Leaving the hotel a little while later, Gabriel headed across the street to his office while Joe headed back to his store to reopen after his lunch break. A glance in that direction told the Mountie that there were several customers waiting for his friend's return. Reaching his office, he balanced the tray with the simple lunch for Albert in one hand as he opened the door with his other.
"Are you hungry?" The question was asked a little louder than was needed. Just as Gabriel pushed the door shut, with a little more force than was necessary.
There was a groan from the man laying on the bed in the cell. "Do you need to be so loud, Constable?" The man slowly sat up, the fact that he was feeling the effects of the expected hangover very clear.
"Whatever do you mean?" The feigned innocence earned a glare from Albert, which only brought a smile to Gabriel's face. "Lunch?" The Mountie held the tray in both hands now.
"Yeah. I could eat." Albert got slowly to his feet and met Gabriel where the tray slot was built into the bars. The man cradled his right hand. "Any chance I could get some ice for my hand."
Gabriel nodded. Tormenting the man with loud noises was one thing. Denying him treatment was different and something he wouldn't even think about doing. "I'll get you some ice and if you promise to be polite, I'll ask Maggie or Dr. Carter to come over and take a look at your hand."
Albert took the tray that Gabriel had slid through the slot. "I'll be on my best behavior."
"I'll be back then," Gabriel told him. He turned from the cell as Albert moved back toward the bed.
The Mountie had only taken a few steps toward the door when it burst open and Brookfield's blonde doctor burst in. Spotting Gabriel, she quickly closed the difference between them.
Stopping in front of him, Faith examined his jaw. "Well, it doesn't look quite as bad as I expected." A look of relief started to push away the concern. "What happened?"
"Ask Albert there to fill you in." Gabriel nodded toward the cell where the man sat. "You should probably take a look at his hand. I was going to get him some ice."
"You should probably ice your jaw as well."
Gabriel smiled at her. "I have twice. Grace was kind enough to hand me an ice pack both at the start and the end of my lunch at the hotel."
"Good."
"I'll be right back." Gabriel looked back over his shoulder. "Be polite to the lady, Albert."
The man nodded as Gabriel headed toward the door. The sound of Faith's footsteps on the floor boards indicated that she was heading toward her patient. Stepping outside, Gabriel went about his task. Retrieving the ice, he quickly returned to the Mounted Police Office. Even with Albert behind bars he wanted to get back to make sure the words spoken were civil.
"I don't think you broke anything, just bruised it," Faith was telling Albert as Gabriel walked through the door.
"Tess Stewart always said that Gabriel had a hard head. I can attest to it."
"Well, at least my jaw." Gabriel walked over to the cell and passed the towel-wrapped ice through the bars to Albert.
A sheepish look came over Albert as he took the item from the Mountie. "For what its worth, I'm sorry I hit you, constable. I regret even thinking about taking a swing at Mrs. Stewart, though she's definitely done things to have earned it over the years. I don't know what I was thinking though."
"You weren't." The statement came out automatically for Gabriel, who had dealt with a fair share of drunks over his career. "The alcohol was doing the thinking for you."
Albert had pressed the ice to his bruised knuckles. As he sat down on the only piece of furniture in the cell, the man nodded. "You're right." The words were said in a dejected tone. He did look up as he asked his next question though. "So, what charges am I looking at Constable?"
"We'll talk about that in a bit," Gabriel replied. He turned to Faith. "Can we step outside, doctor?"
Faith nodded. She walked toward the door, Gabriel following a couple of steps behind her. Stepping onto the boardwalk, the doctor turned to face him as he pulled the door shut behind him. Before he could say anything though, she had reached up and was probing his bruised jaw. Despite the pain the action caused, there was also a warm, tingling sensation associated with her touch.
"Nothing feels broken." Faith told him, as she lowered her hand. "That is probably a good thing, given how much bruising there is. Also, I wouldn't rule out something being fractured, so you should watch out that you don't bang it again in anyway."
"Yes, doctor," Gabriel replied.
"I understand if you are not feeling up to looking at horses this afternoon." As she said the words, Faith clasped her hands in front of her.
Gabriel reached out and cupped her clasped hands in his own. "It is going to take more than some bruises to keep me from spending time with you. Besides, we need to get you a means to get to calls outside of the town before there is a true emergency and you're delayed getting to it because you are trying to negotiate a means of transportation."
"So it is purely a professional reason that you are coming with me?" Though the question was asked in a serious tone, the sparkle in her blue eyes told Gabriel that Faith was teasing.
"Well, I did take an oath to protect the citizens of Canada." Gabriel delivered the teasing line with a straight face and a shrug of his shoulders. "Lucky for me, fulfilling that and spending time with the woman who has completely stolen my heart coincide."
