CHAPTER 15

Hope Valley, Alberta Canada

Thursday, April 21, 1921

"Lucas, we have more bad news." Edwin told him.

"Edwin that seems to be the only kind of news you bring me. What is the problem now?" He asked defeated.

"The Benson Hills Oil company has filed for bankruptcy. There will be hundreds of men out of work soon. You need to do something! We both agree that this resort needs to happen and it needs to happen now. If you're not willing to consider the Aucoin bid, then there is only one other person that you can reconsider…. Lucas, you know he can get the job done." Edwin pleaded with him. Lucas looked Edwin in the eye but did not respond.

"We're out of options. I'm sorry." Edwin turned and left the office leaving Lucas to mull over his decision.

Lucas stood and went over to the bar in his office and poured himself a shot of whiskey despite it being only 10 o'clock in the morning. He downed the drink. The thought running through his head was if the resort didn't happen, he would be letting everyone down. He walked back to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Florence, I need you to connect me to Union City Holdings. I need to speak to Bernhardt Montague." He said with a bad taste in his mouth.

After the phone call, Lucas felt sick. He was feeling dizzy and his head was pounding. He put his head in his hands, suddenly he could feel the rain coming down, see the flash of the car lights, they were walking toward him, they had a gun. Someone was calling his name…a woman.

"Lucas, Lucas, can you hear me?" Elizabeth was shouting at him. "Lucas! Finally, he raised his head and stared at her, shaking his head to clear his mind.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing here?" He asked weakly.

"Are you alright? You don't look well?" She said worried.

"I'm fine. I…I was deep in thought. Sorry. What can I do for you?" He asked as he desperately tried to clear the cobwebs from his mind.

"Hmm, we are going to have a musical festival next weekend. We are calling it, 'Voices of the Valley,' since the one the choir was hoping to attend was called off. I wanted to asked if you would be willing to give a little speech at the festival. You know as Governor and all. And I was also hoping we could hold a dance at the Queen of Hearts after the competition?" She stared at him waiting for an answer. He was sweating and was ghastly pale. He didn't answer her once again.

"Lucas, did you hear me?" She asked frustrated.

Lucas shook his head again and cleared his throat, "Yes. Of course, I will say something at the festival and you can use the saloon for a dance. Just check with Mike for whatever you need." He told her.

"Lucas, if you are feeling unwell, perhaps you should go to the infirmary and let Dr. Donovan check you out. You do not look well to me." She told him perplexed as to what was going with him.

"Hmm, she went back to Capital City. I don't want to be rude Elizabeth, but I have a lot of work that I need to get to." He told her brusquely.

"Sure Lucas. Thank you for the use of the saloon. I'll be leaving now." She turned to walk out of the office, when she looked back, he had put his head back in his hands. Something wasn't right, she thought, of that, she was sure.

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After school that afternoon, Elizabeth stopped at the newspaper office to see Rosemary.

"Hi, I wanted to let you know that I stopped by to see Lucas this morning before school and he has agreed to speak at the festival and let us use the saloon for the dance afterward." She told her.

"If Lucas said yes, why do you look upset? Did something else happen?" Rosemary asked curiously, she thought she saw a hint of angst on Elizabeth's face.

"No, not really. It's just that when I saw him, he was sitting at his desk but he was sweating and he looked very pale. It was almost like he was in a trance or something. It took me a while to get his attention." She said with some concern.

"I see," she said cautiously. "Did you ask him what the problem was?"

"I did ask him if he was Ok, and he said yes. Then I asked him about using the saloon and that was it." She told her. "He wasn't in the mood to have a conversation with me." She said matter of fact.

"Perhaps, he is sick. Maybe we should go over to the infirmary and tell Dr. Donovan so she can go over and check on him." Rosemary suggested, clearly concerned. She couldn't get the conversation out of head that she had with Dr. Donovan a few weeks ago.

