Let Me Call You Sweetheart Chapter 7, Page 67

When Ravenous Roxy and the Dancing Dames left all the lights went bright in Billees. Lee looked around at the apples on the floor and the spilled bubbles and shook his head.

"What were you thinking Bill?"

Henry replied, "He wasn't. He just wanted to have a better bachelor party then we've had in the past."

"He doesn't have Rosemary to return to tonight either!" Lee snarled.

"Hey, we had the Mounties in the room with us! That was the plan all along!" Bill tried to weasel out an excuse.

"I could just see the headline in the Valley Voice, 'Local Judge and Constable Arrested for Party with Indecent Exposure'!" Lee growled.

"Calm down Lee!" Bill put his hand on Lee's shoulder. Lee promptly cast it off.

"This is the Hope Valley Family Gathering Place! You blew that tonight, didn't you?" Lee taunted Bill

"Guys, we've all had too much to drink and we don't want to get in a brawl over this. Let's just clean up and get to bed." Nathan tried to calm down frazzled minds.

"No, you go. This party was for you. The rest of us will clean up so Rosemary won't have to." Ned suggested.

"Thanks again men! I do really appreciate your friendship. I better walk with George as he has to pick up Dorothy and I need to walk Dee home." Nathan said.

"Yes, go. Walk straight now." Carson laughed.

The Mountie friends gathered together to wish their buddy congratulations and good luck before they left.

"Thanks for coming guys, and for the good luck wishes, I'll need it after tonight." Nathan rolled his eyes.

Upstairs the ladies heard the conversation among the men, and were wondering what the ladies in town would say about all that happened. "So that's what happens at a bachelor party!" Luciana was surprised.

Darlene and Maryanne couldn't decide what was more fun the bridal shower or the bachelor party. "It sure was loud down there, we couldn't sleep if we tried." Debbie complained.

"Oops, looks like Lee's not too happy with Bill right now!" Hope was concerned.

"Apparently, Bill didn't tell Lee about the girls, but Lee has a wife, Bill doesn't." Carole agreed.

"Let's try to get some sleep, we have the church service in the morning to go to before we head home!" Cheryl Anne suggested.

"Lights out!" Maryjane urged.

When George and Nathan got to his house, the ladies were talking but were quite tired and ready to go to bed. Nathan sauntered in and Dee looked at him strangely. "What happened? You smell like perfume!" she was stunned.

Nathan tried to give her a hug and she stopped him. "Nathan Grant, you are the Constable here in town and you are drunk!"

"I'm just drunk in love with you!" he tried again to get a kiss.

"Oh good heavens, your breath smells like onion and beer! Please don't." Dee wiggled away. "I'll be going to Faith's now to get some sleep. We have church tomorrow, or did you forget?"

"I'll walk with you." Nathan urged.

"No Nathan, you get to bed. I'll see you in the morning, all cleaned up, I hope. You have some explaining to do! Goodnight." Dee said as she left for Faiths.

Dorothy looked at sad-eyed George, "You smell like a brewery. When we get back to Billees, ask for another blanket. The floor won't mind how you smell."

When they returned to Billees there were men still cleaning up and Dorothy was appalled by the mess. "Don't say a word to me George, I just want to go to bed ALONE!"

The next morning, Rosemary was none the wiser as she was expecting Lee to have a few drinks in him and she hadn't gone to Billees as she was getting him up for church. Lee had one eye open and one eye shut as he sat up on the edge of the bed. Rosemary handed him an ice bag for his head and told him she would be getting Paul ready while Lee woke up. When she glanced in on him he was snoring. Rosemary would not allow him to miss church, so she shook him awake, and threw cold water on his face. That did the trick.

Dorothy practically stepped on George when she got up, as he had snuggled so close to the bed. "George! Wake up, it's time to get ready for church!"

"What? Now? It's in the middle of the night!" George barely whispered.

"Open your eyes, it's morning. Let's get up and get going!" Dorothy snapped.

The social committee was busy already sharing the bathrooms and putting on their makeup and styling their hair when they heard Dorothy and George. "We better get out of the bathroom!" Kaye urged.

"Sounds like they're going to be needing it soon." Linda agreed.

Emily walked into Nathan's room and woke him up. "Oh there you are my naughty boy, sleeping away. Well, you best be getting up so you aren't late for church. Seems you have some repenting to do, ya?"

Nathan couldn't believe the grief he was getting not only from Dee, now his Ma! "I didn't do anything "naughty", Ma. What was I suppose to do? Leave my own party?" 'Women' he grumbled to himself.

When he went to call on Dee to walk her to church, she was ready but didn't link her arm in his. Instead, she and Faith walked side by side while Carson and Nathan followed behind. Apparently, word had a way of getting out.

Pastor Joseph had Cooper ring the bell earlier this morning, figuring the men in town might need a wake up call. As the people came, the men shuffled in behind their wives or lady friends, hoping the church bells would stop. The look on his flock's faces were quite telling. The ladies looked stern and unforgiving. The men faces were sheepish and shame-faced.

Dee had the choir sing Amazing Grace and when the words, 'a wretch like me', she could hear groans in the pews.

Pastor Joseph thought this was a good time to preach about Galatians 5:21, "Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

For added measure he quoted Romans 13:13,

"Let us walk properly in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy."

Then he provided a time for those who wanted to repent and declare their love of the Lord to come forward for an altar call. All the men, all of them, got up and went to the front of the church. Joseph smiled on them and blessed them.

The choir concluded with singing, "Bringing in the Sheaves."