Chapter 40 – A Puppy and an Election
The man standing next to Nathan sees Laika and calls out, "Minnie May." Laika looks up from playing with the boys and runs to the man, squealing, barking, and her tail wagging back and forth. He picks up Laika and nuzzles her nose. Lee and Rosemary's faces fall as they see little Laika love the strange man at the door. Patrick walks up to the man timidly, asking, "Is this your dog, sir?"
The man nods and removes his hat. He looks at Lee and turns around, waving to someone in the car. A teenage girl opens the door and sees a small black ball of fur in her father's arms. She yells, "You found Minnie May?" The man nods and puts her on the ground. The girl calls out to Minnie May, and they both run towards each other. She gets down on Laika's level, and Laika climbs all over her in her excitement.
Lee invites Nathan, the man, and his daughter in, while Rosemary joins Lee, looping her arm around his. "My name is Lee, and this is my wife, Rosemary." Lee rests his hand on Patrick's shoulder. "This is our son, Patrick, and over there is his little playmate, Jack. Your puppy scratched at our door the other day, and we've been trying to find out if she belongs to anyone." Lee points to the settee, offering, "Would you like to sit?"
The man sits down next to his daughter and Laika, clearing his throat, "My name is Jay, and this is my daughter, Nina. Thank you for finding our Minnie May. She must have jumped out as we were leaving your fine town. We had stopped here for lunch and some gas on our way to Union City." Laika squirms out of her arms, racing to Patrick and pulling him to the floor to play with her. "Minnie May is my daughter's puppy. We've had her for about eight months, and we believe she is about a year old. She's been a great puppy and very smart."
Nina proudly informs, "I've already taught her how to sit, lay down, spin, and stay. She picked them up very fast." Both Jay and Nina watch Minnie May happily bouncing between playing with Patrick and Jack and Lee and Rosemary.
Rosemary remarks, "I am so glad we found her for you. She is such a sweet dog." Patrick gets up off the floor and sits on Rosemary's lap, and the puppy follows him.
Jay calls Minnie May over, and she jogs up to Nina so she can scoop her up. "Thank you so much for finding her and taking good care of her. But unfortunately, we need to be on our way. We have a long drive ahead of us. Can we pay you for your trouble?" Jay and Nina stand up, and the Coulter's escort them out the door.
"Don't worry about anything. We are glad we could help reunite you with your puppy. All I ask is for you to take good care of her." Rosemary can see Patrick fighting his tears, so she holds on to him tight, and he buries his head into her chest. Minnie May barks until Nina puts her down, and she runs to Patrick once more. Patrick gets on the floor and holds Minnie May with tears streaming down his face. Patrick prepares himself by breathing in and out a couple of times before getting up and walking Minnie May back to Nina and handing her over. Rosemary, Jack, Lee, Nathan, and Patrick watch them get in their car and drive away. Rosemary and Lee get down to Patrick's level and hug him along with Jack.
Lee reveals, "We are so proud of you, Patrick. You are such a brave little boy for what you just did."
"We love you to infinity," mentions Rosemary as she wipes the tears off his face.
Jack says, "Love you, Pat-wick," and the five of them chuckle.
The following couple of days are busy for the Coulter's, which probably helps them not think about the puppy they fell in love with and lost, Laika. Rosemary got the newspaper out on Monday morning with the candidate's ideas, but it didn't leave much time for anything else campaign-wise. When they dropped Patrick off at school that morning, they were surprised to see flyers all over town for Fiona, Mike, and even Bill, who decided to help each other with the campaign even though they were opponents. Rosemary and Lee quietly enter their office and begin their hectic day. Rosemary has a lot to prepare for the Town Hall and their second rehearsal the next night. Plus, she needs to get a head start on her next issue and look for a proper printing press in the catalog. Lee needs to prepare his speech for the Town Hall and catch up on some paperwork. Every time he gets on a roll, the phone rings for Rosemary, or someone comes in and visits her. Usually, this doesn't bother him too much, but today his mind is all over the place. In any case, Lee can't sit there anymore. He gets up and shrugs his coat on, telling Rosemary, "I need some fresh air. I'll be back."
