Chapter 11: The Tension Grows
"Uncle Nathan?" Allie's voice, along with a little nudge against his shoulder made Nathan open his eyes groggily. He turned his head towards Allie and squinted against the light. "Allie?" he mumbled thickly, sitting up and rubbing his eyes drowsily. "What time is it?" "The Coulters are waiting outside" Allie said, frowning slightly at her uncle's unkept appearance. "Are you going to church like that?" she asked, slightly concerned. Nathan looked down at his sooty shirt and hands and gave Allie a sidelong look. "Of course, not" he murmured, standing up gingerly on account of his aching muscles and making his way over to the wash basin. "Can you tell Mr. and Mrs. Coulter not to wait for me? Stay with them until I get there, ok?" Allie nodded. "Yes sir" she said, disappearing downstairs again as Nathan doused his face in the soapy water. Having been aroused somewhat from his previous state of exhaustion, Nathan stood blankly into front of his bedroom window, debating whether he should wear his uniform or dress more casually for church today. He eyed the blue and white striped shirt hanging in his closet and sighed. The color made him think of Dani. She had been wearing blue this morning. The blue dress had brought out the blue of her eyes. Nathan smiled to himself as he pulled the blue and white shirt down from its hook. The thought of her made him happy, just like it always did. He would wear the blue shirt, if for no other reason, to remind him of her.
Bill had insisted on going to church, despite Faith's protests. And while getting there was a little more taxing than he had anticipated, he couldn't deny that the attention he received upon arrival was worth it. "Bill!" Molly cried, rushing to him as he walked up the dusty road towards the church, his head held high. "Are you alright? What happened?" Florence and Ned came to Molly's side, also curious to hear what Bill had to say. Bill gave them all a rather chirper smile and shrugged. "I'm all in one piece" he said, cheerfully. "The next step is to bring those thugs to justice." His three listeners gaped, their eyes wide. "Thugs?" Ned cried, a little breathlessly. "You were attacked Bill?" Bill nodded, touching to lump that had all but disappeared on the back of his head. "Yes" he affirmed. "They tied me up and left me in the mine. I got lucky." Florence clucked her tongue and eyed him disapprovingly. "I'll say you did, from the sound of it" she muttered tersely. "That's what comes of going into the mine all alone." Ned eyed Bill hopefully. "Have you and Nathan been able to catch the scoundrels yet?" he asked excitedly. Bill frowned faintly. "Ned, I was just released from the infirmary" he muttered. "Of course not! Although I'm sure Nathan has a few phone calls to make today, if he wants to nip it in the bud." The two ladies fussed of Bill and Ned listened excitedly as Bill embellished his experience from the night before. Molly insisted on sitting next to Bill in the pew and continued to attend to his "needs" like holding the hymnal open for him or offering to find him a cushion for his back. Bill smiled to himself as she did and realized for the first time in years that perhaps commitment wasn't so bad after all.
Nathan was able to sneak in just as the opening hymn ended. He glanced around the room, looked for Allie and the Coulters, before finally spying them in a pew on the right hand side. Quickly, he made his way over to join them, and was a little startled when Dani looked up from her place at the end of the pew beside them. Nathan froze, not knowing what he should do. He didn't want Dani to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Suddenly, he wished he had just stood at the back of the church like he always did when he was in uniform. Dani however, smiled and, moving over, patted the place beside her reassuringly. Nathan breathed a little sigh of relief and slid into the pew beside her. As he did, he saw Molly and Florence out of the corner of his eye lean forward in their seats from across the church, their eyebrows raised. Dani saw it too, and she and Nathan glanced at each other with laughing eyes. "Here we go again" Dani whispered, trying to keep a straight face, and failing miserably. It was all Nathan could do to keep himself from rolling his eyes and laughing. He hated gossip, especially when it involved him or Dani, but somehow, it didn't bother him so much whenever Dani was there to laugh with him about it.
