Hello! :-) Here is my latest chapter which I hope you will enjoy. I'm thankful Elizabeth likes to write in her journal. :-) Thank you, as always, for your very kind reviews and tremendous views of my story. :-) I'm happy if this helps a little while we wait for Season 8. :-)

Chapter 32

So much has happened these past two weeks, and this is the first opportunity I have had to express my thoughts in writing. Lucas and I made our courtship official and then the next day I asked him to go back with me to the land Jack had purchased to solidify our relationship. I needed him to know what I had considered to be part of my history with Jack was also now very much a part of our history and our future. I don't want to hold anything back from him. I told him I sensed he still had a few things he needed to share with me. He acknowledged that truth but did not expand on it. I am okay with where we are in our courtship. I know he has his reasons, and I also know he will tell me. Eventually. I told him I can be patient, too. He has certainly been more than patient with me. I owe him this leeway. I know he has a lot on his mind, but we are both hopeful help is in sight. The gentleman Lucas's father told him would be coming to Hope Valley with information that could assist Lucas is scheduled to arrive today. Lucas has been waiting anxiously for this day and is very excited to meet and talk with this man, and I am excited for him.

Henry returned a few days ago. It was so good to see him. He still appears somewhat frail and weak, but I see determination in his eyes and know he will fight to fully recover. I know he misses Abigail as do I. Nathan's friend, Francine, decided to take the position to help Henry. So far, so good on that front. She and Allie have bonded; their growing relationship has been heartwarming to watch. Since that morning in the saloon, I have not spoken much to Nathan, but I believe he is okay with this arrangement. I am certain he must be aware what a difference Francine's being here has made in Allie's life. I hope her presence is making a difference in Nathan's life, too, although I know I would need to have another conversation with Francine to find out if that's true.

Rosemary and Lee are doing wonderfully. Rosemary is glowing and busy planning the Christmas festival, which I have to say, is coming along much better than I anticipated. Everyone is excited, and I think it is so sweet they want to do well to show Lucas how much they appreciated his efforts last year to bring the festival to our little town. Most people have been so supportive of and said such kind words about our courtship. Another person I still need to speak with is Bill. For some reason, he has not been around as much as he had indicated he would be. I know there was some trouble just outside of town, which he and Nathan were involved in, so I'm sure that is taking up most of his time. Maybe I can plan a dinner for the three of us soon. According to Lucas, he and Bill have called a truce, which makes me feel better about my chances of having a successful meal with the two of them interacting at the same table.

My sister Julie is doing well, which makes me happy. I am grateful for the time she has been able to spend with Little Jack who grows and changes every day. He and Lucas have been able to spend more time together; I truly don't think Little Jack will forget who he is. I'm pleased to think he won't forget who his godmother is either after all of the bonding they have done. I am very blessed, and I know it.

One thing that has happened recently that has me a little on edge is Helen and I heard from Frank Branson. The publishing house has moved up the deadline to receive my final draft. We were informed Branson Publishing is looking to do a full-scale launch of several novels by first-time authors in the spring, and they want my book to be included in that campaign. While I am beyond thrilled with this wonderful opportunity, I am still working my way through Helen's edits and my own rewrites. We now have a deadline of the end of November, which is only three weeks away. Helen and Lucas keep reassuring me I can do this. I know I can, but it has caused me a few more sleepless nights, which I know is not good. Julie has been kind enough to extend her stay one more time to assist me with my much-needed extra writing time. At this rate, I am not sure she will ever make it back to Hamilton, but she does not seem unhappy about the delay. At all.

Since we learned of this deadline, I have not been able to see much of Lucas either, unfortunately, but I know he is spending time with my son and that pleases me. This is only temporary, we keep telling each other, but this time it does feel as though I am going to have to adhere to a strict writing schedule. Fortunately, I do have a few days off from teaching during the next two weeks, so that should help. One step at a time. I hear Lucas's voice telling me that, and his words never fail to calm me.

A quick check of the time tells me I need to end this session. In just a few hours, Lucas should be meeting Alexander Lexington. I pray their alliance goes well and that Alexander will bring the assistance and the relief I know my darling desperately needs.

Lucas saw the stagecoach as it rounded the corner heading towards the depot. To say he felt anxious would be a huge understatement. When he received the telegram from Alexander saying he would be arriving the following day, Lucas's mind went into overdrive. Alexander brought with him what Lucas considered to be his last hope. Even with his uncle's investment and welcomed encouragement, Lucas had barely been able to keep the business afloat. He tried not to let on to anyone, especially to Mike, who he saw growing concerned as well, Elizabeth and to his family how dire the situation had become. He felt bad he had pulled a Henry on Hickam and started keeping the books away from Mike's knowing eyes. Lucas began to understand and empathize with how Henry must have felt those last few months before he gave up the business, but this was not the same situation, and he had to remember that. He wanted a solution, and he needed one fast.

