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Chapter Eight

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Coop Cooperation!

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Following on horseback behind the lumber company's wagon, Nathan, Faith, Allie and Robert Wolf chatted about the morning plans. "First the Constable will help me with our patient, Robert, then Allie and I will return to town while you gentlemen begin construction. Jesse said he would help you for a while, so the build should go quickly, don't you think, Nathan?"

"It will because Lee had his men precut all the lumber according to the plan he chose. We just have to fit the puzzle together!" Nathan nodded at Robert. "Have you ever been to the Sterk's farm?"

"When I was little, Dad brought me out to collect apples. I guess our crop wasn't very good that year and Mom wanted to can lots of applesauce. I've never met any children though."

"There is one thing you need to know, Robert. Pieter is about ten or eleven, but he doesn't speak much. If he does try to talk, we need to be very patient and just wait. It also helps if we don't watch him as he tries to form words, okay? I think he struggles with stuttering. Do you know what that is?"

Nodding Robert confessed. "I used to stutter when I was little. Mom said I grew out of it, but I still remember how hard it was to try to talk in front of people outside my family. Pieter and I will be okay."

Silently praying his thanksgiving to the Lord, Nathan caught Faith's glance and raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know that, Robert. Maybe God has a reason for you to be joining us today!"

. .

Jed arrived just in time to assist Jesse in unloading the wagon while Nathan helped Faith. "Hans, I don't think you need to be held down anymore. What do you think?"

"I think I'll be okay now, Nathan. Thank you," Replied Hans.

"Remember we won't be out again this afternoon, Hans? " Faith reminded him. "l'll return tomorrow morning before church. Also, if you are up to it, you may take the stairs once this evening to sleep upstairs, then remain downstairs all day tomorrow. Okay?" Faith had another thought. "Maybe climb the stairs while Jed is here? We can ask him to help you or at least check in before he returns to town tonight. I would feel safer if he is present when you climb the stairs for the first time."

"Excellent idea, Doctor. I will make sure Jed is around." To her husband Nellie suggested, "Maybe the children can have a picnic on our bed and play a game with you upstairs since you'll be going upstairs early?"

"That sounds good. Now is it alright if I go sit outside and watch progress? Can you ladies stay with me when I make my way down the porch steps?"

"Gladly!" Faith sighed with relief that Hans was being cautious.

. .

Jed and Jesse had carried a bench from beside the house so that Hans could sit and watch and once he was comfortable, the project began.

Together, Nathan, Jesse and Robert got the walls and supports completed, then Jed returned after completing the barn chores and helped raise those walls and get them hammered together to form a hen house and run.

The size and scale now visible, Hans whistled. "This is a first class version of a chicken coop! Never seen the likes of it before!"

Jokes and laughter and banter filled the morning air and by the time the ladies finished their cups of tea inside and came to inspect the progress, everyone knew this was one spectacular coop!

Nathan suggested they install the roof before Jed departed and that was added next.

Marit sat beside her father while Anna sat on his lap as he showed them the plans and explained what was growing more recognizable by the minute.

While Jesse and Nathan wrapped the chicken wire and tacked it securely, Robert had Pieter help him nail the shingles on the outside walls. There was one minor hammer blow when Pieter squarely hit his thumb, but he managed to control his tears until he got to the house and Faith and his mother wrapped his thumb in a towel of ice chips. He returned to watch the men but stayed close to Robert as he did so. Robert found that Pieter could help him by handing him the shingle and then the nails so the boy still contributed to the coop.

Hans was proud as could be and extremely grateful as he overheard Robert quietly share his childhood struggles with stuttering. Pieter listened carefully and Hans could hardly believe his ears when Pieter managed to ask a question.

"You g… grew out of it and d…d… don't d… do it anymore?" It took some time, but Pieter asked an entire question, hesitating with just a few words while the others came out in a rush.

