Chapter Three – Friends

It was the eggs that made Elizabeth her first friend in Bear Creek a few days later.

Or rather, it was the chicken that laid the eggs that made Elizabeth her first friend.

Elizabeth had spent all day baking cookies. With Jack gone traveling the area to check on residents and planning to be gone for a few days, and no pupils, or even a schoolhouse to keep her occupied, and Jack forbidding her from interacting with anyone, Elizabeth had plenty of time to perfect the dozens of circles of a mixture of sugar, flour, vanilla, butter, and milk which now lined the kitchen counter. Thankfully, her friendship with Abigail had ensured that Elizabeth had learned how to make a decent batch of sugar cookies.

She was planning on depositing a small sack of cookies, along with a note introducing herself, on the front porch of the homes of each of her students.

Her students.

Elizabeth had decided that even if she didn't have a school, she still had students and she needed to introduce herself. It just couldn't be face-to-face until the threat of diphtheria had passed.

"Darn it!", she exclaimed as she accidentally knocked the bowl containing her last four eggs off the counter and onto the floor where they landed with splat.

How did that happen?, she thought in frustration. I didn't think my elbow was even that close to the bowl.

Using a dishcloth to wipe up the slimy yellow and translucent mess off the floor, she thought about reducing the number of cookies she had planned to deliver to each home.

This is silly. I can go outdoors and to the store. I'm just going to buy a few eggs. I won't touch anyone, or even come that close to anyone. I'll stay four feet away like Jack does when he meets people, she thought with determination and a positive attitude after taking a batch of cookies out of the oven and walking out the door.

Striding down main street, Elizabeth noticed the town's large mercantile which she discovered sold mostly supplies. Next door to it was another store selling groceries. She was about to enter the grocery store when Jack's words came back to her again.

I don't want you going anywhere near anyone. Not until we're positive that the town is clear of all infection. Elizabeth, promise me you'll stay away from people.

Elizabeth sighed, slumped her shoulders in defeat, turned around without entering the store, and headed back towards her new home.

The chicken strutted past Elizabeth as if the street was its own private dinner buffet.

Elizabeth paused to watch the bird pecking at bugs when a blond-haired woman came hurrying round the corner of the nearest building.

"Get home, you silly thing!" the women in her twenties ordered the reddish and white colored fowl as she waved her hands behind it.

"Oh, hello!" the woman, her hair falling from her hair bun, said in surprise when she saw Elizabeth.

"I'm sorry if Ernest is bothering you. She keeps escaping the yard", the woman explained in a friendly manner.

"Ernest?"

"Ernestine. She's my best layer but also likes to run away. . . . Hi. I'm Lucy. Lucy Madison. You must be the new teacher in town. I'd shake your hand but . . , well, considering the circumstances of the last month, it's not advisable."

"Not that I have diphtheria ", she added quickly.

Before Elizabeth could say anything, the woman continued speaking in a flurry of words.

"I'm as healthy as they come. My husband says I never slow down enough for the germs to catch me. But still, everyone in town has been keeping their distance from everyone else. It's only for a little bit longer. Doctor Hudson says the last case will be cured this week. Goodness, it's nice to have someone to talk to. I feel like I've been quarantined for ages. Michael – that's my husband – won't let me near anyone. 'Stay at least four feet away from everyone' - that's what Michael says. He's so paranoid about me getting sick - even though I never do. Well, it's not just me he's worried about, but our little one on the way'", Lucy said as she patted her stomach and smiled.

"I'm Eliz—"

"Oh, I know. You're Elizabeth Thornton. You're married to the town's new Mountie, Sergeant Thornton. We've been expecting you. I wanted to have a nice luncheon to welcome you. I had the menu all planned in mind and everything. I make the best chicken salad sandwiches. Then with the diphtheria and everything, a luncheon just didn't seem a good idea. What with no one wanting to be around anyone and all. I'm sorry , I've been rattling on. I haven't given you a chance to talk. We're just so happy to have you and your husband here. If you ever need eggs, or a nice chicken salad recipe, you just talk to me. My husband, Michael, says I know more about fowl than anyone in town. Course, I know other things too. I expect you know a lot about everything. With you being a teacher and everything. . . ."

And that was how Elizabeth met her first friend.

Elizabeth thought Lucy was wonderful. It was as if the perky woman was a mixture of both Elizabeth's best friend, Abigail, and her sister, Julie. The woman had Abigail's inner strength and capabilities. She had Julie's never-ending sense of excitement and adventure.

They spent the afternoon together. First walking to Lucy's yard, corralling Ernest back into her hen house, and then sitting in the shade of the house's back porch sipping lemonade.

When Lucy's husband saw Elizabeth, he said hello and smiled at her, but then gave Lucy a stern look.

