A light but steady snow fell as Robert followed Sgt. Shaun Delaney along the Peace River as they made their way back toward the trading post known as Fort St. John. The post was used by the trappers in the area to turn the animal pelts they caught during the winter months into the money they needed for their family. LaMech, whose mother was of the Sikanni tribe, had taken over running the post in 1910. On the edge of the prairies, which soon gave way to the Rocky Mounties, scattered homesteads were in the patrol area. The RCMP office for the region was located near the trading post. Sgt. Delaney was the head of the normally three-man detachment for the area, Robert now being the fourth. Two small cabins served of the Mounties living quarters, Robert now bunking with his training officer as the other two men shared the second cabin. Clark Mackenzie Finch, known as C.M., had opened a store that he ran out of his cabin to provide the goods, including items that went beyond the basic staples that the trading post offered as well, that the homesteaders moving into the area needed.

It wasn't quite Hope Valley, but Robert could sense the same type of community in the people who called this settlement home.

Growing up in Hope Valley, reading adventure stories, he had longed for adventure too. Anything beyond Hope Valley had felt like an escape though the idea of spending more time sitting in a classroom hadn't appealed to him. Not that his parents could have afforded to send him to college, and he wasn't smart enough for a scholarship. The Mounties had seemed like his way out seventeen, but was he relieved he had held off a bit joining. Shadowing Constable Grant had opened his eyes to the grittier parts of the job beyond the adventure of books. Finishing school, working with Mr. Yost and being able to ask more questions of Allie's father had been beneficial. As had the few skills Constable Grant had been able to start showing him before the Mountie had to move to Calgary to care for his mother.

Training at Depot had been hard, but Robert knew it would have been harder had he joined as soon as he could. Even after six months, Robert felt like he still had a lot to learn. He was grateful that Sgt. Delaney seemed like a man willing to share his expertise to those under him, including a recent graduate. A worry while at Depot was ending up with a training officer who was like Constable Riggins.

Things had been fairly quiet in the area since Robert had arrived, until yesterday afternoon when a fur trapper had come into the office after turning in some of his pelts at the trading post. Hugh Desantis felt as though his trapline territory was being encroached upon by a fellow trapper, Samuel Lightfoot. He had presented his evidence to Corporal Mayfield, who had promised Hugh the force would look into the situation. Robert and Shaun had headed out to the disputed area that morning. After a thorough investigation of the area, during which Robert paid close attention to all that Sgt. Delaney was looking for, they had determined that two of Samuel's traps were indeed slightly over his territory line and on Hugh's area. The next step was to locate Samuel. That task took about half an hour.

Though Samuel denied the allegation at first, he was open to going to the area in question and listening to what Sgt. Delaney had to say. After being shown on the map and where his traps were, the trapper conceded he was in the wrong and immediately removed the traps in violation to be reset in another place within his boundaries. As Hugh had said he would be content with the traps simply being moved this time, Delaney had issued Samuel a warning and asked if any pelts had been caught in the traps while in those spots. Samuel admitted to having turned in two pelts already and gave a written statement to Sgt. Delaney, for the trader at the post to transfer credit for two of his pelts to Hugh's account. Before they had started back, Samuel was informed that the Mounties would be monitoring the boundary lines closely for a while to make sure there were no more transgressions on anyone's account.

Having been out in the cold all day, Robert was looking forward to getting back to the office even though it meant paperwork. At least he could be close to a warm fire while doing said paperwork.

Before going to the office though, Shaun and Robert stopped first at the trading post. After making the changes to both men's accounts, LaMech handed the Sergeant the mail that had come in for him and the other Mounties, both official and personal. Shaun thanked him and he and Robert left. As Robert led both horses, they walked toward the barn that had been built to shelter the Mounties' horses, while Shaun looked through the mail, separating it according to whom it was for.

"That doesn't look like your mother's handwriting," Shaun commented as he handed a letter to Robert.

With the reins of the horses in one hand, Robert accepted the envelope with the other. His mother had sent three letters since Robert had left Hope Valley. Though he had seen his fellow Mounties exchanging knowing smiles, none of them had given him a hard time about it. Robert only hoped that the two letters he had sent home himself would help calm his mother's fears some.

Seeing Ally's name on the envelope, Robert felt his breath catch. Though he had hoped she would eventually send him a letter, he had not expected one this soon.

"It isn't," Robert replied, tucking the letter into a pocket of his navy peacoat. He would read it later, when he could go to his small room in the cabin and shut the door.

