Choose Love
Chapter 10
Saturday November 1, 1919
"Good morning Allie." Nathan greeted his daughter as she came bounding down the stairs from her bedroom.
"Good Morning." she returned happily.
Nathan poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot sitting on the stove and took a sip of the steaming liquid.
"You seem awfully happy to be up so early on a Saturday morning."
"Dad, did you forget? We have to decorate for the dance tonight."
"Oh...the dance. Is that tonight?" Nathan teased with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
Allie sighed deeply and responded. "You know it is." The girl rolled her eyes and stepped around her Dad to grab a piece of toast from the counter. She took a bite of the warm buttery toast and headed for the door. 'Gotta go. Herr Olsen will be waiting for us." Allie stopped just short of the door when she turned back to ask her father a question. "You're not coming to the dance dressed like that are you?"
Nathan looked at Allie with a befuddled look as he brushed and tugged down the red surge he was wearing. When he looked back to his daughter he was met with a serious expression. Suddenly realizing her concern he assured her that he would not be there in an official capacity.
"Allie I know how important this dance is to you and your friends. I promise to be there for you." Nathan gave Allie a reassuring smile. "And I promise to be dressed appropriately." He teased. "But hey you have to save me a dance okay!"
Allie rushed to her Dad and gave him a quick but earnest hug. She loved him so much and wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be happy more than anyone she knew. Allie knew his heart still hurt for Elizabeth. There were times, in which Nathan remained unaware of that Allie saw him in his sadness. She knew that her Dad tried very hard to hide his feelings of sorrow and disappointment from her.
Nathan strolled through Hope Valley like a centurion on watch. It seemed the entire town was a buzz with activity and excitement. Nathan had spent the afternoon checking in with everyone he could. Checking in with Ned and Florence at the store, Rosemary and Lee at the Lumber Mill and Fiona at the Barber shop. He was nearing the end of his afternoon rounds and was just about ready to call it a day when he remembered he hadn't checked in with Faith at the infirmary. Faith was still running the infirmary on her own and often spent many long hours there. It was for this reason that Nathan tried to be vigilant in checking on her. Nathan picked up the pace of his strolling to a fast walk. He knew he probably should have checked on her before now. At least this would be his last stop Nathan thought to himself. He was grateful that it was Saturday and he could avoid stopping by the school. Elizabeth was completely unaware but Nathan checked on her and the school children everyday while school was in session. He always remained unseen and unheard, as he watched and listened from outside the school house. It was something he had done since he arrived in Hope Valley and something he continued to do despite what happened between he and Elizabeth.
It had been a slow day at the infirmary for Faith. Although it had made the day go by slow she was thankful for the lack of things to do. Not able to deal with the boredom Faith grabbed a clipboard and made for the shelves which contained the infirmary's various supplies. She stood taking inventory when Nathan opened the door and stepped in.
"Nathan, hello. What brings you in this afternoon? Everything okay?"
"Yeah everything's fine. I was just finishing up my rounds around town. You're my last stop."
"Well everything is fine here. It's been a rather slow day actually."
"That's good. I mean that's a good thing right?"
"In my book it is. Except for the boredom...the lack of someone to talk to." Faith admitted.
"I'm sure it can still sometimes seem strange without Carson here with you."
"Yes. It took some getting used to and I'll admit that at times I miss his presence greatly."
Nathan nodded his head in understanding. He still longed for more time with Elizabeth and missed the time they had spent together. Nathan cleared his throat and posed a question for Faith.
"Faith why haven't you gotten someone to help you in the infirmary yet? You could use the help of another Doctor or a nurse. What if something big were to happen here again? You would be the only medical person here."
"I try not to worry about that but you're right. In that case I could use help. But if something big were to happen I'm sure there are plenty of people who could help. You have first aid training." Faith reminded Nathan.
"Faith my medical knowledge is rudimentary at best! Besides that I worry about you being here by yourself all of the time."
"Nathan! Really you shouldn't worry about me. Why on earth would you worry about me!"
"Because it's my job." Nathan took a step forward. The distance between them shrinking just a bit. He looked deep into her blue eyes. "And because you're my friend."
The silence hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Faith had always been fond of Nathan but she had never seen this side of him before. A kind, handsome, and eligible man. She had never truly seen him as anything more than the constable. Why would she? She was in love with Carson.
