True Love Comes to Town Chapter 1, a when calls the heart fanfic

PROLOGUE:

Welcome to True Love Comes to Town.

This story is based on the TV series When Calls the Heart, which is loosely based on the novel by the same name by Canadian Author, Janette Oke.

Now if you are current on the TV series When Calls the Heart, and you have watched to the end of Season 8, you can skip all this next part, and scroll on down and start reading Chapter 1. However, if you are not current, or have never watched the series, here's a little prologue to quickly get you up to date, before you start this story:

I began watching the show during the pandemic, with my two teenage daughters. The premise of the show is simple: A rich, high-bred school teacher moves to the Canadian frontier and falls in love with a police officer from the Royal Canadian NorthWest Mounted Police. The television series is set in the early 1910's, so of course, the Police are on horseback.

Now, the first 5 seasons are about the love story between Jack, the Mountie (that's a slang term for "Mounted Police Officer"), and Elizabeth, the school teacher. But, SPOILER ALERT: He dies in Season 5.

In Season 6 and 7, a "love triangle" is created when two new suitors are introduced for the show's heroine, Elizabeth (the school teacher). She is now a widow and a mother, and the two fellas are vying for her affection. The show's producers created the love triangle in order to boost the ratings and viewership. And it went on for three long seasons (6-8), as Elizabeth teetered between these two men, and sadly, by the end of season 8, became quite unrecognizable.

In season 8, major changes were made to the show's writing team, including a change to head writer. As well, Producers went as far as to create "Teams" for each of the fellas. It was promised that at the end of Season 8, Elizabeth would choose which suitor she wanted to be with, for her next great love. So, fans of suitor Lucas (he's the shady saloon owner) were on Team Lucas. And, well, Team Nathan was made up of all of the fans who wanted Nathan ( the new humble, selfless Mounted Police Officer) to be picked.

Well, by the finale, its estimated that 60-70% of fans were on Team Nathan (numbers are from various "neutral" polls), and were rooting for him to get the girl. There were some pretty solid storylines supporting that, lots of signs pointed that way (I mean, the premise of the show is the teacher and the Mountie, after all). Even a small portion of Team Lucas fans that I conversed with thought Nathan would win out. But, SPOILER ALERT: Elizabeth shocked the world and picked Lucas.

And so, bottom line, Nathan Grant, a character that so many people had grown to love over the course of 3 seasons, was left heart-broken. And, it was pretty brutal. What was even worse, Nathan had a 12 year old adopted daughter, Allie, who was also left heart-broken. She was hoping to get the Mom she'd always dreamed of, ever since her real mom died when she was 4, and her Uncle Nathan took her in. Nathan had been raising her on his own, as a single father, since his sister died.

Now, here's the silver lining: Team Nathan is super creative and so many people started re-writing the ending of the show, so that Nathan got the girl. Or, some writers created new characters that were better suited to him, and quite frankly, a little more careful, and more deserving of his heart.

And so, an original story started coming to me. And that's how this story, True Love Comes to Town, began. Now, I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. And, my wonderful, amazing husband has been encouraging me to write for more than 10 years. But it took the story of this selfless police officer, and his sweet adopted daughter, to push me over the edge. I finally put pen to paper, or in my case, fingers to keyboard, in a feeble attempt to right a wrong. I just couldn't leave these two wonderful characters, Nathan and Allie, heartbroken and slighted.

And so, Julia Matthews, my heroine, was born. She's adventurous and fun, yet genuine and reserved. And, she's strong…though I'll let you discover all that on your own.

So, I humbly invite you to join me on this journey…the love story of Nathan and a nurse named Julia. And, the story of a sleepy Canadian frontier town, called Hope Valley, and her many lovely townspeople. The year is 1919, and it's spring. Nine months has passed since Nathan's heart break, and he's almost ready to notice all the flowers in bloom…

TRUE LOVE COMES TO TOWN

Chapter 1: New Adventure

Julia Matthews walked out of the large hospital for the last time. She was not one bit sad to leave, though she had made a few friends. She'd had enough of doctors barking orders and orderlies giving her attitude. She was tired of the big city and was ready for a change. She welcomed it, actually.

