Sarah woke early on Friday morning feeling excited that the day had finally come. Yesterday had been busy getting everything set up but today she looked forward to seeing all the work and planning come to fruition. This year's theme for the festival was Candy Canes and Gingerbread as a nod to her father and the gingerbread they served at the bookstore every Christmas. All vendors had been asked to decorate their booths to look like they were part of a gingerbread village. The town decorations also followed that theme. Every post lining Main Street was decorated with red and white ribbons giving them the look of candy canes. At the top of each post were decorations that looked like the candies used on a gingerbread house. All the doors on Main Street had matching wreaths and at the main entrance to town two giant candy canes had been constructed and stood on either side of the road with a banner welcoming everyone to the festival strung between them.
It snowed overnight just enough to leave a light dusting of fresh, clean, white powder that gave Main Street a picturesque look. Sarah took advantage of the early hour to stand at the entrance to the festival and admire how everything had come together. She felt as though she was looking at a magical, life-size, gingerbread village. It could not have been more perfect. The streets were still empty but once the vendors arrived the sights, sounds and smells of the festival would fill the town. Sarah knew that a lot of her work was done. While she needed to be present for the next three days, as with any event, the real work was in the planning. Once the event started it was all about keeping everything in order.
The Giving Tree had been set up in the center of town for two weeks now. It was also decorated with red and white ribbon and candy canes and the wishing ornaments all had looked like gingerbread hung on the branches. It was meant for the children in town to make a wish for Christmas and others would come and take off the wish and fulfill it. All but a few wishes had been taken off the tree so Sarah had recruited a small group of people willing to take any remaining wishes and, hopefully, fulfill them. Ned and Florence Yost, Fiona Miller, Mike Hickam and Nathan had volunteered and they had quickly been able to fulfill the few wishes left. One wish required the work of everyone. A little girl named Sophia, one of Hope Valley's newest residents, had asked for a doll house. Mike and Nathan were able to quickly build the shell of it and Fiona and Anna took over decorating the inside with wallpaper and curtains. Florence and Ned donated the dollhouse furniture to put inside and Nathan carved a family out of wood to live in the house. The result was a gift that was going to make one little girl very happy. Granted wishes were going to be brought to the Christmas dinner, if possible, and placed under the tree that had been decorated similar to the Giving tree. As people left the Christmas Eve dinner the children could find the package that had their name on it and take it with them.
Sarah made her way down the quiet street double checking vendor booths. There was a lot for the kids to do including Allie's ornament making station along with a table to paint toys that were being donated to the Brookfield orphanage. There was also a cookie decorating station that Sarah was sure would be a hit. All seemed to be in order. As she made her way down the street she saw the familiar red serge coming in her direction. Sarah took a deep breath as she took in the look of Nathan walking toward her in uniform. Nathan's height and muscular build made him an imposing figure but she knew the kind, selfless heart of the man who wore the red serge. Nathan saw Sarah watching him and he tipped his hat and gave her the smile that made her weak in the knees. As he got closer Sarah met his smile with one of her own. "Good morning Nathan, you're out very early this morning."
"Well I knew you would be here before anyone else is even out of bed so I thought I'd take advantage of that and see you before you get too busy." Nathan enveloped Sarah in a hug feeling incredibly proud of what she had accomplished in such a short time. "You know you really are an amazing woman don't you? You've put this whole event together in just a couple of months while still running Dottie's."
"Thank you Nathan." His words warmed her heart. Sarah wished they could stand there all day but she knew there was still more to do. "I hope I get to see you around today. "
Nathan leaned over taking in the fragrance of her hair as his lips brushed her cheek. "You can be sure of that. I miss you too much when I'm away from you." Nathan placed a kiss on her forehead and turned to back toward home to get Allie.
Nathan left Sarah to finish her walk through and made his way back home to make sure Allie was up and ready for her volunteer duties. "Good morning sweet girl! How did you sleep?"
