A/N: And so Lucas begins anew…

Chapter 5

In the weeks that followed, Lucas was a steady topic of conversation in Hope Valley. Not exactly what he'd hoped for, but at least most of it was positive, thanks to Rosemary's evenhanded reporting. Still, there were some that were very disappointed in him for resigning the governorship; some that were frightened that Hope Valley's water supply would be in danger again, and a few who wanted to run Lucas out on a rail for betraying them all. But for the most part, the townsfolk were understanding; they'd seen what he'd been through, from being shot to being enmeshed in scandal, to dealing with big city politics in Capital City. Most couldn't blame him for getting out while he could.

It would be three weeks before the Prime Minister could settle on a replacement for Governor General, and so Lucas was left to handle official business as an extremely lame duck. For his own mental health, he stopped reading the papers.

The last thing of note that happened under Lucas's brief term as governor was the arrival in town of an unfamiliar Mountie. The first sight of red serge since Nathan's funeral caused a hushed stir, especially when the man came directly to The Queen of Hearts and requested an audience with the governor.

After a quick knock on Lucas's office door, Henry led him in. He was a man diminutive of height, though physically fit and muscular—a man who had seen many years in the saddle. He appeared to be in his forties, with thinning hair and an elaborate handlebar mustache that curled up at each corner of his mouth, meticulously neat and tamed with wax. Lucas rose to greet him.

"Constable…?" prompted Lucas.

"Daniel McDaniel, sir."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding."

The Mountie's blue eyes twinkled good-naturedly. "No, sir, Governor. Apparently, my parents were lacking in imagination."

Behind him, Henry grinned.

"Well, Constable McDaniel," Lucas continued, "I'm hopeful you're not the bearer of bad news."

"On the contrary, sir, I bring good news regarding the bootlegger gang that was responsible for Constable Grant's death. After weeks of tracking, we found their hideout along the US border, and while we were forced to eliminate two gang members, we captured the other three, who are currently under arrest and awaiting trial in Fort Calgary. Since you're currently in residence here, I thought it appropriate that I deliver this information to you personally."

Henry and Lucas exchanged glances, each thinking how this news affected the people they cared about.

The Mountie reached into the bellows pocket of his tunic and brought out a folded letter. "And also, sir, I bring my official orders. I've been posted here as Hope Valley's new constable."

Lucas was startled by this announcement, though it would make sense he supposed. A small town like this would need protection this far from a fort in the middle of increased bootlegger activity. After looking at McDaniel's orders without truly seeing them, he quickly composed himself.

"Welcome, Constable. We take great pride in our Mounties in this town."

"Yes, sir. I actually met the last two men who served here. Tragic losses both."

"Yes. And before you take over your office, you might stop in and talk to Judge Avery. He's a retired Mountie, and should be able to fill you about the town and help get you settled."

"Thank you, sir…and might I say, Governor, I greatly admired what you did for this town, and for Alberta. We at Fort Calgary were all very supportive of your office, sir, and felt you were treated unfairly in the press."

"Thank you for that, Constable. And I'm sure the more you get to know the people of Hope Valley, the more you'll respect them all. We're a pretty close-knit group here."

"Yes, sir. My wife and son will be joining me soon. I'd like to find a small cabin or farmhouse hereabouts for them."

"You're married?" Lucas said in surprise. "Unusual for a Mountie."

"Not so much anymore, sir, fortunately for me."

"Well, until you find a suitable home, you're welcome to stay free of charge in my hotel right above the saloon."

Lucas had bought back The Queen of Hearts from Lee, for a thousand more than he'd sold it for.

"That's very generous of you, Governor," said McDaniel. "My wife will be relieved. She wasn't looking forward to sleeping in a cold tent for months, although staying in a hotel room might be a disappointment to my son."

The three men chuckled.

"The ladies of the town would raise quite a ruckus if we had the constable's wife sleeping on the ground," added Henry. Lucas nodded his agreement.

After the constable left, Lucas and Henry sat down, silently contemplating all the news the constable had brought them.

"I'd like to be the one to tell Elizabeth, if you'll tell Allie and her grandparents everything before the rest of the town knows," said Lucas.