"I did. I didn't think about it, I just wanted to get my point across and gradually I struggled less. Maybe that can happen to you too? You are lucky because you can practice with your sisters and your parents. I only had my parents back then because my little sister hadn't been born yet." Robert carefully explained. "With your family, you can be as slow as you need to be, but it will get better. If you want, I can even come visit and we can practice together."

By now, Nathan was close enough to hear and he had timed his hammer blows so he could catch the gist of Robert's conversation. 'Wait until I tell Faith about this. It is Providential and only God could have arranged this!'

When Faith came back outside, she stood behind Nathan and placed her hand on his muscular shoulder. He stopped and turned. "Please don't overdo it with your shoulder, Nathan? Exchange places with Jesse once in a while to let it rest a bit? The repetitive motions could aggravate what normal use doesn't affect at all. You won't know your aggravating it until it has already transpired. Please?"

"Thank you for your caution, Faith. I will try to watch out for that. Are you and Allie heading back to town?"

"I think so. She said she wants to make dessert to bring to the Coulter's tonight, so I may help her with that then I have a big date to prepare for, with a handsome Constable-carpenter! Fiona is even styling my hair!" Faith giggled and batted her eyelashes when only Nathan could see her. "Just you wait!"

"I will think of nothing else now! I'll do rounds then bathe, all the time looking forward to quarter past four, m' lady!" Nathan spoke in a very posh British accent which sent Faith into a fit of laughter. She couldn't say any more so she just waved.

"See you later!" Nathan called after her. "Hey Allie? What time are you heading to the Mercantile?"

"Noon, but I can get there earlier if I want to, Dad. I will see you at four though." Blowing a kiss to her Dad, Allie hurried to catch up with Doctor Faith and Mrs. Sterk.

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On the road to town, Allie quizzed Faith on what she was wearing tonight and how she would wear her hair.

"I have a quilt blue silk dress with a matching jacket and I plan to wear that. The skirt is the new slim and shorter length style and has a slit on the side near the bottom so I can easily walk," Faith giggled, "And even dance! Does that sound good? Will your father like that you think?"

"Doctor Faith, Dad will like you dressed in anything, but yes, he loves blue so that will be perfect. Are you wearing jewelry?"

"I don't own or wear much jewelry Allie, except for earrings. In my profession, jewelry can sometimes be in the way!" Faith laughed. "Just imagine I am working on stitching someone's wound and my necklace dangled in the way and got caught in a stitch! Now that would be a disaster! I'd be attached to my patient and have to explain why I had to undo and redo the sewing all over again. That patient would fire me for sure!"

Laughing loudly, Allie added a comment, "Either that or the patient would send more patients to you to collect jewelry for themselves. You'd become famous for adding extra sparkle to your treatments!"

"You're right! That might be a possibility too! Of course, then I would be famous and people would come from miles around just to get some extra gold or silver!"

"And maybe they would put in an order that they want a diamond sewn to their stomach!" Dissolving into giggles, neither Allie nor Faith could sit straight in their saddles. Fortunately their horses were docile and meandered steadily, safely navigating the road with little input from their riders.

. .

Back in the Grant row house, Allie let Prince out, then found the recipe she had been thinking about. It wasn't difficult as she would use their canned peaches from earlier in the month, but she wanted to make the presentation beautiful so she described her plan to Faith.

"I'll melt butter in the pan first and add some brown sugar so it melts. Then I want to lay the peach slices around in a circle pattern so when the cake is turned upside… no, really downside up, it will be beautiful. Can you picture it?"

"I think so. Like a pineapple upside down cake, but peaches instead."

"And in a pretty pattern. I think there is a French dessert that has apples or plums or some kind of fruit arranged like that!" Allie shrugged her shoulders as she found the round pan she needed.

