Chapter Fifty-Two
"God's mercy is fresh and new every morning."
~Joyce Meyer
The next morning, Elizabeth's eyes popped open before the sun came up. She'd slept soundly, her dreams filled with images of the new school and, as usual of late, Jack, but she was now wide awake. She crawled out of bed and crossed the room to look out the window near her writing desk. The moon was still visible high in the sky and it cast its glow on Coal Valley. She pushed her desk chair away and moved closer to the window, her face pressed to the glass. Looking down at the empty Main Street, her gaze followed the road to the jailhouse. A smiled teased at her lips as she thought of Jack, sleeping soundly in there. Her eyes, then, traveled up the road as she thought of what lay around the bend and beyond the reach of vision, the new schoolhouse. Her smile widened as she mentally ran through the lessons she'd planned for her students on this momentous day.
After several moments of musing, she looked back at the sky and noted that the eastern horizon was becoming lighter, hinting that the sunrise would be coming soon. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "Thank you, Lord, for all of the blessings you have given me. I truly believe that you led me here to Coal Valley and I ask that you will continue to guide my life. Please keep your hand on all of my students and help me to guide them in your way, too. And please send your blessings on the people of this town. They have been through so much and are so strong and caring." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Please keep Jack safe in his duties and send your blessings on him, too. He is such a good man, God! Thank you for sending him into my life." She glanced out the window, again, and noted that the gray shades on the horizon were now mixing with oranges and yellows.
She spun away from the window and headed for the bedroom door. She closed it as she didn't want to disturb Abigail this early. She then washed her face in the basin and quickly dressed. Last night, as usual, she'd chosen her clothes for school. Today, she was wearing a cornflower blue skirt with white rickrack scroll work and a white blouse with peach frills and flower buds. After dressing, she moved to the mirror and began to work on her hair. She pulled the sides back in combs, leaving the rest hanging in loose waves. Satisfied with her hair, she turned away from the mirror. Light filtering in through the window caught her attention and she realized the sun was now up. She quickly made her bed and headed downstairs.
After a trip to the outhouse, a quick one as she still dreaded having to use that awful privy, she poured herself a glass of milk and sat at the kitchen table to review her lessons. She read over the John Greenleaf Whittier poem she'd chosen for their first day at the new school house:
"Still sits the school-house by the road,
A ragged beggar sleeping;
Around it still the sumachs grow,
And blackberry-vines are creeping.
Within, the master's desk is seen,
Deep-scarred by raps official;
The warping floor, the battered seats,
The jack-knife's carved initial..."
She smiled, pleased with her choice. It would be fun to compare their fresh, new school with the battered, old school described in the poem. As she looked over the Math lesson, movement on the stairs caught her attention. She looked up and saw Abigail coming downstairs.
"Elizabeth! You're up very early!" she observed as she stepped into the kitchen. "Excited about the first day at the new school?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Of course! I"m just going over the lessons I've planned for my students. I want to be sure it is a special day."
Abigail smiled as she began preparing the coffee. "I have no doubts it will be special for all of you!"
Abigail turned to start the breakfast preparation while Elizabeth continued to review her lessons. After several minutes, Elizabeth finished her milk and stood. She stopped and watched Abigail roll out the biscuit dough. Abigail looked up and said, "I'll get them in the oven as quickly as I can so you can have some before you head to school."
"Oh no," Elizabeth replied, shaking her head. "No, don't rush on my account. I really am not hungry."
"That's nerves getting the best of you," Abigail observed. "But you need to eat something before school. The teacher has to have energy to teach!"
Elizabeth started to decline when she and Abigail were both startled by Jack's voice coming from the dining room. "She's right, Elizabeth. You really should have something for breakfast."
"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What are doing here so early?"
"Something told me you'd be up early this morning and would want to get to school," he explained.
"Oh really?" she asked, shaking her head. "And you're here for what purpose?" she teased him.
Jack looked at Elizabeth, his eyes dancing. "Oh, well, I'm just here for Abigail's coffee," he teased back.
