"Hoo hoo" Charlotte said softly pulling her horse to a stop. Kate slowed down stopping along side her. It had been three days since Jack brought up the idea of them leaving. Kate still hadn't told anyone and she still wasn't sure what she was going to do. She knew it was effecting everyone around her. She had burnt a loaf of bread yesterday and Abigail had told her not to come to work today, she told Kate she could run the cafe while Kate took a day to sort herself out, whatever that meant. Even Eric had been distant because Kate was so distant with him. She hated how that made her feel even more but she couldn't say she blamed him.

"I can never get enough of this view." Charlotte sighed. Kate nodded, they sat on the hill over looking the little valley. A few people the size of ants were walking around slowly, the sun was setting behind the church and the pond was reflecting the light. It truly was a beautiful site.

"Your moving on soon aren't you?" Kate asked softly.

"What makes you say that?"

"You always come up here before you leave, it's like how you say goodbye to the town." Kate said. Charlotte chuckled softly,

"I suppose I am nothing if not a creature of habit, I thought I would say my goodbyes tonight and head out at dawn tomorrow."

"We're going to miss you around here."

"You know me, I'll be back. I'll roll in with a late winter storm. I want to spend Christmas with Tom and them stop by the cattle run up north that's camping for the winter. Then I will be back." Charlotte waved her off. Kate smiled softly, that was Charlotte, she came with no warning and left with no warning. Jack always said she hated to be tied down but Kate always thought it was a little more about her hating goodbyes. She would often leave early in the morning before the sun was up before the rest of the house woke up.

"Listen, I want you to know, i really like Eric, he's a good man, hard working, kind. I can see he means a lot to you."

"He does" Kate's smiled softly.

"Are you thinking you will marry him?"

"I think I will, someday, I do love him, it's just scary to move forward sometines. I'm not always sure what the right answer is."

"Well life keeps moving forward, if you stand still it will pass you right by and next thing you know your dead in your grave and never moved an inch. If you have faith things are good, they will be good, and i have faith for you." Charlotte winked at Kate making her smile.

"I have something for you." Charlotte dig into her saddle bag pulling out a little cloth pouch and handing it to Kate. Kate took it opening it gently and pulled out a silver necklace with a little blue stone in the middle. Kate gasped surprised, Charlotte didn't have many things, and even more Kate had never seen her with anything so nice, Charlotte usually liked to keep her things simple and only had what she needed.

"It's beautiful." Kate whispered.

"My mother gave it to me when I was your age, when I was courting Jack's father. She said she knew I had found the right man so it was time to pass it on so I would have it for my wedding. I never got to pass it on to Lizzy her and Jack got married on such a whim when he got home, but it feels right to pass it on to you. This has been in our family since my Great Grandfather gave it to my Great Grandmother for a wedding present. Bought it with every cent he had to his name. I think it's time to pass it on to you now, you can wear it to your wedding." Charlotte said.

"Thank you so much" Kate breathed softly. She knew Charlotte always thought of Kate as her family but something as meaningful as this truly made Kate remember how wonderful this women was.

"You can hold on to it, and someday you can give it to Abby or Baby Lily when you think they have found their right man. Let them know how important it is to our family." Charlotte said adjusting her hat and clearing her throat.

"I promise I will, this means so much to me." Kate said holding the necklace close to her heart.

"Well let's get on then, not much time before the sunset and I want to stop by town and pick up some smoked jerky for the road. Don't you tell anyone I'm leaving now, i don't want no fuss in the morning." Charlotte said.

"I won't." Kate said giving her a little smile.

"Come on then, we can stop by that cafe of yours and get some coffee too." Charlotte said leading her horse down the side of the hill. Kate smiled after her with a sigh.

"Thank you Charlotte" She whispered smiling to herself before following her down.

Kate got up the next morning to a quiet house as Elizabeth was making breakfast.

"Charlotte left early this morning."

I know, she road up to the hill last night." Kate nodded as Abby came out of Kate's room and started setting the table.

