Hello all!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner.
Good news though! I have the rest of the chapters outlined so that should make writing and updating a bit easier from now on!
Anyway, please read, enjoy, and review the newest chapter of I and Love and You.
They lay in front of the Chesterfield sofa, blankets surrounding them and feather pillows underneath their heads. A fire crackled at their feet. Warm orange and yellow light flickered against the lemon yellow walls, enveloping the cozy room in a golden glow. Sopping wet clothes lay strewn across the floor, leaving puddles of rainwater that they would need to clean up later. But for now, both were content to stay in each other's arms.
Elizabeth nestled her head into the crook of Jack's neck, her delicate, slender fingers dancing across his collarbone, then down to his naked chest, just above his heart, thumping steadily underneath her touch. Jack's eyes were closed, though she knew he wasn't asleep. The rough, calloused fingers of his left hand ghosted over the soft skin of her shoulder, while his right pulled up the flannel blanket further up onto his chest. Elizabeth smiled softly, content to study him, to memorize every freckle and scar and laugh line that covered his beautiful body.
Rain continued to fall outside, drops tapping gently against the windows. Elizabeth watched as the little streams gathered and fell down on the cool glass.
She looked around the cozy bedroom, the reds and yellows of the fire mixing in with the cold, clear blues and blacks from the moonlit filled night. A memory, glimmering and glittering like a jewel called out to her from the dimly lit room. The rain, the fire, the love and the uncertainty all danced around her. It was all so familiar, so calming and thrilling and terrifying all at once.
"Do you remember when you told me you loved me for the first time," Elizabeth's voice was low and velvety. She already knew the answer.
Jack took in a breath, calm and easy. She didn't need to look at him to know he was smiling.
"Of course I do," was his simple reply, "It was the day you told me you loved me back."
Elizabeth ducked the crown of her head further under his jaw. A delicate, fleeting smile flashed across her lips. She brushed a kiss against a small, half-moon shaped scar that sat above his heart; a reminder of his bout of chicken pox when he was seven. Jack's arms around her drew her closer to him.
"Why do you ask," Jack asked after a moment.
She doesn't answer for a minute. Jack begins to ask her again when Elizabeth breaks the comfortable silence.
"I knew before then," Elizabeth declared softly as she traced the line of his chin, rough stubble running underneath her silky skin, "I knew before you even kissed me that first time on our hill."
Jack flashed her grin, his dimples etching into his cheeks, "When did you know?"
Elizabeth smiled back. She lifted herself up to look at Jack. His short, dark brown hair was mussed and sticking up more on one side than the other. She couldn't help the tiny giggle that passed her lips. She would be the only one to ever see him like this. So different from the straight-laced, put together appearance of Jack Thornton, the Mountie. Here, just like this, he was just Jack, her husband, lover, best friend. This intimacy was for her and her alone. And Jack, with his deep, hazel eyes that looked almost like emeralds, stared right back at her. Love pooled in his attention and affection poured out from his gaze. God, he was mesmerizing.
Jack waited patiently, content to lay curled up against her. Her beautiful, silky russet hair fell down around her face in gentle waves. He didn't even try to resist the urge to push back a few strands that had fallen from behind her ear. He was the only one who would ever see her like this. So open and free, so different to the measured, controlled manner she carried herself with around town and in her classroom. Here, she wasn't Elizabeth Thatcher, the school teacher. Right now, in his arms, she was just Elizabeth, his wife, love, and best friend. Moments like this were for him and him alone. Her sapphire eyes were bright against the flickering firelight in front of her. God, she was mesmerizing.
Jack watched closely as Elizabeth's gaze seemed to drift past him, caught up in a memory.
"You were helping Abigail," Elizabeth started, "It was in the summer and the windows had been sticking. So you offered to help sand them and check the rope pulls to make sure they would open."
Jack's eyes narrowed, "That's when you knew?"
Elizabeth chuckled, "I'm not finished."
