AN: So, as I have a particular chapter of this story that I want to fall on New Year's Day, I will be updating twice today. You get this chapter for a morning treat, and I will post a second chapter this evening. Merry Christmas to all my readers!
A little while later, Ally was sitting on the settee in Elizabeth's home. Happy voices were all around her as the Coulters had both been at Elizabeth's watching Little Jack. They were as happy as the other's had been at the news. Both had given Ally a hug and Elizabeth had asked them to stay. Rosemary and Lee had quickly agreed, Rosemary and Faith volunteering to help Elizabeth get refreshments.
Nathan had sat down next to Ally, reluctant to go far from her. Bill, Lee and Carson were standing nearby, giving Little Jack their attention as the boy showed off both his wooden Mountie and a picture he held. Ally did not pay too much attention to that, as she instead watched as she made slow movements with first one foot and then the other. The movement was still hard. Dr. Shepherd had said that it was because the muscles were weak from the lack of use and would get easier. Hard or not, Ally kept moving her foot, afraid that if she didn't she might realize it had all been imagined.
"Look," Little Jack said, coming up to Ally. He held the framed photo out to her.
Ally instinctively took the frame from the boy. However, she did not hear Jack say "Daddy" or see the wooden Mountie he held up as her eyes fell on the face looking back at her. That was him! That was the Mountie she saw when she remembered the accident in her dreams!
The crash of the frame hitting the floor brought Ally out of her thoughts. Startled by the noise, Jack immediately started crying. Nathan instinctively reached out to pick the upset toddler up, to both comfort him and keep him safe from the broken frame.
"Ally, are you okay?" Nathan asked.
Ally heard the concern in his voice as she looked toward him. She then looked down at the photo on the ground. The frame had come apart at the one corner, and the glass had cracked putting a line across the photo. The incident had attracted the attention of all the adults in the room, and Ally looked from the broken frame to her teacher.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Thornton," Ally told her. "I didn't mean to drop it."
Elizabeth shook her head as she approached Ally. Jack's crying had already calmed to whimpers as he sat in Nathan's lap beside Ally.
"It is just a frame. It can be replaced," Elizabeth told her, carefully kneeling down next to the girl. "The photo is the important thing and it is fine. Are you okay, sweetheart?" Elizabeth asked, echoing Nathan's question which had yet to be answered.
Ally nodded her head. She was starting to feel silly for dropping the picture and attracting everyone's attention.
"Yes. I am fine," Ally said. "It is just . . ." Ally let her words trail off as she looked around at all the faces. When she found Dr. Carter's eyes, she saw understanding in them instead of just concern.
Faith stepped forward and knelt down in front of the picture frame. Carefully picking it up, Faith looked up at Ally. "Is this the Mountie you thought you saw the day you fell into the pond?"
Ally nodded and then looked down at her hands on her lap. "You probably all think I am just imagining things but I am sure someone was there that day - keeping me from sinking out of Robert's grasp. He was a Mountie," Ally insisted. She looked over at her teacher. "I saw your late husband, Mrs. Thornton. I know I did," Ally said, hoping she would be believed but having a feeling that the adults were just going to say she was imaging things.
"I believe you, Ally," Elizabeth told the girl, reaching for her hand.
"Daddy with me in woods," Jack stated, even the toddler's whimpers having subsided now.
"Little Jack says he saw his Daddy the day he got lost in the woods when we were out picking out Christmas trees," Elizabeth said, explaining her son's words. "I was not quite sure I believed it but he seemed so sure. Then I saw my late husband in town last night, and then again this morning when I was visiting his grave. So, if you are imaging seeing him, so am I."
"I've seen him too, Ally," Nathan spoke up from beside her. Ally looked over at him. "The first time, I saw just a flash of red, when I found Little Jack in the woods that day. However, the day I walked you down to the river, I saw Constable Thornton walking alongside us, as if he was looking out for us."
"I saw Jack by the Grant's Christmas tree right after Ally told me about her recollection of that day of the accident," Faith interjected, as she got to her feet again. "Just briefly. Almost as if he was telling me to believe you, Ally."
"I saw Jack as well last night. He was at your side, Nathan, when you left home with Lee last night," Bill admitted. Everyone in the room looked in his direction. "Any of you repeat that outside this room and I will deny it," he added.
Despite the situation the remark gain chuckles from everyone.
"So, perhaps I did have a guardian angel that day," Ally ventured.
"I think you did, Ally," Elizabeth said. "Which I am very thankful for."
"Me too," Nathan said, putting an arm around Ally's shoulders.
Ally willingly let herself lean toward her father. She smiled when Jack reached out and patted her arm with a chubby toddler hand.
"Looks like you are not the only Mountie looking out for Hope Valley, Nathan," Carson said lightly, as Faith moved to stand at his side, He reached out and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Giving the events of the last few weeks, I am very grateful for that," Nathan replied, placing a kiss on the top of Ally's head.
Ally looked at the frame that Faith held. "I really am sorry about the picture frame, Mrs. Thornton."
"Do not think about it a moment longer," Elizabeth assured her, giving Ally's hand a squeeze before getting to her feet.
