Chapter 47

Elizabeth sat down in the first class compartment of the train. Jack had upgraded the accommodations back to Hope Valley. He left for a few minutes to send a telegram to JJ. They had telegrammed their boy each day. They made sure to send it to him directly. They just knew that would make him feel grown up. She closed her eyes and thought back on their five days in San Francisco.

The walk around the lake was the second high point of their honeymoon. They walked the lake every day except for their third day. They rented two horses and rode a trail around the lake. The time during their walk and ride was quiet and relaxing. Their second day on the hike was the most exciting day hiking. She smiled at the memory.

…

"Are you ready to go?" Elizabeth shouted out as she was tying her boots she used for hiking.

"I'm waiting on you." Jack stepped out of the bedroom.

"Well…come on." She stood.

They usually turned right out of the cabin and walked the lake that way. Today, they turned left instead. Their hands immediately found each other before they were down the steps. When they began the trail, she stepped to the side and waited until Jack took the lead.

"Are we really doing this again?" Jack tried to hide his chuckle.

"You're walking first or we're not walking at all!" Her voice was firm. She left no doubt that she was serious. She placed her hand on his back and gently gave him a shove. "I'm not walking into another spider web with thousands of spiders." She shivered at the thought of the previous day when she walked into a huge spider's web. She could still feel the spiders all over her even if Jack couldn't see any.

"How do you know there were thousands of spiders." Challenged Jack. "Did you count them?"

"How do you know there wasn't thousands of spiders?" She challenged him. "Did you count them?"

"I didn't see thousands of them." Jack chuckled."

"Of course you didn't see them all."

"Sure sweetheart. I'll go first and protect you."

"Thank you." She reached and patted him on his backside.

Jack jumped at her actions. She was playful today. He loved it when she was playful. This was all new to the both of them, but they were enjoying it.

Their intimate time since they arrived at the cabin has been intense and often. They were taking full advantage of being alone with just them. There was no adorable five year old always under foot. Their love making was growing important to them. Their times together consisted of moments where passion led the way and other times where love led the way. She greatly enjoyed both types. She loved the passionate Jack. He was purposeful in his actions with her. Jack was passionate with her, but she never felt he was too aggressive. She never felt that Jack was just out to get what he wanted never thinking of her. As a matter of fact, every time they were together, she felt like Jack put her and her needs first. Jack would claim her as his. She would do anything to encourage him to be passionate with her. There were also times when Jack was very loving with her. The touches were gentle and loving. She felt immensely loved when Jack was making love to her. What amazed her the most was that Jack knew if she wanted the loving Jack or the passionate Jack. Somehow, he just knew.

"Mrs. Thornton, if you pat my backside one more time…"

"Yes, Mr. Thornton."

Jack stopped and turned around to look at his wife. She had a playful look written all over her face.

Jack just wiggled his finger at her. She giggled and nodded for him to continue.

As Jack began to climb up a couple of rocks, Elizabeth placed her hand on his bottom, pinched it slightly, and then pushed him a little to help him to climb up.

"What?" She asked when he turned around when he reached the top of the rocks. "I was just giving you a push." Her face wasn't turning red anymore. With everything they shared together, there wasn't any need to be embarrassed. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. She loved their time together.

"I warned you!" He pointed at her."

"I was just helping Jack." She defended her actions. The look in her eyes made him weak. "I thought you needed a little push."

He reached down to take her hand. He pulled her up with her help. When she stood on top of the rocks, he wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. He pulled her closer to his body.

"I'm telling you Bella…one more time and you will cross a line you don't want to cross."

"Who says I don't want to cross that line?" The challenge in her eyes made Jack's knees go weak.

"Yesterday…you…you pulled back because you didn't want to do anything outside. It's not fair to pull back and then the next day push forward."