Julia had answered the advertisement completely on a whim, after a particularly long shift. Right at the end of a long week, when she had delivered bad news to hurting families, one too many times. She couldn't even recall what made her take a newspaper from the stand that day, or why she happened upon that particular advertisement. But, the pull to something new, was just too much.

So now, here she was, leaving behind the hospital where she had once been so very eager to be employed- to head home and pack her bags. She had a train ticket for the following day, and then a coach ticket on to Hope Valley, after that. It would be a long journey, but she was excited at the prospect of a fresh start, and possibly making a difference in the little frontier town, as their new nurse.

The next morning, on her way to the train station, Julia said good-bye to the hustle and bustle of the big city. She eagerly boarded, and left it all behind, without a second glance. Julia spent her time on the train reading medical journals and versing herself on afflictions common to small frontier towns. As well, she re-read some of the letters from Dr. Faith Carter; their correspondence from the past month, after Julia had responded to the advertisement and eventually accepted the position. Dr. Carter's letters already explained some of the needs and common illnesses native to the region. Julia was excited and took her position very seriously.

Once on the stagecoach, Julia spent most of her time looking out the window. The hills, the valleys, everything as far as the eye could see, seemed to be in bloom. It was springtime, and out here in the frontier, it was breathtaking. Julia had never seen so many different kinds of flowers, so many vibrant colors. She suddenly wished she knew every single one of their names, flowers that she had never even known existed. How very different from her busy life back in Calgary.

When the stagecoach finally pulled into Hope Valley, Julia was tired and sore, and dirty. But, she had made it, and she was ready for the challenge of whatever lie ahead of her.

When she stepped down from the coach, Julia was met by a very pretty blond with a bright smile. "Nurse Julia Matthews?"

"Yes, that's me." Julia answered.

With a hand extended, she introduced herself, "I'm Dr. Faith Carter, and welcome to Hope Valley." Julia happily shook her hand, and instantly knew that she was going to like Dr. Carter.

"Let me help you with your things," said Dr. Carter as the coach drivers unloaded.

Two nice gentlemen, whom Dr. Carter introduced as Mike Hickam and Lee Coulter, were there with a car to help transport her trunks. Dr. Carter led her over to the back of the infirmary, to a small but adequate apartment. As the men unloaded, she showed Julia around. The apartment was furnished with a bed, a night table and lamp, and an armoire. Off to the side was a small kitchen with a small stove and sink, a small dining table, two chairs, and a cupboard.

"It's not big, but it does have indoor plumbing…a little plus we added when we updated the infirmary recently. I hope it will be sufficient to get you started?" Dr. Carter asked.

"It's perfect, Dr. Carter." Julia answered. She loved the way the light flowed in the big windows, the sun exposition was absolutely perfect.

"Please, call me Faith." Dr. Carter said.

"And, please call me Julia," Julia responded.

When the men were finished bringing in her things, Julia thanked them. Then Faith offered, "Why don't I show you the infirmary? Again, it's not big, but adequate for our little town."

Faith led Julia through the door that adjoined her apartment to the infirmary. She explained. "We asked that a door be added here so that we could enter and leave easily when we are on call, or when we need to watch over a patient in the infirmary. It doesn't happen often, but it's nice to have a real bed close by." Faith explained. Julia nodded in understanding.

Faith showed Julia all around the infirmary, including the medicine cabinet, the many drawers of medical instruments, and the impressive library of medical books and journals. Julia had brought quite a few books herself, and thought that she would write her name inside and add them to the shelves.

After her tour, Faith asked when she had last eaten. Julia looked at the clock then and realized it was almost 7 pm. She was indeed starving!

"We have a really nice café, if you'd like to join me, I'm going to meet some of my friends. They would all love to meet you, if you are not too tired." Faith offered.

"That would be lovely", Julia accepted graciously, and asked, "Shouldn't we lock up?"

Faith only laughed and shook her head no, "We don't lock up much in Hope Valley."

Julia smiled and said, "Just let me grab my coat."

