Chapter 25 – A Plan in Motion
The last few days have been a whirlwind for Lee and Rosemary, their first Christmas with Patrick, finding out they are having a baby, attending the Christmas Festival and Concert, and most importantly, spending time with family and friends. Neither of them could remember a better holiday. While everyone is sitting and relaxing, Lee suggests, "Would anyone be up to trying out a little snowshoeing? Now that we actually have enough snow, I can finally take Patrick."
Jake responds, "That sounds like fun. Pat, are you in?" Pat nods in agreement.
"I think I'll pass this time, honey. You should see if Nathan and Jack want to go," suggests Rosemary.
"Good idea. I will," remarks Lee.
Lee goes to Elizabeth's where Allie opens the door, saying, "Hello, Mister Coulter. Come on in." He walks in, seeing Nathan and Elizabeth talking at the table.
"Good morning. What are your plans today? Patrick, Jake, Pat, and I are going to try out a little snowshoeing. Nathan, do you and Jack want to come with us?"
Nathan looks over at Elizabeth, seeing if she is open to the idea of Jack snowshoeing. She smiles, so he takes it as she is okay with the idea. Nathan questions Jack, "Do you want to go snowshoeing with the guys?"
Jack's face lights up, and he yells, "Yes!"
Nathan laughs, answering, "Yes, I think we will join you. Do you have enough pairs for Jake and Pat?"
"Actually, I am hoping you might have some extra ones."
Nathan offers, "I do have some at the jail. I can go get them."
"Thanks, Nathan."
Elizabeth inquires, "What are Rosemary, Susannah, and Catherine doing?"
"I don't know. I'm sure you and Allie can join them," offers Lee. He claps his hands together, asking, "How about we meet at my house in an hour?" Elizabeth and Nathan acknowledge, and Lee goes back home to tell everyone the plan. He helps Patrick bundle up while Jake and Pat layer up as much as they can. The four of them are coming down the stairs when there is a loud knock at the door. Patrick excitedly runs over and opens the door for Elizabeth, Nathan, Jack, and Allie.
Patrick yells, "Jack, we are going snowshoeing. I am so excited!" Jack and Patrick jump up and down, cheering.
Rosemary inquires, "Are you going to carry Jack, Nathan? I don't think he can walk very far."
"I'm hoping to carry him on my back. I have an idea, but I am not quite sure if it will work," remarks Nathan. Nathan tells his plan to Rosemary, and she finds some old fabric to use as support for underneath Jack and then goes over Nathan's shoulders. Then she wraps more material around Jack and Nathan and ties the ends in front. Jack and Nathan seem to be comfortable enough, so Rosemary deems it a success.
Rosemary hugs Patrick, telling him, "Be a good boy and listen to Papa. I don't want you getting lost again."
"Yes, ma'am," answers Patrick.
She kisses Lee, whispering, "Please be careful. I want you both back in one piece." Lee chuckles. "Don't you chuckle at me, Lee Coulter. I am serious."
"Yes, dear."
Rosemary whispers one more thing in his ear, "We will miss you." They both chuckle, and Lee gathers his things. The guys finally leave, and Rosemary remarks, "Now, we can have some fun, ladies." Elizabeth and Susannah give her a smirk and laugh. Rosemary smirks back, suggesting, "We can play some games, listen to some music, and eat some snacks. I am thinking charades, maybe sculptor, or maybe some cards. Any other ideas?"
"Let's play charades first," Elizabeth replies. Rosemary raises her arms in excitement. Rosemary, Allie, and Catherine sit on the settee, and Elizabeth and Susannah sit in the chairs. Elizabeth asks, "Who wants to go first? Allie?"
Allie gets up, acting out what looks to be someone holding something and lowering it over and over again. Rosemary guesses rope, Elizabeth guesses throwing, and Catherine surprisingly yells out fishing. Allie stops, saying, "Yes, you got it."
Catherine jumps up and acts out what looks like someone sitting down slowly moving something in a straight line.
Rosemary gasps, shouting, "Sewing!"
"That's right, Aunt Rosemary."
