August 11th, 2009 – Thatcher's House, N.H.

Grace Thatcher invited Jack in and escorted him to William's office in their home. Walking through the entry and into the hall gave Jack an insight to Elizabeth's environment growing up. Grace opened a door and invited him into William's office, then closed the door behind him.

Jack took a seat in the fancy, leather chair in front of an equally elegant desk. The room was filled with books; law books Jack assumed. As he scanned the room and among the many books, framed photos of Elizabeth and her family were scattered across some shelves, others hanging on the wall, and still more on the desk.

Jack nervously slid back in his seat, straightening his back. He wiped his sweaty palms across his thigh and swallowed hard, trying to take care of the lump forming in his throat.

The door opened and Jack quickly stood up and turned to find a very intimidating looking man with salt and pepper hair, dressed in a crisp, pressed white dress shirt, with the top button undone, slate grey dress slacks and expensive leather shoes. Staring at him with crystal blue eyes, matching Elizabeth's, as he walked into the room.

Presuming this to be Mr. Thatcher as he walked up to Jack and stuck his hand out toward him. "Jack. I'm William."

"Hello, sir," Jack shook his hand. "Very nice to meet you."

William walked around his desk and sat down. Jack returned to his chair and slowly lowered back into the seat.

"I understand that you wanted to talk to us about Elizabeth."

Jack swallowed hard again, "Yes, sir. That is correct."

"I'd like to ask you a few questions first, if you don't mind."

"No, sir. That would be just fine." Jack shifted in his chair.

"I understand that you're a bull rider?"

"Yes, sir. I am."

"Aren't you worried about being seriously injured or killed?"

"I think about it every time I ride, sir. But I don't let the fear run my life."

"Isn't that what killed your father?"

Jack looked at William for a brief moment, "Yes, sir. My father died in a rodeo accident."

"And yet, you still ride."

"With all due respect, sir, I also lost a cousin in a car accident. And I lost a good friend that was just out riding his horse and died in a freak accident. But I haven't stopped driving or riding my horses. I don't believe in living your life in fear and not doing what you love. I am a third-generation bull rider. I've been on bulls since I was old enough to sit on one." Jack took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, he looked directly at the distinguished gentleman and in a heartfelt tone, continued. "I love what I do and I take what precautions that I can. I understand your concerns, especially when they involve Elizabeth."

William leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingertips of both hands together, looked at Jack with those piercing blue eyes, and asked, "Jack, why did you come here?"

Jack moved slightly in his seat, wiped his hands again and cleared his throat. "Mr. Thatcher, I am in love with your daughter, sir. She is the most amazing woman that I've ever met. She deserves the world."

William lowered his hands, "And how do you plan to give her that, Jack?"

"Sir, I am set up to give her anything she wants or needs. But this isn't about money. I love her with all my heart and she loves me." Jack slid to the edge of his seat. "I know Elizabeth loves her family and thinks the world of you." Jack took a deep breath through his nose. "I would like to ask you for permission to marry your daughter."

William remained silent as he eyed Jack. Jack sat nervously wiping his hands across his thighs, waiting for him to respond.

"Jack, I can hear in your voice that you do love my daughter. And I know she loves you. But your lifestyle worries me." William paused. "How long are you in town?"

"My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, but I can change it if needed." Jack took a few seconds as he glanced down, then back up to meet William Thatcher's eyes, "Sir, I scheduled an extra day in order to spend some time with you and Mrs. Thatcher, if that can be arranged with your schedule. I understand that meeting me right now and asking for your permission and blessing to marry Elizabeth is probably quite a surprise. I hope there is time to talk so you can get to know me, who I am, before I leave town.

William nodded his head and thought for a brief moment, "Join us today for dinner, Jack. Mrs. Thatcher and I would definitely like to spend some time getting to know you."

"Yes, sir. I'd love to. Thank you."

Jack followed William out to their large deck that faced the ocean. Grace was already there, with glasses of tea for all of them. She picked one up and handed it to Jack.

"Thank you, Mrs. Thatcher," Jack said as he took the glass.

"Please, Jack, call me Grace." She smiled.

Jack sat opposite of the Thatchers and nervously sipped his tea.

"So, Jack." Grace started, "tell us about your family."

"I have one brother, Tom. He's two years younger, married with three kids. My mother, Charlotte, lives not far from me. We are all ranchers. My brother's wife, Sam, is a nurse."

"Oh, a nurse. That's nice." Grace said. "No sisters?"

"No, it was just Tom and me. I think we were enough for our parents," Jack grinned. "Growing up on a ranch, there is a lot of things to do to get in trouble."

"I could imagine," Grace smiled. "Our girls got in their fair share of trouble when they were younger, too."

