Chapter 85. The Resolution

On Tuesday afternoon, Julia felt butterflies as she entered the dress shop. There was a little excitement and timidity mixed in there, too. She didn't like being the center of attention, and Rosemary liked to do everything big. So, she didn't know what to expect. She just kept her mind focused on her first priority: that the wedding would reflect her and Nathan.

And that rule applied to the dress, too. She didn't want something over the top or extravagant, but something understated, beautiful and elegant.

Even though she was resolved in her mind when she walked through the door, she still wasn't ready for the barrage of questions that awaited her. How full did she want the skirt? How high a bodice? Lace or no lace? How would she wear her hair? Veil or no veil? Or flowers in her hair?

There was a whole lot that Julia hadn't considered yet. Clara could see it was a lot at once. Perhaps the first place to start was with the style of dress. Then they could go from there, according to what Julia liked or didn't like. So, Clara sat Julia down, and Rosemary, too.

Clara smiled. "Sorry for all the questions at once. Rosemary and I are just excited for you and Nathan." She and Rosemary shared a knowing glance. "We'll figure it out one thing at a time, Julia."

Julia nodded shyly. She had marked a few pages in the bridal catalog. She also brought her notepad and even the notes she had taken at her luncheon with Rosemary.

But, Rosemary had a better idea. "Julia, close your eyes." Julia obeyed. "Now, picture yourself on your wedding day." Julia obeyed, again. And both Clara and Rosemary watched as a huge, unrestrained, happy smile wash over Julia's face. They knew she had found the image. "Are you wearing a wedding dress?"

Julia giggled. "Of course."

"Describe it to us." Rosemary said softly, wistful.

Julia had found her focus, "It has a fitted bodice with a V neckline, and a mid-line waist. The skirt falls to the floor, with a small train in the back. And there's lace at the shoulders." Julia stated.

"Is there any poof in the skirt?" Rosemary asked, hopeful. She liked poof.

"No. It's not fitted, not poofy, but just falls naturally at my hips." Julia told her, and Clara smiled. What Julia was describing would be just perfect for her slender silhouette, and be very becoming.

"What about sleeves?" Clara asked.

"Not much, just the lace that goes up over the shoulders." Julia thought for a minute. "Will that be okay for September?"

"It will be perfect." Rosemary told her.

Clara and Rosemary looked at each other. They didn't have any more questions for the moment, so Clara gave a nod.

Rosemary looked at Julia still holding the catalog, and saw a few pages were marked. "Julia, do you have some things to show us from the bridal catalog?"

Julia slowly opened her eyes, obviously reluctant to leave the scene she was living out in her head. She looked down at the catalog, flipped to the first picture, and showed them. Then she showed them the next, explaining, and then the next. Those images also helped Rosemary and Clara decipher what she was looking for.

On the racks, they had a few dresses for Julia to try on as examples, though they were not in bridal white. So, they sent her to the dressing room and began bringing dresses, one after the other.

Julia tried on the first four dresses rather quickly, with no such luck. She was back behind the curtain putting on the fifth, when suddenly, Florence came flying in the dress shop. "Clara!" she called out, in a hurry.

Clara stepped out from the back alongside Rosemary, and as soon as Florence saw her, she barreled on. "I collected three more patches for the qui…", as she held them out.

Clara quickly motioned with her hand, to cut her off, but wasn't quite fast enough. Florence's eyes became big as saucers as it donned on her who must be behind the dressing room curtain.

Florence mouthed, Julia. And Clara nodded yes. Florence bunched up her face in frustration, but Clara and Rosemary both mouthed back, "It's okay! It's okay!" Especially since there was no noise and no movement coming from behind the curtain. Perhaps Julia hadn't heard anything. Plus, Florence hadn't said much, before they cut her off.

Florence quietly handed the patches to Clara, who hid them behind the counter, just as Julia walked out of the dressing room.

When she saw Florence, Julia greeted her as if nothing was amiss, "Hi, Florence. I didn't hear you come in."

Florence glanced at Clara. Phew, that was close. "Hi, Julia. That one is just lovely on you." She told her, as Julia turned and looked in the mirror.

It was very nice, even if it was in light blue. The bodice was exactly what she had pictured, in her little daydream. Though, the waist and the skirt were not quite right.

