He kissed her head and ran his hand through her hair, glancing out at the very dim sky. While most would have thought it was really early, it wasn't that early; the sun just wasn't up until later this time of year. Each day, they were gaining daylight, but it was still a long way until the sunny days of summer.
"It can't possibly be time to get up," Lisa grumbled, buried into Jack's side. "I know I just fell asleep."
"Almost time to get up," Jack said quietly. "Sounds like one of your stable hands is clearing snow. I hear one of the tractors."
"I have two meetings today," she yawned, finally looking up, and Jack gave her a warm smile and leaned toward her to kiss her gently. "I have kept up with Fairfield business pretty well, and hopefully these meetings don't go long. Plenty to do here with getting things sorted at the house, laundry done, making something for dinner-oh, what do you want me to bring for dinner?"
Jack chuckled, squeezing her shoulder as he shook his head gently at her, the two in close quarters there moving at all moved both of them. "Lise, you know you don't have to do dinner. I'm sure Lou will whip up something. Tell you what-how about a pie? You love to bake pies, it relaxes you, and you know Lou hates doing desserts."
"I can bake a pie," she nodded, patting his chest. "I will see what I have in the freezer in the way of berries. Blueberry sounds really good to me."
"If you're baking it, it sounds good to me," Jack yawned.
"Did you sleep okay?" Lisa asked, Jack noting she was looking up at him. He nodded.
"I actually did," he told her, tugging at her shoulder, Lisa shifting and wrapping her arm around his stomach as the two talked.
"Maybe you need to stay here more to just get used to it," she grinned up at him, and he chuckled lightly.
"Well, that, and instead of taking all of the bedding and kicking it off when you got hot, you piled it on me. It was cold last night. Slept fine, nice and warm. How are you not cold?" Jack glanced at Lisa, and she had been sleeping with no blanket or comforter, kicking it off when she got really hot, and when she normally wore sleep pants of some sort, she had on shorts and no socks. He was cold looking at her.
"I'm very comfortable. I told you these hot flashes," she groaned. "Anything I can do to cool off, oh, I will."
"Well, your feet are freezing," Jack said, when Lisa shifted yet again, and he felt her feet. "I suppose I need to get up, shower, and head to Heartland."
"You can either take my car or one of the Fairfield trucks," she said, yawning again. "I don't care what you do."
He considered it for a minute, "I'll take one of the trucks. That way your car is free for you to come over later. Okay if I have the truck for today?"
"Of course," she said, settling in to get more comfortable, shifting again there, her head on his chest. "There are three of them, and I know we aren't using all three today. You know I keep one set of all those keys hanging up just inside the garage, and the other set is out at the stables. Take one of the sets I have in the garage. That's the house set as opposed to the staff set."
"Glad I'm not considered staff," Jack said with a light chuckle, leaning in to kiss her head again.
"Well, I'll go make us some coffee while you shower. I have my grocery order coming soon." She leaned up, Jack smoothing at her very messy hair as he smiled at her, "How about I whip us up some eggs and toast before you leave? We both need something for breakfast."
"Sounds good," he said. "You know," he ran his hand over her hair, "I love your messy hair look in the morning because I'm the only one who sees that version of Lisa."
She smiled brightly and shook her head, "Well, with me at Heartland more, others are going to see my messy hair. It was one thing before we were married, but I'm not sneaking around."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he winked. "Alright," he sat up, Lisa rolling away as he did. "Maybe I'll warm up in the shower. Man, it's cold."
Lisa met his gaze as he walked toward the bathroom and smirked, "And, I was just thinking I'd lower the temperature in the house. Feels warm in here."
Jack shuddered, "If you're hot in Alberta winter, I don't want to see you in summer." He heard Lisa laughing as he starting prepping things in the bathroom.
An hour later, with groceries delivered, both showered and dressed, the two were just finishing up with breakfast, Lisa clearing the table and Jack loading the dishwasher. The doorbell rang, and Lisa pursed her lips, handing Jack the last of the dishes.
