Lucas tried to put the situation with Elizabeth out of his mind, instead choosing to focus on all that he needed to catch up on since leaving town. Specifically, he was concerned with how he would manage integrating an entirely new business into his already busy life. This conundrum had been a large part of what had troubled him when he and Elizabeth had been traveling home on the train from Hamilton, and it overwhelmed him every time he considered it. How on earth was he going to handle managing three businesses, get married and start a family? He would seek to solve this problem when he reached his office at 'the Queen.'
Regarding his partnership with Henry, since the two men now had an equal stake, they would naturally split the profits - but that meant they would also absorb the liabilities associated with the venture. And, given his past dealings with his friend Henry, it was natural that the thought of this would cause Lucas to worry. However, since he now found himself in the transportation business, an industry that naturally would be a heavy consumer of petroleum products, his involvement in Gowen Petroleum wasn't something he was willing to relinquish. So he came up with a plan.
The first item on his agenda for the day was setting up a meeting with Henry Gowen to propose some restructuring ideas that could benefit Gowen Petroleum and Northwest Trucking. The plan would have the added benefit of freeing up his schedule, so he had time actually to live a life and not just run businesses. As often happened, however, Lucas's plans were diverted when more pressing needs arose.
"Lucas Bouchard! I've been looking for you all over!" the pretty blonde with the Irish accent said, grasping Lucas by his arm the moment he walked through the door.
"Good morning, Emily. Is something wrong?"
"Nathan's leaving! Today! In just a few hours!" she said franticly.
Lucas began walking toward his office, motioning for her to follow. "I heard about that. I'm very sorry. Is there something you wanted me to do?"
"Well, you have to stop him!" she said, keeping pace as they moved across the dining room floor.
"I have to? Nathan's not going to listen to me," he responded, opening his office door.
"No, but headquarters might," she said, following him inside.
Lucas took a seat at his desk. "Emily, I'm not a Mountie. I have no influence with Mountie headquarters."
"No, but you are from Montreal, and your family is well connected. Your father, he's a powerful man, no?"
"Perhaps…he has some influence," he equivocated.
"Then call him!" she said, placing both hands palms down on top of his desk. "Lucas, this is Nathan! I came all this way to be with him, and he just can't leave! But, if you won't do it for us, then do it for Allie,"
He looked up at her with concern, and Emily knew she'd struck a chord.
"Lucas, you should have seen her face. She's moved around all of her life, and Hope Valley is the one place in her life she's been able to call home. It's the place where she finally made friends, and now, she has to leave them. If you could have only seen her eyes and the sadness therein."
Lucas knew what she was trying to do, but even still, the words rang true. He didn't have to see her eyes; he'd peered through them. He'd beheld disappearing landscapes and experienced the same sense of loss that Allie was feeling now – being forced by his father's work to exchange a normal childhood for a life on the move, traveling through ports of entry, living in rented chateaus, and never staying in one place long enough to call any place 'home'. It was a terrible and lonely existence, and it was the last thing he would want for Allie or any other child.
"Okay. I'll do it," he responded. "Besides, I do owe Nathan a lot for coming back and getting me, and Allie deserves to be able to live where she has friends…and, perhaps…future family?" he grinned.
Emily blushed. "Just make the call, Lucas. Everything else, in its time."
He nodded and phoned his father.
Joseph Canfield pulled up in front of the Grants rowhouse at precisely nine-thirty, ready to transport father and daughter to the Stagecoach office where they would say goodbye to Hope Valley. Both Nathan and Allie were very somber as they carried bags full of necessities and placed them in the truck bed. Nathan had rearranged the furniture in the house to where it would be easy to move as soon as he was confident that they were staying in Montreal, but brought none of it along in the hope that they weren't.
"Need help with anything else?" Joseph asked, standing at Grant's front door as Nathan did a visual sweep of the house and Allie made one more trip back to her bedroom.
"I think that's it," Nathan replied. "We sure are going to miss it here."
"Hope Valley's going to miss you," Canfield said. "You and I didn't get to interact as much as I would have liked, but I've watched you and Allie and have to say that the two of you really made your mark on this community. It's not going to be the same without you."
Nathan smiled a wistful smile. "Yeah, well, this community has meant far more to us than I can even say. I just hope this move is temporary."
"I hope so too," Joseph said. "I can pray to that end."
