Chapter 3—Undelivered Mail

Elizabeth rode fast, trying not to push Sergeant too hard but concerned if she didn't find Lucas soon, she wouldn't find him at all.

She thought as she rode. Only two days ago she had sat at her desk, finally realizing it was time to remove her rings and embrace her future with Lucas. Elizabeth took a day to mull things over and make sure her heart was prepared for a new relationship, and as yesterday went by she became positive she was ready. Her excitement grew overnight as she was unable to sleep, so she sent the letter this morning that Robert returned.

Praying as she rode, Elizabeth felt her anxiety grow that she was simply too late to be able to catch him. She knew a fork in the road was coming up before too long and she would have to make a decision at that point. Would she chance going on or turn back home frustrated with herself to have let the man she loves slip through her fingers? A shudder went through her at the thought of never seeing him again.

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Lucas took some time and thought as he walked. He wanted nothing more than to turn his car around and head back to town, to Elizabeth's house, and declare his love for her. But once again, he knew he didn't want to pressure her into a decision. Just because his heart was ready didn't mean hers was.

He got back behind the wheel and started the car. Sitting for a few more minutes, he finally started moving forward.

As he was getting up to speed, he saw something in the rear-view mirror. He squinted his eyes, thinking it must be a figment of his imagination because it looked like Elizabeth riding towards him. Something must be dreadfully wrong, he thought as he quickly stopped the car and opened the door.

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Elizabeth's heart leapt when she saw Lucas' car up ahead. Now she needed it to stop pounding and get her thoughts together before she spoke. She didn't want to be rash, but she was a little angry. Obviously, Lucas had seen her because he pulled over and was stepping out of the car.

Quickly dismounting she began half-running in his direction and saw that he was swiftly walking towards her.

"Elizabeth!" Lucas yelled, the emotion noticeable in his voice. "What's wrong? Is Jack alright?" As she neared, he reached out and placed his hands on her trembling arms and saw the tearstains on her cheeks. Something was definitely wrong, and he was terrified.

She abruptly stepped back from his touch and caught her breath.

"Jack is fine. All I want to know is why. Lucas, why did you leave so suddenly? After all we have shared, I don't understand!" Elizabeth's voice started at a normal tone but grew louder as she spoke. Lucas could see the frustration on her face, and it troubled him.

"Elizabeth…" he started.

"I sent you a letter this morning to meet me at the library. When Robert returned it unopened, he told me you had sold the saloon and left town. How could you?" Lucas saw the tears welling in her eyes as she angrily vented at him. Did she not get the letter I sent her? he thought.

He watched as she turned from him and began pacing. Lucas thought for a moment as she simmered, trying to decide exactly what to say.

"Elizabeth…" he began again, once more to be interrupted when Elizabeth stopped pacing and faced him again.

"Lucas Bouchard, do I mean so little to you that you would just up and leave Hope Valley on a whim? Without any word of good-bye to me at all?"

At least now he had the answer to his question, she had not received his letter.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Elizabeth demanded, apparently not seeing the humor in the fact she had interrupted him twice. But he didn't dare laugh. The fact that she had ridden so far to find him spoke volumes about where her affections were, and his heart was quite aware of that fact. But he had to be sure. There was too much at stake.

"Elizabeth," he began once more, taking a deep breath before continuing- just in case she started speaking again. It seemed she was finally calming down a little. "I left a letter for you. I have to assume you didn't receive it?"

"A letter? No, I didn't receive any letter. But if you were planning to leave, why didn't you just come tell me! Don't I mean more to you than a letter? Didn't I deserve to hear this from you in person?"

Lucas had never seen her this angry before and wanted to tread lightly. He would take another approach. "Elizabeth, you said you sent me a letter to meet you. Please tell me what you wanted to meet me about."

She looked so beautiful standing there with her hands on her hips. So angry, but the fire in her eyes captivated him. Once again, he was struck by his love for her. But he needed to know why she chased him down. As he stood there waiting for her response, his eyes were drawn to her left hand- her ringless left hand.

The reality hit him like a ton of bricks- Elizabeth had made a decision. A decision she wanted to tell him in person and rode a long way to make sure he knew it. His heart fluttered, but his mind was wary.

Although Elizabeth wanted to remain angry, her love for this man returned to her thoughts. She had come after him for a reason. A very good one.

As she began pacing again, he remained silent. He could tell she was calming and wanted to choose her words carefully before she spoke again. His heart swelled at the sight of her. "You're beautiful when you're angry." He had meant to only think the words, his mouth decided otherwise.

"Lucas," she started, his words had put a damper on her frustration, so her voice was calm. When she locked eyes with him, he thought his heart would burst. "I need to know why you left. Please tell me."

It had gone on too long. His patience had remained steadfast but watching her today he knew he had come to the end of it. His heart began pounding at the words rising up within him that he knew had to be said. He ran his hand through his hair and now it was his turn to pace as she watched.

"Do you not know?" he said, his voice cracking. "Do you not have any idea what you do to me every time I look at you? I am a very patient man Elizabeth, but I had to leave." Lucas voice rose, not in anger but passion.

"Tell me Lucas. Why did you have to leave?" her passion met his own.

