Hope for Tomorrow
Page 1
Dee had surprised Nathan with a quick little afternoon delight at his office, not the kind they would have totally enjoyed had they been home, but just enough to remind each other just how much they loved one another. Thankfully, Gunther knocked on the door before entering as he saw the blinds were closed. Dee quickly shot up off Nathan's lap and was pressing down her dress with her hands, blushing all the while.
Gunther barely in the door and just about stepping away, he heard Nathan. Not being phased in the least, "C'mon in, Nathan addressed Gunther, "what is the word on the street?"
Gunther gulped when he saw Dee behind the desk next to Nathan. "Um, I ah..."
"Excuse me, I'll let you two get back to business," Dee declared as she hurriedly kissed Nathan on the cheek before leaving.
Nathan whispered in her ear, "See you tonight Mrs. Grant!" making Dee red as a beet.
"Good day, Mrs. Grant," Gunther nodded.
"Dee, remember, call me Dee," she laughed.
"Now, Gunther, what were you about to tell me?" inquired Nathan.
"Everything seems back to normal, sir. Talk is that the folks are very proud of us, especially you, sir, for finding out who was stealing the lumber, and stopping Walden from opening a nearby casino. They're mighty happy with how Elizabeth was protected too. I think they're planning something special." Gunther grinned.
"Now, where did you hear that?" Nathan looked at Gunther puzzled.
"Oh, I was eating over at Minnie's Cafe, and some of the Chickadees and other ladies were talking about it, if I heard it right. Of course, when they saw me, they stopped long enough to let me walk past them before they continued."
"Well, I hope you heard wrong, we were just doing our job. Those ladies are always up to something. Hopefully, now that the summer Bible Camp is over, they'll get busy with their activities again," Nathan chuckled. "After rounds, I want to ride over to the houses being built and see how they're coming along."
"Of course," Gunther answered, as he walked over to the livery with Nathan.
Nathan was glad to be outside on such a pleasant day. It had cooled off, even though the sun was out, the wind was blowing through from the north and brought a lovely relief from the heat. Everyone was out and working. As they rode out in the country they saw the farmers working the fields, and tending to their animals. The newborn baby animals were getting bigger and not so clumsy walking over to nurse from their mamas. Even the wildflowers were growing adding touches of yellow, purple, and pink to the roadsides. Some men were painting their barns and houses and ladies were hanging out their laundry to catch the breeze.
They spotted Allie over at the Peterson farm and rode over. Gail was hanging out her sheets when she saw Nathan and Gunther riding was and waved. "Nathan, we heard how brave you both were capturing that Toliver man and those two outlaws! We are so lucky to have you looking after us!"
"Thanks, Gail it's our duty. We're relieved they're out of town now too," Nathan answered. "This is our new Mountie, Gunther Burmeister."
"Mighty pleased to meet you, ma'am," Gunther greeted Gail politely.
"Welcome to these parts Gunther," Gail smiled and then called over her daughters. "I don't know if you ever met my girls, Nathan?"
"Never had the pleasure," Nathan shook his head.
Two young ladies walked over from the barn dressed in overhauls. "Mama, we aren't dressed to meet company," they complained. However, seeing the Mounties they joined their mother. They both looked to be plain from the distance, but as they got closer, Gunther was charmed by their sparkling eyes and alluring smiles.
"This is Allie's dad, Sargent Grant," Gail introduced Nathan first and they were quick to notice his striking good looks, but also the ring on his left hand. "And this is Mountie Burmeister," who is new to the area.
Gunther shifted in his seat and decided to dismount his horse, Sandy, to greet the ladies. He took off his hat and assured them that they could call him Gunther, "Mountie Gunther at your service," he addressed them, "to whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Nathan rolled his eyes but listened.
"I'm Lana," the taller girl introduced herself, "And, I'm Lisa." Both had big eyes, long lashes, and long hair which attracted Gunther. "Nice to meet you too," they echoed in response.
Gail explained that the girls weren't around before because they had been helping with clerical and nursing jobs during the war and had just returned recently. "We'll have you over for dinner sometime soon so you can get better acquainted Gunther," Gail offered to which he smiled broadly.
"How's Allie and Penny doing?" Nathan inquired. After getting an update that everything was progressing, he waved to Allie and said his goodbyes to the ladies. Gunther followed while waving at Lana and Lisa.
Continuing on their rounds, they saw more building going on everywhere they looked. St. James was about the farthest they went. Before heading back, Nathan talked to Gunther, "You know past here is another new territory. It's growing too and I have a hunch you might be considered for this new position if things work out well for you here with me. The towns all around are expanding and I'll either need a second Mountie to help or they might re-district our areas. I'm waiting to see what headquarters decide. We should know soon as they are finished moving from Regina to Ottawa."