"I'd appreciate that, pastor," Nathan replied. He turned towards his daughter's room. "Allie, you about ready to go?"
"Almost ready." He heard her call from her bedroom. A few seconds later, she appeared, a scrap of fabric in her hands that she intended to turn into a hair bow.
"What's that?" Nathan asked.
"It's from the curtains in my room." She said. "A souvenir of the first place since my mother died that I really felt was home."
Nathan looked at her sadly then patted her on the back. "Well, we'd better be going if we want to have time for breakfast with Emily at Abigail's."
Allie nodded and they were on their way.
Back at the school, Elizabeth's mind was on everything but teaching the children. She felt so distracted by how she and Lucas left things that she decided to call on Minnie to work with the students early, freeing herself to go into town and talk with Rosemary. Deep inside, Elizabeth knew she carried emotional scars from both Jack's death and Lucas's injuries and always would. She hoped that airing things out with her friend, who always seemed to know precisely the right thing to say, would keep her from becoming overly emotional when speaking with Lucas. Plus, she just missed talking with her neighbor and wished to catch up.
Walking into the newspaper office, Elizabeth waited for Rosemary to finish speaking with an editor from Seattle about a heist that had happened there. The little newspaper office had grown so rapidly she wondered about her friend's capacity to be able to maintain it. But thoughts of business growth disappeared when Rosemary hung up the phone and clasped her hands in front of her face.
"Elizabeth Thornton! You are just the person I wanted to see!" she smiled. "Have I got some news for you!"
"News?" Elizabeth asked - a bit distracted as she wasn't coming to talk about anything besides the crisis at hand.
"Yes!" Rosemary said, reaching into her desk and passing her a photograph of a little boy around a year younger than Jack with sandy hair and a cheerful expression. "Meet Jonathan."
Elizabeth looked at the picture then raised her eyes, eager to hear the rest of the story. "Who's Jonathan?"
"Jonathan Lee Coulter- or he will be." the newspaper editor said. "Jonathan is my and Lee's son."
Elizabeth appeared even more confused until Rosemary explained that she and Lee were traveling to Brookfield that very day to sign adoption papers and pick him up from the orphanage.
"Oh, my goodness, Rosemary! That's wonderful!" Elizabeth said, throwing her arms around her friend in a hug. "And why didn't I know about this?"
"Well, you and Lucas have been so busy, and we weren't sure we were going to be able to get him until last night. We received the call we'd been waiting for, and everything's approved! Isn't it exciting, Elizabeth! Lee and I are going to have a son! Our boys are going to grow up together and be friends and play together - and I'm just so happy I could burst!"
"Oh, Rosemary! I am so thrilled for you and Lee." Elizabeth's eyes brimmed with happy tears.
"And, I believe you have news for me too?" Rosemary asked, assuming that she had stopped by to tell her about the engagement. "News about you and Lucas?"
Elizabeth swallowed, recalling they'd held off on telling the Coulters because they were leaving for Hamilton, and because Elizabeth was sure that Rosemary would want to throw a celebration. Little did she know that Rosemary already knew, having witnessed the proposal first hand.
"News about Lucas and me?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh, don't feign ignorance. Lee and I were there. We saw him propose!" Rosemary replied.
Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. "You did?!"
"Yes, we did, and let me tell you, Lee and I couldn't be happier for you both. I always knew he was the one for you, but of course, it had to be your decision; but, Elizabeth, you picked a good one, and so did he! That man has loved you practically since he arrived in Hope Valley, and I'm just so happy to see you two happy together. Have you come down from the clouds yet?"
"Unfortunately…," Elizabeth twisted her mouth to the side and raised her eyebrows. "… yes. With a thud."
"Oh?" Rosemary asked, concerned.
"Rosemary, we had our first fight," Elizabeth said, pouting. "That's what I came to talk to you about. I'm afraid I'm being too hard on him. I wanted to run the whole situation by you before I tried to make amends with him. I hate fighting with him. He looks so pitiful when he's upset. We've got to straighten this out."
Rosemary motioned over to the small sofa at the end of the room. "Well, come over here and sit, and we will just talk this through. We'll just see if Mr. Bouchard deserves what you're dishing out."
"Allie, try not to be sad around Emily. Even if things don't get reversed, she's coming to Montreal herself in a few months once her assignment is complete here. We'll get back together soon."
"Yeah. I know. I just wanted for us to live here. I really like her and, well, I was hoping - " Allie lowered her eyes.
