Summer has passed with a strange tension hanging in the air.

The people of Hope Valley read baleful news about Europe. Although all those sinister events happened so far from Canada, they could not be simply shrugged off. Suddenly everyone grew interested in international politics. Walking down the street you would have most likely heard a snatch of a conversation on some European business:

'Have you heard? The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated in some Balkan State.'

'What a horrible affair!'

But life has never stopped.

And the news have never stopped coming. Some change is brewing in the world. If the wind of change starts to blow, it will grow into something huge – huge enough that it won't leave Hope Valley untouched.

Small changes are already here. Henry has helped out in the infirmary during the whole summer and Faith kept on training him. They moved on from fixing sprained limbs to treating cuts. So far Henry has managed to deal with every task Faith gave him, but he is a bit unsure about what would he do with an actual bleeding wound. He does not really enjoy the sight of blood. Not since that one day when he lost so many of it.

But of course, it is highly unlikely that he will ever need to use his (practically non-existent) medical skills. The town has a well-trained professional doctor and nurse, after all. Yet he can't help feeling a tiny bit proud when Faith praises him for a perfectly applied bandage.

This summer has been generous with Henry. He was promoted to bartender. Sort of. He still spends most of his time in the kitchen but sometimes, when the saloon is crowded, he helps out in the bar. It is not only that the railway workers do not care about who pours their spirits but nowadays Henry feels less like a pariah. It has started with the Thornton wedding. He is despised by the majority of the town, yes, but he is not ostracized. They just do not seem to care anymore. It is kind of an improvement, really. Henry does not want them to love him. Forgiveness would do just wonderfully. But until he earns that, he can cope with the cold shoulders and indifferent looks.

Change is not only in the wind, it is everywhere: in their bones, blood, and mind. Change is inevitable. It is a part of life, and there is no use to complain about something so deeply embedded in the world. Change never makes things better or worse, just different.

Henry thinks he can handle different.

The kids have grown a lot during this summer. Cody will soon be taller than his sister. No surprise there, the boy is turning fourteen in November. He is eager to join Mrs Thornton's preparatory class when school starts again. The purpose of the class is to study for the entrance examinations for King's Academy, the closest teachers' college to Hope Valley. After getting a provincial teacher's license, they can decide whether they try to enroll in college and obtain a university degree. In a minute these kids will be all grown-ups. Abigail already sighs every time when she thinks of Cody attending college.

Abigail. Something changed between them on the night of the Thornton wedding. At least on Henry's part, he can feel that. He becomes inexplicably shy whenever he is around her. Not awkward but shy.

That night she took his hand in hers. Not because he was afraid of dying but because he offered and she accepted. That night he held her. Not on his back because she got hurt but in his arms. That night Henry danced with Abigail Stanton and that was something he had never dreamt to have.

He was free to dance, he dared to dance and it was... nice. To hold her in his arms felt like home. Safe. It made Henry feel like he could conquer death. It was incredible while it lasted but it changed things. For better or for worse, Henry does not know yet.

Just different, he reminds himself. Sometimes the changes we dread are the changes we need, he thinks but he does not say it out loud. He is not entirely sure that he is right. However, he is sure he won't dance again. At least, not for a while, just to be on the safe side.

It is August now but the air still feels heavy around them. Summer will be gone in a blink of an eye (only a month now) - taking this suffocating heat away, hopefully.

One evening he is working in the saloon's kitchen when Jake, Sam's brother pops in to share the news:

'Germany has declared war on France!'

Henry stops in his tracks but only for a split of a second. Then he picks up the next dirty glass and starts washing it. No glass will clean itself just because the Kaiser decided to bother the French.

'This means that England will fight too, probably,' Jake goes on, 'and if she does… well, we'll have to turn in and help her, won't we? We couldn't let her fight alone, no. We need to go there and show those damned Germans how it's done.'

Henry stubbornly keeps his attention on the glasses in front of him while Sam glances a bit doubtfully at his brother. Jake does not seem to be bothered by the lack of response as long as they listen to him.

'It would be fun, eh? I hope the politicians won't mess it up for us. It would be shame to leave France in the soup.'

If Helen was in the kitchen, she would make a remark about Jake's choice of words. Soup! As if men had any idea about soup. Or something like that.

Helen likes Sam, Henry has already figured that, but he thinks Jake would probably annoy her. Or maybe not. They could have friendly banters; the older Bailey guy looks like someone who can never hold his tongue. That could lead to some funny situations – as if Henry had any idea about fun.

