Chapter 13

Hope Valley, Alberta Canada

Monday, December 15, 1924

Lucas and MaKayla breathed in the fresh cool air as they disembarked from the Capital City Express train. Mike Hickam had left the family cars at the train station for when they arrived back in Hope Valley. Declan, William and Lucas were putting their luggage into the cars. Traveling with two toddlers created a good deal of extra luggage, Lucas thought.

When they arrived at their house they were greeted by Andrew and Jenny who had stocked their icebox and started a fire. Their house was feeling warm and cozy. MaKayla gave her brother a big hug as he greeted her at the door.

"Andrew it's so good to see you." MaKayla told him. "Could you please help Lucas and the men with the luggage. I'm afraid I got a little carried away with my packing for this trip." She said with a laugh. She then turned to Jenny and gave her a big hug as well.

"Your pantry is full with everything you requested." Jenny told her with a smile as they walked into the living area.

"Thank you, Jenny. I really appreciate all of your help. I'm just not up to shopping after the long train ride." She said as she massaged her protruding abdomen. "I swear I am bigger with just one baby than I was with the twins." She laughed good naturally.

"Glad to help MaKayla. It's good to have you back in town." Her sister-in-law told her.

A short while later Lucas entered the house carrying several suitcases. "Hi Jenny. Good to see you." Lucas told her as he gave her a hug. "By the way doc, your children are running amuck out there throwing snow at Declan and William. Uncle Andrew is egging them on." He told her with a laugh.

"It never fails, when they are misbehaving, they are my children." MaKayla said with a laugh to Jenny. Turning to Lucas. "Good, let him tire them out so they go to bed on time tonight."

At 7:30 p.m. Lucas and MaKayla had finally gotten the twins down for the evening and had just settled on the couch to enjoy a nice hot cup of cocoa when there was a knock at the door.

"Wonder who that could be." Lucas said as he got up to answer the door.

Lucas opened the door. "Hello Lucas," Ned Yost said. "I'm sorry to bother you. This letter and package came for you around the time of your plane crashed. I had put them aside in the back room of the mercantile at the time given all the mayhem. But I completely forgot about them until I came across them today when I was looking for something else. I'm sorry that it has been 2 months since they arrived and you are just getting them now. I wanted to deliver them to you personally before they got misplaced again." Ned said apologetically.

"Ned, no need to apologize. I appreciate you bringing them over. Would you like to come in for a cup of hot cocoa?" Lucas asked cordially.

"No thank you. I need to get home to Florence. See you around town." Ned said as he turned to leave.

MaKayla saw that Lucas was carrying a box in one hand and a letter in the other as he came back into the living room. "What are those?" She asked him.

"They were originally delivered to the mercantile around the time of the plane crash. Ned put them aside and forgot about them until today. When he found them, he wanted to bring them right over." Lucas said as he stared at the envelope with a scowl on his face.

"Who is the letter from?" MaKayla asked concerned.

"Jeanette." Lucas answered as he sat back down on the couch just staring at the letter.

"What do you think she wants?" MaKayla asked while gently rubbing his back.

"Knowing Jeanette, she probably wants a favor of some kind." Lucas said with a touch of frustration in his voice.

"Well, let's read it and find out. No sense us just sitting here guessing." MaKayla said with a soft laugh.

"You're right, my love. Let's see what she wants this time." Lucas said with trepidation as he opened the envelope and began to read aloud.

October 1, 1924

Cheri,

I am not writing to ask for any favors, but rather I hope I am doing something nice for you. I heard that you married that lady doctor. Congratulation. Truly I am happy for you. I also heard that you had twins together and one of them is named Matthew. Oh, how my Matthew would have loved that.

But congratulating you is not the reason for this letter. I owned a little house in Cape Fullerton that I recently had to sell to pay off some of my debts. I had a box of Matthew's things stored there and I asked my lawyer to send it to you. I know that you miss Matthew just as much as I do. I don't remember exactly what is in there as I boxed it up so long ago. But perhaps there will be something that you can share with your Matthew as a remembrance of his namesake.

I am a changed woman, Lucas. Prison can do that. When I am hopefully released in a few years' time perhaps I could meet your Matthew. Until then, I only wish you and your family the best.

Jeanette

Lucas and MaKayla both looked over at the box on the floor. "That must be the box she was talking about." MaKayla told him. "Are you ready to open it?" She asked softly.

Lucas gave her a soft sad smile. "No, not just yet. It's Christmas time and we have a lot of activities planned and whatever is in that box I don't want it to bring me down. It has waited this long it can wait a little longer." He told her.

"Lucas, why do you think that whatever is in that box would bring you down? Do you think you know what is in there?" She asked gently.

He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "When Andrew and I were lost in the woods, we talked about Matthew. I finally told him what happened the night Matthew died. After I was done telling the story, Andrew brought up a lot of questions that I hadn't really given much thought to at the time. Now this box shows up and well…" He trails off.

"And you're wondering if it answers some of Andrew's questions and you're not ready to know those answers?" She questioned him warmly.

