"A Girl Can Never Have Too Many Friends"
Nathan woke before dawn, dressed in his uniform and made coffee and a hot breakfast. The house was quiet without Allie in it. Nathan smiled while thinking about the young lady he had the privilege to raise. He finished his breakfast quickly, washed the dished, grabbed his bag and paperwork and walked to the stagecoach stop. Although folks in Hope Valley were usually up early, Nathan realized there were no lights on in any of the homes or businesses yet. Mountie Headquarters was in Regina, Saskatchewan. It would take Nathan a couple of days to get there by a series of stagecoaches. He had packed two sandwiches, some apples, a canteen of water and a Thermos of coffee. That would get him through the first day.
The sun was coming up ahead of the stagecoach as they headed east. Nathan had made this trip before and knew it was long and monotonous. Before leaving, he was able to get some books from the library to read on his journey. He brought Mountain Interval, by Robert Frost, as he particularly enjoyed the poem, "A Road Not Taken." He also brought The Son of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Nathan had read the previous three books in the series and was curious about the book that featured Tarzan's son, Jack. Just for fun, he brought The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Nathan had read the book as a child and thought he would appreciate the author's humor more reading it as an adult. He decided to start with the poetry and before long he had fallen asleep.
At daybreak, the Weis house was buzzing with activity. Mrs. Weis was making breakfast with Laura's help, Mr. Weis was doing his morning chores and Allie and Opal were getting ready for school.
"Opal, we need to leave early, because I pick up Angela on the way to school. Do you think you'll be ready to leave a little earlier?" asked Allie.
"Yes, I can do that. I'm so glad you're staying with us again, Allie. I like it when you help me with my homework and tell me stories at night. You do the voices of the characters better than anyone," answered Opal.
"I love reading and telling stories, and I'm glad you like them. Does Miss Couture bring books home for you?"
"Sometimes. She's been reading Anne of Green Gables to me. It's a really good book. I was going to ask mama to leave my hair down instead of putting it in braids until I read that Anne braids her hair too."
"Angela and I love the Anne books. You know that we are bosom friends and kindred spirits."
"Allie, do you think I can be a bosom friend and a kindred spirit with you and Angela?" asked Opal.
"We'd like that very much. Now, if you're dressed, let's get some breakfast so we can pick Angela up and get to school on time."
"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Weis. It was delicious. Opal and I are going to pick up Angela and then go to school," said Allie.
"Be careful walking. I think it's a little icy this morning. I'll see you girls tonight," replied Mrs. Weis. "Laura, did you have enough for breakfast? I know it's a little hectic here this morning."
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."
"I enjoy it when Allie stays here. She's so good with Opal. Do you know she tells Opal stories every night? Most of them she makes up herself. She does all the voices, and Opal loves it. They sit and do their homework together, and Allie is always willing to help Opal with her math."
"Allie is truly gifted when it comes to math. I'm tutoring her on Monday afternoons. We've only had one session, but I can tell she is very advanced for someone her age."
"If I'm meddling, Laura, please tell me, but I'd like to tell you something."
"It's fine. Go ahead, Mrs. Weis."
"Constable Grant. I'm so glad the two of you are seeing each other. I'm not sure if you are officially courting, but I see how you look at each other. It makes me happy. Constable Grant is a fine man. He's honorable, kind and so very caring. You are as well. His heart was broken when Mrs. Thornton chose Mr. Bouchard over him. It's nice to see him smile again. I think that has a lot to do with you, Laura. You're both such good people, and you have a lot in common. I hope it isn't meddling to say that."
"Oh, no, not at all. I think Constable Grant is very special too. At first I thought it was too soon to be keeping company with him since I've only just arrived here in Hope Valley. I wasn't sure if people would approve. I thought I should just concentrate on my work at the library, but, then I got to know Nathan. I don't know, Mrs. Weis. For me, it was love at first sight. It sounds just like Christopher Marlowe's poem, "Who Ever Loved That Loved Not at First Sight." Do you know that poem was written 300 years ago!"
"I don't think anyone in town would ever criticize you. I'm sure you know by now that Hope Valley is different. The people here care for one another. They celebrate your joys with you and lift you up when you're in your sorrows. It's just that kind of place. That's why we're here. We want Opal to have the best life possible surrounded by kindness and fresh air. You can't find either in a city, Laura."
Laura just smiled listening to Mrs. Weis. She had to agree that Hope Valley was a special place with special people. She thought about the stories she had been told of how everyone rallied around the Coulters when they adopted Patrick. She thought about Elizabeth losing her husband and then delivering a son in the woods on Christmas Eve. She also thought about Angela and the cruelty she faced in her previous town and how the school community in Hope Valley supported her attending class with the other students. Hope Valley is special. She also thought about a very special Mountie, who was somewhere on the road between Hope Valley and Regina.
"Constable Grant, we're going to be stopping in the next town. We're picking up another Mountie, who is also going to Regina. We should be there in about an hour. I'll stop at the Mountie office before the stagecoach stop. Could you let the Mountie know I'm in town? I'm going to the livery to exchange horses and pick up some supplies. We'll be back on the road in about an hour. I'll meet you at the stagecoach stop," said the driver.
