Chapter 53
It was late Monday morning and Abigail's was enjoying a lull between breakfast and lunch diners. This was the time Nathan and Steven tried to grab a cup of coffee and chat about Mountie business with Bill. Even as a judge Bill still liked to be kept apprised of what the men in red serge were working on. Lately the conversation always seemed to touch on Lucas's situation. It had been a week since he'd nailed the closed sign on Gowen Petroleum. Lucas had made himself scarce in that time. Gustave seemed to be the only person still working for him and he had only been seen at the mercantile a couple of times.
Just as they were taking their last swigs of coffee a stranger walked into the café. His eye immediately went to Nathan and Steven who stood out in their red jackets. Bill rose and showed him to a table. Pouring him a cup of coffee Bill went through the list of questions any good Mountie would ask; who was he, what did he do, why was he in Hope Valley and how long was he staying. The man introduced himself as James Stafford. He was a bankruptcy trustee and he wasn't sure how long he would be in town given the unpredictable nature of the cases he handled. Bill introduced himself as Judge Bill Avery which drew an questioning look from Mr. Stafford. Bill was quick to throw in that he also owned the café and was a former Mountie and Inspector. James nodded understanding now the reason for all the questions. He had to admit two Mounties and one former Mountie all in one place was a bit intimidating. Waiting for the late breakfast he ordered he filled his time reading a copy of the Valley Voice left over from Saturday. This week's edition featured a story about the closure of Gowen Petroleum. Rosemary had seen the sign on the office door and spent the week trying to get the story from Lucas. He was impossible to find so Rosemary went to the next best source which was Mike Hickam. Mike wasn't anxious to talk given he'd just lost his job but he gave Rosemary enough information that she was able to pull together a story, albeit brief.
Nathan had seen Mike at church on Sunday and told him he was sorry about his job. Mike appreciated his concern but said that after he talked to Rosemary for the article Lee had reached out and they were discussing the possibility of him making a return to the lumber mill. It didn't surprise Nathan that Lee would try to find a position for him. Lee was a good man with a good heart and smart business sense. He knew Mike was a good worker and, though he'd left the mill to work for Henry Gowen, Lee knew that if he hired him back, Mike would work twice as hard to make sure Lee didn't regret it. The other workers who'd been at the oil company had good chances of either being taken on by Lee or at the factory so, fortunately, anyone who had relied on Gowen Petroleum for their paychecks had a good chance of landing on their feet except maybe Lucas.
Sarah stopped into the café to grab a cup of coffee and muffin since she'd not had breakfast yet. She was happy to see Nathan, Bill and Steven all there together. She also noticed James and knew she hadn't seen him before. She greeted the three men and asked who the handsome stranger was. Nathan was nonplussed at her comment. "You think he's handsome?"
"Of course he is." With a quick wink she added "just not as handsome as you."
The three men looked at each other and shook their heads. They had no idea what Sarah was talking about. "Never mind gentlemen. I have to get back to work." Sarah left them to their business.
The men turned their attention back to James Stafford. They assumed he was here for Lucas's bankruptcy though not really sure of what he did. They turned their question to the Bill hoping he could shed light on it.
"I don't have experience with bankruptcy but I did a little reading over the weekend knowing this was where Lucas was headed." Bill put it as simply as he could. "Lucas is about to have no secrets left in his life, at least no financial secrets. The trustee is assigned and will review all of his assets and liabilities. I don't have any idea how much or who Lucas owes money to but it's the trustee's responsibility to put it all on paper and decide how the creditors are going to get paid. In Lucas's case I'm guessing they will be looking for anything he can sell to pay off the debts. I guess we just have to wait and see how it all falls out."
Bill excused himself to get back to work and Steven and Nathan headed back to the office but not before stopping and introducing themselves to Mr. Stafford. They assured him they were available should he need anything during his stay in town. On the way back to the office they noticed the closed sign on the Queen of Hearts that had also been up for several days. The saloon's silence was deafening given the crowds and noise it was accustomed to. Every once in a while someone would stop at one of the windows and try to peek in to see if they could catch a glimpse of any activity inside the building.
Rosemary headed to the dress shop late in the afternoon to meet with Clara, Anna and Sarah. Today they were going to start on the design for Sarah's wedding dress. Rosemary couldn't wait to see what ideas she had for her dress. Sarah, Rosemary, Clara, Anna and Betsy, the new seamstress, were all gathered around the table in the middle of the store looking through pictures Sarah had pulled from different magazines. Sarah had always thought of herself as a modest and practical person but she wanted her wedding dress to be something unexpected and different from her usual style. She wanted to be a beautiful bride for Nathan and for him to see only her on their wedding day which is what she told Rosemary and Clara.
Rosemary laughed. "I don't think that will be a problem. In case you haven't noticed Nathan only has eyes for you whenever the two of you are in the same room. Remember New Year's Eve? His eyes followed you everywhere you went. The man is head over heels for you." Sarah blushed at Rosemary's comment but was secretly reassured by her comment.
They sat huddled for an hour with Clara and Rosemary both scribbling designs and making notes. In the end they combined ideas from each of them into what Sarah thought was the perfect dress. Once the design was settled they looked at different fabric options and chose several that they thought would be beautiful for the design.
Allie was going to be Sarah's maid of honor and she had requested a blush pink dress. Working from the design for Sarah's dress they drew something similar, but age appropriate, for Allie. The only other dress Sarah wanted was for Nathan's mother Caroline. Nathan had called her and given her the date for the wedding but she still hadn't committed to coming. Nathan was disappointed and assumed her hesitation was because she didn't want to see Archie. They hadn't seen each other since Colleen's funeral and it was a bitter parting. Caroline knew her son was rebuilding his relationship with Archie and said she respected that but Nathan had a feeling she wasn't really okay with it. Sarah wanted to have a special dress made for her future mother-in-law but without the measurements she would have to wait.
