Mild Steam Alert for this chaper!
Chapter 39 – New Life (long)
Jack enjoyed his ride. He found it nice to be able to just ride and not have to worry about where he was going and when he had to get back. He was able to just enjoy being out on his horse. He hadn't had that in a long time. He was able to think about things and clear his head. He made peace with what had happened to his father and the direction his life had taken. He realized that Elizabeth made him happy and that he wanted to be happy. That didn't mean that there wouldn't be hard times or times when memories would creep up. He also knew that being happy was a choice. He rode for a few hours, then stopped and ate some of the food that he had brought with. After he ate, he started to make his way back to Hope Valley.
When he arrived back in town, it was past the time that school got out. He headed to the livery and took care of Sergeant. He also spent some time with Thor. He stopped by the jail and dropped off the rifle. Bill let him know that Elizabeth had stopped by and had headed home. Bill made sure that Jack was okay before he let him go. Bill may not have been one to show his emotions, but that didn't mean that he didn't care. He looked at Jack like a son.
Jack walked into the row and Elizabeth wasn't there. He slipped off his boots and coat before sitting down. It didn't take long and Elizabeth came downstairs.
"Oh." Elizabeth said. "Your home. Everything alright?"
"Yes." Jack said. "I had a nice ride. Thank you for giving me my space today."
"No problem." Elizabeth said.
"What were you doing?" Jack asked.
"Just putting away a few things I picked up." Elizabeth said.
"Oh." Jack said.
He wondered if Elizabeth was up to something, but he wasn't sure and if she was planning a surprise, he wasn't going to ruin it. He knew that he was hard to surprise.
"Supper should be ready soon." Elizabeth said. "I have chicken roasting with cut up root vegetables. I can make some gravy if you want, but I haven't been planning on it."
"Whatever sounds good." Jack said. "I am hungry. I didn't eat much today."
"Well." Elizabeth said. "It will still be an hour or so. Do you want me to make you a snack? I picked up some apples and oranges. I also have some scones from Abigail."
"No." Jack said. "I will be fine."
"If you don't mind." Elizabeth said. "I would like to get these papers graded."
"Go ahead." Jack said.
Elizabeth went back to her writing desk, Jack walked over and gave her a quick kiss on the temple before grabbing his sketchbook and pencils out of the drawer. He went to sit on the couch to work on a sketch while Elizabeth graded her papers. About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Jack looked up and wondered what was going on. He quickly went to get it as Elizabeth looked lost in what she was doing. When Jack opened the door, Ned was standing there.
"This came just a bit ago." Ned said. "I thought Mrs Thornton would want it right away."
"Thank you." Jack said, taking the envelope.
Ned nodded and turned to head back to town. Jack looked at the envelope in his hand and said a quick prayer hoping that it wasn't bad news.
"Bella." Jack said.
"Yes." Elizabeth said looking up from the paper she was grading.
"Ned just dropped this off." Jack said, handing her the envelope.
Elizabeth looked at Jack and then the envelope that he just handed her. Suddenly Elizabeth started shaking. Jack quickly closed the distance between them. He pulled Elizabeth up and into his arms.
"It will be okay." Jack said. "Whatever it is."
Jack led Elizabeth to the couch. When Elizabeth had calmed herself, she turned the envelope over and pulled out the paper. A smile spread across her face as she read:
Announcing the birth of Jonathan Thomas Kennedy February 16, 1911 8 lbs 12 ounces
Mother and baby are both doing fine. Love Aunt Elizabeth.
Seeing Elizabeth smile, Jack leaned over and read the message.
"Wow." Jack said. "So your new little cousin and I share a birthday. Pretty cool."
"I am glad that Sophie had her baby." Elizabeth said. "She must be thrilled after everything."
"Okay." Jack said. "That is the second time you have mentioned something like that. If you don't mind me asking, what happened. You never told me."
Elizabeth looked at Jack for a moment and a shadow passed over her face. Jack wrapped his arms around Elizabeth and pulled her close.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Jack said.
"No, no it is okay." Elizabeth said. "I just haven't really thought about the actual event in years. We don't really talk about it and not many people know. Most of the information was not even made public."