"And we thank God for the safe return of our beloved Judge Avery, who we have with us today, and pray for his speedy recovery. Amen." Joseph finished the concluding prayer to his Sunday service and looked up at his congregation with a beaming smile. "I hope you all will join us at around noon in the town square" he announced. "As you all know, the votes for mayor were being tallied this week, and today, we will finally be announcing the winner. So please, stop by to support our local candidates and enjoy some of the refreshments the town council will be providing." A wave of excitement passed over the congregation as this dispersed through the double-doors. Fiona rushed over to Mike Hickam, who appeared to be blushing slightly after the announcement. "Hey Mike" she called brightly. "Are you excited?" A nervous glance from Mike told her that he certainly was not, and she tilted her head to one side. "What's the matter?" she asked kindly. "Are you nervous?" Mike shrugged fearfully. "What if I have to get up there and speak in front of all those people?" he asked helplessly. "I don't know if I can do it Fiona!" Fiona smiled slightly and patted his shoulder. "You'll get through it just fine" she reassured him. "Plus, we don't even know if you have too yet. Whatever happens Mike, you and I still have a lot to look forward to. I posted a sigh-up sheet in the mercantile for our social group. We already have three names!" Mike's face lit up, and he forgot his fears momentarily. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "That town is going to love it Fiona. You do so much for them." Fiona smiled modestly and blushed as Hickam gave her an adoring smile. "Come on" she said, taking hold of his hand and leading him out the door. "Let's go down to the town square and see what's what."
The two nearly crashed into Nathan as they ran by. Nathan, who was on his way over to talk to Mrs. Miles, jumped out of the way quickly. "Sorry Nathan!" Fiona called over her shoulder, before she and Mike reached the road. Nathan looked after them and chuckled to himself before turning his attention to the substitute teacher. She was an older woman, whose thin face and big, dark eyes made her look like a scared little mouse. She jumped a little when Nathan addressed her. "Mrs. Miles" he called, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I was talking with my daughter Allie last night, and she told me that some of the new boys in town are giving you some trouble. Anything I can help with?" Mrs. Miles took a step back and eyed him suspiciously. "And you are?" she asked doubtfully, not recognizing him out of uniform. Nathan held out his hand "Constable Grant" he introduced himself. "I'm Hope Valley's Mountie." Mrs. Miles reddened, but didn't take his hand. "No amount of 'help' could save this school from itself Constable" she muttered. "But you are free to do whatever you like. I'm leaving on the train tomorrow morning. Turned in my resignation on Friday." Nathan's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest but was left gaping when she turned her back on him and walked away. "Mrs. Miles, wait!" he cried, starting to go after her. She waved him away but didn't turn back as she resolutely strode back towards town. "It's your problem Constable" she hissed. "Not mine!" Nathan groaned and clenched his outstretched hand. If Mrs. Miles quit, who would teach school tomorrow? Mrs. Thornton was still out of town and had all but given up her teaching position to the school district. Nathan slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Great!" he mumbled crossly. Ned Yost saw him and came to his side. "What's wrong Nathan?" he asked, his face marked with worry. Nathan stared after Mrs. Miles and shook his head. "I'll tell you later Ned" he muttered soberly. "But I think we have a major problem on our hands…" Ned stared after Mrs. Miles too, though he didn't quite understand Nathan's meaning. "I hope not" he breathed. "Nathan, if there's anything I can do…" Nathan smiled gratefully. "Thanks Ned" he said, patting Ned on the shoulder as he turned to find Allie. "I appreciate it." Of all the things to happen right now, this was the last thing he needed.
