Chapter 45

The following afternoon, Jack, Elizabeth, and JJ were standing at the stagecoach center. Frank and Abagail were there. Along with Mr. and Mrs. P. Frank was helping with the bags. Jack couldn't figure out what Elizabeth had in her bags. She had two trunks, and they were full and heavy. Maybe it was due to his mountie training, but he only had a small carpet bag with everything he needed. Both he and Frank, along with the driver, had to load the two trunks on the top of the stagecoach. He simply shook his head at his wife's smirk expression.

Before Jack left, he needed to stop by the mercantile and the bank. He needed to check for any telegrams and get some money for their trip. He kissed Elizabeth on the cheek before walking toward the mercantile. JJ decided to stay with his mommy. He was going to miss them very much. He was also a little afraid of them leaving. As good as his life is, he still missed his mommy and daddy in heaven.

…

Jack walked into the mercantile and was immediately greeted by Mr. Yost.

"Good afternoon, Constable."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Yost. Do you have any messages for me?"

"Let me cheek." Mr. Yost turned to look for any messages. "I do, Constable. Here is one from Mr. Lewis."

Jack opened the telegram as he stepped out of Yost's Mercantile.

Jack and Elizabeth –

All paperwork turned it. Should be settled by the time you are in Hamilton. Will know more then.

Louis received two years with six years' probation. William received the plea deal. He's just outside of Hamilton. Charles pleaded not guilty. Receive bail. He's out but limited to Medicine Hat and Hamilton. He's also not allowed around Elizabeth. Will discuss more in Hamilton. See you two in a week.

T. Lewis

Jack let out a long breath. He knew William's sentence. He was a little surprised with Louis' sentence but wasn't shocked. Charles being allowed bail was a shocker. He would have never thought Charles would be given bail. Now he was free until the hearing. Especially free to be in Hamilton. They would be in Hamilton in a little over a week. Jack took a deep breath trying to catch his breath and to allow his mind to stop running wild with potential disaster possibilities. He shook his head and headed toward the bank.

Jack walked out of the bank shocked. He walked toward the stagecoach shaking his head. Elizabeth looked up and noticed the multiple expressions on her husband's face. She noticed shock, anger, and frustration.

"Hey JJ…stay with Auntie Abagail for a minute. We will be right back."

"Sure mommy."

Elizabeth walked toward Jack. She knew by his expression he was unhappy and a little shocked. She walked up to Jack and kissed him on his cheek.

"Are you ok?"

"Come with me for a moment." When she nodded, he took her by her hand and led her beside the jail. She smiled at the memory of the last time he pulled her between the buildings.

"What?" He asked as he turned to face Elizabeth. She had a playful, little mischievous expression playing with the corners of her mouth.

"I don't think you are going to do what you did the last time you pulled me here."

It took Jack a second for him to realize what she meant. His face turned a little pink.

"Well…" He flirted as he slowly closed the distance between them. "…I was thinking about something else, but now…"

"But now…?" She flirted with a huge smile. Her eyes yelling for Jack to claim her lips.

He continued to close the distance until her back was against the wall. He put a little bit of his weight against her. He immediately went for her neck and ear. He knew she loved his attention there. Jack gently placed his lips against her skin. He worked his tongue against her skin. When she moaned and squirmed, Jack increased the pressure from his lips. He had completely forgotten what he learned from the telegram and the bank. His hand found her hip. He slowly moved his fingers until they reached under her blouse. When his fingers touched her soft skin, they both jumped at the electricity that flowed between their touches.

"Jack…"

He cut her off when his lips crashed down on her. His tongue immediately went in search of her tongue. She welcomed him without hesitation. They were quickly getting lost in their attention until they heard the stagecoach driver yell out, "Five minutes 'till we leave."

Jack finished the kiss before pulling back a little. He left his hand on her soft skin and placed his forehead against hers. He tried to catch his breath.

"Promise me you will never stop doing that." She exclaimed in between breaths.

"I promise." He stated slowly.

