Chapter 145 – Heading to the Banquet

Elizabeth swatted Jack's chest and he just gave her a dimpled grin. Elizabeth took Jack by the hand and started walking away. Instead of letting go, he quickly followed her and they walked up the stairs hand in hand. When they got upstairs, almost everyone was there. John, Peter and James were the only ones not at the table.

"Do you want anything?" Jack asked Elizabeth.

"Just some water." Elizabeth said.

"Have a seat." Jack said. "I will get it."

Jack went to the kitchen and got Elizabeth a glass of ice water and himself a cup of coffee. He carried them back to the table and took a seat next to Elizabeth. He scooted his chair as close as he could to her and put his arm across the back of her chair. She turned and gave him a smile.

"I am so glad you wore your kilt." Gran said.

"Thank you for getting it ready." Jack said. "Do you like the jewelry that I got for Elizabeth?"

"Yes." Gran said. "You did well. It looks wonderful on Elizabeth."

"Thank you Gran." Elizabeth said. "You are right, he did well. Like I said, I don't wear much jewelry, but if I am going to be going out with Jack here, then I think it will be wonderful to have different pieces."

"And I will get you more if you want." Jack said. "Don't forget that you have several sets of pearls as well. Maybe you can wear those later this week."

"Where are you going later this week?" Gran asked.

"There are a couple of horses that I want to check out in Bancroft, Ontario." Jack said. "I was hoping to go up there Wednesday and come back Thursday. Before you say anything, I know that it is about a two hour flight each way. I just thought that it would be nice to take Elizabeth out on a proper date in Toronto. I have already booked rooms at the St Regis in Toronto. Nathan has said that he will go with us and I have asked Doug to come as well to look at the horses."

"Okay." Gran said. "What are you going to do, Lee?"

"If you don't mind." Lee said. "I thought I would stay here and do chores. I was also going to work on things for the show."

"You are more than welcome to stay." Gran said. "JP, why do you want Doug to go as well?"

"Because the two horses that I am looking at are jumpers for Maddie and Missy." Jack said. "If they are going to move up a level, they need younger horses. Rocky and Rainbow are great, but they are both fifteen years old. I don't have any thoroughbreds ready for them to jump in the next level up. I have been in contact with the guy selling them, but he has been in Europe. He messaged me the other night and let me know that he was back and I could come anytime. I told him I would let him know as soon as I had the details worked out."

"You didn't tell me they were for my sisters." Doug said.

"I was going to surprise you." Jack said. "Don't say anything to them. I still don't know if I am going to buy them. That is why I wanted you to come along."

"What kind of horses are they?" Doug asked.

"Irish Sports." Jack said. "Registered."

"Nice." Doug said. "How old?"

"Five and they are fully trained jumpers." Jack said. "They aren't twin horses, but close. They are both a bay. One has white on his legs and the other is more solid in color. He also has a black three year old Irish Sport stallion that I was interested in."

"And why is he selling them?" Gran asked.

"He didn't go into much." Jack said. "He said that they were supposed to be for his twin granddaughters, but due to a change in circumstances that wasn't going to happen so he just wanted to sell them as he doesn't have a use for jumpers right now. He was hoping to sell the two older ones as a set since they have always been together. If I remember they are half-brothers."

"Okay." Gran said. "Talk to your grandfather about it before you make plans."

"Talk to me about what?" James asked, walking into the dinning room.

"JP getting two or three horses." Gran said.

"Is that the paperwork you gave me?" James said.

"Yes." Jack said. "I want to head up to Bancroft this coming week and check them out."

"If you want to, that is fine." James said. "Just remember that they will need to be vetted within ten days before you can cross the border and they will have to be in isolation here for at least forty-eight hours, depending on the paperwork."

"I know." Jack said. "The guy said that he has already moved them to isolation at his place in anticipation that we would be there in the next week or so. As soon as we make a deal, he will have them vetted and sent down here."

"Very well." James said. "You still think the girls might ride them for the show here."

"Outside chance." Jack said. "But maybe. I want to at least give them the option."

"Talk to Ed." James said. "He needs to sign off on it and assign someone to care for them."

"I will talk to him as soon as I know that we are going for sure." Jack said.

"Very well." James said.

"If the girls are going to ride here." Gran said. "They will need to practice. Have you thought about that?"

"Yes." Jack said. "I was going to talk to you about that tomorrow. I still need to talk to Chief Burke and Trish, but I was hoping that the girls would be able to come up here before Sugar Creek. Maybe this Friday They could go to the show with us and then they would have a week or two to ride here at the farm. That is if you are agreeable to them staying here. I was thinking of putting them in Tommy's room. We can put the furniture back."

"It is only a full size bed." Gran said.

"And they share a full size at home." Doug said. "They can also use the queen size inflatable mattress. Either way, they will be fine. They are used to sharing. I will make sure to ask them what they prefer."

"Okay." Gran said. "I don't mind the girls being here. As long as their parents are fine with it. Don't forget to have them sign papers in case something happens to either of the girls. I assume Doug you will be responsible for them."

"Yes, ma'am." Doug said. "I am sure that is what Mom and Dad would have us do. If you don't mind, I am sure that Mom would love to come up here and spend some time as well."

"I don't mind." Gran said. "As long as they all understand that we still have other things going on. Don't forget to have Rocky and Rainbow moved up here as well."

"Good." Jack said. "Doug, can you and I call your parents tomorrow and talk to them about this? I won't forget, it was already on the list of things to do."

"Then they are more than welcome." Gran said.

"The bus is here." John said coming into the dining room.

"We should all be ready." James said. "Does everyone have their phones?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good." James said. "Let's have a good time and stick together."