Looking at the area out yonder, they wondered what might be happening sooner than they thought. Riding back into town, they stopped by Nathan's house, seeing the men busy at work. The row houses were getting their footings and Minnie's Cafe was halfway completed. Joseph had made the wooden sign that now read, "Minnie's Cafe", with a little sign below, "service with a smile".
Just then, the Chickadees were all coming out and busy chattering about the Summer Family Fest coming up next and how much fun the fair would be.
Nathan just chuckled, looking at Gunther, "At least these ladies, keep the town happy!"
Rosemary saw them as she and Lee walked out of the infirmary and waved. Running over to the group she announced, "Ladies! I've got some fantastic news!
I'm pregnant!"
Page 2
Fiona called the town council together for an emergency meeting. Elizabeth informed the Mayor that there was a new school superintendent coming to town very soon. All she knew was his name, Mr. Malone. He was instructed to visit all the local towns to meet the teachers and get a feel for the community they were responsible for. Elizabeth needed more room with all the children that would most likely come to her with the expansion of Hope Valley.
Fiona asked the council to meet at Minnie's Cafe as she didn't want to interrupt the new young adult's Hopefuls group planning meeting. They wanted to set up times to show silent films and host dances and other fun events. Gunther joined them and now he was recognized as one of the group. Sam, Maggie, Rosaleen, Katie, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Christy, and Rick were excited to think of fun ideas. Rosemary was a huge support as she always enjoyed helping to host.
"Do any of you know Lisa and Lana Peterson?" Gunther inquired looking around at the group. "They haven't been around much from what I gather as they work the family farm, but they also have been helping during the war with nursing and clerical work."
"Oh, yea," Mark and John both thought that maybe they knew of them from the war. "I believe I saw them on the train coming home," John remembered.
"I was surprised to know they were headed back to Hope Valley," Mark added. "I never saw them at school, so working on the farm explains it!"
"They were probably home-schooled like I was," Maggie spoke up. "When you work on the farm with your family, it's just easier to stay home than walk all the way into town, especially in the winter."
"Anyways, I think it would be nice to invite them to join us," Gunther suggested.
"Of course," Rosaleen nodded, "the more the merrier!"
"I'll ride out with you tomorrow," Kate offered. "We can invite them to the baseball game Saturday." Gunther nodded in agreement.
"Hey yeah, Gunther, how'd you like to be the umpire? I think you know as much as we do and we're busy being coaches. What do ya say?" Sam playfully punched Gunther on the arm.
"All right, count me in!" Gunther smiled broadly.
Over at Minnie's Cafe, Nathan, Bill, Dottie, Molly, Flo, Lee, and Henry arrived soon after Elizabeth to attend the town council meeting. Joseph came and joined them being that he lived there now. So, Joseph opened the meeting with a prayer for God's direction. "Amen." the group confirmed.
"Thank you so much for coming on such short notice," Fiona started. "Elizabeth asked me to hold an emergency meeting as she just received a call that the new school Superintendent Malone will be arriving here in town any day now. I'll let Elizabeth take the floor from here." Fiona waved to Elizabeth to come forward and speak.
"Yes, well as you know we are growing in leaps and bounds. When anyone rides around the country you see more buildings than we've seen in years. Our new workers are living in very poor conditions that have been referred to as 'tent city'. Unfortunately, their families are not with most of them, but as soon as possible there will be accommodations for them with the second road of row houses."
Elizabeth hesitated to glance at Lee, who confirmed with a hearty, "Yes! That's our plan, to keep building as long as the weather allows."
Elizabeth continued, "So, with that in mind, once the families join the men, we will need more room for a school to provide an education for the children."
Fiona then interjected, "Council, we need to consider what might be the best direction to offer these new students an opportunity to learn. Do we want to build a new school, or do we want to add to the current one?"
Joseph spoke up and reminded them that the school occupied the same building as the Community Church. "This situation requires us to recognize our congregational needs too. I know some will be attending St. James, once it is built, but I also assume some of the new folks will be attending the Community Church also."
Nathan observed as different points of view were shared among the friends. It was more than satisfying to him to witness the exchange of ideas without any arguing. He felt blessed to be the Mountie of Hope Valley.
After much discussion the decision was to eventually erect a separate school building next spring, maintaining the name of Jack Thornton School, and currently adding to the present School/Church building before winter set in. There was a unanimous consensus that this would be sufficient for the time being and everyone seemed happy with the decision.
Elizabeth knew now what she needed to say when she spoke with Superintendent Malone and gave out a sigh of relief.
At the end of the meeting, Lee got quite a few handshakes congratulating him for Rosemary's and his exciting news. Nathan knew Dee would be thrilled to have another friend expecting and the babies would be close enough in age they could enjoy each other's company.
Sure enough, when he arrived home, dinner was waiting and so were Archie and Gunther. "There ya be, my son!" Emily's eyes softened.
"Hello, sorry I'm a bit late," Nathan said apologetically while giving Dee a kiss, "but we had a big decision to make at the town council meeting."
