It was early evening when Caller Bob approached Luke with a wide grin. "Hello Luke, I've got some good news for you."

"Really?"

"Yes sir looks like your days as a Pony Express rider are over."

Luke let out a loud whoop and smiled at the mayor. "Thank goodness. I knew Meghan would really start missing me. I just didn't know it would take this long for her to pay to get me back."

"Meghan didn't pay to get you out." The mayor replied.

"What do you mean Meg didn't pay?"

"I mean that your wife wasn't the one who gave me the twenty dollars."

"Then who did?"

"Your father-in-law."

Luke frowned. "I should have known. So when can I go home?"

"Right now if you like."

"And what about Buck? Is he coming back?"

Caller Bob shrugged. "Sure, just as soon as someone pays to get him out, too."

"So the express is one rider short?" Luke asked.

"For the moment yes, but I'm sure now that you're going home someone will pay to get Buck back to his old job as well."

Luke smiled. "I don't know I think Buck should stay at the shop a while, his job was incredibly difficult. I could use a vacation."

The mayor laughed and clapped the younger man on the back before leaving the waystation. It didn't take Luke long to gather his belongings and saddle Silver Tide. As soon as he said his good-byes he was on the road headed home.

Luke led his horse into the stables on the side of the house and cooled him off quickly. He looked over at his home now bathed in the golden glow of the sun as it set, and he sighed happily. He was finally home for good.

Quickly, Luke ran into the house and noticed how quiet it was. Buck was nowhere to be seen. He assumed his friend had gone out for dinner, and he hoped that Meghan hadn't gone with him. Luke silently ran up the stairs to seek his wife out. Their bedroom door was cracked open a faint light spilling into the darkened hallway. Luke approached the door and pushed it open the sight that greeted him immediately brought a smile to his face. Meghan sat on the window bench staring out in thought, an open book on her lap. Her auburn hair hung down in waves, and she was absentmindedly playing with a strand of it.

"I must be the luckiest man in the world to have married you."

Meghan practically jumped out of her skin, and it took all the strength she had so that she didn't fall off of her perch. She turned wide-eyed at her husband. "What are you doing here?"

Luke leaned against the doorjamb and shrugged. "I live here."

Meg rolled her eyes and swung her feet down to face him. "I know that, but I thought you'd be at the waystation. Don't you have a run tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow, not the day after and hopefully never ever again." He said as he came into the room and kneeled down in front of her.

Meghan frowned. "I don't understand."

"Your father paid my bail." He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head to her abdomen.

"Bail? Oh wait, did daddy pay to get you back from the Express?"

Luke began to place little kisses to his wife's midsection. "Uh huh."

"Oh." She replied. "Well, then welcome home." She tilted his head up and placed a deep kiss to his lips. "I wish I would've known you were coming. I wouldn't have eaten and made up a fancy dinner for the two of us."

"I'm not hungry." He replied as he leaned in for another kiss. "Well, at least not for food."

Meg giggled and returned the kiss. A few moments later Luke pulled away and placed his hand on her abdomen tenderly.

"How's junior?" He asked.

Meg arched an eyebrow. "Oh so it's a boy you want?"

Luke shrugged. "Today he's junior, tomorrow she's princess. So how is our little miracle?"

"Fine I suppose. Serena says that I am coming along right on schedule."

"And you? Is the sickness gone? Have you had anymore pains?"

"The morning sickness is finally gone, and no I haven't had anymore pains. Actually I'm feeling very well."

Luke smiled seductively. "Is that so?" He looked around the room. "So where's Buck?"

Meghan shrugged. "He went out for dinner."

"Alone?"

"Nope, but I'm not sure if it was Corey or Caly he was taking. It's becoming difficult to keep up with them."

Luke laughed. "So we're alone?"

"Yes." The twinkle that Meg had come to love crept into her husband's eyes and she felt the familiar heat creep into her cheeks.

Luke stood up and grabbed Meghan's hand then proceeded to pull her towards their bed. "I plan on staying in this bed for the next three days with you by my side." Meg smiled at his promise then stiffened. Luke noticed the change in her right away. "What is it?"

Meg sighed loudly then sat on the bed, her head hanging down. "We need to talk about that."

"Why do I think that this is not going to be good?"

"I happen to think it's very good. I've gotten a job."

Luke's mouth dropped open and he stared at his wife. "Excuse me?"

"Walter bought the hotel and needed an attendant for the front desk so I applied."

"Meghan, you don't need a job."

"I never said I did."

Luke began to pace. "Then why?"

"Because I was bored." She answered defensively.

"Bored? Meghan, you've got plenty to keep you busy here. Why would you want to work? I can't believe-" He was beginning to yell and when he looked up he saw the hurt in her eyes and the anger just beneath the surface. Luke remembered Daniel's warning about her health and immediately softened his voice. "I'm sorry for yelling. I just don't understand why."

Meghan's eyes narrowed, his yelling she could take but this softer side to him when he was clearly upset threw her for a loop. "I'm bored here Luke. It's lonely."

"What about the clinic?"

"Serena is helping out there more and more so daddy doesn't need me and you have Corey helping you so you don't need me, so I was stuck here in the middle of nowhere, alone."

Luke frowned as he took in everything she said. He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. "Are you sure it'll be okay, I mean with the baby and all?"

"I've told Walter I can only work until December, because I'm sure by then I'll be bigger than the hotel and won't be able to fit into the doorways, but mostly it was because it would probably be best that I didn't work my last few months. The job is only temporary Luke."

"And you're sure you want this?"

"Yes."

"And school?"

Meghan smiled brightly. "I'll still be able to do my courses, but if I find that work gets in the way, I promise I'll quit."

