Chapter 4 - Excitement on a Quiet Evening

Two days after Jack's very welcome dose of reality rather than imagination, Elizabeth walked out the door of McIntre's store, and carefully eased the pram down the two wooden steps.

Her mind was swirling with so many irritated thoughts about the town's banker that it didn't even register in her mind that Thatch was already pulling apart the new skein of blue yarn that she had just purchased and placed in his pram which doubled as a shopping cart and handbag.

Just a minute earlier, Elizabeth had been paying for her merchandise when she had heard the disapproving sound of throat clearing behind her. When she had turned and seen Mr. Sanders looking at her pram, Elizabeth had been utterly confused. Mr. Sanders had a definite look of disapproval on his face. But why would anyone look at her perfect son in disapproval?

It took her a second to realize that the town's new banker was frowning at the book in the pram. The middle-aged man glanced at her and gave her a look that let her know he was displeased with her choice in literature.

How dare he disapprove of my book reading?! I can read whatever I want. Just because he doesn't want to expand his mind, doesn't mean I don't!

She hmphed in irritation as she walked home; hurrying her pace so that she could get dinner started. And maybe a load of laundry before Jack came home.

Darn, I still have essays to grade too, she realized as she noticed the sun was beginning to set.


"You're home late."

"Sorry. I had to go out to the Clemson ranch", Jack responded to Elizabeth as he hung up his hat and coat on the hooks by the home's front door and crossed the room.

"Everything okay out there?"

Elizabeth was sitting with her legs bent to one side on the large front room rug. Thatch was lying on his stomach, struggling to turn over, on a small blue blanket.

Elizbeth tilted up her face and accepted a tender kiss from Jack before he answered her question.

"Two of their cattle died yesterday and another one today."

Jack picked up his son who was now squirming happily as he recognized the man who sang to him and carried him around the room.

"Why does that involve you?"

"Remember how I told you that his dogs were acting strange the other night and he thought it was because of wolves or coyotes? Well, now he's got three dead cattle. With no trauma."

"No trauma?"

"None."

"Sooooo . . . does he think they died of fright?" Elizabeth asked with a confused look.

Her question caused Jack to smile. "No, silly – you know, you're beautiful but sometimes you say the strangest things."

"Hush! Just tell me what is killing the cattle."

"I'm not sure yet."

"Maybe they're diseased. And the other night it was wolves or coyotes. Just two separate things. Why do they have to be related?"

"They probably aren't related. It just seemed suspicious to him - first the dogs acting unusual and then the dead cattle - and he wanted to talk to me about it."

"Do you think the dogs knew that sometime was wrong with the cattle? Maybe they sensed that the animals were dying?"

"They're dogs; not veterinarians." Jack smiled and shook his head at Elizabeth's suggestion. "How about you leave the Mountie work to me?"

Elizabeth put her hands on her hips in defiance. "Well, what does Mr. Clemson think happened?"

Jack, with Thatch in his arms, shrugged. "It's probably nothing. But the cattle drives to market are coming up. And the cattle inspector for the province will have to approve all cattle for sale. Now is not the time to have anything going wrong with his herd."

"What do you think?"

"It could be a contagious disease going through his herd. The timing's just bad. Clemson's whole livelihood depends on selling the cattle. And if his herd goes down, the prices rises for ranchers selling theirs."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Jack nodded to his jacket which was hanging on the hook. "I almost forgot. You got a letter from Hamilton. It's in the pocket."

Elizabeth dropped the essays she had been grading, ungracefully jumped up from the floor, and retrieved the envelope from Jack's jacket.


Jack looked down and frowned slightly as Thatch drooled on his shirt. He looked around, moving his head from side to side, trying to find a clean cloth to wipe up the milky spit. Seeing nothing, he smiled at his son and set him back down on the blanket so he could pull a handkerchief from his pocket.

Elizabeth practically shrieked with delight as she read the letter from Hamilton.

"My nanny is coming!"

"Your what?"

