Chapter Fifty-One

It was late Friday morning, and dawn had brought the beginnings of a beautiful, but still cold, day to Hope Valley.

For Aaron, it didn't matter what the weather was like, his Felicity was arriving in less than a half-hour.

"Nathan, she's almost here, and I'm getting so nervous. I mean I'm crazy happy! Why am I so nervous?"

Nathan laughed and gave him a slap on the back, "Because you love her, Aaron! Because you love her!"

"Goodness, Aaron, I'm excited too! Her letters were just lovely and I can't wait to meet her! I think we're going to be great friends!"

Nathan and Elizabeth were with Aaron at the train station to help greet Felicity, as school was out for the day due to the stove malfunctioning. Apparently, the flue was not drawing for some unknown reason, which resulted in the entire schoolhouse being overtaken by thick black smoke.

The entire building interior was left looking like it had been painted in a coat of wispy powdery blackish-grayish paint. And there was still residual smoke hanging in the air as though it were still somehow attached to the ceiling, looking down mocking their efforts to bring the interior back to its former luster.

Elizabeth didn't even want to think about the mess that had been made. It was going to take a team of people getting things cleaned up for them to be able to resume their classes! And she had no idea how that could ever be managed before Sunday's Church Service.

But Lee had assembled a team of people to work on it and they assured her everything would be back in working order before Sunday. So, she was just going to have to trust and take them at their word.

They were just fortunate the old wood-burning stove had not exploded and hurt someone!

That was certainly something to be thankful for!

"Now don't let this go to your heads, but I must say, you men look awfully handsome in your red serge and campaign hats. Felicity will melt! How can a girl not melt? So, you see Aaron, you have nothing to worry about. I promise!"

The two men laughed, and just shook their heads.

"Do you ever get the feeling we're token Mounties, Nathan. It seems the women think we wear these uniforms for their pleasure alone!"

"Totally," he grinned. "We're just token objects!"

"And mighty handsome token objects, I might add!"

They all just stood there and laughed together.

"Tell me about your train escapade. I want to know every detail," begged Elizabeth.

"And she means every single detail, Aaron. Don't leave anything out, except the part where I almost got run over by the train. It's probably best we don't tell her that part!"

Aaron laughed in spite of knowing Elizabeth was not going to be amused.

"Ha, Ha! Nathan Grant that is not funny!" Elizabeth definitely was this close to using her sternest Teacher's voice.

"Not even cute? Sorry, Darling," and he stuck out his lower lip in a pout to prove it.

Aaron was blonde-haired and very light complected, not quite as tall as Nathan, but tall nonetheless. He was Scandinavian and very handsomely looked the part! His Scandinavian brogue was still intact, as well, and Elizabeth loved hearing him talk.

Aaron had told Nathan and Elizabeth that Felicity had very dark, almost black hair yet was light complected like him. Her Father was French and her Mother was English. They had met on one of her Father's many business trips and fell in love immediately. They married soon after and had two sons and one daughter, all of who worked in the Family Business. In the photo he had shown them, Elizabeth could see that Felicity was obviously very attractive.

But what she was most excited about, she and Felicity had similar backgrounds and passions. Felicity's parents owned a series of Bookstores across several provinces and Felicity was planning to open a branch in Hope Valley, which absolutely thrilled Elizabeth.

It was wonderful to have the library, but space was limited, and many of the worn and tattered books were begging to be replaced. To be able to walk into a shop in Hope Valley and purchase a brand new book from the latest titles being published was simply a dream come true for Elizabeth. And she was sure it would be for many others, too.

Felicity and Elizabeth had even exchanged letters, and they had immediately liked each other, through their written words. They both were very much looking forward to meeting each other. And it had been clear from Felicity's letters that she was counting the days till she saw Aaron.

Poor Aaron was getting more nervous by the minute!

But they finally heard the train, and it was a whole ten minutes early!

When the train came to a stop, Felicity ran to the train's platform, and Aaron grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off, kissing her the whole time! It was so romantic and quite the welcome. There could be no doubt these two were truly in love!

Nathan realized that in her excitement, Felicity had left her luggage inside, so he quietly entered the passenger car, where the conductor helped him retrieve her bags.

By, the time he was exiting the train with her luggage, Felicity and Elizabeth had drawn each other into a huge hug, which made Nathan smile. They looked like they had known each other forever, and had Felicity's hair been a bit lighter, they could have passed for Sisters. They were even about the same height.

"Felicity, this is my Love and Aaron's partner, Nathan Grant!"

Nathan set down her luggage and gave Felicity a hug, too.

