Chapter 6 – Standoff and Conversations

By the time that Jack got there, they had found four hidden compartments. All had a metal lockbox hidden in them. Since the warrant was written for all safes, lockboxes and storage areas – visible and hidden, they were covered. They eventually got them all open, some with technique and others with brute force. They found several thousand more dollars, diamonds and more paperwork. Everything was documented as it was found and then what was in the safe or lockbox. Once they had documented everything, they took it all over to Bill's office and double counted the money and checked the diamonds before locking everything in Bill's safe. Jack noticed the time.

"Nathan." Jack said. "We need to go."

"Okay." Nathan said. "Let me get Newton."

"No need." Jack said. "I borrowed Lee's car. Bill! Clinton is still at the jailhouse. White is at the house and Thompson is standing guard outside the hotel."

Bill waved his hand and they left. Nathan was still confused but he was willing to let it go. Nathan was even more confused when Jack opened the back door and got in, Nathan opened the front door and got in.

"Hi boys." Rosemary said

"Hi Rosie." Jack said. "Thanks for helping with this."

"No problem." Rosemary said. "I never liked that woman anyway."

"So do you know what we are doing?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Rosemary said. "But all you need to do is your job."

"Okay." Nathan said.

"Trust me." Jack said. "It will all make sense later. Rosie and I know what we are doing?"

"How well do you know Jack?" Nathan asked. "The only one that I have ever heard call you Rosie is Lee."

"Jack and I?" Rosemary said.

She looked in the rearview mirror and Jack just gave her a dimpled grin.

"Jack is the reason I came to then Coal Valley." Rosemary said.

"I don't understand." Nathan said.

"We were almost married at one time." Rosemary said.

Nathan coughed a few times and Jack patted his back.

"Don't worry." Rosemary said. "Ancient history. Jack and I grew up together. We got engaged and then I decided that my acting career was more important and I didn't want to be the wife of a Mountie. Two years later, I came out here looking at getting Jack back. My career had stalled and I thought marrying Jack would be a good next step. By that time, he was involved with Elizabeth. It caused some drama between us. I was still working at trying to win Jack back when Lee blew into town on a motorcycle during the mining trial. I saw him and well, the rest is history."

"Except you tortured poor Lee and made him almost crazy." Jack said. "He had to pretend to date Molly to make you jealous enough to admit that you had feelings for him. Then you almost threw it away for some sleazy director."

"But we got married, didn't we?" Rosemary said.

Nathan was laughing at the banter between the two.

"I guess." Jack said. "You definitely keep things interesting."

"And you love it." Rosemary said with a smile.

Jack just rolled his eyes and Nathan laughed harder. He had so many questions, but they had just pulled into the station.

"So what do you want me to do?" Nathan said.

"Just stand next to me and be the town Mountie." Jack said.

"I can do that." Nathan said.

"Thanks Rosie." Jack said. "I will see you in a minute."

Jack got out and Nathan followed. As they left the car, Rosemary pulled around to the side across the tracks. Nathan knew that there wasn't anything over there, but he was beyond asking questions. The two men walked into the station, Jack waved at the station master, who nodded. Jack then led Nathan to stand on the platform waiting for the train.

The men were not disappointed. Fifteen minutes later the train pulled in and it had barely stopped when Helen Bouchard herself stepped off the train and made a beeline straight for Nathan.

"Constable Grant." Helen said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I have court orders you need to enforce and I want answers as to where my son is. Why is no one answering the phone at the hotel and why was I detained by the Mounties before I was allowed to come here?"

"Sorry ma'am." Nathan said. "I am not at liberty to speak to you about certain things. I have my orders from my superiors."

Suddenly, Nathan felt Jack's hand on his back and as Jack stepped back, so did Nathan. Without warning, a swarm of reports and photographers had swarmed Helen Bouchard. They had gotten off the train and were shouting over each other and snapping her photograph. The reporters were asking questions so fast, she couldn't answer them. Jack let it go on for close to five minutes, before he stepped forward.

"Enough guys." Jack called out.

Immediately all the reports stopped shouting and snapping photographs.

"Is there a statement that you can give us?" One reporter called out.

"What is your name?" Another called from the back.

Nathan instantly recognized that as Rosemary. He was figuring out their little game.

