Chapter 2 – Change on the Horizon

Rosemary had been busy. As soon as she had hung up with Jack, she pulled out her handy little phone tree and made two calls. The first call was to the Wolf residents and the second was to Jeb Campbell. She told both of them to spread the word to be alert to outsiders trying to dig into things and understand no circumstances were they to speak of Elizabeth or anything that has happened with her.

After her calls, she took her daughter and went up and down the row houses telling them the same thing. When asked why, she told them Mountie Jack requested it to protect his family. They weren't sure what the threat was, but if Jack asked, it was more than enough reason. Once she had spoken to most people in the row houses, Molly agreed to spread the word while Rosemary stayed with Elizabeth.

So Rosemary took Goldie and went to Elizabeth's. Once the children were settled and they had a cup of tea, Rosemary filled Elizabeth in with everything she knew. Together they agreed to stay away from services, so a call was placed to Pastor Joseph. They updated him on Little Jack and informed them that since Lee was helping the Mounties they were going to keep the kids home to be safe. He understood and reminded them to just ask if they needed anything to which Rosemary agreed and thanked him.

Goldie was in Jack's old bassinet while Jack played with his blocks and Mounties. Elizabeth and Rosemary settled at the table and shared some gossip. As much as Rosemary wanted to be in town and in the center of what was going on, she knew that she was where she was needed. She also knew that Jack would give her an exclusive on what was going on for the paper. She was also comforted by the fact that Lee was in the middle of what was going on and he would be able to help her with the coming articles if needed. There was a part of her that was worried about his safety, but she stopped and said a prayer, something that she had learned since his accident up the mountain with a falling tree.

…. …. …. ….

The rest of Sunday was busy but very subdued compared to the joy the town had felt the day before celebrating the love of their beloved Mountie who had returned to them. The men that had come to pack up the hotel had moved their trucks off to the side, but refused to leave until they had completed their hired job. Bill and Jack wondered if they were more afraid of Bouchard than the Mounties. Jack wondered who was really pulling the strings and what those men wanted.

Sunday services had been a smaller group, but it was okay. Word spread about Little Jack being okay and also that they needed to be careful since there were outsiders among them. Joseph had offered special prayer for Little Jack and the protection of the Mounties that were working so hard in town. He told them to keep an ear out for the church bells. If they rang in four distant peels, people were to stay inside and away from the window. The all clear would ring out for five continuous minutes. Joseph also reminded those that had phones to help spread the word to neighbors who didn't have phones and to all work together to keep everyone safe.

While Nathan had gotten a nap, the rest of the Mounties had cleared the hotel, with the exceptions of Lucas's personal living space, his office and storeroom off his office. Those areas were still roped off with signs of 'Do not enter'. The rooms had been released and the housekeeping staff recalled to clean them and get them ready for the Mounties. Mike Hickum had been busy calling people and letting them know that the hotel was closed for the week and they were sorry that they wouldn't be able to accommodate them. They had also called Union City and let them know that Hope Valley wasn't receiving visitors at the moment and if someone insisted on coming to call the Mounties and they would determine if the person was allowed to travel to Hope Valley. Buxton was told the same thing. There were lots of questions, but Mike had few answers to give other than he was following orders of the local Mounties.

Once they had cleared most of the hotel, Bill went to take a small nap. White and Thompson had photographed the scene outside the hotel, including the car. Jack had deputized both Richard Wolf and Jeb Campbell to help out and give Lee a break. Once White and Thompson had gotten the photographs and their own measurements, they allowed the townspeople to clear the street. The hotel was still roped off, but they were able to put those items all together and off to the side. The town really came together to clear the street and move toward more normal activities.

…. …. …. ….

Nathan was taking a short break sitting on the boardwalk in front of the hotel, having a cup of coffee that Minnie was keeping them supplied with.

As Nathan sat there with his coffee, looking out over the town he loved, he thought how different things had been even twenty-four hours before. Still he loved seeing the children ride the bikes up and down the street laughing. Lost in his thoughts, it took Nathan a moment to realize that Carol had come to sit beside him.

"Where have you been all day?" Carol asked.

"Busy." Nathan said.

"So …." Carol began.

"Stop right there." Nathan said. "I will not tell you anything about the case. I am not going to allow you to talk to Bouchard and I don't want to answer questions about him either."

Carol sighed.

"So you said you have a daughter." Carol said. "How is she with you being a Mountie and in danger?"

