Jack pushed Sargent as fast as he dared on the snow-covered road leading out of Hope Valley. An accident while on the road was never a good thing, but with it being winter, if anyone was hurt, time was of the essence. Jack prayed that whatever had delayed them had not resulted in any injuries. The one thing he was sure of was that the ladies and the orphans were in good hands with Kinslow as their guide. Constable Gabriel Kinslow had also served with him in the Northwest territories. The man had a good head on his shoulder and was skilled in first aid.
Coming up to a bend in the road, the final lines of "Silent Night" sung by several voices drifted back to him. Someone was on the road ahead of him.
"Can we sing something more lively next?" a childish voice asked as the song came to an end.
Rounding the bend, Jack spotted a small group heading toward him consisting of three adults, a handful of children and two horses. The red serge of one of the adults leading one of the horses told Jack he had probably located the missing group.
"There is another Mountie, Miss Grace," one of the boy's called out and Jack saw the kid pointing at him.
Jack reigned in Sargent as he approached the group, who only stopped walking at that point.
"I take it that they are missing us in Pine Hill Grove?" Constable Kinslow commented, looking up at Jack.
"They are," Jack confirmed. "Is everyone all right?" he asked, looking around at the group, taking in what he could observe.
Along with proper winter garments, including hat, gloves and scarves, everyone had a blanket wrapped around them too. There were five children - two boys, two girls, and a third child that Jack could not determine. What looked to be the oldest boy and girl were walking with the brunette female. Another boy and girl rode the horse that Gabriel led. The second woman, red curls peeking out from underneath her winter cap, rode the second horse without a saddle. She cradled the fifth child, bundled in a blanket, in her arms. This child was clearly the youngest of the group. From the looks of the horse she rode, Jack would guess that he was the horse that had been pulling the wagon.
"Just cold and tired, sir," the oldest boy replied.
"We had trouble with the wagon that Gabriel couldn't fix alone and with the tools we have. We were just before the turn off for Hope Valley, and Gabriel said it would be closer than trying to continue to Pine Hill Grove."
"It would be, ma'am," Jack replied. "And Hope Valley knows hospitality well. We might have to split you into two groups but we'll get you a warm place to stay with food, until the wagon is fixed," he promised. He looked over to Gabriel. "So is this your Lillian, Kinslow?" Jack asked, having heard a lot about Gabriel's fiancé Lillian Walsh while up north. To be fair, he had probably talked about Elizabeth just as much.
"It is," Gabriel said proudly. If Lillian blushed at the comment, it went unnoticed due to the cold air. Gabriel quickly introduced the others.
"Well, as everyone is all right, I will ride back to Hope Valley and have Lee and Henry come out for you all in their cars. That will get you into town a little quicker. I will let the Mounties at Pine Hill Grove know you are all safe. They sent someone out from their office to look for you as well. Not sure how we'll get in touch with him."
"I left a note on the wagon stating we were safe and heading for Hope Valley," Gabriel replied.
"Good. I'll check with the Pine Hill Grove office to see what they think he will do in that situation then," Jack replied, knowing he wanted everyone accounted for before it got too late. "I'll ride back as quickly as possible but it would probably best if you all kept walking to help stay warm."
There was a groan from the kids at that comment that was quickly silenced by Grace.
"Constable Thornton, could you take Holly with you?" Lillian asked, indicating the child she held bundled in the blanket. "She isn't quite three yet, and she seems to be doing all right, but I think the sooner she is out of the cold air the better."
"Of course," Jack told her, moving Sargent closer to her horse so that he could take the child from her. As he settled the blanket-wrapped child in front of him, his left arm securely around the child, dark green eyes framed by bright red hair looked back at him. "Hi there, Holly," Jack said, speaking directly to the child. "We are going to get you some place warm."
"T'ank you," the child replied.
With one last word to Gabriel, Jack headed off in a gallop back toward Hope Valley. His mind was already formulating ideas of how to accommodate the group as he rode.