"For what?" Nathan asked, wondering what was on the teenager's mind.
Allie looked up at him but figured it was too late now for her wishes to come true, at least near term. "Awe, never mind. It doesn't matter."
"Of course, it matters, Allie. What was it you were?... Emily!"
Nathan stood, being suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Emily at the café. The nurse dispensed with any salutations and got to her point with urgency.
"Nathan, you need to delay your trip!"
"Emily, I…"
"Lucas Bouchard called his father, per my request, to see if he had any connections with the Mountie commissioner in Montreal, and it turns out Peter knows him very well."
"Really?!" Allie said, grabbing excitedly onto Nathan's arm.
"Really!" Emily responded. "And, Lucas explained the situation to his father in detail. At this very moment, Peter Bouchard is in the process of tracking down the ship Fletcher Boyle is taking to England. He's going to wire him on board and ask him to reverse the order! Nathan, you get to stay in Hope Valley!"
"I'm so happy!" Allie said, throwing her arms around Emily's neck. She began to cry tears of joy.
Nathan wasn't so sure. "Emily. Hold on a minute. I appreciate what you're saying here; I mean, Bouchard's going to try. But, that doesn't mean at Boyle will go for it – and if I'm not there for duty for my first day, I could lose my job."
"Call them and tell them you won't be in the first day, that something came up," Emily said.
"I can't do that. You don't know how it is with the Mounties." Nathan said. "Unless it's an absolute emergency, there could be repercussions. I've already had a few reprimands on my record."
"This is an emergency!" Allie said. "Our whole future is tied up in this move! Please, dad. Call them! Pretty, pretty, pretty please?"
Nathan looked at Allie, who was batting her eyelashes at him, and then over at Emily, who immediately did the same. He shook his head. "Alright, you two. You win. I'll go over to the Mercantile and give it a shot."
"Yay!" Allie said, hopping up and down in her seat.
"I'm not guaranteed they'll say yes. And, if they say we have to go, we have to go." He added, looking at Allie. "Okay?"
"Okay! Oh, please say yes, please say yes," she said, crossing her fingers and silently praying as he exited the restaurant.
"So, what's this all about, Lucas?" Henry Gowen stated, sitting behind his desk at the business which bore his name.
"Just a moment, Henry. I wanted to wait until Fiona got here," Lucas said, just as Mike walked through the door.
"Oh, Fi's going to be late," Mike said. "She's coming back this morning from a class in Union City on how to operate her own business."
"A class on running a business?" Henry said. "Heck, I could've taught her that. Run a business. Maximize profits."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "She probably wanted instructions on how to run a business ethically, Henry."
Gowen looked up at his friend and noted a hint of mirth in his eyes. He grinned. "There you go again, Lucas, spoilin' all the fun."
"Yes, I'm apparently good for that." Lucas chuckled, taking a seat on the opposite end of the desk and opening a briefcase that he'd brought in with him. "Gentleman, I have a very important lunch date with the town's lovely school teacher at eleven, so, while I'd like to wait for Fiona, I can't. Mike, would you catch her up?"
"Sure. What's going on?"
"This." Lucas passed out a hand-written packet of papers to Henry and then to Mike.
After reading them for a few seconds, Henry looked up. "Northwest Trucking? Is that what you went to Hamilton for?"
"Not exactly," Lucas replied. "But that's something that came out of it."
"Oh. Fiona and I thought you left to ask Elizabeth's dad's blessing on marrying her." Mike said.
"That's what I heard too." Henry grinned.
"You did, did you?" Lucas asked, looking at his papers.
"So?" Henry said.
Lucas looked at Henry and shrugged.
Henry smacked him on the arm. "Did you get it or not?"
"Get what?" Lucas grinned.
"His blessing!" Mike said excitedly.
Lucas looked between the two men with an indiscernible expression, wanting to tell them his happy news but also wanting to stay true to his agreement with Elizabeth.
"I'm not here to discuss what happened in Hamilton. I'm here to discuss business."
Gowen rolled his eyes. "Ah, come on, Lucas!"
Lucas lowered his chin, and his dimples appeared. "I will say that I may be asking the two of you, particularly you, Henry, for your participation in an event sometime in the not too distant future."
Henry tilted his head, unsure if he understood what Lucas was inferring, but he didn't have time to inquire more as Mike was standing and patting him on the back with congratulations.
