Jack's mouth started watering as soon as the cabin door opened and he smelled the mouthwatering scent of baked ham. Lily led him and Allie into the house while Hawke put Trigger in the barn.

"I hope that ham, beans and bread is okay." Lily said as she went about setting the table. "I baked a peach pie for desert as well."

"Just being here with you, finally, after weeks of traveling is good enough." Allie replied. Lily smiled and hugged her sister again. It felt so good to have her close again.

Jack stood to the side feeling utterly useless as Lily and Allie set the table and dished out four plates. They were just setting the plates on the table when Hawke came back into the cabin. Everyone took a seat at the table and Jack listened to Allie and Lily talk as he began shoveling the delicious food into his mouth.

After making small talk for several minutes, Lily's voice suddenly became more serious.

"Allie, I think now would be a good time to tell me what made you leave home." she said. Allie looked down at her plate of food and pushed her beans around with her fork. Lily had always worried too much about her and Allie didn't want to give her any more reason to worry, especially when it seemed like Lily already had too much to worry about in her own life.

"I just missed you." she lied.

"Tell her the truth." Jack scolded with a mouth full of ham and bread. Allie glared over at him and he gave a sheepish grin, causing a chunk of bread crumbs to tumble down his chin. Allie had confided in Jack on the stage during their long trip to Great Valley and she was currently regretting that choice.

"Yes, Allie. Tell me the truth." Lily said and Allie saw that her big sisters eyes were looking at her with the same look she always got when she knew that Allie was lying. She sighed with defeat and launched into the story.

"I knew that they gave you to Nathan to cover their debts but they swore to me that he really was a good man and that you were fond of him and I guess I believed them just because I wanted to believe our parents wouldn't be cruel enough to give you to someone you didn't like.

"After you left they went right back to gambling and their debts grew and grew. I heard them talking one night a couple of weeks ago. They knew I was too young to sell for marriage so instead they were going to sell me to a nice family as a servant. They even had a family lined up." Allie paused here but the table was silent except for the sound of Jack chewing and so she continued.

"I knew I had to leave so I packed a little suitcase, stole what little money they had left and got on the first train for Montana." Lily shook her head.

"I'm so sorry, Allie. I should have been there to look out for you." she said her voice full of guilt. Hawke shook his head and laid his hand over hers on the table.

"Do not do that to yourself. Even if you had been there you could not have helped your sister. Nathan would not have allowed it." he said. Allie could see the amount of love in Hawke's eyes as he looked at her sister and suddenly she understood why Lily was having an affair with the man.

"Speaking of Nathan." she said bringing Lily and Hawke's attention back to her. "How did you end up married to him when you clearly hate him?"

"Mother and father owed him money. They did not have the money. Nathan saw me and decided that he would like to have me instead and they were only too happy to throw me at him in order to save themselves." Lily replied.

"Yes but why did you marry him? You could have said no." Lily looked at her sadly.

"No I couldn't have. You see, he knew my weakness."

"Weakness?" Allie asked with confusion. Her sister was one of the strongest people that Allie knew. What kind of weakness could she be talking about.

"You." Hawke said quietly. Allie's eyes widened and she looked at her sister with disbelief.

"You married him because he threatened me?" she asked. Lily nodded.

"He threatened to kill you if I didn't. And that is how he controlled me while we were together. Whenever his abuse got to be too much and I would say I was leaving he would use your name and vow to kill you, or worse, if I did not do as he wanted."

"Or worse? There's really nothing worse than dying." Allie said with a nervous laugh.

"Yes there is." Jack, Lily and Hawke all said at the same time. Allie looked sadly at her sister.

"He beat you?" she asked. Lily bit her lip and nodded. Tears filled Allie's brown eyes and Jack's arm slipped around her shoulder as he quickly swallowed the bite he had just taken.

"Don't cry, doll. You're really lucky to have a sister that loves you that much." he said. Hawke and Lily both raised a brow at the nickname but neither said anything. Allie leaned into his embrace for a moment before sitting back upright and wiping her face.

"I know I'm lucky." she said, smiling weakly at her sister who returned the weak, sad smile. "But how did you end up here with Hawke?"

"I met your sister and Nathan the day they arrived in Great Valley and shortly after, Nathan asked me to help him build a cabin since his land touches mine. Over the two weeks I helped him I got to know the man and grew to hate him. I knew he was a mean man and I worried for your sisters safety as I grew to suspect he was mean to her as well.

"Nathan left for business two weeks ago and asked me to look after her. I went to their cabin that day to check on her and I found her more dead than alive and beaten in their bed. I carried her out of that house that day and she has been here ever since. She will not go back to him and he will not ever harm her again." Allie and Jack could hear the threat and seriousness in his tone and while Allie found it romantic that Hawke loved her sister that much, Jack knew that the Indian was dead serious and that in Hawke's mind Nathan was already a dead man and he was only waiting for the chance to kill him for real.

