Lucas Bouchard was behind the bar in the saloon. It was a bit of a slow evening, and he expected to close up soon. So when the door opened, he didn't even look up from the bottles he was straightening before saying, "We're just about to close, but can I get you something to take away?"
"Lucas, do you have any rooms available?" He looked up in surprise to see the local school teacher walking arm-in-arm with a beautiful woman about her age with blonde hair pinned up and gentle blue eyes.
"I certainly do have a room, Elizabeth. Would you be so gracious as to introduce me to your friend?"
"Of course. Lucas Bouchard, meet my cousin Christine Delaney. Her mother was the first Elizabeth Thatcher, my father's older sister, and like me, she moved out west to be a teacher on the frontier."
"And then fell in love with a Mountie and decided to stay," Miss Delaney said with a laugh. "I love when Mum tells me the story of how they met."
"It is a beautiful story," Elizabeth said with a smile. "But Christine needs a room for just one night. She showed up unannounced, and since I told Nathan that Allie could stay with me while he's helping Constable Kinslow, I have nowhere for her to sleep."
"She is certainly welcome. Room number three is available. Second door on the left at the top of the stairs. Do you need any help carrying your luggage?"
"No, thank you. We'll be fine." Elizabeth took the key that Lucas held out to her and then practically dragged her cousin up the stairs.
"So what are you doing in Hope Valley?" Elizabeth asked her cousin as she watched her get settled in her room.
"Mother and Father are helping me look for my birth family, and apparently my biological brother used to live here. So I'm here to look. I had forgotten that you live here now, or I would have sent you a wire."
"Oh, don't worry about that! I'm just happy to see you! It's been, what? At least ten years?"
"The last time I saw you was the last time I was in Hamilton. Mum and I came to visit about a year before you moved here. So about eight years ago."
"That's right! I remember, talking to Aunt Beth was what inspired me to begin praying about moving out west. Listening to her talk about her calling encouraged me to really consider what God was calling me to do with my life."
"Yeah, she's an incredible woman of deep faith." Christine yawned.
"Oh Christine, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you from getting some sleep. I'll leave you to get ready for bed. But would you like to come have breakfast with me tomorrow? You could meet my son."
"I would love that. Thank you Elizabeth."
"Perfect. I'll come get you and escort you back to my home tomorrow morning around 7?"
"Don't be silly. I'm sure someone will give me directions to your home. I'll be there by 7."
Elizabeth smiled. "If you're sure you don't mind. I imagine Lucas, the man who owns the saloon, would be willing to walk you over if you wanted company."
"Thank you Elizabeth."
Elizabeth took the hint and made her way out of her cousin's rented room. "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well!"
Around 6:30 the next morning, Christine was all ready to go have breakfast with her cousin. She walked downstairs with her handbag in search of someone to give her directions. When she made it down to the restaurant level, she paused. The space was completely empty, and she felt like she was intruding. "So much for finding someone to give me directions," she said aloud to herself. So she was startled when someone cleared his throat behind her. She jumped and turned around.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you Miss Delaney." The well-dressed gentleman from behind the bar last night stood there smiling at her.
Christine chuckled. "I've always been a bit easy to startle, I'm afraid. Product of my youth, I guess." She took a deep breath. "If I remember correctly, you're Mr. Bouchard?"
The man smiled widely, his eyes twinkling. "You are remembering correctly. Elizabeth is a friend of mine, and last night she asked if I wouldn't mind escorting you to her home this morning. I told her I was happy to do so if you didn't mind the company."
"I don't mind at all," Christine said with a smile. Although I ought to be wary of this one. A charming manner sometimes hides a selfish heart.
Lucas held out his arm to her. "Then let's be on our way." Christine took his arm and allowed him to escort her out of the saloon and onto the quiet streets of Hope Valley.
"I hope you were comfortable last night, Miss Delaney." The man's smooth voice eased her slightly frazzled mind from her minor scare earlier.
She smiled at her companion. "Yes, it's a lovely room. I was very comfortable."
"Good. We certainly aim to please at the Queen of Hearts." The duo fell silent for a moment before Lucas began speaking again. "So are you from Hamilton like Elizabeth?"
"No, I grew up in the Northern Territories." Christine knew her voice had taken a wistful tone. "It was heaven. But when my brother joined the Mounties like our father, I realized I had to grow up too, so I went to Secretarial School and became a secretary in Calgary."
"I see. You've come pretty far east from Calgary."
"Yes, my brother and his wife were transferred to Benson Hills, and while there he found… something… that led me here."
"Ah, a woman on a mysterious quest. How intriguing."