The guys are having fun snowshoeing in the woods. Lee cannot remember the last time they had gotten this much snow. They find a place out in the sun with a couple of logs and rocks they can all sit on. Patrick plops down right beside Lee, trying to get warm. He whines, "I'm tired and cold, Papa. Can we go home?" Lee takes his bag off his back, looking to see what Rosemary snuck in when he wasn't looking. He laughs when he sees the thermoses, finger sandwiches, and peanut butter cookies. Lee opens the first thermos, which has hot chocolate inside. He pours Patrick some and tells him to drink. Lee opens the other thermos, and inside is piping hot coffee. He pours himself a cup and passes out the rest to Nathan and Jake. Lee then passes Jack and Pat some hot chocolate and then hands out a sandwich and cookie to each person, keeping one for himself.
Jake mentions, "You struck it rich with Rosemary, Lee. I love your sister very much, and she is a great wife and mother, but I don't think Susannah would ever think this far ahead and know to pack us food and warm drinks."
"I did, Jake. Some days I pinch myself wondering how I was able to find such an amazing woman who would want to put up with me." Lee grins, inquiring, "Are you feeling warmer, Patrick?"
"Yes, sir. What do you mean by Mama putting up with you?" Nathan and Jake laugh, listening for the answer.
Lee thinks about it for a moment, mentioning, "I just mean Mama loves me even when I do silly stuff. Remember when I went to Union City right before your adoption celebration, and I almost didn't make it home in time?" Patrick nods. "Looking back at it now, I know I was silly, and it worried you and Mama a lot."
"Mama was very sad and worried when you didn't come home that night. She slept on the settee in my room."
Patrick innocently asks, "Does she love me even when I do silly things?"
"Of course, we both do. Nothing you could ever do would change how much we love you." Patrick giggles. Nathan is impressed with how easy parenthood has come for the Coulters. He remembers being lost with how to handle Allie in certain situations, and he still does sometimes. Nathan hopes Allie thinks of him as a good father, and one day maybe Jack will look at him the way Patrick looks at Lee. Lee questions, "Should we head back?"
"Should we keep playing charades or try sculptor?" questions Rosemary.
"What is sculptor?" inquires Allie.
Rosemary explains, "The sculptor's job is to place players in odd positions to try and get you to laugh or move. And whoever moves first becomes the sculptor. Here is an example." Rosemary moves one of Allie's arms up over her head and then makes her hold her foot with the other hand. Allie immediately giggles.
"Missus Coulter. Of course, people will laugh if you put them in odd positions."
"That is the fun of it, Allie. Trying to hold your laughter while keeping the position. So, what do you all want to do?"
"I'll give sculptor a try. Rosemary, why don't you go first since you've played before," responds Elizabeth. Rosemary motions her arm out in front of her, signaling she agrees.
Rosemary giddily encourages all the ladies to stand up and spread out a little. First, she moves Elizabeth's left hand on her left hip, puts her right arm around her head, and then nudges her legs to get her to balance on one foot. Elizabeth tries her best to stay still, but she can't stop herself from giggling. Rosemary giggles back when Elizabeth walks past her with a smirk on her face. Elizabeth starts with Allie. She moves her arms above her head with her hands pressed together. Elizabeth then raises Allie's left leg, putting her left foot on her right leg below the knee. Next, she positions Susannah and Catherine in an awkward pose together. Elizabeth walks up to a grinning Rosemary. She takes a moment to think of a clever way to get Rosemary to break. Elizabeth pokes her right leg to get her to balance on her right foot. Then, she places Rosemary's left arm out front with her palm facing up and her right arm behind her back. Elizabeth watches to see if Rosemary flinches even the slightest. When she doesn't, Elizabeth walks over to get a candlestick and brand-new candle. Elizabeth sets it on Rosemary's open palm, making sure it doesn't fall. She watches for any changes in Rosemary's facial expression and nothing. The only thing Elizabeth can think to do is walk towards the front door, pretending to leave them in those ridiculous poses. As Elizabeth is walking away, a wave of nausea suddenly hits Rosemary. She is determined not to lose, so Rosemary forces herself to hold on as long as possible. Catherine watches Rosemary closely and can tell by her eyes she is getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Catherine tries to hold in her laughter but can't when Elizabeth opens the front door.
Rosemary is relieved she can sit down and immediately slumps onto the piano bench and puts the candle next to her. She rubs her tired arms, mumbling under her breath, "Thank goodness." Rosemary accidentally knocks over the candle, and it falls loudly on the floor. She laughs, saying, "I was trying hard not to move, Elizabeth. It took all my will to stay still and not laugh." Everyone burst into laughter when the guys come marching in the door.