The second part of the statement caused the color to rise in Faith's cheeks. "How does your charm work with the criminals, Constable?"
Gabriel didn't miss a beat with his reply. "I wouldn't know. I save the charm for the ladies. One in particular."
"I should probably get back to the infirmary. I'll see you at four thirty." Faith pulled her hands from his grasp as she said the words and moved for the steps.
"Yes you will," Gabriel assured her. He watched her go, but he couldn't say that he regretted her making the hasty retreat. He had been about to forget where they were and give her the type of kiss he longed to give her. Even if he weren't in uniform, it would hardly be appropriate behavior for the middle of the boardwalk.
Satisfied that even the last pillow case had been retrieved from the rinse tub, Lillian got to her feet, the basket held close to her. She continued to hum the song that had been on her mind all morning. Though Grace was the one who would mostly likely be the sister caught signing or humming while working, Lillian couldn't stop the happy display of emotion this morning. Her dinner date with Sam last night had been wonderful. It was nice to eat a meal that she hadn't had any part of making. The two of them had been able to talk without any interruptions and really get to know one another. The only distraction last night had been Gabriel's arrival with Faith and even that hadn't been all that bad. The two had been laughing, something that hadn't changed as they ordered one dessert and shared it. The two had looked cozy, and that had allowed Lillian to enjoy the rest of her own meal with Sam.
Reaching the clothes line, Lillian placed the basket down. Still humming, she began to hang up the clothes.
"Someone is in a good mood this morning." Grace's teasing words didn't even bother Lillian this morning.
"I am." Though she'd had to stop humming to answer, the smile had not left her face.
"As nothing special seems to have happened this morning, my guess is your supper with Sam has put you in this mood. After I've told you about my dates with Chuck, even the picnic that got eaten by the bear, I do hope you are going to give me details."
Lillian laughed at Grace's eagerness. Her sister sounded like one of the children right about then, but Lillian found this pleasing rather than exasperating. After all, hadn't she often longed for her sister to share secrets and happy events with while growing up.
"I'll tell you all about the date," Lillian replied, as she nodded toward the basket of linen. "But, how about you help me hang the wash."
"I supposed I could do that." Grace reached down and pulled a fitted sheet from the basket. As she began to pin the sheet to the line, Lillian started telling her about her evening with Sam. She even brought up seeing Gabriel with Faith and how that had made her feel.
When all the laundry was on the line, the two sisters continued the conversation. Lillian was happy to share everything with her sister and she knew that if she waited until a more appropriate time it might never happen.
"I am so happy for you." Grace's words sounded genuine and Lillian had no doubt that they were. It wasn't like the two of them had ever been in competition for the same man. "I also have some news I hope will make you just as happy for me."
Lillian's curiosity was piqued. "Well, please don't make me try guessing. I never did like that particular game."
"Mostly because you are no good at it." Grace's words were softened by the teasing tone in which they were said. "I didn't want to say anything earlier because I wanted you to be the first to hear it from me." Grace paused momentarily and raised her left hand. The sunlight was caught by the small diamond in the ring she wore, causing it to sparkle. "Chuck asked me to marry him."
Though she hadn't thought she could feel any happier, Lillian squealed as she threw her arms around Grace. "Oh I am so happy for you. Chuck is a wonderful person and I know that you will make a good wife to him. I don't even care if it means I lose your help around here. As long as you are happy."
"Oh, I am happy." Grace took a step back from her sister's embrace, though she took Lillian's hands in her own. She continued speaking as her older sister lifted her left hand to see the ring better. "Chuck makes me feel special and it is nice to finally have someone choose me. I know it isn't quite the same as being chosen as a child to be adopted, but it's the closest I will ever get."
"It may be different but I am sure it is just as special," Lillian assured her, looking up from the ring to her sister.
Grace nodded her consent. "As for losing me that isn't going to happen. Chuck told me in his proposal that he would never make me choose between you and the children and him. Though he does want to build us our own little home, he wants to build nearby. On the property if you'll allow it or he was willing to purchase some land adjoining what you received from your father. I'll be close by, so I can help with the children but we can have some privacy as well. He was thinking of possibly even having a home office for his practice. If ever you need some time away, I can always come and stay with the children. We started this orphanage together, and nothing is going to change that."
The assurances washed away tension that Lillian wasn't even aware she had been feeling until that moment. "You two can build the house as close to the orphanage as you want." She looked around them. Her adopted father had purchased a large plot when he had brought his wife to Brookfield. Their intentions had been to have a big family and he had wanted to be able to help those children out by having land for them to build houses on or start a farm or a ranch of their own. Those dreams had not been realized, Lillian being their only child. Still, even at the end when things were tough, her father had been willing to go to Hamilton to look for work rather than trying to sell off land that he felt was her legacy. "Perhaps father's legacy will have future generations to be passed down too."
