"Like, grown up things." -Elizabeth Thornton

"You mean boring things." -Little Jack Thornton

Gasp* "You'll understand better when you're older." -Elizabeth Thornton, Anything for Love

Elizabeth glanced up from kneading her bread dough to glance out the kitchen window. She loved to be able to see the town from two sides of her beloved home, the house she and Nathan had built and created together for their family. The steeple of the church/school house was her favorite sight to look for, the connection of her first love with that of her current one. The memories she shared with her husband in that white building made her heart soar and her eyes mist when she reflected on them.

The sight of a small boat gliding along the pond pulled her attention. Two occupants were rowing lazily along, clearly in deep conversation. Squinting, she thought one may be Lucy Fellers, given away by her sun bleached blonde hair, always arranged so beautifully each morning. The Fellers family had only recently moved to Hope Valley from Toronto, and they were still very much city folk.

After giving her bread some more attention, Elizabeth left it in the windowsill to rise, soaking up the warm summer sun. She saw Lucy now at the dock and her companion became apparent.

"Oh dear," Elizabeth murmured. Jack, her sixteen year old son, was carefully helping Lucy out of the boat. And Elizabeth knew everything was about to change.

—

Jack had never thought girls could be like Lucy. She was funny, smart, and so beautiful. Most of the girls at school were so boring. All they were interested in were clothes, or their hair, or whatever new product they found at Mrs. Hickam's pharmacy. Lucy wasn't like that at all, she spoke about all the interesting things she did when she lived in Toronto, or about the books she had read, half of which were too new to have come to the Hope Valley library. But mostly, they did things together; bike rides to the hot springs, hikes through the national park, horseback riding across the valley. Lucy was willing to do anything he suggested. She was excited to try a boat ride today, and Jack was excited to oblige.

After a few laps around the small pond, Jack begged off due to hunger, and invited Lucy to come to his home for dinner.

"Ok, that sounds good. Are you sure your mother won't mind?" Lucy asked.

"She always makes so much food in case my sister and her family show up. It will be just fine," Jack assured her.

"Well, if you're sure. Let me stop by my house first, and I'll let my mother know where I'll be," Lucy said.

They parted ways, and Jack kept his eyes glued to her, amazed by the fact that he already missed her. He walked home without enthusiasm, wishing Lucy was by his side. Using the manners his mother had drilled into him, he took off his muddy boots at the back door and left them there. Breathing in the delicious scent of baking bread, he walked into the kitchen in his stocking feet, and embraced his mother.

"Dinner smells delicious," Jack said. "Can I do anything to help?"

Elizabeth motioned towards the table. "Will you set the table? Allie won't be joining us, so just five places."

Jack cleared his throat. "Actually Mom, I invited Lucy Fellers to dinner. Do you mind?"

She gave him a look he hadn't seen before, some mix of concern and happiness. "Mom? Do you not like Lucy?" Jack asked.

Elizabeth gasped. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, you just don't seem happy about her coming for dinner," Jack said.

Elizabeth gave a long pause before she gave him her response. "No, I like Lucy just as much as any of my students. I'm thrilled to have her come over. My only concern is, seeing you grow up, and now bringing a young woman over for a meal. I can't believe how fast the time has flown."

"Mom, you don't have to get mushy on me."

Elizabeth had to take a breath to calm her emotions. "Sorry, I just… you'll always be my baby, but I need to remember that you are nearly grown."

Jack shrugged off her words, but his eyes were unusually bright. Elizabeth turned back to the meal preparation to lessen his embarrassment.

As he took up the task of placing forks, knives, cups and plates on the table, Jack looked over at the three portraits hanging above their mantle. Their family smiled back at him from the center, Allie beaming the brightest in her white wedding gown with her groom by her side. Jack anticipated they would have another portrait done in the near future since the last one was now three years out of date, and Allie and her husband had added two more children to the family in that time.

He barely took notice of the portrait of Colleen on the other side, fixing his eyes upon the drawing his birth father had made decades ago. Jack had always loved seeing his parents together, especially because it was the only image he had of the two of them side by side.

"When did you know you loved my birth father?" Jack asked. His father had always been an open topic in their family, but Jack didn't think he had ever asked such a direct question about the man who had given him life.

Elizabeth turned away from the stove and sat down at the table. She indicated for Jack to join her, and she looked deeply at him. "Let me tell you the story. You remember hearing about Rip? Well, one day there was a storm, and Rip ran away from the jail. Jack and I went out to find him together, and we ended up at the old mine. This was long before Mr. Gowen caused the collapse that permanently blocked the mine."

Jack gave a nod, vaguely remembering the shockwave that had rocked Hope Valley the day Mr. Gowen prevented the mine from ever reopening.

"Rip had run into the mine to escape the thunder. Jack and I were trying to find what tunnel Rip had gone down, when one of the crossbeams suddenly fell. I tried to jump out of the way, but the beam came down and hit me on the knee. Your father was very careful in helping me up and getting back to the fire." Elizabeth paused for a moment and a small blush came to her face.

With a barely perceptible shake of the head, Elizabeth returned to her story. "We had been arguing about some things. We had come back from Hamilton just recently, and Jack thought I acted differently when I was with my parents. Admittedly, he was probably right, but I was too stubborn to hear it. Anyway, after I hurt my knee, and Jack checked it, we were able to talk about some deeper things, including how much we actually cared for each other."

There was another long pause, and Elizabeth probed slightly. "Do you think you love Lucy?"

"No! No, no, no! I'm not ready for that yet! I just... was wondering," Jack replied.

Elizabeth's eyes took on a knowing look. "You never know when love will come around. Sometimes a lot sooner than you think. But... you don't have to rush it either."

They sat in quiet contemplation for a moment, each taking in the information Elizabeth had just shared.

"When did you and Lucy start - spending time together?" Elizabeth asked.

Jack thought back. "About a week ago. So, definitely too early to talk about love. But I do like being with her. She's so sophisticated. We talk about books, and plays she went to in Toronto, and our plans for the future."

"So, boring things?" Elizabeth teased.

Jack looked at her in confusion, then gave a chuckle when he remembered what she referenced. "Wow! I did say that about you and Dad, didn't I? I mean, I was right, you two are pretty boring."

Elizabeth gasped and took pretended offense. "Excuse me? We are not boring."

Jack gave another chuckle. "It's okay. I understand now. Sometimes boring isn't bad."

Elizabeth put her arms around her son. "Yes, it's not always bad. And even better, you realize that for you, it isn't boring, because you're with someone you care about, and that's positively exciting!"

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Happy New Year's! I hope you all had wonderful, safe celebrations. I'm so excited for this new year and the amazing new season about to come!