Silently reminding himself that this had been his last stop before going home to get ready for the dance Nathan was the one to speak first. Struggling for his words Nathan finally managed to say something.
"So, tonight is the kids big night. The dance, which I need to go get ready for. Allie would never let me hear the end of it if I was late."
"Right, the dance."
"You'll be there won't you?" Nathan asked.
Faith took a deep breath. "I don't think so. I didn't even buy a ticket."
"Faith, you should come. The kids have worked so hard. Wouldn't you like to see what they've done? I'm sure they would let you buy a ticket at the door."
"I would like to see it. I'll think about it."
Nathan gave Faith a nod and a smile before making his way to the door. Nathan grabbed the knob on the door but turned himself instead, looking at Faith once again.
"Faith, you change your mind...save me a dance.
Nathan and Allie could hear the music from the band starting up as they approached the Olsen Farm. It was a clear but chilly night with the light from the first quarter moon doing what it could to lead them down the decorated path. The children had decorated the path with lit pumpkins and gourds, easing the moon's burden this Fall evening. It was still early when Nathan and Allie entered through the large barn doors. They could see that only a small crowd had gathered so far. Elizabeth, Lucas, and Anna sat at a table just inside the barn taking and selling tickets. It shouldn't have been a shock seeing the two of them there. Elizabeth was the school teacher after all and this was a school event. It gave him a start anyway, seeing her there looking so beautiful. Lucas at her side. Nathan doubted he would ever get used to it. Sometimes he doubted he could stay in Hope Valley. Whenever the self doubt crept in he had only to remember the life he and Allie had made here for themselves. As hard as it was for him seeing Elizabeth find love and happiness with another man he knew that Hope Valley was his and Allie's home now.
Elizabeth happily greeted the pair as they stepped up to the table and Nathan pulled their tickets from his breast pocket. Nathan held out the tickets for Elizabeth to take. Elizabeth reached out to take the tickets from Nathan but found herself conscientiously trying not to touch him. Her hand began to shake as soon as he offered her the tickets. She had definitely been struck by how handsome he looked tonight as he entered the building. Why did her heart skip one small beat and then fall into the pit of her stomach? Elizabeth had tried to push the feelings down but she could not lie to herself. Recent events had her revisiting the past and how deeply she had once cared for Nathan. She knew that one day she would have to come to terms with the fact that she had broken Nathan's heart. She had made her choice, and that choice was a future with Lucas.
Elizabeth grasped the tickets from Nathans's grip on them and added them to the cash box.
"Allie would you like to take my place and help Anna with the tickets? I need to go and check on some things."
"Sure Mrs., Thornton." Allie said excitedly as she sat down beside Anna. The two girls began to giggle together and Nathan shot Lucas a mischievous smile, as the latter had been left behind to help the giggling pair.
Nathan mingled among the crowd which had gathered steadily since his and Allie's arrival. He was happy to see that Bill and Molly had arrived. Rosemary and Lee had been among the early arrivals as well. This would be a big story for the Valley Voice after all. The barn had been turned into what looked like a painting of an enchanted forest on a clear but crisp Autumn day. The band that had been acquired played many great tunes for dancing. From some of the classics to the more contemporary favorites. Nathan stood talking with Bill when he noticed that Allie, Anna, and Lucas had put away the ticket table. He saw Allie and Anna heading for another group of girls, and Lucas was making his way to Elizabeth with the cash box. Faith must have decided not to come tonight, Nathan thought to himself and turned his attention back to Bill.
Before long the dance was in full swing and everyone was having a fun time. There wasn't a song played that the dance floor wasn't full. Even Nathan had taken a turn or two on the dance floor. Mostly with Allie and some of her friends and a few wayward gals doomed to be the nights wallflowers if not for Rosemary's intervention.
Herr Olsen and his wife had just danced a very lively rendition of BY THE SEA when they caught up with Nathan at one of the refreshment tables. There were so many dishes, goodies, and treats provided that multiple tables were required to lay it all out. Frederick pulled a handkerchief from his pant pocket and dabbed at his hot and sweaty brow.
"Wow you two looked great out there! How did you learn to dance like that?" Nathan complimented the pair.
"Ja my echtgenoot, he is a dancing fool! Nathan you should have seen him while we were courting! He took me to a dans nearly every weekend."
"So, how did you get so good Frederick?" Nathan asked.
"I took my madchen out dancing every weekend." Frederick answered with a robust round of laughter, admitting he was self taught.