"Food tastes better when it looks good you know? Maybe that's why you don't like to cook a lot. You need to take time to make it beautiful. I once heard someone say you eat with your eyes as well as with your mouth, or something like that. If I could work at Abigail's I would want to decorate the plates you know? Add parsley and a radish rose? Did you ever see one of those? At one of the boarding houses where we stayed, Mrs. Watkins showed me how to decorate the plates. Mrs. O'Reilly, she's the Superintendent's wife and she taught me how to shave chocolate on a dessert too. That's pretty and pretty fancy. Now, see? The sugar has melted and we can place the peaches. Oops, should I drain them or let them be wet? I didn't think of that!"

Faith had been listening, enthralled at Allie's running commentary as well as her interest in all things both culinary and pretty! When Allie stopped it took a moment for Faith to catch up with what she had said. "Oh! My opinion is not dripping with syrup, but not patted dry either. Is that a good compromise?" Faith laughed. "I have no idea if you can reach a compromise when baking." Once again the two ladies dissolved into giggles!

"While we wait for the cake to bake do you want to see some old photos of Dad and my mother? Me too? Or do you want to see some of my sketches?"

"All of the above. But wouldn't it be more fun to look at the photographs with your Dad here too?"

"You are right. We'll do that another time. Let me get my sketchbook."

Allie and Faith sat side-by-side as Allie showed her drawings. The flowers resembled botanical art, they were so carefully and studiously rendered. The still life illustrations showed an increasing sensitivity to the play of highlights and shadows while the landscapes, although only a few in number, were more loosely sketched almost as an etching would be with crosshair strokes that, when layered, made one copse of trees darker than another.

"Allie! These are tremendous! Have you had any formal art lessons?"

Laughing easily, Allie responded, "Not really, but Dad has helped me because he can remember what my mother struggled with and learned when they were growing up. Now she was really good!"

"Does your father draw or paint?"

"He can, but he doesn't. We used to do it together when I was little, but he says that since he taught me everything he knew he couldn't draw anymore! It's not true though. If he can't describe something in words, he can draw it really well." Allie paused thoughtfully. "You know? Dad still teaches me though because he'll point out something beautiful and talk about a picture as if he can see it in his mind. If I am working on a sketch, he might come over and point out some aspect of that flower or object that I haven't seen yet. He tells me art is training our eyes to see, to observe and then our hands just do what our minds tell them we have seen! That makes him a really good Mountie."

"Hmmm…" Faith was getting an education just listening to Allie and knew she had a lot to ponder. Faith was beginning to understand that knowing Nathan and Allie would take a lifetime!

"Now, be prepared. This section isn't very good. I've been trying to draw people. Not portraits, but figures. To figure out…" Allie stopped to giggle at her own turn of phrase. "To figure out how the body moves and what makes one section get bigger some times while it isn't other times. Like Dad's arms. Did you ever notice? When he bends his arm some muscles really stand out, but when his arm is down or resting you hardly see those muscles. I can't figure out where everything is attached! Anyway, like I said these are not very good, but I'm trying…"

Allie turned the page to show a drawing of exactly what she had described, Nathan's arm. Faith had seen his arms and knew what Allie was describing but, although the drawings showed a good effort, she could see where Allie needed some guidance. That, Faith realized, she could happily offer.

"I see your struggles, Allie, but you are obviously training your eye to observe. I have anatomy books that might help you. Might you be interested in studying anatomy and physiology with me? I would be glad to mentor you. I guess maybe we would be supplementing what you are learning in school. Isn't this the year you'll learn biology?"

Allie coughed. "Uh… who knows? Mrs. Thornton doesn't tell us in advance so we just learn what she tells us that day. We may not revisit the subject even if we didn't really finish learning it." Allie shrugged. She was trying to be diplomatic. "I would like to study those books with you though if you wouldn't mind? I really wanted to see what you were doing with Mr. Sterk too, but I guessed it was better for me to distract the children. Maybe I could watch you in the infirmary if you have to operate or stitch someone?" Allie laughed. "Just no jewelry involved!"

"You'd be interested in observing those things, Allie? Most girls are squeamish and don't even want to talk about them, let alone look at them!"

"I would if you would let me. I don't think Dad would mind. He knows my education here is not what it would be in a big city school. Dad says that disadvantage is outweighed by community and relationships though."