Allie's grandparents had moved to Hope Valley so that Allie could continue her schooling with her friends and teacher, and they still lived in Nathan's row house.

"We might want to hurry," suggested Henry. "Gossip will have spread faster than it takes the new constable to walk to Bill's office."

Lucas checked his pocket watch; school had likely just been dismissed, and knowing Elizabeth, she'd be staying behind to grade papers or prepare the lessons for the next day. He grabbed his coat—late fall had brought a chill to the air—and he walked from the saloon to the school house.

In the past few weeks, he'd only seen Elizabeth in passing. They'd nodded politely and said hello, and if Jack was with her, he'd shaken hands with his little buddy, the pain of that still sharp in his heart. She'd gone back to teaching the week following Nathan's death, which was no surprise to anyone really. Frontier life had made her stronger, and the indulgence in her grief over Nathan likely felt selfish to her now. Lucas was proud of her, but he didn't feel it was his place to tell her that anymore.

He walked up the steps he hadn't climbed in months, the memories of all the times he'd ascended his princess's tower to gaze upon her, to court her, to kiss her, flooded back, made his pulse race, and he took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She must have been close, so the door opened more quickly than he'd expected, and he took a hasty step back.

"Lucas," she said in surprise. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes. I uh, just have some news."

"Please, come in. It's cold out there."

He stood awkwardly for a moment, kicking himself for not rehearsing his words on his walk from the saloon.

"What is it?" she was looking worried, so he quickly pulled himself together.

"They got the bootleggers responsible for—for Nathan."

Her eyes instantly watered, and he wordlessly pressed his waiting handkerchief into her hand. She turned and walked back down the aisle to her desk, standing there for a moment, wiping her eyes. He gave her a few moments to regroup, and finally she faced him again, somewhat composed.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "That's good news. Allie—"

"Henry's talking to her and her grandparents now. We didn't want them to be the last to know."

She nodded. "That was very thoughtful."

"There's something else you should know. Hope Valley has a new Mountie."

It was his turn to be surprised when she gave a quick, humorless laugh. "He must have drawn the short straw."

Lucas frowned. "Elizabeth—"

"Well, the Mounties around here must think of this is a bad luck post. I hope they warned him to steer clear of the town school teacher."

It pained him to think she was becoming bitter. He thought of either chiding her for that or saying something that might comfort her, but he couldn't think of an impersonal way to go about that, so he reluctantly chose to ignore it instead.

"His name's McDaniel. His wife and son will be joining him soon. Sounds as though you'll have a new student."

"Oh," she said, and her relief at this information was palpable. "Well, we'll be happy to have him-uh, them." She wiped at her eyes again, but straightened her back, willing herself to stay strong.

This, he thought, is why I still love her.

"Yes, I thought you might be. But, I should get back to work and sign as much new legislation as I can. Rumor has it the Prime Minister is about ready to announce my successor."

She looked at him, and it was difficult to interpret all the emotions that appeared on her pretty face.

"I suppose I was wrong about a lot of things where you were concerned, Lucas. I'm sorry being governor wasn't what you truly wanted."

"I could have refused," he said. "No one was holding a gun to my head. Well, that came later…"

Her eyes widened at his gallows humor. "Lucas!"

He smiled wryly. "Let's neither of us become bitter, shall we? It doesn't suit us. Good day, Elizabeth."

He turned away from her and let himself out of her classroom, congratulating himself that at least he hadn't left her crying for a change.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

With a new Governor General ensconced in Capital City, Lucas was finally free to pick up the pieces of his old life—at least most of the pieces. One giant part was no longer there, of course, but rather than dwell on this loss, he decided to work on finding fulfillment in other things that were almost as valuable.

He brought back the community dinners. He brought back movie nights. At Christmastime, he brought back the Christmas Festival, and watched from afar Elizabeth and Jack enjoying themselves during what he remembered was her favorite time of year. That year, the wish he put on the town Christmas tree was simply for "Peace."

Despite the success of the festival, Lucas awakened on Christmas morning feeling out of sorts. As he sipped his tea and watched the snow fall outside his hotel room window, he identified the emotion as loneliness. Gustave had left a few days before to visit his parents in Quebec, so the empty saloon was especially quiet; but his cousin's absence wasn't the only reason he felt alone.