"My nanny. Mrs. Naples. She was our nanny growing up."

"You mean your governess?"

"No. That was Miss Pinters. Mrs. Naples was my nanny. She was wonderful. She started when Viola was just a baby. And then she stayed for me. And then Julie. By then, she was part of the family. She used to tell us the most wonderful stories. And read us book after book. I think I was about ten before she finally left and went to take care of my cousins."

"And she's coming here for a visit?" Jack asked as he pulled one of the essays out of his son's pudgy grasp.

"Actually, she's coming for a job."

"Here? In Bear Creek? That's a coincidence. Who's she going to be working for? Who around here can afford a nanny? Or need one?"

Elizabeth, a hesitant look on her face, remained silent and stared at Jack before averting her eyes and concentrating on Thatch, who was struggling to turn over from his back to his belly.

"Elizabeth, what are you not telling me?" Jack's voice was stern.

An overly excited Elizabeth began speaking in a flurry of words.

"Mother hired her to come work for us for a while. Just until I'm able to manage with two kids. She's wonderful. Really. It will be so nice to have the help. I'll be able to relaaaxxxx", she said with exaggerated pleasure.

"Elizabeth –"

"Please, Jack. Don't say no. You'll just be disappointed when I ignore you."

Jack sighed. "We're not having the second one for months. Just exactly when is this nanny coming and for how long? And she's got to be ancient. How can she be a nanny still? "

"She's coming in four months. To help me out before the new baby comes and then she'll stay awhile after he or she is born. And she's not ancient. She was only like nineteen or something when she started working for us. She read us the most wonderful stories, and she always used different voices for the characters." Elizabeth smiled at the memory.

"I thought you once said that your nanny had been married and was widowed. I always imagined her as an older woman."

"She was married at seventeen and widowed by eighteen. Her husband was killed in a factory accident. She came to live with us and take care of Viola shortly after his death. And then she just stayed with us over the years."

"She never married again?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Now, I feel guilty. She stayed with us for so long that she never had a chance to meet anyone else. . . .

. . .And now she's coming to be with me again", she added with a happy sigh as she pressed the letter to her chest. "She'll be wonderful with the babies!"

"Why do I get the feeling that you think she'll be wonderful with you?" Jack said with a smile as he gently pulled a now wet with slobber essay out of the baby's mouth.

"She will be. She's soothing. I could really use her. I'm going to be so busy with teaching and taking care of Thatch and getting ready to move to your next assignment."

"You know we have no room for her."

Elizabeth lowered the letter and looked around the old mercantile, contemplating where to put her childhood caregiver. "Behind the counter!"

"She's a person; not merchandise."

"Think about it! The counter forms a barrier from the rest of the room. A single bed will fit back there. She can use the shelves to store her belongings! This is perfect! It's just temporary. You can add some curtains hanging from the ceiling to give her more privacy!"

"I can?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Of course, you can. You can do anything. You're a Mountie. And my husband", she replied with a smile. "And if you can't, well, I'll see if I can do it", she added confidently.


As Elizabeth left the schoolhouse the next day, she stopped and looked at the outside of the building.

Changing directions, she walked to the back of the wooden structure and examined it as if seeing it for the first time.

When the townspeople had built the schoolhouse just a short time earlier they had built a room - twelve foot by twelve foot in size - attached to the back. It wasn't overly big but with a closet, a separate entrance, and a window, it was enough for a single teacher to live in.

At least that had been the intention when the building was planned.

Although Elizabeth was happily living with Jack at the old mercantile, the town knew that her presence in Bear Creek was only temporary. When their Mountie moved onto his next assignment, so would their teacher. The prior schoolhouse, which the townspeople had burned down during a diphtheria scare, had had a small teacherage attached to it. For that reason, it had made sense to build a teacherage for Elizabeth's eventual replacement.

But now Elizabeth had a new idea for the building.

Mrs. Naples' upcoming visit had brought back so many wonderful memories of books.

Fairy tales. Romances. Historical works. Poetry.

