Elizabeth walked up and down the quiet rows of tables, watching as her students furiously worked on their essay exam. Thanksgiving was a few days away and with that came a week off.

The students weren't the only ones excited about the break. Jack's days at the orchard had been so long with the season coming to an end. Most days they could only manage a few texts and a nighttime phone call. If they were lucky, Jack would join them for dinner and then stay the night, but those nights were few and far between. Elizabeth longed to lay curled tightly in his embrace.

Luckily for her, Jack had taken Thanksgiving week off in hopes to finish more of the house and spend time with Elizabeth and Levi. He even arranged for Levi to spend a few nights sleeping over with Ryan and Tom so they could have some time alone. Fiona and Emma were comfortable settling into the condo so that Elizabeth had no reservations about staying at Jack's. All she had to do was get through the next few hours and all would be well.

"Class, you have ten more minutes. Please finish up your thoughts and get ready to hand in your essays if you have not already."

By the time the bell rang more than half of her students had already placed their essays on her desk and were hurrying out the door. One of the last students to come up to her desk was Allie Grant.

"There!" she put her essay down on the stack with a thud. "Please tell me this essay means the end of Shakespeare and his bizarre tales?"

"Not quite," Elizabeth laughed. "We have a little bit more to cover before the exam at the end of term. I promise, though, it will go by fast."

"Not likely." Allie sighed. "English isn't my best subject. Math on the other hand, give me any problem and I'll nail it. This though… ugh."

"Well, for someone who dislikes this class so much, you are doing very well."

"I try," Allie sighed again. "The class isn't bad. You're awesome. Maybe the next unit will be less bla bla bla."

"Shakespeare isn't for everyone, its true. Where are you off to next?"

"Lunch, then Earth Science with Mr. Hickam. After that, it's vacation!"

"Wonderful! Do you and your uncle have any plans?"

"Sort of. We're leaving tomorrow to go see my grandmother for the week. She lives in Vermont. It's a five hour drive but Uncle Nathan usually lets me pick the music."

"Well, I hope you have a wonderful time!"

"Thanks. I hope the storm doesn't slow us down."

"Storm?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, Uncle Nathan said a big storm was supposed to hit tomorrow so we may have to wait a day or two. I hope he's wrong."

"For your sake I hope so too."

Allie gathered the rest of her things and scurried off with her friends to lunch leaving Elizabeth in her now silent classroom for lunch. She pulled out her lunch bag and began nibbling on her tuna salad as she stared out the window. She had a beautiful view from her classroom. There were green fields for the school's athletics and just behind that, a sea of tall pine trees. She found herself getting lost in thought as a few small flurries began to fall from the sky.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a strong voice came from the doorway.

"Jack!" she squealed, rushing into his open arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I wrapped up everything I needed at work and thought I'd come and surprise you." He closed the door behind himself so as to give them privacy before giving her a soft, lingering kiss. "I have missed you."

"I've missed you."

Jack nuzzled her a bit before kissing her lips again. This time, deeper. It was as if he was making up for lost time with that single kiss.

"You and Levi are coming over tonight right?"

"Mhmm, but just for dinner tonight. I'll come tomorrow afternoon and stay."

"Why not tonight?"

"I've been grading projects and papers all week and there's a mountain of dirty clothes in front of the washer. Its so bad, we can barely open the door. I don't want to leave the house a mess for Fiona."

"I understand. As long as I have you all to myself a couple nights this week I will be happy."

"I promise you at least that," she smiled.

….

Fiona hummed as she walked the grounds of the Thornton's orchard alone during her lunch break. She loved the smell of apples that filled the chilly fall air. It had been nearly three weeks since she arrived in New York and if the peace she felt was any indication, this move had been the best decision she'd made in years.

The cherry on top was getting to wear all the fall clothes that she loved but rarely had the opportunity to wear in sunny Florida. With her red knit hat, dark gray sweater, jeans and boots, she looked and felt like a native. She even wore her new Thornton Orchards embroidered vest Tom had given her. Even Emma had a little green hoodie with the logo, which she tried to wear every single day, even to bed. Fiona would have to throw it in the wash while Emma bathed.

After walking for almost 10 minutes, she came to a clearing and gasped. She was standing only a few yards away from a gorgeous lake, surrounded by the beautiful colors of fall. Even though her phone wouldn't do the view justice, she took a few pictures to send to her parents.

"This place," she sighed. "You'd love it, Luke."

She wiped a few tears from her eyes and sat down on a log near the water's edge.

"I told Emma a story about you last night," she continued to talk towards the sky. "She was so excited to go to her new school again. The one I told you about, that Levi is going to. Charlotte helped get her in. Anyway, she kept asking over and over if it was time so I set a flashy light timer and said 'when the timer goes off, we will go to school.' When it finally flashed she ran to the door and signed "shall we?"

The wind blew lightly, causing some of the red and golden leaves to fall and dance around her.

"Shall we…" she whispered. "What I would give to have you say that to me again. Your signature phrase. To see that smirk. You knew you were adorable. I could never resist that smile."