"The bodice is perfect." Julia told them, as she turned this way and that way, admiring it. The form was fitted and accentuated her slender frame, but hugged her curves just right. Her neck was exposed, and a little of her chest too, and the cut of the V was modest but beautiful. The bodice was scalloped, and from there, lace went up over the shoulders.

"Wow." Rosemary said softly. She walked over and lifted Julia's hair, gave it a little twist, and held it up against the back of her head in a very loose updo. Tendrils were falling all around, and the hairstyle accentuated Julia's shoulders and long neck, even more.

When Clara saw that little addition, she breathed, "Yea. Wow." The bodice was just lovely, and the messy updo only added to the look.

Clara picked up a hand mirror from the table and handed it to Julia. Then she gently turned her, until Julia's back faced the mirror. Rosemary moved with her, still holding her hair. Then, Clara helped her aim the hand mirror to catch a glimpse of the back of the dress.

"Now it's my turn to say…Wow." Julia told them. The back of the dress was just perfect. There were about a hundred buttons, though she'd known that already, because it had taken her forever to put on the dress. But, the low cut of the back, with the lace overlay, held together by all those buttons, was just beautiful.

Rosemary smiled, "So, I think we know what we are looking for, in terms the bodice. Now we just have to figure out the waist and skirt."

Rosemary let her hair fall, and Julia took one more look before heading back into the dressing room. Florence excused herself, and returned to the mercantile.

Clara went back to the racks and pulled out a few more dresses to try, for the skirt. Julia tried them all, but still didn't find anything exactly right.

But, it was a great start. After Julia got dressed, they looked at more pictures in the magazine, for the skirt. They had a lot to go on, and had a pretty good idea of what Julia wanted.

And Clara was going to draw up some sketches in the meantime. If they weren't able to find exactly what Julia wanted, perhaps they could just sew the dress themselves.

"Julia, before you go, I would like to talk to you about something." Rosemary looked at Clara.

"Sure, Rosemary." Though Julia was curious what this could be about.

"We would really love to host a little party, for Nathan, to celebrate his promotion, when he's back." Rosemary told her.

"Oh, I'm sure he'd say that's not necessary." Julia told her.

"I know he'd say that. But, we think it is necessary. His friends want to honor him and celebrate his accomplishment." Rosemary told her. "Lee and I would love to host, along with Faith, Fiona, Jesse and Clara, and Florence and Ned." She told her.

"Wow. I don't know what to say." Julia replied.

Clara piped in, "Say yes. And let us show him how much we appreciate him. He's been serving our community for years. It's about time we recognized him, and his accomplishments."

"Okay." Julia said. Clara clapped her hands in excitement. "Though I'm not promising he will like it." She chuckled, knowing how he felt about crowds. Though, it had been different in Union City. In fact, Julia had never seen him like that before. He had moved through the crowd effortlessly and spoken to so many people, all the while introducing her and Allie. He had been different. Charming, happy, and confident.

Rosemary clapped her hands together, too. And, that broad signature Rosemary smile spread across her face. "Then it's settled! I'm so excited!" She paused, "Just leave it to me, Julia Matthews. We are going to knock his socks off!"

"Wait a minute. What do you mean?" Julia joked, "How big a party are you planning? I thought you only mentioned a few people."

"Julia, don't be silly, the whole town wants to honor Nathan! Lee and I already talked to Gustave about it, and he offered the saloon on Sunday night." Rosemary told her. Julia realized Rosemary had already run with the idea. It was too late to stop the runaway train now.

"The saloon?" Julia looked at them both. She hoped that would be fine, and that the Nathan who came on Sunday night would be the same Nathan that mingled and worked the crowd in Union City, and the same Nathan who had whisked her around the dance floor on Founder's Day. "Okay." Julia said reluctantly. "Is it a surprise?"

"No, I think it will be too hard to keep it a surprise, now. Everyone in town is already taking about it." Clara told her.

"Really?" Julia hadn't heard anything yet.

"We swore Florence to secrecy with you, until we talked to you first. But, I'm sure she's told just about everyone else by now." Rosemary giggled.