Rosemary clears her throat as she eyes her husband, who's been suspiciously quiet since they got into town that morning. "Do you want some company, honey? We would love to get some fresh air too."
Lee questions, "Aren't you expecting a phone call in a few minutes?"
Rosemary replies, "Well, yes, but I can call them back."
"You better stay here. I'll be back soon," remarks Lee as he leaves the office. Rosemary frowns, immediately knowing something is wrong with Lee. So, she keeps herself distracted until he saunters back in thirty minutes later with a couple of her favorite scones. Lee hands them to her, and she can't help but grin as he sits back down at his desk.
"Thank you, honey." She takes a bite of a scone, inquiring, "How was your walk?
Lee replies with only one word, "Nice." Rosemary doesn't know quite what to think, so she makes small talk.
"Did you finish your speech for tomorrow night? How are you doing at memorizing your lines for the play? Don't forget. Our rehearsal is at 4:00 pm, and the Town Hall is at 6:30 pm. Do you think Patrick should come to the Town Hall? Or should I ask if Laura can watch him while she watches Jack? He might want to see his Papa acting like our next mayor." Rosemary finally gets a chuckle from Lee.
"I don't feel like I'm acting as a mayor now. I am already having a hard time finishing my speech. Why don't we keep Patrick at home since it is a school night, and he already will be tired from school and rehearsals." The phone rings, and it is for Rosemary. Lee frowns in frustration and gets back to work until it is time to pick up Patrick from school.
Rosemary wakes up early the following morning. She brews some coffee for Lee and jogs back upstairs, hoping he is still asleep. Unfortunately, she is out of breath by the time she sits down on the settee in their room with the coffee. Pumpkin starts to kick in protest, so Rosemary gently rubs the miracle growing inside her. She silently giggles when it feels like the baby is doing somersaults in her tummy. Lee eventually opens his eyes, yawning and stretching. Rosemary clears her throat, announcing, "Here is your coffee, Future Mayor Coulter." Lee gladly grabs the mug from her and gulps it down. "I know today is a big day for you, so I made you some things fit for our new mayor." Rosemary kisses him on the cheek and gets something out of the closet. She proudly shows him a navy-blue vest with a matching tie and a maroon vest with a matching tie.
Lee gets out of bed and fakes a smile, taking them from Rosemary. "Thanks. I need to get to work early. Do you need any help with Patrick?" Rosemary nods her head no.
"If you need me, I'll be in Patrick's room." Rosemary gloomily goes across the hall and sits next to Patrick on his bed. She kisses him on his forehead, whispering, "Good morning, bud."
Patrick yawns and rubs his eyes, saying, "Good morning, Mama. Can we get a dog like Laika? I miss her."
"Scoot over a bit." She sits with her back to the headboard and wraps her arm around him. She brushes his curls back, revealing, "I miss her too, but it's probably better we wait until your little brother or sister is born before we look for another dog. Don't you think?"
Patrick sighs and answers, "You're probably right, Mama."
Rosemary kisses him on the top of his head and mentions, "It's time to get up and get dressed. You feed and let out Nanny, and I'll make you some oatmeal."
Patrick responds, "Yes, ma'am. Is Papa downstairs?"
"I am not sure. Papa said he needed to get to work early."
Patrick sadly replies, "Okay, Mama."
After dropping Patrick at school, Rosemary noisily comes into the office and sets her bag down with a thump. She sits down in her chair and notices Lee standing in front of the mimeograph. Rosemary questions, "What are you doing, Lee?"
"I am printing out flyers." He hands her one. It reads Lee Coulter. A Vote for Me is a Vote for the Hope Valley Community!
"I love this! It's perfect."
Lee mumbles, "But not enough to help."
"What was that?"
Lee answers, "Oh, nothing. Aren't you busy with something?" Rosemary is confused by Lee's attitude but lets it go. Lee silently finishes printing his flyers and mentions, "I'll be back. I am going to hang these around town. And maybe I can get Nathan to hang some while he is out on his rounds." Lee grabs his pile and steps out the front door. Rosemary doesn't know what has gotten into Lee. He is usually so happy-go-lucky, but not the last couple of days. She tries to get some work done, but the longer he is gone, the more she gets worked up.