"It's not really all that intriguing, but it is personal, Mr. Bouchard, and we've been acquainted for less than a day." After all that had happened with Boyd, Christine was careful not to reveal too much of herself with strange men.
"Very true, Miss Delaney. I beg your pardon, I don't mean to pry. I especially know that sometimes we have reasons for keeping things to ourselves."
Christine stopped in her tracks and gave her companion a strange look, understanding lighting her eyes. "Oh. You're the man who put my cousin in danger. Something about a loan shark and a widow you befriended?"
Lucas didn't meet her eyes as he nodded. "Did Elizabeth tell you?" he asked calmly, although Christine thought he looked a bit tense.
"You forget that my brother and my father are both Mounties. When Elizabeth moved west, Uncle William asked my father to do what he could to… keep an eye out for her whenever possible. Henry has done the same, and when he saw a report from a Judge Avery that mentioned Elizabeth, he shared some of the details with the rest of us. I was staying with his family at the time, looking after the children. Otherwise I doubt I would have heard anything about it."
"I see." Lucas had visibly relaxed, which Christine was grateful for. She hadn't meant to make him ill at ease.
"So how did you end up in Hope Valley?" Christine asked, trying to change the subject.
Lucas grinned. "I simply saw an opportunity and I took it." When Christine gave him a questioning glance, he continued. "The saloon was for sale and I'd never been here before, so I bought it and moved here immediately."
"I see. And do you like it here?"
"Very much. The town holds a dear place in my heart."
The pair had arrived at a row of houses and Lucas gestured to the nearest one. "Miss Delaney, I present to you the Thornton residence."
She turned to her charming escort and smiled. "Thank you for walking me over. I enjoyed our conversation."
"As did I. I hope we shall see each other again before your departure."
"Goodbye, Mr. Bouchard."
"Miss Delaney." Lucas nodded politely at her and turned back down the road, presumably to return to the saloon.
Christine walked up the steps of the house that was identical to every other. She boldly knocked on the door and waited.
After a brief moment, the door was opened to reveal Elizabeth holding a small boy with blond hair and blue eyes in her arms. "Chrissie! Good morning!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pulling her door open further to reveal a tidy and cozy home behind her. "Come in, please!"
Christine walked through the door and turned to her cousin as she closed the door behind her. "Thank you again for letting me come for breakfast, Elizabeth! It's very kind of you!"
"Well, if Nathan gets home today, then you can stay here the rest of your time in Hope Valley." Elizabeth smiled warmly at her cousin as she led her to an armchair. She sighed. "It's so good to see you."
"It's lovely to see you as well. And this is Baby Jack?" Christine asked.
The little boy in Elizabeth's arms grinned. "It sure is. Jack, can you say hello to Aunt Chrissie?"
Little Jack giggled and waved to Christine.
"Oh Elizabeth, he's wonderful." Christine sighed. At almost 26, Christine had expected to be a wife and mother by now herself, but it seemed God had other plans.
"He is the light of my life," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I don't suppose you would be willing to hold him while I wake Allie? She needs to start getting ready for school."
"Of course, Elizabeth." Christine took the little boy from his mother's arms and began gently bouncing him in her arms. "Hello Jack. Hello. You are just the handsomest fella I've ever seen, isn't that right?" She picked up a stuffed horse from the end table and started nuzzling him with it. "Is that a horsey? Do you like horses Jack? Yeah? I bet you do. Your daddy liked horses, and your Uncles Wynn and Henry like horses. I like horses." She kept talking to the child in her arms, and he giggled and gurgled the whole time.
After a few moments, she heard the voice of a young girl behind her. "Jack really likes you." Christine turned to see a young girl of about 12 with straight light brown hair and big brown eyes.
"Hello," Christine greeted her as she stood, holding Jack on her hip carefully with her left arm. "You must be Allie. I'm Christine Delaney, Elizabeth's cousin."
"Yeah, Mrs. Thornton told me her cousin was here. You're pretty, but you don't look anything like Mrs. Thornton."
Christine smiled. "Well thank you. And I don't look anything like her because we're not really related. Her aunt and uncle adopted me after my parents died when I was about Jack's age."
"My mom died too," Allie said sadly. "But my Uncle Nathan adopted me, and we're a family now."
"I'm glad you had someone to look out for you. And I'm glad that Elizabeth's Uncle Wynn and Aunt Beth decided to adopt me. We became a family too, along with my brother Henry, who was adopted by Wynn and Beth when he was around your age."