Despite the love and appreciation he felt from Hope Valley's residents, the fact was, he couldn't help thinking that nothing he had would ever be enough unless he had a wife and family to share it with. What came immediately to mind was a mental picture of Elizabeth and Jack opening presents with Lee, Rosemary and little Goldie this morning. There would be laughter, both from the children and their parents. Elizabeth would make them all pancakes, and later, they'd have dinner at the Coulter's.

He could imagine it so vividly because that's how Christmas had been for him that last year he was still with Elizabeth, when they were newly engaged and very much in love. On Christmas Eve, after they'd hung Jack's stocking, read The Night Before Christmas, and tucked the excited little boy into bed, Lucas had kissed Elizabeth under the mistletoe he'd hung in the parlor when she wasn't looking. Their kisses had quickly turned passionate, her mouth and body sweetly yielding to his. They'd both been so filled with love, so exquisitely happy in one another's arms, that they'd very nearly anticipated their vows on the too short settee.

This Christmas, she was probably missing Nathan's kisses, he thought in a rare moment of self-pity. But then it occurred to him that she must be feeling sadder than him this morning, and Lucas felt ashamed of himself. He might have lost Elizabeth, but at least she was still alive, still in his life, if only in the periphery of it, while Nathan was gone forever. Allie and her grandparents must be having a particularly difficult day too, he realized, and abruptly pulled himself out of his own misery.

He went to his bureau where the usual Christmas package from his mother had arrived. He knew what it was—for it was always the same thing: his favorite chocolate truffles that she picked up for him on her annual trip to Paris. He unwrapped the parcel and went downstairs, put on his overcoat, and stepped out into the cold morning.

It was very quiet and still, the falling snow feeling magical on a Christmas morning, and he knew the children all over town would look out their windows first thing and feel the wonder and excitement of the holiday. The box of chocolates in hand, he walked past the tall Christmas tree in the middle of town, smiling as snow had begun to accumulate on the green boughs, dusting the multi-colored ornaments and scarlet ribbons. The pond in the field across the way was beginning to ice over, and perhaps in a few days it would be frozen enough to skate on.

He made his way to the row houses, stopping in front of Nathan's old house. He could see lights on in the window, but otherwise it seemed rather quiet. He ascended the steps and knocked on the door. From inside he heard Allie's grandmother say, "Whoever could that be?" A few moments later, Allie opened the door, wearing a pretty green dress, her hair still tied in curling rags. He grinned.

"Mr. Bouchard!" she said in surprise, touching the rags self-consciously.

"Good morning, Allie. I just wanted to stop by and give you this, and wish you and your grandparents a Merry Christmas." He presented her with the expensive tin box, decorated in gold leaf and winter scenes.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Grandma, look what Mr. Bouchard brought."

Mary Grant, the picture of a loving grandmother in her flowered apron and gray hair, came to the door to stand near her granddaughter.

"How lovely!" she said, her cheeks rosy. "Governor Bouchard, what a delightful surprise. Won't you come in?"

The warmth emanating from the house and the scent of vanilla and baking bread beckoned, but he didn't want to impose, and told them so.

"Nonsense. We were just about to have a quick breakfast before heading to Christmas services. Please, join us."

Nathan's father, Archie came down the stairs then, dressed in a plain black suit and necktie, looking surprised to see their early morning visitor.

"Governor," he said, "what an honor that you're here."

"Please," said Lucas, "just call me Lucas. I'm not the governor anymore."

"Lucas then. I take it Mary has asked you to breakfast. I've learned you must never refuse her anything, so I hope you've accepted or there'll be hell to pay."
Lucas laughed. "Well, far be it from me to refuse a lady. Thank you. I'd be pleased to join you."

He'd expected the house would be filled with sadness, but there was a Christmas tree in the corner, and stockings hung above the woodstove.

"It's very festive in here," he commented.

"It's the Lord's day, and we have much to celebrate," said Mr. Grant quietly.

Lucas felt a tightness in his throat at the stoicism of this family, and he looked at the older couple with admiration. They were determined to rise above their own grief and give Allie a hopeful day. At the small dining room table, Mrs. Grant served hot biscuits with ham and eggs, and Lucas hadn't remembered the last time he'd had such a wonderful breakfast.

