[♪]
[stagecoach rumbling over gravel]
[♪]
Elizabeth Thornton's supposed to be on this stage.
She was,
but she got off at Cross Creek Meadows.
[door thuds]
[♪]
[Bill]: Jack died as he lived...
a hero.
He was leading
a group of recruits through the mountain
when there was a landslide.
He pushed two of his men out of the way,
saving their lives...
At the expense of his.
Never will I meet a better man...
Never will there be a braver Mountie.
[breath shakes]
Never will I have a truer friend.
[♪]
[Abigail]: Jack Thornton...
was a humble man...
...who viewed his duty as a Mountie
not as a choice that deserved praise...
But as his heart's calling.
Know that your darling Elizabeth
will never be alone.
[♪]
[Sergeant]: Ready--
[guns loading]
Aim!
Fire!
Reset!
Ready...
Aim!
Fire!
-[salute blasting] -Reset!
Ready...
Aim!
Fire!
[salute blasting]
[children, sullen]: ♪ Amazing Grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
[bagpipes rise in accompaniment]
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like me ♪
[♪]
[bagpiper continues]
[♪]
All right. Everyone, settle in.
It's time to start your math lesson.
Yes, Emily.
Is Mrs. Thornton coming back tomorrow?
Yes, she is.
[children, cheering]: Yay!
Not that we don't like
you teaching us, Mrs. Coulter...
And it's not that I don't love teaching you,
but...
it'll be nice to have her back.
Do we still call her Mrs. Thornton?
Or Miss Thatcher again?
[♪]
Mrs. Thornton.
She'll always be Mrs. Jack Thornton.
All right!
So, your math lesson today is all on long division.
Now, the first problem we need to solve is...
Oh... Goodness.
There are a lot of... problems up here, aren't there?
I think it's too many.
It's gonna take us all day.
Mrs. Thornton never gave us this many.
And you didn't leave enough room
for us to work through the answers.
[deflating sigh]
[resigned sigh]
[chalk clatters]
Who wants to sing a song?
[♪]
[laughs] Me too.
[♪]
Oh...
Jack.
It's so wonderful.
I know how much these stories mean to you.
Thank you so much.
[Jack]: Try it out.
What should I write?
Anything that comes to mind.
[keys clacking]
[paper swishing]
[♪]
[knocking at door]
Hi.
I hope we're not intruding.
We met on the path to your house.
The children wanted to say hello.
As did I.
Well, me too.
Well, I'm very glad to see all of you.
We've missed you.
Not as much as I've missed all of you.
[Rosemary]: We can only stay a minute.
Lunch is almost over.
Faith was kind enough to watch the other children
so we could come by.
Have you been teaching the class?
I thought Florence was going to do it.
Well, I volunteered.
I think, after last time,
Florence needed a little bit of a break.
You left some big shoes to fill.
The children made something for you.
We hope you like it.
It's a card.
We all signed it.
[♪]
"We love you, Mrs. Thornton.
"And we loved Mountie Jack.
We miss him so much."
Thank you. It's very beautiful.
[Rosemary]: It's time for us to go.
Children, say goodbye.
[kids]: Goodbye.
Bye.
[♪]
Are you okay, Opal?
I need to go home.
All right.
[♪]
How are you doing?
A little... numb.
Well, that's understandable.
You just have to do your best
to get through each day.
That's what everyone was telling me in Hamilton.
What is it, Abigail?
I have something for you.
Before Jack went to the Northern Territories,
he paid me a visit.
He gave me a letter...
[voice breaks]: ...that he wanted me to pass on to you
should anything ever happen to him.
[♪]
Do you want me to stay?
[♪]
Okay.
You know where to find me
if you need me.
[♪]
[inhales sharply, blows air]
[♪]
He's a bit head-shy.
It's all right.
It may take him some time.
It's all right.
Sergeant is your horse now.
The Mounties gave him to you.
It's what Jack would've wanted.
You want to take him for a ride?
Maybe some other time.
Okay.
I'm gonna take him to the livery.
Probably hungry.
Thank you, Bill.
[♪]
Thank you again for inviting me.
You don't have to thank us.
You're welcome here anytime.
Anytime. And we mean that.
Well, dig in while it's hot.
Okay.
I thought perhaps we could meet
tomorrow morning,
before school.
