Later that afternoon Gabriel was in the livery brushing out Apollo, when he heard soft footsteps approaching. Turning from the horse, he spotted Lillian making her way toward him.
"Hello, Lillian," Gabriel greeted her. "I hope this doesn't mean you are canceling our plans for tonight," he commented. He and Lillian had made plans for her to come have dinner with Gabriel and Billy tonight in Gabriel's little apartment. Though he hadn't felt comfortable asking Lillian to dinner in the small space when it would be like a date atmosphere the situation was different now. The engagement made things feel different, as did the fact that Billy was included this evening.
"No," Lillian assured him. "I'm looking forward to tonight. I was picking up some feed for Virginia and the horses and Ben mentioned you were in here. I thought I would drop in."
Turning toward Lillian, Gabriel walked toward the stall door. He placed the brush on the ledge as he looked over the barrier at Lillian.
"I'm glad you did," Gabriel told her, always happy to see Lillian. "Did Ben load the feed bags in your wagon?" he asked. "If not, I'll come do it."
Lillian smiled. "Sam is taking care of it as we speak," she informed him.
"Okay," Gabriel said. "Ben seems to like having Sam working for him."
"Is that your way of saying you may have rushed judgement on Sam?" Lillian asked.
"Perhaps," Gabriel said. "He has stayed on the right side of the law while he's been here, so I will give him that."
Lillian laughed. It was as much of an admission that he was wrong that she knew she would probably get from Gabriel on the topic of Sam and she was willing to let it go. She knew that most of Gabriel's suspicion of new people came from wanting to protect the members of the community, specifically her.
Deciding that he was done being ignored, Apollo came over to the front of the stall. Standing just behind Gabriel, the horse stuck his head through the opening beside Gabriel's head looking for Lillian's attention.
"Hello, Apollo," Lillian said, reaching out to rub Apollo's nose. "You want some attention too?"
"This guy always wants attention," Gabriel replied, reaching a hand up to pat the far side of his horse's neck as he let the side of his face rest against Apollo's neck. Despite the words, there was nothing but affection for the horse in Gabriel's voice.
Lillian laughed again at the comment as she continued to rub Apollo's nose.
"Lillian, I wanted to talk to you privately about something. Do you have a few minutes to step over to my office. It won't take long."
"Of course," Lillian said, a worried expression coming across her features.
"It's nothing to worry about," Gabriel told her, catching the change in her expression as he moved away from Apollo and exited the stall. "It is an important issue that I need your input on though," he added.
Gabriel exited the stall and secured the door. Offering Lillian his arm, he escorted her out of the livery and across the street to the Mounted Police Office. Having anticipated doing some paperwork after taking care of Apollo, the stove was already warming the small office when the reached it.
Entering, Gabriel hung his hat on a hook, and then moved to help Lillian with her coat. He hung Lillian's coat up on another hook before removing his own heavy coat and hanging it up. Lillian had already sat down in the chair on the near side of his desk. Gabriel pulled his gloves off as he walked toward the desk. Instead of sitting across from Lillian, Gabriel put his gloves on the desk as he took the empty chair next to Lillian.
"What I want to discuss with you concerns Billy," Gabriel began.
"Did one of the children say something to upset him last night?" Lillian asked.
Gabriel shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. I think last night for Billy went as well as could be expected at this point," he added. Reaching out, Gabriel took her hand. "No, what I wanted to discuss with you has to do with Billy's future. Ever since Bill told me about what happened to his family and I learned about what that boy has endured at the first two orphanages he was at, there has been a part of me that has been thinking of keeping Billy with me."
"That is a huge responsibility," Lillian said.
"I know," Gabriel agreed. "And I've been going back and forth between whether I wanted to take it on or not. Then this morning, I woke up and Billy wasn't in his bed. I panicked," Gabriel admitted. "All I could think was that he had ran off and that I had to find him. It turned out he was at the table drawing because he couldn't sleep, but I don't think I have ever been so scared in my life."
Lillian thought about the time after the fire when Christian and Vincent had disappeared. Finding those two boys was the only thing she could think of in those moments. "I know exactly what you mean," Lillian told him.
