Elizabeth pulled the curtains back to let in the early morning sun. She, Nathan and Clara were fully dressed in their traveling clothes, bags packed and ready to step off the train, finally, in Benson Hills. From there, they'd arranged to have Hickam pick them up in the wagon, along with Rebecca and Allie. Abigail had wanted to come, but the café was now getting so busy that she couldn't pull away for the day.
Clara had begged Elizabeth and Nathan to give her some time before they told Abigail that she was Peter's wife. Elizabeth had agreed, as long as they all sat down together soon, so that she didn't feel she was keeping this from Abigail. But she knew it wasn't her story to tell.
A month away from Hope Valley. And again, Elizabeth marveled at the changing nature of the word home. Hamilton had been home for her whole life, but she knew that had changed. She knew that four days ago she had left Hamilton to come home, and home was now a tiny town in Alberta.
Elizabeth looked over at Nathan, his face illuminated by the just-risen sun. The light made his eyes almost translucent in their blueness, and her heart filled with him. Intelligent, steadfast, loving Nathan. She reached over and took his hand in hers and he turned to her and smiled, tilting his head a little in a question.
"Just because I love you," she whispered. His crooked smile widened and he pulled her hand gently up to his lips, holding it there. Then they both turned and looked again as the farms transitioned to city buildings outside the window.
"I'm nervous," Clara said suddenly.
Nathan and Elizabeth turned to her. "It's a wonderful town, Clara," Nathan said softly. He nodded and smiled. "You're going to love living there."
Abigail sat quietly, knowing how much she had to do, but wanting to give Rosemary just a little more sleep. Bill had kindly taken over the duties of scone-making this morning and she was grateful to him for it. She reached out and lifted a corner of the napkin that was over the breakfast she'd brought for Rosemary. She knew that the eggs were cold by now, and it was okay. Rosemary needed sleep more than food.
Abigail already knew the entire story. She'd heard it at top volume while Charlotte had packed her bags, and she'd already worked it through her own filter to find the truth somewhere in the middle. Rosemary wasn't pregnant, though Abigail doubted it had been some sort of "dramatic hallucination" as Charlotte had termed it. And what had gone on between Rosemary and Lee on their trip out of town was something that hadn't taken Abigail as much by surprise as it had Charlotte.
Abigail had seen the way they looked at each other from the very beginning. And she knew better than anyone how much time Lee spent in the café just hoping to see Rosemary. When word of Jack's death had reached Hope Valley, Lee was the one holding Rosemary up. Always there, never pushing, but to Abigail it was clear that he was falling in love, if he hadn't fallen already.
Obviously this trip had allowed Rosemary to see what Abigail had seen; that she was falling in love with him too. Abigail's mixed feelings about how quickly it had happened didn't mitigate her happiness for Rosemary. If anyone knew that people ultimately weren't meant to travel through life alone, it was Abigail.
And who am I to talk? Abigail thought, smiling. It seemed from the moment she'd seen Bill Avery chopping wood outside the café window on Christmas day, he hadn't been far from her thoughts. And she doubted that he'd suddenly developed an interest in cooking for crowds, as his constant presence around her kitchen seemed to indicate.
Abigail took a deep breath and looked down at her empty cup, wishing she had more tea. The cup she'd brought for Rosemary was cold, and though she knew she could rummage around Lee's kitchen, she didn't want to assume...
She heard a soft noise at the door and looked up. Miraculously, Bill was standing in the doorway with a steaming cup of tea in his hands. She smiled, wondering if she'd dreamed him into being, when he crooked his finger, asking her into the hall.
"How did you know?" she whispered, as she joined him outside the door.
Bill shrugged. "I was pouring myself a second cup of coffee, and... just figured," he said, handing it to her.
Abigail took a long sip and closed her eyes. "Perfect," she said softly. "Thank you."
They stood for a long moment just looking at each other, an occurrence that was happening more and more often. Finally, Bill tilted his head toward the bedroom. "How're they doing?"
"Rosemary is still asleep. Obviously exhausted. And Lee's breathing seems to be better than it was before Martin gave him another dose of cough syrup a couple of hours ago." Abigail took a second sip of tea, not caring that they were still standing in the hallway while she did it. She looked at Bill over the rim of the cup. "How are the scones?" she asked, smiling.