As they sat around the table passing the Sauerbraten and dumplings, Nathan shared the discussion he had just witnessed. Everyone seemed to think that it was the best solution.
Then Nathan beamed as he got excited to announce, "Now, for the big news, Rosemary is pregnant!"
Dee and Emily looked blankly at Nathan. "You didn't know?"
Nathan was stunned. "Don't tell me you already know! How?"
Allie, Dee, and Emily started snickering while Gunther just watched.
Page 3
After dinner, Nathan reminded Archie that he would be taking him to the ophthalmologist for an eye exam the next morning after rounds. This meant that they would be borrowing Lee's automobile to drive to Clearwater.
"Nathan, why don't you just stop being so stubborn and get yourself and your family, your own auto?" Archie asked.
"Dad, I just don't like the idea. If I buy an automobile, I don't want the RMCP thinking I will be driving an automobile instead of riding Newton for rounds. Newton has been a very loyal and trustworthy confidant. I can't share my thoughts with a big piece of metal like I do with my horse!"
"That's what you have dogs for," Archie chuckled while looking down at both Emma and Ginger. They were barely listening but pleasantly wagged their tails anyways, always waiting for a belly rub or a scrap of food.
Dee walked over after putting the last dry dish away, "And a wife too, sweetheart, you can always tell me," she said fondly.
Nathan grabbed Dee and pulled her down on his lap. Brushing her hair off her earlobe he whispered, "Don't forget, we have our own little meeting tonight," he followed with a little nibble on her ear.
"Nathan, give me your hand right now. Little bun is getting a lot more active lately!" Dee held Nathan's hand in just the right spot for him to feel all the squirming their little one was doing.
Allie rushed over, "Mom, let me feel please!" Nathan grabbed Allie's hand and placed it right where his hand was.
Nathan and Dee were watching Allie expectantly, when all of a sudden, little bun kicked so hard that startled Dee, and yelled, "Ouch!"
Allie was so thrilled, "Hey there bun, this is your big sister and we are all very excited to meet you! I love you."
Bun was so active that even Archie got to feel his grandchild kick. Gunther of course, just watched, enjoying the family's delight. "Well, thanks again for the dinner, I best be getting back to Judge Bill's and get ready for bed. Don't worry about tomorrow, I'll be happy to do the rounds while you take your dad to Clearwater."
That night Dee and Nathan discussed the idea of buying an automobile. It was decided that Nathan would look into any automobiles for sale in Clearwater while in the city. He knew that moving out into their new house in the country, it would be practical to have one, especially with the baby coming and the icy winter snow. But, Nathan claimed he needed to be persuaded, in which Dee was more than happy to comply.
Before Nathan walked to town to get his dad the next morning, he talked to Bill first about going to Clearwater and leaving Gunther. "I trust him to do the rounds, but I'm not sure when we'll be back. Depending on how Dad's appointment goes, if it's not too late, I will stop to look at the automobiles for sale. We've decided to go ahead and buy one before the baby and winter sets in."
"You caved in, huh, Nathan?" Bill smiled.
"Dee has a way of persuading me," Nathan confessed.
"So does Molly. She wants us to drive for our honeymoon to see the leaves change while heading to Vancouver. The razzle-dazzle of the city and the water has her pretty little head in a spin!" Bill's mouth turned into a half smile, but his eyes were twinkling.
"Women! What they do to us!" Nathan shook his head.
"Yeah, but isn't it grand!" Bill laughed.
When Archie was examined by Dr. Fisher, he told them straight away that Dr. Carson's suspicions were correct and Archie needed cataract surgery. He explained to both of them the operation details while he reassured them that it was becoming a well-developed surgery with great results.
"I'll do one eye at a time and let that one heals before we do the other one. No need to rush as with even one eye operated on, Archie will be seeing clearer and brighter than he has in years," Dr. Fisher confidently promised.
Archie was not too sure about anyone touching his eyes, but Nathan made the appointment for the surgery after successfully convincing him.
While the two of them were checking the automobiles, Archie picked out one and asked Nathan to take him out for a spin to try it. Nathan had learned from Lee how to drive and park, which he did well before, so he agreed.
The roar of the engine reminded Archie of the farm tractors that he had seen in the magazines at Billees. "I bet these new fan-dangled machines will be taking over the farms soon. Pretty soon, horses will be left alone."
"Not if I can help it," Nathan spoke up. "This is nice, driving around fast and not worrying about hauling a wagon, especially for the ladies. But, I'm keeping Newton, and Allie loves her horse, Penny. So, I'm having a stable built for them right at our new house."
"That's my boy," Archie smiled, "I know you have a buddy in Newton, and he deserves to stay by your side."
After they returned, Nathan talked to the salesman about the cost and the financing. Jotting down the information, he shook hands and then both father and son got back in Lee's car to return to Hope Valley.
"I can't wait to tell Dee about this," Nathan crowed, "but she better be sitting when I tell her the price."