"Daddy picture," Jack said pointing toward the table where it usually stood, a sad look on his face.
Elizabeth took the frame carefully from Faith. Walking to her desk, she sat it down. Careful of the broken glass, Elizabeth eased Jack's picture from the broken frame and placed it on the desk. Reaching for the frame that Nathan and Ally had made for her, Elizabeth placed the picture in it. Turning it around, Elizabeth gazed down at it for a moment silently before turning to face her son.
"How does Daddy look among the flowers, Jack?" Elizabeth asked.
Jack expression turned to a smile as he wiggled to get out of Nathan's lap. Nathan placed Jack on the floor and the toddler made his way to Elizabeth. He held up his hands and Elizabeth handed her son the picture frame.
"Daddy!" Jack said happily. Frame in hand, Jack made his way back to the table. He placed his Dad's picture back where it was. He then returned for the wooden Mountie that had been left on the cushion of the settee. Retrieving it, Jack returned to the table and placed the wooden Mountie in its place in front of the picture.
Turning he looked back at his mother.
"Perfect, Jack!" Elizabeth told him. She looked at Ally. "Somehow, I think Constable Thornton would prefer that frame anyway, Ally."
Ally smiled. Perhaps her teacher was just trying to make her feel better and if that was the case, it was working.
"The hot chocolate is ready," Rosemary announced, having returned to the kitchen to keep the hot drink from burning.
Elizabeth went to retrieve the plate of cookies as Rosemary started passing out the mugs of hot chocolate. Though she started singing Silent Night by herself, it wasn't long before the others were joining in the familiar carol with Rosemary.
Taking a mug from the tray, Ally looked around at the people gathered. People who had looked out for both her and her Dad these last few weeks.
This was already turning out to be the best Christmas ever in Ally's opinion, and Christmas Day had not even arrived yet.
The following morning, Nathan and Ally woke early. Presents were opened right after breakfast. Ally exclaimed over the quilt the ladies of Hope Valley had made her. Nathan promised her it would be on her bed when she went to bed that night. He also planned to replace the old, worn and faded quilt on his own bed with the new one. The presents from the town folks included a new dress, and two new novels. Opening the present from the Coulters, Ally gasped at the dark blue, velvet dress with a white collar and white, lace sash for the waist. She opened the charm, a horse to represent the horse back riding lessons he had given her. After seeing it, Ally threw her arms around Nathan.
"Thank-you," she told him. "It is perfect."
Ally then insisted that Nathan open her gift for him. He did, and as Nathan lifted the handmade scrapbook from the wrappings, his eyes immediately filled with tears. Speechless, he silently flipped through a few pages.
"Ally, this is lovely," Nathan finally managed to get out. He put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close to him kissing the top of her head. "Thank you."
"Judge Avery helped me with it," Ally told him. "He also mounted the photo of you, mom and me that he was going to get framed for me."
"That was nice of him," Nathan said.
Father and daughter sat side by side as they flipped through the rest of the scrapbook together. Memories and laughs were shared. The time spent together was a present in itself.
Closing the scrapbook, Nathan glanced at the tree. One lone present remained wrapped under the tree.
"Are you finally ready to open the present from Mr. Bouchard?" Nathan asked.
Ally nodded in reply.
Setting the scrapbook aside, Nathan retrieved the last present. Returning to the settee, Nathan sat back down and placed the present on Ally's lap. Ally paused for a moment before opening the gift that had originally been given to her months ago but had not been opened before returned. Inside, she found a framed photo. The photograph in the polished, cherry colored wooden frame captured the moment outside of the office of the judge after the inquiry. Nathan and Ally were in profile, the picture having stopped them in mid hug with Ally's feet off the ground, but there was no denying the joy on either of their faces.
Ally handed the picture to Nathan and picked up the piece of paper in the box.
"Dear Ally," she read out loud. "Fiona was showing me some of the photographs she had taken while practicing with her camera. I thought this was a beautiful moment between father and daughter and wanted you to have it. Yours Sincerely, Mr. Bouchard."
"I am glad he insisted on me having it," Ally said, looking up at Nathan. "Can we hang it next to my adoption certificate?"
When the certificate making her adoption official had arrived, Ally had insisted on it being framed and hung on the wall above the writing desk.
Nathan nodded. "I think that is the perfect place for it," he told her as a knock sounded at the door.
"Who could that be?" Ally asked. "I thought Constable Mackenzie was handling official business?"
Nathan chuckled. "He is. Do not worry. That is probably Mr. Coulter," he said getting to his feet. "He agreed to stay with you while I get my final Christmas surprise set up for you," he said, moving toward the door to let Lee in out of the cold.
After having breakfast with Elizabeth and Little Jack, Bill had remained while his godson opened all his presents. While last year Elizabeth had still helped with the unwrapping process, this year Little Jack had gotten the hang of what to do with a present. Bill had laughed heartily with Rosemary, Lee and Elizabeth as the boy ripped the paper gleefully from his presents.