Having checked on Elizabeth with Jack out of town, Rosemary walked the short distance to her own home. Lee wasn't home from the office quite yet, and with a heavy heart she set about starting the fire in the stoves to warm the house. As happy as she was for Elizabeth and Jack, seeing her friend also brought a silent pain to Rosemary's heart. Yes, she had once complained children were too sticky, but having been married to Lee for a couple of years now, she longed to give him a child. Lee would make a wonderful father and she was quite sure she could learn to be a good mother. She certainly would have plenty of people to go to for advice. Yet, while Elizabeth had seemingly got pregnant on her honeymoon, it had not yet happened for her.
Rosemary might have put down a stage to hold performances somewhere in town on her ornament for the wishing tree but that was not the wish that was truly on her heart this year. That wish was not something anyone could necessarily make happen for her, though she and Lee had been trying.
The house was warm and dinner prep started when Lee came inside. Moving from the kitchen area, Rosemary gave him a kiss and a hug as a welcome home when he turned from hanging up his coat.
"Are you all right, Rosie?" Lee asked gently, resting his hand on her cheek as he gazed into her eyes, searching.
Rosemary forced a smile. "I will be," she assured him. "Just feeling a little sorry for myself for something that is silly. I have you, a warm home and good friends. I need to learn to be content."
A knowing look came into Lee's eyes, and he wrapped her in another hug. "I can take you into Calgary to speak to the specialist that Carson mentioned if you want," he told her softly.
"It seems silly to make the trip in the winter," Rosemary told him.
"Then if nothing has changed by springtime, we'll take a trip to Calgary. We can see the specialist and take in a show or two."
"I think I would like that," Rosemary commented.
Nothing else was said as there was a quick knock on their front door before it opened. The alarm melted away to simply surprise as Jack came into the house.
"Lee, could you drive out to pick up two women and some orphans. Their wagon broke down and this was the closest town. They have a Mountie traveling with them but they were all pretty tired already."
"Of course," Lee replied. "Henry was going to eat at the café tonight. I'll go get him to drive out with me," he added, already reaching for the coat he had just hung up.
"He was my next stop. Thank you," Jack said. Looking to Rosemary, he held out the bundle he held. Rosemary instinctively reached for it. "Can you watch Holly until the ladies get into town? She's the youngest of the orphans, not quite three, and Lillian wanted her out of the cold as soon as possible."
"Of course," Rosemary said, holding the bundled child close, already getting lost in the emerald green eyes. "Hello there, Holly," she told the child moving to sit in the wingback chair that was near the stove that was the source of heat for the sitting area of the home. "My name is Rosemary. I am going to take good care of you."
"Ro'mary," the little girl said, with a return smile.
"Close enough," Rosemary assured her, aware that Jack and Lee were both leaving the home, both focused on their next tasks to assist the travelers in need. "You and I are going to sit by the stove so you can warm up. When you are warmer, we can go to the kitchen and I will get you a cup of milk while I go back to dinner preparations. Does that sound good to you?"
From her cocoon made of blankets, Holly nodded, content to lean against Rosemary as she sat in the chair near the stove.
"You sing?" the little girl requested after a bit.
"Of course," Rosemary replied just before she started singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." As she sang, she started to loosen the blanket the girl was wrapped up in, not wanting the girl to get overheated after being out in the cold.
Her heart ached for this precious child, for all the children in the group, who were without parents. Was this God's way of showing her another way to fill the longing in her heart?
The traveling group was all safely brought to Hope Valley. With Henry and Lee driving out to meet the group walking, Jack set about figuring out where they all would be staying. Lee had offered to put up one of the adults and two of the children before heading off. Giving that there were three adults that the children would be familiar with, Jack thought it might be best to find two other homes willing to have guests so no one home would feel overcrowded. In other circumstances, Jack would have asked Elizabeth if she was willing to have guests. However, not only had they already agreed to let Nathan's fiancé stay with them when she finished her current task and came to Hope Valley, but in Elizabeth's current state, having more guests might not be a good idea. Avery had promised Nathan and Allie that she would be in Hope Valley before Christmas but no definite time had been set.
