unfold. Emiliano sighed. "Thank you so much for this, Annmarie. You brought my friend to me." 

He went toward her and hugged her tightly. Feeling his warmth made her heart swell. Annmarie didn't want the feeling to end. However, Emiliano let her go as he went to Gouyen. "Thank you for helping me, Miss. I will never forget your kindness."

Annmarie smiled and nodded in response as she watched the two walk away. She was a little hurt that Emiliano did not put her much mind. "His friend has come a long way; he just wants to see how she is doing." She began to walk back to the county.

Emiliano led Gouyen to the cowboy house, which was empty. He led her and motioned her to sit on his bunk. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I ate some bread, but I am still famished."

"Wait here; I'll bring more food for you." The young man left the room again, and Gouyen looked around and saw the many beds. Moments went by, and Emiliano reentered the room, holding a tray of bread, meat, potatoes, and a cup of sweet potato coffee. Gouyen got a hold of the tray and began to eat. It was silent between them, and he had many questions and felt guilty for leaving her and the tribe. "H-How is the tribe? I'm surprised that they let you leave."

Gouyen stopped eating momentarily. "The tribe was forced to move to a new reservation. The Government passed a new law requiring them to move away from the town. I always hoped you would return, but I decided to find you myself when the law passed. I left without the tribe's permission." Without warning, Gouyen slapped Emiliano across the face, surprising him. "That's for leaving!"

"Ow, you never lost your touch." Emiliano felt his cheek stinging from the impact; he missed having her around. However, he had to think of what would happen to her. Gouyen wouldn't be safe staying on the ranch.

"So it's true, a native woman came to see you." The duo cringed as they saw Billy and Richard by the doorway. "Billy here noticed her arrival and informed me. Who is she?"

"She's my childhood friend from the tribe I'm from. She came a long way to see me, and I couldn't refuse her."

Gouyen stood up and put the tray to her side. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Richard raised his eyebrows. "You can speak English?"

"Yes, Emiliano's Mother taught me."

"Interesting." Richard then focused on Emiliano. "Where is she going to go? She might be a distraction for you and the men here."

Emiliano then remembered something. "I have an idea where she can go. You don't have to worry."

Richard nodded as he left; Billy, however, glared at him and Gouyen and slowly made his way outside. "It seems that man doesn't like you. The way he looks at you is frightening." The young woman sat back down, finishing her food.

"When you finish, I will take you to someone you will stay with. I guess you can say that we became well acquainted."

"Who?"

"You'll meet him soon."

Meanwhile, Luke rode his horse through the fields where his workers worked, ensuring the crops were in check. Isaac was beside him as he looked at the sky. "Look like it goin' to rain, sir. Should we cut the day short?"

"Sure looks like it. Tell the others they can return home when it starts raining." Isaac nodded and went to the cowboys to help inform the workers. Meanwhile, Luke went to the horse stables to put his horse back in its place and walked back home. The interior was silent, just as he liked it. His wife and son were not home but at Brady's residence.

Once inside his study, he closed the door behind him. He sat behind his desk, got out his journal, and began writing. While writing, he didn't notice Emiliano and Gouyen standing outside his window. Outside, Emiliano was tapping on the window, but it seemed he wasn't heard. Gouyen stood behind him as she looked around, ensuring they weren't seen. "E-Emiliano, are you certain about this!? You have only known this man only for a little while!"

"Don't worry; he's a good man." He tapped the window again with his finger, but there was still no response. Emiliano uttered an annoyed gruff."Luuukkkee..." he said in a high-tone whisper.

Luke, on the other hand, stilled as he heard his name. He turned and saw Emiliano outside his window. The older man flinched a bit from the surprise but immediately went to open the window. Emiliano entered swiftly before Luke could say anything, dropping himself on the floor. The young man stood on his feet and assisted Gouyen inside. Emiliano cleared his throat. "Perdon (Sorry), we were supposed to meet tonight, but things changed."

"I see. Who's your friend?"

Emiliano motioned her to walk forward. "This is my childhood friend, Gouyen. She is from the tribe that my Mother and I lived."

Gouyen smiled shyly and extended out her hand. "N-Nice to meet you, sir. Sorry for barging into your property."

Luke chuckled as he got a hold of her hand and kissed it. "There's no need to apologize." He let go of her hand. "Anyway, since she's here, it must be serious."

"Yes, the tribe we lived in has been relocated; Gouyen didn't want to leave me behind. Richard and the others know about her and don't want her on the ranch. I wanted to ask if she could stay with you for now. I know your wife and son would find it suspicious, but please, I could only trust my friend to you."

It was a risk having Gouyen on his property since the Regulators know about her, and if she were seen with him, Emiliano would be in danger. She would have to be well-hidden. However, it was an excellent opportunity for Luke since Gouyen probably knew Laureana; he could learn more about her life. "Fine, I will take care of her. You should leave immediately."

"Thank you, Luke." Emiliano then put his hands on her shoulders. "You will be safe here; Luke is a good man when he wants to me." He chuckled when he noticed Luke roll his eyes. "You can't let anyone else know that you know me." She nodded as her forehead was kissed. Emiliano climbed out the window and ran off. It began to rain, and Luke closed the window shut. Gouyen put her hands together and felt nervous as she looked around.

The older man motioned her to follow him to another room near his study. One bed had two wooden cabinets, a window, and a small wooden tub. "This will be your room; you do not need to be nervous, young lady. You're in good hands. My family, however, is a different story, I'm afraid." He noticed her clothes were dirty and in disarray. Her footwear was silently torn, making him see parts of her feet. He couldn't help but admire her dedication to finding Emiliano.

"Why help Emiliano and me? He told me everything about you two."

Luke was silent momentarily. "He reminds me of myself when I was young. He's a good chap but doesn't realize his choices have consequences." Before walking out of the room, Luke looked at her. "I will inform one of the servants to bring you warm water to bathe. Once you're done, I will show you around my home."

The door was closed, and Gouyen sat on the bed. "Hmm, there's something about that man I can't put my finger on." It began to rain outside.