"Come on Jack…"

Jack turned and began to walk in front. She noticed his backside as he walked. She loved his bottom. She was nervous yesterday about making love outside. She didn't think that was proper, but now she was seriously reconsidering her hesitation. The view of his backside, feeling his body against her, the smell of Jack's natural scent, and the look in his eyes made the desire inside of her begin to rethink her previous decision.

They walked a couple of minutes and came to a beautiful view of an open field. Not only was the lake in view, but there was also a gorgeous view of several acres of green grass. There were trees at the far end of the field. The trial was about thirty feet above the water and field. Her mischievous smile grew on her face. She reached and patted him on his backside again. On the second pat, her hand lingered for a moment and she pinched his bottom.

Jack turned around. The look in his eyes made her knees weak. She breathed in but the air didn't reach her lungs. Instead of instantly reaching for his wife, he took off his shirt. Elizabeth was a little stunned at his actions until she laid her eyes on Jack's chest. He knew she loved his chest. He didn't know why, but she did. He tossed his shirt to the side and faced his wife so she could have a full view of his chest.

Jack's smile grew when she absentmindedly reached for his chest. Her eyes never left this particular body part. Jack grinned when he saw a little drool slip from the corner of her mouth.

Elizabeth slowly ran her hand up and down Jack's chest. She was staring at him with her pupil's fully dilatated. She wanted to take in all of her husband through her touch and her eyes.

Jack reached for her waist and slid his hands around her waist. When they reached the small of her back, he allowed his hands to slip down until they reached her bottom. He took hold of her bottom and pulled her to him. He wasn't gentle with his actions. Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, grateful she was experiencing the passionate Jack. She was wrestling a internal thought that she was trying to figure out.

Their love making was evolving as they were together. Jack usually took the lead with Elizabeth's blessing and encouragement. She made sure Jack knew she wanted him, but today was different. She decided she wanted to take the lead. This wasn't a duty for her. She loved their time together. She loved her husband and how he loved her. Today she wanted to love him.

She pushed Jack back just enough to have a little bit of gap between them. "Jack…you will do everything I tell you."

He looked at her a little confused. "But…"

"If the next word out of your mouth isn't 'yes Mrs. Thronton', Mr. Jack Thornton, you will have to sit in the corner!" Elizabeth stated with great determination.

Jack started to say something until he noticed the determined look in her eyes. He nodded his head. He loved that look. He also knew he would never admit that to her.

"I need to hear you say it, Mr. Thornton." Elizabeth breathed out the words with all the strength she could muster.

"Yes." He spoke softly.

"I'm sorry." She gave him a determined, yet passionate look. The fire in her eyes was his undoing.

"Yes, Mrs. Thornton."

He wasn't used to this aggressive Elizabeth. However, he was quickly beginning to love it. He wanted to nod his head, but he didn't have the mental capacity to nod his head. She was taking all of his strength.

"Jack, you will do everything I tell you." She stated just before she crashed her lips on him.

Elizabeth smiled at the memory of that afternoon on the overlook of the field and the lake. The setting was perfect. She was amazed at their love making outdoors, but she had to admit she did enjoy being outside. It was something she was hoping to do again. Her smile grew at how passionate and forward she was. Her upbringing should have dictated that she should never have done anything like that. She certainly shouldn't have enjoyed it. She wasn't even the least bit embarrassed. Jack most certainly seemed to enjoy it. She didn't want to take the lead away from Jack. She did, however, realized that there were times she enjoyed having power over her husband and he welcomed it.

…

"What's with the huge smile?" Jack asked as he stepped into the first class compartment and took a seat next to his wife.

"Friday…" Elizabeth stated with a huge smile.

"Oh…yeah…that was a perfect day." He shivered at the memory. "Even if we did miss lunch and dinner." Jack's smile did grow with the memory. "Were you serious when you threatened me?"

"Absolutely! You weren't listening."

"Promise me you will do that again…and soon."

"Only if you promise to do Saturday again and soon." She whispered as Jack leaned over to kiss her on the top of her head.

"I promise." They both stated at the same time.

