Laura had been back to the dress shop several times in the week before school started. Sometimes it was to order something but she and Sarah had also met a few times to have lunch together and had enjoyed getting to know each other and found they were kindred spirits. While their backgrounds were somewhat different, they found that a common denominator between them was the loss of their mothers before they had reached their teenaged years. Laura's situation was different in that she had a father and four brothers. Laura was the oldest and, though she was just 14 years old when her mother passed from a deadly bout of the flu, she was put in the position of primary care taker for her brothers and the house. Laura was devastated when her father pulled her from school where she had thrived and excelled. He told her she was now responsible for taking care of the house and her brothers. She wanted to argue with him but knew it wouldn't change his mind and would only make the situation more difficult.
Laura settled into her new circumstance trying not to be resentful toward her father and her brothers who, in actuality, she loved. A month went by with Laura cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and the other household chores her mother had always done. In the evenings when she finally had time to herself, she would lay in her bed reading the books her brothers brought home from school. One afternoon after the boys had returned from school and were doing their chores, there was a knock at the door. Laura opened it and was surprised to see Miss Simpson, her former teacher. Laura's first thought was that one of her brothers was having trouble at school but Miss Simpson quickly put her mind at ease and told her she wasn't there because of her brothers. She was there to see her.
"I don't understand." Laura replied.
"Laura, I know what your situation is and I know it's not likely you'll be able to return to school. I also know you are incredibly bright and you've always been a good student. I want to offer you the opportunity to continue your school work here at home. I think you could continue with your studies here while you still take care of your responsibilities.
Laura looked confused, the thought of being able to continue with her schooling gave her a brief glimmer of hope. Countering the excitement was the thought of trying to convince her father to let her do it. "I'm not sure my father will allow it."
Miss Simpson told her she would talk to her father and that discussion went better than Laura could have hoped. As long as it didn't interfere with her other responsibilities, he agreed to let her continue her schooling at home. While he didn't tell Laura, he confided in Miss Simpson that it had been hard to pull her out of school but he didn't have any other choice.
And that's how Laura was able to continue her education even while taking care of her brothers and the family home. When she was 18, she completed her schooling at the same time as her peers did, a reflection of the time and dedication she put into her work. Miss Simpson encouraged Laura to consider training as a teacher so Laura tentatively approached her father with the idea. He had recently remarried and, knowing how hard Laura had worked to get this far in her education, he gave his blessing. Laura finished her teacher training in record time just as Miss Simpson was preparing to be married and Laura was hired to take her place at the school.
Laura spent five years teaching at the school she once attended. She appreciated her position and enjoyed working with the local children but a restlessness within her started stirring in a way she couldn't describe. She loved her community and the people but something told her that if she ever wanted to experience something new, now was the time to pursue it. And that's how she ended up in Hope Valley. She found the listings for schools that were in need of teachers and, though it wasn't much bigger than where she came from, the size of the town wasn't the issue. It was an opportunity to spread her wings and test her independence. She also found out that there was a blind student in Hope Valley that required a teacher certified to work with her. When Laura was training, she was given the option to get certified for teaching the blind. Always wanting to challenge herself Laura took the extra classes necessary and was excited to be able to use her training to help a student.
Sarah had introduced Laura to quite a few people in town during their lunches at the café. Laura especially enjoyed getting to know Minnie Canfield since she would be working with her daughter Angela. Laura explained that she'd been credentialed to teach the blind several years before and was re-certified in the latest methods every year. Minnie shared the challenges Angela had the year before and Laura assured her that she would do everything she could to make sure Angela was at grade level. Sarah noticed what an easy rapport Laura was able to create with Minnie, and everyone she'd met. She knew it would bode well for her when the school year started.
One morning the week before school was to start Laura shared with Sarah that she'd not yet met Elizabeth Thornton. Sarah thought it odd and told Laura she was surprised she'd not run into her at school.
