CHAPTER 14

They rode back to the stables; both having enjoyed their horseback ride and with a new understanding between them. Lucas felt lighter than he had in a very long time. He had a couple of meetings to attend before he would be finished for the day. MaKayla decided she would check out room 6 for propriety's sake until Lucas was ready to have dinner with her in the saloon.

As they walked together back to The Queen of Hearts, a car backfired and MaKayla watched as Lucas froze at the noise. It took her several minutes to get his attention and bring him back to the present. He looked at her sheepishly, "Sorry, I got distracted." He told her.

At the saloon Lucas went to his office and MaKayla went upstairs. She sat in her room contemplating Lucas's reaction to the car backfiring. His reaction, she was sure, was due to it triggering the memory of the night he was shot. The terror she saw in his eyes at the sound broke her heart. Two hours later, Mike knocked on her door letting her know Lucas was in the saloon waiting for her.

She went downstairs and they enjoyed another scrumptious dinner. After dinner they played darts and he even showed her a trick of how to hit the dartboard facing backwards with a mirror. It had been a wonderful afternoon and evening; she hoped Lucas felt the same. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to them when it came time to leave and they were able to go out the back door with no one being the wiser. She couldn't help but laugh at this charade but it made Lucas feel better so she was happy to go along with it.

When they arrived back at his house it was late and they were both tired. He bid her goodnight with a kiss on the forehead. She would have liked more, but she knew she needed to be patient with him. She fell asleep almost instantly thinking of their kiss on the hill. She was startled awake several hours later by someone yelling. As her thoughts cleared, she knew it was Lucas.

She put on her robe and ran to his bedroom. She found him sitting on the side of his bed with his head in his heads. She went over and knelt before him.

"Lucas, are you alright?" She asked softly. He did not respond. She placed her hands on his arms, his skin was cold and clammy to her touch and he was breathing heavy. "Lucas, it's alright. Can you look at me?" She said softly again.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at her. "I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to wake you." He said apologetically.

She felted his undershirt; it was wet from night sweats. "Lucas, you need to change your shirt, where do you keep them?" He stared at her again and finally answered.

"In the top drawer of the bureau." He told her emotionless.

She got him a new undershirt and he changed. "Why is this happening?" He asked beleaguered.

"Can you tell me about your dream, do you remember it?" She asked gently as she sat on the side of the bed next to him.

He stared straight ahead, "I was outside of the campaign office and someone was approaching me. Actually, there were two people. At first, I couldn't see their faces, and I heard one of them say, I had to die for what I had done. As they got closer, one of the faces came into view… it was Matthew. Then I saw him point a gun at me and pull the trigger. I guess that's when I woke up." He sighed heavily.

Lucas turned to face her, "Clayton Pike confessed to shooting me. I've seen his picture but I would swear I have never met this man. Why can't I remember who wants me dead?" He asked pleadingly as his voice cracked with emotion.

"Why would I dream of Matthew, of all people, aiming a gun at my heart and pulling the trigger. My nightmares have to be trying to tell me something, don't they?" He looked deep into her eyes searching for an answer that would end these night terrors. "Do you think I will ever remember?" He finally asked.

She took his hand in hers and held it tight keeping her gaze steady on his, "I originally thought you couldn't remember the night of the shooting because of your head injury. And that may have been part of it when it first happened. But now, I think it goes deeper than that, you are suppressing the memory because it is too painful for you to remember for some reason. I think from what you just told me, you know the shooter. Your conscious self wants to know, wants to remember, but your sub-conscious is working overtime to protect you." She told him.

He laughed but there was no joy. "I'm sorry I woke you. Really you should go back to bed; I'll be fine now." He told her.

"If I wasn't here, what would you do after one of these dreams?" She asked softly.

He sighed and stood to look at her. "I would pace the floor, have a stiff drink, or go to my library and read. I rarely try to go back to sleep for fear that it will happen again." He told her honestly.