…

"Hey Gracie." William's smile grew at his wife sitting at their normal small table. "How are you?"

"Missing you. How are you?"

"The same." He placed his hand on top of hers. Technically he wasn't supposed to do that, the guards allowed him. They have come to know William and Grace over the last two weeks. They knew he was a criminal and what he did, they also knew her. She was a polite and kind woman. She was open with them and allowed them to search her bag without complaint. They rarely experienced that.

"Are you holding up well?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"I am doing well."

He studied her face hoping to see the truth she may be hiding. He could only see the honesty in her answer.

"Has people shunned you?"

"Some, but I have quickly realized they weren't very close friends. The people that are important to me have stood with me and encouraged me. I have noticed the people that are in my life are the ones I need."

"I'm sorry, Gracie."

"William…" Her tone was stern. "…we have discussed this the last time I was here. I am not wasting my thirty minutes with you going over something that is already settled. You have apologized to me, to the girls, and to Jack. We live today, not yesterday. Understand?"

He squeezed her hand. He is grateful for his incredible strong wife. She wouldn't let him live in memories of yesterday reliving his mistake. She was pulling him, and them, forward.

"Jack, Elizabeth, and JJ will be in Hamilton in a few days."

"Oh, you'll love that."

"I will. I'm not too sure how Jack feels about it though."

"Rightfully so. I know you will make him feel at home."

"They have some business to work out. I'm not too sure how long they will be. She mentioned in her last letter that she wanted to come and see you."

William looked up. "I would love to see them, but I don't think I want them to see me here." He looked around. This wasn't like a typical prison, but it was still a prison, nonetheless. "I don't think I want my little girl to see me here."

"William." She reassured him by squeezing his hand. "The people who love you will always stand with you. No matter where you are. I have learned that lesson and I am grateful for it."

William nodded his head.

"JJ is looking forward to the train ride. He's looking forward to seeing where Elizabeth grew up. He's excited."

William smiled at the joy of his wife. She looked like a grandmother.

"How is the girl's home coming along?"

"Teddy is working on the legal side of things. I'm hoping that side of things will be finished soon. I just need to come up with a name after that."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure, but I have told him that our name will not be on it at all."

"I think that is a good idea. This is about the girls that need that little extra help. It's not about us."

"That's what I told him. Thank you for standing behind me on this."

"Always." He squeezed her hand.

They spent the time that was left talking about different things. He was grateful she always came to visit. The odd thing about the whole ordeal was the fact that William and Grace were growing closer since his arrest. Neither could explain it, but both were grateful for it.

The guard informed them that they had two minutes left. Then he turned around. They took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss. They were pretty certain that the guard kept his back turned long enough for them to do that. They were very thankful.

…

Jack settled down next to his wife. Both of their minds went back to Saturday.

Instead of walking to town, Jack and Elizabeth decided to take advantage of the vehicle Paul left for them to use. Elizabeth wanted to go to Chinatown's Grant Avenue. She wanted to look around and do some window shopping. Jack wanted to find a place to eat that was out of the ordinary for them. He just wanted to experience something different with his wife. They also needed to send a telegram to JJ since they didn't send one to him yesterday.

As they were getting dressed, Jack stole a glance of his beautiful wife. He loved this woman completely…heart, body, soul, and mind. It was easy to see her physical beauty. Elizabeth would turn heads just walking into a room. As gorgeous as she is, it wasn't the physical beauty that captivated Jack. Elizabeth possessed the unique ability to capture the person. She is a sincere caring person who truly enjoyed people. When someone talked with her, they felt like they were the only person in the room. She's intelligent. She could have an intelligent conversation with anyone on any topic. Her sense of humor was funny. She had a way of just drawing you in and you found yourself grateful to just be in her presence. To Jack, Elizabeth possessed all the attributes he could ever imagine in a woman. Somehow, she agreed to marry him. Yet, if you were to ask her, she would say she was the lucky one.