Just then, Elizabeth descended the stairs with a book in her hands. "I'm sorry I took so long, I realized that I had forgotten a book that I had promised to loan Opal in my room, and I couldn't find it anywhere. It seems little Jack threw it behind his rocking chair last night." She set the book down on the end table and reached over to take her child from Christine's arms. "So, who's ready for breakfast? I have pancakes and bacon and eggs all keeping warm in the oven!"
By 7:45, breakfast was eaten and the dishes washed up. Elizabeth tried to stop Christine from washing the dishes, but Christine insisted. "Since you cooked, I clean." Just as Christine was setting out the last plate to dry, there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, I bet that's Laura, my nanny," Elizabeth said with a smile.
Allie had already raced to the door and opened it. "Hey Laura! Come meet Mrs. Thornton's cousin!" She practically dragged the other girl into the room and over to Christine.
"Miss Delaney, this is Laura. Laura, this is Miss Delaney."
Laura smiled and held out her hand to Christine. She was a pretty girl with a very intelligent look in her eyes. "It's nice to meet you Miss Delaney," she said with a genuine smile.
"It's nice to meet you too, Laura. I've heard wonderful things about you. And I know you are such a help to my cousin."
Elizabeth beamed. "It's true. I don't know what I would do without you, Laura! But we've got to be heading to school, Allie! Are you ready?"
"I just have to run upstairs and grab my essay on Emily Dickinson, and then I'll be ready to go!" Allie said as she scrambled to pull her shoes on.
"Christine, do you want to come to school with us? The children would all love to meet you. You could even share a bit about your experience in the Northern Territories, if you wanted."
Christine felt her cheeks flush. "I'm not sure you would want me to speak to them. I'm not a very gifted speaker."
Elizabeth patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you would do an excellent job, but you don't have to speak to them at all if you don't want to. And you don't have to come, of course."
"I think I may head over to the Mountie Station first, because Henry told me he wired the constable that I was coming."
"Well, I don't know if Nathan is back yet, but Bill Avery, the local judge, will have access to any documents that you may need. You can find him in the Mayor's office."
Christine paused. She had planned on taking care of her business quickly, but if the constable was still out of town, there would be little point. Even if the judge had access to documentation, Christine still needed whatever Henry had wired to his fellow Mountie. "I suppose I could come with you to school. As long as I don't have to speak."
Elizabeth chuckled. "I promise I won't force you to talk to the class as a whole. I can't promise the students won't want to talk to you, though."
Allie raced down the stairs. "I'm ready to go Mrs. Thornton!"
"Lovely, let's get a move on then!" Elizabeth tucked her basket onto her right arm and pulled the door open. Then she instantly smiled and turned to Allie. "Allie, there's a surprise for you," she said lightly. She pulled the door open a bit wider so Allie could see a figure in red serge walking toward them from a bit down the street.
"Uncle Nathan!" she called out as she ran out the door.
Elizabeth and Christine followed her out the door and toward the pair who were now hugging in the street. "It's like he'd been gone for a month instead of just a night."
Christine smiled and nodded a bit solemnly. "Yeah, but when he puts on his red serge and walks out the door, you never know if you'll get another hello."
Elizabeth's smile fell a bit and she sighed. Christine realized too late what she had said. "Oh Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring things up from your past."
"It's alright, Christine. I know you know the fear that's just a part of loving a Mountie better than I do. And you've known it longer."
As Elizabeth was speaking, Christine was examining the Mountie carefully. Something about him struck her as very familiar. "Nathan Grant?" she called out after a moment.
The man looked up at her in surprise. "Christine? Is that you?" he called back in response. He took a few more steps toward her as Christine quickened her pace.
Suddenly, they were standing face to face and smiling. "Nathan Grant! It's been a very long time!" Christine said with a smile. "I haven't seen you in years!" She pulled him into a hug.
"Not since I left Athabasca Landing!" Nathan nodded enthusiastically as he stepped out of the embrace. "How are you doing? How's Henry? And your parents, how are they?"
"Uncle Nathan, do you know Miss Delaney?" Allie interrupted, tapping on his arm. He looked at the girl beside him.
"I do. How do you know Miss Delaney?" he asked his niece, while keeping eye contact with Christine.
"She's Mrs. Thornton's cousin, so she came over for breakfast this morning."
"I see." Nathan nodded seriously to his niece. "Well, I think it's time for you to be heading to school. I didn't mean to make you and your teacher," at this comment Nathan looked at Elizabeth and nodded, blushing faintly, "late. Would you mind a Mountie escort to class?" he asked jokingly, still looking at Elizabeth.
"We would enjoy that very much, Constable," Elizabeth said with a smile. Christine couldn't help but think she looked very happy with the addition to their party. "So, how do you know each other?"
