Chapter 17 Teases of Spring

It was early March and as much as there were early teases of Spring, the nip in the air reminded the residents of Hope Valley that snow was still a possibility. Jack was hoping for a big snowfall so that he and his papa could build a snow fort. They had drawn up a plan for it one evening and it was just waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate. In the meantime, Lucas and Jack spent a little time almost every day in the outdoors exploring the meadows and woods nearby. Elizabeth would join them when she could as she relished this time with them. But they were most often on their own. On the way home, they would put some pieces from the woodpile into Jack's wagon to replenish the basket by the hearth. The job made Jack feel important because storytelling by the fire had become as much a part of his bedtime ritual as reading. Sometimes the three of them would spin a tale together that might last several evenings. Lucas usually initiated the story, but everyone got a chance to chime in.

On one afternoon, they had gone out to the Henderson farm to get some apples for Gustave who planned to bake tarts. Upon their return home, they parked the car and then went to get wood.
"Papa, almost all the wood is gone except the big pieces over there," Jack said pointing to the wood that still needed chopping.

"You are right, we will have to get more chopped to last until the weather is warm again."
With that, they headed in with their wagonload of wood and some of the apples for their own dessert.

"Mama, we have apples from the farm; Papa says you will make us a pie."
"Oh, he does, does he. Perhaps Mama should show Papa how to make a pie and then the two of you can make it next time."

"Elizabeth, I have barely graduated from pancakes. But I do know how to peel with great skill now, so I can pitch in and prepare the apples for the filling."
"Okay, it's a deal, I will make the crust, and you can prepare the filling."

Lucas had indeed become quite proficient with peeling vegetables in his earnest attempt to help Elizabeth with preparing their dinners. He washed the apples, and then brought them to the table, and set Jack on a chair to "help". Jack would hand an apple to Lucas and then he would proceed to peel it in a spiral. The game was to see how far he could go without a break in the peel. When he got one spiral completely intact, Jack was all excited and got his mama to come.

"See what Papa can do."
Elizabeth smiled at Lucas, "Oh my how talented you are."

"It's all in the wrist," he replied with a little smirk. "And the magician's hands of course."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes… just as he had intended. "Okay, now let's see if you can get those sliced and into this bowl with sugar and cinnamon." And then off she returned to the kitchen to roll out the crust.

The air was soon filled with the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking and Jack was all too soon asking when it would be done. "Not too much longer, but we will have to wait until after dinner to eat it. I did make a very small tart with the leftover crust for you to have for your snack after your nap. And speaking of naps, it is time to go and rest for a while. You had a big morning," announced Elizabeth.

"Do I have to Mama? I want to stay with you and Papa."

"Well, why don't you just go up and rest for a while; Papa will read to you."

"Come on Buddy." With that, the little boy took Lucas' hand and they headed up the stairs. After twenty minutes, Lucas returned.

"Elizabeth, at what age do children stop napping? He wasn't that tired and only fell asleep a couple of minutes ago."

"I don't think there is a specific age but sometime between three and five I am told."

"Well, I think we are closing in on the end of napping for this little one. There is just too much excitement to spend time quietly in bed."

"We will just have to see… I think we will know when it is time, but you are right, I think it won't be long now."

"Jack pointed out that we are getting low on chopped wood for the fireplace."

"Well, Lee usually sends one of his men over to help with that. I pay them to do it for me but often they won't take the money and I just feed them a big lunch and make some cookies for them to take away. I will ask him the next time I see him."

On Friday, Lucas ran into Lee as they were both arriving home.
"Hey Lucas, I am sorry that I haven't sent anyone by to chop wood yet; we have been busy on an extra-large order at the mill."

"No problem, Lee, I have time to do it this weekend. I will let Elizabeth know. We may need you to take Jack for a while as it will be too tempting for him to want to watch me and I would worry for his safety."

"Sure, no problem at all. How about Rosie and I take him into town for lunch on Saturday? Bill would love to have some time with him. He has missed him since you are monopolizing all his time." With that Lucas chuckled along with Lee. Both men knew that Bill was thrilled that his godson had a Papa now. While Bill had been suspicious of him when he first arrived in Hope Valley, he soon learned that he had been very wrong about this kind, gentle, and very humble man who had guarded his privacy for reasons that Bill had later come to appreciate. He now respected the man without question and trusted Lucas with the lives of his godson and the wife of his late Mountie partner.

So, with that, Lucas said he would prepare Jack for an outing with Lee and Rosie. "Thanks so much, Lee for all the support you two give to Elizabeth and little Jack, and now to me."

"You are very welcome. Elizabeth is the sister of our hearts, and you are now our brother. Anything you need, just ask." Lucas shyly accepts a quick hug from Lee.

"You don't know how much that means to me. And with that, the two men headed for their respective houses.

"Elizabeth, Jack, I'm home," Lucas announced.

"Papa, we are making your favorite cookies," Jack told him excitedly. Mama says we can have one for a snack as soon as you are home. Can we have it now Mama?

"Well, let your Papa take off his coat and get comfortable."

