"Sweetheart," Lee called into an empty house.
"Yes?" Rosemary's voice floated down from upstairs. Her footsteps sounded on the stairs as she came down to the landing. "What is it?"
"Are you almost ready to go?"
"Just give me a couple minutes to get changed, and then I will be." Rosemary disappeared again. She rushed back up to their room, changed into a stunning blue dress, and came rushing right back down the stairs again. "How does this look?" She asked Lee quickly.
"Absolutely beautiful." He complimented with a smile.
Rosemary barely heard him as she rushed over to the kitchen, then the dining room, and then the living room. "Does the house look okay?"
"It looks just fine." He reached his hand out to grab her arm as she floated by. "Sweetheart, everything is just fine. We have to go now."
"But I don't want it to be fine. It needs to be perfect!" Rosemary exclaimed.
"No, it doesn't have to be. You did a fantastic job and everything looks wonderful." Lee said calmly. "They will be happy just to be here, regardless of what the house looks like."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Lee smiled at her. "Now come on, let's go get them!"
"Alright." Rosemary stepped back and nodded. "Okay. Alright, let's go."
"Wonderful." Lee handed Rosemary her coat, then got his own. He opened the door for her, guided her out, and helped her in the car. Then he started it as quick as he could and they drove off before Rosemary could find something else to clean. They dropped their car off at Henry's. They had arranged to use his since it fit more people. They talked as they drove along the road, and they made it to Union City an hour later. The train station was busy with people coming and going, and they were a bit early, so they sat down and waited.
"This is so neat!" Rosemary exclaimed. "I haven't been in a train station in forever. And look at the decorations – Christmas is everywhere!"
"It certainly is beautiful." Lee nodded and smiled. He wasn't looking at the Christmas decorations though, he was looking at his excited, beautiful wife beside him.
Turning to him, Rosemary caught him looking at her. "What is it?" She asked with a smile.
"Nothing," he replied, "I'm just enjoying the sights."
Rosemary would have said something, but her eye caught two familiar figures coming towards them and she jumped up. "Susannah! Rachel! Lee, there they are!" Rosemary dashed forward and Lee followed behind her. Before he got there, she already had the two of them engulfed in huge bear hugs. "I'm so glad to see you again." Rosemary exclaimed.
"Hi Susannah," Lee approached, giving his sister a hug. "Hi again Rachel," he said as he gave her a hug too.
"Lee, Rosemary, I'd like you to meet my husband, Jake." Susannah introduced the tall, rugged man beside her.
"Jake." Lee shook his hand warmly. "So, you're the one who stole my sister away."
"I'm so glad to meet you," Rosemary shook his hand excitedly too.
"And this is Patrick." Susannah motioned to the tall young man beside his father.
Rosemary got to him first, and she gave him a giant hug. Lee followed after with a warm handshake. After he did so, he stepped back. "Follow us, everyone."
Rosemary grabbed Rachel and Susannah's hands and led them off into the crowd. "How's Christopher doing?"
Lee turned to Jake and Patrick and chuckled. "I'll help you with the luggage." He led them through the crowd out to where the ladies were waiting in the cold darkness. They loaded the luggage in the back of the car, then all piled in. Just as they left, it began snowing heavily. "Looks like we might have a white Christmas after all," Lee commented.
"Or at least white enough for Nathan and Elizabeth's party tomorrow night." Rosemary replied. She turned back towards their guests in the back seat. "Nathan and Elizabeth are planning a big Christmas party for tomorrow night and we are all invited. We're going for dinner and dancing and a whole bunch of stuff."
"Sounds like fun!" Rachel said excitedly.
"We'd love to join you." Susannah added.
Everyone chatted on the drive home. Once they reached Lee and Rosemary's, Lee helped Jake and Patrick take the luggage into the house while the ladies went to work on dinner. "We're just going to bring the car back to Henry, alright sweetheart?" Lee said, re-entering the house.
"Sounds good. Supper should be ready in about twenty minutes." Rosemary replied, not even looking up.
"Okay." Lee closed the door behind him and headed to the car. "Let's go," he said, hopping in with Jake and Patrick.