Mrs. Naples had always seemed to have a book with her to read to the girls. Whether it was lunchtime in the kitchen, or at their bedside when they were sick with a cold, or simply an ordinary bedtime, the young nanny had pulled a book out and mesmerized Elizabeth and her sisters.

Books are wonderful

That stupid banker. What does he know about books? He just needs to expand his mind. People need to read!

The more she thought about it and looked at the schoolhouse, the more excited Elizabeth got.

A teacher can live anywhere. But a library should be right here! In the middle of town! A library!

Before we move to our next assignment, I'm going to give this town a library! With books and books and more books! Of every type! The Classics. Poetry. Science! Adventure. Mysteries!


"I would love a town library", Lucy commented an hour later after Elizabeth had excitedly told her of her plans.

Lucy was walking around the kitchen gently patting the back of her own small son against her shoulder. "I was sixteen before I ever went to the one in Toronto. I thought it was the most amazing thing. It cleared up some many confusing things for me."

"I know what you mean. Books just teach us so much", Elizabeth replied to her friend as she finished kneading dough for a loaf of bread.

"No. I mean it really cleared up some confusing things for me."

"What do you mean?"

"My father worked in a book printing and book binding factory. When they had books that were messed up, you know, inked smears, misprints of pages, incorrect binding, stuff like that, they would throw them in a heap to be used as fuel for the fires. My Pa would always save some to bring them home for me to read."

"That sounds fantastic. To have all those books."

"But they were always messed up or incomplete."

"How bad were they?"

"One time, the factory accidentally bound together half of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' with half of 'Peter Pan'. I read that when I was 12. For the longest time, I thought Romeo was one of the lost boys. And I couldn't figure out why Tinkerbell didn't just save Juliet from dying. . . .

. . . And don't even get me started on Mother Goose's nursery rhymes. They got mixed in with a cookbook. I honestly thought 'four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie' was a real recipe. . . .and Miss Muffet eating a tuffet! For goodness sakes, a tuffet is a footstool. I had no idea how I was supposed to cook that!"

"She sat on a tuffet. She ate the curds and whey", Elizabeth corrected her quirky friend with a laugh.

"Not in the version I read. I told you, all the books were messed up." A pensive look crossed Lucy's face. "Yes, a library is definitely a good idea!" she said emphatically.


Two days later, Elizabeth frowned as she looked at the faint ink on the sheet of paper which was scrolled in the typewriter.

She realized that she shouldn't be surprised. Using her best stationary and her typewriter, she had spent every evening writing letters to government officials, public libraries, teacher colleges, and publishing companies. It was no wonder that the ribbon of ink was almost used up.

"Jack, we need another typewriter ribbon. Can you pick one up when you're out tomorrow?" she asked loudly so he would hear her over the baby's cries.

"Yeah, I'll pick it up tomorrow." Jack gently jostled the baby in his arms. "Did you give him that basil water already tonight?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I did. Lucy says if it doesn't work, I can try peppermint water. Do you have any more of those Pep-o-mint Life Saver candies? The one's with the hole in the middle. Lucy said I can dissolve one in water and then give the baby a few drops."

"What did the doctor say?"

"That Thatch is perfectly healthy and that some babies just get colicky in the evenings because their stomachs are still figuring things out."

"Figuring things out? How hard is it to figure out? All he has to do is eat and sleep."

"He's just a baby!" Elizabeth declared in defense of their son.

"A baby? Is that what he is? I was beginning to think I had grown a new body part with the way he's attached to me every evening."

Elizabeth laughed at Jack's statement and realized it wasn't much of an exaggeration.

"Does basil water or peppermint water work for Madisons' baby?"

"He doesn't have colic."

"Wait a second. Our baby didn't sleep through the night for months and has colic, and Lucy and Michael's baby never has a problem with either?"

"I know! It's infuriating."

"Is it possible our babies were switched and we got the wrong one?" Jack asked teasingly. Or at least Elizabeth hoped it was teasingly.