If Shaun was curious further as to the sender of the letter, the older man kept that feeling to himself. The sergeant of Fort St. John instead simply placed the rest of the mail in a pocket himself and silently reached for his horse's reins as they reached the barn.

The two men led their horses to their stalls and began caring for their equine partners in companionable silence. When the horses were cared for, fed and properly bedded for the night, Shaun and Robert made the short walk to the RCMP office. Constable Elias Moreau was at one of the offices two desks and looked up at their entrance. Both the stove and the fire in the fireplace filled the room with warmth, which was welcomed after a day out in the cold.

"How did things go, Sgt.?" Elias asked, even as Robert began shedding his muskrat hat, gloves and peacoat.

"Well, Lightfoot had moved a couple of his traps into Desantis' territory. From what I could read of Lightfoot, it wasn't an intentional encroachment," Shaun informed his fellow Mountie, taking the mail out of his coat pocket as he walked toward the desk. "The traps are moved, and two pelts that Lightfoot admitted were taken while the traps were in Desantis' territory have been transferred on the account at the post," he continued, stopping in front of the desk. "We will need to keep a close eye on the situation. Further transgressions will only create tensions."

Elias nodded his consent even as he took the mail that Shaun was holding out to him. "Most of that is official mail from the force but you have another letter from that girl you said you were courting before breaking it off when you got posted here," the sergeant commented. "Are you sure she knows the relationship is over?"

"It wouldn't work," Elias said, looking down at the mail he had accepted. His personal letter was on top. "She was born and raised in Montreal. I bring her out here, and she would be looking for the first ride back east."

"Perhaps you should let her make that choice herself," Shaun told his subordinate, before turning from the desk.

Standing at the fireplace, cold stiff fingers soaking in the warmth of the flames, Robert thought about the letter in his pocket. Had he been wrong about not giving Ally as say in the matter?

Robert shook his head in response to his internal question. Ally coming with him at this point had been out of the question. She was too young. Trying to keep their relationship to only a friendship was the best for both of them. Perhaps in a few years, if they were both still unattached and their paths crossed again, things would be different.

"So what about you, Wolf?" Shaun asked, stepping up beside Robert after hanging up his coat. "You got a girl pining away for you somewhere."

Robert's cheeks suddenly felt warm and he concentrated on the flames dancing in front of him. Beside him, his training officer laughed.

"That blush is all the answer, I need," Shaun said. "You don't have to say anything more if you don't want to, but I have practice listening to heartsick laments from working with Elias, should you want to talk."

Robert felt a wave of relief that he wasn't about to be interrogated. He still felt like he was finding his footing with his fellow Mounties. Perhaps one day he might open up about Ally but not now.

"I do know how sharp the sting of being left and not having any say in the matter feels though," Shaun said. "Whatever your situation is, I do hope you at least tried to have a conversation, unlike Elias over there. He proposed to his girl, got this posting, and then left the lady a letter saying he couldn't ask her to follow him here and left without a word to her."

"You make me sound like a creep," Elias countered.

"No, you're just insensitive. The creep is my training officer who ended up stealing the girl I was planning my wedding with," Shaun countered looking over his shoulder briefly at Elias before looking back at Robert. "She called off the wedding, gave me the ring back, and the two of them were married two weeks after my training period was over."

"That's rough," Robert replied, unsure what else to say.

"Whatever you do, make sure you reply to that letter you got today, kid," Shaun told him.

Robert nodded. "I plan to," he replied, hoping that the letter was one telling him that Ally wanted to continue their friendship. If they stayed friends, then if they were meant to be, perhaps someday the timing would be right for both of them.

With the temps below freezing and snow moving into the area, Nathan had asked Lee to pick Elizabeth and Ally up from school so he wouldn't have to take Jack out in it. Lee was happy to oblige. When Elizabeth asked if he could take her into town so she could return a call her parents, who had sent her a message through Florence earlier in the day, Lee said he had some things to pick up at the mercantile for Rosemary. Dropping Elizabeth off at his office, so she could make the call home without the audience of whoever happened to be in the mercantile at the time, Lee and Ally continued on to do a little shopping.

When Elizabeth walked in, the only one in the lumber office was Jesse.

"Lee dropped me off so I could use the phone," Elizabeth told him, when the young man looked up from his work at his own desk.

Jesse waved a hand toward his boss' desk even as he got to his feet. "I think I will just step out for a few moments and say hello to Clara."

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied, though she would not have minded having just Jesse for an audience for her phone call with her parents.

