Chapter 6

It was nearing dinner time, when Rosemary finally made it back to her row house. She still couldn't believe all of the things that Fiona had shared, with her and Clara.

Although Rosemary had heard a full account of yesterday's events, from Lee, she had no idea that Fiona had been an eye witness to the event.

Rosemary stayed home from the dress shop, yesterday, because she had a lot of work to finish up, and she often did her best design work home. Since Lee's recent accident, Rosemary had fallen behind, and she needed the extra time to recuperate.

Still, it had surprised her that no one, besides Lee, had called to tell her what was going on. Not even Florence or Molly, which was very unusual.

Rosemary had shared her concerns with Lee, the night before, and he helped her to see that it was probably a good thing that no one else had called. The last thing Elizabeth or Nathan needed right now was for everyone, in town, to start gossiping about their situation. This was a very private and sobering affair. The only call that they had received was from Pastor Zek, who called everyone to inform them of what happened, and then to ask them to pray for the young mountie's family.

Rosemary knew that this horrid event had effected the entire town, in one way or another. After all, they had all thought, at one point, that their Mountie might be dead. It must have brought back memories of what had happened to Jack. At least, it certainly had for both Rosemary and Lee, although she didn't share that fact with Elizabeth.

"Lee, I can't help, but feel like this is a very similar situation to when Jack died. Although it's not the same situation, I feel like our little town was just robbed of its security. Truthfully, I'm scared. What if it had been Nathan in that wagon? Although what happened to that young mountie is terrible, I can't help but feel like it would have been so much worse if it were Nathan. Our town has already gone through so much heartbreak already. And then there's our dear Elizabeth. Lee, my heart aches for her so much. I can't even imagine how difficult this must be for her. I believe that Nathan has become so much more to her than a friend, and I can't even imagine how scared that must make her feel. I mean the poor dear ran and hugged him in the middle of the street, for everyone to see. Thinking about that makes me want to cry."

Lee looked at her with understanding.

"I know sweetheart, I know. It hurts me too, seeing Elizabeth in such a vulnerable and horrible situation. Her and Nathan have been in my prayers all day. I've also been thinking a lot about Jack, and how hard it was for the whole town to lose him. I can't imagine what it would be like for everyone, if that had happened to Nathan. Although he's a very quiet man, and it's hard to get to know him, he brings a sense of renewed stability and security to the town, that no one else could match. He's a good man, Rosie, and I couldn't imagine a better suitor for Elizabeth."

As Rosemary pondered her conversation with Lee, from the night before, she remembered what Fiona had shared about Lucas. What would Elizabeth say if she knew that Lucas had witnessed the embrace? It would certainly make things a lot more challenging and awkward for her.

Rosemary wondered if she should tell Elizabeth about it, or wait a little while for things to become more clear to her. Either way, Rosemary knew that she'd have to tell her best friend eventually. It was the only fair thing to do.

The more Rosemary thought about it, however, the more she realized that Elizabeth didn't need to know that piece of information quite yet. She had too many other things to worry about. Rosemary would wait for Lee to get home, so he could get his opinion.


The children of Hope Valley where deep into a math lesson, when Elizabeth realized what time it was.

"Class, I know we're not done with this lesson yet, but we're going to take an early recess. We'll finish this up after you get back. It's currently 11:30 right now, and you may have 1 hour to play and eat your lunch. Class dismissed."

As a string of cheers, from her students, filled the classroom, as they headed outside for recess, Elizabeth became increasingly aware of her ever growing anxiety. She knew it was silly, but Lucas was planning to arrive around noon, and she needed to give herself some extra time to prepare for their conversation.

With so many emotions playing around in her head, over the last few days, she had been having a hard time coming up with new ideas for the end of her book.

Lucas wanted to hear about her ideas, hence the reason for their meeting, but Elizabeth's mind was drawing a blank. She had no good ideas, for the end of her story.

When Lucas came to her yesterday, she had been a bundle of nerves and could barely answer his questions, let alone tell him that she hadn't come up with any ideas yet.

Today, she was going to change that. Elizabeth resolved the issue, by giving her students an early break, in order to allow herself a little more time to brainstorm ideas.

