Set during Season 7, Episode 18, Missing Scenes...I thought this would be one chapter, but I might expand it to cover the events of the episode.
He looked around and closed his bedroom door before the call connected.
"Hey there, Cowboy," Jack heard and was instantly glad he'd closed the door because he knew the goofy grin he had on his face would have come under more scrutiny from Lou had she seen it. "I've been busy planning for tomorrow's events, that is if we're still on?"
"I am counting down the minutes," he told her in reply as he started pacing his bedroom. "I'm calling with some updates."
"Okay," Lisa replied. "Let's hear it. Can I just tell you how excited I am to be finally marrying you?"
"You and me both," he chuckled, and Jack realized he had been actively pacing this entire time. He would wear out the floor doing this, so he walked around the bed and sat in the armchair in the corner of his room. The chair was next to the exterior door, and he sometimes used this chair to put on or take off his boots, if he was going out his side door, which wasn't that often. Today, though, he was grateful for the chair in his room for providing some privacy to speak to his fiancée, something that still brought a grin to his face. Still brought, not that they'd been engaged that long, not even 12 hours yet, but it had been a very long time coming, and he was thrilled to finally be marrying Lisa.
"So, I made a couple of calls. I spoke to Randy, and he agreed to marry us. Matter of fact, he was really happy for us," Jack told her.
"Ahh, that's sweet, and I'm glad he is available. I assume you told him we are being discreet about this?"
"I did, and he said that was no problem. He also said knowing me, that was no surprise too."
Lisa laughed, and Jack could almost picture her through the phone, that brilliant smile of hers, "Well, I can't tell you how many people tell me you seem like such a man of mystery. I tell them what you see is what you get with Jack. You're loyal, honest, and well, the perfect man for me, but I don't tell people that part."
"Well, I'm not even sure we have time for me to list all of your wonderful qualities, but just off the top of my head, you're smart, witty, loving, kind, generous, and incredibly beautiful."
"Jack, I already agreed to marry you," she chuckled. "You're making me blush."
"I'll keep saying it. Haven't sealed this deal yet," he chuckled.
"Stop," she laughed. "I'm marrying you. I'll be there. You should have no doubt. I mean, I turned down a multi-million dollar offer on Fairfield for you, which should tell you just how serious I am about staying, about us."
"Oh, I'm serious too," he nodded, leaning further back in the chair. "You realize that while all I want is for us to be married, and I'm very happy we are doing this on our own without the opinions of the entire family. You and I both know that as soon as they all find out, I'll be lucky to live. No reason to worry about future health issues. The girls will kill me for doing all of this without them."
"Just stop," she said giggling. They'd both been in an incredibly giddy mood since he'd proposed, but that was to be expected. Neither could wipe the grins off their faces, and once Jack had gotten through the stress of the actual proposal late last night, they were able to just enjoy talking and making plans. They'd finally retired to bed sometime in the middle of the night, neither aware of the time, and even though Jack had been complaining to Lisa about the lack of sleep over the last couple of days with their bet, their engagement had rejuvenated him, and he wasn't tired today. He was sure he'd pay for it in a few days once they were married and things settled down again. By then, he'd have a wife, his lovely Lisa; she wasn't slipping through his fingers again ever.
