Disclaimer – I own nothing. Uh oh bad weather abounds!
"Look at you!" Abigail cried as Elizabeth gracefully stumbled through the kitchen door of the café. Her cheeks were a bright red from the crisp winter wind outdoors.
"It's absolutely freezing out there," Elizabeth gasped falling onto the sofa at the back of the room; Abigail already on her way over with a hot cup of tea. For all the family she had left behind in Hamilton she had found new family in Abigail Stanton. "Thank you," Elizabeth clutched the tea cup close and let the warmth seep into her hands.
"How was the roast?" Abigail had been painstakingly teaching Elizabeth to cook and it seemed with every delicious Cottage Pie there were three burnt roasts but Elizabeth was determined to be a better cook than her future mother in law.
"A little on the dry side, not that Jack would ever admit it," Elizabeth blushed and Abigail chuckled.
"You know I wasn't the best cook when my Noah and I first started out either." Elizabeth nearly dropped the cup at her friends' admission. A look of fondness pressed into Abigails cheeks as she lost herself for a moment in memory.
"I don't believe it, you're the best cook I know. You keep half this town fed for heavens sake!" Elizabeth gasped and relished in another chuckle from Abigail.
"I wasn't terrible, my mother made sure of that but I was definitely known to dry out a roast or two and just like Jack my Noah filled his stomach either way. It's lovely to have someone adore you so much that they'd make themselves sick to avoid hurting your feelings but it doesn't stop you wanting to improve does it."
"Breakfast rush is all done Abigail, I'm going to the mercantile to pick up the mail. Do we need anything?" Clara popped her head into the back room and gave Elizabeth a little wave of hello.
"Could you get some sugar, I'm nearly out" Clara nodded a yes and hung her apron before donning her winter coat, hat and mitts.
"She looks happy," Elizabeth remarked and Abigail smiled deeply. "I think she is. Jesse asked her to the Christmas dance and I think things are going well. It's truly amazing how love can change a person." Abigail poured herself a cup of tea and joined Elizabeth on the sofa.
"Isn't that the truth, when Jack was away last week Jesse was at the school every day cutting wood and stocking the stove to keep us all warm. He's really taken to Hope Valley,"
Abigail couldn't have agreed more. Though she would give almost anything to have seen Clara and Peter live a happy long life together she could clearly see that the love of Clara had changed young Jesse for the better.
"So, the roast was dry," Abigail turned the conversation back around to Elizabeth and Jack and Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Why don't you just come out and say it Abigail," Elizabeth sighed
"Whatever do you mean, the holidays are approaching, it has been nearly a year since you and Jack decided to take things slowly…I'm just wondering if the not too slowly part is going to kick in anytime soon." Elizabeth would have chuckled if she wasn't desperately wondering the same thing.
"I think he wants that house finished before he will even propose and I'm telling you Abigail my patience is disappearing. It's like a fire blazing within me everytime I see him. I understand why he wants it finished I really do but I'm almost done caring. I'd live in a box if it meant I got to be Mrs. Jack Thornton" Elizabeth's eyes watered with passion.
"Well I think maybe you need to tell him just that," Abigail let a hand fall to Elizabeth's knee and the two women shared a smile as the man in question stomped through the door.
"Hello Ladies," Jack brushed snow from his uniform then blew some heat into his hands. "I'm here to escort you home Elizabeth," Elizabeth sat up a little straighter, "Schools about to start,"
"Not today I'm afraid, there is a storm on its way, might be just about here. As it is Bill, Frank, Lee and I have made a decision to shut down the mill, school and unfortunately your café Abigail for safety sake. Everyone needs to stay home and keep warm today. If we're lucky it will blow over quickly and life can pick up where it left off tomorrow," Elizabeth and Abigail made their way to a window in the front to peek outside and both women gasped at the swirling snow all around.
"You two should stay here for the night," Abigail clutched Elizabeth's wrist.
"It isn't a far walk, we'll be fine Abigail but we should head out now, I saw Clara just a moment ago Frank is going to bring her back from the Mercantiles."
"Oh thank goodness, be safe you two" Abigail and Elizabeth gave each other a hug and then Jack was ushering Elizabeth out the door.
"Maybe we should stay," Elizabeth called out over the moaning wind.
"I've already brought Rip to your place, we can't leave him alone. Let's move quickly," Jack called back and tucked Elizabeth under his arm as they hurried down the main road to the row houses.
They stumbled into her house covered in snow and filled with an exhilaration neither fully understood. It's unsaid but they are both very aware of the fact that Jack won't be leaving again until the storm has passed. This is made even clearer when Elizabeth spies the duffel on the floor near the sofa. Jack catches her glance and clears his throat.
"I didn't meant to presume it's just the thought of you here, all on your own.." She can hear the hesitation in his voice and it warms her from the inside out. They aren't worried about what others will say everyone knows they are as good as engaged and Elizabeth knows that nothing indecent will happen that evening, however disappointed she may be in that knowledge.
"Presume away Jack Thornton," She drops a kiss to his cheek and he visibly relaxes. The wind howls against the door and Rip gives a little whimper.
"It's alright boy, we're safe in here." Jack grabs a dish towel from the stoves and stuffs it at the base of the door, cutting the sound of the wind and keeping the door tight to the frame.
"If it's alright I'll head upstairs and change out of my uniform." Jack pointed awkwardly to the stairs and Elizabeth felt a blush color her cheeks.
"Yes, uh, of course I'll just um, put some tea on." Elizabeth turned to fill the kettle and Jack slipped up the stairs.
Jack had never been upstairs in one of the row houses so when he reached the second floor he wasn't sure which of the two rooms belonged to Elizabeth and which would be empty and by far the more appropriate room for him to change in. He took a guess and opened the door to his left; the room was empty save for a few boxes of books. He let a sigh of relief escape not sure he could have handled the intimacy of Elizabeth's bedroom. He changed quickly and lay his uniform over the box. He was just slipping out of room when he stumbled into Elizabeth. "I was just coming down," he mumbled quickly, "Oh, I see. I'm just going to get a shawl its quite chilly down stairs," Elizabeth took a step to the right just as Jack did and they paused in front of each other. Jack placed his hand on Elizabeth's hip and turned them around.
"I'll add some wood to the stove, it should warm up quickly," and then he was downstairs and Elizabeth was able to catch her breath. This was going to be a long day. Why was she feeling so nervous? It wasn't like they had never spent time alone, they'd spent an entire evening together on the homestead.
Elizabeth had come up for her shawl but the spare bedroom door was open and it called to her in a way she could not refuse. She pushed the door open and walked directly up to the Mounty uniform laying over her boxes. Her fingers grazed the red fabric and before she could make sense of what she was doing, she had clutched the material to her chest and inhaled the unmistakable scent of Jack that clung to every inch of it. She scooped up his pants and brought both items to her bedroom. There was a spare hangar in her wardrobe and without thought she placed the items there neatly hung at the back beside all her many skirts and blouses.
An invisible thread tugged on her heart at the sight of the Mounty's uniform mixed with her belongings, so clearly where it was meant to be. Reluctantly she stepped away and slipped her shawl off the chair beside her bed, wrapping it around her shoulders as she joined the man warming her home down stairs. What on earth were they going to do for an entire day, locked inside, together, alone.
A/N – Thank you so much for the lovely feedback from the first chapter! I'd meant to make each post a kind of stand-alone fic but then this idea of the snow storm hit and I have so much to add so I think I'll split it into two or maybe three parts, we'll see.