"Cooling," Bill said, peeking once more into the bedroom and motioning for her to follow him into the living room. "Hickam left with Charlotte an hour ago." Bill laughed softly. "That woman does have a salty mouth on her. Rebecca had her hands firmly glued over Allie's ears."
Abigail sat down on the sofa and Bill joined her, continuing, "I can see why she's so upset, about the baby and all. I understand that was all she had left of Jack. But this idea that women should put themselves in the grave along with their husbands has never been one that sits well with me..." Bill stopped himself and looked at Abigail on a sharp intake of breath. "Sorry..." he said, his voice trailing off.
Before she knew she was doing it, Abigail reached her hand out and placed it on his. "Don't be," she said, shaking her head. "You're right. Rosemary is a young woman. It's not what Jack would have wanted for her..."
They both looked down at her hand on top of his. When the moment had stretched too far for it to be simply a casual gesture, Bill looked up and said softly, "And what would Noah have wanted for you?"
Abigail felt her heart speed and she could sense the color come into her cheeks. Bill saw it and placed his other hand over hers, waiting for her answer.
"He would want me to be happy," Abigail finally managed to say. She was surprised at the clarity she suddenly felt, and how very true that statement was.
Bill searched her eyes and then smiled as he saw what he was looking for. "I'm probably a pretty lousy risk, you know that, right? This is the longest I've been in one place for quite a while."
Abigail smiled and raised an eyebrow. "And that says something, doesn't it?"
Laughing softly, Bill said, "Yes, I guess it does."
For a moment, Abigail thought he might lean over and kiss her. The thought brought on an attack of nerves that she couldn't remember feeling since she was a young girl at the beginning of a whirlwind courtship with Noah Stanton. She didn't know she could still feel this way, and as she was contemplating that fact, she saw Bill's eyes change, and he lifted her hand up to his lips, touching it lightly.
We're not children, she thought, looking back at him. He's had his life and I've had mine and we both bring angels and demons with us. Then Bill smiled at her, and she simply took a deep breath and smiled back.
"For another time," he said gently.
They both heard a noise in the hallway and turned.
"He's awake," Rosemary said, breathlessly. She smiled brightly through her weariness. "He's hungry!" she said, laughing.
Abigail looked at Bill. "Well, I think we can do something about that," she said, standing and making her way toward the door.
They only had about ten minutes before they were scheduled to pull into the Benson Hills Depot. Clara stood, saying, "I have a few more things to pull together. I'll meet you in the hallway once we're stopped?"
Nathan and Elizabeth nodded at the same time, never taking their eyes off of the view outside the window. Clara let herself out, smiling.
Putting his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, Nathan said, "I'm going to miss this little room."
Elizabeth put her head on his shoulder and sighed. "So am I." She smiled and said, "Maybe we can sleep on the floor once in a while. Just to remember." She turned to him and she was so beautiful in the morning sun that Nathan had to take a breath. The tips of her eyelashes looked as if they had tiny stars on them, and the flecks of gold in her eyes were like sparks dancing in a fire. He leaned down to kiss her, and she closed her eyes in anticipation, lifting her chin.
Nathan stopped midway just to look at her in wonder. His Elizabeth. His wife. The mother of his child. His everything.
"I love you, 'Lizbeth," he whispered, just before his lips touched hers. She responded by parting her lips as the tiniest of sounds escaped, just before she put her arms around his neck and pulled him more firmly toward her.
They could both feel the train slowing as their passion rose, remembering nights together in this room, the moonlight making patterns on their bare skin. They felt the wonder of all they had first discovered while moving through the darkness of night on the train; and how their exploration had brought them to an understanding of each other and of their love that would stay with them forever.
This room, and another just like it, had seen Elizabeth and Nathan become irrevocably bound to each other through the sharing of this mystery, through trust and discovery. It wasn't all there was to a marriage, certainly, but they both knew how good it could be, how well they fit together, and that no matter what trials their future might hold, this wouldn't be one of them.
And both of them wanted, so much, just one more time, to pull the mattresses back down onto the floor, to lock the cabin door, and to hold each other again, stretched out in the moonlight.
"Benson Hills in five minutes!" A knock on the door pulled them back to reality, and Elizabeth caught her breath with her forehead resting on Nathan's shoulder. She felt Nathan laugh softly as he stroked her hair and willed himself back from the edge.