"Wonder who that is-groceries already came." She walked to the front door, and Jack continued at the sink, looking up when he heard voices, Lisa's and he nodded to himself recognizing the other, Harry's. Jack wiped off his hands as Harry and Lisa came into the kitchen.
"Good to see you, Harry," Jack said, extending his hand.
"Jack, long time no see. You're looking well after everything. I heard about your heart attack. Feeling better?"
"Never been better," he said with a shake of the head. Lisa had walked to the coffee pot, and she waited for the men to finish their exchange and then gestured to the coffee pot, "Harry?"
"Oh, that would be great, really cold out there today. Can't seem to keep the stables warm. Glad you wanted to meet in here."
"Well, I'm roasting," Lisa said with a low chuckle, fanning herself. Jack noted she had on a long sleeve shirt and a vest over it, one of her normal outfits. She would then usually put a coat over it to be outside, but the vest kept her plenty warm. She'd probably ditch it soon if she was still that hot.
Lisa settled in against the counter by Jack after she handed Harry his coffee. Jack knew they had business to discuss, and he needed to get home too. He had things to discuss with the girls, very important things. Before his mind wandered more, he turned his attention back to Harry who was speaking to them.
"Have a good trip? Must have gotten in late. I was here until oh, 8:30 or so."
Lisa grinned up at Jack, nodding. "We had a really great trip, in fact," she looped her arm through Jack's, "we got married."
Jack noted Lisa might have timed that just a little better, as Harry was sipping at his coffee. He almost choked, but he put the cup down and gestured at them, "That's great news. I'm very happy for the two of you. Wow, nothing like a health scare to put things into perspective."
"Something like that," Jack chuckled, reaching over to shake Harry's extended hand. "Thank you."
"Lisa, your dad would proud, and Jack," Harry turned toward him, "knowing him, he'd have liked you, thought you were a good, decent, honest man. Really, congrats, both of you."
"We're really happy about it," Lisa grinned. "Jack is heading home. We haven't told the girls yet."
"Oh," Harry raised his eyebrows, "well, good luck with that. As much as Amy has been here working with the horses, well, she seems to really like you, Lisa, so I can't see why it would be an issue."
"More of just a shock," Jack nodded, with a shrug. "They'll deal with it. This is what we wanted. On that note," he turned and put his coffee cup into the dishwasher and then looked at Lisa, "I need to get home. If you get too busy, don't you worry about that pie," Jack said with a wink as he reached for his coat.
"I'll make the pie for dinner," she said with a roll of her eye. Jack watched as Harry stepped away, moving to the kitchen table for the meeting, giving them a moment, and he and Lisa both stepped toward her door that connected to the garage. "The laundry is in too. I'll bring that over later."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Jack waved. "I don't need you lugging suitcases around. I can get that later. He grabbed his new coat, there hanging on one of the hooks, "I will take this home, though," he held it up. "Now," he put his hands on both her shoulders and looked her in the eye, a gentle smile on his face, "you have a good day. Try to rest a little. I know you throw yourself right back into your work. No need for that. Dinner is covered, and well," he leaned in, "a sleepover tonight. I might even know where a box fan is to put on your side of the bed for you."
Lisa laughed, leaning up to kiss him, "Now, you're speaking my language. Do I need to bring anything for this ahh, sleepover?" Her eyes sparkled, and Jack just chuckled.
"Anything you want to keep at Heartland not already there. I didn't touch your things, even after, well," he gestured, both of them knowing he wanted to say after their breakup, but neither wanted to address it either. "Let's just say your things haven't been touch, which was just more torture for me, but I am more than aware it was my doing."
"Stop," she patted his chest, smiling at him. "It's going to be a good day. Go home, talk to the girls and Tim, and I'll be over later. Can you handle that, Cowboy?"
"Yes ma'am," he winked, leaning down to kiss her again. He attempted a quick kiss, but Lisa pulled him in, for a much deeper kiss. He grinned at her as he grabbed a set of truck keys, tipped his hat at her as he put it on, and closed the door, leaving his bride alone for the first time since they'd been married. Walking to the truck, he already missed her. Man, he loved this woman.