Or, at least, that's the excuse that she was telling herself. She knew that the real reason she did it was so that she'd have less time to talk with Lucas. Elizabeth figured that they could talk for about a half an hour, and then she'd have to get back to her math lesson. It was a smart idea, she thought, and it wouldn't be a total deception. Her students had been working really hard that day, and they deserved to take a break, before continuing with their lessons.


After about a half an hour had passed, Elizabeth was finally coming up with an idea, when she saw Lucas walking into the school.

He was dressed in plain clothes, instead of his usual work attire, and had a picnic basket in his hand.

"Good afternoon, Elizabeth!"

"Hi, Lucas," Elizabeth said eyeing the picnic basket in his hand.

"I suppose you're wondering what's in the basket? Since it's lunch time, I figured that you'd probably be hungry, so I brought some of Gustave's goulash. I thought that maybe we could enjoy some together, while we're discussing your book."

Giving him a small smile, and mustering up some confidence, Elizabeth responded, "That was really thoughtful of you, Lucas. Thank you! I haven't eaten since breakfast, so goulash sounds really good right about now."

"Great! Where would you like to sit?"

"I suppose we can sit at my desk. There's an extra chair over there. I'll go get it," Elizabeth said, as she stepped away to grab the chair. She was grateful for a moment away from his prolonged eye contact.

"Breathe, Elizabeth. Just breathe. Remember that Lucas is your friend. You can do this," she encouraged herself, silently.

As she carried the chair back, and placed it on the side of her desk, Elizabeth took in the scene before her. What had just been her teachers desk, with piles of paper and school supplies stacked on top of it, suddenly turned into a charming table for two.

In seconds, Lucas had effortlessly moved of all her things, to the side, and placed a simple white tablecloth on the side of the desk, where they would be eating. Then he set out two bowls and two spoons for them, with the dish of goulash in the middle.

Elizabeth didn't know what to think. On one hand, she was pleasantly surprised at his thoughtfulness. While on the other hand, it had felt a little too familiar for her comfort. As usual, Lucas was using his generosity and charm to its fullness advantage.

"Lucas, I," Elizabeth was about to protest.

"Now before you say anything, let me assure you that this is just a business lunch. I know that you don't want to take too much time away from your students, but I still wanted this to feel like a formal meeting, so I brought all of these things to make it feel a little nicer. I hope that's alright."

"Lucas, this is all very nice, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I really do, but, as I told you before, I really don't have much time today. Recess will be over soon, and then I need to get back to my math lesson."

"I understand. Let's not waste any more time then. We can eat, while you tell me your ideas, for the ending of your book."

With that, Elizabeth took another deep breath in, before jumping into an explanation about how she had been struggling to come up with a solid idea. Then, she shared how she had come up with an idea, right before he got there, and told him what it was.

"Elizabeth, I think that's an excellent idea. I love how it captures the essence of your storyline, and then brings it back to a full circle in the end. You should defiantly move forward with that ending. I think it could be really exciting."

"Thank you! It's still a very rough idea, at this point, and there's a lot of details that I need to figure out. I'm glad you liked it though, and I certainly appreciate the input."

"My pleasure! I look forward to reading it, once it's finished. You're a very talented writer, Elizabeth. The readers are going to be blown away by your writing… I know I certainly am."

With that comment, Elizabeth suddenly stood up, feeling very embarrassed and unsure of herself. Looking at the time, she said, "Thank you for your advice and the food. I really appreciate it, but I should probably get back to my students and finish their lesson. It's getting late."

Looking at her skeptically, Lucas inquired "But it's only 12:30... Don't they usually get a full hour for break?"

"Yes they do, but their recess started at 11:30 today. I let them out early, because they needed a break from math."

Reading in-between the lines, Lucas lifted his brow. He shook his head, and then questioned her, "Did they really need a break, or did you need an excuse to cut this meeting short?"

Before Elizabeth could respond, however, Robert came in and asked if it was time to start class.

Sighing, in relief, Elizabeth answered, "Yes, Robert, it is! Would you mind ringing the bell for me?"

