Elena slumped onto one of the plush chairs in the parlor and sighed heavily. Dean looked over and rolled his eyes at her. Seeing that she wasn't going to get sympathy from him she sighed louder.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I'm bored. How long until we open?"

"Another hour or so, why don't you go and clean up your room or something."

Elena frowned. "You know my room is always spotless."

Anjanette came in at that moment and motioned for Dean to leave. "Elena we have to talk." She said as the man left the room.

Elena arched an eyebrow. "If this is about that doctor visiting -"

"It's about everything Elena. You have to stop. I don't want anymore trouble being brought into my house, you understand?"

"Anjanette, I didn't bring the trouble here. It came looking for me."

"You didn't do anything to discourage it Elena. I know you're attracted to Luke Saunders. Hell, I'd be blind not to notice that he's a very handsome man, but you can't pursue him like he was single. He's married and you have to accept that."

Elena looked down into her lap. "I do understand, and I've never thrown myself at him." Elena looked up to find the madam looking down at her with raised eyebrows. "Okay except for when he came here, but how was I to know he wasn't looking for me? And I did separate from him once I saw his wife there."

Anjanette exhaled loudly. "Elena I don't want to bring any more negative attention to this house. You know how I like to run things and brawls, arguments and irate wives all in my foyer are not good for business. I just want you to tone things down."

"Okay Anjanette I'll be less obvious when I'm flirting with men in town." Elena promised. "But you know that's how I get new customers and it may hurt business in the long run."

"That's a chance we'll have to take." Anjanette said with a smile.

"Alright then it's settled." Elena said as she stood up. "I'm sorry if I've made a mess of things so far, I'll try to stay on the straight and narrow from now on. And as far as Luke Saunders is concerned, I promise to make my pursuit of him less obvious okay?"

"That's all I ask."

Elena smiled. "Now that that's settled I have an errand to run. I'll be back before we're officially open, but if Luke happens to come to his senses and comes looking for me, lock him in my room." Elena said with a grin.

The older woman laughed and rolled her eyes as Elena bounced out of the room.

Elena had changed into one of her more proper dresses and waited for her turn with the Post Mistress. She turned the letter in her hand and for what seemed like the hundredth time, debated if she should send it. She had written to her parents hundreds of times, but she never had the courage to send them. So what was different now? She wondered. Elena knew what it was without having to think very hard about it. It was the visit she'd had from Daniel Thomson that had her thinking of her father.

Seeing the devotion that he'd had for his daughter only served to make her angry at the time of their argument, but after he'd left Elena broke down in tears and wished that her father had been half the man the doctor was. Later that night she wrote another letter to her parents telling them she was fine and being well taken care of and how much she missed them. After some thought she'd added a request to visit them, then put the note in an envelope and addressed it before she could change her mind.

Blythe called for the next person and Elena was brought out of her revelry. She approached Blythe and placed the envelope on the counter. Then looked up and met the eyes of the young woman. In her eyes she saw the shame associated with being a prostitute.

"Would you like to send this letter?" Blythe asked politely.

Elena snatched the letter back. "No. No I don't, I'm sorry." A confused Blythe watched her run out of the general store.