Chapter 5

The next few days were strange for Elizabeth. She was still trying to understand Abagail's letter. On the second day, she met Charles for lunch before she went shopping with Viola for her wedding items. During the lunch, Elizabeth sat back and carefully watched Charles. He was his usual self, but this made Elizabeth think about all that Abagail wrote in her letter. Charles was attentive and acted like a person who was in love. His thoughts on the party a few days ago made Elizabeth question herself. He does act like we are courting. She thought to herself on several occasions. Her relationship with Charles was clear in her mind. She didn't love him as a suitor. She did love him as a friend. Now she was questioning all her actions toward him. "Did I lead him on? Why do I keep spending so much time with him if Jack is always on my mind? I'm in a courtship with Jack, yet I spend so much time with Charles…" She asked herself.

After lunch, Charles leaned in to kiss Elizabeth on her cheek, something he has always done. However, this time Elizabeth moved so he couldn't kiss her.

"Elizabeth, are you ok?"

"Yes, Charles. I am fine, but I think I need some time to think things through. We may have a huge misunderstanding between us."

Charles looked concerned but didn't say anything.

…

Elizabeth thought over the whole thing for the next day. Mrs. P's and Abagail's words replayed in her mind. She knew what she felt for Charles, and it wasn't what she felt for Jack. Jack made her heart race. She would blush when she thought about their kisses. She could feel his hand just by thinking about holding hands with him. His hand was a little rough, but not too bad. They were a working man's hands. Even with that, his touch was so gentle and loving. There was something about Jack that moved her to her inner most being.

She knew exactly what her father, her mother, and her oldest sister wanted. Her family always had a huge pull on her, but she was realizing her wants for her life was not what they wanted. She didn't want what they desired for her.

When Charles came a day later to escort her to another luncheon, she decided she needed to talk with him. She could see the love in his eyes, and it unnerved her a little. It was time to settle this.

As they walked towards the car, she began. "Charles, we have a huge misunderstanding between us. You think we are courting, but we have never courted. I do not think of you that way."

She couldn't escape his hurt look. He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Elizabeth, how could you think that?" He asked in disbelief. "With everything we have done, how could you say that?" His hurt and confusion were evident in his voice.

"Charles, we are friends…only friends. We are not courting."

"Elizabeth, that doesn't make sense. We have been so close over the last few years. You went on your little adventure, but now it's time to come back home and rejoin us here, your family, me, and your position in society. We are meant to be together." He took a deep breath. "Elizabeth, why did you agree to come home with me if we are not a couple? Why did you accept my proposal?"

Before she was able to say anything, her father stepped outside and asked to speak to Charles. There was an incident at work that needed Charles' attention. He had to cancel the afternoon and go back into work.

"Elizabeth, I will be back tomorrow, and we will work this out." He leaned in and kissed Elizabeth on the cheek giving her a soft smile. "I'll see you soon."

Elizabeth was so confused she didn't notice Charles leaning in to kiss her cheek. She didn't realize what he was doing until he kissed her. She saw the hurt on his face, but she was a little more aggravated at his persistence of her coming back home than listening to her.

…

Elizabeth was sitting on the edge of her bed thinking about their conversation. His question concerning why she left Hope Valley with him and accept his proposal unsettled her. "If he thinks that, what must Jack think?" She asked herself. "Elizabeth, why haven't you written Jack? You wrote Abagail on numerous occassions…" Her conversation with herself was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Come in." She called out.

"What did you do, Elizabeth?" Viloa asked storming into the bedroom. "How could you treat Charles like that?"

"Viola, I didn't do anything wrong." She quickly matched her older sister's attitude. "We are not courting! We have never courted! We are not engaged!"

"Elizabeth, of course you are. You two act more like a couple then me and Sir Lionel."

Viola and Sir Lionel's relationship was not a normal courtship in Elizabeth's opinion. It was very formal, dry. There were no sparks. Elizabeth wasn't certain there was even friendship there. Viola enjoyed Sir Lionel's title and Sir Lionel enjoyed her trust fund and her father's money. This is not the type of life Elizabeth wanted for herself.

"Charles is only a friend. A close friend, but only a friend. We have never courted!"

"Don't be silly Elizabeth. During this trip and the last trip home, you spent all your time with Charles. Even with that mountie here, you spend more time with Charles than with him. If he is only a friend, why would you do that? At that party when you came home when mother was ill, you spend hours with Charles sitting in the living room and playing on the piano. You spent very little time with the mountie that night." The disdain Viola had for Jack couldn't be missed in her voice or attitude.

