"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you."She smiled brightly at the man, surprising Lindsay, who was throwing him her most suspicious glare. "Christian," she whispered to Lindsay without moving her lips."Telegram."

"Gotcha," Lindsay whispered out of the corner of her mouth, visibly relaxing.

"Enchante. My name is Emile Boucher." An enormous smile stretched his bearded cheeks. He was a huge man, easily six-and-a-half-feet tall and two hundred and seventy five pounds."I have been checking the depot every afternoon for two weeks! And finally, you are here. Mr. Spence from New York sent a cable saying you might be here soon. I help place the children. Come." He ushered them all to his waiting wagon and launched into an explanation of his and his wife Marie's involvement with the orphans and how they found homes for Catholic boys and girls.

Sometime late that afternoon he pulled the wagon to a stop in front of Chenard's Bed & Breakfast. It was on a quiet residential street, well away from what little traffic there was in Opelousas, but still within walking distance of the depot. The man's face conveyed his true regret."I'm sorry that is all I can tell you. We were able to find homes for a teenage girl and two little boys from the orphan train," he added uncomfortably, not knowing what else to say.

Ginny was nearly beside herself, but she managed a polite goodbye. "You have my thanks, Emile. It would have taken us hours and hours to find out what you were able to tell us over lunch."

"Au revoir, Ginny." He turned and tipped his hat to Lindsay as she stepped down off the buckboard."And good bye to you, green vegetable girl."

Lindsay grunted an acknowledgment as she offered Lewis, then Ginny a hand down. James jumped down on his own.

"Merci," Ginny said.

The big man nodded and grinned brightly. With a sharp whistle he started up his team.

They all watched for a moment as he drove away.

Then Lewis, James, and Lindsay all turned incredulous eyes on Ginny. And stared.

"What?" she asked, throwing her hands in the air."Have I grown a horn on my forehead?"

Lindsay cocked her head to the side."No. But since when do you speak French?"She herself knew curse words in several different languages, but that was about it. English was bad enough.

"Yeah," the boys echoed. "Where'd you learn that?" Lewis asked curiously.

Ginny rolled her eyes."For God's sake, I don't really speak French." She pointed at her brothers."You know that. All I can say is thank you. I bought our bread from Mrs. Dubois' bakery every single day. Did you think I never thanked her for it?" Her voice was rising, and she didn't try to stop it. "You know I don't speak French!"

Both boys took a step backwards, their eyes wide. Then they glanced at Ginny again and back at each other, before taking another step backwards. They could tell she was about to fall apart and neither boy had the heart to witness it. Ginny was always strong and the thought of seeing her truly upset had them quaking inside.

"Where do you boys think you're going?" Ginny snapped, stomping her foot in the dirt and letting their travel bag fall from her hand."I'm still talking to you."

Lindsay's eyebrows shot straight up. Oh, boy."Umm... Ginny?" She took a tentative step forward, a big part of her envying the boys the fact that they were getting ready to make a break for it.

Ginny's face began to crumble."Mama always said we should say thank you."She promptly burst into tears, spinning around and presenting her brothers and Lindsay with her shaking back.

The boys both stood there helplessly, nervously shuffling their feet, their eyes darting from Ginny to Lindsay, and begging the rail-rider to do something. Anything.

Lindsay calmly handed James her five-dollar coin and jerked her thumb towards the B&B door."Go get us a room. We'll be inside in a minute."

The boys didn't have to be told twice. They tripped all over themselves running up the walk, but had the good grace to throw a worried glance back at their sister before disappearing.

"Don't lose that money or I'll kill you," Lindsay called after them. Gingerly, she approached Ginny and laid a hand on her shoulder. She barely had a chance to make contact before Ginny whirled around and pulled her into a desperate, clingy embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I don't know wh-what's wrong with me."

"I do," Lindsay said very softly."I know you're upset and worried." Damn that Emile. The news he'd given was worse than not finding Jane at all. Emile had explained that the child appeared to have a severe case of the croup and that no prospective parents would risk adoption with her so ill. Nobody wanted to bury a child they barely knew.

