Jack Jr. sat in a jail cell. He had a busted lip a bloody nose and was resting ice on his right eye. The night had gone so perfect and now here he was, sitting in a cell. Jack Jr. put his head back and closed his eyes remembering the night.
Jack Jr. kissed his mother goodbye. She looked pretty. Jack Jr. was glad that she was going out with a friend. Jack Jr. knew Nathan Grant would not try to pull any funny stuff with her. Nathan was a good man. Jack Jr. went into Sophie's room to say goodnight.
"Sweet pea, I'm going to leave now but of course I had to say goodnight to my number one gal" Jack Jr. said
"Where are you going?" Sophie asked
"Your nice teacher invited me to meet some of her friends? Jack Jr. answered
"Is she going to be my mommy now?" Sophie asked
"No, we are just going as people who are just getting to know each other."
"Oh okay." Sophie said
After a few seconds of silence Sophie asked Jack Jr. a question.
"Do you miss Grandpa Jack?
"Yes I do" he answered
"How can you miss someone if you never knew them" Sophie asked
Jack Jr. thought for a moment. Why does his five year old have to be a philosopher before bed time?
"I guess I miss having a father to bond with. He helped create half of me. I miss being able to talk to him and share things with him. You never met your mommy and you miss her, right?"
Sophie nodded.
"See. I miss my father because I knew he would love me. And your mommy would have loved you to pieces."
Sophie giggled.
"Okay, Sweet pea, go to sleep and dream of your mommy."
Sophie smiled and put her head down on the pillow and
"I love you Sophie" Jack Jr. told her as he kissed her head
"I love you too, daddy" Sophie responded back
Jack Jr. turned off the lights. He smiled one more time before he closed the door.
Jack Jr. walked down the stair. His mother had already left.
"Don't you look handsome" Rosemary complimented
Jack Jr. was wearing a white shirt, black suspenders, a red tie and he wore a black suit jacket and black trousers. He had his hair slicked back.
"Thank you, Rosemary" Jack Jr. said
"Have fun!" Rosemary said
Lee handed Jack Jr. they keys to his car. Lee had given him directions or Katherine's house earlier that night.
Jack Jr. got in the car and took off. He followed Lee's directions and ended up at Katherine's house. The house was small but it looked cozy. Jack Jr. got out of the car and started walking up to her door. Before he could reach the door, Katherine came out of the house. She was wearing a simple red dress that went past her knees.
"Don't you clean up nice" Katherine said to Jack Jr.
Jack Jr. looked down at his clothes.
"Apparently the Thornton men clean up nicely" Jack Jr. said
Katherine laughed.
"But you look pretty tonight" Jack Jr. told Katherine.
"Thank you. Shall we?" Katherine asked
Jack Jr. smiled, "we shall"
Katherine told Jack Jr. that the club wasn't that far. The conversation was small talk between them. It was about who was coming and who he would be meeting.
All of a sudden, a car backfired. Jack Jr. stopped. He started having anxiety and it felt like he was going into one of his episodes. He reached into his pocket for his father's compass. He had forgotten it. Suddenly, his hand was being held.
"It's okay Jack. You are in Hope Valley and we are going to swing dance" Katherine whispered
Jack Jr.'s anxiety decreased and he opened up his eyes. He saw Katherine looking at him with kind eyes.
Jack Jr. finally calmed down.
"Thank you" Jack Jr. said
Katherine smiled at Jack Jr. The only other person who was able to calm Jack Jr. like that was his mother. Katherine had such a simple touch.
They kept walking in silence for a couple of minutes.
"My brother was the same way after the first great War. He would go into these episodes and it would be difficult for him to come back. He drank to try not to have these episodes, which didn't help. He was in a bad place."
"How did he get out of that bad place?" Jack Jr. asked
"One day, he found four other soldiers of the war. They all talked about the war and how it affected them. They realized that the war had affected each of them differently and talking to each other about it helped them.
"How is your brother now?" Jack Jr. asked.
"He's great. He is married with two kids. But if it wasn't for that group he wouldn't have gotten through it"
Jack Jr. nodded.
"There is a hall where a bunch of soldiers get together to swap war stories every Tuesday night. Maybe you can try it?" Katherine said
"Maybe" Jack Jr. replied.
They finally made it to the club.
Katherine turned around at Jack Jr.
"Are you okay to go in?" Katherine asked
"Yes." Jack Jr. smiled. Katherine smiled back. She grabbed his arm and they went inside.