Frederick poured his wife a cup of cool punch and a cup of cider for himself and the pair bid Nathan farewell as they headed back out to mingle. Nathan perused one of the tables full of sweets and decided on a scoop of the Loganberry cobbler. Nathan couldn't wait to taste the pleasing looking dish but first he needed to locate himself a cup of coffee. He looked among the other beverages with no luck.
"Can I help you find something Nathan?"
Nathan took a deep breath, not expecting Elizabeth's presence. He turned and looked deeply into her imploring eyes. A moment that to Nathan seemed like hours, but in reality was barely a second.
Nathan smiled. "I was just looking for the coffee." He offered
Elizabeth grimaced. "Oh I'm sorry Nathan we don't have any coffee. I actually forgot to include coffee with the other beverages.
Nathan raised an eyebrow in feigned annoyance. "Should I assume then that's there's no hot tea either?" Nathan joked.
"Nathan!" Elizabeth scolded, but couldn't keep her amusement hidden. Soon she and Nathan were both chuckling together.
"I am sorry about the coffee Nathan. Can I get you some hot cider?"
"Really? No hot coffee but you have hot cider? An outrage I say. An outrage!" Nathan continued to tease.
"No thank you. I think I'll just have some punch." Nathan started to sit his plate down so he could pour himself a cup but before he knew it Elizabeth was handing him a cup. Realizing Nathan was still holding his plate she sat the cup down on the table. Not knowing what to say Nathan took a big bite of the still waiting cobbler on his plate.
" Wow this is really good!"
" You really think so?" Elizabeth asked with uncertainty.
"I do. This cobbler is delicious. Do you know who made it?"
"I made it." Elizabeth stated with satisfaction.
"You made this?" Nathan asked, using his fork to point to the dessert on his plate.
Elizabeth chuckled in annoyance realizing rumors of her cooking skills had gotten back to Nathan.
" My cooking isn't as bad as he used to be!" Elizabeth explained. "I made that very cobbler. With Rosemary's help of course. We gathered the last of the berries and then we made them into pies and cobblers for today."
"Well Elizabeth I have to tell you, this is the best cobbler I've ever had." Elizabeth smiled with pride.
"There's one ingredient that really stands out to me though. A very important one. The one that makes all the difference.
"Which one is that?" Elizabeth asked with perplexity, not sure what Nathan meant.
Love, Elizabeth. Love.
The band continued with their set of spirited songs which the crowd had been loving. Even Bill had gotten in on the fun when Rosemary accompanied the band on the piano. The two delivering a rousing rendition of Oh, You Beautiful Doll. Every one clapped and cheered when Bill got to the second round of the chorus, pulling Molly into his arms and skipping her around the dance floor as he sang "Oh! you beautiful doll, you great, big beautiful doll!
Let me put my arms about you, I could never live without you;"
By the last verse the entire crowd had gathered around the dance floor to join in the excitement and singing. Bill twirled Molly a final time and they swayed in time to the tune. The crowd excitedly anticipated the final line of the song and sang loudly as they wondered what Bill would do for the big finish. It seemed Rosemary was ramping up to something as she began to hit the piano keys with even more exuberance. Then with thundering voices the crown began to cheer. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, you beautiful doll!" As everyone sang in excited unison Bill turned and bent down into a lunge, gently guiding Molly into a Romantic dip. Bill stared down at Molly with laughing eyes and a mischievous smile. He held onto Molly for what felt like hours to her, but in realty, was only seconds. Then, gently he guided her back up. Molly attempted to secure her footing as Bill's hands found a place just below her shoulders. Holding her steady his gaze found hers once again. Bill wasted no time bringing his lips close to hers where he kissed her ardently but sweetly. The citizens of Hope Valley rarely saw this side of Bill Avery. He kept his feeling to himself mostly. The gathered revelers were overjoyed to see Bill so happy and broke out into roaring applause, shouts, and whistles. A somewhat embarrassed Bill and Molly greeted their adoring audience and took a bow.
After the band had taken a break they returned to their instruments and announced that the evening was winding down and had only one more set to play. Jim "Weasel" Tremblay, the lead singer thanked everyone for their hospitality and then introduced his fellow band mates. At the end he introduced himself and explained to everyone how he came to have a nickname like Weasel! He explained how everyone, since he was boy had always called him Weasel because, well quite frankly he looked like a weasel! He twisted and turned and made faces as he explained his unique attributes, making the school children laugh hysterically. Finally everyone gained their composure again.