"Now, what's wrong?"

…

"Where did they go?" JJ asked.

"They had to talk for a moment. They'll be right back."

JJ sighed. He was nervous and it was easy to see.

"You will stay with me, and Mrs. P will help take care of you."

"You and Frank." JJ corrected her.

"True." Abagail smiled at Frank. They both enjoyed their first night together. "Your mommy and daddy will be gone for a week. Then they come back and you three will go to Hamilton."

"Yeah…"

"I promise they will come back."

"Auntie Abagail…you can't make that promise. My daddy and mommy said the same thing, and they didn't come back."

"I know, but your mommy and daddy will do everything possible in their power to come back to you. You have to trust them."

JJ nodded his head. He wasn't sold on the whole thing. He was looking to spend time with Auntie Abagail, Frank, and Mrs. P.

…

"A couple of things…." Jack wasn't sure what to begin with first.

"Ok…what is it?" Elizabeth leaned back a little to have a better look on Jack's face.

"First, I received a telegram from Mr. Lewis. They accepted the plea deal for your father. He's just outside of Hamilton. Louis received a plea deal too. Two years and six years of probation."

"Ok. That's great for father and mother."

"It is. Mr. Kensington pleaded not guilty. He was awarded bail. He's out. He is limited to Medicine Hat and Hamilton only. He's not allowed anywhere else, and he must stay away from you."

Elizabeth gasped. She wasn't too sure of the intricacies of the legal system and how they worked, but she would never have thought Charles would get out. She knew it was a solid case against him.

"Sometimes people are given bail. Evidently, the defense attorney convinced the judge that Mr. Kensington wasn't a flight risk. He must have put up a lot of money for bail."

"Do you think he will be in Hamilton when we are?"

"I would assume so. He is not allowed anywhere close to you. If so, he will be placed back in jail for breaking the terms of his bail."

"If he wants too, I don't think that will keep him from me."

"I agree. We will make sure you are not alone in Hamilton."

Elizabeth nodded her head. She was nervous, but trusted Jack. She knew he would keep her safe. He always had.

"Ok…what else is there?"

Jack shook his head slightly. He never understood how she could read him so easily. As a mountie, he was taught to have a stone cold face. No one else could read his thoughts, but she easily could.

"I went to see Mr. Jacobs at the bank to withdraw some money for our trip."

"Was there a problem? Teddy said he spoke with him when he put our accounts together."

"No, there isn't a problem. Did he tell you how much was in there?"

"Shouldn't be too much." Elizabeth thought out loud. "I had a little in savings that was very close to what you had. My other account that I use all the time wasn't too much. Along with what you said, we should have plenty for this trip. Teddy said the company will pay for our travel to Hamilton since it's work related. You said you were ok with staying with mother. So, we don't have that expense. Is everything ok?"

"It is…it's just that there was a lot of money in the primary account and the savings account."

"What do you mean?"

"Did Teddy say anything about putting money in the accounts when he went to combine our accounts?"

Elizabeth thought back on that conversation. "Maybe…I think he said something about it but I'm not too sure. Jack, he couldn't have put that much in there."

Jack let out a laugh. His actions confused Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, there is more than our combined salaries for the whole year in each of our two accounts. I told Mr. Jacobs that there must be a mistake. He assured me there was no mistake. He said that Mr. Lewis stated that this was just a small amount to begin with."

"Really?" The shock was evident in her voice.

"Yeah. Mr. Jacobs also assured me that everything was strictly confidential. Teddy reminded him of that."

"Jack, that doesn't make any sense."

"Did you know how much your father made?"

Elizabeth shook her head no. "No, we never talked about money. We knew we had money, but you just didn't talk about it. It was an unwritten rule in our home."

"I think we may be in for a huge surprise."

"I never thought about the money."

"I didn't either."

Silence filled the air between the two as they processed what they had just learned. While Elizabeth grew up in a wealthy family, money was never discussed. She knew they had more than most, but she never was consumed by it. Most importantly, she never acted like she was better than others because of it. Jack grew up with modest means. With one parent that was a mountie and another a schoolteacher, they had enough for the basics but they were nowhere close to being rich. This was odd for the both of them.

