Chapter 70
Jack moaned as he fought against his body's desire to open his eyes. He was stiff and he didn't know why. His neck was hurting, and his back was beginning to ache. When he moved a little to change positions, his shoulder throbbed. Slowly, without opening his eyes, he began to move the shoulder a little. He picked up his hand and extended his elbow and then bent it again. He moaned again against the defiance of his shoulder in moving. It wasn't happy. He reached up and began to rub it with his other hand. He extended his arm and began to make small circles trying to make the shoulder release its angry hold.
"Are you ok?"
Jack smiled. He loved hearing her voice. "I believe I'm getting too old to sleep in a chair all night like this."
"Is your shoulder still bothering you?" Elizabeth's voice was full of concern.
"Not too often…" His voice trailed off.
"And what does that mean, exactly?"
"Well," He finally opened his eyes. Elizabeth was still laying on the couch with JJ tucked securely in her arms. Her eyes focused on him. "Sleeping in a chair all night doesn't help it."
"What else?"
"If I overuse it then it aches a little, but not too bad. It'll be ok." He could easily see the expression on Elizabeth's face. She looked concerned. Then a look came across her face that he knew too well. "Don't go there." He warned her.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Jack smiled. "That time of our life is over. We've learned from it, and we grew from it. It's behind us."
"Why didn't you wake us last night when you came home?"
Jack smiled. "I didn't want to disturb you two. It was picture perfect."
"You know, he's just like you. He is a heater."
"We try out best to keep the woman we love warm." Jack stated as he slowly sat up in the chair. "It was so odd…it was almost my dream in front of me."
"Almost?"
"Yeah…you and JJ on the couch sleeping…"
"The only thing missing was the baby in the cradle." She softly stated.
"Yeah…wait…you overheard my conversation with JJ when we were at your parent's home?"
"Are you hungry?" She quickly tried to change the subject.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing." He wagged his finger at her. "Yes…starving."
"The sandwich was ok?"
"I didn't eat it."
"Why not."
"I didn't want to miss this." He nodded toward his wife and son.
…
"What are you doing preacher man?" Abagail challenged her husband. She was standing at the counter in the kitchen chopping up some carrots to put in the stew she was making for lunch and dinner. She was also making stew for the café to serve today. She was going to send some with him to the McMahan's when he visited later today.
"I'm holding my precious wife and trying to distract her." He stated as he ran his hands around her waist. He clasped them in front of her tummy. Then he began to nibble on her neck. Working his way to the spot she loved his attention.
"Are you now?" She smirked.
"Is it working?"
It was, but she was never going to admit it to him. "Not really." She smirked as she continued to cut up the carrots. "I just have too much to do." She playfully sighed.
"Well then…" He gently nibbled her neck. "…I guess I should just get my cup of coffee and head out to the McMahan's.
"Wait!" She stated in a louder voice than she intended to do. She immediately missed the touch of his lips and the pressure of his hands. "Where are you going?"
"To the livery and then to the McMahan's." She smirked as he stepped back.
"Now?" She gasped when he removed himself completely. "Isn't it a little early."
"They are always up really early. I have other things I need to do today. I can get this done early. Then I need to get some wood together to take to the McMahan's later this week. I also need to get some activities together for the younger ones."
"But…but…"
"What?"
Abagail looked up and noticed the little smirk on his face. In that instant, she knew he knew the effect he was having on her. She lost this little game she was trying to play with him. She sighed. Not only because she lost this round, but because she lost his touch. She already missed it.
"Come by before you ride out. I have some stew I would like to send with you for them."
"I'll be by in about thirty minutes. I need to stop by the church to pick up something."
"Perfect." She paused for a moment. "Frank…"
"Yes sweetheart." He stated as he closed the lid on the thermos.
"I love you."
"I love you." He smiled. "Are you ok?"
"I have you. I'm perfect."
"Is it that bad to lose?" He smirked. He knew his wife.
"Not as bad as it is when you leave." She stated lovingly. "When you get back into town, find me."
"Sure. Anything you need help with?"
"Just you." She flirted.