Ginny's cheeks were wet and her nose was running."Sh-she's really sick." She sucked in an uneven breath."He s-said so. Nobody would take her. What kind of people could turn away a sick child?"

Lindsay sighed, her mind spinning as she considered what she could say or do that would make this better. She came up dry."I know, honey." She tightened her hold on Ginny, feeling the soft cries turn to sobs as the redhead let go of some of the pent up frustration that had steadily been building. It wasn't the place Lindsay would have picked for it to happen, but she had accepted long ago that some things in life plowed full speed ahead whether the timing was convenient or not.

They'd all gotten their hopes up in Hattiesburg when the description of one of the children adopted out so closely matched Jane's."Emile saw her weeks ago. She's probably fine by now."

"Or de-dead," Ginny stuttered between sobs. Just like Mama and Alice and Helen, and Arthur. Oh, God.

Lindsay closed her eyes. Damn. "It's possible, Ginny. I won't lie and say it's not. Though I wish I could," she whispered into the pink ear near her lips.

Ginny's head was pounding, and her stomach was a solid knot of tension."Lewis had it wh-when he was a baby and he... he nearly died."

"But it doesn't do any good for you to think like that."

Ginny barked out a watery laugh, still clinging to Lindsay."Since when did you become all ch-cheerful and optimistic?"

"Since you started to cry."

Ginny's lips twitched into a reluctant smile."It will be okay," she said softly, as much for herself as for Lindsay.

"It will."Lindsay did something she rarely did. She sent out a little prayer for Helen Robson and the people who loved her. As far as Lindsay was concerned, finding the toddler too late was not an option.

"What shit hole are we in today?" Albert asked Bo as they walked the streets of Troy, Alabama.

"Who cares? They all look the same."

Albert had spent several days in a jail in Atlanta for disorderly conduct when he'd tried to pick a man's pocket. Unfortunately, the man thought that Albert was trying to cop a feel and promptly had him arrested. Fortunately, he had been too embarrassed to testify that a man had squeezed his ass. So after three days of incarceration Albert was set free and told get the hell out of town or risk being strung up for being a pervert.

Ignoring the warning, Albert and Bo had stayed in town another night, each winning a dollar and change when they happened across a friendly neighborhood cockfight.

Today, they arrived in Troy with one thing on their minds. A drink. The temperatures were moderate, but hours in a stuffy boxcar had left them feeling as though they'd been chewing on sawdust. Albert resolved to kill Lindsay after he had a beer. And Bo could hardly argue with a shift of priorities like that.

Albert's face had healed to something close to respectable, if you were a boxer, and it was with a pocket full of change that he and Bo stepped into Smokey's saloon. The place was nearly empty, except for a sour-looking man who sat near the piano in the back corner. He was restlessly rolling an empty shot glass in one shaky hand and had an oddly short leg propped up on a chair.

Albert's gaze met the stranger's, and they both nodded slowly, warily. It was a case of like meeting like. Trouble meeting trouble. He smiled crookedly and jabbed his elbow into Bo's mid-section. "I think I've found someone to beat the hell out of at craps."

Bo looked at Milo and winced. It had been a long time since he'd seen someone seedier than Rat Face.

It was going to be a long night.

The next day...

The people of Texas were just as the boys had imagined they'd be: men in tall hats, wearing denim pants and vests, and some with six-shooters strapped to their legs. They spotted the occasional Indian, who much to the boys' disappointment, did not wear a full feather headdress, have their face covered in war paint, or carry blood-dripping tomahawks.

Their time in Tyler, Texas, with its unexpected towering oaks and rolling pastures, was a complete bust. While it was on the list of cities where the train was meant to visit, apparently the stop had been cancelled due to lack of interest. They were in town all of ten minutes before they found this out and were forced to stay the night to wait for the next outbound train.

The weather was mild, and in order to save money they decided to camp at the edge of a ranch, next to a pond that lay on the outskirts of town.

At dusk, the boys discovered catfish swimming lazily in the clear pond water. They had nothing to rig a pole with and after trying unsuccessfully to use their shirts as fishing nets-which earned them each a swat on the behind from Ginny-they realized they had absolutely no talent as fisherman.

"But we're hungry!" Lewis complained after Ginny warned him away from the water for the twentieth time.

