Chapter Two
Elizabeth struggled to open her heavy eyelids as she was gently roused from her deep sleep by a soft nudge at her shoulder. And a voice she was always pleased to hear.
"Elizabeth. It's time to go." Jack was talking softly, cognizant of her sleepy state. "The horses are all ready and we really need to get going if we're going to make it back to town in time."
Elizabeth sat up and tried to concentrate on her present situation, still blurry around the edges, but slowly recalled the sweet events of only hours earlier. She felt the hard metal with her left thumb and looked down and smiled. "Thank god it wasn't a dream" she thought to herself.
Jack was standing and offering her his hand, looking down upon Elizabeth with an expression she was most familiar with. He wore the look of a man on duty, rather than the man who had, the night before, been so incensed with love for her that he asked her to be his wife.
She reached up and took Jack's hand of assistance and stood directly in front of him, her face mere inches from his. She stood on her toes and gently kissed him square on his lips before stating "Good morning Constable. I trust you had a good sleep last night?" Smiling, she turned and gathered her bag and blanket but was stopped when she felt Jack's arm lightly encircle her waist, pulling her into him from behind.
He lightly brushed her hair away from her neck and gently placed his lips below her ear, immediately finding the spot that sent warm chills down her spine. "Good morning Miss Thatcher." He spoke softly next to her ear which added to her arousal for him. "I had a great sleep. And I hope to have many more of them...preferably after I can get you home safely and undetected by our fellow neighbours. I'd rather not have to explain where we were last night." As he spoke the last words he subtly grabbed Elizabeth's waist and turned her around to face him, flashing her a dimpled smile. "Let's go."
An hour later, as the sun's rays were seeping over the eastern horizon, turning the crisp fall morning sky to a deep pink, Elizabeth and Jack quietly made their way into town and returned the horses to the stables.
"I'll stop by for a coffee and see you soon. But first, I need to get these two settled." He gestured towards their horses.
Elizabeth felt the familiar pangs of gratitude for this man who had always managed to be there for her when she most needed him. From saving her from an errant gopher snake in her classroom to the more serious incidents of being held at gunpoint, twice, Jack always managed to appear and restore order to her life. This situation was no different and felt amazement towards whatever force was responsible for putting him in her path.
Elizabeth hurried over to Jack and wrapped her arms around his neck, oblivious to their surroundings and potential witnesses. She rested her head against his chest and brought her left hand down to intertwine with his, savouring these last moments of intimacy with him. Elizabeth knew that even though engaged, it would still be a challenge finding opportunities to be alone with Jack and that their respective careers required them to behave according to societal expectations. It wasn't until they were married when they could both act more freely on their physical attraction for one another. "Yet another reason I can't wait to marry him" Elizabeth thought.
Jack leaned in and kissed Elizabeth's forehead, gently nudging her in the direction of the cafe. "You'd better hurry Elizabeth. I don't want to have to explain this…"
With that Elizabeth smiled sweetly at Jack, released her hold from him and scurried off down the dirt road toward the cafe. As she approached the steps, she noticed the light on in the kitchen and realized Abigail must already be busy working on the morning's baked goods. She steadied herself at the door, thinking of how she was going to explain this situation to her best friend.
The sound of the door opening startled Abigail who turned suddenly and was met by the sight of Elizabeth in the same attire she was wearing the day before. "Elizabeth! I'm so glad you're ok. Of course, I knew with Jack out looking for you, you would be, but it is still nice to see you make it home in one piece." She gave her a glance with her eyebrows raised which told Elizabeth she had been worried and now relieved at her appearance.
"I am very sorry for worrying you, Abigail, I never intended to be gone for as long as I was. I had a lot to think about and lost track of time." Elizabeth then proceeded to explain yesterday's events from the beginning, starting with Charles surprising her with a proposal, to Jack's coldness afterwards, to what made her decide to make a solo attempt at horse riding too close to dusk. She was careful to omit last night's sleeping arrangements and the most wonderful part of her night, their engagement.
