Chapter 28 TransCanada Limited

Our adventurous foursome has now gone past the midpoint of their TransCanada journey and all in all it was going very well. The main focus is to keep Jack's spirits up and collectively they were doing just that. Leading the charge is Lucas who tirelessly answers the endless questions that the curious little boy asks. He takes him on walks to work off some of the excess energy they both have from sitting for so many hours. They march throughout the train, visiting with passengers along the way. Lucas shares his magic with the younger set and delights the older children and adults with some of his more sophisticated card tricks. They draw for hours and now have a picture of every animal found in India and Africa. Jack's current passion is the jungle, which was certainly stirred by Lucas who has read him tales by Rudyard Kipling. He also is working on expanding his vocabulary and he now knows the names of a host of animals. If he were to engage his cousins in a chat about jungle or safari animals, he would be quite in good shape.

Laura turned out to be a true blessing as she is devoted to Jack, ensuring that he had a nap each afternoon. This gives Lucas and Elizabeth their only private time. They spend it having afternoon tea and chatting in the solarium lounge car. She is also the one who gets him dressed in the morning and in his pajamas at night. Having little brothers, she knows so well how to help them learn to undertake some of this themselves. She is patient as he tries to button his own shirt… never mind that she might have to help get it corrected in the end. She is also very cognizant of the time that Lucas spends with him and steps in to read with him or play a game to give Lucas a breather.

As for Elizabeth, other than giving Jack some cuddles now and again she has been quite free to work on the outline for her new novel. She is happy and quite content but misses the more intimate times with Lucas as she is bunking with Laura, and Lucas with Jack, in order to get enough room to fold his legs. They would have never both fit in the bunk and would have been constrained anyway due to a general lack of privacy, so they are resigned to this arrangement. A kiss on the cheek now and again or a squeeze of her hand lets her know he is thinking of her and for now, it has to be enough.

They were on the third day aboard the train and had just helped settle Jack so they could stroll to the solarium car for their tea and chat. When they had finished their tea and scones, Lucas looked at her with a tender gaze. "Elizabeth, I read your letter this morning."
"And I yours," she whispered.

Lucas shut his eyes, inhaled deeply and then released his breath and reached out his hand for hers. He led her out of the solarium car and turned in the opposite direction from what she expected. "Where are we going?" she asked to which she received no reply. He continued until they had reached the second to the last car and were greeted with a sign "Employees Only Beyond This Point." But Lucas opened the door and they slipped inside and to an immediate right where she soon found herself behind the stacks of trunks that rose to just over Lucas' height.
"Why are we …" she trailed off as she looked up into his predatory gaze.
He reached up one hand and placed it on her cheek and she nuzzled against it then he took his other hand and placed it on the other with his thumb stroking the corner of her lower lip never taking his eyes from hers. She wanted to close her eyes and savor the feeling of desire that coursed through her, but she was mesmerized by the look in his eyes. He then lowered his mouth to hers in a reverent kiss that melted her heart. He ran his hands down her sides to her hips as she wound her arms around his neck, and he pulled her in tight against him. The kiss deepened as the pent-up passion overcame them. They were breathless as he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers "I love you so much and it has been pure agony being without you in my arms for these past days. When I read your letter, I remembered what I felt when you walked out of my office that night. How I burned for you as I do now. But as much as I want to take you against these trunks right now, I would not treat you so."
"And I love you too Lucas and as much as I want to beg you to end this agony for us, I won't, because I know you too well. You would torture yourself afterward with thoughts of your behavior."
"You do know me so well my sweet, and although I will restrain myself at the present, make no mistake; when we arrive in Montreal you must be prepared for me to ravish you thoroughly." He winked at her to lighten the mood, but she knew it was a both warning and a promise.
"I shall prepare myself but don't think you will be the only one getting his way my love. I have my own plans." She gave him one of her sassiest flirtiest smiles and his grin widened as the dimples deepened and his eyes twinkled.

"Perhaps you might lead the way my lady as I need to shake off the situation, I find myself in so as not to be embarrassed upon our arrival back with our traveling companions." With that, she opened the door and slipped out as he followed her.

When they arrived back at their temporary home, Jack had just awakened from his nap and was munching on a biscuit that Laura had given him to tide him over until his snack. They had stopped at the dining car on their way back and one of the servers who was especially fond of their son gave them some fruit, cheese, and crackers.

"Tell him that this comes from Jacque in the dining car."
"Thank you and we will tell him."

"Did you have a nice nap buddy?" asked Lucas.
"Yes, Papa. Papa…?"

"Yes, Jack?"
"Are we almost there yet?" asked the little boy hopefully.

Lucas sat next to him and pulled him onto his lap.
"Not quite yet but we are making good progress. Elizabeth, would you please get the map from my briefcase?" Elizabeth retrieved the map along with a pencil so he could make a line from the last marking to where they were now. "See Jack, we are here, and grandmere and grandpere live right there," he said pointing to Montreal on the map. "We shall be seeing them two days from now."

Jack looked at Lucas quietly, which without words said, "that is soooo long."

Lucas gave him a wide grin "there is so much more fun to be had. Tomorrow we will be taking our grand tour with the train engineers. They will show us how they make the steam that makes the train move along the rails. How does that sound?"

"Soooo good Papa!" he clapped excitedly, and Lucas gave him a big hug.

Elizabeth sat with tears welling in her eyes as she watched her men. She felt so blessed. She never forgot to be grateful; she had descended into a deep dark place after Jack's death, one she thought she would never come out of. But she learned she was with child, which then gave her a new reason to live, and so she soldiered on until this wonderful little one was born. She found happiness and contentment, but it wasn't until Lucas walked into her life and challenged her, offering his friendship and support, and with time, his love and patience, did she find the pure joy of living again and a love she didn't know possible. Her forever love and her family she thought. She then said a prayer of thanks for all her blessings and the ones she hoped were ahead.

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