"It's fine, Michael. We women are staying four feet away from each other. Not touching anything that the other one touches. Neither one of us has so much as sneezed. We haven't even breathed the same air as the other. In fact, I may just let her keep the glass she's drinking out of", Lucy said with exaggeration as she rolled her eyes for Elizabeth's benefit when Michael wasn't looking.

Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle. Lucy was exactly what she needed after her first lonely days in Bear Creek.

When Elizabeth mentioned that she been baking cookies to deliver to her students, Lucy insisted on helping her deliver them, and after giving Elizabeth some eggs from the hen house, they agreed to meet an hour later.

As they walked with the small sacks of cookies through the town and rode in Lucy's buckboard wagon to outlying homes, Lucy assured Elizabeth that Bear Creek was a wonderful town. At each home they visited, they were careful to only go as far as the front porch. The afternoon flew by as Lucy kept up a running conversation, providing Elizabeth with details on every aspect of the occupants.

. . . The boy's nose is always running. His mama should tie a bandana to his shirt.

. . . she's a pretty little thing but she stutters a bit. Treat her real softly. She'll be your shiest student.

. . . looks like an idiot but he's real smart.

. . .only speak French. Moved here from Montreal. Can't understand a word they're saying.

. . . they're twins. No one can tell them apart. . . .Not even their Pa. . . .

. . . she's afraid of lighting, tornados, bears, fire, snakes, the river, peanut butter, don't ask. . .

Elizabeth realized that she had been wrong in thinking of Lucy as just a mixture of Abigail and Julie. My goodness, she also has Rosemary's sense of gossip! She's all three women rolled into one!

Late that evening, Elizabeth was organizing her many books into a small wooden bookcase in the front room, going back and forth between the last heavy crate containing the books and the shelves.

After putting three novels onto the top shelf, she was returning to the crate when she noticed Comet lying on her side, her feline body stretched out in the middle of the floor. Her black tail flipped back and forth lazily as if she were happy about something.

What caught Elizabeth's attention was the sound Comet was making. A deep rumbling purr which revealed her pleasure.

You're a very content little kitty, Elizabeth thought with a smile.

Suddenly Elizabeth stopped smiling as she thought about the situation.

An eerie tingling went down her body.

She stared at Comet. Looking at the cat's outstretched body. The tail flipping back and forth.

Comet only purrs and acts like that when someone's petting her, Elizabeth realized.

"Shoo. Shoo, Comet. Outside!" an unnerved Elizabeth ordered as she forced Comet from her relaxed position and out the door she opened for the animal.

Elizabeth locked the door behind her, and then turned on every light in the home.

Three days later, the afternoon air was hot.

Jack was filthy and tired.

After spending days traveling through the countryside, he was looking forward to taking a nice bath and relaxing.

Being the sole Mountie in town had its benefits, including deciding that his work-day was done and it was time to get home to his pregnant wife, a soft mattress, and hopefully a nice dinner.

It was just a short walk from the livery to their mercantile-home, but he was surprised by the number of townspeople who were out in public. Several nodded and smiled as he walked by. The town was coming alive again.

He thought about stopping to converse briefly with people he passed, but he was exhausted from his days on horseback and just wanted to get home and relax in quiet. So he merely waved back and continued.

Jack felt guilty that Elizabeth had been so lonely since they arrived at Bear Creek, and he was looking forward to seeing her exuberant smile when he told her that there hadn't been any new case of diphtheria in any of the outlying areas and the town was clear. She could now get out and meet people.

He knew that he told her to stay inside, but with the danger in town passed, he also knew that she probably had already gone out and met one or two people.

He climbed up the two wooden steps to their home and quietly opened the door, thinking that perhaps Elizabeth may be taking a nap. Without first looking around, he took off his hat and jacket and placed them on one of the metal hooks which lined the wall beside the door.

As he turned back towards the center of the room and took a step forward, Jack stopped with a jolt, his eyes drawn to the floor.

36 eyes stared back at him.

"Jack! You're back early", Elizabeth called out pleasantly as she looked up from the book she was holding. She was standing across the room wearing a pretty skirt and freshly ironed pale pink blouse.

Jack looked down and then began to cross the room to her, being careful not to step on the more than a dozen pairs of hands and feet. There were feet clad in sandals, some in boots, a pair in loafers, and even a few bare feet.

"May I have a word with you, Mrs. Thornton?" he asked as he meandered through the tiny bodies sitting cross legged or relaxing with their feet on the floor and tiny arms wrapped around their upright knees.

"Class, this is Sergeant Thornton."

"Hello, Sergeant Thornton", a chorus of voices rang out.

"Elizabeth, care to explain what is going on?"

