Hope Leads the Heart
Chapter 7 Doctor in Distress
The man feeding the horses, mucking the stalls, and preparing for a day of repairing fences out on the range looked nothing like Hope Valley's NWMP Inspector. His face was already covered in sweat and from a distance he would be recognized as a typical ranch hand. Nathan loved the comfort and feel of the "cowboy" look from the Stetson, to the partially unbuttoned blue shirt, to the corduroy pants and pointy toed brown boots. Not that he was complaining about wearing the red Serge, but having Robert assigned to HV enabled Nathan to combine ranching with law enforcement and he was enjoying both worlds immensely. He loved the outdoors and the manual labor that came with ranching.
Bill and the crew had taken the wagon full of fence wire, posts, and tools out to the far end of their property earlier that morning. Nathan had remained behind to get Allie to school and complete the morning chores. Brushing off some of the hay and dirt from his clothes, he saddled up Newton, filled his canteen, packed some lunch, and headed out to catch up to the men.
As he let Newton take charge on the well-traveled trail, Nathan had ample opportunity to reflect back on the Open House at the Le Veaux. The Coulters had done a magnificent job on the old Queen of Hearts and it was now a showpiece that Hope Valley could be very proud of. If the weeks since the Open House were any indication, the hotel would indeed usher in a new era of prosperity for the town. The Le Veaux was attracting overnight travelers from far and wide who were enjoying the wonderful food, immaculately clean rooms, and the occasional entertainment. Fiona's gracious but spunky personality served her well in hotel management and she brought many creative but efficient ideas to the Coulters. Even the somewhat temperamental Gustave was thriving under the new management.
Nathan wanted with all his heart, a few decades of peace for everyone in Hope Valley. He wanted normal activities again without looking over his shoulder and being constantly suspicious of every newcomer. Most of all, he wanted time to enjoy a more settled home life with Allie, Bill, and to find some special woman who would love and want Allie in her life just as much as she wanted him in her life. Was that too much to ask for?
As Nathan urged Newton forward at a quicker pace, his thoughts wandered back to a certain young doctor with green eyes. Since that afternoon at the Le Veaux, Joanna had finished setting up her practice at the clinic and was seeing patients regularly. The townspeople were very grateful to again have a capable physician in their midst and were keeping her office appointment schedule full. From what Nathan had heard, Dr. Bryant had delivered one baby, set a few broken bones, and conducted numerous check-ups. Nathan found himself looking for any opportunity to walk past the clinic during office hours so he could get a glimpse of the lovely physician. He made a point of dividing up coverage for daily rounds between himself and Robert so that he was the one stopping at her clinic to make sure all was well. Nathan wondered if he was being overly obvious to Joanna, but the highlight of his rounds was that walk over to the clinic. He didn't think Robert minded him taking that route at all.
Nathan often caught Joanna off guard, singing beautifully as she stocked the clinic shelves or typed her reports. On more than one occasion, she had glanced up to see him gazing at her through the window and listening to her sing. Joanna had joined the choir and was already leading the hymns at Sunday services. Angela Canfield accompanied the choir on the piano, and the congregation was fortunate to enjoy lovely music from this duo along with Pastor Joseph's sermons.
He found himself drawn to the grace and charm of this extraordinarily talented woman. Joanna was just as witty as she was intelligent and he enjoyed her balance of focused professionalism and relaxed humor. It had been a long time since Nathan had felt so at ease in the close presence of a beautiful woman. Even more surprising was the realization that he hadn't thought about Elizabeth at all. In fact, he believed he had finally moved past the hurt.
Newton's whinny jarred him back to the present, and Nathan suddenly realized that he was almost at the clearing where he had confessed his love to Elizabeth. Looking ahead, he saw a woman sitting on a log with a horse grazing nearby. She had removed one of her riding boots and sock and was looking at her foot, gingerly trying to wiggle it back and forth. As he approached, the woman looked up and waved. It was Joanna. She looked as though she had been crying and was in some distress.
"Good morning, Nathan," she said.
"Hello, Joanna. I sure didn't expect to see you on this trail. Is everything all right? Your foot looks a little swollen," Nathan replied.
"I didn't have anything scheduled at the clinic today and I decided it was a perfect morning to ride and enjoy the sunshine. It is almost autumn, and there won't be too many more warm mornings like this to enjoy. Quinn and I had a lovely ride. I dismounted to walk a bit and managed to turn my ankle. I am so clumsy sometimes! I'm afraid it is a bad sprain, as it swelled quite a bit. I don't think I can get my boot back on and have been wondering how I will get home," fretted Joanna.
Nathan looked at the worried look on her face, immediately dismounted, and walked over to Joanna to survey the damage. The dainty foot was indeed swollen and discolored.
"Well, you are the doctor but I concur with your diagnosis! I don't think you should even try to put your boot on, much less walk or ride. We should wrap it to stabilize it. Do you have your medical bag with you?" asked Nathan.
"I have a few necessities in my saddlebag. Would you please bring it to me?" Joanna asked.
Nathan complied and between the two of them, they managed to wrap the ankle with a long strip of cloth bandage.
"Well, I think that will do for now," stated Joanna.
"It's too far and too painful to let you try to ride back to Hope Valley," said Nathan. I suggest that I help you up onto Newton and have you ride with me so I can manage the reins. We can lead your horse along and go back to the Double M. You'll be more comfortable there and we can get some ice for the swelling."
Joanna considered his suggestion and although she didn't want to be an inconvenience, agreed that it was really the only option that made sense.
"I'm sorry to ruin your ride, Nathan, but I am really grateful for your offer of assistance," she said.
