Hope Leads the Heart
Chapter 3 Remembrance
Allie awakened with a start, noting it was long past sunrise on the Double M. She glanced at the clock in her bedroom and was shocked to learn it was already 8 o'clock.
"I've got to hurry if I'm going to have time to pick some flowers and be ready in time to ride into Hope Valley with Dad and Uncle Bill!"
As she bounded out of bed and reached for her clothes, she smelled the soothing scent of coffee brewing in the kitchen. Looking out her window, she could see some of the ranch hands in the distance, branding cattle. It was not a scene she enjoyed looking at and she always felt very sad and concerned when the cattle bawled during the experience. She had only seen this a few times in her lifetime, but now that she was living on a ranch out in the country, she supposed she had better get used to strange sounds, strange smells, and lots of animals everywhere!
After washing up and getting dressed she hurried into the kitchen to see Uncle Bill and her father scurrying around the kitchen trying to get a hearty breakfast on the table. Eggs were frying and a platter of steaming hot bacon was already on the table. Bill had made fresh piping hot biscuits, too!
"Good morning, Allie," said Nathan. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Like a rock, Dad. Like a rock. Good morning, Uncle Bill. I saw some of the men branding cattle when I looked out of my bedroom window. They must have started very early this morning," Allie said.
"Good morning to you, too, sleepyhead! You know, some of us have a lot of work to do before we go into town for the meeting," Bill said dryly. "You may still have a week or so before your days are filled with schoolwork, but the rest of us don't have that luxury."
"Allie, sit down and have some breakfast. It's going to be a long day and I'm not sure when or if we'll be having much of a lunch, "said Nathan.
"Everything smells delicious and it's so nice to have such a good cook in the family. No offense, Dad, but….…," Allie teased.
"Bill always wears an apron much better than I do, for sure," he replied wryly. "Save the jokes for later. Grab a chair and eat. We have to leave soon."
The three of them finished breakfast in a matter of a few minutes. Allie cleared the dishes, washed them, then bolted out the door to pick wildflowers. She returned with several stems of blue, yellow, and white blossoms that she arranged quickly into bouquets and tied together with ribbon.
As she was tying the last bouquet together, she could see her dad pulling the wagon up in front of the ranch house, with Uncle Bill seated alongside him. Gathering up her bouquets, she joined them outside and hopped up into the wagon. Two beautiful chestnut horses were hitched to the wagon and would be leading the way to the old cemetery for a quick visit, and then on to Hope Valley.
They rode in silence and awe, taking in the beauty of the rolling hills, streams (which Allie was looking forward to visiting with her fishing pole), and lush green landscape. The summer had been pleasant, with ample rain, minimal thunder and wind storms, and warm but not unbearably hot. It was a perfect day with sunny blue skies and wonderful company to share it with.
It didn't take long to reach the cemetery nestled among a huge grove of oak and pine trees with numerous grave sites clustered together on the knoll. Hope Valley had lost some of its' finest to the influenza epidemic, and the Grant-Avery family had been touched by the grief of it all. There were many emotions bubbling up to the surface as they stopped to pay their respects to loved ones lost.
Bill separated from Allie and Nathan to walk to a lone gravesite with a simple marker, and place a bouquet on Molly's grave. Their unique friendship, sarcastic humor, and common interests had never blossomed into marriage, although the matchmakers of Hope Valley had tried mightily to push them together. The confirmed bachelor had loved sharing time with Molly and would never forget the one dazzling dress she had worn for dinner with friends in the saloon. He had later discovered that she was coquettishly trying to catch his eye. How lovely she had looked in it! If he lived to be a hundred, he would always remember her flaming red hair and her honest critiques of his cooking and recipe trials.
Somewhat beyond Molly's final resting place, Nathan and Allie found the markers for two close friends and important citizens of Hope Valley that had worked tirelessly to provide service to the community they all loved. The first was the blacksmith, Kevin, who had been so taken with Fiona, and was one of the first casualties of the epidemic. Nathan remembered how happy Kevin had been to dance with Fiona at the Lady's Choice dance a few years back, yet he took time to console Nathan when he was ignored by all the young ladies. Nathan had been especially hurt by Elizabeth Thatcher's selection of Bouchard for her dance partner. Kevin's dreams of a future with Fiona never came to fruition, for Fiona had many suitors and just never settled on one permanently. She focused on becoming a strong business woman in a man's world.
Secondly, they came upon the grave of Dr. Faith Carter. The gentle, beautiful, blonde physician had worked tirelessly caring for Hope Valley's sick and injured and had expanded the services provided by the previous doctor, Carson Shephard. In addition to her medical and surgical skills, Faith was renowned for her care of returning soldiers who suffered from battle fatigue. She had introduced some herbal remedies to help these distraught heroes with their sleepless nights and recurring nightmares. As first responders, Faith and Nathan had come to rely on each other for wisdom and support and had become very close friends. He had sought her guidance in raising his teenage daughter alone, too, and she always provided a kind word along with a woman's perspective on adolescence. It was a very sad day when Faith passed. It was almost too much for Hope Valley, and the Grants in particular, to endure.
"Rest with the angels, my friend", whispered Nathan, as he placed a bouquet on her grave. He couldn't stop the tear from escaping. He noticed Allie wiping her eyes, too, and drew her close with a hug. She had experienced all too much disappointment and loss in her young life, and yet it was a strong, resilient young woman standing next to him!
Allie broke the embrace to find two others at final rest. She paused to stoop down and place bouquets on the graves of two young people who had never been given the chance to give the world their talents; her friend, Anna, and her friend Emily's brother, Gabe Montgomery.
Gabe had left Hope Valley before Allie and her dad decided to make it their home. He and his young wife had started their marriage in Brookfield but came to visit Emily frequently and Allie had joined them for dinner. She liked the young couple very much and couldn't help noticing how happy Emily always was when big brother returned home. Sometimes Allie was very jealous of them, for she had never had a sibling to laugh, and joke, and argue with. It was a gaping hole in her life, that she had once thought would be filled by Little Jack Thornton. Gabe was a victim of the terrible war, and had come back home to Hope Valley for his final rest. Allie had spent many hours comforting Emily, who still hadn't healed from the loss.
Finally, Allie looked upon Anna's grave and placed a bouquet of blue flowers, Anna's favorites, near the stone marker. She couldn't prevent her tears from flowing as her thoughts went to all the times the two girls had shared. They had spent many days together learning at the Jack Thornton school, laughing and giggling after class, getting into mischief, and telling each other secrets about the boys they "like liked". At one point, Allie's adolescent crush on their older classmate, Robert, almost came between the two friends when Allie learned that Robert favored Anna over her. "I miss you so much, Anna", Allie sobbed. "I wish you were here to see our new ranch. I wish we could take the horses and go riding together! It's not fair. It's just not fair to lose you, too!"
Collecting herself and wiping away her final tear, Allie walked back to the wagon with her dad and Uncle Bill. They continued on the rest of the way into town, reaching the church/schoolhouse right at ten o'clock. Allie immediately took off at a run, looking for her friends.
Nathan shouted after her, "We will meet you at the hotel Le Veaux for the Open House around noon, Allie! Don't forget the time!" Oblivious, Allie continued down the path at a sprint.
Exasperated at the lack of response, Nathan turned to Bill and said, "Do you think she heard me or is she just ignoring me?"
"They heard you bellowing all the way to Hamilton, Nathan! She'll be fine. Let's get inside or we will be late!"
Grumbling something about "two against one" under his breath, Nathan joined Bill and bounded up the steps into the church.
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