AN: I want to say a special thank you to Lauralyn and Heather for helping me figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter. I am sure both of you will see your influence on different parts of this chapter. And yes, I am a few hours early but I got the chapter done tonight and I'm impatient! LOL! Enjoy!
As he rode, Gabriel kept his eyes on the tracks made in the soft dirt from the early morning rain shower that had gone through the area that morning. Though there was no way of knowing for sure which hoof prints were made by the suspect that had fled from Clearwater about an hour ago, if the prints headed off the road at an unusual point then it would be something worth looking into.
The manhunt was currently for a suspect that had robbed the Queen of Hearts in Hope Valley while he and Nathan had been in Spruce Grove for Nathan's wedding. Though Constable Randall and several others, Lucas especially having been held at gunpoint by the man demanding money, had gotten a good look at the thief the man had managed to slip away. Several shots had been fired by the criminal but thankfully no one had been hurt. Tyler had been trying to track the man but by going into a stream and traveling that way for a while, the man had been able to disappear.
This morning he had been spotted and recognized by a couple of shop owners in Clearwater. The man had simply been strolling through town, looking around. Presumably looking for his next mark. However, the Mounties in Clearwater suspected the man had noticed the shop owners talking to a patrol constable and got spooked. Three Mounties had given chase from Clearwater and a telegram had been sent to Gabriel as the man had left Clearwater by the road leading to Brookfield.
So far, Gabriel had not come across his fellow Mounties nor the suspect.
The sound of an approaching wagon reached Gabriel's ears. Though their suspect had been on horseback, Gabriel knew he still needed to be cautious. He unsnapped his holster as he continued to ride. Soon the wagon was in sight. A middle-aged gentleman sat on the wagon seat of a canvassed-covered wagon with two horses pulling in it.
"Good morning, Constable," the man greeted him, reigning in the horses. "What brings you out this way?"
Not use to be asked by passerby what he was up to, Gabriel's senses were alerted. Though the man did not fit the description of the suspect, something was not quite right.
"I am looking for a suspect that was last spotted in Clearwater and headed this way," Gabriel replied, keeping his voice causal as he spoke, as his gaze took in his surroundings, especially the canvassed-covered wagon bed. "See anyone else along the road today?"
"No, can't say that I have," the man replied though his head nodded toward the back of his wagon bed, though his gaze remained on Gabriel.
Gabriel knew the man was telling him someone was hiding in the wagon bed. Noticing a rifle at the man's feet, Gabriel pointed to it as he said, "what are you hauling?"
"Got a shipment of food for the Royal Brookfield," the man replied, calmly securing the wagon's reigns and slowly reaching for the rifle.
"Mind if I take a look?" Gabriel inquired.
"I would prefer it, if you didn't," the man replied, though silently he was nodding his consent. "Took me a long time to get that canvas secured to keep the rain out. You know how those prairie storms come up out of nowhere."
"I know what you mean," Gabriel said. He had dismounted Apollo and motioned the horse off to the side of the road. He had his hand gun drawn as he moved to the end of the wagon bed. "However, under the circumstances I must insist," he said, reaching out with his left hand and loosening the ties, his gun held ready in his right hand.
The man was standing on the wagon seat, the rifle now pointed toward the bed of the wagon. The man gave a sigh. "If you must, Constable," he said, as Gabriel got the rope loose.
Gabriel threw back the corner of the canvas, even as the hiding fugitive in the bed of the wagon sat up, his own gun drawn.
"Mounted Police," Gabriel said loudly. "Get rid of the gun," he commanded, his gun aimed at the man even before the fugitive was oriented to his surroundings.
"I would listen to him," the man said from the wagon seat. "You shoot at him and I got no qualms about pulling this trigger."
The suspect turned his head to find the wagon driver pointing a rifle at him. Knowing he was out numbered, the man tossed the gun to the side and held up his hands.
"He's got my pistol as well, Constable," the wagon driver informed Gabriel.
"Where is the other gun?" Gabriel demanded, his tone firm as he kept a close watch on the thief.
"Tucked into the waistband of my pants in the back," the man admitted, shooting daggers at the wagon driver.