Meanwhile, Rachel set the table while Rosemary and Susannah finished some things in the kitchen. "How have you guys been lately?" Susannah asked after a break in the conversation.
"We've been really busy," Rosemary answered. "What with Lee being mayor and still running most of Coulter Lumber, and me taking on the newspaper and anything else I can get my hands on, we are constantly running around."
"Sounds like you're accomplishing a lot." Susannah commented.
"The newspaper sounds fun," Rachel enjoined.
"We are," Rosemary admitted. "But I can't help wonder if we're just trying to make up for what's missing."
"The miscarriage left a big hole," Susannah guessed. Rosemary had written her about it.
"It did." Rosemary nodded, but then her smile returned. "But Lee and I are so glad to have you guys here and in our family. We're so glad you could make it."
"We're glad to be here." Susannah said with a smile, placing her hand on Rosemary's arm.
"Definitely." Rachel agreed, coming up on Rosemary's other side.
Rosemary smiled and put her arms around both of them. Just then, the guys entered the house and the girls parted.
"Supper ready?" Lee asked.
"For sure." Rosemary nodded before sharing a small smile with Susannah and Rachel. "Come and sit down."
Everyone sat down. Lee took the head, Rosemary beside him. Rachel sat beside Rosemary, and Jake sat at the foot. Susannah and Patrick sat on the left side. Rosemary served the food out, and conversation began around the table. "How's the town been since I left?" Rachel asked as she dug into her casserole.
"A lot the same." Rosemary answered. "We've had troubles with Wyman Walden – you remember him, right?" At Rachel's nod, she continued. "His cronies actually managed to get everyone locked in the school while he sabotaged a vote to give himself more land."
"Did the vote go through?" Patrick asked.
"It did." Rosemary nodded. A familiar fire was back in her eyes. "He snuck around all of us, even Lee. I wrote an article against him and he ended up threatening me! That man is dangerous and not to be trusted. I don't know why you haven't thrown him out yet, Lee." She turned to her husband.
"Now, Rosie, I can't just throw people out of the town. I realize that he's caused a lot of problems but he's helping us too." Lee reasoned.
"What's he trying to do?" Jake asked.
"He's building a lot of new houses, probably to bring new people in. He's also making jobs for them." Lee answered.
"That would help with growth and numbers." Susannah commented.
"Exactly." Lee nodded in her direction.
Rosemary saw what was happening, so she turned the conversation right around. "What if he brings in so many people that they over run us and throw you out of office? What will you do then? It'll be too late." She sat back, satisfied at her point.
Susannah and Rachel exchanged a look, while Lee tried to reason with her again. "Sweetheart," he smiled. "I don't think that would ever happen. Let's try and focus on happier things, shall we?" He looked directly at her. "Okay?"
Rosemary caught his look and forced a smile. "Yes. The Christmas party is going to be so much fun."
"Nathan and Elizabeth have their hands full, but I'm sure they can do it." Lee added, breathing in relief.
"I think it sounds like fun," Rachel said.
"Hopefully everyone will enjoy it," Elizabeth said as she collapsed onto the settee in her rowhouse.
Nathan smiled over at her. "I'm sure they will."
"Well, we've certainly worked hard enough on it."
"Everything is ready."
"Wonderful. I'll meet you there at 4:30, then?"
"I'll be there." Nathan nodded. "I should get going though, I've got a few things to do yet before tomorrow."
"What do you have to do?"
"Just a few things."
"Oh, right, you can't tell me then. I forgot." Elizabeth chuckled. "Have a good night."
Nathan stood. "I'll try. See you tomorrow."
"Mmhmm." Elizabeth nodded. She watched him as he crossed the room, opened the door, and then walked out. She knew she was the luckiest person in the world to be able to have someone right by her side who loved her and protected her.
Rosemary stirred in the middle of the night and rolled over to her back, staring up in the darkness. Had she remembered everything? A wave of tiredness rolled over her and her eyelids suddenly felt very heavy. Well, whether she had remembered or not, there was nothing she could do about it. She rolled back over to her side and fell back into a deep sleep. Sometime later, she woke up again. This time it was a little lighter outside. She couldn't go back to sleep, so she pulled on a robe and slipped downstairs, making sure not to wake up Lee. When she looked out the front windows, the moon was shining so bright on the snow. She grabbed a blanket from the settee and opened the front door. It made a huge creaking noise, but it didn't seem to wake anyone up.