"That's just great news!" Hickham said. "Fi will be excited too."
"Really happy for you, Lucas," Henry said. "And, for Elizabeth."
"Well, thank you," Lucas said. "But let's say we table this particular conversation for now and return to business. Shall we?"
Inside the Mercantile, Nathan stood with the receiver placed next to his ear, trying to get through to the man who would be his supervisor or that man's assistant. He had already spent hours on the phone with headquarters attempting to change their plans but didn't have the heart to tell Allie or Emily that the answer was likely going to be no.
"Yeah, I'll wait," he said, looking around the store to see if there might be any treats he could purchase for Allie on their trip.
"I'll be back in a few minutes." Florence Yost said to her husband as she took a basket of groceries in hand and began to walk toward the door.
"Okay, honey," Ned replied. "And tell Gustave that I was able to order him that, um, medicinal agent he needed for his, uh…pet bird."
Nathan tilted his head with curiosity as Florence stood and thought.
"Oh, you mean the wine he needed for the coq au vin? Got it! I'll tell him," she said as she traipsed out the door.
Nathan chuckled, then straightened up when the operator came on the other line. "Yes, can I speak with Sergeant Blaker?"
"And that's when he told me to stay out of his business," Elizabeth said, with a sniffle, as she finished telling Rosemary about her experience on the train.
"He used those words?" Rosemary inquired.
"No. It was worse. He said I was butting into his business and appointing myself his hiring manager!"
"Well, that doesn't sound like Lucas. He must have been really upset." Rosemary responded.
"Are you taking his side?! He had no right to talk to me that way!." She said, taking a handkerchief to dab her eyes.
Rosemary patted her on the knee. "Elizabeth, I'm on both of your sides, and this talk is supposed to be so that I can understand and help you, isn't it?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"So, while I believe you that this is what he said, isn't there some truth to it? I mean, didn't you?" Rosemary asked.
"Didn't I what?"
"Didn't you 'butt into his business' by promising Cy a job? And didn't you make a managerial decision without so much as consulting Lucas?"
"I was only trying to help," Elizabeth said.
"I'm sure that's true, but think about it. Lucas is already responsible for the restaurant, the hotel, the oil company - now, he has this trucking company added in, a business which I'm sure he knows nothing about, and I'm sure he wants to please your father because that's just him..."
"So, he's got too much to do. That's why he needs me to step in."
"That may be so, but did he ask for your help?" Rosemary asked.
"No. Why would he need to ask for my help? I can see what he needs. He should be grateful."
Rosemary chuckled. "Like you were grateful when he sent your manuscript pages to his mother?"
"What do my manuscript pages have to do with anything?"
Rosemary smiled. "Elizabeth, if Lucas is going to run this new company, then he needs to be the one who makes decisions on what happens going forward since he is ultimately responsible for the health of the business. That includes who he wants working for him. You shouldn't just go hiring people like that without talking to him, just like he shouldn't have made career decisions for you concerning your manuscript without first discussing it with you. Now, it may work out okay in the end with Cy, but sweetie, Lucas is a smart man and has a lot to contemplate before he's going to be ready to hire anyone." She clasped her hands together. "And then, to top it all off, you two are getting married! So he's going to have a family to support and make time for. Whew! I can't imagine the stress Lucas is feeling right now."
"I guess I never thought of it like that."
"No, and because he has so much on his plate and his forte seems to be planning things out and making sure everything is just right, you need to allow him the opportunity to reach out and ask you for help, not just interject yourself like we women tend to do."
"So, you're saying I was butting in." Elizabeth sighed.
Rosemary nodded. "In this case, I'm afraid so."
"Oh, Rosemary, I was wrong, wasn't I? I was too hard on him for trying to get Cy down from the roof, and then I stuck my nose where it didn't belong in promising Cy a job."
"I don't think you were too hard on him over the train roof. Even if it was going slow, he could have easily fallen and reinjured himself. He has to appreciate that." Rosemary said. "But you also have to appreciate that he's got a lot on his mind he has to sort out to make it all work and give him space to do it. In a marriage, it often happens that he takes the lead, but that doesn't mean that he won't want you there helping him – and that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of times that he's there for you. That's just how it works."
Elizabeth nodded. "You're right, of course. I guess I need to apologize for stepping in where I shouldn't have. What time is it?"
"Five minutes until eleven," Rosemary replied, looking at her watch.
