Three years later, September 1926

"Benjamin Todd Thornton!"

"What, mama?" He sounded so innocent, as if he had no idea that he was tracking mud through the house.

"Go back outside and leave your shoes on the porch. You are getting a bath, young man."

"But mama!"

"No buts. You are covered in mud, and we can't have you making a mess all over the house. And there's no way you're going to dinner at Aunt Abigail's like that. This is why I told all of you to stay out of the water and mud today."

He lowered his head and walked back outside, returning shortly—without his mud-covered shoes this time. "Levi and Daniel were playing in the mud, too."

I sighed. "Then they'll have to take baths as well. What about your sisters?"

"They were playing under the tree with Hannah and Patrick."

"Take off your shirt and pants and leave them down here. I'll run your bath in a moment." I quickly tied my hair back, realizing that I was going to be busier than I planned. I stepped onto the back porch, scanning the yard for the children. Jane and Eleanor were sitting on a blanket under the tree, playing a card game with Hannah and Patrick Coulter. As Benjamin had said, the other boys were by the water's edge, digging in the mud. "Levi! Daniel! Please come here!"

They both came running over, completely filthy just like Benjamin.

"What is it, mama?"

"Leave your shoes out here, then go inside and take off your shirts and pants. You boys are getting a bath."

"But it's not bath time."

"Daniel James, do you think I'm going to let you go to Aunt Abigail's covered in mud like that?"

He hung his head. "No, mama."

"Now, you go up and wait with your brother." He ran off, but I put out my hand to stop Levi. "Wait a minute, Levi." I knelt down to his level. "Levi Thornton, I told you to keep an eye on your brothers and make sure they didn't play in the water and mud. Do you want to tell me why you didn't listen to me?"

"Well," he looked down at his feet as he spoke, "we were throwing the ball, and it landed by the water, and then Benny ran over to get it, but he saw a frog. He started yelling about it, and Daniel ran over and they both started chasing it. I went over to tell them that you said we weren't supposed to play in the mud, but then there was a whole family of frogs, and we started following them, and I guess I forgot you said not to get dirty. I'm sorry, mama."

"Thank you for telling me. All three of you boys are still in trouble, though. We'll talk to dad later." I stood up. "Now go inside, and I'll be right up to run your bath. And Levi, I love you."

"Love you, too, mama."

A few minutes later, the tub was filled, and the boys were all seated inside it.

I handed the soap to Levi. "Now scrub, and make sure your brothers get behind their ears. Dad should be home any minute, and I'll send him up to help you boys. Do not splash water out of the tub."

"Yes, mama."

I left the door open a crack and headed down the stairs. I dropped all of their dirty clothes into the laundry basket, ready to go out to the washtub.

I turned at the sound of the front door.

"Hi." Jack walked over and pulled me into a hug. "How was your day?"

I let out a harsh breath.

"That bad?"

"I told the children they could play outside today, but they were to keep away from the water and mud because I didn't want them to get dirty before we go to Abigail's."

"I'm guessing someone didn't listen."

"All three of your sons are upstairs in the bath right now."

"You need me to make sure they're actually getting clean?"

I nodded. "Yes, please. I need to get started on this laundry before the stains set in."

He kissed me softly before he trekked upstairs. I carried the laundry basket, washtub, and washboard outside, then made one more trip to transfer the baby from the cradle to the pram that sat on the back porch.

I smiled as I draped a light blanket over her. "Oh Audrey, your brothers are a mess. I love them dearly, but some days, they are just a test of my patience."

She cooed and smiled back at me.

"Are you going to keep me company while I wash these clothes?"

Audrey was our little surprise baby. Our three oldest were each a year and a half apart, and the twins were born just over two years after Levi. It had never taken us more than a year to get pregnant when we were actively trying, so when we hadn't had any more children by the time the twins turned four, we figured that we were done. At least, that's what we thought, until one day when I noticed that my stomach was starting to grow. A few months later, Audrey Lucille Thornton was born.

Now, she was nearly four months old. She was a wonderful addition to our family. Always smiling, always happy, and she adored her big brothers and sisters.

"Okay, Audrey. Let's see if we can get these clothes clean before we need to go to Aunt Abigail's."

...

The children all piled through the door before us, eager to see their Aunt Abigail.

"Mrs. Thornton!" Cody greeted me when I entered the café. The room was decorated for Cody's return, celebrating his graduation from university and his new job at Coulter Lumber. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss this."

"Sergeant Thornton." He gave Jack a nod.

"Good to see you, young man." Jack clapped him on the back. "Congratulations."

"Thank you. Well, come on in. Mom made a ton of food."

"And I'm sure our brood is already making a mess of it." Jack chuckled, excusing himself to go check on our children.

"Is this your youngest?" Cody motioned toward the baby in my arms. "Mom mentioned you had another baby."

I nodded. "This is Audrey."

"She's adorable."

"Thank you." I shifted her to my shoulder. "Have you heard from Becky lately?"

