"Shouldn't we put Mountie Gabe next to Miss Lillian?" Sophia asked, looking from the name cards she, Mary Louise and Ellie had made and up to Grace who was standing next to her. Grace had put Lillian at the end of the table closest to the stairs, with Billy to her left and Gabriel next to Billy.
Grace shook her head. "If Billy comes, he's going to be uneasy and we need to do what we can to make him feel better. Being near the doorway and not in between two people will help with that."
Sophia nodded. "That makes sense," she agreed looking back at the table. "Is Billy even coming?"
"I'm not sure but I'd rather have the place set and he doesn't come then the other way around. Billy has had some bad experiences at orphanages. It is important that we show him things are different here."
"Vincent and Christian said Billy was very timid but that he seemed nice," Sophia informed Grace.
"Well, I think we can all relate to Billy in that regard. Remember when we first came to Brookfield."
Sophia nodded. "I remember," the girl said. "Some people weren't too welcoming. Even the kids at school."
"Exactly," Grace replied. "We need to be careful not to make Billy feel unwelcome."
Sophia nodded. "We will do our best," she told Grace.
Grace smiled. "I know you will," she said reaching out and putting an arm around Sophia's shoulders. "And you've all done such a wonderful job with the decorations. I appreciate you and Mary Louise making sure Ellie was included."
"I like Ellie and I remember how it felt when I lost Papa. I didn't want to talk to people at first either but eventually I did. Just like Ellie is beginning to."
Grace smiled. Ellie was starting to interact more with them though she still spent a lot of time alone. She was happy that the little girl had family that would soon come for her.
The front door banged open and three pairs of feet came hurrying inside.
"They're coming!" Fred, having been brought by Chuck to celebrate Lillian's birthday, called out.
"Dinner will be done shortly so it is good timing," Eleanor said, coming in from the kitchen. Mary Louise, holding Ellie's hand, was following.
"And the cake looks pretty," Mary Louise said.
"Well the cake is after both dinner and presents," Eleanor said, as she and Grace ushered the children into the sitting room.
Christian had retrieved a banner the children had made that said 'Happy Birthday Miss Lillian'. With the other children's help, they unrolled and held it as they stood in a line across the sitting room.
"Billy was with them, Miss Grace," Vincent told her.
"All right," Grace acknowledged. She looked over the group of children. "In that case, we're going to keep the Happy Birthday greeting to normal voices. Billy probably is not use to crowds or loud voices."
"Yes, Miss Grace," came a chorus of acknowledgments from the children.
Grace looked around and spotted Chuck and Bill standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the dining room.
"Aren't you joining us?" Grace asked.
Chuck smiled. "I'll enjoy it from here," he told her. "It might be best if I am not the first thing Billy sees when he comes in."
"Same with me. I still make the kid nervous," Bill supplied.
Grace nodded in understanding as she and Eleanor took spots behind the row of children with the banner. It wasn't long before the front door opened again. Lillian walked in first a couple of steps ahead of Gabriel and Billy.
"Happy Birthday, Miss Lillian," the children said in a chorus, as Lillian walked further into the room.
Closing the door behind them, Gabriel stayed near it, an arm around Billy's shoulders. From that spot, he watched the children all hug Lillian, followed by Eleanor and Grace. After hugging Lillian, Eleanor headed for the kitchen, Chuck following her to help with putting dinner on the table.
Christian, Vincent, Sophia and Mary Louise all came over to greet Gabriel and Billy one by one. While the children were greeting Billy, Bill moved from his spot in the doorway to give Lillian a hug and wish her a happy birthday.
Billy greeted each of the children, though he stayed close to Gabriel's side. Gabriel could feel the tenseness in the boys shoulder through the hand that rested on Billy's right shoulder.
Eventually, Grace started herding the group toward the diningroom. Leading Billy from their spot near the door, Gabriel went to Lillian's side. They followed the rest of the people into the diningroom. As everyone got settled at the table, Gabriel paid a compliment about the place cards. The praise set the three girls to beaming, proud that their artwork was being admired.