Lucas removed his coat and shoes, donned his slippers, and headed for the fire to warm his hands with Jack trailing close behind him. Elizabeth soon joined them with hot beverages and a small plate of cookies. She leaned over and kissed Lucas on the cheek but before she could take her seat next to him, he pulled her in for a quick kiss on the lips.

"Mmmm better than cookies," he said.

"Nothing is better than cookies, Papa," Jack was certain.

Lucas smiled at the little boy and then poured himself a cup of tea. "Well let's see," he said and winked at Elizabeth and took a bite. "Well, those are mighty good cookies, my love." He acted like he was having a hard time deciding, which had Jack giggling and Elizabeth rolling her eyes yet again.

Jack went to get his Lincoln logs so that they could start building a log fort since snow had yet to make an appearance. "Elizabeth, Lee says that they are really busy at the mill and there will be a delay in finding someone to refill the wood stack. I told Lee that I could do it tomorrow if he and Rosie took Jack for a few hours. They will take him to see Bill and have lunch at the café. Hope that's okay with you."

"Well lunch with Bill sounds fine, but Lucas, I think we should wait for one of Lee's men."

"l am more than capable of chopping wood, Elizabeth. I became proficient while I was in New Orleans during the rebuilding of the school."

"Are you sure? It isn't something you have to do. I wouldn't want you to get hurt in any way… those magicians' hands for instance."

"I have work gloves and I will be fine."

"Okay, but please do it while I am here just in case."

"Yes, my sweet, I will make sure you are within earshot."

Jack returned with the Lincoln logs, and they soon began to build a special fort to hold off the Black Knight and his reign of terror. Benevolent dragons circled above the fort and kept watch for the enemy.

The next day was sunny and unseasonably warm which didn't bode well for Jack's wish for snow. Rosie and Lee arrived as promised; they planned to be back in three or four hours and would return to their house and phone them. They would put Jack down for a nap if he seemed tired. Lee looked at Lucas and gave him a wink making sure that Rosie and Elizabeth didn't observe him. Lucas smiled and blushed; Lee knew that he had gotten the message.

"Bye Mama, bye Papa, we are going to visit Uncle Bill and have yummy macaroni and cheese for lunch!" Rosie took him by the hand and led him to the car and helped him in along with one of his toys."

"Have fun you two," she said with a knowing smile.

"We will be working, Rosemary. Lucas will be chopping wood."

"Oookaay…." She said in a way that only Rosie could; she gave them a wink and off she went.

Lucas went to change into his work clothes. He gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the temple and headed out the door to retrieve the ax from its hiding place. Elizabeth opened the window so she could hear him if he called for her. She could hear the rhythm of his chopping but still checked on him from time to time. He had soon removed his jacket and sweater and was now down to his t-shirt and had worked up a healthy sweat. She had to admit he was extremely impressive as the muscles tensed in his arms and back with each swing of the ax. "It's all in creating torque," she recalled him once saying. "It is getting awfully warm," she said as she grabbed a copy of the "Valley Voice" and began to fan herself. Realizing that he was the one who really needed cooling down, Elizabeth prepared a pitcher of cold water and sliced lemon and headed out with glasses and sandwiches.

She watched him for a few minutes. His hair was dripping with sweat. and he had smears of dirt on his face and shirt. She took a deep breath and alerted him to her presence, "Lucas." He looked at her with a grateful smile on his face when he sees the water. He welcomes the glass she holds out for him and then holds the glass out for a refill.

"With slices of lemon just the way I like it; très élégant."

"Oui, I thought you might like to take a break. We can sit on the bench and enjoy our sandwiches." With that, she headed over with him following her. She sat on the bench and leaned in for a kiss.

"I am really a mess and don't want to get you dirty," he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She closed her eyes and took in his scent, a mixture of a light musk from his cologne and the natural masculine scent from his perspiration. He pretended not to notice and took the sandwich she held out to him. They ate in companionable silence and then he stood to resume his work.

"How much longer do you plan to work? You may be really sore tomorrow."
"How about another thirty minutes and then I think we are set for quite a while."

She gave him one last glass of water and then returned to the house. She listened as he resumed chopping and then sat down to make an entry in her journal. Thirty minutes later he was still at it, and she went to the window to check on him. He was now completely drenched and flushed and she decided that enough was enough. She marched out the door and across the yard calling out to him. "Lucas Bouchard, you are going to stop this minute!"

He grinned at her schoolmarm tone as she took the ax from him and returned it to its place. She grabbed his hand and led him to the house shutting the door and locking it. She looked at him with a look that he recognized. "Elizabeth, I should wash up before coming in."

"Just take your boots off," she demanded. And then all but drug him up the stairs. He tried to protest but soon realized she was a woman with a mission and who was he to interfere.

A while later they were roused from their sleepy cuddle by the phone. "I should go down and get that," Elizabeth said sleepily.

"Don't move. I will go down and call Rosie. If Jack is ready to come home, I will get dressed and go get him. Otherwise, I will come back to my spot."

"I ask myself every day what I did to deserve you."

"And I intend to keep you wondering every day for the rest of your life." He leaned in for a kiss which she quickly deepened. He worked his way out of her arms and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered as he headed out the door.

"I love you too," she whispered as she closed her eyes and put her head on his pillow so she could breathe him in.