CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Six Months later...
Caledon Hockley grunts as he steps off the carriage that carried him to Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. This is where his detective had said he spotted his fiancee Rose Dewitt Bukater...Dawson. It was hard for him to believe that she had went and married another man she had known for only a month, and a poor man at that...not rich. Ruth had begged Caledon not not to go to Chippewa Falls. To leave her daughter down there to live in the mess that she called her life. But Caledon was curious. How was Rose fairing living life as a third class citizen? She couldn't be happy of course. Who would be after living in a life of luxery all their life?"
Spotting the small country store across the way, he went there first. He was going to need a place to stay. An attractive blond was standing behind the counter, her blue eyes wide with curiousity.
"Is there a hotel anywhere around here?" Caledon asked smartly. "I've had a long train ride and am in need of suitable accomodations."
"We don't have a hotel, but there's a boarding house down the way there. Mrs. Emma will let you stay there for a good price," The girl smiled. "How long are you going to be with us sir?"
"Don't know," Cal shrugged. All depended on Rose. "Thank you," Cal nods before leaving the store and heading for the boarding house.
Susan sits at her mother's desk reading a book of poetry when the dark haired man waltzes in and brings his hand down on the table. Susan looks up and arches her eyebrows in surprise. He's a swell of course. A handsome swell and a arrogant one.
"May I help you?" Susan sighed wearily.
"Give me the best room this place has," the swell looks the place over as if deciding it was worth gracing with his presence.
"Sure. For how long?"
"Indefinately," The man pursed his lips.
"It's the first room on the left," She hands a house key to the man. "My mother will be up to go over the rules of the house with you later. I hope you enjoy your stay with us Mr...."
"Hockley. Mr. Caledon Hockley," The man snatches the key away from her and storms up the stairs.
Susan sets in stunned silence. She had heard the name before. From Rose when she was telling Susan about her life in Philadelphia. That was the man she was engaged to when she had met Jack. Picking up her coat, Susan raced out of the house and on down to the Dawson's. Rose needed to know that her ex-fiancee was in town and by the look of things he was in a bad mood.

Rose was setting on her porch in a rocking chair, happily knitting a baby booty and humming a tune while Jack sat on the stairs, sketching her when Susan arrived out of breath.
"Hey Susan, what's wrong with you? You look like you've ran in one of those marathons," Jack laughed.
"I feel like it too."
"I'll get ya a chair," Jack gets up and disappears into the house. One second later he emerges with a kitchen chair and sets it next to Rose. "There ya go."
"Thank you Jack," Susan smiles. "I just stopped by to warn Rose."
"Warn me of what? That Brianna's going to come over here again and try to pretend that she and Jack are having a affair while I'm home alone all fat and ugly?"
"No. That a certain ex-fiancee is staying at our boarding house and he's in a sour mood. He said that he'd be staying indefinately," Susan crosses her arms.
Rose pales and her hand flies to her mouth. "You don't mean...Cal? He can't be here. I mean...I didn't tell my mother where we were living."
"Must have been a private detective," Jack said, going to his wife's side. "Did he mention anything about Rose Susan?"
"No. He just said he'll be here indefinately. I thought I should warn you though."
"Not that it makes much of a difference," a strange voice speaks up. The voice wasn't strange to Rose. She recognized it immediately. Cal. "So there's my wayward ex-fiancee. How long has it been dear? Seven months?"
"What do you want Cal?" Rose coldly asked, getting to her feet. "Did mother send you?"
"No sweetpea. Your mother did not send me. In fact, she begged me not to come here. To let you live in the mess you've made. But I was curious. I wanted to see if you were truly happy living like a bohemian. How a girl who only knows how to shop and host parties is surviving out here in the real world."
"I'm surviving just fine thank you. And now that your curiousity is satisfied, I suggest that you leave on the next train out of here," Rose growled.
"Oh, and I see you're in the family way. Congratulations," Cal doesn't move. "You know Rose. I would have given you everything. But you were never agreeable to anything. You always insisted on making everything hard on yourself. You couldn't even be happy boarding the Titanic. The most luxerious ship in the world..."
"That's now on the bottom of the sea," Rose crossed her arms. Too bad it didn't take you with it."
"Ok, let's stop right here," Jack interrupts the argument. "Things are starting to get out of hand. Listen Mr. Hockley, Rose obviously doesn't want to see you right now so I suggest that you go on back to the boarding house. Susan will show you the way back."
"I'm happy to oblige, but I will return and when I do Rose and I are going to have a little talk about proper ways of breaking an engagement," turning around, Cal follows Susan down the dirt path.

