Chapter 2
Elizabeth was up early getting ready for school. Little Jack was being clingy probably due to the fact that Elizabeth hadn't home in the evenings as she usually was. Now that she had given her heart to Lucas he wasn't wasting time in expediting their relationship to the next level. He'd shown her patience while she was making her decision on which man she wanted to be with but that patience had worn thin. He asked her to dinner regularly, but because of his schedule at the saloon they often didn't eat until 8:30 at night. Elizabeth had tried to explain to Lucas that it would be easier if he could come to her house occasionally but he insisted that he had to be at the saloon keeping an eye on things. He'd only been to her house once from dinner in the last few weeks and Little Jack had been in a mood. Lucas ate quickly and left just as quickly claiming he was needed at the saloon. Elizabeth had really been hoping that Lucas would engage with her son and start to get to know him a bit but he'd barely spent enough time to eat and getting on the floor to play with Little Jack wasn't easy to do in his three piece suit.
Shaking off her negative thoughts, Elizabeth quickly made Jack some oatmeal for his breakfast and poured him some juice. "Mama stay home." Jack cried. "Oh my sweet boy I wish I could but I have to go teach school. Laura will be here with you today and can take you for a walk." Finally Jack quieted down and ate his breakfast. When Laura arrived she cleaned him up and put him on the sitting room floor to play while she cleaned up the dishes promising Jack a walk once she was done.
Elizabeth finished getting ready and hurried off to school. She was running late but managed to get there just before the children started to arrive. As she stood by the door she observed Allie walking toward the schoolyard accompanied by Nathan. He was in his civilian clothes but his tall, slender but muscular form was distinctive whether in his red surge or not. He stopped on the edge of the school yard and hugged Allie good bye. Up until a few weeks ago he would have approached her and they would exchange small talk before he headed to the Mountie office. Elizabeth missed their banter. Even though she had chosen Lucas she had hoped that she and Nathan could remain friends. She knew she'd hurt him but hoped that time could heal his heart.
Elizabeth rang the cowbell signaling the start to the school day. She greeted each of her students warmly as they entered the building. As Allie approached she walked behind Mrs. Thornton to escape her morning greeting. Elizabeth was confused as to why she would do that and decided to discuss it with her before she left for the day.
The school day passed quickly and after Elizabeth announced to the class that they could leave she called out to Allie to wait for a minute before leaving. "My dad is waiting for me" Allie replied. "This will only take a minute. Allie, I noticed this morning that you seemed to be avoiding me as I called you into school. Why did you do that?" Elizabeth waited for an answer. "Mrs. Thornton, I am trying to be respectful but considering what you did to my dad, I think it's best if I limit my interactions with you to the time we're actually in the classroom." Allie tried to keep her voice steady but she still got worked up when she thought about what her dad had finally shared with her about why he was steering clear of her teacher. "Now, Mrs. Thornton, I really have to go meet my dad. He's taking me fishing this afternoon." With that Allie escaped the schoolhouse and ran quickly down the stairs to meet her dad.
Elizabeth was ready to respond to Allie but before she could say anything the young girl ran out of the schoolhouse. Elizabeth went to the door and saw Allie run into Nathan's arms for a hug. She saw an animated Allie explaining to her dad why she was late and then saw Nathan look up at the school, seemingly frustrated, to see her standing at the doorway. Elizabeth quickly turned around and escaped back into the schoolhouse. Knowing that she'd hurt Nathan was hard enough but knowing that Allie was also hurting tore at her heart. There had been a time when she and Allie had been very close, closer even than the usual teacher student relationship. Allie had stayed at Elizabeth's when Nathan had to leave town. She also remembered with a smile the night she helped Nathan navigate Allie's first sleepover with her girlfriends. The memory brought a smile to her face. She missed them both. Somehow she had to start rebuilding her relationship with both of them. She would start with Allie and hopefully from there she could work on Nathan.
With a new determination Elizabeth gathered her things and headed home happy that she had a free night to spend with her son.