Faith did the same and they headed out the door. When Julia stepped out onto the street of this quaint little town, she knew she was going to like it here. She just had a feeling. They walked down main street a little, and all the while, Faith pointed and explained. Faith showed her the mercantile, Dottie's dress shop, the barbershop, the saw mill office that apparently now doubled as the office for the town newspaper, the Valley Voice. There was a saloon, which had a restaurant with a French chef, and rooms to rent in case she had any big city visitors. And there was the Judge's office, Gowen Petroleum, the Library, and the Mountie office. Abigail's cafe was the last stop on the tour, and it seemed like a delightful place. It was busy when they entered, but Faith's friends had saved two places at their table.

Faith introduced Julia to Fiona, who ran the barbershop but also worked at Gowen Petroleum, and Clara who worked at Dottie's and occasionally helped out at the café, though not tonight. The foursome sat together and chatted cheerily. There were some others who noticed Julia's arrival and came over to introduce themselves: Bill, who came to take their order, though he was also the town Judge. Next came Molly, who seemed to be hanging out in the cafe just to be near Bill. And Mike stopped by to say hello again, though his attentions seemed to be aimed especially at Fiona.

Julia was blessed to have met so many people in so little time. It had taken her months to make friends in the big city.

The food at Abigail's was delicious, and the pie was amazing. Julia realized it was getting late, and even though she was enjoying all the friendly banter, she was beginning to tire from her long day of travel.

Faith noticed and quietly said to Julia, "You look like you are running out of steam. Are you ready to go?"

"Unfortunately, I am feeling pretty tired. But, please stay. I can head back on my own." Julia quietly joked. "I don't think I could get lost!"

Faith pulled out a key and handed it to Julia. "I usually lock up at night, just to keep the medicine and instruments safe." Faith explained. "Here's a key for you, and I have the only other. Will you please lock up the front as well? And, please let me pick up the check tonight, for your first dinner in Hope Valley. I would like it to be my treat."

Julia took the key and nodded. She said, gratefully, "Thank you, Faith, for everything. I feel at home already. I can tell I'm really going to like it here."

Julia looked at the others and excused herself. "It was really nice to meet you, ladies. But, it has been a really long day of travel. I think I will head back to get some rest. I hope to see you around town?" Julia said.

Both Clara and Fiona said their good-byes. And then Faith asked, "Would you be able to start at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning? I need to go to Benson Hills in the afternoon and I would really like to get you settled before I leave?"

Julia replied, "That would be fine, Faith. I'll be ready at 8 a.m. I look forward to it."

Julia stood and turned to leave, waving courteously to all those she had just met. She went out onto the street and walked back towards the infirmary. If she had any more energy, she would walk around some more. It really was a cute little town. But, fog was rolling in and dusk was settling, and she felt tired to her very bones.

Suddenly, as she was crossing the street, Julia looked up. And the sight that met her, stopped her in her tracks. A very regal horse came into view, cutting through the fog and dispersing it as he rode. On his back, was a tall, lone figure in bright red serge. As they rode toward her, she could see the rider in more detail, and Julia thought him one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He and the horse made a very regal pair. In fact, they seemed to command attention, and Julia could not take her eyes off them. It was a moment when time seemed to stand still- her gaze fixed on him, and his on her.

When he was almost in front of her, the rider in red tipped his hat at her, smiled a crooked smile, and rode past. Julia tore her eyes away, fixed them on the infirmary, and closed the distance to the front door. As she turned the knob, Julia glanced back once, over her shoulder. At that very moment, as the man was turning to the livery, he looked back at her, too.

As Julia entered the infirmary and locked the door behind her, she thought about her day. And what a day it was. She crossed over to her new apartment, lit a few simple lights, and then the wood stove. As warmth began to fill the room, she closed her curtains, locked both doors, and began to unpack her trunk.

Julia found the bed already made, much to her delight. Someone named Rosemary had even dropped off a welcome basket, complete with a pretty note written in exquisite penmanship. She would find this Rosemary and thank her tomorrow.

After unpacking, Julia drew a hot bath, to wash away all the dirt and grime of the road, and to leave the pains of traveling behind her. Then she read for a little while. She drifted off to sleep excited about so many things: her new position, Hope Valley, so many new friends, and all the possibilities that lay before her. Ready for this new adventure.

A FEW TIPS:

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