John and his two hired hands went with Marshall Trevors to find the fourth outlaw. They searched for three days, but they came up empty. Finally John couldn't look any more. He wasn't sure if the outlaw had got Jacy or not. He wanted to check to be sure. So him, Mack and Stan headed for Dreamville. Marshall Trevors stopped looking, too. He headed for Two Forks. Maybe someone in town had heard something about the outlaw that would help him in tracing the fella.

As soon as John and his men got into Dreamville, Ernest saw them. Ernest didn't see 'Kitten' with them, so the first thing he did was ask where she was. Unfortunately John didn't know. John had Mack and Stan take the horses to the livery, and John and Ernest went into the hotel. John got him and his two hired hands' rooms. Then John and Ernest sat down in the dining room to exchange stories. Before they were through, Mack and Stan came in. John gave them their room keys and told them to get another table and have some supper. As they sat down, Marta brought out John and Ernest's supper and sat their plates at their table. She then took Mack and Stan's order and hurried into the kitchen to tell Desiree about the men who were discussing Jacy and the outlaws.

After supper John decided that him and Ernest should ride out to the Starshine Haven ranch to see this Miss Jacy. John told Mac and Stan were they were going, and he also told them to stay in town but not to get in any trouble.

It was only around eight o'clock when they arrived at the ranch, so there was still some daylight left. They didn't see any activity around the place, so they dismounted and went onto the porch. John knocked on the door. A few minutes later he knocked again, and then he heard a voice calling. "Wait a minute, I'm coming."

She had heard someone knocking on the door as her and Jimmy were talking. She told Jimmy that she would be back shortly and then she left the room, closing the door behind her. She heard the knocking again and called down to them. Then she ran down the stairs and pulled open the front door. She didn't think the outlaw would be knocking at the door. If he wanted to get her, he would surprise her, not knock on the door. But as she opened the door and saw who it was, she wished it was the outlaw. Startled by the presence of the man who had grabbed her in the alley, and the man who had called her 'Kitten', her mouth flew open in surprise and then she slammed the door in their faces.

Gosh all kinds of ideas were racing through her head as she didn't know how to respond to this unexpected visit. What should she do?

John and Ernest had both exclaimed, "Kitten," right as the door was closing in their faces. John and Ernest turned their faces to see the other's reaction.

"Kitten or Jacy?" Ernest asked.

"Well, I'd say Jacy. I don't think Kitten would do that to us." John stated. He waited a few seconds thinking that she would open the door again, but when it didn't look like she was going to, he knocked on the door again. It seemed to John that she wasn't going to open back up, so he started hollering. "Come on, open up! We're not going away until we see you."

They weren't going away. What else could she do but see them. She had been hoping that they wouldn't show up quite so soon. She had been hoping that she would have been better prepared for them. She sighed, took a deep breath and opened the door. She didn't say anything but starred at them. She came out on the porch and shut the door. She wasn't going to invite them in. They all waited for the other one to speak.

John could stand the silence no longer. "Who are you?"

She wasn't sure how to respond to that question. Who did they think she was? On one hand if she answered Jacy then what would happen if they knew her twin as Jacy. If they did then she would have to pretend to know them. It was hard enough pretending to know the people in Dreamville when she first took up this charade, but Jacy's diary had helped out a lot. But why in the world would she have fallen for the Pony Express rider, Cody, instead of Jimmy. Jimmy was the best one. The one that she longed to be married to. If only that Lee would disappear. Then she knew that Jimmy would be hers forever. Just thinking of Lee made her angry. She knew her face showed it as she saw the two men's expressions, so she changed and put on a neutral facial expression. But if on the other hand she pretended to be Jacy's twin then she would have to start explaining to everybody in town who she really was.

Melissa saw Ernest and another man on her front porch with Jacy. Jacy didn't seem to be in a very good mood. She wondered what they wanted with Jacy. She dismounted and walked up onto the porch. "Hi Jacy, is anything wrong?" She didn't want anybody messin' with her sister even if she and Jacy hadn't made up yet.

Well that settled that. Now she would have to keep up the charade of being Jacy. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just trying to figure out who these men are."

"Well, I know him. I met him a few days ago. His name is Ernest Overly. He's been in town for several weeks." Next Melissa turned her gaze to the other man and said, "But I don't know him." Melissa wanted to be of help to her sister. Maybe it would help to mend their relationship.

"You don't know me?" John inquired.

"No, should I. Oh I do know him. He's the horrible man who grabbed me weeks ago." She gave him the evil eye.

"Why did you grab my sister?" Melissa demanded to know.

"Because I thought she was someone else." Ernest replied.

"Do you have a twin?" John inquired.

"Yes, she does."

"She does. Where is she?" Suddenly all the puzzle pieces fit together for John. There were two of them.

She was shocked that Melissa knew. How . . . how could she know about her twin. Had she seen her? But how . . . when?