The conversation was lighthearted, even when they discussed Christmases with Nathan and Allie's mother as children. Allie obviously loved hearing these, and while everyone chuckled at young Nathan's exploits with his mischievous sister, Colleen, every eye was a little misty in remembrance of those they'd lost. After breakfast, Allie excused herself to finish getting ready, and Lucas rose to leave.

"Thank you for the delicious breakfast, Mrs. Grant. I…I was thinking of you all this morning and what I knew must be a particularly difficult day."

"Oh, it is," said Mary Grant, dabbing at her eyes with a corner of her apron. "We've all had very bad days over the past few months, but we're trying not to dwell on the sadness we all feel."

"That's very admirable," he said, "Allie is fortunate to have you both."

"We're the fortunate ones," said Mrs. Grant tearfully. "We don't know how we would have gotten through if we didn't have Allie. She gave us someone to be strong for."

Mr. Grant reached out and touched his wife's hand. "We're not supposed to outlive our children."

"No," said Lucas solemnly. "Sometimes the world makes no sense."

"You know, Lucas, Nathan had a lot of good things to say about you," said Mr. Grant. Allie had confided something similar, but he still had trouble believing it.

"You'll forgive me if I assume you're just being kind. Nathan and I—well, we often rubbed each other the wrong way. But I do believe, had we'd met under different circumstances, we might actually have become good friends."

"But he admired how you saved the town," said his mother. "He knew you sacrificed a lot for Hope Valley."

And Lucas supposed Nathan would have understood more than anyone what Lucas had given up.

"I love this town, love the people in it," he told them. "You and Mr. Grant must have begun to see what I mean since you moved here. It's a very special place; a very forgiving place."

Mr. Grant smiled at him meaningfully. "Yes, it is."

"Well, I should get back. Thank you again for inviting me into your home on Christmas morning."

"You're always welcome here," said Archie Grant.

Lucas opened the door to see that the Grants had other guests. Elizabeth, Jack, Lee, and Rosemary had just stopped at the foot of their front steps.

"Lucas," said Elizabeth. "What…?"

"Merry Christmas," he said brightly, giving himself the Christmas gift of gazing at her rosy cheeks and sparkling blue eyes. She wore her heaviest overcoat, with fluffy white ear muffs and matching gloves that enfolded her son's little mittened hand. Rosemary and Lee, much more colorfully dressed, returned his greeting, the two of them just as surprised as Elizabeth to see the unexpected visitor. Goldie, bundled up to the eyes, snuggled against her daddy.

"Hi, Buddy!" said Jack happily. "I got a airplane from Santa Claus!"

"An airplane?" said Lucas in pleasant surprise.

"We saw a real one in Hamilton a few weeks ago. He hasn't stopped talking about it since," said Elizabeth.

"Wouldn't it be exciting to fly in one someday?" Lucas said, meaning it.

"Will you take me with you?"

He met Elizabeth's eyes and she couldn't have missed the familiar sparkle of adventure there. "Perhaps. But we'd need to get a real plane first, wouldn't we?"

Mary Grant was still at the door. "Mr. Bouchard brought Allie some fancy chocolates for Christmas this morning," she said. "He was so kind to think of her today."

"French truffles?" she murmured knowingly to Lucas. He was touched that she remembered his mother's annual gift, one that he'd happily shared with her in the past.

He shrugged. "I'm watching my figure these days."

She laughed softly, and he couldn't prevent his heart from leaping at the sound.

"Lucas, won't you join us at church this morning?" asked Rosemary. "We stopped by to escort the Grants on this beautiful snowy day."

"I wouldn't want to intrude…" he said awkwardly.

"Christmas services are for everyone," Rosemary proclaimed. "Of course you'll come."

He looked to Elizabeth for signs of discomfort at the invitation, but she smiled encouragingly.

"Thank you, Rosemary. I think I will."

Allie bounded down the stairs then, her hair pulled back in a jaunty red bow, ringlets bouncing as she walked. When she saw everyone gathered around the front porch, her grin stretched a mile wide.