…
Elizabeth was in their bedroom changing clothes for school. She wasn't running late, but she was pushing it if she didn't stay on task. JJ was getting ready himself. She reminded him to do his best at taming his wild hair. He really did need a haircut. Jack closed the door and looked up at his partially dressed wife. She stopped when she felt his eyes on her. She turned her head and watched him for a moment. His eyes intently looked at her.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine." He stuttered. "It's just…I believe this is the first time I noticed you showing." He walked toward her and placed his hand on her belly. "You have my baby in there."
"Our baby. She corrected.
"Part you and part me." He sighed. "Elizabeth, this is more than I could ever dream of. You…JJ…this little one…a new home."
"It's beyond what I could have ever imagined. I love every moment of it."
"Me too."
"Do you really think I'm showing?"
"I believe so. If you stand sideways, I think I can see a little bit of your tummy showing off my baby."
"Our baby." She corrected him again and then laughed. He had that little silly smirk on his face that she loved and hated just as much. "I hope you still love me when I get fat."
"You won't be getting fat. You will be growing our baby." He stated lovingly while he placed his hand on her little bump.
She sighed at the thought of getting fatter. She was looking forward to seeing the little one grow but couldn't imagine how there would be enough room for a little one inside of her. She giggled when Jack leaned in and gently kissed her shoulder. His lips stayed on her skin much longer than a norma kiss. Slowly, his lips began to move up to her neck. When his lips touched her jawline, he nibbled just enough for her to feel his attention.
"Jack…I have work to do and you need to work on our home." She gasped as he continued his loving assault on her neck. She knew he was working toward her weakness…her ear.
"I'm working at home for a few hours today. I'm meeting Reed for lunch. Reinforcements will be here sometime today or tomorrow. We need to have a game plan set when they get here."
"Reinforcements?"
Jack gave her a quick synopsis of why Reed was shot and what they found in the cave. Both men thought it was a good idea for them to have reinforcements since they didn't know how many men were involved with the illegal running of the whiskey.
"Jack…"
"I know Elizabeth, but I'm still a mountie until Friday."
"That's not what I meant…just be careful, please."
"I promise."
"Come back to me as soon as you can."
"I will. I need you three." He lovingly looked at her. Jack leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted by a little brown headed boy.
…
"Great work, Emily. I'm proud of you. I can easily see you gaining some confidence in your work." Elizabeth stated as she handed the paper over to Emily standing in front of her desk.
"Thank you, Mrs. Thornton."
"I'm impressed with you. Keep up the good work."
Emily smile only grew as she looked at the test. She realized she didn't miss any math problems on the test. She walked toward her desk. She held up the paper to show JJ.
"Wow!" JJ whispered with great excitement. "Look at you!" His smile grew with Emily's excitement.
JJ knew he was really good at math. His mommy in heaven taught him that people were always at different levels and people at different levels should be celebrated on their achievements.
"I was worried about his one. I studied really hard for it."
"I can tell. You even got number nine right. That was a tricky one."
Emily smiled at her friend. She knew it wasn't tricky for him. He didn't even take the test because he's working from another arithmetic book. However, she was grateful he was excited for her just the same.
"And your test?" Emily asked as Mrs. Thornton called him to the front of the class.
"I guess I'm about to find out."
JJ stood and walked to his smiling mommy.
"JJ, you did very well with your work. You received an one hundred percent, but his is the last one you will receive if you don't show your work. Even if you have the right answer, I will take away one point per question where you don't show your work."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You know you are supposed to show your work. Why don't you?"
"It's not hard. I just do it in my head." He shrugged his shoulders.
"I see." She couldn't help but smile. She straightened up his messy hair a little.
"Mommy…not in front of everyone." He quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching.
"Sorry JJ. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Thornton." He winked at her and turned to walk back to his seat.
"You didn't show your work again, did you?"
"Yeah, she warned me about it."
…
"What's the plan, Jack?" Reed asked as Jack stepped in the jail. Reed was sitting behind the desk looking over some papers.
"Let's go to Abagail's and figure something out."
"Oh, that sounds good."
"Maybe…a curly headed blonde nurse of Hope Valley will be there for lunch." Jack teased.
Reed's face went instantly red. He didn't say anything. He averted his eyes.
