I woke with my head on Jack's chest. He was brushing his fingers through my hair, humming softly.
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Good morning. How long have you been up?"
"Not long. A few minutes." He smiled contentedly. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love this? Waking up next to you? It's one of the things I looked forward to most before we were married; it's one of the things I miss most when I'm gone."
"I miss it when you're gone, too." I traced my fingers along the edge of his shirt. "Are you still planning to talk to your superiors about everything?"
"Yes." He kissed the top of my head. "Speaking of work, I was thinking of taking Jane to work with me today. It'll give me a chance to spend some time with her, and I can't do much beyond paperwork with my shoulder injured, anyway."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "And I can pick up something from Abigail's for lunch and bring it by the schoolhouse, so we can all eat together."
"Wow, you're really spoiling us."
"I need to make up for being gone for a month."
"You don't need to make up for doing your job, Jack." I kissed him softly. "We missed you, but you're back now. That's all that matters."
"And I'm so glad to be back with you and the girls. Hey, I know what you said before I left," he smiled, rubbing his hand slowly up and down my back, "but part of me expected to come home to you telling me we have another baby on the way. You know, since that was the news you gave me after the last few times I've gone away."
When he left for two months shortly after our wedding, he returned to news that Jane was on her way. He was met with news of Eleanor's existence upon his return from his next long assignment.
I laughed softly. "Sorry. I guess that pattern is broken now. No babies on the way this time."
"That's okay. We have plenty of time to grow our family. Besides," he kissed the top of my head, "I'd rather find out with you the next time, anyway."
...
I held Eleanor on my hip while I wrote the day's assignments on the board. She babbled quietly, reaching for the chalk in my hand.
"Do you want to write something, Ellie? Or do you just want to see what my chalk tastes like?" I chuckled. "I'm sorry I can't let you have it. It wouldn't taste good, anyway."
I lowered her onto her belly on the blanket spread out beside my desk. She lifted her head, watching as I pulled a couple of blocks from my basket. I set them in front of her, and she immediately reached for one, chewing on the edge of it.
"Can you play with those for a bit while I get class started?"
I stood on the steps and rang the cowbell, greeting the children as they came inside and took their seats.
"Mrs. Thornton?" Opal raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"When is Mountie Jack coming back?"
A smile stretched across my face. "He's actually in town now. He got back yesterday."
"That's good. Hope Valley isn't the same when he's gone."
"I agree. Now," I placed the bell back on my desk. "Let's get started with grammar."
...
Jack quietly entered the schoolhouse, Jane right beside him and Chief on their heels.
"Mama!" She ran toward me.
"Shh, Janie." He chuckled.
I smiled. "Well, I suppose now is a good time to dismiss you all for lunch."
"Bell?" Jane stood on her toes, peering over the top of the desk as she looked for the cowbell. I handed it to her, and she happily rang it.
"I'll see you all after lunch."
The students all grabbed their things, greeting Jack as they hurried out the door.
"I brought our lunch," Jack held up the basket, "and our daughter, as you've already gathered."
I laughed softly, lifting her into my arms. "How has she been?"
"Very well behaved, very talkative."
"Have you been good for your dad?"
She nodded emphatically. "Nanie good."
"Good." I kissed the top of her head and lowered her back to the ground. "Now, what do you say we have some lunch now?"
Jack started setting out the food. "I spoke with my superiors this morning."
"And?"
"And I have good news and bad news."
"Good news first, please."
He smiled. "They completely understood. They're going to offer the longer assignments to other men. It's not a guarantee that I won't ever have long assignments, but it's something."
"That's wonderful, but what's the bad news?"
His face grew serious. "The bad news is that you can't call me Constable anymore."
"What?" My heart dropped. "But I thought…"
"I'm not a Constable anymore." He gave me a mischievous smile. "You're looking at Corporal Jack Thornton."
"Corporal? You got promoted?"
He nodded.
I stood on my toes and kissed him. "I was worried you would end up quitting, but they promoted you? This is amazing, Jack!"
"And along with the promotion, they essentially told me Hope Valley is a permanent posting for me. I mean, I haven't been moved in nearly eight years, so it probably wasn't likely to happen, but it's nice to know for sure. We shouldn't have to worry about being moved anywhere else."
"Jack, this is absolutely wonderful!" I wrapped my arms around him, sinking into his chest.
He kissed the top of my head. "All of our children will get to grow up here. What do you think about that, Janie?"
"Dada," Jane whined. She had climbed onto the chair and was trying to grab a plate of food from the desk. "Eat."
"Jane Elizabeth." I helped her off of the chair. "You need to be careful, sweetheart. You could fall and hurt yourself, and we don't want that to happen." I knelt down to her level. "If you can't reach something, you need to ask for help, okay? I just want you to stay safe." I kissed her cheek and stood back up.
"I was a climber when I was young. She must get that from me." Jack chuckled, ruffling her hair and handing her a plate.
She took a seat on the blanket where Ellie was on her back, chewing on a block again.
"So," Jack began, passing a plate to me, "how has your morning been?"
...
"Hey, Carson."
He shook Jack's hand. "Hi there, Jack. Good to see you back in Hope Valley."
"It's good to be back."
"And good to see you, Elizabeth."
"You as well." I shifted Ellie to my shoulder. "How are Faith and the baby?"
"They're both doing well, thank you for asking. So, what brings you two by?"
"I was wondering if you could take a look at my shoulder."
