"You look absolutely stunning tonight Cat." Emmett said as he took her by her hand and spun her around so he could see every inch of her. It was the next night and as promised Emmett was picking her up to take her into town for dinner.

Catherine blushed when his eyes scanned over her hungrily and she knew she had done a good job making her dress. It was dark blue and made her pale skin look porcelain. Her blond hair was only half up and most of it hung down her back in long blond waves. Her dress was strapless and she wore a matching wrap across her shoulders and gloves of the same deep blue that came to her elbows.

Emmett was sure he had never seen her look more beautiful than she did right now.

"You look very handsome yourself." she replied. He smiled and then held out his arm. He led her outside and she saw that the carriage was nowhere to be seen.

"I thought we could walk." he said in answer to her unspoken question. "It is such a beautiful night and besides I gave Edward the night off to go out and relax. I figured that after last night he deserved it."

Catherine nodded as they strolled arm in arm down the street.

"How is Bianca?" he asked after several quiet moments. Catherine sighed.

"As prickly and hateful as always." she replied. "Yesterday I really thought she was going to try to change but now I'm not so sure."

"Bianca is a grown woman now, Catherine. We can't worry about her anymore. She is going to do what she wants to do and there is not much we can do about it." he said patting her arm. She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder as they walked.

They made small talk until they arrived at the restaurant and found themselves laughing all through dinner. Only when Catherine saw Peter sitting alone in the corner did she stop smiling.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked noticing the sudden change in her mood.

"I just noticed that Peter is alone and that he can see us." she replied. Emmett sighed. Peter Walsh again. That man had a way of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Invite him over… Maybe he'll help you plan the wedding since Bianca seems to be a no go." Catherine's eyes widened and then turned angry.

"Emmett, I can't believe you said that! I thought you were a gentleman!" she said. Emmett raised his eyebrow and took a sip of his water.

"The man wants to marry you. Sorry if I don't feel sorry for him." he said. Catherine had never noticed Emmett's jealous nature before. It irritated her but boosted her confidence a little too. She reached across the table and laid her hand over his.

"Emmett, you have no reason to be jealous. I am yours, my love." she said softly. Emmett gave her hand a squeeze but shrugged.

"I am not jealous." he said matter of factly. "I just don't like Peter Walsh." Catherine tried to fight the smile that was forming on her lips but found she could not. Before Emmett could try to defend himself further Edward came bursting into the small restaurant and to their table.

"Edward, what's wrong?" Emmett demanded as he stood.

"Miss Bianca has been attacked." he said. Catherine gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Attacked? Someone came into our home..?" she said. Edward shook his head.

"No. She decided to go out tonight. She did not make it far from your home when I heard her screaming. I saw Gregory running away but I did not have time to worry about him."

"Is she ok?" Emmett asked. Edward nodded.

"She is shaken up and has now has matching black eyes but other than that she appears to be fine. I contacted the police but they cannot find Gregory anywhere."

"Is she at home?" Catherine asked. Edward shook his head.

"No she is out in the carriage. I did not feel comfortable leaving her at home alone." he replied. Catherine quickly ran out of the restaurant. She climbed into the carriage and wrapped Bianca tightly in her arms.

Bianca did not resist the contact. Instead she buried herself deep in her big sisters arms and cried.

888

"Catherine, stop being such a mother hen! I am fine! It's been almost a month!" Bianca said her voice full of exasperation and irritation. Catherine pulled the brush away from Bianca's hair and sat it down on the vanity.

"I'm sorry Bianca." she said. Though the police, Emmett and Edward had searched for Gregory he had gotten away. Bianca had not left the house since Gregory had attacked her and Catherine had dedicated every second of her time to trying to take care of her little sister.

"Why in the world are you and Emmett not married yet?" Bianca demanded suddenly. Catherine just sat there not knowing the answer.

"I don't know. He has not mentioned it since…" Her voice trailed off.

"Since I got attacked." Bianca finished. Catherine nodded. "You two love each other. There is no reason for you not to be married yet."

