Over the next few days, Elizabeth began rehearsing for the Christmas Pageant every afternoon at school, though she was having trouble getting Lilly to accept the fact that she was 'only an angel'. Thankfully, Aaron was more than happy to play a sheep, so Lee and Rosie only had to deal with the attitude of one child at home. Saturday arrived and though she dearly loved teaching, it was always nice for Elizabeth to have a few days to spend with her husband, children, and friends. Every Saturday, the Thorntons, the Coulters, and the Hogans would always gather for lunch at the café while their children would eat and then play together outside. After the Thornton and Coulter children along with Cody and Becky had finished their meals, they went outside to play and let their parents talk, "So how are the costumes coming along?" asked Elizabeth to Rosemary.
"Good," admitted Rosemary, "But Dottie and I will need to measure the children to make sure they fit correctly. And I know my Honey Bunny, Jack, and Bill are working hard to make Hope Valley look festive," she giggled.
"Sweetheart," sighed Lee jokingly, even though he knew she meant it as a joke, "And by the way, Hope Valley will never be able to compete with the inside of the Coulter house."
"Well, some of the decorations got delivered today. Do you want to go find Bill and see if we can make the town square up to the standards of your living room?" smirked Jack.
"Sounds good to me, if it's okay with you ladies," said Lee.
"Go, this town isn't going to get decorated on its own," said Rosemary.
"Alright, love you," said Lee kissing Rosie on the cheek.
"See you later, honey," said Jack, kissing Elizabeth as well.
Frank looked at his watch and said, "Well, I should probably start getting some stuff ready for services tomorrow. I will see you later," he confirmed, patting Abigail on the shoulder.
"Of course," smiled Abigail, squeezing her husband's hand.
He smiled and disappeared upstairs. Rosemary glanced over at a man in the corner, drinking a cup of coffee and eating a cucumber sandwich, "I want to know more about this mysterious man."
"All I know is he's been here every day this week, eating a cucumber sandwich and drinking a cup of coffee. He says he's here to meet with someone but I have no idea with whom he wants to meet," informed Abigail.
Elizabeth sighed and had the two other women lean in closer to her, "His name is Harry Stonewall. He's a Constable who served under Jack's father. He's staying at the saloon. He's only been in town for a few days, but he showed up at our front door a few nights ago. Neither one of us know why he's here in Hope Valley."
The other two women nodded just as Cody came into the room, "Mom, can we have some cookies?" he asked sweetly.
Abigail smiled and got up from her seat, "Only one for every one, young man. The rest are for closer to Christmas." She followed her son into the kitchen.
Rosemary and Elizabeth smiled at the pair and Rosemary absentmindedly put another spoonful of sugar in her tea, "So how are play rehearsals going?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath, pondering on how to answer Rosemary honestly without upsetting her, "They've been going well. Except one person…" Elizabeth trailed off mid-sentence.
"I know, I know," Rosemary admitted, "She's not taking it well. I really shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. I was just excited to spend more time with her again."
"What do you mean?" asked Elizabeth, taking a sip of tea.
Rosemary sighed, "I mean, you might not fully understand. You still have two girls who are young and even when they start school, they'll be with you all day just like William is. I just…" she stirred her spoon in her cup, "I miss the kids being little. I miss having them around all the time. When Lilly started school, I was a wreck."
"I remember," smirked Elizabeth at the memory of Lilly's first day of school. Lilly was more than happy to start her schooling years. Rosemary, on the other hand, not so much.
"When Lilly started school, I poured all of my time into playing with Aaron. Now that he's started school too, it gets lonely sometimes with the kids at school and Lee at work. Working at the dress shop several days a week helps, but still. That's also why I've put myself back in charge of the Christmas committee. It gives me something to do," Rosemary elaborated.
"Ah Rosie," said Elizabeth, grabbing her hand, "Just because I get to teach them doesn't mean I like the fact that my babies are growing up too fast for my liking."
Rosemary's breath shook a little, "I'm sorry I'm dumping all of this on you, I think it's just that…Aaron asked for a little brother or sister this Christmas."
"Oh," said Elizabeth in surprise.
"Yeah, Lilly's been gushing to him how awesome it is to be his big sister and William has been telling him how great it is to be a big brother," explained Rosemary.
"I see," said Elizabeth.
"The thing is Lee and I have actually talked about having one more Coulter baby before I retire my childbearing days, ever since Aaron turned about four, but it's just not happening. It was difficult and stressing enough beforehand, but now, it feels like if we don't give him a sibling soon, he'll be really disappointed. He's such a good boy, and I don't want to upset him."
"Rosemary, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were going through all of this adversity," admitted Elizabeth.
"That's because you're the first person I've told. No one knows other than Lee," said Rosemary.
"Well, if it's meant to be, it'll happen," said Elizabeth, "God is in control."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rosemary squeezed her friend's hand, "You really are a good teacher, aren't you?"
"That's what everyone around here says," chuckled Elizabeth, "So what are your back-up gifts?"
"Lee's made him a few new toy cars," smiled Rosemary.
"Sounds like William's presents," laughed Elizabeth.
The two women turned their heads as they heard the bell ring and in walked Gowen, "Looks like Gowen's back from Winnipeg," said Rosemary.
Gowen looked around the café and froze when he saw the man sitting at the corner table. Harry looked up at Gowen and said, "Hello Henry."
Gowen gulped a little, but nodded politely, "Hello Harry."