"So, Jack," William started, "What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Still riding bulls?"

"Well, sir, I have been giving that a lot of thought lately." Jack shifted in his seat, turning his body toward William more. "I do plan on riding for at least the next year or two, depending on the outcome at the end of the season. But after that, I have been seriously thinking about retiring from bulls."

"I see. What would you do then?"

"I already have several horses that I train for people. I plan on continuing with that. Maybe picking up even more horses since I'd have more time. My brother and I also help my mother run her cattle ranch and we get shares from that as well."

William sat quietly, nodding his head as he listened to Jack.

"Does that pay well?" Grace asked.

"Yes, ma'am, we do pretty well with it."

"How did you meet Elizabeth?" William asked.

"Her friend ,Rosie, brought a troubled horse over for me to train, and Elizabeth was with her."

"How long ago was this?"

"Let me think. Oh, yes, it was near the end of April."

"You have only known our daughter for a little over three months and you're already asking if you can marry her? You don't think that's a bit soon?" William asked in his stern voice.

"I know this sounds like we are moving a bit fast. I know it probably seems a bit unusual at this stage of our relationship; however, I love your daughter more than anything in this world and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that to her. I want to give her everything she wants. I want to start a family with her." Jack leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs. "Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, I promise to you both, that Beth will be loved. She will be loved like she deserves. I promise you that she will be well cared for. I will do everything in my power to make her happy and protect her."

Jack could see that the Thatchers still had doubts about him.

"Sir, ma'am, I haven't even told this to Elizabeth yet, though I plan to when I get back. But I have recently returned to church, I've accepted Christ into my heart, and I'm planning on being baptized in a couple weeks." Jack could feel the sting of tears developing and tried to hold them back. "I didn't want to tell Beth yet, until I was a little further into my faith walk." Jack sat up straight in his seat. "I would really love it if you would come to Missouri. I would like for you to meet my family, and I would like you there for my baptism. And I know Beth would love to see you."

This caught them off guard and William and Grace looked at each other. Grace was finally the one that responded. "Jack, we would be honored to be there."

William looked quickly back toward his wife with his brow furrowed. Grace smiled at him, then turned back to Jack. "We were planning to go see Beth sometime soon anyway, so just let us know when."

Jack began to relax and leaned back into the chair. For the first time since he'd stepped outside, he was able to fully appreciate the beautiful landscape in front of him. He looked out to the ocean and watched a sailboat in the distance. "You have the most magnificent view out here."

"Thank you, Jack." Grace replied. "We love it here. Have you ever been to the east coast before?"

"No ma'am. I've traveled a lot but never made it this far east."

William had remained silent for a while, listening and sizing Jack up as he continued to talk with Grace.

"Jack," William finally cut in. "Can you tell us why you think you're in love with our daughter?"

"Beth is the best person that I have ever met. She's selfless, caring, generous. She makes me want to be a better man. She challenges me, supports me and makes me laugh. And I will do the same for her."

William, finally seeing Jack's love for his daughter, began to soften his opinion on Jack. "She is all of those things, and more."

"Yes, sir. She is definitely more."

Jack and the Thatchers visited for more than an hour; learning about Jack's childhood, his rodeo career and his ranch. They shared stories of Elizabeth, some of which Jack had never heard before, and planned their visit to Missouri.

They enjoyed a wonderful meal of fresh seafood and vegetables on the deck, while continuing their conversation of details surrounding Jack's horse training and Elizabeth's interest in art.

"I assume you guys have traveled a lot." Jack said.

"We have some," William answered. "We've visited Viola in London and have been to Italy twice. I had business there and was lucky enough to be able to take the family with me,"

"And Paris?"

"No," Grace answered this time, "We've never been to Paris."

"Oh, so I guess Elizabeth went alone or with friends?"

"No, Beth has never been, either."

"But her paintings, she had several of the Eiffel Tower."

"Oh, yes. She's always wanted to go but our trips always took us somewhere else. Then the summer we had planned to go, Julie got married so we were too busy with that and never made it."

"Oh, I see. I just assumed she'd been."

"Her paintings are marvelous, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are." Jack looked at his watch and noticed how late it was, "I should be going. I came straight here from the airport and still need to get checked into my hotel."

"What hotel are you staying at, Jack?"

"The Great Island Inn."

"That's a very nice hotel. That's where I put my clients when they come from out of town." William remarked. He stood and pushed his chair back from the table. "I'll walk you to the door."

"It was very nice meeting you, Jack," Grace said as she stood. She walked around the table and hugged him goodbye.

"Very nice meeting you, too, Grace."