"Mother hen." Lindsay snorted. "Cluck...cluuuuuuuuuck."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at Lindsay, smiling at the boy's squeals of delighted laughter. She was determined to enjoy this evening. To the boys, tonight was a grand adventure. James was coming around slowly but steadily, and she suspected that Lindsay easing her way into his heart had a lot to do with that. In short, she wasn't about to spoil this night for them with dark thoughts and worries. There would be time enough for that tomorrow.

"No," she corrected with a grin."I'm not a mother hen. I just happen to know that water is freezing cold and that James and Lewis whine and holler like a tom cat getting an unexpected bath if you put them in cold water."

"Hey!" they cried.

"I do not," James insisted, but he was smiling at Ginny. Lewis was smiling, too, and Lindsay suspected they were all sharing the same fond memory.

"And," Ginny continued after a moment, "I happen to know that none of us are going to catch one of those ugly fish." She gestured towards the pond dismissively and sat down on the log next to Lindsay, whose gangly legs were stretched out comfortably in front of her."The closest we've come to a live fish is the morning catch at fishmonger Pisciolio's stand."

"I'll bet Lindsay could do it," Lewis supplied helpfully.

James narrowed his eyes in thought, but was forced to agree. Lindsay did plenty of things he'd never seen a girl do before. Why should this be any different?"Yeah," he agreed resolutely."She could catch a fish. She's doesn't sound like she's from New York. So she's from the country," he reasoned.

Lindsay turned round eyes on James."And since I'm not from New York City that automatically means I can fish?"

"I'd say so," Lewis piped up.

"Ahh... that's right," Ginny laughed."You're from Pennsylvania. I'll bet you Quaker country girl types have lots of hidden talents." Haughtily, she began ticking off her fingers. "Quilt making; oh, definitely canning; and butter churning; and-"

"Making pies?" James exclaimed hopefully, his mouth watering at the thought.

Lewis sniggered."Don't we wish."

Lindsay's mouth worked several times but nothing came out. Finally she blurted, "Country girl?" She pointed at her toes and then drew her index finger up the length of her body."Do I look like a country girl?"She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot as she waited Her question was met with three innocent nods.

Ginny's eyes twinkled. She only managed to keep a straight face by biting her lower lip. Gotcha, gorgeous. "Let's see what you can do."

Lindsay's eyebrow jumped at the playful challenge in Ginny's voice. She loved seeing her this way and would gladly make a fool of herself ten times over for a repeat of that sweet smile."Fine," Lindsay shot back, lifting her chin and stalking over to the pond to peer down doubtfully. "Hey," she blinked a few times and pointed."I can actually see one."

"Very good, Lindsay," Ginny said dryly, winking at the boys.

"Shut up, Yankee," Lindsay teased, using the taunt that she and Ginny had been subjected to everyday since they crossed the Mason-Dixon Line. Lindsay rubbed her hands together in anticipation."I don't even need a pole. I can just reach in and grab one."

Ginny's eyebrows rose, but she remained respectfully silent as her friend tried time and time again. Once Lindsay actually managed to get hold of a fish, but the enormous, slimy beast flapped around in her hands, spraying her with water and causing her to scream in disgust and terror and drop him back into the pond.

"Aww...Shit!"

Ginny fell backwards off the log, holding her stomach as she exploded into laughter.

"I'm not sharing my fish with any of you. Not a single bite, so don't even think of asking."

Ginny's laughter finally died down enough so that she could speak. Lewis and James had gotten tired of standing alongside the dark-haired woman at the pond and had sprawled out on the bedrolls they'd purchased in Tyler."Lindsay," Ginny chuckled, still lying flat on her back, "c'mon and sit down." She was actually feeling a little bad for teasing her so, but that didn't erase the silly grin on her face."I have some food in our bag. We won't starve. Come relax."

"No," Lindsay answered stubbornly. "Leave me alone. I'm busy."

"Don't be silly."

"I am not-ooo...hello, beautiful."Lindsay spotted what was soon to be their dinner and leaned way over, reaching out as far as she could.