"Thank you. That will give me a chance to stretch my legs a bit." The hour passed quickly, and Nathan was glad to get out of the stagecoach for a while. The Mountie office was small. Nathan stepped inside and was surprised to see Gabe Kinslow.
"Gabe, what are you doing here?"
"Nathan. I didn't know I'd be traveling with you. How are you?"
"I'm great." The two men shook hands. "What are you doing this far east?"
"It was a temporary assignment. The regular Mountie was ill. They asked me to fill in for a couple of weeks. There was another Mountie passing through the Brookfield area, so he's covering for me there. So, why are you going to Headquarters, Nathan?"
"They need me to testify in the land scheme. We arrested three people, but apparently Hope Valley was not the first town they tried to defraud. It will be their last though. That I can assure you."
"No doubt. It's good to see you. Hey, I heard you and the local librarian managed to thwart an armed robbery. Is that true?"
Nathan laughed. "Yeah, it's true. Laura; she's the new librarian. She and I were out riding on a Sunday afternoon, and a man tried to rob us. He didn't know I was a Mountie. I managed to get him to the ground, and Laura helped me tie him up. She unloaded his gun and was my lookout on the ride back into Hope Valley."
"She sounds like a good person to have around."
"Yes, she is."
"Wait. I know that look. You like her, don't you? The two of you were out riding on a country road on a Sunday afternoon. Yeah, you like her."
"Guilty as charged." Nathan took a moment to gather his thoughts. "She's very special. I've only known her a short time, but yes, I like her very much. So does Allie. There's nothing complicated about her. I know where I stand with her. She tells the truth, and is not afraid to do and say what's on her mind. I really hope we can have a future together."
"I'm glad for you, Nathan. You deserve to be happy."
"Thank you, Gabe. So, why are you going to Headquarters?"
"Paperwork and some training. They asked me to help for a week or two with the new recruits."
"That's quite an honor, Gabe. Will you be going back to Brookfield after that?"
"Yes. I specifically asked for that posting. They told me if I would help train the new recruits, I could have my choice of assignments. I chose Brookfield."
"Any particular reason?"
"There's a very special reason. Her name is Lillian."
"Lillian? From the orphanage?" Gabe blushed. "Gabe, that's great. Good for you. Lillian is a fine woman."
"That she is. Well, if we're going to make the stage on time, we'd better get going. We can talk more on the stage. Do you need anything while we're here? Food? Coffee? Anything?"
"No, thank you though. I brought a couple of sandwiches with me. I'll share with you, if you like."
"OK, then tonight, dinner is on me. I think it may be too ambitious to think we'll be in Regina by tomorrow night. That's why these temporary assignments last so long. It takes forever to get there."
The sun was getting low in the sky by the time school let out. The children wanted to finish their project on the planets, so class lasted a little longer. Allie, Angela and Opal left school together to walk Angela home. Elizabeth cleaned off her desk, closed up the school and walked to the library.
"Miss Couture, are you busy?" asked Elizabeth.
"No, not at all. Please come in Mrs. Thornton. What can I do for you today?"
"I wanted to see if you had a few minutes to talk about Allie and Angela and how their tutoring is going. I also wanted to ask you about French Club and some of the other things we discussed at last night's meeting."
"Certainly. Come in. Please call me Laura. I'm sure we'll be working together often. Would you like some tea?"
"That would be nice. Thank you, Laura. I know sometimes people feel they have to be formal with the local school teacher, but please call me Elizabeth."
Laura made tea and set it out on the table. "Please sit down and make yourself comfortable, Elizabeth. How do you think the meeting went last night?"
"Oh, I thought it was quite productive. There were so many good ideas presented."
"I thought so too. It gives me a good place to start. Now, Allie and Angela. I've met with each of them once. Those two girls are the best of friends. Do you know that Allie walks Angela over here on Tuesdays? She sits at that table over there and does her homework. After our tutoring session, she walks Angela back home. I used the first week to gauge where the girls are, look at their current assignments and see how I can help them. They're both so gifted. Allie is ready for geometry. We're going to work on that first and then start some algebra. Angela is easily ready for upper school science. Usually, students don't get as far as she has before they graduate. I've written to my mother about getting some additional Braille books. I had a student in Quebec that I taught, who was blind. I'm hoping my mother can get the books that she has outgrown, so to speak. I'm impressed with both Allie and Angela. You're a wonderful teacher, Elizabeth."
"Allie has only been here three years. The first year, she was more interested in skipping school and going fishing. Now, she's an extraordinary student. This is Angela's first full year. We worked so hard to get her into the school, and she has flourished. Both girls are wonderful role models for the younger students."
"They are both accomplished young ladies. I liked the idea of French Club. I think we could start that now. It might help if you could ask your students how many of them may be interested in joining. Elizabeth, I hope this isn't too presumptuous of me." Laura hesitated. "I hope we can be friends. We'll be working together a great deal, but I hope we can be friends too," said Laura.
Elizabeth didn't know what to say and thought a moment. "You want to be friends with me? I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed you wouldn't want to be friends with me, because of Nathan."
"Oh no, Elizabeth. Not at all. A girl can never have too many friends now, can she?"
"No. I guess not. Thank you, Laura. Yes, I would like it very much if we could be friends. Now, tell me more about Allie and Angela."