A gentle nudging from Shadow's cold, wet nose had Dixie sitting up in bed. She rubbed her puffy eyes. She was tired in more ways than one, but most of all she was tired of crying herself to sleep every night like she had done for the last three days since Jason left her in Dr. Ross's home.

She looked down at Shadow and smoothed the fur on his head, his large brown eyes staring up at her. She knew the stress of the saloon shootings and watching Slick die had to be weighing on Jason, but that wouldn't cause him to stay away from her. Would it? She shook her head at the possibility. There had to be something else. She didn't know what had happened between her and Jason, but there was one thing she did know. She was gonna find out today.

"Dixie? Are you awake?" Tavin asked as he knocked softly on her bedroom door. "I made you breakfast."

Dixie laughed as tears formed in her eyes. "You didn't!"

"I did. And I took care of Daisy and the chickens for you. So come eat."

"I'm comin'." Dixie wiped her tears as she slipped out of bed. After a few minutes she was dressed for the day and heading out to the kitchen.

"Good mornin', lovely," Tavin joked as he took Dixie by the hand. Sitting her down at the table, he brought her a plate of biscuits and gravy and a cup of milk before letting Shadow outside.

Dixie stared down at her food. She blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay. Her brother was so sweet and she was just so tired. I'm such an emotional wreck, she thought as she covered her face.

"Hey now, it's okay," Tavin cooed as he bent down beside her chair. He put his arms around her and pulled her close, murmuring words of prayer into her hair as she sobbed. "I got ya sis."

After her tears had played out, Tavin gave her one last squeeze before heading to the kitchen.

"Has he talked to you lately?" she asked quietly, cutting up the biscuit with her fork.

Tavin paused his cleaning to look back at her. "Yeah, we talked yesterday."

"Did he say anythin' 'bout. . . ?"

"Nope."

Dixie sighed. She drew swirls in the gravy with her fork. "I'm goin' to go talk to him."

Tavin lowered his eyebrows at her. "I knew you would. But, you ain't goin' anywhere until you eat all of that."

Dixie couldn't hold back a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Very," Tavin answered as he walked back to the table. "Don't make me feed you."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me, little sister," he dared, reaching for her fork.

Dixie held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll eat it all!"

"You better." Tavin walked back into the kitchen.

Dixie looked down at her plate, and took a deep breath. Here goes nothin'. It didn't take long for her to be scraping the remnants of gravy from her plate. "I'm done, Tavin. Can I go now?"

Tavin sat down in the chair beside her. He picked up the cup and frowned. "Gotta drink all this, too."

Dixie playfully rolled her eyes, taking the cup from Tavin. "You are ridiculous."

"I am ridiculous," he admitted with a shrug. "Ridiculously worried 'bout your health."

She downed the milk in moments, sitting it down and licking her lips. "Are you happy now?"

He grinned, patting her on the head. "Yep. Sundancer is out there waitin' on you."

Dixie stretched as she stood up. She gave a laugh. "Someone must've knew I wanted to go somewhere today."

"Me and Pa both did." Tavin smiled, scratching his head. "You've been quite the hermit since the incident with Jason."

"I wasn't the first day after. It was only after I ran into him the second time and he ignored me again," Dixie retorted with a sad smile.

Tavin shook his head with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, you we're mostly. You only came out of your room to cook."

"And take care of the chickens, Daisy, and Shadow," she corrected, straightening her calico dress that was the same blue hue as Jason's eyes. She blinked and willed the tears away. No matter how much Jason's actions were tearing her apart, she had to be strong.

Tavin grabbed her in a quick hug. He gave her an extra squeeze as if sensing her thoughts. "It's gonna be okay. I'll be prayin' for both of you."

***

Dixie dismounted in front of the Archer home, striding up the steps to the front door. She inhaled deeply before knocking on the door. It may not be the woman's place to confront the man, but she couldn't stand the distance between them any longer.

Annalyn opened the door, unable to mask the surprise on her face. She grabbed her in a hug. "Dixie! Please, come in."

When the two walked in, Matthew smiled from his seat in the old armchair. "Well, hello there young lady."

Dixie stooped to get a hug. She smiled when he kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad you're better."

"You and me both," Emily agreed as she embraced Dixie. "How's Charles and Tavin?"

Dixie smiled, returning the embrace. "Pa's workin' like always, and Tavin's been treatin' me extra special. What about all of y'all?"