When he finally strolls back in, she confronts him, "Why are you being so blasé towards me? Did I do something wrong?" Rosemary braces herself as the tears start rolling down her cheeks.
"Why am I being so blasé? I can say the same thing about you. I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but you don't seem to have any time for me. If you aren't focusing on Patrick, you are either focusing on your play or the newspaper. You haven't even offered to help with my speech or creating flyers like I tried to make this morning."
"You know I can't help you with the campaign. I wouldn't be taken seriously as a journalist, and it wouldn't be fair to Bill, Fiona, and Hickam."
"You still could have helped as my wife, but you are too busy with all of your activities. Silly me, I thought you would put in all of your energy to help me become mayor."
"Lee Coulter, you don't mean that, do you?" Lee looks conflicted but doesn't speak up. Rosemary can't help herself when her voice raises out of exasperation. She yells, "I seem to recall hosting the Town Hall and the play, both being your bright ideas. And I thought you fully supported me starting the newspaper? Is that not true anymore?" Lee is silent, so she continues, "On top of all my other responsibilities, I take care of the house, our amazing son, you, and most importantly, growing our precious child, who takes a lot of my energy and my sleep." Rosemary pouts, "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you expect me to read your mind too?"
Lee guiltily replies, "Rosie." Rosemary throws all her things in her bag and storms out of the office, trying to stop the tears. She spends the next few hours at home, trying to get work done, but she can't, no matter how hard she tries. Luckily, Rosemary happens to look at the time and realizes she needs to be back up at the school in fifteen minutes for the rehearsal. This time Rosemary drives the car into town because she doesn't think she'll have enough energy to walk home after the rehearsal and the Town Hall. Her whole drive to town, she is trying to perk herself up, so no one catches on to her and Lee not getting along, especially Patrick. It would break her heart if he knew. And she is sure Lee would agree. Rosemary pulls up to the school and parks on the side. As she walks up to Patrick, she sees Lee for the first time since their argument. She awkwardly forces a smile.
Patrick says, "Mama!" as he hugs her waist and pats the baby.
"How was your day, bud?"
"It was fun."
"Are you ready for rehearsal?"
"Yes, ma'am. And then I can play with Jack and Laura, right?" Lee and Rosemary both nod yes.
The second rehearsal goes well. Rosemary and Lee are civil, but it's easy to see how distant they are. Lee drives Patrick to Elizabeth's house while Rosemary gets everything ready for the Town Hall. She had hired Lee's men to construct five podiums for tonight and assemble them in front of the saloon. Rosemary had printed out a larger version of each candidate's first flyer to hang in front of their podium. And on each stand, she left some paper, a pencil, and a glass of water. Rosemary also hung Hope Valley Mayor streamers. Lee shows up with a few minutes to spare and joins the other candidates where Rosemary wanted them to stand before she calls them out. One by one, Rosemary introduces, "Fiona Miller, the woman who is not afraid to get her hands dirty. Michael Hickam, the man of many trades. Bill Avery, the town's protector. And last but not least, Lee Coulter, the man who saved the town many years ago." Rosemary mumbles to herself, "And my hero," as the applause gets louder.
Fiona gives a speech about how important it is to empower women to start businesses, run for office, or do anything they set their minds to do. She wants Hope Valley to become a place where women thrive alongside men and are equals. Michael talks about the future he sees for the town with the oil pipeline providing for a more prosperous economy for all. Bill ensures all Hope Valley citizens he will be here to protect everyone's interest, and he guarantees the town continues to stay safe even while growing. Finally, a very subdued Lee speaks about how Hope Valley is a community where your friends and neighbors are like your family. He wants to ensure his kids and his kid's kids have a community like Hope Valley to call home for many years to come. The type of community that stays up all night to save Christmas for families having a hard time. A community that grants visiting orphans the best Christmas they've ever had. Or a community that brings food from home for a potluck when the saloon runs out due to an overflow of guests showing up for the Christmas festival. He's never lived in a town like Hope Valley, and as mayor, his number one priority will be to keep it that way. Rosemary walks back up to her podium and personally thanks each candidate before opening it up for questions. For the next thirty minutes or so, the residents of Hope Valley question the candidates, and they answer the best way they know-how. At precisely 8:00 pm. Rosemary concludes the Town Hall, thanking everyone for participating. The crowd applauds and goes in their separate directions.
