Molly woke the next morning to the feel of warm sunshine on her face. She opened her eyes and blinked at the sudden brightness. If she were home, the smell of the ocean mixed with her mother’s garden would have woken her. Molly sighed and pushed herself out of bed to the dresser. The watch-pin that Ryan had given her was lying on top of it. She closed her eyes remembering the day that he’d given it to her. “Every teacher needs a timepiece,” he said to her as she opened the box to reveal the small silver watch that dangled from a silver carved lapel pin. It was the day she found out she’d been accepted to Queen’s College, the part of Charlottetown University that was dedicated to students wanting to be certified as teachers. She was going through the program in one year instead of the traditional two. Then her mother became ill.

Molly shook her head, not allowing the memories to go any further. She looked at the time; it was 8:00. She wondered if her father was awake yet. They’d both been out late the night before at dinner with her uncle trying to catch up. Molly went to the small closet where she’d hung her brown dress that she had changed into for dinner the night before, deciding she’d wear it again today. She began the process of washing herself from the water that was left in the ewer, promising herself a hot bath later that night so she could wash her hair. After dressing, Molly went to her father’s room and knocked softly. No one answered. She walked down the stairs to the front desk to see if there was a message for her. The clerk nodded and handed her a folded piece of paper.

“Thank you,” Molly said. She read the note. In her father’s writing it told her he was doing more errands with her uncle. She turned back to the desk. “Could you please tell me if there’s a church in town?” she asked.

“At the end of the street,” the clerk said to her. She thanked him once again and stepped out into her first morning in Four Corners. She started her walk up the street. It was warm out for it being so early. Very few people were milling around. She found herself wondering if JD Dunne was among them. The thought almost caused her to stop suddenly in spite of herself. Where had that come from?

She continued walking up the street and smiled as she heard sounds of children playing. As she got closer she noticed that several children were playing with a man that made Molly instantly think of a story her father used to tell her and Emily that would scare the wits out of them, Jack and the Beanstalk. The man with the children was a perfect giant! She looked at the children’s faces, they seemed perfectly at ease so he couldn’t be as frightening as he appeared.

As she walked past he tipped the end of his hat to her, she nodded in response with a shy smile and walked up the stairs to the entrance of the church. She stepped a few feet inside and noticed a woman’s figure kneeling in front of the crucifix. It was the woman from the saloon, the one who sang. For a second Molly debated turning around and leaving but before she could the woman turned around suddenly, startling Molly. “Oh,” Molly gasped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean t’ give ya a fright,” the woman, said smiling warmly at Molly.

“No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She even spoke like her mother! It was all Molly could do to keep from turning around and running out the door.

“You’re originally from Ireland then?” the woman asked her. Molly nodded. “I’m Catherine Brynda Callaghan. But call ‘m Bryn, everyone does.”

“Molly Gallagher,” Molly answered her.

“I know. My friend Ezra told ‘m who you were last night. You’re Colum Gallagher’s niece. He said you were from somewhere in Canada?”

“Yes, Prince Edward Island. It’s one of the Maritime Provinces,” Molly answered her. The two women spoke for a few more minutes before Bryn excused herself to tend to some things.

“I hope to see you again soon,” Bryn said, taking hold of Molly’s hands and squeezing them.

“Likewise, Ms. Callaghan,” Molly said.

“Call ‘m Bryn. You make ‘m feel a hundred years old using my proper name!” Bryn good-naturedly scolded her with a smile. Molly laughed.

“As you wish,” she answered her. Bryn left and Molly sat on one of the pews and closed her eyes. She longed for home and the solace of her ocean so badly that it actually hurt. After a moment she stood and lit a candle before walking back out into the town deciding she’d try to find her father or uncle. She walked past Mrs. Potter’s store and the woman came out calling for her.

“Good morning, Mrs. Potter,” Molly greeted her.

“Good morning,” she answered her. “You’re father was by looking for you earlier. He said if I saw you to tell you to meet him and his brother at the saloon and not to worry about what he told you yesterday, whatever that means,” she said to her. Molly thanked her and crossed the street to the saloon.

