December 28th, 1910

Constable Jack Thornton

c/o Mountie Headquarters

East Cape Fullerton Station

British Columbia

Dearest Jack,

I just keep writing, although in all this time I've only received one letter from you. I've read it so many times that I have it memorized. And I have to tell myself that all of these letters I've written to you have made their way to you somehow and that they are warming those cold nights you wrote to me about.

I've had something to tell you for a while now, but I haven't wanted to do it in a letter. I kept hoping against hope that you would simply show up at the door one day, foolish as that might sound. There have been regiments of Mounties that have traveled through Coal Valley, and every time they ride by, I search the faces of the men in red serge. But yours is never among them.

We're having a baby, Jack. Yours and mine. A little person created by us, and the thought of it fills me with wonder and gratitude. And then the fear grips me that you won't be home in time to see our child born. If that happens, I'll be surrounded by all the love that Coal Valley has to give, and believe me, it's a lot - but it's not you.

In three days it will be a new year, 1911, the year our baby will be born. I have to imagine us together, the three of us, when that happens, or I can't bear it.

But I won't dwell on sad things. I will be brave and hopeful.

When you see the town next, it will have a new name. The town's jack-of-all-trades, Michael Hickam, has been up on the water tower changing the name from Coal Valley to Hope Valley, and if ever a name fit a town, that is it. I told you about the mine closing, and how there was a man who is opening a sawmill. People are hopeful about all of it.

And you're probably thinking, what is Miss Rosemary LeVeaux, the celebrated actress, doing talking about water towers, and sawmills and coal mines? I can't say I quite believe it myself. I suppose this little town has grabbed me by the ankles and won't let go. And I'm not struggling.

I love it here, Jack. And if you're always going to be off where the fighting is, as I suspect you will be, I might as well be right here waiting for you. I'm thinking very seriously of having our things packed up and brought here. Please write to me and tell me how you feel about that.

Or, just write to me about anything. I miss you so much. And our little wedding and short month together is starting to feel like a dream. I wonder if it really happened.

Your loving wife,

Rosie

Rosemary freshened her lipstick and kissed the page right near her name, as she did with all of her letters to Jack. It was something her character had done on Broadway in The Yankee Prince, and she'd always liked the idea. Now that she had someone to write to, Rosemary felt that the character she played, Evelyn, should have been sadder as she kissed the letter and mailed it off to her sweetheart. Nothing like life experience to make you a better actress, she thought, sighing.

After sealing the letter, Rosemary walked downstairs, and as always, she stood for a moment on the landing, taking in the aromas of Abigail's cooking. She was grateful to be past the really nauseous stage of her pregnancy, although the chicken fried steak on Fridays still caused her to move quickly through the kitchen and out into the fresh air.

Today, Abigail was making her nearly legendary corn chowder. Rosemary was convinced that a bowl of that, with bread and butter on the side, could cure anything, including morning sickness.

"How are you feeling?" Abigail said, seeing Rosemary on the stairs with her eyes closed.

"Better now," Rosemary said. "I forgot it was corn chowder day. My absolute favorite." She moved quickly over to the stove, hoping for a taste. The fact that it was eight o'clock in the morning didn't faze her a bit. Abigail smiled and picked up a clean spoon, dipping it in the large pot and holding it for Rosemary to blow on it and cool it off a bit before she put it in her mouth.

"Mmmmm," Rosemary said, her eyes closed and a satisfied smile on her face. "Oh, Abigail, it's like the nectar of the gods..."

Laughing, Abigail said, "As long as it sticks to their ribs, I'll be happy." She put down the spoon and said, "You're going to mail Jack's letter?"

Rosemary nodded, pouting a little. "Yes, and again, I'll ask Ned if he has anything for me. He's started hiding when I come in. He pushes Katie out front instead."

Abigail gave her a quick hug. "No one likes disappointing you, Rosemary. We all wish we could bring Jack home to you."

Rosemary sighed. "I'm trying to play the part of a good Mountie wife, Abigail. I'm just not very good at it."

Reaching up to pat her cheek, Abigail said, "You're doing better than I could. You're very strong."

Raising her chin and forcing a smile, Rosemary said, "I suppose the show must go on!"

Abigail smiled. "That's my brave girl." In a short time, she'd come to care very much for Rosemary. For all her theatricality, she had a warmth and kindness about her, not to mention the wonderful humor that had already endeared her to half the town.

Rosemary walked over and pulled down her coat from the rack by the door. "I'll stop off at Lee's office after dropping the letter. I have some more ideas for his grand opening."

Laughing, Abigail said, "What more can you add to it? I keep waiting for you to say there will be elephants walking down the main street!"