Elizabeth took a couple of deep breaths. She turned to look at Jack.
"We were celebrating my fifteenth birthday." Elizabeth said. "Mother and Aunt Agatha thought a nice trip would be fun. Since we had tutors, it wasn't hard to take off in January. Agatha convinced my mother to have Sophie, who was sixteen at the time, to come along. Agatha knew that the two of us were close and it would make it easier to have Sophie along since Julie would also be going, then at the last minute Viola ended up going with us as well. I was so excited about the trip, especially with Sophie going.
With Sophie along, I knew that I wouldn't be stuck spending a lot of time with Julie. Mother planned a trip to New York City. Father even hired two Mounties to accompany us as security. He knew that they would have no authority in the States, but he still felt better knowing that we had an escort to travel with us. Including travel, we planned to be gone for over three weeks."
"Wow you have been to New York City." Jack said. "Can't imagine."
"We never made it." Elizabeth said. "At least that trip. I had been before when I was about nine."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"We had stopped at Niagara Falls." Elizabeth said. "Both Sophie and I wanted to see it. Since it was my birthday trip, Mother agreed. We were walking around. Sophie and I had wandered away just a bit to get a better look."
Elizabeth stopped and wiped a tear from her cheek. Jack pulled her closer and kissed her temple.
"If it is too hard." Jack said. "It is okay."
"No." Elizabeth said. "You should know. If we ever see Sophie, you will need to know."
There was a part of Jack that wanted to know and then there was a part that realized that he just might not want to know. He squeezed Elizabeth closer to him, giving her his strength to continue.
"Apparently." Elizabeth said. "There had been a man following us, I guess his plan was to take me and/or Julie. We don't know if he wanted money or if he had a grudge or what. When he saw that Sophie and I had wandered a little farther away from the group, he took that as his opportunity. He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away. Sophie fought back when I screamed. The man pushed her and she fell down some rocks along the steep path. I started screaming even harder. That drew the attention of other people. The man pushed me and tried to get away, but the Mounties caught him. That was when he pulled a gun. They shot him. They then rushed over to where I was and all I could do was point to Sophie down on the rocks.
The Mounties and several other men worked to get her back up. She was rushed to a nearby hospital and then eventually back to Hamilton. She was cut up with broken bones and unconscious. She was still unconscious when she was moved to Hamilton the next day. Of course Father arranged for the best care. The doctors said that Sophie had damaged her spine and might never walk again if she ever woke up. They said she would never have a normal life. I thought it was my fault and therefore, I refused to leave Sophie when we returned back to Hamilton. Father wasn't happy, but I didn't care. It was the first time I ever defied my father. Mother arranged that I was able to sit at Sophie's bedside during the day. I would work on my studies there. I would go after breakfast and then come home for supper."
"I am so sorry." Jack said. "I have a couple questions, but go ahead and finish."
"Well." Elizabeth said. "Sophie did wake up, five days later. She had a little feeling in her legs, but the doctors weren't optimistic. Sophie was determined to prove them wrong. She eventually was able to walk with crutches. She still uses a wheelchair at times, especially on bad days or longer treks. She is also more likely to use it when she is more tired. She was left with several scars on her body, but especially on her arms and face from the jagged rocks."
"I thought you said Sophie works?" Jack asked.
"She does." Elizabeth said. "She just works from home. She is a whiz with words and edits manuscripts. She also does typing for Andrew's company. He is a lawyer. She doesn't go out much, but when she does, she wears a veil and long sleeves. She has a maid/cook and another young lady that helps her around the house. I am sure that they will have a nanny to help with the baby."
"How did she meet Andrew?" Jack asked. "For that matter how old is he?"
"Through Uncle Wynn." Elizabeth said. "They had had Andrew over to help with something and despite everything he loved Sophie. It took him a full year to convince Sophie to marry him. She thought it was too much to ask anyone to take on. He didn't mind the scars or the challenges. He saw past them. They will have been married for two years in April. Andrew will be twenty-seven in April. His birthday is actually the day after their anniversary."