Lee questions, "What's so funny?"
Rosemary answers, "Never you mind. It's just girl fun." She kisses him quickly, asking, "Where's my precious little boy?"
"Our little boy? Uh. He got tired halfway there. I told him to walk back home by himself."
Rosemary hits Lee on the arm. "You better be kidding." Just then, Patrick comes running into Rosemary.
Patrick says, "Hi Mama. We had so much fun. Thank you for the cookies and hot chocolate." Rosemary kisses him on the cheek. She helps him with his coat and gloves, feeling how cold his fingers are."
"Lee, his fingers are frozen. You shouldn't have stayed out there so long." Rosemary rolls her eyes at Lee, taking Patrick upstairs. "Let's get you all warm, bud."
"Yes, ma'am."
Rosemary helps Patrick get out of his cold, wet clothes and into some dry ones. She inquires, "Are you warmer now?"
"A little," replies Patrick.
"How about you go sit by the fire? You and Jack can play with your Lincoln logs." Patrick acknowledges. They come back downstairs, and all the guys are sitting by the fire, trying to get warm. Rosemary prepares some hot beverages and brings the tray over to the coffee table.
Patrick shouts, "Yummy, hot chocolate!" Rosemary grabs her peppermint tea and sits on the settee. "Mama, can you read us a book?"
"Which one?" asks Rosemary.
"Ozma of Oz?"
"Do you, Allie, and Jack want to go to my room? We won't disturb anyone."
"No, Mama. Can you read to us all down here?"
"Why? I don't think they all want to hear me act silly, Patrick."
"Please?" Lee and Elizabeth nod, so Rosemary decides to go ahead and read for the whole group. Rosemary moves the chair to the center of the room and sits down. Patrick makes himself comfortable sitting on Lee's lap while Jack sits with Nathan. Rosemary begins reading the first chapter. The adults are all surprised how much they enjoy listening to Rosemary read all the different voices. They can tell she is in her element and really enjoys reading out loud, especially to her son.
After about an hour, she suggests to Patrick, "How about I finish this chapter, and we can read some more later?"
"Yes, ma'am." Rosemary spends the next fifteen minutes finishing up the chapter, ending in a good spot. Patrick runs up to Rosemary, giving her a hug. "Thanks, Mama!"
Rosemary ruffles his hair, saying, "It's always my pleasure to read to you, Patrick. Love you."
"Love you," Patrick replies as he runs back over to Lee. Rosemary moves the chair back and makes herself comfy on the settee.
Susannah inquires, "Leland, can you put on some Christmas music?"
"Of course." Lee changes the record, and Ava Maria begins to play. Rosemary motions for Lee to join her, so he brings over a blanket and covers Rosemary up. Lee sits down beside her, wrapping his arm around her. She lays her head on his chest and quietly sings along with Ava Maria. Rosemary is more than content in her husband's arms, watching her friends and family having a good time. Lee whispers, "I always love watching you read stories to Patrick. You come alive, and it is fun to watch." Rosemary grins and puts her head back down.
The next day, Susannah and her family are leaving to go back to Bellingham. The train is running again now, and the tracks have been cleared. Lee and Rosemary are both pleased with how well the trip ended up being. They all got along, and it didn't feel too cramped in the rowhouse with six adults and one child. They will both miss the company, but they will be glad to have their house back. Rosemary reminds Lee to grab the gifts from their trip. Lee clears his throat, announcing, "Before we forget, we have some gifts we picked up for you on our cruise. Open them when you get back to Bellingham."
"Leland, you didn't need to get us anything," remarks Susannah.
"I know we didn't, but Rosemary always found the perfect gifts, and I couldn't say no." Rosemary giggles, handing the gifts to Susannah.
Susannah responds, "Thank you, Rosemary, Leland. Our train leaves in about two hours, and we need to finish packing up."
Lee, Jake, and Pat load up the car, and the seven of them head to the train station. Everyone hugs and says their goodbyes. Susannah hugs her brother one more time, stating, "Thanks for having us, Lee. I hope we didn't overstay our welcome."
Lee responds, "I am delighted we spent this Christmas together after way too many years apart. Hopefully, this is the start of us spending much more time together as a family." Lee thinks to himself, "Now it is more important than ever with their little bundle of joy coming this summer." They hug one more time, and Susannah joins Jake, Pat, and Catherine boarding the train. Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick watch until the train leaves the station. Lee takes Rosemary and Patrick's hands, and they walk out to their car. He proudly states, "We survived, Rosie."