Julia was glad it was not a surprise. It would have been hard to get Nathan to the Saloon, without a reason. But, deep down, she was happy they wanted to honor him. She liked the idea actually, he deserved to know how much this community appreciated him.

"I love the idea, ladies." Julia told them. "Thank you for thinking of this."

"Well, he deserves it. And, these kind of milestones should be celebrated." Rosemary told her.

"What time on Sunday night?" Julia asked.

"6:30 pm." Clara piped in.

"Do you need help before? With the set up?" Julia asked, offering to help.

"Oh no, Julia. Just leave it all to us. We have plenty of help. All you have to do is walk in on Nathan's arm." Rosemary told her.

Clara joked. "And make sure he shows up."

Julia chuckled. "I can do that. And, I'll ask Allie to help me."

Rosemary shot a knowing glance at Clara. "Perfect. It's going to be very nice, Julia." She told her. "See if you can get him to bring his hat. So he can try it on for us." Rosemary remembered her own father's various uniforms, and little details about them that would change, as he was promoted up the ladder. "I wish he would be willing to bring his serge with all those pins and commendations he's earned."

Julia looked at Rosemary, "He has a lot of them. A lot more than we ever saw him wear around here." Julia reported.

"Really?" Rosemary had figured as much. "I wish there was a way we could get that here, too."

Julia told them, "I could never…"

Rosemary raised a finger. "But I might know someone who would." Allie. "I know just who to ask."

Julia knew if anyone could find a way, it was Rosemary Coulter. And, if anyone knew anything about what all the ranks and commendation pins meant, it was also Rosemary.

"Then it's settled." Rosemary told them. "Sunday night, 6:30 at the saloon. For Nathan's promotion party." She said with a sideways marquee wave of her hand.

"Thank you, Rosemary. I think he's going to love it." Julia told her.

"Well, I'm going directly to visit a little friend at the telephone exchange, and talk to Florence." She told them happily, with a little wink. "I have a lot to do!"

Julia thanked Clara and walked out with Rosemary, back towards the infirmary.

When Julia arrived back at her apartment, she decided to make a few of her own wedding dress sketches. When she was younger, she used to sketch a lot, and perhaps her own drawings might help.

After she was done sketching, she realized the time on the wall clock. She grabbed up her basket, where she had left her purchases from the mercantile, and she added in the ingredients from her icebox. Then she headed over to Nathan's to cook Chicken Pot Pie with Allie.

Julia spent a sweet evening with Allie and Archie, with lots of fun thrown in. When she came home, Julia felt inspired. Perhaps the inspiration came from how at home she now felt in Nathan's house. Perhaps it was the visions of the future she'd had, as she walked home that night. Or maybe it was her thoughts that so unconsciously drifted to a man, a wonderful man, somewhere under the same huge starlit sky, not so very far away. Whatever the inspiration, she felt motivated, and so, she painted. She painted late into the night.

Wednesday was long in the infirmary. Faith was out at the saw mill all day, until late afternoon, which meant Julia worked alone. Thus, the long day.

At 2 p.m., Robert came by with the mail, though Julia was in with a patient. So, he just called out and left the mail on her desk. In the pile, there was a letter from Nathan. But by the time Julia had a break in between patients, Faith was back and they finished the shift together. The letter was left untouched, and literally burned a hole in her desk, all afternoon.

Finally, when the clock ticked 6:00 and Faith headed home, Julia grabbed the letter up and headed to her apartment. She sat in her chair, ripped open the envelope, and read.

Saturday July 20, 1919

My Darling,

I thought perhaps I should put the date at the top of my letters, so you would know when I wrote them. All of your letters are now tucked safely under my pillow.

I'll be in PT uniform the next few days, for my physical training. I started this morning at 5 a.m., but I like it so far. Since my inspector classmates did it last week, they put me with some cadets today. The staff sergeant gave those young guys a hard time whenever I finished before them, even called me "the old guy", when he was yelling at them. I had half a mind to be offended, but I remember all the hazing in those early years. And, he was right to get onto them, they should never let me beat them, at their age.

I'm glad you are spending so much time with Archie and Allie. I know Allie must be eating it up. Especially a sleepover, with cupcakes! She must have loved every minute. And, I'm sure the cupcakes were yummy, with the two of you wearing the oven mitts.