"Bianca, Emmett spends every spare second of his day prowling around here like a guard dog. He doesn't ever seem to just sit and relax anymore. He rarely smiles or laughs even. He just looks out the windows and checks the door locks. It's like he is expecting Gregory to burst through the door at any second." Catherine said standing up and pacing the floors. Bianca had never remembered seeing Catherine look so on edge.

"You can't place all the blame on Emmett." Bianca scolded and Catherine looked over at her. Since when had Bianca become the level-headed sister that did the scolding? "You have been so busy playing mother hen to me you have not been spending any time with him."

"I think I liked you better when you were whiny and self-centered." Catherine said as she sat down in the arm chair. Bianca smiled.

"I still like to whine and I am very self-centered but I also can see how crazy both you and Emmett are becoming and I don't like it very much." she replied. Catherine looked over at her and could tell there was something serious on her mind.

"What is it Bianca? You look like you are wanting to tell me something." she said. Bianca sighed.

"I don't want to live here anymore." she said matter of factly. Catherine looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean? You'll have this house to yourself as soon as Emmett and I get married." she said. Bianca shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. I want out of this city. I want to move somewhere where no one knows my name or my less then lady like reputation. Somewhere where I can start fresh and not have to worry that that monster is going to be lurking behind every shadow." Bianca said.

"Where do you want to go?" Catherine asked. Bianca sighed.

"West somewhere. Somewhere where the land and the people are more wild and untamed. Somewhere that I don't have to feel ashamed that I'm not a prim and proper lady… Because let's face it, no matter how hard I try I will never be like you."

"I'm not so perfect." Catherine assured her. Bianca just laughed and shook her head.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" she asked. Catherine sat in silence for several long moments just staring down at the rug on the floor. Bianca wondered what her sister was thinking.

"I'll talk to Emmett. Where do you want to go? Kansas? Wyoming? I'm sure that we could find a place big enough for all of us out there." Catherine said finally. Bianca looked at her sister as if she'd lost her mind. She had expected an argument. She had expected to have to leave without Catherine or Emmett's blessing and here was her sister telling her that not only could she leave but that they would come with her.

"You would leave your life here just to make me happy?" Bianca asked. She should have expected it she supposed. Catherine always did everything she could to make sure everyone around her was happy.

"Of course I would. You are my sister." Catherine replied. "Besides this city is getting too crowded anyways. You are living in fear. Emmett is so darn fixated on playing protector he can't relax and Edward is nearly as bad as he is. And me…. Well to tell you the truth I am getting awfully tired of always having to be the prim and proper lady. I would enjoy living somewhere where I could let my hair down and dig in the dirt. Grow a garden. Have some animals…" Bianca laughed as she could tell Catherine became lost in a daydream.

"How about Texas?" Bianca asked. Catherine looked over at her and smiled.

"Texas it is." she replied. Bianca frowned.

"Do you really think you can talk Emmett into it?" she asked. Catherine laughed and waved her hand in a way that reminded Bianca of herself.

"Have you ever known a time when I couldn't get Emmett to do what I wanted?" she asked. Bianca shook her head. "That's part of being a lady…. You see a lady always gets what she wants." Catherine added with a grin. Bianca laughed.

Catherine looked at her little sister and smiled happily. She hated to admit it but Bianca being attacked may just end up being the best thing that had ever happened. She and Bianca laughed and joked more now.. They still butted heads now and then but no more then every other set of sisters in the world. And now they were going to get out of this city.. All of them and start a new life and a new chapter.

Catherine stood up and smoothed out her skirts.

"Time to find the guard dog and have a little talk with him." she said. Bianca crossed her fingers.

"Good luck." she said. Catherine nodded and left the room. Surprisingly Emmett was not down in her sitting room like he had been earlier in the day. She checked the rest of the house but he was not there. She opened the door and found Edward sitting on the front stoop. She rolled her eyes when she nearly tripped over him.

"Edward, what on earth are you doing sitting outside the door? You are more than welcome to come into my house you know." she said. Edward nodded and tipped his hat.

"I was just sitting here for a moment, Miss Catherine. Emmett had to run home to do a few things and he wanted me to stay and.. Uh.. Keep watch." he replied. Catherine shook her head and laid her hand on Edwards arm.