"Well, I suggest we have a conversation with Teddy when we are in Hamilton. Did Mr. Jacobs assure you that everything was in order?"

"He did. I withdrew a little more than what we discussed since there was so much in there."

Elizabeth nodded her head. "That may be nice in case we want to do something."

"True."

"I guess we will have to figure this out since I have no idea where we are going." She flirted kissing Jack on the cheek. He still wouldn't tell her, and she was trying to convince him to go ahead and tell her before getting on the stagecoach.

"You'll know in a few minutes. Patience, Mrs. Thornton."

She sighed. "I don't like being patient, Mr. Thornton. However, I love my new name."

"Great because you're not going back. It's yours forever."

"Perfect."

"Now, let's go and say goodbye to our boy. We are leaving soon."

"Where are we going?"

"When we are on the stagecoach. Patience."

"Patience is overrated." Elizabeth huffed.

…

The receptionist looked up and gasped. She had received the memo from Mr. Watts. The memo was very simple. She pulled the paper when Mr. Kensington walked by. He looked in her direction but didn't say anything or smiled at her. She re-read the memo to make sure she understood it correctly. She called the switchboard and asked for security.

"Mr. Charles Kensington just walked past the reception desk for the elevators."

"Thank you for letting us know. We will send people up immediately "

Then the receptionist asked the switchboard to ring the office of Mr. Jerry Watts. "Charlene, I was instructed to inform Mr. Watts if Mr. Charles Kensington were to arrive. He just walked past the receptionist desk in the front lobby. I just spoke with security."

"Thank you Mary. I will pass the information to Mr. Watts and Mr. Lewis."

The young lady sighed as she sat back in her chair. She has heard rumors of what happened. She would have never thought Mr. Kensington would do anything like she heard, but why else would he be placed on the watch list if he didn't?

As the lift gate opened, Charles took a step off the elevator. He looked into the eyes of two security guards. There wasn't any room for him to walk around them. They were blocking his route to his office.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kensington. You are not permitted on this floor."

"I'm sorry?" Charles asked, a little shocked at the statement.

"You are not permitted on this floor, Mr. Kensington."

"This is where my office is located. I work here."

"No sir, you do not." The larger security guard stepped forward with his hand on his weapon at his waist. "Please sir, follow me downstairs to the lobby." The security guards did not offer Charles an option.

"No. I need to get to work. I've been gone for a while at the request of Mr. Thatcher. I have a job to do."

"Mr. Kensington." Jerry Watts stated.

"Mr. Watts. It's good to see you."

"Mr. Kensington, I would suggest you follow these men downstairs."

"Why?"

"Mr. Kensington, you no longer work here. You do not have a job here any more."

"Am I being fired?"

"Sir, you were fired last week. Now, we can continue this conversation in the small office in the lobby if you desire. We will not be having this discussion here. You are not permitted on this floor. Now, please follow these security guards downstairs…now." Jerry's voice was stern and unwavering. His expression was just as serious.

…

Elizabeth hugged Abagail. "I'm sorry you're watching JJ on your honeymoon."

"We aren't on our honeymoon yet. We are fine. I promise. We aren't in our early twenties. We'll have our time in a week when you get back. We're good…I promise."

"You may not be in your twenties, but I still assume…"

"Elizabeth!" Abagail's face turned immediately red with embarrassment. When their eyes connect, everything was completely understood between the best friends.

"Thank you for taking care of our boy."

"You're welcome, Jack. Now, go and have fun."

"We will."

"By the way, where are you going?"

Jack leaned in to tell her so Elizabeth couldn't hear. She watched with curiosity, but she was too far away with JJ and Mrs. P to hear what was being said.

"We are going to San Fransico. We catch the train this evening and will be there in the morning."

"Oh! She'll love that!" Abagail stated loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.