I could go over some of the lessons
I've been teaching the children.
Good idea.
I hope the students haven't been
too much trouble.
Oh, no.
The children have been the highlight of my day.
They've been absolute angels.
[Lee laughing]
What?
Sweetheart, you are a doll, but...
you're a terrible liar!
Terrible liar!
It's all right.
I know they can be a handful sometimes.
It's true, at times, they have tried my patience,
but there is a reason for that.
I'm not you.
Mm!
Is there something wrong with the food?
No, I'm so sorry, I just...
haven't had much of an appetite lately.
It'll tell you what.
I'll put your plate in the oven, keep it warm,
in case you get hungry later.
[♪]
[Jack]: You are such a blessing, Abigail.
Oh, Jack.
You take care of her.
[she sniffles]
[tearfully]: We're gonna miss you.
[♪]
Abigail?
Oh... Bill.
I didn't hear you come in.
The front door was open.
You're up late.
Are you doing rounds?
Doing anything I can not to... think.
I know.
Young men aren't supposed to die.
And when they do,
even as Jack did, as a hero...
[shaky breath]
[heavy sigh]
I don't know, Abigail.
Can't make sense of it.
This town has certainly seen its share of tragedy.
[choking up] He was like a son to me.
I never told him that.
I wish I had.
He knew.
I hope so.
[grunts] Mm!
You know, we're taught as Mounties
not to show pain.
My old instructor said it upsets the civilians.
Well, you're not among Mounties now.
I should go.
Stay.
[♪]
[knocking]
You ready?
Just a reminder.
We all support you,
and the children adore you.
They'll probably be on their best behavior for you today.
I'm right here with you.
You don't have to do this alone.
[Jack]: Keep them closed.
[Elizabeth]: They are!
Okay...
Open them.
[♪]
Oh, Jack...
It needsa few finishing touches,
but it'll be ready by the time school starts.
What do you think?
You did that?
I had help.
[sighs deeply]
It's wonderful.
[Jack]: Welcome home.
[quiet sob]
Elizabeth...
[crying]
Oh, Elizabeth!
[weeping]
Oh, it's okay, sweetheart.
It's okay.
It's all too much.
I understand.
I don't knowif I can do it, Abigail.
I don't know if I can... stay in Hope Valley.
Ohh...
[♪]
[Faith]: I'll pick up our supplies at the mercantile.
Thanks, Faith.
[door opens and shuts]
When did you start losing your appetite?
Since Jack passed.
Have you been sleeping?
More than I should.
It's not unusual to feel the way you're feeling
after everything you've been through.
Carson, I have a confession.
I didn't just come here for your professional opinion.
I wanted your personal one, too.
Okay.
I know you didn't practice medicine for a while
after your wife died.
Why did you feel like you had to stop?
Don't-- Don't answer that, if you don't want to.
No. It's fine.
It's really simple.
I stopped because I just couldn't do it anymore.
I needed to get away from everything for a while.
And that helped?
Is that what you're thinking about doing?
I can say that it definitely helped me.
My sense, though,
is that everybody heals differently.
So if you feel the need to get away for a while...
We'd all understand.
[♪]
It's time for language studies...
Cody, Emily, Timmy, Hattie, et cetera.
Oh! Does anyone know what "et cetera" means?
"And so on"?
Yes!
It's Latin for "and so on."
Oh! Here is one of my favorite Latin phrases...
It's pronounced
carpe...
...diem.
Does anyone know what that means?
It sounds like what I had for dinner last night.
[laughter]
Well, I can assure you that it isn't.
It means
"seize the day."
Opal? What do you do to make the most of your day?
Nothing.
Well, what makes you happy?
Full of life?
All right, everyone.
Take out your textbooks
and review the rest of your Latin vocabulary words.
Opal?
Are you all right?
Yes.
Are you sure?
You don't seem like your regular self.
You haven't said a word all day.
That's because I don't have anything to say.
Well, in my experience,there's always something to say.
Well, if you want to talk about anything,
you know you can tell me, right?
[♪]
What did Carson have to say?
He gave me something to boost my constitution,
and some words from personal experience.
Yes, well...
I think you can't get enough of those right now,
which is why I've arranged something for you today.
All right.
[door opens]
[Abigail]: Thank you for coming, everyone.