The nerve of him!" Rose steams. "How dare he come here!"
"Calm down Rose. Tension isn't good for the baby," Jack walks over and messages her shoulder. "I don't know what he wants, but I doubt he's here to get you back."
"No. He's just here to make my life miserable. That's all," Rose collapses in the chair. "Jack, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know Rose. Wait and see I guess."

Cal and Susan had just returned to the boarding house to find Brianna waiting for him, wearing her best courting dress.
"Why hello Mr. Hockley. I just came over to see how you like our small town so far," Brianna smiled demurly.
"I hate it," Cal snorted before disappearing into the boarding house, leaving Susan and Brianna to themselves.
"You are so obvious," Susan shakes her head in disgust.
"It's better to be obvious than an old maid, which you're going to

be if you don't get yourself in gear to court. Take Mr. Hockley there. He's rich, handsome, and single. The best combination. All the girls must want him."
"You have a lot to learn Brianna. Looks and money are not everything. And the single part of Mr. Hockley is not of his chosing. Rose found him too detastable to marry."
"What does she have to do with it?"
"She's his ex-fiancee. She dumped him like he was yesterday's news," Susan grinned. "But if you want him, go ahead. I'm sure Rose wouldn't care if you took her left overs."
Glaring angrily, Brianna turns and storms down the road, back to her grandmother's country store. Susan had to smile in satisfaction in getting back at her old time enemy.
"Susan, what's going on out here? What did you do to Brianna this time?" Her mother asked, appearing in the doorway.
"I just put her in her place. Where's our new tenant?"
"Upstairs unpacking," Mrs. Emma sighed wearily. "Who is he Susan? And what does he want here in Chippewa Falls?"
"He's Mr. Caledon Hockley, son of Nathan Hockley, Philadelphia steel tychoon and Rose's ex-fiancee. He's here to see what Rose found so important to dump him for," Susan shrugged.
"My goodness," Mrs. Emma shakes her head. "I feel for the man, but I hope he doesn't cause trouble for those two. That's all they need with a baby on the way."
"Don't worry mother. Rose handles him pretty well. She knows how to hold her own," Susan grinned, remembering the line about Cal not disappearing with the Titanic. Her smile fades when Cal reappears in the doorway.
"Is there a telephone anywhere in this place? I need to make a business call!" He demands.
"The setting room," Mrs. Emma directs.
Cal just snorts and disappears back into the house.
"Oh dear," Mrs. Emma place a hand to her cheek. Rose Dawson may be able to handle Caledon Hockley, but how will the rest of the town handle him?

Rose wakes up in the middle of the night out of the nightmare of Cal chasing her and Jack through the sinking Titanic with a gun. She glances over at Jack and sighs in relief that it was just a nightmare.
Why was Cal here? What could he possibly want, it obviously wasn't her. If it was her he wanted, he would have insisted on dragging her back to Philadelphia. Sighing forlornly, Rose gets up and stands at the window looking up at the stars.
She remembers when she was a little girl and her father took her outside to look at the stars. She can still remember the little poem he recited to her. She places a gentle hand on her swollen stomach as she thinks of her baby. She wished her father was here with her now...to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. That Cal wouldn't ruin her marriage to the guardian angel he had sent from heaven.
"Rose?" Jack asked waking up to find her spot empty.
"I'm right here Jack," Rose smiled.
"Why aren't you asleep?"
"I was just thinking about my father. I wonder if he's looking after us right now Jack. Do you think he is?"
"Of course," Jack gets out of the bed and goes to her and places his hands over hers. "Both my parents and your father are probably looking down on us right now discussing how proud they are that we found our way to each other. And now as a reward, they've sent us this little angel here."
"What do you want Jack? A boy or a girl?" Rose asked.
"Girl. I want her to have your eyes and your red curls and your smile of course."
"Jack...I'm kinda scared. I mean with Cal here now...I don't know what's going to happen."
"Don't worry Rose. I'm here. I'll protect you, I won't let that creep harm you in anyway. I promise."
Rose smiled. "Thanks Jack. That's all I need to know, that you'll be here with me through all this."
"I'll always be here for you Rose. Now and forever," Jack kissed her cheek gently and pulls her back to the bed. "Come on now. It's time to turn in. We have a long day tomorrow."

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