The sound of the rooster awakened the occupants of the Bixby ranch. Luke lay on the lavish sofa in his study, holding the bag of Laureana's ashes; he couldn't sleep. He had bags under his eyes that were slightly tear-stricken. So many thoughts trailed his mind from last night; Emiliano was his son. He felt troubled that he never knew of his son's existence. "Luke, may I enter?" Isaac asked while knocking on the door.

"Come in." Luke sat up; his hair and clothes were disheveled. 

"I brought ya breakfast. Ya gotta eat somethin' to keep yer strength up. Last night was a bit of a shock for both of us."

"I'm not hungry, Isaac. How can I eat knowing I had a son I never knew existed? A son that is a proof of Laureana and my love."

The tray of food was placed on a small wooden table. "Are ya sure that Emiliano is yer son?"

Luke nodded as he drank the cup of hot coffee. "Yes, he gave clear indications that I am his Father. That day we met at the bedhouse; Emiliano had something about him that made me respect him." A chuckle escaped his lips. "He reminds me of my younger self when I teased Laureana. Emiliano also has her love for knives." Luke stood up from the sofa as he fixed his appearance. "Please tell the cook to pack breakfast for Emiliano; I will take it to him. Meet me at the horse stables."

"What about Ms. Netty and yer son?"

"Inform a servant to tell them I am going on an errand. They won't make a fuss."

Isaac nodded and walked out of the study while Luke finished his coffee. When finished, he looked down at the bag. His eyes softened. "You finally returned to me, mi amor (my love). I never stopped hoping that I would find you. I wish I were there for you and our son." He kissed the bag. "I'm so sorry, Laureana." Luke left his study and quickly left the house; Netty and Charles weren't out of their rooms yet.

Once at the horse stables, he put the saddle on his horse while a stable boy helped put it on the other. Isaac arrived with a bag of food. "I told one of the servants to tell yer wife and son what ya asked." He thanked the stable boy; they rode their horses and drove off.

When they arrived at the cabin, they saw the cowboys waking up from their slumber. The duo got off their horses and walked towards the cabin. "How was he last night?" Luke asked.

"He screamed for a while, askin' for some ashes, but eventually got tired and fell asleep."

The older man nodded and motioned Isaac to hand him the food bag. "You all can go. Isaac, please wait for me here. I want to introduce him to you when we're done." Luke went and opened the door; inside, Emiliano slept on the floor with his hands, arms, and feet still tied. "He looks so peaceful." Luke knelt before him and grabbed his cheek; he gave it a slight tug, waking the young man.

Emiliano grunted and was fully awake. "Hijo de tu- (Son of a-)."

"Cuida tus palabras, muchaho (Watch your language, boy). I know you are angry that I took your Mother's ashes, but don't worry, I haven't done anything to it." Luke opened the bag in front of Emiliano, showing him the ashes.

"Why did you take the bag away from me!? I thought I was going to lose her again!"

Luke was silent for a bit. "Sorry about that. Your life story moved me. I brought you food; I thought you might be hungry."

"How am I going to feed myself?"

Luke chuckled. "I will feed you."

Emiliano's expression became annoyed. "I'm not a child; I would rather feed myself."

"I can't trust you yet since you're still angry at me; I will feed you." Luke took a piece of cheese from the bag and motioned it to Emiliano's mouth. "Open wide."

Emiliano could not believe what the older man was doing. "He's treating me like a child!" he angrily thought. He moved his head out of the way, but Luke persisted. "I'm not hungry."

"We know that's a lie."

Emiliano's stomach loudly grumbled. His face turned red; Luke laughed. "Eat this, and I will let you be."

The young man sighed as he ate the cheese. Luke stood up and held the bag of ashes once again. "I want to ask you something. Richard told me that you bought your ranch from a Mexican family."

Luke knew that this was going to happen. He wanted to tell Emiliano he was his son but thought it wasn't the right moment. Trust needed to be built between them before the truth was revealed. "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you're wasting your breath. I bought this ranch from a married elderly Mexican couple. They were too old to watch the land; they sold it to me for a reasonable price.

Emiliano swallowed the cheese and remained silent. Deep down, he hoped that Luke was the man he was looking for, his Father. However, it would have been too good to be true. Luke gave him a piece of bread with honey, which he silently ate.

"So, you joined the Regulators to discover who your Father is. If you do find him, then what do you plan to do?"

"A part of me wants to kill him, but after coming here and knowing so many people, I...just want to know why he never came to look for us. Did he even care? Did he know of my existence?" Luke squeezed the bag gently. "My Mother even kept the ring my Father gave her."

"Ring?" Surprise overcame him; Luke couldn't believe Laureana kept the ring he proposed to her with. It meant that she still loved and never forgot about him. "Do you still have it?"

The young man nodded. "Yeah, I'm wearing it. For some strange reason, it gives me the strength to continue forward. I feel as if I can feel their love."

It would be best if you left the Regulators. You joined the posse for the wrong reason; men joined to fight and die for Tunstall. The same goes for the men working for Murphey and Dolan." Luke didn't want his son to get hurt or killed in a needless conflict. He wanted to convince him to work for him, to keep him close and safe. Tunstall, Murphey, and Dolan only care for themselves. They use pretty words to seduce people to join their cause."

"I know that people can be cruel. Tunstall may be using me and the others, but in a sense, I'm no better than he is. I am also using them to achieve my goal."

"You can work for me, chap. I can keep you safe."

Emiliano was stunned that he struggled to speak. "You want me to work for you? We barely met, and I spied on you; now you want me to work with you? Are you cracked?"

"It's no different when you joined the Regulators. You'd be safe under my care."

A humorless laugh escaped Emiliano's lips. "Don't forget that your son knows and hates me. If I left, the Regulators would view it as a betrayal. I gave them my word."

"Just think about it, and we can think it over. Anyway, how are you with a gun?"

"Decent, but I am better using the knives."

Emiliano reminded him of Laureana; he thought it funny that Emiliano was more like his Mother. "Well, you need to practice using a gun more. There will be times when you won't have your knives. I can teach you."

"Teach me?"

"Of course, I'm one of the best shooters in the county. I also like you, chap. I want you to meet me here before it gets dark. Makeup a story to Tunstall; I can also help you find your Father." It would be an excellent opportunity to spend time with his son and gain his trust. "What do you say?"

The request was unexpected but an excellent opportunity to learn about Luke and his family. It would make his job more accessible to give information to Tunstall. Luke also offered to help him find his Father. He couldn't let the opportunity go to waste. "Alright, I'll do it." The ropes were undone, and he was given his backpack and Mother's ashes.

"Good. Before you go, I want to introduce you to someone." Luke motioned Emiliano to walk out of the cabin. "Emiliano, this is my good friend Isaac; Isaac, this is Emiliano."

The men looked at one another and greeted one another. "I think I've seen you at the bedhouse. I didn't know you were with Mr. Bixby."

"It's alright. It's nice to meet ya, young man. I feel that we gonna see more of one another."

"Yes. I have to go. Tunstall and Richard are probably wondering about me."

"Ya can take my horse," said Isaac.

"No, I have my horse tied close to the ranch. I'll walk there; it'll do me good." He looked at Luke. "See you later."

The men watched as Emiliano left. "He looks like Laureana, but he has yer eyes, Luke."

Luke smiled. "Yes, he does."