Gabriel approached the man slowly, watching for any indication of movement from him. The suspect was still sitting in the wagon bed. Gabriel lowered the back of the wagon and instructed the man to slide forward, keeping his arms up. The man did so. Once he was within reach, Gabriel removed the pistol from the waist band and securing it. Then, checking with the wagon driver that he had him covered, Gabriel put his own gun in its holster and got his cuffs out while informing the man what he was being arrested for.
"I don't know what you are talking about," the thief maintained.
"You are still under arrest. It is up to a judge to sort things out at this point," Gabriel told him. He had his own pistol back in his hand as he contemplated how to transport the guy back to Brookfield.
"Was he on horseback when he hitched a ride?" Gabriel asked the wagon driver who had put the rifle back at his feet and climbed down from the wagon. The man had the returned pistol in his had. Gabriel was glad for even the unofficial back up.
"He did. He shooed the horse off the road. I think he was trying to confuse whoever might be following him. Doubt he thought about someone coming from the other direction."
Again the thief shot the wagon driver a murderous look.
"What's your name?" Gabriel asked the wagon driver.
"Richard Fulton," the man replied.
"You said you are going to Brookfield with your load?"
Richard nodded. "I am. I suppose the next question is going to be if I would mind transporting this guy there."
Gabriel smiled. "Yes," he admitted. I would be riding alongside keeping an eye on him of course."
Richard glanced at the man and then back at Gabriel. "It would bring me pleasure to transport this guy to jail," the man replied. "I don't much like being held at gunpoint and told what to do."
Before Gabriel could say anything else, the sound of approaching hoof beats was heard. Moving so that he could see both his prisoner and whoever approached, Gabriel held his gun in his right hand. He relaxed slightly when he saw the approaching rider wore the red serge of a fellow Mountie. As the man got closer, Gabriel smiled as he recognized the man.
"How come you always show up after I caught the criminal, Laflamme?" Gabriel asked. Though many of his memories concerning getting shot were hazy, the one thing Gabriel had always been able to remember was Francis Laflamme talking to him while his fellow Mountie had applied pressure to the gunshot wound. Gabriel could not remember which other of his fellow Mounties had responded but he remembered Laflamme telling him to hold on. Telling him to focus on his voice.
Laflamme smiled as he reigned in his mount. "At least you aren't bleeding this time," the man replied. "I see you caught our suspect," he said, his gaze shifting to the handcuffed thief. "Benoit and Vaughn followed the horse tracks off the road some ways back. Just in case someone was trying to throw us off track, I decided to stick to the road. Looks like it was the right choice."
"I should have just moved on. I knew there were too many of you blasted Mounties in that town," the suspect muttered.
"Mr. Fulton here had just agreed to be a transport wagon for us," Gabriel said to Laflamme though he did note the suspect's words to go into his report when he got back to Brookfield. Though the words, weren't a confession to anything specific, it was an indication that he had been planning something. "Two escorts would be better than one."
Laflamme nodded. "I can send a telegraph to Clearwater headquarters when we get to Brookfield."
Gabriel got the thief to move back into the wagon bed. He then looped a length of rope around the part of the handcuffs between the wrists, Gabriel secured the suspect to the wagon. Closing the back of the wagon, he left Laflamme guarding the suspect while he retrieved Apollo. Mounting the horse, he signaled Richard to move the wagon forward. With one Mountie to either side and slightly behind the wagon, the small party started their trip to Brookfield.
"I'll take the dishes out," Autumn volunteered sliding from Rachel's bed. The girl put all the lunch dishes on the tray Elizabeth had brought the food in on, and picked it up.
"Be careful, sweetie," Rachel cautioned, though her heart swelled with pride. She was happy to see Autumn helping out in little ways.
"I will," Autumn said, walking toward the bedroom door. As she approached the doorway, Elizabeth appeared. "I help Mama by doing the dishes," the girl stated.
"That is sweet of you," Elizabeth replied. "Miss Miller is out there. Just let her help you a little, all right."
Autumn nodded and went past Elizabeth. The latter looked to Rachel. "I just wanted to let you know I was leaving but Fiona is on hand if you need anything."
Rachel gave a weak smile. "I appreciate everything everybody is doing though I wish it wasn't necessary. I should be able to take care of my kids, let alone myself."