That is something that Elizabeth had questioned since Abagail's letter and her discussions with Mrs. P. Why did she do that? At the party, she spent hours playing the piano with Charles while Jack sat in a chair talking with other people or sitting by himself. When Jack left town, she had numerous lunches, dinners, and walks with Charles. She did spend all her time with him. If Jack was her love, why did she spend all this time with Charles? She growled in frustration. Then she laughed knowing that Jack does the same thing when he is frustrated.

"Elizabeth, you have many friends in Hamilton, yet you spend all of your time with one person, Charles. To me and to everyone else, it seems you have an understanding with Charles."

"That's not true." She defended.

"If it's not true, then why in the world do you act like it? Why do you only spend time with Charles and not that mountie?" With that statement, Viola huffed and turned to walk out of the room. Before leaving Elizabeth's bedroom, she turned at the door and faced her younger sister. Before Viola was able to say anything, Elizabeth stated. "Viola, he is a friend, and only a friend."

"Elizabeth, he doesn't think that way at all and neither does anyone else." Smirked Viola as she stepped through the door.

Along with Viola's statements and insinuations, Mrs. P's statement, and with Abagail's comments, the situation weighted on her. She closed her eyes trying to focus herself. This is what Mrs. P has taught her as a little kid.

"Elizabeth, why do you do that?" She asked herself. "Why do you ignore Jack and spent time with Charles? Why do you continue to do this when you know how Charles feels, and how Jack feels and must be thinking now?" After a couple of deep breaths, she answered her own questions. "Charles is just a friend." When she heard the words, they turned her stomach. "Elizabeth, quit hiding behind that friendship. You know the answer…so, just say it!" The weird feeling in her stomach only grew in intensity.

…

After the second day, Jack was a little tired of camping out in the wind and the rain. The weather has been nasty. He had the suspect in his view but was waiting for the best time to make the arrest. Jack wasn't sure if the suspect was waiting for his partner or just buying his time for the news to turn to the next story in town. Therefore, Jack would spend his days and nights sitting by his little single tent watching his suspect. Jack wanted a fire to warm up and eat something hot, but he knew he couldn't start a fire. A warm night and a hot meal would be a great blessing, but he couldn't take the chance in alerting his suspect of his location.

During that night, Jack decided to make the move to arrest the suspected bank robber. Well after midnight, Jack decided to quietly enter the camp and arrest the man while he slept. The moon wasn't providing a lot of light. This was in Jack's favor. Jack was within twenty feet from the camp site when he stopped behind a large oak tree. Something just didn't feel right to Jack. He didn't know what it was, but something was off. It was only a gut feeling, but he couldn't shake it off.

He paused for twenty minutes but didn't notice anything different. He didn't see anyone or hear anything. So, Jack decided now was the time. The camp was completely quiet and still. What Jack didn't know. The suspect's partner was thirty feet behind Jack hiding behind a tree watching him. Each time Jack would move, the unseen man moved to keep his position unknown to Jack. Jack finally worked his way to the edge of the camp. He said a quick prayer, checked his sidearm once more, and quickly moved in front of the suspect who didn't know what was happening.

"Freeze! Don't move! You are under arrest!" Jack yelled startling the man. The man jumped to his feet but instantly noticed his firearm was a good seven to eight feet away as he looked at this mountie's gun pointed at his chest.

The man froze. Trying to look for an escape, his mind was too startled to process the information quickly.

Then Jack felt something piercing in his shoulder.

…

Elizabeth stood under the gazebo watching the ducks on the pond. Since she was a teenager, this was a place where she would go to think. This was her private place. Her refuge. Her place to escape life for a few moments and clear her mind. Today was one of those days that she needed the gazebo.

She remembered the whole fiasco with Rosemary. Elizabeth was devastated at the secret of Jack's engagement to Rosemary. Rosemary was perfect at everything, and this made Elizabeth feel inferior. She hated that feeling. Elizabeth wasn't too familiar with courting and Rosemary stressed her out. Jack kept telling her that Rosemary was his past and not his present or future. Even knowing this, Elizabeth wasn't sure. She felt there must have been something still between Jack and Rosemary. After all, they were friends from childhood and grew up together. She saw them talking on the porch of the saloon and café. While those conversations seemed short and tense, her jealousy would still rise to the surface.

After church one Sunday, Rosemary jumped on the back of Jack's horse. She was infuriated with Rosemary's actions, but secretly she was amused with Jack's facial expression when she did it. He didn't look happy. She noticed that Rosemary always found a way to be close to Jack, but she also noticed that Jack was always upset when she was around. Jack would avoid Rosemary as best as he could, but you couldn't always avoid Rosemary.

