Fiona walked into the saloon, wondering what was keeping Lucas. He was supposed to be at work by 8:00, and it was now 8:30.
Lucas was never late.
She looked around the empty saloon, wondering where he could be. "Hello?" she called out. "Lucas?"
She heard a bump and a groan. Hurrying over to the bar area, she peeked over the counter and saw Lucas sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. "Lucas! What happened?" she asked, taking in the tools sprawled around him and his unusually casual clothing.
He stood with a little grimace. His hair was tousled from rubbing his head, and Fiona blinked and focused on the top button of his shirt. Seeing him in a less business-like state was doing funny things to her heart. She cleared her throat, waiting for him to answer.
"I thought I'd fix the shelves under the bar," Lucas said, looking a bit flustered at being caught trying to handle tools.
Fiona lifted her eyes to his, trying to ignore the flip-flopping in her stomach. "You were trying to fix something?" she asked, her amusement rising. She'd seen him with a hammer in the library. The children had done a better job on the shelves than him.
He raised his brows at the look on her face. "What? You don't think I can fix things?"
"Umm…" How to answer that? Fiona bit her lip, trying not to laugh as Lucas placed his hands on his hips. "You're not exactly renowned for your...carpentry skills," she said, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. Giggling, she watched as a slow smile appeared on his face.
"I suppose you could do better?" he said, an eyebrow raised in challenge.
Fiona smiled sweetly. "Yes, I could. Give me that hammer, Bouchard." She took the outstretched hammer and marched behind the bar area. Lucas followed close behind. Fiona got down on her knees and examined the shelf that needed to be fixed. Spotting the problem immediately, she took some nails from their container and hammered them into place. Giving the shelf a good shake to make sure it was secure, she nodded in satisfaction. She turned to see Lucas squatting behind her, shaking his head at her efficiency.
"How did I not see that?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. Fiona chuckled and started to stand as she turned.
"Well, lucky for you…" Her words died away as her leg buckled, and she gave a little cry as she stumbled straight into Lucas. Off balance from being in a squatting position, the force of her fall knocked him over, and she landed with a thud on his chest. He grunted at the combined force of hitting the floor and her weight hitting him, his arms instinctively coming around her to protect her from the fall.
For a moment Fiona was too stunned to move. She lifted her head, her cheeks on fire from her clumsiness and from Lucas's near proximity. "Are...are you okay?" she asked, forcing the words past her tightened throat.
Lucas just looked at her, his brown eyes unguarded. In that moment, she thought she saw something there, though what it was she couldn't say. Their eyes locked, and Fiona nearly forgot how to breathe.
"I...I...uh…" Lucas blinked, looking surprised that his words weren't forthcoming. His arms were still wrapped around her, his hands lightly pressed against her back.
"There you are!" Hickam's voice came from somewhere above them. "I've been looking everywhere...oh!" He came into full view of them, his eyes widening. "What happened?"
Fiona's cheeks burned hotter than before, and she tried to push herself up. Her hand slipped as she did, and she fell once more against Lucas's chest. Groaning slightly in her embarrassment, she buried her face in his shirt, feeling helpless for one of the few times in her life. Being this close to him was wreaking havoc on her emotions, but there seemed to be little she could do about it.
"Mike, can you help Fiona up?" Lucas asked, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and pushed himself into a sitting position, careful not to jolt Fiona. His arm was still around her back as Hickam hurried forward to take her arm. He pulled her to her feet as Lucas slowly stood as well.
"Are you two alright?" Hickam asked, looking between them, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Fine," Lucas said, his voice sounding smooth and polished once more. "Fiona was helping me with a shelf, she tripped, and we both ended up falling over."
"Oh my!" Hickam exclaimed. "I'm glad you're both okay."
"Thank you," Lucas said. He brushed some dust off his shirt, his composure returning with each passing moment. "Did you need something, Mike?"
"I was just concerned because Fiona went to find you and didn't come back. I thought something might have happened." Hickam looked at her then back at Lucas. "We were both worried about you. You're never this late to work."
Lucas turned his gaze to Fiona. His eyes were soft and he had a small smile playing at his lips. "You were worried about me?"
Unlike Lucas, Fiona's composure had not returned yet. She fumbled for something to say, but couldn't. Opting for the silent route, she simply nodded.
His smile deepened. "That's good to know."
Fiona couldn't handle any more. She knew she was ten shades of red and couldn't form a coherent sentence. She had to get out of there before she embarrassed herself further. Backing toward the door, she tried to form an excuse for a quick exit. "I just remembered...I need to meet Clara for...something."
Lucas took a quick step toward her, reaching out an arm even though they weren't in touching distance. "Fiona, look out…"
Fiona bumped into a table and almost fell over once again. Bracing a hand against the table, she closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. When she opened them, she could see Hickam looking between her and Lucas, a confused expression on his face. She couldn't blame him. She was never this discombobulated. Hickam had to be wondering if she'd taken leave of her senses. For that matter, Lucas must be wondering the same thing.
Flushing even more, Fiona turned and walked as quickly as she could for the door. The cold air was a balm for her flaming cheeks. She headed for the dress shop, hoping Clara was there. She needed someone to talk to about these confusing feelings swirling inside.
Elizabeth smiled as she walked. It had been exactly a week since Nathan took her to Brookfield, and she still brought the memories to mind frequently. She had enjoyed the trip very much. Nathan had told her last night that Gabe was planning on visiting Hope Valley within a few weeks.
"Allie, make sure Jack doesn't get too far ahead!" Elizabeth called. Allie and Jack were currently running ahead of her, looking forward to breakfast at the cafe. Nathan was going to join them once he finished his rounds.