A quick grin from Jack set her heart aflutter, but Elizabeth continued, "I had come in through the back for tea with Abigail, so you didn't see me. Abigail was working in the kitchen," Elizabeth paused, as she conjured up the details of all she had seen and heard within the memory.
"There were several of my students there, and they wouldn't stop pestering you with questions: what are you doing Mountie Jack, why are you sanding the windows, Mountie Jack, why is there a pulley and rope in the window?" Elizabeth explained, mimicking some of her students' voices, and Jack couldn't tamper the chuckle that had risen in his throat.
"You had been working since the morning, and it was unbearably hot that day. The cafe was stuffy and it was clear that you were uncomfortable in the room. You had every right to dismiss the children, even to become short with them," Elizabeth's gaze and grin were brilliant and bright as she looked Jack in the eye, "but you never lost your temper. You smiled and laughed and answered every question they threw your way. You even let a few of them help you. You taught them and you made them feel important."
Jack smiled, "You know, I honestly don't remember any of that."
Elizabeth's smile fell, a serious countenance etched into the soft contours of her face. She raised her hand to his hair, brushed the few strands that fell over his face, "You made them feel special, needed even. And then I realized that you make everyone around you feel that way. You constantly reminded Abigail how strong and brave she was to carry on after Noah died. You took time to make those children feel needed and appreciated. And then I realized that you make everyone around you feel special because you truly believe that they are. I saw how much you cared deeply about everyone around you, everyone that you swore you would protect when you became a Mountie."
Jack was silent as Elizabeth finished her account, "And I couldn't help but think, 'By God, I love this man."
Jack placed a gentle kiss against her lips, a silent thanks for the precious gift of her memories before she lowered her head back down on his shoulder.
Moments stretched between them, a companionable silence filling the time. A memory crept up from the recesses of his mind. It was a precious moment, a secret, one that he kept hidden and safe from the rest of the world. He trusted her to keep it.
"I knew I loved you when you told me to leave Hope Valley," Jack whispered.
Elizabeth turned her gaze from the fire to look at him. Jack smiled softly at her.
"You were crying and I could see your heart was breaking just as much as mine. And I wanted nothing more than for you to ask me to stay," Jack looked away and back at the fire, "But you didn't, you wouldn't let me give up everything I had worked for, everything that I wanted to achieve."
Jack looked back at his wife… his wife… her shimmering, devoted gaze sinking deep into his chest and his heart, "And suddenly it was so clear, that none of it would be worth it if I didn't get to share it with you."
Elizabeth cut Jack off as she pulled him into a deep kiss. Surprise gave way to passion as Jack teased the seam of her lips with his tongue. He nearly chuckled at the way, grinning at the way she jolted, kissed her again, then slowly eased up to lean over her. Jack pulls back, just for a moment, to take in the sight of her. Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open, and she gazed at him in undeniable adoration and affection. Jack's eyes glittered happily, curling his arms around her as he reflected again on the beautiful awareness that he was somehow here with her. That she was his wife and he was her husband. Oh, how he wanted to please her like this, for the rest of his days…
Elizabeth grinned languidly up at him, tracing her finger lightly over his lips. Her eyes darkened as he lowered his face and kissed her, kissed her so tenderly. As they continued to kiss, relishing in each other's warmth, they shifted, wriggled closer together, somehow rolled. Elizabeth lay above him now, and she eased back from his kiss, looking tenderly into his eyes which were clouded with passion.
"I wish I had told you sooner…" Elizabeth gasped, unable to speak the words caught in her throat. There was no way to express what she was thinking, how much more time they might have had, how many more days they might have had like this if she had... Her fingers brushed softly over his cheek and ended up tangling into the silky strands of his hair. "I wish I hadn't got so caught up," she finished, simply.
Jack just smiled, a glimmer of sadness tinged the corners of his mouth. "I know."
Somehow, that meant more to her than anything else. Elizabeth knew that they had wasted so much, too much time. But he knew. Jack knew and understood and that… that was the dearest thing.
