In Episode 11, Christopher and Lydia, in Boise, begin the last leg of their journey to Liberty Creek. They board a stage and meet Stuart MacKenzie, a cowboy. Christopher discovers from the driver that Nick and Tess are to be married that day. Stuart talks about his past, and Christopher says he will help him get a job with his father or Nick. Meanwhile, at Belleterre, Tess escapes the noise of preparations in her room and sits in the nursery with a baby she heard crying. She falls asleep, and a great panic ensues when she cannot be found. She is somehow missed when the rooms are searched, and the men go out to search assuming that Leroy has kidnapped her. She is finally discovered when the babies are checked on and Libbie discovers hers missing. Tess emerges from a further room, carrying the sleeping child. Some time later, with all the guests assembled, Tess and her attendants prepare make the trek down the aisle. Tess insists to Gracie that no guns be carried into the courtyard for her wedding. With only a quarter of the way left, Georgie looks to her side and spies Leroy sitting in a chair on the aisle. She screams and he responds by grabbing her and holding a gun to her head.

In Episode 12, Leroy, still holding Georgie at gun-point, demands a horse be brought. While waiting for the horse, he reveals to the crowd how Georgie and Tess came to leave New York. When the workman returns with the horse, he also returns with a gun. Leroy grabs the gun before the man can shoot and one bullet goes off, breaking an upstairs window. He decides that he prefers that gun, and puts his other pistol in the saddlebag. He and Georgie get on the horse and race away. Nick and Grace run for the pistol Grace was forced to leave in one room, and there is a short argument before it is decided that Nick will do the shooting. He misses. A short time earlier, the stagecoach pulled down the Belleterre drive. As the passengers are getting out, they hear the first gun shot. Christopher sends Lydia and Delie in the house then runs around with Stuart and the driver. Stuart fires one shot after Nick misses, hitting Leroy in the side. Leroy falls from the horse, which promptly slows. As people start running toward them, Georgie gets down off the horse and takes the second gun from the saddlebag. Leroy fires at her first, but there had only been one bullet in the gun. She shoots him in several painful places before finally killing him with a shot in the head. A short time later, in a Georgie and Gabe's room, Georgie refuses to rest. Tess offers to postpone the wedding, but she'll have none of it. Meanwhile, Christopher and Lydia are enjoying a reunion with their families. Their marriage is kept secret. Gabe interrupts to say that the wedding will be going on as scheduled. Will tells Christopher to take over the job of best man. The next scene is dedicated to the actual wedding ceremony. Later that night, Christopher gathers Lydia, Tess, and Nick in the library to tell them that he and Lydia are married. Afterwards, Nick and Tess leave for their honeymoon at the mountain hunting cabin.

In Episode 13, still that same night, the Elliots and Marshalls gather in the library. Philip tries to get Lydia to come home to his house, but she claims she is too tired to travel and would rather spend the night at Belleterre. The next morning, Christopher gets up early to sneak out of Lydia's room, where he spent the night. He is discovered by Grace, who came to see if Lydia would like to go for an early- morning ride. It takes time to convince her the Christopher and Lydia are actually married, and to encourage her to keep it a secret. Later that day, Christopher and Lydia gather the entire family and announce the marriage. Philip punches Christopher, but soon forgives him and welcomes him to the family. It is decided that Christopher and Lydia will stay with Libbie and Philip. Later that afternoon, John Henry gathers Georgie and Gabe in his office to meet with the sheriff. The sheriff decides not to arrest Georgie. After he leaves, John Henry suggests to Georgie and Gabe that they go on a real honeymoon. He also offers to have Louisa stay on at Belleterre and be tutored with Julia and Grace, speculating that Louisa is not very happy at school in San Francisco.

In Episode 14, Gabe has a talk with Louisa later that day. He discovers her sketching, and tells her of her mothers talent for drawing and painting. Louisa is convinced that staying at Belleterre would be good for her, and Gabe promises to have her mother's artwork sent from San Francisco. At night, Christopher and John Henry sit down in the library for a drink and a cigar. They first discuss the plays the children put on there when they were younger, but then John Henry discovers that his decanter of brandy is nearly empty. He'd had it filled just the night before, and he was the only one who drank it. The butler is called, but the mystery is not solved. Christopher tells his father that he and Lydia are thinking of having another wedding ceremony for the family, but that they have to wait for a response from Lydia's parents. Late that night, Elizabeth goes downstairs and hears music from the library. She goes to investigate and finds her youngest son, Robert, passionately playing the piano. He is drunk on John Henry's brandy. They have a short argument, and Robert leaves the room. Elizabeth leaves a short time later to refill the decanter and hide the incident, but is met by Grace who has come to investigate the noise. Elizabeth, while hiding the decanter behind her back, lies and says she was playing. The next morning, Georgie, Gabe, Steven, and Robert leave on the stage. Robert is off to Harvard, Steven back to San Francisco, and Georgie and Gabe to Chicago. John Henry and Lydia go to see them off. Georgie gives Louisa the letter she meant to give to Tess on her wedding day, asking the girl to deliver it.

In Episode 15, Tess and Nick return from their honeymoon early. Nick did not bring extra food because he expected to catch fish or hunt game, but was unsuccessful. They meet with Stuart, who has been working for John Henry in Nick's absence, as they emerge from the forest and ask him to start moving their livestock to the barn at their new house. Nick then takes Tess to their new house and gives her the grand tour. Later that day, while Nick is at Belleterre, Tess sits alone in her parlor reading the letter from Georgie. Stuart comes with the last of her things and Tess invites him for tea. They sit in the kitchen and have a chat. Meanwhile, at Belleterre, Nick is seeing to his horses. He first talks to his father, who is heading into town to meet a new resident, a retired judge from Boise and his wife. They discuss Judge Carrol's senility and eccentricities. When John Henry leaves, Nick is approached by a man from a neighboring town. The man has come to collect on a tab Nick supposedly made in a bar. After some discussion, it is discovered that Robert was creating the tab in Nick's name. Nick ends up paying the hefty sum. A short time later, in Liberty Creek, John Henry meets with Lazarus Carrol, his wife Danielle, and their poodle Princess. John Henry tells Lazarus about the fountain at the house Lazarus has bought (the previous owner made fountains), saying that the thing will need some work before it will work.

