ABOVE THE CAFÉ
Em doted on Ashley and Mary. For the last few weeks they had grown close and Em was really excited that she and Will seemed to like each other.
"Turn around," Em told her. "That looks great. Will will love it."
"He won't even notice, I'm sure," Ashley mentioned. She ran her hands down the front of her borrowed dress. It was deep purple with buttons up the back and an empire waist. The neckline was lined with ivory lace and the shawl Em was loaning her matched the lace perfectly.
"If he doesn't notice, my brother needs to go to the eye doctor."
Ashley giggled and covered her mouth. She didn't remember the last time she had laughed. It felt good.
"I'm ready, sissy."
"You look very pretty, Mary, but your shoes are on the wrong feet."
"No! These are my feet!"
Ashley giggled again. "Yes, they are yours but this shoe needs to be on this foot and this shoe on this foot." The shoes were fixed and Ashley couldn't help but feel happy.
The clock struck five and then Ashley immediately got nervous. "I hope your family likes me."
"Of course they will. Now scoot. I want to hear all about it when you get back."
As Ashley walked down the stairs, Will watched with awe. How in the world was she so incredibly beautiful and she liked him? His angel, absolutely.
"Hi," she greeted with a shy smile.
"You look so pretty." He kissed her cheek and offered his arm to her and his hand to Mary. "The house is about two miles from town so I have a wagon for us just outside."
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the house. "You live here, Will? This is a beautiful home."
"It is. My Dad built it for my Mom when they were first married."
"Did you live here?"
"For about seven months. Then we moved to Harris Town." He hopped off the wagon and walked around to help her and Mary down. He set her on the ground and smiled. "Ready?"
The evening went well. Julie was wonderful and Tom loved his family very much. It had been a long time since she felt welcomed into a home and it felt comforting.
Mary and Olive hit it off despite the slight age difference.
"Does anyone want coffee?" Julie asked as she waddled in the room. She was due in a week and she looked like she was ready.
"Jules, I'll get it. You sit." Tom stood up and made her sit in his chair.
"Bless you, husband." Julie smiled at Ashley. "Where does Mary go when you are working in the café?"
"Most times she stays in the parlor and plays."
"With other kids?"
"No, we don't really know many people yet. We've only been here a month."
"Well, now you do. I will have Sophie bring Kevin and Olive to play with Mary in the afternoons. It will be good for everyone. Then after Tom gets off work, he'll pick them up."
"That would be great. Thank you, Mrs. Thornton."
"Julie." Ashley nodded.
"Sissy? Can I spend the night with Olive? Please?"
"I don't know. Mrs. Thornton has a baby coming soon and…"
"I don't mind. Sophie and Pearl help when Tom isn't here. One more won't make a difference."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I bet we even have a nightgown that Mary can wear."
"Ok, you can stay."
"Yay! Thank you!"
Mary ran off down the hall and Ashley smiled.
Through the women's conversation, Will watched Ashley. He couldn't make himself stop. She was kind and gentle and a great Mama to her sister. He had a lot of respect for her and what she was doing to provide for Mary.
Tom leaned over. "Will, can I speak with you a moment?"
"Sure."
They walked into the living room and sat by the fire. "I just wanted to let you know of some land I heard was for sale."
"Really? Where?"
"Next parcel over."
"Wait, that's Papa Jake's land. He's selling it?"
"Actually he sold it to me. I'm selling it to you and Maddie and Nate. It's one hundred acres which is enough for two houses, a barn, and whatever else you want."
"I can only afford my part of the land. I may need to stay with you for awhile. If that's ok."
"The land is two dollars. You will still have enough to build a house."
"Two dollars! Uncle Tom, that's crazy. You won't make a profit."
"I'm not looking to make a profit off family." Tom put his hand on Will's shoulder. "Look, if what I'm seeing is correct, you will need a home to provide for Ashley and Mary at some point in the near future. This is your chance, Will. You can make your own way."
"I'm in. At Christmas, I'll talk to Nate and I'll let you know when I get back to town."