"We more than survived, honey. I think it turned out to be really fun. Don't you agree?"
Lee kisses her tenderly, agreeing, "You are right."
"Of course, I am," remarks Rosemary. The three of them get in the car and drive back to town. When they get home, Rosemary gets busy cleaning Patrick's bedroom, doing some laundry, and hanging the sheets up to dry near the fire. By the time 8:00 pm comes around, Rosemary is exhausted. She finally sits on the settee to relax and curls up under a blanket. Lee and Patrick join her with a book.
Patrick questions, "Mama, can you read more of Ozma of Oz?"
"Of course, Patrick. But I don't think I will last too long. I am sleepy." Patrick climbs in between them, and Rosemary reads the next couple of chapters.
Lee suggests, "I think it is bedtime for us all," when Rosemary starts yawning. Rosemary sleepily nods. "Come on, Patrick. We will tuck you in."
Patrick sadly says, "Yes, sir." Lee turns out the lights downstairs, and they all go up to Patrick's room. He gets under the covers, and Lee and Rosemary kiss him on the forehead. Patrick sleepily speaks, "I love you to the moon and back!"
"We love you more than all the stars in the sky," Rosemary responds, tapping his nose.
"Love you, buddy," remarks Lee. Lee and Rosemary walk across the hall, change into their nightclothes and slip into their bed. Before Lee turns around to kiss her goodnight, she is already fast asleep.
The following day, Rosemary finally has the time to focus on all the details for Elizabeth's proposal. She came up with some basic ideas on what she thinks is perfect, but she wants to run them by Nathan and Allie. She yells up to Patrick, "Do you want to go into town?"
"Sure, Mama. I will be right down," Patrick yells back. "Can we go see Papa?"
"Yes, we can see if he is busy." They go straight to Lee's office and find Lee diligently working at his desk.
Patrick runs and jumps in Lee's arms, yelling, "Hi Papa. Do you have to work all day today?"
Rosemary chimes in, "He's right. Do you have to work all day? Can't you close the mill until after the new year?"
"I would love to, but I have a few customers who are relying on me to fulfill some orders. Besides, I already closed the mill for most of the time Susannah was here." He sees Rosemary frown, inquiring, "Is there a particular reason why? Aren't you going to be at Dottie's?"
Rosemary replies, "No particular reason. You are right. I do need to go in and work on some orders. I just thought we could spend some more family time together."
"How about if I just work half days for the next week? Will that make you happy."
Rosemary pats his cheek, saying, "I love you, Lee Coulter."
"Not as much as I love you." Lee clears his throat. "Okay, okay, I need to get some work done if you want me home by 3:00 pm."
"Thanks, Lee. Do you mind if Patrick stays here while I run a few errands?" Rosemary questions.
"No, I don't mind. Patrick, you should have a new pile of paper over there for you." A couple of weeks before Christmas, Lee created a space for Patrick in the back corner. He gave him a little desk and chair and provided him with paper and pencils to entertain himself.
Patrick remarks, "Thanks, Papa," and runs over to his desk. Rosemary chuckles, telling Patrick she will be back in a little bit. She saunters over to the jail, looking for Nathan.
Nathan looks up from his paperwork with concern on his face. He inquires, "Did something happen, Rosemary?"
"Oh, no. Sorry. I was hoping to meet at your house after lunch? Will Allie be there?"
"Yes, how about 1:00 pm? Rosemary is overjoyed, but then she has to figure out what to do with Patrick. She knows she can't expect him to keep such a secret. Rosemary walks back over to Lee's office and isn't paying attention. She hears her name and looks up to see Lucas's car coming right at her. Rosemary runs to the boardwalk, instinctively protecting her unborn child. Lucas slams on his breaks, stopping just past Rosemary.
He jumps out of the car, asking, "Are you okay, Rosemary? I'm so sorry."
Rosemary wants to yell at Lucas for not watching where he is going, but she knows she wasn't paying attention either. Rosemary slowly sits down on the boardwalk, coming to terms with what just happened. At that moment, she realizes she needs to be much more careful if she wants this baby to grow big and strong. Rosemary slowly removes the hand she hadn't noticed was resting on her belly. Rosemary speaks, "I am fine, Lucas. I should have looked down the street before I walked across." Lucas helps her get up.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look pale."