After Jack had opened his presents, Lee and Rosemary had given Little Jack a kiss, hugged Elizabeth and left. Alone with Elizabeth and Jack, Bill had presented Elizabeth with the gift he had gotten for her - hair combs with butterflies made of colorful glass jewels. The gift had earned him a thank you and a hug.
Now as Bill made his way toward the café, he hoped his next recipient would be at least as happy about the gift he had gotten her as Elizabeth had been. Reaching the café, Bill approached the private entrance. The café was closed today, and though he had a key to the building, as it was currently Abigail who was using the building as her home as well he planned on knocking like he would at anyone else's home.
Reaching the door, Bill knocked. He did not have to wait long to have his knock answer, as Clara soon appeared in front of him.
"Merry Christmas, Bill," Clara said, a smile brightening her face.
"Merry Christmas, Clara," Bill replied. "I did not mean to interrupt your family celebration, but I was hoping to see Abigail briefly before heading out to Nathan's to start on Christmas dinner."
"You are always welcome," Clara told him. "Come on in," she told him, stepping aside.
Doing as bidden, Bill stepped into the café. Fragrant aromas already filled the air in the cafe's kitchen. Looking to the stove, Bill saw Abigail at the stove.
"Merry Christmas, Bill," Abigail said, as she spooned stuffing into the turkey sitting on the stove.
"Merry Christmas," Bill echoed. "Any chance I can steal you away from meal prep for a few minutes?"
"I can take over," Clara volunteered.
"All right," Abigail said, stepping aside to let Clara take over.
Abigail went to the sink to wash her hands. She grabbed a towel, and dried them as she turned to Bill.
"Can we go out into the main diningroom?" Bill asked, nodding in that direction.
Abigail gave him a quizzical look but nodded again. Together, the two walked toward the main dining room. Bill pulled the curtain across that closed off the kitchen area. The curtain did not provide for a whole lot of privacy but it was the best Bill could get without dragging Abigail out in the cold.
As the curtained stilled, Bill led Abigail as far away from it as he could.
"Is something wrong, Bill?" Abigail asked, concerned.
"Not that I am aware of," Bill told assured her, as he came to a stop in front of her. "I just wanted a little privacy to give you this," he added, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the neatly wrapped gift. He had even gone to Rosemary after wrapping the gift and asked her to tie a bow around it.
"You were never so secretive about a Christmas gift before I left," Abigail commented, clearly amused by Bill's actions as she took the gift from him. "Nor did you go to such lengths in making the gifts look so fancy," she added.
"Yeah, well, this one is not from your business partner," Bill commented.
"Oh," Abigail commented as she went about unwrapping the gift.
Bill stood nervously watching her. He knew he was chancing making things awkward between them but he was willing to take that risk. He wanted Abigail to know that he still loved her. He needed to know if there was any chance that she could give him another chance.
Unwrapping the gift, she found a small wooden box. Opening the box, Abigail gasped at the hair combs that lay inside. There were two combs. Each comb had an emerald colored enamel heart attached to it. In the center of each heart was a smaller emerald gemstone in the shape of a second heart. He had chosen them knowing that emeralds were Abigail's favorite gemstone.
"Bill, they're lovely," Abigail said, looking up from the gift.
As he had her attention, Bill stammered into the speech he had prepared. "Abigail, I know things ended badly with us the first time and I know that was my fault. You had every right to be upset with me and feel that you couldn't trust me. I should have been up front with you about my relationship with Nora the moment that our relationship started moving past a simple business relationship."
"Yes, you should have," Abigail stated.
"However, I also hope I have earned your trust again over the years."
"You have, Bill. I do trust you."
"Enough to trust me with your heart, Abigail?" Bill asked. He paused, trying to read her. He could see the surprise in her eyes, but he could see something else. Something that softened the gaze that she gave him. "Because I still love you. I tried to convince myself that I didn't. I tried to convince myself that you would be better off with someone else. I thought I had. The moment you came back to Hope Valley I knew that was not true."
"I love you, too," Abigail said softly.
Bill reached out with his right hand and placed his fingers under her chin. Tilting her face up toward him, Bill leaned in close and pressed his lips against hers. Abigail responded instinctively, returning the kiss at first. After a few moments, Abigail pulled back.
It was Bill's turn to look at Abigail quizzically.
Abigail looked up at him with a determined gaze. "I want your promise right now Bill that you will never lie to me again, not even to protect me. I know as judge, there might be confidences that you need to keep, and if you tell me that, I will accept it, but do not ever even bend the truth with me again."
"You have my word, Abigail. Nothing but the truth, from here on out," Bill told her without hesitation.
With that promise, Abigail held the box with the combs on it in one hand and reached up with the other hand to place it behind Bill's head as she pressed her lips against his once again. This kiss lasted longer and when they finally did break away, Bill left his forehead pressed against Abigail's.
"I have to help cook Christmas dinner for Nathan and Ally tonight but can I cook for you tomorrow night? At my place?"
"I would like that very much," Abigail told him.
"I'll see you later then," Bill said, taking a step back. As he lifted his head, Bill caught a glimpse of two heads ducking back through the curtain. Apparently, the kiss he and Abigail had shared had been witnessed and Bill found he did not mind at all.