Chapter 77. Family Fun
On Thursday at 4 p.m, Julia and Allie walked toward the livery, excited about their trip to Brookfield. Just a little bit earlier, at 3:30 p.m., Julia had gone to the Mercantile to place a big order with Ned, and timed it just right so that she could pick Allie up from her shift at the telephone exchange, and walk with her to the livery.
They both carried their overnight bags, and wore huge, excited smiles as they entered the livery. Nathan was, of course, already there, and was just finishing up the saddle on Lucy. Nathan looked up, and greeted them both with his own happy smile. He attached their bags just behind their saddles and when everything was ready to go, he led Newton, Ginger, and Lucy outside.
Though once they were outside, before he let Julia mount, Nathan came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He just couldn't resist. She looked so beautiful and he was still in la-la land after yesterday. Everything about the day had been perfect, and had only deepened their already strong connection.
As Nathan slowly pulled back from her cheek, Julia's eyes followed him. She just couldn't take her eyes off of him. His kiss had been so tender, and sent all the butterflies in her belly, into motion.
Julia grinned softly, "What was that for?"
"That was just because." Nathan asked her low, with his playful smile. "Do I need a reason to kiss you?"
Julia just beamed and answered low, "Never."
Nathan nodded and slowly stepped back. He held the reigns while Julia mounted, then he tucked her skirts in and got her set. Next, he moved to Allie and did the same. And finally, he mounted Newton and adjusted his seat in the saddle.
It was a beautiful day, and made for a nice ride. They followed the path north, and at the turnout, continued straight, just as Julia had done the day of the storm. Though, it was so nice to see the terrain in the day time, and under the sunshine. They followed the path for a long time and eventually passed the cabin where they had taken refuge. Shortly after, they came to Allie's overlook.
They stopped and spent a few minutes there. Julia had never seen the overlook in the daylight. It had been dark and stormy the last time she was here, not to mention that her attention had been focused on finding Allie and getting them under shelter. So, she hadn't even glanced at the overlook.
Julia could see why Allie liked this viewpoint. It was the perfect vantage point to the north, towering over every smaller hill for miles and miles. In the distance were taller mountains far to the north, but from right here, they could see for a long time. The sky seemed huge, and not a cloud was in the sky. It was beautiful.
After they'd had their fill of the scenery, they returned their horses to the trail and continued north towards Brookfield. Allie pulled out in front, and Newton fell into step beside Lucy.
"I called my mother this morning." Nathan told Julia with a big smile.
Julia asked curiously, "What did she say?"
"She's really happy for us, and sends her congratulations. She asked that you write her, with all the details." Nathan chuckled.
"You didn't share all the details already?" Julia asked.
Nathan smiled, "Not from your point of view." He told her.
"Okay. I'll send her a letter next week." Julia promised. "Though, she owes me a letter already, I just returned her last letter on Monday."
"She thought you might say that. She promised to sit down and write you back this weekend." Nathan replied.
"I called Auntie Elle." Julia told him. "She's very excited to meet you." She paused, "She also sends her congratulations." Julia smiled over at him, "She was driving me crazy about you, asking a million questions. I had been too vague in my letters, apparently." Julia giggled low. "She asked me to send her a photograph."
"Did you?" Nathan asked her.
"Not yet. Fiona is going to make another copy of our couple photo. And I will send it to her on Monday." Julia told him.
"And, what did she say about a visit in the fall?" Nathan asked her.
"She said it would be perfect. What about your mother and Charlie?' Julia asked him.
"They too are happy to consider a visit in the fall. Though it might take some convincing to get Mom and Charlie to both leave the ranch at the same time." Nathan told her.
"Well, let's just hope we can convince them." Julia said with a smile. "So, we could look at a date in late September?"
"I don't see why not." He told her, with a broad smile.
All of a sudden, the path brought them out into a beautiful meadow of wildflowers. Julia had hoped they would happen upon some flowers along the way, so that she and Allie could make bouquets for Lillian and Grace. She had already mentioned it to Allie, on their walk to the livery.
So when Allie saw the field too, she turned around and asked Julia, "Should we stop here?"
"Oh, can we Nathan?" Julia asked, "Allie and I want to pick some flowers for Lillian and Grace. Could we have 5 minutes here?"
