Lillian hung the last article of clothing on the line. Despite the lingering snow on the ground, the temperature was high enough that she could hang the wash outside instead of somewhere in the house. The fact that the sun shone brightly would only help the clothes to dry. Though Grace had taken care of the clothes of the others, today Lillian had wanted to wash the clothes she and Gabriel had brought home with them.
Striding back to the house, holding her skirt up to keep it out of the mushy snow, Lillian's eyes fell on the large crate that Joe had gotten some men in town to bring out to the orphanage. The crate sat off to the side at the foot of the porch steps. As Gabriel had not told her he was expecting anything, she was unsure of what was inside it though she had signed the paper Joe had for receipt of delivery, not wanting to wake Gabriel up from his nap.
As she reached the porch steps, the front door opened and Gabriel stepped out.
"Did you sleep well?" Lillian asked.
"I did," Gabriel replied. "I did not realize exactly how tired I was until my head hit the pillow. I think I was asleep instantly."
"Grace peeked in a little later and commented that you looked cute sleeping," Lillian commented, still standing at the foot of the steps.
Gabriel grinned. "Just as long as she did not say it in front of Chuck. I would not want to make him jealous," he said lightly.
Lillian laughed briefly before gesturing to the crate. "Perhaps you could answer the mystery of what is in the crate?" she requested.
"Yes! Please do!" came Grace's excited request as she appeared behind Gabriel. Though she usually worked the day shift at the hotel, Ellie Clay had asked Grace to switch shifts with her so that she could spend the evening with Sam. "I hate mysteries of what is inside things. I drive Lillian nuts at Christmas time because I do not want to wrap the gifts until Christmas Eve because even if I am the one that wrapped them, seeing wrapped gifts under the tree makes me want to open them."
Gabriel laughed. "So, then I should not buy your gift early this year, wrap it, and put it under the tree the moment we are finished decorating the tree."
Grace slapped his arm playfully. "You wouldn't dare," she accused.
Gabriel simply grinned as Lillian laughed at their antics. She was glad that Grace was developing an ease around Gabriel.
"I think the mystery of the crate might be more interesting for you ladies instead of what is inside it," Gabriel told them. "That crate is a project for me and the boys." Gabriel glanced at Lillian. "You said the children showed interest in raising chickens. Well, that is the material we will need to put up a chicken coop and pen. Hopefully they included the instructions or it might turn into a lot of trial and error. I talked to my mom while we were in Hope Valley. As soon as I have the coop ready, she will send one of the ranch hands here with a starter flock. She said that she was not entrusting her chickens to the railroad."
"Well, that is nice of her," Lillian replied. "The kids are going to be excited."
"They will be, but if you plan on it being just you and the boys we might have an upset child. I think Mary Louise will want to be involved," Grace commented.
"If Mary Louise wants to swing a hammer, I will be more than happy to include her," Gabriel replied.
"How about all three of you get in here and have lunch so Grace can eat before going to work and the soup doesn't get cold," Eleanor said, appearing in the doorway.
"Coming," Lillian said, finally walking up the porch steps. She paused at Gabriel's side and gave him a quick kiss.
"Young love," Eleanor commented as she turned back into the house, Grace following her.
"Am I getting scolded by the housekeeper?" Gabriel asked, Lillian lightly.
"Perhaps, but it better not keep you from kissing me," Lillian told him.
Gabriel's reply was to press another kiss against her lips. "Nothing could keep me from kissing you, Mrs. Kinslow," he told her softly, when he broke away.
"Kisses might be nice but the two of you still need to get in here and eat," Eleanor called from inside the house.
Lillian and Gabriel both laughed as they looped their arms around each other's waist and headed inside.
Later that afternoon, Gabriel and Lillian picked the kids up from school. Gabriel immediately informed them that there was a surprise project waiting for them just as soon as they finished their chores. Christian, Vincent and Mary Louise immediately started trying to guess what the project was. The only child who was quiet was Billy, as he walked by Gabriel's side.