"Felicity it's an absolute pleasure to meet you! I already feel like I know you, Aaron's talked about you so much. And it's all been wonderful. Welcome to Hope Valley!"

"Likewise, Nathan. I can't believe I'm finally here! I've never been this excited! Ever!"

Aaron reached to kiss her cheek, "Me neither, Felicity. Me neither! Are you tired? Are you hungry?"

"Would you believe, both! But I'm too excited to do anything about the tired part! Now food, I won't say no to!" and she laughed, an almost lyrical laugh, followed by an infectious smile.

Already, you could tell Felicity was an optimist, a happy take-charge person who got things done.

"I'll get the luggage, Aaron. You take the Ladies to Lee's car," directed Nathan.

The three headed toward the car together, leaving Nathan carrying the first load, but he didn't seem to mind at all, in fact, he was happy to do so. Then he went back to the train to get the second load of luggage! Elizabeth stood at the car and talked with the young couple until Nathan returned with the rest of the luggage. Then the men started organizing where to put everything!

Elizabeth hopped into the front and offered to take one of the smaller bags and keep it on her lap. Felicity did the same. And somehow Aaron and Nathan managed to stuff all the other pieces into Lee's car, although very tightly. After all, Felicity had brought most everything she owned with her, as she was here to stay!

Poor Aaron was having to hold one of the bigger pieces when all he really wanted was to hold Felicity!

Nathan drove them through town, so Felicity could get a feel for Hope Valley, and then back to the Café so they could grab a quick lunch. Thankfully, Bill was covering the Office for Nathan and Aaron.

"Don't worry about your luggage, Felicity. It will be safe right where it's at. We tend to not have to worry about much crime unless we have visitors, and today it's just the homefolk," assured Nathan.

"Thank you, Nathan. The town is absolutely charming. Aaron, Sweetheart, you were right. I'm going to love it here!"

Aaron gave her a quick hug. Pure happiness was written all over his face, and Felicity's too!

"Clara, this is my Felicity I was telling you about! She's here to stay! This is Clara Flynn, she's married to Jessie, who you'll meet soon. This is Felicity Fournier, soon to be Latham!"

Aaron was jubilant with that announcement and Felicity turned to him absolutely beaming!

"A pleasure Felicity. Come here, we do hugs in Hope Valley! Welcome. We're so excited you're finally here. Aaron has talked about nothing else, so we were getting anxious too!"

"Oh, Clara, how kind of you! You're so lovely. I'm just delighted to meet you. Perhaps you and your Jessie can have Dinner with us one night soon!"

"We'd love that Felicity! I'd better get back to work, but can't wait for Jessie to meet you! Enjoy your lunch. I'll be back by in a jif to take your orders. These three can tell you what the best choices are!" Clara winked and she was gone to go tend to her other tables.

"I really like her!" exclaimed Felicity.

"That's because you have good taste. They don't come any better than Clara. When she's your friend, she's your friend for life! And you'll love Jessie," explained Elizabeth. "Although I must tell you, he's started this thing where he gives Clara a present each month for a monthly Wedding Anniversary if you will. It's so romantic. We, women, are hoping it catches on with the rest of the men in Hope Valley!" she strongly hinted as she eyed both Nathan and Aaron with a mischievous smile.

Both men looked like deer caught in headlights.

"What a romantic idea! I love it!" agreed Felicity, teasingly looking directly in Aaron's eyes as she said it.

But as she was really hungry, she quickly turned her attention to the menu.

"What should I order? Don't forget, I'm famished!"

"The Burgoo is the best in the Universe!" recommended Aaron.

"Agree on that one, with the Soda Bread," suggested Nathan.

"Sounds wonderful! Why don't we just all have that?"

"Done, Sweetheart! Clara, we're going to make it really easy for you. Burgoo with Soda Bread for everyone…" Aaron looked at the others to get a consensus. "and Tea with Lemon to drink."

"Would you like a Hearty Salad with that? We have artichokes today and I personally think they just make that salad!"

"Sold, four Hearty Salads, please!"

"Nathan, Elizabeth, may we ask you a personal question? Felicity and I've discussed this, but we really don't know what we should do, and we both think we need your opinions, too."

Nathan and Elizabeth looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, you know I bought the old Hamblin place. I know it needs a lot of fixing up, but I think it could really be outstanding when redone, and I like to putter on things, so I think we'll get everything polished in no time at all. But our problem is this. I don't want Felicity to stay in the Saloon and there's really no other option. Obviously, we wouldn't think of staying in the house together, but we're in a quandary. A few weeks ago, I realized the barn has a room built in that looks like it was used for an Office of some sort, which got me to thinking. What if I lived in that room, and Felicity stayed in the house? Would that look too scandalous? We definitely don't want to do anything to make people talk. We just really don't know what to do."

"Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is, I don't like the idea of Felicity staying on the property alone at all. I mean we do have people coming in and out of town. And the old Hamblin place is a bit isolated. If something were to happen and she was alone… I don't know, I would just be concerned about that. What do you think, Elizabeth?"

"Well, they're two separate buildings. I don't see how anyone could fault that, and I definitely won't stand for Felicity being out there by herself. I, personally don't see any other option. I mean, Felicity, you're going to be fixing the house and you need to be on-site in order to do that. At the same time, you're going to be building a business, which means you need your space and your privacy in order to make that all happen. I mean you know you're welcome to stay with me, but I have a toddler who keeps things very lively, and I'm not sure that's what you need right now."

"Thanks, Elizabeth, you're a dear, but I couldn't possibly inconvenience you like that. We discussed this with my parents, as well. I should say I discussed it, by giving them Aaron's input, as well as my own."

"How do they feel about it?" asked Nathan.

"They think the same as you. They don't want me alone there. And they trust us. We would give them no reason not to," added Felicity.

"I personally think that's your answer. If your parents understand and support it, I think that's what you do. You know, this still is somewhat the frontier, and we have to make common-sense decisions. And that's what this is: a common-sense decision made out of necessity," suggested Elizabeth.

Aaron and Felicity nodded in agreement.

"I think we have a consensus!" announced Nathan.

"A consensus for what?" came a gruff voice.

"Bill, why aren't you at the Office? You're supposed to be taking care of everything."

"Nathan, I was bored stiff without you two there, besides I left a note on the door! Who's this beautiful woman I need to meet, Aaron?"

"A note on the door…" Nathan just rolled his eyes and shook his head, which was getting to be a habit around Bill. Nathan wasn't sure if Allie's habit was rubbing off on him or Bill just naturally warranted eye rolls and head shakes. He was leaning heavily toward the latter.

Aaron stood up, "Judge Avery, this is the love of my life, Felicity Fournier."

"A beauty, too! Soon to be Latham, I hope!"

"Bill!" interjected Elizabeth, in an effort to control her second Father, if that was even possible.

Poor Felicity didn't know what to think, but she decided to go with the flow and gave a little laugh. Announcing that to Clara was one thing, but somehow announcing it to the Judge was a bit different! But Felicity quickly recovered and offered her hand.

"Judge Avery, charmed, I'm sure. Now, I've heard lots of great stories about you! And I've actually been dying to meet you, Sir. In fact, I think Elizabeth should write a book about you!"

"Hey, I love this girl already! A book, you say? Now that would be some book! Did Aaron tell you I help my Boys in the Romance Department?" Bill asked innocently.

"Bill!" that came collectively from Nathan and Elizabeth.

Aaron just covered his face with both hands.

"Anyway, what's this consensus thing?" By this time Bill had already moved an extra chair to the table and squeezed himself in between the two couples.

You could say this for Bill, he sure knew how to keep himself in the know.

"Bill, if you must know, give us your opinion. Aaron's bought the old Hamblin place…"

"And you two are worried about where to stay until your married? Well, I've got the answer for that. Old man Hamblin built an Office of sorts out in the barn. Now, rumor has it that he didn't even have a business or anything like that, but he did call it his 'Office.' I think he built it because Mrs. Hamblin was quite the talker, and he went out there to clear the cobwebs so to speak. Because knowing Mrs. Hamblin, if anybody had to listen to her all day, you'd be stir crazy by nightfall! Now, I personally know, he kept a bottle or two out there too, to keep him company, you might say. Anyway, perfect spot for you Aaron. I mean, Nathan and I would have to come clean it up a bit for you, but it would work to sleep in. Why that thing even has a stove. She talked all winter, too! Now, what was your problem?"

"Bill, you're a genius!" Aaron decided the time was right to let the Judge think it was his idea and fly with it! "I can stay in the Office! What a great idea!"

Nathan was about to explode in laughter, and the girls were too afraid to show any facial expression whatsoever! In fact, Nathan had to step out for a moment. He quickly excused himself and headed outside the Café door.

"Well, what's wrong with him?" asked Bill.

"I don't know Bill! I better go check on him!" and Elizabeth quickly excused herself to follow after Nathan, before she burst out laughing herself!

By the time she made it outside to the Boardwalk, Nathan was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes. All she could do was take his arm and laugh hysterically with him.