Jack followed William through the beautifully decorated house. William opened the door and followed Jack outside, closing the door behind him.

"Jack, you seem like a very nice young man. I can see that you truly love Beth. However, you have only known her for a few months so surely you can see our concerns."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Give Grace and me the evening to talk." William put out his hand to shake Jack's. "It was very nice meeting you, Jack. We'll see you in the morning."

Jack shook his hand and walked to his car. His heart began to return to normal for the first time since arriving. He took a deep breath, put it in gear, drove around the circle drive, and pulled out into the street.

…..

August 12th, 2009 – Great Island Inn, New Castle, New Hampshire

Jack woke suddenly to his phone ringing. He sat up in bed and reached to grab it, only to knock it onto the floor. He reached down and picked it up to see Rosemary's name on the screen.

"Rosie, why are you calling so early?"

"How did it go, Jack? I couldn't wait any longer."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"No, why? Is it early?"

Jack looked at his phone then returned it to his ear. "It's 5:18 a.m."

"Oh, sorry. I couldn't sleep and hadn't heard from you yet. I couldn't take it any longer. So, how did it go?"

"I'm not sure yet. We had a nice dinner and talked for a while. But William said he needed to think about it and talk to Grace. I'm going back over this morning."

"Well, that's better than a "no."

"I suppose it is." Jack yawned, "I'll talk to you later. I need to get some more sleep. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh, of course, Jack. Sorry. Good night...or...good morning," Rosemary giggled.

"Bye, Rosie."

…..

Elizabeth was lying on her side, her head on the pillow, facing Jack. He was staring into her blue eyes, memorizing every tiny gold flake, the dark blue ring around the edge, and the multiple shades of blue that drew him in every time he looked at her. Her beautiful brown hair with streaks of auburn, draped across her shoulders and spilled down her back. Jack reached up and ran his fingers along the edge of her face, tracing her jawline and across her lips. Just as he leaned forward to kiss her, Jack's alarm went off, pulling him back to the present.

Two hours had passed since Rosemary's phone call, and Jack had quickly fallen back into a deep sleep. He smacked his phone, trying to hit the correct area of the screen to turn the alarm off, finally succeeding on the third try. He smacked his hands against the bed, upset at the timing of the alarm. He let out a big sigh, then swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up.

He stood, walked straight to the bathroom, and took a much-needed cold shower.

…..

Two and a half hours later, Jack pulled into the driveway of the Thatcher home. He closed his eyes, said a prayer, took a deep breath, and got out of the car.

As he rang the doorbell, thoughts raced through his mind about how important this visit was; this just had to end with a blessing, or he didn't know what he would do.

As the doorknob turned and the door opened, Jack released the breath he'd been holding and smiled at Grace, who invited him in. She led him through a different part of the house that passed through a hallway that was lined with paintings. He stopped and looked at them, knowing they were Elizabeth's.

"She's very talented, isn't she?" Grace asked after she'd noticed he'd stopped.

"Yes, she is. She's just amazing." Jack was smiling as he stared at a painting of a little girl in a purple bathing suit, sitting on the beach with a red pail next to her.

Grace saw the expression on his face and smiled, "That's Julie. Those two were so close and spent hours on the beach. They would have slept out there if we had let them."

Jack chuckled and stepped down to the next painting. It was of a little white church. A set of steps led up to the double doors and a steeple sat on top above them. The little pond in front of the church, held its reflection like a mirror. A row of trees lined across the background. The sky was filled with colors of golds, pinks and blues.

"That is a little country church that Elizabeth's grandparents were married in. She's always felt a connection to it and paints it quite often."

"It's beautiful," Jack replied, his eyes searching across the painting.

Grace talked about other paintings as they walked down the hall; a childhood dog, lily pads floating on a pond, seashells on the beach and many more. Jack also noticed a few more Eiffel Tower paintings.

Grace led him to an all-season room where William was already seated and reading the paper. He stood when he saw Jack enter the room.

"Good morning, Jack. Please," he motioned to a chair across from him, "have a seat."

"Good morning, sir," Jack said as he took a seat, his heart began to race and Jack thought he might faint.

"Would you like something to drink, Jack?" Grace asked.

"Water, please."

Grace walked over to a small table near the doorway and filled a glass with water from the blue glass pitcher that had already been placed in the room.

"Thank you, Grace," Jack said as he took the glass. He had stood when she approached him, and sat back down as she walked to her chair.

"How was the hotel, Jack?" William asked, making small talk that Jack wasn't interested in.

"It was great, sir. Very nice hotel."

"Great. And you slept well?"

"Yes, sir. I sure did." Jack shifted nervously in his seat, wondering how long William was going to drag this out.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, William. Just tell the poor boy." Grace interrupted, noticing Jack's anxiety growing.