"So he is five years older than Sophie?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Elizabeth said.
"How did you know that the man was after you and/or Julie?" Jack asked.
"When they searched his body." Elizabeth said. "They found photos of Julie and I from the paper."
"I am so sorry." Jack said. "I am sorry that happened to you. I guess Wynn was right when he said you faced real threats. I still can't wrap my head around that. I guess that was also why you were calm when the Tolliver gang took you. I promise I will always do everything I can to protect you. It makes me wonder what will happen if you do take over your father's company. We will have to think about security. I was thinking about having security when we travel after we have children. I don't want anything to happen to them or you. Just something to think about. We have time."
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "That was part of it. I also knew that it was better to be calm and think things through. When did you do all this thinking?"
"I am proud of you." Jack said. "When I was out riding the last couple of days. But hearing you talk about what happened to Sophie, I realized how important it will be. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you or our children."
"Our children?" Elizabeth said.
"I am not pressuring you." Jack said. "I just know deep in my heart that we will have several children, whenever God sees fit to give them to us. I just know it. I also know that we need to be patient and wait for His time."
"Thank you for believing it will happen." Elizabeth said. "There are times I wonder if it will happen, but then I remember we have barely been married."
They sat there for a little bit longer, before Elizabeth got up and checked on their supper. It was almost ready so she went about getting everything else ready. Jack sat on the couch and watched his wife. He was amazed at her strength. He couldn't imagine how hard that must have been for her. It also made Jack all that more determined to protect her in the future. Jack hoped that Elizabeth knew that it wasn't her fault what happened to Sophie and he made a point to talk to her about it at some other point. He didn't want to have another heavy conversation tonight. He shook his head as he looked at his wife. The strength that she showed in the face of real danger could be a lesson for young Mounties. Jack wasn't sure he would have had the strength that Elizabeth had at fifteen. He had always been a protector, but it had taken Jack time to grow into the role of being a man. He knew that at fifteen he wouldn't have been able to face the things he faced as a Mountie. He still marveled at how composed Elizabeth was. He thought about all the things she had faced in her life and Jack knew that she had a strength that he could only hope to have if and when he faced dangers that he knew his job could bring.
Jack and Elizabeth ended up having a quiet supper before heading up since they both were emotionally exhausted. They both quickly changed for bed. Jack wanted Elizabeth, but he could tell that she wasn't up for what he wanted. When they were under the covers, Jack pulled Elizabeth close and wrapped his arms around her. Elizabeth laid her head on Jack's chest. As he played with her hair, she quickly fell asleep. It took Jack longer to fall asleep as he was thinking of what Elizabeth had told him as well about his father and all he had learned about his father's family. Jack hadn't really processed what he had learned in Hamilton because there had been so much else going on. Jack also realized that there was nothing that he could do to change his family's past and the best thing that he could do was just move forward. Finally listening to Elizabeth's soft breathing, Jack was able to fall asleep.
Both Jack and Elizabeth were looking forward to a quiet weekend. It had been agreed that McGinty could head back to Benson Hills after Sunday services. Jack was grateful that he agreed to stick around for most of the weekend so he could spend time with Elizabeth. Jack knew that he would have to get back into a routine. Jack spent some time with Elizabeth on Saturday talking about the routine that he wanted and she agreed that it was probably better that they have a set routine, but both also understood that things happen. Jack planned to ride full rounds on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He would do spot checks on Tuesday and Thursday. He also planned to be available to walk Elizabeth home from school most days if she wanted. They also agreed that they would try to limit eating out to a couple times a week, they would still order their bread and occasional dessert from her. They liked to support Abigail, but they also want to start putting money away and plan ahead for things. It wasn't like they were hurting for money, but Elizabeth didn't want to use money from her family unless it was really needed. She was glad that Jack understood and agreed that they should be able to live off the salary that both were bringing in. Between their salaries, they still had more than some people in Hope Valley. The last thing that Elizabeth wanted was for others to think that they were putting on airs or showing off.