"Well now you girls both have your own rooms back." Elizabeth nodded starting to cut some cornbread.

"Oh I don't mind sharing in the cold, she keeps me warm." Kate teased tugging on Abby's braid making her smile.

"I should go, I want to get to work early since Abigail took over yesterday." Kate said slipping on her boots.

"No breakfast?"

"I'll get something there, I'll see you when you drop the baby of." Kate pulled on her coat and headed out the door. She went over to the barn checking on Gracie giving her a handful of oats before heading back outside, surprised to see Eric heading down the dirt path toward her.

"Good morning." She greeted him with a smile.

"Is it?" Eric asked. Kate stopped, a little taken aback by his harsher then normal tone.

"Well, the sun is shining, and you are here, that always makes my mornings good." Kate said gently trying to soften him up.

"I wanted to talk to you, before our days got busy, can I walk you to work?"

"Of course" Kate nodded falling into step beside him as they headed into town, it had been a long time since they had walked beside each other without holding hands. Kate found she didn't know what to do with her hands.

"I want to make it clear, because I know we never really said it out loud even though I think, or I thought we both assumed it. I want to make it clear that I love you Kate, and I do intend on spending the rest of my life with you." Eric said firmly. Kate felt butterflies in her stomach, but she nodded. His tone was still firm even though he was saying such sweet and meaningful things.

"I agree with that." Kate nodded softly.

"Well, your actions don't show it."

"I don't understand." Kate frowned a little.

"I know something has been bothering you Kate, and you have not been sharing it with me. Which leads me to believe it is about us. If you don't tell me things and don't share things how do you expect that makes me feel?" Eric asked.

"I should think it makes you feel awful." Kate whispered.

"It does, I want to be there to support and help you Kate, but in order for me to do that you have to let me in." Eric said softly.

"I know." Kate nodded.

Eric stopped walking and turned to face Kate.

"Do you love me?" Eric asked. Kate looked up from where she was digging the dirt path with the toe of her boot.

"With all me heart." She whispered.

"Then please let me in." Eric said softly.

"I...I just can't..."

"I know you grew up just having Elizabeth, I know that Kate and I know that it's hard to break that habit. But if you want to move forward with me you have to let me into your life too. You can't keep me on the outside." Eric sounded like he was getting mad now.

"I know, I know that, but things are happening and..."

"And your going to tell the whole town right? Everyone but me is going to know. Abigail, the Coulters, I don't want to play games like that Kate."

"It's not games, and they don't know either."

"That's no my point, my point is that I should know."

"It's not mine to tell." Kate said, she was being so stubborn, she knew she was, but she couldn't stop it.

"Sometimes I think you feel like you have to carry the weight of everything on your shoulders Kate. I'm standing here trying to help you, but you won't let me." Eric said. Kate looked down at her boot again not sure what to say. Eric just shook his head and turned back to town and kept walking, he didn't stop when Kate didn't walk beside him anymore.

"There you are, Elizabeth just dropped off the baby, she thought you were here already she said you left long before she did." Abigail said as Kate slipped though the door into the kitchen.

"Sorry I left you alone for breakfast." Kate said hanging up her shawl.

"It's alright, the Coulter's need more coffee, you go fill those." Abigail said turning back to the stove. Kate grabbed the coffee pot, luckily Lee and Rosemary were the only ones left in the dining room. They always tended to linger longer after Aaron walked to school with Elizabeth.

"Morning." Kate gave them a smile.

"Oh good morning darling, listen Lee and I were hoping to go to the orphanage in Buxton for a weekend, do you think you could watch Aaron for us?" Rosemary asked.

"Sure" Kate nodded.

"Thank you, we will let you know the weekend when we buy the train ticket." Lee said. Kate nodded.

"Oh Kate, Kate, watch the cup." Rosemary said as the coffee Kate was pouring overflowed from her cup and onto the saucer under it.

