Chapter 83. The Grand Surprise
Julia and Allie woke early on Sunday morning, after their fun sleepover in Julia's apartment, the night before. They got ready, grabbed their overnight bags, and walked down to the stagecoach platform. Jake was already there waiting for them.
The coach pulled up about 10 minutes later, and they all three happily boarded. Allie was so excited she thought she would burst. And, Julia's heart was all in flutters.
When they got to the Hope Valley train terminal, they moved quickly through the station and boarded the train to Union City. As Julia sat down on the train next to Allie, she felt giddy with excitement, with anticipation, and with pride. Nathan would become an inspector today, and he had no idea that she, Allie, and Jake were coming for the ceremony.
Around 4:30 p.m., Jake led Julia and Allie into Mountie Headquarters in Union City. Red serges were everywhere as they walked through the huge gates, followed the path between two large buildings, and then continued behind a few more buildings. They came to a grassy area in the middle of the huge compound. There, a large group of people had started to gather, mostly civilians, with a few red serge dotted in, most likely family members, just like them. Chairs and then benches were set up, facing a large stage area.
Groups of red clad men were on the other side of the grassy field running drills. Another group was in PT uniforms and doing push-ups. Every group had a leader commanding them and leading them. Julia's eyes scanned all the red serge as far as her eye could see, but she didn't find Nathan anywhere. His group must not be present on the field yet.
Jake led them over to the chairs, where Allie chose seats on the very front row.
"Will we get to see him before it starts?" Allie asked Jake, also scanning the crowd and the groups scattered about, for her Dad.
"They will most likely walk out as a group. We probably won't get to talk to him until the ceremony is over." Jake told them both.
Allie was giddy with excitement. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."
"He's going to be surprised, isn't he?" Julia asked, also feeling excited.
"Indeed he will be." Jake told them both with a smile, happy that he could accompany them and help pull off this grand surprise.
At 5 p.m. sharp, a bugle sounded and the drills behind them ceased. The other groups of men exited the grassy drill field.
The large crowd present for the promotion ceremony quickly filled in the rows and sat down. Everyone turned their attention to the stage.
A large group of Mounties filed out of one of the buildings, led by an older gentleman and eight or ten other highly decorated Mountie officers.
Allie leaned over and told Julia, "The man in the front is Chief Superintendent Collins. I saw him at my Dad's inquiry last year."
Julia scanned the line of young men, but didn't find Nathan anywhere, and this group was much bigger than seven. The men filed in on the stage in straight lines, held their disciplined and uniform formation, and on command, turned in unison toward the crowd.
The ceremony began with a speech from Chief Superintendent Collins. He shared about the Royal North-West Mounted Police and their rich history of service to Canada.
At the end of his first discourse, Chief Superintendent Collins commanded the men on stage to raise their right hands. They were sworn in, and then the officers moved through the group, and placed something in each of their hands.
Jake leaned over and explained, "Those are all new recruits, who just completed their training. They are now cadets."
Julia nodded. After they had all been handed their rank, Commander Collins called out the Mountie motto, "Maintiens le droit." And the cadets loudly and emphatically yelled it back. The crowd applauded, as the large group filed off stage and went to stand in the back, behind all the families.
The next group came out. It was smaller than the first, but Julia still didn't see Nathan among them.
Once they were in place, Chief Superintendent Collins continued his discourse. He spoke about the level of excellence demanded for advancement, in the Mounties. He stated that the candidates on stage, and in the groups to follow, had all excelled in their previous positions and shown exceptional qualities, which qualified them for advancement.
He announced that these men on stage were the candidates for Sergeant and Staff Sergeant. The men raised their hands and were sworn in. Then the officers moved through the group distributing their new rank. The officers pinned something in particular on the serges of the candidates on the left. Jake leaned over and explained that those were the new Staff Sergeants.
Again, Collins called out the Mountie motto, "Maintiens le droit." And the group enthusiastically yelled it back. He nodded, and the spectators erupted in applause, as this group, too, filed off the stage to join the others in the back, behind the families.
The next group came out, and was much smaller. As they came closer, Julia easily picked Nathan out. She would know his attractive frame anywhere.