Both wanted a family and Jack still wanted to build a house for Elizabeth. He didn't mind the row house, but he knew once they started having kids, that they would outgrow it quickly. Jack knew that he had some money put away. Jack had already picked out the perfect spot and put money down on the land with the money that he had received just before Christmas. He knew that he could pay it off completely, but he didn't mind making payments. He figured he would pay it off in the spring before they started building. Jack had also agreed that they would use some of the money from Elizabeth's family to build the house and furnish it. Elizabeth knew that Jack was planning on building a house, but she didn't know much more beyond that. They had talked about what they wanted in the house, but she hadn't seen plans as of yet. Jack was excited to start building when the weather got nice enough. Jack couldn't wait for them to get into their own house. He also knew that he needed to start working on plans and meet with Lee. Jack had been able to get the land that was just outside of town and where he had taken Elizabeth when he thought he was leaving for Cape Fullerton. It had a gorgeous view of the mountains and plenty of room for the Thornton Clan as he called it back then. It was also still close enough to town that Elizabeth would be able to walk to work. Actually, he was happy as he could make a trail toward the schoolhouse and she wouldn't have to go into town. Either Jack, Bill or the town owned the land between where he was building and the schoolhouse.
Saturday night, Jack was playing with his guitar and Elizabeth was reading. At one point she stood up and was watching Jack play. She realized he pursed his lips the same way as when he was drawing. She wondered if he knew what he was doing. The way he pursed his lips was driving her crazy and she was thinking about the other gift that she had bought for Jack's birthday. As Elizabeth stood there lightly swaying back and forth, Jack stopped and looked at his wife. She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, not realizing that she drove Jack crazy when she did that, similar to the way that he drove her crazy when he pursed his lips in concentration. When their eyes met, she looked at him, then leaned down and kissed him, hard. She pulled away before Jack could take control of the kiss. She had Jack exactly where she wanted him – wanting more. Elizabeth was never much of a flirt, but she loved driving her husband crazy and she also didn't want to come right out and ask him to be with her.
"I am going upstairs." Elizabeth whispered in a low voice.
Before going she gave Jack another kiss and ran her hand down his neck and played with the top button of his shirt. Before Jack could do anything, Elizabeth pulled back and headed upstairs. She left Jack reeling, he wasn't sure what she was up to, but he knew that he physically needed her more then he had in the entire time that they had been married. It only took Jack a moment to put the guitar away and make sure everything was taken care of downstairs before he headed up taking the stairs two at a time. When he got to his room, Elizabeth was sitting at the vanity in a nightgown that he had never seen before. It was dark blue and the silky material, what little there was, hugged Elizabeth's body. Jack had to stop and catch his breath when he saw his wife. He quickly went to her, took her brush and pulled her to stand with him.
"That is new." Jack whispered between kisses.
"It was supposed to be for your birthday." Elizabeth said in a low husky voice.
"I love it." Jack said.
Jack ran his finger across the top hem of the material and Elizabeth shuddered at the touch. Jack trailed a few kisses down Elizabeth's neck and across her collarbone. She grabbed Jack's arms as her knees went weak as he kissed her. Jack wrapped his arm around Elizabeth, pulling her to him, where she could feel Jack's excitement. She knew at that moment that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She was glad that she was able to communicate her desire to her husband and he was just as excited as she was. She had been ready as she slipped on the silky material that Jack was now playing with. It was only adding to her desire. She pulled back from Jack's kiss and leaned her forehead against his.
"I missed you." Elizabeth said breathlessly with a rough voice.
"Me too." Jack said, his voice also rough.
Jack picked Elizabeth up and took her to bed. As she sat there on the edge of the bed, she unbuttoned Jack's pants and slid them off his hips as he pulled his shirt off. She trailed her fingers across his stomach muscles and then traced the outline of them down his hip. Jack shuddered at her touch and it felt like fire as she danced her fingers across his muscles. She brought her hands up and placed them lightly on Jack's hips. She then ran her fingers down the outside of his hips and down his legs, tracing the lines his muscle made. Finally, Jack couldn't take it any longer. He climbed in bed, pushing Elizabeth back under him, and claiming her as his. They ended up coming together a couple of times before falling back into bed happy and exhausted.