"We all need help sometime. God did not intend for us to be solitary creatures. It is why he created Eve for Adam."
Rachel nodded. "Elizabeth before you go, can I ask you a personal question. It is regarding your feelings after your husband Jack past, so I understand if it is too hard."
"For a fellow widow, I will do my best to answer," Elizabeth replied, closing the bedroom door. Crossing over to the bed, she perched on the edge facing Rachel and reached for the woman's hand. "What is it you wanted to ask me?"
"When did you know you were ready to move on after Jack died? Was it before or after Nathan came along?"
Elizabeth was quiet for a while before she finally spoke. "That was a struggle for me," she finally admitted. "Even with a last letter from Jack, telling me that he wanted me to open my heart to love again and be happy. When love finally did come along, I fought it. Nathan was so patient with me and Lucas tried to make things happen. Looking back, I should have been able to look at those actions and tell which man truly and deeply cared for me, but Lucas represented the life of my childhood. He represented safety. It was easier to interact with him because of that."
"But you ended up with Nathan," Rachel commented, stating the obvious.
"I think God finally had enough of me running from my fears and decided to force me to face them," Elizabeth said. As Rachel had not been in Hope Valley at the time, she would not have known about the events of last autumn. "Nathan had to go with a prisoner to another town to testify at the trail as the arresting officer. The morning before he left, Nathan finally managed to ask me out on a proper date. I say finally, because I think he had been trying before all the times he would stumble over words or start saying something, get interrupted, and then change his minds. When he finally asked, I couldn't get the words out to accept. I wanted to, but they just wouldn't come. It was like if I accepted a date from him then that would truly mean I had let go of Jack and I just couldn't do that yet."
"What was Nathan's reaction?"
Elizabeth smiled. "The patient man that Nathan is, he simply told me to think about it and let him know. A few hours later, Bill came into town with the Mountie transport wagon. I was in the mercantile when Fiona came rushing in asking Ned for supplies because someone had been shot. Outside I heard someone yell 'I think it was Nathan.' My heart stopped. I felt exactly like I had when the Mountie came to town to tell me Jack was gone. I rushed outside to see Carson step from the back of the transport wagon," Elizabeth wiped up to brush away a few tears, and took a deep breath to steady her voice before continuing.
"You don't need to continue," Rachel said, reaching for her friend's hand.
"It is all right," Elizabeth told her with a sad smile as she squeezed the hand that held hers. "This feels good to be finally able to tell someone who can understand the emotions."
Rachel nodded. She did understand. She also understood that despite the tears, it was good to talk about the hard times. So like Elizabeth had done when she had shared her story, Rachel sat patiently waiting for Elizabeth to continue.
"All I saw beyond Carson was a Mountie uniform. However, because of that shout, I thought I had lost Nathan too. All I could think of was that I should have said yes to that dinner invitation so that he would have known I did care about him. I turned from the sight feeling just like I had when I lost Jack. Though I hadn't wanted to admit it, my heart had already chosen Nathan and it was grieving. Then I saw Nathan walking into town, leading Newton. I could see the pain and grief on his own face and I knew he was struggling but he was alive and walking. The proper girl from Hamilton ran and threw her arms around him and held him tight. I just never wanted to let go of him again. It was a long time before either of us said anything but we chose to go forward from there."
There was a moment of silence. Both women were contemplating and before Rachel could ask the question on her mind, Elizabeth answered it.
"There were a few times right after that incident when I wondered if things would have been better if I had just tried to face my fears earlier instead of fighting falling in love again. I soon decided it wasn't accomplishing anything. Nathan and I are together, Jack and Ally have both a mother and a father and I think we learned a lot about each other through our struggles."
"It was easy to see how much the two of you love each other at your wedding reception," Rachel commented.
Elizabeth nodded. "We do love each other and I almost let that love past me by, simply because of the uniform that Nathan wore. When you shared your experience with me that is when I truly allowed myself to accept that falling in love with someone, who didn't wear the serge was not going to protect me from another possible heartbreak. Bad things happen. We need to accept that and make the good times count."
Rachel nodded, letting Elizabeth's words sink in. Still, there was one more question that she wanted to ask.