"Alright folks we have one more fun little number here and I think you're gonna like it. A little birdie whispered in my ear and suggested we do this number."
Weasel placed his hand just above his eyebrow and scanned the crowd.
"I'm looking for a Jack Thornton. Is Jack Thornton out there?"
"I'm here, I'm here." A little voice cried out.
Weasel waved him forward and Jack excitedly ran forward. Elizabeth's cries of "Don't run!" falling on deaf ears. Nathan watched with pride as Jack made his way to the front where Weasel was waiting for him. Jack was growing up so fast. Where was the baby he held on his baptismal day? Nathan couldn't have felt more proud even if Jack had been his own son. Seeing little Jack become his own person made him think of Jack Thornton and how proud he would have felt in this moment. Elizabeth had forgiven him for what happened at Fort Clay but forgiving himself had been a challenge. Nathan doubted he would ever completely forgive himself but his journey to absolution was almost complete.
"The Chicken Walk!" Jack yelled out to the crowd when Weasel ask him to tell everyone the song he had requested. Everyone laughed, cheered and clapped at Jack's request. The little boy frantically ran back to his Mother with an important question, hoping to get an answer by the time the song started.
"Where's Lucas?" The boy asked, looking around the dance floor. Lucas had promised Jack that he would dance with him when his song was played. Lucas had even been the one to encourage Jack to go ahead and request the song. Elizabeth was unaware of the arrangement but hadn't seen Lucas for awhile as she had been visiting and talking with others. She looked around the barn but didn't see Lucas anywhere. Her brow furrowed with worry as she thought about what to tell her little boy. Elizabeth could think of only one thing to do. She bent down and looked in Jack's worried face.
"... but I will dance with you."
"No, little Jack whined.
Elizabeth shut her eyes and took a breath. Slowly she opened her eyes again and was greeted by a strong muscular hand offering her assistance. She placed her hand in his and breathed a sigh of relief. When she made it to her feet however, she was shocked to see that it was Nathan helping her up. Nathan had noticed that something was going on between Elizabeth and her son. He remembered when Allie was that age and knew the signs of an oncoming fit. He motioned to Weasel to hold up and made his way over to see if he could help. Elizabeth explained to Nathan what was happening and that Jack refused to let her step in for Lucas. For times sake Nathan pushed the anger rising in him down.
Nathan looked down at Jack giving him an empathetic smile.
" Come here." Nathan cooed as he picked the boy up and into his arms.
"I know you're disappointed Jack but sometimes things like this happen. But you're a big boy now and you can't throw fits for your Mom anymore." Nathan reached up and wiped away the wayward tears from the boys cheeks.
"Okay." Jack snubbed
"You know what else? Just because Lucas isn't able to dance with you tonight doesn't mean he won't do something else fun with you. I promise he will make it up to you. Don't worry Jack."
"Okay." Jack dissented
"Okay." Nathan hem-hawed back. "Hey how would like to dance with me?" Nathan asked Jack.
Little Jack jumped up and down with joy. Nathan turned and gave Weasel a nod.
Nathan grabbed Jack's little hand and made like a chicken back to the dance floor as Elizabeth looked on with amusement and love.
"Alright folks here we go." Weasel began. It's Irving Berlin and The Broadway Chicken Walk for my friend Jack!"
The band hit the chorus for a second time. Little Jack and Nathan both laughing and cutting up as they acted out the lyrics.
Scratch the ground with your feet
and then you gaze around.
Flap your wings
And then you fly back to your coop:
when you get there gently perch-
Wherever you're going, crowing,
"Look out for auto racers
and Broadway Chicken Chasers
Doing that Broadway Chicken Walk."
(Selected lines from the chorus.)
Everyone had a raucous time with the tune. When the song was over Nathan and Jack laughed and laughed together. They were just two friends having a good time together. They huffed and puffed as they attempted to gain their composure. Then Nathan swept the boy up off the floor, lifting him high against his chest. Little jack nestled his head in Nathan's neck and Nathan rested his chin on the top of the boys head. Elizabeth looked on with love for her son, but her laughter soon turned to tears. Tears of joy and tears of confusion.
echtgenoot = husband
madchen = girl
Resources
The Complete lyrics of Irving Berlin page 148 Google books
Rag by Bill Edwards