She cautiously stepped inside and noticed her father and uncle at a table, they seemed to be quietly arguing. The same woman that was behind the bar the afternoon before was there again. She offered Molly a smile of recognition. Molly nodded to her wishing she had never stepped in there the afternoon before and made a perfect fool of herself. She also noticed that several of the men she’d met were also seated at a table, each with a coffee cup in their hands. Molly quickly made her way to where her father and uncle were. Her father’s smile to her appeared tired and her uncle’s eyes weren’t dancing like they’d been the day before.

“Has something happened?” Molly asked, concerned.

“Molly,” her father addressed her seriously, “Sit down, there’s something that I need to tell you,” he said, not meeting her eyes.

“What is it?” Molly asked, taking a seat next to her uncle. Her uncle pushed out of his seat angrily causing Molly to jump.

“I’m not going to be a part of this,” he said to Bryan and stormed up to the bar. Bryan ignored him and looked at his daughter.

“Molly, I wired the shipping company in New York when we were in Eagle Bend and had them send our crates that were in storage here. We’re not going on to Ireland.” Molly shook her head, not clearly understanding.

“Why did you do that? Why not have them sent back home…” her father cut her off.

“We’re not going back to the Island either. We’re staying here.” Molly felt as though her father had just slapped her.

“What do you mean, we’re staying here?” she asked, her voice panicking. Bryan reached across the table covering his daughter’s hands with his own.

“Colum’s been asked to be Foreman of the ranch he’s working for and he’s accepted. He can save enough money to buy land of his own and start his own ranch and he’s asked my help. This is new land, Molly. Think of the opportunity,” Molly didn’t want to listen to any more. She pushed herself away from the table and stood shaking, not truly believing this was happening. Bryan stood and walked up to his daughter, trying desperately to convince her it would be all right.

“This town is growing, I’ve been looking at land with Colum, the mortgages are cheep. We can build a house, start again,” Molly put her hands up to her face shaking her head, her back to her father. This had to be a nightmare, a horrible, horrible nightmare. Bryan placed his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “Molly, you can teach, this town desperately needs a teacher. You don’t need a certificate here. We can start over.” Molly’s hands flew from her face.

“No,” she yelled. “You can’t mean this. You can’t want this. This is a backward, horrible place and it could never be home.” She pushed away from her father and nearly blinded with tears, ran to the door and outside.

“Molly Katherine,” her father yelled after her as she ran out the door. He started after her but was stopped by his brother.

“Let her alone,” he said. Bryan shook his brother’s grip off. In the opposite corner Chris, Buck and Vin were watching the exchange. The three had been shocked to hear the soft-spoken Molly Gallagher start yelling at her father and run out the door, clearly very upset. When the two brothers appeared as though they were about to get into it, the three men stood up, ready to intervene.

“Damn it, Colum she is my daughter!” Bryan yelled at his brother.

“You’re so afraid that you’ll loose her like Kathleen you don’t see that you smoother her,” something inside Bryan just snapped. He punched Colum in the face sending him into the bar. Lily jumped back and Chris, Vin and Buck grabbed for the brothers to keep an all out fight from starting again. Buck grabbed a hold of Colum, but he continued his tirade on his brother.

“Molly would follow you to Antarctica if you had the notion. She’s not a child. She needs to start her own life, finish school, get married and start a family. It scares you to death that you’ll end up alone. Let her go back if she wants to.”

“You never had a family, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bryan yelled at his brother, being held back by Vin. “I loved Kathleen with all my heart and it nearly killed me when she died. I won’t loose Molly, she’s all that I have…” Colum cut his brother off.

“You’re already loosing her. An animal caught in a trap would rather chew it’s own leg off than stay in that trap and die and that’s what you’re doing to her. She needs to go back, there’s nothing here for her…” the slamming of an object on top of the bar caused a thud to echo through out the entire saloon stunning all the men. Everyone turned toward the bar to see Lily holding one of her ledgers, nearly fit to be tied.

“What is wrong with the both of you? What would that girl of yours think if she saw the two of you like this? Instead of going at each other’s throats and nearly tearing up my place maybe one of you should go after her. She ran out of here more scared than I’ve ever seen anyone and all the two of you can do is fight each other,” she finished, her hands on her hips.

“She’s right,” Chris said, from his place in-between the two brothers. Vin and Buck had long since let go of Colum and Bryan.

“I’ll go,” Bryan said walking toward the door. He turned back to his brother whose face was now being looked at by Nathan who had walked in during the argument. “We will make a new life here with or with out you’re help,” he said walking out the door.