"Oh, Oh i'm sorry let me get you a new one." Kate said quickly grabbing the dishes.

"It's alright it's alright." Lee said gently putting a hand on Kate's arm.

"Here, sit, you look like you need a break." Lee got up picking up the dishes and ushering Kate into the chair he had just been sitting in.

"I'm going to do some dishes and head off to work, have a good day." Lee said kissing Rosemary's forehead softly.

"Thank you." Kate nodded as Lee headed back into the kitchen.

"Darling you have been not yourself for a few days now, what is going on?" Rosemary asked.

"I really can't talk about it." Kate shook her head.

"Well, does Elizabeth know?"

"Yes she does."

"Then I won't pry." Rosemary said. Kate cracked a smile at her making Rosemary laugh.

"Well is there anything you can talk about?" Rosemary asked.

"Eric and I got into a fight this morning."

"Oh yes." Rosemary nodded.

"It was a big one, sometimes I feel like we take three steps forward and one step back." Kate sighed.

"I know that feeling, you know I remember your sister talking about the same thing happening with Jack long before they were married, come to think of it I sometimes felt that way with Lee as well."

"So it's normal?" Kate asked.

"Well I will tell you what I know. Life is hard, and if your going to commit to sharing your life with someone you have to know how to get through the hard things with them. If courting was all sunshine and happy, it wouldn't prepare you for a life together, it would only prepare you for the happy times, but life is not all happy times, and you need to be able to lean on each other." Rosemary said. Kate nodded listening to her.

"That makes a lot of sense."

"You have to go through the hard things, to get to the good things sometimes. And it helps if you let others help you." Rosemary said reaching across the table and giving Kate's hand a squeeze. Kate gave her a smile and nodded, understand her.

"Good, now I heard Charlotte left this morning?"

"Yes" Kate nodded as Rosemary stood putting on her coat.

"One of these days I intend to get a proper goodbye from that women.

"Don't count on it." Kate chuckled. Rosemary smiled tucking a curl behind Kate's ear.

"You are just like her you know, that brave smile. Don't let the world crush your spirit Kate, your to pretty for that." Rosemary winked at Kate.

"Thanks Rosie" Kate smiled as Rosemary gave her a wave and headed out onto Main Street.

Kate made up for missing breakfast by doing all the work for lunch and dinner. Abigail liked to help but she had retired and passed her cafe on to Kate. Kate only wanted her to work if she wanted to, not because she had to. Kate had hoped to catch Eric at work but by the time everything was done the day was gone.

"Well you had a full day." Abigail said coming downstairs in her nightgown to stroke the fire as Kate was putting her coat on.

"Yes, I will be in for breakfast tomorrow I promise, Clara said she would help serve. Though I want to look into getting more help, her baby will be due in the spring and she should be off her feet long before then." Kate said.

"I agree, perhaps you and I can write up an ad to put in the paper tomorrow." Abigail nodded.

"Yeah, I think I heard Florence talking about wanting a job in the mornings, maybe she would take it."

"Let's see what she says tomorrow, in the mean time you should go home and get to bed, the morning will come early enough." Abigail nodded as Kate put her shawl on.

"See you tomorrow." Kate nodded.

"Hey sweetie is everything alright?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, i mean, it will be." Kate nodded.

"You know I'm always here if you need me."

"I know, I always knew I had a lot of people there for me, but they are all showing up today, and it's helping." Kate nodded giving her a little smile. Abigail nodded wrapping her arms around Kate pulling her in for a hug. Kate sighed into her comfort. Abigail was always her safe place, she was the closest thing to a mother Kate could ever remember having and Kate always felt like a little kid again when Abigail hugged her tight.

"See you tomorrow Abigail" Kate said slipping out the back door. The night was cold and Kate shivered in the dark as she started home. She almost jumped out of her skin when she head footsteps behind her. She turned expecting to see Eric but she found Bill instead, he held up the lantern he carried covering her in the soft light.

"Little late to be walking home." Bill said gruffly.

