MAY, HARRIS TOWN

Abbie sighed as she sat at the boarding house table sipping her coffee. A moment to sit was a good thing and now she had a whole thirty minutes before the gentleman from Chicago arrived. Harrison Yates. What a name. She wondered if his friends called him Harry.

Apparently he was going to hang around in Harris Town until June to decide if he would take over the bank or head back to Chicago and work there.

Ben and Terry Jackson were going to move to Alberta so Ben needed someone to take over for him as president.

When Harrison Yates walked into the boarding house, he was not as she expected. She had envisioned a middle aged man with gray hair and an expensive suit. What she saw was a man around twenty five in a gray button down dress shirt with no tie and black dress pants. She also noticed his very deep brown eyes and pleasant smile.

"Good morning. I'm looking for the owner?"

"Morning. That's me. I'm Abbie Thornton."

"Harrison Yates. You own this place?"

"Yes, sir. I hope it meets with your approval." She worked hard at keeping the place spotless and beautiful.

"Yes, it certainly does. Forgive me, I just didn't expect someone so young to own…" He stopped talking when he saw the look on her face. "Pardon me, Miss Thornton. I don't know when to stop talking sometimes."

"Well, welcome to Avery House. I will show you to your room."

She walked into the office, grabbed a key for him, and then led him up to the second floor, room 8. "Lunch is at noon, dinner at 5. Then breakfast at 7. The washroom is down the hall on the right."

"Thank you. This is very nice."

Abbie pushed aside her stubbornness and pride and took a breath. He didn't mean to look down on her. He was just surprised that she owned the place.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. I have a meeting at the bank this morning. So I will see you for dinner."

She nodded and walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Abbie walked into the kitchen and found her grandma. "Hey, Grandma."

"Hi, dear. Did your guest show up?"

"Yes he did. Room 8."

"What is he like?"

"He's fine. Not as old as I thought he would be."

"No?"

"Nope and apparently the feeling was mutual." Abbie started to make the roast she would cook for dinner. She liked to cook them slowly and baste them once an hour so they were tender and juicy.

"So, how old is he?" Charlotte could see her granddaughter's cheeks turning pink.

"Not sure, I didn't ask."

"Abbie, take your best guess."

"I don't know, mid-twenties I guess."

"Perfect," she heard her Grandma mutter.

"Grandma, please don't try to do what you are thinking."

"I'm not doing anything, dear."

She knew her better than that. She knew that Charlotte believed in love and wanted all of her family and friends to experience it like she had with her husbands. However, Abbie wanted to take it at her own pace. Harrison would only be in town for a month. It wasn't like she was going to move to Chicago when the boarding house was in Harris Town. The only way something could happen was if he decided to run the bank.

She reigned in her thoughts because she had met the man not fifteen minutes before. Marriage was crazy to think about.

….

Around dinner time, Abbie set the table for herself, her grandma, and Mr. Yates. As she was slicing the roast and placing it on the platter with the potatoes and carrots, he walked in, more dressed as a president of a bank should. Her eyes looked at his hands, which held a bouquet of flowers.

"Good evening, Miss Thornton. Dinner smells wonderful."

"Mr. Yates. Good evening. This is my grandmother, Charlotte Hunt. Grandma, this is Harrison Yates."

"Good evening, Mr. Yates. Those are lovely flowers."

"They are for Miss Thornton." He walked over and stood next to Abbie. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I certainly didn't mean to offend and I also want to thank you for letting me stay here."

"I'm…I mean…thank you," she stuttered, suddenly nervous. "They are beautiful flowers. You certainly didn't owe me an apology and you are paying for the room, so…" She smelled the fragrance from the blooms and smiled. "Dinner is ready."

She turned and found a vase, filling it with water.

After dinner, Charlotte insisted on doing the dishes, leaving Abbie and Harrison at the table with tea. "So, why Harris Town, Mr. Yates?"

"I thought it might be good to have a change. Chicago is big and loud and I have never really liked living in cities. Our family moved a lot and cities were where we settled more often than not."

"You moved a lot?"

"Yes. My dad was a Mountie." Abbie stared for a moment.

"So was mine."

"Really?" Never in a million years, had he thought that he would meet someone who just happened to be beautiful and kind and whose father was a Mountie too.

"Yes. He was injured years ago though and had to retire. Where do your parents live now?"

"Just my mom. She lives with my little sister in Boston."

"What happened to your father?" she asked quietly.

"He was killed in the line of duty." Abbie's eyes filled with tears, grateful she still had her father.

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine." He saw her getting upset so he grabbed her fingers for a moment.

"It was about ten years ago, Miss Thornton. We have managed somehow to cope without him." She nodded and squeezed his hand back before he took it away. "Do your parents live in town?"

"About a mile outside. My dad retired and went into a partnership with my sister-in-law's father. They have a ranch."

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

She smiled. "Eleven."

"Wow."

"Yeah. How many do you have, Mr. Yates?"

"Harrison, please. I have six brothers and one sister."

"Did any of your brothers become Mounties? My oldest brother Caleb did."

"No, I think that losing my dad scared them all. Including myself."