"Lucas?" Alexander said, after exiting the stagecoach.

"Yes. You must be Alexander Lexington."

"I am. Very nice to meet you."

"Same here."

The two men shook hands and then Alexander picked up his valise.

"Welcome to Hope Valley," Lucas said. "I am very grateful you are here. Let's go to the Queen of Hearts."

"That's the name of your pub, correct?" Alexander asked, his British accent in full force, as they began to walk.

"Yes, it is. I believe you know my uncle Ernie?'

"I do."

"He's there, helping me take care of the place while I try to figure out this oil business. There are rooms at the Queen of Hearts. You'll be staying there."

"Sounds good."

As soon as they arrived, Ernie recognized Alexander and gave him a hearty greeting.

"It's nice to see you again, sir," Alexander said.

"Let's get you checked in," Lucas said. "Once you've gotten settled, we can talk here."

"Fine. It shouldn't take me long."

Lucas showed him to his room and then returned to the main area.

"Are you all right?" Ernie asked his nephew, who had taken a seat at one of the tables.

"I'm okay. I'm hoping he can help."

"You should have contact information if nothing else, but I'm sure your father instructed him on what to do."

Lucas nodded. "You're probably right. Do you think it's strange I never heard anything further from my father?"

Ernie shook his head. "I'm afraid, son, your father has a lot going on, too. I know why he is in New York. It's a huge investment deal he is brokering, and I know he does not want anything to stop this transaction from occurring."

"Is that why you were in New York? To help my father?"

"I was working on a separate deal, but yes. I was aware of this transaction and was trying to be his liaison."

"If this business deal is so important, why did he ask you to leave to come here?"

"Because he cares about your mother and wanted to make sure she felt comfortable."

"I would have done that."

"Of course you would have and you have."

"But Father trusts you more than me, especially when it comes to Mother and her safety."

"Lucas, that is not the reason. It's just, well, you know your father has his own set ways of doing things and lives by certain rules, especially when it comes to your mother. You know how much he adores her and wants to do what he thinks is best for her. He meant no disrespect to you."

"But he wanted someone of your caliber to make sure my mother would be safe and comfortable. Got it."

"Lucas," Ernie said, his voice serious as he forced his nephew to look at him. "He wanted me to check on you, too. He worries about you."

Further conversation was put on hold when Alexander entered the area, carrying a file and a thick letter envelope.

"I'll let you two talk. Let me know if you need anything."

"Did you want something to eat or drink before we get started?" Lucas asked.

Alexander shook his head.

"We're fine, Uncle Ernie. Thank you."

Alexander sat across from Lucas.

"Are those for me?" Lucas asked, pointing to the file and the envelope.

"Yes. I want to discuss what's in this file with you. This," he said, handing the bulky envelope to Lucas, "is from your father."

And there it is.

"Do you know if what's in here pertains to the oil business or is this strictly personal correspondence from my father to me?"

Alexander cleared his throat. "Personal correspondence. Your father asked me to hand deliver his letter to you. Everything business related is in this file."

From the thickness of the envelope, Lucas knew he would need more than a few minutes to read his father's letter and probably much longer than that to digest and accept or reject whatever his father had chosen to reveal to him. He pushed the envelope aside, literally and from his mind, wanting and needing to understand what Alexander was going to tell him about the business information.

"Please tell me about this file," Lucas said.

Alexander opened the folder and handed several papers to Lucas.

"One of your father's attorneys, Barry Caldwell, gave me those names and contact information. Barry worked with them on an investment your father's business made in an oil company based in New Jersey. What specifically do you need help with? If I know that, then I can tell you who Barry said are the best contacts, depending on the issues you face. By the way, none of this information is to be transmitted in any way to a third party."

"All right. I don't think that will be an issue. Regarding my company, honestly, I need help with everything. I need to talk to someone who can either assist me to hire the right people to help get this business back on its feet or I need to talk to someone who can tell me what to do to make this business viable and profitable. I do not have many contracts, unfortunately, and the ones I do have, we have not been able, for various reasons, to provide them what they need on a timely basis. Our clientele is losing faith in us, and I can't blame them, but I don't know how to correct these issues. I know throwing money at the problem is not solving anything, and frankly, I don't want to do that anymore. I need a real solution and quickly if I am going to keep this business in operation."

"And that is your goal, correct?"

"Yes, if it's at all possible."