Nathan liked the idea and nodded. "I'll help you." He told them. And, in a short time they had two beautiful bouquets put together. Julia pulled ribbon from her pocket and tied them up nicely.
"You ladies are quite the bouquet designers. They are both lovely." Nathan told them, as they mounted and continued on their way.
A short time later, they rode into Brookfield. It was a cute little town, with a downtown boardwalk lined with shops on either side. There was a feed store, a general store, and a hotel, to name a few. Nathan led them straight towards the Mountie office. Nathan dismounted in front, but entered to find it empty.
"Gabriel must be out." Nathan told them, looking up and down the street. No sign of a red coat anywhere. "We can just make our way to the orphanage if you'd like."
"Sure." Allie told him. Nathan re-mounted and Julia and Allie turned their horses to follow Nathan.
When they rode up to the orphanage, it was obvious why Gabriel wasn't in the office. He was engrossed in a game of kickball with a big group of children. Lillian and Grace were playing, too. Nathan thought there were only five children currently living at the orphanage, but he counted at least 9 children playing and having a great time.
It looked like a lot of fun, and a close game. So, Allie, Julia, and Nathan quickly dismounted near the house, and tied up the horses. They walked over to join, and Gabriel quickly added them to the teams. To make it even, he put Nathan on the team with Lillian and Grace, and Julia and Allie on his team.
Julia took third base, and Allie went into the outfield. Though, there were already two outs, so the sides quickly changed, after Gabe caught the pop fly kicked on the very next roll.
Lillians's team took the field. Grace played pitcher, and Nathan took second base. Lillian took first, and Vincent was on third. And, the rest of the kids went into the outfield.
Sophia was up first to kick, and she managed to get a single. Next, Christian kicked a pop fly to Nathan, who caught it in the air. One out. Next, Allie was up. She managed to get on first, though Nathan easily tagged out Sophia at second base. Two outs.
Next up was Julia. She let the first ball roll by, because it took a weird hop to the left. Then, on the next roll, she clobbered it. It went into the outfield, and she managed to get all the way to second. She was a fast runner, and made it easily. Allie ran all the way home, which tied the score.
Once Julia was on second, Nathan couldn't resist, but stayed right near to the base.
Gabe was up next, and clobbered it too. It went far, and Julia and Gabe easily made it all the way around. That made the score 10-8, Gabe's team was up by two runs. The next batter was Anna, one of the children's classmate from school. Unfortunately, she kicked it straight to Grace who easily got her out. Three outs. They changed sides.
Gabriel played pitcher for his team, and rolled the first ball to Lillian. She kicked it well and managed to get on first. Next, Mary Louise kicked it in the air, and Allie caught it. One out. Then, Vincent kicked and got on first, though Gabriel got Lillian out at second. Two outs. Next was Grace, who kicked well and managed to get to first, while Vincent got safely to second.
And, next up was Nathan. He really got ahold of it, and kicked it very far. Allie took off running, and it took her and Jeffrey, a boy from town, a long time to get back with it. Vincent easily scored as did Grace.
As Nathan rounded second, Julia playfully obstructed his way, trying to slow him down and give Allie more time to get back with the ball. Julia sauntered back and forth in his path, until he, for fear of running her over, finally picked her up by the waist. He turned her in his arms and spun her around a few times, legs flailing out into the air, and finally set her down behind him. This cute little interaction solicited laughter from everyone, including all the children. But, even with this little delay, Nathan still easily scored, pulling his team ahead by one run, for the win.
As he crossed home plate, Nathan's team erupted into applause and cheers, and he went down the line giving everyone a high five. The kids were ecstatic, and jumping up and down.
Gabriel came over and shook the hand of his good friend. Then all the players followed suit, and shook hands. A hearty chorus of "Good game," could be heard as the players shook with each other.
Finally, when the excitement died down, Gabriel took the opportunity to introduce Julia to Lillian and Grace, and all the kids.
After all the introductions, Allie ran to the horses and retrieved the two flower bouquets that she and Julia had made on the way. She presented them to both Lillian and Grace, before she ran off to play with Anna, Sophia, and Mary Louise.