"I don't know if keeping Billy with me is possible. I'd have to discuss all the legalities with Bill. However, I don't even want to take that step until I know I have your blessing."
"My blessing?" Lillian said, surprised.
"Yes. Your blessing. When you said yes to marrying me, last night you did so not expecting me to bring a troubled ten year old boy along with me into the marriage. If I do become Billy's guardian, eventually he's going to become your responsibility as well."
Lillian gave the hand hold hers a gentle squeeze, even as she reached up to place her other hand against Gabriel's cheek. "I'm flattered that you want to include me in this decision, but do you really think I could say no to you taking that boy in or change my mind about marrying you because you choose to become his guardian."
"Probably not," Gabriel conceded.
"Gabriel, you chose to love me knowing that I was never going to walk away from the orphans in my care. You're willing to take on that responsibility with me, and if you think that Billy being with you is what is right for that boy, than I will welcome him into our family with open arms."
"I thought that might be your answer," Gabriel admitted. "I wanted to hear it from you though."
"Which is one of the many reasons why I love you," Lillian told him, leaning forward and pressing her lips briefly against Gabriel's. Afraid of someone walking in, she didn't let the kiss linger long.
"So, have you thought about whom Billy will stay with if work should take you away?" Lillian asked, sitting back and letting her hand fall from Gabriel's cheek though she still held his hand with the other. "You know I would gladly keep him out at the orphanage but while I think I'm making progress with the boy, I don't think we're quite there yet."
Gabriel nodded. "Believe me, I've thought about that and its one of the reasons I was hesitating even mentioning the prospect to anyone. Granted he would be in school part of the day, but the duties of a Mountie don't exactly fit neatly with school hours. However, Maggie told me yesterday that Billy wanted to stay with me. She also mentioned she would be willing to help me out with keeping an eye on him. Billy seems comfortable with Maggie, so if she's willing to help out until he's comfortable with others, I think I can manage."
Lillian nodded. "Then I think you need to talk to Bill. That boy needs stability and a place where he feels safe. He clearly feels safe when he's with you. I can see it. I have a feeling Bill has seen that too. I think that is enough to start with and the rest will follow."
"I hope so," Gabriel said. "However, the one thing I do know, is that I need to try. That boy has been pushed aside by adults since his parents died. It is time that someone makes him the priority and I feel like if I don't do it, then who will?"
Lillian nodded. "I remember that feeling," she told him. "When Grace first suggested the two of us running an orphanage I thought it was a crazy idea. However, I felt like you did as well. I wasn't in an orphanage long, but I remember the feeling of being just another mouth to feed. It is too easy, especially in the bigger orphanages, to forget these children have emotional needs as well as physical ones. It's important to meet emotional as well as physical needs and I think that gets lost by most orphanages. I may not be able to fix that problem completely, but if someone didn't start making that change in the system, then who would? I haven't once regretted the decision to help my sister make her vision into a reality."
"Those children are lucky to have you and Grace in their lives, even the ones who have found new families or were reunited with family."
"And Billy will be lucky to have you if it can be arranged," Lillian told him.
Gabriel nodded. Just discussing it with Lillian had helped calmed his anxiety over the situation. Sometimes, just knowing someone supported you made a lot of difference.
"I should let you get home. I don't want Grace or Eleanor worrying about you."
Lillian smiled. "They probably anticipated me spending a little time with you if you were in town, but I should be getting back. I want to help with some of the dinner preparations as I won't be there for dinner. I made a batch of brownies for dessert for everyone. I'll make sure I bring you and Billy a few extra."
"I won't even try to talk you out of that," Gabriel replied, as he got to his feet, picking up his gloves as he did so.
Gabriel moved to the hooks where the coats hung. Taking Lillian's down first, he helped her into it before putting on his own coat on. He opened the door for Lillian, taking his hat from its hook as he followed her. Gabriel escorted Lillian back to her wagon and made sure she was on her way home before returning to his office to get some paperwork done.
That evening, Lillian enjoyed a pleasant meal with Gabriel and Billy. In a more familiar environment, Billy seemed more at ease. Though he wasn't overly talkative, the boy did answer questions whether they came from Gabriel or Lillian. He even complimented Lillian on the brownie after his first bite.
