"Jack?"
"What?" he mumbled.
"I want to help your mom run the boarding house."
"What?" His eyes popped open and he sat up. "How are you going to have time for that?"
"It will only be a few days a week. I will take the kids with me. Abbie told me she wants to run the place one day, so this will give her the opportunity to see if she really wants to. Your Mom and Jake are tired. It's too much for them to handle on their own."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Is it ok with you?"
"Babe, you know I won't stop you from doing anything that makes you happy."
"Mama!" Lydie cried from her crib.
"Lydie, Shhh. Time for sleep."
"Want you!" She sounded scared so Elizabeth got up and picked her up. Charlie was still asleep on his makeshift bed.
"What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Bad seep. No seep." She held on tight to Elizabeth, crying into her neck.
"She must have had a bad dream." Elizabeth brought her back to bed with her, slipping back under the sheet to snuggle with her. "Shhh. It's ok, baby."
Next thing they knew, Charlie climbed up on the bed and snuggled up between them. "Charlie? What's going on, bud?" Jack asked him.
"I sleep here." He moved closer to Elizabeth and held on to her arm, shutting his eyes.
Elizabeth smiled at Jack. "Love you," she whispered.
THE NEXT MORNING
Jack and Jay were up early, as usual, for chores. Abbie made biscuits while Kiki went to help milk cows. Charlie was still asleep in the big bed upstairs and Bradley was in his room.
"Mama?" Lydie said quietly.
"Yes, baby?"
"Up?"
Elizabeth kissed the top of her head. "I need to make breakfast. Are you hungry?"
"Want you."
"I'm almost done with the biscuits, Ma. I can make eggs too."
"Ok, Abbie." Elizabeth picked up Lydie and held her, stroking her back. "I think she had a scary dream last night."
"About what?"
"I don't know. She just woke up and cried and wanted me."
One day, Abbie would be a Mama, she hoped. She wanted to feel that type of love. Now though, at almost eleven, she dreamed of owning the boarding house. She could cook a little and she could make beds and sweep floors and do dishes. She just wanted to know all of it.
"Mama!" Bradley and Charlie yelled as they ran in the room. Elizabeth smiled, grateful the boys seemed to have become friends.
"Good Morning. Maybe just a little quieter," she told them.
"Outside?" Charlie asked.
"What's outside?"
"Daddy and Jay. We go?"
"Yes, but listen. Only to the barn and then you come in when they do so we can eat breakfast. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.
"Good boys."
TRAIN STATION
Travis had debated whether or not to insist on going with Livy to Hope Valley to ensure her safety but he decided against it. Actually Leesa insisted he not go. She reasoned that Livy was trying to walk a new path of her own, one that didn't include them directly. As much as it hurt to have her move away, they knew she was going somewhere safe and where there was friends and family.
"All aboard!" the conductor called.
Travis hugged her once more, kissing her cheek. "Please send a telegram that you arrived safely."
"I will, Dad. Love you."
She kissed her mom and then hugged Jade again. "I'll see you soon," she told them, and then walked up the steps to her compartment and sat down.
As the train pulled away from her home, she realized how ready she was to do something for herself for a change. It felt good to know that she was making a choice that she wanted to make, not one someone made for her.
As she curled up on the couch to read her novel, she wondered what Hope Valley had in store for her. Hopefully new friendships along with old. Maybe love? She was anxious to find out.
By the time the train pulled into Hope Valley about ten hours later, Livy was bored and wanting so badly to be on solid ground again. She had planned to go directly into the depot, find Mike to send a telegram and ask about receiving her father's wire of money. Then, she was going to find the boarding house where she would be staying until she found someplace else to rent.
Finally she would wander over to the café and see Clara and Em and meet Ruthie.
As she stepped off the train, she looked around. "Olivia Harris?" a young man about her age asked from about a foot away.
"Yes. Hi."
He smiled shyly and shook her hand. "I'm Max Coulter. I'm here to help with your trunk."
"Oh! Are you Lee's brother?"
"Yes." A man of few words she noticed. Very cute though. Not overly tall, only about an inch taller than her. He had light brown hair, faint dimples and crinkles around his eyes when he smiled, and he dressed well, including a bowtie.