"Leroy and the twins are out checking the fences and horses with the hands. Jason, well, he. . . ." Annalyn's voice trailed away and she frowned.

Dixie felt like her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened and she held her breath. "Is he okay?"

"Some what," Matthew spoke up, his eyebrows lowering. "He doesn't come in unless it's time to eat. He stays outside doin' God knows what all day, and he doesn't even sleep in his room anymore."

Dixie shut her lashes. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall. "Has he said anythin' about what happened?"

Emily shook her head, gently grasping Dixie's arm. "He hasn't said much of anythin' since then. He usually just growls out where he's gonna be workin' that day and that's it."

Dixie straightened her dress, a spark of determination flaring in her eyes. "Where is he workin' today?"

"I believe he said the barn," Matthew answered as he rubbed his head. "Or at least, that's what I thought he said."

"Good, that means he has no where to run," Dixie mumbled to herself as she exited the house through the back door. She steeled herself for whatever was to come. The day he pushed her away, his shirt smelled of smoke and a sickly sweet perfume, and she wondered if he was involved with someone else. She hated the thought of losing him to another woman, but if that's what had happened she'd deal with it. Life would move on, and hopefully she would too.

Dixie collected her thoughts as she neared the partially open barn door. A loud banging noise was coming from the inside, and she was sure that meant he was too busy to see her coming. She quickly slipped through the door into the spaciousness of the barn. It took only a few moments for her to find him hammering away in a stall with his backside in the air. She would've laughed, but given the situation, she kept her silence and marched over to the stall's entrance. Her mind was in an uproar over what to do and, after a few rejected ideas, she finally decided to just talk to him. When he paused, she took two steps closer, quenching her desire to reach out to him. "Jason?"

At her voice, Jason straightened and dropped the hammer. His body went rigid and his breathing hitched, but he offered no word of greeting. He stood there with his back to her in stone cold silence.

Dixie bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood. She was doing her best to keep her emotions under control, but in moments all her will power to keep them in check vanished and she let out a small cry. "Jason, why are you doin' this?"

Jason let out a ragged sigh, clenching and unclenching his fists. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, low, and full of pain. "You don't deserve a guy like me."

"You're exactly right," she agreed, taking the few steps to Jason and turning him around to face her. She looked up into his eyes with a watery smile. "You're the most amazin' man in all of Texas. Out of all the other folks out here, I was the lucky girl who got the privilege of knowin' you."

Jason stared down at her, his eyes so full of torture it broke her heart. He ran his thumb across her cheek to smooth away a stray tear. "I'm not the great person you think I am, Dixie. If you only knew what I've done, you would never have anythin' to do with me."

"You haven't found someone else. . . have you?"

"No." His voice was firm, but his attitude was far from it.

The corner of Dixie's lips curved up in a faint smile. "Then I don't have anythin' to worry about."

"You don't understand. It's somethin' I've done a few years back, somethin' I haven't told you." Jason grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I can't let you love a guy like me. You need someone as pure and sweet as you are."

She shook her head at his words. "You are what I need. I love you, Jason Archer. What could you have possibly done that would change that fact?"

He rubbed his face before looking into her eyes. "You really want to know?"

"Yes, I do," she assured, giving his hand a squeeze. "And when you finish, I promise you, my feelings for you will be the same."

"Don't be so sure," Jason breathed out. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "When I was sixteen years old, I decided to leave Abilene for good. I stole some of Pa's money and one of our finest horses before I rode away when everyone was asleep."

"Where were you headin'?" Dixie asked, encouraging him to continue.

"Dry Gulch." He swallowed hard, his eyes closing for a few seconds. "I was there within a few days. The first thing I done was hit the saloon. After I had a few drinks, I met a. . .a loose woman named Rosabelle. We talked for a while and I got drunk. It was dark out, but she insisted that I follow her to this place where she said I'd have the time of my life."

Dixie let out a quick breath as Jason adverted his gaze. "And you went with her?"

He nodded slowly. "I did. And you can pretty much guess what happened. After that night, I used all the money I had to spend time with Rosabelle. When I ran out, I got a job at a local ranch and spent all my pay on her and the saloon. I thought she actually loved me."

Silent tears trailed down Dixie's cheeks. Her heart ached for the young man Jason had been. His words erased every thought from her mind.