"Okay, Mrs. Thornton!" Allie said, taking Jack by the hand. As she passed the dress shop, Elizabeth noticed Fiona walking down the steps, looking dejected.
"Fiona!" she exclaimed, not used to seeing her look that way. "What's wrong?"
Fiona looked up, almost in a daze. "Oh! Elizabeth, I didn't see you there." She smiled, but it looked forced. "I was hoping to talk to Clara, but she's not at work yet."
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't seem to be yourself."
Fiona studied her for a moment. Elizabeth could see she needed to talk. Something was eating at her. "Why don't you join me at the cafe? The kids and I are going to get something to eat, and Nathan will be joining us a little later. You and I should be able to talk a bit before he shows up."
"I don't know," Fiona said, hesitating. "You might find it to be a strange subject."
"Nonsense," Elizabeth said, looping her arm through Fiona's. "I know that not being able to talk about something when you really need to isn't good."
A smile tugged at Fiona's lips, and she let Elizabeth lead her to the cafe. Allie ran up to her in excitement. "Mrs. Thornton, can Jack and I sit at our own table while you and Ms. Miller talk?"
"Of course, Allie," Elizabeth said. "Choose whichever table you like."
Allie grinned and went to Jack, leaning down to his level and asking him something. Jack pointed to a table, and they went to sit at it.
Elizabeth chose a table that would allow her to keep an eye on the children while talking with Fiona. After they got their coffee, Elizabeth looked at Fiona over the rim of her cup. "I'm going to take a wild guess here, and say that your troubles are over a man."
Fiona blinked. "How did you know?"
Elizabeth chuckled. "I've never seen you rattled like this, Fiona. And men have a funny way of making us so."
"I'll say," Fiona muttered. "What must he think of me?" She buried her face in her hands. "I made a complete fool of myself."
Elizabeth smiled to herself. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. In the couple of months that had passed since her talk with Lucas, she had gradually noticed him casting furtive looks at Fiona when he thought no one was watching, and she had seen Fiona doing the same.
"Is this about Lucas?" she asked, sipping her coffee.
Fiona's head shot up, and she stared at Elizabeth in amazement. "How did you know?"
"I've seen the way you two look at each other when you think no one is looking," Elizabeth said. "And I can see the sparks between you."
Hope momentarily lit Fiona's eyes, but she tempered it. "I don't know, Elizabeth. He was so interested in you not that long ago. Could he really be over that already?"
"Lucas never loved me," Elizabeth said firmly. "I think he was stung more than hurt." She searched for the right words. "Everything was too easy for him when it came to me. I think he knew deep down we weren't right for each other, and therefore he tried so hard. He was too smooth, too perfect." She sat back, reflective. "Though maybe that's just who he is."
"I don't know," Fiona said, giving in to a giggle. "He has been unusually clumsy with his words lately. It's been endearing, to tell the truth."
"Really?" Elizabeth asked. She was happy to hear that. Lucas needed someone who could rattle him a little, and it looked like Fiona might be the one to do so. She smiled. "I'm glad of that." She leaned forward. "So why are you so upset today?"
A pretty blush filled Fiona's cheeks. "Um, well, we might have found ourselves in an...interesting...situation a little bit ago, and it embarrassed me and brought all these feelings to the surface that I didn't realize I had."
"Oh? What kind of situation?" Elizabeth asked.
"I might have knocked him over and then fallen on top of him."
Elizabeth's mouth dropped. "No!"
Fiona nodded. "And then Mike found us that way."
"Oh my," Elizabeth said, trying hard not to laugh. "How did Lucas react?"
"He seemed just as thrown off as I was," Fiona admitted. "But then he seemed to recover just fine while I was still a mess. I left as fast as I could." She groaned. "Elizabeth, how can I have feelings for him? We don't even know each other that well!"
Elizabeth smiled gently. "Fiona, sometimes there's no explanation. The heart is a funny thing. Sometimes it tells you what you want before your mind has accepted the truth."
Fiona smiled. "Like with you and Nathan."
Elizabeth raised her brows. "What do you mean?"
Laughing softly, Fiona stirred some sugar into her coffee. "Elizabeth, it was clear you had feelings for Nathan that you were fighting for a long time. I think your heart knew he was the right man for you, but your mind kept getting in your way."
After a moment of reflection, Elizabeth nodded. "You're right. My heart knew before my head. And my heart chose for me in a moment of perceived tragedy." She leaned forward. "Don't let things take so long between you and Lucas if it's what you both want. Follow your heart, Fiona." She smiled. "I've often wondered if there was a greater plan at work when you lost your job right as Lucas gained a company he knew nothing about. That timing was too coincidental to be a coincidence."
Fiona's brow wrinkled. "'Too coincidental to be a coincidence'? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that God might have a plan for you that you wouldn't have found unless these exact circumstances took place," Elizabeth said. She smiled. "Maybe you never would have realized your feelings for Lucas if you hadn't lost your job and Henry hadn't sold his business to him. Trust the timing, Fiona. It's never mere coincidence."
Fiona smiled, a soft light in her eyes. "You might be right, Elizabeth." A look of panic replaced the softness. "But how am I supposed to face Lucas again? Now that I've realized I have feelings for him, it'll be so awkward being around him!"
"Just be yourself," Elizabeth said. "I have a feeling he returns your feelings, but he might be in denial, especially if it means he loses his perfect veneer. Give him some time, and just keep being your sweet and spunky self."
"Are you sure?" Fiona asked, hesitation in her eyes.
Elizabeth nodded. "You be you." She winked. "Who knows, the next Hope Valley wedding could be yours."