"We're reading about Lewis and Clark. Just now, we were discussing when they met Sacagawea"

Jack looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"Doc Hudson cleared everyone. We needed a school. I need students. This place was certainly big enough. It was perfect", Elizabeth said as she walked through the room, stooping down to pick up the books that the children had left on the floor when they scurried from the building after Elizabeth excused them and they had seen the town's new Mountie frowning at the sight of them.

Jack bent down and picked up the last of the books. Looking around for a table, he finally put them on Elizabeth's desk, which was the only piece of furniture left in the center of the room besides her desk chair.

"So, you decided to turn our home into a school with 20 students after I specifically asked you to stay away from everyone."

"Actually, it's only 18 students. But I may have one or two more. Provided you haven't scared them all away."

"Where did they all come from? Do they come to you like you're some kind of Pied Piper?" he asked wryly.

"I knocked on a few doors and rode out to a homestead and asked them to spread the word", she answered pleasantly. There's no need to tell him I had gone around with Lucy the day before with sacks of cookies . . at least not yet.

Jack's eyes showed his displeasure at her confession.

"I don't want you riding alone. Especially not in your condition."

"It's a pregnancy, not a 'condition'. And it doesn't keep me from riding. Not yet."

"And all our belongings? The couch? The chairs? The side table? Your chest?"

"I moved them. Jack, we didn't need all this space. And the furniture fits in the other rooms and up against the walls." He doesn't need to see how squished it is back there just yet!

Jack scowled. "I don't want you moving heavy things."

"I only moved the light things. What was too heavy, I had some of the boys move."

Jack scowled again shook his head in a sign of frustration. "I told you not to talk to anyone and you did. I asked you not to go riding and you did. And I told you not to do anything strenuous and you did."

"Jack –", she began, but her voice trailed off when she realized he was right. And he wasn't pleased.

"Did you even start dinner yet?" he asked with a sigh as he pulled out the desk chair, sat down his tired body, and took off his dusty boots.

Darn, I knew I was forgetting something, Elizabeth thought with frown. Why did he have to come home so early today of all days?

Elizabeth, taking in Jack's slumped shoulders and worn look, gave him a warm smile. "No, not yet. I'm sorry. I just got so excited about teaching. It felt wonderful. I'll get dinner started now. It will be ready when you're finished with your bath. "

Jack watched her quickly put down the school books and move to the kitchen area, where she grabbed an apron and started to put it around her waist. His eyes watched as her hands wrapped the thin fabric straps around her back and then tied them in a bow.

He took in her slightly swollen belly that was noticeable to only the two of them.

Elizabeth pushed some wayward curls behind her ears, unbuttoned the cuffs of her blouse, and began rolling up the sleeves.

Jack couldn't deny that teaching gave his wife a certain spark.

As she grabbed some items from the icebox, Elizabeth noticed that Jack was still sitting in the chair with his eyes gazing at her.

"Go ahead and get in your bath", she encouraged him. "I'll have dinner ready when you're done".

"I highly doubt that", he said as he lowered his suspenders and then began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Why?" she asked in surprise.

"I plan on taking a bath with the town's new school teacher", Jack said with a smile as he removed his shirt.

"I can't let the students be the only ones to appreciate having her around."

Hours later, as Elizabeth lay next to a sleeping Jack in their double bed, she felt unsettled as she thought about how she had rearranged the front room to turn it into a classroom. She wasn't unsettled that she had done it. She was happy about that.

She was unsettled about how it had happened.

Two days earlier, after Jack was already gone on his trip, she had been thinking about moving the couch and a sideboard despite his admonishment that she not do anything strenuous. She was about to push the couch across the room when the knock on the door stopped her. Three boys had arrived, and after introducing themselves, they had offered to move the furniture.

The boys easily moved the heavy objects while Elizabeth supervised. After giving them some cookies and thanking them for their help, Elizabeth had walked them out and mentioned that their timing had been perfect.

"You saved me from doing all the hard work", she had told them with a smile.

"We saw you through the front window, ma'am. Seemed like you could use the help", Tommy explained as the boys munched on the cookies and waved goodbye.

Elizabeth's smile faded as she closed the door behind them. She stared at the front window through which the boys had seen her and realized that the drapes were pushed to the sides and the sun was now streaming in.

I know I closed the drapes earlier, she had thought with a sense of apprehension.

Now thinking about the incident, Elizabeth shuddered and scooched closer to Jack, pressing her body against his.

"Go to sleep", Jack murmured as he turned onto his side and reached his arm around her, holding her safely to him.

Elizabeth closed her eyes. But she couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking about the drapes. I know I closed them to keep out the hot sun. How did they get open? . . . And why was Comet purring the other day?

And she thought about the scent. She had smelled it again that day. Just before the boys had knocked on the door.

The scent of lavender floating through the room.

Up Next: Chapter 4