"Oh, we are definitely taking another train trip," he said, breathing in the lavender scent of her hair. "Seattle to Chicago, then on to Boston. I've heard it's slow and has so many stops that it takes forever."
Elizabeth laughed too. "That sounds absolutely perfect..."
Allie had her rose petals clutched so tightly in her hands that some of them had turned practically to dust. Rebecca watched her granddaughter's intelligent eyes rapidly scan the windows of the train as they flew by and finally slowed to a stop. The sound of the steam escaping was deafening and the screech of the wheels on the rails made Allie put her rose-filled fists up to her ears and laugh out loud.
Rebecca laughed too. This month with Allie had been exactly what she'd needed, and it was just an added benefit that it had helped Nathan and Elizabeth. Rebecca knew that she had to get back to the ranch, but she also knew that she had been eyeing the small houses at the edge of town and had imagined watching Allie, and any other little Grants that might come along, as they grew like weeds in their wonderful town. She knew that there would be a part of her that would always associate Airdrie with Archie and Colleen, and that came with good and bad memories. Right now, she wasn't ready to let go of the good, but one of these days she might be prepared to sign the ranch over to Charlie and join the only family she had left, peaceful in the shade of the mountains behind Hope Valley.
"Remember, they probably won't be the first ones off, Alliebeck," Rebecca said, once the noise had died down somewhat. "We'll need to watch for them. Let's see who can see them first, okay?"
Allie liked games and she really liked to win. If anything, her focus increased on the sets of small stairs that were beginning to fill with people exiting the train. Her eyes darted back and forth between doors until finally, gloriously, she shouted, "THERE! Gramma there, there!" She was pointing her little finger so hard that she was practically shaking as Rebecca saw Nathan exit first and then put a hand out to help Elizabeth down the stairs.
Rebecca watched as Nathan did the same for a young woman who followed Elizabeth out of the car. At first, Rebecca thought that he was simply helping a fellow passenger, but when the three of them stood together and gathered up their things, she realized that they were together.
Rebecca walked toward them with Allie trying to wriggle out of her arms until finally she was close enough and she set her down on the platform. Allie ran the few feet necessary and threw the rose dust that was left in her fists before she jumped into Nathan's open arms.
Standing for a moment and watching, Rebecca felt tears stinging her eyes. When the people you love also love each other with this kind of depth and totality, there didn't seem to be anything else to do but to cry.
Elizabeth walked toward her, letting Nathan and Allie have their moment, and she put her arms around Rebecca.
"We missed you," Elizabeth said, meaning it completely. "It's so good to be home."
She pulled away and saw the tears in Rebecca's eyes and then followed her gaze to Nathan and Allie. Elizabeth laughed softly, "Those two love each other so much. It's completely obvious to anyone around them."
Rebecca stayed silent but pulled Elizabeth closer. "You all love each other. Nothing more beautiful to these old eyes than that."
Clara was standing a respectful distance away, trying to let everyone have their homecoming. Elizabeth reached out and took her hand, bringing her closer. "Rebecca, this is Clara... Weller," she said, nodding. "We met her on the train, and she's going to make Hope Valley her home."
Rebecca laughed. "Making converts everywhere you go," she said, squeezing Elizabeth. Clara reached her hand out to shake Rebecca's and was immediately pulled into a hug. "Young lady, you're going to need to learn how to say a proper hello if you expect to live in Hope Valley."
Clara nearly lost her hat in the embrace that followed, but she had to admit it had been a long time since she'd been hugged to within an inch of her life, and she very much liked it.
Her eyes traveled beyond Rebecca's shoulder toward a young man sitting in a wagon just in front of the trees. He was the same man she'd seen on this very platform a month ago, the good-looking one that she'd been gazing at when he'd turned and looked back at her.
And now he did it again.
Again, Clara blushed, and this time she was sure he could see it. His mouth moved slowly into a wide smile, kind and warm.
What are the chances, Clara thought, until she realized that this young man had dropped off Nathan and Elizabeth when they'd first boarded the train. Which made it very likely that the wagon she was looking at was the one that would take her to Hope Valley.
Clara smiled because she couldn't help herself. She thought this might be brazen, openly smiling at a stranger in a wagon. But he kept smiling back, and Clara suddenly had the feeling that she and that handsome young man were going to be good friends.