LATER
Will noticed Ashley shiver. "Are you cold?"
"Yeah, a bit."
He stopped the wagon and reached in back. "Here's a blanket." He put it over her lap and then pulled her closer. "You can put your arm through mine if you like. It will help keep you warmer."
She smiled and did as he suggested, not minding at all being close to Will. He made her feel important, a feeling she was unaccustomed to since her engagement broke up the year before. Then her parents both died and left her to take care of Mary. She had lost many nights sleep over where they were going to live once their family home was foreclosed on by the bank.
Then one day, about five weeks ago, she decided to use her last bit of money to buy two train tickets from Alberta and come to Hope Valley. Now, life was beginning to look up.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"How grateful I am to be here in Hope Valley."
"What happened to your parents, Ashley?"
"They were in an automobile accident about six months ago."
"I'm so sorry. What did you do?"
"I tried to take care of Mary as best I could but it wasn't easy." She wiped away a tear. "We lost our home and we didn't have any food. I almost gave up but I didn't want to leave Mary so I took the rest of my money and bought two tickets to Hope Valley."
"Why Hope Valley?"
"The name I guess. I was looking at a map and saw the name. It felt almost like a sign that we were going to be ok, you know?"
He nodded. He did know. This was where he "hoped" to make something of himself too. To prove himself, that he could be Will Thornton. Not just Drew's twin or Jack and Elizabeth's son. He was Will.
He pulled up in front of the café and helped her down. "Will you spend Thanksgiving with me? You and Mary, of course."
She smiled. "Yes. We'd love to."
"Good." He touched her cheek gently with his hand, tucking her soft blonde hair behind her ear. "Goodnight, angel." He kissed her cheek and stepped back.
"Night. Thank you for dinner."
VANCOUVER
Caleb was healed enough to return to work. He underwent a doctor's thorough evaluation to make sure there were no lasting side effects from his injuries.
"He said I can go back to work tomorrow so I told Andrews that I'm back."
Amy nodded as she finished the chili and cornbread they were having for dinner.
"Are you ok with that, Ames?"
"It doesn't really matter, Caleb. I won't tell you not to go back to work. I wish that we had a larger place, though."
"I put in a request for more housing. I just haven't heard anything yet."
"I know. I didn't mean to complain. "
Joey wandered in and tugged at Amy's skirt. "Mama?"
"Hi, baby," she greeted with a smile.
"Hi. Nack?"
"You want a snack?"
"Yep."
"Supper is almost ready. Daddy can put you in your chair and I'll give you some milk, ok?"
Caleb tried to talk to Amy at dinner but the kids made it almost impossible. After dinner, he had to get baths ready for them and read them stories while Amy cleaned the kitchen and made their lunches for the next day.
Finally, he thought they could talk after the kids were in bed but she was asleep when her went into their bedroom.
The next morning, he left before anyone was awake. He would try to make sure there was time for just them after dinner.
Amy got up, realizing Caleb was at work already. She walked in to the bedroom, sat down on a bed, and woke the kids. "Hey, sweet peas. Time to get up for school."
Mason stayed asleep. Meri opened her eyes and smiled. "Hi, Meri. I love you."
"Love you, Mama."
Logan rubbed his eyes and yawned, but sat up. Joey climbed over to her lap and sucked his thumb as he leaned against her. It was the same every morning. As hard as it was to wake them up and send them off to school, she enjoyed it because they were hers. Her babies and she loved them deeply.
"Mason, up please." She playfully spanked his rear and heard him moan. "No pancakes if you don't get up."
"Banana?"
"Yep."
"Ok, I'm up." He sat up, his eyes still closed, his black hair sticking up all over. She'd need to wet her fingers and brush it to get it to cooperate.
She braided Meri's hair in two braids and then helped Logan and Joey get dressed. Then she went out to make breakfast.
The mornings like this were such a joy. They had a schedule and were rarely late leaving for school. The joy came from knowing things would be the same, every morning. It represented stability and that's what she and the children needed.