Rosemary bites her lip, stating, "I'm fine. It just caught me off guard. I am sorry to scare you." She excuses herself, walking the last bit to Lee's office. Rosemary puts on her everything is perfect face and walks in the door. "I'm back. Did you miss me?" Patrick senses Rosemary is unsettled, so he comes over to give her a big hug. "Thanks, bud. I am not complaining, but why did I deserve such a thoughtful gesture?"
"I thought you could use a hug, Mama." Rosemary hugs him again, kissing him on the top of his head.
"Are you ready to go home, Patrick?"
"Awe. I want to stay here with Papa. Papa, can I stay with you?"
Lee responds, "I have lots of work to do. You can stay if you keep yourself busy over in your corner."
"Yes, sir. I will."
Rosemary opens her arms, stating, "Okay, come here." She hugs Patrick and messes with his hair. I'll see you two later." She walks over to Lee, kissing him and walking out the door.
Rosemary busies herself with doing a little cleaning and sketching. She needs to work on a few orders, which came in before Christmas. Suddenly, Rosemary feels a wave of nausea coming on. She goes upstairs to munch on a few crackers, which helps settle her stomach. Rosemary thinks to herself, "I should have eaten breakfast this morning. This is all I need…for people getting suspicious." She hopes Lucas didn't notice her cradling her stomach earlier. More importantly, she hopes it doesn't come back when she's at Nathan and Allie's house, or even worse, out in public. Rosemary makes herself a cheese sandwich and looks for something else. She rummages through the icebox when she sees a jar of pickles. Rosemary grabs a couple, sits down, and enjoys the sandwich and juicy, sour pickles. She licks her lips, getting the last of the savory taste when she notices it's time to go to Nathan's. Rosemary walks over there and knocks. Allie happily opens the door, pulling her inside.
"Missus Coulter, thank you for coming," remarks Allie. Rosemary makes herself at home at their kitchen table, opening her planning notebook.
"You know, I am not sure if this snow is going to melt. A picnic might just be out of the question."
Allie suggests, "What about the hunting cabin? The one where you found us after I scared Robert, Harper, and Opal."
Nathan responds, "Allie, that cabin is pretty run down. It doesn't exactly speak romantic picnic."
"Leave it to me. I will handle everything along with providing the food and the ambiance," remarks Rosemary.
"Ambiance?"
Rosemary frowns, adding, "You know what I mean."
Nathan mentions, "I can't ask you to work on the cabin in addition to everything else."
"You didn't ask me. I volunteered. Nathan, she is my dearest friend, and I want this day to be a day she remembers for the rest of her life. And if I can help make the day special in any way, then I will move heaven and earth to do so." Nathan smiles. "Now, for the meal. I am thinking beef stew with homemade bread and molasses cookies for dessert. I'll provide a bottle of wine and a victrola with a couple of records. I can bring some flowers if you would like." Rosemary puts her hand on her chest, saying, "Oh goodness, it's going to be so romantic." She puts her pen down, turning serious, "Have you come up with your plan on how to get her there? This whole day depends on getting her out of the house."
Nathan reveals, "The plan is to knock on her door around noon with Newton and Sergeant, inviting her to spend the day with me. Would you be able to watch Jack all day? I think it will be better to stay at the cabin and play music there. You could bring Allie and Jack out there, and we can have some family music time."
"Do you want me to come back and get them? That way, you can spend more alone time together," questions Rosemary. She jots some notes down and then inquires, "What will you do between the time you get back to town and the start of the dance?"
"I was going to suggest we both go home and get ready for the dance, offering for Allie and me to pick her and Jack up."
"Maybe I can convince Lee to drive you into town," offers Rosemary. Nathan smiles. "I think I heard Lucas mention he was going to have some kind of kid's corner to entertain the children. Lee and I would be happy to keep an eye on Jack. I'm sure he will love following Patrick around."
"Thanks, Rosemary. There is one more thing I would like to ask you. Could you bring Jack and Allie to the dock? I want them to be there just after I pop the question? The plan is not to propose too late because I want Jack to be there and in a good mood. Maybe you can hide in the church, so the kids aren't freezing while waiting for us."
"Nathan, I think everything is just perfect. Allie and Jack can come home with me after the proposal, and you can pick them up whenever."
"Uncle Nathan, would it be okay if I came back to the dance to be with my friends. We wanted to see the fireworks together." Nathan and Rosemary nod.
