THREE DAYS LATER

Elizabeth left the apartment, went to The Bean for her daily coffee, and then headed to school.

She was nervous, but excited. She was finally able to do what she'd always wanted to do, teach children and make a difference and not in a school where her father had any influence.

As she sat at her desk and looked around her cheerfully decorated classroom, she said a quick prayer for patience and strength to get through the day.

She heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she called.

"Miss Thatcher?"

"Yes, sir." The man before her was tall, thin, completely bald, and had round rimmed glasses that perched at the end of his generous nose.

"Good morning. I'm Willard Randall, the assistant principal. I just wanted to welcome you and see if there's anything you needed."

"Nice to meet you, sir. I don't believe I need anything. Thank you for asking."

"My pleasure. Please let me know if you need anything."

Five minutes later, her first student showed up. "Hi," a pretty little red headed girl said walking up to Elizabeth.

"Hi, sweetie." Elizabeth crouched down so she would be eye level. "My name is Miss Thatcher, what's yours?"

"Casey."

"Nice to meet you Casey. Why don't you hang your things on the hook with your name and then pick your desk."

"Ok!"

The next fifteen minutes were a blur. She met ten more children and directed them to the hooks and a desk. Elizabeth had met eleven children but knew she was expecting one more.

Finally a little girl with blonde curly hair, and the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen walked in the door. "Hi!"

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Are you Elisa?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ok, sweetheart. Please hang your things on the hook with your name and then have a seat right here," she said, touching the only remaining desk in the room.

The morning consisted of having the children sit in a circle and tell one thing about themselves. Then she had them draw a picture of their favorite thing and another picture of something they wished for.

"Ok, children. It's time for recess, but when you come back, I'd like you to tell me what you wish for and we'll hang the pictures on the wall. At the end of the school year, we'll see if any of us got our wishes."

Wishes and dreams meant more than anything to Elizabeth. Since she was a child, she had made lists of things. Lists of wishes for things never attainable. Lists of qualities she thought important in a future husband. Lists of places she wanted to go and things she wanted to do. Finally, she decided to make a bucket list.

Her bucket list was hidden safely in her journal and she added to it periodically. At this point, there were thirty items and she had crossed off only one. Number 5. Teach somewhere far from home.

AFTERNOON, THE BEAN

It was silly, but he couldn't help it. He sat in a booth so he could watch the door. Ever since the last time he had seen her, he had thought about her. Three days of showing up at The Bean hoping she'd be in line, but she wasn't. He knew her name but not what she did for a living or if she was even single. He knew she was gorgeous and she gave him as much sass as he gave her. He liked that.

The door dinged and he looked up. Nope, not her.

"Hey cowboy!" Clara shouted across the shop.

"What?"

"Want another muffin?"

"How about a croissant?"

She smiled and chose the chocolate cream, one she knew Elizabeth enjoyed. She had called it, "heavenly."

As she set the plate in front of him, she smirked. "She'll be here in about an hour."

"Who?"

"Enjoy your croissant." Did she know? How could she know? He took a bite and sighed. The most delectable thing he'd ever tasted. Who knew that he even knew the word delectable?

"Good, cowboy?" Clara asked, noticing his closed eyes.

"It's fine." Fine and good didn't begin to describe it.

"Uh huh." 2:33, his phone flashed. "She gets done with work at 3:00."

"Who?"

"Elizabeth."

"I'm not waiting for anyone."

"In case you'd like to know, when she comes in, she looks for you, too." The thought made him excited. He felt slightly guilty about his attraction since his recent breakup but he couldn't help himself.

At about 3:20, his phone rang, calling him in to go on an ambulance call. Seeing the beautiful Elizabeth would have to wait for another day. "Gotta run, see you tomorrow, Clara."

"Bye, Jack."

Jack ran down the street to the ambulance dispatch and hopped in as the driver pulled out of the bay. "What's the call?"