"I should probably get going. I promised Grace I would put the children to bed tonight as she was taking care of both dinner and supervising the baths tonight," Lillian said when they had each finished a brownie.
"I can take care of dinner dishes while you walk Miss Walsh home," Billy offered quietly as he looked up at Gabriel.
Gabriel hesitated. He knew if he wanted Billy to trust him, he would need to show trust in him as well. He wasn't sure about leaving the boy alone though, even for the time it would take to walk Lillian home. However, the kid had managed to survive on his own for almost a year. He was more worried about Billy running off than getting into trouble while on his own. Gabriel also figured that if Billy wanted to run, he would have run last night instead of sitting at the table drawing.
Looking to Lillian, Gabriel silently asked for her opinion. Lillian gave him a very slight nod.
"Thank-you for the offer, Billy," Gabriel replied, looking back at the boy. "I think I will take you up on it. Stay inside while I'm gone though."
"Yes, sir," Billy replied, with a nod. The boy got to his feet and started to gather the dinner dishes. "Thank-you for the brownies, Miss Walsh. It's been awhile since I've had a good one and they are my favorite."
"You're welcome," Lillian replied. "Brownies are also Mountie Gabe's favorite," she added.
Billy nodded but he did look at Gabriel and smile before taking a pile of dishes over to the sink.
Gabriel and Lillian bundled up against the cold and then headed out using the exit through the Mountie office. With the snow on the ground, going out the front was easier as at least the boardwalks of the town were free of snow.
Stepping out of the office, Lillian and Gabriel spotted Maggie and Joe coming out of the hotel. Maggie had her arm looped through Joe's as the two walked down the boardwalk away from the hotel. Both of them wore easy smiles.
"It looks like Joe and Maggie enjoyed their dinner as well," Gabriel commented as he led Lillian down the boardwalk in the direction of the orphanage.
"Yes, it does," Lillian replied. "I'm happy for them both. Joe deserves some happiness in his life and I like Maggie. I'm glad she has decided to settle here in Brookfield for the time being."
"If things go well with her and Joe, perhaps that settling will turn out to be permanent."
"Perhaps," Lillian commented. "Is that what is keeping you in Brookfield?" Lillian asked. "The fact that you met a girl?"
"I was in love with this place before the girl came along," Gabriel told her. "However, coming back and finding you here turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Lillian leaned her head against his shoulder as they continued to walk. "I like that answer," she replied.
They continued their walk in silence, just enjoying being with one another. They were about half way between the town and the orphanage when Lillian spoke again.
"I was thinking a June wedding might be nice," Lillian commented. "What do you think?"
"June?" Gabriel said, surprised by her suggestion.
Lillian lifted her head from Gabriel's shoulder and looked up at him. "Is that too soon for you?"
"No, it's not too soon for me," Gabriel commented. "To be honest, I thought you would want to wait longer."
Lillian shook her head. "No, I don't want a long engagement. However, I also don't want to take away from Grace's plans. She has missed out on a lot of celebrations and I want her to have the wedding that she wants. If we get married on say the third Saturday in June that will give us about six weeks to finish planning our wedding after Grace and Chuck are married. Do you think the addition to the house could be done by then?"
"I think it might be possible, but even if we're still working on the addition we can still go through with the wedding. We might not get a whole lot of privacy but I don't want that to stop us."
"It might feel crowded. Things can get hectic at the orphanage, and I can't promise there won't be more children there by that time."
"Lillian, you saw tonight where I have been living while in Brookfield. Even without the addition, being in that house is going to feel like moving to a mansion for me, especially as it will be filled with laughter and love."
Lillian smiled. "How did I get so lucky to have you find your way into my life?"
"I have asked the same question about you on more than one occasion," Gabriel replied.
"Then a June wedding it is," Lillian replied, resting her head back on Gabriel's shoulder.
Glancing down at her, Gabriel found himself thinking about how June seemed to be quite awhile away. Still, he knew that there would be plans to make and things to do. With taking care of the kids and Grace's wedding, he hoped that Lillian wouldn't start feeling overwhelmed. He knew he would have to keep a close eye on Lillian. If she started to seem too stressed by everything going on, then he would suggest a postponement but for now, if Lillian wanted a June wedding then that was fine with him.