"You tell Abagail but not your wife." Elizabeth playfully huffed and placed her hand on her hip. She was giving Jack her best scary teacher face. "Husband, you shouldn't keep secrets from your wife."

"Not secrets…a surprise. Now, quit taking up all of JJ's time. I would like to give him a hug before we leave."

"Promise me you'll come back." JJ pleaded in Jack's arms.

"I promise we will come back, and I will do everything in my power to make sure we keep that promise."

JJ looked into Jack's eyes. He has grown to trust him and knew he would never lie to him. "Fine. Please send a telegram when you get to the train station and then to…" JJ trailed off his voice as he cut his eyes to Elizabeth.

"Really?" She huffed. "Everyone knows where I am going except for me?"

Mrs. P and Frank looked away so they wouldn't have to look at her. Jack had told them earlier. Mrs. P helped Jack pack a few things for Elizabeth in his suitcase. He wanted it to be a surprise, but he wanted her to have the things she would need. He really didn't know how to pack for a woman.

JJ held onto Elizabeth so tight that she was having trouble breathing. JJ was having the same problem with her hold on him. The stagecoach driver walked around the coach and was going to say something until he saw the hug. Even though he was a little bit of a harden man, he saw the love between them. He stepped to the end of the stagecoach and waited.

"We'll send a telegram to you when we arrive at the train station and then one tomorrow when we arrive wherever we are going. I promise."

"I will miss you."

"Me too, my sweet boy. Now, be good for Auntie Abagail and Mrs. P. Know that we love you."

"I love you."

With one last squeeze, Elizabeth released her hold on her boy and lovingly touched his face. JJ watched as his daddy and mother walked to the stagecoach. Jack held out his hand to help Elizbeth up on the coach. After getting comfortable, they stuck their heads out the open window and waved and said one last round of goodbyes.

"Let's go. I have some chocolate chip cookies waiting for you." JJ nodded his head. "Your mommy made them before they left. She wanted to give you a surprise."

JJ's head shot up quickly. "Really?"

"Yes…she used all my chocolate chips. I think she tripled them in the recipe this time." Abagail laughed at the huge grin on his face. When the stagecoach was out of sight, JJ turned and ran as fast as he could to the café. He wanted his mommy's chocolate chip cookies.

"So…" Elizabeth turned her attention to Jack who was sitting beside her. She reached for his hand. "…where are we going?"

…

Frank and Abagail were in the kitchen of the café enjoying each other's company. The lunch rush was over, and Abagail was about to head to the mayor's office to try and get some work done before the dinner rush. With the wedding yesterday, today felt like a normal Thursday for them. Life was quickly back to normal. She felt a little uneasy about that. She knew she and Frank weren't kids, but she felt bad that they were spending their first official day as a married couple working and sitting a five year old.

Abagail walked up to Frank. Just before she was in front of him, he saw her walking toward him and opened his arms to embrace her. She walked straight into the hug.

"I'm sorry." Abagail softly spoke.

Frank leaned back just enough to look into her eyes without breaking the hug. "Sorry…for what?"

"This…" She looked around. "Here we are on our first day of marriage and we are working in the kitchen and I'm about to leave to work on town stuff. Plus, there is a five year old boy who will be by soon looking for his favorite snack."

Frank could only look at her confused.

"Frank, this is our first day of marriage and it feels like a normal Thursday. Nothing's changed."

His growing smile confused her a little. "Well, a lot change last night." He wiggled his eyebrows. Her face immediately turned red with the precious memories of last night. "That was perfect, and this is perfect."

"This isn't perfect."

"To me it is. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm with you and we shared last night together. At some point, JJ will go to bed." His grin was hopeful. "I love this life with you, Abagail. I am looking forward to our small trip in a week to celebrate our wedding, but make no mistake Abagail, I wouldn't change a thing about us. I am in love with you, and I am blessed to walk this day with you."

"You're a sweet man."

"Remember than tonight when JJ goes to bed." He flirted.

"Elziabeth believes JJ thinks his new bedtime is seven thirty."