He admired his wife as she was putting on the finishing touches. She was sitting at a small table with a mirror putting on her last touches of makeup. He was grateful she didn't hide her natural beauty behind a lot of makeup. He gently walked behind her and took the brush out of her hand. "Let me." He stated as he began to brush out her long, auburn hair.

Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised with how gentle Jack was with her hair. There were times when she was little that Mrs. P felt like she was trying to pull out her hair. Elizabeth looked in the mirror that was sitting on the small table in front of her. She noticed Jack's concentration. He was slowly brushing her hair with the concentration of someone doing something very serious. She couldn't explain it. She loved it when Jack would play with her hair. It was just something special. Her memory went back to their first date. Jack had just stepped into Abagail's living room with a flower in hand. He brushed back a few strains of hair off her shoulder to pin the flower on her dress. She shivered then and she shivered now at his gesture. He was concentrating so much on brushing her hair that he didn't notice he did it.

After a few minutes of brushing her hair. He leaned over her and placed the brush on the desk. He took his left hand and fixed a stray piece of hair off her shoulder. "Pretty as a picture." She smiled knowing that is what Jack and JJ say to each other.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." Jack stated as he kissed her on the cheek. He stayed a little longer than normal. He just wanted to be in her presence. "Are you ready?" He whispered in her ear.

She loved the feel of his lips so close to her. She also enjoyed the feeling of his breath in her ear. She nodded her head.

Jack extended his hand for her to take to help her stand. When she stood, he stepped closer to her and gently placed his hands on her hips. She could barely feel them. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled back just enough so they weren't touching, but they were still breathing in the same air.

"Elizabeth…" He stated softly and slowly. "Thank you for agreeing to marry me."

Elizabeth not only loved it when he spoke from his heart. She also loved it when he would remain close to her without kissing her. She felt like he just wanted to be in her presence.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you, Elizabeth. Now, we have some shopping and gifts to purchase." He stated then finally moved away from her. He placed his hand on the small of her back to escort her to the car.

The day was filled with shopping, innocent touches, loving looks, and soft words expressing how much he loved her. He would often walk holding her hand or with his hand on the small of her back. She could barely remember a time during that day that he wasn't touching her. She knew he didn't enjoy shopping, but he never seemed frustrated. He never let out a long sigh of breath or roll his eyes when she wanted to stop and look at something. When she did stop to look at something, he was genuinely interested in what she was looking at.

In the fourth store they were in, Elizabeth found a beautiful, sliver letter opener. It had a gorgeous scene of mountains on one end with birds flying toward it on the rest of it. On the end was a hummingbird. It was elegant. She loved it, but she didn't want to spend the money to purchase it. Jack told her to, but she just couldn't. They had already bought her something to remember the trip and they were still purchasing things for other people. They had JJ a few things, but they were still looking for others.

"No Jack. It's too much and we still have things to purchase."

Jack nodded his head. They left the store with only a broach for Abagail. When they stood outside, Jack felt in his pockets for the receipt.

"Sweetheart, I don't have the receipt for the broach. I'll be right back."

"Jack, I saw her hand it to you."

"I must have set it down on the counter. She said that we needed the receipt. I'll meet you in the store two doors down."

"Don't be long." She was missing him already. The day was perfect in her opinion. The touches, the communication, and being with each other was just perfect.

"I promise."

Jack kissed her on the cheek and then turned to walk back into the store. He immediately found the letter opener and walked to the register.

"You're back so soon?" The lady behind the register asked.

"Yes ma'am. I couldn't convince my wife to purchase this earlier."

"So, you are purchasing it for her on your own?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That's kind of you, young man."

"What did you do?" Elizabeth stated as she watched Jack walk out of the store with a new bag. She didn't go to the store. She wanted to wait for Jack. She wanted to be with him.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Elizabeth gave him a knowing look as she nodded toward the new bag.

"Oh…I just purchased something for my precious wife."

"Jack…you didn't? We haven't gotten you anything yet."

