Harris Town, Bradley and Jade's home
Jade rocked Nora as Bradley sat on the floor facing them, playing his guitar.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word, Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird," he sang. Nora kept her sleepy eyes on him as he continued.
"If that mocking Bird won't sing, Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring."
Jade smiled at Bradley as he played. "I love it when you play. She loves it too."
"Maybe."
Nora yawned and closed her eyes. "At the very least, it relaxes her."
"She's beautiful," Bradley mentioned as he stopped playing, setting the guitar in its case.
"Yeah. She is."
Jade stood and gave Bradley a kiss. "I love you."
"To the moon and back," he told her, returning her kiss. Then he leaned down and kissed Nora's forehead. "Daddy loves you too, sweetheart."
Jade laid her in her crib. "Night, baby girl." Bradley stepped up behind Jade, slipping his arms around her waist. "Thank you, Bradley."
"For what?"
"Not listening to me when I reminded you we were going to wait to adopt."
"Oh," he said with a quiet laugh. "I just knew she was supposed to be ours. I could feel it in my heart."
"And you were right." She turned in his arms and slipped her arms around his neck. "I think it's time for Mama and Daddy to go to bed too."
…..
Around midnight, Nora woke up crying. Jade got up and picked her up. "Shhhh, sweetie. It's okay. Let's change your diaper and I'll rock you again."
Once she sat down in the rocking chair, Nora pointed at the bed. "Dada?"
"Yes. Daddy's over there."
"Dada?" she pointed again.
"Do you want to go see Daddy?"
She continued pointing so Jade went over to the bed, sitting down next to Bradley. "Honey?"
"Hmm?" he mumbled.
"Nora wants you."
"Huh?"
"Dada?" Bradley opened his eyes and sat up.
"Did you say Dada?"
Nora put her arms out and he immediately accepted her, holding her close.
Jade walked over to her side of the bed and slipped under the covers, snuggling up close to them.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word. Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird…." he sang, rocking her back and forth, his heart even more full.
…..
Midday, next day, Edmonton
Logan hoped Gwen would be waiting for him at the depot but she wasn't. Then again, she may not know exactly when his train was arriving.
However, he did see his mom so he knew that Gwen was aware. She just wasn't there. That stung a bit.
As Logan, Jack, Joe and Caleb stepped off onto the platform, Amy walked forward. She gave Caleb a hug and a kiss first. Then Joe, then Jack.
"Hi, Dad."
"Hi, sweetheart. It's good to see you."
She kissed his cheek and then stepped in front of Logan. "Honey, I'm so happy you're safe."
"Mama." She held him tight, giving him the motherly comfort he hadn't realized he'd been missing.
She saw the question in his eyes. "She didn't want to be in public when she saw you again."
He nodded and they grabbed their bags to head home. As the five of them pulled into the driveway, Logan's nerves were on edge. He knew that confiding in Gwen was going to be hard but very necessary.
He knew the stories from his father and Papa Jack and they reminded him yet again that he needed to rely on her even if every part of him fought against it. The want and need to protect her from anything negative was a strong force.
"Best get it over with," Caleb told him as they sat in the car a few moments after everyone else had gone inside.
"What if she doesn't forgive me?"
"She will but you need to fight for her, son. Remember your vows."
"Yes, sir."
They finally entered the house. As he walked past the living room, he saw everyone in the living room except for his wife.
So he made his way to the kitchen. There she sat at the table, her head in her hands, a cup of tea untouched in front of her.
He knelt down next to her chair. "Gwenny?"
She turned her head toward him, her eyes full of unshed tears.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "Please forgive me for leaving. I won't ever do that again."
Gwen touched his cheek gently, as if seeing him for the first time. "Please don't shut me out, Logan."
"I won't anymore. But I need you to be patient with me. It's going to take a long time for me to get better."
"Well, we are going to be together forever so we have time."
"It won't be easy."
"Life isn't easy. I don't expect it to be."
He was so relieved. It sounded like she was supporting him, forgiving him. "I missed you, Gwenny. Every moment of every day and every night. It's so hard to sleep without you in my arms."
She leaned toward him, pressing her lips gently to his. She had missed kissing him, tasting him, loving him.
He slowly deepened the kiss, forgetting they weren't in the house alone but not caring a whole lot until Simon ran in. "Gwenny! I'm ready to play games!"
"Hi, Simon," Gwen said, blushing. "Its almost time for lunch. Come say hi to Logan."
Logan smiled at his little brother as he got up and sat in a chair. "Hey, buddy."
"Hi, Logan. Did you get married? Gwenny says you did."
"Yes, sir, we did."
"But you're a Mountie."
"Daddy is a Mountie and he married Mama."
"Yeah but you said you were never gonna get married."
Logan looked at his lovely wife and smiled. "That was before I met Gwenny. She changed my mind real quick."
Gwen blushed again and sipped her now cold tea.
"I'm glad you got married. Gwenny is real pretty," Simon told him, making them chuckle.
"Yes she is. The prettiest lady I've ever seen."
She got up to dump out her tea, a smile on her face. He always had that affect on her, making her blush with a glance or a word.