As Robert grabbed the cowbell, and then ran outside to ring it, Lucas starting putting everything back, as it was. He placed the dirty dishes back, in the basket, and moved all of Elizabeth's things back into their proper positions.

"Well, I suppose that's my cue to leave then. I hope you have a good day, Elizabeth," Lucas said as he started to leave.

"Lucas...wait!"

"It's alright, Elizabeth. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know you're busy..." Lucas's voice trailed off.

"Thank you for understanding".

Nodding his head, as her students began entering the classroom, Lucas responded "Have a good day, Elizabeth."

"You too, Lucas."


Dinner had just ended, when Elizabeth and little Jack made their way over to the Coulter's row house next door. Although she wasn't particularly looking forward to the subject of conversation, Elizabeth had been anticipating this visit all day. She really needed to talk to Rosemary about the whole Lucas situation. Having avoided the topic until now, Elizabeth wanted to hear her friend's perspective on what had happened at her lunch "meeting" with Lucas, this afternoon.

Rosemary must have sensed that they were coming, because as soon as she and little Jack were about to mount the Coulter's front steps, their front door opened.

"Elizabeth, I thought that was you," Rosemary stated matter-of-factly, "How are you, dear? Please come in."

"Thank you, Rosemary!"

As Elizabeth walked into their living room, Rosemary turned to little Jack and said, "Hello sweet boy! How are you today? Do you want to come to auntie Rosie?"

Rosemary held out her hands, as Jack reached for her, wrapping his arms around Rosemary's neck.

"Wow, he's certainly getting heavier by the minute."

"I know… I can't believe it! My little boy is growing up so fast. I can barely keep up."

Elizabeth smiled in awe and amazement at her son. Jack was her everything, and she couldn't imagine what her life would be like without him in it.

"So what brings you two by? Are you hungry? Lee made chicken and dumplings for dinner."

Elizabeth shook her, "As delicious as that sounds, I already ate, but thank you! Where's Lee?"

"He's upstairs, but he should be down shortly. Now are you going to tell me what's going on or do I need to drag it out of you?"

Giving Rosemary an inquisitive look, Elizabeth asked "What makes you think that something is going on?"

Rosemary gave her a knowing look.

"Honestly, Elizabeth, I can read you like a book. Either you're coming here for my advice or something unusual happened. So which is it?"

"Ok fine, you're right! Something unusually strange did happen to me today, and I would very much like to know your thoughts."

Just as Elizabeth was about to explain her situation, Lee came down the stairs.

"I thought I heard voices down here. Hi, Elizabeth! How are you doing?"

"Hi Lee! I'm doing alright, thanks! How about you?"

"I'm good! Hello there, little man," Lee said when he saw Jack sitting in Rosemary's lap.

"Lee, would you mind watching little Jack for a while? Elizabeth and I are going to go upstairs and have a chat."

"Yes of course, sweetheart! Take your time." Lee said, as Rosemary handed little Jack off to him.

Once the two friends were upstairs, Rosemary shut her bedroom door behind them, and then turned to Elizabeth, as she sat down on the bed.

"Alright, now you have my full and undivided attention! What's going on?"

As Rosemary listened intently, Elizabeth relayed the whole story of how Lucas had seen her in town yesterday, and how he had invited her to dinner, in order to discuss the ending of her book. Then she explained how he had changed his mind and quickly offered to meet her for lunch at school, instead. She noted that he had done that, after he saw that she was hesitant to give him an answer. Elizabeth also explained how confused she was about her sudden feelings of nervousness around him, which had then continued into her conversion with him today.

"He was so quick to turn around and offer to meet with me at the school, instead, that I barely had time to process what was happening. I agreed, before I could talk myself out of it. What really confuses me though was the way that he was acting. First, he changed his mind about dinner, then he came up with the idea of meeting me for lunch. Not to mention the fact that he made a really big deal about it being strictly a business meeting, although we both knew that he wanted it to be more. I mean, you should have seen it Rosemary. He literally brought a picnic basket, and then he set up my desk, as if we were having a formal lunch, complete with Gustave's goulash, a table cloth, bowls, and spoons. It was all very nice, until we got to the part where I shared my ideas with him. After that, he started complementing me on my writing. He said that I was such a great writer, that I was going to blow everyone away, just as I had surly blown him away."