[door opens]
Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?
Ugh! It's like
the whole world has just been turned upside-down.
Why? What's wrong?
It must be horrible for people
who experience this all the time.
Experience what, exactly?
Failure.
Which is me as a teacher.
Failure? You?
No. Impossible.
I am doing
an adequate job,
but, to me, that might as well be failing.
Only you would see that as a failure.
Lee!
Imagine a Broadway review
that said I was an "adequate" actress?
[scoffs] I might've never worked again!
Mm-hmm...
I just can't help but feel
like I'm not completely reaching the children.
It's like they're there,
but they're not really... there.
Lee!
Really?
Uh...
I'm sorry, sweetheart.
Look. [sighing]
I'm sure it's not you.
It's just...
everything that's happened.
I know.
Well, I suppose I should go.
You obviously have a lot of work to do.
No, no. Wait. Hold on.
I'm sorry. Come here.
I want you to stay.
I'm sorry.
I just miss him so much.
Me too.
He's one of the best friends I've ever had.
You know...
maybe the kids need
something to take their minds off all this.
Like what?
I don't know.
Working with your hands is good for that.
There's a lot of scrap lumber around the sawmill.
Maybe they could make stuff.
Like... birdhouses or doll houses.
Or train engines or ships.
Yes! Lee! This is brilliant!
-Okay! -And the change of scenery--
...would do them good.
Tomorrow, we're spending the day at the sawmill!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hold on. Just a second.
Um, pack of kids running around a sawmill?
Fair enough. But--?
Okay, let's see. Um...
We'll do it at the livery.
And I'll have one of my men come to help out.
Oh, ho, ho. Lee!
This will certainly brighten their spirits.
Thank you!
-[Rosemary giggling] -Okay.
I'm glad I could help.
[door opens and shuts]
What was I doing?
When Patrick died,
I barely stepped out of the house
for a whole month.
Everyone mourns in their own way,
and on their own schedule.
That's true.
I'll never stop missing Paul.
But I can think about him
and smile
instead of cry.
Sometimes.
Maybe it would help if we talked about how we coped
in the early weeks.
Well, I just...
tried to keep myself busy.
I really didn't want to be alone with my thoughts.
For me,it was one day at a time.
At first, it didn't seem right
to burden others with what I was feeling,
but when we all started to share
what we were going through,
it made things easier.
I felt less alone
when I found out you were all struggling, too.
Yeah.
Everyone's been
very kind
that way.
Peter...
and I had only
been married a short time
when he died in the mine.
I felt cheated
out of the life
we were supposed to have together.
[tearfully]: That's how I feel.
Cheated.
[Abigail]: When you first came here, Elizabeth,
it was a few months after the mine disaster.
Do you remember how we were then?
What I remember
is how strong you all seemed,
even after losing so much.
Well, I didn't feel very strong on the inside.
In fact, after losing Noah and Peter,
I actuallythought about leaving...
To start a new life
someplace where there weren't painful reminders
everywhere I turned.
And then a young schoolteacher arrived...
And she made me realize...
...that,
even though there will always be sadness in life,
there will always be hope, too.
So I stayed.
And I will always be grateful to that young schoolteacher
that I did.
[♪]
[sobs]
[Elizabeth]: Oh, my goodness.
[she gasps]
It's so beautiful!
You really like it?
Yes. Why?
Because it's mine.
I signed the papers today.
Jack...
what made you decide to do it?
[♪]
[Jack]: My Dearest Elizabeth,
I'm writing a letter
I hope you never have to read.
If you are,
then you know I won't be coming home.
Take comfort that I will be watching over you
for the rest of your days.
I will always be with you in spirit.
But I need you to promise me one thing, Elizabeth...
You will open your heart to love again.
Know that I want nothing more than your happiness.
You are the perfect woman.
You showed me what it feelslike to be truly loved.
For that, I am eternally grateful.
Yours forever,
Jack.
[♪]
Where are we going, Mrs. Coulter?
Aren't we supposed to be in school?
Well, instead of working with our brains today,
we are going to be working with our hands.
Well, hopefully, both.
Brains and hands, that is.
Not both hands. Although...
[chuckles] That, too, I suppose.
Follow me, everyone!
Here you are, woodworkers.
Oh... Henry?