He was tall and stately, and stuck out sharply against the others. Several of the other men had mustaches and some were older. But, her Nathan was easy to spot. He looked so handsome in his uniform, and her heart skipped a beat or two, or three. He kept his gaze straight forward, as was obviously procedure, as he filed in formation with his colleagues.
When the group arrived on stage, the inspector candidates took their places. Then all at once, the group turned and faced the crowd.
And, that's when Nathan saw them. Julia knew, because his mouth dropped open just slightly.
Allie waved at him excitedly. He stayed stoic and rigid, as was obviously expected. But the change in his face and the slight drop of his jaw was unmistakable. There was a smile in his eyes, overwhelming evidence that he had seen them. They were in the very front row, after all.
Julia made a little flicker of a wave in Nathan's direction, and on his face, appeared a small smile that he just couldn't quite contain. It made her heart skip another beat. Just that tiny little crooked smile, was all it took.
Chief Superintendent Collins made his next discourse. He shared about the rank of Inspector, and what was required to become an Inspector in the Royal NWMP. Then, he spoke of this group of men, specifically. These candidates had routinely gone above and beyond in the line of duty, which propelled them to the front of the line, and made them stand out among their colleagues. They all showed qualities that were not only becoming of the Mounties, but they also exhibited honor, integrity, honesty, character, sacrifice, and a strong sense of duty.
"Each of these men are examples amongst their colleagues, and so merit the promotion to Inspector." Chief Superintendent Collins stated.
The candidates all raised their right hands, and repeated after Chief Superintendent Collins, for their swearing in.
Next, the officers joined Chief Superintendent Collins on stage and approached the first candidate. They pinned something on his serge, as Collins introduced the candidate and said a word about him. He was one of the guys from Calgary, whom Nathan had mentioned on the phone. The officers handed the candidate something, which Jake explained was the rank for his lapels. Lastly, they gave the candidate his hat, which he placed on his head, signaling his transition to Inspector. The audience applauded.
And, so it went down the line. The same procedure was carried out, for each candidate individually.
Nathan was in the third position, and they did exactly the same for him. Though, when the officers placed that hat on his head, Julia and Allie didn't just clap. They hooped and hollered, making a lot of noise, louder than all the other families. Nathan couldn't help himself and broke that stoic stone-face once again. He made that unmistakable little crooked smile, which only made Allie and Julia cheer all the more. By the time they were done hooping and clapping, Nathan was having such a hard time with his stone face, he was very nearly in a full-on smile. Chief Superintendent Collins looked out at Julia and Allie, and gave them his own amused little smile.
Jake recognized however, that the Commander wanted to move on, so he finally reached his hand over, and quieted Nathan's personal cheering squad.
Julia couldn't take her eyes off of her Nathan. He looked so nice in his new hat, and was so very deserving of all the wonderful things that were said about him. Her heart swelled with pride.
The officers and Collins continued down the line, until the last Inspector was installed. Then, the Chief Superintendent called for the Commendations.
Chief Superintendent Collins stood in front of Nathan and bestowed on him the two commendations, personally. He explained each one, as the two officers pinned them on his serge, right next to his shiny new Inspector rank, and quite a collection of other pins that Julia had never seen before. Collins looked out at Julia and Allie, seeming to signal for applause, and so they obliged. In fact, everyone applauded, though Julia and Allie were the loudest.
Chief Superintendent Collins seemed to want to say something else. So the audience quieted down again.
"I proudly present the newest Inspectors of the Royal North-West Mounted Police." He motioned down the line with his hand.
The entire audience stood and applauded, and Julia and Allie didn't disappoint. Jake joined in this time with some low hoops, which made it even louder. The candidates smiled and threw their hats in the air, and the ceremony was over.
Nathan moved quickly to recover his hat. He went over and shook hands with the Commander and all the Officers, which seemed to be the custom. All the new inspectors and sergeants were moving down the line, doing the same.
When Nathan was finished with all the formalities, he turned and strode straight toward them, carrying his hat. He wore just about the biggest smile Julia had ever seen, and his gaze was fixed on her, as he moved. She felt the intensity the closer he came, and it made her stomach do flips. He closed the gap quickly and pulled her into his embrace. Then, he reached out to the side and pulled Allie in, too. The three hugged long, and as they did, Nathan unashamedly bent and snuggled his face right into the curve of Julia's neck. He drank in the smell of her, and the feel of her, and the softness of the skin of her neck. His arms were firm and strong around her back, and Allie's, and he held them tight. Julia relished his sweet closeness.
