When Calls the Heart doesn't belong to me
A bit out there but I hope you read, enjoy and review…
When Faith Met Carson
Faith Carter woke up slowly, smiling, and sat up in her bed. She was petite blonde beauty with lovely blue eyes and an amazing smile. Or so Peter Boyd told her every day. Peter Boyd her boyfriend and soon-to-be fiancé. He intended to ask for her hand formally from her father that afternoon and then he'd propose. Faith had told him that he didn't need to first ask her father before he proposed to her but Peter had refused, first he would get her father's permission then he'd propose to her. She supposed it was endearing that he wanted to get her father's permission especially when he didn't really need it. It was like it was the nineteenth century or even the twentieth century. In addition to which Faith was an adult, she had just celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday a few weeks ago.
Still, she supposed that it was sweet that Peter considered a father's blessing an important thing and he was willing to ask for it.
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A few hours later Faith walked slowly to her room and threw herself onto her bed and wept.
She couldn't believe what had just happened.
She had watched Peter pull into the drive in his blue Chevy and a few minutes he'd been led to her father's study. Faith had been excited as she waited outside for him to come out and then they'd go and get properly engaged at their favourite spot at the beach.
Peter had walked out of the study about fifteen minutes after he'd entered the study and brushed past her. He was angry. Faith couldn't believe that her father had refused to give them permission and she'd stormed into the study ready to give her father a piece of her mind then she would go after Peter. Despite what her father said, she and Peter would marry.
Alfred Carter watched as his daughter stormed into the study. Faith was angry and he could tell that Peter hadn't told her what had transpired between them. The worthless young man had probably just run off without a word to her. Alfred had never liked Peter, that man was not good enough for his Faith.
"Dad, I'm an adult," Faith told Alfred, "and I can marry whomever I want."
"Faith…"
Faith interrupted him. "Peter is good enough for me and what's more he even asked for your permission when he didn't have to. He's educated and has a job, not the best job in the world but still, you can't stop us from getting married."
"Faith…"
"How could you?" Faith asked him. She couldn't believe the nerve of her father.
"Faith listen to me," Alfred raised his voice. "Peter didn't ask me for your hand."
"What?" Faith was shocked. "Of course he did. He wanted to speak to you about marrying me."
"He asked me about the inheritance your Aunt Ida left you," Alfred confessed, "and I told him that it was none of his business."
"He asked you about the inheritance Aunt Ida left me?" Faith repeated the words; they made no sense to her. "How did he know about that?"
"I asked him the same thing," Alfred said. "And I must confess that I was a bit surprised that you would tell him about it."
"Why would I tell him about it?" Faith asked. She never thought about Aunt Ida's will and the fact that her father's sister, who had passed a few months ago, had even left her anything. There was no reason why she would tell anyone about it.
"I asked him why he wanted to know about it," Alfred told him, "what business it was of his. And he told me that a man has to be careful when choosing a wife. He needs to know that the woman can contribute to their growth."
"What?" Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I told him that your Aunt Ida hadn't actually left you any money but a few pieces of jewels that had more sentimental value than monetary value."
"What?" Faith was still in shock.
"He seemed unhappy about that and he left a few minutes later."
Faith sat down and looked at her father. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She couldn't believe that she had been so wrong about Peter. She shook her head in wonder. He had been looking for a rich wife all along. She supposed that she should be grateful that he hadn't proposed to her but how could he ask her father about her inheritance? And to think she had thought his brashness endearing. He had probably only started speaking to her after he realised that she had some money coming to her. What a fool she'd been thinking that he loved her.
"I have to go," Faith told her father.
"You don't have to do that, sweetheart," Alfred assured her.
"I have to go," Faith repeated.
"What about school?" Alfred asked her. "You still have to pass that division before you get your license."
Faith hadn't been thinking straight. She had to complete her studies, she was finally going to get her architectural license and become a practicing architect. She had dreamed about it all her life.
"You're right," Faith said.
"But," her father said, "it's not for another few weeks and you don't have to do it here."
"Yes," Faith nodded.
"We can go and see the house that your Aunt Ida left you."
"She left me a house?" Faith asked her father. "But you just said it was some jewelry of sentimental value."
"I may have mislead Peter," Alfred confessed, "but he had no right to ask me about an inheritance that wasn't his."
"You never liked Peter," Faith replied, "And it turns out that you were right not to like him."
"I was," Alfred agreed, "but I wish I had been a bit wrong about him."
"Do you think he would have proposed to me if you'd said that I had property?"
"Oh, sweetheart," Alfred hugged his daughter, "don't even think about it."
"He probably would have proposed," Faith was crying now, "And I would have said yes, thinking that he it was me that he loved."