Rosemary remarks, "Jack will be well taken care of the whole day, so don't you worry. In the morning, Patrick and I will invite Jack to spend the whole day with us. So, nothing will stop her from enjoying her special day."
"I cannot thank you enough, Rosemary."
"My pleasure!"
Lee answers the phone on the first ring. He is hoping it is Mister Perez, the mayor of Red Deer. The City of Red Deer is expanding and requires lots of lumber to build new city buildings and homes throughout the growing town. Lee speaks, "Hello, Mister Perez. I hoped I'd hear from you." Lee gets right to business, asking him what he wants and telling him what he can offer. After a few minutes, Patrick whispers loudly, "Papa, Papa."
Lee covers up the mouthpiece, whispering back, "Can you hold on, buddy? This phone call could be the start of something really great for us."
"Okay, Papa," responds Patrick. Lee continues with his conversation. Five minutes later, Patrick walks up to Lee, mouthing the words, "Papa, I am bored."
Lee puts his finger over his mouth, softly saying, "Ssshhh." He points over to Patrick's corner, and Patrick sulks back to his desk slowly. Lee tries his best to get off the phone, but the man asks more and more questions. He walks over to the filing cabinet around the time Patrick decides he is going to explore. Patrick opens a drawer in Hickam's old desk and takes out some files, a bottle with black ink, an ink pad, and an L. Coulter Enterprises wooden stamp. Patrick opens up the ink pad and dabs the stamp into the ink, pressing it on the paper he had been drawing on. The logo is barely visible, so Patrick opens up the ink bottle and pours some onto the ink pad. He lets it soak up, and Patrick tries again to stamp his paper, with L. Coulter Enterprises showing up perfectly this time around. Patrick scoots the ink pad, ink bottle, and wooden stamp over to the edge of his desk. He tries lifting up the file folders to get to some of the papers underneath. The file folders accidentally slip, knocking the ink bottle over, causing the ink to drip onto the floor along with some of the files. Patrick looks up, and Lee is still looking through his filing cabinet. He looks down at his mess and decides he wants to go home.
Patrick says, "Papa," again, which does get his attention.
Lee mouths, "Just a minute, Patrick, I am almost done." Patrick frowns but stays quiet. A few minutes later, Lee finally hangs up the phone, but before he can give his full attention to Patrick, the phone rings again. This time it's the railroad executive he had called earlier. Lee is deep in conversation, jotting notes down when Patrick doesn't want to wait anymore. He gets up on top of his chair and jumps up and down, trying to get Lee's attention. It wasn't until the chair breaks, and Patrick falls to the floor, that Lee looks up and tells the executive, "I have to go. I have a little emergency. Can I call you tomorrow?" Lee quickly hangs up the phone and runs over to Patrick, asking, "Are you okay, Patrick? What were you doing?"
Lee helps Patrick get up and checks to see if he is hurt. Patrick starts laughing. He responds, "I am fine, Papa. I am not hurt."
"Why were you jumping on the chair?"
"I was bored and wanted to go home. And you wouldn't get off the phone." Lee finally sees the mess Patrick made. He had ink all over his hands. There were files on the floor with ink all over them, and L. Coulter Enterprises stamps all over Patrick's desk and now broken chair. Also, on the desk were scattered papers and files Patrick had stamped. Lee notices the old contracts, picking one up and realizing Patrick had stamped each and every page. He looks again and realizes these are the contracts he had been looking for the last few months. Lee looks at Patrick in pure exasperation and bends down to start picking everything up.
"Patrick, where did you find all this stuff?"
He points to Hickam's old desk, answering, "It was in there. I was trying to find something to do."
Lee looks at his son, questioning, "What were you thinking, getting into things you are not supposed to and creating a big mess. That is not like you."
"I'm sorry, Papa. I didn't mean to make a mess. I didn't know what else to do."
"Come here, Patrick." Lee gets down to his level, hugging him. "You know better than that. You always ask before you use something that is not yours."
"Yes, sir. I am sorry, Papa. You were on the phone for so long, and I really wanted to get your attention."
"I am sorry too, buddy. I should have paid better attention to you. Will you forgive me?"
Patrick hugs Lee, saying, "Yes, sir. And, I promise to never do anything like that again." Patrick pauses a moment before asking, "How much longer do you have to work? I want to go home."