Julia, I have to tell you, I love the idea of a honeymoon in Airdrie. I've thought more about it. There's a nice hotel not too far from Airdrie, farther up in the mountains. It's a very beautiful ride, so we could take the horses up there and stay a night or two, or even three. There is a huge fireplace in every room, it would be very romantic. Let's talk more about it when I get home, but the more I think about a quiet honeymoon with you, on the ranch, the more I like it. The image of you riding next to me, so beautiful, with your long hair blowing in the wind, is the focal point that keeps me going through all the push-ups and flutter kicks. I can't get that image out of my head.

You also have a way with words, Miss Matthews. And yours go straight to my heart. In fact, I try to tuck them all in there and hold them close, for whenever I miss you. Which is often. You still occupy the majority of my thoughts, Julia. And most of my dreams at night.

I can't wait to see your beautiful smile, and hold you in my arms. Only one more week.

I love you with all that I am, my Jules.

Yours, truly,

Nathan

That evening, Julia was knee-deep in palettes and paint, when the concentrated silence was broken by the shrill ring of the phone next door. Julia didn't miss a beat. She'd been hoping for this all day. She ran through the adjoining door, plopped down excitedly in her chair, and answered.

"Hello. Hope Valley Infirmary." Julia sang out.

Florence's voice always sounded so jovial when she brought good news. "I have Inspector Grant on the line for you, Julia."

"You know what to do, Florence." Julia giggled.

Florence chuckled, "Yes. I guess I do." And, she put him through.

"Nathan?" Julia asked. Florence's click.

"Hi my darling." He said softly.

"Hello, Lawman." Julia's smile was evident in her voice.

"How are you?" He asked.

"I'm good, and now even better, because I get to hear your voice." She told him. "How are you?"

Julia could almost hear Nathan smiling too. "I'm very good." He asked, "What's new with you, in Hope Valley?"

"Not much. I had lunch with Bill today. We discussed my adopting Allie. He's going to draw up the paperwork." She told him, excitedly.

"That's great, Julia. She's very happy about it." Nathan thought of something else. "Perhaps when it's time to do the ceremony, we should also have a sort of celebration." Nathan paused trying to figure out how to explain. "When we held my adoption ceremony, it didn't exactly go as planned."

"Bill said the exact same thing, about having a celebration." Julia said with a chuckle. "Though, he didn't tell me why."

"Don't misunderstand. Everything was wonderful between Allie and I. And, just perfect, for the two of us. She threw all of the legal jargon out the window, and asked me to make her the cutest promise." He said with a happy emotional chuckle.

"Really?" Julia asked, interested. Allie was the coolest kid. "What promise was that?"

Nathan closed his eyes and remembered, can't you just say somethin' like, you promise to never leave me? And that's exactly what he said.

Nathan told her, "Allie made me promise to never leave her."

"That's so sweet, and so perfectly Allie." Julia told him.

"It was sweet between the two of us. That part I don't regret for a second." Nathan explained. "It was the rest that was…muddy." He knew he should eventually tell her about Elizabeth Thornton being the only invited guest. "And, the bottom line is that we missed an opportunity to celebrate an important milestone. I don't want to miss out on that again." He told her. "I'll explain more when I get home."

"No need to explain more, Nathan. I think it's a great idea to make a celebration out of it. And, we should celebrate her being adopted by both of us." She told him. "Make up for last time…and the missed opportunity."

"I like that." Somehow, having a big party didn't sound so bad, if it was for Allie, and if Julia was by his side.

"Did you just agree to a big party, Lawman?" She asked playfully.

"I think I did, yes." He laughed out loud. Times were changing.

"That's good news." Julia told him, though she didn't mention the other party yet. She wanted to write him about it in a letter, so he couldn't object. "Bill also mentioned that your certified deed arrived for the land. He's holding it for you in his office. So it's official, the land is yours!"

Nathan was silent for a few moments. She heard him breath a long exhale. "That's amazing news. And… it's our land, Jules."

Julia chuckled and said, "Ok, Lawman. Our land is...ours." She heard him chuckle too. "How's it going there, my love?"