It was a short drive to Fairfield, but the snow doubled the travel time. Jack wasn't in any hurry; with snow this deep, he wouldn't be checking fencing or anything else today. No, he intended to get settled, check in on the horses, pay bills, and just anything else he needed to do since he'd been gone. Truthfully, he had been in really rough shape before his trip, and not necessarily from his heart attack, but from his mess with Lisa, that he'd let a lot of things go. He'd get back to cattle ranching, as soon as the weather improved, but until then, well, the snow was just giving him an excuse to take it easy and get back to work slowly. Besides that, he was excited to spend time with Lisa and hoped that over the next few days they could figure out a comfortable routine that would work for their marriage.
As he pulled into Heartland, he started to get excited, but he always enjoyed going under the gate. Home. He was home, his home. He drove the top-of-the-line, all the bells and whistles, Fairfield truck down the long driveway, groaning as he heard and felt mud and snow hitting the truck. He'd taken one of the white trucks; she had two white ones and a navy one. He would have preferred the navy one with all the slush on the road, but it was hooked to a trailer. Jack stopped the truck at the sight of his heart attack and just looked over at the field, the spot. His spot, but thankfully, not his end.
With 600-acres, it was hard to believe that he'd collapsed so close to the house, yet, still far enough away that unless Tim had been driving in and noticed Paint standing there, well, no one might have found him in time. As much as Tim annoyed him, Jack was extremely grateful for Tim finding him, glad it hadn't been anyone else. He would have hated for Lisa to have found him, not that she'd even been at the house then or in the country, but going through his mind, that would have about killed him, hearing that she'd found him. He saw how worried she was just when he had heartburn, and obviously, he would have wanted anyone to find him to get him some help, but Lisa would have been about his last choice. He hated upsetting her, and he knew she'd never be able to get over that image of Jack lying there, almost frozen, passed out from a heart attack. Amy wouldn't have been much better. She'd certainly had her share of trauma over the years, and as Jack considered it, yes, he'd prefer Lisa finding him over Amy. Amy might have been frantic, trying to figure out what to do. He knew Lisa would have known what to do, but he could see Amy almost freezing there, running for help instead of just calling for it. Yes, upon consideration, Amy would have been the worst to find him. She'd already been in that horrible accident with Marion, losing her mom, and he would not want her to ever have to see him like he was. Lou, well, she didn't ride much, but she would have called for help right away, then freaking out over and over. She would have done better than Amy, and Peter, he was interesting. Jack did like Peter, but Peter wasn't very helpful on a ranch. He tried to be, but it wasn't his thing at all. Peter could barely handle basic tools, but if push came to shove, Peter would have been okay to find him too, definitely not the emotional connection of the girls or Lisa. Overall, though, as Jack zoned in on that spot, his spot, the fateful spot where he'd almost died, he was very grateful to Tim. Tim, as much as he irritated Jack, he had common sense and knew how to handle things. Jack knew he did some stupid things, but Tim wasn't stupid. It was true, he had to admit, that their relationship had improved drastically over these last eight years, go figure. He knew he relied on Tim for a lot, not that he didn't do a lot for Tim as well. Jack hadn't thought twice about walking away from Heartland for a month when his doctor told him to do so; he knew Tim would keep the place running. Yes, as much as it pained him, Jack needed to have word with Tim and thank him for several things-for saving his life, for running the ranch, for helping with Lisa's ring, and for keeping the girls calm and all while he was away. He would eat his words and thank good old Tim Fleming.
Jack put the truck back in gear and finished the drive to the house, shaking his head at all the snow. It looked like Tim had done a good job of plowing snow on the driveway and then right at the house where they parked, another thing to thank him for doing. There was a plowed pathway to the barn, but at a glance, none of the cars were there. His truck was gone, which probably meant Amy was in town, more than likely getting feed. Tim wasn't there, off doing well, no one knew. Lou wasn't there, but that wasn't a surprise. He was sure she was probably at the diner. With all the snow, it had been closed a couple of days, and he knew she would be anxious to get it up and open again. Jack parked and stepped out, grabbing the new coat Lisa had bought him. It was the one thing he'd grabbed leaving the house this morning. He'd get his bag later; he wanted to go through it and leave things there now that it would be his second home.