When he finally pulled back just a little, he looked down at her, still unable to believe it was true.
She met his intense gaze and rasped softly, "Surprise."
Allie looked up at him, too and added her own cute little, "Surprise, Dad!"
Nathan looked back and forth between them, speechless, his eyes misty and filling fast.
He pulled them into his embrace again, and snuggled his face right back into Julia's neck. He ran his hand up into her hair this time, as he held her tight. He loved the soft feel of her long, sandy hair.
Finally, Nathan pulled back again, though just slightly. He kept ahold of them tightly, but still didn't speak. He looked down at them both again, and finally, Allie giggled. "Dad…say something."
He was finding it hard. Finally, he rasped gruffly, "I love you girls." Julia saw the slight quiver of his chin.
Julia reached up and placed her hand gently on his jawline. "We are so very proud of you, Nathan." She told him softly, and packed so much love in those few words.
Allie added, "Yea, Dad. You're the legend." She smiled. She had told him that once before, outside the schoolhouse in Hope Valley, and she still thought it true. "Now more than ever, Inspector." She told him with conviction and a proud smile.
Nathan finally pulled back a little more. Then, he stepped to the side and shook Jake's hand.
"Congratulations, Inspector." Jake told him.
"Thank you, Jake." Nathan replied, "And thank you for coming, and bringing my girls." He told him sincerely, looking him square in the eye.
Jake chuckled. "They insisted. I only did a little digging to find out when and where this ceremony would be held. The rest was all them." He told Nathan, pointing back and forth between Julia and Allie.
Nathan gazed at the two of them. He couldn't believe they were here. Other than the few times Allie had been forced to come to a Mountie event, he'd never had any family show up for him before. Certainly not for ceremonies or commendations. Colleen had come to one of his military ceremonies at the very beginning of his career, but since then…his seats had always been empty.
The sense of accomplishment from his promotion and commendations, mixed with the emotion of holding them both in his arms, was overwhelming. That someone was there to fill his seats and cheer him on, was just a little too much. And, that they had made it all a grand surprise threw him over the edge. Nathan felt raw and emotional, and speechless, and fought hard to hold back tears.
Nathan didn't have a lot of time to recover. He cleared his throat as Chief Superintendent Collins headed their way. "Inspector Grant, I didn't know you came with your own personal cheering section." He teased jovially.
"I didn't know either." Nathan said with a timid smile. "I'm sorry about that, sir. I hope my girls weren't too distracting during the ceremony." Nathan responded respectfully.
"Don't be sorry, Grant. They were not distracting, but delightful." Collins turned his gaze to Julia and Allie. "I wish everyone would be as excited as you two about promotions and commendations." He told them simply, with a nod.
"Chief Superintendent Collins, please let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Allie. Though, I believe you saw her before in Judge Avery's office, in Hope Valley." Allie extended her hand, mature and confident. She stood tall and looked him in the eye.
With an amused smile, Collins took Allie's hand and shook, "Yes, I remember. You made quite an impression, young lady. It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to finally meet you, too, sir." She answered politely.
Then Nathan turned his attention to Julia, "And sir, please let me introduce you to my fiancé, Miss Julia Matthews." It was impossible to miss the obvious pride in Nathan's eyes. She was a beautiful woman who turned heads, and it was no different today.
Commander Collins smiled at Julia, as they shook hands. She and Nathan made an impressive couple. Good for you, Grant.
"It's very nice to meet you, sir." Julia told him.
"Likewise. It's nice to meet you, Miss Matthews." Collins replied, with a gentle smile.
Chief Superintendent Collins noticed Jake standing with them, in red serge, so Nathan continued. "Sir, I'm sure you recognize Constable Jacob Matthews, who's now posted in Hope Valley."
"Oh yes, your replacement." Collins responded.
"Not only my replacement, sir. He's an exceptional Mountie, and also my future brother-in-law. He moved to Hope Valley to be close to his sister, my fiancé." Nathan explained, motioning towards Julia again.