When Nathan finally got himself together, he looked down at Elizabeth and in a very serious tone said, "You know...this is still the frontier…maybe we could make a common-sense decision made out of necessity, of course, too…Darling, I'm moving in tonight!"

"Nathan Grant, we have two separate homes, and having said that, I can't think of anything that would constitute a common sense…decision…made out of necessity…although…"

"I can! I'll sell my house today..." and he kissed her. And she laughed and lost every train of thought she ever had.

"You're incorrigible and we've got to get ourselves together, and back in there before Bill does no telling what to that poor girl!" whispered Elizabeth.

"Oh, no! You're right. We can do this! But I tell you that man…"

"I know. I love Felicity, Nathan. We're going to be great friends!"

"I like her, too, Elizabeth. But, we had better get back in there to protect her! With both of us out here and Bill in there…oh, my goodness!"

When they made it back to their table, Clara had already served the food and the combination of aromas coming from the stew was out of this world!

"Get in here. Your Burgoo getting's cold and nobody likes cold Burgoo. Now, Felicity, I'm mighty proud of this recipe. Took me weeks to perfect it!"

"Well, Judge, before I taste it, I should tell you my Father won a Burgoo Cook-off. First place to boot, so you should know I've been raised on Burgoo. But, I'll be open-minded, and honest, I promise."

"Oh, no worries here, there isn't anything, anywhere close to this! You wait and see…we better pray fast. I'm telling you this stuff has to be piping hot! I better do the honors."

"Dear Father, We've sort of got an emergency here, so I'm going to have to make this a real quick prayer, but we thank You for Felicity getting to us safely and we thank You for this food. We ask blessings on Aaron and Felicity as they start their journey together. And may we all do Your Will. Amen! Now eat!"

"Bill, that was the quickest prayer I've ever heard. Allie prays longer prayers than that!" chastised Nathan, even though he knew it wasn't going to do any good.

"We're good. See the steam's still coming off the top, Bill!" placated Aaron.

Bill watched intently as Felicity took her first bite of the Stew.

At first, her face showed a bit of skepticism, but when she swallowed that first bite, her eyes, which were dark already, seemed to grow darker and even larger while in deep thought! She then took a second bite and had a very puzzled look on her face.

"Forgive me Daddy…this is the absolute best Burgoo I have ever tasted in my life. And if you want a friend for life, you send my Daddy that recipe and he'll give you whatever you want! What have you put in this?"

Little did Bill know, Felicity's Daddy could buy all of Hope Valley if he wanted. Like Elizabeth's Father who had made his money as a Shipping Magnate, Philippe Fournier had made his money from selling books, lots of books. And he had made a lot of it! Perhaps not quite as much as William Thatcher, as Mr. Thatcher was in a league all his own, but a substantial amount nonetheless.

Mr. Fournier had Book Stores all across the country, and he named each and every one of them 'The Book Shelf,' prefaced by the name of the town each was located in. Felicity's Book Shelf in Hope Valley would be known as 'The Hope Valley Book Shelf.'

"Sorry, top-secret, Felicity! Can't give away my prize recipe!"

"Well, I tell you right now! If Daddy ever visits, he'll get it out of your one way or another, even if he has to wear you down! And as far as I'm concerned, if this is any indication of the rest of your food, I've died and gone to Heaven! You could say I'm not the best cook in the world! Aaron didn't tell me you were a Chef, though! This is wonderful!"

"See, I knew I loved this girl! Felicity, you just wait till Dessert!"

"Your Hearty Salad is really good, too, Bill. Love the artichokes," grinned Elizabeth. "They sort of remind me of you! Sort of prickly, in a lovable sort of way, of course!"

Aaron's eyes grew wide and Felicity just glanced at Elizabeth with a look only women understand.

Nathan just kept eating his Burgoo, knowing Bill's soft spot for Elizabeth.

Only Elizabeth could get by with saying something like that. It hadn't taken Nathan long, to know Bill always gave her a pass, no matter what!

Bill just chuckled.

"Bill, when are you going to Union City?" asked Aaron.

"Got to go down a day early! So, Tess and I figured we'd go on the train."

"Would you mind if Felicity and I tag along? I've got to go a day early, too."

"Of course not, the more the merrier! Get your tickets for the eight am departure on Thursday. I think we're seats nine and ten, so try to get something close. Wait a minute! You two young things don't want to do that! The last thing you two need is us old people tagging along with you. We'll just see you on the train and chaperone you from a distance! But if something happens you do get bored, just scoot on over and we'll be happy to liven things up!"

"Why are you two having to go early? Gabe said he did, too and he was asking me why, but I haven't a clue. Not that I want to go a day early…this is one time I'm thrilled to not be included!"