"I'm sorry you were put in such a difficult situation by Charles and hope your refusal of marriage will help him finally understand that he needs to leave you alone. Did you tell Jack about it?"
Elizabeth was somewhat shocked that Abigail asked her such a question. She was again struck by the shame she had felt yesterday regarding the inappropriateness of her relationship with Charles, especially since her best friend in Hope Valley had to question her with regards to her ability to be candid and truthful with those who mattered most to her here. "Yes. Jack knows. And I completely understand why you feel the need to question me on the matter. I am deeply ashamed of my actions with Charles, as much as my intentions were never beyond friendship, I see how my naivety gave Charles a skewed impression of my feelings for him." She sat down at the table and sullenly looked away from her friend, trying to calm the guilt that was creeping into her thoughts, again.
Abigail softly smiled and sat down directly beside Elizabeth, noting the pain that was working its way into her gentle features. She grabbed her hand and was about to console her when she felt the cold, hard diamond pressing itself into the palm of her hand.
"Elizabeth!" Abigail exclaimed. "Is this what I think it is?"
Elizabeth blushed and smiled broadly, letting out a small squeal of excitement. "Yes. Jack proposed last night!" She brought her hands up in front of her mouth to contain her excitement while Abigail reached out to offer a congratulatory hug.
Abigail pulled away and exclaimed "I'm so happy for you Elizabeth. I had heard through our wonderful network of Hope Valley residents that Jack had bought a ring for you and am relieved that he didn't let Charles' gesture derail him. He sure is a keeper, if you ask me."
"Yes, he most definitely is…" Elizabeth responded proudly. "So the least I can do is make him some breakfast." She then busied herself in the kitchen preparing a special thank-you for her newly-appointed fiance.
Fifteen minutes later, with the cafe bustling with Saturday-morning customers, Elizabeth and Abigail busily tended to the needs of their patrons. Noting the time, Elizabeth obsessively kept checking the entrance for any sign of Jack and was delighted when she caught sight of him entering through the back door. He appeared wearing his red jacket,and she quickly deduced he would be busy for the rest of the day with work commitments. Her heart sunk.
"Good morning ladies." Jack greeted both Abigail and Elizabeth. "How are my two favourite Hope Valley women today?"
Abigail spun around and quickly grabbed Jack into a friendly embrace. "Congratulations Jack. Your taste in diamonds and women are quite exceptional." She coyly winked at him before resuming her tasks and noted out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth's surprised look.
"Working today, are you Constable?" Elizabeth chided, hoping for him to close the gap between the two of them, craving his presence to the degree of closeness they were able to achieve last night.
"Yes, unfortunately I have to make my rounds out to Rock Creek today. Seems there have been some issues with theft in the area and they need my assistance investigating." He looked intently at Elizabeth and reached into his inner pocket to retrieve something. "I also came to deliver this telegram to you and to wish you a good rest of your day." Jack leaned in quickly and kissed Elizabeth on her cheek.
Reaching for the telegram, Elizabeth looked into Jack's eyes and felt disappointment at his impending departure. "I hope you have time for breakfast, at least." She proceeded to pull a free chair out from the table and gestured for him to sit. "It's the least I can do to thank you for last night." Jack hesitantly sat down, not sure who was preparing his meal. He was stunned to watch as Elizabeth assembled a plate quickly and effortlessly, noting the food on his plate actually appeared to be somewhat appetizing.
"I know what you're thinking Jack." She looked at him knowingly. "It may have taken a year, but I've actually learned to cook a decent breakfast." She grabbed a mug and filled it with steaming coffee from the copper urn. As she brought it back to the table, Jack had pulled out the chair next to him and was happily enjoying the fruits of her labour.
"Sit with me." He gestured for her to join him.
Elizabeth sat down and looked upon him willingly eating a meal she had prepared. Pride crept in and spread through her chest, feeling satisfied that she could do something nice for him for a change.