"Is that the project?" Christian asked, spying the crate as they approached the house.
"It is," Gabriel said.
"Let's get the water, and wood so we can find out what is in the crate," Christian told Vincent.
Vincent nodded and the two boys hurried toward the house.
"Do not run in the house," Lillian called out to them.
"Yes, Miss Lillian," both boys called, as they reached the front door. Christian opened the door and the two boys went slowly into the house.
"I am going to go feed Virginia," Mary Louise said. "Could you take my books inside please, Miss Lillian?" the girl asked looking up at the woman.
"I would be happy to," Lillian said, reaching out for the books. "The ground is mucky, so please don't skip. I don't want you to slip or splatter your dress."
"Yes, Miss Lillian," Mary Louise said, as she started carefully off toward the barn.
Gabriel looked down at Billy. "Are you ready to start learning how to care for the horses?" he asked. He and Lillian had talked to Billy about how all the children had little chores to do and if there was anything he was interesting in. Billy had expressed interest in learning how to care for the horses and eventually ride.
Billy nodded in reply.
Gabriel and Lillian exchanged looks. Something was bothering the boy.
"I am going to go help Eleanor with dinner," Lillian said.
Gabriel nodded and mouthed 'thank-you' to her. Billy was more likely to open up to just him than Lillian still.
"How was school today, Billy?" Gabriel asked as the two of them followed Mary Louise across the yard to the barn.
Billy shrugged his shoulders.
"Did something happen to upset you?" Gabriel ventured, deciding that the indirect approach was clearly not going to work.
"Some of the boys laughed about me using your last name," Billy said, staring down at the ground as they walked. Billy had not wanted to wait for the official paperwork to go through to take Kinslow as his last name. Gabriel had talked to Miss Peters that morning about the situation and the teacher had happily changed the name on her roster. "They said that just because I took your last name it does not make me your son."
Gabriel nodded. He remembered how hard navigating childhood had been. Some of his classmates had taken to given him a hard time about having four older sisters, calling him sissy and a mama's boy. It was one of the reasons that he had never played piano anywhere other than home growing up. He had not wanted to give his schoolmates more ammunition, but he had also not wanted to give up the instrument or the time it gave him with his mother.
"In a way, they are right," Gabriel said casually.
Billy finally looked up at him. It was clearly not what the boy had expected to hear.
"Taking my name is not what makes you my son," Gabriel said calmly looking down at Billy. "The love we feel for each other is what makes you my son. I am proud to call you my son and honored that you have chosen to call me Dad. You taking my last name, is just icing on the cake. Little Jack still has his birth father's last name, but that does not make him any less Constable Grant's son."
Billy thought about it and then slowly a smile spread across his face. Reaching out, he took Gabriel's hand.
"I am just going to ignore the teasing tomorrow," Billy said.
"That sounds like a good plan," Gabriel told them.
Father and son continued their walk to the barn. Billy placed his school books on the shelf and then listened intently as Gabriel instructed him on how to properly care for Smoky and Benson. Jealous of the fact that Gabriel had not given him any attention, Apollo stuck his head over the top of the stall and nudged Gabriel's shoulder as the Mountie watched Billy measure out feed for Smoky.
"I was going to get to you," Gabriel told the horse, reaching up to rub Apollo's nose. "You are going to have to learn to share attention with your new stable mates."
Apollo whinnied and shook his head.
"I think your horse is talking back to you Mountie Gabe," Mary Louise commented.
Gabriel laughed. "I think you are right, Mary Louise," he said, turning to face his horse. He rubbed a hand along Apollo's neck. "You want to get out of the stall for a bit?" Gabriel asked the black.
Apollo's response was to paw at the hay in his stall. Retrieving a lead, Gabriel entered Apollo's stall. He attached the bridle and led the horse from the stall.
"Is Virginia good for now, Mary Louise?" Gabriel asked the girl.
Mary Louise nodded. "I milk her after dinner," she stated.
Gabriel smiled. "Then lets go see if Christian and Vincent are done with their chores," he said.