She put on her shoes, stepped out onto the porch, and shivered. It was cold outside. She wrapped the blanket around her and walked down the steps. Rosemary stopped and looked all around her. It was beautiful. Another drone of tiredness washed over her, so she walked back up to the porch and sat down on it. As if her head had a mind of its own, it fell against the side of the house and her eyelids closed in concurrence. In a minute she was back asleep.
Lee awoke to the smell of pancakes – and Rosemary gone beside him. He got dressed and headed downstairs, expecting to see Rosemary at the stove. Instead, Susannah stood there, with Rachel helping. "Where's Rosemary?" He asked.
"I assumed she was sleeping in." Susannah replied, putting another pancake on top of the already huge stack.
"She's not upstairs." Lee frowned.
"Maybe she went to town." Rachel suggested.
"She would have told me." Lee walked over to the door. "I'll check outside for a minute." He opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. At first he didn't see anything, but as he turned to look towards Elizabeth's house, his eye caught sight of Rosemary, sitting on the edge of the porch with a blanket wrapped around her, fast asleep. "Sweetheart." He sat down beside her and tapped her shoulder. "Sweetheart, you need to wake up," he gently put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards him. Her head rolled onto his shoulder, and he rubbed her arm. "Sweetheart…"
Rosemary's eyelids half-opened. She vaguely heard Lee's voice, but he seemed so far away. She didn't remember the side of the house feeling this comfortable, though. She forced her eyelids to open and she realized that she was leaning right against Lee. "Just a little longer," she managed wearily, laying her head down again.
"What are you doing outside?" Lee looked down at her, a little concerned.
"I got up, and I couldn't sleep, and the moon was out so I came outside, and I was so tired that I sat down. I must have fallen asleep after that." Rosemary's shoulders shook violently as she shivered. "I'm so cold."
Lee wrapped both of his arms around her, hugging her for a second. "But you're okay otherwise?"
"Yes; I'm fine. Not sure what came over me though."
"Well, let's get you inside. You can warm up in there." Lee let go of her, then stood and offered her his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up, then wrapped his arm around her again and led her inside.
"You found her!" Rachel looked up from the table. "Are you okay, Aunt Rosemary?"
"I'm alright, just a little cold." Rosemary said as Lee helped her towards the couch. "Can you help me upstairs instead?" She turned to him.
"Sure." He agreed, changing direction. "I'll be right down, guys."
"I'll save you some pancakes." Susannah replied.
"Thanks." Lee focused on helping Rosemary up the first stairs, across the landing, up the second stairs, and to their room. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked tenderly as he helped her to sit down on the settee across from their bed.
"I'm fine." Rosemary placed her hand on his arm. "I'm just going to get dressed and I'll be right down."
"Alright. And you don't need help?"
"Nope. Thank you for helping me, though."
"Anytime. If you're not down in fifteen minutes, I'm coming back up."
"Okay." Rosemary chuckled.
"I love you," Lee said as he left the room.
"I love you too." She replied.
Lee went back downstairs and sat down.
"Is Rosemary okay?" Susannah asked, setting a plate of pancakes before him.
"She's just tired. She went outside this morning and fell asleep out there, which is strange. But she'll be down in a few minutes." Lee dug into his pancakes.
"Well, it sounds like you two have been busy, so I'm not surprised."
The day passed quickly. After lunch, Lee took Jake and Patrick to the lumber mill so that they could watch the operation. Meanwhile, Rosemary, Susannah, and Rachel toured town. Rosemary showed the ladies her and Lee's office, they went to the Café, and to the Mercantile. At every place they stopped, all anyone could talk about was the upcoming evening's events. It really was the talk of the town! "Looks like Uncle Lee is back," Rachel said as they neared the rowhouse.
"Looks like he is." Rosemary agreed. "I wonder what they're doing," she continued as they walked up the steps.
"Only one way to find out." Susannah said as Rosemary opened the door.