Laura said she'd been at school every morning for the last week or so but hadn't seen her there. "My classroom is ready to go so I won't be back until Monday when Mr. Landis comes to open the school." Not knowing the history between Sarah and Elizabeth, Laura asked if she would introduce her to her future co-teacher. "You know her, don't you? I would hate to just show up on her doorstep."
The look of hesitancy was immediately noticeable on Sarah's face. Laura didn't ask questions and after a moment's thought Sarah knew she needed to get past any lingering issues she may have had with Elizabeth in an effort to help her new friend. Afterall, she was now happily married to Nathan. With that she agreed. "Let's go back to the store. We can call her and arrange a time."
Elizabeth was surprised, to say the least, when she answered the phone and it was Sarah on the other end of the line. Sarah explained why she was calling and asked Elizabeth if there was a good time for her to meet Laura. She said she could meet at the café in the morning before she went to the school.
Sarah told Nathan she needed to go in early the following day so she could introduce Laura to Elizabeth. The look he gave her was questioning and Sarah knew what he was thinking. She quickly explained that Laura hadn't met Elizabeth and she was orchestrating the opportunity for them meet.
The café was busy when Sarah arrived. Laura was already there but Elizabeth had yet to arrive. That gave Sarah an opportunity to fill Laura in on a bit of Elizabeth's history. Laura couldn't imagine all that Elizabeth had experienced and was thankful that Sarah filled her in before she met her. The bell on the door rang and both women looked up to see Elizabeth entering the café. Sarah hadn't seen Elizabeth other than in distant passing for most of the summer. It was the first time they'd spent any time together since before Sarah and Nathan's wedding.
"Hello Sarah," Elizabeth was polite but not engaging and Sarah saw her glance quickly at the rings on her finger. Sarah overlooked it and went ahead and introduced her to Laura.
"Hello Elizabeth, thank you for meeting us. This is Laura Whitcomb. She will be teaching the secondary students this year." Laura greeted Elizabeth warmly and the three sat down before Laura started sharing her background with Elizabeth who listened quietly. Elizabeth, in turn, shared some of her background making a point of telling Laura how many years she'd been teaching in Hope Valley. Sarah wasn't sure but she got the feeling that Elizabeth was trying to make a point that she had seniority over Laura. Laura shot a quick glance to Sarah indicating she'd picked up on that too but she didn't say anything.
After ordering breakfast and, while waiting for it to be served, they continued to talk about the school, its history and traditions. Sarah knew the first weeks of school would be interesting as the two teachers got to know each other and figured out how they could work together for the betterment of the students and the school.
Sarah excused herself needing to get to work. Laura thanked her again for introducing them to each other and told Sarah she would stop by the shop once she and Elizabeth were finished.
Sarah stepped out of the café and took a deep breath thankful that her role in introducing Hope Valley's two teachers to each other was over. She started to the shop when she sensed someone walking behind her. She stopped and as she turned, she saw the familiar flash of red that always made her stomach flutter. Once she was completely turned around, she saw the sly grin on the face of her husband. He approached her and offered his arm to her as he walked her the rest of the way to the store. He was curious to know how breakfast had gone between the three ladies.
Sarah gave him a brief rundown and told him she anticipated the two teachers would likely need time to adjust to each other. Once they reached the store, they entered and Sarah could tell Anna and Betsy had not yet arrived. It was still early in the day so their absence wasn't a surprise. Nathan took full advantage of the empty store wrapping his arm around the waist of his wife and pulling her to him. He gazed at her for a few moments his eyes moving from her eyes to her lips. Finally, he couldn't hold back and he brought his lips to hers kissing her longingly. Once they finally broke from each other each was trying to steady their breathing as they rested their foreheads together.
Sarah reached up and put her hand on Nathan's cheek. "Mr. Deputy Inspector, that is quite the start to my day." She reached up and whispered in his ear "I think this would be even better as a way to end our day." Nathan laughed at his wife's insinuation but not before agreeing with her.