"Ten fifty-five?! Oh, goodness!" Elizabeth said, standing up. "I'm supposed to have lunch with Lucas in five minutes."
"Very well." Rosemary stood. "Just remember that relationships are a lot of give and take, and there will be times that you disagree."
"Oh, I know that. Jack and I would disagree all the time." Elizabeth said. "But we always worked it out."
"As will you and Lucas. Your love is solid. You two will be just fine." Rosemary responded.
"Nathan, can't you wait just a few minutes more? Lucas said he'd be back at the restaurant around eleven, and…."
"Emily, I told you, the sergeant wouldn't budge. I have to go. Look, the stagecoach is already here," Nathan said, trying to talk to the nurse and console a weeping Allie at the same time.
"But, it's just a few minutes. The coach is early. Surely he can wait." she cried.
Nathan looked at her sympathetically, as she hoped Lucas could pull off one of his magic tricks and help him to stay, but down deep, Nathan doubted it would happen. Still, he had to make an effort for Emily and for Allie. He turned to the stagecoach driver. "What'd you say? Can we wait a few minutes more?"
"Well, I am a little early. I don't suppose it would hurt."
"Ernest, would you tell Gustave that Florence is here with his delivery?" Mrs. Ned Yost stated, walking into the kitchen area at the Queen of the Valley.
"Certainly, ma'am," an older gentleman in a white kitchen dress uniform replied before going to the back of the kitchen and speaking to Lucas Bouchard's head chef. Gustave Pepin nodded his head and whispered something to a young apprentice who seemed a bit tense as he did three things at once. The chef then joined Florence, directing her to step out of the room.
"I'd like to check the order," Pepin said, "We must have ze right ingredients because I'm making something extra special for dinner tomorrow night."
"Oh, that sounds exciting," Florence replied. "What was that big pot in the back you and that young man were working with? The one with steam coming out of the top?"
"Ah. That was ze pressure cooker."
"Oh. I've heard of those." Florence remarked.
"Yes, a distant cousin of mine, Denis Papin, invented the appliance in the 1600s. Our family spelled its name differently, but we are related."
"How interesting," Florence replied. "I hear that it cooks food quickly and saves on gas?"
"Yes. That's correct. Right now, I'm cooking a beef stew. I was telling the young man, Fritz Devereaux, that he needed to keep a close eye on it so that things do not go awry."
"I see. What sorts of things could happen?" Florence asked.
Just then, the young man in the back alerted Pepin to an issue.
"Gustave, I need some help here," Fritz said. "The valve is stuck."
"Pardon?" Gustave said, moving back into the kitchen.
"It's not letting out steam as it should."
"Did you clean it?"
"I tried." The young man replied. Gustave looked at the pressure gauge, and his eyes grew wide.
"Everyone out of ze kitchen. Now! Everyone out!"
A flood of workers pushed past Florence, and Gustave took her by the arm, pulling her away from the door; then, they stood and watched.
"And that's my proposal," Lucas said by way of conclusion. "Henry, you, Fiona and Mike will run Gowen Petroleum in consultation with me as the co-majority owner on the board. I regain my majority share at fifty-one percent just until the second part of the deal is completed. Meanwhile, I'll provide free transportation for Gowen in exchange for free petroleum and gasoline for the trucking company. Then, once you have doubled our output, I will drop down to forty percent stake, and you can run the company as you wish so long as it stays within the bylaws which we will draft together."
Henry looked at the figures that Lucas had placed on the table. "That sounds like an interesting offer. But why give up your majority share?"
"Because, as both of you know, I know very little about the oil business, and I know even less than that about trucking. If I'm going to run that business, a restaurant, and have a family – adjustments will need to be made. I don't want to find myself in divorce court within months of being wed."
Henry smiled. "I can understand that…speaking of, did you remember your lunch date?"
Lucas reached for his pocket watch. "Oh, dear! I'm going to be late," he said. "I'll reach out to my attorney this afternoon to draft the papers?"
"It's a deal," Henry replied, shaking Lucas's hand.
"Time to go," the stagecoach driver said at precisely eleven o'clock.
"Please. Just a few more minutes." Emily begged as Nathan reached out to hold her before he needed to go.
"Ma'am, I have another stop to make out near Albert Falls. I really can't delay."
Emily began to cry, and Nathan took her in his arms. "Please don't do this." He said. "It's not like we're going to be apart forever. It'll be like when you were in Baltimore. We can still talk."