"Your Dad is a wise man, Allie. I grew up in Hamilton and although I had a lot of what we would call book knowledge I wasn't very good with people. I had to learn some lessons the hard way. Still I don't regret my education, but I can see the value of a small town community to know the things that really matter. I have a feeling your father has been home-schooling you to make up for the difference though. Am I right?"

"I don't' know. Maybe? He never sits me down for lessons, but he is always teaching me. It's actually a fun way to learn because he tells me stories and he is never boring like school can be sometimes."

Allie made a scrunched face and Faith was determined to discuss this with Nathan. For now though, she returned to the subject of her medical books. "Honey, let me talk to your father and maybe we can study some of these things together. Your Dad knows a lot by experience, ever since Mountie Academy, but he is also practical and has common sense, so it might be fun to do this together. If he is not interested I still will be glad to work with you, with his permission of course."

"Oh, Dad will be fine with it. He talks about how knowledgeable you are you know."

"He does? About me?" Faith marveled. "What does he say?"

"I'll tell you another time. I think the cake might be ready." Allie was up, bending over the oven within moments. She tested the center with a knife and popped the pan back into the oven. "Let's give this another five or ten minutes!"

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Nathan, Robert and Pieter stood beside Hans, admiring the new coop. Jesse had to get back to town, so the workers had just completed shingling the roof with shakes and adding hardware to close the doors to the nesting boxes.

"This is wonderful and much safer than the old one. No creature will be able to steal from this one. Robert or Pieter, would you please get the girls? They need to see this!" Hans shifted to watch his son and Robert head to the back door. "He's not limping as much. Did you notice that?"

"I thought he had improved." Nathan took a deep breath. "What do you think about Robert coming to practice with Pieter?"

"I think he is very kind. We took Pieter to a specialist in Union City a couple years ago and he basically said we should just wait. Not very helpful and because of this, Pieter doesn't want to attend school. I can't blame him as being labeled or ridiculed by other children would be a huge setback. At least he is willing to make the effort within our family."

"Are the girls registered in school? Or, are you teaching them at home?"

"They don't want to go and embarrass their brother. We've done a little, but not really book-learning. Some basic math when Nell is cooking, things about farm animals and weather and seasons."

"All that is good. Do the children know how to read, Hans?"

"Not really. They know the alphabet and can pick out their name and a few words. I'm embarrassed to admit that we don't know how to teach them that. And it may be too late." Hans hung his head. "That's what makes me nervous about Robert coming. He may try to make them read and he will find out."

"My Allie once taught a little girl to read when they were both around the same age. I believe she could do it again. Would you be willing for her to come and try? Once they have some basic knowledge the schoolteacher might be able to advise or assist from then on." Nathan looked up to see the family returning, so he quickly added. "Why don't you and Nellie talk it over? You can let me know when I check in with you on my rounds."

. .

Having admired a beautiful peach cake and requested one sometime, Faith returned to her row house. While awaiting Fiona's return from town, Faith bathed and donned her undergarments and bathrobe before working a comb through her tangled curls.

Sitting with a cup of tea, Faith wrote some things she wanted to discuss with Nathan soon. Pocketing her list, she rose as her housemate entered, asking if Fiona wanted a cup of tea before they got started.

"Tea? No thank you." Fiona made a face. "Coffee maybe? Let me go upstairs and change then we will open Fiona's private hair salon!"

Within minutes, Fiona was standing behind her housemate. "Tell me what you are looking for, Faith? Up? Down? Half and half? Any particular style?" Fiona slowly ran her fingers through Faith's blonde curls.

"I think Nathan likes my longer styles, but for tonight? I'm not sure. I want to look stylish, but not too different from my own self! Does that make sense?"

"Sure." Fiona was thinking. "How fancy is the restaurant?"

"He didn't really say, but Rosemary suggested it and they have dancing. She says it is elegant."

"Okay. I recommend an updo. You have such full hair, it can be beautiful. Do you have any fancy hair combs we can tuck in?"