"I got a message from Father Mark." Gran said. "He said he will meet us there."

Jack was glad that Father Mark was coming, part of him was worried he would get busy after Mass and not come. Jack knew that he was busy, but also wanted to spend as much time with his cousin as he could.

"Good." John said. "Andrew and Chris are both driving cars just in case. The rest of us should easily fit on the bus."

When Jack stood up, Elizabeth realized that his buckle was the same as both of his grandfather's buckles.

"John." Elizabeth said. "Did you have those buckles made? I like them."

"Yes. I did." John said. "I had the one for James made for Thomas and Charlotte's wedding and JP got his when he was about seven."

"Christmas before my seventh birthday." Jack said.

"Like I said." John said. "About seven."

"James, what does the K stand for on yours?" Elizabeth asked.

"Keith." James said.

"I like that." Elizabeth said softly grinning at Jack.

"Duly noted." Jack said.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Doug asked.

"Nothing you need to know about." Jack said.

Doug and Lee shook their heads and laughed. As people stood up and gathered their items, John looked at the four boys and smiled approvingly as all four boys wore the shirts and vests that he had ordered for them. He was glad that Nathan was fitting in. He wasn't sure when Devin told him about the young man that worked for him and that he had known for years. However, from what he had seen, Nathan was a good fit with his grandson and friends. John felt totally comfortable having Nathan around the family. It wasn't that John didn't trust Devin, but John had been unsure about the young man given his background. John was glad that he had been proven wrong once again.

John was glad that Nathan had risen above his background and the poor example that his father left him. He was also glad that Nathan was a man of his word and didn't have anything to do with his no good brother-in-law. John was also glad that JP, Doug and Lee just accepted Nathan. He wasn't sure how much of his background that Nathan had shared with them, but he was glad that they all seemed to be getting along. John took a moment to think about where he went wrong with Thomas and what he was going to do about them. He knew that he couldn't go back nor allow them to come back without having learned anything. John was also hoping that the people he hired would be able to get through to Tommy because he wasn't sure what he was going to do if they didn't.

John was so lost in thought, that he didn't realize that everyone had left and went out to board the bus.

"We are ready, Sir." Peter said.

John didn't respond.

"Sir." Peter said, touching John's arm.

John shook his head.

"Sorry, I was thinking." John said. "Did you say something?"

"We are all ready." Peter said.

"Let's go then." John said.

John and Peter walked out. James locked the house up and then three of them got on the bus. They had a nice conversation as they rode into town. Chris and Andrew followed the bus. As they got closer to town Andrew noticed someone behind him. He quickly called Chris and he turned off, then waited and pulled out behind the car that was following Andrew. Chris also sent a message to Katie to give the team a heads up that there might be a problem. Katie quickly let the others know. John asked the driver to circle around the block and pull over. Andrew knew what John would do, so he kept going and the car turned where the bus turned. Chris followed the car and Andrew doubled back. When the car pulled over, it was Jacy Pennybaker. Chris sent a message to Peter that they could go. Chris and Andrew kept Jacy there for a moment while the bus pulled out.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Chris demanded.

"JP won't take my calls." Jacy said. "I just wanted to talk to him."

"You know that there is a restraining order." Chris said.

"For Lacy and Dad." Jacy said. "I promise they didn't send me. If they knew I was here they would kick my ass."

"What do you want to say?" Chris said. "I will pass the message along to JP. But I can't let you near him. He has said he wants nothing to do with your family."

"I don't blame him." Jacy said. "Just tell him that Lacy and Dad are behind the gossip site posts. They have hired people to make reports of nasty things about him and Elizabeth. Our step-brother and step-sister are helping Dad. They are pissed at JP because of Doug."

"What does Doug have to do with anything?" Chris asked.

"I don't know all the details." Jacy said. "It has something to do with Doug's older brother. That is all I know. Lacy and Dad want JP dead and Elizabeth to suffer. Also Charlie is not going to give up as long as he is free nor is his father."

"Thank you for telling us." Chris said. "We won't say anything about talking to you, but please don't try to contact JP again."

"I won't." Jacy said. "Just be safe."

"We will," Chris said. "Now go home."

Jacy pulled out. Chris and Andrew were left standing there.

"What are we going to do?" Andrew asked.

"Our job." Chris said. "Let's get to the banquet and we will update everyone. We just need to be on our toes. We have planned for everything that we can."

Chris and Andrew went back to their respective vehicles. While they headed to the banquet, Chris composed a text message to the rest of the team. He really wanted to get Jack and Elizabeth out of there, but he knew that Jack would fight him on it. There was a part of Chris that wanted to dismiss what Jacy Pennybaker said, but there was something in her eyes that made him believe her. He wouldn't be able to explain what it was other than a gut feeling, but he had learned that those are sometimes enough.

The group arrived at the parking area and waited until Chris and Andrew joined them. John wanted them to all go together. Jack and Elizabeth shared a few kisses in the dim light, very aware of who was around them. It didn't take long for Chris and Andrew to knock on the bus door. Before everyone went in, Chris relayed what happened and what Jacy had said.

"I understand that you may believe her." Jack said. "But I wonder to what end. What does she want?"

"She didn't seem to want anything." Chris said. "She just didn't want you to get hurt."

"I hear that." Jack said. "But I am still not going to let them bully me."

"And you will still listen to me." John said. "Chris, what do you think?"

"I think that we should just be diligent and keep our eyes and ears open." Chris said. "We have planned as best that we can and we will keep JP and Elizabeth in sight."

"Okay." John said. "I know that you all know. But a quick reminder – no alcohol tonight."

John looked around as heads nodded.

"Good." John said. "Then let's go in and try to have some fun."