Eleanor and Chuck brought the food from the kitchen and placed it on the table before finding their own seats. On his right, Billy had moved his chair as close to Gabriel's as he could. The boy was sitting on his hands, clearly nervous. Hoping the gesture would bring comfort, Gabriel kept an arm around the boy's shoulders for now.
As Eleanor and Chuck found their seats, talk around the table quieted down as Grace picked Christian to say grace. Around the table, everyone joined hands. Gabriel removed his arm from around Billy's shoulder and slowly took the boy's hand. On Billy's other side, Lillian didn't reach for the boy's hand but instead placed her hand palm up on the table near Billy's silverware. After looking around at everyone else, Billy reached out and placed his hand on top of Lillian's though he didn't try to grasp it. Taking her cue from the boy, Lillian simply let her hand lie flat on the table as Christian began saying grace.
Following dinner, the group moved to the sitting room to open presents. Lillian took a seat in one of the arm chairs while the presents were brought to her. Christian and Vincent presented their gift first. As Lillian unwrapped the package, she found a pretty blue vase. The boys explained to her that they had helped muck stalls at the Clay ranch to earn money for the vase. Lillian gave them both a hug. The other children then presented her with their gifts, which turned out to be cloth flowers that Eleanor had helped them to make. One by one, those flowers found their way into the vase.
While the other children had presented their flowers, each getting a hug, Eleanor had approached Gabriel and Billy who remained at the edge of the group.
"I have an extra flower if you would like to give it to Miss Walsh," Eleanor told the boy, holding out what looked to be a yellow rose.
Billy looked from the older woman up to Gabriel. "Would you come with me?" Billy asked quietly.
Gabriel nodded. He actually found himself holding his breath as Billy reached out for the cloth flower. As Ellie stepped away from Lillian, Billy walked toward her, one hand in Gabriel's and the other holding the flower.
"Happy Birthday, Miss Walsh," Billy said quietly holding out the flower.
"Thank-you, Billy," Lillian said, refraining from trying to hug the young boy, not wanting to lose any ground she had gained with him.
Billy nodded and retreated back to Gabriel's side.
After the children's gifts, Lillian opened presents from Bill and Chuck, both men having selected different novels for her. Eleanor presented Lillian with a new dress of a dark blue velvet, saying that it was time that Lillian had a new dress for herself. She opened the box of chocolates that Gabriel had bought for her. Grace then placed a tall package in Lillian's lap. As Grace took a step back, she met Gabriel's gaze, who moved closer to Lillian, Billy no longer at his side, while Lillian unwrapped the object.
As the paper fell away, it revealed a tall wooden box. The sides of the box had a carved ivy pattern in it. The door on the front had a glass window to it, which revealed the hooks inside to hang necklaces from. Underneath the window 'Sisters are Treasures Forever' had been carved into the wood.
"Grace, it's lovely!" Lillian stated. "Where did you find it?"
"I actually had Nathan make it for me," Grace told her. "He is quite talented."
"He is," Lillian agreed, admiring the box. She paused as she noticed that something was hanging from one of the hooks inside the jewelry box. "What's that?" Lillian asked softly as she reached for the door.
Opening the door, Lillian reached in and lifted a ring from the hook. Pulling it out, Lillian saw a heart of a moonstone with a small diamond in its center. She looked questioningly up at her sister who simply pointed straight ahead. Looking in that direction, Lillian saw that Gabriel was now down on one knee beside her. Lillian let out a gasp even as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Lillian, you captured my heart the first day that I met you. I knew from that moment that I wanted to get to know you and the more time I spent with you, the more my heart became yours," Gabriel told her reaching out to take the ring from her even as Grace reached out to move the jewelry box from Lillian's lap.
"You are beautiful inside and out and I know that you are the woman I was meant to spend my life with. I want to share your joys and your burdens. I want to be the one there to dry your tears. You are the one I want to come home to at night and wake up beside in the morning. It would be an answer to my prayers if you say you will do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Yes," Lillian whispered even as she reached up to wipe tears of happiness away with her right hand. Her left hand was being held by Gabriel as he slipped the ring on her ring finger. As soon as the ring was in place, Lillian pulled her hand from his grasp and embraced Gabriel, hiding her face against his neck.
"I love you," Lillian said quietly, the only one she needed to hear the words was Gabriel.