"Well, not tonight. I'm staying here with you." She said pointedly

"MaKayla, you aren't going to sit here and watch me sleep. You need your rest too." He said in a frustrated tone.

"And I'm going to get it. Now come back to bed and lie down." She said willfully.

"MaKayla, please…" Lucas said tiredly as he ran his hands through his hair. "I don't have the energy to argue with you. Go back to your room and try to get some sleep. There is nothing more you can do tonight to help me." He said dejected.

She got up and walked over to him. "Does your head hurt?" She asked. He nodded. "Close your eyes." He did as she asked. She brought her fingers up to his temples and gently started to move them in a slow circular motion. "Just relax." She did this for a few more minutes then gently led him back to his bed. "Now lay down, close your eyes." She said barely above a whisper.

Next thing he knew MaKayla was climbing into the bed next to him and rested her head on his chest. He was quite flabbergasted for a few minutes and as his eyes shot open. He then quickly said. "MaKayla what are you doing?!"

"The best thing for a person after a nightmare is to have physical touch. So, I'm going to stay here with you. I could sing to you or maybe we could talk for a little bit while your body relaxes and you drift back to sleep." She said in a sweet melodious voice as she smiled up at him.

"How am I supposed to relax with you resting your head on my chest?" He asked perplexed by the situation he currently found himself in.

"I'm sorry, is my head too heavy for your chest?" She giggled

"MaKayla, you know that's not what I mean. This is not proper at all." He said unsure of how to navigate this situation.

"Lucas Bouchard, are you having inappropriate thoughts about me?" She teased him.

"No, no, not at all." He answered flustered. "I just mean that… well, hmm, you're a single woman, I'm a single man and…" He trailed off as she giggled louder.

"Who are doing nothing wrong!" she said adamantly. "Do you want to hear something interesting?" She asked him.

Lucas started to chuckle; he was coming to learn that arguing with this woman was useless when she had her mind made up about something she was tenacious.

"Well, if you're staying here then yes, tell me something interesting." He told her.

MaKayla smiled to herself as she felt his body relaxing. "Ok. You and I have the same blood type. Now what makes it interesting is that it is the rarest blood type that has been identified. And right now, you have some of my blood coursing through your body." She told him triumphantly.

"So how rare are we talking?" He asked curiously.

"Less than 1% of the population that we know of have our blood type." She told him.

Lucas thought about this for a moment, he remembered being told that he had needed a blood transfusion and an employee of the hospital had graciously donated their own to save his life. "So, the hospital employee who donated their blood was you?" He asked surprised at this revelation.

"Yes, but here's the part I want you to really hear. I'm a woman of strong faith but I'm not a bible thumper. Each person must walk their own path and it's not my place to try and persuade them one way or the other. But speaking for myself, I believe that God put us in each other's path for a reason. I don't know exactly what that reason is just yet, but time will tell us better." She said thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's just as simple as my being there to donate blood to save your life on a cold rainy October night. Or you being there on a rainy afternoon to help me save a little boy's life. But whatever the reason, I'm glad He put it us on this path together." She paused for a moment, "I know what you're thinking, mister." She told him.

"Really, you know what I'm thinking? Ok, miss smarty-pants, tell me please," he said with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"This is not the path you wanted to be on. You wanted to be married to Elizabeth, a father to her son, a saloon owner. You never wanted to be governor and you sure as hell could have done without two bullet holes that almost caused you to bleed out. Am I right?" She asked.

"Maybe," Lucas said quietly.

MaKayla continued, "As painful and awful as these months have been for you, some of us are chosen to walk through hell first to find our true path in this world. Not fair, I totally agree. But it's what we do with those troubles that make us who we are. You aren't weak because you are struggling right now or less loved by God. Actually, it takes immense courage to survive what you are dealing with. Lucas, you have shown tremendous dignity and grace under pressure." She told him passionately.

"Can I tell you one more little secret?" she asked him.