Lee looks over at the mess again with a frown, deciding he doesn't want to deal with this now. He messes with Patrick's hair and agrees, "I want to go home, too."
Patrick shouts, "Yes!"
Lee laughs, mentioning, "Let me get my stuff together, and we can go." A few minutes later, they lock up the office for the day and drive home. They pull up to the front of their house, and Lee stops Patrick. "Can I see your hands? How much ink is still on you?" Lee inspects Patrick's hands and then notices he has some ink on his too. He clears his throat, "Why don't you run upstairs and see if you can get any more of the ink off while I talk to Mama?"
"Okay, Papa." Lee and Patrick are surprised when they open the front door, and Rosemary greets them with a nervous smile. Patrick yells, "Hi, Mama, as he runs upstairs." Rosemary laughs and gives Lee a kiss.
Lee steps back, looking at her before questioning, "What did you do, Rosie?"
"What makes you think I did something?"
"I know that look, sweetheart."
It takes a couple of tries, but Rosemary gets out, "I might have volunteered us to fix up a hunting cabin by Monday."
"You might have volunteered us to fix up a hunting cabin? What do you mean?"
"I am sorry. I got caught up in the moment. Can I drive you somewhere?"
Lee rolls his eyes, "Sure." He calls down Patrick, telling him they are going for a ride. Rosemary drives them to the old hunting cabin, which probably hasn't been used in years. When they get there, Rosemary guides Lee and Patrick towards the front door.
Patrick asks, "Can I stay out here?"
Lee responds, "Yes, as long as you stay on this porch."
"Yes, sir."
Rosemary and Lee go inside, and she hesitantly speaks, "You and I need to make it presentable enough for a romantic dinner between two people."
"Rosemary, why would you do this?"
"I am helping Nathan and Allie plan a proposal for New Year's Eve. It's too cold, and there is too much snow to have a picnic outside, so Allie suggested this cabin. I just blurted out we would take care of this. What was I supposed to do, Lee? There really is no other place. The church, the jail, Abigail's, and the saloon all represent her past with Jack or Lucas. This day needs to be just about them and their relationship."
"Come here, sweetheart." He wraps his arms around her waist. "I love how you always want to make things special for your friends."
"There might be a little more involvement I need from you, but it's only helping me with the kids and providing transportation." She scrunches her face up, hoping he won't get mad.
Lee grunts, "Rosie." He pauses for a moment, mentioning, "This is fine. Elizabeth deserves to be happy, and I would be honored to help."
Rosemary makes sure Patrick is still on the porch before bringing Lee in close, wrapping her arms around his waist. She kisses him and looks down at her feet, gathering the courage to tell him what happened earlier. Rosemary whispers, revealing, "I have one more thing to tell you. This morning, after I talked to Nathan, I wasn't paying attention when I crossed the road and almost got hit."
"Rosie, sweetheart, why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"I didn't want to tell you in front of Patrick. Everything is fine, Lee. It was my fault. I should have paid better attention." Rosemary rubs his chin. "It made me realize it is not just about me anymore. It is about this baby, and I need to be extra careful until he or she is born." Rosemary embraces Lee, holding him until Patrick comes in the door. "So, what do you think, boys? Can we fix this up in two and a half days?"
Lee responds, "Um…sure."
"It mostly needs a good cleaning. There are a few floorboards over there that need to be fixed, and we need to see if the stove still works. We probably need a better table because this one looks like it will fall over any minute. What else do you see?" asks Rosemary.
Lee responds, "I guess this is not too bad. Those floorboards should be easy, and it looks like we need to replace the back window."
"What is this cabin for?" inquires Patrick.
"Oh, it is just a hunting cabin people use sometimes. Papa and I are going to fix it up so more people can enjoy," reveals Rosemary. She takes Lee's hand, and as the three of them walk outside, she notices the black spots all over his hands. Rosemary giggles, grabbing his other hand, asking, "What happened, honey?"
"Oh, it's a long story. Patrick, show her your hands." Patrick proudly shows his ink spots, and they all chuckle. Lee walks over to the water pump, tests it out, and clean freshwater comes gushing out. They get in the car, and as they are driving off, an unexpected downpour hits the cabin and surrounding areas. Suddenly they hear a loud sound. When they look back, they see a tree limb crashing through part of the roof. The heavy rain must have provided enough extra weight to the already feeble branches from the Christmas snow, causing it to break and fall.