"My physical training is over. I passed without problem." He told her. "Since Tuesday morning, I've been working with Commander Collins on the training program." He reported, "The last edits of the training manual are done. I'm waiting on his final approval, and will send the manual to press on Friday."

"And, all the plans for the program are going well?" She asked.

"Very well. There is still a lot more to be done tomorrow and Friday, but the outline of the program is complete. We've structured it over a time period of two weeks for the time being, but will possibly add more weeks later, for those who want more extensive training." Nathan told her.

"That's great, Nathan." She was proud of him. "You will be wonderful at this new position. They are lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Jules." Nathan told her. "Is there any news out of the saloon?"

"Apparently, Lucas finally opened his door to Lee and Rosemary. And at some point, he must also have spoken to Bill." Julia explained, "Above that, I only know what Bill told me at lunch today. Lucas is leaving for good, so I guess the engagement is off. He's in negotiations to sell the saloon to Gustave. Though, Gustave wants to bring in a partner or a manager for the front of the house. He doesn't want to leave his kitchen or be saddled with the management side of things." Julia reported. She was nervous about what his reaction would be, to the news that Lucas was leaving.

But he didn't miss a beat, not one second of pause. "Well I'm sorry to hear that. Though I can't say I'm surprised." Nathan said, "I never trusted him, there was always something off about Lucas Bouchard." He paused, "Every time I ever tried to express my concern, I was never heard." Julia recognized that Nathan was trained to read people and had picked up on something from day one. And, out of a sense of duty to Jack Thornton, had probably tried to tell Elizabeth. Though, she obviously hadn't listened.

"So, love is blind?" Julia asked.

"Something like that." Nathan said simply.

"Well, I'm sorry for her. She should have trusted you, or at least, she should have trusted the serge." She told him.

"I think her bitter experience losing Jack also made her lose faith in the serge. And, I probably didn't go about voicing my concerns the right way, the first time. She thought I was motivated by jealousy and never listened after that." He told her. "And well, Lucas Bouchard always has an answer for everything."

"I'm sorry for the way you were treated, Nathan. Though, I'm less sorry about the rest. If she'd have listened to you way back then, it might be her wearing this engagement ring today." Julia told him, as she looked down at her left hand, so thankful that he had chosen her.

"I wouldn't change a thing." He told her, quick and confident. She closed her eyes, so very glad to hear that.

The volume level behind Nathan was slowly starting to pick up. They had taken too long on the phone, again.

"I might need to go soon, Jules." He told her. "Though, I would like to leave you with this: I've had a lot of time to reflect, since you were here. I'm still overwhelmed that you came for my ceremony." Nathan paused and added softly, "Nobody has ever come for me before."

Her mouth fell open at his sad statement. No one had ever come to his ceremonies?

The emotion was suddenly very very thick in his voice. "I'm very touched, Jules. The memory of walking around with you and Allie, and showing you that part of my life, has stuck with me all week. I'm a very rich man. Rich and blessed."

Julia felt a soft tear leave her eye and trail down her face. Though she didn't wipe it, for she was frozen in shock at his words. She couldn't believe no one had come for him. That revelation wrenched her heart, completely. Another tear fell.

Julia finally found her voice, though it came out raspy, and broken, and just above a whisper, "I'm the rich one, Lawman. It's me who's blessed."

He rasped, too. "I'll never believe you."

"Well, I'll spend the rest of my life convincing you." She breathed, broken.

"And, I, you." He barely managed.

The noise was loud behind them, and the world still turned around them. But neither heard, and neither noticed. They only heard the soft breathing of the other, and the rich, intense emotions hanging in the silence. And they felt. They felt all the deep, earth-stopping feelings of love and devotion, that passed along the wire, from one to the other.

Finally, when the clock seemed to tick again, Julia sniffled. She whispered. "I love you, Lawman."

"I love you, Jules." He said, and this time it was he who stayed on the line, until he heard the click from her side.

When Julia hung up, she cried. She cried for all times Nathan had been alone at one of those ceremonies. When no one had come.

She couldn't get the image out of her head.

Her Nathan.

She would never let it happen again.

Not as long as there was breath in her lungs.

She finally wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and headed back over to her apartment. She sat down at her table, and penned him a letter.