Sitting inside on the settee were all three guys. They looked up and grinned at the ladies as they walked in. "Hi sweetheart," Lee spoke first.
"Hi," Rosemary answered slowly. "What are you doing?"
"Just sitting here talking." Jake replied.
"And nothing else?" Susannah questioned, turning to him.
"Nothing else." He promised with a smile.
"They look suspicious." Rachel said, walking over to Patrick. "What are you really up to?" She sat down beside him.
"Can't we just sit and talk?" Lee asked.
"Of course you can, but not when you're acting like that."
Lee looked down at his pocket watch. "Well, look at that. It's nearly three-thirty. What time do we have to be at the saloon?"
"Oh!" Rosemary's hand flew to her face. "We have to be there by four. Oh my goodness, we need to get ready!"
Lee smiled at Jake and Patrick.
"Well, don't just sit there, Lee, come on, we have to go." Rosemary pulled him up, and half-dragged him towards the stairs.
Jake and Patrick laughed as Lee and Rosemary disappeared up the stairs. "Not so fast," Susannah looked at them. "You need to get ready too. Up!" She motioned towards the stairs. The guys looked at each other and groaned.
Jake and Patrick were the first back downstairs, followed by Lee. All three of them were dressed in suits. Rachel came down after them; her hair was loosely tied up and she was dressed in a stunning light pink dress with long-sleeved and a gathered waist. Susannah followed after, wearing a simple but pretty off-white dress. Everyone was sitting down and talking when Rosemary came down in a stunning blue dress. It perfectly highlighted her eyes and looked amazing on her. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and chuckled at the party awaiting her. She didn't mind the attention one bit. "Well come on, let's get this party started!"
They arrived at the saloon fifteen minutes later. "I can't wait to see what it looks like!" Rosemary said. "Elizabeth and Nathan have been working really hard on it and…" her voice trailed off as they entered. "Oh my."
They had transformed the entire inside of the saloon into a winter wonderland. There were white decorations everywhere, an enormous Christmas tree off to the side, and big red bows. "Elizabeth!" Rosemary exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of her friend. She crossed the room to give her a big hug. "It looks beautiful! You and Nathan did a fantastic job."
"Thanks."
"What can we do to help?"
"Looks like you've brought lots of willing help." Elizabeth smiled in the direction of Rosemary's guests.
"Yes, oh, come and meet them." Rosemary dragged Elizabeth over. "Obviously you know Susannah and Rachel, but this is Jake, Susannah's husband, and Patrick."
"Hi." Elizabeth shook their hands. "I'm Elizabeth Thornton."
"It looks beautiful in here," Rachel complimented.
"Thanks. There's still a bit to do, so I'd love some help."
"Absolutely! Put us where you need us." Rosemary interjected.
"Lee, can you take Jake and Patrick and find Nathan? He's supposed to be at the schoolhouse getting some stuff ready. You can help him."
"Of course." Lee nodded. "Follow me, guys."
"Don't forget to be back in time for supper," Rosemary called after them. She turned back to the ladies. "They'd forget if I didn't tell them."
Elizabeth chuckled. "Susannah, the tables need to be set. The tablecloths are on each of them. And Rachel, you can put the plates and silverware on them. If you both move them all into two long lines, then we can all sit together. Rosemary, you can help me. We're going to go over to the café and get some of the food from Abigail's."
"Wonderful!" Rosemary put back on her coat and followed Elizabeth out the door.
"How's it been going, having Lee's family over?" Elizabeth asked as soon as they were outside.
"Really well. I even accidentally overslept and Susannah made breakfast for everyone. It's been a lot of fun and I think it means a lot to Lee. He's not used to having family, and neither am I, but it's definitely worth it."
"I'm glad it's going well." Elizabeth pushed open the door to the Café. "Let's get this food. Hi Abigail," she walked across to the kitchen.
"Hi. Did you come for the food?"
"We did."
"Wonderful. Its all on the counter, and we can carry it over."
Each of them took a large pot and brought it back over to the saloon. When they got back, Susannah and Rachel had all the tables in place and set, Gustave had his half of the cooking out, and the men were back and doing a little bit of the extra decorating. "Well, well, well, look at this," Rosemary said as they entered the saloon again. "Its really coming along in here. I don't know how they managed without my – our – help."