"There's more? It sounds to me like you have covered everything." He said with the sound of reflection in his voice.

"I'm a believer, MaKayla, not a regular church goer, but a man who has tried to do more good than harm in this world. I thought I had found everything I ever wanted in Elizabeth. And when it was ripped away from me so unexpectedly, it rocked me to my core. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. But I feel God and everyone else has deserted me." He said with profound sadness.

"2 Timothy 4:7; Lucas I'm impressed. In addition to Shakespear and Longfellow you quote the Bible as well." She said teasingly.

"I'm not a total heathen." He laughed. "Plus, my mother is a book editor, I've read…. a lot." He told her a soft chuckle.

"My other little secret," she continued in her slow melodious voice, "when we first met, I felt a sense of belonging that I hadn't felt in over two years and if I'm really being honest probably have never felt so strongly before. I believe I have found my path and I so dearly hope that this is the path God has meant to keep you on as well." She said with hope in her voice.

They were both quiet as she listened to the calming lub dub rhythm of his heart. MaKayla broke the silence. "Just know that for now I have faith enough for both of us. You don't have to carry this burden alone. Just feel the warmth of my body next to you, close your eyes and let yourself drift." She said as she snuggled closer to him. And in the quiet of the night, he actually wrapped her in his embrace.

She soon heard his light rhythmic breathing; his heart rate had calmed and she knew that he had fallen back asleep. She wrapped her arms around him a little bit tighter hoping that he could feel her presence but most of all, she hoped he knew that she meant everything she said tonight.

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Lucas awoke the next morning, feeling rested. He laid there feeling he was forgetting something. Then he smelled bacon cooking. He turned his head; she was gone or had he dreamed last night? Had she slept beside him? He immediately got up and dressed and followed the smells of bacon.

As he entered the kitchen, there she was looking radiant and cooking in his kitchen.

"Good morning, sleepy head. I turned off your alarm so you could rest longer. You needed it. And I called Edwin and pushed your meeting with Mayor Hickam back an hour so you aren't late. Please take a seat, breakfast is ready." She said happily.

As he slowly slid into the kitchen chair, he asked. "Did last night really happen or did I dream it?"

"Well, it depends on what part you are talking about. But if you mean the part that I cuddled up next to you in your bed while you fell back to sleep, then no you didn't dream it." She said animated grin.

"No coffee for you, just tea, right?" She asked. He nodded. She then served him with a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs. Eat up." She said cheerfully.

He finally found his voice, "Were you able to get some sleep after…after we talked?" He asked tentatively.

"I slept fine. I was right where I needed to be. I will be going to the infirmary to help Faith today. I also would like to cook dinner here tonight. Just let me know what time you plan on coming home. Sound good to you?" She asked him.

"Yes, that is fine." As he sat there enjoying his homemade breakfast, he wondered how something could feel so right and so wrong at the same time. MaKayla Donovan certainly knew how to befuddled him. "I really need to get to my office; do you want to drive in with me?" He asked.

"No, you go ahead. It's another beautiful day. I will enjoy the walk into town when I'm ready. You go, and I will clean up the dishes." She said sweetly.

He stood there frozen for a moment, confused about what to do next. His thoughts were racing, so much had changed between them, yet he was still so unsure of so many things. He vacillated as to whether he should kiss her goodbye, or just leave. What was she doing to him? Finally, he walked over to her.

"Thank you for last night." He said softly as he kissed her on the forehead and then left the room. She smiled as she watched him go.

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As Lucas entered his office, Maise, Henry, and Lee were already there. "Sorry, I was running a little late this morning." He told them casually.

"Mayor Hickam, thank you for joining us this morning. This meeting is to let you know that the Hope Valley Council agreed yesterday to merge the towns. Your council has also agreed." He told her.

"So, the towns are now merged?" she asked annoyed.

"We promise to compromise on your demands in good faith; but yes, it is a fait d'accompli." Lucas told her.