"It's not a she. She's a he. Tally, our brother is Jacy's twin. What's it to ya?" Melissa gruffly asked.

"A boy?" Now John was more puzzled then he had been a minute ago.

Before she could think of anything, she heard a crash inside. It must have come from Jimmy's room. Melissa also heard the noise. "What was that?" She looked at Jacy for an answer.

"Something must have happened to Jimmy. Melissa go in and see what he's doing?" Melissa didn't want to leave her sister out here with these men, but she also didn't want any harm to come to Jimmy, so she obeyed and went inside.

After Melissa was gone, she said, "Yes, I have a twin sister and a twin brother, but my little sister doesn't know about my twin sister yet, so I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything until I have a chance to tell her. How do you know my twin anyway?"

"She was living at my ranch for about 8 months. We found her and I took her in. She wouldn't tell us her name, so because when I found her she was drenched, scared to death and making a little purring sound like a kitten, we've been calling her 'Kitten'. What is her real name?"

"Her real name is--"

"JACY!! Jacy!" Melissa was hollering for her as she came running down the stairs and out the door. "Come quick, sis. Jimmy fell out of bed. He's too heavy, and I can't get him back in bed by myself."

"Gentleman, we'll have to continue this discussion another time. Please come back tomorrow afternoon for lunch, alright?" She eagerly looked toward her sister as she had emphatically said please.

"But--" Ernest started to say something, but John cut him off by ribbing him with his elbow.

"We look forward to having lunch with you tomorrow, ma'am," he tipped his hat and turned around to leave. Ernest followed.

Both sisters went upstairs and helped Jimmy back into bed. He told Jacy that he had heard a door slam downstairs, and he was afraid that something had happened to her. He had tried to get out of bed, but all of a sudden he had felt dizzy and he had fallen, knocking over the end table and lantern. Luckily the lantern wasn't lit or it could have started a fire.

They got Jimmy settled into bed, and then Melissa and Jacy went downstairs to talk. She told Melissa about her twin sister, and then took her up to the attic to show her.

"Why do you have her in the attic?" Melissa couldn't understand why Jacy would put her in the attic.

"Because I didn't want you to see her until I told you about her. I wanted to prepare you before you saw her."

"Does Tally know about her?" Melissa studied the girl who was asleep on the blankets. The bed Jacy had made for her.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you bring Tally over for supper tomorrow night, and then will both see if he knows about her." She suggested. Melissa nodded. Then Jacy motioned for Melissa to leave the room very quietly, so that they wouldn't disturb her.

Melissa left, riding Braids back to the Joker's Wild Ranch. She would bring Tally back with her tomorrow night. She was glad that her and Jacy were getting along once again.

******

Ernest and John were seated at the dining room table for lunch. Jacy had just disappeared into the kitchen to get the food.

She was in the kitchen holding the plates, getting her thoughts together. Now that she was Jacy, her twin sister would have to be her. But she couldn't know a whole lot about her. She would have just met -- found her when she was off looking for Melissa.

"Here we go gentlemen." She said as she sat the plates down in front of them. She had already served them drinks. "I'll be right back." She went in grabbed her plate and then sat down at the head of the dining room table with John on her left and Ernest on her right. She had served them chicken with rice and beans.

She's not as great a cook as her twin but her culinary skills have been improving.

"This is mighty fine, ma'am." John stated after chewing a mouthful of food.

Ernest looked at her. "You look so much like 'Kitten'. It's amazing."

"What is her real name?" John asked.

"Her name is . . ." She looked at John and then at Ernest and then back to John again. "Well, this is going to come as a surprise to you, but I don't know her name."

"WHAT," both men exclaimed simultaneously.

"I don't know her name. In fact I just met her that same day I saw you, John. I found her hurt and lying on the ground near the wreckage of Jake's wagon. Of course I was stunned when I saw her. She looked exactly like me. It really disturbed me at the time to see someone who looked just like me. I had some men bring her here and keep her out of sight until I returned. I didn't want anyone in town to see her and think that she was me." She paused to let that sink in and to see if they had questions.

"So you found her, and you don't even know who she is?" John said.

"Then how do you know she's your twin? She could just look like you, but she might not be related." Ernest inquired.

"Well, you could be right of course. But just recently I learned that Tally was my twin brother, and he was abducted and taken away when we were very young. So I thought to myself when I saw her that she could have been taken away, too. Tonight I'm going to find out if Tally knows her.

"I would like to be here when that happens." John requested.

"Where is she?" Ernest asked. "Where is 'Kitten'."

"She's upstairs in one of the bedrooms. She, like my other border, has amnesia. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know where she is. She doesn't seem to know anything. She hit her head pretty hard on a rock when she fell. Melissa told me that she had tried to save her from the outlaws, and one of the men had shot her horse, and she had fallen off. That's why I still don't know her name because she doesn't know anything."

"I want to see her." John said as he stood up.