Rosemary raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Oh, if only I could..." She looked off into the distance dramatically. "I once saw a photograph of the actress Theda Bara on an elephant. So... exotic!" she said, opening the side door.

Abigail shook her head, "Okay," was all she managed to say before starting to laugh again. "Say hello to Lee and Mike," she said.

"Save me some?" Rosemary said, looking at the pot Abigail was stirring.

"It's a promise," Abigail said.

"Tally-ho!" Rosemary said cheerfully as she closed the door with a flourish.

Elizabeth had left for school early, and Nathan was just walking Allie out to the schoolhouse as Rosemary crossed the road. Allie ran to her and put her arms up. "Rosie!" Allie said, using the name she'd first heard from Jack and now always used for Rosemary.

"Hello, my sweet bug!" Rosemary said, pulling her up and hugging her. Allie held up a finger with a bandage on it and frowned deeply.

Rosemary mirrored her frown and said, "Oh!" giving Allie the reaction she'd hoped for. "What did you do?"

"Spinter," Allie said, looking as pitiful as possible. Rosemary nodded and kissed it, and Allie smiled at her.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I'm going to have to take some sandpaper to the railing on the front porch," he said.

Rosemary tilted her head, "Or, you could just begin building that house you keep promising Elizabeth..."

Nathan laughed. "As soon as the ground thaws out there..." he moved his chin toward the meadow, "...we'll start."

"And how's Rebecca? Still enjoying her stay?" Rosemary asked.

Nathan laughed. "She's cleaning. I can't get her to stop. I just left her on her hands and knees scrubbing the baseboards."

Rosemary shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Mothers!" Then, hearing herself, she laughed and said, "Oh! I'm going to be one of those! I'd better stop saying it that way, hadn't I?"

Allie put her head on Rosemary's shoulder and closed her eyes, ready to go back to sleep. Rosemary laughed softly, "Still not much of a morning person, is she?"

Nathan exhaled. "Never has been. But ten o'clock at night? She's ready to take on the world."

Rosemary smiled. "Perfect for a life in the theatre," she said, handing her gently back to Nathan.

"Off to mail Jack's letter?" Nathan asked. "Still no word?"

Rosemary simply sighed, and Nathan reached a hand out and put it on her shoulder. "You can't imagine the route the mail has to take between here and the Northern Territories, Rosemary. There are hundreds of explanations for why his letters aren't reaching you. But I'm sure he's thinking about you. Probably every minute."

"Thank you, Nathan," Rosemary said, gazing at his red serge jacket and wishing so much that she could see Jack in his. She looked over at the Mercantile and smiled. "Maybe today!"

"I hope so," Nathan said. He'd tried in every way possible to find out exactly where Jack Thornton was. Even Bill had tried. But the fighting was so bad up there, and the casualties so heavy, that record-keeping had gone by the wayside.

"Have a good day, Rosemary," Nathan said, tipping his hat to her and starting up the road to the school.

Lee stared at her, open-mouthed. "Fireworks?" he finally managed to say. He was somewhere between complete shock and bursting out laughing.

"Yes!" Rosemary said enthusiastically. She had too much to describe to stay seated, so she stood, using her hands and her outstretched arms to illustrate her point. "Can't you just see it? Lighting up the sky! Happy New Year! And there, in the distance, the water tower." At this, she turned around completely so that she was facing Mike Hickam's desk. "Welcome to Hope Valley." Making a complete circle, she turned back to Lee. "And the Coulter Sawmill!"

"Rosemary," Lee said, smiling, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but where on earth are we going to get fireworks in three days?"

Raising her chin, Rosemary said, "I already ordered them. They'll be here tomorrow."

Lee narrowed his eyes. "And you paid for them, how?"

Rosemary gave him her most brilliant smile. "On your tab."

"On my...?" Lee started to say, leaning forward on his desk, but before he could continue, Rosemary turned back to Hickam. "And Michael, someone will need to... shoot them into the sky. I trust you'll be able to figure that out?" Mike's forehead creased and he looked at her the way he usually looked at Rosemary, in complete confusion.

"Good," she said, moving toward the door. "It's all settled!" Rosemary opened the door and stood there for a moment, beaming at both of them. "This is going to be so much fun!" she said, and then she was gone.

Lee and Mike stared at the door for a moment and then at each other.

"What just happened?" Lee said, shaking his head in wonder.

Hickam shrugged and simply said, "Rosemary."

Allie was sound asleep with Rebecca up at Nathan's row house. In fact, it was Rebecca who suggested Nathan walk back down to the cafe to say goodnight to Elizabeth. Nathan's raised eyebrow and crooked smile told his mother that he knew exactly what she was doing, and Rebecca's identical look back to him told Nathan that she wasn't even trying to hide it.