Leading Apollo, Gabriel and the two kids left the barn
"What if I can't remember everything you told me today about caring for the horses tomorrow?" Billy asked.
"Then I will remind you," Gabriel replied. "I will come out with you until you feel confident in the task."
"Dad always supervised me for at least a week when he taught me a new task," Mary Louise stated. "Learning to milk a cow took me longer. I was afraid I was hurting the cow at first."
"It sounds like your Dad was a patient man, Mary Louise." Gabriel commented.
The girl nodded. "I still miss him," she stated. "Will I ever not miss him, Mountie Gabe?"
"Probably not, Mary Louise," Gabriel replied, laying a hand gently on the girl's head as they made their way toward the house. "And that is okay. Missing the people we lose is just a part of remembering them."
Mary Louise nodded.
The trio met up with Christian and Vincent. Gabriel tied off Apollo's lead, leaving the horse to look for spring grass in the melting snow. He told the kids what was in the crate as he opened the lid. All four were enthusiastic, wanting to jump into building right away. Instead, Gabriel told them that they needed to do some planning first. Today's goal was making sure they had everything the instructions told them they needed and going over the instructions so that they knew where to start the next day.
The rest of Gabriel's time off passed quickly. He and Lillian went for a horseback ride while the kids were at school. Gabriel also took advantage of the free time to put some work into getting the cottage ready for Grace and Chuck who still insisted on the addition to the orphanage being completed first. When the kids came home, they did their chores and Gabriel spent some time with them working on the home for the chickens. He even started self defense lessons with the boys, all three boys listening intently to everything that Gabriel told them.
Billy's second night in the orphanage went slightly better than the first. The boy came knocking on Lillian and Gabriel's bedroom door around one a.m., having been awakened by a nightmare. As he sat between Lillian and Gabriel in their bed, the boy told them about the nightmare. Billy told them that he woke up and found himself in the middle of the woods. Nothing looked familiar and there was no one around. Everything was silent. No animals made noise and no wind rustled the leaves on the trees. When he started walking, there was nothing but endless trees. No matter how long he walked the trees never came to an end.
Remembering the confession Billy had made about being afraid that what he had found was too good to be true, both Gabriel and Lillian felt that the dream was a manifestation of that fear. They let the boy stay with them until he fell asleep. Gabriel then picked the boy up and took him back to his room, where he had wanted to sleep that night. Gabriel sat with the boy for about a half an hour before returning to his own bed.
That routine repeated for a couple more nights before Billy finally slept through the night.
Gabriel and Billy fit into life at the orphanage with only a few minor complications. For the most part, those complications were taken in stride with little fuss. One exception was an outburst by Vincent directed toward Gabriel when the latter had corrected him about something. Vincent's declaration that he did not have to listen to Gabriel was heard by the entire household as was the subsequent door slam. Vincent had been given a little time to cool off in his room, and then Lillian had gone and had a talk with him. Vincent apologized to Gabriel following the discussion and after that, Vincent, Christian and Mary Louise respected Gabriel's authority as they did the three women.
Friday evening was the reception at the Royal Brookfield. A buffet was laid out in the hotel's diningroom fro the guests who came to celebrate Gabriel and Lillian's marriage. Almost everyone in town and in the surrounding area showed up. The couple was showered with gifts, most of which Lillian knew would need to be stored in the attic until the apartment addition was finished on the house. Still, it was a relief really to know that between the gifts from their friends in Hope Valley and their neighbors here, nothing would be needed for them to set up housekeeping on their own. Their friends in Brookfield had even thought of Billy. Joe and Maggie had bought Billy a bed frame which had been presented by a note in a card. The Mendelson's had done the same thing, having bought Billy a dresser. Joe said that both pieces of furniture could stay in his storeroom until the addition was finished.
On Sunday evening, Gabriel and Lillian both played the piano while they had a hymn sing along. That routine would soon become a Sunday evening tradition for the household. In the short time they had been there, the two new occupants were a natural part of New Hope Orphanage.