As she watched another set of ducks swim by, she began to see the comparison between Jack and Rosemary and Charles and herself. Charles grew up with Elizabeth. They had a great friendship. They spent a lot of time together. While they were never engaged; they did spend a considerable amount of time with each other. Did Jack feel the same way toward Charles that she did with Rosemary?

The question that worked its way through Elizabeth's head was, "Why did I encourage Charles so much when I didn't love him that way?" Each time she repeated that question, the answer seemed further away. She did not have an answer to that question, or at least an answer she was willing to admit. Self-retrospect is difficult, and Elizabeth was quickly realizing how hard it could be.

…

The searing pain in Jack's shoulder was a pain he never experienced before that moment. It was hot and sharp. The force knocked him to the ground. In his shock, he laid still just long enough for the bank robbers to think Jack was dead, or at least, knocked out. This gave them plenty of time to escape.

After hearing the bank robbers' horses gallop off in the distance to the east, Jack began to move and try to get up. He couldn't move. The shock of being shot paralyzed Jack. After a few minutes, Jack was finally able to move his legs under him to sit up. He slid his way to a tree that was about ten feet to his left. He tore off a piece of his shirt to cover his wound. He was able to stop the bleeding but was still in a lot of pain.

Once on his feet, he slowly made his way back to his camp and to his horse. He needed to ride back to town so he could send a telegram to headquarters. He also needed the doctor to look at his wound. "Ok Sergeant, I need your help. Let's go slow and easy." Jack told his horse as he reached for the saddle horn. Jack smiled when Sergeant nodded his head as if he understood and agreed. Once on top of Sergeant, he patted the horse's neck. "Good boy. Let's go home."

…

Once in town, Jack quickly went to the mercantile. He was grateful to see a light glowing in the store. He pounded on the door calling for Mr. Yost. Jack was relieved to see him come around the corner.

"Jack…are you ok?"

"I need to send a telegram immediately."

Mr. Yost sent the telegram to Jack's superiors relating everything that happened and the direction the two bank robbers were headed. After that was finished, he asked Mr. Yost where the doctor was. "He left a little while ago to assume his rounds at the next town."

Jack was frustrated and not just because of the pain he was in. He thought again how great it would be for the town to have a permanent doctor, or at least a full-time nurse. "Fine" Jack said visibility frustrated. "Would you send a telegram to Buxton Regional Hospital and ask for them to send a doctor immediately?"

"Sure, constable. I will do that now." Mr. Yost turned his back to Jack to send the message. "Sent" he stated. "You may need to go see Abagail for her to wrap your shoulder until the doctor gets here."

As Abagail was placing a new bandage on Jack's shoulder, Mr. Yost came running into the café side door. "Constable, Buxton Hospital said a doctor will be in a few hours. He's on his way."

"Great! We need a full-time doctor here." Jack stated.

"Jack, you know Mr. Gowen would never pay for a full-time doctor." Abagail said with a sad smile on her face.

…

Six hours later, a small, enclosed wagon pulled up to the stagecoach station. A young, curly blonde-haired woman jump out of the door of the wagon and took a deep breath as if she was trying to memorize every smell of the small town. Before she left the hospital, her boss mentioned if she wanted the posting, she would be the full-time nurse at the infirmary in Hope Valley.

Abagail heard the wagon enter town and stepped out of the café when the stagecoach came to a stop at the station. She smiled as the young blonde-haired woman tilted her head back and took in a deep breath. "Hello. My name is Ms. Abagail Stanton. Please call me Abagail. I will take you to the constable who was shot."

"Hello Ms. Stanton. I mean Abagail. My name is Nurse Faith Carter. The Buxton Regional Hospital sent me to check on a mountie." Faith stated. "The doctor couldn't get away."

"Yes. He is this way. I hope you can help. It's not too bad, but I know he is in a lot of pain. Plus, Jack is very important to our town."

Faith was so intrigued with looking around the town, she didn't notice when Abagail mentioned Jack's name. While Faith thought the town was small, it was still beautiful and by the looks of things, growing. "That will be fine Abagail. Just let me get my supplies together." Faith stated and she turned around getting her bags from the stagecoach driver.

Without saying another word, Abagail led Faith to the café where Jack was lying down trying to rest. Faith walked into the room following Abagail. Jack looked up at the sound of Abagail walking through the bedroom door, and then a second person was behind Abagail who he couldn't see yet.

"Jack I would like to introduce you to Nurse…" Jack cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"Faith! What in the world are you doing here?" He stated as he tried to sit up a little bit more.

"Jack! What happened to you?" All three stared at each other for a few moments trying to let the surprise settle into their minds. Abagail was wondering how they knew each other. Then she remembered Elizabeth was unhappy with a nurse from Hamilton named Faith, but this young lady couldn't be the same Faith from Hamilton.