The more he talked to her on the phone, the more he relaxed, not that he realized he was a bit stressed. He wasn't stressed about marrying her, but more about keeping this as they wanted, discreet, and just theirs. He did love his family, but he had always tried to keep his private life just that, private. Sure, Lisa was constantly around; he loved her, and she was part of the family especially after almost eight years, but he didn't discuss their relationship with the girls or Tim, of course not Tim, well, except when any of those people tried to discuss HIS relationship with HIM. Tim had done plenty of that over this last year, and Jack did have to admit he'd appreciated his ex-son-in-law's advice at times, not that he would ever tell him that, but he'd at least made Jack think about things. Amy had been a good one to offer sound advice, weeks ago now, prodding him to give Lisa one last chance, one last call after Tim's ridiculous fake meet up he'd orchestrated between Jack and Lisa. Lou was constantly in his business, and he really couldn't take that. He also knew that while she did like Lisa most of the time, the two women were both very independent and headstrong, and when working together, they were a powerhouse not to be messed with, but when the two butted heads, as sometimes did happen over the years, Jack was often left in the middle with each of them asking for his interference. He'd always tried to stay out of it, but going forward, he knew it would be really tricky with having Lisa as his wife now and not just as a girlfriend. That piece of paper would make a difference in how he'd cast his allegiance going forward, so he needed to make sure to stay out of any future scuffles the two women might engage in, and suggesting they wouldn't have any would only be something a fool would suggest.
"Jack, we can still change our plans if we need to." Lisa's comment snapped his head from his thoughts and back to his fiancée on the phone.
"I don't want to do that. Do you? We talked a lot last night about this being just for us. So much of what goes on at this house is for everyone else. I'm so excited to marry you tomorrow. We've come so far, and it just seems silly to wait any longer. I want to put us first, and above all, I want to do what you want."
"Well, I just want to be married to you, Jack. Honestly, it's all I've wanted for years. I want to scream it from the rooftops that we're married because I love you more than you can imagine. I would have married you, what four years ago even with the proposal you yelled at me," she chuckled and continued. "However, I'm glad that's not our story, that your second proposal was much better and managed to catch me off guard."
He groaned at them mention of the first proposal yes, years ago, where she'd rightfully so questioned his commitment to her. His, "then marry me" comment, or yelling proposal at her, had been a serious one, as he'd told her later on the porch, but after a few days, the two had decided that the timing wasn't right. Above all, as others in the family and community had heard about their engagement back then-he hadn't even given her a ring then, which he knew made it the worst engagement ever-their friends and family had pretty much talked them out of getting married with all of those opinions and expectations Jack had just mentioned he didn't want to hear about. They didn't care if their marriage would look unconventional. Both were adults who loved each other and just wanted to be married. They'd figure out the rest. After all, this relationship had always been coined by 'whatever this is' so whatever they decided as a MARRIED couple was theirs alone to decide. Neither wanted the rest of the family in the middle of their marriage, which seemed easier said than done, especially when the bulk of the family lived right there on the same property. It was hard to be a couple when part of a large family, hard to have alone time, hard to have private conversations, and all of that was why they wanted this wedding just for themselves.
"I'm just happy you said yes," he told her. "I was a little worried that you'd tell me I was crazy or that being the planner you are, that you would want some huge party since you like planning parties or would have all these reasons it's not a good idea even down to oh, where we live and all that."
"Hmm, so all of the reasons we were talked out of it last time, by our friends, family, and ourselves?" Lisa asked. "I'm over that. You're right; we'll make it work for us. I just want to be married to you, Jack, to know that I'm yours and you're mine, that I am part of your family, not just in spirit, that I have a permanent seat at the dinner table right next to you, and that no matter where in the world I am, I've got a reminder on my hand of how much we love each other and want to be together, even if we can't for that moment. As far as a big party, I don't want that. I've had that before, and a big party doesn't mean anything. I want a marriage, a marriage to you, and I don't need a big party for that. I just need you."
"Wow," he chuckled, "who is getting all sentimental on me, huh? I just thought I'd tell people I married the most gorgeous woman in town because she was crazy enough to agree to it."
They both laughed at that, and when they'd settled down, Jack continued to explain what he'd found.
"So, I did call the Registry Agent Office, and we can, well," he paused, "we need to go and apply for our marriage license today. That has to be done before the close of business, in person, both of us."
"Okay," Lisa told him. "I was planning to run into Calgary this afternoon."
"We can do it there," he nodded. "I'd prefer to do it there and not anywhere close to Hudson. Do you want to ride together?"