Allie was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. "It took me awhile to fall asleep. I was too excited for this weekend and Christmas." Nathan knew what she was talking about. He was excited too. Allie still didn't know Archie was coming and Nathan planned to surprise her on Christmas Eve before her program at church. "Dad, I know we said this last year but I really think this is going to be the best Christmas ever." Nathan could not disagree. He didn't remember when he'd looked forward to Christmas more than he did this year.
"Why don't you run upstairs and get dressed. Make sure you dress warmly it's cold out there. I'll make some eggs and I picked up some muffins at the café." Nathan went to the kitchen and started getting breakfast together for the two of them. First up was a cup of coffee.
Over breakfast they talked about the plan for the next few days. Nathan had to work and Allie was volunteering at the festival. He told Allie he had to work on Christmas Eve but Miss Sarah was planning to spend some time with her preparing food for the Christmas Eve potluck and for their own Christmas Day dinner. "Dad, will we still get to go fishing on Christmas Day even if Miss Sarah doesn't want go to?" Nathan assured Allie that nothing would change that tradition.
Nathan looked at the time and told Allie they needed to get headed to town so they weren't late. Quickly cleaning up their dishes Allie put on her heavy coat and mittens and the two headed to town.
Allie greeted Sarah with her usual hug and said she was excited to run the ornament station. Allie's enthusiasm was always a breath of fresh air. Sarah found herself loving her more every day.
Sarah saw Fiona approaching and went to welcome her. "Congratulations Sarah, you've put together quite the event. I can't tell you how many good things I've heard from people about all the special touches you've put on the festival this year. We, meaning the town, can't thank you enough.
"Thank you Fiona, that means a lot to me. I've fallen in love with Hope Valley so it just feels right to contribute where I can." It was reassuring to Sarah to know that her work was appreciated by the townspeople many who had become her friends.
Sarah heard horses and turned to see the first Coulter lumber shuttle bringing a group of people into town. Looking at the time Sarah realized it was time for Fiona to kick off the festival. She led Fiona to the stagecoach platform where she welcomed everyone to Hope Valley's Christmas Festival. She mentioned several opportunities to make donations to the Brookfield Orphanage and made sure to remind everyone about the Christmas Eve program and dinner at the Queen of Hearts. Lastly Fiona made sure to thank Sarah for all her work in organizing this year's event.
Nathan stood at his post outside the jail listening to Fiona and watching Sarah as she got some well-deserved recognition. He knew she didn't do it for the attention. She did it because she cared about the community. Sarah looked over toward Nathan and he tipped his hat to her. Would her heart ever stop skipping a beat when he did that? She hoped not. She smiled at him and watched as he headed toward the livery to saddle up Newton and go do his rounds.
It was mid-afternoon by the time Nathan had a chance to check on Allie. He saw that the crowds were out in full force. Considering the number of people had turned out everything appeared to be running smoothly. The real test would be tonight at the saloon to see if any out of towners were there to create trouble. Nathan hoped Lucas was still employing his security team.
Nathan made his way to find Allie and saw she was up to her elbows in ornament making. He was proud of how patient she was with the kids as she explained how to make the ornaments. He stepped over to her to see if she'd eaten lunch. "I haven't had time dad. Would you mind getting me a sandwich at the café?" Nathan asked Allie if she'd seen Sarah. "She came by earlier but I haven't seen her in a while." Nathan looked up and down the street trying to see where Sarah might be but wasn't having much luck trying to find her in the crowds of people.
As he was headed toward the café Nathan felt a hand grab his. Turning to the left he saw the Sarah had slipped her hand inside his and was moving in the same direction as he was toward the café. "Where are you headed Constable?"
"I told Allie I would get her a sandwich for lunch. Have you eaten? We could grab a quick bite while they're making Allie's sandwich." Nathan thought it unlikely that Sarah would take the time to stop and eat but he was hopeful.