Nathan grinned. "I went through Mountie training with her brother Henry. Since my family lived farther east, when we had breaks Henry dragged me back to his parents' house. Wynn and Beth treated me like a member of the family. And then of course, I managed to get stationed at Athabasca Landing with Wynn as my commanding officer, and they had me over all the time."
"You know Mum, Elizabeth. She loves taking people in, making them a part of the family."
"And she's a fantastic cook," Nathan added. "I swear she filled that house with people every Sunday afternoon for lunch. I was lucky to get an invite."
"Oh please. Nathan, you had a standing invitation to the Delaney table. Nathan here saved Henry's life once," Christine explained.
"Is that so?" Elizabeth asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Not really. Henry would have been fine without me. He's a smart guy," Nathan shrugged off the compliment, and Christine felt a laugh rise from her belly.
"Nathan, you still haven't learned to take a compliment, have you? And it's been almost ten years since I saw you last."
Nathan scratched his neck uncomfortably and watched the ground. He was saved from responding by Allie seeing one of her friends. "Robert! Hey!" She ran to catch up to him.
Elizabeth pulled her watch out of her basket. "I need to get inside so I can ring the bell," she said. "Chrissie, do you still want to come to school, or would you rather just head straight into town with Nathan and get started?"
Christine took a deep breath. "If you don't mind, I do really want to get started. But I'll come with you to school tomorrow?"
Elizabeth smiled and squeezed her hand. "That sounds perfect. Good luck with your search. I hope you both have a good day," she said before stepping quickly up to her schoolhouse to get her bell.
As Elizabeth rang the bell, Nathan turned to Christine with a question in his eyes. "So what are you doing in Hope Valley?" he asked as they began walking toward town.
"You know that I was adopted when I was a baby," Christine began. Nathan nodded. "Well, the Delaneys were told that my whole family had died in a fire. But then a few months ago, Mum got a letter from the pastor who put me in their care. Apparently, I had a brother who survived the fire as well. He was sent off to live with our mother's sister. But Pastor Jefferson didn't know until recently. He was contacted by our neighbor because she had some old things of our mother's. She wanted to get in touch with both me and my brother. Pastor Jefferson told my parents that he hadn't known about my brother, and that the neighbor didn't have any other information other than that he was five and our aunt supposedly took him in. I've been looking for him ever since, with the help of Mum and Dad, and of course Henry."
"Wow," Nathan said with a deep breath. By the time Christine had finished her story, they had reached the edge of town. "And you think he's in Hope Valley?"
Christine shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But Henry says someone in town has a connection to my birth family. He supposedly sent you a wire with information because he doesn't want me poking around alone."
Nathan grinned. The annoyance in her tone was so familiar. She had always chafed a little at Henry's overprotectiveness. "Well, let's head to my office quickly so I can resettle in, if you don't mind, and then we'll head over to the Mercantile to see if there are any telegrams waiting for me."
Christine nodded, and followed the man into the Mountie's office that doubled as a jail. She looked around at the jail as he hung his stetson and set his gloves on the desk. He picked up a sheet of paper that had been left there. "It seems I have quite a few messages waiting for me at the Mercantile. Ned dropped me a note telling me to come by when I get a chance. I suppose looking through the rest of my paperwork can wait."
Nathan left his stetson on it's hook and walked to the door, holding it open until Christine had made it through.
"So do you like living in Hope Valley Nathan?" Christine asked her friend as they crossed the street.
"I do," he said with a smile. "For the first time since I took her in, I feel like Allie has a real home."
Christine nodded. "Yes, Elizabeth has said the most wonderful things about being a member of this community over the years. Her father was pretty against her sticking around here when she first left home, but he's been reassured time and time again by the way the town has rallied around her. He's finally warmed up to it, even if he does still want Charles Kensington as his son-in-law."
Nathan gave her a quizzical look, but before he could say anything, they had arrived at the Mercantile and he was pulling the door open for her. Christine walked through and stepped up to the counter. "Hello, I don't suppose you have any telegrams for Christine Delaney?"
A middle-aged gentleman with a receding hairline smiled at her. "Let me check for you, ma'am. One sec." Before he could turn completely, he saw Nathan follow behind her. "Oh, Constable, you're back. I have a couple of telegrams for you, and a package."
"Thanks, Ned. I don't suppose you could check for Miss Delaney's telegram before you get my things, could you?"
Ned looked at the tall mountie with the hint of a question in his eyes, but complied with his request. "Are you new in town, Miss Delaney?" he asked as he rifled through a stack of envelopes. "Ah! Here we are!" he exclaimed before she could respond. He held it out to her.