Jack Jr. was amazed by how big the club was. There were two levels to the bar. The actual bar was on the first level against the wall. The dance floor was huge. There were already people dancing. There was a band playing. Around the dance floor, the floor is raised and there are tables around the dance floor. On the second story, there were more tables but it was a more intimate setting.
Katherine waved at someone across the room. There were about 8 people at the table. Katherine told Jack Jr. that was their table. They both walked over to the table. There were a few men and the rest were women. Katherine went around the table and gave her hello hugs. She came back to Jack Jr.
"Everyone this is Jack Thornton" Katherine announced
"Hello." Everyone said in unison
"Hello everyone" Jack Jr. responded
"And if you recognize the last name that is because he is Jack and Elizabeth Thornton's son." Katherine told everyone
They smiled at that and made room for him at the table. He shook everyone's hand.
"Where did you find him Katherine? He is a cutie" said one of the women at the table.
"He just moved here, Violet" Katherine told her.
Violet came over to Jack Jr. Violet was a petite red head with stunning blue eyes.
"I'm Violet Collins" said Violet and put her hand out
Jack Jr. shook her hand. "Nice to meet you"
"The pleasure is all mine" Violet said with a wink
Jack Jr. blushed.
For the next half hour, they talked and ordered drinks. After drinking and talking they decided it was time to dance. Violet grabbed Jack Jr.'s arm
"Oh, I don't really know how to swing dance" Jack Jr. told Violet
"I'll teach you" Violet told him.
With that, he was pulled onto the dance floor. Violet showed him how to swing. Jack Jr. was terrible at swing dancing. Even though he was terrible at dancing, he was enjoying himself.
After the song had ended, Violet turned to him.
"See, that wasn't so bad" Violet said smiling
"I guess not. Though I'm pretty sure I have two left feet." Jack Jr. joked.
Violet laughed. Someone called her name and she told Jack Jr. she would be back for another dance.
The next song that played was a slow song. Someone tapped on Jack Jr.'s shoulder. It was Katherine.
"I need a dance partner" Katherine told Jack
"You want to be my dance partner even after what you just witnessed?"
Katherine laughed. "We'll take it slow"
Katherine took his hand and placed it in hers.
"We'll just sway" Katherine said with a smile
Jack Jr. smiled back. Jack Jr. looked at Katherine. She had the nicest smile and her touch was gentle. They swayed back and forth to the song. Jack Jr. thought about the last time he danced with a woman. It was with Maggie. The last night before his leave was over, Jack Jr. and Maggie danced late into the night. They just held each other.
"Sorry about Violet. She can be forward at time" Katherine told Jack Jr.
"That's okay. She's sweet." Jack Jr. said.
Jack Jr. and Katherine just swayed back and forth. It felt natural. The song had ended and they both clapped for the band.
"I'm going to use the powder room" Katherine told Jack Jr.
"Okay. I'll be at the bar" Jack Jr. told Katherine. He watched her leave. As he watched her leave, his heart fluttered just a little. Jack Jr. shook the feeling and walked over to the bar. He ordered a drink.
As he was sitting at the bar, he saw three men coming over to him. The leader of the men was taller than Jack but slightly overweight. The other two men behind him were as tall as the leader but muscular.
"You must be Jack Thornton Jr." said the leader
Jack Jr. turned toward him. "That would be me" Jack Jr. said to the man
"So this is the famous Jack Thornton's son" The man said
"Can I help you with something?" Jack Jr. asked
"I just saw you dancing with Katherine Guff. I think you should back off." The man said
"Are you her husband? She said her husband was overseas." Jack Jr. said
"I am not her husband. Her husband is overseas but hasn't come back since. Either he is dead or he left with another woman. My bet is that he is dead. Once they confirm his death, it is only a matter of time before she will start looking for a new husband. And I'll be the one to scoop her up. I don't mind damaged good" The man laughed
Jack Jr.'s blood starting boiling. He put his drink down and smirked at the man. Jack Jr. got up from his seat. He pushed the man aside and started to leave.
"I bet her husband died of incompetence, just like your father did. How stupid do you have to be to be killed on a training mission" The man said
Jack Jr.'s blood boiled over. He went over to the man and punched him in the face. This caught the man off guard. It also made him angry. The man took Jack Jr. and pushed Jack Jr. into a table. The table broke with food and drinks spilling everywhere. Jack Jr. got back up and started brawling with the man. Jack Jr. got a few good punches in but it was three against one. The two other men held Jack Jr. down and the leader started punching Jack Jr. in the face. Finally, a few men intervened and was able to stop the fight. A couple of the men were off duty Mountie's who took them over to the jail. On his way over, he saw Robert and Allie walking around town. They saw him. Allie ran in a different direction and Robert started walking towards them wanting to know what happened.