"Yes, exactly." He told her as he picked up the box to bring it to his library. As MaKayla watched him walk away, she hoped whatever was in there would not open old wounds that had finally begun to heal. She agreed with him it was better to set it aside for now.

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Hope Springs, Alberta Canada

Wednesday, December 17, 1924

As Lucas drove up to the Hope Springs Airport, he could feel the butterflies starting to take flight in his stomach. He got out of the car but did not see Andrew or Alex around. He started to walk over to the hangar when Alex came out of a nearby shed.

"Hi Lucas. I heard you were back in town. If you're looking for Andrew he is having lunch with Jenny. He just left and I don't expect him back for a while. You know he is still in that honeymoon phase of marriage." Alex said with a chuckle.

"Hey, don't knock it. MaKayla and I will be married 3 years at the end of the month and we are still in the honeymoon phase. I hope to be there until I take my last breath." Lucas said with a genuine smile.

Alex patted him on the back, "Good for you. Since Andrew isn't here is there anything I can help you with?" Alex asked him.

"Well, I was thinking that I would like to go flying today. You know, getting back on the horse that threw you." Lucas said with a slight quiver in his voice.

Alex eyed him with interest. "I understand, Lucas. Andrew was wondering how long it would take you to give flying another try. I'd be more than happy to take you up today if you want." Alex told him with a confident smile.

"That would be great. I appreciate it. Just one thing, can we check the gas line before we take off." Lucas said with a laugh.

"Actually, that is now one of our check list items and all flights have to have a flight plan. Did Andrew tell you we finally found the wreckage of your plane?" Alex asked.

"No, he didn't mention it. But things have been pretty busy with the election and everything." Lucas told him.

"We haven't had an opportunity yet to get some men in there to get the wreckage off the mountain and salvage anything we can. You were pretty deep into the forest. The Mounties were in the general direction but they didn't go far enough up on the mountain or deep enough to find you two. If you and Andrew hadn't walked out of there I don't know if they would have found you." Alex told him with admiration.

"Can you go into the office and leave a note for Andrew telling him that we are going to head 15 miles due west circling back over Hope Valley and then we will land. Thought maybe you would like to see the wreckage from the air. You game?" Alex asked with a cheeky smile.

Lucas smiled at Alex. "You bet." Lucas said as he headed over to the office. When he entered the office, he sat down at Andrew's desk and looked for a piece of paper to write his note. He started to write when he noticed another piece of paper in the right-hand corner of the desk. It had Superintendent Samuel Collins written on it, along with Daniel Sterling's name and telephone number. Lucas stared at the paper for a long moment. What was Andrew up to? Lucas wondered. Everything in him told him that this had something to do with Matthew Aucoin. He should have known Andrew wouldn't let it go.

"Damn you Andrew, why can't you let sleeping dogs lie" Lucas said out loud. He sighed and finished his note. He left the office and went back out to the hangar to meet Alex.

As he went outside, he could see that Alex had the plane on the runway. "Everything is good. Gas tank is full and gas line is fully intact. You ready to go up?" Alex asked

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Lucas told him as he got in the front seat on the plane.

"Ok, flyboy. Take us up, you're in charge." Alex told him.

Lucas smiled back at Alex. He was nervous as hell but he wasn't going to let Balfour take his enjoyment of flying away from him. He would not give that man even one small victory at his expense.

It felt great to be back in the skies, Lucas thought. Alex had him fly over the area where he and Andrew had crashed two months earlier. As Lucas looked down, he saw the plane and was shocked at what a mess it was. He couldn't believe they had both walked away from that with minimal injuries. Someone above was definitely looking out for them that day. Lucas thought with a smile as he sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

Once they were back at the airport, Lucas taxied the plane to the end of the runway. "How did it feel?" Alex asked as they both got out of the plane.

"I admit I was pretty nervous at first, but it felt great." Lucas said with a huge grin.

"Good. First time back is always the hardest. You did really well up there, once you got those nerves out of the way. I'll let Andrew know how well you did. Next time you go up, might be time to try a solo flight." Alex told him.

"That would be fantastic." Lucas told him.

"Hmm, Lucas I was wondering if I could discuss something with you, since it's just you and me here right now." Alex said with some apprehension.

"Sure Alex. Is there something wrong?" Lucas asked concerned.

"No, no. Nothing is wrong. You and I are friends, right?" Alex asked nervously.

"Yes, of course." Lucas asked confused.

"I recently found out that you and Elizabeth Thornton were once engaged. I mean I was curious why Jack called you Papa. Elizabeth gave me the short version as she calls it. She messed up but you both agreed that your relationship with Jack should not be a casualty of her mistake." Alex paused to collect his thoughts. Lucas had a good idea where he was going with this but since Alex had a good laugh at his expense with flying, he was going to enjoy this a little while longer.

"Elizabeth and I have been talking a lot lately and I thought I might like to ask her out on an official date. But I don't want to do anything that will interfere with our friendship. Obviously, you are happily married to MaKayla now… hmmm, so I know you don't want to get back together with her. Boy, that just sounded really dumb. I guess what I'm asking is, would you have any objections to me asking her out?" Alex said with uneasiness.