After putting their flowers in water, Lillian and Grace showed Julia around the orphanage. It was a very beautiful house that Lillian had inherited from her adoptive family. There were many bedrooms, a large dining room, and a huge kitchen. There in the kitchen, Julia was introduced to Ms. Winters, the housekeeper, who was hard at work cooking dinner. Mrs. Winters was a very kind older lady with a sunny disposition. She also seemed a little headstrong and likely kept things in order here and there.
Lillian and Grace had prepared a nice room for Julia, to share with Allie. Julia set her and Allie's bags down in their room, and continued the tour.
Next, Grace showed Julia the grounds of the orphanage, which were large. There was a small barn, where they kept their milk cow, Virginia. They also had two horses and a wagon. And, there was a small outside workshop, filled with lots of tools and equipment.
As they were finishing their tour, Mrs. Winters came out and called everyone in to dinner.
As they started back towards the house, Grace saw a lone figure arriving on horseback. She leaned over to Julia and explained. "My friend Chuck is coming for dinner." Though, Julia could tell by the look on Grace's face, and the huge smile, that Chuck was obviously more than a friend.
The children from town all said their good-byes and headed home. And, the rest all filed into the dining room. Lillian and the big girls had set a beautiful table. Gabriel entered with Nathan, they had been to the livery to stall the horses, and then walked around town and talked for a while.
Lillian invited everyone to take a seat. It was quite a crowd: Lillian, Vincent, Christian, Mary Louise, Allie, Sophie, and Fred. Gabriel sat on the other side of Nathan, and Grace and Chuck sat next to Julia. Everyone joined hands and Lillian prompted the children, who all broke into song, singing a beautiful blessing.
Mrs. Winters had made a hearty beef stew, and everyone enjoyed it. Conversation flowed freely over dinner. Julia learned that Grace had been to England a year or two ago, to reunite one of the girls in their orphanage with her grandfather. She had been absent 7 months between the long travel each way, and helping Helen get acclimated. It had been a long trip, but was part of the work they found most rewarding at the orphanage. One of Grace and Lillian's goals was to reunite the children with family members, whenever possible.
Grace took the opportunity to share with Julia the story of how she and Lillian had been orphaned and then separated as children. But, Lillian had searched and found her, after all the years of separation.
Grace and Chuck asked Julia questions too, and she was happy to share her story with them. Nathan shared free too, when they inquired of him. And, she and Nathan got to know them a little, too. Chuck was a veterinarian and his family owned a huge cattle ranch in Brookfield.
Chuck noticed the ring on Julia's finger and inquired. Nathan leaned over and proudly told him that they had just been engaged yesterday.
When all the dinner plates were empty, Grace and the children cleared them off to the kitchen. Some of the girls had made cookies for dessert, which was a lovely treat. They returned with big plates of cookies and sat them down on the table.
When everyone had eaten their fill, Grace invited them all into the salon. She had prepared a game of charades to play together. She counted everyone off, either a one or a two, and invited everyone to sit by teams. Nathan was on a team with Christian, Allie, Grace, Gabriel, and Mary Louise. And, Julia was on a team with Lillian, Chuck, Vincent, Sophia, and Fred. And, Fred climbed right up into Julia's lap once she was seated with her team.
Grace picked up a hat turned upside down and filled with folded papers, on a nearby table. Grace explained the rules, and placed the hat back on the table. Team One went first, and Christian stepped forward to start them off.
The game that ensued was tons of fun; full of laughter, enthusiasm, and energy. While they played, Julia looked around the room several times. Lillian and Grace had provided such a lovely home for these children. They were a real little family, and were providing an environment that was loving and nurturing, and fun. Julia thoroughly enjoyed herself.
When the game winded down, and everyone seemed ready for bed, Julia quickly escaped to retrieve something from her room. She came back with a bundle of books, and presented it to Lillian and Grace. There were about 6 or 7 books all ties up together. Two titles from Louise May Alcott, two from L.M. Montgomery, one from Mary Shelley, and two from Mark Twain.
"What is this?" Lillian asked her.
"It's a gift for the children. I thought maybe they would like to have some reading books. I don't know if you have a library here?" Julia asked. "Perhaps you have them all already."
Grace spoke up. "Lillian has wanted to start a library here for the children, for a long time." She told Julia, excited about the books. "We don't have a library in town, and the children always need to have new reading material."