In Episode 16, a few days later, Stuart works with Joe Kincaid to round-up the Kincaid and the Marshall cattle, a yearly joint effort. Olivia rides up with her and Joe's son, but Joe must disguise jealousy when he notices Olivia flirting with Stuart. Meanwhile, Judge Carrol has emptied the water from the fountain and is attempting to fix it. He and his wife discuss hiring help for inside the house and out, but both refuse the idea. The morning, the town gathers for church. John Henry and Lazarus talk briefly before going inside, leaving Princess and John Henry's red setter, Red, to trot off into the woods together. After the church services, Princess and Red are found sleeping together beside the church steps. Danielle Carrol approaches John Henry and offers her temporary teaching services to the town school. Later that afternoon, Joe Kincaid is riding in the woods when he hears a woman singing. He follows the voice to the small hot springs and finds a woman bathing naked with her back to him. He approaches the woman and says hello. The woman turns around quickly, slips, and falls down. Joe finally recognizes her.

In Episode 17, it is revealed that Stuart is a woman. She and Joe have a long discussion and Stuart explains her past and how she came to be in Liberty Creek. He agrees to keep her secret. The next morning, Libbie, Philip, Christopher, and Lydia gather for a late breakfast. They discuss Philip and Christopher imminent business trip to Chicago, and Lydia declines to go along because she is not feeling well. Libbie elects to stay with Lydia. The mail comes and Lydia receives the much- awaited-for letter from her father. He writes of his plans to travel to Liberty Creek for a second wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, Julia, Louisa, and Grace start their lessons with their tutor, Miss Mason. When Miss Mason, Sally, arrives in the room, she brings with her a package for Louisa. It contains her mother's artwork. One of the paintings in particular touches her deeply. That night, Louisa lies awake till the wee hours. She is finally hit with an inspiration and begins to paint. When she has finished, she has created a touching tribute to her mother. The next day, Stuart goes to Nick and Tess's house to have a talk with Tess. Nick is not home, and Stuart confesses everything to Tess. They talk for a long time and when Stuart leaves, Tess gives her a hug. Nick walks in at this moment.

In Episode 18, Nick first throws Stuart out of the house and tells her to leave Belleterre completely. He turns to Tess and essentially accuses her of working in the brothel in New York. He leaves in a huff. At Belleterre, Stuart packs up her things in the bunkhouse. Grace asks her about leaving, but Stuart reveals nothing. She asks Grace to tell Marietta that Tess would need someone to talk to before leaving to see if Joe will give her a job. Nick races into Liberty Creek, buys a bottle of whiskey in the saloon, and races out again. Marietta goes to Tess and they have a long talk about men. Marietta assures Tess that Nick didn't really mean what he said and Tess begins to feel better. Meanwhile, Nick sits at the creek edge and contemplates drinking all the whiskey, but ends up smashing the near-full bottle on the rocks on the other side of the street. Tess waits up late till Nick returns, but quickly goes to bed before he comes in the house. He watches her "sleep" for a few minutes, but spends the night in the other bedroom.

In Episode 19, John Henry discovers Red missing in the morning. He is just starting out to look for the dog when Lazarus Carrol arrives in a hired wagon with Red. He claims that Red climbed through a window in his house and spent the night doing "God knows what" all night long. John Henry is amused, but Lazarus is not. He announces that he will hold John Henry responsible for any of the results of the affair. Meanwhile, Nick and Tess begin having breakfast together and start to make up, but Nick becomes angry when Tess refuses to suspect Stuart of anything other than innocent intentions. He nearly accuses her of having an affair with Stuart, but stops before he does and storms out. He goes to Belleterre and discusses it with his father, Will, and Christopher. They convince him that he's overreacting, and he starts back to apologize. Meanwhile, Stuart has gone back to Tess and Nick's house to apologize for all the trouble she's caused. Nick arrives while Stuart is still there. Earlier he had resorted to forbidding Tess to see Stuart. He gives up and tells Tess and Stuart that they can have each other. He rides away, but Stuart follows to tell him the complete truth.

In Episode 20, Stuart tells Nick everything and he realizes his mistake. He returns to Tess to apologize. At Belleterre, Miss Mason conducts a lesson on Macbeth in the library. She, Julia, and Grace are posed while Louisa paints them. The three girls recite part of the "Double, double toil and trouble" scene. John Henry comes in and proposes that they put on a productions. The girls like the idea, and the decide to convert a Jane Austen novel to a play. Later that day, Tess and Nick sit together in their sitting room after making up. They end up going out for a run on Sherman. Meanwhile, Joe and Stuart start out on a search for a missing horse. Back to Nick and Tess, they are caught in a severe rainstorm and take refuge in Will's new house, essentially finished. Joe and Stuart, on the other hand, are stranded on the mountain. They have found the horse, but decide to continue up to the cabin rather than risk the long ride down. Stuart's horse slips in the mud and throws Stuart, knocking her unconscious. Joe takes her up to the cabin and manages to remove her soaking clothes without looking. When she awakes, they drink tea by the fire. After Joe cleans the scratches on Stuart's face, they end up kissing. Eventually, Joe carries Stuart to the bed.