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Chapter 2

"Elizabeth, where have you been!" Rosemary exclaimed, bouncing a slightly fussy little Jack. "You took so long that I simply had to call the café and have lunch sent over."

Rosemary gestured toward her half-eaten meal on a china plate, evidence that she hadn't waited for her dining companion to return.

"I am so sorry, Rosemary. With Faith at the sawmill, Carson needed a hand."

"Don't tell me that rolling bandages takes precedence over little Jack and me."

"Something like that," she hedged. "But now I'm very hungry. Thank you for ordering."

She took Jack from Rosemary's arms and sat down at a small table set with a tea service. His fussing continued in earnest. Recognizing that he was hungry, too, she began to nurse him, covering them both with a light shawl.

"Help yourself to the finger sandwiches and …" Rosemary looked out the window and stopped. "I swear, every time I see that man, my heart lurches into my throat."

"Lee?" Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and saw Nathan walking by. "Oh. Our new Mountie." She settled back into her chair and began eating with one hand, a skill she'd perfected since her son was born.

"I wish he could switch his jacket to any other color but red. I always imagine for a painful moment that Jack is back." Rosemary tore her eyes from the window and looked at Elizabeth. "Of course, it must be so much worse for you."

"It was," she admitted. "But we've spoken, and I'm beginning to see him for himself. He's just a man, who happens to be a Mountie."

"Well, I cannot comprehend how he dares to set foot in Hope Valley."

Elizabeth chuckled. "He was assigned to our town. How could he not set foot here?"

"I hear Bill's not comfortable with the new law enforcement presence."

"Bill's not comfortable with the new telephone," Elizabeth quipped.

"Touché. But I'm on Bill's side this time. Mounties only bring heartbreak."

"As I recall, you're the one who broke Jack's heart — not the other way around."

Rosemary laughed as though it had all been fun and games. "I came to Hope Valley hoping to renew what Jack and I had, but I soon discovered he wasn't the one for me." She gazed at her wedding rings. "God had other plans."

Elizabeth looked at her own rings. "I believe He does have a plan, though we may not understand it."

Rosemary continued peering out the window. "Our officer is a fairly young man, undoubtedly eager for excitement. I wonder why he accepted an assignment to our sleepy little town."

"Perhaps Hope Valley is God's plan for him."

Sighing, Rosemary dropped the edge of the curtain and joined her friend at the table. "I suppose you'll say I have to get to know him — and be nice to him." She scowled.

"Give him a chance, as you would any newcomer. You were one, yourself, not so long ago. And look what happened — we're like family now." Elizabeth brought the fed and relaxed baby to her shoulder and patted his back.

"Just call me 'Auntie Rosemary,'" her friend whispered, gently reaching for Jack's hand, which closed around hers as he drifted off to sleep.

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She saw him again a few days later, standing on the wooden walkway in the center of town. But this time, Elizabeth didn't try to avoid the Mountie. Instead, she pushed Jack's carriage in his direction.

It wasn't until she was within whispering distance that she quietly asked, "Feeling well today, constable?"

"Yes, thank you. And you may call me 'Nathan.' It's amazing how a couple of extra days can put one on the road recovery," he added softly.

"And Carson's satisfied with your progress?"

"He is, and there have been no further encounters with small human beings." He grinned, and she thought he winked under the shadow of his hat's brim.

"You almost sound like Rosemary." She laughed. "She often refers to children as 'sticky' little things. Although, I haven't heard her say it since Jack was born."

His smile faded. "Speaking of children …" He turned his gaze to the east, where a small dust cloud was billowing behind an approaching stagecoach, still but a speck in the distance.

"Are we expecting children on the stage today?"

"Only one. My niece."

"She's coming for a visit?" Elizabeth enthused. "How delightful!"

"She's coming to stay," he said, but didn't elaborate.

Elizabeth stood with her mouth open in surprise, and waited with him as the stage drew nearer.

"Ma'am, you don't want to be in the street when the coach arrives."

"Oh, dear. You're right!"

But before she could react, Nathan grabbed the carriage by both sides and hoisted it to the sidewalk. Then, he clasped her arm and all but lifted her up the steep step — before she was quite ready.

"Don't hurt yourself," she said under her breath, clutching his arm as she regained her balance.

"I'm fine," he said convincingly. "But you might pull Jack's stroller farther from the road, so the noise of the galloping hooves doesn't frighten him."

"Thank you, constable." She did as he suggested.

"Please, call me …"

"No, sir," she interrupted. "I'm the teacher, and I will address you properly — as I expect my students to do."

"Of course, Mrs. Thornton." He joined her against the storefront and smiled. "Thank you for vouching for me with the laundress. She left my clean shirt with the bartender, along with a message that she will be able to accept me as a new client after all."