She kissed him then, lowering her body to press tightly against his. She felt Jack's chest dip shallowly as his breath came quicker, felt his pulse flutter and beat steady underneath her palm that sat underneath his strong jaw. Jack's hazel eyes glinted with mischief, though his expression was serious, and suddenly she knew what he was thinking. His tongue passed over his lips, and Elizabeth lost her breath.
Soon, Jack lost his….
FOUR MONTHS LATER:
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Elizabeth woke with a start, her eyes landing on her front door. She glanced at the grandfather clock just to the right of the door: 9:30 P.M.
"Who on Earth," Elizabeth mumbled to herself as she rose from the Chesterfield. She wrapped her dressing gown tightly around her as she walked over and opened the door.
"ELIZABETH!"
Elizabeth's eyes grew wide at the woman in front of her. Her soft red hair piled up on top of her head, though a few loose strands had fallen to frame her face.
"Julie? What are you doing here!"
Julie and Elizabeth reached for one another, tears shining both their eyes as the held each other close, "You weren't supposed to be here for another two weeks!"
Julie pulled away and walked into the living area, lugging a rather large suitcase behind her, "I couldn't stay away another day. There's too much happening!"
Elizabeth smiled tenderly while her younger sister took off her coat and hung it purposefully on the coatrack, "Julie, really, there wasn't a need for you to come earlier than planned."
Julie glanced over her shoulder at her sister as Elizabeth closed the door. The youngest Thatcher sister smiled as she took in her older sibling. Elizabeth's face was glowing, slightly rounder than when Julie last saw her. Elizabeth's hair was pulled back in a loose braid and tied with a small piece of blue silk ribbon. A white dressing gown (a belated wedding present from their mother) was wrapped loosing around Elizabeth's frame. The tiny swell around her older sister's middle filled Julie with such happiness and pride she could scarcely breathe.
"Elizabeth Grace Thornton," Julie punctuated each of her sister's names, "I have spent most of my life wrapped up in flights of fancy that I conjured up for myself."
Julie walked over to Elizabeth, grasped her slender hands, and lovingly stared at her older sister, "I have been selfish, irresponsible, and entitled. And you, my dear sister, have done nothing but be supportive, encouraging, and inspiring."
Elizabeth ducked her head, clearly uncomfortable with the flowery, yet heartfelt compliment, "Julie, really…"
Julie didn't let her finish, "You have always been there for me. It's time for me to be here for you. Father, God Bless him, is making sure that you and Jack and this little one," Julie moved one of her hands to rest on the gentle swell of Elizabeth's stomach, "will have the house you and Jack have dreamed up for yourselves."
Elizabeth and Julie both let out a gentle laugh before Julie's countenance grew serious, more serious than Elizabeth had ever seen before, "And I will be here to help you build the home you and Jack have always wished for. And when he gets back, and he will Beth, the three of you can focus on being a family. Because you both deserve nothing less."
Tears welled up and a gentle sob escaped Elizabeth's mouth, "Julie Thatcher, you continue to surprise me."
Julie's bright eyes shimmered with a mischief that warmed Elizabeth's heart, "Well I should hope so! Lord knows we already have one boring sister in this family. It just wouldn't do to have two!"
A throaty laugh bubbled up between them as Julie led them over to the Chesterfield.
"I'm serious," Elizabeth began, "Julie…" she struggled to find the right words. It was so much harder when she didn't have her typewriter to craft multiple drafts until Elizabeth was finally pleased with the combinations of poetic phrases and metaphors and similes. Still, Julie deserved to know how proud she was, so Elizabeth fought the dizzying elation that clouded her mind in order to find the words.
"You've truly turned yourself around," Elizabeth nearly whispered, "You're not chasing every man that throws a glance your way. You're responsible and attentive to those around you. Goodness, Julie, you're a bonafide suffragette!"