Jack wasn't prepared for the depth of the snow with his ankle height boots on. He needed his work boots, not his travel shoes, something that Lisa had found for him in Montana, and he had to admit, they were really comfortable for traveling, better than his higher boots. He made his way into the house, sitting to take off his shoes, and finally, he just stood there, looking around at Heartland, his home. It wasn't as neat and tidy as he preferred it to be; that was something that he knew had surprised Lisa, that he didn't like a lot of clutter out. They had that in common. Sure, there were things out, but he didn't want dishes in the sink, papers out on the tables, clothing piled on the table to be folded, piles of mail-basically all of the things he was currently seeing out and not put up. It was clear they were not expecting Jack home; he'd take care of the clutter.
Jack put his coat over one of the kitchen chairs and started to inspect the place, noting there was a big stack of firewood by the fireplace. The house was cold; he'd start a fire and keep that going the rest of the day. He gingerly made his way to his bedroom, not sure if he wanted to see what Tim had done to it. Tim's bag was packed and sitting on Jack's desk, Tim probably realizing Jack would be home soon. Jack had been evasive with an exact date, but as he knew, Tim wasn't stupid. The bed was hastily made, but he would take care of that later, scratch that, he and Lisa would take care of that later. They had found a quilt set they both liked, and it was in the back of her car, ready to be put out in the room. Lisa couldn't simplify anything, so joining the quilt were several other things including new sheets, towels, and pillows. He wasn't looking forward to a new pillow; he preferred his really flat one, but considering Tim had taken over his room, maybe a new pillow wasn't that bad of an idea.
It was good to be home, even if he had some cleaning up to do and even if he knew he had to have a somewhat difficult conversation with the girls. He hoped it wouldn't be difficult, but with them, you never knew. Jack walked to his dresser and opened the drawer, spotting some of Lisa's things, but he also spotted the several pictures he'd put in the drawer after he'd pushed her away. Jack pulled out the pictures, used his shirt to dust them off, and he repositioned them in their rightful places in the room. It had been too hard looking at pictures of Lisa after he'd told her to go. Now, though, he was looking forward to updating some of those pictures with new ones from their wedding and trip.
"Hello, is someone here?" Jack's head snapped up as he heard Amy. He finished putting the pictures of Lisa and himself back out on his dresser and turned to meet Amy in the kitchen.
"Just me, Amy," he said, and as he stepped out of his room, he was greeted with not just Amy, but with Georgie too.
"Ahh, there are my girls," he said, smiling at them. Georgie came flying to Jack, wrapping her arms around him.
"Jack, you're back!"
"Whose truck is that outside, Amy?" Jack heard Lou's voice now, and if he was a betting man, he suspected the girls had followed each other home. Georgie pried herself from Jack, grinning at him.
"I' missed you so much, Jack!" Georgie grinned. She answered Lou, "Lou, Jack's back."
"Grandpa?" Lou asked, walking into the living room. Jack pulled Amy in for a hug as he met Lou's gaze.
"Girls, good to see all of you," he sighed.
"Grandpa, you rented a truck at the airport? We told you we would have picked you up. Why didn't you call us and let us know your flight was coming in?"
"Hey, who did you girls invite over?" The group now turned, and Jack there, with Amy and Georgie on either side of him, nodding at Tim when their eyes met.
"Tim," Jack said and gestured toward the outside, "I drove that."
"Wait, did you get a new truck?" Lou asked.
"I'm confused," Amy shook her head. "Grandpa would never get a new truck, Lou, on," Amy met her gaze and shook her head.
"We'd know something is really wrong with Jack if he up and decided to get a new truck. Hey," Tim finally gestured at Jack. "Welcome back, Jack. Can't wait to hear all about your trip."
"Wait, wait, before that, what's the deal with the truck?" Lou asked, confused.
"Yeah, Jack, whose truck is that?" Georgie asked.
"Alright, hold on," Jack gestured with his hands. "I got back, just a few minutes before all of you. Let me catch my breath."