"I'm sorry Reed. I shouldn't be kidding with you. Faith is a great nurse and even better person. Any guy would be lucky to have her attention."
"I've heard rumors that you two were an item." He stated as he stood.
"No. We never courted. I met her in Hamilton when my younger brother was injured in a car accident. I was courting Elizabeth. That was a trying time for us. She thought I liked Faith and or Faith liked me too much. We were friends but nothing more than that."
"Oh."
Jack stopped at the door of the jail. He turned to face his friend. "When Elizabeth and I were having our trouble a few months ago, Faith asked me one day if there was any chance for us. If it was any other time, I would have been excited to see if there was something between us. She's a great lady, Reed. However, Elizabeth has always had my heart. Even when we were having troubles in our misunderstandings. I couldn't give my heart to anyone else other than Elizabeth. Faith is a good friend to me. I hope that's ok with you if you two begin courting?"
"Jack, I trust you. Thanks for telling me that."
"I just want her to be happy. If that's with you, then please treat her with the respect she deserves."
"I promise I will if we get together."
"I've been hearing about you two at the café."
"Really?"
"It's a small town, Reed. People talk a lot." He laughed. "Anyways, let's get some lunch and have a game plan together so we can hit the ground running when the reinforcements come."
…
"Pastor, what are you talking about?"
"Mr. and Mrs. McMahan, Mrs. Thornton and I have been talking about getting together a field day for the kids. We will have different contests for them and games for them to play. They'll bring their lunch and enjoy a day of school outside. Mrs. Thornton said she may do a project with them but most of the day will be fun."
"I did something like that with my students. They loved it."
"Yes, Mrs. McMahan. Mrs. Thornton is thinking the same way. She said that it would be good for her students. They need a break from all the studying."
"And you're wanting to do that here?"
"If you two don't mind. This is a great location. You're not too far from Hope Valley. You have a small pond if Mrs. Thornton wants to do her lesson with that type of animal. You also have plenty of trees to study if she wants to do that. It's good walking distance for all the kids. You have plenty of land for the kids to roam and for the contests."
"What would we have to do?" Mrs. McMahan asked excitedly. This was strongly speaking to her teaching side of who she is.
"If you could provide lemonade and water for everyone. That would be great. It will be all the students, Mrs. Thornton, myself, and maybe Mr. Thornton and another adult. You two could also help with the games."
"What type of games?"
"A baseball throw, a one hundred yard race, tug of war, wood chopping, and a few others that Mrs. Thornton is working on."
"All of that?"
"Yes Mr. McMahan. That's why we need the extra room. We just don't have enough room at the schoolhouse. So, what do you say…would you be willing to let the school kids come out to your property for one day to have their field day?"
Mr. McMahan looked at his wife trying to get a sense of what she wanted to do. He could easily see the excitement in her face. She loved teaching. While she enjoyed retirement, he could easily see that she missed being around the children.
"That sounds lovely Pastor Hogan. We would love to host such an event. I may even make cookies."
"Perfect. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. McMahan. This is such a great help to us."
"You're welcome."
"I believe my wife may enjoy it more than the kids." She nodded her head.
"I'll let you know what day for sure."
…
"Is daddy coming by today?"
"No sweetheart. He is meeting with Constable Reed to discuss some issues over lunch." Elizabeth smiled at the little boy's expression. He was sad for an instant and then it quickly faded when Emily and Sam called out for him. It was easy for her to see how much her little boy loved his daddy. "Go and have fun."
"Yes mommy." He whispered so the other kids wouldn't hear him say the word 'mommy'.
Elizabeth watched JJ join the other kids and play in front of the schoolhouse. The air was filled with laughter and joy from their games and playing with each other. She loved this part of teaching. Just being around the kids was one of the best parts of her job.
Elizabeth placed her hands on her tummy as she sat on the top step of the schoolhouse. She noticed her dress was a little tighter than normal this morning. "Maybe your daddy is right. Maybe you are beginning to make your appearance." She spoke to her baby. She reached into her bag for her sandwich and felt a note. Jack had stated that he packed her lunch, but he didn't say anything about a note. She pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it.
My Dearest Wife –
The life you have given me is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Thank you.