Julie smiled proudly at her sister's last description. Elizabeth flashed a grin of her own before continuing, "You've grown up so much and I'm so blessed to watch it. To see you becoming the woman I always knew you could be. And I'm just so proud of you."
A breathless sigh of relief flowed through Julie at Elizabeth's declaration. Of all the people in the world, Beth was by far the one Julie had always hoped to please. Sweet Beth, who had always stood up for her when she refused to listen to their stuffy governesses. Beth, who had sneaked her favorite books into her room when she was barred from the library as penance for cutting off a lock of Viola's hair. Beth, who had let Julie sleep with her when the thunderstorms in Hamilton had scared her to the point of exhaustion, who had pet her hair and sang songs to in order to help her sleep anyway. Beth, who had taught her what it meant to love one person with her whole heart and without reservation.
Beth was proud of her, and Julie couldn't be happier.
"I blame it on that Tom Thornton," Julie threw back, still unable to fully let her sister know just how much her words of affirmation meant, "he's a rebel, you know."
Elizabeth laughed, recognizing her sister's deflection, and decided to play along regardless, "That he is. But a rebel with a heart."
"That he does. I'm a little bit in love with him, Beth."
"I would say you're about as in love with him as I am with Jack," was Elizabeth's playful reply.
Julie's eyes lit up at the mention of her beau, still hundreds of miles away with the railroad, but ever present in her thoughts, "Those Thornton men, Beth. They sure know how to turn the world upside down for a girl. Don't they?"
Jack's handsome face danced behind Elizabeth's eyes. Melancholy flashed across her face as her hand rose to rest atop her slightly rounded belly, full of the beginnings of a new life. For several months, she had wondered and hoped that she was reading her body's signs correctly. And finally, just three weeks ago, with dear Abigail sitting beside her, Dr. Sheppard had informed Elizabeth that she was pregnant.
And now, beneath her hand lay the perfect proof of her love for Jack and his love for her. A miracle and a blessing Elizabeth could never have asked for but had longed for all the same. A meek smile began to grow and Elizabeth turned her gaze to the glowing fire in front of them, "They do indeed."
Julie basked in the glow of her sister's unassuming grace for a moment longer. After a beat, she took her queue and rose from the sofa.
"Well," Julie's voice was upbeat, attempting to brighten her sister's thoughts, "I'm going to put the kettle on and you, dear sister, are going to catch me up."
Elizabeth gave her a loving smile, "That sounds lovely. But first, what's this I hear about Tom writing Father for his blessing?"
Julie rolled her eyes as Beth came to join her in the kitchen.
"I swear, Beth," Julie began with mock annoyance, "I don't know what you and Jack did to him! All of a sudden, he's building you and Jack a house and giving Tom his blessing and telling Viola that she and Lionel need to go to India or something equally as daring."
Elizabeth's eyes widened, "He did what?!"
Julie nodded furiously, "He said they were too stuffy and boring and they needed to inject some excitement into their lives."
Elizabeth guffawed and Julie let out a deep belly laugh at the sight of her sister's stunned expression, "I don't believe it!"
"Just ask Tom!" Julie exclaimed, her entire face gleaming at the mention of her beau's name, "Father invited Tom to dinner before he left for Union City. One minute we are all talking calmly over our lobster bisque, and the next I know, he's talking about the Indian Subcontinent and how we all need to visit!"
Elizabeth's laughter rang throughout the house. Julie's giggling served as a pleasant harmony.
"I wish you could see him, Beth," Julie breathed through her fit of laughter, "Father seems to have a new lease on life. He's taken a step back from work, so Charles does most of the travel between vendors and shipping posts. He and mother have decided tour Europe, and he's even talked about building a home here in Hope Valley to be close to you, Jack, me and Tom!"
Elizabeth's eyes widened, "Father's not working? Now I know you're lying."
Julie let out a less than ladylike snort and Elizabeth laughed so hard that tears began to well in her eyes….
Steam billowed around his feet. The cold wind nipped at the skin of his legs, uncovered by the tattered fabric of his canvas pants. His thin coat did little to block out the cold, but the huddled mass of railroad workers around him shielded enough of the wind.