Dani was pleased to make her way over to the town square with Clara and Faith after having been introduced to nearly everyone in the congregation by Rosemary. While it was nice to finally meet the people of Hope Valley, she felt comforted by Faith and Clara's company, since her acquaintance with them was a bit more familiar. Clara had all kinds of questions for her, while Faith listened intently, adding her input every now and then in her kind, gentle way. They were laughing pleasantly as they neared the growing crowd that stood around a small platform that Lee's men had constructed the night before. Dani saw Bill standing erect on top of it and smiled to herself at how proud he looked. Bill glanced out over the crowd excitedly and held up the piece of paper in his hand. "The results are in!" he called. "And I am thrilled to announce the winner of this year's election for Hope Valley's office of Mayor." A wave of excitement rustled through the crowd before Bill went on. "And our winner for this election is…" He paused for effect. Everyone held their breath, and Rosemary patted Lee's shoulder reassuringly. On the other side of the crowd, Fiona gave Mike a confident glance and nodded slowly. Even from the bank, Wyman Walden crossed his arms and stared at the scene, semi-interested.
Bill looked up slowly and a smile came across his face. "Our winner is Lee Coulter!" he announced excitedly. A general applause went up and Lee hurried to the front, his face beaming. "Get on up here Mayor Coulter!" Bill called, patting Lee on the back as he joined him up on the platform. There were several cheers and more claps. Even Hickam and Fiona were good sports and congratulated Lee with wholehearted applause. Bill smiled at his friend and held out his hand. "Congratulations" he said. "You deserve it Lee." As the crowd spread out a little, enjoying the refreshments and each other's company, Fiona pulled Hickam aside and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Mike" she said sadly. "You put up a good fight. And like I said before, we've got plenty to look forward to." Mike didn't look too distressed though. In fact, she could tell he was somewhat relieved. "I'm just glad I didn't have to get up there and speak" he sighed. "We may not have won Fiona, but I had a lot of fun campaigning with you." Fiona nodded. "It was fun, wasn't it?" she mused with a smile. "Say… Why don't we go on over to the mercantile for a soda pop? To 'celebrate' our defeat?" Mike laughed and nodded. "I would like that" he grinned.
"What's going on Uncle Nathan?" Allie asked, chasing down her uncle as he strode towards the platform. Nathan glanced back at her before mounting the steps. "You'll see Allie" he reassured her. "Everything's going to be okay." From the furrows in his brow and the quickness of his step however, Allie could tell that something was bothering him. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen him approach Mrs. Miles, but hadn't stuck around to see the end of the conversation. She watched him anxiously as he took the center of the stage and looked out over the crowd. "Hey everyone" he projected. "Just a quick announcement… If all of the Jack Thornton School parents and members of the schoolboard could head over to the café? I'm calling an emergency meeting, so I'd appreciate it if you attended. Thank you." As he walked off the stage and descended the stairs, he saw Allie gaping at him in shock. "What happened Uncle Nathan?" she gasped. "Is the school shutting down?" Nathan wrapped an arm around her and steered them both in towards the café. "No Allie" he murmured soothingly. "I would never let that happen. We just hit a little… bump in the road. That's all." Allie took Uncle Nathan's hand and squeezed it tightly as they joined the surge of parents crowding into the café. As they passed through the door, she spied Dani standing next to Faith and smiling, waved. Dani caught sight of her from across the room and returned the gesture, her face sunny. Allie looked up at her uncle hopefully. "Uncle Nathan?" she asked. "Is it okay if I go sit with Dani?" Nathan looked up and spied Dani, who gave him a friendly grin. "Of course," he murmured distractedly, as a smile came over his face. Allie let go of his hand and made her way excitedly over to Dani's side. Watching her go, Nathan longed to join her, but knew that he needed to head up the meeting he had just called for. With a faint sigh, he clenched his jaw and looked over the small sea of faces as their eyes fell upon him expectantly. He felt his face reddening as he cleared his throat. "Thank you for coming everyone" he began. "Unfortunately, I have some bad news… I found out this morning that Mrs. Miles, our substitute teacher, quit her position recently."