In the end, Nathan had agreed to having Gabriel and the two boys stay with him and Allie, while Abigail and Clara had agreed to make room for either Grace or Lillian and one of the children. With places for everybody, Jack made the call to the Pine Hill Grove Mountie office telling them that the group had been located. Though told that the Mountie they set out had been planning to come to Hope Valley overnight any way, Jack still decided to ride out to meet him. However, when he came across Lee and Henry heading back to Hope Valley he discovered that Gabriel had already headed back out to the other rode with the same intention. Deciding that he would be of more use helping to get everyone settled, Jack followed the two automobiles back to town.
Though he had checked in with Elizabeth, it wasn't until everyone was settled in their temporary accommodations, including Constable Fraser at the White Stallion, that Jack retired to his home for the night. The two boys, Vincent and Christian, and Gabriel were with Nathan. Grace, Holly and Mary Louise were with the Coulters. Lillian had kept Helen with her and was above the café with Abigail, Cody and Clara. Things might be a little cramped but everyone was cozy and warm, including Jack, as he snuggled under the blankets with Elizabeth.
Jack felt like he just fallen asleep when something awoken him. He listened for a sound but heard nothing. However, he soon became aware that Elizabeth's side of the bed was empty. Though he wasn't alarmed, it not being the first night the baby had kept Elizabeth awake, Jack did climb from the bed. Wrapping his bathrobe around him and slipping his feet into his house slippers, Jack headed downstairs. Fully expecting to find Elizabeth downstairs at her desk, reading on the settee or sipping tea at the table, Jack was surprised to find a lamp lit on her desk but the first floor otherwise empty. A glance at the door showed that Elizabeth's winter coat was not hanging up. Grabbing the afghan from the back of the settee, Jack slipped into his own coat and opened the door.
Sure enough, there stood Elizabeth on the front stoop, staring out over the landscape. The bright moon shone from the night sky. The white of the snow reflected the moonlight casting the silent night in a soft glow.
"Elizabeth . . . " Jack started to ask but was interrupted.
"Shhh," Elizabeth said softly. "Isn't everything so calm and serene? I can almost imagine it was a night like this when Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph."
Jack didn't reply as he stepped forward. He draped the afghan over Elizabeth's shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his hands on her swollen stomach, his touch rewarded by a firm kick from the child within. His wife was right. The night was calm and serene, and Jack had a feeling he knew just how Mary and Joseph felt awaiting the arrival of their child. His and Elizabeth's child would not be a savior, but he or she would be a little miracle in their lives.
The words of "Silent Night" swelled within in him, and he let his voice give them life. He felt Elizabeth relax against him. It didn't seem like anyone else was awake in their little town, but if they were, Jack would imagine him and Elizabeth would make quite a sight standing in the cold night air in house slippers, pajamas, bathrobes and coats. At least Elizabeth had put her winter cap on her head.
For those few moments though, all that existed were the two of them and the night the lyrics spoke of.
Nathan awoke to the smell of coffee and cinnamon and bacon. It confused him at first, but then remembered that Gabriel had spent the night with Christian and Vincent. The two orphans had been subdued but curious. When they had asked why he walked with a limp, Gabriel had cautioned them that it was not polite to ask someone you don't know a direct question like that. The look his friend had gave him was full of sympathy. However, having already answered all of Allie's curious child questions, Nathan assured his guests it was all right and answered the boys' questions. He noticed Gabriel's cheeks taking on a red hue again as he praised both Gabe's and Jack's efforts up north in saving his life. This time the color on his cheeks had nothing to do with the cold.
While the boys had slept in the spare bedroom, Gabriel had made a bed for himself on the floor downstairs, making use of the quilts that neighbors had lent for the use of their unexpected guests. With the same love that Hope Valley had showered on him and Allie since their arrival, the people of this town were pulling together to meet the needs of the travelers.