"Elderly woman, seventies, fell down the stairs. Possible broken hip."

"Ok, let's go."

THE BEAN

Elizabeth walked in with her laptop, ready to get some work done all the while drinking her iced Mocha and eating her heavenly chocolate croissant. Before she got up to order, Clara brought it to her table. "Wow, amazing service!"

"Good to see you again, Elizabeth. Getting settled in your new apartment?"

"Yes, it's perfect for now."

"Looking for a house someday?"

"I hope so. Seems like a waste of money to rent when buying is a possibility." She looked up when the bell dinged above the door.

"He was in here earlier," Clara told her.

"Who?"

"Jack, the cowboy. Crazy handsome, nice eyes, looks good in a pair of jeans and his EMT uniform."

"I wasn't looking for him." Her blush told otherwise.

"Well, if it helps, he was waiting for you when he got sent on a call."

"Why would he wait for me?"

"Same reason you were looking for him." Clara winked and walked away.

"I wasn't…" Well, maybe she was, but she shouldn't have been. Five years with Charlie couldn't be washed away in three or four days. No, she didn't have the same feelings that he had had for her, but he had been a constant in her life for a long time.

TURNER STREET, EMERGENCY CALL

Mrs. West was moaning on the floor when they walked into the home. "Ma'am, how are you doing?" Jack asked in a soothing voice as he slipped a pillow gently behind her head, careful not to jar her neck.

"My hip….hurts so bad." A tear slipped down her cheek. Jack wiped it away, feeling sad for the woman.

"Does anything else hurt?"

"My arm."

"Ok. What happened?"

"I was coming down to get my laundry out of the dryer and lost my balance." He nodded, slipping a blood pressure cuff around her good arm. "I'm glad my daughter insisted on getting me this cell phone."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm glad she did too and I'm glad you had it with you. Now, I'm going to take your blood pressure. What's your name?"

"Rosemary West." He had a girlfriend named Rosemary before he and Faith had dated. Didn't end well.

"What's your birthdate, Mrs. West?"

"Call me, Rosie, young man. Didn't your Mama teach you it isn't polite to ask a woman's age?"

"Yes, Rosie, she did. However, it's allowed in this case."

The blood pressure cuff beeped. "85 over 65," he told his partner.

"Rosie, are you on any medications?"

"Yes. On the counter upstairs."

"Is one of them for blood pressure?"

"It is."

"Your pressure is pretty low. Any chance you were dizzy and that caused you to lose your balance?"

"I'm always dizzy."

"Ok. Rosie, we are going to put you on this backboard. I'll be honest, it isn't soft, but we want to make sure you don't have a neck or back injury. Oh, and I still need your birthdate."

"October 23, 1942."

"Thank you, ma'am."

TWO HOURS LATER, THE BEAN

Jack and Mike walked into The Bean after taking Rosie to the hospital in Billings.

"Hey, cowboy. Hey Mike," Clara greeted.

Elizabeth looked up from her computer and gazed at him. Clara wasn't kidding. That man in his uniform was enough to…

"Miss Thatcher! Miss Thatcher!"

Elizabeth turned. "Hi, Casey. How are you?"

"Good. Miss Thatcher is my teacher, Mama."

"Hi, Miss Thatcher. I'm Molly Sullivan."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sullivan. Would you care to have a seat?"

"No, no. I can see your busy. We need to get home to fix dinner, don't we, Casey?"

"Yes, Mama. Bye Miss Thatcher."

"Bye, Casey. See you tomorrow."

Jack walked over with his cup in his hand. "So you are following me," he said with his dimpled cheeks popping.

"I'd follow you anywhere," she thought to herself. "If you say so, cowboy."

"Jack, and you're Elizabeth, right?"

"Yes I am. Nice to know your name, finally."

"What are you working on?" He nodded to her computer.

"Just stuff for school," she said with a shrug.

"You're in school? What are you studying?"

