After moving the crates from the morning delivery from the boardwalk into his store, Joe locked the door, the closed sign still displayed. Getting his crowbar, Joe went about opening crates, looking for something in particular. He found it in the second crate he opened, a collection of cloth roses. He was not sure how well they would actually sell, but then their popularity in the store was not the reason he had bought them.

Separating a few from the bundle of them, Joe headed toward the door. As he stepped out of the store, he met Mrs. Meadows on the boardwalk. She had Hope bundled up in her arms.

"Are you opening your store today, Mr. Moody?" Mrs. Meadows politely inquired, nodding toward the closed sign still on the door.

"Yes. I just had a few things to do this morning," Joe replied. "Are you in a hurry?" he asked.

Mrs. Meadows shook her head. "John is talking to Ben about ordering in some new equipment for the spring, so he will be a bit. I will just go check in with Ruth to see if we have any mail while you take those flowers to Maggie."

Joe's first instinct was to deny the flowers were for Maggie, but he stopped himself. As small as Brookfield was, he had no doubt that the fact that he and Maggie had been on a few dinners together had reached just about everybody's ears by now.

"I will be back to open the store in about ten minutes," Joe replied instead.

"I'll be back," Mrs. Meadows said, turning and heading to the telegraph office.

Joe smiled and then crossed the street. Maggie was at the stove, her coat and hat still on.

"Be right with you," Maggie said as she finished with getting a fire started.

"I will wait," Joe replied. "I definitely do not want you to be cold today," he informed her, walking across the room toward her.

"Thank-you," Maggie replied, her voice a bit happier after hearing Joe's voice.

"I see you are alone today?" Joe commented, choosing to make small talk instead of waiting in silence.

"I am," Maggie replied as she went about her task. "Faith was here yesterday so we could finish working out details for having a doctor in Brookfield for a couple of days each month, as we still cannot tempt a doctor to come to Brookfield. She or Carson will be here on the eighth and ninth of each month to see patients. My job between now and their March visit is to let people know when they will be here if they would like to see a doctor. She even managed to charm Ronnie into letting them have a room for free for the three nights they would be in Brookfield."

Joe chuckled. "I guess that is why Faith came to negotiate rather than Carson?"

"You guessed right," Maggie said, finishing with the fire. Turning she started to ask, "so what brought . . ."

Maggie let the words trail off when she saw the cloth roses in Joe's hand.

"I noticed that you had a lovely dark green vase sitting on your desk at home but nothing was in it," Joe commented. "I thought you could put these in there and you would not have to worry about them wilting or remembering the water."

Maggie laughed as she reached out for the three cloth roses. "That vase was my grandmother's. It has been on many travels with me. I had to glue it together once and though the crack does not show I am afraid to test my repair skills with water. These are the perfect solution. Thank you, Joe."

"You are welcome," Joe told her. He had not asked about the significance of the vase, but he had noticed it on her desk. "Do you have plans for lunch?"

"Just that sandwich wrapped in paper over there," Maggie said, nodding toward the counter near Joe.

"How about I take you . . ." Joe started to ask, but trailed off as the door to the infirmary opened.

Gabriel strode into the infirmary. He stopped when he spotted Joe and Maggie, taking in the flowers still in Maggie's hands.

"I am sorry. Did I interrupt something?" Gabriel asked, a teasing smirk on his face as he looked to Joe.

"Just a lunch invitation," Joe replied, trying to sound annoyed. He had to admit the smirk Gabriel wore, annoyed him more than the interruption.

"Would you like me to step back outside?" Gabriel asked, motioning to the door.

"That won't be necessary," Joe informed him before turning back to Maggie. The British nurse wore an amused smile on her face. Not wanting to stumble over words with his audience present, Joe finished his question. "I was going to suggest that we get lunch over at the hotel if that would be agreeable with you."

"I would like that," Maggie replied without hesitation.

"I will stop by about noon then?" Joe suggested.

Maggie nodded. "I will be looking forward to it," she assured him. Looking from Joe to Gabriel, she added. "Did you want to see me about something, Constable?"

His grin still present, Gabriel nodded. "I just wanted to let you know that because Billy wanted to stay home from school after the events of yesterday that I am just going to take him to Clearwater with me. You won't need to pick him up from school."

"All right," Maggie nodded. "Just be mindful of that left wrist. It still needs some time to heal."

"I will be," Gabriel assured her. "I will remind, Billy as well."

"Stay safe, Constable," Maggie added.

"Thank-you," Gabriel told him. "You two enjoy you lunch later," he added, as he put his hat on and left.

"Good-bye, Gabe," Joe added. He waited for the door to close behind Gabriel before turning back to Maggie. "Sometimes I really want to be annoyed with him and his teasing, but given the hard time I have given him about Lillian I know I can't."

Maggie laughed. "Gabriel's teasing is good natured. He is happy for you, Joe. For both of us."

"What about you, Maggie? Are you happy with how things are going even with the mixed signals that I am probably given you?" Joe asked.

Maggie closed the distance between them. Standing close, she put the hand holding the cloth roses, on his shoulder and placed her other hand gently against his cheek.

"Knowing that this is the first relationship you have been in since your wife passed, I would be more concerned if this was easy for you," Maggie told him, looking into his eyes. "Mixed signals or not, I know that I have feelings for you Joe. I am not sure I am quite ready to call it love, but I believe I am falling for you. I think that despite your confusion you could say the same about me."