"But you and Allie belong here, Nathan. Here in Hope Valley!"
"And we'll get back here. I don't know when. Guess it depends on that order, but I will make my way back here – and we can pick up from where we left off."
"Oh, Nathan," Emily cried, hugging him tightly.
"Wait for me?" he said.
She looked at him with glistening eyes. "Of course, I will."
He smiled and then kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I love you, Emily."
Tears began to flow even more freely as she held him tight, sobbing into his chest. "Call me when you get there. The hotel will come and get me."
"I'll do that," Nathan replied. "Come on, Allie."
Allie couldn't speak for the ache that was within her heart. Instead, she waved through her tears and dutifully climbed aboard the coach, followed by her father, who shut the door.
"Be careful," Emily said, holding his hand as the coachman prepared to roll.
"I will be." He responded.
He leaned out the window and kissed her one more time.
"Oh, and Nathan…" she said. "I love you too."
Nathan swallowed hard, holding her hand until the coachman pulled away.
Lucas exited Gowen Petroleum and was immediately alerted to pandemonium outside of his hotel.
"What's going on, Ned?" he asked the Mercantile owner as he entered the infirmary.
"Explosion at the Queen! People are hurt!"
"Elizabeth!" Lucas said, rushing out to the street just as Fiona pulled up on her motorcycle, nearly running him over.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed.
Lucas jumped on the back of the bike. "Get me to the hotel!"
Without questioning why, Fiona took off down the street, slowing down just enough for Lucas to jump off in front of the hotel. However, he didn't wait for a complete stop. Bounding off of the motorcycle, he rushed into the building. Inside, all he could see was bloodied and panicked people running toward the exit.
At the same instant, Elizabeth was leaving Rosemary's office when she heard a commotion in the street.
"Dr. Carter! They're in here!" a man yelled, pointing toward the restaurant entrance.
"What happened?" Faith asked, following the man.
"Big explosion. Several are wounded; some look pretty bad."
"Lucas!" Elizabeth gasped, rushing out the door and toward the building before Rosemary could say a word.
Shattered glass crunched underneath the soles of his shoes as Lucas pushed through the crowd and made his way toward his office, where he and Elizabeth were to meet. Looking at the faces of the injured, he was happy to see that most wounds were minor, cuts and scrapes from flying debris. He could only hope that she wasn't present when the event occurred. Where are you, Elizabeth? He thought.
He stepped through his office door and, seeing Elizabeth wasn't there, turned to leave. Just then, Elizabeth came running from the opposite direction colliding with him in the doorway and knocking them both to the floor. His body cushioned her fall, and she instinctively threw her arms around him so that his head didn't hit the floor.
Stunned, the two lovers looked at each other with surprise, then Lucas pulled her to him, kissing her with such passion that for a moment, both of them forgot where they were. Finally, when they pulled apart, she looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"Lucas! I was so scared!" she breathed, her voice raspy with emotion. Lucas held her tight, running his hand through her soft tresses as he sat them up. "It's alright, darling. You're safe," he said, kissing the top of her head and holding her to his chest. "Don't cry."
Elizabeth pushed away. "Me? I was worried something happened to you! They said there had been an explosion, and people were seriously injured!"
"I wasn't even here. I was still down with Henry, and when I saw Ned run into the infirmary to get Faith, all I could think was getting to you. You're not injured?"
"I was with Rosemary," she responded. "Lucas, I talked with her, and she helped me to see some things. I really owe you an apology."
"Apology?" he said, looking perplexed. "Why would you need to apologize? I'm the one whose actions scared you, and then I acted like an inconsiderate bore by telling you to stay out of my business."
"But I was butting in," she said earnestly. "I stuck my nose where it didn't belong."
He smiled. "Never. Elizabeth, I value your opinion in every matter, be it personal or business. And that beautiful little nose of yours, it's welcome wherever I am. I apologize for making you feel like it wasn't. And as for Cy, I've learned my lesson. No more train roofs for me." He leaned in and looked at her intently, raising his eyebrows. "Next time, I'll just ask the Porter to shoot him down."
Elizabeth gasped, raising her hand to her mouth until Lucas winked. Then she burst out laughing.
"That's the smile I wanted to see." He said tenderly, his face beaming with happiness.