Nathan got dressed, as quickly as his body let him these days, and headed downstairs. A peek in the other two bedrooms showed him that all the kids were still asleep. Steps took longer to maneuver theses days. He knew if he were ever to design a house for him and Avery then there would be no steps to accommodate him.
Thoughts of Avery as always brought a smile to his face, as it always did. He had been prepared to propose before he had been ordered up North. Avery had already stopped teaching to take care of her dying mother. Choosing not to ask her to make that kind of commitment before heading on such an indefinite assignment, Nathan had given the ring to Sarah O'Reilly for safe keeping. He had struggled with the idea of asking Avery after he came back with his injuries. At first, he had been sure if the damage to his leg proved to be long term as the doctor's were expecting that Avery would not stay at his side. Why set himself up for that heartbreak? However, just like she had nursed her mother to the end, Avery was a continuous source of support for him and Allie. The O'Reilly's let her stay with them but most of her days were spent at his side. When he had wanted to give up in therapy, she encouraged him to take that one step further in his efforts. If it hadn't been for Avery and knowing that Allie needed him, Nathan knew he would probably still be lying in a bed feeling sorry for himself rather than dressing in his uniform every day and doing the part of his job he was still able to do - running an office. Nathan wasn't sure how helpful that really was in a small town like Hope Valley but he was grateful to Jack for getting him posted here. Hope Valley might not need him much but Nathan had found he needed Hope Valley more than he realized.
The day he had walked from his room to the nurse's desk at the hospital with only his cane for assistance, was the first day Nathan truly knew his life could still have a purpose. It might take him longer to get places, and he would not be able to chase after criminals, but he could get around on his own. He had use of his hands, his minds, and all of his senses. Being injured in the line of duty meant he had a choice of a medical discharge with pay or an office job. Though Nathan had plans of trying to earn his money with his wood carving hobby later on down the line, he could provide for his family in the meanwhile. Avery had told him every day that his injury did not change her love for him. So, when the applause from the hospital staff at his achievement had died down, Nathan had pulled the ring that he had Sarah O'Reilly brought into him out of his robe pocket and proposed. There had been nothing fancy about it. He had not physically been able to get down on one knee but his words expressed the love he felt for Avery Scharp. With tears of joy in her eyes, she had accepted. After he had put the ring on her finger, she had hugged him. If not for the anticipation of his therapist, a six-foot broad-shouldered man named Ray, who reaching out to support him, Nathan had a feeling both him and Avery would have ended up on the floor.
"Are you going to stand there and day dream, or come sit down and have a cup of coffee, Grant?"
Gabriel's question brought Nathan out of his reflection. His friend wore a smirk as he placed a mug of coffee at the table where Nathan had eaten supper the night before returning to his breakfast preparations.
"Do you need any help?" Nathan asked.
"No, I've got this. Cinnamon pancakes for Allie. Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and corn muffins for you as you do not like sweet pancakes, and between the choices, Vincent and Christian will find something to eat. So sit."
Nathan didn't argue further. "So you didn't mention anything about Lillian being involved in an orphanage while we were up North?" he inquired as he settled in front of his coffee mug.
"Because I wasn't aware of it," Gabriel told him. "Remember I told you Lillian was searching for the sister she was separated from when they were both in orphanages?"
"That I recall," Nathan said, taking a sip of the coffee.
"Well, Grace is that sister. Lillian found her in British Columbia, waiting tables. The local orphanage had been overcrowded, and under their supervision, Grace had been caring for Helen, Mary Louise and Christian in a little home to keep them from being sent to a big city orphanage which was technically overcrowded as well. Lillian stayed and helped her. Vincent came to them, having run away from an orphanage that was using corporal punishment for dealing with transgressions. I was actually the one who found him. I promised I wouldn't send him back and arranged for him to be looked after by Grace and Lillian. That orphanage is currently under investigation."