"You men have got to calm down or else you are going to drive yourselves, and me, crazy. There is no crazy psycho waiting out there to strike any moment. It was just a jilted lover seeking revenge but he is gone now." she said. Edward nodded but she had known him nearly as long as she had known Emmett and she could tell he was not convinced.

"I'm going to go talk to Emmett." Catherine said with a sigh. She started across the street but then turned back to face Edward who looked at her questioningly.

"Edward?" she said.

"Yes?" he asked.

"How are you with a pistol?" she asked. Edward raised a brow and shrugged.

"Fair I guess. Why?"

"Because we're moving to Texas and I hear it is pretty wild out there. It is probably a good thing to know how to use a pistol." Catherine replied. She didn't give him time to reply before turning and walking away. Edward wondered what in the world she was talking about as he scratched his head and watched her walk into Emmett's house.

Catherine walked into Emmett's house but the sitting room was empty. She called his name softly but he didn't answer. She walked up the stairs to his bedroom and found the door open. She walked in and smiled.

His hair was still wet and she could tell he had just taken a bath. He looked like he'd been in the process of pulling his shoes back on when he had passed out asleep on the bed. She knew he had not been sleeping much the last few weeks and she had been worried about him.

Catherine decided that the conversation could wait until later. She grabbed a spare quilt from the hall closet and walked back into the bedroom. She pulled his legs up onto the bed and took off the one shoe he had managed to get one before falling asleep. She was just covering him up with the quilt when his hand grabbed her arm. She let out a startled gasp and then looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry love." she said. "I didn't mean to wake you." Emmett just smiled and pulled her down into the bed. She stretched out on her side against him and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tight around her. They lay there in silence for several minutes. Catherine just let herself enjoy being held by him. It had been a while since he had just held her in his arms.

"Why are we not married yet?" Emmett asked his voice quiet. Catherine looked up at him.

"I am afraid you have to ask yourself that question love. You never got that license you talked about." she replied. Emmett closed his eyes and sighed. She could see lines of guilt on his face and she raised her hand to try to smooth them away.

"I am sorry, Cat. I have just not been myself the last few weeks. I am afraid I went a little crazy." he said. Catherine smiled and kissed his cheek.

"We've all been a little crazy the last few weeks." she replied. Emmett looked into her eyes and smiled. Leave it to Catherine to try to make him feel better after he'd treated her so badly.

"I have not been paying enough attention to you." he said. Catherine sighed.

"You've had a lot on your mind." she replied. "Of course I barely even remember what it feels like to kiss you." Emmett smiled and laid a hand on both of her cheeks.

"Allow me to remind you." he said. He pulled her lips to his and kissed her passionately. The tension of the last few weeks seemed to melt away as their lips touched, tasted and remembered each other.

When Emmett finally pulled away, Catherine's eyes were half closed, her cheeks flushed and her breathing a little harsher.

"When I first woke up I got the impression that there was something you were wanting to talk to me about." Emmett said as she laid her head back on his chest and he ran his hands through her long hair.

"Yes." she replied.

"Well don't keep me in suspense woman." he said teasingly. Catherine toyed with the button on his shirt wondering how to go about convincing him to move out west.

"I was not just trying to make you feel better when I said that we have all been crazy the last few weeks." she said. "Bianca won't leave the house, you and Edward are both like guard dogs on high alert, and I have been so caught up in trying to hold it all together that I truly feel as if I am about to shatter apart." Emmett squeezed her tight and kissed her hair.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice how hard this was on you." he said gently. Catherine shook her head.

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Emmett." she said. "But I was thinking that maybe we all just need to get away from here."

"You want to take a holiday?" he asked.

"No. I actually had something more permanent in mind." she said. Emmett looked up at the ceiling wondering what was going on in that mind of hers.

"You want to move?" he asked. Catherine nodded against his chest.

"Yes. Bianca does too. She wants to go somewhere where not everyone knows about her or her reputation…."

"I'm afraid I cannot get us to the moon." Emmett said teasingly and Catherine slapped his stomach.