"Ahh, not really," Lisa told him, and Jack started to chuckle.
"Wow, already going for this independent marriage thing, Lise. I see how it is."
"No!" Lisa exclaimed, and Jack knew if she was sitting next to him, she would have swatted at him. "I only mean that I have things to buy, and I want to do that on my own. You can't see my dress."
"Lise," he chuckled and continued, "you could wear anything, and you'll be beautiful. You can't tell me that in that monstrous closet of yours, you don't have something from one of your Paris sales."
"Well, I don't have a wedding dress, and don't get any ideas that I'm getting some long, flowy thing with a train on it. I just want to find the perfect dress, and contrary to what you might think, even though I've wanted to marry you for years, I haven't been stocking up on wedding dresses in the hopes it might happen, especially in Alberta wintertime. Even if I had, Cowboy, getting to this point has taken so long that any dress I'd purchased would be out of style by now."
"Okay," he chuckled. "Fair enough. So, my bride is turning down my offer to ride together. We'll just meet then at the Registry Agent Office, arriving separately to get a license to get married to each other-because we are so in love we can't stand being apart anymore, can't stand it after all these years of dating, only to live our independent lives sometimes at our own houses. I'm sure they will love that story."
"Stop," she laughed. "You make it sound so awful. I just need to take care of things for the wedding. You can't deprive a bride of that, especially when you give her a day's notice."
"I told you to pick the date," he chuckled. "You said how about this weekend, and I'm more than happy about that. No reason to put it off."
"I am too, and I'm confident I can get my shopping done this afternoon and still meet you at the office. Gosh, it's been so long since I had to do this, so what paperwork do they need?"
"Been even longer for me," he chuckled. "I did ask that, and we both need to bring our passports, birth certificates, and as much as I hate to utter his name when we talk about our wedding and future, you, my dear, need to bring your divorce certificate and paperwork to prove you are no longer legally tied to that piece of work."
"Ahh, you must really like Dan. That was probably the nicest way you've addressed him in all these years. That's no problem. I have all of that. So, what time do you want to meet?"
"How about 2:00?" Jack asked. "That gets them through their lunch hours. Would that work with your shopping schedule?"
"It should," she told him. "If nothing else, I'll just shop before and after. I don't know how long it will take me. Besides a dress, I have to have a bouquet. This is the last time I'm doing this, so I'm going to do it right, even if it's with one day to plan."
"I've told you if I can help with anything, you just tell me. I know you have all your things you alone want to do."
"I'm so excited!" Lisa almost squealed into the phone, and Jack chuckled at her excitement. She sounded like a teenager in love, and to be honest, he kind of felt like one. He remembered more of the details.
"There's a fee for the license, and," he said in a teasing tone, "I asked you, so I'll pay for the license."
Lisa burst out laughing as if that would be any concern at all, who paid the menial fee for their marriage license.
"I was going to offer to take you to a nice, romantic dinner while in Calgary, but if you are too busy for this cowboy, I suppose I understand-"
"Ah ha ha," she cut in, "when would I say no to a nice dinner with you?"
"To be honest, I can't remember you saying no to most dinners," he chuckled. "That's one thing I love about you, we both enjoy a good meal."
"Well, I'm in for dinner, so do we maybe want to shift the time? It shouldn't take us too long at that office. It's not like either of us has some long history of spouses, unless you're hiding that?" Jack chuckled at her teasing suggestion.
"You'd really think after dating you for the last eight years, I would have had time for anyone else?"
Lisa laughed, "True, well, I'll take you for your word that I was your first date after Lyndy. So, the time?"
"We need to do some shopping together," Jack explained. "I need to buy you a wedding ring."
"Ah, I suppose you do," she told him, and again, he could almost see the smile on her face through the phone. "I'm not sure I've told you in the last hour how much I love your grandmother's ring and love wearing it. It's very special, Jack, and I'm touched you wanted to give that to me."