"I actually visited her a few months ago. She's doing well. She's still in Chicago. Apparently, there are lots of bridges to be built there."

"I'm glad she's doing well. And you, you certainly seem to be doing well for yourself."

He smiled. "All thanks to mom. And to you and Mountie Jack. I don't know what I would've done without all of you."

"Thank you, Cody. That's very kind of you to say."

"It's the truth. Well," he glanced around the room, "I should probably talk to some other guests."

"Of course. Go mingle."

He headed across the room toward Emily, Anna, and Laura. I moved toward the kitchen, finding Abigail standing near the kitchen, observing everything going on.

"It's hard to believe that little boy who showed up in Hope Valley all those years ago, scared and alone, is all grown up."

"I know." She smiled. "It's a bittersweet thing, watching your children grow up, and then they have their own children." Her gaze settled on Clara and Jesse, who were standing in the corner with their four little ones.

Henry joined them, taking little Sadie from Clara's arms.

He and Abigail had—finally—been married two years before. In all the years that I had known Henry Gowen, I had never seen him so happy. It seemed that family life suited him well.

Beside me, Abigail sighed happily. "I'm just so thankful that Noah moved us to Coal Valley even though I wasn't thrilled with the prospect. My life is much better for it."

Cody cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"Hi, everyone. I'd just like to take a moment to thank all of you for coming here to celebrate with me. Aside from my graduation, new job, and moving back to Hope Valley, I have a few other things to celebrate." He motioned for Emily to come over. She hesitantly moved across the room and stood by his side. "A lot of you know that Emily and I courted for most of the time that I've been away at school. But what we haven't told many people is that we married a few months ago." He slipped his arm around her waist.

Gasps and whispers sounded throughout the room.

Emily finally spoke up. "And we're expecting our first baby."

I looked over at Abigail. She was grinning from ear to ear. "You knew, didn't you?"

She just nodded.

I shook my head, laughing softly. "Of course you did. Congratulations."

...

Jack lifted Daniel from his shoulders, setting him on the ground in front of the schoolhouse. "Six Thornton children in one classroom. I'm sure that will make for a very interesting day."

I laughed softly, shifting the baby in my arms. "I'm planning on seating the twins away from each other. Hopefully that will help at least a little."

"That's probably a good idea." He kissed me gently. "Well, I need to get to work. Good luck today. I'll see you later."

"Stay safe. I love you."

"I love you, too." He squeezed my hand. "Okay, little Thorntons, you behave for your mother today. She'll tell me if you don't." He kissed each of the children before heading back into town.

I left the children outside to play while I got everything prepared for the day. I lowered Audrey into the cradle that had sat in the corner of the room for many of the past ten years, ever since Jane was a baby.

I never expected when Jack had the schoolhouse built so many years before that I would eventually teach six of my own children—our children—in that room.

"Mama?" Jane appeared in the doorway. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course." I waved her over, and she sat beside me on the front bench.

"May I sit by Patrick this year?"

"Do you promise you won't spend the whole school day talking to him?"

"Yes. I promise we'll still pay attention and get our work done."

I smiled and tugged gently on her braid. "Then I suppose I can allow you to sit by him, but if it causes any problems, I'll separate you."

"Yes, ma'am. I understand." She wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you, mama."

I kissed the top of her head. "Now, do you want to help me finish getting everything ready in here?"

"Okay."

"Everyone needs one of these." I handed her a stack of books.

She slowly made her way down the rows of benches, placing the readers on the desks. A few more benches had been added over the years to accommodate for the number of children in town now.

"You know, Janie, you've been helping me in this classroom for a long time now, since before Ellie was born."

She smiled. "I think I might want to be a teacher. But I also like baking with Aunt Abigail and sewing with Aunt Rosemary and Miss Clara."

"You still have plenty of time to decide, and you know your dad and I will support you no matter what you choose."

By the time she finished passing out the readers, more children had arrived outside, and I made my way to the top of the steps to ring the bell. The cow bell was beginning to show its age—it was dull and dented—but I couldn't bring myself to replace it.

"Good morning, children." I greeted them all as they entered the schoolhouse. "Benjamin, Daniel, come inside, please."

They came over, albeit a bit reluctantly. They were officially starting school, and they were both a little nervous. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, you do. It's time for school. I promise, it'll be fun." I kissed them both on the top of their heads. "Daniel, you sit next to Carson, and Benny, you're next to Andrew."

"Yes, mama."

...

I stepped into the jail. It was so quiet after being in the schoolhouse with noisy children all day.

Jack was sitting at his desk, writing something on the paper in front of him. He looked up when he heard me enter. "Hi. Where's the rest of the brood?"

"Cody took them to the baseball field to play." I settled into the chair across from him, shifting Audrey in my arms. "I promised them we could have dinner at the café since they were all so good today."

Jack said nothing, he just met my eyes with a smile.

"What?"

"Just thinking about when she was born." He nodded toward the baby.