A gasp and some angry snarls went up from the crowd of parents. "What is this?" Mr. Wolfe shouted angrily. "Why do we even bother paying taxes anymore?" Nathan eyed him warily. "The school board and I will do our best to find a better, more committed substitute as soon as we can" he reassured him. "But until then, we don't have a teacher." Another wave of murmurs went around the room, until Mr. Wiess stood up, holding her hat anxiously in her hands. "The children have examinations coming up" she explained. "In fact, the day after tomorrow, my Opal was scheduled to take the district placement exam." Nathan nodded. "I know…" he murmured. "We've got to figure something out." Minnie, who had been mostly silent, suddenly raised her hand. "I could step in" she offered, eyeing Nathan sympathetically. "I would start tomorrow, but Joseph and I have to make some morning calls." Nathan nodded gratefully. "Thank you Minnie" he breathed weakly. "We really appreciate it. And you'll be paid, of course." He scanned the room again. "Is there anyone here who would be willing to teach tomorrow?" he asked. "I know it's short notice, but we can't lose a study day before district exams." Nathan felt his stomach sinking when no one volunteered, until a voice suddenly called out. "I will!" Nathan's heart pounded furiously as he turned to see Dani, now standing, her hand raised. She eyed him determinedly and gave a little shrug. "It wouldn't be my first time teaching" she assured him and everyone else in the room. Nathan smiled at her proudly and gratefully. Even before he could respond however, Mr. Wolfe and Mr. Lawson both stood up and nodded appreciatively towards Dani. "That's fine by me" Kurt said thankfully. "We're very grateful to you Miss Lemont. And to you Minnie." As the crowd started to disperse, Nathan's eyes met Dani's from across the room. Wordlessly, he was somehow able to tell her how relieved and grateful he was to her, to which her eyes responded with a gently assurance.
Jesse and Clara were walking back to the café from the town square when a man blocked their path on the board walk. Jesse's eyes narrowed. "Get out of my way Walden" he hissed. Wyman Walden eyed Jesse calmly, his hands in his pockets. "I thought we had put the past in the past Mr. Flynn" he said, with such poise that Jesse couldn't help feeling as though he intended to be smug. "Surely, your lovely wife should not be subjected to witnessing such… juvenile behavior?" Jesse's eyes blazed, and he lunged at Wyman Walden. "Don't you dare talk about my wife!" he murmured savagely. Clara caught him by the arm and pulled him back before he could touch the businessman. "Jesse!" she cried. "Not here!" When Jesse relented, still seething, she turned on Walden with a glare. "I can speak for myself, thank you very much!" she said angrily. "You ought to be locked up for what you did to us!" Walden shrugged and gave a little smile. "I'm sorry to disappoint you" he said stonily. "But until I am actually convicted of doing anything illegal, I'm afraid you will just have to endure my presence." Saying this, he stepped in between them and walked confidently towards the saloon. Clara and Jesse glowered after him before turning to face each other. "Someone needs to do something about that guy!" Jesse fumed. Suddenly, his face lit up and he snapped his fingers. "I know!" he cried excitedly. "Why don't we talk to Lee later today? He's the mayor now, isn't he? Maybe he can help!" Clara nodded and put her arms around his neck, smiling dreamily. "You really stood up to Walden there, didn't you" she breathed, staring dreamily into his eyes. Jesse smiled proudly and wrapped his arms around her waist. "No one gets to talk about my wife like that" he murmured softly, touching his forehead to hers. Clara giggled and looked up at him with an earnest smile. "That's why I love you" she said, smiling. Jesse chuckled, and leaning in, kissed her lovingly.