"Well, family is very important." Collins responded, with a nod. "Speaking of family, we are hosting a reception for all of the promoted Mounties, and their families, in the Maple Room of the main building. If you all would like to join us."
"That would be very nice, sir." Julia responded, with a kind smile.
"Thank you, sir." Nathan replied. And Commander Collins moved on to the next family.
Nathan looked at Julia, and Allie, and Jake again. He couldn't believe they were here.
"Dad, how's the rest of your training going?" Allie asked him.
"Very well, so far. My legs are a little sore from all the running yesterday and today." He explained. "I've got to make up a week's worth of physical training in 3 days. Though, I have made it through two days already." Nathan folded his elbows and rolled his shoulders, and Julia could easily see that his arms were also a point of discomfort.
"Are you sore, Nathan?" Julia asked curious.
"A little. Lots of push-ups and rope climbs this morning. I'll probably be even more sore tomorrow, though." He told them with a timid smile.
Despite her best efforts, the image of Nathan's strong upper body popped uninvited into Julia's mind. When he was injured, she had seen just how muscular his chest and arms were. And it was an image that was not easily forgotten. Knowing what was under that serge, she knew he would likely excel in all the physical training.
Julia shook her head, in an effort to clear that image, and finally, she looked shyly at the ground. Luckily though, the families began to move inside. A welcome distraction from her thoughts. Nathan took her hand on one side, and Allie's on the other, and led them towards the main building. Jake strolled along next to Julia.
As they walked, Nathan asked them, "Where are you staying?"
Jake spoke up, "The Red Cardinal." A popular hotel just outside of the HQ gates, used often by Mountie families. It was nearly always full of men dressed in red, and the families that came to see them.
"Julia and I are sharing a really nice room." Allie reported, happily. Nathan like that.
The foursome entered the main HQ building, and Nathan directed them inside to the right, to the Maple Room. It was crowded and full of red coats, casually mingling and talking with family members. Tables were full of cakes and cookies and small finger sweets. Another table was full of coffee, tea, and other drinks. Waiters passed by with champagne flutes filled with something bubbly.
Nathan offered Julia his arm, and they entered together. Jake did the same for Allie, and they followed just behind, as they mingled through the crowd. When they passed Nathan's roommate, they stopped to chat.
Nathan introduced Julia, and then Allie. Then Jake and Timothy greeted each other and shook hands, since they already knew each other. Timothy in turn, introduced all of his family. His wife Teresa, and his five children, who were really cute and excited about everything on the tables. They had one set of twins that were dressed alike and adorable.
After talking a while with the Bedford family, they moved on and spoke with people, who knew Nathan, on their way to the fancy food tables. Jake, Nathan, and Julia took coffee and cake, and Allie took punch and cookies.
When they were done with their refreshments, Jake mingled on his own, and talked with guys he knew. But Nathan, Julia, and Allie mingled through the crowd again, together. And right and left, Nathan introduced his girls. He was usually timid in a crowd, but today was different. He was proud to walk around with Julia and Allie, and he was proud to introduce his family; Julia, his fiancé, and Allie, his daughter.
Julia was stunning in a muted blue dress, and many men noticed her, though she didn't even realize. Nathan protectively kept his hand over hers, safe in the crook of his arm, as they mingled. Allie also looked very lovely in a light blue dress with a pretty ribbon in her hair. Nathan loved having both of them on his arm.
When the reception began to wind down, Jake made his way back over to them. Nathan turned to Jake. "Shall we take these ladies out to dinner?" He asked, smiling at both Julia and Allie. "My treat."
Jake nodded happily. "Count me in." He replied to Nathan. "I would love to have dinner with the two prettiest girls in the room."
Nathan couldn't agree more with that statement. "Shall we go to the restaurant at the Red Cardinal?" Nathan asked Jake.
"Sure, though it could be crowded. There's also Robinson's Cafe just a little bit farther down." Jake suggested.
"Well let's try the Red Cardinal first. It's fancier." Nathan said, looking at Allie with a little wink. He felt that today merited a proper celebration, considering both his promotion and the gravity of their surprise. Not to mention, he'd never had family present before, to celebrate after such a ceremony, as he'd seen countless colleagues do.