"Well, I suppose we could mention it to Faith. But I don't think Lucas would be pleased if we went running over to the infirmary to have Faith come and check up on him." She said casually

"We wouldn't be speaking to Faith; we would let Dr. Donovan know." Rosemary told her.

"According to Lucas, Dr. Donovan went back to Capital City. I'm really not sure when she left." Elizabeth told her.

"She left him? I mean… I thought. Well, never mind what I thought." This piece of news surprised her, as she wondered why Dr. Donovan had left. "So, we are set for the festival next weekend." She said smiling but not feeling the least bit happy at the moment.

"Elizabeth, I'm curious about something. When you and Lucas ended things at the train station, he agreed with you that things had changed between the two of you, right? That he wanted a bigger stage, wanted to be governor for himself and not just for the town?" She asked eyeing her.

Elizabeth returned her gaze. "Of course. He seemed relieved that I had brought it up. I'm not saying he wasn't sad that it was over but I think he wanted more than Hope Valley or I could ever give him." She said with confidence.

"I knew he would never have broken things off, he's too much of a gentleman. So, I had to help it along for both of us. We are in such a better place now. Rosemary, my heart has always been with Nathan. I was just too scared of the Mountie thing to acknowledge my feelings for him. But I don't want to do that anymore. And Lucas has the big city life that he always wanted." She said with a gleam in her eye.

"Hmm, well, yes I guess," she sighed. "When Lucas first came back to town, I told you that I thought he was having the time of his life. That was a silly thing for me to say. I had no idea how Lucas was feeling about anything." She paused for moment not really sure if she should continue to go down this path with Elizabeth. But she knew herself well and curiosity would always win out.

"I was just basing that on what you had said about your breakup, that he was anxious to move on. Although if Lucas is so into big city life, why has he remained in Hope Valley this long?" She asked with curiosity. "I know there are some issues but he could handle them from Capital City, and leave Henry here to be his boots on the ground." She said succinctly.

"I really don't know, but I sure wish he would go back to Capital City. I think Nathan is holding back because Lucas is still here. After all Lucas is now his boss, and I'm sure he feels somewhat nervous about being with me when Lucas is hanging around town. I think that's why Nathan has been spending so much time with Faith." She said annoyed.

Just then Bill came rushing through the door. "Rosemary, guess…" he trailed off upon seeing Elizabeth. "Sorry Elizabeth, I didn't see you. I need to speak with Rosemary privately." He told her.

"That's OK, I have to get home to Jack anyway. See you later Rosemary." Elizabeth left the newspaper office.

"What is so important Bill?" Rosemary asked.

"Pike is on his way here, should be here by late this afternoon." He told her.

"Fantastic! Hopefully we will finally get some answers." She said excitedly.

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Lucas was sitting in a booth in the saloon reading the paper and enjoying a cup of tea when Nathan entered.

"Governor, can I have a word with you?" Nathan asked. Lucas looked up and nodded for Nathan to sit.

"Nathan, when it is just the two of us, please just call me Lucas." He told him with a grin. Nathan returned his smile.

"I wanted to let you know that Clayton Pike is on his way to Granville prison but will be making an overnight stop here in Hope Valley." He told him.

"Why is Pike coming here?" Lucas inquired.

"You know that Rosemary and Bill have doubts as to Pike's guilt and they thought if they were able to speak to him, perhaps he would open up to them. I called in a favor to get him to pass through Hope Valley for a night." Nathan said unsure how Lucas would take that news.

"I see. I actually have my own doubts as to his being my assailant." He told him without emotion.

"What has made you change your mind? Have you remembered something?" Nathan asked.

"No, I still don't remember the incident, but lately I've been having flashbacks to that night. It's just fragments nothing tangible, but I feel like I know the person that was there. I just can't see their face. Perhaps I will pay Mr. Pike a visit later myself." He said coldly.

"By the way," Nathan said hesitantly, "I haven't seen Dr. Donovan at the clinic lately. Did she go back to Capital City?" Nathan asked.

Faith had told him that Dr. Donovan had to leave, although Faith was very vague as to the reason why. He had thought the good doctor and Lucas were becoming close, so he wondered if something had gone wrong between them.