"Elizabeth, when you were pregnant with Jack, if someone whom you knew would treat you and your son well had offered to marry you to help support and raise your son, would you have considered it?"
Elizabeth paused, clearly contemplating the supposed situation. "I think I would have considered it. The idea of raising a child alone was scary and overwhelming at times. Especially in those last weeks. I struggled to put together the nursery. It seemed overwhelming and every time I had thought about starting it, I got to thinking about how different the whole experience would have been with Jack at my side. I think that if Nathan, or someone like him, had come to town back then and offered to marry me, I probably would have said yes to the offer. Has Tyler said something to you?"
Rachel felt her cheeks grow warm. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.
Elizabeth smiled. "It is obvious to everyone that Tyler cares very much about you and Autumn despite you wanting to keep the relationship friendly. No one thinks anything scandalous is going on," she assured Rachel.
"And if I were to marry him? Do you think people would think I was taking advantage of his kindness?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No one would think badly of you, Rachel. There are even a few in this town who have accepted marriage proposals following the coal mine disaster for the sake of keeping a roof over their children's head. Even if there isn't love on both sides yet, it is clear to everyone that you care about Tyler and he cares about you and Autumn. If he's offered to marry you and help you with the children, as long as you are honest with him about why you are accepting his proposal, there is nothing wrong with it. Perhaps, you will even one day find that you are able to return that love." Elizabeth paused momentarily. "Maybe I would not have felt so confused and scared about falling in love again if I hadn't had more than one man trying for my attention at the same time."
"Part of me worries that if marrying me would just put Tyler in danger like it did Gilbert," Rachel confessed. "James might be in jail now, but what if he escapes."
Elizabeth reached out for Rachel's hand. "Tyler knows just how dangerous James is and he is also trained to deal with people like James. I am sure Tyler is aware of that risk, and he still made the offer. Trust him to make the right decision for him and just concentrate on making the best choice for you, Autumn and that little one you are carrying."
"Thank you," Rachel replied. "Talking with you and Pastor Zeke has helped me think through things."
"You are welcome," Elizabeth told her. "Anything you need, I am here for you Rachel."
Rachel nodded and accepted the hug offered by Elizabeth. She planned on having that open and honest talk with Tyler that Pastor Zeke had suggested, but Rachel felt certain she was going to accept Tyler's proposal. The thought of raising two kids alone was just too daunting. Besides, she knew she couldn't find a better man or father figure than Tyler Randall.
Ally stood with Jack on the edge of their property bordering the Coulter's land. Jack was fascinated by watching the process of the house going up. It seemed like the only time her little brother could sit still. As long as they stayed on their property, no one cared if the kids watched the process. Today though, it wasn't the building process that Ally was really paying attention to. Instead, Ally was watching the workers closely.
Was her birth father with the work crew today?
So far, everyone Ally had seen was familiar to Hope Valley. However, as she was about to suggest to Jack that they go inside and get something to eat, Ally noticed a new face. She was sure she had not seen the man around Hope Valley before. The man did not look familiar at all, Surely, something would seem familiar about him if he was her birth father. Yes, she had been young when the man had abandoned her, but surely she would have some kind of memory of him.
Try as she might though, she could not recall a memory from her childhood involving her birth father. All she remembered were the things people had said about him and that he had left her.
Handing off the piece of lumber he had been carrying, the man turned to head back in the direction he had come from. In doing so, the man looked in their direction and paused. From this distance, Ally could not make out the expression on the man's face. She was aware that his gaze lingered.
Ally found herself holding her breath as she met his gaze. Was this her birth father? Was he upset that she didn't want to see him? Would he approach them despite the promise he had made to her Dad?
Eventually, the man gave her a slight nod and then returned to his work. Ally let out the breath she was holding. She had a sudden desire to move away from the Coulter's home, though she could not say that she felt like they were in danger. She just felt weird.
"Let's go get something to eat, Jack," Ally suggested, reaching down for the boy's hand.
"Can we come back after we eat?" Jack asked, taking her hand and letting his big sister lead him toward their house without protest.
"We'll see," Ally said, part of her hoping that their mother would be home before she had to make that decision.