"I did. Now, let's go. The next store is waiting for us."

Elizabeth didn't move. She only looked at Jack. He turned around when he noticed she didn't walk with him.

He reached for her free hand. "Bella, I bought you the letter opener with the hummingbird on the end. I knew you wanted it, but you wouldn't purchase it for yourself. You always think of others first."

"Jack, I already have something."

"Now you have something else. I love you, Elizabeth."

"Jack…" She began to protest until he gently kissed her on the lips.

"I love you. I know you loved the letter opener. Now, I have already purchased it. You are just going to have to come to terms with it." He playfully sassed her.

She did love the letter opener, but just couldn't make herself buy it. She was grateful Jack thought enough of her to purchase it. She realized it was the small things Jack did that screamed his love for her. He couldn't always say it correctly, but he didn't struggle with showing her his love. She sighed knowing she was going to lose this argument.

"Now, with that settled…" He grinned that grin that she hated because he knew he won. "…we need to go to the next store and then find lunch."

Elizabeth huffed.

Decades later, that letter opener had become a valued family heirloom. It was not only treasured by Eliazbeth, but by her children and grandchildren. It had become the most prized family possession.

The day was just perfect. They returned to the cabin after six. They picked up some food for dinner. However, food wasn't something Elizabeth was thinking about. She had spent the whole day with her husband. She knew he didn't like shopping, but you couldn't tell it. The thousands of innocent touches were intimate for her. He stole countless little kisses on her cheek. He even tapped her on the bottom when she was sassing him. His hand on her back as they walked or holding her hand was a memory she will never forget. She loved it when he rolled his sleeves up when they were walking. He was a little warm and did it to help cool off. Their conversation was nice and on going through out the day.

Instead of turning around and kissing her when he placed the food on the table, he walked to the counter and pulled out some candles. He wanted to make the evening dinner special.

"Is it ok if I change?"

"Sure. I'll get the food ready. Be back in a few minutes?"

"Sure." Elizabeth walked into the bedroom looking for Jack's favorite dress. She wanted the passionate Jack and was determined to find him.

During dinner, they held hands, or he had his hand on her thigh. He was driving her crazy by his simple touches. The whole day had been tossing fuel onto the fire that was simmering all day. It began with him brushing her hair that morning. Every touch and soft kiss were feeding the desire inside of her for her husband. She thought he didn't know what he was doing and that made her desire grow in intensity.

Jack's hand was on her thigh when he leaned forward to take the plate with the cake on it. He was going to give it to Elizabeth. His hand inadvertently slipped up her thigh to the point where her leg connected to her hip. That was the final log on the fire. She had to have her husband.

When he placed the plate in front of Elizabeth, she grabbed the hair on the back of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Elizabeth was hungry for her husband, and he was right there. She was a little confused when Jack ended the kiss a little early.

"Dance with me?" He asked.

"What?"

"Dance with me." He stated as he stood and extended his hand. "Come on Elizabeth, dance with me." He helped her up and moved her chair for her. They began to dance in the center of the living room. While she was a little confused with Jack's actions, she did love the feeling of him against her.

"Jack…I want you!" She stated in a tone that left no doubt what her desire was.

"I would like to make love to my wife."

"Let's go!" She stated in a husky tone trying to pull him to the bedroom.

"Slow down Elizabeth." He smiled at his wife. "I want to make love to my wife." He stated slowly again. He purposefully placed the hand he was holding on his shoulder. He took that hand and placed it on her hip. He slowly moved his hands along her waist until they were on the small of her back. He leaned his forehead against hers and lovingly looked into her eyes.

"I love you." He stated in a soft voice that was dripping with love.

"I love you."

For the both of them, the night was incredible. Jack decisively slowed everything down. Everything he did was slow and loving. As frustrated as she was in the beginning, she loved the fact that he took his time. She felt every little thing he did. From the soft kisses on her cheek and lips to the caresses of her chest. She felt every time he pulled her closer and every time he ran his hand across her body. Jack was fluent in her love language. She gasped every time he unbuttoned a button on her dress. Instead of instantly moving to the next button, he would gently kiss and or caress the part of her skin that was uncovered by the button. He took his time.

