SEASON'S ENDINGS, NEW BEGINNINGS
DISCLAIMER: The characters within are the property of the Hallmark Channel & Crown Media pictures. All credits are to be given to Brian Bird, Michael Landon Jr., Janette Oke, and all responsible for When Calls the Heart. These characters are not mine – I'm just playing with them and will put them back (relatively) unscathed when I am finished.
Chapter One: Thoughts & Ruminations
It was a cool, crisp morning in Coal Valley. The air had the usual pungent smell of fresh fir, mountain wind, and coal dust. The birds were a bit quieter than normal – as if sensing the thoughtfulness and pensive moods of some of the inhabitants. But the sun rose as it normally did – bright and penetrating the chill of the early morning. And the miners quietly left their homes, kissed their loved ones, and went into the mines.
Abigail Stanton was sitting at one of the tables in her café, a cup of tea in her hand. But it was as though she had completely forgotten about it and the biscuit that was quickly chilling on her plate. Her hair was pulled up neatly into her normal chignon, highlighting her striking cheekbones. Gone was the little bit of makeup that she had been using to "freshen" up her appearance and the softness of a new hairstyle had disappeared, yielding to the harsh practicality of an easy updo.
She couldn't stop thinking about the ring on the desk and the picture of the woman and child placed so prominently in Bill Avery's room. Who were they? She wondered. How did they fit in his life? And why was he not wearing the ring? Was he cut from the same cloth as Henry Gowen, cruel and manipulative to achieve his own ends?
She really didn't know. And her experience of men had really been so limited – she had met Noah, fell in love, and married. Then she had Peter. She never really thought she would have to think about even the remote possibility of having a serious friendship with a man that could lead to courtship.
This was all new territory. And she felt uncertain and afraid. Even more so since the disastrous meeting where Gowen had brutally accused Noah of being responsible for the deaths of 46 men. She knew it was all lies and she had been fairly certain the townsfolk had known that too.
But they were all too afraid – except for Florence and a couple others – to make a public stand with Abigail. Gowen's iron fist clutched too tightly around the throat of the town. He owned their homes, her café, the mine – in essence the whole town. She understood why they couldn't make a stand against him and support her – but, at the same time, her heart ached.
The lack of support from old friends hurt bitterly. Especially with Cat Montgomery. Cat, of all people knew and understood what it was like to come under severe scrutiny and misjudgment. Of all of her friends, Abigail thought Cat would understand. But Cat, like so many others, had mouths to feed and couldn't risk the wrath of the man that held their lives in his hand.
She looked around the empty café. It was going on the second day now with hardly any customers. This couldn't continue much longer or else Gowen would take the whole café over. And Abigail could not let that happen. Gowen would not take another piece of Coal Valley if she could help it!
As for Bill? She really didn't know.
He was a stranger, after all. They were acquaintances, at best, getting to know one another. Abigail really couldn't blame him for being tight-mouthed. He probably thought of this interlude in Coal Valley as just that – an interlude. There was no permanence in the life he led, going from one assignment to another, sometimes within short periods of time.
But, at the same time, there was something in the way he looked at her. Something in the way his blue eyes smiled when he saw her, even if the rest of his face was serious. Abigail was almost too afraid to put a name to the fragile emotion in those eyes, lest it shatter and blow away on the wind that swept from the mountains. She knew it was something good.
And when he boldly declared that he would stop at nothing to get justice for her, her departed loved ones, and the other families who had been split in two, her heart jumped. So long had she waited to hear those words – so long had she been aching for someone to pick up the fight and do what she could not do.
Women had somewhat limited options in what they could accomplish – especially when going up against a rich and powerful man like Henry Gowen. Not only that but she had seen first-hand how ruthless and vicious he could be when he was crossed. Oh, he might put on a smile for the world but underneath he was a deadly cobra, get too close and he would bite. And most likely that bite would be fatal.
Bill had swept into her life like another fresh breeze of hope – opening her eyes to a real possibility of a life free from Gowen's grip. And having the feeling of real hope – even only for a moment – strengthened her resolve.
Oh, she had her close friends that had supported her – like Elizabeth and Constable Thornton. Abigail thought fondly about her dear friend, so young, so full of passion for the children, for justice – even if she couldn't really bake all that well. And then there was Jack Thornton, deeply kind and devoted to the town and Elizabeth, even though he was not always very good at speaking about things close to his heart.
And, truth be told, he did have a tendency to stick his foot into his mouth on a semi-regular basis. Abigail chuckled to herself as she remembered the infamous deer and skunk conversation when Jack was having so many difficulties talking to Elizabeth about that rascal, Billy Hamilton. It was so clear to her that he was completely smitten – the poor man just didn't know how to go about wooing her friend.
Despite those solid friendships and Jack's determination to investigate the cause of the mining disaster, Bill's appearance had given Abigail her first real solid hope. Jack had an ally now – someone who specialized in these types of investigations. She remembered a verse from the Bible: "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up."1
Abigail had faith that things would work out to the good. She just wasn't sure how and when. And that was disheartening, especially in the face of such opposition.
Trying to distract herself, she took a sip of her tea – now tepid – and made a face. She disliked tepid tea. And still there were no customers… what on earth was she going to do?
She turned to walk back to the kitchen, her heart heavy and worried.
Bill Avery stepped away from the carriage as Jedediah Black, the visiting circuit judge, strode into the saloon. He caught several admiring (and curious looks) from some of the single and widowed women of the town. A tall man in his late forties, Bill was still in his prime, having kept fit by days in the saddle with the Mounties. He had eyes the color of the sky on a clear autumn day and his hair was the color of harvest wheat.
His face was somber. Despite the light joking between Jedediah and himself, he wasn't always quite sure what to make of the man. They didn't necessarily see eye to eye on the appropriate ways of handling egregious miscarriages of justice – but maybe, Bill reflected, that would be a good thing in this case. He trusted Black to be fair, for the most part, even if his methods were somewhat unorthodox.
Bill was also a very observant man. He didn't miss the look between the judge and Henry Gowen. If he wasn't mistaken, there was some history there. He wasn't sure how much history and whether the men knew each other personally but there was something. And that was an unknown factor he hadn't considered. And unknown factors worried him.
In his experience, unknown factors meant trouble with a capital T. But maybe he was just boxing at shadows. And the last thing he needed to seek out, after the beating he received at the hands of his "unknown" assailants, was more trouble. He didn't particularly want to get stitched up again, even though his "doctor" had been an exceptionally attractive and smart woman.
He was fairly certain Black would conduct the trial fairly, even if he had prior history with Gowen.
Nothing I can do about it now, Bill told himself. Maybe it was time to seek out some more coffee and the company of one Abigail Stanton, with whom he was very intrigued.
Bill had to admit, Mrs. Stanton wasn't what he expected when he arrived in Coal Valley. He wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting but he knew that Abigail hadn't fit his expectations. And he also wasn't sure whether that was an entirely good thing or not. And that was another thing that troubled him – Bill wasn't used to being unsure about things.
He was used to collecting solid pieces of evidence or data. Something concrete, tangible. Things he could wrap his head around. Mrs. Stanton was a whole different subject. Hopefully, this uncertainty was a passing thing and would disappear as soon as his time in Coal Valley was through.
That must be it. Just a temporary distraction. He ignored the little voice telling him how fine a distraction she was.
Putting his ruminations aside, he opened the door to Abigail's Café and went inside.
1Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NKJV