"I'm just glad you like it. I was a little worried you would want some big diamond, but I do know you, and that's not you. Money, while you have it, doesn't impress you, and it's one thing I love about you. You love sentiment over anything else."
"I do, always have," she sighed. "It really is beautiful, and it fits perfectly."
"Told you that snagging one of your riding gloves here worked to my advantage. I did have the ring sized, cleaned, and fitted in Calgary, and the man who took care of that told me to come back for the wedding band, so if I might interest you in that, we need to take care of it too."
"Alright, I'm in," she told him and continued, "I mean, how could I object to this? I'm getting a marriage license-paid for mind you, a wedding band, and a romantic dinner all in Calgary if I show up this afternoon. Could we just adjust to 3:00? I'll get off the phone and get going since the day is filling up quickly."
"3:00 is fine with me. Now, I'm going to call and schedule a car to pick you up tomorrow evening because you were set on me not seeing you until you arrive at the dude ranch."
"Just because we are doing this wedding in secret doesn't mean I want to abandon traditions. A car would be lovely. Thank you."
"I'll have things set at the dude ranch. Everyone here will be gone at that charity race watching Amy. So, we should be able to pull this off."
"It's everything I want, Jack," Lisa told him. "Look at you, my own wedding planner." Both laughed at that, and Lisa then continued, "On that note, I'll meet you at that office at 3:00. I'll even text you the address, and you can use your phone GPS to get there."
Jack groaned, "Lise, that's not even funny. We recently spent a night in the Canadian Rockies camping out in a storm because of your blind faith in technology. No, I'll get there fine on my own."
"Okay," she chuckled. "I'll meet you there. Love you, Cowboy."
"I love you, Lisa, and I can't wait to marry you. We've already waited too long."
"I'll see you there. Bye."
Once Lisa hung up, Jack continued to sit in his chair, thinking about the events of the last few weeks. After he and Lisa had finally made up and gotten back together, the last weeks had been a whirlwind of events, most of which, he had been able to keep private from the rest of the wandering eyes of the family. Lisa had gone back to France for a week, mostly to close up business and the house. She already had a return ticket to France because she had been serious and had planned to leave Hudson forever. Jack now shuddered at the plan, the thought that if he'd stuck to his stubborn attitude, she would be gone forever right now. Thankfully, he'd acted for once, but she had gone back to France to get her affairs in order and to collect a lot of her personal items, as well as reorganize some business plans now that she was staying in Hudson. While he had missed her terribly, especially after just getting her back, he'd used that week to put more of his plans into action. He'd dusted off that ring, one that had been sitting in his drawer for a very, very long time waiting for its new owner. He'd taken it into Calgary one afternoon when Tim was off doing something stupid-Jack couldn't even remember what his ex-son-in-law was doing that day. While there were jewelers in the local area, he was not about to have any prying eyes from town see him do anything with jewelry. Calgary had been the perfect place, and he'd located a good jeweler. He had wanted to propose to Lisa after she'd gotten back from her trip, but as usual, life had gotten in the way. Her flight had been seriously delayed with a winter storm in Toronto, not that he was complaining about how he'd finally been able to propose. It had been in front of the fireplace, a place the two spent a great deal of time enjoying each other's company, and it had been a private, intimate moment, something he knew was a rare thing to have. No, it had worked out just as it should, and this wedding would work out too.