– Your husband, Jack
She laughed at this man. She loved this man. There were times when she wanted to squeeze his head off in frustration. She wished he could just express himself like all the other times, but he always had a hard time talking about matters of the heart. He would eventually get there. It would just take him some time, but once he did, it was amazing. She knew he would get into his head too much. Jack's mother was right. When he finally spoke from his heart without his head involved, he did an amazing job. He also shouted how much he loves her by his actions. The note, while simple and short, meant the world to her.
Elizabeth laughed when she pulled out two of her chocolate chip cookies. She thought JJ ate them all. That reminded her that she needed to stop by the mercantile to pick up two more bags of chocolate chips. She still put way too many chocolate chips in the batter, but that's how her little boy liked them. She laughed at the small note on top of the cookies.
Don't tell JJ
…
"What are you thinking?"
"I believe I asked you first." Jack stated.
"You did, but his is still your town. Plus, you are a master at this type of thing." Reed stated as he brought his glass of tea to take a drink.
"Why would you say that?"
"Jack…the red tablecloths. You know they teach that at the academy. That was amazing. O'Reilly still tells the story like it happened yesterday. I think we should do what we did yesterday."
"That's enough of the tablecloths stuff." Jack shook his head. "I agree with you. I think we should be in plain clothes just like yesterday. The mounties should be hiding out in the woods surrounding the area. They'll be in their uniform. If trouble arises or it's time for the arrest, they can spring out in complete surprise."
"I believe that is the best possible plan. There's only one problem."
"Yes, we are the bait."
"It rarely ends well for the bait, Jack."
"Then let's make sure we survive this. If they were watching us yesterday, they will think we are either there for to steal their product, which won't be good for us, or we can make them believe we are looking for a place to set up our own business."
"That'll work. Let's try for the latter option."
"I agree."
…
After lunch and refining the plan, Jack and Reed went to the mercantile. Jack wanted to check with Mr. Yost on the deliveries from Hamilton and Medicine Hat that he planned. Mr. Yost assured Jack everything was good to go. They began the short walk back to the jail. Both men spent the short walk looking over the town. Hope Valley was still on the small side, but it was growing.
"Jack, what's your honest opinion…as a mountie?"
"Sam, I love it here. The town is small, but it keeps you busy enough so you won't be bored. The people are friendly, and the town continues to grow, but not too quickly."
"It seems nice."
"Plus, you know the sheriff pretty well."
"That's a plus." Reed laughed. "Do you think the mounties will post someone here?"
"Yes. Superintendent Jackson has said that on several occasions. He told Mayor Hogan that she needed to find a sheriff that would work well with the mounties."
"Who will be in charge?"
Superintendent Jackson said anything with Alberta Province will fall under the mountie's jurisdiction. Such as an escaped convict or a train robber running from the law. Anything Hope Valley related will fall under the sheriff's jurisdiction. Either way, both the sheriff and mountie will work together for the betterment of the people. That's why it's essential for both to work together well."
Reed nodded his head. Over the last day or so and then the weeks or so a few months ago, he felt that he worked well with Jack. The discussion with Jack sounded nice and something that he may be interested in.
"I think we work well together. Sam, we could make a huge difference for Hope Valley, but also for the surrounding areas. We think like mounties. We react like mounties."
"It is interesting." Sam mentioned it out loud to no one in particular.
"Plus, there is a curly haired nurse who just moved here not too long ago." Jack teased Reed with a grin.
As the two men stepped onto the first step leading up to the jail, they heard horses galloping into town. They turned to see two mounties on their horses making their way into town.
"I'm surprised they sent two?"
"Me too." Jack narrowed his eyes to see if he recognized the two riders.
"Good afternoon mounties. I'm Sergeant Jack Thornton. This is Constable Sam Reed."
The two young men nodded their heads with the introductions.
"Sergeant Thronton, sir, it is a great honor to meet you. I'm Constable Henry Littleton." He looked at both men when he said his name.
"Sir, it is truly an honor. I'm Constable Jerry Collins." He did the same as the other constable.
"Welcome to Hope Valley. The livery is at the end of the south side of town. Take care of your horses and then come here. We'll discuss the plan that Constable Reed and I have been working on. Are you the only two that is coming?"