Elizabeth would squirm with his gentle touches. Each touch and kiss form her husband would bring a new wave of goose bumps that covered her whole body. Her mind couldn't work with her husband's attention, but her body was still reacting to him.

He didn't take her to the bedroom. He took her to the couch. He unbuttoned the last button on her blouse. Then he slowly slid the blouse off her shoulders. Kissing the exposed skin as he gently pulled the shirt off her. When the blouse landed on the floor a few feet away, he took her into his arms. He didn't kiss her. He lovingly looked into her eyes. Their nonverbal communication was strong. Jack smiled just before he very slowly, and deliberately, closed the distance between them. His lips gently found their home with a soft kiss to her lips. When she tried to speed things up a little, he always pulled back to slow things down. He wanted Elizabeth to feel loved.

From the moment they began to dance in the living room until the moment they jumped off the cliff together took two hours. To Elizabeth, it took an eternity. Jack was slow in everything he did. She loved everything about their time together. She was grateful that he knew when to be passionate and when to be loving. They fell asleep on the couch and stayed there the entire night.

…

Elizabeth and Jack broke free from the memory when the porter knocked and entered their opened door compartment.

"We will be underway in five minutes. Is there anything you need?"

"Tea please." Elizzabeth asked.

"I'll have the same, please."

"Jack, thank you for upgrading our travel home. You didn't have to do that."

"You're welcome, Elizabeth. This will make it easier to get a little rest. We arrive home tomorrow and then we leave the day after on another long stagecoach and train ride.

"Yes." She sighed. "Are you ready for the less glorious side of married life?"

"Will you walk it with me?"

"I promised you I would. I'm beside you every step of the way."

"Then I'm ready for what our future holds." He stated as the porter walked back into their compartment with a tray and two cups of tea. He also brought a few little snacks.

Jack settled into the nice chair that was beside Elizabeth's chair. He reached for her hand, and she accepted it. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well, we will catch the stagecoach in the morning and then arrive home in the early afternoon. We will need to get some things together for our trip to Hamilton. I will need to stop by the jail and the mercantile to see if there are any telegrams for me."

"Then we leave the following morning on the stagecoach for Hamilton." She finished his statement."

"That sounds about right."

"Do you think you will know about your leave date tomorrow?"

"I doubt it but maybe."

Elizabeth was a little anxious about his leave date. She just wanted to know.

"Once we are back from Hamilton, I should have a few days before school begins."

"Yeah, I guess it depends how long we are in Hamilton."

"Teddy figured about a week or less."

"I need to talk with Abagail about my start date when I hear form the mounties. She told me to take a few days in between the jobs."

"What do you think about the new home?"

"I'm not sure. I'm hoping we can stop by and see the progress. I want to do some work on it, but I've not been able too."

"Life has been busy." She squeezed his hand. "Once we are back from Hamilton, you can do some work on it."

"I look forward to that."

…

Charles walked into his home with a file of papers. He has been working with his lawyer all morning on his pending case. He was going to travel to Medicine Hat in a couple of weeks for the trial. He was unhappy the judge wouldn't move his trial to Hamilton. His father tried to pull a couple of favors, but he didn't have anyone close to the case.

"Hello son. How was your day?"

"Good father. The lawyer feels somewhat comfortable with things so far."

"Does he think he can get you found not guilty?"

"He's working on it. He thinks he can convince the court with the fact that I was taking orders from Mr. Thatcher. That it was his plan and I was a dutiful employee following orders."

"That's great son."

"All the evidence seems to point in his direction. Even the things I signed was from his insistence for me to stand in his place since he was unable to be present."