"Okay. I ask that because the other information your father gave me is what you can do if you wanted to dissolve or sell off the business, but it sounds like that is not an option you want to explore."

"Not right now, unless I absolutely have to. I need someone who can guide me or at this point, take over. I'm not sure what that would entail, but I would be open to having someone come in and revamp this business if that's what it takes to get us back on track. A couple of weeks ago, I received a very discouraging report from a consultant a head man on the oil crew recommended I hire to look at our operations. I didn't understand everything in the report, but my right-hand man knew enough to tell me the way we have been doing business is not the best way. I want to do things the right way, and I also want us to grow the business if we can."

"May I take a look at that report? While I do not have a background in oil, per se, I have worked with other companies who were having financial difficulties and needed to prioritize their work differently. That's how I came to the attention of your father, actually. I worked on several high profile reorganizations with good results. Most of them did, however, involve investments which is how your father came into the picture. It sounds like, as a business, which just happens to be oil in your case, maybe we need to begin again."

"That's what I wanted to do a couple of months ago, but Henry, the owner, didn't want to, and by the time I took over, I felt it was too late to suspend our operations to reorganize. I thought too many workers and families would be affected by a shutdown, even a temporary one. Maybe I should have gone with my instincts, but I didn't. Is it too late now?"

"Not necessarily. I'll have to see what that report says. I know you mentioned not wanting to invest any more money in this business, but if we, maybe with some consultant help if needed regarding the oil side of things, can derive some new ways of doing business, would you be willing to put in more money if it meant you could continue your day-to-day operations without interruption?

Lucas sighed. "At this point, that is the only way I would consider putting in more money. We can go to my office. I can introduce you to Mike Hickam who works closely with me and show you that report."

Ernie watched as the two men left the saloon and then he noticed the cream-colored envelope on the table. He walked to the table, saw the handwriting, and realized the correspondence was from Lucas's father. He picked up the letter for safekeeping and as he turned around, he realized Helen was behind him. She saw the envelope and immediately recognized the handwriting.

"Nicholas wrote to Lucas?" she asked.

"Looks like it."

"Is it about the business?"

"I don't think so. Alexander had a file with information. He and Lucas went to the office to talk further."

"So, this," she said, pointing to the envelope, "is most likely a personal letter written to Lucas."

"That would be my guess," Ernie said.

"Oh my," Helen said.

She and Ernie exchanged a concerned look as Ernie stashed the envelope behind the bar.

Nicholas, my love, what have you done?

After introductions had been made between Hickam and Alexander, Lucas gave Alexander the report to review at his desk while he sat in one of the guest chairs next to Mike's desk. Lucas asked Mike to show Alexander where the trouble spots were highlighted in the report. While Mike and Alexander began reviewing the report, Lucas realized he'd left his father's letter at the saloon.

"I'll be right back," he told them.

When Lucas entered the Queen of Hearts, he looked towards the table but didn't see the letter. He found his uncle in the kitchen and asked if they could talk for a minute.

"Did you see an envelope on the table where I was sitting?"

"Yes. I have it behind the bar. I was going to put it in your room, but I didn't get a chance."

"Thank you. If you could leave it there, I would appreciate it. I can't believe how thick that envelope is. Father must have a lot he wants to tell or lecture me about."

"Whatever is in there, Lucas, read it with an open mind and an open heart. Maybe your father included some other papers for you to review."

"I don't know. Alexander said he had everything in the file and that Father told him what is in that envelope is personal correspondence to me. I've been expecting this, to be honest."

"Doesn't mean it's all words written by your father. Anything could be in there."

"Of course. I guess I will find out tonight. I have to get back. Thank you, Uncle Ernie."

As Ernie propped up the envelope against the lamp on the nightstand in Lucas's room, he, too, had to wonder what exactly his brother had written to his only son.

"You are making excellent progress on these chapters, Elizabeth. I truly like the way your story is taking shape."

"Thank you."

Since Elizabeth did not have to teach, she and Helen met in the library for an early afternoon session to review several more of her chapters.

"I'm feeling the pressure," Elizabeth admitted, "knowing the deadline is three weeks away, and we have to get this finished at least a week before then to be able to send it."

"We are on schedule. Do not fret, my dear. As I said, your story is coming together very nicely. It is good you have several days off from teaching to spend more time on your rewrites."

"The timing did work out well."

"As soon as I finish editing this chapter, we will have ten more to go."

"And I have already worked on three of those. I can give you those to review tomorrow if you want while I'm at school."

"That works out fine, dear. I will have my notes ready for you after you finishing teaching."

"Thank you, Helen, for making this process work for me. I know we've come a long way since that first day, and I appreciate your guidance."