Of course Jack couldn't blame him. He had been ready to pull his gun and shoot Hawke square in the head when he had thought the man was attacking Allie.

"So what happens when he gets back and finds out what has happened while he's been gone?" Allie asked and she saw the fear on Lily's face.

"I'm already taking care of that." she said. "The doctor in town has a friend who is going to help me get a divorce from him."

"Divorce?" Jack asked as he finished off his ham and reached for seconds.

"It will make it so I'm no longer married to Nathan. But, Allie, I'm still scared. Nathan is going to be angry and while I know Hawke will do his best I am so scared that Nathan will come after you to get back at me."

"Ain't nobody gonna lay a finger on Allie." Jack said laying his hand on his revolver. "I promsie ya that."

"You're going to protect her?" Hawke asked as Allie stared at Jack with wonder in her eyes. Jack nodded.

"That's right. Allie is the first person who has given a darn about me in a long time and I'm gonna look out for her."

"How old are you, Jack?" Lily asked.

"Fifteen." he replied.

"Do your parents know you're here?" she said. Jack shrugged.

"If they know I reckon they won't say anything. They both died when I was ten. My ma from fever and my pa from drinking. I've just been wandering around ever since."

"He's even been to Texas." Allie said excitedly. "He told me one day he's going to take me down there. He says there isn't anything prettier than a Texas sunset."

"How on earth have you survived on your own for five years?' Lily asked seeing all sort of terrible scenarios run through her head.

"A person does what they have to do." Jack replied.

"Even steal?" Hawke asked staring at Jack. Jack met his gaze and nodded.

"Gotta eat." he replied. "I found out quick that if you don't eat, it don't take ya long to die." Then Jack looked at Lily.

"Can I have some of that pie now? Can't tell you the last time I had a fresh baked peach pie that I didn't have to snatch out of a windowsill."

After everyone had eaten their dessert Hawke stood from the table.

"I'll take you back into town, Jack." he said. Jack threw a quick glance at Allie who was biting her lip and then looked back at Hawke.

"I was actually hoping maybe I could stay out in the barn or something. I'll work for my keep, sir."

"No." Hawke said quickly. Lily looked at the sadness on Allie's face and intervened.

"Hawke, can we talk for a minute?" she asked. Hawke looked down at her questioningly.

"What?" he asked.

"In the bedroom." she added and he let her pull him into the bedroom and shut the door.

"What is this about?" he asked.

"Jack can stay here." she said. Hawke shook his head.

"I said no."

"What is the harm in letting the boy stay out in the barn?"

"He's a thief." Hawke said matter of factly. Lily's eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips.

"He stole food."

"Have you seen the way he and Allie look at each other?" Hawke demanded hoping that this argument would do better than the first. Lily nodded.

"Yes I have."

"And you still think he should stay?" Hawke asked, fearing that his woman may have lost her mind.

"Why does it matter so much to you if they like each other?" Lily asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Did I not tell you that I would protect your sister as if she were my own blood?" Hawke asked.

"So you're just being an overprotective big brother right now?" Lily asked with amusement. Hawke failed to see what was so amusing but he nodded.

"Yes."

"What about Jack?" Lily asked. "You of all people know what it is like to be young and have no one. The poor kid has had to steal just to get meals to stay alive. I want to give him a home. Even if he does have to sleep in the barn."

"Fine. But when he breaks her heart it will be your fault."

"What makes you think he will break her heart?"

"She has a few years before she'll be old enough to even think about getting married. He is a young man and will not wait that long.  He will not wait until she's able to marry him and he will break her heart." Lily raised her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. Hawke braced himself for an outburst but instead she calmly said.

"Are you saying that you would not have waited for me? Are you saying that you would have or maybe still will break my heart waiting for me to be able to marry you?" Anger flashed in Hawke's eyes.

"Of course not! You are my mosskitsipahyo. I have told you this. Why do you still question…." He stopped suddenly when he saw her lips curve into a smile and he realized in that moment that arguing with a woman was dangerous. They knew how turn and twist your words until you could not even remember what you were really arguing about.

"So he can stay?" Lily asked. Hawke let out a long breath and nodded.

"He can stay. I need an extra set of hands with building the extra rooms on the cabin."

"I told you that over a week ago." Lily said picking a piece of pie crust off the front of his shirt. Hawke growled low in his throat.

"You always have to be right don't you?" he asked. Lily smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No, but it does seem to happen a lot." she teased, raising up on her toes and pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw. Hawke chuckled.

"I'll go show the boy where he can sleep. It's getting late."

A/N: Blackfoot Translation for this chapeter

mosskitsipahyo-heart