Sitting down at the desk, Elizabeth picked up the earpiece and spoke briefly with Florence. It wasn't long before Hope Valley's operator had her in touch with her mother in Hamilton.

"Hello, Mother. What is going on? The message to call said it wasn't an emergency."

"It isn't and I wanted to be sure not to alarm you," Grace Thatcher replied. "However, after our last conversation, when you told me how things have changed between you and Nathan, your father and I got to talking. We are very happy that you found love again dear. Life is so much easier to deal with when you have someone who truly loves you at your side."

"I couldn't agree more," Elizabeth replied when her mother paused briefly. "I am very happy in the life I have created with Nathan."

"I am so pleased to hear that. Your father had assured me after our visit to Hope Valley that he had no doubts that Nathan loved you, my dear. To hear you can return that love is just wonderful, and your father and I think the two of you should be able to celebrate that. When you come out to Hamilton for Christmas, your father and I want to give you and Nathan a mini honeymoon. I know you will not want to be away from the children for Jack's birthday and Christmas, but we would like to arrange for you and Nathan to spend the first three nights of your stay here in Hamilton at The Royal Connaught Hotel."

Elizabeth gasped. Julie had told her all about the dance back in 1916 that the hotel had held to celebrate their opening.

"Your father took me to dinner there last summer. It is absolutely splendid. Ava Montclair had family who stayed there, and they were very happy with it. I know you and Nathan love both those children, but the two of you deserve a little time to yourselves."

Elizabeth thought of the one evening alone that she'd share with Nathan upon his return from Hamilton. That had been a lovely experience. Besides, it wasn't like they would be far if Ally or Jack needed them. Though Ally had met her parents while they were in Hope Valley, Elizabeth wondered how her daughter would feel being in her parents' home without Nathan or herself. There was also Archie to consider. Her father-in-law was coming with them. Perhaps it would be best if she and Nathan were not somewhere else.

"It is a lovely gesture mother, but I need to talk with Nathan, Ally and Archie before we say yes. I wouldn't want any of them to feel uncomfortable."

"Of course, dear," Grace consented. "Though rest assured, your father and I will make sure Archie and Ally feel welcomed in our home in your absence."

"Are you aware of Archie's past?" Elizabeth asked, wondering if his criminal history might change how her parents felt about the man.

"We are. Nathan shared with your father while we were visiting, and your father also may have had a background check done on your new husband before we even came to Hope Valley. He wanted to know what kind of man you had married. Your father feels confident in Nathan's assurance that his father has truly changed. Unless he proves otherwise, Archie is welcome in our home."

"Let me talk to the others and I will let you know tomorrow. Will that work?"

"That's fine, especially as we've already made the reservation just to be sure it was available. I would rather cancel if you declined than have you accept and it be too late to get reservations."

Elizabeth laughed. That sounded just like her mother. "I will talk to you tomorrow," she assured her before exchanging good-byes. Hanging up the phone, Elizabeth walked to the door. Not seeing Lee or Ally, she decided she would leave a quick note for Lee that she had gone to talk to Archie at the Amaryllis and then left the office.

Though the boardwalks in town had been cleared of snow and slush, the road still had icy patches. She was trying to be careful, but Elizabeth was about half way across the road when her left foot slipped on some ice. As there was nothing to reach for, she closed her eyes, anticipating an impact with the ground. Instead, she felt a strong arm reach out to steady her.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" a voice asked her.

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth found that the person who had steadied her was Corporal Harold Mayne. "Thanks to you, yes. I appreciate your assistance, Corporal."

The Mountie touched his fingers to the brim of his Stetson. "Just doing my job, ma'am," he replied as he took a step away.

Elizabeth reached out to touch the his arm. "Do you have a moment?"

Harold paused, looking down at her. "Of course ma'am," he told her formally, his posture ramrod straight.

The Mountie's demeanor was all Elizabeth needed to see that being here was just as emotional and awkward for Harold Mayne as it was hers. She tried to offer him a smile, hoping that it didn't come off seeming forced.

"I admit that seeing you was a shock. It brought back a lot of feelings that I thought I was over."

"In my experience, ma'am, we may keep going, but we never truly get over the death of someone we love," Harold told her. "They are always a part of us and the grief of losing them can go from distant to once again fresh at a moment's notice. It was why I asked not to be assigned to Hope Valley. I did not want to make the loss of your husband seem fresh once again."

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness, but if the Mounties think you are the best suited to training Tom, then I trust that he is in good hands."