"Uh, that one is my trunk. It's heavy though."
"I got it. I borrowed a wagon to take you to the boarding house."
"I need to send a telegram. I'll be right out and we can go."
He nodded, watching her as she walked inside. Something inside him caused him to be disappointed when she was out of his line of vision. She was lovely. That word perfectly described her. Lovely Olivia.
He shook his head at himself for thinking things like that about a girl he met not three minutes before and then picked up her trunk to take it to the wagon.
She came back out five minutes later. "Max? I'm ready."
"Ok. Let me help you into the wagon."
He held his hand out for her to take and she gratefully accepted, stepping up and sitting down. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, Olivia."
"You can call me Livy."
He liked that even better with the adjective he used to describe her. "Lovely Livy," he whispered to himself.
"I'm sorry?" she asked.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Once they got to the boarding house, she walked in and checked in, paying for her first month and obtaining her key.
Max brought her trunk in and sat it down in the lobby.
"Room seven," she told him. He followed her and set the trunk on the end of the bed.
"Well, have a good evening, Livy. Maybe I'll see you around."
"Wait, Max?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you tell me where the café is?"
"I could walk you there. It's on my way home."
"Yes, please." She gripped her key, putting it in the pocket of her dress, and followed him out into the town.
He offered his arm, a gentlemanly thing to do he figured, and they walked. "So you moved here from Harris Town?"
"Yes, I did."
"May I ask why?"
"I didn't want to work in our store. I wanted to do something for me."
"Your parents were ok with it?"
"At first no, but they support me." She watched him as they walked. He had a serious look on his face. "Do you work at the sawmill?"
"No."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be too personal."
"It wasn't. It just must be nice to have parents who support you."
"Max? You have that, don't you?"
"My dad, yes."
"What about your mom?"
"She always said that she wanted more for me. It's hard to be a constant disappointment."
"Where do you work?"
"At the library. I own it. I used my trust fund once I turned eighteen to purchase the building, fix it up, and buy the books."
"That's wonderful. How can she think that owning your own business is a disappointment?"
"She wanted me to work for my dad, like Lee. Make lots of money, like Lee. But money isn't important to me. Books are and offering that same thing to other people is amazing."
"I bet it is." She barely knew the young man next to her but she felt proud of him for taking a stand for himself. "I would love to see the library."
"You would?"
"I love to read." He touched her hand for a moment and then let go.
"This is the café."
"Thank you, Max. I'll try to stop by the library tomorrow."
"Ok, goodnight, Livy."
"Night."
…
Livy walked into the café and looked for someone she knew. "Ashley!"
"Livy! Good to see you."
"You too." She hugged Ashley and smiled. "Is Clara here?"
"Yeah. She's in the parlor past the kitchen with Ruthie and Davie. Go ahead and go in there."
"Thank you." Livy made her way through the kitchen.
"Clara?"
"Oh! Livy, thank goodness. Thank you for coming early."
"Of course. Where's Em?"
"She's sick," Davie told her. "But it's a secret!" he whispered.
Clara mouthed the word "pregnant". "Oh ok. Well that makes sense why she can't watch these two." Livy sat on the floor and picked up a doll and a bear. "Let's play a game, kids."
Ruthie toddled over and sat in front of Livy, watching her doll intently. "Hi, sweetheart. I'm Livy. Are you Ruthie?"
She nodded. Clara smiled, seeing the kids were in good hands. "I'm going to wash some dishes."
….
The next day, Livy saw Em. "Hey Em," she said softly, walking into her room. Em lay on the bed, a cool rag against her cheek. "I heard you're sick."
"Something like that."
"Have you tried ginger tea?"
"No, I can't keep anything down."
"You need to drink more. Ginger tea settles the stomach."
Em sat up and closed her eyes. The room was spinning. "Oh gosh. I'm so dizzy. "
"And so thin. I think you need to see the doctor."
"I'm ok."
"Em! Look at me. You're not ok. I'm getting you some tea and then the doctor."
"Livy."
"This isn't good. You're weak. You can't eat or drink, and you're dizzy."
Livy rushed out to find Clara. "Do you have ginger tea?"
"Yes. I can make some."