"I don't understand what you are asking." Nathan said. "She has only ever known me as a Mountie. She understands that I have a job to do, but I will always try my best to come back to her."

"So she is okay with your job." Carol asked.

"I guess." Nathan said. "Children need to know they are loved and protected. If you can give that to them then your job shouldn't matter. Any job can be dangerous, obviously some more than others. I mean this town used to be filled with coal miners, many of them married with families. Now, it consists of a large number of lumberjacks. Both are dangerous jobs in different ways. One needs to keep God close and trust in His protection. It doesn't matter the person's job, but they need to to rely on God.

I am not saying that you need to help yourself at times, but when trouble comes to find you, you need to rely on not only your own strength and instincts, but the strength that God gives a person. I pray before I go on a mission. I pray when I am on rounds and I have found that helping people is the best thing for the soul. No matter what had me down, finding a way to help others always made me feel better. It might not have solved whatever was going on in my life, but it many times put things in perspective. My daughter and I might not have always had the best life, but we have always had a roof over our heads and food on the table. God has always provided for us when it was needed."

"You really believe that don't you?" Carol asked.

"I do." Nathan said. "Don't you believe in God?"

"I don't know." Carol said. "I was raised to go to church, but I don't know what I believe. Some of the things that I have seen makes me wonder what kind of God allows those things to happen."

"Then you don't understand." Nathan said. "God didn't allow those things to happen. He didn't want them to happen, but that is what happens when He gave humans free choice. You can't have good without evil. I am no philosopher, but I know what I have experienced. I could have let the death of my sister crush me, but it would have crushed Allie as well. I saw her and that little face that was so innocent. She didn't ask for her mother to die and her father to abandon her before that. Knowing how the orphanage system was, I couldn't allow that to happen to Allie.

There were days that I prayed multiple times a day for help when I first got Allie. I know that if I wouldn't have a belief in God and Him putting people in my path that were able to help me. Sometimes even with the simplest things, like teaching me how to make a meal or pick out a dress for a little girl. I can look back on the years that I have had Allie and I can clearly see where God had a direct hand in helping me move forward."

"I don't know." Carol said. "My mother mostly sheltered me from life when I was growing up. I was fifteen or sixteen before I realized what my father actually did. Growing up I was told he was a soldier and chose to live in the States where he was born. He would come and visit us three or four times a year. My mother got sick when I was fourteen and as her health declined, it was when my father brought me over to the States to finish school and that was when I really learned what my father did and I wanted to follow him."

"I am sure he was proud of you for making that choice." Nathan said.

"I don't know." Carol said. "He always said if I wanted to make it in a man's world, I needed to be stronger, smarter and tougher than those around me. He also told me that following his footsteps, that I would have to make a choice because no man would want a woman like me."

"I am sorry." Nathan said. "Maybe you were sent to Hope Valley for a much bigger reason. If you open your heart and are willing to listen, this place can change you if you let it. Many people have come here, some have let whatever it is about these people change them and others have tried to change the people of this town to fit them. Those are the people that don't last here and/or if they stay, they never really become a member of the community and always remain on the edge."

"Maybe." Carol said. "I don't know what to think. Like I said, people here don't feel all that welcoming."

"Because you came here with an agenda." Nathan said. "You came to get what you wanted and not to actually listen to the people and what they have to say."

"I …." Carol started.

"No." Nathan said. "I know what it is like to walk into this town and feel the stare of the people and hear the whispers on their lips. By just being myself for a few days, people saw that I wasn't here to erase what came before me, but to add to the history of this town. It took time to be accepted, but I was because I didn't give up. I also didn't set out to do things my way, but see how things were done and how I could fit in to help keep this town safe."

"We are different people and have different goals." Carol said.

"Maybe, maybe not." Nathan said. "Take a walk, listen to nature and you might just hear the voice of God. Listen because many times He speaks in a whisper."

Nathan didn't say anything else, but tossed the last of his coffee in the dirt, then stood up, tipped his hat to Carol and walked away. As he walked away, he still had that discombobulated feeling, but there was something else. He couldn't call it pity, because that wasn't the right word, but a sadness for the way she was raised and treated. He couldn't imagine a life without a close relationship with God. Nathan said a quick prayer that Hope Valley might work its magic ways on her heart.

…. …. …. ….

After Nathan had walked away, Carol was left sitting there feeling confused. Maybe there was some truth to what he had said. Maybe the reason that no one wanted to talk about Mr Bouchard was because he was one of those people that tried to change the town to suit him and remained on the edge, never really being accepted. Then she thought about the information that she had that he was either engaged or recently married. Even though Corporal Thornton said the information had been flawed, she wondered if they were trying to protect the young lady because something happened. She didn't have a name or even a description of the woman, so she didn't know who to ask for.