"He's not wrong, you know! You are amazingly talented at everything that you do, Elizabeth," Rosemary cut in, "Although, I do agree that the way that he said it was a bit out there…"

"I know, but that's not worst part," Elizabeth exclaimed, as she continued the story.

"After he made that comment, I was so embarrassed that I just stood up and announced that I needed to start class. Rosemary, I didn't even acknowledge what he said. I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I needed to get away. Yet somehow, Lucas saw right through me. Just when I thought that things couldn't get any more awkward, they did. He totally called me out for giving the kids an early recess. Somehow, he knew that I had done it intentionally, in order to cut our conversation short."

"That's crazy! And, I can certainly see why that would be awkward for you. How did you respond?"

"I didn't get the chance to say anything… Robert walked in just then, and he asked me if it was time to start up class again. By the time that Robert left, Lucas had already started cleaning up, and he was prepared to leave. I tried to call him back, to explain somehow, but he assured me that I didn't owe him an explanation. That's when he wished me a good day and left the schoolhouse. Now, I'm more confused than ever."

"Well, I can certainly understand why you'd be confused..."

Observing that Rosemary had remained unusually clam and unperplexed, by her story, Elizabeth probed her for information.

"Rosemary, you've been unusually quiet this whole conversation. You don't seem very surprised by what I just shared, and I'm wondering why?"

Rosemary nodded her head, in agreement, before answering.

"You know me too well... and if I'm being completely honest, there is something that I've been trying to figure out whether or not I should share with you. It's been weighing on my mind, since yesterday, and I haven't known what to do about it."

"Alight," Elizabeth answered hesitantly, encouraging Rosemary to continue.

"There's something you should know about Lucas. The reason that his behaviors, towards you, don't surprise me is because he knows what went on between you and Nathan, in the street. Elizabeth, he was there. He witnessed the whole thing!"

"What?! He was there?", Elizabeth questioned, with shock and desperation in her tone. "Lucas saw me run and embrace Nathan? Rosemary, how do you know this?"

Giving her a sympathetic look, Rosemary responded.

"Fiona told me, yesterday, after I found out that she was there. Elizabeth, I'm so sorry! I know this makes things a whole lot more complicated and awkward for you, but I just couldn't keep it from you, especially after what you just shared with me. At least, now we both know why he was acting that way."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding, "It's ok, Rosemary! You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault that Lucas was there... I just wish that I would have known that sooner, before I agreed to have lunch with him. I feel so bad now. What must he have been thinking of me? I mean, I knew that I was going to have to tell him about Nathan, eventually, but I was hoping that I'd have some more time. No wonder he was being so nice and easy going."

"Yeah, I'm sure his ego took a hard hit when he saw that embrace."

"Oh Rosemary, I feel so dumb and guilty, for letting this get so out of hand. Now, I'm questioning whether or it not it's even a good idea to accept Nathan's dinner invitation."

After all that Lucas had done for her, and all the meals that they had shared, Elizabeth didn't think that it would be fair to have dinner with Nathan, so soon after Lucas seeing their embrace.


"Wait, did you just say Nathan's dinner invitation?" Rosemary asked her, with a sense of excitement and urgency, which Elizabeth had never seen in her before.

"Did Nathan finally ask you out? Elizabeth, this is wonderful news! Why didn't you tell me about this before? And more importantly, when did this happen?"

Elizabeth nodded her head.

"He did! He asked me the morning of the incident, before he left for the trial. Rosemary, I'm so sorry that I neglected to tell you... it's just that there's been so much on my mind recently, that it's hard to keep it all straight."

"I'll forgive you, just this once! I'm way too excited to be mad at you right now… This is just the most wonderful news! I want to know every little detail, and don't you dare leave anything out, or I really will be mad at you."

Elizabeth laughed nervously, "Thank you, Rosemary! But, please don't get too excited… I'm still not sure that it would be a wise decision for me to go, at this point. I mean, I haven't even accepted his invitation yet."