"How fancy?" Allie asked, tilting her head and looking intrigued. Nathan kept Julia's hand safely tucked over his elbow, as they walked out the front door of the main building, and down the walkway.
"Nice, fancy." Nathan said back towards Allie, who was walking proudly on Jake's arm.
Jake leaned down and told her, "You'll like it."
They walked out the front gate of HQ and turned right towards the Red Cardinal. When they entered, the restaurant was busy, but a few tables were still available. Most of the patrons inside were family members who had attended the ceremony and reception. Nathan requested a table for four, and the hostess led them to a nice place in the corner. Then she opened and handed each of them a menu, which earned a grand smile from Allie.
She leaned over to Julia and whispered, "It is fancy."
Julia leaned towards Allie and whispered back, "What should we get?"
Allie scanned the menu picking out random things. "How about steak, or chicken marsala? Or…oh, fancy...they have coq au vin." She teased.
"Mmm. Or venison stew." Julia looked over at Allie with raised eyebrows.
A few minutes later, the waiter came back and they placed their orders. The two men took steaks, Allie ordered roasted chicken, and Julia took the chicken marsala.
After the waiter was gone, Allie looked mischievously at Jake, and asked, "Jake. I'm wondering if you have any more funny stories to tell us?"
A crooked smile washed over Nathan's face, he liked where this was going. "Yea, Jake, any stories come to mind?"
Jake looked at the two of them and then at Julia, who playfully shook her head no, but was unable to contain a little smile. Jake replied, "I'll tell you what, Allie. You come up with a good story about your Dad, and I'll tell you a good story about Julia. Like a little exchange, a barter of sorts."
Allie smiled huge, and liked that idea. She put her finger vertically to her chin, and looked at the sky in mischievous reflection. She thought for a little while.
"Oh, I've got one!" Allie offered, excited.
"Let's hear it." Jake encouraged, sitting back in his chair.
Allie nodded and started her story, "When I was eight years old, we lived in Fort Simpson. Now, my Dad often relied on the other women of the community wherever we lived, to help out with me, when he was called away. So, I always had various babysitters. Sometimes they were Mountie wives or widows, or sisters of his comrades, or sometimes neighbors." Allie paused, and took a breath. "But, there in Fort Simpson there were two women that used to fall all over themselves to keep me." Allie joked, with a giggle. Julia saw where this was going. "Not because they liked me." She looked over at Nathan, "But because they were single, and my uncle was so handsome."
Julia looked at Nathan and giggled softly.
Allie continued. "They were over the top and annoying." Allie drawled it out long, with her signature eye roll. "And well, Dad was oblivious." With that, she gave another eye roll that turned over and landed on Nathan. "Even at eight years old, I could figure it out."
Nathan chuckled at her, now she was becoming quite the storyteller. Allie went on. "These two ladies tried to get information out of me. You know, pointers, to try to win him over." Julia giggled louder this time, and brought her hand up to her mouth.
"But, I didn't like either of them. So, with one of the ladies, the red-headed one, I let it slip that he loved chocolate flavored with orange." Allie told them.
Julia looked at Nathan and could tell by his expression that he clearly did not like orange flavored chocolate. Jake saw his face too, and chuckled.
"And I told her that he loved strong perfume. Really strong fruity perfume." Allie giggled. "She even asked me to smell some of the new perfumes she had suddenly acquired, before she wore them!" Jake was chuckling pretty good now.
Nathan piped in. "It was horrible. I couldn't get within 5 feet of her without wanting to pass out." Julia laughed hard, imagining it. Nathan leaned cutely over to Julia and whispered, "Obviously, I prefer perfume that's soft and floral scented."
Jake piped in, "And, the baked goods?" Jake had supposed correctly, that this woman had obviously baked things to impress Nathan.
Nathan laughed from his gut, and made a hand motion as he said, "All flavored with orange chocolate." He paused and looked at Allie and made a face. "Yuck!" They were in stitches.
Julia couldn't wait to hear what Allie had concocted for the second lady. "And for the other gal?"
Allie put her hand up to her mouth, laughing and remembering. It must be even worse. "I told her that he loved apricots."