"Wanting to be a part of her sister's endeavor, Lillian looked into having her adoptive parents home in Brookfield licensed as an orphanage. As the Mounties needed a permanent constable for the growing cattle town due to increases in complaints of cattle rustlers, I put in for that assignment. Everything is in place to set up the orphanage in Brookfield. I just have to get everyone there, which is proving harder than I had anticipated. This is not the first set back we have faced."
"You will get there. Kevin, our blacksmith, is going to get a ride out to the wagon from Lee today to see what needs to be done," Nathan said.
Flipping a pancake, Gabriel nodded. "Jack mentioned it. I am going to go with them and help gather the belongings from the wagon. Granted, it isn't much, but it is all these children have."
"You didn't mention Holly?" Nathan said.
Gabriel gave him a sad look before going back to his breakfast preparations. "Holly was another one of our delays. We came across Holly and her mother, Eve, walking along the road. The young woman had been married to an abusive drunk, who got himself killed over a poker game. No one in the town was willing to give Eve and Holly a place to stay. Eve had packed up what she could carry along with Holly and started walking. Hoping to find someone sympathetic enough to help her get back on her feet. We took them to the nearest town, but Eve was already sick. While the doctor there did what he could for her, the rest of us stayed in two hotel rooms, which the owner was giving to us at a discounted rate. Eve didn't make it, but a circuit judge had come through before she passed, and Holly had been placed in Lillian and Grace's custodianship to find a placement for her along with the others."
"The poor child," Nathan said.
"Traveling with one so young, has been challenging but there was no other choice," Gabriel told him. "So what about you? Are you liking Hope Valley? Are you still with Avery?"
"Hope Valley has been great for me and Allie. I am not sure how much help I really am in the office here, but it is a job and the people of this town are wonderful."
"I can see that already," Gabriel said. "I may have been sleeping on the floor last night but those quilts people lent made for a fairly soft bed considering."
Nathan nodded. "That is Hope Valley. They see a need and they want to fill it."
"And Avery? You wrote that you were engaged but didn't have a date. Have you set one yet?"
"Not yet," Nathan told him. "Before she passed, Ms. Scharp gave Avery a journal, simply saying that there were secrets in there that she wanted her daughter to finally know. Avery got the call about me being in the hospital about two weeks after her mother's funeral. She went from tying up things there, to caring for me and Allie. When I would wake up from sleeping in the hospital, I would often find Avery reading from that journal. Avery discovered some clues about the father her mother never talked about in there. Though her mother never named him, she wrote about him and where they had been living. The man was up front about not wanting to make any commitment but Ms. Scharp wrote about how that didn't matter to her and about how they were in love anyway. Two months after the man left town, Ms. Scharp found out she was pregnant. Giving the man's insistence that he had wanted no commitments, Avery's mother didn't bother trying to find him and tell him. Instead, she went home to her parents. To prevent a scandal, Avery's mother and her parents told people that she had been married and her husband had been killed in an accident. They also moved from where Avery grew up and moved into Saskatchewan. That had been the only story spoken until Ms. Scharp turned over that journal. Avery made sure Allie and I were settled here and then she traveled to Pine Springs, where her mother was living when she had the relationship with Avery's father, to see if she could find anyone who remembered her mother and might be able to put a name to the man in the journal. Her last letter said she expected to be able to join me here before Christmas."
"Seems we both have fiances' that have been searching for their past. I hope Avery is as successful as Lillian has been," Gabriel said, as he took the corn muffins out of the oven.
Overhead, footsteps indicated that the children were stirring. Gabriel turned to Nathan.
"If you finish up here, I will go up and make sure no one needs help?" Gabriel told him.
"Deal," Nathan said, using his cane to help him get to his feet. The food was cooked. It was just a matter of putting it in serving dishes and getting it to the table. It might be one dish at a time, but Nathan could still accomplish the task easier than going up and down the stairs again.