"I suppose that we should grateful that he was upfront about his intentions," Alfred said.
"Yes I suppose."
"I'm so sorry," Alfred said. "So sorry that he turned out to be such a bad egg."
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Faith and Alfred sat on the train a few days later. They were on their way to Hope Valley. She had never heard of the place until she'd read about the property her aunt had left her. Her father had explained that he hadn't told her about the house because there were some queries regarding the property – another party was claiming that it was theirs and the Carters' lawyer and the other party's lawyer were still sorting them out. Apparently Aunt Ida's husband, Titus, who had died a few years before she did, had said that the house should go his nephew after her death.
In spite of that Alfred and Faith had decided to take a weekend trip to Hope Valley to see the property and also to take some time away from the city.
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Carson Shepherd took a sip from the cup in front of him as he read through the report that lay open on his desk. It seemed that Sally Rogers would need surgery after all. He hated when that happened especially to people like the Rogers'. They needed all the money they could get, and Sally's losing her leg would certainly affect her ability to work efficiently around the farm but there was nothing for it. The infection had spread and if the leg wasn't removed it would spread further and the consequences could prove fatal. At least their insurance would cover it. That was something at least.
He looked out of his window to the bustling street that lay below and remembered that his lawyer had left him a message earlier in the day asking him to get back to him urgently.
"What?" Carson asked a few minutes later, after having listened to her speak. "They can't do that."
"They can," Janice assured him.
"But it's my house," Carson said, "Uncle Titus left it to me."
"They're claiming that Ida left it to her," Janice reminded him, "you should be grateful that they've left it this long. Honestly I expected them to come here a lot sooner."
"Janice," Carson told her, "You told me that Ida's will was ineffectual."
"Well," Janice replied, "Titus did leave the house to her, so technically she could do with it what she wished."
"He left her the house for her lifetime after which it became mine," Carson reminded her, "we have the will to prove this."
"And they have Ida's will," Janice said.
"So they're on the way to my house?" Carson asked.
"They're on the 3:56 train," Janice replied, "so they'll be arriving soon."
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"I'm okay," Faith winced as she tried to get up and Alfred reached out and carried his daughter. The young boys who had knocked her down had already disappeared into the crowd. They had been getting off the train when three boys had run into Faith knocking her down.
"I think you should get that looked that," a kindly stranger told them. Alfred smiled at the man. "I'm going into town," the man continued, "and my car is waiting for me outside." The man helped Alfred get their luggage and get Faith into his car.
The doctor's practice was about ten minutes from the station and the stranger helped them in, deposited their luggage in the waiting room and after wishing them well, left.
"The doctor will see you now," Florence, the nurse told them.
Faith entered the examination room and sat on the bed. Carson asked her a few questions as he examined the leg and called in Florence to help dress the wound. Her jeans had to cut in order for Carson to see the cut properly but he assured that the ointment would heal it up nicely and that she should stay off it for a few days.
"That will hinder my ability to see the town properly," Faith said. Carson hadn't really looked at his patient when she'd been brought although he had noticed that she was pretty but looking at her now he could tell that she was more than just pretty, she was quite beautiful with her sparkling eyes. He decided to do something that he'd never done in his life, he chatted up a stranger.
"Right, you're just visiting our charming little town," Carson smiled at her. "I'm sorry your introduction was not so good. We're usually very warm people here in Hope Valley."
"The man who brought here was very kind."
"Yes," Carson laughed, "Henry is a very …interesting man."
"What I've seen so far seems very nice," Faith said, "hopefully I won't need to be off my leg for as long as you think."
"You have to follow my directions," Carson told her, "doctor's order but if you'll tell me where you're staying I can pick you up later and take you on a drive. Better still, why don't drop you off to your hotel and take you on a brief tour."
"No," Faith smiled, "I'm sure you have work to do."
"Actually I was about to head out," Carson told her, "and it would be my pleasure to take you and your father on your first tour of Hope Valley."
"Well," Faith said, "if it's not too much trouble."
"No trouble at all."
A few minutes later Alfred and Faith were sitting in Carson's car. He was going to first get them checked into Abigail's, a B&B, and he would drive them around the town.
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"I guess you managed to sort things out," Lee told him later that evening. They were having drinks at the bar.
"What things?" Carson had no idea what his friend was talking about.
"Titus', Ida's house," Lee said, "your house."
"What do you mean?"
"I saw you driving Alfred and Faith around earlier," Lee shrugged, "I figured you sorted the whole house thing out."
"I drove Faith and Alfred around town," Carson agreed, "I fail to see what that has got to with the house."
"You mean you don't know?" Lee looked at his friend in surprise. "Alfred's Ida's brother and Faith is her niece. You know, the one she left the house to."
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