"It's been my pleasure," Helen assured her. "I will miss working with you when we are finished, which at this rate, will probably be sometime next week."

"I can't even imagine what it will feel like when I finally send off my completed manuscript."

"My advice is to enjoy the moment. It will be wonderful."

Elizabeth nodded. "That's what I'm envisioning. I hope Lucas can be with me when I post it. I really want him to be there to share the moment with me."

"I'm sure he will be, my dear. I don't think he will miss this milestone. Do you?"

Elizabeth frowned. "I know he's so busy and so anxious, and now with Alexander in town, I don't want to disturb him."

Helen patted her hand. "Believe me. When Lucas knows you are getting your book ready to send to Branson Publishing, he will be there. With you."

After Alexander read through the text that had been pointed out to him by Mike, he told Lucas and Hickam he needed to do some further reading.

"I would like to take this report with me to my room and study it. I think, based on the trouble spots Mike pointed out, I could conceivably come up with a plan to help guide the financial side of the business. Barry provided several consultants' names that can most likely assist with getting your oil production back to what it was and maybe even steer you on how to increase your contracts. There appears to be some mismanagement on the production side which, unfortunately, may mean a reshuffling of personnel is in order. I, along with one of the consultants you may choose to hire, can assist with restructuring your workers if need be."

"I want to understand what you are saying," Lucas said. "Do you think someone who is working for me is doing some of this damage?"

"Based on the little I read, I think it's a definite possibility, but that's why I want to thoroughly review this report. The consultant you hired to look at your organization and the oil your company is producing wrote a very comprehensive report that should be taken seriously. I don't want to make any generalizations or assumptions until I have read and digested every bit of this report."

"All right. I appreciate that, Alexander. Thank you."

"No problem," he said and smiled. "This is what I do, and for you and this company, I want to help if I can, and I believe I may be of assistance to you. Will you be available tomorrow morning to talk about this?"

"Absolutely. We can meet at the saloon or here."

"I'd like to meet here. I believe Mike should be a part of this conversation since he astutely caught on to what the consultant was indicating in his report."

"Sounds good. We will meet here tomorrow morning. I can have dinner sent to your room if you want since it sounds like you will be reading for quite a while."

"That would be appreciated. Thank you."

After Alexander left, Lucas looked at Mike.

"You had a hunch someone on the inside was sabotaging us?"

"Based on that report, that's the conclusion I came to, but I didn't know how to tell you. And like Alexander said, I didn't want to make any assumptions."

"If it's true," Lucas said, "the only reason I can think of why someone would do that is because he either feels a tremendous amount of loyalty towards Henry and wants him back as owner or he wants me to fail."

Neither idea made sense to Lucas, but he knew he would have to speak with Sam, the man who had recommended he hire the consultant and the one who had previously brought other issues to Mike's attention and his. If Sam had any indication or knowledge something was not right, Lucas wanted to know every detail. He knew the only way to be able to save his company from further hemorrhaging was to uncover the truth. If someone in his employ was responsible for the delays and missed shipments, Lucas needed to find out who it was. And fast.

When Lucas entered his room, his name, written in his father's handwriting, greeted him. He walked to the nightstand and lifted the bulky envelope.

What have you written to me? I think I know, but I so want to be wrong.

He sat on his bed, knowing the only way he would know for sure was to read the contents, but he couldn't bring himself to open the envelope. A quick check of his pocket watch let him know dinner time had just ended. Before he could change his mind, he stuffed the envelope inside his jacket pocket and left his room, heading for the only place he wanted and needed to be.

Elizabeth answered the knock on her door and was pleasantly surprised to find Lucas standing there, until she saw his dour expression.

"Sweetheart, come in. What's wrong?"

She'd thought maybe his meeting with Alexander had not gone well, but when he told her they'd actually had a very productive meeting and that he liked Alexander very much, she could not fathom what could cause him to look so downcast.

"Then what is the problem?" she finally asked.

"When we were at the clearing, you asked me if I was ever going to tell you about my relationship with my father."

"I remember."

"This," he said, producing the envelope from his jacket pocket, "is what my relationship with my father is all about."

Elizabeth took the proffered envelope and turned it over to see it was still sealed.

"Lucas, I don't understand. You haven't opened this. How do you know what's inside? Maybe it's about the business or maybe it's more information your father supplied for you."

"That is personal correspondence to me, according to Alexander, who hand delivered it to me at the direction of my father. Elizabeth, I fear I know what's written on those pages without ever opening that envelope. My father wrote to make sure I understood. Don't get me wrong. I am very thankful my father offered his help, and I am also very grateful Alexander is here because I think he will be very useful in getting the company back on track, but I know my father is making sure I know just how much he has helped me and letting me know where I would be if he had refused his help."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Do you think he's holding it over you that you had to go to him for guidance?"