"Girls, don't rush Jack. You are forgetting he had a heart attack. He's still frail."
Jack pointed at Tim, "I am not, nor will ever be frail. I'm doing just fine, great actually. My heart is tip top shape, never better."
"That's a relief," Amy smiled at him. "Sounds like Arizona was amazing then."
"Terrible," Jack grumbled, waving his hand, as he walked into the kitchen. "I'd really like a cup of coffee."
"Oh, I'll make it, Grandpa," Lou offered, almost pushing by him. "I got this decaf blend for you since you had your heart attack."
"I'm not drinking that," Jack shook his head. "I might change a few things, but it won't be that." He and Lisa had talked about some basic changes to his diet or their diet as she said she was fine changing things for the both of them. Jack wouldn't budge on his coffee, but he did promise to drink more tea. They both liked tea. She asked him about cutting out some of the fatty foods like bacon, and while he wouldn't cut it out completely, he told her he wouldn't have it every single day. His small adjustments had started, and she was keeping him in check, but he absolutely refused to give up his very favorite, basic coffee.
"Grandpa, it's better for you, this decaf blend."
"Lou," Jack was stern, but not upset, as he shook his head and walked to the coffee pot, "I'm a grown man. I'm aware of what happened, and I'm monitoring my health. I've made some minor changes to my diet, but coffee is not and will not be one of them."
"Okay," Lou's eyes widened, and she stepped away, shaking her head at him. He knew her too well to believe she would give up that easily.
"Grandpa, we just want you around," Amy sighed. Jack turned to her and pointed.
"My diet is not up for discussion, period,' he told them.
Lou who had moved back to the kitchen table, next to Amy, picked up Jack's coat, and he grimaced, noting he should have put it away.
"Grandpa, is this your coat? Is it new? It's expensive. Did you have this in Arizona? Why?"
"Lou," Jack sighed, starting the coffee. "Yes, that's my coat. You asked so many questions I'm not sure where I'd start, but just leave it. I'll put it up."
"Where's your bag, Grandpa?" Amy asked, looking around. "Please tell me you didn't carry it into the house."
"Oh, did the airline lose it?"
"Yeah, Jack," Tim walked up right to him, grinning as he winked and stuffed a cookie in his mouth, "Did the airline lose your bag? Tell us about your trip.'
"I want to know about the truck," Georgie said walking back into the kitchen, also eating a cookie. Jack tilted his head, wondering where they were getting cookies outside the kitchen. That was something else he'd need to stop. Food stayed in the kitchen or at the dining room table. Period.
"Would all of you just stop with the 20 questions? How about everyone go sit down in the living room. I want to talk to all of you anyway, and I can clear up some of these questions, but more importantly, I can clear up any confusion as to my place in this family. I'm the oldest, the grandfather, the great-grandfather, the," he paused and smirked at Tim, "the ex-father-in-law, and I don't need any of you commenting or suggesting I change my diet."
"There he is," Tim pointed, still chewing a cookie. "There's the grumpy Jack we all know."
"I'm not grumpy! Can't a man walk back into his own home and not be grilled on everything? Plus, there is a standard of care in this house, and it's not being met. We can discuss that too."
"Umm, I should probably check on the horses first," Amy hooked her hand over her shoulder.
Jack, now pouring coffee, pointed to Amy, "No, that can wait. I just said I wanted to talk to all of you, and we're going to do it now. Too much snow out there to do anything. The horses are fine because I know you fed them this morning like we do every morning. All of you are here, which is rare, except well for Katie, but she doesn't understand-"
"She's at a play date," Lou interjected, and all eyes turned to her, and she shrugged at everyone. "What? She is."
"Even better," Jack waved. "Katie doesn't have to sit around with all of this."
"Oh, and well, Peter isn't here, but he's-"
"Never here, Lou?" Amy jumped in. "I think Grandpa meant we are here. Ty's not here either."
"Neither is Lisa," Tim added, leaning against the counter, chewing another cookie. Jack's eyes snapped to Tim, noticing the new cookie. Where was he getting them.