"Yes sir. If we feel that you need more help, we are to wire headquarters requesting additional help."
"Very well. Have you two eaten?"
"We had sandwiches on the way. We're good for now. We'll take care of our horses and will be back soon."
…
"Well…how did it go?"
Frank smiled at his precious wife. She was sitting in her mayor's office holding several pieces of paper. She looked up when she heard him walk into the room.
"Good. They were all for it."
"So, they haven't noticed the real reason for the fair day?"
"Well, we are doing this for the children." He stated as he walked around her desk. He had the little smirk on his face. Abagail stood.
"Maybe…but I don't think that's the whole reason." She flirted.
She wrapped her arms around her husband. "True, but when you are dealing with stubborn individuals who are older and set in their ways, one has to work around those special circumstances."
"You sound like a politician."
"Not a politician…a pastor trying to do his best for those stubborn people."
"And I love you for it. You are a good man, Frank Hogan."
"Are you free for about an hour?"
"What do you have in mind?" She leaned back from his grasp.
"The weather is nice. There isn't too much wind."
"Pick up the fishing poles and meet me here in twenty minutes."
"Perfect. Loser makes fish for dinner."
"I love the way you make fish." She sassed.
…
Constables Littleton and Collins finished with their horses and made their way to the jail. They spent a couple of hours with Jack and Sam talking about the plan and what each Jack and Sam thought. Jack and Sam drew a crude sketch of the general area and discussed in depth what they found and where. They gave an account of the layout of the land and where the patches of trees were.
After their discussion and just getting to know each other, Jack and Sam rode out to the clearing, the same path they did the previous day. They were in everyday, plain clothes. Constable Littleton was on the right about one hundred yards while Constable Collins was on the left at the same distance away.
The plan was simple. Jack and Sam were to ride around looking to make contact with whoever is responsible for the crates of whiskey in the caves. They were just hoping the contact with that individual or individuals didn't involve a gun being used. From that point, the plan could move in a variety of ways. If things went well, Jack or Sam would give a sign to Littleton and Collins to come in quickly to help make the arrest. Jack's hope was to gain confidence with the bootleggers and gain even more evidence against them, especially against the individual who shot at Reed. Worst case scenario was everything would end in a gun fight.
Littleton and Collins were in place hidden by trees and tall shrubs. Their horses were perfect mountie horses. They were still and quiet. Jack and Reed rode from one patch to another. They were acting as two people who were looking for a good hiding spot to hide something. It didn't take very long for a group of two riders to quickly approach them from the area of the caves. Jack figured they were getting close to the caves. He knew this would draw out someone if they were there. Reed matched Jack's action when he sat taller in the saddle. He didn't want to appear weak to these men.
"Can we help you?" The man on Jack's left stated in a gruff voice.
"I don't think so." Jack matched the man's tone. He raised his voice a little louder than what he needed to do and louder than the other man's voice.
"What are you doing?"
"Why do you want to know? This is public land."
"No sir. This is my land." The man commanded.
"No…I don't think so. This is public land for miles in every direction."
"How do you know that?"
Jack laughed a sinister tone. "A man in my business needs to know these things. This is public land, especially south from here." He nodded in the direction of the trees and the caves. "This isn't your land." He lowered his head in a symbol of defiance.
"And what business are you in?"
"How may I help you?" Jack asked annoyed.
Jack wanted to come across as strong and indifferent. He also wanted to come across as absolutely uncaring of who these two men were. They were just an inconvenience at the moment. He didn't want them to have any power here.
"Wait…" Jack stated as he placed his hand on his gun that was on his hip. "…you two are mounties!"
Reed copied Jack's actions. His hand was on his gun ready to draw if needed. He knew what Jack was doing.
"Don't!" Screamed Reed when the second man began to reach for his gun. "You touch that gun and you're a dead man!" Reed stared him down.
"We are not mounties!" The first man exclaimed.
"Then why all the questions?" Jack commanded. His eyes narrowed to small slits. He was glaring at the man. Reed was intently watching the second man.
