I Am Not Yours

An Investment

April 1916

Henry had begun to avoid Abigail again for months after the Mistletoe incident with Rosemary at Christmas. It wasn't too hard to avoid the mayor considering she had become more busy once again. She was now preparing the town for the first telephone in Hope Valley whilst coming up with some more recipes for the cafe and helping Elizabeth with Baby Jack when she had the time. She wrote letters to Becky at school every chance she got and finally started to reply to telegrams from Mountie headquarters regarding a replacement for Jack. The Spring weather had finally arrived and she couldn't believe how much had happened in just one year.

She found herself thinking about Rosemary's attempt with the Mistletoe and how quickly Henry had left at the thought of kissing her around the others. She wondered why the thought of it seemed to repulse him so. Trying not to dwell on it too much, she focused on her work and her children.

She was surprised to hear, one morning, that Tom, the saloon owner, was going to sell it. His mother had fallen and been hurt out of town so he was moving back home to take care of her. Abigail wondered if there would ever be a year where no big changes were happening in Hope Valley and a part of her began to agree that it WAS the perfect town to write books about, something Elizabeth had been saying since she moved there.

Soon after the announcement of the saloon going up for sale, Bill Avery approached her about selling his share of the cafe back to her so that he could own his own business. Abigail chuckled and told him that she hadn't the money to buy the share from him though she wished she could because she'd rather own her cafe in full herself. But alas, her bank account would not allow it.

"If you are just saying no because Henry is your friend-"

"What does that have to do with this?" Abigail asked Bill when he said that.

"Henry wants to buy the saloon too." Bill informed her.

"It has nothing to do with that. Trust me. Because I would love to have the cafe all to myself. I don't have the money for that. Four thousand, five hundred dollars is a lot, Bill."

The sheriff sighed. "Don't I know it."

It didn't matter either way. Even after Lee and Rosemary convinced Henry and Bill to both buy the saloon together as partners, Tom confessed that he had already sold it to some out of towner. An out of towner who refused to respect the town's wishes in keeping the saloon quiet at night.

It took a Town Council vote and almost a whole new law to be passed by Abigail for Lucas Bouchard to agree to only keep the saloon open passed 10 PM two nights a week so that the families and the children of Hope Valley could get rest on school and work nights.

"Henry Gowen, do I detect a smile?" Abigail asked him as everyone began to leave the mayor's office after the vote.

"That's not a crime now, is it?" He asked her, stepping over to her with his suit jacket draped over his forearm.

Abigail looked down at her own feet with a blushing smile as she shook her head. "No." She looked back up at him "But you'd become so chummy with Lucas, I thought you'd be on HIS side."

"Friends reveal themselves." Henry said to her. "I don't go looking for friends, I look for opportunities."

"And you see one in Lucas?" She asked.

"Your words, not mine." He smiled at her. "You did real good today, Abigail." He said, more than proud of her.

"Thank you, Henry." She said softly as her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit.

Henry suddenly remembered that they were surrounded by others and he tipped his hat to her. "Good afternoon." He said to her and stepped by her, heading back to Lee's office for work.