After Jake leaves them, the two men work in pensive silence for a while. Henry's thoughts are soon diverted from the French to the guy rinsing glasses next to him. He wonders how different the Bailey brothers look. Jake is tall and well-built, and in the fullness of health - compared to him Sam seems downright sick. He is almost as tall as his brother but he is gaunt and pale, and he has a dreamy look in his big, brown eyes. Still, he is strong, Henry knows that. Sam might appear fragile but under the surface he is surprisingly tough.

'How come that you are not working at the railway?' Henry asks, letting himself to be curious for a change.

'Coincidence, I guess,' Sam shrugs. 'When Jake got the job, I was working for a newspaper delivery company in Hamilton… you see, we were real big city guys…' He flashes a shy smile. 'Anyway, Jake suggested that I should come with him. He was sure he could get me a place at the railway, too, once we were here. We arrived, came to the saloon, where Mr Black asked Jake if he wanted to work for him. But since he already had a job… Well, I got it in the end. It's not that I was keen on working at the railway, I just wanted to stay with Jake.'

'Wouldn't you have preferred to stay in Hamilton?' Henry remembers how disappointed he felt when he had to come to the dusty little town that Coal Valley used to be.

'Not really. Even though I liked it there, I haven't got anyone else but Jake. We swore we would stick together.'

Henry thinks of James. His brother could be anywhere in the world. Anywhere. Will they ever meet again? Unlikely.

'But it's nice living here, really. I has learnt to like Hope Valley, I think.'

'Glad to hear that, kid.'

Mr Black appears in the door. 'Henry, Sam, I need an extra pair of hands at the bar. Germany declared war on France, and it seems everyone wants to discuss the news here. Good for us.'

'I will go,' Sam volunteers, and Henry stays behind to think about big brothers and small towns.

Next time it is Henry's turn at the bar. His gaze sweeps around the saloon and he notices how cheerful everyone looks tonight. Suddenly he feels far away from them. Great. Just what he needed. He does not even know the railway workers. Then why do they make him uncomfortable?

Henry sighs and curses internally. This summer has been alright so far, apart from the strange tension hanging above them. Still, he only had nightmares when the weather was really hot and that is something. But now he feels tired and anxious. Summer weather is not getting the best of him. He longs for quieter, cooler evenings, when the saloon is not so full of people.

Ned Yost steps in but he instantly halts on the threshold, looking around grimly and a bit confused. He just stands there for a while until all the heads in the saloon turn towards him, He looks like he has something important to tell, yet he does not say anything.

Finally an impatient voice barks: 'What?'

'England declared war on Germany today,' says Ned slowly. 'The news just came in.'

Everyone freezes.

Now Henry feels close to them. It does not last longer than a moment but there it is.

Hold your horses, he tells himself. The world isn't ending tonight.

Then everyone starts talking at the same time. Some of the people cheers. Some of them sighs. Eyes are sparkling with excitement. Stomachs are knotted with worry.

Jeremy Black whistles.

'This will change a few things, I suppose,' he says. Henry nods, slowly. 'I'll go and tell Ellie. And Sam.'

This makes Henry think back to the previous night. Jake will be happy. England did not leave France in the soup.

Someone walks up to the bar, asking for a glass of whiskey. This snaps Henry back to reality. England and France with their problems are far away from him. They are inching closer with every assassinated archduke, every declaration of war, true, but that is no reason for Henry to just stand there daydreaming. He thinks of Abigail's hand in his. No matter what happens, he won't lose his grip. The memory of that night will be his anchor to reality.

Blow, wind, blow. The world is not ending tonight but the wind of change has arrived to shake up life in Hope Valley. Henry Gowen is ready to take the blow.

Author's note: Alright, everyone, I have something very important to tell you.

This story is going on hiatus until late September. I wouldn't be able to update regularly during summer and I don't want to make you wait weeks for a new chapter. (I already have my struggles with updating.) Also, I need to work on my summer project and that will take up a lot of my creativity. I have drafts for Should I Fall, I know all the key plot points, and I know exactly where this story is going… I just need some time to refill my energy sources, find fresh inspiration – and maybe get a beta because I need one like yesterday.

I hope you will be patient, and I wish you all a beautiful summer. Your support means a lot to me and I am very grateful for all the kind reviews you have sent me. See you again when September nears its end!