Lillian explained, "We have the beginnings of a library, though only one or two rows of a shelf, so far. They are mostly my old books, from when I was young. But, I have been wanting to expand the library for quite a while." Lillian turned the books sideways and scanned the titles, "Thank you, Julia. This is so thoughtful. The children will love them."
Julia smiled, "I hope they will. There are some good titles for girls there, and I included Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer for the boys." As she said that, she looked over at some of the boys.
Lillian slowly unwrapped the string and asked the children. "Who would like to borrow a new reading book?" Many of them raised their hands. "Sophia, here's one for you." She passed her one of the Louise May Alcott books. "And, for you, Mary Louise." Lillian passed her one of L.M. Montgomery's books.
She gave Vincent The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and handed Christian The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. "Boys, when you are done, you can trade with each other." Lillian told them, with her eyebrows raised.
Fred was still a bit young for such novels, so Grace went to the bookshelf in the other room, and picked him out a title that he could manage. So he wouldn't feel left out.
"Thank you, Julia. That was very thoughtful." Grace told her. Then she directed her attention to the children. "Let's go up and get ready for bed. You can bring your books and read a little before lights out." All the children happily said good night and followed her up the stairs.
Julia and Allie followed Lillian into the kitchen to help with the dishes. Together as three, they made short work of it. And, when they were done, Allie went on up to bed.
Julia and Lillian rejoined the men, who were chatting in the salon. Nathan stood when Julia came in, "Julia, would you join me on the porch for a little while?"
Julia replied, "I would love to." Nathan took her hand and led her to two old rocking chairs on the front porch. They sat next to each other and leaned back and looked at the stars, which appeared so big and bright in the sky.
Nathan continued to hold her hand, as they rocked. "It was a fun day, wasn't it?" She asked him.
"Yes, it was. What Lillian and Grace are doing is amazing isn't it?" Nathan asked her.
"It is. The children have a real home and a real family. It's beautiful." She replied.
Nathan told her. "It was very thoughtful of you, to bring books for them." He paused, "I had no idea they wanted to start a library, or I would have brought some books from my shelves, too."
"I had no idea either. I just wanted to bring them something, and figured most children love to read." She paused and looked at him, "Though, I have to be honest. Most of the titles I brought are titles that I know are already on your shelves." She smiled at him cutely. "Titles that we will have duplicates of, once our libraries are merged." She told him with a little hand motion.
Nathan nodded, he understood. She gave them titles that they both owned copies of, and well, would have multiples of, once they were married. "Well it was a good idea, and a wonderful place to give the duplicates, or even titles that we don't read anymore. I will have a look at my shelves, too, and see if I can't send some more over, for their library."
While they were sitting and rocking, Nathan and Julia saw Grace walk Chuck out together. These two were really cute together. Though she tried not to notice, Julia was sure Chuck leaned over and gave Grace a little kiss, before untying his horse and riding away.
A few minutes after, Gabriel walked out of the house. He had a big smile on his face and she stopped on the porch and bid them good night. Then, he slowly made his way back towards town.
Finally, Julia and Nathan stood to head inside as well. But, before they entered, Nathan turned to face her. He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, as he gazed down at her.
"I will bid you good night here, my darling." Nathan told her. He gently caressed her cheek and traced her freckles with this thumb. Julia felt her stomach do a flip at his tender touch.
He bent down slowly and kissed her goodnight. Slow and sweet and tender. Julia melted against him, from the tenderness in the kiss. When she finally pulled back, she whispered, "I love you, Lawman."
"I love you, too, Jules." He told her softly, then he turned and led her back into the house. They climbed the stairs together, and smiled at each other one more time. Then, Julia turned off towards the girls' rooms. And, Nathan turned the opposite direction to his small room, on the boys side of the house.
When Julia got into her room, Allie was already in bed. Julia changed into her night-gown, and climbed into bed quietly, next to Allie. Though, Allie wasn't sleeping yet, and as Julia laid down, she heard soft muffled sobbing.
Julia quickly rolled over in the bed and turned towards Allie, her left cheek on the pillow. She asked gently, "Allie, what's wrong?"
