Hey there Heartie family! I have a few days off of work so I decided to write another story for you all. Thank you for the kind reviews on my last one, they truly made my day:)
My family and I went camping last weekend and made s'mores by the fire. This is where the idea for this story stemmed from.
I hope it brings a smile to your face and tides you over until season 11 airs!:)
Elizabeth was chatting with Rosemary in the mercantile while Jack explored in the aisles. He studied the shelves at his eye level and marvelled at the various colours and fonts on the different labels. He reached for a clear jar filled with little white cube-shaped marshmallows. He held the jar carefully to his chest and excitedly ran to show his mother.
"Mom! Can we please have these?" Jack said looking up at Elizabeth who was just chatting with Rosemary about dinner plans.
"Oh..." Elizabeth started
"Oh, those are marshmallows! You must try them Elizabeth, and make s'mores with the kids!" Rosemary jumped in passionately.
"Looks like I'm outnumbered," Elizabeth said with a laugh glancing down at Jack who was looking up at her in eager anticipation. "You can put it in the basket Jack" she continued.
The three of them walked up to the till and Elizabeth placed the goods in her basket on the counter. Rosemary ran up and threw in a bar of chocolate.
"A special treat from yours truly," Rosemary said as she flashed a playful wink at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth smiled and looked down at Jack who was beaming with satisfaction that he got his treat.
After paying, Rosemary bid the pair goodbye and headed to the mill. Elizabeth helped Jack walk down the steps of the mercantile with a basket of groceries in one hand and little Jack's hand in the other. Mr. Yost had given Jack a little bag of jellybeans that he clutched in his free hand. Walking down the dirt road Elizabeth took a deep breath in. The scent of fresh flowers infiltrated the air as the sun began its descent behind the trees. Jack swung his arm happily back and forth while holding Elizabeth's fingers in his fist and smiled as their shadows danced underneath them in tandem with the songs of the birds. In the distance, Elizabeth's eye caught sight of an ever-so-familiar red serge jacket coming towards the town along a grass-bordered road. Nathan had been on his afternoon rounds and was making his way back to town.
"Look it's dad!" Elizabeth said, looking down at Jack and back up at the red figure on a horse that was now getting bigger.
"Dad!?" Jack replied with a squeal. He bounced up and down in excitement.
Elizabeth laughed and walked toward Nathan who had noticed them in the distance and urged Newton forward to meet up with them quicker. Newton shook his head and let out a puff as Nathan dismounted.
"Hi! How are my favourite people?" Nathan said with a content smile.
"We are good, we just stopped by the mercantile for some treats" Elizabeth replied with a childlike grin. "Allie is still at Angela's" she continued, glancing over at the cafe.
Elizabeth and little Jack's cheeks were flushed pink from the sunshine and fresh air. Nathan smiled and ran a hand down Elizabeth's back before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Ah I can see that," Nathan said with a laugh looking over at Jack's little bag of jellybeans.
"You want one?" Jack said with a smile holding up his fist.
Nathan got down on one knee and ruffled Jack's hair, "I'm good buddy, thank you though!" he said cheerfully as he gave Jack a quick kiss on the top of his head.
"Are you coming home soon?" Elizabeth asked
Nathan stood up again and picked a fluff out of Elizabeth's long hair. "I'll be done in an hour or so, just some office work left," he said as he twirled a small section of her hair between his fingers.
"Ok!" Elizabeth replied.
Nathan smiled and stroked her head before heading off towards the livery with Newton. "See you later," he said. He gave little Jack a quick wave as he walked past.
Back home, Elizabeth had put dinner in the oven— the house filled with the aroma of seasonings and roasted chicken. Elizabeth hummed contently as she cut up the carrots and potatoes. She looked out the window and watched as Allie and Jack played tag in the backyard. She had sent them out earlier to clean up a bit before they started up the fire-pit for the s'mores but they had gotten distracted. Smiling to herself she continued with her task glancing out now and again when she heard a burst of laughter. The sound of the front door opening caught Elizabeth's attention. Nathan came in and hung his stetson up on the last hook by the door as was his custom. He ran his hands through his hair before taking off his boots.