"I can't believe Elizabeth did all of that." The older Mr. Kensington stated with disbelief in his tone while he shook his head. "I can't believe she led you on in such a way and then just turned her back on you. It was so callous."

"I've thought about for days now…I just don't understand it. We unofficially courted for years with all those gatherings and walks together. Then she accepted my proposal. She left with me the next morning to come home to begin planning our life together."

"Do you think she was just trying to make that mountie guy jealous?"

"We were together long before that mountie came into the picture. There must be something else driving her."

Charles sat down at the dining room table and placed the large file in front of him. "I heard she is coming to down in a few days."

"Are you wanting to see her?" His father asked.

"Yes and no. I still love her. She has been a huge part of my life for so long, but she married that mountie." The disgust was evident in his voice. "I don't know if I would take her as my wife now."

"What about your job with Thatcher Shipping? You were quickly rising up the corporate ladder."

"I was. My lawyer believes if he can have me acquitted of all charges, he should be able to have my job reinstated. They would have fired me without cause. I would have a lawsuit."

"Then you can take over Thatcher Shipping just like Mr. Thatcher wanted."

"Yes. I understand Elizabeth is the CEO now due to Mr. Thatcher's arrest and imprisonment, but I would still be in control of several things. I can maneuver my way up the ladder like I was doing before this nightmare began. Once I'm at the top, the company will be run by me. Sure, Elizabeth will have the title of CEO, but everyone will know who the person is running it. After a while, I believe I could force her out and take complete control when the board realizes she is incompetent in running the business."

"Then you can have the life you have been working on for so long now."

"Except for Elizabeth."

"I think she will understand her mistake in due time. The question is, would you want her when that mountie is gone?"

"I'm not so sure that mountie will ever be gone." Charles stated as his voice trailed off.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that, Charles." His father stated as he patted Charles on his back.

…

Abagail looked up from her folder when she heard a knock on her door.

"Mary…thank you for coming to see me."

"No problem, Abagail. I was told you wanted to see me."

"Yes. I was hoping to speak with you. I'm sorry I have to ask you to come here." She waved her hand at her office. "Please, have a seat."

"What may I do for you today?"

"I will be leaving for my honeymoon the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, congratulations on that. You married a good man."

"I did. We will be gone for three days. I would like your help with the café."

"Sure. I can run it while you are away."

"I will pay you accordingly."

"Abagail. You have always been very fair with me. I have no concerns about that."

"Thank you, Mary."

"Is there anything different I need to know about or is it normal as always."

"Normal as always. The shipments are a little better now. We get a shipment every two or three days compared to once a week."

"That must help business out."

"Quiet a bit actually. Gowan was using a poor shipping company and pocketing the money he was saving. All the while, the café was doing without on a few things. Anyways, there is something else I would like to speak to you about."

"Sure. What's up?"

"Mary, since I accepted this role, it takes up what little free time I had. Now with me getting married, I would like to have some time with my husband."

"I don't blame you at all. But how does that involve me?"

"My hope is that I can work at the café in the mornings and most lunches. I would work here after the morning rush and during some lunch rushes. It will depend on what is going on here in Hope Valley. I would like most evenings with Frank. I could work one or maybe two a week, but I would like to enjoy my time with him."

"That sounds great, Abagail. Are you wanting me to work those shifts for you?"

"I would like to hire you as the manager of the café. You would help me with ordering and work during some lunches and some evenings. We can work out a schedule that works best for the both of us."

"Hire me as a manager?"

"Sure. You know me and you have always done an excellent job at the café. The pay will represent a manager's position."

"Really?"

"Yes. Since I own the café outright now, I have the ability to hire someone. I would like that someone to be you. Would you consider this?"

"You said we could figure out a schedule. I would love the position, but I can't work every evening."

"We will figure something out that suits us both. What do you say? Would you consider it?"

"Abagail, I'll take the job!"

"Really…? Don't you want to know how the schedule will work out?"

"I trust you, Abagail."

"Thank you, Mary. You're hired."