They heard the bell on the door and separated as Anna and Betsy made their way inside. Nathan kissed Sarah on the forehead and wished the three ladies a good day.
The three started their day reviewing orders they were expecting as well as new merchandise that was scheduled to arrive. There was a lot of discussion about where they were going to put everything and how it would be displayed. Showing the merchandise in the store was Sarah's strong suit and one her favorite responsibilities. She had very specific ideas of how things within the shop should look and she wasn't satisfied until she'd brought her ideas to life. She spent the morning letting ideas percolate in her head about how she wanted to arrange things and while it looked good in her imagination it wasn't until she actually got busy re-arranging the store that she could see her vision realized.
The bell on the door rang and Sarah saw Laura enter. She was anxious to hear how breakfast went between her and Elizabeth. Laura filled her in on the rest of the conversation and commented on Elizabeth's obvious statement about how long she'd been teaching at the school. She knew her presence would mean big changes not just for the students but for Elizabeth as well. "I understand that she's nervous about giving up her control over the school."
Sarah admired how gracious Laura was being. "I guess I need to make sure she doesn't think I'm there to replace her…I'm just here to do my job and be the best teacher I can be. Hopefully she'll realize that once classes start.
After Laura left, and Anna and Betsy had gone to lunch Sarah set about putting her ideas in place. She wanted to see their reaction when they walked in the store as she knew that would be a good measure of how customers would see it as well. As she was pushing one of their display cabinets into place that she suddenly felt very lightheaded and before she knew it everything went black as she fell to the floor followed shortly by a loud crash of the cabinet.
Upstairs Laura had been doing some school work when she heard the crash coming from the store below. She ran out of her apartment, down the stairs and rushed into the store just as Anna and Betsy were returning from lunch. The three ladies saw Sarah laying on the floor with the cabinet next to her. Not knowing what had happened Laura instructed Betsy to hurry to the infirmary first to get Dr. Carter and then to the Mountie office to get Nathan. Betsy ran as fast as she could and while she was gone Anna and Laura both attended to Sarah trying to revive her. Anna ran for a cold cloth while Laura held Sarah's hand calling her name.
Nathan was the first to arrive at the store. When Betsy had arrived at the Mountie office, she barely got out the words "Sarah's collapsed" and Nathan was on his feet, out the door and headed down the street. He went to Sarah's side immediately not sure whether to move her or leave her until Faith arrived.
Faith arrived shortly after Nathan and started assessing Sarah's condition. She had Laura refresh the damp cloth and keep it on Sarah's forehead as she began to check her vital signs. Sarah started coming around as Faith checked her heartrate and blood pressure. Both were elevated but it wasn't a surprise given the circumstances. Sarah felt more embarrassed than anything and told them she felt fine and could get up herself. Nathan wouldn't give in to her and Faith backed him up.
Once it was confirmed that the cabinet hadn't fallen on her they were all able to breathe a little easier. Faith asked Sarah what happened and, as she explained she was moving the cabinet and suddenly got very lightheaded, Nathan's eyes clouded over in frustration. "How many times have I told you not to move this heavy furniture on your own. Anna and Betsy can help and if not them then I can help you. You're lucky it didn't fall on you. It could have done a great deal more damage."
Part of Sarah resented his scolding her in front of everyone but she also knew it was out of concern for her. She admitted she should have waited for help and vowed to refrain from moving furniture on her own in the future.
Faith told Sarah she wanted her to come to the infirmary where she could monitor her for a while, especially since her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated. Nathan attempted to pick Sarah up and carry her to the infirmary but Sarah would have none of it. "Nathan, just walk with me. I'll be fine, I don't need to be carried through the streets of Hope Valley."
Nathan backed off but made sure he had a solid hold on his wife. Once Sarah was resting in the infirmary, Faith pulled the curtain around her blocking them both from Nathan's sight. Not being able to see her made him anxious and he wondered if there wasn't something going on that Faith wouldn't tell him. All he could do was wait and patience was not something Nathan had in great supply.