"Hush! We love our little boy!"

"I do. But I'd be able to love him even more if he wasn't making me so tired. It must be a Thatcher trait."

"What?" Elizabeth gave him a questioning look.

"Keeping me up at night pacing the floor. Goodness knows, I did it often enough when I was first courting you."

"Hush!" Elizabeth said as she threw a pillow across the room at him, causing him to duck.


As Elizabeth waited for the mint to dissolve in a glass of tepid water, she looked at the stack of fliers she had made earlier. The simple fliers which she had been posting around town requesting donations of money or books from the townspeople had already resulted in five children's books and two dollars.

It's a start. . . . A very small start. But still a start.

On the bright side, Mr. Sanders had totally surprised her when he had stopped her in the street to let her know that he would be making a very sizeable donation to the library. That man actually might have a good side after all she had thought after they had parted. Especially after how he looked at my book with such disapproval.

The knock on the door took her by surprise and she looked at Jack, who shrugged his shoulders as he went to answer it.


Elizabeth waited an hour for Jack to come back after he had left with Mr. Perkingen. The man had apologized for interrupting their evening at home, but Jack had ushered him outside before Elizabeth heard anything more than something about cattle.

Finally, bored with waiting for Jack to return, she had grabbed a book to read and gone to bed. Thirty minutes later, she gave into her yawns and turned down the light.

Elizabeth was snuggled under the covers when she heard the key turn in the front door and the jingle of the bell, a remnant from the home's days as a mercantile, as the door opened.

"Hi sweetie, are you still awake?" Jack whispered as he walked quietly into the dark bedroom after pausing to first take off his boots in the front room.

"Everything okay at the Perkingens?"

Jack stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed. "Another dead steer. This time at the Perkingens ranch."

"Their ranch borders the Clemsons, doesn't it?"

"It does. But it's nothing for you to worry about."

"What killed this one? The same disease?" she whispered.

"Not sure yet. I'll get to the bottom of it. I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You're naked in my bed."

Jack quietly chuckled. "I've been naked in your bed before."

"And I am forever grateful for that."

"Go to sleep", he said with a laugh.

"How's a girl supposed to just go to sleep with a naked Mountie in her bed? And not just any naked Mountie but a naked you. Have you ever seen how good you look?"

"It's dark. You can't see me."

"I've been eating lots of carrots. My eyesight is excellent. Even in the dark."

Jack let out a snicker but didn't say anything for a moment, letting Elizabeth wonder what he was thinking.

She was beginning to think that he may have actually fallen asleep when she felt his hand.

The smooth caress as he cupped his palm on her arm and moved it slowly along her flesh.

"First of all, it's our bed. Not just yours. But I suppose you're right. That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to just climb naked into our bed and ignore you," he said as his fingers moved down to her hip. Slowly touching her body through the fabric of her nightdress.

His mouth moved to her neckline and he nuzzled aside the fabric. He licked her shoulder and made her giggle quietly.

Jack shifted his body, and hers, so that he was on top of her.

Elizabeth felt the warmth of his naked body and she wished that she had gone directly to bed after undressing rather than take the time to put on sleeping clothes.

Her hands roamed the flesh on his back, feeling his muscles, and then moved to the sides of his torso, holding him close and urging him on.

"Careful", he whispered hoarsely. "My stitches."

"I –"

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot interrupted Elizabeth's words before she could say anymore.


"Stay with Thatch", Jack ordered as he jumped from the bed and hurriedly reached for his pants.

Elizabeth quickly retrieved the baby from his crib and crawled back into bed. Despite her worries about the sound of the gunfire from outside, she remained silent while Jack swiftly put on his everyday shoes from the nearby closet, and grabbed his weapon.

"Lock the doors", he instructed sternly as he rushed outside.

Once he was gone, Elizabeth said a silent prayer for his safety before she let out a huge sigh of sexual frustration and wondered why she had ever married a Mountie.

Up next: Chapter 5