While sitting there thinking about everything that she knew about the case and about her life, she didn't realize someone had joined her. She was a bit startled when she looked over and saw a black man sitting next to her, carrying a worn Bible in his hands.

"Sorry." Joseph said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I am the local pastor here and you looked like you needed someone to talk to."

"You are the pastor?" Carol said, a bit shocked.

"Is that a problem?" Joseph asked.

"No." Carol said. "I guess you just don't see that much."

"What?" Joseph said. "A black man leading a church in a mostly white town?"

Carol didn't say anything, but Joseph had his answer.

"You aren't from around here." Joseph said. "So I will excuse your prejudice. This town doesn't conform to many of the traditional ways. This town was saved by a bunch of mine widows who stood up against the company that killed their husbands. Many of the businesses are owned and/or run by women. There was a woman mayor for several years before she was forced to go back east to help her ailing mother. When my wife and I came here with our children, we were seeking a place that would teach our blind daughter. We had heard through other people that there was an amazing school teacher here that gave everyone a chance. She had worked with a child that was told he was too slow for school and the problem turned out to be that he couldn't read because of a learning disorder. She found a way to help him and he not only finished school, but went on to build amazing things."

"Oh." Carol said.

"So we came here with a hope for our daughter." Joseph said. "It was through helping other people that they learned that I was a pastor. I had been angry at God for a long time after my daughter went blind because a white doctor won't help us. It was when I came back to God and realized He wept with me when I cried for my daughter, that things changed. I listened to God and accepted my true calling to be a man of His Word."

"What is with this town and God?" Carol asked.

"Maybe it is because of the people of this town." Joseph said. "No matter where they have come from, they have seen the evils of the world and have instead chosen to see the good in people and live out that Christian ideal of helping thy neighbor. When this town lost over forty men in a matter of minutes, it was their faith and belief that God would provide that helped them to come together. From my understanding that provision came in the form of young idealistic school teacher straight out training and an equally young Mountie, who from my understanding was a lot more realistic about life.

Their love gave people hope that things could get better. Their willingness to help everyone and meet people where they were showed a kindness that was missing for a long time in this town. That young Mountie took it upon himself to help those boys with their grief and anger at losing their fathers, because it was pain he himself knew. It was that young idealistic school teacher who refused to give up on any child and told them that they could be whatever their heart desired if they wanted it enough and worked hard. They gave this town hope. So after the mine was closed, it was their inspiration that prompted the new name for this place.

From my understanding, many people come through this town, some stay and some move along, but those that are willing to listen and understand will have their lives changed. Many people have come here to get away from one thing or another, only to find that they were running from God and themselves. Once they opened their hearts to listen to what God wanted of them, only then did they truly find themselves. Again, some of them stayed and made this place their home. Others moved along and continued their journey, albeit changed. I will be around if you want to talk."

"Thank you." Carol said.

Joseph stood up and started to walk away, but then turned back. He wasn't sure what prompted him to turn back, but he knew he had to, so he chalked it up to a God moment.

"If you want to know about this town." Joseph said. "And by extension, the people in it, I wouldn't ask so many questions. I saw you in the cafe earlier. People have a way of spotting an outsider, quickly."

Joseph walked away and headed back to the cafe. Carol was stunning; she had been told three times that morning that being an outsider was what the problem was. She took a moment to look at her relatively fancy traveling dress and what the other women were wearing. She realized that she very much looked like an outsider. She also realized that most of the things that she had packed won't help her to blend in. She had several traveling dresses and three or four suits that a lot of the women in New York and Chicago had. She then spotted the dress shop and realized she might have to make a trip over there in the morning as they appeared to be closed.

As she sat there, Carol realized it was going to be a long week. Part of her wanted to call her boss and tell them to forget it, but she knew that the family of the girl had paid a lot of money to the Pinkertons to bring Bouchard back so he could face justice or they could at least get answers. The thing that Carol was realizing was that the Mounties didn't seem too willing to let Bouchard go. She wondered what he had actually done, because in her experience, the Mounties were usually more than willing to turn over people of interest, because the punishments tended to be worse in the States. At least if the Pinkertons just dropped the guy in the town where he was accused of the crime. They rarely had to spend the money on a trial as the locals would simply take care of the man.

…. …. …. ….