Jessica was sitting on the balcony of the saloon, watching the comings and goings of this wonderful little town, while reliving the walk she had shared with Lucas earlier that day. She had never been much of a people person, unless she was working, and even then it wasn't exactly natural for her, but everything was so different with Lucas. Normally she was the only one asking questions, trying to get to the truth, but today she had found herself answering a lot more questions than she asked. What surprised her the most was the genuine interest Lucas showed in how she had answered. He seemed so curious about what it was like growing up in one house, mentioning that he had moved around a lot with his family while growing up. He wanted to know each member of her family, and why she had become a reporter. "I am not sure if I have ever talked about myself that much, to anyone." She said out loud, shaking her head.
They had walked all over Hope Valley, both in the town and outside of it, with Lucas explaining the history of the town, and some of their many traditions. He told her about the Christmas Festival and how, not anticipating the number of people that would show up, he ran out of food, and how the town had given all the food they had, in order to help him. They had walked in the direction of the mine, and Lucas had explained about the accident that took so many lives. Even though he hadn't been living in Hope Valley, or Coal Valley as it was called then, she could feel his anguish over what had happened. How difficult it was for the widow's and their children that were left behind. She could sense his pride in how everyone worked together to bring their town out of darkness into what it was today. Then there was that darling little boy who had come running when he saw Lucas, and how they had interacted together, she felt a little stirring deep within her that she hadn't felt in a very long time.
The only awkward moment had come just after that when they had passed, who she assumed was the local Mountie. She had noticed the tension in him as they greeted each other, but then it was gone the next moment. Knowing that she probably had picked up on something, he quickly explained there's some history between the two of us, but that he would prefer to talk about it later. Jessie had a fairly good idea what the story was about, but decided to let him tell her on his own terms.
Footsteps on the balcony pulled her from her thoughts and she looked towards the sound. A smile lit her face when she was it was Lucas, walking towards her with two cups of tea. "I thought maybe you could use a little refreshment." He said, handing one of the cups to her. "May I?" he asked, pointing to the spot next to her on the bench.
"Please." she said, sliding over to give him more room. "This is a breathtaking view." she said, once he was seated next to her.
"It really is. I enjoy coming up here at night and watching the night sky. With all the lights in Capital City, you don't get to appreciate the true beauty, but here, it's amazing."
"I can remember lying on a blanket with my Father, watching the stars. He would point out the different constellations, and tell me the story behind them. It was the one thing we did, just he and I, together." she said wistfully.
"Well then, I guess we are coming back out here this evening, and you show off how much you remember."
Jessie laughed at that thought. "To be honest, I am not sure if I remember any of them. It was so long ago, and it's been ages since I watched the sky."
"Jessie," Lucas said, turning to face her, "Would you accompany me to dinner tonight at that Café?"
"I'd love to, Lucas," she answered. After a moment, she added, "On one condition."
"And what would that be?"
"I ask the questions and you give the answers. I do have a story to write, you know."
Lucas smiled, and said, "I think I can agree to that." before standing up and heading back towards the stairs.
Rosemary had come back into town to pick something up from the Mercantile, when she saw Lucas and Jessie sitting on the balcony above the saloon. She laughed to herself remembering her conversation with Henry and the moment she finally realized what he was talking about. Thinking that both Jessie and Lucas might need some prodding, she had come up with a plan to help get things moving. But from the looks of it, she might actually be able to just sit and watch this one develop, something she couldn't remember doing, ever. Seeing Henry heading in the direction of the mercantile as well, she called out to him.
Surprised at hearing his name, Henry looked over and saw Rosemary coming up to him.
"Henry. I just wanted to say thank you for cluing me into the situation with Lucas. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner, but you were definitely right."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rosemary." Henry answered with a wink.
"Why don't you join us for dinner tomorrow, Henry? I know Goldie would love to spend some time with you."
"That would be lovely, thank you, Rosemary." Henry said, followed by a tip of his hat and an "Afternoon."
Having gone back to his office, Lucas was finishing up some reports when he heard the door open. Looking up, he smiled as Henry asked if he was busy.
"Just finishing up some reports, come in." Lucas said.
"So I take it your walk went well?" Henry asked, sitting in his chair.
"Very well, thank you. Please forgive my behavior from earlier. The sleepless nights seem to be getting to me."
"Water under the bridge, Lucas." Henry assured him with a smile.
"Are you going to let her do her story?"
"I am. In fact, I invited her to dine with me this evening and I plan to tell the story, leaving nothing out. Even if it doesn't always show me at my best."
"Sometimes us common folk like to be reminded that our leaders make mistakes and are only human. As long as you can acknowledge you learned something from it and promise to do better is all that matters." Henry advised.
"Oh, I have definitely learned from this one, trust me." Lucas told him with sorrow in his eyes. "But, like you said, water under the bridge."
"Indeed." was Henry's reply. "Oh," he continued, "I was able to get some information about Montague, finally. He's recovering and would like to eventually have a meeting with you, but that won't be for quite a while, next year even."
"I am glad to hear that. I hope to check on him when I go to Union City in the next few weeks. That is, if he will even see me after what happened."