She sat silently for a bit. Lost in her thoughts. Thoughts of Lucas, her past, and her future.

"I'm not crazy, you know. I know you're gone, probably cooking up great dinner parties for Jesus and the rest of heaven. My handsome chef." With a huff she rolled back off the log and onto the ground, looking straight up at the moving clouds. "So if I have to move on with someone, someday, mind sending me a sign? Make it an obvious one, okay? You know how dense I can be."

Still laying back, watching the sky, Fiona stayed silent, content listening to the rippling waves from the lake. It was so peaceful, she almost fell asleep.

Even though Fiona wasn't in a hurry to have another man in her life, she couldn't deny that she had been feeling lonely. She missed having that one person that she felt a hundred percent herself with. Someone to share her hopes and dreams with. Someone to share a cozy night under a big warm blanket. Emma was her heart, her angel, but as a four year old, she severely lacked mature conversational skills.

"Okay, Fiona," she said with a groan as she came to her feet. "Enough with the pity party. Time to get back to work."

She brushed the dirt and sand off her legs before turning around. Instead of going back the way she came, Fiona decided to walk along the lake shore for a bit, then cut back through the trees towards the orchard again. She'd always felt pretty confident when it came to knowing where she was and rarely got lost. Even though this area was still very new to her, she figured she'd be back to the office in no time at all.

"Well, crap,"she muttered to herself, a good fifteen minutes later. She'd been on the same little path through the pines and maples for about ten minutes, which was five minutes longer than she expected. Adding to her frustrations, the path had become somewhat overgrown and she felt as though she was bushwhacking through the wilderness.

After a bit of a debate with herself, she pulled out her cell phone to call Jack and ask him to come find her.

"No signal?" she whined. "How lost am I?"

She spent the next bit wandering around, holding her phone in the air in hopes of even one tiny little bar of service. Just when she was ready to freak out, she heard something off to the right of where she was standing. Thank goodness, it didn't sound like a wild animal about ready to eat her. More like… a radio?

Feeling as though there was hope she wasn't going to be wandering the forest alone all day, she gave up following any sort of path and clumsily made her way towards the sound.

"Please, please, please, don't let this be like a serial killer's secret lair hidden away so no one will hear the screams." She shook her head, laughing at herself. "Okay, no more scary movies for me. I'm really losing my marbles."

Standing behind a tree just before a small clearing she looked around. There was an old barn that looked as though it had weathered its fair share of storms. Other than the fact that it was secluded, there wasn't anything frightening about it. Especially the music. Now that she was closer, it was clear that the sound wasn't a radio, but a man with an enchanting voice and a guitar. Before she knew what she was doing, she was leaning against the side of the barn, listening.

"The dawn is breaking

A light shining through

You're barely waking

And I'm tangled up in you

Yeah

"I love this song…" she whispered, then softly sang along.

"I'm open, you're closed

Where I follow, you'll go

I worry I won't see your face

Light up again

Even the best fall down sometime

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills my mind

I somehow find

You and I collide"

Fiona walked around to the front of the barn, the door was open slightly. Just enough that she could peek in and see the musician in the act.

"Tom?"

It was him alright. He was sitting high up in the loft of the old barn, strumming and singing away. His eyes were closed, body moving as if he one with the music. It was mesmerizing.

"I'm quiet you know

You make a first impression

I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind"

"Even the best fall down sometimes

Even the stars refuse to shine

Out of the back you fall in time

I somehow find

You and I collide"

The song ended and before he could begin again, Fiona stepped into the barn, giving him a round of applause.

"Fiona?" Tom rose to his feet. "Hey."

"Hey."

With his guitar in hand, Tom carefully came down the rickety, old ladder from the loft to the ground where Fiona stood.

"Please, don't stop on my account." She smiled.

"I was just messing around."

An awkwardness fell on the room. It looked as though Tom was trying to fight the urge to look her over. Sure enough, he lost that battle when his beautiful blue eyes drifted from her eyes downward then back up again. Tom cleared his throat and turned away, placing his guitar in its case.

"How'd you get here?"

"Oh, I went for a walk and got lost. Where is "here" exactly?"

Tom let out a soft chuckle. "This is my great-great grandfather's old barn. Back when Thornton's was a homestead, not an orchard."

"It wasn't always an orchard?"

"Not really. I mean, there were apple trees, but nothing like what we have now."

"Very interesting," she said looking around. "How long have you played guitar?"

"This? Oh, I don't know. I played in high school and college. Not much recently, though."

"Why not? Wait, don't answer if I'm being nosy."

Tom laughed softly again, flashing his handsome dimples. "I stopped playing when my wife died. It's only recently that I started again."

"I get that," she gave him a sympathetic smile. "For what its worth, you sounded amazing."

"Thanks," he blushed. Fiona couldn't remember the last time she saw a man blush. Maybe Lucas when they were young. "You want a ride back to the orchard?"

"A ride on what? I didn't see a car out there."

"I have the four wheeler parked just outside the clearing." He moved past her, opening the door. "Shall we?"

Fiona stopped dead in her tracks. "What did you say?"

