Chapter 5 – Full Steam Ahead

Thursday

Jack woke up Thursday to Elizabeth tracing her finger along his abdomen muscles and the v line his hip created.

"JT is still sleeping and will be for at least another hour." Elizabeth said, low and sultry.

Jack needed to be told twice. He moved to kiss his wife and the fire between them quickly grew. They laid under the covers, spent from their love making when they heard little feet in the hallway. Jack grabbed his pajama pants and pulled on a henley as he went out into the hallway.

"Shh." Jack said. "Mama is sleeping. Let me get dressed and I will make breakfast."

JT nodded and then went back to his room. Jack went back to his own.

"I got you about twenty minutes." Jack whispered.

Elizabeth nodded as Jack quickly got dressed. He left, pulling the door shut. He then collected his son and headed downstairs. He got them some breakfast and they were just finishing eating when Elizabeth came down the steps. Jack greeted her as she reached the bottom step. He gave her a kiss and then another.

"Good morning." Jack said. "I have to go, but I will try to let you know if I will be home tonight. I need to do some laundry as well as order more clothes, since I don't have a lot."

"I can do that." Elizabeth said.

Jack handed her the list of things he wanted, gave her one more and then walked to the table. He squatted down and looked his son in the eye.

"Be good for Mama." Jack said. "I love you and I will see you later."

"Be safe." Elizabeth said, as Jack walked to the door.

He turned and gave her a dimpled grin. Jack grabbed his hat and was out the door. He hadn't gotten far when he saw Nathan walking toward him so he waited.

"Morning." Jack said.

"Morning." Nathan said. "We need to execute those search warrants this morning. I want to get Bouchard out of here and get back to a routine."

"I agree." Jack said. "Something happen? You seem off this morning?"

"I am fine." Nathan said.

Jack grabbed Nathan's arm, stopping them both.

"I might have just met you." Jack said. "But that line won't work on me. I am excellent at reading people. My mother and brother used to try that on me all the time and I knew there was something going on."

"I am trying to figure something out." Nathan said. "It is personal."

"Okay." Jack said. "But I am here if you need to talk. What I will say is if it is about a woman, I will tell you to go for it. Finally opening my heart to Elizabeth was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was very anti-marriage when I arrived and when I finally realized that I could be both a Mountie and a husband, I had almost lost Elizabeth to my indecision. So if you love this woman, go for it. If you are not sure, then do something to figure it out."

"What should I do?" Nathan asked. "I think we are meant for each other, but after everything that has happened, I don't know."

Jack let out a harsh breath, then motioned for them to start walking again.

"How I knew Elizabeth was the one for me." Jack said. "When we shook hands for the first time, it felt like a lightning bolt had hit me and my arm was tingling. Then after that she was my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. I couldn't get her out of my head. I will admit, my head went places it shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it."

Nathan just nodded, because he completely understood what Jack was saying.

"What pushed you to finally ask her?" Nathan asked.

"I got orders to the Northern Territories." Jack said. "I didn't want to leave without her knowing I was coming back for her. I had planned to propose months before, but life got in the way. Then I spent over the next year in the fighting up North. I came home and we were married within weeks.

Another week and I got the call about Fort Clay. We left the next morning to drive the wagon to Fort Clay for our honeymoon. Well you know how the rest went. Elizabeth and I spent over four years courting, a year engaged – most of it apart and the less than a month as a married couple. Now, I am trying to make up for the last five years. So don't wait. If you love her, ask her."

Again, Nathan just nodded. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Jack had said what he could say, the rest was up to Nathan. Nathan, for his part, was thinking about the ring that was in his pocket and wondering if he would have the courage to use it. He was thinking about everything that his sister had said to him over the previous week. He was still torn and no closer to making a decision.

When they got closer to the jail all they could hear was yelling. They couldn't make out the words, but there were three distinct voices. Jack stepped into the office, surveyed the scene. Bouchard and Delaney were yelling at each other and Bill was yelling at both of them. Nathan moved to go around Jack and break it up. Jack stopped him, holding his arm out.

"Cover your ears." Jack said.

Nathan did as Jack said, as Jack let out an ear piercing sharp whistle using only his mouth. Everyone stopped and looked at Jack who was standing in the middle of the room.

"Bill outside." Jack commanded.

Seeing the look in Jack's eyes, Bill just nodded and stepped out. Nathan shut the door and stood guard. Jack took two steps closer to the cells. He glared at both men. Nathan saw the look on his face and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Sit down!" Jack bellowed.

Delaney sat on his bunk, he had heard about the Thornton temper and wasn't going to push any further. Lucas opened his mouth to protest. Jack unsnapped his pistol holster and took another step toward Bouchard.

"I said sit down." Jack said, his tone icy and his glare steel. "I have enough evidence and a list of charges so long that I could shoot you right now and no sane judge in this country would fault me. So just try me."

Bouchard thought about it for a moment, but then sat down on his bunk. Jack resnapped his holster and paced up and down between the cells still glaring at the two men.

"Don't try me again." Jack said. "Bouchard. You are being held until we can figure out where we will try you first, considering you have charges across three provinces and at least two states in another country. You will be lucky to ever see freedom again. If I had my way, I would chain you to a cold damp cell in the lower level of Medicine Hat prison and lose the key."

Jack turned on his heel and stared down Delaney.

"You." Jack said, the disdain clear in his voice. "You are being held on the order of the Commissioner and will be dealt with when he sees fit. So I suggest you sit there, keep your mouth shut and figure out how you are going to explain your actions to your father and Commissioner."

