Jay looked out the window, impatiently waiting for the train to pull into town. He was home. It was Christmas and he was about to see Sara after long three months. He could picture her long brown hair and her brown eyes as vividly as if she was sitting with him on the train.
The whistle blew and he broke out of his daydream. He saw her waiting and immediately he smiled and waved.
About five minutes later, he stepped off the train platform and walked over to her. He noticed his Dad standing off to the side, waiting until he and Sara said hello. "Hey."
"Hey." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I missed you so much."
"Me too. Merry Christmas, Sara."
"Merry Christmas, Jay."
Jack walked over and patted Jay on the back. "Welcome home, Jay."
"Thanks, Dad. Where is everyone?" Jay kept his arm around Sara, not wanting her to go far.
"Abbie is at the boarding house with Kiki but everyone else is at home. We should get home. Your mom made me promise to ask Sara over for dinner."
Jay looked at Sara and grinned. "Maybe your Dad should come too."
"I'll ask him, and I would love to come, Jack."
"Good. I'll see you both there."
"Thanks Dad." Jack walked off with Jay's bag. Jay stuck his hand in his pocket for her ring. He carried the little box everywhere. He was waiting for the right time, or just when he couldn't wait any longer. Either way, it would be this trip.
"Let's go somewhere," she said quietly.
"Like where?"
"I don't know. I just want us to be alone for a bit." She wanted a real kiss, not on the forehead. She wanted to hear that he loved her. She just wanted him.
He walked her to the boarding house, knowing there was probably a fire blazing. "We can sit by the fire."
She nodded, a bit disappointed they wouldn't be alone but at the same time, extremely grateful he was home.
As they walked in, Charlotte walked down the stairs. "Jack Thomas Thornton! You are a sight for sore eyes."
"Hi, Grandma. How are you?" He had missed her and worried a lot. About two years before, they lost Papa Jake and everyone wondered how Charlotte would cope.
"Right as rain, my handsome boy." She hugged him tightly. "Right as rain." She seemed to be doing just fine. He admired her strength.
"I'm glad."
"You two have a seat on that couch and I'll bring you some hot chocolate."
"Thank you, Grandma." He took Sara's hand and led her to the couch. "Hi," he said, kissing the back of her hand.
"Hi." She wasn't a bold young woman, but she needed to kiss him. She touched his cheek and smiled. "I love you, Jay."
"I love you, too."
"Jay! You're home!" Fourteen year old Kiki rushed into the room. "Oh, sorry."
Jay squeezed Sara's hand and stood up to hug his little sister. "Hey, Kiki."
"I'm glad you're home."
"Me too. Courting Cam yet?" he teased.
"Jay!" Kiki playfully shoved him.
"Well? I know you like him. I have it on good authority that he walks you home from school everyday."
"So?" She stood, her hands on her hips, looking every bit, Elizabeth's daughter.
Abbie wandered down next, an apron on, her brown curls tied tightly in a bun. She was sixteen, beautiful, and so strong, like all the Thornton women. She lived at the boarding house now with Grandma since Jake passed, and she ran it, as had been her dream. Jake and Charlotte had deeded it to Abbie when Jake had taken ill, knowing they were only growing older and she was capable of handling it.
"Jay." She walked over and hugged him. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"I've got cocoa for Sara and Jay, now the rest of us need to get dinner started. Let's leave them be for a bit."
Jay took Sara a mug and sat down, slipping his arm around her shoulder. "So, I guess I had been hoping for more quiet."
"They missed you."
"And you, Miss Thomas? Did you miss me?"
"I told you I did, already." Their lips were mere centimeters apart and it drove her crazy when he made her wait.
"Show me," he whispered, making her initiate the next move.
The front door opened, breaking their moment once again. "Are you kidding me?" Jay whispered.
"Look who's getting cozy on the couch with his girl."
"I'm trying, Drew, but having eleven siblings has its drawbacks."
"Relax, little brother. There will be plenty of time for smooching later. Right now, I need your help with my horse, Tulip. She's got something going on with her eye."
…..