"Did she get the stain out?" Elizabeth spoke in a low voice.

"Every bit of it. I am forever in your debt."

She looked down the road, where the dust cloud was growing larger.

"So your niece is coming. I'd assumed she was a small child when you spoke of her. But she must be quite grown up if she's coming to live in Hope Valley."

"She's eight years old."

Elizabeth turned to him for an explanation, but the gathering townspeople prevented her curiosity from being satisfied.

He took in the crowd, too, and Elizabeth sensed his tension.

"There's always an interest in who or what the stage might be delivering," she explained. "Lately, there's been no shortage of interesting characters and contraptions finding their way to town."

"I understand the jailhouse telephone is new."

"Yes, it is. My husband would have appreciated having one close by if it had been installed when he was still — our Mountie. He actually took up residence in the jailhouse when he found the saloon unsuitable."

Nathan frowned. "The saloon is hardly a wholesome place for a child to live — certainly not for long." He turned to her. "You were helpful with the laundry service. Would you also know of any lodging establishments that have a vacancy?"

"No, I'm sorry. Hope Valley hasn't grown large enough to have a hotel, and the row houses all have tenants. Although, one may become available once Lee and Rosemary build their new home."

He looked up, hopefully.

"I'm afraid they haven't begun construction yet."

With people milling around, she was hesitant to ask what made him choose to serve in Hope Valley — and to bring his niece to a small frontier town with few amenities. It was poor planning on his part not to have arranged suitable living quarters well in advance.

She put away her line of thought, as the horses pulling the stage cantered into town center and slowed before coming to a full stop. A school-age child peering from the window left little doubt that Nathan's anticipated guest was on board.

The girl looked relieved to see her uncle, if not exactly happy. When she bolted from the carriage as soon as the door was opened, she threw herself into his arms — carefully avoiding hugging him in the area where he had been wounded.

She knows he was injured, Elizabeth thought.

"Uncle Nathan," the child sobbed and could speak no more.

He dropped to a knee and held her tightly. "It's all right, sweetheart. You're here now. We'll be all right."

Hope Valley residents observed the pair in curious but respectful silence, Elizabeth noted, and she had a feeling that the constable had risen a bit in their estimation.

Her eyes were so focused on them that she didn't realize a woman had also left the carriage.

Nathan, too, hadn't seemed aware of the other passenger's presence on the sidewalk. He kept his eyes shut for a long moment, enclosing the child in his strong arms until she was ready to release him.

"Can we go home?" she timidly asked, looking around at all the unfamiliar faces until her traveling companion caught her eye. "Oh, this is Mrs. Fisk. The guardian Grandmother hired to travel with me."

"My apologies, ma'am." Nathan rose and stood officer-straight. "Constable Grant, at your service."

"Thank you, constable," Mrs. Fisk said firmly. A slight nod set her gray curls bobbing under a wide-brimmed hat.

Elizabeth noted that Nathan didn't invite the woman to address him by his given name. Not only that, they seemed to be engaging in a bit of a stare-down — she couldn't help but wonder who would look away first.

Their tension unnerved her, so she gave in to an impulse and interrupted them.

"May I introduce myself, Mrs. Fisk?" she asked, extending a hand. "I am Elizabeth Thornton, Hope Valley's schoolteacher."

Mrs. Fisk was the first to turn her eyes away from the Mountie's, focusing a critical look on Elizabeth until the awareness of little Jack's stroller softened her demeanor.

"I wasn't expecting to find one iota of refinement in such an isolated outpost," she said, taking in the residents who were dispersing after the excitement of the day's arrival was over. "The town seems clean and well-cared-for — perhaps even safe. And its citizens appear civilized enough. I'm pleasantly surprised. You'll be young Betsy's teacher, I presume?"

"Yes, ma'am. I look forward to welcoming her to our classroom as soon as she's settled in."

The woman looked at Nathan again, who'd kept his bearing straight and tall through the whole encounter.

"All right, young man," she said. "I'll leave Miss Betsy with you. The stage will be on its way soon, and I don't plan to miss it." She gestured toward the café. "I take it the food is decent?"

"It's the best in town," Elizabeth enthused, only to realize that Mrs. Fisk would likely take such praise of Hope Valley with a very large grain of salt.

She anticipated learning about Betsy's guardian — and more importantly, about Betsy, herself.

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See Chapter 3

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Thank you to all who have offered enthusiastic reviews of my story!

My heart goes out to those who prefer to read stories about Elizabeth and Jack.

I know that his loss will forever be felt.

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If you enjoyed this story, please consider posting a review. And also check out my fan fiction about "Chesapeake Shores"

Search fanfiction . net for writer "Annette Zoaps"

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