Simon ran out of the room a moment later, leaving them alone again. Logan got up and wrapped Gwen in his strong arms. "I've missed holding you," he told her, laying another powerful kiss on her lips.
"Sorry to interrupt," Jack said walking in.
"Papa, this is my wife Gwen. Gwen my grandfather, Jack."
"Nice to meet you, sir."
"Call me Jack or Papa, whichever you prefer."
"Thank you, Papa. Thank you for helping Logan."
"Family helps family. Logan is no exception. Speaking of, I'm headed out for a bit with Caleb. We should be back by dinner."
Neither Gwen nor Logan understood what he meant but they nodded and watched him go.
"When should we head home?" Gwen wondered as she ladled a bowl of stew from the pot and handed it to Logan and then grabbed a piece of bread for herself.
"Home?"
"Yes, as in our house in Calgary."
"We won't be going home for quite a while."
"How long and why not?"
"I'm on extended leave for three months. The only way Hodges would let me leave was to come here so Dad and Papa could help me. So, we are going to stay in Edmonton."
"Where? There are no more bedrooms here, Logan."
"I don't know yet. We will make it work."
She sighed and took a bite of her bread as he ate his stew. Then she realized she wasn't being very supportive. "You're right. We are in this together."
"As long as we both shall live."
That afternoon, Jack and Caleb returned just before dinner. Jack found Logan and Gwen and asked to have a chat.
"What is it, Papa?" Logan asked.
He handed him a set of keys. "There is a house on Walnut Lane about two blocks from here. It has two bedrooms and its fully furnished. I rented it for you and Gwen to stay in while you are here."
"Of course you did," Logan said.
Jack smirked. "I'll remind you that even though you are twenty six and searching for answers right now, you still need to give respect."
"I'm sorry. I only meant that this shouldn't come as a surprise. This is what you do."
"Yes, I take care of my own. Now, its 239 Walnut Lane."
"Thank you, Papa," Gwen told him, giving him a hug. "This is so generous."
"Welcome to our family, Gwen."
"Thank you."
….
The next day, Harris Town
Bradley went back to work at his older brother Drew's ranch after kissing his wife and daughter goodbye.
He was oblivious to the fact that Nora was following Jade around the house missing him.
As she washed the sheets off their bed and a couple towels, Nora watched asking, "Dada?"
"Dada is at work, love. Are you hungry for a snack?"
"Dada?"
"Come with me, baby girl. I'm gonna start making a loaf of bread for supper."
She lifted her up on the counter and kissed her forehead. "Wanna help Mama?"
"Dada."
She decide that after their nap later, they would walk to see Bradley. As a bonus, Uncle Drew and Aunt Carrie had horses, pigs, two dogs, and some sheep. She bet Nora would love seeing the animals.
"Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O," Jade sang. "And on his farm he had a Piggie…E-I-E-I-O."
She kept singing through all the animals they would be seeing, teaching Nora what they all said. She giggled as she listened and watched Jade make bread.
"Alright. Now, I'm hungry. Let's have some bananas and blueberries, alright, my love?"
Jade put her into her high chair and a few moments later, placed a few of each fruit on her tray.
"Dada," Nora said again.
Jade was so happy that Nora was loving her Daddy. It hadn't taken long for her to warm up to him.
After their snack and nap, they bundled up in their coats and mittens and boots and walked almost a mile to the ranch.
"Dada?" Nora asked, her cheeks and nose rosy from the chilly air.
"Yeah. Let's go see him."
Jade headed to the barn, walking in and shutting the door. "Bradley?"
"Jade?" Bradley peeked out of one of the stalls where he was laying fresh hay.
"Dada!"
"Hi, sweetie. Nora has been asking for you ever since you left."
He brushed hay off his clothes and removed his gloves, walking over to see them. Nora leaned for him and giggled. "Dada!"
"Hi, sweetheart." She snuggled into his neck, laying her head on his shoulder.
His eyes filled with tears. It felt so good to be loved by his own child. Now he understood why his parents had twelve.
"Jade? I think we need to adopt a few more children."
"Now?"
"No, but definitely in the future. She needs a sibling or two and I can't get enough of this. Its wonderful."
….
That evening, Edmonton, rental house
Logan was lying on his side, watching Gwenny sleep peacefully. He, however, was afraid to go to sleep. Sleep brought nightmares of the day a few months back when his life changed.
He'd been a Mountie since his first assignment at nineteen. He had loved it that first year. Then, war came and he didn't love it anymore. He fought only a short time before his entire company, eight men other than himself, was ambushed, seven of them dying. Somehow, he had escaped almost without injury. For the most part, his injury was emotional.
After seeing a few doctors, he was discharged from the war and came back to start over in Calgary.
He thought after five years, he would have moved on, stopped remembering the horrors of death that had surrounded him. That wasn't so. One day, a few weeks after marrying Gwenny, he saw someone familiar on the street. He looked just like Trent, the only other surviving member of the company. He hurried to the man and said hello.
It was Trent but he wasn't the same man. His face was badly burned and he had lost his left arm and left eye in the war. Worst of all, Trent blamed Logan for not saving them since he had been navigating the crew that day.
Now, Logan realized he was right and the guilt and pain and heartache of war would always be with him.