Chapter 31

Hope Valley Alberta Canada

Friday, October 21,1921

MaKayla walked into Lucas's office and stopped as she gazed lovingly at the man before her. "You look ready for an afternoon of fishing." She told him. "I don't believe I have ever seen you look so…rugged and I might add extremely attractive." As she reached him, she put her arms around his neck. He smiled at her and then leaned down to capture her lips in a feverish kiss.

They broke apart, both of them breathless. "As much as I hate to leave, governor, we have places to be. I just need to borrow your car keys, as I'm headed over to Benson Hills to speak to Miss Windham's class." She told him happily.

"Yes, we do. I have a five-year-old waiting for me." He said as he reluctantly pulled away from her. "I hope your talk with the students goes well." He told her.

"Thank you. Enjoy your afternoon with Jack." She told him as she left his office with a contented smile.

As MaKayla was walking toward the door of the saloon, she saw Lee and Rosemary coming in. "Good afternoon MaKayla." Lee said. "We're here to see Lucas, is he in his office?" He asked.

"Yes, but you better hurry. He has plans for this afternoon and will be leaving very shortly." She told them.

"MaKayla, I just want to tell you that I was so impressed with everything that Lucas said about your work with the Royal Medical Corp. What inspired you to want to do that?" Lee asked interested.

"Two reasons mainly. First there was a need and second, I wanted to learn to treat all patients, not just women and children. The opportunity presented itself and I jumped in with both feet. Jenny Windham from the Benson Hills School has asked me to speak to her students about my experience. I'm headed there now. I hope that I can inspire other girls to think that anything is possible with some hard work and encouragement. I have to get going, I don't want to be late. Have a good afternoon." She smiled brightly and continued out the door.

Lee and Rosemary approached Lucas's office door and knocked. "Come in." He said happily. He turned and saw who it was. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"Rosemary if you're here for some kind of exclusive or to berate me on something I said in my speech from yesterday I'm really not interested. I have plans and I need to get going." Lucas said cordially but with little warmth.

Lucas I know that you have plans but if we could just have a few minutes of your time, we would appreciate it." Lee said imploringly.

Lucas gave them a small smile; he could see the anxious look on both their faces. "Of course, what can I do for you?" He asked as he sat down on the corner of his desk.

We wanted to give you this, it's an advanced copy of tomorrow's Valley Voice." Rosemary said as she handed him the folded newspaper.

Lucas closed his eyes briefly and steeled himself for what this headline could possibly be. As he opened the paper, he was shocked by what he read. "Valley Voice Apologizes to Governor Bouchard."

Lucas looked at both of them, "I don't understand." He said puzzled as to what was going on. "Is this some kind of joke? What are you apologizing for?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Rosemary looked down at her hands for a moment then back at Lucas. "Lucas, I want to apologize for using the voice I had with the newspaper to blindside you and make things so much worse. I'm not apologizing for publishing the story about Montague making a bid. I still think that was the right thing to do. But I certainly should have told you that I was publishing it. I should have given you a chance, if you wanted it, to explain further why you were going to accept his bid." Rosemary gazed into his eyes, hoping to see a glimmer of forgiveness. But all she currently saw was confusion.

"I have also come to the realization that I only obtained the information about Montague making a bid strictly because we were friends. I've finally come to the conclusion that having a husband who is the mayor and a friend who is the governor doesn't mix with owning a newspaper." She said with a forlorn look.

"I know myself and well… I also know that I wouldn't be able to resist printing what I know especially if I felt it should be told to the public. The article in tomorrow's paper is our public apology and this is our private one, as your friends." She paused hoping Lucas would say something, anything. But he was silent.

So, to show that I'm sincere about this, Lee and I have decided to sell the newspaper to Hearst Corporation." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"You're selling The Valley Voice?" Lucas said incredulously.

"Yes. I want Lee to be able to share things with me. I don't want our friends to shy away from speaking to either one of us for fear that something they share in confidence will find its way into print. I truly am sorry for all that you have suffered this past year and the role that I played in making some of those situations even more precarious for you." Rosemary said with deep sincerity.

Rosemary looked over at Lee. "Lucas we really are sorry for everything that has happened this past year. I was supposed to be the best man at your wedding to Elizabeth. After the two of you broke up, I was a terrible friend to you. I'm also very sorry for not reaching out after you were shot, either time." He said with a soft chuckle that held no joy.

"We just both hope that with some time, you can forgive us. I know that once trust is lost it's very hard to get back. But it is our sincere desire we can regain your trust and friendship again." Lee said with candor.