"I love you so much," she said, leaning in to kiss him fervently. He returned her passion. Finally, he pulled them apart.
"I have an idea! Let's get married!"
She giggled and pushed her hand against his chest. "I believe you've already suggested that."
"But that was just a general request. I'm asking you to marry me now or as soon as possible."
"Alright." She laughed. "You name the time and place, and I will be there."
"I'm serious." He said, scooting closer to her and taking her by the hands. He looked her in the eyes. "Elizabeth, you are the love of my life, and every moment we're apart is painful for me. I literally feel physical pain from being apart from you. I'm completely serious. But, when we're together, it's just the opposite. It's euphoric – and well, if I might be a little selfish for a moment, I don't want to feel that empty pain ever again, and so I would like for us to marry."
"Lucas, I don't want to be apart from you anymore either." She smiled. "Just tell me when."
"Next Saturday?" Lucas replied with a smile.
"Saturday? Why so long?" she smiled.
He tilted his head. "Well, as much as I'd like to go find Bill or Joseph and marry you now, it wouldn't be a Lucas Bouchard wedding if there weren't a little planning. That will give me time to go to Union City and get a new tuxedo, and Henry can go with me."
"Henry's going to be your best man? I love that!"
"Yes. I don't know why I like him so much, but I do. I'd like Mike and Angela to do our music if that's okay."
She smiled. "Of course."
"Oh, and you'll have time to get your dress and arrange for whatever you need to as well."
"And our parents will have time to get on a train and join us?"
"Precisely!" he said. "Helen Bouchard would kill us if we got married without her being present, and, of course, father – and your family."
"I love it!" she said, kissing him full on the lips again. "Mother missed my wedding to Jack, and she already loves you. It will be so nice for her to be here."
"I agree. So we have our date?" he asked.
"We have our date." She smiled.
"Wonderful!" he said, giving her a hug and a kiss. He sat back. "There is one more thing."
Elizabeth steeled herself for what was coming next, knowing her fiancé was very much full of surprises.
"What is it?" she asked apprehensively.
"When I go to Union City, I would like to bring Jack with me."
She smiled a curious smile and tilted her head.
"We could get him a matching suit," He explained.
"I like that idea," she said.
"I'm glad. But it's more than just an idea. Elizabeth, my love, when I marry you, little Jack comes with you. I love him because you're a part of him, and he's a part of you. So, when we marry, in a sense, I'll be marrying you both, and I want you to know that this is a responsibility that I not only take very seriously but something I'm, in all honesty, quite excited about. I know that nothing can ever replace his biological father, who, from everything I've ever heard about him, was a wonderful man – but I would like to be a father to little Jack and raise him as if he were my very own child. And…" he stopped for a moment and paused, unsure of what she was thinking. Finally, after several seconds had passed, he drew his thoughts to a close. "And, I just wanted you to know that."
"That's not what you were thinking." She said, taking his hand. "Tell me – what were you going to say."
He lowered his eyes and caressed her hand with his thumb. "You know me too well." He smiled. "I was going to say…and you don't have to answer or even comment, I just would like for you to think about it, but…after we're married…" he looked up at her. "I would like to adopt him as my very own son."
Elizabeth's heart sped up, and her eyes filled with tears causing Lucas to worry he'd said something wrong.
"Of course, if you would rather I didn't, I…."
She reached around his neck and kissed him firmly on the mouth, then held him tightly. "Lucas, of course, I would want that. I couldn't ask for a more noble, generous, good, kind, and loving father for Jack. And, of course, you can adopt him. I would have it no other way."
Lucas himself began to tear up, and he embraced her tightly. Then the two began to kiss, over and over and over, and would have continued if Gustave hadn't finally made his way back to Lucas's office.
"Lucas!" the Frenchman said, entering the room and seeing the couple sitting on the floor. "Are you and Mrs. Thornton injured?"
"No, we're fine, Gustave." Lucas brushed himself off and pulled himself up off the floor, helping Elizabeth after he stood. "How are you? Is everyone else okay?"
"Yes," Gustave replied. "There are a lot of cuts and lacerations, but Dr. Carter said nothing serious."
"Thank Heaven!" Elizabeth said.
"Yes, God helped us. But what on earth happened?" Lucas asked, suddenly aware a whole other event had occurred around them that he'd completely lost sight of.
Gustave shrugged. "My pressure cooker…it has too much pressure! It went boom!"
"Oh, my," Elizabeth replied.