"I am happy to help," he replied. "We will have to proceed slowly and it will take a while to get back to the ranch. Let's have something to eat before we head home."
He pulled some sandwiches from his saddlebag, grabbed his canteen of water, and took a seat next to Joanna on the log. As they ate, there was very little conversation between them. The throbbing in Joanna's foot was making her more uncomfortable by the minute and Nathan noticed her changing positions several times. He was uncomfortable, too. There was that fluttering in the pit of his stomach again! What he didn't know, was that Joanna's stomach was doing something strange too.
After finishing their simple meal, Nathan insisted that Joanna refrain from hobbling the few steps over to where Newton was standing. Instead, he carefully lifted her into his arms. As he carried her over to his horse, Joanna rested her head against his shoulder and tried to hide her blush. Nathan detected a faint scent of lavender in her hair and was acutely aware of how soft and light a burden she was. He carefully set her down so she could stand on one foot and then he lifted her up onto Newton's back with a minimal amount of discomfort. He climbed up behind her, grabbed Newton's reins as well as Quinn's, and they started back down the trail home.
Joanna prided herself on her independence and resourcefulness but was very relieved to be in the company of the Mountie. The more her foot throbbed, the more she was convinced that she would never have been able to get up into the stirrups and ride Quinn home without assistance. She was grateful that it was him who happened to be out riding that morning, because she still didn't know a lot of people in Hope Valley. While she was embarrassed by him carrying her over to his horse, Nathan was quite a gentleman and she found herself relaxing and enjoying the ride. She wryly admitted that she had thought of him often since their first encounter at the Le Veaux and looked forward to seeing him check on her at the clinic.
As they rode in comfortable silence, Joanna again noted that Nathan was a little shy in her presence. She found this man with striking blue eyes to be absolutely fascinating. "I wonder why he is unattached to any of the women in town," she thought. "He is so handsome and seems to be good natured, too. There must be an interesting story there." Joanna decided she wanted to get to know this man better.
"Nathan, you never mentioned what your final destination was today. I can see that you aren't dressed for Mountie work. Do you often ride out this way?"
With a start, Nathan remembered that he was supposed to be helping Bill and the crew mend fences!
"I was riding out to catch up with Bill and the men. They took the wagon and materials out early this morning and we planned a day to mend some of the fence at the far end of our property. Bill gets a little grumpy if he feels I am not pulling my weight out at the ranch," Nathan said ruefully. "I try to balance my inspector duties with my work at the ranch because I really enjoy both. Sometimes, though, one will take priority over the other for a while. Then, of course, there is Allie and her needs, too. Anyway, I had intended to put in a long day driving in fence poles and fastening wire."
"Oh, Nathan, I am so sorry to be a burden and ruin your day! I will have to apologize to Bill and make it up to both of you," she said.
"Actually, there is no need to apologize. I am glad to help and Bill would have done the same thing if he had been in my position. I'm enjoying the ride and your company, although I am sorry you are hurt," said Nathan.
Joanna was grateful that her back was facing Nathan so he couldn't see the smile on her face. So, Mr. Shyness was enjoying her company! Emboldened by this admission, she decided to find out more about him.
"I had such a good time at the Open House, becoming acquainted with you and Bill. The two of you seem to be more than very close friends and sure tease each other a lot! I wish I could have spent more time talking to Allie, too. She is such a sweet and lovely girl and she obviously adores you. It must be challenging for you to raise a teenager by yourself! Allie's about 15 or 16, isn't she?" Joanna asked.
"Yes, Allie is 16 going on 35! She can definitely be a handful at times and in that regard, takes after her mother. Colleen, my late sister, had a mind of her own and could sure be obstinate when her mind was set on something. It sometimes took both of my parents to rein her in. You know, for all his grumpiness and bad jokes, I am glad Bill has joined our family because he has a lot of wisdom and patience with Allie. She loves him dearly and the feeling is mutual. I have to admit that as Allie gets more interested in boys, I am more challenged to deal with her questions as well as her behavior. She used to run to Elizabeth for a woman's guidance, but…." shared Nathan.
"Elizabeth? I don't think I have met an Elizabeth in Hope Valley. Who is she?" queried Joanna.
"She was Allie's teacher," replied Nathan, offering no more.
Noting his use of the teacher's first name as well as the past tense "was", Joanna was sure that this teacher was an important part of Nathan's story as well as of Allie's. Since Nathan didn't seem to want to continue talking about Elizabeth, Joanna decided not to probe any further. Instead, she thought of a way that she might be able to help.
"You know, Nathan, I would be happy to fill that void for Allie if you think I can be of any help. If she is ever in need of a woman's wisdom she can always come to me. Day or night. I would be happy to talk some "girl talk" with her!" said Joanna.
"That's very generous of you, Joanna, and I appreciate the offer. Maybe if Allie gets to know you better and feels comfortable confiding in you, it would be a big help," said Nathan gratefully.
They continued the rest of the way without conversation and it was almost time for Allie to get home from school when they reached the ranch. Fortunately, he had made arrangements for the Canfields to get her home that particular Friday. Quickly settling Joanna in a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, Nathan propped her foot up and gave her an ice pack. In return, he received a very unsettling smile as he looked into a pair of gorgeous green eyes. Unsettling because he realized how natural and comforting it felt to have her there in his home.
As Nathan excused himself to go tend to the horses, he again thought about his failure to make it out to the range to help the crew mend the fence. He knew he was in for a lot of complaining from Bill when the boys finished the work and returned to the ranch.
"I'll be paying for my transgression for weeks," he groaned out loud.