Lucas eyed both of them with empathy. "I have to say, this is not something I saw coming. Thank you both for coming to see me today and for everything that you both have said. I really do appreciate it. I will also admit that I've had a hard time letting go of the hurt and anger I have felt towards the two of you. Rosemary, your attacks in the newspaper seemed particularly malicious especially since I thought of us as friends." He said with sadness.

"I've told you before that I know that I've made mistakes as well and I've owned those. I do think selling the newspaper is a drastic step. But I know that if you continued to be editor and chief of The Valley Voice, I would have felt that I would need to continue to keep my distance, from both of you. I wouldn't allow myself to be blindsided again. I know what a sacrifice it is for you to be selling the newspaper, especially you Rosemary. I too have made sacrifices as well in the name of friendship and loyalty." He said somberly

"Trust is hard for me, for reasons I believe you can probably guess, but I do want to try. I really do. This is a good first step." He smiled at both of them. "I don't want to be rude, but I have a little boy waiting for me. I really have to get going." He told them.

"Well, that certainly explains your attire. What are you and Jack doing?" Lee asked.

"We are going fishing." Lucas said with a bright smile.

"Lucas, do you even know how to fish?" Rosemary asked skeptically.

Lucas gave them both a cocky smile. "Absolutely." He said as he grabbed his gear and out the door he went.

"That man is full of surprises." Rosemary said with a soft laugh.

"That he is." Lee said with a chuckle.

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Elizabeth and Jack were waiting on their front stoop for Lucas to arrive. As soon as Jack saw Lucas, he went running over to him. "Papa" he said happily.

"Hey buddy. Are you ready to have some fun?" Lucas asked him. Elizabeth looked at the two of them and smiled.

Elizabeth couldn't help but stare at Lucas. He was casually dressed which was a rarity for him. He had on a pair of brushed cotton beige pants and a black work shirt that had a couple of buttons undone. His hair was not in its usual coiffed style but looser with strands of hair splayed haphazardly across his forehead. He looked so young and carefree. Gone was the thin frame which had defined the trauma he had suffered this last year. He once again had a strong muscular physique, the dark circles under his eyes were gone, and happiness radiated from his eyes. His skin was back to a healthy glow. He looked extremely handsome. As she gazed at this incredible man, a deep regret washed over her once again.

Jack came running over to her. "Mama, Papa and I are going fishing." He told her as he clapped his hands together and jumped up and down.

Elizabeth looked at him doubtfully, "Lucas do you even know how to fish?" She asked with a soft laugh.

"Guess we'll find out." He said with a snarky grin. "Come on Jack, let's go." Jack grabbed Lucas's hand and off they went.

Elizabeth yelled, "I'll drop Jack's overnight bag at the saloon." Lucas raised an arm in acknowledgement as he and Jack kept walking.

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Jack and Lucas proudly walked into town toting the two fish they had caught. Lucas was a bit unsure at the beginning of their fishing expedition but once he got into the swing of things they had a successful day.

As they entered the saloon, Mike looked over at them. "It appears that you had a good day at the lake." Mike told them.

"Look, Papa and I caught two fish. We got a couple more but they were little so Papa said we had to put them back." Jack told Mike proudly.

"Mike, please save the table in the back for me. I'm going to give these fish to the chef to clean for us. Jack and I will get ourselves cleaned up and then we'll be back to have dinner." Lucas told him

"Sure, thing boss." Mike told him.

After Lucas and Jack cleaned up, and were walking back into the main dining room Lucas saw MaKayla walked in. "How did your fishing trip go?" She asked Lucas curiously as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Jack, tell Dr. MaKayla how many fish we caught." He told the little boy. Jack held up two fingers.

"Wow, two fish. I'm very impressed." She smiled at them.

"Dr. MaKayla, do you want to have dinner with us?" Jack asked.

"If you don't mind sharing your Papa, I would be delighted." She told him.

As they were eating dinner, they saw Minnie and Joseph come in. "Lucas, Joseph is here. We need to ask him if he is willing to marry us on New Years Eve." She told him. After they finished their dinner, they walked over to the Canfield's table.

"Good evening, Joseph, Minnie." Lucas said. "Joseph, we have a favor we would like to ask you. MaKayla and I have picked a wedding date of New Years Eve and we would like to be married here in Hope Valley. We were hoping that you would agree to marry us." Lucas asked hopefully.

Joseph stood up and shook Lucas's hand. "That's wonderful. I'd be delighted." He told them with a big smile.

