Chapter 50
"When in doubt tell the truth."
~Mark Twain
Sunday evening found Abigail, Elizabeth, and Ann sitting in the cafe kitchen enjoying tea. All three women sipped their tea in silence, recuperating from their busy weekend. Ann set her teacup down and rubbed her hands together, massaging her fingers. She groaned slightly as she rubbed her right thumb. She'd noticed that it seemed to be affected the most by her arthritis. She inhaled slowly, willing the pain away, and glanced over at Abigail. She noticed that Abigail appeared to be barely able to keep her eyes open. Ann, too, felt her eyelids becoming heavy.
Abigail blinked several times, attempting to stay awake, before taking another sip of her tea. She looked across the table at Elizabeth who was staring at her teacup, a wide smile on her face as though she was savoring a lovely memory. "Penny for your thoughts," she said to Elizabeth, breaking the silence. Elizabeth's head jerked up and Ann jumped in her chair, both of them startled.
Elizabeth looked at Abigail and smiled. "Oh, I'm not sure that they're even worth the penny. Just thinking about how lovely this weekend has been."
"Anything in particular?" Abigail asked, teasing a bit. She suspected that Elizabeth and Jack had shared some nice conversations during their picnic and the other events of the weekend.
Elizabeth looked away for a moment before meeting Abigail's gaze again. "It was lovely to see Bo and Mary Alice together at the wedding today. They make a very cute couple."
"Yes they do," Abigail agreed.
"I'm so glad they worked out their differences after that Mountie deserter caused so many problems and tried to take advantage of poor Mary Alice," Elizabeth added.
Abigail smiled and nodded before changing the subject. "Mary was a lovely bride, wasn't she?"
"Oh, she was!" Elizabeth eagerly agreed.
"Her little boy did a great job as best man," Ann added, continuing to rub her hands. "It was nice that he hugged them both after the reverend pronounced them husband and wife."
"Yes, Caleb," Elizabeth informed Ann. "I am so glad that he has come around and now likes Mr. Graves. He was quite resistant when they first met."
"He didn't like him?" Ann asked, surprised.
Elizabeth shook her head. "He missed his father so much and had a bit of a difficult time accepting that his mother was spending time with Mr. Graves. But, I think he soon realized what a nice man Mr. Graves is and that Mary is happy, again. I'm so glad they're a family now!"
Abigail smiled. "Mary's the first of the widows to marry again," Abigail mused, glancing down at her teacup.
"She's the first but she won't be the last I'm sure. I wonder who will be next?" Elizabeth asked with a wry smile.
Abigail looked up, meeting Elizabeth's gaze. She exhaled and shook her head. "Stop your matchmaking, Elizabeth. The good book tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. We must be patient and pray for His guidance."
Elizabeth nodded. "Of course, Abigail. Several widows seem to have suitors these days. So, I believe we do have more weddings in our future," she said with a laugh. "Mrs. Blakeley seems quite happy and Mrs. Weaver and Wendell Backus have certainly been very friendly!
Abigail smiled and nodded. "I'm so happy for both of them! Irene deserves much happiness after the hard times that she and her boys have endured. And goodness knows Wendell Backus had had some troubling times! I would enjoy seeing a wedding in their future, if they decide that is what they want, of course."
"What about your wedding, Elizabeth?" Ann interjected.
"MY wedding?" Elizabeth asked in astonishment., her eyes wide. Abigail, too, was stunned.
"Well, I'm sure you've thought about your wedding day. All girls do. They have a picture in their mind of what their wedding day will be like," Ann explained. "So what does your imagined wedding look like? Is it a grand affair back home?"
Elizabeth slowly took a breath as she considered her answer. "Well, when I was younger, I imagined my wedding much like the weddings that I'd attended back home. They were grand affairs, indeed, with beautiful flowers, expensive dresses, and elaborate wedding dinners. My sister had a very large, grand wedding."
Ann nodded. "I see."
"But," Elizabeth quickly continued, "that was when I was younger. As I've grown up, I've come to understand that weddings are about the beginning of two people sharing their life together, not about all the pomp and circumstance. I think the wedding should reflect the couple being married. Just like the wedding today reflected Mary and Mr. Graves. They wanted to be married outdoors and to have Mary's pies, instead of a wedding cake."
Ann smiled at Elizabeth warmly, though her eyes revealed her surprise at Elizabeth's answer. Elizabeth smiled back at Ann, pleased that they were now sharing more pleasant conversations.
Jack walked quickly down Main Street. He'd just finished his evening rounds and was hurrying toward Abigail's Cafe. He started to ascend the steps to the cafe when Bill called, "Jack! Hold up!"
Jack stopped and waited for Bill to catch up with him. "You left the wedding mighty early. Where did you rush off to?"
Bill nodded. "I needed to see Richardson."
Jack's eyebrows lifted. "Oh! So, you went to talk with him about catching Wiley. Have you got a plan now?" he asked.
"I think we do, yes," Bill answered, though his tone revealed that he had doubts about the Pinkerton. "We talked with Gowen about it."
"Gowen?" Jack queried, surprised. "He's involved now, too? Did he agree?"
"At first, no," Bill conceded. "But after I explained the plan, he agreed."