Lee finds Rosemary, asking, "Do you need help with anything?"
Rosemary smiles, responding, "Thanks for the offer, but Robert and his dad are helping."
"Okay, I'll be in our office. I'll drive you home when you are ready."
"Thanks, Lee. You did great tonight, by the way," remarks Rosemary quietly.
Robert and Richard break the moment, asking, "Are you ready for us to tear everything down? Where should we store the podiums?"
Lee leaves, but instead of going to his office, he heads towards the pond. Rosemary tells Richard and Robert, "Thank you. Kevin said we could store the podiums at the Blacksmith's until we figure out what to do with them, and I'll clean up the rest." She gathers all the streamers and posters and stores them on her desk, hoping she'll find Lee there.
Robert knocks and comes in, mentioning, "My dad and I are going home. Do you need anything else, Missus Coulter?"
"Thanks, Robert. I'll see you tomorrow."
As Robert walks out the door, Lee enters, inquiring, "Are you ready to go?"
"Lee, can we talk first?"
"Sure."
"I'm sorry, Lee." She folds both of his hands into hers. "I am sorry I made you feel like I didn't care about you winning. You don't know how hard it has been on me not to be your biggest supporter and loudest voice out there. I have felt bad I couldn't help more because of the conflict of interest with the paper, but what got me through was knowing you ARE the RIGHT man for the job. You should and deserve to be our mayor, and I know everyone else believes that as well."
"Then why do I have three opponents?"
"I don't think any of them knew you were running when they signed up." Lee grins and brings her in for an embrace. They lightly kiss each other a couple of times, and then he laughs because it's getting harder to wrap his arms fully around her. "What is so funny?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Lee, I am so sorry you think I am doing too much."
"You don't have to apologize. I've been thinking, what if being mayor is not my calling after all. How will I have time to commit to being mayor, running the sawmill, and having time for our family? I am not sure I can or want to juggle everything with our lives changing so drastically in a couple of months.
Rosemary suggests, "Let's promise to keep ourselves accountable. If either of us thinks the other is putting family second, then we speak up. Our family is what is important. Not the newspaper, play, being mayor, or the sawmill."
"I agree. Now, let's get home and read our son his bedtime story before he falls asleep." Lee reaches for her hand and leads her out to the car.
The next evening, after supper, Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick are downstairs sitting on the settee, reading as a family. Patrick is between them, barely keeping his eyes open. It's Lee's turn to read the bedtime story, so Rosemary and Patrick enjoy listening to Lee bring the story to life. Suddenly there is a knock at the door, startling everyone. Lee hesitantly gets up and answers the door. He is surprised to see Jay, Nina, and little Laika. Nina plops down Laika, and she runs and leaps onto the settee with Patrick and Rosemary, squealing, barking, and licking both. Finally, Lee tells them to please come inside.
Jay places his hand on his daughter's shoulder, and they step into the house. They each sit down, and Jay clears his throat, signaling to Nina to tell the Coulter's what she told him earlier. Nina wipes a couple of tears off her face and begins, "Minnie May has been my best friend for eight months, but since we got her back, she hasn't been happy. She used to have lots of room to run around, but since we now live in the city, we must put her on a leash every time she needs to go out. It makes me sad to see her like this, so I told my dad we should bring her to you. She will be happy living in this town and with you. I can already see you love her as much as we do. So will you keep her and love her like we do?" Patrick looks between Lee and Rosemary, hoping they will say yes. Rosemary squeezes Patrick and smiles at Lee.
Lee is surprised to feel relief when he responds, "We would be honored for Minnie May to be a part of our family. If you think this is best." Laika excitedly jumps on Lee's lap, licking his face.