Jason searched her eyes for any sign of refusal or disgust, but he found nothing but love staring back at him. He was trusting her with a part of him not many knew, and he was shaking at the thought. "It took two years for me to realize just what I'd done with my life. Rosabelle didn't care about me one bit, and I had become a regular at the saloon and brothel. It was when I came to grips with reality that I went back home. Everyone was waitin' on me. After I made everythin' right with my family and God, my life got as close to normal as it could get. Now, here I am today."

"Jason, I. . . ." Dixie swiped at the tears running down her face. "I'm so sorry."

The hurt evident in his eyes was powerful enough to move anyone. He gripped her shoulders as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. When he spoke, his voice was a broken whisper. "I knew you'd change your mind about me."

"No, never," she said softly, placing her hands atop his. "I love you even more. Don't you see? All that you went through made you into the man you are today. The man that I love with all my heart."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes!" Dixie exclaimed. "I love you, Cowboy."

Jason pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. A sob wracked his body, and he buried his face in her hair. "I love you too, Angel."

They stood there in the stall for the longest, crying together in each other's arms until Dixie pulled away.

She looked up at Jason. "I have one question."

"Yes darlin'?"

"What made you think I wouldn't care for you 'cause of your past?"

Jason wiped the tears from his eyes and his face. He sniffed a little and gave a sheepish grin. "When I was at the Silver Spur Saloon to talk with Slick, I ran into Rosabelle. For some reason she was here in Abilene. She wanted to finish somethin' from my time in Dry Gulch, but I refused. This may sound stupid, but seein' her brought all that I had done up and made me feel like some dirty rotten dog. I felt like I didn't deserve someone like you, and that you wouldn't love me if you knew what I did."

Dixie gave a warm smile. "But I do."

"And that proves I thought wrong about you." Jason looked down at the barn floor. "I'm sorry for how I treated you at Dr. Ross's place, and the other day. I know it had to have hurt you. I thought I was doin' right by you by just stayin' away without an explanation."

"It's alright, Jason. I forgive you."

Jason bent for a kiss, and was not disappointed. When he stood back up, he flashed a smile. "How 'bout we head on to the house?"

Dixie returned the smile with a brilliant one of her own. "Of course."

The walk to the house wasn't long, and was filled with chatter from Dixie and Jason. Despite all that had went on, they'd forgave and moved on quickly, leaving no room for grudges.

"My house is completely built now," Leroy was announcing as the two entered. He quickly quieted, but looked relieved when he realized who had walked in. "Y'all scared me. I thought it was Annalyn."

Dixie giggled, leaning toward Jason. "Nope, it's just us."

"Where is Annalyn anyway?" Jason asked when he noticed they were the only ones in the house besides Emily and Matthew.

Emily laughed, clearly overjoyed at the look of happiness on her son's face. "She went with the twins to the stream. She said she'd be back shortly."

"Which means I need to hurry." Leroy shot Jason a grin before turning back to Matthew. "Like I was sayin', my house is finished and ready to be lived in. I just have a few things to ask."

Matthew shared a look with his wife before smiling at Leroy. "Ask away."

"May I have your blessin' to marry Annalyn? I know I've been adopted into this family, but I love Annalyn. And she loves me."

Emily grabbed Leroy's hand. "Son, you have our blessin'. You've always had it."

Leroy beamed a smile so wide it seemed to reach from ear to ear. "Thank y'all so much. Now, my last and very important question. Do y'all mind if I use my actual surname instead of Archer? I believe the circuit preacher would think it strange that he would be allowin' two Archers to get married."

"Why, of course!" Matthew replied with a wink. "It wouldn't offend us at all."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Dixie broke in tentatively, "but Leroy, what is your real surname?"

"Rodriguez." Leroy grinned. He rubbed the back of his head before turning to Jason. "The circuit preacher stops by here in three days, Jase. You and Dixie can always get married then as well."

Further conversation was cut off when Laramie and Cohen can barging through the back door like a stampede. They froze in their tracks when they saw everyone gathered up in the living room.

Annalyn laughed as she walked in after them. "Did we interrupt somethin'?"

"No, you can at the perfect time," Leroy answered. He took both of her hands in his and smiled. "Annalyn, will you marry me?"

The silence that followed his question was thick with anticipation. Even the twins were quiet, and that was a miracle in itself.

Annalyn's mouth was opened partially in shock. After a few moments she found her voice, and everyone held their breath. "Yes!"