Hope Leads the Heart
Chapter 13 Primping and Prepping
"Yes, I am aware and I assure you that I haven't forgotten! exclaimed Joanna in frustration. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for the dance now."
As she hung up the phone, Joanna gathered her thoughts. "It never fails. On a day filled with patient appointments, when I am on a tight schedule and want to see friends and go to a dance, somebody suddenly wants to talk to me." Exasperated, Joanna made short work of the dinner dishes and flew up the stairs of her rowhouse to her bedroom.
The dusty rose color on the walls had a sweet feminine appeal and really brought out the dark wood of her furniture. She went to the small closet and retrieved one of her favorite party dresses. It was a beautiful flowing, ankle length dress of muted blue violet crepe with three quarter length fitted lace sleeves. The lace was a shade or two darker than the rest of the dress and continued in an overlay across the slightly scooped neck and skirt of the dress. Joanna loved to wear it with her ankle strapped matching shoes. It made her feel feminine, like a genteel lady of society. She had to admit, it had taken her a while to get accustomed to skirts that were a little shorter, but now that she had she decided she really appreciated the look.
As she poured water from the pitcher on the washstand, she removed her work dress and shoes and proceeded to wash up. Carefully, she donned the blue violet dress and shoes, then proceeded to carefully brush and style her hair into a low chignon at the nape of her neck. She ornamented the chignon with a small jeweled pin.
Joanna stepped back for a minute to look at herself in the mirror. Not a hair was out of place, and she had to admit that she approved of her appearance. It felt so good to dress up for a party! Would she be dressed appropriately for her first big social event as a resident of Hope Valley? She suddenly didn't feel terribly self-assured. The big question, however, was what would the Mountie Inspector think? If she was going to be completely honest with herself, she knew that the evening would be a total loss if she didn't catch Nathan's eye. While she saw him on rounds regularly, they really hadn't interacted much since her sprained ankle incident and she had been very disappointed. Nathan seemed very pre-occupied with Mountie business these days. She much preferred that he be pre-occupied with her!
"Well, Inspector Nathan. I will have none of that shyness tonight! Put away the Serge and the responsibility, and ask me for a dance...or two…or three!" she said boldly to herself. "Tonight, I want to feel your arms around me and dance, and dance, and dance some more!" She giggled at the thought of monopolizing the Mountie all night.
Grabbing her clutch purse and her pretty black shawl, she walked down the stairs and turned all the lights off except for one in the parlor. She proceeded out the front door, careful to lock it behind her, and started the short walk to the Community Center. There was a full moon out, illuminating the path to town.
She hadn't walked more than 25 feet when she was joined by the schoolteacher, Tom, and a young man that Joanna guessed to be about 17 or 18 years old. Both were dressed for the dance and looked quite handsome.
"Hello, Dr. Bryant," said Tom. "It is a lovely evening for a short walk and certainly time to enjoy some music and dancing! May I introduce you to my nephew, Matthew Doyle, who is visiting for a couple of weeks. He is my brother's oldest child."
"Matthew, this is Hope Valley's physician, Dr. Joanna Bryant," continued Tom.
"Hello, Dr. Bryant," said Matthew. "It is nice to meet you."
"Welcome to Hope Valley, Matthew. I hope you will enjoy your visit with your uncle, as well as our little get together this evening. We are all looking forward to listening to some good music and learning some new dance steps, too," replied Joanna.
"Do you mind if we walk with you the rest of the way to the dance," asked Tom.
"Not at all. I will be happy to have the company," replied Joanna.
Meanwhile at the Double M, Nathan was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for both Bill and Allie to join him. He was pacing in front of the bookcase.
"Allie, what could possibly be taking you so long to get ready? You headed back to your room almost 2 hours ago, and if we don't leave soon we will miss the dance lessons entirely!" Nathan thundered. Unaccustomed as he was to waiting for a young woman to primp, patience was definitely not one of his virtues on this particular night. Allie never took this long to get ready and he hated being late. Hearing footsteps, he turned as Bill entered the room.
"Relax, Nathan, we have plenty of time. This is one of those nights we will be happy to have the car to drive into town, and leave the horses in the stable," soothed Bill. "I'm sure Allie will be ready shortly."
His partner certainly knew how to make an entrance. Taking in Bill's appearance, Nathan teased, "Well, Bill, you clean up nicely! Is someone special causing this drastic change in the way you look? What, dusty boots and a work shirt not good enough? He noted Bill had taken great pains with his appearance for this event, and knew it had a lot to do with Tess being there. He was wearing his best suit, had slicked back his hair, and was trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing. The slight tinge to his complexion, however, gave away his true feelings.
"That will be just about enough of that, Nathan. And aren't you the one to tease me? Look at you! Freshly shaven, new blue suit, polished shoes….I'd say that you're hoping a certain female looks your way tonight!" smirked Bill mischievously, "And I don't mean Allie! A brunette maybe? Green eyes, perhaps?"
Nathan shot him a look that was almost threatening, but before he could launch a verbal counter-attack, Allie raced into the room out of breath and interjected, "Did one of you call me? I'm ready to go now. How do I look? Do you think Mr. Doyle's nephew will want to ask me to dance?" She was so excited she strung all her sentences together in one breath.
The two men turned to look her way and froze in their tracks, mouths agape and totally speechless. Gone was the tomboy who loved to run, ride horses, and go fishing. Instead, a sweet, pretty young woman took her place in front of them. They surveyed her from head to toe, smiling proudly at what they saw.
A vision, like a portrait painted by one of the Masters, stood with head held high, shoulders back and perfect posture. Allie was dressed in a simple ivory colored dress with a lace-trimmed ruffle at the hemline. The puffy sleeves were short and a light blue, wide sash was tied in back and emphasized her tiny waist. She had brushed her light brown hair until in gleamed, and had tied it back with a ribbon and small, white wildflowers. A slight jingly sound was heard when she moved, and it came from the special charm bracelet she wore. It had been a Christmas gift from Nathan, and held great significance for her, because it reminded her of her mother. She only wore it on special occasions.
"Well? What do you think?" Allie asked somewhat timidly. "Say something, please."
Nathan was the first to recover his speech. Misty eyed, his voice was a little deeper and filled with emotion as he spoke with pleased admiration. "Allie, you look lovely. Truly, a beautiful lady. I can see that I will have my hands full tonight, ensuring that all the young men at the dance behave in your presence! The ladies at the dress shop certainly made the perfect dress for you to wear tonight!" He walked over and gave her a bear hug.
Clearing his throat, Bill was not to be outdone. "Well, the lady of the house is going to take everyone's breath away when she makes her entrance tonight. Allie, that is some dress you are wearing and I love the way you brushed your hair back tonight. You look very pretty! I see that it will take both your dad and myself to make the boys behave! Come here and give me one of those hugs, too!"
"Awww! I'm so lucky to have you two be my family. Thank you for making me feel so special," said Allie. "Now, line up both of you so I can fix your collars and your ties!" she giggled.
Both men complied, as they wanted to please Allie AND look their best. If they could pass muster under her discerning eye…..
With that little ritual completed, Nathan brought the car to the front of the house and his two passengers joined him. The conversation was lively as they proceeded to the dance.