"I though he went to bed at nine?"

"Before the wedding, dear." Abagail glanced up.

"Oh…seven thirty is perfect." Frank tightened his hold on his wife.

"What's your plans for the day?"

"When you head out, I'm going to check on Mr. Johnston. I want to see where he is with Jack's and Elizabeth's home. Then I will check on a couple of farmers that weren't at church this past Sunday. I want to check on them."

"Taking over for Jack?"

"Yeah. Hey, I think you need to hire someone to help out around here. Now that you own the café outright, you should be able to afford it."

"I have thought about it. I can afford it now. Maybe someone to help with the lunch rush and evening hours."

"That sounds nice. You can do the morning hours here and then go to city hall. Then you can spend the evenings here or with me."

"That sounds nice. Maybe one of the teen girls would like an evening job a couple of days a week. That would free up some evenings for us."

"That sounds amazing. I would like to try the pond during the evening."

"Oh, a fish dinner that I don't have to cook…I like the sound of that!" Sassed Abagail.

Frank squeezed her a little more with a growing smile. "You know…since we are married, we can change the payment for losing…" His flirty grin made her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah…" Abagail's breath was a little light due to the lack of air in her lungs. She leaned into her husband. She loved the feeling of being in his arms.

"Winner's choice?"

"Perfect."

…

"Jack…" Elizabeth voice whined as they made their way toward the train station. "…you promised to tell me where we are going once, we got on the stagecoach. We have been on here for a while now."

"We have been on here for ten minutes."

"And that's a while now. This is no longer a surprise. You are keeping secrets." She gave him a stern look.

"I love your impatient streak." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "We are on our way to the train station."

"I already know that." She huffed.

"Let me finish, Ms. Impatience."

"That's Mrs. Thornton to you."

"We are going to catch an overnight train to San Francisco."

"San Francisco?" Asked an excited Elizabeth. "I've always wanted to go there."

"We will be there tomorrow afternoon. We are staying for five days and then coming home."

"San Francisco…" Elizabeth whispered. She had read about that town and always hoped to go one day but never put too much thought into it. "Will five days be long enough?" She whispered again.

"Probably not for the whole town. There are theaters we can attend, along with some shopping, and beautiful sightseeing. We can even take a horseback ride to visit some beautiful scenery."

"Oh Jack, that sounds perfect."

"We will make the most out of those five days as we possibly can. Then we will come home to our boy."

Elizabeth smiled at the thought of JJ. She loved that boy but was excited to spend time with just Jack. She also noticed an odd look on Jack's face. She also remembered that he mentioned twice in this short conversation about going back home but didn't mention anything about going to Hamilton the day after they arrived in Hope Valley. Their times to Hamilton, while only twice, weren't the best of visits. With her family's attitude toward Jack, Tom and Julie's issue, and with Charles, she knew Hamilton wasn't Jack's favorite town.

"Jack…may I ask you a question?"

Jack tilted his head when he looked in her direction. "Elizabeth, as my wife, you never have to ask me that question. You have the right to always ask me any question at any time."

Elizabeth settled into Jack's side and placed her head on his shoulder. "You don't want to go to Hamilton…do you?"

Jack paused as he looked down at the top of her head. "Should I be concerned that you can read me so easily?"

"Maybe…would you please answer the question?"

Jack sighed. "Not really. Hamilton just doesn't hold good memories for me. I've been there twice and neither time was good."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Elizabeth."

"Is it just the Tom and Julie fiasco?"

"No…but that is certainly part of it."

Elizabeth ran her fingertip of her index finger along the top of Jack's thigh. She wasn't tracing any certain patterns. Jack loved the light touch.

"Was it because of Charles? Or me?

"Do we really need to talk about this?"

"Yes. We are traveling there in about a week, and we will need to go there probably twice a year for about a week each time. We need to figure this out."

"Sure, but do we have to do this on our honeymoon?"