"This is a terrible idea and it will bring nothing but trouble to the valley. Mark my words gentlemen. You will all regret this." She told them angrily. "Don't think for a moment I will go away quietly." Maise got up and left the room in a huff.

"In the end, thanks to Henry you got your deal." Lee told Lucas.

Lucas turned to Henry, "I knew I needed you on the team." He told him with a smile.

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Hope Valley, Alberta Canada

Friday, April 8, 1921

MaKayla had been in Hope Valley for two weeks. She enjoyed her time helping Faith in the infirmary. She had met many of the townspeople who were very welcoming. Lucas she felt was doing better as well. She had given him permission to stop using the cane but he still had a slight limp. His progress had really been remarkable. She attributed the much faster improvement in his leg than she expected to the hot springs and his dedication to doing all the exercises that she prescribed.

Lucas hadn't taken her to the hot springs yet but she was going to change that. He was still having nightmares but the ones that made him yell out in his sleep had only occurred a few times since her arrival. Sometimes when she got up in the middle of the night to use the privy, she could hear him pacing in his room. She longed to go to him but knew she should let him be for now.

He did look more rested and was eating better. But still, the fact that he couldn't recall the night of his shooting and the troubles with the resort were all weighing heavily on him.

She had stopped by the saloon to invite him to lunch. "Sorry, Henry and Edwin are waiting for me." He told her. He looked worried, she thought.

She argued with herself if she should inquire further what was troubling him but decided to wait. "It's such a beautiful day, I'm going to have lunch at Minnie's then take a horseback ride if you don't mind." She told him.

"No, you go. Enjoy. I have to get back; Henry and Edwin are waiting for me." He told her anxiously. She waved goodbye and walked over to the café.

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Lucas sat at his desk, looking at Edwin and Henry in front of him. "Where are all the bids for the resort." He asked exasperated.

"It's not helping that someone is spreading slander about it." Edwin told him.

"We have to stop these rumors." Lucas said adamantly.

"Rumors are like mushrooms; you think you have them all fretted out and then they pop up somewhere else." Henry told him sadly.

"Montague might still be interested. And you also have the bid from Mrs. Aucoin and her associates. It is quite substantial." Edwin stated.

"Edwin, as I have already stated, those two bids are off the table." Lucas told both men.

"Might I remind you that this resort is the centerpiece of your grand vision. You've promised prosperity and jobs." Edwin told Lucas.

"And I'm committed to fulfilling that promise just not with either of them." He said firmly.

"I understand your aversion to Montague and I share it, but why are you so against Jeanette Aucoin's bid. I mean other than your personal relationship?" Henry asked.

"You're just going to have to trust me when I say we do not want to get into business with her." He said succinctly.

"Even it means the resort doesn't happen?" He asked.

"That is not an option either." Lucas stated

"Lucas, listen I know you're a gambler but is this a bet you want to make?" Henry questioned.

"I just want to provide a secure future for Hope Valley. I don't want to see it being left behind. If you can think of a better way to do that, I'm all ears." He told them.

"Well perhaps the move here is to just walk away." He told Lucas and who just lowered his head in defeat.

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Judge Avery and Rosemary Coulter saw Dr. Donovan having lunch on the veranda at Minnie's and decided to see if the young doctor had any information she could share.

"Dr. Donovan," Bill said, "I'm surprised you're still in town. Don't you need to get back to the big city?" He asked curiously.

She smiled, "Why Judge, are you in a hurry to have me leave?" She asked brightly.

"No, of course not. I just thought this was a quick stop to check on Lucas and then you'd be on your way. Lucas looks pretty good to me, so I'm just wondering why you're still here?" He asked her.

"Judge, tell me honestly, do you think Clayton Pike shot Lucas?" She asked. The judge did not even hesitate.

"No, I don't, in fact, I doubt he was even there that night. What about you?" He asked. "I can tell you have an opinion."