Jack walked back to the desk.

"Clinton!" Jack called.

The man stepped out from the back room.

"You have the desk." Jack said. "No one other than us Mounties enters this office."

"Yes, Sir." Clinton said. "There was a call before all the yelling. Judge Avery took it. I didn't catch it all, but something about a woman."

"Thank you." Jack said. "I will deal with it. The rest of us will be at Bill's office and then the hotel. Take a message and we can deal with it later."

Clinton nodded and gave both men a salute. Jack and Nathan saluted back. Jack grabbed a few things from the desk and stepped out. Nathan was right behind him.

"Bill." Jack said, walking to the man standing at the end of the porch looking toward the hotel.

"Sorry." Bill said. "I let Bouchard goad me. I shouldn't have let it get that bad."

"No, I get it." Jack said. "He has a way of getting under your skin. I don't think we will have any more problems. What was the call? Clinton said something."

"Helen Bouchard." Bill said. "Apparently she is worried. She can't get a hold of him and he never checked into the hotel in Union City. They were supposed to have left Little Jack with the new nanny so she could accompany him to Hamilton for boarding school while Lucas and Elizabeth headed to New Orleans to sail to South America for six months. She is demanding to come here. She says she has an order giving her custody of Little Jack and she is going to take him. She also said that if we don't let her see Lucas or tell her where she is, she will go to the press and say the Mounties are holding him hostage."

"So how did the yelling start?" Jack asked.

"I hung up the phone and turned to ask Bouchard a question." Bill said. "He said something in French and then they started yelling back and forth. I was trying to catch everything and get them to sit down when you came in."

"Got it." Jack said.

"What are we going to do?" Nathan said.

"Call Union City." Jack said. "Tell them to let her come, but they aren't authorized to give her any additional information. You and I will meet her at the station. And deal with her there."

"What are you going to do?" Nathan asked.

"Better if you probably don't know." Jack said, with a smirk and glint in his eye.

"Jack Thomas." Bill said.

"I am going to teach her to cross a Thornton." Jack said.

Jack turned to walk away, then turned and looked at Bill and Nathan.

"Charlotte's way." Jack said, with a laugh.

Jack walked toward the cafe laughing.

"What was that about?" Nathan asked.

Bill rubbed his forehead and let out a harsh breath.

"Charlotte is his mother." Bill said. "Let's just say that she is a force to be reckoned with. She once threatened to tie a smart-mouthed young Mountie to the back of his horse and set him on a gallop."

"Oh boy." Nathan said. "Any idea what Jack is planning?"

"No." Bill said. "And that is what has me worried. He was protective of Elizabeth five years ago, I can't imagine now. Bouchard injured Little Jack, I am surprised Jack had the restraint to not shoot him."

"Well." Nathan said. "He kind of threatened to."

"Did he actually point a gun at him or just say it?" Bill asked.

"Just said it." Nathan said. "What is the difference?"

"Let's go over to my office and I will tell you." Bill said.

Bill and Nathan walked to Bill's office.

"So this happened before I came here." Bill said. "But I have heard several accounts of the incident. One of the Pinkerton men who was here had Elizabeth held at gunpoint. This was shortly after they arrived and before they were courting. This Pinkerton had framed one of the widows. He made it look like she started the fire because she rejected his advances within days of her husband's death. His body hadn't even been dug out of the mine yet.

Anyway, somehow Elizabeth ended up going to his cabin to return a piece of jewelry one of the boys found or something. She was trying to help her friend who had been accused of arson, so when she saw fresh candles hanging and a burn spot, she was compelled to check it. She smelt the burnt whale oil and knew how the can had ended up at the fire scene at the church. Before she had a chance to leave, and let Jack know Spurlock pulled a pistol and was holding her at gunpoint when Jack rode in and clocked him with the butt end of the rifle, knocking him unconscious and breaking the man's nose.

After checking on Elizabeth, he tied the unconscious Pinkerton to a tree and brought Elizabeth back to town. Once releasing the widow and seeing her to her children, Jack went back and literally tied the man to the back of his horse and told his choices were to walk or be dragged. Jack didn't say another word all the way to Benson Hills. Just before they got to town, Jack stopped, pulled his pistol, pointed it at the Pinkerton and told him if he ever came near Elizabeth again he would shoot him on sight. Jack fired three rounds at the man's feet just to prove a point."

"Okay." Nathan said. "Note to self, stay on Jack's good side."

Bill chuckled.

"His anger is reserved for the criminals." Bill said. "Just be aware if he warns someone that he is going to shoot them and he has his weapon drawn. There was also the story of how he rescued Elizabeth when the Tolliver gang took her and sister hostage. He got them back without firing his weapon. There are a few others as well."

"I have heard bits and pieces of the Tolliver story." Nathan said.

"You should ask Patrick." Bill said. "He tells it best since he was here for it."

"Superintendent O'Reilly?" Nathan asked.

"Yep." Bill said.

"I will definitely have to hear that one." Nathan said.

"Let's get to work." Bill said. "Jack will find us."

Bill and Nathan went over to the hotel and started getting to work. Bill worked on opening the safes. Nathan always felt that the safe sitting in the corner was too obvious. So he picked up a can that was in the umbrella holder and started tapping the floor listening for different sounds. When he thought he heard one, he marked it for them to check for a trap door or hidden compartment. Once he had checked the whole floor in the office and the storeroom, he checked the walls, the internal size of the office and storeroom didn't make sense to him. They should have been bigger.