"And, you don't like apricots, Nathan?" Julia was learning something new.
Nathan squished his face up and answered in a chuckle. "They don't exactly agree with me." Jake and Julia both burst out laughing, hard, and Julia tried to cover her mouth, though as usual, her hand was a little too late.
"Oh no! What did you do?" Julia giggled.
Nathan told them. "Everything she ever made us, from that day forward contained apricots. Everything. And, I couldn't eat any of it." Nathan chuckled hard. "Or else…" At those two words, they all four burst out laughing, again.
Julia was glad to know about the apricots, she stored that information on her mental list, right under the chocolate/orange combo.
"Once, she even gave us fresh apricots, and stood and waited until he ate one." Allie chuckled.
Julia shook her head with amusement, imagining poor Nathan being too timid to say anything, and eating an apricot, knowing what it would do to his stomach.
"What did you do? Did you eat it?" Julia asked.
"I got about half of it down before she caught on." Nathan said with a shrug. "I had a hard time asking her to keep Allie after that." He chuckled.
Jake laughed too, he wasn't a big fan of apricots either. "That was very clever Allie, especially for 8 years old. And makes for a pretty good story. I have to say."
The waiter arrived with their dinner plates, and set each one gracefully down. Everything smelled and looked delicious. When they started to eat, Allie leaned over towards Jake and told him. "Your turn," with a big smile.
Jake imitated Allie and put his finger on his chin, just as she had done, searching for a good story. "Mmm, let me see." He told her playfully.
Allie smiled at him, she could hardly wait to hear what he would come up with. Jake was a great story teller.
"Allie, I think you would be very surprised to learn that your future stepmother was once a bookie." Jake told her playfully, with one eyebrow cocked, and a big mischievous smile.
As Jake said it, Julia gasped and nearly choked on the food in her mouth. Nathan had to tap her on the back, though he was chuckling hard while doing it, and looking very amused. When she recovered, Julia took a drink from her water glass and chided him. "Jake!"
"A bookie?" Allie asked in disbelief. "Like a bookie, that takes bets?"
Allie looked at Julia, shocked, but could clearly tell by her face and her reaction, that there must be some truth to it, "No way!"
"Allie, I was ten years old. And I only collected bets off other kids my age." Julia told her honestly, though it was hard to keep a straight face as she said it.
"So it's true?" Nathan asked, clearly amused.
"She took bets and ran books all summer, over the yacht races, the skipper races, the cruisers. Name the race, she booked it. And raked in coins, dolls, marbles, baseball cards, she even won an old bicycle." Jake bragged.
"Until Dad found out and made me give it all back!" Julia said, with a big chuckle at Allie. She put up a finger. "Which was the right thing to do."
"But by then, she was a legend. Ten years old and running books for kids in three counties." Jake smiled at her.
"Jake, don't exaggerate!" Julia chided him.
Nathan's gaze was fixed on Julia, an edge of pride in his eyes. "A little force to be reckoned with."
Jake looked at his sister and said, "She still is."
Nathan couldn't help but agree with that. Allie too, smiled, imagining Julia taking bets and collecting baseball cards, dolls, and marbles in payment. It was a funny thought.
"I saw an opportunity." She joked, with a huge smile, and a cute shrug. And they all broke out in laughter.
"Maybe that's how you got to be so good in math." Allie told her, with an admiring smile.
"Maybe. Figuring out those odds did take some serious math skills." Julia replied. Nathan looked at her, loving how she always found the bright side.
They continued to eat and after a few minutes Nathan leaned over and asked Julia. "Don't you have any funny stories about your big brother?"
Allie looked at Jake and said, "Yea, Julia! You must have at least one good tale about Jake."
Now that was a great idea, and Julia had no idea why she hadn't thought of it sooner. Now it was her turn. So Julia sat up, and imitated Jake, exactly as he'd imitated Allie, with her finger on her chin, pretending to think up a story. Allie giggled watching Julia's theatrics.
Julia sat back and winked at Allie. She had a story ready. "Jake once tried to play detective with our neighbors." Julia told them. "You see, somebody was stealing chickens from old Mr. Sanders."
Jake started laughing already, as soon as he heard the opening line.