"I had a lot of work to do today."

"Well can't have young ladies walking home alone after dark."

"Thank you for walking me home." Kate gave him a smile.

"Your welcome." Bill said his soft side coming out as he took off his scarf wrapping it around her. They walked in a comfortable silence back home but Kate was glad for the company.

The house was dark as Kate slipped through the door. She hung up her shawl and quietly pulled off her boot before slipping into her room. She was surprised to see Abby asleep in here bed.

"Hey, push over your taking up the whole bed." Kate whispered Abby sighed waking up and wiggling closer to the wall.

"Where were you?" Abby asked as Kate slid in next to her.

"I had to work late, why are you in my bed? Grandma left I thought you would be happy to have your own room back." Kate asked.

"I wanted to know when you came home. Mama and Papa were talking about something in their room and I couldn't sleep."

"Did you hear them?" Kate asked.

"No, I could just hear them whispering, but they were both really quiet at dinner. Tommy spilled his milk and Papa was upset, he only does that when he is mad about something else." Abby whispered.

"There is a lot going on." Kate agreed.

"So you do know what's wrong, Willy said you wouldn't know but I told him you did."

"I do know, and I also know that the adults in this house have it handled so it's nothing for children to worry about." Kate told her.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise, you have three adults in this house who will never let you go without food in your bellies or a roof over your heads." Kate told her. Abby nodded and Kate could see the relief on her face as she curled up beside Kate and went back to sleep.

Kate got up before the sun, got dressed in the dark and slipped out the door. Sleep was still a heavy weight in her as she pulled her coat tight around her. Heading to the barn. She climbed onto Gracie without her saddle and rode her out into the dark. Even the horse was moving slow as Kate tried to hurry her through the night down the path to the row houses. She slid off of her outside of Eric's grateful to see the lamp still on in the window, she hadn't missed him yet. Kate stroked Gracie's mane as the horse stomped her feet clearly wondering what they were doing here before the sun was even up. Kate waited, because Eric always waited outside her door, she shivered in the cold, it helped with the guilt she had been feeling for a whole day. She didn't think about what she wanted to tell him, she wanted it to come from her heart not her brain. Eric came out after a few minutes he closed his door and turned, Kate saw the surprise on his face to see her there.

"Hi" She said softly. Eric walked down the steps shoving his hands in his coat pocket.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh, that's a little insulting." Kate said softly trying to lighten the mood.

"I didn't mean it to be."

"I wanted to come and talk to you."

"I said everything I had to say yesterday Kate." Eric said as he turned toward town. Kate grabbed Gracie's reigns and followed him pulling the horse behind her.

"I know, and you were right." Kate said, this made Eric slow his steps a little bit.

"Something happened at home, and Jack didn't want anyone else to know yet. I felt that i had to keep the secret for him. But your not just anybody to me, you mean so much to me and I want you to know." Kate said.

"Is everything alright?" Eric asked.

"It was the drought this summer we lost most of the garden and the crops, we don't have the food and animal feed we rely on to get through the winter. The priced at the mercantile are high, and we are already low on money." Kate said softly.

"I imagine almost everyone is in the same boat" Eric nodded, Kate saw his face soften.

"The farming families are yes, we never planned on farming really, but the vegetable garden always gave us plenty of canned foods to get us though the winter and there was feed for the animals. We saved by not having to buy these things. That allowed Elizabeth to take years off of teaching when the babies were little, and for Jack to be sheriff and not a Mountie. But we don't have that anymore. I offered my paycheck but Jack won't take it, I tried, and honestly I don't think it will help enough." Kate sighed.

"Well there must be something?" Eric asked.

"Jack is taking a job with the Mounties again, but it means he has to leave, go back east, it's a sacrifice but it will bring up enough money to get through the winter and spring until we can harvest again."