Lucas eyed him curiously, "I didn't realize that everyone was paying attention to Dr. Donovan's comings and goings. She was needed in Capital City." Lucas told him succinctly.

"Sorry Lucas. It's just that she was a big help to Faith. The way she volunteered to work at the clinic so Faith could spend more time with Lilly. When I would go into the infirmary to see Faith, I got used to seeing her there. That's all." He told him.

"Tell me something Nathan. I've seen you with Faith on different occasions and well, you seem close. I thought for sure with me out of the way, your path to Elizabeth was finally clear. It hasn't escaped me the way Elizabeth has been looking at you, she's obviously sending you signals. What is holding you back?" Nathan looked at him unsure as to what to say to him.

Lucas continued. "Signals that she is open to a relationship, wants a relationship with you. Care to share what's going on?" Lucas looked directly at him trying to gauge his reaction to that question.

"Lucas I don't think that is something that you and I should discuss." He said sincerely.

"Probably not. Just for the record, Elizabeth has made it quite clear to me that I mean nothing to her, so if I'm the reason you're holding back, don't." He said with melancholy. "Nathan, I appreciate the information about Pike." Lucas told him sincerely.

Nathan looked at Lucas, he had interfered with Lucas's relationship with Elizabeth. Not intentional, at least he hadn't thought of it that way at the time. But he had questioned Elizabeth as to why she was going to Capital City. He told her Hope Valley needed her more than Lucas and he wanted her here. He ultimately got what he wanted. She ended her engagement, and Lucas left town without her. Yet he couldn't seem to move forward with a relationship with her either. Lucas had asked him what was holding him back and the answer was that he truly didn't know. The one thing he did know is that he would find no answers here, sitting opposite the man he had wronged. He nodded to Lucas and got up and left the saloon.

Lucas sat there a while longer. Why had he asked Nathan about Elizabeth? Elizabeth was now just on the periphery of his life but yet she still held the power to wound him. And here he himself had handed Nathan a dagger to pierce his heart yet again. Although it appeared that Nathan is just as confused as he is regarding matters of the heart. He really had to wonder why he was staying in Hope Valley? What was left in this town for him anyway? He was trying to do everything in his power to help this community thrive but it felt like everyone here was against him.

The one person who had truly been in his corner had left. She said she was needed in Capital City. Although their afternoon together on the land he had bought had been beautiful, Lucas felt sure the reason she had left Hope Valley was because he couldn't seem to move forward. The kiss they shared had touched his heart, but yet he was stuck. Even as a physician, she must have tired of all the chaos that was his life. He wished he understood why it seemed everyone he cared about abandoned him.

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Rosemary and Bill stepped inside the jail. Nathan was just locking the cell that Pike was in. "Pike, "this is Mrs. Coulter and Judge Avery. They would like to speak with you."

"I have nothing to say." He said to the trio.

"We know you didn't shoot the governor. You're taking the fall because someone offered you the money necessary to pay for the surgery your mother needed. Isn't that, right?" Rosemary asked him.

Pike stared at her and gave no response.

"Yes, we know about your mother's surgery. We know Montague paid her hospital bill and sent her flowers. We spoke to your mother." Rosemary said softly.

"Tell us who hired you, maybe we can help?" Bill told him. The man still did not respond.

"Clayton, you have no prior record, by all accounts you have been a hard worker, a good son. And according to your mother you even voted for Governor Bouchard. So why, out of nowhere would you want to see the man dead?" She asked not unkindly.

Pike looked at them, "Be smart and stop asking so many questions." He told them

"Did Montague hire you to kill the governor? We know two people were outside the governor's campaign office when he was shot. Who was with you? Are they the one that pulled the trigger? Come on Pike, no reason for you to take the fall alone or go down for this if you weren't involved." Bill tried to reason with the man.

"All you need to know about the guy behind this is he's got eyes everywhere. If I rat him out, he'll get to me even inside prison." He told them.