"Has Lucas remembered something from that night?" Rosemary asked curiously.

MaKayla gazed at them, wondering if she should trust them? She had heard rumors around town that they were investigating the shooting together as they didn't believe the story that the Mountie's had given the public. She needed to take a leap of faith, she thought, in order to help Lucas.

"If I tell you, I need your assurance, especially you Mrs. Coulter that nothing I say here goes any further than the three of us. Nothing is printed in the newspaper or bantered around town." She stated emphatically.

"Of course, this will be confidential." Judge Avery told her. Eyeing them dubiously she hoped she was doing the right thing.

"Lucas has been having terrible nightmares, his dreams are somewhat muddled but most seem to center around the shooting. In his dreams, there are two people there the night he was shot. He can't see their faces in his dream but he feels he knows at least one of them." She told them.

"And what is your thought on why he can't see the face of the shooter?" Avery asked in his usual brisk manner.

MaKayla didn't hesitate, "Lucas has suffered more trauma in the past six months than most people face in a lifetime and I think his sub conscious is trying to protect him. The theory would be that knowing who the shooter is would cause him more pain than not knowing. Whether that is true or not, I don't know. But these nightmares, they have got to stop. And that won't happen until he knows without a doubt who wants him dead. Finding out who the true shooter is and why they tried to kill him is what he needs most to move with his life." She told them.

"Other than the shooting, what other trauma has Lucas experienced?" Rosemary asked.

"You're not serious, Mrs. Coulter." She looked at her incredulously.

"I'm sorry Dr. Donovan but I am serious. What other trauma has Lucas been through?" She asked.

"Losing his fiancée is a good place to start." She said coldly.

"Dr. Donovan, Elizabeth and Lucas's breakup was mutual." She said smugly.

"Oh, really is that what Elizabeth is telling everyone? Well, Mrs. Coulter let me assure you it was not mutual." She said with disdain.

"Mrs. Thornton ended things with Lucas at a train station two minutes before they were supposed to board a train together and three weeks before their wedding. He never saw it coming. This was the woman he had waited his whole life for and she cruelly pulled the rug out from under him, justifying it by telling him, he was bound for a bigger stage." MaKayla paused to look at both of them wondering if they truly never knew any of this.

"Well, doctor, I don't know where you got your information about Elizabeth and Lucas but your wrong. Elizabeth wouldn't do that." Rosemary told her but with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Mrs. Coulter, feel free to think what you will. Judge Avery, if Lucas remembers anything else, I'm sure he will let you know. But please remember not to mention the nightmares to him or anyone else. Have a nice afternoon." MaKayla got up from the table very calmly not wanting to give away a hint of the anger she felt on Lucas's behalf.

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"What do you make of all that?" Rosemary said to Bill in a huff.

"If Lucas knew the shooter, then Pike is definitely not our man." Bill told her. "Montague could still be behind the attack, but who could Montague get to shoot Lucas that would have him want to block it out? I wish we could get Pike to talk to us, he might hold the answer." Bill told her.

Rosemary and Bill went to see Nathan at the jail, hoping they could get Nathan to help them speak to Pike.

"Nathan, it has come to our attention that Lucas might have known the shooter. And since Lucas and Pike don't know each other, he can't be our man. But perhaps he knows who is. We need to speak to him but we can't get near him." Avery told the Constable.

"Did Lucas remember something from the night of the shooting?" Nathan asked

"Not exactly, it was just something someone said to me that gave me that idea." Bill told him

"And you want me to do what?" Nathan asked.

"I heard Pike is being transferred to Granville prison in the coming weeks. Can you have him re-routed through Hope Valley for a night?" Bill looked at Nathan hopefully.

Nathan eyed them both, "Maybe I can call in a favor and get him here for one night." Nathan said shaking his head, hoping he was doing the right thing.

"Thank you, Nathan. Let us know when he'll be here. Now we're getting somewhere." Bill said enthusiastically.