His hand ran through his hair once again then he stopped and faced her. "Because I saw you holding hands with Nathan and I thought you had chosen him."

Elizabeth stood there staring, her eyes wide. That's what this was about? Her conversation with Nathan at the wedding? Suddenly things were starting to make sense.

"And it didn't occur to you to ask me about it? You just leave town?" she questioned.

"Elizabeth!" Lucas declared. "We have been seeing each other for months. I have waited for you and not pressured you. I have remained silent while Nathan has told you not once, but twice how he feels about you and your lack of response to him. How was I supposed to interpret that?"

"Lucas you have shown me in every way possible that you care for me and that is a wonderful thing! But did you ever think that I told you about Nathan's declarations because I wanted you to tell me how you felt? Sometimes a woman needs to hear it."

Lucas stood there his hair all mussed up, processing what she just said. He had tried not to be pushy and had given her space to breathe. Now he knew he was mistaken, that he should have shared his feelings verbally. He would fix that right now. "You have to know, Elizabeth Thornton, that I am in love with you. Every part of me loves every part of you. You own my heart, and I don't want to live without you. If you want to be with Nathan, then you should be. Your happiness is the most important thing to me. But if I am honest, right now, all I really want is for you to love me as much as I love you."

Elizabeth watched his face as he spoke. She saw the emotion in his eyes, his love for her and only her. Tears welled up knowing what it cost him to say these words, unsure of her response.

"Lucas, what you saw at the wedding was me forgiving Nathan for Jack's death- nothing more, nothing less. I didn't want him to think I blamed him for something that was out of his control. He took my hands and thanked me. I'm sorry you misunderstood and were upset." Elizabeth paused, knowing Lucas wouldn't speak until she was finished. "I haven't spoken to Nathan yet about my decision, he is out of town. But I will as soon as he returns. Would you like to know what I plan to tell him?"

Lucas' brown eyes seemed to look straight into her soul as he softly answered her question. "Yes, please."

Elizabeth took two slow steps towards Lucas, never breaking his gaze. She could see his chest rising and falling and knew hers was doing the same. When she stood directly in front of him, she took a deep breath and reached for his hands. "I am going to tell him that I am sorry, but I only think of him as a friend. Lucas, I owe you an apology. I have known for a very long time that I didn't love Nathan, that I would never love him, but for some reason I couldn't tell him that. Perhaps it is because he is a Mountie, like Jack was. I think my emotions were confused. Whatever the reason, I wish I had figured it out sooner and avoided hurting you."

Standing there Lucas began hoping what her next words were going to be. But he couldn't wait to find out for sure, so he prompted her. "You don't love Nathan? Elizabeth, please tell me why you came to find me today."

She saw the longing in his eyes and wanted there to be no question of her feelings or her choice. "Lucas, I couldn't stand the thought of a life without you. I had to chase you down. Because even though you aren't my first love, you are my last love. And I couldn't let you leave without knowing that. I love you, Lucas Bouchard. With all my heart. Please come back to Hope Valley."

His eyes glistened with unshed tears when he heard the words she spoke. The words that brought life back to his weary soul. The words he had wanted to hear for so long.

"My beautiful Elizabeth…" Lucas said, but couldn't continue.

He gently released her hands and raised his own to her face, placing them softly on her cheeks. He stared into her eyes full of love, then leaned down and captured her lips with his own, finally knowing what rapture felt like. Tasting her sweet kiss, he teased her bottom lip before leaning back and placing his forehead on hers. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, finally feeling her body against his in a warm embrace. Elizabeth reached her arms around to caress his back. They stood there in silence for a moment, just taking in the wonder of new love, then he released her and stepped back- the joy evident on his face.

"Elizabeth, since you didn't receive my letter, I want to let you know that I wasn't leaving permanently. I was going to Union City for a few weeks to give you some breathing room. Bill has been hounding me for months to sell him the saloon and I thought this was the best time to do that. In my letter, I asked you to contact me at the hotel there when you made your decision."

Elizabeth smiled at his explanation. She should have known Lucas wouldn't leave for good. "I'm sure you have your reasons for selling the saloon, but we can discuss them later. Right now, can you kiss me again? Just so I know I'm not dreaming?"

Lucas smiled as he leaned down, once again taking her lips with his own. When the kiss deepened, he heard Elizabeth quietly groan and it was almost his undoing. He slowly ended the kiss, then tenderly touched her forehead with his lips before stepping back to catch his breath.

Elizabeth gave him a smile then walked over to Sergeant and mounted up.

"Want to race back to town?" she asked with a smirk. "I'll give you time to turn around."

Lucas grinned then strode back to the car and jumped in, quickly turning the car around. Rolling down the window as he came along side he asked, "What's the wager?"

Elizabeth thought a moment. "If you win, I owe you a kiss. If I win, you owe me one."

He nodded his head, then laughed. "That's the kind of bet I like. You're on. Oh, you better check your stirrup first," he said pointing. As she looked down, he gave his car the gas.

Laughing, she kicked Sergeant into a run back towards home, determined to win this race but more determined to make Lucas Bouchard the happiest man alive.

The man she adored loved her in return. And for today, that was all that mattered.

THE END