Once the twins and Logan left for school, she would clean the kitchen, make the beds and clean the bathroom. Then hopefully, she would have time to write a few letters back home while Joey colored.
"Mama, feel hot." She looked down at Joey and noticed his cheeks were red. She touched his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
"Does your throat hurt, Joe?"
"Yeah, Mama." They did not need a cold going through the family.
She picked him up and laid him on the couch, covering him with a blanket. "You stay here, babe. Close your eyes, ok?"
"Yes, Mama." He popped his thumb in his mouth and closed his eyes.
She walked into the kitchen and started a pot of chicken soup. Joey would like it but the rest of the family needed dinner too. Once the chicken was boiling, she made biscuits with the rest of the buttermilk in the ice box. She always tried hard to never let anything go to waste. Money was sometimes tight, but she always managed to put about a dollar away every other week for any emergency that came along.
Joey slept most of the day, waking up to use the bathroom or drink something. He developed a runny nose and a cough too.
When the kids came home from school, she asked them to stay away from Joey so they wouldn't get sick.
Caleb walked in early. "Ames?"
"I'm here," she told him from the kitchen. "You're early."
"I wanted to make sure we got time to talk tonight. Maybe after dinner?"
"Talk about what?"
"Just stuff. I feel like you might have been upset yesterday and I wanted to make sure you're ok."
"I'm good. Joey is sick though. I'm going to have him sleep in our room tonight."
"What's wrong with Joe?"
"I think it's a cold and I don't want the other kids to catch it."
He watched her working hard in the kitchen. "Honey, why don't you sit? I'll finish."
"Dinner is chicken soup and buttermilk biscuits. I'm going to sit on the couch with Joe. I want to make sure he eats his soup." She headed over to the cupboard and reached for the bowls and butter dish. "Ouch!"
"Ames? What's wrong?"
"Your son just kicked me hard." She rubbed her rounded tummy and sighed. A moment later she continued setting the table. He stopped her and guided her to a chair. "Caleb, I need to get things done."
"No, I do. I'm home. You get to rest now." He set the table and brought the pot of soup over, ladling the hot liquid into six bowls. Next he put the biscuits in a basket and handed one to Amy. "How much did you eat today?"
"Caleb, I'm fine."
"Yes, just as stubborn as ever, I see." She smacked his rear as he walked by. He laughed and bent down to kiss her. "That's why I love you."
After dinner, Caleb sent the older three kids to clean up their room so Mama wouldn't need to do it. Joey stayed on the couch so Caleb sat down with Amy at the table to talk.
He moved his chair right next to hers and took her hand. "Babe, I know that when I got hurt it was hard on you."
"Of course it was. I didn't know if I was going to lose you or not. I've never been so scared."
"How are you now?"
"Fine."
"Are you ok with me going back to work? Please be honest with me. I really need to know."
"You need to work, Caleb."
"I know. Does it still worry you that I'm in danger?"
"It always has and it always will. I just need to try not to think about it."
"Would it help if I applied for a job in a different area? In a small town?"
"No. I feel at home here, even though we are outgrowing the apartment. Jenn is my best friend and the kids are happy."
"Are you happy, though? Really happy?"
She didn't know how to answer that question. "I don't know."
It wasn't the answer he had hoped for but he wanted honesty. "What makes you unhappy?"
"I'm not unhappy. I'm just...content. I am ok with being here in Vancouver but sometimes I miss you so much it makes me crazy."
"I miss you too, Ames." He moved his chair back and pulled her over to his lap. "I think we need to make sure we always make time for just us. Let's pick a night once a week, get Jenn and Scott to babysit, and go out."
"We should just stay in. We don't really have money to be going out all the time."
"Staying in could be good too," he told her. He moved her silky black hair away from her neck and kissed just below her ear.
"Mama!" Joey called from the other room. "Mama hot!"
Amy stood up and kissed Caleb. "Sorry, babe."
"It's ok." That clinched it. He was going to definitely plan a night out.