Nathan spoke up, "The Mounties won't let that happen. We'd protect you." He said firmly.

"You don't get it, even the Mounties can't touch this guy. Leave it alone!" Pike told them. He sat on his bunk and laid down turning his back to them.

They moved away from Pike over to Nathan's desk. "He's terrified" Bill said

"Is Montague capable of instilling that much fear?" Rosemary asked

"I wouldn't think so, but I'm beginning to think that there is a lot more going on with Lucas's shooting then anyone thought." Nathan said warily.

"Do you think that Lucas is still in danger?" Rosemary asked afraid of what the answer would be.

The two men looked at each other, "I think he is in more danger than he was before. Once things quiet down with Pike, I think whoever is behind this will come calling again. And next time, Lucas may not be so lucky." Nathan said with chagrin.

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Lucas was about to head back to his house for the night, when he decided to make a detour. Perhaps it was a good idea for him to see this Pike fellow. Maybe seeing the man would spark some kind of memory.

Lucas entered the jail. "I need the room," he said to the two Mounties guarding Pike.

"Yes Governor," the one Mountie said, "we will be right outside."

Once they left, Lucas slowly walked toward Pike's cell. Hearing the governor behind him, Pike sat up on his bunk. Lucas leaned against the pillar and stare at the man that had supposedly tried to kill him.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you?" Pike said earnestly. Lucas just stared for a moment.

"All I want to know is, why? He said in a quiet menacing voice.

Pike swallowed hard, "If I tell you I'm a dead man."

Staring sharply at the man in front of him, "And if you don't, am I?" Lucas questioned.

Pike gave no reply. He laid back down and turned away from the governor.

Lucas stood there for a few minutes longer. He knew for certain that Pike was not there the night of his shooting. This man was taking the fall for someone. He knew that for sure now. But who would go to all this trouble to want him dead. He gave a sad laugh, as he remembered Daniel's words, 'the list was long'.

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The next day Henry came charging into Lucas's office in a very bad mood.

"I received a call from Montague's office. When were you going to tell me, you were considering his bid?" Henry said angrily.

"Lucas took my advice and called him." Edwin said happily.

"You called him, what were you thinking? I mean he's reviled in this town for good reason. He tried to steal our water. He was also the prime suspect in your shooting." Henry said angrily.

"Montague is a business man. He can get the job done. I may not love his ethics but technically speaking he's never operated outside of the law." Lucas told him.

"Using what dirty tricks?" Henry countered.

"That's why I need you to go over his bid with a fine-tooth comb, ensure every single detail is on the up and up. Speaking of which, what did you find out about Jeanette's investors?" He asked Henry.

"By all accounts they seem all on the level. All of this just to avoid considering Jeanette Aucoin's bid. What is it I'm not seeing here?" Henry asked confused.

"I've asked you to trust me on that." Lucas said sternly.

"If you have doubts about her then your most prudent action is to shut this whole thing down. Lucas you can always walk away." He said gravely.

Lucas looked at him, running his hand over his face. "Henry, the landscape has shifted. We received word that Benson Hills Oil will file for bankruptcy putting hundreds of men out of work. It's not just about securing the future anymore. The construction of the resort means jobs now." He said with conviction.

"So, this is going to go ahead with Montague's bid?" He asked sadly.

"It's not a done deal yet. But yes, it's one I would like to close. And gentleman remember this stays between us."

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On Wednesday morning Lucas decided to work from his library at home. Too many people coming in and giving him their opinions on everything he is doing or not doing. He just needed some peace for a while. Around noon, he heard a knock on the door, which was very unusually as Edwin and Henry were the only ones who knew where his house was located.

As he opened the door, Joseph Canfield was standing there. "Joseph, nice to see. What are you doing here?" He asked in surprise.

"I finished those rocking chairs that you requested earlier. I stopped by the Queen of Hearts to let you know and Edwin told me you were working from home today, so I thought I would drop them off to you."