"Sorry." Jack said. "Constable Nathan Grant and I, Corporal Jack Thornton, don't have much that we can tell you at this time. There will be a full press conference next week, please come back for that."

Helen Bouchard's face paled when she heard Jack say his name.

"Is there anything that you can tell us?" Rosemary called out. "Why are visitors being kept away? What about the townspeople? Are they okay?"

Jack looked back at Nathan and gave him a small nod. Nathan stepped forward.

"There is an ongoing investigation." Nathan said. "Several children were injured when Mr Bouchard drove his car into a crowd on Saturday night. The children are fine and are with their families. We have temporarily shut things down out of respect to the families. I am sorry, that is all I can say. As Corporal Thornton said, there will be a full press conference next week. If there is something before that, a press release will be made through the local paper and sent out."

The stationmaster and conductor then came out and ushered the press back onto the train. Rosemary slipped back to her car and Nathan saw her pull back around the front to pick them up. Helen was left standing there dumbfounded. Once all the press were back on the train, Jack took a step closer to Helen.

"You come near my son or try to take him anywhere." Jack said, low and cold. "I will put you in a cell across from your brother Andrew."

Jack then stepped back.

"Now." Jack said. "I suggest that you get back on that train. The hotel is closed until further notice and you are not welcome in this town. I suggest you leave, before I find a reason to arrest you."

"This isn't over." Helen sneered. "I will be back with a lawyer."

"Fine." Jack said. "Also, stay away from my wife. She is no longer associated with your publishing company. If you have a problem with that, you can speak to her father, William Thatcher in Hamilton."

Jack then turned and looked at Nathan.

"Make sure she leaves." Jack said.

Jack didn't look back, but went into the station and out to the car where Rosemary was waiting. Nathan saw Helen back to the train and waited for it to pull out before he went to join Jack.

"I have never seen that woman rattled." Nathan said, as they headed back to town.

"Good." Jack said. "Then maybe she will stay away from my family."

"You know that she is going to be back with a lawyer." Nathan said.

"Good luck with that." Jack said. "As of the moment that she stepped foot on the train, all of her assets were frozen pending the outcome of the investigation into Lucas, since they are potentially proceeds of illegal activity. Also, thank you so much for your help Rosie."

"No problem." Rosemary said. "I still think you should have just let me shoot her."

"Rosemary!" Nathan chastised.

"What?" Rosemary said. "I am a good shot. I could have gotten her from a distance as she stepped off the train. She would never have seen me."

"If she comes back and tries anything with JT." Jack said. "You have my permission to shoot."

"JT?" Nathan asked.

"We don't want to call him Little forever." Jack said. "So to distinguish between us, I will be Jack and he will be JT."

"Got it." Nathan said.

"He has already corrected me today." Rosemary said.

Rosemary dropped them back at Bill's office. She then took the car to her office and walked home. She sent White back to town. There wasn't much for the three from Union City to do, but guard the two prisoners and keep the peace in town, but they had been ordered to stay, so stay they did.

The rest of Thursday was spent in Bill's office going over the paperwork that they had found. They were able to piece quite a bit more together and from that a whole list of additional paperwork requests were made. Bill and Nathan couldn't believe how widespread Bouchard's corruption spread. Jack didn't seem fazed and they both wondered about it. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened with Hargraves, but Bill knew that whatever had happened in the five years that Jack was gone, it had made him a much more focused Mountie. Not that he wasn't before, but he didn't always think before he acted. This Jack not only took command, but with authority and with clear direction.

Bill told both Nathan and Jack to go home around five. He said that they could spend Friday making sure that they had everything in order to present to the Commissioner. They could also finish writing everything up for charges and other arrest warrants the next day. Jack and Nathan, both headed toward the row houses. Bill stayed back and continued to work. Jack watched Nathan walk to his house. He was thinking about the conversation that they had had that morning. Jack wished that there was more that he could do for his new friend, but he knew that Nathan needed to make the decision for himself.

…. …. …. ….

Nathan got home and found the note from Allie. She was spending the evening with Angela, Opal, and Emily at Emily's house. Nathan was glad that Allie had friends that she could spend time with. So with Allie taken care of, Nathan hung his serge and then changed into casual clothes. Before he left the house, he tucked his pistol into his boot and put the ring in his pocket. He knew why he took the pistol, but he wasn't sure why he took the ring, just that he felt he needed to. He had planned to go for a ride to clear his head. He was thinking about the previous evening and how Carol had made him feel.

