Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Surprise is the greatest gift life can grant us."

~Boris Pasternak

Though she'd tried, Ann couldn't go back to sleep after the events at the saloon that morning. She'd never seen Jack at work as she had this morning. Something about it had unsettled her and set her thoughts into high gear. Finally, unable to quiet those thoughts, she decided to get up and start her day. She dressed and headed over to Abigail's. Though it was still quite early, Ann could see Abigail through the café window. She was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Ann knocked on the kitchen door and Abigail answered it.

"Ann! My goodness what are you doing up so early?" she asked as Ann entered.

"We had some excitement at the saloon this morning and I just couldn't get back to sleep," she answered.

Abigail had returned to her work, picking up a tray of biscuits. She looked at Ann and asked, "What happened?"

"Jack arrested the new barkeeper for Mr. Trevoy," Ann told her matter-of-factly.

Abigail's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "What?! Why?" Then, realizing she was still holding the tray of raw biscuits, she opened the oven door and placed the tray inside.

Ann shrugged. "I'm not sure. There was another man with Jack. He must've been another Mountie, though he wasn't wearing the uniform," Ann reported.

Abigail looked intently at Ann. "Another Mountie? And he wasn't in uniform?" She blinked several times, her thoughts racing.

Ann nodded, "Yes. He told Jack he'd collect the evidence. My guess is that the barkeeper was stealing from Mr. Trevoy or someone else." She looked at Abigail and was surprised that Abigail wasn't looking at her. In fact, she didn't seem to be paying attention at all. "Abigail?" she called to get her attention.

Ann's question pulled Abigail back to the conversation. "I'm sorry, Ann. Is there something you need?"

Ann was a little taken back. "Well, no... but, yes, I would like some coffee," Ann answered. "But I can get that myself. Has it brewed?"

It took several moments for Ann's question to register with Abigail. "Oh, yes, it should be finished brewing." She leaned against the counter and looked down at the floor, her eyes narrowed and her face tight.

Ann drew a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table to enjoy it. She saw that Abigail seemed deep in thought, but wasn't sure if she should ask her about it. A few minutes later, Elizabeth came down the stairs to the kitchen, pulling Abigail's attention from her thoughts.

"Well, how are you this morning? Your voice?" Abigail queried.

Elizabeth shrugged. "So-so," she said in a low voice, just above a whisper.

"Let me get you some tea and honey," Abigail offered.

Elizabeth made a disgusted face. "Hasn't helped much so far," she observed.

"Surely you can't teach school like this," Abigail told her.

"I think..," she began then had to stop to clear her throat before finishing, "I can," she contended, her face determined.

Ann was drinking her coffee and watching the exchange between Elizabeth and Abigail when she suddenly remembered her promise to Jack. She set down her coffee cup and rubbed her hands together as she decided what she should do.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you can't possibly teach school like this! You'll lose your voice again before ten o'clock!" Abigail argued.

"But, my students," Elizabeth told her, her voice breaking.

"I'll help you," Ann interjected.

Both Elizabeth and Abigail turned and stared at her, incredulous. "What?" Elizabeth squeaked out.

"Jack told me he was sure you'd want to go back to teaching today, regardless of what your voice was like. He made me promise I'd help you," Ann told her.

"Help me?" Elizabeth asked, her voice already sounding rougher than when she'd first come down the stairs.

"I'll assist you. I can be your voice," Ann explained.

Elizabeth was absolutely dumbstruck by Ann's offer. She looked at Abigail, who also appeared quite surprised. Elizabeth, then, turned back to Ann, who was looking at her expectantly. Realizing that having Ann assist her was the only way she could possibly return to school, she nodded. "Okay, yes," she told Ann before coughing. Then finally, she added, "Thank you."

Ann nodded before turning to Abigail and pointed to a basket of scones on the table a few feet away. She asked, "May I have one?"

"Certainly," Abigail agreed. "But, they're from yesterday."

"Oh, I'm sure they're still delicious. Thank you," Ann replied as she stood up. She walked to the basket of scones and pulled one out. "I'm going to head back to the saloon and freshen up before school begins." She turned to Elizabeth. "I'll see you in a little while, when school starts."

Elizabeth nodded, still speechless with Ann's sudden kind gesture. After Ann exited the saloon, Elizabeth swiveled to face Abigail. "Can you believe that?" she asked. When Abigail didn't respond immediately, she asked her, "What's wrong?"