"That's wonderful Joseph, thank you. They are going here on the front porch. Apparently, I've been told that I have a wonderful view and no chairs to sit on out here." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Let me help you get them off the truck."

The men brought the chairs up to the porch. "These will make a nice addition out here. Sit, try one out." Joseph told him.

Lucas sat in one of the chairs and stared at the beauty before him. "I almost forgot." Joseph said and went back to his truck and took out a little table.

"This is a thank you from me and Minnie, a table to put your tea on when you're sitting out here." Joseph told him.

"Thank you, Joseph, but you don't owe me a thank you. Add it to my bill." Lucas told him.

"Lucas you were willing to run for governor, to save this town. I think a table doesn't even come close to thanking you for your sacrifice. Tell me truthfully, did you have me build these for Dr. Donovan?" Joseph asked.

"Dr. Donovan? Why would you say that?" He asked confused.

"Minnie and MaKayla have gotten close. She told Minnie how you had this wonderful wrap around porch but no rocking chairs to sit on to enjoy it. Next thing I know you are giving me an order to build some for you." He smiled conspiratorial.

"OK, she did mention it." Lucas smiled. "Unfortunately, she went back to Capital City so she won't be able to enjoy them." He said sadly.

"Joseph, can I ask you something?" He asked a bit nervously.

"Of course, Lucas I'm always available to listen. What is troubling your heart?" He asked gently.

"Neither one of us has all afternoon to talk about the many things that are troubling me." He chuckled with sadness, as he continued to stare at the landscape before him as he took a deep breath.

"One of the reasons Elizabeth broke our engagement was that she said I was meant for grander things, a bigger stage. She said I wouldn't be happy staying in Hope Valley. I like the city well enough, it's nice to visit but it isn't home to me, not any more. Here, this is home! How could she not see that? What is it about me that would have Elizabeth abandon me?" He turned to look at Joseph hoping for an answer.

"Lucas, I don't know all the particulars with Elizabeth and I'm not asking. I think Elizabeth pulled away from you out of fear. You challenged her too much; her world is very small and she wants to keep it that way. She needs what is familiar and you would have always threatened that. In the end she just could not take the chance that marrying you would disrupt the peace she had found." Joseph told him.

"So, your saying, it wasn't me exactly but what I represent that she found she could not live with?" He asked.

"Lucas I know your love for her was strong and the pain that scars your heart now because of that love is equally as strong. I truly don't believe that God only puts one great love for each of us on this earth. Cherish the love that you felt for Elizabeth." He told him sincerely.

"But the heart is an amazing thing. It doesn't have to throw out a past love to bring a new love into it. You can love again with the same fierceness that you had for Elizabeth. I believe that God has other plans for your life. Someone else that was meant to be with you on life's journey. It may seem unexpected, because you believed that your heart was calling you to Elizabeth. And for a time that was true. But the timing of things is not always ours Lucas. It will be in God's time. But when it comes Lucas, don't be afraid. Embrace this new love with all that you are just as you once did with Elizabeth." He told him.

Lucas looked hard into Joseph's eyes; he only saw sincerity. "Thank you, Joseph, I appreciate the conversation. I will think on what you have said." He told him thoughtfully.

"Anytime Lucas, I'm always willing to listen. I've got to be going. I'll let you enjoy your rocking chair and all this natural beauty surrounding you in peace." He smiled at Lucas and walked back to his truck.

Lucas watched as Joseph drove away. He wondered if what Joseph said was true, he knew Joseph believed it. MaKayla had basically said the same thing. They believed it, but could it really be true for him? Could he truly love again with the same depth of feeling that he had once had for Elizabeth? Why did he struggle with letting go of someone that clearly didn't want him?

Was MaKayla the person that God had put on his path? He wanted that person to be MaKayla, he wanted that more than his next breath. Was she the one that was meant to show him that although the door he thought he would walk through was closed there was another one opening? He just needed to be brave enough to walk through it with her? He just didn't know. Perhaps he had lost his chance with her because he was too blind to see where the light was leading him.