Once the ladies were finished with plans for the dresses Sarah put a kettle on for tea and they spent time catching up with each other. Clara and Rosemary had them all in fits of laughter talking about what it was like being pregnant and how their husbands were handling the mood swings and cravings both ladies were having. The ring of the bell on the door sounded and they looked up to see Elizabeth coming through the door. "Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry, I forgot we were meeting this afternoon. We got carried away with…" Sarah hesitated.
"Got carried away with what?" Elizabeth glanced to the table and saw the paper and the magazines strewn about the table, the ladies that were gathered and she had a good idea what they had been doing. Looking at the drawings she commented. "Those are beautiful designs. Is that your wedding dress?"
The other three glanced at Sarah but stayed quiet. "Thank you. Yes, it is. Clara and Rosemary are designing it and Anna and Betsy are making it for me."
Elizabeth took a hard swallow. In a halting voice she said "you can't go wrong with Clara and Rosemary designing it. They are both so talented." As nice as Sarah had been to her Elizabeth couldn't help feel the pangs of jealousy she experienced whenever she thought about Nathan and Sarah getting married.
Clara, Anna and Betsy went to the back of the store to finish up before leaving for the day and Rosemary said she needed to get home and start dinner. Before going she asked Elizabeth if she'd heard the news about Lucas. Elizabeth said she only knew what she'd read in the paper. "Lucas and I don't speak anymore."
Rosemary commented that Lucas didn't seem to be talking to anyone these days and, in fact, had scarcely been seen for a week. Elizabeth knew that it wasn't likely Lucas would show his face anywhere soon. She was a bit surprised he was still in town given his habit of running when things got hard.
Once they were alone Sarah and Elizabeth got down to finalizing details of the baby shower which was being held Saturday afternoon at Elizabeth's. They had quite a lengthy guest list but that was only because Rosemary and Clara had so many friends. Minnie was helping with food and Sarah was going to come over early to help decorate. Sarah and Elizabeth made a list of remaining things they needed from the mercantile and Sarah volunteered to pick them up. Elizabeth was gathering her things getting ready to leave and glanced down at the table still scattered with dress designs and magazine pictures. It really was a beautiful dress she thought. "Well, I better go. Little Jack will wonder where I am." Elizabeth opened the door and as she did Nathan was coming in from the other direction and the two almost collided in the doorway.
Nathan was apologizing before he realized who it was. "Oh, Elizabeth. I wasn't expecting to see you here."
Flustered by their near run in Elizabeth stammered. "I'm just leaving. We were putting the finishing touches on plans for Clara and Rosemary's shower this weekend. Good night." Elizabeth turned quickly and left.
Sarah ignored the near run-in and obvious discomfort and focused on the familiar feel of butterflies in her stomach as Nathan took her hand in his. His thumb went to her engagement ring and he twirled it around her finger. She moved her free hand to his chest and then to his face. She stroked the stubble on his cheek loving the rough feeling on her fingers. She waited for him to kiss her but he just stood looking at her. Unable to wait any longer she reached up and kissed him fervently. Nathan couldn't help but respond to her impassioned kiss with his own. Nathan finally stepped back his face flushed and eyes eager. "That is quite the greeting Miss Crawford. I only hope you always greet me like that at the end of the day." They both heard the sound of throats clearing. Clara, Anna and Betsy were coming out of the back room embarrassed to have interrupted but they couldn't hide their smiles. Nathan stepped back quickly feeling awkward. He greeted the ladies and then bid them good night holding the door for them.
He closed the front door and pulled down the window shades along the front of the store. He turned off the lights leaving only a glimmer coming from the back room. "After I saw you this morning I realized it's been a while since we had time together just the two of us. I'm hoping you're free for dinner tonight." Nathan reached outside the door and brought in a large basket. "I asked Bill and Minnie to put together a picnic for us and thought we could go up to your place." Nathan could tell by the expression on Sarah's face that she was surprised by his gesture. With mock indignation Nathan said "You know I can be very romantic."
The two made their way up to Sarah's apartment. Nathan set the basket down on the floor and started unbuttoning his jacket. Sarah walked over and pulled his hands away from the buttons. A sheepish smile came across his face as she started unbuttoning them for him. "Let me help you." Sarah undid each button and sliding her hands under the red serge she slid her hands up his chest over the thin material of his Henley and eased the jacket from Nathan's shoulders. She hung it by the door as Nathan pulled out a blanket from the basket and spread it across the floor. They sat next to each other and he unpacked the small feast which included a piece of Nathan's favorite chocolate cake for dessert. When they could eat no more Sarah leaned back against Nathan's chest and his arms pulled her close to him. He nuzzled her neck with his lips sending shivers down her spine. They sat that way for a long time before Nathan said "I love you Sarah and I can't wait to be your husband. I can't promise you that our life will always be picnics like this but I promise you that I will always love you and I will always take care of you."
Sarah turned toward Nathan. "And I promise to always love you and always take care of you." They leaned into each other their lips hovering closely. Her touch was so light at first but grew in intensity as he responded to her. Sarah pulled away her breath catching in her throat. "Nathan, I think you better go." Nathan's deep sigh told her he understood what she was saying. Reluctantly he gathered everything together and put it back in the basket. Nathan got up to leave but Sarah stopped him. She gently caressed his cheek, her voice a whisper, "thank you for the most amazing evening." Her lips grazed his one more time and he kissed her on the forehead on his way out the door.