Are you the worker Lee sent to help us?
I, uh, volunteered.
We're going to make stuff with wood?
Yes, we are.
Whatever you want.
I'd like to make something for Mrs. Thornton.
Me too.
We could make it together.
We could all work on it together.
That is a wonderful idea! What should we make?
A box to hold flowers?
Well... think a little bigger than that.
A gazebo?
[all laughing]
Let's think a little bit smaller.
Hmm.
How about you have a look at the raw material,
and then you can make a decision about what you want to make?
Yes. Uh... very good.
All right! You heard him!
Take a look. Put on your thinking caps,
and let's come up with some ideas.
[Henry]: Okay, careful of the saws and whatnot.
They're sharp, and don't get any splinters, or anything.
[kids rummaging through scraps]
Opal?
Don't you want to share your ideas
about what to make for Mrs. Thornton?
[sighing]
I don't have any ideas.
Oh, sweetheart.
I feel awful for making Elizabeth cry yesterday.
You spoke your heart, Clara,
and there's nothing wrong with that.
Anyway...
no matter what we say,
Jack is still going to be on her mind.
Mm.
What's your favorite memory of Paul?
I think what I remember the most
is his laugh.
It was big
and loud! I could hear it
from our neighbor's place.
[ladies chuckling]
I can still hear it.
Aww.
What about Patrick?
He used to do this magic trick,
where he could always tell which card was yours,
no matter where you put it in the deck.
I never could figure out how he did it.
[others chuckling]
Well, Noah once surprised me
by baking a lasagna for my birthday,
only he overcooked it,
and the outer layer was as hard as a rock.
Did you eat it?
I tried to pretend it was good,
but Peter,who was five at the time,
just blurted out,
"Daddy, this lasagna hurts my teeth!"
[all laughing]
We need to make something for Mrs. Thornton
that'll make her feel better.
But what are we gonna make out of wood scraps?
[♪]
I have an idea.
-[Henry]: -All right! Break's over.
Come on in.
Come on.
[knocking]
May I talk to you for a minute?
Sure. Come in.
Who's watching the children?
Henry Gowen.
Gowen?
[stammers] It's a long story.
Listen, I hate to burden you with anything--
especially...
...at a time like this.
I just don't know where else to turn.
Rosemary,
what is it?
It's our dear little Opal.
What's happened to her?
No.
She's fine.
Physically.
She's just become unusually quiet.
Mm. Something did seem to be bothering her the other day.
Sometimes, she gets quiet
when the work is too hard,
or if she's concerned about a test, or--
I haven't told the children
about any upcoming tests.
Frankly, the only person in over their head is me.
I'll talk to her.
Would you?
Only if you're up for it.
I am, of course.
Thank you.
[♪]
-[Rosemary]: -That looks great, Emily!
Thanks!
[Cody]: None of this scrap wood's gonna work.
We need a big, flat piece.
Like this?
Whoa!
Mr. Coulter gave these to you for free.
Some for practice, and one for use.
They're perfect!
That's my Lee.
Well, he's just happy to help.
All right. Come on in, everybody.
I'm gonna show you how to use a chisel.
First of all,we're gonna do it safely.
-Now, just remember that-- -Opal.
This is not a toy.
Would you take a little walk with me?
...Put the pointy part down on the wood--
Let's go this way.
[tapping]
...Pound it real nice, like that.
Have a seat, Opal.
I just have to grab something in the back.
[♪]
Opal... hi!
Hi.
How are you doing?
Okay.
You know, Mrs. Coulter says
you haven't been saying much in class.
I don't have anything to say.
Do you know what I know about you?
What?
That, when you don't talk,
it's usually means that you have a lot to say,
but you're keeping it all bottled up
inside that little body of yours.
Is that what's happening now?
Maybe.
Think you could share with me what it is you're not saying?
I'm mad at myself.
Mad at yourself? Why?
I never got a chance to say "thank you" to Mountie Jack.
Thank him for what?
For saving my life.
In the fire...
before the wedding.
[sighing deeply]
Sweetheart...
he knew how grateful you were.
Are you sure?
Oh. I'm very sure.
Did you know that Mountie Jack saved my life?
In the mine.
It was collapsing and...
And, just like you, he swept me up in his arms
and he saved me.
He was the best Mountie ever.
