by Janette Oke
“Yes, I’d like to speak with Constable Jack Thornton, if I may.”
“You’re in luck. He’s in his office today. If you’ll wait just a moment, ma’am, I’ll fetch him.”
Beth felt her heart flutter and pressed the receiver tighter against her ear. The moments spent waiting seemed like forever. Finally she heard the familiar voice. “This is Jack Thornton.”
“Oh, Jarrick, it’s Beth.”
A pause. “Beth? Truly? Where are you?”
Quickly Beth explained why she was in town, and they made plans for dinner. “At five, then. Oh yes, Jarrick, I can’t wait to see you either. Good-bye.” She blushed as she set the receiver back in its cradle and smiled shyly at the man behind the counter. By his expression it was obvious he had heard everything.
“Thank you so much for the use of your telephone.”
“My pleasure. Have a nice day, miss.”
Beth allowed herself a deep breath only after she had closed the door to the drugstore. She paused on the busy sidewalk to collect herself. Jarrick is here. We’ll have a chance to visit after all! In addition, this would be his first opportunity to introduce his colleagues to her—the woman he’d crossed a continent to help when her sister was kidnapped that summer. Will they be sizing me up, wondering if I’m worth all the time and effort? She quickly set such questions aside, then wondered if they now might have the dinner they’d had to postpone just a week ago after meeting briefly on the Lethbridge station platform. How could he? He just found out I’m here. There’s no time to make a reservation. But he’ll find some place for us, I’m sure.
Beth walked toward Kirkham Bros. with a spring in her step, ready now to take on her next objective. She hadn’t arrived in Coal Valley with much spending money, but she hoped to find what she needed to equip a small kitchen and to make things feel fresh and homey. She would also need a modest supply of food, canned goods and dry ingredients mostly, as she was determined to prepare most of her own meals despite Molly’s standing invitation. In truth, however, she was merely guessing on what she’d need. She had never actually stocked a kitchen before. Since I don’t know that much about cooking . . . yet, she told herself. In the late afternoon Alberto would stop at each of the stores she’d listed to load her purchases into the car while she and Jarrick had dinner.
At last she hailed a taxicab for the ride to the RCMP headquarters, her heart beating with eagerness to see Jarrick. She’d already been in the building the first time she’d arrived in Lethbridge. She and poor Edward had reported the theft of all their luggage after he’d sent it off with a thief. The memory brought a smile. All’s well that ends well—so long as enough time has passed. Her precious violin was now safely stored in a trunk in her little second-floor home, and Father’s precious brass compass was back on his desk where it belonged.
Jarrick appeared in the hallway as soon as she paused at the reception desk. Beaming his welcome and lifting both hands toward her, he crossed the room in long strides. No uniform this time, he was dressed in a dark gray double-breasted suit. For a moment Beth wished she had selected a nicer dress for the occasion, but his genuine delight in seeing her drove away all doubts.
“Beth, you’re here! What a pleasant surprise that you’d be able to visit this soon.” He reached for her arm affectionately, seeming to tower above her. Beth felt herself blushing but did not move away. “Sweetheart, I can hardly wait to show you off. Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes. I think so.”
Jarrick began with the officer at the front desk. “Ollie, I’d like you to meet Miss Elizabeth Thatcher. Beth, this is Ollie Brannigan, affectionately known as the public face of this office.”
“Hard to believe this is the schnozzle they want to represent the Force”—he gestured at his rather bulbous nose—“but we didn’t get these jobs for our looks, except maybe Thornton here.” Both men chuckled, and Ollie extended a hand. “So good to meet you, Miss Thatcher. Jack brags about you all the time.”
“He’s very kind. . . .”
The man behind the desk continued, “I’m glad to finally have a face to put with the name. Say, I hear he’s taking you out for dinner.”
From the corner of her eye, Beth noticed Jarrick make a small signal for silence, and he followed the gesture swiftly by saying, “Well, Ollie, I’ve got more introductions to make. We should keep moving.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Thatcher. Hope to see more of you. Say, my wife, Alice, would like to have you both over to dinner—whenever Jack’s ready to share your time.” He laughed and winked at Jarrick.
“So nice to meet you, Mr. Brannigan.”
“Please, it’s just Ollie.”
The introductions that followed were mostly the same, and Beth was certain she’d never remember all the names and faces. For the most part she took her cues from Jarrick and smiled at each one. At last he was escorting her from the building and opening the door to a stylish police vehicle, a touring car complete with large whitewall tires and an alarm bell mounted on the hood.
“Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
“Thank you, kind sir.” Beth heard herself tittering like a schoolgirl as he took her hand and helped her into the passenger seat. “Only please don’t ring that bell.”
They talked about the happenings of the previous week as if there weren’t great unspoken overtones to the evening. It was a lovely surprise when he eased the car into a parking spot next to “their” restaurant and the engine rattled to silence.
“Well, this seems like the best place in town. Shall we see if we can get in?” He winked, both of them aware of how long they had looked forward to such an evening.
Once inside, Beth was surprised to find that the establishment did not seem quite as elegant as she’d remembered—or perhaps she had grown accustomed once again to the beautiful restaurants in the East. The thought was a fleeting one, though, and Jarrick soon captured all her attention, beginning with the single rose across her plate on their corner table.
