If you're anything like me, you've watched Little House on the Prairie (or read it, probably both many times over) and by now you'll know exactly what this series is referencing this week. I've really been pressing myself to write these daily, so I'm only spending a short time on each one, which is kind of a change for me. I usually write a short and then walk away for a few days before coming back to do final editing. But for this week, it all happens in about an hour to a an hour and a half time span, so I'm glad you're all enjoying reading them as much as I'm enjoying writing them!

Lucas and Elizabeth are back in full force with this short! I actually started it differently and it morphed into a short I'd been planning for a while. It just felt right, you know? But the best news is we are ALMOST THERE. For reference, only THREE days of the week left between us and seeing our favorite Hope Valley residents again! So very close indeed! But, for now, I hope this helps to pass the time.

In the olden days, Thursdays were for churning, but as rural communities became urban ones, most residents would spend their afternoons at the market.

And that's exactly where Elizabeth and Lucas were.

"I was thinking of this color for the living room," Lucas explained, pointing to a swatch of a pale blue color, "and then we could do that blue patterned rug you liked so much when we were in Union City."

"It was a nice rug," Elizabeth returned, her voice slightly flat. They'd been standing at the counter in the mercantile for a while now, discussing plans for the home they were building just outside of town. After he'd proposed and she'd accepted, Lucas had purchased the land adjacent to Jack's, which they'd decided to leave for Little Jack.

Lucas turned to her, head tilting in question. "Would you prefer the yellow?"

She sighed, running a hand over her forehead. "I don't know, Lucas. I guess I'm just a little…overwhelmed today? Could we postpone this conversation to next week?"

"Hey," he whispered, setting down the catalog to grasp her hand, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, really. There's just so much left to finish for the wedding." Elizabeth smiled weakly, but Lucas quickly picked up on her discomfort.

"Ned?" he called out, and quickly the older man popped out from behind one of the shelves, "Could we take this with us?" As he spoke, Lucas held up the book in his hand.

"Of course," Ned agreed, nodding. "Feel free, and let me know if there's anything left I can help with for the wedding."

Elizabeth thanked him and quickly headed out of the mercantile, leaving Lucas to follow her. She moved fast, and by the time he closed the door, he had to hurry to catch up to her. Once they fell in step, he took her hand, which she quickly squeezed as she led him on the path that would take them toward the rowhouses.

"I don't mean to press you, Elizabeth, but just know that whatever it is you're dealing with, I'm here. No secret sorrows, remember?"

She laughed lightly, but remained quiet, moving to intertwine their fingers. They walked in silence until they reached her rowhouse, and didn't say a word until the door was closed behind them.

Lucas stood across the threshold, waiting for Elizabeth to turn around and face him. She did, but she moved to the side of the room instead, making a bee-line for a photograph of her first husband that sat proudly on the table. He watched quietly as she picked it up, running her fingers over the photo.

Over the years he'd known Elizabeth, she'd opened up about her first husband a few times, but he'd picked up information from other residents of Hope Valley too. Jack had been loved, and loved dearly, by everyone in the town, and by his wife most of all.

"He was going to build us a house," she murmured, back still turned to him. "On the land he bought."

"You told me once," Lucas returned, remaining where he was. "He'd already bought the lumber, right?"

She nodded slowly, "he knew exactly where we were going to put the kitchen and the stable and the garden. He wanted rooms for the entire family. Jack knew exactly how the light would shine into the home, how we'd start every single day. We had it all planned out and…" Her voice cracked, her emotions catching up with her.

Taking a step toward her, Lucas remained quiet. When he stood by her side, he gently took the photograph from her. "I think," he started, looking at the man who would always hold a piece of his fiancé's heart, "that this photo would look perfect on the mantle."

A sob escaped her, and Elizabeth smiled, her head turning to look at him. "You think so?"

"Elizabeth," he breathed out, setting the picture back on the table so he could hold her hands, "Jack was your husband. He was such a significant part of your life, and I would never want to change that. He's important to you, and to your son, and as I become part of your family, that means he's important to me too. So yes," he continued, releasing one of her hands to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, "the mantle is the only place I can picture it."

"I really am excited, you know," she explained, sniffling a bit, "to marry you, and to build our future. It's just…sometimes I think about all that I missed out on with Jack. How long I waited to experience life with him, and I don't want to take any of that for granted this time."

Lucas kissed her on the forehead, "I have said it a million times already and I'll say it a million times more, but I will wait as long as I have to. I think it's rather obvious by now that I want to marry you, preferably sooner rather than later," he joked, causing them both to laugh, "but at the end of the day, I don't care where we live or what the rug looks like. I only care about you."

She kissed him then, just a brush of her lips against his. When they pulled apart, they remained close, foreheads touching. "I love you," she whispered.

He was about to return her sentiment, but Elizabeth suddenly pulled away, grabbing his hand in the process. "Sweetheart, where are we going?" he questioned, chuckling as they moved.

"You still have the catalog, right?"

Lucas nodded, letting her pull him out the door and over in the direction of his car, which was still parked there from his arrival at her home that morning. "I do, why?" he returned quickly, growing more confused by the second.

"Well this house isn't going to plan itself, Mr. Bouchard," she grinned, the glint finally returning to her eyes. "And I don't know about you, but I think the best way to do that is to go stand in the spot where our living room will be and picture it."

Settling into his car, tight against her side, he snuck in a kiss to her cheek, reveling in the smile it brought to her lips. "I think that sounds like the perfect idea. As long as we go with the blue."

"We're going with the yellow," she teased as he put the car into gear.

"Yellow it is."

And with his foot on the gas, they drove just a bit closer to their future together.