"Don't borrow trouble, Lucas." Henry warned him.
Smiling at the older man, Lucas assured him he wasn't. "Now get out of here and enjoy the rest of your weekend. I've got some ideas to run by you, but for now, anything political is on hold."
Standing up, he walked around the desk. "Can I buy you a drink, as a thank you for earlier?" Lucas asked.
"No Government business?" Henry asked with a grin.
"Nope." Lucas assured him, with a grin on his face as well.
Muttering to himself, Lucas once again pulled the tie off and tried again. "Finally." he said aloud as he straightened it and looked in the mirror, making sure everything was in place. Satisfied with what he saw, he turned and headed for the door. Only to stop when he looked at the clock. He still had an hour before the time they'd agreed to meet. Sighing, he sat down in the closest chair. He would never admit it to another living soul, but he knew he was a goner and that Ms. Jessica Harrison was the reason. Being with her today, walking around town, introducing her to people had felt so right, so natural. The only time it had been uncomfortable was when they'd met Elizabeth and Jack at the row houses, but even then, the feeling left as soon as it came. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized it really wasn't that he was uncomfortable, it was that he'd never planned on having anyone, but Elizabeth, on his arm. Since she had broken things off, he'd resigned himself to being on his own. Having his heart broken twice was enough to make he shy away from giving it to anyone else again. The awkwardness was on his part, because he didn't know how to act. He loved Elizabeth, and probably would for the rest of his life, but when compared with how he felt about Jessie, the difference was very obvious. Jessie made him feel complete, like he'd finally found the part of himself he didn't even know missing. Sure he could have married Elizabeth, and had a happy and content life, with no regrets.
A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. "Come in, he called out."
The door opened and Lee came in. "Lee, nice to see you, please have a seat." Lucas said, pointing to the chair opposite him.
"How are you, my friend?" Lee asked when he was settled.
"Good, Lee, thanks. And you?"
"Good, just wanted to stop by and see how you are doing. I saw you bump into Jessica, spilling your coffee on her, then you kind of disappeared, so I wanted to check on you. Make sure things are okay."
"I am trying really hard to forget everything that happened this morning up until that point. Not my finest hour, but I think it actually was a good thing. Do you have a few minutes, Lee? I'd like to talk to you, man to man, as it were."
"Of course, Lucas. What's up?"
"Is it possible I wasn't really in love with Elizabeth, but did a really good job of convincing myself I was? My whole life, I used my parent's relationship as a guide for what it'd be like when I fell in love. I really thought I had that with Elizabeth, but after today I am starting to question everything."
"What happened today?" Lee asked. He knew the answer, Rosemary had filled him in, but he was still curious about what Lucas would say.
"Well, I spilled coffee on Jessie, actually, and ever since something has felt different. Like I found something I didn't know I'd been missing my entire life." Lucas blushed, realizing what he had said, and who he had said it to.
"Lucas, my friend," Lee began, "I know exactly what you are talking about. It happened the moment I met Rosie for the first time. I just knew she was the one for me. Actually, things had been getting really serious with someone else, so it was shocking to have even more intense feelings for someone else. But the minute I saw her, everything made sense, the puzzle pieces fit together, and I knew she was the one. The next day, I broke things off with Mary and, well, the rest is, as they say, history."
"Did you tell Rosemary?"
Lee laughed at the very thought of that, "Like I can keep anything from her." Seeing Lucas getting ready to say something, he added, "Anything personal about me, that is." Knowing that Lucas had been worried about him repeating things to his wife.
"Of course, Lee, and thank you. It really was that simple for you?"
"It was, granted it wasn't easy to get her on board, but eventually she did and here we are."
Lee continued, "I've found that true love, a great love even, has no set definition. It's different for everyone and every couple. If you convince yourself to have a specific kind of love, sure you will be happy, but if you allow yourself to fully experience any kind of love, you'll find exactly what you didn't know you always wanted."
Lucas thought about those words, "I tried to be brave and understanding when Elizabeth broke things off. I knew deep, deep down that it was the right thing to do, for both of us, but the pain and resentment was really hard to fight. After a while, I realized that what she admitted to me, that her heart wasn't in it, was the same thing I had said to Jeanette before I came to Hope Valley, and I could understand what she meant. It still hurt, though, terribly. Especially knowing where her heart really and truly was, and had been the entire time. I always felt like I had to prove myself to her, and the only way I knew how to do that was with romantic, candle lit dinners, extravagant gifts, and always giving her what I thought she wanted. I loved her, but it still kind of felt like I was putting on a show. With Jessie, I don't have any of those thoughts or feelings. I want to just be me, and show her who I really am."
His friend had been smiling at him, during his entire speech. Once he'd stopped, Lee sat there for a few minutes.
"The past shapes us for what the future holds. If you ask my advice, don't let someone that makes you feel like a better person out of your life. Be willing to take the leap and see what happens."
Both men stood up and shook hands. Looking at his watch, Lucas was surprised to realize how much time had passed, and that finally it was time to leave for dinner. Together they walked out the door. Lee headed back to his office, and Lucas to the front of the saloon.