He'd slipped quietly in through the side door and had found Elizabeth up writing in her journal by lamplight in the sitting room. Rosemary and Abigail were asleep upstairs and the usually busy and noisy cafe was silent.

"Writing about me?" Nathan said, hanging up his jacket on the rack.

Elizabeth laughed softly, "You know, there are other things in my life besides romance."

Sitting down beside her, Nathan smiled. "Of course there are, but do you write about them in your journal?"

Elizabeth made a face and narrowed her eyes. "You really want to know what I write in here, don't you?"

Nathan leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "Couldn't care less," he said, still smiling.

"Liar," she said, putting away her journal and leaning down to kiss his neck. "Someday, I may just leave it open on a table in our new house, and that will mean you have permission to read it." She nuzzled in closer, loving the feel of his warm skin and the faint aroma of soap and leather that always lingered there.

Nathan pulled her closer and bent his head down to touch his lips to hers. Will I ever tire of this? he thought as he sighed into the kiss. Will there ever come a time when this feeling, this warm electricity, doesn't happen between us? He couldn't imagine it would ever go away, this wanting, this need for her.

Nathan moved closer and she made room for him, her arms going around his neck and their hearts pressed together tightly, so that she could almost feel them beating in tandem. All the stories Elizabeth had read, all the Austen romances, the Bronte tragedies, the Shakespeare sonnets, took on new meanings when she joined with Nathan like this. On the page the words were beautiful. In real life, here in his arms, they were profound and eternal, and just like her heroines… oh, how she wanted all of him.

Elizabeth moved her lips from his, aware that she was crossing over again into that place that made her senses whirl and her good sense disappear. With great force of will, she sat up and looked into his eyes. "I love you so much." She touched the curl at his forehead with her fingers. "Is this normal, do you think?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

Nathan laughed softly and closed his eyes into her touch. "I was just wondering the same thing…" he said, his voice low and rough. He reached his arms around her and buried his head in her curls. "Do you know what I love about this?" he asked softly.

Elizabeth smiled. "I can think of a few things off the top of my head," she said into his chest.

Nathan held her even closer, "Well, yes, so can I, but what I really love is that this is new to both of us. I've never felt anything that can touch this, 'Lizbeth. Not even close."

"And neither have I," she said, looking up into his eyes. It was dim in the room, but she knew how blue his eyes were.

They held each other for a moment and then Elizabeth turned and moved under his arm. She slipped off her shoes and pulled her feet up under her on the sofa, curling herself even closer to Nathan as he kicked off his shoes and leaned back with his stockinged feet on the table. The room was warm from the woodstove fire and the day's cooking. The savory memory of the corn chowder and sourdough bread permeated the small room, making it even cozier.

"I saw Rosemary today," Nathan said. "She was on her way to mail another letter to Jack."

"And still no letter from him," Elizabeth said, sighing. She shook her head. "I can't imagine how hard that is for her, just waiting and wondering. I don't know if I could do it."

Resting his lips on the top of her head, Nathan said. "You would be strong. You'd do what you had to do. I have no doubt of that." Nathan exhaled softly. "There could be a lot of reasons why she's not hearing from him," he said, but there was hesitation in his voice, and Elizabeth sat up and looked at him.

"What are you thinking?" she said, frowning at him in the dim light.

Nathan looked self-consciously at the stairwell to his left and lowered his voice. He would never say this to Rosemary, but he was actually becoming concerned himself about Jack. "It's not… standard… to keep running into dead ends the way I am. There's always someone who knows something about men in the field, even when it's as bad as it is up there."

"So do you think they're withholding information from you? Or that they really don't know where he is?" Elizabeth whispered.

Nathan nodded. "It could be either of those things…" he said.

Elizabeth saw Nathan avert his eyes and she reached out to his chin and lifted his face so he had to look at her. "Which one do you think it is?"

Nathan took a deep breath, knowing he would never keep something this important from Elizabeth. "Up until now, I've simply been making requests for information by wire. Tomorrow, I'm going to send them one to let them know that Rosemary is here in Coal Valley. I'm afraid they may be looking for her."

Chills went down Elizabeth's spine, and she felt tears starting. Her voice was a monotone, without feeling. "To tell her what, Nathan?"

He shook his head and put his hand on Elizabeth's face. "I don't know for sure. I would tell you if I did."

"But you have an idea," Elizabeth whispered, her voice breaking.

Nathan sighed and looked down again. He spoke just barely above a whisper. "They may be looking for next of kin."