"Thank you, Joseph. We don't have all the details figured out yet, but once we do, we will be sure to let you know." Lucas told him happily.

Once dinner and dessert were over MaKayla said goodbye to Lucas and Jack and started up the stairs to her hotel room. Lucas watched with a smile on his face as MaKayla made her way up the staircase. "Papa, are we going?" Jack asked as he pulled on his arm.

Lucas reluctantly drew his gaze away from MaKayla and focused once again on Jack. "Sure thing, buddy, let's go." Lucas said cheerfully.

Once they arrived at Lucas's house, Lucas decided to show Jack his room first. "Jack, let me show you where you will be sleeping." He took the little boy's hand and lead him down the hall. As he opened the door, Jack tentatively stepped inside.

"Wow. Is this my room?" He said with a surprised expression as Lucas smiled broadly at how happy Jack was.

"It sure is buddy. Do you like it?" Lucas said.

"It's the best," he said as he walked around the room. The he went over to give Lucas a hug. "Thank you, Papa." He said happily.

"What game do you want to play, checkers or marbles?" Lucas asked.

"Marbles." Jack said excitedly. Lucas laughed as they headed back out to the front room.

As they were sitting on the floor playing marbles, Lucas decided to bring up the wedding. "Jack, you understand that Dr. MaKayla and I are going to be married right?" He asked

Jack nodded. "And I'm going to be the…" Jack stopped as he tried to remember what his role in the wedding would be. "Best man." He said happily.

"Uhm, yes you are." Lucas laughed. "So, you understand that once Dr. MaKayla and I are married that she will live here in this house with me when we come to visit Hope Valley?" He asked hesitantly.

"But you still get to be my Papa even if it's not Mama that comes to live in your house?" Jack asked a little scared.

"Your Mama and I are friends and we want what's best for you always. I love you Jack and I will always be your Papa. Dr. MaKayla loves you too. We may not look like some of your friend's families but as long as we all love each other that is all that matters. Do you understand?" Lucas asked, not really sure how to explain grown up things to a young child.

Jack smiled at him. "Don't worry Papa, I love Dr. MaKayla too." Jack said with a smile as he then yelled. "Keepsies!"

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Capital City, Alberta Canada

Friday, November 18, 1921

MaKayla walked into Lucas's library. "Sorry I missed dinner and I'm so late." She said tiredly.

"No apology necessary. How is your patient?" Lucas asked as he led her to the sofa.

"Everything turned out alright in the end. I had to do a caesarean section to get the baby out. But mother and child are doing well. I left your telephone number with the nurse on duty if they need me." She told him.

"Let me get you something to eat. You must be hungry." He told her.

"No, not really. You don't happen to have any cupcakes around." She said with a grin.

"No cupcakes, but we do have apple pie." He told her.

"Ok, I'll take a piece of apple pie and maybe a cup of tea." She told him.

He gave her a kiss on the forehead, "I'll be right back." He told her.

As Lucas went to get her the pie, she looked down at what he was looking at when she had come in. Their wedding invitations had arrived.

Lucas came back and handed her the pie and her cup of tea. He also brought a piece for himself.

"Lucas, I love our invitations." She told him.

He smiled, "Good, on Monday, I'll have my secretary address them and mail them out. Are you awake enough to go over some of the things on our checklist?" He asked

"Absolutely. How are we doing on everything?" She said with joy.

"Before we get to wedding stuff, I need to let you know that we are hosting the Governor's Christmas Gala on December 17th. A gala wasn't held last year, for obvious reasons, but Edwin insists that one must be held this year. I have told Edwin that is fine, but he is in charge of taking care of all the details. You and I will host but that is it. Is that OK with you?" He asked with apprehension.

"Lucas, I understand as governor there will be things like this that we must host and attend. I'm fine with that. In future years, I will be happy to help coordinate but this year would be a bit much. So, thank you for having Edwin take care of the details." She leaned in and kissed him gently.

"Thank you. If there is anyone you would like to invite just let me know and I will add them to the invite list. Now on to wedding items." He said cheerfully.

"My groomsmen are all set. Henry has agreed to be my best man, with Jack serving as junior best man. Andrew and Gustave will be my groomsmen. Your sister, Sarah is confirmed as your Matron of Honor with Minnie and Faith as bridesmaids and Lilly as flower girl. All good there?" He asked as MaKayla nodded her approval.