“Oh, Jarrick, how sweet of you.”
“What? Me? How would I know anything about this?” he said with pretended nonchalance, running a finger over his mustache. “Maybe the maître d’ just remembers how beautiful you are.”
Beth blushed and sat down in the chair Jarrick held for her. She felt his warm pat on her shoulder before he signaled to the waiter and took the opposite seat. Looking across at him, she was struck once more by how handsome he was, especially when his blue eyes danced in the candlelight. She breathed in deeply, determined to treasure every moment of this meal.
Jarrick had ordered their food when he made the reservation, and the first course arrived shortly. His penetrating gaze and careful questions soon had Beth spilling out all that had transpired on her arrival. He listened just as carefully while she skirted around Molly’s primary reason—a possible wedding—for housing her on her own, but the omission left him somewhat bewildered.
“There wasn’t any other place you could have stayed? Not with one of the families? Not with . . . I don’t know, with the Sanderses, or Ruth Murphy?”
“Abigail is living with Ruth now. You can’t even imagine how crowded the town is, Jarrick. It’s not just the new miners. They’re having to accommodate builders, too, for all the construction. I was told over breakfast yesterday that some men crowd in six to a two-bedroom house! And you know how tiny they are. Soon they’ll have finished two floors of tenement housing in the company’s new building down by the river. How long has it been since you were there, Jarrick?”
“Mmm, it’s been at least two or three months. I haven’t needed to go west as often—particularly since you haven’t been there, Beth.” He smiled and reached across to touch her hand lightly. “I spend more time out on the prairie now, hardly ever in one place for long. But I’m aware the town’s been growing like a weed over the summer. I’m still surprised, though, there isn’t room somewhere for you to live more comfortably.”
“I’ll be fine,
” Beth assured him and hurried on to another subject.
Dessert arrived, and still Jarrick seemed in no hurry to turn the conversation toward the two of them, to their future. He was clearly enjoying the suspense, and Beth refused to be the one to speak first.
At last he cleared his throat and flashed a boyish grin. “Well, I’m sure you know we are not here at our special place just to catch up on news from Coal Valley.” He again reached across to stroke the back of her hand, then surrounded it with his.
Beth could feel her pulse racing. Warmth rushed into her cheeks, and her face turned down, only peeking up at him from under her hat brim.
“You know that I love you,” he whispered. “More than I could ever have imagined. And that you’re so much more—more precious, exciting, generous, and courageous a person than I had pictured I’d ever meet.” He lifted her hand, leaning his head closer to hers. “It’s so clear you’re truly a gift of God in my life, and I’m so very grateful for the way He’s brought us together. Even the strange and trying circumstances we’ve recently shared are seen more clearly in light of what God is doing in both our lives—no doubt to prepare us for the future.” He paused. “I’d like that future to be together, sweetheart, if you’re willing.”
Beth watched him produce a small box from his pocket. He set it on the table in front of her. “You must know I’d like you to be my wife, Elizabeth Thatcher. I’d be so honored if you would.”
Beth took a quick breath.
“Before you answer,” he hurried on, “there are some details we should discuss.”
Surprised, she drew her gaze away from the unopened box to meet his.
“I feel it’s important that we begin in unity, Beth—that we’re aligned with what we picture next in our future. And I don’t think it’s fair you should answer my proposal, hopefully with a ‘yes,’ and then afterwards we start a discussion about what you’ve just agreed to.”
She nodded almost imperceptibly. “That’s wise.” The suggestion, however, felt somewhat dispiriting.
He cleared his throat again and pulled his chair forward, crossed his arms on the table. “The most obvious path would be that you’d at least finish the school year in Coal Valley—and that I’d go on working on my assignments here. At some point during the year we could marry, and I’d spend as much time with you in the mountains as possible. It isn’t ideal, but I believe I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t want to leave your students before the end of the school year.” His tone deepened, and he frowned. “Of course, we could wait to marry until the term is over, but I’d rather not.” This time he was the one to look away. “I guess I don’t have the patience for that particular plan.”
Beth didn’t like the sound of a wait either. This time she was the one who reached across to tenderly lay her hand on his. “What is it . . . well, what do you see after that?” she asked.
“You mean, at the end of the school year?”
“Yes. Is there a way we could stay in Coal Valley so I could continue teaching after this year?”
His rubbed his chin. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to plan that far in advance. As a Mountie, I’m required to come and go wherever I’m assigned—wherever the Force sends me. I don’t really have a say in my postings or in how long I’d stay in each one. It’s a truly difficult arrangement for any bride to accept, and I’m painfully aware of that. But, Beth, I’m afraid it’s unlikely I’d ever be posted near Coal Valley again.” His hand grasped Beth’s. His voice went even quieter. “There is another alternative, sweetheart.”
Beth blinked, waited.
“Your father has offered me a position at his company.”
She stared across the table, stunned with this revelation.
“He says he’s ready to appoint a new head of security in Toronto and would like me to consider the job.”