"This is such a nice place, and Lillian and Grace are doing such a great job to provide a nice home for Sophia and Mary Louise, and the others. But, Sophia told me about the orphanage where she was, before this one." Allie looked at Julia, sad and unable to control her sobs now. "It was not a nice place, Julia."
Julia looked at Allie, trying to understand what had her so upset. "But now, she's in a nice place and has a wonderful home." Julia pointed out, though she was sad to hear that Sophia'd had a rough experience in an orphanage. She was such a sweet, sensitive girl.
"It's still an orphanage, Julia. And, the only difference between me and these kids…is Uncle Nathan." Allie paused to take a deep breath. "If he hadn't taken me in…"
Julia's heart dropped, and her eyes filled with tears. She wondered if Allie's pondering hadn't also been spurred on by the conversation they'd had with Jimmy McIntosh. Julia saw the err of her ways now, though she had only been trying to ensure Nathan's release at the time.
Julia reached over and gently tucked a stray hair back for Allie. "Don't think like that, Allie." Julia paused, and then added. "We don't know if it would have come to that. There's also Grams." Julia had to ask, "Is this because of what I said to Jimmy McIntosh?"
Allie gave her a contemplative look, the one she made when she was considering a hard question. "Maybe a little bit. But, mostly it comes from seeing these kids and hearing their stories. It just made me think."
Julia tried to comfort her. "Allie, I said those things to Jimmy McIntosh to make him realize what kind of a man your Dad is. So that he would help us." Julia reassured her. "But, in your case, I'm sure Grams would have stepped in. She would never have let you become a ward of the court."
"How do you know?" Allie asked her. "And, what if something happens to my Dad now?"
Julia looked at her, and took a deep breath. "Allie, nothing is sure in this life. But, your Dad will do everything in his power to never leave you. Wasn't that the promise he made to you at your adoption ceremony?" Julia reminded her. Allie looked surprised that Julia knew about that promise. "He told me the story, Allie. Because it was the best day of his entire life."
"Really?" Allie asked her.
"Yes." Julia encouraged. "But, if anything were to ever happen to him, then Allie, you would've been loved by the most selfless of men. And, his wonderful love will carry you all of your life. You will always have it, right here in your heart." Julia said, with a soft touch to Allie's chest.
A soft tear fell from Allie's eye and soaked into the pillow. She knew those words were true. "But, I would be an orphan." Allie protested softly.
"No. I don't think that's true." Julia paused. "You still have Grams, and Allie, you have me." She'd had something on her heart for a while now, but perhaps now was the time. "Allie, I've been wanting to talk to your uncle about something, though I haven't had the chance yet. But perhaps now is the time for you and I to discuss it." Julia paused and pushed that pesky hair back from Allie's sweet face again.
Julia smiled softly, "Allie, when your dad and I get married, we are going to be a family. And, I want us to be a real family." Julia paused for a moment, then asked her, "What if I officially adopted you?"
As Julia's words sunk in, the dark clouds disappeared from Allie's eyes, and her entire face lit up. "You would do that?"
Julia smiled gently at her. "Allie, I love you. You have taken up residence in my heart, in a way that I never could've imagined." Julia paused and let that sink in. "I always knew that one day, I would want to have children, and be a mother. But, I never imagined myself as a mom, until you." Allie's eyes filled with tears. "Allie, I can actually picture myself in that role, as your mom." Julia smiled with certainty, and her own eyes filled with tears. "And, I would love to be your mom."
Julia continued in a whisper. "If you'd have me, I would love nothing more than to adopt you, Allie."
With those words, Allie threw herself into Julia's arms, and she wept long. All the years of hopes and dreams dashed, seemed to roll off of her with each tear. Even the disappointments and rejection of another woman, someone she had hoped would be her mother, melted away once and for all. Her Dad and Julia were the family that God had designed, and Allie was grateful. It was just what she needed, and just the right fit.
Allie clung to Julia as she wept, and found her home as a daughter, close to Julia's heart. There inside, Allie's place had slowly but surely been established, over all these months. And, Julia's heart, that had never felt particularly motherly, had been transformed, by Allie and Allie alone. A sweet exchange had taken place, and was cemented by love.
Their hearts were melded together in that moment, as mother and daughter to-be. A precursor of all that was to come, as God did the work little by little, to make them into a family.