"Of course. What's going on with it?"
"I took a bullet during my assignment. They got the bullet out, but I just want to make sure it's healing properly."
"Take a seat. I'll have a look at it."
Jack sat on the edge of the bed. I took a seat in the nearest chair, and Jane plopped down on the floor in front of me, preoccupied with her little doll.
After Jack was divested of his shirt, Carson peeled back the bandages covering his shoulder. I shuddered when I saw the wound for the first time; it was about an inch long and closed with sutures. Jack met my eyes and gave me a smile, trying to reassure me that he was okay.
"Well, this looks pretty good. I can take the stitches out for you in a few days. Just let me know if anything changes with it before then, and keep it cleaned. We want to make sure it doesn't get infected. I assume Elizabeth can help you change the bandages?" He looked to me for confirmation.
I nodded. "Yes, of course."
"And the sling?"
"Keep it in the sling if you're having pain, otherwise, it's probably okay for you to go without it. Don't overwork it, though."
"Will do. Thanks, Carson."
A few minutes later, we were back on the road, walking toward our house. Jane sat on Jack's shoulders—he had promised me she wasn't hurting him—and Ellie was snuggled up in the pram.
"You didn't tell me Faith had the baby."
"Sorry. I had other things on my mind, like my husband who didn't tell me he was coming home early or that he was injured."
He chuckled. "I guess you have a point."
"She was born last week on Sunday, just after church. Margaret Elise; they're calling her Meg. She looks just like Faith."
Jack sighed contentedly. "Hope Valley really is a remarkable place, isn't it? So many people finding love, starting and growing their families."
"It's wonderful."
"I can't believe there was ever a time when I didn't want to be here. Now, there's no place I'd rather be."
...
We settled back into our routine over the next few days. By the end of the week, Jack's stitches were out, and he was no longer wearing his sling.
Friday evening after dinner, he came in the front door, wiping his hands on an old cloth. "Are the girls asleep?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I have something to show you."
I set my pen down and followed him out the door. He led me across the yard to the barn.
He lifted the lantern from the hook near the door. "I built it before I left, but I just finished painting it. What do you think?" He held out the lantern so I could see.
He had painted the little wooden horse to look like Sergeant, down to the smallest detail. He even painted the seat to look like his saddle.
"This is incredible, Jack. Jane is going to love it."
"The paint still needs to dry, so I was thinking we could give it to her tomorrow."
"She's going to be thrilled." I wrapped my arms around his waist. "You're amazing, Jack Thornton."
...
Jane was standing up in her crib when I entered the nursery. "Up, pease." She reached toward me, her little doll still in one of her outstretched hands.
"Hi, Janie." I picked her up. "Did you have a good nap?"
She nodded, fidgeting with the dress on her doll.
"Your dad has a surprise for you downstairs. Why don't we go see what it is?"
She craned her neck as I carried her down the stairs, trying to get a look at whatever it was that her father was hiding.
He was standing in front of the rocking horse, holding Ellie against his shoulder. "It's not quite your birthday yet, but mama and I wanted to give you a present." He took a few steps to the side.
"Horse!" she squealed, dropping her doll in the excitement. The moment her feet hit the floor, she was running across the room.
Jack crouched down and held the rocking horse still with his free hand while she climbed on the seat. Chief stood nearby, wagging his tail furiously.
"Do you like that, Janie?"
"Nanie horse!" She giggled as she rocked.
"Your dad made that for you, Jane. Can you say thank you?"
"Tank you!"
"You're welcome, sweetheart." He put his arm around my shoulders. "I think she likes it."
"I think that's an understatement." I watched her as she threw her head back, laughing harder than she had in weeks. "I'd say she loves it. You're the best father, Jack Thornton."
...
The following weekend, we held the school carnival. The children had gladly moved it to another date when I had told them Jack would be out of town for the originally scheduled date.
The games and refreshments were a hit. Like every year since we brought back the cake auction, Jack bought my cake, under the condition that he could give a piece to Jane. Most surprisingly—or maybe I shouldn't have been surprised—the highest bid on any of the cakes came when Henry Gowen bought Abigail's cake. He even shared it with Cody and his friends.
Now, the evening was coming to a close. Everyone was crowded around outside the schoolhouse, music floating through the air.
Jack and I stood near each other as we swayed, Ellie in my arms and Jane in his.
"What are we going to do in a year or two if we have another one?"
"You're a big, strong man. You can hold two at once." I smirked. "Or maybe Jane can dance with Patrick instead of us."
"Oh, not that conversation again, please."
"She'll be almost three by the next carnival. Isn't that old enough for her to start courting?" I teased.
"Thirty. She'll be old enough to court when she's thirty." He glanced down at her. "Maybe thirty-five."
"Dada." Jane put her little hands on his cheeks. "Wuv you."
A smile stretched across his face. "I love you, Jane Thornton." He kissed her forehead, then reached out to stroke the top of Ellie's head. She turned toward him and smiled. "And I love you, Eleanor Thornton."
"What about me?" I pretended to pout.
He lowered Jane to the ground and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "Elizabeth Thornton," he pressed his lips to mine, lingering for a moment, "I love you more than anything."
"Jack Thornton…" I brought my hand to the back of his neck, bringing him in for another kiss. "I love you."
...
A/N I don't actually know how promotions and things work within the RNWMP/RCMP, so please don't fault me if that part of this chapter is inaccurate! (it is fiction, after all!)