"Gabe has to go early, too? That's odd…hmph!" puzzled Bill.

"Do you and Felicity have your Hotel Reservations, Aaron?" asked Nathan.

"Yep, my old Regiment's staying at the Union City Hanover, so I had to get them there, in order to meet up with all the guys. We're hoping, though, to find enough free time to go ring shopping while we're there," Aaron was looking at Felicity with the most tender of looks.

She reached to kiss his cheek, and he turned crimson.

But, there was that lyrical laugh again. Aaron couldn't resist it, and he joined in laughing with her. These two were absolutely thrilled to be together again.

It was such a sweet thing to see! Even Bill was all smiles, and full of pride for his two Boys, both sitting with the women they loved.

"You all are staying there too, right, Nathan? At the Hanover, I mean." Aaron pulled his attention away from Felicity long enough to glance in Nathan's direction.

"No, I have friends from Union City that own this smaller Boutique Hotel, called the Le Havre. Prepare to be delighted, Darling, and that's all I have to say!"

Nathan's eyes met Elizabeth's and no one else existed for those few moments.

Not Bill, not Aaron or Felicity, nor any of the other customers in the Café for that matter.

Elizabeth reached for his hand. Only Nathan would ever realize that she would not want to stay at the Hanover since that's where she had stayed on her last visit to Union City. She had never told Nathan that, but he had correctly surmised that had been Lucas's choice, and he wanted her in someplace that was only theirs.

She didn't deserve this man and the thoughtful ways he showed his love, but oh she was so happy to be the recipient of both, his love and his thoughtful gestures.

Bill cleared his throat, "If you allow me, Felicity, I'm going to the kitchen and select us the very best dessert we have…"

Felicity smiled, and Bill was off to the kitchen!

"Felicity, I know he's a bit much, but we love him so, and he's always held the town together in his gruff sort of way…" explained Elizabeth in a whisper.

"Are you kidding? I already love him, and I can't believe we're going to the Mountie Ball next week. Mother and Daddy will be thrilled to know we have a Judge as a chaperone! But, Elizabeth, can you help me choose what to wear?"

"Oh, of course, don't worry about any of that! My best friend, Rosemary, owns a dress shop and she's a superb designer. We can drop in tomorrow and she'll design and make you anything you want if she doesn't already have something you like."

Bill returned with Cherry Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream…

"Oh, Bill, my favorite!" moaned Elizabeth.

"Looks great, Bill," added Aaron.

"Aaron, you and Felicity be sure and come to our town Dinner and Dance tomorrow night. It's at the Queen of Hearts. Don't worry about bringing anything, because you two are part of the guests of honor. We want to make sure we introduce both of you to everyone in town, along with all our other newcomers!" explained Elizabeth.

"Wouldn't miss it!" said Aaron. He was obviously ready to show off Felicity to the entire town.

"Felicity are you ready to announce about opening your Bookstore?" asked Nathan. "I know when you do, it's going to create all sorts of excitement. I think Lucas's friend Sophie is planning to announce opening her Millinery Shop at the event."

"Sure, why not. It's already a definite, I just have to find the right space. Any ideas?"

"Not sure there's anything open that's big enough. But, you know Aaron and I were talking and if you wanted to build, our friend Lee owns the Lumber Mill and he has a fantastic construction crew that could get a building up quickly."

"But, where would we put it?" asked Felicity.

"Nathan, you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?"

"Yes, Bill! That corner lot is perfect and it's screaming for something to be added there. It's also for sale at a reasonable price. Aaron and I checked last week."

"Can we go see it?" Felicity's excitement could barely be contained.

"As soon as you finish that pie! We'll all head over there!" and apparently Bill was coming, too!

"This is it. This is absolutely perfect! And it's just down from the Mercantile, which will give people a chance to drop in when they come for their groceries. I also like that it's close to the Café. It's the perfect location!"

Aaron had his arm draped around Felicity, and Nathan had his arm draped around Elizabeth. Bill stood proudly between the two couples, pointing out the property lines.

"How do we secure the land?" asked Aaron.

"Oh, I'll take care of that Aaron," replied Bill. "Consider it done. Can you be ready to sign on Monday?"

"That would be a definite yes, Judge! Thank you!" and Felicity turned to give Bill a hug and kiss.

Bill was totally charmed.

The five of them stood looking at the property, with all four of them wondering what Felicity was envisioning. Whatever it was, it was going to be an integral part of the town!

And just like that Felicity's Bookstore moved from dream to reality.

Hope Valley was growing indeed…