"I appreciate your confidence," Harold responded.

"Welcome to Hope Valley, Corporal Mayne," Elizabeth said, warmly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Grant," Harold replied, a weight seeming to slip from his shoulders. "May I escort you to your destination?"

"I would appreciate that," Elizabeth replied. "I am going to see my father-in-law at the Amaryllis."

Harold nodded and offered her his arm. Slipping her hand in the crook of his elbow, the two continued across the street, to the entrance of the hotel.

"Why is it that the Mounties are so insistent that you are Tom's training officer?" Elizabeth asked. When Harold didn't immediately reply, she was about to inform him that he needn't answer that when the man finally replied.

"Because they thought I could relate to him better than most," Harold replied. "I know the pain of losing someone you have fallen in love with. Some said I was too young to have truly been in love with Becky but my father understood. It was why he fought so hard to keep me out of jail, when that was probably where I should have been."

"Becky and I grew up together. We were friends. When my mother died giving birth to my younger sister, she was the one that kept reminding me that my mother would want me to continue living and not just grieving. As we moved into our teenage years, that friendship blossomed to more. I knew as soon as we were old enough, I was going to propose . . ."

Looking over at him, Elizabeth saw Harold's Adam's apple move up and down as he struggled for composure. She waited quietly, planning on not pursuing the conversation if he didn't continue.

"I never got the chance," Harold continued. "There was a bank robbery that turned bad. The robber shot Becky when confronted by the local Mounties. I was angry and I wanted someone to blame for her death. With the robber dead as well, shot by one of the Constables in his attempt to escape, those two Mounties were the focus of my anger. I was determined to make their job hard - publicly blaming them for Becky's death and just causing trouble. Honestly, I probably should have done some jail time. Instead, my father thought if I understood how difficult their job really was that it might help me with my anger issues. The result was me going through the training at Depot. I graduated just about the time the conflict in the Northern Territories broke out. So, while Tom and my stories are different, we both learned about self-discipline, responsibility and how to channel our anger into a healthy outlet instead of getting into trouble."

Elizabeth reached over and laid her other hand on the forearm that she clung to as they reached the Amaryllis' entrance. She gave it a gentle squeeze as she spoke. "No wonder it was so hard for you to deliver the news of Jack's death. After how you lost Becky, of course you could empathize with my pain."

"I almost quit after that night," Harold confessed, reaching out with his free hand to open the door. He escorted Elizabeth inside before continuing. "I wasn't sure I could go through that again. I even wrote out my resignation when I got back to Buxton."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, letting go of his arm and turning to face him as they stood just inside the entrance.

"I was about to mail it, when a mother ran up to me saying her three-year-old son had wandered off. I was able to keep her calm, get some information, and located the little boy under the porch of a nearby building. He had slipped through a spot where the slats had broken but then got turned around and couldn't figure out when the gap was. Handing that child back to his mother reminded me of the good I could accomplish. That mother ran to me because of the uniform. She believed I could help her. If I hadn't been there, who knows who she would have run to or if anyone else could have kept her calm enough to get information and help that child. No, that Constables responding to the bank robbery couldn't save Becky but perhaps other lives were saved because they kept the robber from escaping. Your late husband saved the lives of two of the trainees on that mission. All the good that they do is a part of your husband's legacy. I know it doesn't bring him back, but maybe that thought might bring you a little peace."

Elizabeth reached up and wiped away the tears that had slipped out. She had never thought of that aspect of the accident that had claimed her first husband's life - the fact that Jack had saved some lives and those men had gone on to help others. It made Jack's death seem a little less senseless.

"Thank you for that insight," Elizabeth told him."And thank you for confiding in me your own pain. I hope that you enjoy your time here in Hope Valley, Corporal Mayne."

"Thank you, Mrs. Grant."

"Call me Elizabeth please," she replied.

Harold touched his fingers to the brim of his hat. "Have a good evening, Elizabeth," he told her.

"You too," Elizabeth replied, as Harold turned and headed across the street to the jail. Turning herself, Elizabeth headed into the hotel to talk to Archie.

Walking into the cabin he shared with Shaun, despite the chill in the air, Robert headed straight for his bedroom. He wanted to read the letter from Ally in privacy. Once again shedding his hat, gloves and peacoat, despite the chill in the room, Robert went to the stove in the corner and got a fire started. He then retrieved the letter from the pocket of the coat he had just shed and walked over to the wingback chair near the only window in the room. Sitting down, Robert stared down at the neat handwriting on the envelope and recalled his last conversation with Ally. She had said then that she couldn't stay in touch as a friend. He had hoped that would change but hadn't expected it so soon.