Yes, he was.
But you know what this means, now, don't you?
What?
That, now, for the rest of our lives,
you and Ihave something in common.
Mountie Jack saved us both.
And we'll thank him in our prayers.
Every night.
[♪]
Hey...
hey there.
[nickering]
You must be missing Jack.
Oh. You two have been through so much together.
You never let him down.
Jack would be really glad to know
you're back home in Hope Valley...
Which is exactly where you belong.
[♪]
[Jack]: Whoa, Sergeant!
[Elizabeth]: Why are we stopping?
I just thought of something.
[♪]
What was that for?
I just wanted to kiss Miss Elizabeth Thatcher
before she becomes Mrs. Jack Thornton.
I can't wait.
[♪]
Come on. Come on.
You look like you could use a strong cup of tea.
Oh, a strong cup of something.
[chuckles]
Oh, teaching can be exhausting.
Elizabeth.
Just the two people I wanted to see.
Well, I wanted to see you as well.
Whatever you said to Opal worked.
She's back to her old self again.
Oh, good.
How are you feeling?
Rosemary...
I want to thank you for everything,
but as of this moment, I relieve you of your duties.
I'm ready to teach again.
[Rosemary chuckles]
Well, you won't have any argument from me.
Elizabeth, are you sure?
More than sure.
Well, the children have missed you very much.
And I've missed them, too,
which is why, starting tomorrow morning,
I will be back in the classroom.
You have no idea how happy we are to hear you say that.
[♪]
She's here!
[all]: Good morning, Mrs. Thornton!
Oh!
Well, hello.
Wait till you see this, Mrs. Thornton.
See what?
The children came up with this idea
all on their own.
It was Cody's idea, but we all helped make it.
It was their project,
with a little help from Lee.
No, no, no, with a lot of help from Henry,
as a matter of fact.
Well, I was happy to help, but it was the kids' thing.
We wouldn't even have this schoolhouse
if it wasn't for Mountie Jack.
We'd still be doing school in the saloon.
-[all laughing] -So we thought--
...what better way to remember Mountie Jack...
[Cody]: Than by doing this...
[♪]
When someone like Jack gives so much of themselves,
they're never really gone.
They're in everything we see, and touch, and feel...
Thank you for this.
I just love you all so much.
-We love you, Mrs. Thornton. -We love you, too.
Well...
as Mayor of Hope Valley,
I officially name this school
The Jack Thornton School,
after our beloved friend.
[♪]
Aside from these five,
can anyone think of any others?
-Opal. -Chicago?
Good one. Chicago.
[quiet sigh]
You know, it's believed
that Chicago was named after a wild onion
that grows along the river there.
My dad said Chicago burned down.
Is that true?
It is,
in the great fire of 1871.
What happened?
Well, it's believed
that the fire started at a farm outside of town,
and many of the buildings were made of wood,
so the fire spread quickly.
What did they do?
There's a lesson there.
That even on our darkest days,
if we help each other,
we can overcome anything.
We're glad you're back, Mrs. Thornton.
Thank you, Opal. So am I.
[♪]
[Abigail]: So how did it feel
to be back in the classroom?
It was actually just what I needed.
Cody said all the children were on their best behavior.
Oh...
What a wonderful thing they did,
naming the school after Jack.
They loved him so.
We all did.
More tea?
-Mm-mm. -I should be getting home.
I already have papers to grade.
Before you go,
we have a little gift for you.
"We"?
[♪]
[Elizabeth, surprised]: Ladies!
We made this... for you.
All of us worked on a section.
[gasps] Oh...
It's so beautiful.
We want you to know
you're always wrapped in love.
You're our family, Elizabeth.
You're my family, too.
And that is such a blessing.
Well...
Clara just made a fresh pot of coffee.
Who wants some?
[inhales, balks] Mm---
[Abigail]: What is it?
The smell.
It smells like coffee.
I know. Excuse me.
[♪]
[exhales deeply]
Sorry, Abigail. I'm fine now.
The smell of coffee made you nauseous?
Mm-hmm. It's never happened to me before.
It's happened to me...
And you've been tired and run down...
a loss of appetite, the headaches...
And now the nausea...
Elizabeth...
You're gonna have a baby.
[gasps]
[chuckles, sobbing]
[♪]