"Hi, honey!" Elizabeth greeted cheerfully.
"Hi, beautiful" Nathan replied as he walked towards her. He put both his hands gently on Elizabeth's arms and looked over her shoulder. "What are you up to? Where are the kids?" he continued.
"They are at the back setting up the fire-pit for s'mores." Elizabeth pointed her nose towards the back window where the kids were now stacking rocks in a neat circle. Nathan looked out and smiled.
"I'll head up, change and then I'll go chop some wood," he said decidedly.
"Sounds good," Elizabeth replied as she arranged the cubed-up veggies on a pan.
Later, Nathan quickly ran down the steps while buttoning his shirt. He put on his shoes and opened the back door. The muffled giggling of the children amplified as the door opened. Elizabeth cracked the window open so that she could hear the sounds of her family hustling and bustling in the backyard. She observed contently as Nathan chopped wood and the children gathered the pieces and arranged them in the fire-pit they had made. A flood of peace radiated from her chest as she watched her family - Thank you God for keeping us safe and filling our hearts with joy and peace - She silently prayed as the scene unfolded before her.
Jack ran inside. "Mom! Can I have the marshmallows?" he inquired excitedly.
"Just wait Jack," Allie remarked as she ran past with a stick in hand.
"You can have them soon, we will have dinner first and then we can light the fire outside for s'mores. How does that sound?" Elizabeth replied with a smile as she knelt to his eye level.
"Okay," he replied obediently.
The usual dinner ritual seemed to drag on forever for an excited Jack who couldn't wait for dessert. After dinner, Elizabeth and Nathan cleared the table and Allie and Jack were in charge of getting blankets for them to use outside by the fire.
"Dinner was great Elizabeth," Nathan said, as he put the last of the dishes away.
"Thanks," Elizabeth said with a blush "How was work?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Uneventful..." Nathan replied, "but that's a good thing," he continued, "It didn't help that I was eager to get home to my beautiful wife," he remarked with a cheeky grin.
Elizabeth laughed and tried to hide her giddiness by pulling out a small box of matches from the cupboard and handing them over to Nathan. Nathan took the matches, pulled her hand towards him and kissed it quickly before disappearing to the backyard.
"You won't get away with that!" Elizabeth remarked playfully.
Just then, Allie and Jack came thundering down the stairs with 4 small quilted blankets. Jack could barely see out from behind the stack of quilts he was carrying. It was a miracle he didn't stumble and fall onto his face.
"Be careful buddy!" Elizabeth cautioned as she followed the kids outside with the basket of ingredients.
Nathan had lit a small fire and the embers were starting to settle. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange, blue and purple like an abstract painting as the birds sang their evening symphony in the background combined with the crackling of the fire. Smoke came up from the chimneys of the row houses and small lights could be seen peeking through the little windows.
"Here Jack..." Allie instructed, "put the chocolate on the graham cracker and when I'm done with this marshmallow you can put it on top," she continued.
An eager Jack did as instructed while he watched Allie skillfully twirl the puffy white marshmallow at the end of her stick over the dancing flames.
Nathan made one for Elizabeth and Allie before making one for himself. Elizabeth helped clean a small percentage of the marshmallow from Jack's hands. He seemed to have gotten more on himself than into his mouth, but the smile on his face made up tenfold for the stickiness. Elizabeth glanced over at Rosemary's house where the smoke had started gently making its way out of the chimney. It was nice to know that she was surrounded by friends and family. Something that Elizabeth had dreamed of for a long time. The warmth of the fire, the warmth of her family and friends beside her, and the warmth she felt from inside her filled her heart with joy and peace - Thank you God for blessing my family with more than we could ever have dreamed of - Elizabeth took a deep breath and engraved these precious moments into her memory.