Jay responds, "I think she gave you the answer."
Patrick jumps off the settee, giving his parents and Nina hugs before shaking Jay's hand. He exclaims, "Thank you, Mister Jay, Nina. We will love her forever and ever."
Jay and Nina chuckle, and he replies, "I believe you will. Well, we won't keep you. I'll get all of her stuff from the car, and we will be on our way." Lee follows Jay out to his car, grabbing all Laika's stuff. "Lee, you have a remarkable kid in there."
"We do. And you just made him so happy, so thank you."
Back inside, Nina offers one last goodbye to Minnie May and bravely walks to the front door. Rosemary stops her, thanking her for making their little boy's dream come true. "Hopefully, your parents know what a wonderful young lady you are. And if you like, we'll be sure to send you pictures of Minnie May."
Nina smiles, answering, "Thank you, Missus Coulter. I would love to get pictures." She steps outside with her dad and Lee, asking, "Dad, can you give them our address? They want to send pictures of Minnie May." Nina gets into the car while Jay hands Lee an envelope from his coat pocket with their address. Jay gets in the car with his daughter, and they drive away. Lee comes back inside with blankets, beds, toys, and homemade food and treats. Nanny joins the three of them on the floor with Laika, loving on her, welcoming her to the family.
With only five more days to the election, both Patrick and Rosemary tag along with Lee going door-to-door. Lee checks in, making sure they don't have any questions for him, while Rosemary and Patrick smile and wave from the street. Rosemary wants to show her unwavering support but at the same time ensure it is still all about him. So, she happily stays back and admires him from afar. Finally, after the last house of the night, Rosemary offers, "I have a surprise for you, sweetie."
Lee grins mischievously, inquiring, "You do?"
"I might have made a few of your favorites."
"When did you find the time?"
"Remember when I snuck out for a few hours? I went home to prepare all the meals and store them in the icebox. You have been working hard, so I thought you deserved a good meal." She stretches her sore back, mentioning, "I'm sorry I haven't been cooking much lately."
"No worries, we've all been busy." He grins and puts his hand in his pocket. "Why don't we head home? I'm starving, and I bet you are too."
"As a matter of fact, I am starving," answers Rosemary.
"I am too, Mama," adds Patrick. The Coulter's drive back to their house, open their door and turn on the lights. Laika races down the stairs and climbs on everyone.
Lee instructs Patrick to feed Laika and Nanny and let them out while Rosemary goes upstairs to change. As she ascends the stairs, fidgeting with her dress, she thinks to herself, "Ugh, these clothes are getting too tight again. I guess it is time to let them out to the largest setting."
Patrick walks into the kitchen to get their food and whines, "Ewe. Gross. Papa." Lee hears his son and comes over to look, and sitting there in front of the back door, on Rosemary's new rug, is a pile of poop.
Lee places his finger in front of his mouth and whispers, "Ssshhh. Don't tell Mama." Patrick nods in surprise. Lee finds a piece of scrap paper and picks it up, throwing it to the side of the backyard. Patrick sets out their food, calling them over, and they both scarf it down. Then he lets them both outside. Rosemary finally comes down in her nightclothes with her hair up out of her face. She puts her apron on and struggles with tying the back. "Is everything okay?" Lee tries to stifle a laugh.
Rosemary innocently asks, "What is so funny?"
"Here, let me help you, sweetheart." Lee ties the apron for her, suggesting, "I don't think I have ever seen you get in your nightclothes before dinner."
"What's wrong with that? This nightgown is more comfortable than all of my clothes."
"I'm sorry, Rosie." Rosemary smirks at him and then takes out the steak and potato pie and the chicken and dumplings and sticks them in the oven.
Rosemary yawns, announcing, "Dinner will be ready in an hour," as she grabs the plates. Lee boils some water for her tea, and he helps her set the table.
"Do you have any homework, buddy?" inquires Lee.
"No, sir."
"If you want to go play upstairs, we'll call you down once we are ready."
Patrick shouts, "Thanks, Papa," as he hops up the stairs, two at a time. Lee convinces Rosemary to relax on the settee while he gets everything ready. They sit down together, and he rests her feet on his lap and starts rubbing them.
