Chapter One – Change is in the air
Winter had been long and cold in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies, and Nathan was glad to see that spring was finally starting to emerge in the valley that he had called home for over three years. His rounds would not be as difficult now that the weather was starting to warm up. His days had been getting longer with the influx of newcomers to Hope Valley and the surrounding area. In ways it was good to see the community grow, in others not so much. As constable of the growing area, Nathan took it upon himself to introduce himself to the incoming residents. He took his duties of being a servant to his community seriously, did everything he could to get to know everyone, offer a helping hand, and be a voice of reason. Many times, he was the newcomers first impression of Hope Valley. That day alone, Nathan had helped split wood and carry it into the Clark's kitchen, rescued a cat out of a tree and helped Mr. Wolf catch one of his cows that got loose. He enjoyed busy days, because it kept his mind off what had happened 6 months before – the day that Elizabeth told him that she loved him, but that she was not in love with him.
For months there were days that Nathan obsessed about that conversation. What if he had spoken up before she walked out the door? There were many times that he wished he could go back and say what was on his mind, but then he did not want to relive through the rejection. The rejection had hit him and Allie hard. They had to figure out how to move on without her being a huge part of their lives, and over time, they were able to. What helped the most, was that as time went on, Nathan and Allie saw a different side of Elizabeth. Granted, the sweetness of her voice was the same, the perfection of her style and grace unchanged, but being around Lucas had changed her. What Nathan saw, when he did see her, made him question, did he ever know her at all? It finally dawned on him that maybe he did not, especially since she never took the time to truly know who he was. That realization eased his pain, and the last couple of months he discovered that she did not captivate his mind as she once had.
Just as Nathan rounded the last turn into town and slowed Newton to the post just outside of his office, Lee waved him down, a letter in his other hand. "Nathan, are you busy? I need to speak to you and Bill about…. This."
Lee had been in the Mayor position since November, and he was thriving at it. It helped that Rosemary already had the pulse of the community at her fingertips, but Lee brought the calm to Rosemary's antics.
"What is…this?" Nathan replied as he fell into step with Lee as they walked down towards Bill's office at the end of the street.
"I should have expected it, especially with the new factory coming in... I will just tell you and Bill at the same time. Its probably going to affect you both the most, at least in the near future."
The reached the door to Bill's office, knocked, and heard Bill say "Come in" in his normal gruff. Bill looked up from behind his desk, with a large law book in front of him.
"Thank goodness, you give me an excuse to not look at this for a while. What is going on?" and offered Nathan and Lee a seat in the chairs across his desk.
Lee took a breath, knowing this may rile up Bill's feathers. "I received this letter today. It appears to have been postmarked in Toronto last week. Its from an E.J. Monteith. It says-
"To whom it may concern,
It has come to my attention that the Hope Valley area is growing by leaps and bounds, and it has been recommended to me that your community maybe the ideal area to locate my practice. I am in need of an office space, lodging accommodations and I hope you will be able to help me out in that regard. I plan on arriving in Hope Valley via the train on the 5th of April.
I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
E.J. Monteith, Barrister
Toronto"
"Barrister? Were getting a solicitor? We don't need a solicitor, Lee! There are enough over in Union City and Buxton, why do we need one here?" Bill spewed. Nathan looked from Bill to Lee, raising his eyebrows.
Lee calmly said "This is news to me also. I am betting it has to do with the factory coming in and the influx of new people into the valley. We are growing, and it is to be expected. I expect we will be having a lot of new businesses coming in, some we never thought of. It is a part of progress, whether we like it or not."
"Well, who is this EJ Monteith? I have never heard of them! I know a couple of Monteith's, but not an EJ. Nathan, we may need to do some investigating and find out who this… EJ Monteith is. I'm not sure about you, but I really don't think we need to have someone come into our town and question or mess up what we have going on here!"
Nathan sat there, trying to take in absorb what they were just told. He knew he was good at his job, and the idea of an outsider coming in and potentially looking for his shoulder at potential mistakes and finding loopholes in his cases was unsettling. But he knew Lee was right – Hope Valley was growing, and this is a part of it.
"I'm not a huge fan of it either Bill, but as someone who was once in the position that Barrister Monteith is in – unwanted – I say give him a chance and see what he has not offer Hope Valley." Bill bent is head and slightly shook it. "The 5th is next week. There is an office next door available, and one of the row houses. Do you think those would work?"
"Well, we can offer them up as options, and if they do not work for him, we can help him find other options. I guess that works for now. I will plan on meeting him at the train station next week with the wagon, pick him up and welcome him to Hope Valley. Either of you have any other suggestions?" Lee asked.
Nathan silently shook his head while Bill forcefully said "Well I'm going to find out who this guy thinks he is! I'll know all about him before he even gets here!"