Abigail still didn't answer. She continued staring down, her thoughts obviously far from the café.

"Abigail?!" Elizabeth called as loud as she was able, startling her friend.

"What?" Abigail blurted out after being pulled from her thoughts.

"Where'd you go?" Elizabeth asked, concerned. "You seemed so far away!"

Abigail opened her mouth to answer, but she didn't say anything.

"Abigail?" Elizabeth prompted.

Abigail exhaled and began, "Ann told me that Jack arrested that new, young barkeeper this morning."

"Oh my goodness! Why?" Elizabeth asked,

"Ann said she thinks he stole something. Anyway, Ann, also, told me that there was another man with Jack who was collecting evidence while Jack took the barkeeper to jail. She said she thought the man was another Mountie, though he wasn't wearing a uniform," she explained, her voice suddenly filled with emotion.

Elizabeth's eyes widened with realization. "Bill?"

Abigail shrugged and raised her eyebrows. "I don't know. Perhaps, it's him." There was a note of happiness in her voice. "But, he didn't write to say he was coming."

Elizabeth coughed several times before speaking again. "I was wondering where Jack was this morning."

"He's a little busy, it seems," Abigail said, her eyes once again falling down as her thoughts went far away from their conversation.

Elizabeth noted Abigail retreat back into her thoughts. She sighed and shook her head. Then, she called, "Abigail?" She waited for Abigail to respond. When she looked at her, Elizabeth told her, "Why don't you bring some breakfast over to the jailhouse? Some biscuits and coffee would probably be quite welcome right about now." Elizabeth smiled encouragingly at her friend.

Abigail's eyes widened as she considered Elizabeth's suggestion for a moment, then her expression clouded. "Oh, I couldn't!" she protested. "They obviously have a prisoner and are busy."

"But," Elizabeth began to protest but Abigail stopped her.

"No, if Bill wants to see me, he knows where he can find me," she contended.

"Yes, he does."

The deep voice behind them in the dining room stunned both women. They both spun around and discovered Bill walking toward them. He looked intently at Abigail and she met his gaze. Suddenly, Elizabeth felt uncomfortable, like a third wheel. "I'm going to go upstairs and finish getting ready for school," she announced, though she suspected neither of them heard her. She swiftly moved to the stairs, leaving Abigail and Bill alone.

Abigail and Bill looked at each other in silence as Bill continued walking toward her. When he came to a stop in front of her, he broke the silence. "You're looking very pretty, as always."

"Thank you!" Abigail replied. "And you're looking awfully near." Her eyes smiled though she kept her mouth pursed, teasing him.

Bill smiled. "I arrived late last night," he informed her. "I had to get here quickly after Jack sent his telegram and we realized what was going on here."

"What was going on?" she asked.

Bill considered his reply for a moment, then he told her, "Well, since we've already made the arrest, I can tell you. The new barkeeper is a deserter from the Mounted Police. It appears he's been rather busy while he was here, too. We found some stolen goods in his room."

A shocked expression filled Abigail's face. "Oh my goodness! How do these people end up in Coal Valley? Of all places!"

Bill laughed mirthlessly. "Well, I'm not sure why he came to Coal Valley, but I'm pretty sure he's going to end up in prison."

Abigail nodded and, again, silence fell upon them as they stood just looking at each other. Then, Bill leaned in and their lips touched briefly before they slid into a hug. They held each other for several moments. Again, Bill broke the silence. "I missed you," he whispered into her hair.

She smiled and pulled back. She looked into his eyes and told him, "Good!" They both laughed as they broke their embrace. "How long can you stay?" she asked as she moved to the stove to check on the biscuits.

"I'm not sure," Bill admitted. "It depends on whether I have to escort this crook to prison or not. If not, I can stick around for a couple of days." He smiled.

"Well, let's hope someone else can escort that man to prison!" Abigail agreed as she pulled the biscuits from the oven and placed them on the table to cool. She was surprised when she heard Bill's voice right next to her ear, as he'd walked up behind her.

"You know, I've dreamed of this moment so many times," he told her in a low voice.

"Oh, you have, have you?" she asked in an even voice, suppressing a laugh.

"Oh, yes!" he assured her. "Every night, I dream about..." He took a deep breath, stalling. Then, he finally finished, "Your biscuits!"

Both of them burst into laughter.