"Dad would have hated this," she said merrily. They all laughed at that, for Nathan wasn't known for his love of socializing, even at Christmas.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And from that day forward, Lucas returned to church every Sunday. He was careful to remain a respectful distance from Elizabeth, sitting in the back pew, finding comfort and encouragement in Joseph's weekly sermons. He didn't go to impress anyone or to be seen, usually slipping inside right before Joseph began the opening prayer, out of the church the moment the service had ended. He didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea about Elizabeth and him, but he also treasured these days because he could see her and Jack, see that they were all right. For now, that was enough.

He was healing and growing spiritually, feeling some semblance of who he was before he'd become governor. God helped fill in some of what had been missing in his life, helped ease his sorrow and loneliness. He'd prayed in the past when he'd been in the midst of trouble, had been thankful when he'd felt particularly blessed, but now he found himself praying every day, and his New Year's Resolution was to read the Bible from cover to cover by the end of the year.

He by no means considered himself devout, just a steadfast follower, but he stopped gambling, stopped drinking heavy liquor in favor of the occasional glass of wine with one of Gustave's gourmet dinners. He found exercise in long walks and riding Ishmael, even in the cold weather. It invigorated him, and he took pride that he was putting his life together, not for Elizabeth, but for God, and for himself.

He still thought of Elizabeth every day, still loved her beyond measure, but his Christmas wish had come true, and he felt peace and acceptance with the way things were. He would wait until she'd passed the saloon each morning on the way to school before he came out to his balcony to drink his morning tea, and between church and her morning trek to the schoolhouse, he'd become accustomed to mostly seeing the back of her auburn head, but he was fine with that.

He was still refreshing the town library, but he would bring the new books in the early morning or late at night to avoid running into her. Some nights, when he couldn't sleep, he'd go there and read in the new wingback chair and reading lamp he'd set in a corner.

It was on one of these nights in late February that he heard someone at the library door. Elizabeth was the only one besides himself with a key, and his pulse jumped in anticipation as she opened the door and saw him there.

"Lucas," she said, not at all surprised to see him. "I see it's your night to be in here late."

"I wasn't aware that we were on a schedule," he said, lips quirking. He stood politely.

"If I see the light on, I generally go back home, but I'd forgotten to get a book I need for tomorrow's lesson. I apologize for disturbing you. Rosemary is with Jack, so I'll just be a minute, and then you can continue avoiding me."

No use denying it, he supposed. He set down the copy of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that had come with the latest book shipment.

"I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," he said evenly.

She looked up from where she was scanning the titles on a nearby bookshelf.

"Hmmm, well it's sort of like living with elves around here. Books I've never seen before magically appear on the shelves. Expensive chairs materialize out of thin air. In church on Sunday, I hear the door open and close at strange times, but when I turn to look, no one is sitting on the back pew…"

"Very mysterious," said Lucas, playing along. "And do these elves cause any mischief?"

She tapped her full bottom lip as if in deep thought, and he swallowed at the artless sensuality of it. "Well, someone left a picture book about the Wright brothers on my front porch, and when I went to ride Seargent the other day, I noticed someone had replaced the frayed bridle I'd been saving up to buy. And the strangest thing—that morning last week when it was ten below zero, my classroom was already warm and cozy when I got in there."

He dropped his gaze, embarrassed now at himself, wondering if she must think him pathetic. Despite his resolve, he couldn't seem to let go of her completely, and it made him feel weak and foolish.

"I'm sorry," he said formally. "I shouldn't have overstepped."

"Oh, Lucas," she said, her voice breaking. "You've always been so thoughtful, so kind; I never wanted you to change who you are."

"I did though," he heard himself say. "But I'm trying to get back to the man I was before, to hopefully become an even better one."

They stared at each other a few moments, the air between them fraught with tension. He wondered what would become of both of them if he took her in his arms. Unconsciously, he took a step toward her, and she didn't move away. He could feel the old familiar hum of attraction between them, the sharp pull that was drawing them inexorably closer.

He closed his eyes to block out the loveliness of her face, and that brief respite gave him the willpower to back away from her.

"Good night, Elizabeth," he said hoarsely, and forced himself to put one heavy foot in front of the other and walk out the library door. When the cold air hit his face, he felt like he'd dodged a bullet (successfully this time).

A/N: More to come. Thank you for reading.