Beth drew away, dropping her hands to her lap. “But—but you just said you weren’t allowed to choose your own placement.” She bit her lip and stole another glance at him.
“It wouldn’t be an RCMP position, Beth. I’d have to resign from the Force in order to work for your father.” His brow furrowed deeply.
Beth felt her stomach tighten. Leave the Force? How can he even consider such a thing? He’s always spoken so assuredly about his role—of his calling. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, and she blinked them away.
“Beth, I only want to make the best choice possible for us. Maybe it would be best if we settled down somewhere—somewhere closer to family.”
But I am . . . I am close to family, to my family here. But it was too difficult to speak the words aloud.
He persisted, saying, “And someday we’ll want children of our own. It would be so much easier if we could count on staying in one place, not picking up and relocating every few years.”
“But I thought Edward mentioned an obligation to a minimum period of time. Are you even allowed to leave the Force?”
He shifted in his chair before answering. “I haven’t completed my contracted years. It would require that I buy myself out of the service.”
“Isn’t it costly? When he first came to the West, Edward wasn’t worried about that because his father is—wealthy, but . . .”
Jarrick’s lips pressed together tightly before he answered, his voice low, “Your father said he’d be more than willing to pay the sum for me.”
Beth was sure she could hear the sound of defeat. She whispered breathlessly, “Is that what you want, Jarrick? Is it?”
“Sweetheart,” he pleaded, “I just want to take care of you in the best way I know how. I would give up anything on earth to be sure I was making the right decision for the two of us. You mean so much to me, Beth. I can’t even describe it.”
The strength of his love for her was at this moment breaking Beth’s heart. Is this what I’m giving back to him—the destruction of his own desires? But what can I say? It’s his decision, his responsibility before God. But I thought I’d be the one to make a sacrifice. I was prepared for that. It’s so much harder to watch him forfeit his dreams instead. But, truly, I’d hoped I’d never have to leave this place—that we could stay here together.
“I love you too, Jarrick,” Beth whispered. “I look to you to lead us, and whatever you decide, I know that I want to be with you—to be your wife.”
Her smile was tremulous as she felt his hands enfold hers, and tears were falling on the tablecloth by the time he slipped the ring over her finger and promised, “I’ll take care of you, Beth. I’ll love you as best I can—God helping me.”
“I know you will, my darling. I trust you.”
They were engaged. And Beth was determined to submit to her husband wherever he would lead. Along with her joy, though, her heart ached at the distressing possibility that he might be leaving so much of himself behind.
CHAPTER
4
HELLO, FATHER, IS MOTHER WITH YOU? I want to talk with you both, please.” Beth squeezed the receiver against her ear and gazed at the new diamond ring on her finger, glittering in its white gold setting. Jarrick stood close behind her, his hands on her shoulders as she sat in front of the desktop telephone. Neither of them was concerned that others in the RCMP office might overhear. Everyone in the building had heard their announcement by now.
“Okay, she’s here, Beth. Mother’s standing right here,” her father’s voice crackled over the line. “What’s your news?”
“Jarrick and I are engaged.” A pause. “Can you hear me? I said we are engaged.”
“Yes, yes, we hear you. We’re thrilled for you both!”
Beth tipped her head to see Jarrick’s reaction. “I guess it’s not a very big surprise to anyone there, but I have a very lovely ring on my finger to prove it.”
Another longer pause, and then Father answered, “Your mother is pleased as she can be. She wishes she could give you a great big hug.” He added, “As do I, my dear.”
“We’re hoping to be married in the
spring, Father. Do you think you all can come in April? We want to avoid as much of the winter as possible. There’s always a good chance of a storm even then, but we don’t want to put the wedding off any longer than that.”
“Oh, I see. You’re planning to marry in the West, then?” There was a small pause and muffled voices before Father spoke again. “Yes, we’ll be certain to clear our calendars. Let us know as soon as you have a fixed date. We’re so happy for you, Beth. Give Jack our love and best wishes.” Before Beth could respond he said, “Your mother wants to tell you for herself. Here she is—here’s Mother.”
“Beth, Beth, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Mother. We’re here, both of us.”
“Father says you’re to marry in the West. I thought you’d come home, perhaps in the summer? Our church is so lovely in late June.”
Beth exchanged glances with Jarrick. “No, I think we’re quite certain we’d like to have the ceremony here, where people know us as a couple.”
“Oh . . . oh, I just never considered it. Well . . . oh, dear. Of course, I don’t mind the travel, but it will greatly limit the guest list. Have you thought of that? We shall have to consider it carefully.”
“It won’t be a large wedding, Mother. It will be in Coal Valley, where we met. I can’t wait for you to see the town, to meet our friends here.”
Even through the miles of telephone line, Beth could hear her mother exhale her disappointment. “Yes, darling, we would be—we will be happy to come to you there.”
Having conceded the point, her mother’s happiness flowed over the telephone lines and buoyed Beth’s spirit. Had Beth not known about Father’s offer to Jarrick—his generous but problematic proposition—she would have been beside herself with delight at their acceptance of her beloved. But she didn’t dare bring up the subject of the employment offer. She knew Jarrick and her parents would outnumber her in such a discussion.