"Um, shall we?"

…..

Bangs, clangs, and thuds echoed throughout the acres of Jack's lot in the late afternoon. The flooring for Levi's room had arrived and Jack was in a rush to finish installing it. He was thrilled Elizabeth had agreed to spend the bulk of the Thanksgiving vacation with him at the house. He wanted Levi's room as finished as it could be so they'd both feel at home. Maybe then he could convince her to push up their wedding date. He wanted them to officially be a family. Nothing mattered more to him.

When Jack sat back and recounted all the events that had happened in the past few months, he was blown away by how much had changed. If someone would have come to him a year ago and said they were marrying someone they'd only met four months prior, he would have called them crazy. Love, true love, doesn't come that fast. But he was wrong. It's rare, he thought, but there wasn't any doubt in his heart and mind that what he shared with Elizabeth was the real deal. A deep, all encompassing love that he would feel till his very last breath.

He placed the last row of floor planks down when his phone began to vibrate off his workstation.

"Hello?"

"Jack, it's Tom," he whispered. "I need a favor."

"What did you do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're whispering like you're in trouble."

"I'm not in trouble. Well, sort of, but not in the way you think." Tom's voice was normal now.

"Okay?" Jack laughed. "So what is it? Did that old truck of yours leave you stranded somewhere?"

"What? No, and stop ragging on my truck. That thing is going to outlive me."

"That thing is going to be what ends you. Now what's this favor?"

"I need you to invite Mom over for dinner tonight."

"Why?"

"I may have invited Fiona and Emma to the house for dinner."

"Mom loves Fiona. Why would you want her to…. Wait!"

Tom groaned.

"You like Fiona?"

"Something like that. I don't know, there's just something about her. Like, I never want to stop talking with her."

"That's a grand statement."

"Believe me, I know. We bumped into each other out by the old Thornton barn. I guess she was out exploring and got lost. Anyway, we got to talking and I didn't want it to end. We had to take the four-wheeler back so that kind of put the conversation on hold but I wanted more. I needed more. I want to know everything about her. Jack, I think I'm crazy, but I don't remember feeling this way for anyone except..."

Jack knew what Tom couldn't say out loud. Except for Megan. This was huge.

"Wow, okay. Do you think she feels the same?"

"I guess we'll see. That is, if you take Mom for the night."

"Hmmm," Jack playfully pondered. "I don't know."

"Dude!" Tom yelled into the phone. "You owe me!"

"For what?"

"The last 30 years!"

"Okay, that's fair."

"You bet it is. Can you do this? Please?"

"Of course, Tom. And hey, I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

"Trying again."

"Don't be too proud yet, I'm terrified."

"I get that. Just take it day by day, okay?"

"Okay, yeah. I can do that."

"So tell me, whatcha cooking her for dinner?"

"Crap, I forgot I have to cook. Lasagna?"

"Sure, just go easy on the garlic for her sake."

"Jackson Thornton! I'm not going to throw myself at her. That would scare the crap out of her."

"True. In that case, use extra garlic."

"Unbelievable…"

Jack ended the call soon after and began putting away his tools. He was making shrimp scampi with asparagus for dinner tonight but needed to clean himself up first.

He smiled thinking about Tom, wanting his brother to be happy again. As he readied himself for the evening Jack thought back to Tom as a young fiance and husband. It was as though Tom had been created to be someone's parent. He was at his best and happiest during those years. Being the best possible father to Ryan brought him so much joy, for sure, but there was a different light in Tom when it came to the love he had for Megan. Jack prayed Tom was finding it again.

He called his mom's cell. She answered, but her voice sounded far away at first. As though she was talking to someone else, but it was all too muddled for Jack to make it all out.

"Mom?"

"Jack, hi, son. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you were still at the office?"

"No, I stepped out for lunch."

"Lunch? It's 3:30."

"It was a long lunch. What do you need?" Her voice sounded tense for a moment.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come have dinner with Elizabeth, Levi and I tonight."

"That would be wonderful! Are you sure? I know you haven't gotten much time with them lately."

"I'm sure. Even though we work together, I feel like I haven't seen you much either."

"It does feel like that, doesn't it? Alright! I'll be there about 5:30, does that work? Want me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself, Mom. I'll take care of the rest."

A couple hours later Jack was in the kitchen starting on dinner when Elizabeth and Levi came in the door. Ranger dashed from where he'd been laying to greet his boy. Jack hugged the little boy and gave him a kiss on the head.

"Missed you, Son." Jack signed for Levi.

"Missed you too!"

Levi grabbed one of Ranger's favorite tug toys and began playing with him. Getting tugged this way and that out of the room as he giggled.

Elizabeth stepped forward, grabbing Jack's arm to turn his focus from Levi to her. "Hi."

"Hi." Without letting another second pass, Jack pulled her against his body, kissing her as though his life depended on it.

Breathless, Elizabeth leaned back. "Wow, yeah, I have really missed that."

"Remember that when I tell you about how our plans for tonight have changed…"

"Does it have anything to do with your brother and my friend?"

"How'd you guess?"