"I still think we could've made it to the infirmary."

Jack chuckled. "Maybe so, but it'll be so much more exciting to tell her she was born in a jail cell."

I rolled my eyes.

Aside from the twins, none of our children had been born in the same place, but Audrey's birthplace was definitely the strangest. Jane was born in the row house, Eleanor in our home, Levi at Abigail's, and the twins at the infirmary. Then our sweet little Audrey was unexpectedly born at the jail after I failed to realize I had been in labor all day while teaching.

"When we got married, I never could've guessed one of our children would be born here. The schoolhouse seems a more likely location."

He shook his head and laughed. "I honestly can't believe that we have six children and not one of them was born in your classroom. Maybe the next one." He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't get your hopes up. You know she's probably our last."

"I know. I'm just kidding. Now," he scooted his chair back, "why don't we go see what the rest of them are up to?"

"That's probably a good idea. I'm not sure that Cody fully understood just what he was getting into when he offered to play with them."

When we arrived at the baseball field, we found our five oldest running around and laughing with their friends and some of my former students.

Hannah and Emily were sitting in the stands with three-year-old Oliver and Catherine Coulter and little Joseph Shepherd, cheering on those who were playing.

Jack beamed when Jane threw a nearly flawless pitch across home plate, striking out Sammy Flynn.

He squeezed my hand. "I'm so glad Hope Valley became my permanent posting. I can't imagine raising our children anywhere else."

"Neither can I. This town has been so good to us." I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "After all, it brought us together."

...

I sat in the rocking chair after Audrey had finished eating. Her eyelids were drooping as she grew sleepier.

I glanced up when I heard Jack enter the room.

He sat on the edge of the bed as he slipped his boots off. "Everyone's in bed. The twins really did not want to go to sleep tonight."

"They never want to go to sleep. I don't know where they get all that energy." I felt Audrey's breathing even out when she fell asleep. "At least we don't have any problems getting this little one to sleep." I slowly stood up and carried her to the cradle.

"We did get very lucky with her. I think she's the easiest of all of them." He hung his uniform in the wardrobe and settled into the bed. "But that means she'll probably be a little troublemaker when she's older."

"I'm sure she'll be a sweetheart." I watched her for a few moments as her tiny fingers flexed in her sleep. "All of our children are good children, though. We've been very blessed." I finally joined Jack in the bed, sliding under the quilt and sighing as I leaned against his chest.

He touched his lips to the top of my head. "I didn't get a chance to ask you how today went."

"It went well. It wasn't perfect by any means, but there were no major incidents, so that's a good day in my book." I put my hands on his chest. "I was right to keep the twins away from each other. They were actually very well behaved since they couldn't bother each other."

"Good."

"Jack," I rested my cheek against his shoulder, "I think Jane is starting to like Patrick Coulter."

"And? She's always liked him. They've been best friends since they were babies."

"No, I mean she likes him."

"She's barely ten. She can't like him."

I shrugged. "Well, she does. I've noticed she blushes when she talks about him now, and she asked if she could sit by him in class this year."

"What did you say?"

"I told her she could, but I would separate them if it caused any problems."

He sighed. "I thought we still had time before we had to worry about boys."

"Well, at least it will be a while before they can start courting."

"Courting? I'm not ready for that. She's my baby girl." He groaned. "And someday, I'll have to walk her down the aisle. Why do they have to grow up?"

"I don't want them to grow up, either, but there's nothing we can do to stop it. We just have to embrace it."

He tightened his arms around me. "I'm just glad we'll still have each other, even after all our children are grown with families of their own."

"It's you and me. Forever."

"I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed me softly.

"I love you."

We lay there in silence for a while, wrapped up in each other. Eventually, Jack drifted off to sleep. I watched his face, thinking back on our time together.

Nearly eleven years had passed since we had gotten married. Sixteen years since we had both arrived in the small town called Coal Valley, naïve and headstrong, maybe even full of hubris.

Aside from a few more creases around his eyes and a bit of gray in his hair, Jack looked just as he did the day he rode up on his horse to settle a dispute among the miners, when he met my eyes while I held a young student on my hip.

In that moment, I never would have imagined that one day, I would hold his own child, our children, on my hip.

I couldn't have imagined the comfort and peace that I would find in his arms, the joy in his laughter, the love in the quiet moments in the dark, when words weren't needed.

I hadn't known what to expect when I decided to journey west, but it was, without a doubt, the best decision I ever made.

...

A/N It's a bittersweet moment to say this, but that's the end of The Greatest of These Is Love. This was my very first fan fiction, and I'm so thankful to have had all of your support on this story. My original plan was to end this story at 45 chapters, but it's thanks to all of you and your encouragement that I decided to continue it for 30 more chapters.

Stay tuned, though. In addition to my two stories I still have going, I *might* have a sequel in the works for this story, because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to this version of the Thorntons. Thanks again for all the lovely comments and reviews!