All their years together were finally culminating into this wedding, and as he sat back in his chair, his eyes scanned the room. This had been his room alone for a very long time. Sure, Lisa had been in and out of here the last almost eight years, but this had been his solitude alone. Long gone was really any trace of Lyndy, as hard as that had been, but it had been necessary. He'd long ago moved any pictures of the two of them to the living room where the family could enjoy them, well, almost all the pictures. He still had one of Lyndy on his nightstand from their wedding, and now, as he reflected about that, he knew he needed to find a new place for it. He wasn't wiping Lyndy from his memory, not at all, but he knew it wasn't fair to Lisa to keep that there, especially now that they were getting married. He couldn't and wouldn't ask Lisa to stare at a picture of his first wife in the solitude of what would now be their bedroom, their only quiet retreat in the house. She would never ask him to do that, nor would she ever protest about it, but he was not about to create that situation. He also knew that they were still planning to be pretty independent people, but he did want this to be their space. He would need to make room for it to be their space, and he put that on his mental list of things to do this evening when he was back home. He certainly couldn't do it now, not with Lou out there in the kitchen, sniffing around like she always did. He loved his granddaughter, but she was a lot like her dad in that area, always wanting to pounce on people for information. She'd already tried it earlier when Lisa had left.
"Grandpa, is everything okay with you and Lisa?" Lou had asked, and Jack had tried to hide his smirk as best he could before answering her. He knew he couldn't look her in the eye; he was afraid his giddy expression would give it away. Plus, as ridiculous as it was, he was a grown man in his own home and almost running Lisa out of the house in the early morning. It went back to his private life and not wanting others to know what he did in his private life. He certainly didn't want to be in the middle of his granddaughters' private lives-what was the saying the kids used-too much information? He didn't need too much information, that was for sure, but he also believed in this home being a moral place. He hadn't permitted it to be a revolving door of significant others over the years; he'd made sure of that with the girls. The girls knew his expectation, and thankfully, it hadn't been an issue most of the time. He felt it was different with Lisa, not because he was the one saying that, but he'd definitely not been that type of man, and Lisa had been the only woman he'd shown any interest in since Lyndy died now what almost 20 years ago. The two had always tried to be discreet, which was one of the things about Lou's morning inquisition that annoyed him so much. He and Lisa had both thought the coast was clear, Jack noting that when he'd gotten them both some coffee, Lou had told him she was going to shower and get ready for the day. Well, by the time Lisa had actually left, Lou had just appeared again out of nowhere, the bloodhound, as Jack called her. Sure, he could have had Lisa leave out the bedroom side door, but he was not going to sneak around at his age with the woman he had just proposed to in his own house.
Jack finally stood up, the phone still in his hand. He knew if he kept it any longer, Lou would probably come looking for it. The house phone still got the best reception in the house, plus, he preferred to use it anyway. He had plenty to do today, and tomorrow would be a day he'd been thinking about for a very long time. He glanced around at his room again, a slight turned up smile on his face, thinking about all of the wonderful things to come, and he schooled his features before opening his door again. It was going to be a good day.
"Oh, Grandpa," he heard as soon as he stepped out into the living room, holding back any change in his facial expression with Lou pouncing on him as he'd predicted. Jack turned toward Lou's voice and saw her coming down the hallway. "I'm going into town and will pick up things for dinner. Should we expect Lisa to be joining us? You know, earlier, when you two came in during the middle of the night and then again this morning when I was surprised to see her in the kitchen, that's the first I've seen her since you two got back together, I mean," she met Jack's gaze and gestured at him with a questioning look, "since it seemed very obvious with her here this morning that you were definitely back together. You two seemed to be in the middle of something earlier."
He sighed, trying not to look frustrated at Lou, "Lou, we're fine, and no, she won't be at dinner, neither will I. I'm taking her out to dinner."
"Oh," she raised her eyebrows, glancing at him. "Grandpa, oohh, don't take her to that all you can eat steakhouse you like. No one else likes that place."
He chuckled slightly and shook his head, "We'll be just fine this evening."
"So, that mystery trip of yours?" Lou gave him a small smile and nod, hoping he would tell her what they'd been up to the last few days.
He sighed again and tilted his head as he answered, "Taking care of business, Lou. Things are settled." With that, he gave her a single nod and gestured toward the door, "Chores to finish, and then, I've got errands to run. Have a good day," and with that, Jack moved quickly out of the house before more could be asked.
Yes, marrying Lisa in a private ceremony was the right thing to do, and he couldn't wait.