Charlotte listened to them talk, very easy with each other. They had a lot in common and she could tell that they could very easily become friends. She had even caught his gentle touch to her hand when he thought she was upset.

"Perfect," she whispered to herself.

After Harrison excused himself to retire to his room, Abbie took another cup of tea to the porch swing. Her thoughts were occupied by the man upstairs. The flowers, the touch of his hand, the kind look in his eyes.

"Abbie?"

She turned and saw her grandma standing in the doorway.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'm turning in too. Make sure you lock up when you head upstairs."

"I will. Sleep well."

"You too, dear."

….

The next morning, Harrison went to the bank and accepted the position of President. He was being presumptuous in thinking that he and Abbie would be together at some point and he may have been jumping the gun, but the town was nice and he didn't like Chicago any more than the rest of the cities he had lived in.

Then, he sent a telegram to his boss in Chicago letting him know he would be leaving earlier than he had thought. Finally, he bought his train ticket and went to the boarding house to pack. It was a two week trip to Chicago and a two week trip back to Harris Town so he needed to leave immediately to be back in time to relieve Mr. Jackson of his duties.

"Miss Thornton?"

"Mr. Yates?" Abbie walked in looking very domestic with an apron around her waist and a towel in her hands, not to mention a little negro boy hugging her side. "Hi."

"Hi, who's this little guy?"

"My nephew Eddie. Eddie, say hi to Mr. Yates." The little boy buried his face in her leg. "He's shy."

"I took the job with the bank."

"You did?" She tried to mask her feelings on his decision but a smile crept up on her face.

"Yes. That means that I need to leave tomorrow for Chicago. I'll be back in about six weeks."

"That's a long time."

"In the grand scheme of things, it's short. After all, I'm moving here, to start a new life. Hopefully a family." He knew that it was entirely too forward to imply such a thing, but it popped out of his mouth before he could stop it. "I should go pack." She nodded and watched as he walked up the stairs.

"A family, huh?"

"Grandma, were you eavesdropping?" Charlotte smiled way too innocently.

"Never."

"Gamma," Eddie said, raising his arms to his great-grandmother.

"Hi, sweetheart. Time for a nap." Charlotte smiled at Abbie as she walked past to take Eddie upstairs. Abbie shook her head and giggled, blushing deeply.

It had appeared as if Harrison had been speaking about her when he said family, but the idea was crazy. They'd known each other one day.

…..

That evening, dinner was fresh trout from the stream that Charlie and Bradley caught and a large chicken with mashed potatoes.

When Harrison walked in, he was surprised to see many more people in the kitchen than before. "Good evening," he greeted.

"Mr. Yates," Charlotte said.

"Mrs. Hunt."

Jack stuck his hand out. "Jack Thornton."

"Harrison Yates. Are you Abbie's father?"

"Nice to meet you. Yes, she's mine." Jack smiled affectionately at his daughter.

"What brings you to town?"

"I'm the new President of the bank."

"Oh, ok. Where are you from?"

"Chicago."

"That's a long way to come for a possible job."

"Indeed." His eyes flicked to Abbie at the stove. He had a feeling it had been the best decision he had made in a long time.

Jack looked toward Abbie and understood why he had taken the job. "I imagine there's a reason why you accepted the job quickly."

"I'm ready to get out of the city."

"How does my daughter fit in?"

"Daddy?" Abbie walked over and squeezed his hand. "Mom would like to speak with you in the parlor."

"I'm just chatting with…"

"Please, Dad." Jack looked at the urgency on Abbie's face. She had apparently heard his last question.

"Very well."

Jack walked into the parlor and sat beside Elizabeth on the couch. "Jack."

"I was just trying to get to know the man." She raised her eyebrows at him. "I think he likes Abbie."

"She likes him too. She told me. She also told me that he leaves tomorrow to head back to Chicago and will return in six weeks."

"Long trip."

Elizabeth scooted closer and kissed his cheek. "Its been awhile since you've dealt with a daughter courting someone."

"She's only seventeen, Elizabeth."

"She is older than Maddie and Carlie were. She also owns a business, successfully, and is stronger and more mature than her sisters were."

"He seems nice," Jack admitted. "Do you think he's too old?"

"No and he has a good job that would allow him to support a family. Also, his father was a Mountie."

"Is that so?"

…..

After her family left, Abbie took her tea on the porch again and watched the sunset.

"Good evening," a quiet voice said from the doorway.

"Hi." She turned and looked at Harrison.

"It's a beautiful evening."

"It is."

"It was nice to meet your family." Harrison walked toward her and leaned against the railing next to her.

"Sorry about my father. He has a hard time letting us grow up sometimes."

"I'm pretty sure I would be the same way with my daughter."

"I just understand…I mean you and I barely….I mean it's not like we're courting…you're leaving and…."

"You're babbling, Miss Thornton."

"Sorry. We don't have an understanding so I don't know why he's so worried."

"Abbie?" She looked up at him at the sound of her first name on his lips. "When I come back, what would you think if we started courting?"

She smiled as he wrapped his hand around hers briefly. "I would like that."

"Good." He bent down and kissed the apple of her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."