Ginny propped herself up on her elbows and shook her head knowingly."You'd better be care-"

"I almost...there...just a little more...Yes!" Victorious, Lindsay yanked the fish out of the water and lost her balance."Whoa!" The fish slipped through her hands and to the backdrop of the hooting, cheering boys and Ginny's nearly hysterical laughter, she ended up taking an unexpected swim.

Hours later, she found herself warm and comfortable in her nightshirt with her clothes drying near a crackling fire. Ginny was fitted snuggly against her under their shared blanket and she greedily drank in the scent of wood smoke and grass as she gazed into a sky bright with twinkling stars. The boys' gentle snores filled the small campsite and the women shared gentle kisses, tender murmured words, and wishes, as shooting stars streaked above.

It was, Lindsay decided, damn near perfect. But there was one more Robson yet to find and she knew without a doubt what Ginny's last, silent wish had been for.

"Thank you for tonight," Ginny whispered, dropping a kiss on Lindsay's throat, and closing her eyes."It was wonderful." A satisfied smile eased over Lindsay's face."You're welcome."She wanted to thank Ginny for the same thing, and for tomorrow, too, and all the tomorrows after that. She was about to tell her that very thing when she heard Ginny's breathing even out and her soft snores joined her brothers'. Lindsay realized that the moment had passed, but she knew she'd hold it close to her heart always. She let out a deep breath and thought of the possibilities her future now held. The ones the stars overhead hadn't bothered to divulge on the many nights she'd stared at them from a moving boxcar...alone. She grinned at the sky and whispered, "You've been holding out on me."

She closed her eyes and let the peacefulness of the campsite sweep over her and carry her into a deep, satisfying slumber.

Two days later...

Ft. Worth and Waco. Two more stops, two more failures. In Waco, the dusty cow town they'd just come from, no one even remembered an orphan fitting Jane's description being among the children from the trainband Ginny was left to wonder if she'd missed her in one of the towns they'd already searched. Her darker thoughts hinted at something worse, but it was just past sunrise and the new day was ripe with possibilities.

There were several wagons waiting for the train's passengers as it rumbled across the wooden bridge that spanned the rushing San Marcos River. Lindsay and Ginny waited patiently until the train pulled away before leaving the platform, in case Christian had sent word ahead.

Lewis and James each took turns using the station's outhouse before slowly padding back to their sister. They hating sleeping on the train, but it was the best way to assure they'd have a full day to search in San Marcos.

There were only two more cities on the orphan train's route. None of them mentioned it, but it was never very far from Ginny and Lindsay's minds.

"I'm starving," James informed his sister."Can we get something for breakfast?"

Ginny reached down and ruffled his brown hair. "Sure. It's a little too early to get much done. Let's see what we can find."

There were several horses tethered in front of a small restaurant, just down the road from the station. The smell of frying bacon sent the boys running ahead to locate its source.

Lewis anxiously peered through the clean glass window."Can we?"

Lindsay and Ginny exchanged glances."I dunno," Ginny said doubtfully."It looks sort of expensive. How about we try something from the store?"

The children groaned but were over the disappointment quickly and took off down the street, looking for the nearest store which was likely to sell food. Finding one quickly, they pressed their faces to the glass and stared inside. They saw the proprietress dusting off the shelves inside and, despite the 'closed' sign on the door, the woman waved the boys in. Lindsay started to follow.

Ginny stopped her with a hand on her arm."Pick out something good," she said, yawning."I'm gonna stretch my legs. I think all this sitting is doing something irreversible to my arse."She rubbed her bottom ruefully.

Lindsay looked at the body part in questioned and grinned roguishly."Looks pretty good from where I'm standing."

Ginny's nose wrinkled as she smiled."Go inside before the boys break something and we have to stay and work off the debt."She made a shooing motion with both hands."Hurry."

"Okay," Lindsay laughed, and disappeared into the store.

Ginny smiled when she heard a faint 'hey, don't touch that!' as the door closed. Blue eyes took in her surroundings."Where to start?" she mumbled, walking a short way down the street."Courthouse maybe? Church?"

Two men on horseback tipped their hats at her as they rode past, making her glad she'd changed into her dress on the train. Her stomach growled fiercely, reminding her it was time to head back to the store.