"I love you, too," Gabriel replied, holding Lillian close to him even as there was cheers and congratulations spoken from those around them.
Billy had watched the proposal from the one corner of the room. As the others in the house surrounded and hugged both Mountie Gabe and Miss Walsh, Billy was thankful that Mountie Gabe had suggested that he didn't come forward with him.
Billy wanted to be happy for them. He knew that Mountie Gabe was happy. However, the boy couldn't help but watch the scene play out with a pang of longing. More than he wanted to admit, he longed to belong to someone. He wanted to be a part of a family once again.
More specifically, he wanted to be a part of Mountie Gabe's family.
Billy knew that Constable Kinslow had not had to treat him as well as he had. He had run away from his last orphanage. He had been stealing food when he had met the man and then had bit him. Constable Kinslow could have simply kept him in jail until turning him over to a judge to figure out what to do with him.
Instead, Constable Kinslow had shown him kindness and compassion. He had even temporarily taken him into his home. For the first time in a long time, Billy didn't feel as though he was simply a burden to be placed in the most convenient place.
Billy was actually hoping that perhaps this time, things might be different. Perhaps Judge Avery would find him a place where he would at least be safe.
"We're going to cut the cake. Are you coming?"
The question brought Billy out of his thoughts and he realized that Constable Kinslow was standing in front of him. The room was empty except for the two of them and Gabriel was holding a hand out to the boy.
Billy nodded, reaching up to take the offered hand.
The two made their way into the kitchen, where everyone else had gathered around the birthday cake that was sitting on the island. 'Happy Birthday' was sung and the candles blown out. Eleanor then began cutting slices of the cake, giving them out to the children first. One by one, the children returned to the sitting room, cake in hand.
"Here you go, Billy," Christian said, holding out a plate with a slice of cake on it.
"Thank-you," Billy replied, reaching out to take the plate.
"Come join us in the sitting room?" Christian asked, nodding his head in the direction of the aforementioned room.
Billy looked up at Gabriel. He wanted to join the other children but he also wasn't quite sure he wanted to let Constable Kinslow out of his sight. Part of him was still worried about being left somewhere.
"Go ahead," Gabriel encouraged him. "I promise not to leave this house without you," he added.
Billy hesitated a moment more before taking a step toward Christian. Together, the two boys left the kitchen with their cake to join the other children.
Gabriel watched Billy go with Christian with a feeling of relief. Though it seemed like a small thing, Gabriel knew that it was a huge step for the lad.
"Cake?"
The one word question brought Gabriel's attention to Lillian, who stood next to him. She held a plate of cake in both hands.
"Thank-you," Gabriel said taking one of the plates.
"I'm being banished from helping," Lillian informed him. "Which means you get out of it too, so I have company. Let's go sit in the dining room," she suggested, as Bill came out of the dinning room with a stack of dinner dishes.
"Okay," Gabriel replied.
Together the two of them retreated to the dining room, taking two seats where the dishes had already been cleared.
"So how was your birthday?" Gabriel asked as he stuck his fork into his slice of cake.
"It's been wonderful," Lillian replied. "I thought the vase and the flowers from the children was sweet and then you went and proposed. I don't think I could feel any happier than I do right now," she told him, looking down at the engagement ring on her left hand.
"I'm just relieved you said yes," Gabriel told her. "It would have been embarrassing for you to say no with the audience we had."
Lillian laughed.
"I wouldn't have said no. I've been wanting you to propose for a while now. Honestly, I had been hoping you would do it on Christmas but when you went to Hope Valley I knew that wasn't happening. Then I thought perhaps on New Years but that came and went as well. I had finally convinced myself just to wait patiently instead of trying to figure out when you would propose."
"Part of the reason I went to Hope Valley for Christmas was to get Elizabeth's input on an engagement ring. I knew I wanted something unique but I wanted it to be something you would like too."
Lillian looked down at the ring. "You chose well," Lillian told him.
Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his. Gabriel tasted the sweetness of the frosting that lingered on her lips. Letting the fork drop to the plate, Gabriel reached up to place his hand against Lillian's cheek as their lips stayed pressed together. The birthday cake had been good but for Gabriel, Lillian's kiss was even better.