"Well I am willing to help however I can. I know Jack being gone will be hard on you all I can help do whatever you all need." Eric said quickly

"Well that's just it, Elizabeth cant bare the thought of Jack being gone so long. It happened once, before they were married. He was gone off to a war in the up north, it was really bad. I felt like we were holding our breath for months, it was really hard. He had to go away again when Abby was just a baby. It pained him so much to leave her, and it was so hard on Elizabeth running the house and teaching and caring for the baby, sometimes I think that summer nearly killed her."

"So what are you saying?"

"Jack has to go, and Elizabeth and the kids are going with him. I think I am as well. It's the only thing we can do, we won't make it through the winter without Jack taking this job." Kate said softly.

"Your going?" Eric asked his face looking shocked as he turned to Kate.

"I feel that I have to. I am so torn I truly wish we didn't have to. But we do, at least until the summer comes. It will only be a few months really."

"What about your cafe?"

"Abigail can take it back for a time, I'm going to look into getting her some help Clara has a few more months until the baby comes, maybe Florence or Molly can help. Rosemary is always willing too..." Kate rattled off.

"What about me?" Eric asked as he stopped walking and turned to Kate.

"I don't want to leave you, it breaks my heart to think about going so long without seeing you, but we can write everyday. I have been struggling with this so much. My heart wants to be in two places and I can't be. It hurts me so much to leave you, truly I want you to know that." Kate said softly.

"Then why go?"

"Because my family is struggling, Jack will be away working so much with the mounties, money will still be tight, if I go Elizabeth can get a teaching job for the school session there while I stay with the children. There will be no Abigail to watch them just me. If I don't go she can't teach and they won't make the money we need as quickly. They tell me I have a choice, I know that I do. But Elizabeth gave up her whole life to raise me. I should be able to give up just a few months of mine to help her care for her children." Kate said softly. Eric nodded, he reached for Kate's hand and held it softly as they started walking again.

"Well I think it's brave what you are doing for you family. I know how much everyone here means to you and how much you will miss them."

"You mean the most to me, I don't want this to stop our relationship."

"Neither do I, I still want to have a life with you Kate. I understand you wanting to help your family and I won't stop you. We can write, I can come out and visit, we can make it work for a short time." Eric nodded.

"Thank you." Kate sighed with relief.

"Just don't go falling in love with any other man Kathrynn Thatcher." Eric said giving her a little smile.

"I won't, I promise." Kate smiled as Eric leaned over kissing her cheek.

"What kind of cookies are we making then?" Abigail asked putting the bag of flour on the table.

"Chocolate chip." Abby said.

"No I want gingerbread." Will frowned.

"Tommy do you have an opinion?" Abigail asked the little boy.

"Well I like both." Tommy shrugged. Abigail gave him a smile running her fingers through his blond hair.

"How about chocolate chip today and gingerbread next week. Pretty soon we will be building a big gingerbread house for Christmas and you will be sick of gingerbread before you know it."

"Alright." Will nodded.

"Where are Mama and Papa anyway?" Abby asked

"They are having an adult dinner with your auntie." Abigail said as she started putting everything they would need on the table.

"That sounds boring." Will wrinkled his nose.

"I agree" Abigail laughed.

"Aunt Abigail how come you never got married?" Will asked.

"Will I was married once, a long long time ago."

"When I was a baby?" Abby asked.

"No, long before you, when Auntie Kate was a baby."

"Aunt Kate was never a baby!" Tommy laughed at the idea glancing at Lily who sat on her blanket watching them chewing on her bonnet.

"Everyone was a baby, everything in the world starts out life as a baby." Abigail told him.

"Yeah, don't you remember, Mama always says that Aunt Abigail was there when we were all born." Abby nodded.

"Aaron says your the baby bringer. He says when a family wants a baby, they call you over and you have a special meeting with the mama and when you leave there's a baby. He says you bring them in your bag." Will said. Abigail chuckled.

"Something like that." She smiled.

"That's not true." Abby said but Abigail just gave her a wink.

"Were you married when Mama and Auntie Katie moved here?" Abby asked going back to their first topic.