"What does your telegram say?" Jack asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
Temporarily forgetting about her urgent letter, Elizabeth opened the envelope and felt her heart sink at its words:
YOUR TRAIN TO HAMILTON HAS BEEN BOOKED FOR OCT 15 DEPARTURE. REHEARSAL DINNER OCT 19. FAMILY IS EXCITED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL.
"Oh my goodness!" Elizabeth exclaimed, bringing her hand up to her mouth.
"What's wrong? Is it your mother? Is she OK?" Jack asked, concern for her apparent in his look.
"I can't believe I almost forgot about my own sister's wedding!" Elizabeth held her head in her hands and looked down at the table as dread for the impending visit slowly crept in. She had been so distracted by work and spending time with Jack that her plans of returning to Hamilton for Viola's wedding to Sir Lionel had completely escaped her.
She expectantly looked towards Jack, looking for any way to look forward to the approaching journey. "Any chance you want to join me? " Elizabeth knew without a doubt what his answer would be.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth. As much as I hate to see you leave and me miss the wedding of the century, I can't take any more time off. Plus...I will need to request more time off once we set a date." He looked at her like they were sharing a secret only the two of them knew the meaning of. He noticed her subtle widening of her eyes with his last statement.
"I know. And completely understand." Elizabeth felt a blush spreading across her cheeks as she heard him speak about their intended nuptials and felt very selfish, suddenly, at having just asked him to sacrifice even more time for her family.
Jack brushed Elizabeth's hand lightly as he rose from the table and held his hand out in a gesture for her to take it. She eased her hand into his solid grasp.
"Will you walk me out?"
Elizabeth took his hand and let him lead her out of the parlour and out the back door to the porch. He closed the door and immediately reached out to grab each of her hands in his and looked at her imploringly. "Elizabeth. I'm actually scheduled to be out in Rock Creek until Thursday so I won't see you until just before you have to leave."
"Really? You`ll be gone for a couple of days?" Her brow furrowed at the news and she felt disappointed at the prospect of not seeing him for the next couple of days. She had been looking forward to sneaking in as much alone time with him as possible and her body reeled upon the consideration that she would only be seeing him once more in the next three weeks.
"When I get back we can spend as much time discussing all of those details and questions that I'm sure are swirling around in your head. But. For now. I really do need to leave." Jack reached out and closed the distance separating their bodies as he deftly pulled Elizabeth into his embrace. He buried his face into her hair and deeply inhaled, desperate to bottle up as much of her essence as possible.
"I love you. And will most definitely miss you." He spoke deliberately, but softly, in Elizabeth's ear and the reverberations were felt down her spine as she tensed and looked up into his eyes.
"Well...I will miss you. And most definitely love you." She replied, turning her gaze into a reassuring look that told him she understood his job could sometimes be unpredictable and require time apart. It also tried to show him that she was completely in love with him and and wanted him to kiss her as soon as possible.
He smiled down at her and moved in to capture her bottom lip for a sweet, prolonged kiss and attempt to stop time and remain in this moment as long as possible.
Elizabeth moaned and grabbed his face between her hands in an effort to pull herself away and face their inevitable separation. She was also extremely aware that they were highly visible to anyone passing by. "Stay safe Jack. I'll see you Thursday."
He shyly smiled and straightened himself upright, affixing his Mountie hat on his head. "See you Thursday." He gave her that knowing glance he used whenever they parted on good terms, something that was less common in the early days of their growing friendship, but was now a habit that was becoming more natural to elicit.
Elizabeth stood on the porch and watched while Jack mounted his horse and rode off down Main Street, leaving her cold and shivering in his wake. She took a deep breath and thought about how she was going to fill her time while Jack was gone and remembered all of the preparations she would need to address for her trip back to Hamilton. And the wedding preparations. Pretty soon, the mountain of tasks and decisions required of her in the next few weeks were swirling in her head to the point where she let out a big sigh.
She gently chuckled, recalling Jack's earlier comment about being able to talk about all of these things on Thursday. When he returned.
"He knows me better than anybody." Elizabeth quietly spoke to herself as she retreated from the porch and busied herself with the necessary preparations for the week.