Joe felt a tingling sensation on his cheek where Maggie's hand rested and a funny feeling in his stomach. They were sensations that he had not felt in a long while.

"Yes, Maggie. I think I could fall in love with you but that scares me," Joe confessed. "I worry about betraying the love I shared with Lissett while worrying about losing you too. The pain is still there after all these years and I may have managed to keep living after losing Lissett but I find myself wondering if I could go through a loss like that again and still keep living."

"We cannot live in fear of the unknown, Joe," Maggie said softly. "If you do, you miss out on the little everyday moments that make life special as well as the adventures."

Reaching out, Joe wrapped his arms lightly around Maggie, holding her close as he looked down at her.

"I never was one that was much for adventure. I am content being in one place, running my store, and interacting with the people I know."

Maggie smiled. "Then leave the adventures to others but don't let yourself miss out on those simple, special everyday moments like we are having right now," she told him.

Joe nodded. He had to admit, just having Maggie in his arms brought a sense of peace over him. Maggie let her other hand fall to his shoulder as she rested her head against his chest. Not quite ready to let her go himself, Joe closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the top of her head, realizing that there was a slightly minty smell associated with Maggie.

Reaching Clearwater, Gabriel made for the stables next to the building where the Mounties kept their horses. Though the stables were warmer than being outside, it was still chilly. Though he had a feeling that the answer would be no, Gabriel suggested that Billy head into headquarters and start warming up while he took care of Apollo.

Billy shook his head. "I will wait for you," he told Gabriel. "However, I could go for one of those sandwiches that Miss Walsh gave us."

Gabriel smiled, as he pulled out one of the said sandwiches from the saddle bag. Lillian had brought them into town when she walked the children to school this morning. Eleanor had apparently decided to include him in her habit of sending a package of sandwiches for a trip. As Gabriel wanted to get some phone calls made before taking Billy for lunch, Gabriel had to admit that the sandwiches were coming in handy.

While Billy ate the sandwich, Gabriel unsaddled Apollo and got him settled in the stall. He gave the horse some feed. By this time, Billy had finished the sandwich.

"It could be a while before we get lunch," Gabriel told him. "Do you want another one?" he asked as Billy took a drink from his canteen.

Billy shook his head. "No. I am good."

"All right," Gabriel replied.

Leading Billy from the stables he made his way into headquarters. Gabriel did not check in with Constable Anderson this time. Though Anderson ran the everyday affairs of the office, Staff Sergeant Oakley supervised the Mounties who worked out of the Clearwater office and the surrounding smaller towns, including Brookfield. Though he was within his rights to contact Super Intendant O'Rielly, Gabriel wanted to let Oakley know that he was doing so. He did not want the man to think he was going over his head.

Reaching Oakley's office, Gabriel knocked.

"Come in," came the immediate reply.

Gabriel reached for the knob and pushed the door open. He motioned for Billy to enter first though he remained right behind the boy, one hand on Billy's shoulder.

"Constable Kinslow," Oakley greeted. "Is everything okay in Brookfield?"

"Yes, sir," Gabriel replied. "I had an inquiry into an old case that I wanted to call Superintendent O'Rielly in Union City to look into. It concerns someone I know. I just wanted to let you know why I was calling the Union City headquarters."

"I appreciate that. Let me know if I can be of assistance," Oakley replied. He let his gaze fall from Gabriel to Billy. "And who do we have here?" he asked in a kind voice.

"Ryan Anders, Jr., sir," Billy replied, using his full name. "People call me Billy, though."

Oakley nodded. "Nice to meet you, Billy," the man said. "Should you be in school?"

Billy nodded. "I am having trouble fitting in. Gabe let me stay home today," he answered honestly.

"Fitting in is always hard. Especially when you are the new kid. I had plenty of experience with that growing up as my own father was moved around a lot. I admire you for asking to stay home instead of trying just to skip. Honesty in all things is important."

"Yes, sir."

Oakley looked to Gabriel again. "I heard a rumor you had taken in an orphan. I see the rumor is true."

Gabriel put his hands on Billy's shoulders as he stood behind the boy. "It seemed to be the best solution for everyone involved," he told his superior. "I also got attached to Billy in the short time he was staying with me. Something would have been missing if I didn't keep him."

Oakley nodded. "I know that feeling. I have four children of my own, all of them adopted for one reason or another. My wife and I never could have biological children but the four we adopted are still ours. Proud of each one of them, though my youngest was killed up in the Northern Territories."

"My Dad was killed there too," Billy stated sadly.

"Looks like we have something in common then," Oakley told him.

"Would you mind if Billy sat in the conference room while I make my phone call, sir?" Gabriel asked. "He brought his sketch book with him, so he will not be any trouble."

"Instead of sitting alone in the conference room, he is welcome to pull up a chair right in here. This desk is big enough for the both of us."

Gabriel looked down at Billy. "How does that sound to you, Billy?"

Billy looked up at Gabriel. "That would be okay with me," he said.

Gabriel nodded. "Thank-you, sir," he told Staff Sergeant Oakley. He actually felt better about leaving Billy with someone than alone in a room somewhere, even if that room was in the regional Mountie Headquarters.

Gabriel got Billy settled at one end of the big oak desk and then left the office to put his call through to Union City.