Without raising her head off Jack's shoulder, she looked up enough to look into his face. Her promise to herself came to mind. When she came back to Hope Valley, she promised herself that there weren't going to be any secrets or things not discussed. Those two things didn't, and won't, work for them. It never has. She didn't want to talk about this during their honeymoon, but the promise to herself and to Jack was important to her. She was afraid if she pushed this off until later, that they would not discuss it. Or like so many other times, the issue would grow much bigger than it should ever be.

"Jack, I don't want to break my promise. And I don't want this to fester into something bigger."

Jack nodded his head in understanding. While it was her promise, he was completely in favor of it.

"When we were in Hamilton, you were always with Mr. Kensington, or your family was very condescending to me. Even when I left, I knew about all the time you were with Mr. Kensington. The walks and the picnic in the floor of the dining room with Mr. Kensington."

"You knew about that?" She asked with her head still on his shoulder. "You knew about the…"

"I did." His voice was barely loud enough for her to hear, even though her head was on his shoulder. "I received a letter telling me about all the lunches, walks, and time you were spending with Mr. Kensington. The picnic on the dining room floor and the dancing in the den."

"Who wrote you?"

"I don't know. They didn't sign the letter."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Would it have mattered? We talked about your relationship with Mr. Kensington several times and nothing changed. I didn't think it would make a difference. So…"

Elizabeth slowly nodded her head. "Why have you always called him Mr. Kensington? You only called him Charles once or twice and that was very early on. She waited a couple of seconds, but he didn't say anything. "I can't believe how dumb I was. I'm sorry for ever doing anything like that. I'm also sorry I didn't take up for you concerning my family. I wished I handled all that differently." Not wanting to ruin their time together, Elizabeth wanted to change the subject. "That is all the past. When we go back, we will make new memories."

Jack nodded his head. He knew what she was doing, and he was grateful for it. He didn't want to relive all of those memories, but he never thought he would enjoy her hometown. They were in the past and Elizabeth and him came through that time together and better. Now they have JJ and are leaving on their honeymoon.

…

"Gracie!" William spoke with excitement. This was Grace's first visit with William since he was transferred from Medicine Hat to a medium sized town, Spencer. The low security prison that William would be spending the next three years in was located in Spencer. It was just forty five minutes from Hamiton, but Grace and Willaim have never heard of it. The prison building wasn't impressive by any standards, but it was better than anything Grace imagined.

"William! It's great to see you."

"Oh Gracie…it's great to see you!" William quickly walked toward her. He wrapped her in his arms and held on to his wife for several long seconds. This was way out of character for the couple. They were the picture perfect example of how a wealthy couple is supposed to conduct themselves in proper society. However, William missed his wife and just wanted to hold her. Grace gasped at first, but quickly welcomed William's embrace.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Trying to get settled here, but it's going well."

"I'm grateful."

William escorted his wife to a small table with three chairs. In minimum security, limited personal contact was allowed. Grace was searched before she walked to the visiting room, but the guard was very respectful. She was also allowed to bring William some chocolate chip cookies. Abagail and Elizabeth taught her how to bake them when she was in Hope Valley. JJ assured her that her cookies were good, but no one could beat his mommy's or auntie's cookies.

For the next thirty minutes, Grace shared what happened in Hope Valley after he was transported to Medicine Hat. She shared the wedding details and all the woman and children who worked so hard to make the wedding a success in such a short period of time. She answered William's questions about the wedding and promised to bring the pictures when she received them. William answered Grace's questions about his current life here. He spends his time reading and volunteering in a program that helps the younger prisoners to learn a trade that will better their lives when they are released. The warden began a new class since a successful man was among them. He was teaching the younger guys business and business management.

Neither one of them could remember such a detailed conversation between them in the last ten years or so. They could feel the talk drawing them closer. Grace also received William's new mailing address. She promised letters since she could write to him now.

William paused for a long moment before asking the question that he had been wondering about for so long. It was also a huge fear of his. That's why he fought so hard to keep his actions quiet.

"How are you doing at home? Is the community treating you alright?"