While the other men's horses were fidgety, Jack's and Reed's horses were true mountie horses. They were steady and still. They haven't moved a muscle since the two men rode up. They were in mountie mode just like their riders.
"We saw a mountie here a couple of days ago. He could have caused us a lot of problems."
"That doesn't mean you're not him or one of them." Jack continued his hardened glare.
"He isn't causing us any more problems." The second man stated.
"What do you mean?" Reed asked.
"Let's just say he received a gift from me." He stated coyly with a sly grin.
"Nice." Reed smirked. He wanted to jerk this man off his horse, but knew he had to play the game.
Reed's statement broke the ice between the two pairs of men. The tension was beginning to dissipate between them all. Everyone could tell, even the two bootleggers' horses were calming down.
"So, what are you two doing here?"
"I'm Silas. This is Cody."
Littleton and Collins were sitting on their horse in their hiding spots. They unbuckled their weapons when Jack and Reed reached for their guns. They didn't pull their weapons since Jack and Sam didn't. However, they were ready to spring into action once they received their signal.
"Jack." He stated. He nodded toward his partner. "Sam."
"Last names?" Silas asked.
Jack slowly pulled his weapon out of its holster. Reed followed his actions. Never taking his eyes off Cody. "You ask me one more question and I'm going to shot you…mountie. Only stupid mounties ask so many stupid questions."
"We're not mounties!"
"You ask stupid questions like mounties." Jack glared.
"There are several caves there." Silas nodded his head toward the south where the caves were. "Some type of abandoned mines or something. We use them to store things."
"I've heard of those. That's what we are looking for."
"And why is that?"
"Silas, that's the first intelligent question you have asked." Jack softened his facial features a little. The slight change in his demeanor was encouraging to Silas and Cody. "We are looking for places to hide things…"
"Store things." Reed quickly corrected.
"Yes." Jack nodded toward Reed. "Yes Sam…store things. We heard they were abandoned. That's just what we are looking for."
"There are five of them. We are using all of them."
"Well Cody, we may need to have use of them too."
"What's in it for us." Silas asked.
Jack and Reed knew they had them where they wanted them. Reed instantly knew what Jack was thinking. If they played their cards right, not only could they arrest the two bootleggers. Maybe they could climb their ladder and get men who were higher up in the chain.
"First, you don't fall off your horse dead. Secondly, you continue to do whatever you are doing and we continue to do what we are doing."
"And that's what?"
"There you go…asking those mountie questions again." Jack raised his gun from his side and placed it on his thigh.
Silas and Cody shared glances. They knew these two men wasn't ones to play around with. "We run whiskey. The stupid government wants too much money in taxes. We run it to different towns and locations. This is a perfect hiding location for us."
"That sounds profitable."
"It is. Especially with the amount we run."
"Nice." Jack stated.
"Nothing wrong with making money." Reed stated.
"So?"
"We run weapons." Jack stated.
"Not just any weapons." Reed stated.
"True. We have military weapons. Ours and the states."
"How do you get your hands on that?" Cody asked surprised. "We tried that but just couldn't get our hands on that."
"It's not the easiest. We know where they store the weapons before they are shipped." Jack opened just enough to gain the men's trust.
"The key is to not be too greedy and take all of them. We take a box here and there. The mounties and the soldiers in the states think that some low level private or constable just can't count."
"Sam's right. We steal a box or two here and a box or two there and no one is ever the wiser. Before you know it, we have several boxes that need to be stored before we sell them. We have a buyer that's interested, and we need to hold onto them for a week. The caves would be a great place to store them."
"They are." Cody stated.
"We haven't lost a crate of whiskey yet. No one ever comes this way. That's why we were shocked when that stupid mountie showed up a couple of days ago."
"We'll make a deal with you…we keep the first three caves, and you can have the last two. Then we can both keep an eye out on them."
"Hold on a second." Jack moved his horse closer to Reed.
Once in position, Jack leaned in and whispered to Reed. "Sam, if we play this right, we can get more than just these two."
"True. We just have to get a couple of boxes to carry out the scheme."
"That's doable. Especially if we can shut down a big bootleggers' route."
"I'm in."
Jack turned Sergeant to face the two men who were several yards away. "You've got a deal."