Elizabeth scoffed. "Oh, I'm sure..." she began but was interrupted by Abigail.
"Coffee should be ready in about..." she glanced at the clock on the wall. "In about 5 minutes. As soon as it's ready you are welcome to some, as always." She continued to prepare the biscuits.
"Thank you, Abigail," he replied. He looked at Elizabeth, smiling.
Elizabeth walked back to the table and began gathering her lessons and notes. "Well, if you JUST came for the coffee, then I'll leave you to that," she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm.
"I came for Abigail's coffee," he hesitated before continuing. "AND to walk the pretty schoolteacher to her first day at the new school. May I?"
Elizabeth looked back and gave him a smile. "You may," she answered in a whisper.
A little while later, they were climbing the stairs of the new school and Elizabeth fished in her basket for the key. She felt the sandwich Abigail had made for her lunch and the roll with jam that Abigail and Jack had insisted she take for breakfast. Her hand dug deeper, moving past her books.
"You haven't misplaced it already?" Jack teased.
"No," she told him emphatically, though her hand was searching the basket a bit frantically. Finally, she felt it and pulled it out, looking triumphantly at Jack. He shook his head and smiled as she unlocked the door.
They walked through the door and stopped. Elizabeth glanced around the room, taking it all in, again. Jack watched her as she appraised her new classroom. She turned her head to the left and became aware of him studying her and met his gaze. Their eyes met for several moments before she spoke. "Thank you so much!" She looked over at her desk and back at Jack. "I don't think I'll ever be able to express to you how much this means to me."
Jack smiled and scooped her into his arms. "Why don't you give it a try!" he teased, their faces so close that their noses were almost touching.
She laughed as she leaned in to kiss him. After their lips parted, she opened her eyes and studied Jack's face. "Jack, are you and Bill going to arrest that awful Mr. Wiley today?"
Jack became very serious. He took a deep breath before answering, "Don't worry about that..."
"I am worried," she interrupted. "Of course I'll worry about you. I love you, Jack."
He smiled. "I'll never get tired of hearing you say that," he told her.
"Jack," she prodded, urging him to answer her question.
He nodded. "Yes, Bill and I have something we have to do," he answered diplomatically. "But, I really don't want you to worry. Everything will be fine. We're Mounties! We've trained for this," he assured her with a smile.
She was still very serious. "I know, I know," she agreed. "Please be careful!'
"Always!" he eagerly concurred.
"You said the school would be on your daily rounds now. So, when do you think you'll be by?"
"Maybe around lunchtime," he answered.
She nodded and smiled.
"Of course, it all depends on what is happening in town," he cautioned, not wanting her to be upset if he wasn't able to see her at lunch.
Her smile faded a bit as she met his gaze again. "I understand. Duty comes first."
He shook his head. "Love comes first, Elizabeth," he corrected her. "That's why I'm here with you now. But, yes, I still have my duty to serve and protect the people of Coal Valley." He leaned in and kissed her again.
When their lips parted, she looked up at him. "And I have my duty to teach these children. So, I guess we both better get to our duties." She started to pull away from him but he held her tighter. She looked at him, questioning.
"Hope you and your students have a very good first day here!" he told her. "I'll see you later. I love you!" His lips brushed hers lightly before he released her.
She watched him head out the door before she walked to her desk. She set down her basket and looked around the room once again. Suddenly, she became aware of how little time she had before her students arrived. She quickly located the lesson book in her basket and headed to the chalkboard, where she began to write the specially chosen poem.
Author's Notes: I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story! I really appreciate the story follows, favorites, and reviews! It's very nice to know people are reading and even better that you are enjoying the story. Please write a review if you have a few moments. I noticed that some of you may not be Hearties, yet! If you like my story, I urge you to check out the series, When Calls the Heart, on which it is based.Season One is available for download on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Or DVDs can be purchased from Walmart, Fishflix, Christianbook, and other retailers. Check it out! Season Two starts April 25th on Hallmark Channel! My goal is to wrap up this story before the premiere. Stay tuned!