Elizabeth and Abigail exchanged a smile. "I just don't know." Elizabeth returned. They set the food on the counter and then stood back, looking at the beauty all around them. Just then, the people began to arrive. First the Canfields, then Allie brought Little Jack in. Ned and Florence were followed right in by Molly, and then a bit later, Bill. Within a few minutes, the saloon was full of laughing and talking.
"What time is it?" Elizabeth asked Lee, who was standing next to Rosemary now.
"Five o'clock."
"Perfect. I think we'll start the supper lines then." Elizabeth turned back to the crowd and raised her voice. "Everyone. Everyone." But the noise kept continuing. Beside her, Nathan whistled loudly, and the crowd quieted. "Thanks." She said in his direction. "The food is sitting over on the counter. You can go up, and then find a place to sit. Bill, you can start us off." The noise grew again as people began talking and getting in line. It took a bit, but eventually the line diminished and it was just Rosemary, Lee, Elizabeth, Nathan, and Abigail without food. They too got their food and sat down.
The food was delicious; Abigail and Gustave had done a wonderful job. Conversation flowed around the table as Lee's sister and family were introduced. There was nothing the town loved better than new family, especially since some of them knew the background story. They were happy to get to know Lee's family. Rosemary tried to pay attention to the conversation, but she felt herself slipping away. "Sweetheart," Lee said softly as he touched her hand.
She drifted back to reality and smiled at him. "Thanks."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just a bit tired."
Across the table, Florence and Molly were engaging Susannah in a conversation over linens. Jesse, Clara, Fiona, Lucas, Mike, and Faith were all talking in another corner. Bill, Ned, and Abigail were discussing business; and the rest were all chatting about fashions and town gossip. After a while of supper talk, Elizabeth stood up. "You can talk for as long as you'd like, but the dancing is going to start soon, so I'd advise you grab a partner soon."
"You'll be my partner, right?" Lee leaned towards Rosemary.
"Of course." Rosemary replied right back. "But I have to do something else first."
The music began, and the crowd at the table became the crowd at the dance floor. There was nothing like a slow waltz after dinner. As soon as she thought she could get away, Rosemary slipped outside. She stood there, breathing in the fresh night air and looking around at the snow falling. "What are you doing, Aunt Rosemary?" Rachel asked.
"Oh!" Rosemary's hand flew up. "You scared me. I was just standing out here, getting a breath of fresh air."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes." Rosemary took in a deep breath. "I suppose we should get back to the party."
"Probably."
"Alright. Let's go." Rosemary opened the door, letting the party noise filter in. She stood in the corner until Lee came over to her.
"Hi sweetheart," He said softly.
"Hello."
"Where did you go?"
"Just to get a breath of fresh air."
"Would you like to dance?" Lee extended his hand.
"I would love to." Rosemary smiled as he led her onto the dance floor. They were quiet for a few moments, swaying back and forth to the music.
"You can hear the party," Rosemary began quietly. "You can tell who's talking, what they're talking about."
"I'm not really paying much attention to the party right now," Lee admitted, looking straight at her. "Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?"
"Yes, I am."
"And you know that I love you, right?"
Rosemary smiled. She looked up at him, thinking of how blessed she was to have him standing before her. He really was her better part. "I know." Her voice dropped. "I love you too." And they danced to the music, slowly swaying back and forth. Around them, everyone else danced too, enjoying the soft music on a beautiful evening.
Finally, it was time to go back home. "Thank you for the party," Rosemary said, giving Elizabeth another hug.
"Our pleasure." Elizabeth answered, and Nathan nodded. "Thanks for your help."
"Any time."
"Susannah, Rachel, Jake, and Patrick, it's great to see you. I'm sure I'll see you again." Elizabeth turned to them.
"Thanks again, Elizabeth." Susannah said.
Lee opened the door and they all stepped outside. "Look at that," he said. There was about eight inches of snow on the ground, and more was coming down. "Maybe you won't be leaving on Monday," he teased.
"It's beautiful." Rachel agreed.