"You what? Elizabeth, why on earth not? You've been practically begging for him to ask you out all year, and then, once he finally does it, you don't even give him a response?"

"Rosemary, it's more complicated than that. Yes, I'll admit that I have been quietly hinting and encouraging Nathan to ask me out for a while, but it never happened. There were so many opportunities, where he could have asked me, but he never did, until the morning of the prisoner transfer. We were talking outside of the jail, when he told me that he'd be going away for a few days. He explained to me that Opal's mom would be dropping Allie off at school. I thanked him for letting me know, and then I turned to leave. But, before I could walk away, Nathan called me back and asked if I'd like to get dinner with him, at the café, once he got back from his trip. I was so surprised, by the fact that he had finally asked me, that his question left me speechless. Although, I was happy that he had finally asked me, I was also feeling very hesitant and unsure. I think Nathan could sense that, because he reassured me, by offering to let me think about it, and then he told me to let him know, once I made a decision."

Although she didn't mention it to Rosemary, Elizabeth also remembered sharing quite a few flirtatious smiles and looks with Nathan, during their conversion, before he had asked her out. The way that they had communicated to each other, with their eyes alone, had spoken volumes, as to their interest in one another. Elizabeth thought that Nathan could have lit a fire under her, by the way that he had looked at her. It was as if he could see right through to her soul. Remembering that blissful moment, always brought a little bit of hope and happiness to her heart.

"Elizabeth, you have to accept his invitation! There's no way around it. Now that you know how you feel about him, you can't decline his invitation. You've been waiting so long for him to ask you out. I know you're scared, but you have to let him know how you feel! He took a big risk, by finally asking you to dinner, and it must have been difficult for him to let you think about it. He also told you that you mattered to him. While you may have proved your feelings for him, with that embrace, you still have to tell him with your words. The first step would be for you to accept his dinner invitation."

Elizabeth knew that her friend was right, but it still didn't make it any easier for her.

"I can see your point, Rosemary, and I might even agree with you. I would like nothing more than to accept his dinner invitation. However, I just don't think that it would be fair to Lucas, at least not yet. He's done so much for me, and I don't want to ignore that. Lucas is my friend, and I don't want to hurt him anymore than I already have."

"Elizabeth, you have to tell Lucas the truth! I know it's hard, but no matter which way you lean, someone is going to get hurt. There's no way around it. It's obvious that Lucas already knows that you have some sort of feelings for Nathan, otherwise he wouldn't have acted that way. I know you don't want to hurt him, but it seems like the damage has already been done. It's not your fault that both Nathan and Lucas are interested in you, at the same time. You're a beautiful person, inside and out, and they'd be blind to not notice that. But, I don't think it would be right for you to ignore Nathan's invitation, simply because you don't want to hurt Lucas. That would be dishonest to Lucas, and it wouldn't be fair to either you or Nathan, who both deserve happiness. If Lucas is really your friend, then he'll get over it. I know he cares about you and would want you to be happy."


That night, Elizabeth pondered everything that her and Rosemary had talked about.

She still couldn't believe that Lucas had seen her embrace Nathan. How could she have missed that? The way that Lucas had treated her, both in town and at the school, should have at least made her realize that he maybe he knew what happened.

After all, the whole town was sure to have heard about it, by now. Why had that fact not accrued to her before? Even if he hadn't been there, Lucas would have still found out in one way or the other. That thought brought a great deal of trepidation and confusion to her mind. No wonder she had felt so anxious around him. Not only was she very much aware of the fact that she'd have to confront her feelings, and tell him the truth, but she also had a feeling, that deep down inside, she had known that Lucas had probably heard what happened. She was just too afraid to admit it to herself, until now.

Guilt had caused her to react the way that she did, and Elizabeth hoped that Lucas would forgive her, for the way that she had handled things. It wasn't fair of her to use his friendship and interest, as a barrier between her and Nathan. She realized that now, and she prayed that God could help her to repair the damage that was done.

The only question, that she needed to answer now was: how was she going to explain everything to Lucas? She knew that she would need to do it before Nathan got back, which meant that she had to do it tomorrow.

Elizabeth cringed at that realization. This was all happening way too fast, for her comfort.