Jay showed up for dinner after everyone started eating. He ran upstairs, changed clothes, hoping he didn't smell too much like a horse, and then joined them in the kitchen. "Jay!" Seven year old Lydie greeted loudly.
"Hi, Lyd. Good to see you." He kissed the top of her head and winked at Sara as he walked by to the stove. "Ma."
Elizabeth set her spoon down and hugged her boy. "Hi. You look so handsome." She kissed his cheek and wiped a tear from her eye. "I missed you."
"Me too, Ma."
"Well, let me fix you a plate."
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet, there's just so much to do…"
"Have a seat. I'll serve you for a change." She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. He led her to the table and then went to fix her a plate.
"Thank you, Jay," she told him as he set it in front of her. He bent down and kissed her cheek.
After he got his own plate, he sat down next to Sara, said a quick prayer, and took a bite. Sara found his hand under the table, slipping her fingers through his.
After dinner, they were going to find someplace to go where they wouldn't be interrupted. He just wasn't sure where.
"How's school, Jay?" Kevin asked.
"Just fine, sir. Just have a few more months to go."
"Do you know where you might settle yet?"
"No, not yet. I'm hoping to make that decision soon." Jay had just turned eighteen so he didn't have his whole life planned, except knowing he was going to marry the beautiful girl holding his hand. He knew that Harris Town could use a vet, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay or strike out on his own. He supposed it depended on what Sara thought since it would effect her too.
After dinner, he helped her put on her coat and then they took a walk to the pond out back. As soon as they were out of sight of anyone in the house, he stopped walking, turned toward her, and kissed her. He felt her sigh against his chest, feeling her tension melt away.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I've missed that for three extremely long months."
He dipped his head down and captured her lips again, longer and sweeter. She slipped her arms behind his back and held him close.
"I love you so much," he told her a moment later, before taking her fingers and leading her to the bench at the pond. The moon was bright, casting just enough light for them to see each other, but still keeping their privacy.
"Jay? Can we talk about after you're done with school?"
He could sense the slight nervous tone in her voice. "Yeah. I think we should."
Maybe now was the time he was waiting for. "We need to decide where I should set up my practice."
"We? It's your decision. I will support whatever you decide."
"I appreciate that, but this needs to be our decision." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the little box. "Especially if you say yes to my next question." She gasped as she looked down at the box. He turned to her and grinned. "I love you, Sara Thomas. You are my best friend and I can't imagine living anywhere without you. I need you in my life forever. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes!" He slipped the simple gold ring on her finger. It wasn't a diamond, but it was a beautiful symbol of his love. One day he would get her a diamond.
She melted into his kiss, a new happiness flowing through them.
"So what do you think we should do?"
"Get married this summer, after you graduate," she told him with a smile.
"Ok, but about where we should settle."
"If we could, I'd like to stay close to my Dad. He doesn't have anyone to take care of him. He needs me."
He loved how wonderful she was, always thinking of others. He kissed her forehead. "Ok, then we will stay here."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm positive. Now let's go tell everyone, it's freezing out here."
…..
HOPE VALLEY
They had one more week before they moved. They were to leave two days after Christmas and Mason was missing Marie already.
That night, however, she was coming over for dinner to officially meet everyone and he was nervous.
He opened the door as soon as she knocked so Lily wouldn't beat him to it. "Hey," he said quietly, grabbing her fingers and leading her inside.
"Hey. You look nervous."
"I am," he admitted. She kissed his cheek and smiled.
"It will be ok," she told him.
Caleb walked in. "Hi, welcome. You must be Marie."
"Constable Thornton."
"Just Caleb is fine. It's nice to meet you finally."
"You too, sir."
Mason walked her into the kitchen to meet his Mom. "Ma, this is Marie Patrick. Marie, this is my Mom, Amy."
"Hi, there." Amy gave her a hug and smiled. "Have a seat. Dinner is about ready."
About halfway through dinner, someone knocked on the door loudly. Caleb opened it to find a frantic Max.
"Max? What's wrong?"
"Livy's water broke. Can Amy come?"
"Ames," Caleb called as he walked in the kitchen. "Liv is in labor."
"Ok, tell Max I'll be right over."
"Can I come, Ma?" Meri asked.