"I need to get her a doctor. She's very thin, Clara. I'm afraid she's….well, take her the tea and I'll be right back." She knew the kids were asleep upstairs so she ran down the street to find the doctor's office.
"Doctor?" She ran into the office but didn't see anyone. "Anyone here?"
An older gentleman walked into the room. "Miss? What can I do for you? Are you sick?"
"No, Emmy Coulter. She's pregnant and very ill. Please, she needs you."
"What are her symptoms?"
"She's dizzy, vomiting, she's lost weight. She can't keep any food down."
"Ah, morning sickness."
"Yes. Please come."
"Ok, but there's not a lot that I can do. She really must just let it run its course."
She almost dragged the doctor down the street. He seemed to just take his time. Finally they arrived and she led him up the stairs. She knocked on Em's door. "Em?"
She sat up again and looked at Livy. "Come in."
"The doctor is here, Em."
When the doctor left awhile later, she at least knew her due date. March 2nd. She would have a baby March 2nd. The rest of what he told her were things she knew. Her mother had been pregnant enough times for her to be quite familiar with everything.
Lee walked in early from work. "Honey? You Ok? I heard the doc stopped by."
He laid down gently next to her, pulling her to his chest. "I'm ok."
"What did the doc say?"
"I'm due March 2nd." He stayed quiet, kissing her forehead and temples. "I lost weight and he's concerned."
Clara brought in some dry toast, chicken broth, and more ginger tea. "See if you can get her to eat this, Lee. She needs nourishment and so does that baby."
Lee nodded and grabbed the tray, setting it on his lap. "What do you want first?"
"Tea." She sat up, feeling too weak to hold the cup, but forcing herself. After a few sips, she felt a bit less nauseated so she sipped some broth. "Its good," she sighed. She gazed at Lee who had tears in his eyes. She had never seen him cry before. She touched his cheek. "Lee, I'll be ok."
He nodded, sniffing. "You have to be. That baby…you have to stay strong." She smiled, sipping the hot broth, willing it to stay down.
"Mama?" Davie walked in and stared. "Mama."
"Hi, sweetie," she said with a smile. "Are you having fun with Livy?"
"Yeah. She wants to take us to the li…berry. Can I go?"
"Sure, Davie. Have fun. Listen to Livy."
"I will." He kissed her cheek and then hugged Lee. "Bye, Daddy."
"Bye, bud."
….
Livy carried Ruthie and held Davie's hand as they walked down the sidewalk to the library. "Livy?"
"Yeah, bud."
"What's a…li…berry?"
"A library is a building where you go and borrow books. Your Uncle Max owns it."
"He will let me read his books?"
"Yep. He will let us borrow them and bring them back later."
"Why can't we just buy them?"
"Well, you could, but this way you don't have to spend the money."
"Oh."
"Book," Ruthie whispered.
"Yep. We are going to look at books."
When they walked up to the building, she was impressed. It looked like new. Stepping inside, she took a deep breath through her nose. She loved the smell of books. It ranked right up there with the smell of fresh bread or Apple pie.
"Wow! Lots of books!" Davie said running inside.
"Good afternoon, Miss Harris," Max greeted, that adorable smile on his face.
"Miss Harris? What happened to Livy?"
He shrugged. "Guess I felt like being formal."
"Ok, then. I love your library, Mr. Coulter."
"Hi, Uncle Max!" Davie said with a wave.
"Hi, Davie. How are you today?"
"Mama's sick."
"She is? Well, I hope she will feel better really soon."
"She will. She said she's not gonna die. She's just having a baby." He realized he told the secret and covered his mouth. "Oops. Don't tell, Uncle Max."
"I won't. Don't worry."
"Is Mama gonna be mad at me?" He looked upset when he asked Livy.
"No, sweetie. It will be ok."
Ruthie laid her head on Livy's shoulder and popped her thumb in her mouth. "Nap," she whispered.
"There's a seating area in the corner if you want to rest," Max told her. She looked over and smiled.
"Looks like Davie found it already."
Once she sat down, Ruthie fell asleep.
Max watched Lovely Livy. She was a natural with the children. She seemed to love being with them. The feeling also seemed to be mutual.
He wanted to be her friend. He already knew she was kind and strong. He needed to know more though.