Julia continued. "So, Jake decided he would sneak over and sit up all night, you know, to investigate, and catch the culprit." Julia paused. "Jake was convinced it was Mr. Sander's neighbor, old Mr. Johnson, who was stealing the chickens."
"And was it?" Allie asked, all curious.
Julia turned the question on him, "Was it, Jake?," though she was laughing already.
"Not exactly." Jake said with a chuckle.
Julia answered now. "Jake ended up locked in the chicken coop with all those chickens, and two foxes!"
"No!" Allie said, giggling with delight.
"What Jake didn't know was that old Mr. Sanders had already set a trap for the culprit. He'd put a self-engaging lock on his chicken coop. Now, Jake managed to climb in without tripping the lock." Julia looked over at Jake, all dramatic and telling it good. "But, when the foxes came in…" Julia shook her head with a chuckle, and left that hanging for a moment, giving time for the imagination. "To this day, we don't know if it was the frenzy that ensued when those foxes encountered Jake, or the frenzy that ensued when Jake encountered them, that triggered that lock."
Allie though it made for a funny image, Jake inside a chicken coop with crazed chickens and foxes flying all around him. Julia winked at Allie, "Jake was stuck inside, literally all night, with 24 chickens and 2 foxes."
"When old Mr. Sanders came out to feed his chickens in the morning, imagine his surprise." Julia told them. "How I would have loved to see the look on his face." She giggled. Allie and Nathan also found the image hilarious. "But, at least Jake caught the chicken thieves!"
Jake chuckled. "If I remember right, old Mr. Sanders was very appreciative. So much so, that he gave me 20 cents."
"How nice of him!" Allie said, still laughing. "Though, I guess he wouldn't have caught them without you, Jake."
"Probably not." Jake said, with a chuckle.
Nathan looked at Julia, with a happy smile, deeply appreciating the easy, sweet rapport between brother and sister. Not to mention that they were both a lot of fun to be around. He and Allie were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The waiter came by and took their dessert order. The restaurant had fancy desserts, much to Allie's delight.
After the delicious desserts and coffee, the foursome talked a bit more. And when it was starting to get late, Nathan offered to walk Allie and Julia up to their room.
But before they went up, Jake bid them good night, and moved to the bar area of the restaurant, to catch up with a few of his Mountie buddies, who were hanging out.
In the hallway outside their room, Nathan hugged both his girls for a long time, and said good night. He still couldn't believe they had come all this way, just for him. This day had started so lonely, yet finished so full. More full than he could have ever imagined.
"What time do you start tomorrow?" Allie asked him, wondering if there would be any possibility to see him in the morning before their train back to Hope Valley.
"5 a.m., Allie girl." Nathan told her sadly. "I don't think I will be able to see you girls in the morning, no matter how much I'd like to." He paused. "But, I'll be home in only six days."
"Okay." Allie said, a little downcast. "So we also need to say good-bye now?"
"I'm afraid so." Nathan told her. "But, I am very blessed that you came, Allie girl." He paused and pulled Allie into his arms again. "It means so much to me." He told her. "You girls are the best."
Nathan stepped over and hugged Julia one more time. He took her in his arms and held her tight. He took in everything about her, her scent, the feel of her skin, and touch of her hair. Then he whispered tenderly in her ear, as he slowly let her go.
Allie opened the door to their room, and she and Julia stood sadly, silently, as Nathan reluctantly bid them farewell once more. He slowly backed up, gave them one last little wave, and disappeared down the hall.
Author's Note:
DISCLAIMER:
I'm sure there are multiple mistakes and errors in this chapter, related to the Royal NWMP. Please forgive me! I thank you for your grace, when the writing was not true to reality. I did a fair amount of research and tried to make everything accurate to fact and history. (And, when I didn't know, I tried to suppose, using what I know from my experience attending a military university in the U.S.)
But, bottom line, I have no idea what these kind of promotion ceremonies would have looked like in 1919. So, for all of the errors, I apologize. I hope you can extend grace when I was off.
It is, after all, just a story. So, I hope you were able to rejoice with Nathan, despite any errors. And, most of all, I hope you enjoyed reading more about the love story between our humble Mountie, and his girl.