Luke smiled sweetly at her and tenderly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Then I guess it's alright with me."

"Really Luke?"

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, I just want you to be happy, and if having a job makes you happy then I'm happy too. But I want you to promise that if this job interferes not only with your schooling but also with us, then you'll quit."

Meg wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly. "I promise. Thank you so much."

Luke returned the embrace and wiggled his eyebrows. "Remind me to keep giving you things if this is how you thank me." Meg giggled and thanked him again.

Later Luke snuggled his sated wife closer to him and stroked her back lovingly.

"What were you reading when I came in, was it your mother's diary?"

Meghan shook her head. "No. It was the book of sonnets you gave me the day you first told me you loved me."

"I thought you'd read it already. You must know it by heart."

She giggled softly. "I do. But I was feeling lonely."

"Meghan, I had no idea you would be so lonely out here. If I'd known I would've had the house built closer to town." Luke said apologetically.

Meg placed her fingertips over her husband�s lips. "I love it here Luke, really I do. I'm sure it was just because you were gone that I felt so badly. Now that you're home things can get back to normal."

They heard the front door close and stared at each other. A giggle escaped Meg's lips and Luke soon joined her.

"Almost back to normal. Maybe we should pay to get Buck back to the express so that we can have the house to ourselves again." Luke said.

"Definitely." Meg replied then kissed her husband.

Since it was late, Buck assumed that Meg was already asleep and not wanting to disturb her, he decided to turn in himself. He had a nice time with Corey and couldn�t help but think about her and Caly. They both were such good friends of his. He didn't want to hurt either one of them. He felt like he was betraying one when he was with the other. He knew that they both liked him. His problem was that he liked them both and just couldn�t decide who he wanted to be with. No matter who he chose, a good friend was going to be hurt. And the fact that he was the one that was going to cause the heartbreak, was what kept him up at night.

Meg�s scream not only interrupted Buck�s thoughts, but also woke up Luke. Since Buck did not know that Luke was home, he rushed into the master bedroom to see what the problem was. Thinking that an intruder had somehow gotten in, he rushed into the master bedroom to protect his friend. He saw Luke holding his wife and Meg�s head was on his shoulder. Embarrassed because he thought he had interrupted an intimate moment, he left quietly. Luke had seen Buck sneak out of the room and was grateful that his wife did not see him. Even though she had put on a nightgown before they had fallen asleep, she still would have been embarrassed. She was shaking from whatever it was that had woken her up.

"Meg, Darling, what�s wrong?"

Still hysterical, Meg said, "He was here and no one would help me."

Confused, he asked, "Who Meg, who was here?"

"Simon"

Realizing that it was just a nightmare, Luke consoled her. "Simon is dead. He can�t hurt you or anyone else anymore." Luke really hated the man that had caused so many fears in his wife. "It was just a dream."

After Meg had calmed down and realized that it was just a dream, she felt foolish. Luke asked, "Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes talking about it helps."

"It was weird and not like the other nightmares. It started out like the others. Simon and I were on the picnic, when he started to force himself on me. When I called out for help, you and Elena showed up. But instead of helping me you ignored me and made love to her while Simon raped me!" By voicing it she saw just how silly the nightmare had really been, but she still had her worries about Elena.

"Meghan, that would never happen. First, I�d never let anyone hurt you. Second, Simon is dead, but most of all, I love you and you are the only woman I want to make love to for the rest of my life. You are the only one that could ever satisfy me in bed."

"Really?"

"Really."

"But I�m fat."

"No, you�re not fat. You�re pregnant with my child and that makes you the most beautiful woman on this earth." Luke reassured his wife and kissed her forehead. Meg looked into his eyes for sincerity. She knew her husband was right -- she really wasn't fat, but she sure felt fat. Meg kissed her beloved and as he deepened the kiss, she forgot all about her dream and anyone or anything else. The world consisted of just her and Luke.

After making love again, as they laid in each other arms, Meg purred, "Luke, Honey? Could you go downstairs and get me a tomato and pickle sandwich, please?"

The thought of a tomato and pickle sandwich did not appeal to Luke, but as he got dressed, he asked, "Is there anything else you want, Wildcat?"

After a moment�s thought she replied, "A glass of milk."

"Alright, I�ll be back in a few minutes."

When Luke got to the kitchen, he was glad that he put on some clothes including a shirt on. Buck was nursing a cup of warm milk and he didn�t need to see the scratch marks on Luke�s back.

"Is she okay now?"

"Oh yeah, just hungry is all. I�m going to fix her a sandwich and a glass of milk and take it up to her." He looked at his friend and knew that something was bothering him. "Is everything okay with you?"

"Huh, oh yeah. I was just thinking about Corey and Caly."

"Oh I see."

"No matter which one I choose, I�m going to hurt the other. I don�t want to hurt either one. They�re both good friends of mine. I�ve spent the same amount of time alone with both of them and I still don�t know which one I want to be with."

"Well, don�t rush your decision. Take your time and don�t let them make you choose before you are ready to choose. When the time is right, I�m sure you�ll make the right decision." Luke recommended as he finished fixing the sandwich and pouring the milk.

As Luke opened the door to his bedroom, he saw the moonlight fall across the sweat on his wife�s naked body. Boy is she beautiful, he thought. "Here�s your sandwich and milk, Wildcat." He smiled as he handed it to her. After he undressed, he crawled back into bed beside her.

"Thank you." Meg grinned. As she ate, she noticed Luke was watching her. "What?"

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you as my wife."

"Even with weird cravings?"

"Even with the weird cravings." Luke laughed. "I�m going to lay down so that you can feed my child."