"No, My husband had just died a few weeks before they came." Abigail said sadly.

"You must have been real sad." Will said softly.

"I was, I lost my husband and my little boy."

"Cody?" Tommy asked.

"No, I had a little boy before Cody."

"Mama said she was so sad once when she was little she couldn't even get out of bed."

"I did feel like that, but then I found my will and I got out of bed and I became happy again, do you know why?"

"Why?" All the kids asked.

"Because this young pretty school teacher and the little darling girl came to live with me, and they made me happy again." Abigail said making the kids smile.

"That's Mama and Auntie." Tommy said as if they didn't know.

"That is your Mama and Your Auntie, and then your Pa, and then each one of you." Abigail kissed each of their noses making them laugh.

"Oh Aunt Abigail, I don't think you should have anymore meetings with our Mama, we have one smelly baby, we don't need anymore." Will said blocking his nose as he walked by Lily.

"Oh you, come on stinky girl let's go change you, no one touch the oven until I come back." Abigail called going up the steps laughing.

Down the dirt path Kate was sitting around the table with Jack and Elizabeth.

"Well this is a nice quiet Saturday for us, I'm surprised your spending your evening with us and not Eric tonight." Jack said as Elizabeth put dinner on the table and Jack started filling the girls plates before his own.

"He had to go to North Fairmount for Lee tonight, something about a emergency lumbar delivery. He was going to stay there and leave early tomorrow morning so he is back in time for church. I didn't know you two had a date night planned or I would have stayed at the cafe."

"Nonsense, it's been a long time since we had dinner just the three of us, it's just like old times." Jack smiled winking at Elizabeth.

"Well I do have something to tell you, I told Eric about the move. I know you asked us not to but I had to give him an explanation." Kate said glancing at Jack.

"It's alright, you did the right thing." Jack nodded giving Kate a little smile.

"Well, I need to tell Abigail, if anyone else finds out before she does, if she doesn't hear it straight from me... I can't let that happen." Elizabeth said softly.

"We can tell her together." Jack offered putting an arm around Elizabeth and pulling her to him.

"No, no it needs to be me, just me. She is my best friend, she took us in when we had nothing. I need to be the one to tell her we have to go." Elizabeth sighed. Jack nodded kissing the top of her head.

"Of course." He agreed.

"Well then let's talk about something more cheery shall we, While we are away I think we should see about arranging a visit to Hamilton." Elizabeth said.

"Oh yes! We haven't seen Julie in a year now! And Viola's children must be getting so big!"

"And Tom is back in Hamilton it's he?" Elizabeth asked Jack.

"That's what Mother said." Jack nodded.

"Perhaps we can host a dinner with everyone together. It would be so lovely to see everyone." Elizabeth said as Kate nodded.

"Well I say we do this more often, Adult dinners once a month. Let's face it the children have more fun with Abigail anyway." Jack smiled leaning back in his chair.

"That is very true" Elizabeth laughed.

"Good morning" Elizabeth said slipping into the cafe kitchen Sunday morning.

"Good morning! Your on your own today, what a treat." Abigail gave Elizabeth a smile. Kate looked up from where she was cutting bread for toast giving Elizabeth a supportive smile.

"Yes it is. Abigail, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something, alone." Elizabeth said softly as Clara came in with an arm full of dishes.

"Is everything alright?" Abigail asked immediately concerned.

"It will be yes, can we talk upstairs?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course." Abigail nodded giving Kate a little look as she ushered Elizabeth up the steps. They settled into the two sitting chairs in Cody's room that served as an extra sitting room when he was away at school. His bed and clothes stood tucked away in a corner. The toy and baseballs and bats that used to litter the room were replaced with books and a neat desk. Elizabeth sat down taking a deep breath looking around her. Before this room had been Cody's it was her's and Kate's. When her sister was small and they had shared that bed. This had been their first true feeling of home in this room, they had spent nights giggling, plenty of hours whispering about Jack, Elizabeth had fallen in love while living in this room, she had learned to be independent living in this room, they had become a family and a part of their beloved town in this room. Elizabeth was regretting bring Abigail up here, it was going to make this conversation a lot harder.