"Yes, and I was making a succulent beef stew – it's all ruined, along with my souffle!"
Lucas patted Pepin on the back, "I'm sorry to hear that, but at least everyone is okay."
"I suppose." the chef shrugged.
Lucas winked at Elizabeth.
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, while you were gone, you received a phone call." Gustave said, reaching into his chef's jacket and pulling out an order slip upon which someone had written a message. "It's from a Monsieur Boyle aboard the SS Adriatic."
Lucas took the paper in his hand. "That's Nathan's commissioner." He stopped to read the note and smiled. "Quick, we need to find Emily!"
Elizabeth looked concerned. "But I'm sure Nathan already left. They were taking the morning stagecoach, remember?"
"Then we need to intercept them." He replied. "The order to move to Montreal has been canceled. He can stay!"
"Oh, Lucas! That's wonderful. Emily and Allie will be so thrilled! Let's go find her."
Nathan and Allie arrived at the station just outside Albert Falls and sat on the stagecoach as the driver went to find the other passengers. The entire trip there, Allie remained silent, watching out the window and occasionally using the sleeve of her shirt to dry her eyes. The heartache she was feeling was tearing Nathan up. But so was the knowledge that he had finally found a woman to love who loved him back, and he had to leave her. It wasn't right nor fair. Still, if he were to remain a Mountie, it was what had to be. He thought through the issue long and hard as they traveled along their journey, and now, he believed he'd come up with a solution.
"Allie, I need to ask you something." He said, breaking the silence in their cabin.
She turned her reddened eyes toward him.
"If I wasn't a Mountie anymore, would that bother you?" he asked.
She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean if you weren't a Mountie?"
Nathan twisted his neck sideways. "What I mean is if I quit the Mounties and returned to Hope Valley and maybe took one of those factory jobs – we might not have as much, but…."
Allie's face broke into a huge smile, and she bounced up and down. "You would do that? You'd quit the Mounties so we can go back home?"
Nathan grinned. "Yes. There's more to life than just a career, and…."
"Oh! I'm so happy!" Allie said. "Can we go back now?"
Nathan looked toward the Stagecoach office and reached into his pocket for his wallet. "Sure. We can go back now. I'll call headquarters when we get back and give them my resignation."
"And then we can see Emileeee," she said teasingly.
"Yes. We can see Emily too."
"Oh, goody!"
The road to Albert Falls was somewhat long and paved with gravel, and depending upon what mode of transportation one used, it could take a couple of hours to reach after leaving Hope Valley; or it could take less. However, for Pilot, Emily Reardon's horse, it would take far less time than that because, in addition to being a somewhat unpredictable and yet loyal horse to Emily, he could also beat the quickest stallion in all of Alberta. In short, he was fast as lightning.
Racing across the countryside with the wind whipping through both of their hair, Emily and Pilot sped toward the next station, determined to catch up to Nathan before he met his train. Emily knew it was a bit of a longshot because he and Allie had a big headstart, but she had to try. Love compelled her, and she would not shut it down.
Reaching a fork in the road with no sign, Emily tried to determine which way to go and finally relied on the horse to tell her away. As if he knew, Pilot took the righthand fork, and they kept going until they were forced to the other side by a stagecoach heading the opposite direction. She continued on several paces until she heard a familiar voice calling from behind.
"Nah," Emily said to herself as she and the horse continued to move. But a second voice, much deeper, called her name and caused her to stop. She turned around to look. The stagecoach had come to a complete stop as well. Standing outside the coach and to its side was a very tall man with rugged features and beautiful blue eyes and his daughter, Allie.
Emily beamed.
Turning the horse around, she raced toward Nathan and then ran into his open embrace, and they kissed for what seemed like a very long time.
Allie smirked and walked over to the horse, petting its nose. "Come on, Pilot. Let's go over here and leave them alone."
When they finally pulled apart, Nathan explained to her that he'd decided to quit the Mounties and get a regular job back in Hope Valley.
"You don't have to!" Emily said.
"What?"
"No! Lucas's father came through. The order's been reversed! Your job in Hope Valley is intact."
Nathan smiled a crooked smile. "Well, I'll be darned. I didn't think he could do it."
"I never gave up." She said.
"On Bouchard?" he asked.
"On Bouchard, or on you. What'd you say we go home, handsome?" she smiled.
"Let's." Nathan grinned.