He watched silently, as he and the men around him moved out of the boxcar and began the short trek to the railroad shanties. Like cattle, he thought to himself. They moved like cattle to the slaughter.
Shouts from the conductors, neighs from horses hitched to coaches and wagons, and the shrill sound of the train whistle mixed together in a strange, unwelcoming cacophony. He should have been used to it by now. He had helped lay hundred of miles of railroad into the Canadian wilderness. He had lived in countless towns, seen countless stations and depots. Yet he still couldn't stand the screeching of the train whistle, the stench of burning coal.
The shanties in Hope Valley were nicer than most, a clear sign that he was in a fairly new railroad town. The promise of what the trains could bring, the shiny, glimmering possibilities still danced in their heads. If only they knew how horrible all was. No one ever thought about how much blood went into the slamming of a railroad spike, how many broken bones went into the lumber cut for the tracks or the burnt skin that went into the metal rails.
"KEEP TO YOUR GROUPS!" one of the railroad foremen shouted out into the crisp night air, "NIGGERS AND CHINKS TO MY LEFT! REDS TO MY RIGHT. EVERYONE ELSE TO THE KEEP GOING UP THE HILL!"
"Typical," he muttered to himself as he pulled his boots from the suction pull of the mud underneath them. Let the white men get the dry high ground. Let everyone else live in the muck.
His stomach turned painfully as he watched the mass of men splinter off into their groups without thought or care. Good God, we are cattle.
"JEEHOO CHANG! JEEHOO CHANG!" another foreman shouted, waiting just outside of the tents sectioned off for the "Chinamen." He paid him no mind.
"Jiahao," someone whispered behind him, "he's calling for you."
He huffed in annoyance, "I couldn't tell."
"Come on, Jiahao. Don't do this. It's the first night here. At least try to be civil."
"JEEHOO CHANG! JEEHOO CHANG!" the foreman called again.
Jiahao rolled his eyes but walked over to the foreman anyway. The man was easily fifteen years younger than him, no more than twenty, still wet behind the ears yet somehow his boss, "I'm Jiahao Chang. You may call me Joshua if it helps."
Shock and confusion flashed across the foreman's face, "You speak English pretty could for a chink."
And you wouldn't know proper grammar if it bit you on the ass. Jiahao bit back the angry retort just behind his teeth, "Thank you, sir.
The foreman grunted before shoving a crisp envelope into his dirty hands, "This came with explicit instructions to give this to you as soon as you arrived. Some big wig up in Ontario paid a pretty loonie to get it to you."
Bile collected in the back of Jiahao's throat. The letter felt like lead in his hands.
The foreman looked Jiahao up and down, obviously confused and aggravated by his silence, "Well on your way, son."
Jiahao obeyed silently, walking quietly to an empty tent, his eyes never leaving the letter. Finally, when he was able to keep his hands from shaking, Jiahao opened the envelope. The paper was made with linen canvas, the writing on it slanted and aggressive:
Mr. Joshua Chang,
The first shipment of product will be arriving in two weeks on the next rain along with supplies.
The marks on the crates are identical to those you delivered in Union City.
Cheaper product is to be sold for nothing less than $20 Canadian. High-end product is to be sold
for $75. No checks. Only cash and coin.
I will arrive in Hope Valley in three months to collect the profits. No less than three-quarters of all
product should be sold by then.
Updates on product sales are expected bi-weekly.
Burn this letter once you have read it.
C.K.
Jiahao grabbed the rain bucket outside his tent and threw the letter inside it. He pulled the book of matches from his tattered pocket and struck the matchstick against the side of the bucket before dropping into the drum. He watched silently as flames licked the crisp, linen paper. He stared into the flames as the emblem of Thatcher Trading Company smoldered and disintegrated….
The plot thickens as they say!
Please review and let me know what you think! I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, or crazy theories.
-grayhello22