Jack waited expectantly for Bill to explain the plan. When several moments passed and he didn't, Jack prompted, "Well, are you going to tell me the plan?"
Bill nodded. "Of course, we'll hash all that out later," he told Jack as he patted his shoulder. "Right now, we better get inside so the ladies don't worry too much about us." He pressed Jack up the stairs.
Jack frowned. He wanted to hear the plan, but allowed Bill to guide him into the cafe. As they walked through the door, they spotted Abigail, Ann, and Elizabeth sitting in the kitchen. "Any coffee left for us?" Bill asked.
Abigail looked toward Bill. "Actually, we're having tea," she informed him. "But, there is some coffee in the urn, if you'd like."
Bill headed to the urn. "Would you care for some, Jack?"
Jack's head swiveled toward Bill. "Uh, no. No, thank you," he replied before turning his attention to Elizabeth. "I actually wanted to ask Elizabeth if she would care to accompany me on an evening walk."
Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled. "I think I'd love that!" she answered quickly.
He offered her his hand and she took it and stood. She walked to the door and, as she removed her shawl from the hook, she turned back to Abigail and asked, "Save us some cookies?"
"Of course!" Abigail agreed with a laugh. "Have a nice walk!" She called as they headed out into the cool evening.
"How are you this evening, Mrs. Thornton?" Bill inquired of Ann as he sat down in the chair Elizabeth had just vacated.
"I'm tolerable, Mr. Avery. And you?" she replied as she lifted her teacup to take another drink.
Bill smiled. "Well," he answered before turning his gaze to Abigail. He noted her heavy eyelids just as she quickly placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a wide yawn. "Is the weekend catching up with you?" he asked.
Before Abigail could answer, Ann pronounced, "I believe it's catching up with us all!" She stood, her teacup in hand, and headed for the washpan. "I'm going to head back to the saloon. Good night!" she offered as she set her cup next to the pan.
"Would you like me to walk you back?" Bill queried.
Ann shook her head. "No, thank you," she politely declined. "Good evening," she told them before she walked out the kitchen door.
Abigail looked at the door for several moments after Ann had shut it behind her. She recalled Ann's first days in Coal Valley, just a little over a week ago. A smile curled at Abigail's mouth as she realized that Coal Valley had changed Ann, just as the town had seemed to change everyone who spent any time there. This made her recall Elizabeth's first days in Coal Valley as well as Jack's. Both of them had changed quite a bit since coming to the little mining town. Elizabeth had just told Abigail a few days ago that she didn't mind not having servants to take care of everything because she enjoyed the sense of accomplishment she felt when she did something on her own. And Jack was staying put in Coal Valley, coal dust and all. Her smile widened.
Jack studied Abigail, noting her smile as she stared off into the distance. "What's that smile for?" be asked, pulling her back to the moment.
"Oh, just thinking about all the new friends that have come to Coal Valley over the past year," she answered. "Elizabeth, Jack, his mother..."
"Me!" Bill interjected.
Abigail looked at him and smiled a bit wider. "Yes, you." She took a breath before asking, "Where did you disappear to this afternoon? You were there and then you weren't."
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I had to take care of some business."
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him for a couple of moments before she asked, "What business?"
His smile faded. "Abigail, I can't tell you that."
She exhaled and drew her mouth into a pout, clearly displeased.
"Not right now," he added quickly. "But soon. Soon I will tell you what this is all about." His eyes pleaded with her.
She shook her head. "Well, that's that. You'll tell me when you want to."
"When I can," he corrected.
She looked at him and shook her head again. "I am very tired. I'm going to head upstairs." She stood and took her teacup to the wash basin. "Would you mind showing yourself out?" she inquired without looking at him.
"Abigail, I'm sorry," he said again as he walked toward her. He reached for her hands and took them in his. Their eyes met and he frowned when he saw the sadness in hers.
"I'm sorry, too." she told him before she drew her hands away and walked to the stairs.
"Abigail," he called as she started to climb the stairs. He hesitated, searching for the right words. Finally, he said, "I am sorry. Soon, I promise."
She looked at him and sighed. "Secrets aren't good, Bill. You said this is business, but I suspect it has something to do with Mr. Wiley and you don't want me to know what you're doing."
Bill's eyes widened, surprised at the accuracy of her guess.
"Just be careful, whatever you're doing," she urged him before climbing another step.
"Abigail," he implored.
She stopped and faced him. "Nothing's broken," she told him. "But we will talk later about all of this." She looked at him and he nodded. "Good night," she whispered as she continued up the stairs.
Bill frowned as he watched her disappear up the stairs. Once she was out of sight, he turned and headed for the door.
Author's Notes: Chapter 50! Wow! Thanks for sticking around for all these chapters! I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story! I really appreciate the story follows, favorites, and reviews! It's very nice to know people are reading and even better that you are enjoying the story. Writing can be very solitary and I always wonder if anyone is liking or even reading the chapters. Please write a review if you have a few moments. Also, I noticed that some of you may not be Hearties, yet! If you like my story, I urge you to check out the series, When Calls the Heart, on which it is based. Season One is available for download on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Or DVDs can be purchased from Walmart, Fishflix, Christianbook, and other retailers. Check it out! Season Two starts April 25th on Hallmark Channel!