Jack was just as shocked. How could Nurse Faith Carter be sent so far for a simple gunshot wound? Faith just stood staring at Jack. Ever since she met Jack while she treated his brother, Faith had a little crush on Jack. She knew he was courting a Thatcher daughter, so she never let her mind wonder too much. "The Buxton Hospital send me to help the const…I mean Jack. They didn't have any doctors available."

Abagail noticed the awkwardness of the moment and asked how they knew each other. "Jack, how could you possibly know who this nurse is?" She had her suspicions about who Faith could be, but it wasn't possible, not from Hamilton.

"I meet Faith in Hamiton when I went to check on my brother. She was his nurse in the hospital."

"No…No" was going through Abagail's mind. "This isn't going to be good." While she was thinking that, she stated, "That's great. At least we know Nurse Carter is a good nurse."

"Thank you, Ms. Stanton," Faith stated a little embarrassed.

"Please, call me Abagail. No need for formalities."

Faith smiled and nodded her head toward Abagail. She has a nice smile and seems very pleasant thought Abagail. This may cause trouble if Elziabeth comes home.

"If you'll excuse me Abagail, I need to take a look at Jack's shoulder." Abagail smiled and stepped back with the intention of going downstairs to prepare tea and cookies for the nurse and Jack. That was until she heard Faith's next statement to Jack. "Ok, Jack. Let's take that shirt off so I can see the wound and take care of it."

"I think I'll just stand in the corner and help, if necessary," said Abagail.

…

Elizabeth sat at her desk in her room trying to put the correct words down on paper. She has attempted to write Abagail for a couple of days, but she was struggling to do so. After another sigh and another new piece of paper, she tried once again to state her heart to her best friend and sister.

My Dearest Sister Abagail –

To say I miss you would be a huge understatement. I miss our talks, and to be perfectly honest, I miss your biscuits too!

Yes. Charels proposed to me that day. I can't believe he did that. He just showed up unannounced and dropped down to his knee. I didn't know what to do. I was nervous…scared…and didn't know how to answer.

I had no idea Jack was on the front steps. I thought I heard something but when I glanced out of the front door, I did not see anyone. I can't believe he heard everything.

First, I want you to know…I did not ask Charles to come, and I did not accept his proposal. I'm not sure why Jack thinks I did. I did agree to come back with Charles to talk with my father. Maybe he misunderstood the two?

Secondly, I have been thinking about your question asking me if I loved Charles. To be quite honest, I haven't thought of anything else over the past few days. I do love him. He has been a great friend since I was four years old. We have had many great times together and countless talks that mean the world to me. We have gone to a couple of dances together but nothing except friends.

Yes, Abagail. I have been to parties with him since we have been back in Hamilton. I have had a few lunches and even dinners with him too. But only as friends. Nothing more than that. But I'm starting to question if I have misled him. Just yesterday we were having lunch together and he was acting as if we were courting. I was a little shocked at his behavior.

Now, to your hardest question. I do not want a relationship with him. I do not feel for him that way. I do love our friendship. I enjoy his company. I have always considered him my best friend, but I'm not sure why I continue this friendship knowing how Jack feels. I always thought Jack was just jealous concerning Charles but realized that you were right…Charles isn't too much different than Rosemary. I don't know why I continue to do what I'm doing with Charles when I asked Jack to stop talking with Rosemary. Why do I do that, Abagail?

As Elizabeth folded and enclosed the letter into the envelope, she was reminded of Abagail's most difficult question.

Do you want a relationship with Charles? From where I stand, the answer is a resounding yes. When I was in Hamilton, you were inseparable with Charles. You would dress up and join him for dinner and even the picnic in the parlor when you guys sat on the floor. If I didn't know better, I would think there was a relationship between you two. If you don't want a relationship with him, why do you act like you two are courting? Plus, how is Charles different from Rosemary? I know you two were never engaged, but you certainly act like you are.

How do you think Jack is dealing with all of this? If I think this way, can you imagine how Jack is thinking?

Charles was not Rosemary exactly, but he did seem to be fighting for her attention like Rosemary did with Jack. This completely frustrated Elizabeth. Especially after church one day when he was awarded a certificate and the money for capturing the Toliver gang when Rosemary jumped on the back of Jack's horse with him. She was never into violence and didn't believe you can solve problems with your fists, but she would have like to hit Rosemary with whatever was in her hands.

So, why does she keep spending so much time with Charles? He has mentioned that they were courting, even when she said they weren't. "Ah, I need to figure this out!" She said while shaking her head.