As for our families. My parents will be here for Christmas and then travel with us to Hope Valley. Andrew should be here by December 15th, and your sister is to arrive on December 21. So as far as immediate family we are all set." He told her.

"Lucas I almost forgot to tell you. My mother's parents are coming from New York. Thery will be here for Christmas and will also make the journey to Hope Valley with us. I'm so excited that they both feel well enough to come, and they get to meet you. You will absolutely love them." She told him with enthusiasm.

"I'm looking forward to meeting them." He told her.

"Let's see, Gustave would like to be in charge of the dinner menu for the reception. If you have any special requests just let him know and you will have it. He can never refuse a beautiful woman." He laughed. "He also wants to make our wedding cake. He assures me it will have both of our favorite flavors." He told her.

"Hmm, that should be an interesting taste sensation." MaKayla said a little unsure. "But I trust him, so let him have at it." She smiled.

"Mike Hickam is in charge of decorating the saloon for the reception. Again, if there is anything you want in particular just let him know. Mike will also be getting us some musicians to play at the reception plus the victrola. I have our first dance song picked out. Don't even ask me what it is, it's a surprise." Lucas told her with a gleam in his eye.

"I cannot wait to see what you have chosen." She said with a flirty smile. "How are things coming on the house?" She asked with trepidation. Hoping that at least the first floor of the house would be done since the wedding was in December there might be snow on the ground. Having the house partially done would be helpful if the weather was inclement on the day of the wedding.

"Joseph tells me everything is on track and not to worry." He said with relief.

"Well, governor, it sounds like everything is in place. I'm so grateful that we have so many people willing to helping us." It will be wonderful." She said happily. As she leaned back on the sofa and cuddled in his embrace.

"Last question, how much time can you take off for our honeymoon?" He asked

"That will not be a problem, I have off starting December 22nd and the entire month of January." She told him happily.

"I'm impressed Dr. Donovan. How were you able to manage that?" He laughed.

"I am marrying the governor, that might have had something to do with them being so accommodating." She winked at him. "I knew the legislature was off for that timeframe so that is what I asked for." She smiled up at him. "I don't suppose it would do me any good to ask what you have in mind for our honeymoon. Just a little hint?" She said with a chuckle.

"Sorry doc, my lips are sealed." He said laughing. As they sat there wrapped in each other's arms, Lucas didn't think he had ever felt such contentment. He was a lucky man.

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Hope Valley, Alberta Canada

Wednesday, November 30, 1921

Joseph walked up the stairs to The Valley Voice office hoping to find Lee was in the office alone. As he opened the door Lee was sitting at his desk. "Lee, you're just the man I wanted to see." He told him.

"Good afternoon, Joseph. What can I do for you today." He said good naturally.

"Well, you know that Lucas and MaKayla are getting married on New Years Eve here in Hope Valley. Minnie and I would like to do something special for them. This might actually be more for Lucas but I have no doubt MaKayla will appreciate it as well." He told him.

"Rosemary and I received our wedding invitation the other day. We are grateful and happy that Lucas invited us. I was surprised though at how soon the wedding was going to be." Lee told him.

"Can you blame the man after what happened to him this whole last year? Which is the reason why I'm here. Lucas and Elizabeth's wedding plans were hijacked by the impromptu ball that Rosemary promised then Governor Balfour." Lee rolled his eyes at hearing this, it was something he would rather forget.

"My point is," Joseph continued, "remember how Lucas wanted a wedding arch. He made this really nice drawing of what he had envisioned. Minnie and I thought that we would make that arch for his wedding to MaKayla. After all it never got made and it would look beautiful up on the hill where they are going to be married. I was just hoping you would still have the picture that Lucas drew?" He asked hopefully.

"Let me check my files." Lee told him as he got up and went to his filing cabinet. In a file labeled Lucas Bouchard, Lee leafed through the papers, at last finding the drawing. "Got it." He said happily as he waved the paper in the air and then turned and handed it to Joseph.

"Perfect, can you give me a price on the lumber I will need to build it? Joseph asked

"Absolutely. If you would let me, I'd like to give you the lumber and then this can be a gift from Rosemary and I as well." He asked with anticipation.

"Lee that would be wonderful. You can even help me build it." Joseph laughed. "When will the lumber be ready for delivery?"

"I will get it to you by next week." He told him.

"That gives us more than enough time to get it built. Thank you, Lee. Lucas and MaKayla will love it. You know Lee, we owe Lucas the best wedding that Hope Valley has ever seen." He told him.

"That we do, Joseph, that we do." As the two men shook hands and Joseph left.