William let out a chuckle. "Jack, Grace and I have talked things over. We've thought things through thoroughly. And we've come to a decision."

Jack moved to the edge of his seat, rested his arms on his legs and leaned forward, locking his gaze on William.

"We will gladly give you our blessing. We can see that you love Beth very much."

Jack let out the breath he'd been holding, a bit louder than he'd expected. Relief flooded his body as he leaned back into his chair.

"Thank you, sir, ma'am. Thank you so much. I promise that I will take care of her the best I can."

"We believe you will, Jack," Grace added. "And I know that Beth loves you very much."

Jack was finally able to relax, knowing that he could move forward with his plans. "Yes, ma'am."

"And Jack, I would like to add, that we are very proud of you for coming back to God," William said.

Jack swallowed hard and tears filled his eyes.

"It takes a strong man to admit when he needs help," William continued. "And starting a marriage with a foundation of God is the way to have a lasting marriage."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that." A lone tear slipped down his cheek.

"Jack, you can call me William."

Jack nodded and smiled.

They enjoyed a variety of items for brunch as Jack discussed his plans. The date was set for William and Grace to fly to Missouri to meet Jack's family and to attend his baptism. It was to be a surprise for Elizabeth so Jack would be picking them up at the airport alone.

After a wonderful and successful visit, Jack said his goodbyes to the Thatchers and left for the airport. He said a silent prayer of thanks for giving him the words and strength to get through the last 24 hours. Once he was at his gate and waiting for this flight to board, he picked up his phone to call Rosie and give her the good news.

…..

August 13th, 2009 – Elizabeth's Townhouse

Jack and Elizabeth were sitting outside on her patio, eating a lunch of sandwiches and salad, that she had prepared.

"I want to share something with you, Beth. Something that I have been working on for a little over a week."

"Okay, Jack." Elizabeth set her fork down and focused on Jack.

"I told you about the cowboy church that I had been going to group sessions, right?"

"Yes, I remember. Frank, wasn't that the pastor's name?"

"Yes, that's right. Well, he invited me to church a while back and I finally went two Sundays ago."

Elizabeth's heart began to race, anticipating what Jack was about to tell her.

"I was so overwhelmed by his sermon and had my head down, that I hadn't even noticed that everyone had left. Frank saw me and talked to me. I accepted Jesus into my heart, I've been studying the book of John, and I am planning to be baptized on the 23rd."

Elizabeth jumped out of her chair and quickly stepped toward Jack. He pushed his chair away from the table as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sitting on his lap.

"Jack, you have no idea how happy this makes me." She gave him a short but loving kiss on the lips. "I have been praying for you, Jack. Every day since we've met." She tightened her arms around his neck and hugged him again.

Jack's arms were wrapped around her waist and he tightened his hold as well, breathing in her perfume, and feeling an immense feeling of love; both spiritual and physical.

…..

August 17th - Highland Park Cemetery

Jack sat in the grass next to his father's grave. He reached over and pulled a few weeds that had just begun to grow, and tossed them aside.

"Hello, Dad." Jack said as he ran his hand across the grass that grew above his father. "Oh, Dad. I wish you were here. I have needed your advice so many times." Jack paused as he looked at the blades of grass that stuck up between his fingers. "I found God again, Dad. I am finally building on the foundation that you and Ma started. I'm going to be baptized." Jack wrapped his arms around his knee. "I miss you so much." Jack paused, fighting back the grief. "I'm in love, Dad. I wish you could meet her. You'd love her. I'm planning on asking Elizabeth to marry me." A tear ran down his cheek. "I wish you could be by my side at my wedding."

After sitting for several minutes in silence, Jack picked up his journal. "I'd like to read some of my favorite passages from John. I've been working my way through the book." Jack turned to a page he had bookmarked and began reading to his father.

…..

Jack closed the door to his truck, looking back at the Thornton headstone before pulling onto the little gravel road that would lead him out of the cemetery.

On his drive home, he thought about all his plans that week and the rodeo that they'd had the weekend prior. It was another Built Ford Tough PBR rodeo, so it had only been Lee and Jack competing; Rosemary and Elizabeth cheered them on from the seats. Jack had taken another second and Lee had dropped to fourth.

Jack knew he was on his way to competing in the world finals in November and only needed to remain in the top three in three more events. As much as he wanted his father there physically, Jack felt his presence in a way that gave him some peace. And Jack was thrilled to have Elizabeth by his side now to share in his excitement.

Jack continued to go through his plans in his mind, step by step, as he finished his drive home. He could hardly wait to surprise Elizabeth with her parent's visit in a few more days.