"Especially if you and Sam are the next two to get married." Grace added a wink to the comment.
Lillian felt her cheeks flushed. "Sam and I are nowhere near ready to take that step."
Grace snorted. "You might not be but I have a feeling Sam would propose himself if he thought there was any chance you would say yes."
"Let's get you married first." Lillian made the comment firmly. "Planning one wedding and keeping tabs on the children will be hard enough."
"But if we did a double ceremony then we only had to plan once." Grace didn't miss a beat making the statement, which told Lillian that her sister had put some thought into it. "Maybe I need to drop a hint to Sam that he should propose to you."
"Don't you dare!" Lillian shook her head at her sister's audacity. "The next thing you'll be suggesting is that I ask him instead of waiting."
Grace shrugged. "Why not? Why shouldn't we let the men we love know that we are ready to start putting up with them as a full time job?"
"Because . . . " Lillian let the reply trail off realizing that she didn't have an immediate response. She could somehow see her sister taking matters into her own hands if Chuck took too long to propose. Not that she would ever do anything quite so bold. It was tradition that the man did the asking. Why change? "Because that isn't how things are done. The man is supposed to do the asking."
"Sure that's tradition but who says it always has to be that way."
"Well, I'm not about to and don't you go meddling either. Besides, it isn't just me that Sam would be getting with a marriage proposal. I am not about to abandon these kids and if he can't or won't accept that then the two of us will never work out."
"I think Sam is well aware of that." With that last comment, Grace turned and headed toward the house leaving Lillian standing beside the sheets blowing softly in the wind.
Lillian thought about Grace's last comment. Memories of him sharing moments with the kids, like teaching Fred to whistle using a blade of grass or helping them make smores over a fire, flashed through her mind. Yes, he had embraced the children as a part of her life. Though figuring out exactly how to make things work might be an unknown, the one thing she was sure about was that he would not ask her to make a choice between the orphanage or him.
Beginning to hum again, Lillian followed her sister. There were still things to be done before the children returned home from school.
Gabriel stood with his arms rested on the top rung of the fence of one of Gregory McDermott's corral. The horse ranch owner stood just beyond the fence watching the same sight as the Mountie was—Faith riding a reddish colored mare. It was the third horse she had ridden. The first one, a brown stallion, she had declared feeling too high up once she was in the saddle. Gregory had never let go of the lead rope for him. The second one, a black gelding, the blonde doctor just had not looked comfortable on though the horse had been obedient. Even Faith had declared that something just felt off with her connection with the horse.
"You look comfortable up there. How does it feel?" Gabriel asked as Faith slowed the mare from a trot to a walk.
Reaching out with a hand, the reigns in her other, Faith rubbed the mare's neck. "Like Ginger here and I could be best of friends."
Gregory smiled. "She is a sweetheart. I had been considering keeping her myself but Gabriel's right. You look like you belong up there. Why don't you take her for a ride out of the corral and be sure things still go well outside of the smaller area? Afterwards, my wife wanted me to invite both of you to share supper with us."
"We wouldn't want to impose," Faith said.
Gabriel however wasn't so quick to protest. Remembering Louisa's determination to have them both out to supper at some point when he picked up his flowers, he realized that this might be easier than planning something special. "If we say no tonight, she'll just invite us another night." The Mountie was looking at Faith as he said the words but it was Gregory who spoke next.
"She will. My wife has always thought it was the community's responsibility to make sure a single Mountie gets home cooked meals every now and then, and she's been wanting to invite the new doctor out to supper. We just haven't been in Brookfield to extend the invitation."
Faith smiled. "Then I will be happy to exist. Truth is, I don't do much cooking myself."
"Then it's settled. You and Gabriel take the horses for a ride and I'll let my wife know you'll be joining us for supper afterwards."
"Thank you," Faith said. She guided Ginger toward the gate that Gregory moved to open.
Taking a few steps over to where he had looped Apollo's reigns around the fence,Gabriel retrieved Apollo. In one smooth motion, he mounted the stallion. Astride the horse he looked toward Faith. "There is a creek nearby. Want to head down that way."
Faith nodded. "You know the area better than me."
Gabriel nodded and nudged Apollo into a walk. Faith followed, Ginger obediently following her commands. After getting away from the activity around the corral, Gabriel signaled his horse to go to a trot. A glance over his shoulder told him that Faith had done the same thing, keeping the mare close to Apollo.
A smile came to Gabriel's face as he turned his attention back to the terrain in front of him. It seemed like he and Faith would have a pleasant ride together and a meal that neither one of them had to cook. After which he would get the pleasure of escorting Faith home.
All in all, not a bad day even if he had taken a fist to the jaw.