"Alex, what exactly do you know about my past relationship with Elizabeth?" Lucas asked him.

"I really don't know much, other than the two of you were engaged before you went to Capital City to become governor. She ended the relationship shortly before your wedding, although I don't know why. If I'm being honest from a few things she has said, it seems like something she deeply regrets. Other than that, I am totally in the dark about anything that went on between the two of you." Alex told him.

"My relationship with Elizabeth is complicated, made more so by my involvement in Jack's life. You certainly don't need my permission to date Elizabeth. Any relationship you would have with Jack, now that would be another story, but you are not there yet. If you like her, please ask her out. It will not affect our friendship or working relationship in the slightest as long as you don't hurt her." Lucas told him sincerely.

Alex smiled in relief. "Thanks Lucas, I appreciate it. I will let Andrew know you came by."

"Take care Alex." Lucas said as he got back in his car. If Alex wanted to ask Elizabeth out did that mean that she and Carson were no longer dating? Lucas wondered. Lucas decided he did not have time to keep up with Elizabeth dating schedule as long as Jack wasn't involved. He looked at his watch it was time to pick up Jack from school.

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"Hey buddy. How was school today?" Lucas asked Jack.

"It was OK, but it took so long. I just wanted to leave so we could go cut down our Christmas tree." He said eagerly.

"Let's go pick up Auntie MaKayla and the twins and go looking." Lucas told him with a bright smile as they walked back to the saloon to pick up his car.

Lucas and Jack arrived back at the house to pick up the rest of the family. Jack went running into the house. "Auntie MaKayla are you ready to go?" Jack yelled from the foyer.

"Jack, can you come into the living area and help Matthew put on his coat and boots, please?" MaKayla told him.

"Come here Matthew. I'll help you." Jack told him as the little boy walked over to him with one boot on and the other in his hand. MaKayla continued to help Ciara get her coat and boots on.

A few minutes later, Lucas walked in the front door. "Ok family. I have the sled and the saw. Are we all set to go cut down the best Christmas tree ever?" Lucas asked happily as he was cheered on by the children.

Once outside, the twins got onto the sled, as Lucas pulled them along. Jack walked along side Lucas and MaKayla.

As they reached the beginning of the woods near their house, MaKayla turned to Jack. "Ok, Jack. Your Papa tells me you are the Christmas tree expert. So, you let us know when you see the perfect one." MaKayla told him. Jack smiled at the thought that he would pick out the tree.

The twins busied themselves with throwing snow at each other, thinking they were quite funny. While Jack walked around for a solid 15 minutes before, he told them he had found the perfect tree. Lucas and MaKayla looked over his selection and agreed with Jack's choice.

Lucas then turned to the twins to get their attention. "Ok, you two. What do you think of this tree?" Lucas asked them.

"Pretty tree." Ciara said.

"Ok, Matthew. What about you? Do you like this tree?" Lucas asked his son.

Matthew walked around the tree and then looked up at Lucas. "Yes." Was his simply response causing Lucas and MaKayla to break out into laughter at the serious expression on their son's face.

"Alright Jack. I'm going to start sawing and when I get close, you can do the rest. Deal?" Lucas asked.

"I'm ready, Papa." Jack told him eagerly. Lucas begun sawing the tree and when he was almost all the way through, Jack took over.

"It's all yours, Jack." Lucas told him. It only took 5 saws and Jack had the tree falling over. The twins started cheering thinking this was wonderful fun. Lucas shook Jack's hand congratulating him on cutting down his first Christmas tree. MaKayla gave him a hug. Lucas and Jack pulled the tree on the snow while MaKayla pulled the twins in the sled back to the house.

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Andrew returned to the airport much later than he thought as he ran a few errands after his lunch with Jenny. Alex was getting ready to leave by the time that Andrew returned to the airport office.

"I'm done for the day." Alex told him. "By the way, Lucas stopped by earlier. He wanted to go flying, so I took him up. He did really well. He was a bit nervous at first but once he settled down, he did great. I think he is ready for a solo flight." Alex told him.

"I'm glad that he got back in the cockpit again. After a crash some pilots never go up again. That is good news." Andrew told him. Andrew started looking at the papers on his desk when he saw the piece of paper with Lucas's handwriting on it.

"Did Lucas come into the office when he was here?" Andrew asked Alex before he walked out the door.

"Yes, I told him to leave you a note as to where we were flying off too. Is there something wrong?" Alex asked innocently.

"No. I was just wondering that's all. Thanks. Have a goodnight." Andrew told him as he spied the note on the corner of his desk with Collins and Sterling names on it.

Had Lucas seen the paper with the men's names on it? Andrew wondered. He wasn't ready to explain to him what he was up to just yet. Especially since he had not gotten too far. He couldn't tell if Sterling was deliberately stalling or Collins really was in Europe until the first of the year. Lucas was a trained spy; Andrew knew chances were good that Lucas saw the paper with the names written on it. Damn, now what should I do? Andrew thought to himself.