Jack Jr. opened his eyes. His lip had stopped bleeding.
"Jack! Are you okay?" It was his mother
Jack Jr. stood up. "I'm okay."
"Good because I want to make sure you are okay before I yell at you. What were you thinking Jack? We have been here for two days and you get into a fight? What happened" Elizabeth asked
Jack Jr. pointed to the man across the room in the other cell.
"He said my father was incompetent Mountie and said he was stupid to die" Jack Jr. said
Elizabeth gasped. She went over to the man in the other cell.
"Why would you say such terrible things? Who are you?" Elizabeth asked
The man smiled "Billy Hamilton Jr."
Elizabeth recognized the name. She thought about the name and realized Billy Hamilton was the con man who tried to con Elizabeth.
"I knew your father." Elizabeth told the man
"Yes, you did. After your husband arrested my father, he was given 25 years in prison. I grew up without him. He didn't know I existed until one day I found him. He told me that it was all Jack Thornton's fault."
"So you are seeking revenge or justice? Your father was a terrible man." Elizabeth told him
"He may be a terrible man, but this isn't revenge. I just want to show the town that some Thornton's aren't perfect" The man said pointing at Jack Jr.
Suddenly, Nathan walked in.
"The bar owner is not pressing charges against either of them. The bartender overheard the conversation before the fight and it looks like Mr. Hamilton instigated the whole thing." Nathan said
Nathan opened up Jack's cell. Elizabeth ran and hugged Jack Jr. and looked at his face.
"Hello, what about me?" said Billy
"Mr. Hamilton. Looks like there is a warrant out for your arrest. We'll be transferring you to Greenville." Nathan told Billy
Billy smiled "Oh good. My stepdaddy knows the mayor there. I'm sure I'll be back soon."
Nathan face started turning red. "If you ever come back to this town and bother the Thornton's, I will resign my position as Judge and join the Mountie's just so I can arrest you"
Billy scoffed. Nathan turned around to Elizabeth and Jack Jr.
"Let's go" Nathan said and they left.
Once they were outside, Elizabeth turned to Nathan.
"Thank you so much for the nice time. I hope we can do it again soon"
"Absolutely" Nathan said with a smile
"I'm going to drive him home" Elizabeth said
Nathan and Elizabeth hugged goodbye. Elizabeth and Jack Jr. went over to the car and got in. As they were driving along. Jack Jr. saw a playground. Someone was on the swing set. It was Katherine.
"Please stop the car." Jack Jr. said
Elizabeth stopped the car. She looked outside and saw a woman on the swing set rocking back and forth.
"Let me have five minutes?" Jack Jr. asked. Elizabeth nodded.
Jack Jr. got out of the car and walked toward Katherine. Katherine saw Jack Jr. and smiled
Jack Jr. took the swing next to her.
"Katherine. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your night. But he was saying lewd things about you and comments about your husband and my father. I guess it felt like my duty to protect your honor, your husband's honor and my father's honor" Jack Jr. explained.
I know about Billy. He is a terrible man." Katherine said
There was silence between them.
"Is your husband overseas or somewhere else?" Jack Jr. asked
Katherine sighed "My husband is missing in action. One day, two men from the military came and told me that they could not locate his body and could not determine if he was dead or alive. They found his tags and gave them to me. They said they were going to keep searching for him. I waited but didn't get any response. Rumors started to swirl that he was a traitor and that he was seen in the German Army or they heard his voice on Nazi propaganda. I don't believe any of it. They are still finding prisoners of war all over Europe. Andrew is tough and hopefully he'll come home soon."
"I'm sorry." Jack Jr. said
Katherine smiled. They sat there rocking back and forth on the swings.
"Can we drive you home?" Jack Jr. asked
Katherine smiled "I would like that"
As they were walking back, Jack Jr. asked Katherine a question.
"Can I call you Kate?"
"I guess, but why?" Katherine asked
"I like when people have nicknames to their formal names. I guess I don't like to be formal" Jack answered
Katherine laughed. "Okay. But only if I can call you Jack. No Jack Jr."
Jack Jr. laughed "Deal."
Jack Jr. opened the door for Katherine. He got on the other side to sit next to her. He introduced her to his mother.
Finally when they got to her house, Jack Jr. jumped out to open the door for her. He helped her out. He walked her up to the steps to her house.
Katherine turned around. "Thank you for being such a good friend" and she kissed him on the cheek.
Jack Jr. blushed. "You're welcome."
Katherine turned and went into her house. Jack Jr. touched his cheek. His heart fluttered.