"Now go ahead and crack the eggs" Dani instructed, as Allie pulled two eggs out of the Coulter's icebox. After the emergency meeting, Allie, Dani, and Rosemary had gone back to the Coulter's rowhouse since Nathan and Lee both had separate business to attend to. Rosemary sat by watching pleasantly as Dani taught Allie how to make custard for dessert. "You're quite the cook Dani!" Rosemary marveled. "That custard pie has my mouth watering!" Dani laughed and handed Allie the pie tin. "Thank you Rosemary" she grinned. "It certainly took years of practice!" Allie grabbed the whisk and began blending the yellow mixture furiously. "Uncle Nathan couldn't stop talking about those pop overs you made" she commented without lifting her eyes from the bowl. Rosemary watched Dani's reaction closely and was disappointed when she simply laughed. "I guess I'll have to make them again" she mused, brushing the flour from her pretty, pink apron. "One of these days, I'll send him home with a batch." Allie beamed. "Can I come to your house again soon?" she asked. "The lake near your land was the perfect place for fishing and making daisy chains!" Dani looked down at Allie and nodded. "Of course," she offered. "You are welcome anytime. Although, I will tell you… The daisies met an unfortune end the other day. A couple of cows came by me house and ate them." Allie laughed at the thought of a big cow with a limp little daisy hanging out of its mouth. Rosemary slyly raised her eyebrows as she listened. Nathan and Dani had been spending more time together than she had originally thought. Were they secretly courting? Or were they simply friends? They would make such a loving pair together, and Dani was a strikingly lovely young woman. Surely, she and Nathan must have feelings for one another. Rosemary felt herself squirming in her seat with curiosity. Still, she didn't want to interfere, especially after what had happened between Faith and Carson. "Time will tell…" she reassured herself. "If something is meant to happen, it will happen." Hiding her thoughts behind a smile, she rested her head against her elbow lazily. "Are you ready to teach tomorrow Dani?" she asked. Dani looked up confidently and nodded as her hands worked through the dough for the pie crust. "There are still a few things I need" she admitted. "But I'm very excited. I used to teach some of the children in my brother's training camp how to read." Rosemary sat up in surprise. "Really?" she cried. "I didn't know you have a brother." Dani's mouth opened to correct Rosemary, but she thought the better of it, and simply nodded instead. Allie looked up at Dani worriedly as she wiped her sticky hands on the apron Rosemary had lent her. "Did Uncle Nathan tell you about the big boys in school?" she asked, a little anxiously. Dani smiled and wrapped an arm around Allie's shoulders. "He did" she reassured her. "Several times, in fact… But don't worry Allie. It's only a study day. Plus, I know how to keep them busy, so they don't cause trouble. Everything will be just fine. You'll see. Now, let's get that pie into the oven and wash up for dinner." Rosemary got up from the armchair and straighten up. "Will you two be alright preparing for dinner?" she asked. "I promised Lee I would help him tidy up the office before he locked up. I think we left a bit of a mess after all the campaign pamphlets we had to print." Dani nodded and waved her away with a playful smile. "Allie and I will be just fine" she reassured her. "You go right ahead. We'll have everything ready when you get back."
The sun was just starting to go down when Nathan finally emerged from the Mountie office, his ears ringing from the many phone calls he had been making since the emergency meeting that morning had dispersed. He had been unsuccessful in his attempt to contact the school district about Hope Valley's dilemma and had proceeded to turn his attention to obtaining a warrant for Julius Spurlock's arrest after the incident in the mine. The superintendent's voice on the other end was still clear in his head as he trudged down the dusty street. "Your only eyewitness was Judge Bill Avery, the victim. Since you didn't see Agent Spurlock's face, you don't have enough evidence to convict him. Find something a little more concrete; then we'll talk." Nathan unconsciously kicked the dirt in front of him in frustration. What else could he possibly do to prove that Bill had been attacked by the Pinkertons? It had been Julius Spurlock in the mine that night. He believed that with every fiber of his being. He let out a heavy sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets, his head down. "Nathan!" a voice called from the boardwalk. Nathan looked up startled and was surprised to see Faith, waving at him from the infirmary. "Hi Faith" he called. "Everything alright?" Faith shook her head and beckoned him closer. Concerned, Nathan came quickly to her side. "What's wrong?" he asked tensely. Faith looked up at him fearfully and shrugged. "I've got a patient in more office right now" she explained. "He has a nasty gash and bruising on his forearm. He says he hurt himself while working in the factory." Nathan frowned faintly. "And you don't believe him…" he guessed. Faith nodded. "I know accidents happen all the time, especially in factories" she admitted. "But Nathan, he's the fifth patient this week with an injury like that. I think something's going on that we don't know about. The injuries aren't accidental. I should know; I'm a doctor." Nathan nodded, deep concern written all over his face. "I was afraid this would happen" he murmured. "When the population grows, so does the crime rate. I'll see what I can do. Thank you for telling me Faith." Faith nodded with a faint smile. "Of course," she said softly. "Please be careful Nathan." Nathan nodded gratefully. "I will" he promised seriously.