When Grace lowered her head, he knew the answer. "Well, our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. James, have been a godsent for me. When they realized I was home, they came over and asked me how I was doing. They read it in the paper." William lowered his gaze from his wife to the table in front of him.

"The others?"

"Let's just say I have only spoken with Mr. and Mrs. James." Grace's voice was soft. She looked from the table into William's face. I have been volunteering at the library and the food bank. I have found comfort there."

"I'm sorry, Gracie." William's voice was broken.

Grace reached for William's hand. She gently squeezed it, causing William to finally look up into his wife's face. "I have learned from Elizabeth over the past week or so is that we can't live in the past. She made mistakes that she apologized for to the people she needed to and then moved on to live in the present. You have apologized to me and the girls. That is done. And you will not apologize to me or the girls again. This is where we are…the present. Now, we fix what we can, we learn from our mistakes, and we will move forward to grasp the future we want for ourselves. Understand?"

William looked deeply into his wife's eyes. He had forgotten how strong she was. He saw her strength. While his actions may have caused his family pain in their society circles, he knew his wife was going to be ok. She would push forward for herself and her family.

"I understand. What is it that you want to do now?"

"I would like to meet with Mr. Lewis and see what we need to do for a girl's home."

"A girl's home?"

"A home for young girls that have made bad decisions and are dismissed by their families. Most of those young ladies are pregnant out of wedlock and their families pushed them out of their homes because of embarrassment."

"Really? How did you think of this?"

"On my way home, I sat beside a woman and her husband who runs a girl's home. The girls are facing a difficult future because of their decisions. I have begun to investigate it after talking with them. I think we can start a girls' home in Hamilton. William, we can do some good."

"I like that."

"I think we can also expand on what a girl's home normally does."

"How so?"

"I think we can teach these young ladies a trade. They can learn a job to pay for their essentials and for their babies. This will give them an opportunity to improve their lives."

"Gracie, that sounds like a great idea."

"So, are you ok if I look into this more?"

"Absolutely. I think that is a good idea."

"Thanks William."

…

"Did you send the telegram to Abagail?"

"I did not." Jack stated as he joined his wife on the train platform. He just walked out of the telegram office.

"Why not? You just left the telegram office."

She noticed a little smirk on his face that was slowly growing. "What?"

"I sent it to JJ. Instead of sending the message to Abagail, I sent it to JJ. He will receive it."

"Oh Jack, he will love that."

"I think it will make him feel good, all grown up. After all, he's almost six."

"I love that little boy." Elizabeth sighed with complete love in her voice and on her face.

"Me too. He just has a way about him."

"He does. I think I fell in love with that boy the first time I met him in the café."

"I believe I did the same thing." Jack stated as they walked toward the train and stepped onto their train car.

They found their seats. It wasn't a first class department, but it was a step up from a normal seat. They had only two seats in a row, and they had extra leg and arm room. Elizabeth was happy with the extra room. She also knew she would get comfortable on Jack's shoulder during the evening. The seats laid back enough for them to be somewhat comfortable.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?"

"I already miss my son, but I am grateful to have this time with just you. A whole week of just us. We don't have to worry about JJ just storming in the house."

"And we don't have to come up with a reason to make him go to bed early." Jack flirted.

"A perfect week." Elizabeth sighed.

"I know this life is a little different…"

Elizabeth interrupted him before he could continue. "I wouldn't trade a moment of it, Jack. JJ is precious and he is my son. I'm just glad we have a few days with it just being us. I think we need this."

"I agree. I can't imagine my life without that little boy of ours, but I am grateful for this time too."

"So, what's the plan for the week?"

"Other than the theater on Saturday, we do not have an agenda. We simply decided to do something then do it."

"That sounds nice. I normally don't do that."

"I know." He sassed.

He got comfortable in the chair and leaned back a little. Elizabeth immediately sat beside him and settled into his side. She placed her head on his shoulder and took his hand.

"Would you like your book?"

Elizabeth settled even deeper into Jack's side. She slightly shook her head no.