"Oh, no. I'm a first grade teacher, at Hunter Creek Elementary. Just working on my lesson for tomorrow."

"Oh, my mom was a teacher for years. She loved it."

"So do I." He held her gaze, their eyes not wavering.

"Hey, Thornton! We need to go!"

"Ok, Hickam. Be right there." He looked back at Elizabeth. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"Maybe. Be careful." She wasn't sure why that popped out.

"I will." He grinned and left.

THE NEXT MORNING

Elizabeth stopped in at The Bean for her morning mocha.

"Morning, Elizabeth," Clara greeted.

"Morning, Clara."

"The usual?"

"Yes please."

"Fancy meeting you here," a voice said from behind.

"Hey, Jack." She quickly looked at him. Yep, still looked good.

"On your way to school?"

"Yes. On your way to work?"

"Yes." They stood there, crazy grins on their faces.

"Uh, Elizabeth? Order's up." Clara smirked at them. "You two got plans this weekend?"

"Us?" they said in unison.

"Yes, you. Tom and Julie are coming over for dinner. I wondered if you two wanted to come."

"Uh…I don't know. Um I think I have to…I need to change the oil in my truck," Jack sputtered.

Both women looked at him like he had lost his mind. "If you don't want to come over, just say no, Jack." Clara said, rolling her eyes.

"Is that anything like a woman saying, "I need to wash my hair?"" Elizabeth said with a laugh.

"It's not that, Clara." He looked at his phone. "Gotta go. Have a nice day ladies."

"Sometimes I wonder about him," Clara said as he disappeared out the door.

"What do you think it is?"

"I think he's scared."

"Of what?"

"Falling hard and then getting his heart broken."

"You sound like you know him well, Clara."

"I do. I've known him for years. Peter and I moved here about five years ago. Jack and Pete became fast friends and we all just hangout whenever we can."

Clara had a thoughtful look on her face. "Jack deserves a good woman who won't hurt him."

"I'm sure he'll find her someday." Clara nodded, knowing he had found her, but also knowing that neither Jack nor Elizabeth realized it.

"Maybe he already has."

The rest of the day, Elizabeth thought about what Clara had said. Surely she wasn't suggesting she was the woman for Jack. She didn't want another relationship now and she didn't want to be hurt either.

Those thoughts almost made her stay home from the dinner at Clara and Peter's that weekend. Almost. Julie pestered her about it and finally she gave in, knowing Jack had no intention of showing up.

PETE AND CLARA'S

Tom led the Thatcher women into the house as if he lived there. "The living room is through there," he pointed to the left. "The kitchen is in there."

"Come in guys," Clara called from the kitchen. "Tom, Pete's in the basement. Julie, Elizabeth, come join me in here."

Elizabeth noticed the homey feel of the house immediately. She wanted a house just like it one day. Warm, dark wood floors, a fireplace with candles burning on the mantle, bookshelves, overstuffed furniture.

"I love your home, Clara."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. It's taken almost three years to get it this way but I'm happy with it. Would you like a glass of wine?"

"I'll take a beer," a voice said from the doorway.

"Hey, cowboy. Glad you decided to join us."

Elizabeth's heart pounded and then she got goosebumps. Good grief! The man never looked bad. Dark wash jeans and a black t-shirt were now her favorite thing ever.

He gazed at Elizabeth, appreciating her trim figure accentuated by her skinny jeans and fitted sweater. The way her dark curls hung softly over her shoulders and her blue eyes popped, not to mention when she bit her bottom lip…

Their eyes met and she immediately blushed. Jack almost groaned out loud in frustration. She was even more gorgeous when she blushed.

Julie nudged her, throwing her slightly off balance. "What?"

"Clara asked you a question."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Clara. What did you ask?"

"I just wanted to know how your first week of school went."

"Oh. It was great."

Jack slipped out of the room and down to the basement, leaving the girls to chat upstairs, hoping to gather his thoughts and make sense of his feelings.