The Monday following his return from Hope Valley, Gabriel put on his work uniform. Other than wearing the dress uniform for his wedding, it was the first time that Gabriel had put on his uniform since the abduction by Charlie and his little gang. As he stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, Gabriel realized that he did not even know Charlie and Walter's last name.
Perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps Lillian and Carson were right. Perhaps he had done all that he could for Walter. Not that he had done much of anything. The boy was still with his brother, trapped in a life of crime. The whole group was still wanted for robberies as well as a string of abductions including his own. Other Mounties were still working on tracking down the group. Perhaps it was best that Gabriel leave it at that.
As much as he wanted to do just that, there was still a longing in him to help Walter, though the boy had to be located first.
Lillian's reflection joined his own as she came up behind him. His wife wrapped her arms around his waist as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Do you feel ready to return to work?" she asked him.
Gabriel placed his hands over top of Lillian's as their eyes met in the reflection in front of them.
"I do," Gabriel told her easily and honestly. "Seeing myself in this uniform seems natural. As much as I have enjoyed the extra time with you and the children, I am ready to go back. However, I also realize that going back to work still does not enable me to do the thing I most want to do."
"You still want to try to help Walter, don't you?"
"He is only sixteen, Lillian. He should be given a chance to find a path not marred by criminal activity. However, if that group is caught, I am afraid no one will take that into consideration. That he will be judged right along with the others. If it was just myself that I had to consider, I have no doubt I would be putting in a request to join the search for the group."
"You still could, you know," Lillian said. "I would miss you but I would support you if this is something you feel you need to do."
Gabriel shook his head. He lifted Lillian's hands from where they rested on his stomach. As Lillian lifted her chin from his shoulder Gabriel turned so that he was facing her. He wrapped his arms around her as he felt Lillian's hands settle against his back.
"The last report Nathan had was that the search for Walter and the others had taken the search party into Saskatchewan. Given the other places they have hit, there is no telling where that group will go from there. It is too uncertain an assignment for me to be undertaking given my personal responsibilities."
Lillian smiled.
"I would let you go but it also does my heart good to hear you say that," she told him.
Pulling her close against him, Gabriel slowly lowered his head to press his lips against Lillian's. He tasted a combination of bitterness and sweetness on her lips, which told him that she had already been drinking a cup of coffee. Though Lillian sweetened her coffee too much for his liking that did not stop him from continuing to explore her lips now. Though passive in this morning's kiss, Lillian's arms tightened their hold on him telling him that she was a willing participant.
Gabriel fought the urge to break the kiss for a deep breath as he drug the kiss out. A small cough finally brought the kiss to an end. He half-expected Lillian to draw away from him at the thought of someone catching them kissing, but instead she simply rested her head against his chest as she looked in the direction of the sound, The action told him exactly how much had changed since they had an audience for the goodnight kiss following their first official dinner date.
Arms still holding Lillian close against him, Gabriel too let his eyes drift toward the direction of the sound. Grace was standing in the doorway, her elated smile lighting up her face. It was clear that Grace was happy for her sister and for him.
"Sorry to interrupt, but if you would like to join us for breakfast, we are about to start," Grace told them. "Of course if you would rather to continue to feast on one another . . ."
Grace let the thought drift off. The amusement was clear in her voice.
"We'll be right down," Lillian told her, clear amusement in her own voice.
"See you shortly then," Grace said, before disappearing from the doorway.
"You know, her suggestion is not half bad," Gabriel teased, looking down at his wife. "A breakfast of kisses, does sound tempting."
"Sure it does, until you faint while doing rounds from the lack of food," Lillian replied, pushing away from him. "Let's get you properly fed for your first day back on the job," she said, catching his hand in hers.
"If I eat all of my breakfast may I have another kiss?" Gabriel asked teasingly as he let Lillian lead him downstairs.
Lillian laughed. "Yes you may," she told him as the two of them headed downstairs to join the others for breakfast.