"Absolutely, I do. I don't even want to open that letter, but I know I have to, and I know he is waiting for an acknowledgement of that letter and my reaction to it."

"What makes you so certain? I think this amount of pages could be anything. Would he go on and on about one time you asked him for help?"

"That's just it. In his mind, this isn't the first time, although to my way of thinking, it is, and I struggled mightily with having to do it. My uncle said it was my pride that was keeping me from asking him. Maybe that was part of it, but it was so much more than that. My mother and my uncle don't know what I am about to tell you, Elizabeth, but I need to share this with someone before I lose control. You are the only one I want to tell."

"Sweetheart, you're scaring me, but let's sit down on the sofa. What is this all about?"

Lucas took a moment to catch his breath before he spoke the words he had never said to anyone out loud. "When I refused to join my father's company and told him I wanted to make it on my own, my father basically disowned me."

Elizabeth gasped. "What? Lucas. I can't believe your father would do something like that."

"He did. He told me if I left, I would not be welcomed back. I told him I didn't want to be a part of his business but that didn't mean I wanted to be out of his life. He saw it as all or nothing. I wasn't rejecting him as my father. I just didn't want to do the same type of work he was doing. I saw what his long hours and traveling all the time did to our family. I wanted something so totally different for my work and my life, but all he saw was that I was different than he and my uncle were, and since I was his only son, that did not sit well with him. Who would carry on his legacy? I tried, Elizabeth, I truly tried to make him understand my point of view, but he ended up rejecting me so I couldn't reject him, which I never wanted or intended to do. I just wanted to do something different with my life. Was that so wrong?"

She reached for his hand. "Of course not."

Lucas shook his head. "We went through so much as a family, I guess my father thought for sure I would want to stay and carry on and be his right-hand man. When I couldn't or wouldn't do that, I guess I broke his heart. I didn't mean to, but that's what happened. He said I was never to speak of our conversation to my mother or my uncle, and I never have. They know I left, of course, but they don't know the circumstances surrounding my departure."

Just to have contact so he would know she understood what he was saying, she moved her hand to lightly stroke his cheek. She wanted him to feel her presence. She knew how much he was hurting.

"Is that why you traveled to so many places on your own?"

"Yes. Once I left Europe, I didn't know where to go. Every place I went only reminded me of being there with my parents. And that made things worse. I definitely had wanderlust. When I met my friend Janette's late husband, he brought me to Cape Fullerton where they'd lived. He was the first one to mention Hope Valley to me and told me how the name had changed."

Lucas gave a small laugh. "You'll probably think this is silly, but I was enchanted by the name itself. If anyone needed hope at that time, it was me. I thought it was meant to be even back then. A few years later, when I saw the ad for the saloon, I knew that's what I was supposed to own. Not some stuffy corporate business, but like I told you, a gathering place. I don't know, Elizabeth. Things really started to turn around for me, and I thought I had made the right decisions. Why did I ever go into partnership with Henry? That's what this letter is all about. I know it. I know my father is saying if I had wanted to own that type of company, I should have stayed with him. I know that's what he's berating me about. And that's why I didn't want him to know anything about this. But like I said, my uncle doesn't know that part of my history with my father. He just wanted me to reach out for help, which I understood. But as long as my father thought I owned a saloon and nothing more, I knew he couldn't say anything about my chosen lifestyle, but now, with this, I can only imagine what he wrote about my decision to enter the oil business."

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry about all of this. After being around your mother and your uncle, I would have never thought this type of division could exist in your family. I know you mentioned how the dynamics changed after your sister died, and I know you said your father wanted you in the family business, but to disown you? That seems like such a drastic and absolutely unnecessary measure to take."

Lucas stared at his hands. "I hurt him, Elizabeth, and he needed to hurt me in return. That's all I can think of. I wouldn't or couldn't conform to the one thing he obviously thought I should have never questioned. When I rebelled, so to speak, he had to respond. I guess disowning me was the only thing he knew to do."

"Lucas, darling, you have to read this letter. Maybe your father has had a change of heart. Maybe he realizes what it took for you to reach out to him, and he wants to honor that. Maybe time has softened his heart. Sweetheart, you are not going to know what your father is thinking and feeling until you read this letter."

"I know," he said, looking into her caring eyes. "And I know I have no right to ask this, Elizabeth, but I have to. I desperately need a huge favor from you."

"What is it?" she asked, knowing in his current state, she would do just about anything he asked.

"Would you please read my father's letter and then tell me what he wrote?"