"Alright, but on one condition. You don't disturb her. I checked on her before lunch and she was sleeping. Alright?" She looked up at John.

"We won't disturb her. You've got my word." John pushed his chair in and followed Jacy upstairs along with Ernest. She opened the door and they went inside. True to John's word, he didn't say a word and neither did Ernest. They just starred at the identical girl asleep in the bed. Finally they all left the room and went downstairs. "I still would like to be here when you show her to your brother."

"Alright supper's at seven this evening. You're both welcome to attend."

That evening Tally, Melissa, John and Ernest arrived at Jacy's home. Introductions were made, and then they all followed Jacy to the dining room where she served supper. After they all finished desert, Jacy picked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Melissa volunteered to help, but Tally told her to stay put. Instead Tally gathered up some dishes and followed Jacy into the kitchen.

"Jacy, why are those men here?"

"Because I invited them." She replied as she sat the dishes in the sink.

Tally put the dishes in the sink. "But why, how do you know them?"

"Well, I met them when Jimmy and I were out looking for Melissa."

"And?"

"Before I say any more about them, there's something else you need to know first." She paused trying to figure out the right words. "Do you know anything about us and a triplet?"

Tally was surprised that she was the one bringing up the subject. He knew that he would eventually have to tell Jacy and Melissa about his other sister, their triplet, but he was waiting until they felt more comfortable with him as a brother. "Well, I was going to tell you, but I was waiting for the right time. When I was abducted, our sister was abducted, too. I grew up with a sister who looks just like you."

"Really! That's FANTASTIC! I knew it. I knew it. It was just hard to believe. She's here. She's here now. I have her upstairs."

"Who? Who do you have?"

"Her . . . our triplet, she's upstairs. Only thing is--she has amnesia. I don't know her name."

"You have our sister upstairs? I don't believe it." Tally stated. Jacy nodded. "I want to see." He headed for the door, and Jacy followed him.

"We're going up to see her now." Jacy said as she and Tally passed through the dining room. Ernest, John and Melissa followed them.

They entered the room, and as the girl on the bed heard them, she sat up and looked at all the strange faces. There was only one familiar one. That was Jacy. She knew that her and Jacy were twins because Jacy had told her, and Jacy had them both stand in front of a mirror just to prove it because the girl couldn't believe that they were alike.

All five of them crowded around the girl. "It's ok. They're friends. And this is my--our brother and sister. He's our triplet, and he says that he knows you. That you two grew up together."

Surprised that someone actually knew her and could tell her what her name is, she turned and studied the man who was their brother. She swallowed and then asked, "Who am I?"

Tally went over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Your name is Jewel. Don't you recognize me. We grew up together--back East."

"Jewel," she whispered. "Jewel . . . Jewel," she repeated it louder each time.

Tally could tell that she didn't recognize the name. He could tell that she was sad that she couldn't remember. "It's ok. I'm sure it will come back to you. It will just take some time. I'll come over everyday and tell you about our life and about you, and then hopefully something will spark your memory. Ok?" Jewel nodded.

Ernest couldn't keep silent any longer. He went closer. "Don't you even remember us, 'Kitten'? I'm Ernest and that's John. We found you about eight months ago. You wouldn't tell us your name, but you lived with John at his ranch." Ernest shook his head, imitating Jewel. "You don't remember us."

"Since she doesn't remember you, that means she got the amnesia after she had met you two." Tally stated.

"Not necessarily brother de--she could have had amnesia before she met them that's why she didn't tell them her name, and then when she hit her head from that fall, she could have got amnesia again. Couldn't she?" Jacy had almost slipped up and said brother dear. She wasn't that close to Tally to say that yet. He might have got suspicious since whenever she was trying to correct Tally while growing up together she would always say brother dear. Sheesh that was a close one.

"I guess you could be right." Her brother agreed.

"I don't think so." John said. "She didn't seem like she had amnesia when we found her. She was scared and frightened from something or someone, but I don't think she had amnesia. I just think she didn't want to tell us her name because she didn't want us to know who she was for some reason. Could you think why she wouldn't want anybody to know who she was?" He directed the question to Tally.

Tally thought for a few minutes and then finally shook his head. "No, I can't think of anything. To be honest, I don't even know why she's here. I lost track of Jewel, and I had someone looking for her, but I haven't heard from that person in a long time either. The last letter I had got from him, he said that he was still looking for her. Anything could have happened to her." He turned to look at Jewel. "I'm afraid that she's the only one that can tell us what happened to her."

"I think we should go now and let her rest. We shouldn't give her too much information at once. There's plenty of time for you to tell her about herself, Tally." Jacy motioned for them to leave.

Jacy saw them all to the door. John and Ernest informed Jacy that they would like to look in on Jewel again tomorrow. Jacy reluctantly agreed. Tally also told Jacy that he would be by sometime tomorrow to talk with Jewel.

"Jacy, I'll be happy to help you with the paper whenever you need me to." Melissa said before she left.