"Yes, come on, let's hurry." Meri had been training with Amy for the past couple years. She planned on heading to school the next fall to become a midwife herself. Thankfully, there had been a baby boom in the recent years, mostly relatives, so she'd seen a lot of births. "Caleb, can you come too and bring home Isaac for the night?"
"Yep."
So that left Mason and Marie with the younger boys and Lily for a bit. "Your mom's a midwife?"
"Yeah and Meri will be too. She will head to college in Vancouver next fall."
"Don't you want to go to college?"
"No, not really. I'll be happy living here and working for the sawmill and…I'll be happy here." He didn't add, "and being your husband."
She wondered what he was going to say. She hoped he thought about her in his plans as much as she did.
"What about you?" he asked. "Are you going to college?"
"No. I'll just work here in the store."
He nodded, wondering if that's what she had always wanted or just what her father expected.
…..
Early the next morning, Jayna Rose Coulter was born, healthy and screaming. Livy was happy to have a healthy baby after enduring months of bed rest and happy to have a girl too.
Her parents would be arriving the next day as planned, to help with the little ones and to celebrate Christmas with them.
Isaac came home after Max went to get him. He being only two, was slightly confused and a bit jealous that Mama was holding someone else. He even begged to "Eat like baby!" when he noticed her nursing.
"Daddy can give you a snack, buddy. This is the baby's food."
"No! No nack!"
"Come on, Isaac, let's go work in the library," Max said, offering a distraction.
Isaac dutifully followed his Daddy but kept his eye on his Mama as he left.
"Mama."
"We will go back when the baby is done eating."
"Dada," Isaac whimpered, his arms up.
Max lifted him up and sat on the couch, pulling a blanket up over both of them. "Its ok, buddy. We love you so much." Max sang to him like he did every night to relax him.
Amy and Meri hummed along to his rendition of "Silent Night" as they finished cleaning up.
"He has a nice voice," Meri acknowledged.
"Yeah. Must have gotten it from his Mom. She is quite talented." Amy turned and looked at her daughter. "Meri, you doing ok with the move?"
"I guess. I'm going to only be living at home until next fall anyway."
"Then what?"
"After college, I'm coming back here."
"Here?"
"This place is more my home than any place we've lived and I want to only live in one place. I don't want to keep moving."
"That makes sense."
Amy wondered what her life would have been like if Caleb wasn't a Mountie, but she couldn't imagine it. This was who he was, who she was. It wouldn't seem right any other way.
"Mama," Isaac whimpered again.
Max stood up and thanked Amy and Meri and then took Isaac in to Livy.
…
Em placed a kiss on Zachary's forehead and walked over to Davie. He was ten now and a very good brother to Zach. Even with a five year difference in ages, the boys were best friends, going fishing with cousins when it was warm and making snow angels and snow men when it was winter.
"Night, Mama."
"Have a good nap, love." She kissed his forehead too and went to feed her youngest son, Nicholas, or Nicky, as Davie called him. He was a year and a half and such a happy boy. He enjoyed nursing when it was naptime but other than that, he was pretty independent, wanting to follow his brothers around.
"I'll take him, Lee." Lee handed him to Em, watching as she unbuttoned her shirt, raised her camisole, and fed Nick.
He slipped his arm around her, kissing her temple. "I think we are all packed to leave tomorrow," Em told him.
It was their year to head to Harris Town for the holiday. They alternated years, spending one in Hope Valley and the next there. It worked out for everyone.
"Its sad that Maddie and Nate can't go," she continued. Maddie and Nate and Will and Ashley also alternated years, since the ranch was now running well. This year, Will and Ashley were headed to Hope Valley with their four children.
Lee touched her chin and leaned forward to kiss her slowly, lingering and enjoying the rare quiet in their houseful of small boys. "What was that for?" He kissed her again, his hand slipping behind her head to deepen their connection.
"Just because I love you and you look so beautiful when you feed our babies."
"I love you too." She stood carefully, not wanting to wake Nick, and pulled Lee with her. "Time for a nap, husband."
"Mm. I love naps."
She laughed as they walked down the hall.
…..