"Well then, would this have anything to do with why Kate has been out of sorts?" Abigail asked settling down across from her. Elizabeth noticed her age, as she lowered herself slightly slower then before. Her face had wrinkles where she was always smiling, The lines around her eyes were years of sorrow and worry she still carried with her deep in her heart. Her hair was pulled back the same as always with streaks of grey making it look lighter then it used to. Elizabeth was not the only one who had aged in this house.

"Yes it does, it has us all out of sorts if I'm being honest."

"Abby mentioned something the other day about Jack being a little short." Abigail nodded knowingly. Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes with her lace.

"Alright now you really have me worried, whats going on?" Abigail asked taking Elizabeth's hand softly.

"Oh Abigail, you have no idea how much it hurts me to say this."

"Whatever it is, I'm here for you." Abigail assured her.

"That's just it, for the first time in a very very long time, I think you can't be here for us." Elizabeth said softly.

"Well I can say that is just not true, whats wrong Elizabeth?" Abigail asked again gently.

"Money is tight for us, with the drought. We couldn't afford to stay here for the winter. It would eat into our savings, we have doctors bills and I haven't been back to work long enough and Jack isn't making as much since he left the Mounties. Our only option is for him to join back up for a little while. They are asking for men on the border, he is going and I feel that i need to go with him. I can't bare to have him gone again and I think he would hate it being away from the children for that long even if he is trying to be brave about it." Elizabeth said quickly. She tried to get it all out in one breath, something about telling Abigail made it feel even more real then it had before. Abigail looked taken aback but she squeezed Elizabeth's hand gently before letting it go and leaning back.

"Have you wrote to your family in Hamilton?"

"Jack doesn't want to ask them for money and neither do I. Perhaps, years ago if we has stayed in better contact. But I don't feel I can ask for money now without it coming off the wrong way."

"I have savings, I could help you..."

"No, no I won't allow that either, you need that for you, and for Cody's schooling." Elizabeth shook her head firmly.

"There is no other option?"

"We could sell our house and land, but to buy and build again... It wouldn't save us much, and moving into a row house with our family so large is out of the question. Believe me Abigail we ran through everything we could think of. Going away will being us money to live on, and we will get to keep our house and land. It would be giving up a few months of our lives but nothing else in the long run."

"I understand, I just hate to see you go." Abigail sighed.

"We hate to leave as well believe me." Elizabeth nodded. Abigail had been big a part of their everyday life for a very long time now, Elizabeth wasn't sure what her day would be like without her best friend near.

"When do you leave?"

"After Christmas, we didn't want to take the children away from everyone they love before the holidays. And we will be back in late spring to replant and I'll teach the summer semester of school same as always."

"You must feel awful leaving your sister behind."

"Kate has the option of coming with us, I know she was going back and forth, she spoke to Eric about it. I still don't know that she has an answer and I will leave her to tell you her choose as I know that is something you will both have to figure out together. I can't even bare the idea of leaving her yet, I don't know what I will do if she chooses to stay, but I respect her choice. She's an adult and she has things to tie her to this town."

"Well, then that is that I suppose, well I just don't know what I am going to do around here without my girls." Abigail said softly as she folded her hands in her lap.

"Abigail, you mean everything to us, we wouldn't have lasted in this town if we didn't have you. You are the best friend I ever had, and you basically raised Kate with me. You care for my children as if they were your own grandchildren. We can never repay you for the kindness you show us everyday." Elizabeth said gently.

"Oh you do, you girls were my family when I was all alone." Abigail nodded. Elizabeth stood up hugging her best friend tightly.

"I knew this would be hard, but I'm still not sure how I'm going to leave you Abigail" Elizabeth whispered. Abigail just hugged her tighter.