"Thank you so much, Mr. … Uh…"
"Yost. Ned Yost. Pleased to meet you, Miss Delaney." Ned shook her hand before turning back to the mail organizer behind his counter. "Now, Constable, let's see… here we go. Your telegrams. And your package is… aha. Here you go." The older gentleman handed Nathan a large envelope and a small stack of telegrams. "Is there anything else you need?"
"I don't think so. Christine?" Nathan responded, waiting to confirm before returning to the office.
"Not at all, thank you Mr. Yost." Christine smiled at the gentleman, although his eyebrows had raised at Nathan's use of her first name. "I'm ready if you are, Constable."
As the pair walked out the doors and into the street, Christine gave Nathan an amused but annoyed look. "You know tongues will be wagging that you suddenly have a very familiar out of town female visitor."
"What?" It clearly hadn't registered with Nathan that he'd used her given name in the mercantile.
Christine smiled at her friend. "It'll be all over town by dinner that there's an unmarried woman in town who is clearly not a relative, who you are well-enough acquainted with to use her first name. People will definitely talk."
"Oh, I'm sorry Christine. I didn't even think about it. No one cares about that sort of thing in Athabasca Landing, so it didn't even occur to me here."
Christine chuckled. "I don't really mind. But I do wonder what Elizabeth will think when she hears." She winked at Nathan.
The surprise on Nathan's face at Christine's comment and wink was comical. "What?"
Christine laughed. "Oh please. You really think I didn't notice the looks between you two this morning?"
Nathan looked sheepishly at her as he held the door open to the jail. "I mean, I wasn't sure there were looks between us this morning."
Christine wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained out of affection. "Of course there were. She was giving them just as often as you were. Did you really not know?"
Nathan shrugged as he unfolded his first telegram. "Things have been… uncertain between us lately. Well, always, really. They've changed a bit recently, but for the most part, still uncertain." He looked down at his telegram. "Oh Henry." He chuckled. "Your brother is a good friend, Christine."
She smiled. "I know. He's a good brother too. Annoyingly overprotective sometimes, but a good brother nonetheless. You know he's a father now? Well, a step-father. But he and his wife are expecting, so he'll be a father in September."
"Wow. I had no idea. I had heard that he got married, but I didn't know more than that." Nathan said with a grin. "I'm happy for him. That's really wonderful."
Christine nodded and turned her attention to the telegram in her hand. It was from Henry. It read: "Nate has info. Brother in HV. Love from all. H." She looked up to see Nathan tearing open the thick envelope. "Henry says that my brother is in Hope Valley and that you have the information."
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, my telegram said the same. And I guess this envelope has the information you're looking for." He skimmed the letter on the top of the page. "Oh, interesting." Christine started to fidget. "Huh. I never knew." He put the letter down on his desk and started flipping through the other documents. Christine immediately grabbed the letter from his desk and saw her brother's familiar handwriting:
"Nathan,
"It's been a long time. I hope you're doing well. I heard about Colleen; I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't know what I would do if something happened to Chrissie. If you and your niece need anything, I'm in Benson Hills these days. Also, you may not know, but my cousin Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton has lived in Hope Valley for several years now. She's a good woman-I know she'd be there for you like I would.
"As you know from my telegram, Chrissie's coming to see you in Hope Valley. She's looking for her biological brother (I'm sure she'll tell you the story), and I think he's there. Dad and I did a little digging and found Christine's birth certificate, and her last name is listed as LaMaye. So, I looked a little more and we tracked down every other LaMaye born in Athabasca Landing within ten years of Christine. There were only a couple, and one of them was a Kevin LaMaye. I think he's Chrissie's brother. After the fire, he moved here to Benson Hills to live with his aunt Allison Townsend and he changed his name to Kevin Townsend when she died a few years ago. Apparently, he moved to Hope Valley not long after and now works as a blacksmith.
"I was hoping you would share that information with Christine and go with her to talk to him. I know she'll be annoyed with me, but I want her to be safe. And if her hopes get up, I'm glad she'll have someone who knows and cares about her to support her.
"I've enclosed all the paperwork I uncovered, as well as a couple of conversations I had with locals here who knew Kevin and his family.
"Thanks so much for looking after Christine. I know she's in good hands with you.
"Mother and Father send their love, as do my wife Amber and her son Danny. A lot has changed since we last saw each other. I hope we get the chance to catch up soon.
"Best,
"Henry Delaney, Constable NWMP"
Christine smiled at the letter. It was so very Henry. Filled with affection not quite spoken. Saying exactly the right thing to explain, and not a word more. She looked to Nathan. "Do you know this Kevin Townsend?"
Nathan's smile was all she needed for her excitement to build.