Or maybe it hadn't changed. Could Ally, like Constable Monreau's girlfriend, be trying to convince him to change his mind?

Deciding the only way he was going to discover that was by reading the letter, Robert tore open the envelope. Taken out the single sheet of paper, he noticed writing on both sides as he unfolded it.

Dear Robert,

I wish I could say that this letter meant I was over the hurt of our last conversation but my father raised me not to lie. Your words and the choice you made for us still hurts, though the pain is lessening. I know I will be okay in time though because I have a father and mama now who will love me and support me through this. I am surrounded by family and friends who will be in my corner no matter what. I draw strength from that knowledge and knowing that you are out there without that support system makes me worry about you. I am sure that your parents are writing, as are some of our other friends. But you are still alone in a new place where you have to make new friends. I do hope you are managing to do so.

When I came to Hope Valley, you were one of the first people to offer me friendship despite my not so likeable behavior. You, Opal and Emily looked past my defensive behavior and kept out a hand of friendship. It is now my opportunity to return that favor by offering you a hand of friendship through a letter. Perhaps if I tell you about what is going on here in Hope Valley, it might help you feel a little less alone there in Fort St. John.

Of the many places my father's career has taken us, Fort St. John is not among them. What is the settlement like? How many Mounties are posted there? Are you getting along with them? Have you gotten to know any of the people outside your fellow Mounties? I do hope you can find the time to write me a letter describing your first posting and the people there.

In the meanwhile, let me fill you in on what has been happening here in Hope Valley . . .

As he continued to read, Robert let himself relax back against the chair. Yes, his relationship with Ally was still in flux but at least she was accepting the situation and willing to find a new dynamic for them. For now, it was enough and corresponding with her would help to fill some of the free time he still had so little to occupy himself during.

Perhaps the winter in Fort St. John wouldn't be quite as bleak as he had been beginning to fear.

AN: So apparently Amy is rubbing off with me with her historical research and inclusion. No, I didn't find any cool crimes to actually have our Mountie's solve but I did include a historical person in this chapter.

So, the Royal Cannaught Hotel is a real hotel in Hamilton, Ontario. It did open on June 5, 1916 with a lavish dance.

Fort St. John is a real city in British, Columbia nowadays though its location has changed several time, thought to be six. While I used my research some in creating my version of Fort St. John in Nov/Dec of 1920, I also took artistic liscense with it! It was originally established as a trading post by the North West Company in 1794 known as Rocky Mountain House. It was one of the many forts established along the Peace Rive to service the fur trade. In 1912 the Peace Rive Block was opened to Homesteaders. Clark Mackenzie Finch, C.M. Finch, was one of those homesteaders. He first opened a store in his cabin. It isn't until 1928 that the store outgrew the cabin and Finch built a new store on what is now the northeast corner of 100th Avenue and 100th Street. Finch also provided a building for the telegraph and land office. Later he donated land for a hospital and a Roman Catholic Church.

Although the RCMP does have a present day detachment in Fort St. John according to Wikipedia, I do not know if they actually had officers posted here in 1920 at the time of my story. For the sake of my story though, there is a detachment. Two pieces of Mountie history I was able to find for the area were:

1897-1898 Gold seekers pass through Fort St. John on the "All-Canadian" overland route to the Klondike. Inspector Moodie and the North West Mounted Police pass through on assignment to blaze a trail to the Klondike.("Tourism")

1905-1907 Superintendent Constantine of the North West Mounted Police was tasked with turning Inspector Moodie's trail into a more permanent road. From Fort Grahame the road left Moodie's trail and traveled northwest to Telegraph Creek where it connected with other trails. ("Tourism")

Sources: (Citations done to the best of my ability with website limitations. I will post full links in Nathan Grant Fanfiction! Home of the Sunday Night Serge Facebook Page if anyone is interested in looking at the full web pages/articles.)

1. Wikipedia. "Fort St. John, British Columbia", wiki/Fort_St._John,_British_Columbia. Accessed April 28th, 2023.

2. Tourism Fort St. John. "History of the Area", Tourism Fort St. John. /what-to-do/history-heritage/history-of-the-area/. Accessed April 28th, 2023.

3. Tourism Fort St. John. "Pioneer People", Tourism Fort St. John. /what-to-do/history-heritage/pioneer-people/. Accessed April 28th, 2023.