"Hush." she scolded. "She wants to go somewhere where she can start fresh." Emmett twirled some of her long blond hair around his finger.

"What about you?" he asked. "Why do you want to move?" He would not put it past her to simply say that she wanted to move in order to make her sister happy. It was something that he knew Catherine would do in a heartbeat.

"I want to get away from here as well." she said. She heard Emmett's snort of disbelief and she raised up to look at him.

"I'm serious." she said. "I am sick and tired of living right here in the middle of society. I am tired of having to act like the picture of perfection. The prim and proper lady every time I walk out the door. I am tired of satiny dresses and gloves. I want to live somewhere where things can be simpler." she said.

"I don't have a bit of a problem if you never want to put on another satiny dress again." he said running his finger along the neckline of the purple dress she was wearing. He could see the passion enter her eyes but she pushed his hand away.

"Emmett, I mean what I am saying." she said. Emmett nodded.

"I can tell. When you lie, not that it is very often, your cheeks get red and you get this guilty little grin." he said. Catherine raised her finger to her lips.

"I do?" she asked. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Cat, I will do anything, go anywhere, just as long as I'm with you." he said and Catherine sighed with relief. She might have spoken with confidence to Bianca and Edward but she really had not known if Emmett would go along with her plan.

"So where did you ladies decide you wanted to move to?" he asked. Catherine bit her lip… This was the other part of the plan she wasn't sure he'd go along with.

"Texas." she replied. Emmett's eyes widened and he looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Texas? Most of that land is barely settled!" he said. Catherine nodded.

"That's the point." she replied. "We can build our own lives."

"I don't know a thing about cattle or any of the other industries that are big out there." Emmett said. Catherine rolled her eyes dramatically and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Really Emmett? Is that the best reason you can come up with not to move? Between the fortune your father left you and the fortune that my father left Bianca and I, we don't really have worry about cattle and whatever other businesses are out there. Add to that the money you are making off your investment with the railroad and I think it's safe to say we'll survive."

"I wouldn't have even made the investment if you had not talked me into it." Emmett reminded her. She smiled.

"See… All the more reason you need to listen to me now. This will be good for all of us." she said. "You and Edward never did fit the part of proper city gentlemen. You have always enjoyed climbing trees, getting dirty, working with your hands. All of that will be far more acceptable there than it is here."

"No more tuxedos?" Emmett asked hopefully. He had always hated tuxedos and top hats. Catherine smiled and nodded.

"No more top hats either." she added.

"I think this is insane." he said but Catherine could tell by the look in his eyes that he was thinking about it.

"You should not call me insane, Emmett." she teased. "It is hardly polite."

"Can I call you beautiful?" he asked. Catherine acted as if she thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes that would be ok." she said. Emmett smiled used a hand to pull her face down to his so that he could kiss her again. Catherine moaned his name when his other hand moved from her hip, to her waist and then up higher to her chest. Emmett knew if he didn't get out of this bed with her soon he was not going to be able to keep himself from making love to her.

He tried to pull away from her but she shook her head and pressed her lips harder against his. Emmett growled low in his throat and grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her head away.

"Cat, I might be honorable my love but I am still just a man and my strength and resistance can only go so far." he said. Catherine smiled and laid her finger on his lips.

"Thank goodness." she said. "Because I really really want you to be less than honorable right now." Emmett quickly stood from the bed and Catherine thought he was going to tell her no but then she saw the intensity in his eyes as he stared at her and knew he wasn't.

He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off and Catherine felt her blood pumping hotter at the sight of his bare chest. He slid out of his pants and then joined her back in the bed bracing himself over her and kissing her passionately. He moved his lips to her ear, her neck, her collarbone. She moaned his name beneath him and he smiled.

He tried to move his lips back to hers but she turned her head and managed to raise her hand to his lips to block them from kissing her. He looked at her questioningly.

"Does this mean we're moving?" she asked. Emmett laughed and Catherine was thrilled to see the mischievous glint was back in his eyes.

"I'll go anywhere you want, Cat. Anywhere with you." he replied.

"Good." Catherine said. She moved her hand away from his mouth and raised her lips to his.