"One with a single row of pearls? It's simple so not old-fashioned-looking. If I wear that comb I should wear my pearl earrings, right?"

. .

Entering his row house, Nathan was accosted by a tail-wagging dog and the delicious odors of a sweet cake. He found the beautiful cake hidden in the cold oven. They had learned the hard way that an inquisitive dog would help himself to food left on the counter!

Beside the stove was a note from Allie.
'Please, please, please don't eat this cake. I'm bringing it to dinner with the Coulters. I promise to make one for you and Doctor Faith next week, okay? It is pretty though isn't it?
There are still cookies in the jar. See you at four o'clock! Love, Allie PS. Prince was out until I left just before half-past eleven.'

Nathan grinned. His daughter knew him well. Prince was obediently sitting beside his owner, waiting to go outside. He whimpered to remind Nathan of his presence.

Reaching down to pet the dog's head, Nathan spoke. "I haven't forgotten you, Prince, ol' boy! Let's go out." With Prince right at his side, Nathan opened the kitchen door but was not surprised that the dog sat and watched Nathan rather than going out.

"Oh! You want to play, eh?" Stepping into the yard, Nathan picked up a ball and threw it at the fence, watching it bounce and Prince jump up to catch it and, tail wagging wildly, bring the ball back for another throw.

As he continued to toss the ball, Nathan reflected on how Prince had grown, right along with Allie. She had been overjoyed to have a puppy to love and cuddle with and Nathan was grateful that Prince responded to both of them, even though German Shepherds were known to be fiercely loyal and protective of only one family member. He recalled how King, although his dog, had taken the role of his mother's protector, frequently standing between her and anyone wishing to converse with her on the ranch. Although well-trained by his mother and himself, King's loyalty never wavered.

Since Nathan had been unable to provide a sibling for his daughter, he was grateful that Prince filled that role here in Hope Valley. It had been fun to train him too, and Nathan knew he or Allie could walk with Prince and he wouldn't get too far ahead before he would sit and wait for them to catch up. Plus, the dog's presence at home, reassured him that Allie would be alright if he was delayed or called out suddenly on Mountie business.

"You stay out here, buddy, while I bathe. Go find your shirt!" Nathan waved his arm around the yard. After a tracking experience a few years ago, Nathan had worked with Prince to train him to find one of Nathan's old Henley's that Nathan hid in various places to test him.

. .

The warm water was soothing, but Nathan didn't tarry. He had plans for this special day. After grabbing some crackers, cheese and grapes, Nathan dumped the water behind the back gate and noticed Prince had toppled over the bench he had set upside down upon another, where Nathan had sandwiched the Henley in between. Prince brought it to his master and received high praise in response, following Nathan inside to a clean water bowl and his food ready for whenever he was hungry.

Nathan shaved again, just to keep his face really smooth for tonight, splashed on his favorite Lilac Vegetal and brushed his hair.

Satisfied with the tan tweed suit that Allie had instructed him to wear, Nathan loosened the tie slightly and kept the top shirt button undone for now knowing he could depend on Allie to remind him later. He was ready to head into town to get Henry's car, the flowers he had ordered, and Allie!

Walking into town, Nathan saw Elizabeth and Jack coming towards the row houses. Although he would prefer to not interact with her tonight, he nodded hello and waved to Jack, squatting to give a hug as the little boy hurried to him with open arms. "Have you been in town with your Mommy, Buddy?"

"Yeah, at the Library. Are you going there?"

"To town, yes, but not to the Library!" Nathan chuckled as he stood and patted Jack's blonde curls. "You have a good evening with your Mommy, okay?" He gently turned the boy and nudged him back to his mother. "Good evening, Elizabeth." Giving his invisible-hat tip salute, Nathan began to walk again, before Elizabeth could say anything. Her eyes followed him though, noting how nicely dressed he was and she wondered if she might need to walk back into town later and just happen to stop in at the Café or the Saloon?