"I can take a short break and would love to get off my feet." They continued to the café and found a table in the back corner. "It feels good to sit down. I'm exhausted and it's only the first day!" Sarah looked tired and Nathan was going to make sure she sat for a while and rested.
Bill popped out of the kitchen and made his way over to Nathan. He wanted to hear what Allie thought of the land Nathan had purchased. "Oh my gosh, Bill, she loved it. I don't know that I've ever seen her so excited." Nathan told him about the bow and the card he'd put up there a couple of days before they went tree hunting.
Bill was so pleased that she liked it. "Wait until you start building up there. I'm sure she'll have all kinds of ideas for you."
Nathan assured Bill that Allie was already drawing up her own plans for what she thought the new house should look like.
Bill thanked Sarah for her work on the festival and she in turn thanked Bill and Minnie for all the cookies they provided for the cookie decorating station that was, as Sarah suspected, a big hit.
Nathan and Sarah ordered lunch and Nathan asked for a sandwich to go for Allie. While they waited for their food they finally had a chance to catch up. Nathan asked if everything was running smoothly. Happily Sarah said there had only been a few small issues that were easily remedied. The festival closed down at five o'clock and Nathan asked Sarah if she wanted to join them for dinner. "I would love to Nathan but I need to go to the store and catch up on some things there."
Disappointed but understanding Nathan changed the subject. "Let's talk about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Allie was asking if she and I could still go fishing on Christmas Day. That's always been our tradition. She doesn't know it but this year Archie will go with us."
Sarah assured Nathan she didn't want to get in the way of their traditions. She wanted them to have their Christmas morning together and she would come over to help with dinner. Bill brought their lunches and a sandwich for Allie.
The rest of the afternoon flew by and by five o'clock the volunteers were exhausted but happy with how the day had gone. They were all ready to go home and get rested up for the remaining two days. Rosemary found Sarah as she was heading home and gave Sarah a big hug telling her how fabulous everything was going. "You've just done a wonderful job." Coming from Rosemary Sarah was flattered at the praise.
"I couldn't have done any of it without you Rosemary. I am so thankful to you for your guidance and to you and Lee for everything you've done. I only hope that I can return the favor someday. Rosemary had quickly become a friend that Sarah turned to and she hoped that someday Rosemary would feel she could do the same.
The next two days passed in a blur and by the end of the third day Sarah didn't think she'd ever felt so tired. Bill was hosting a party for the volunteers at the café to celebrate the end of the successful event. Sarah looked forward to some time with her friends. She was running late having made an extra trip down Main Street to make sure everything was dismantled and cleaned up before heading to Abigail's. Sarah entered the café to the applause of everyone there. She had never felt so celebrated and tears pricked her eyes as she looked around at her new friends who were quickly becoming family. Nathan stood in the back corner as he usually did in crowds but Sarah could see his smile from across the room. Sarah was surrounded by Rosemary, Fiona, Clara, and Florence all talking about how much fun they'd had the past few days. Nathan made his way across the room and the ladies made room for him as he slipped his arm around Sarah's waist. "Congratulations on a successful event." Nathan bent down and gave Sarah a kiss on the top of her head." The other ladies looked on making note of the look in Nathan's eyes. Nathan's eyes had always shared his emotions before he could ever verbalize them. They were happy for their Mountie that after the pain they'd seen in those eyes over the last year he now looked so peacefully content.
Sarah and Nathan didn't stay at the party for long and they walked the short distance to her apartment. Taking both of her hands Nathan held them to his lips and kissed each of them. Then framing her face with his hands he brought his lips to hers, tender at first and then with a hunger matched by Sarah. As they separated Sarah put her hand on Nathan's face caressing his cheek with her thumb. It was as if she wanted to take in every part of him to remember until she saw him again. Even though she knew she would see him tomorrow she struggled to say goodnight. Nathan was having an equally difficult time leaving Sarah. More and more he found himself feeling incomplete when he wasn't with her. Finally Nathan said goodnight and left her with a kiss to remember him by until tomorrow.