"Dad!" Amy said loudly, looking to Tim, saying something before Jack could. "Come on, Dad," she said quietly, shaking her head.
"What? She's not. You're all mentioning your significant others," he gestured to Jack. "I just pointed out-"
"Dad!" Lou said as she shook her head. "Honestly, Dad, she left right when Grandpa needed her. Don't start."
"Everyone stop," Jack put down his coffee and held up his hand. He glanced at each of them around the room, "Everyone is going to stop talking, and I'm going to start. We are going to sit down in the living room, and I am going to talk."
"Grandpa, we can talk over dinner later if that's easier," Lou offered, giving him a smile and nod, hoping he would agree.
"No, we're going to talk now-"
"I just thought that we'd have well, Ty home then too. I know Peter wishes he could be here-"
"Lou," Jack frowned, eyeing her. "Stop talking. We will eat dinner, later, yes, as a family, but we're discussing what I want to discuss now. Living room, everyone."
Jack watched as the family glanced around at each other, probably thinking he was just in another bad mood. No one said anything, but they did start toward the living room. Tim hung back, grinning at Jack. He gestured at him as they walked.
"Just tell me, did that heart attack knock some sense into you to get a new truck? That one out there is really nice, nicer than mine. Maybe you're having some late in life crisis, finally getting a new truck along with other-"
"Tim!" Jack said loudly before Tim could say more and give away Jack's news. He sighed and moved to his chair, shaking his head at Tim, eyeing him as he sat in the other chair across from him, eating another cookie. "Why do you continually have a cookie in your mouth?"
Tim met his gaze and shrugged, "Hungry, and you just said dinner won't be for hours." Jack groaned, not getting any information about the actual location of the cookies. Georgie had another one too, and Jack just sighed.
"So, is that your new truck, Jack? Are you giving Amy your old one? The new one is so shiny!" Georgie said between bites.
"Should we get Grandpa's luggage from the truck?" Lou gestured.
"No, Lou, the airline lost his luggage," Amy added.
"Highly doubt that," Tim laughed, grinning at the girls.
"Stop!" Jack sighed, looking at all of them again. "You all are going to give me another heart attack. A man can't think in his own home. All of you, talking a mile a minute. Stop talking and listen, all of you."
"Oh, I have a roast for dinner, Grandpa. I didn't know you were coming home, but you like roast beef, right?"
"Mashed potatoes, Lou?" Georgie asked, hopeful.
"Guys, stop. Grandpa has asked us a few times," Amy sighed.
"Hey everyone, whose truck is that out there?" All eyes turned to see Ty walk into the house, gesturing to the door. Jack groaned and closed his eyes. "Jack! Good to see you. Oh man, did you get a new truck?"
"It's a Fairfield truck!" Jack finally exclaimed, and finally, he had everyone's attention. Jack looked slowly around the room, Tim eating another new cookie, grinning at him. Amy and Georgie both looked confused. Ty stood there, trying to understand, and Lou jumped right in with questions.
"Wait, a Fairfield truck, like you're buying it?"
"Lou, sweetheart," Tim sighed. "Let the man explain."
"Well, that's an idea, Tim," Jack nodded in agreement. "If you would all stop talking and listen, I would like to discuss some things, including why I have a Fairfield truck."
"Jack, I would have gotten you in Calgary this morning," Ty offered, and Jack glared him. Ty took the hint, raised his hand, and he walked around to sit on the hearth. Jack looked around at everyone again, gesturing.
"Finally, everyone is either eating cookies or quiet," he said, rolling his eyes. "Obviously, I'm back from my trip. Yes, that's a Fairfield truck-"
"Wait, Fairfield as in it's one of Lisa's trucks, like Lisa, your ex, the woman who left when you were sick?" Lou jumped in.
"Lou!" Amy exclaimed, sighing.
"Oh, Lou," Tim chuckled as he shook his head.
"Well, yes," Jack said in a snarky tone, looking around at everyone. "That is correct, at least part of it. It is one of Lisa's trucks, and thank you for bringing that to my attention because she's the topic of discussion, right here and now."