…

Julie stepped into Elizabeth's room without knocking. "Excuse me little sister. Did you forget your manners?"

"Elizabeth, I have never knocked before entering your room. Why would I start now?" exclaimed an excited Julie. We need to go shopping and eat lunch. We need a sister day and I need to get out of this house. Father and mother are suffocating me with this endless talk about meeting some boring man.

"Julie" Elizabeth scolded before continuing, "You need to act your age. You need to find your purpose. And, no, it is not shopping and talking about boys."

"You're starting to sound like mother. Let's go!"

"Alright Julie." An exasperated Elizabeth sighed.

As they were walking between stores, Elizabeth asked Julie something that was weighing on her mind, "What is going on with you and Tom?"

"First, father basically ran him out of town. He left this morning. He thought that Tom was a bad influence on me. He didn't believe me when I told him I was driving the car. He went to take a job in some rock quarry. He wanted to find his way in this life so he could ask father for my hand." Julie swanned over that statement. "I'm not sure if father will allow me to marry Tom. He called him a scoundrel!" Julie stated with frustration in her voice.

"He actually said that?" Elizabeth asked with a bit of uncertainty in her voice. She knew that her father wasn't the biggest fans of the Thorton brothers. "What did he say exactly?"

"Dear sister, I don't think you want to know…" Julie stated. She wasn't sure if she wanted to have this discussion with Elizabeth. Elizabeth gave her the older sister look Julie knew all too well. "Fine." She huffed. "He said the Thornton brothers were nothing but scoundrels and unworthy of his daughters' hearts. I don't understand the spell they have over my two youngest daughters."

Elizabeth stared at Julie. She didn't see Julie's tell when she was exaggerating. Julie had a serious, almost remorseful look on her face. "I can't believe father would say that!"

"That's not all." Julie stated as she shook her head.

…

As far as gun shots go, Jack's wasn't bad. After cleaning the wound, Faith told Jack that he needed to rest it for two to three days and then he can return to light duty for one week. After that and if he heals properly, he should be able to go back to full service.

Jack was excited about going back to full service and certainly excited the wound wasn't as bad as it could have been, but he didn't look forward to the downtime. Any time he had to himself was thinking about Elizabeth and Mr. Jaw. As much as he tried, he just could not reconcile what happened in the schoolhouse with Charles and the time with Elizabeth in the mine. The constant thinking about this was becoming exhausting.

Faith must have noticed the confusion on Jack's face. "Hey, why don't you get cleaned up and changed and we can go grab something to eat? And, if you want, we can talk about whatever is weighing on you."

Jack was hungry after everything that happened. He was tired and he was tired of lying in bed. Getting out of the room and eating sounded good to him. "Thanks Faith. That sounds good."

For Jack, Faith was a great nurse. She took care of Tom after the car accident with Julie. She was kind and helpful in determining that Tom wasn't driving. She also helped Tom find a job with her uncle outside of Hamilton. She was friendly and pleasant to talk too. They did have a few things in common. She lost her mother when she was younger and was following in her mother's footsteps by being a nurse. Jack lost his father at a young age and was also following in his father's footsteps by being a mountie. For Jack, she was quickly becoming a good friend, but nothing further than that. For him, Elizabeth already has taken Jack's heart. Too bad she doesn't feel the same way toward him.

…

The next day, Elizabeth stopped by the post office to mail a letter to Abagail. She stood in line behind a tall, older woman. The lady in front of her dropped a letter and Elizabeth bend over to pick it up. When she handed the letter to the lady, Elizabeth had a feeling that she knew the woman. "Ma'am, do I know you? Have we meet before?"

The older lady thanked Elizabeth for her kind gesture. She looked at Elizabeth closely but did not recognize her. "No, I don't think so. I am not from here. I was visiting my son, Tom."

"I'm sorry. I just feel like I know you." The older lady just smiled and stepped forward when the postman behind the counter asked for the next person in line.

"Yes sir. I need to mail this to Hope Valley."

Elizabeth overheard her statement. Hope Valley? Did she say Hope Valley? "Excuse me…did you say Hope Valley?"

"Yes. I did. Do you know of Hope Valley? My oldest son lives there. He was hurt and I am sending a letter to check in on him."

"Yes ma'am" Elizabeth said enthusiastically. "I have lived there for the past three years. I am the schoolteacher there." Elizabeth was shocked that this lady in Hamilton had a son living in Hope Valley. Then the words from the older lady registered to Elizabeth. "Is your son, ok? Who is it? I may know him."

"My son was shot earlier this week. He is the constable in Hope Valley. His name is Jack Thornton."