As he thought about things, he had been surprised he hadn't seen her all day. He knew that she hadn't left on the train, so he wondered what she had been up to. Little did Nathan know that Carol had spent the day soul searching and wasn't any closer to answers then when she had gotten up that morning. She had had a very long conversation with Pastor Joseph and then spent the afternoon baking cookies with Minnie of all things.

…. …. …. ….

Nathan had taken his time heading back into town. He went straight for the livery. He checked his saddle bags and had supplies if needed, so he saddled Newton and headed out. He had planned to ride up to Bill's land and then he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he needed to clear his head. The ride wasn't helping do anything other than clarify the case in Nathan's head. He was thinking about the case and not what he should have been thinking about, which was what he was going to do with his feelings for Carol. He knew that there was something between them and he wondered if it would be worth the risk of trying.

When Nathan got up to Bill's land, he let Newton graze and went to sit by the river. He was thinking and he absentmindedly picked up a piece of wood that the river had washed up on the bank. He pulled out his knife and started to carve it as he thought about things. He wasn't even sure what he was carving until he looked down and there were two intertwined doves. He finished the rough carving and set it aside.

"You know doves are a symbol of love." The voice said.

Nathan looked over and saw Colleen again. He shook his head. He knew that she would show up. It always happened when he was trying to puzzle something – especially a battle between his head and heart.

"I already told you what you need to do."

"I don't think I can."

"Why? You have a lot to offer. Apparently the ladies think you are good looking, funny, caring and something about luscious lips and hair. I don't know you are my brother. I will agree that you can be funny and are really caring."

"I am scared."

"You don't think I was scared when I had Allie."

"That was different."

"Not really."

"Then enlighten me."

"You have already done the hard part. You know that you are capable of love. You learned that with Elizabeth, even if she wasn't the one for you. You just need to open yourself up. I know that it feels hard, especially after everything that you have been through. You feel like you need to be guarded so you don't get hurt again. What was that plaque that you made Elizabeth?"

"Do what you are afraid of. A quote from Emerson."

"That is right. Maybe it is time that you need to take your own advice. I love you, but I can't keep having the same conversation with you."

"I love you."

"I love you, too brother. Just know that I am always watching over you and Allie, even if I don't come back like this."

"I know."

"Make the right choice."

Nathan sat there for a while longer. He then picked up the doves and walked back to the clearing. He called for Newton who came trotting over. He tucked the doves into his saddlebag and swung up on his trusted companion. They headed home at a leisurely pace. As Nathan got close to town, he realized that he was hungry so he planned to care for Newton and then head to the cafe. When he walked into the livery, Carol was there, petting Sergeant.

"Hi." Carol said, no looking back, but knowing it was him.

"Hi." Nathan said.

"I was hoping to catch you." Carol said. "When I saw Newton gone, I waited. Who does this one belong to?"

"Jack." Nathan said. "Well technically his son, but maybe Jack again. It is complicated."

"Why?" Carol asked.

"Technically Sergeant here was retired." Nathan said. "There was a landslide and things happened. Sergeant and Jack were separated and when he wouldn't let anyone ride him, he was sent back here for Jack's wife to keep. She made it clear that the horse, which is perfectly fine, is for Jack's son when he is bigger."

"Why were they separated?" Carol asked.

"Chaos at the scene." Nathan said. "Then Jack was needed in an undercover operation. So it was easier to retire his horse and send him back here."

"Oh." Carol said.

"You like to ride?" Nathan asked.

"I love to ride." Carol said. "I just don't get to do it as often as I like."

Carol told Nathan about her day while he finished brushing Newton. Finally, Nathan grabbed a treat for both Newton and Sergeant. When he went to give Sergeant his, the horse literally pushed Carol into Nathan. Nathan caught her as the horse nickered, bobbing his head. When Nathan opened his eyes, his face was inches from Carol's face. They were staring at each other, neither wanted to move. Nathan's heart was pounding in his ears and without thinking he closed the distance capturing Carol's lips with his own. She froze for a moment, but then started to return the kiss.