Lee and Rosemary were tidying up in the office for the week ahead when Jesse and Clara entered the dimly lit office. Rosemary looked up excitedly. "Jesse! Clara!" she cried. "What brings you hear at this hour?" Jesse glanced around the office eagerly. "We wanted to congratulate Lee… on his victory today" he faltered, wondering how exactly to present his real reason for coming. Lee looked up from a stack of papers he was dispensing into the filing cabinet and smiled. "Thank you Jesse" he nodded gratefully. "It was a close race." Jesse nodded in agreement and stood in awkward silence, fidgeting nervously, until a quick look from Clara urged him to speak. "So… Lee…" he began slowly, eying Lee with a hint of caution. "Have you decided what to do about Wyman Walden?" Lee turned around and gave a faint chuckle. "I can't exactly 'do' anything about him Jesse" he said, pulling Rosie to his side and kissing her cheek. "He has a right to open a business if he wants." Jesse's eyes narrowed. "You could tell him he's not welcome here" he suggested. "He couldn't argue with that." Lee shook his head with a rueful smile. "Much as I would like to" he admitted, "There's not law in place saying that I can ask anyone to leave just because I want them to."
"Lee!" Jesse was exasperated now. "You're the mayor now! You can make whatever laws you want! You need to do something about Walden!" Lee frowned and crossed his arms. "I can't just make laws whenever I feel like it, Jesse" he sighed. "It doesn't work that way." Jesse took a step forward and dropped his voice. "We all know he's been scamming people since the day he got here" he murmured tensely. "Why do you think Bill got banged up in the mine? Why do you think there have been so many 'accidents' lately? It's him Lee! Only Walden and his guys would do that kind of thing!" Lee shook his head. "No Jesse" he muttered. "We cannot go around making accusations like that when we have no proof. Nathan told me he already called the authorities but didn't have enough evidence to prosecute." Clara looked up at Lee pleadingly. "Please Lee!" she begged. "Walden is dangerous! Look what he did to me and Jesse!" Lee shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry Clara" he said regretfully. "There's just nothing any of us can do." Jesse shook his head. "Lee, I didn't vote for you to do nothing" he spluttered. "And I didn't pass up the opportunity to work for the oil company just to watch you let our town fall into the hands of some scoundrel. What happened to you Lee? I thought you were better than that!" Rosemary's eyes snapped. "Walden may be a scoundrel" she fumed, "But if Lee tells you he can't do anything about it, then he simply cannot do anything about it! What's come over you Jesse Flynn?" "Rosie!" Lee pursed his lips together, his face white with anger. Lee wasn't often angry, but this was no ordinary argument. This was Jesse, one of his best workers. He took a deep breath, glaring. "I've already told you why I can't Jesse" he murmured agitatedly. "My answer is no! I can't do anything about it!" Jesse breathed out heatedly and put his arm around Clara. "Come one Clara" he muttered, still looking at Lee. "No one's going to listen to reason around here." And with that, the two of them stormed out. With an exasperated sigh, Lee leaned against his desk and eyed Rosemary, whose hands were waving angrily in the air as she ranted. "Oh, the nerve!" she cried. "The nerve of him to say all those awful things about you Lee! After everything you've done for him and the town!" Lee nodded weakly and waved his hand absently. "I know…" he murmured. "Hopefully, he'll forget about it in the morning." "Lee Coulter!" Rosemary interjected, pounding her palm with her fist. "You need to go see Bill or Nathan right now and tell them that Jesse…" "Rosie" Lee cut in, as he approached her and laid his hands on her shoulders. "It'll be alright. Everything will be better in the morning. You'll see."