Rosemary reveals, "You are the best husband and father ever." He kisses her on the temple and then walks towards the kitchen.
Rosemary groans, questioning, "Wait, where are you going?"
"I need to check on the food. I'll be right back." He brings her some tea and massages her feet until the food is ready. Lee calls Patrick, and they all sit down for a nice family dinner.
The morning of the election, the Coulter's are up early. Rosemary promised to have cookies ready for the voters. She also promised to help set up the saloon and, of course, cover the election results in the Valley Voice. The town had decided voting would take place in the saloon, and Lucas had agreed to close it for the day. In addition, Joseph, Ned, and Nathan had volunteered to help man the table and count the ballots at the end.
Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick pile into the car with the cookies she's been keeping from Lee all morning. Lee sarcastically says, "There is no way you baked all of those cookies and didn't eat any."
Rosemary responds, "No, I didn't," with a straight face.
"Uh-huh, sure you didn't."
"Okay, fine. You got me. I snuck a couple." She pulls some out of the tin and hands one to Lee and Patrick. "I need to get to town; quit dillydallying." Lee laughs and cranks the engine. They pull up in front of their office, and Lee helps Rosemary carry all the cookies into the saloon. When they are back outside, Rosemary kisses Lee, revealing, "Don't you look dapper in your new navy-blue vest and tie your stunning wife made for you."
Lee chuckles and returns the kiss, suggesting, "Thank you, I don't know what I would do without you by my side."
Rosemary pats his cheek, remarking, "Good thing I am not going anywhere." They both chuckle and walk towards their son, who's waiting patiently in front of their office.
Lee inquires, "Are you ready for school, buddy?"
"Yes, sir," replies Patrick.
"Okay, let's go." Lee and Rosemary accompany Patrick the rest of the way to school, hand-in-hand, hugging him before Patrick goes inside. Rosemary didn't have time to fix her and Lee's breakfast that morning, so they stopped in Abigail's for coffee/tea and a scone.
"I'm glad you all decided not to campaign today. It's giving me extra time with you this morning, and I get to do last-minute interviews for the paper." Rosemary had lined up interviews with the four candidates about their experiences of running for mayor. Rosemary thought it would be a fun article to publish along with the results in tomorrow's paper.
"Is tonight another late-night printing night?" questions Lee.
"Yes, but I asked Clara to help this time."
"I know you like to do everything yourself, Rosie. But I think you need to hire some staff to help you out with articles, printing, and delivering."
Rosemary grins, saying, "I like the way you think. But let's not forget, I need to get an actual printing press as well."
Lee shakes his head, trying not to frown, responding, "Right. That too."
"I hate to leave you, but I need to check-in at the saloon, and you need to get to work," whispering, "Mayor Coulter." Lee laughs, escorting her back to the saloon before going into their office for the day.
Rosemary walks into the saloon, catching Ned off guard. She inquires, "How is the first shift? Do you need anything?"
"No, I am good, Rosemary."
"What time does Joseph take over? I want to bring you two some food from Abigail's."
Ned looked at Rosemary, insisting, "You don't need to worry about us, Rosemary. We will be fine."
Rosemary waves her arm in the air, exclaiming, "Nonsense," as she saunters out the door.
Rosemary spends the day helping at the saloon and interviewing Fiona, Michael, Bill, and of course, Lee. She makes sure Ned, Joseph, and Nathan have everything they need and have plenty of food and drinks to keep them happy. Rosemary shows up with their dinner, right at 6:00 pm, as they are closing the saloon to count the ballots. They told Rosemary the plan is to display the results on the saloon door between 7:00 – 8:00 pm. But by 7:00 pm, a crowd had already formed in front of the Queen of Hearts with Lee, Rosemary, Patrick, Elizabeth, Allie, Jack, Fiona, Lucas, Michael, Hannah, Bill, among many other town folks. At approximately 7:32 pm, Nathan quietly opens the saloon door and tapes a large poster outside. The people gather around, and he slowly pulls off the cover.