Chapter 2
Cecilia found herself relaxing more as the small crowd around them settled down at the tables in the café, their initially loud welcome of the Grant family now having quietened down to the steady hum of friends gathered together.
Behind her she could hear Nathan talking with Florence and Ned and had to stifle a giggle as she heard him say "There is nothing quite like seeing that banner across the street when we arrive to make us feel welcome. We are all so grateful for what everyone does but I do hope you don't risk hurting yourself putting it up Ned. You know we would understand if it was too much."
Florence was having none of that. "If Ned can't do it then I will climb the ladder myself Nathan. Come hell or high water that banner will be hanging across Main Street to greet your lovely family every summer when you return here!", she insisted.
Allie joined them then, having noticed that her dad was struggling a bit with the conversation. "Did you know that Mrs Yost put up a small banner just for me? It was so sweet and I really appreciated it." She looked fondly at Florence and Ned, thinking to herself how much they had aged without her really noticing. Their kindness to her over the years was something that she would never forget, especially during the time of all the trouble with The Bouchards.
Nathan smiled at her, before turning back towards The Yosts, "You do realise that a Mountie is here to serve the people of the town so perhaps next time you should ask either Constable Buchanan or Corporal Harter to do it for you. I am sure they would be more than happy to oblige."
At the mention of his name Ed turned towards them, giving Nathan a quizzical look. "Did you want me sir?" Like Jim Buchanan he always used the formal address at the start of the summer but very quickly, with Nathan's continued insistence, both Mounties became relaxed in their attitude towards him and this was dropped.
"Nothing to worry about right now but let me just say that should Ned need some help with that banner in the future I am happy for you to do it in work time if necessary. In fact, I think we should hand over the duty to you and Jim permanently, so I'll leave it to you both to liaise with Ned when it is time for it to come down."
Ed paused for a minute before answering, "I suppose we could always include it in the Mountie training programme, after all working at heights is an important skill for all of them to have." Nathan laughed at his quick thinking and nodded, "That sounds like a good plan to me but until the next batch of men come along it will have to be you or Jim up that ladder."
The opening of the door interrupted the conversation and Nathan watched as two young boys walked slowly into the café, the struggle on their faces telling him that they were under strict instructions from their mother to not run. Their eyes scanned the room seeking him out and when they finally found him the wide grins that quickly appeared showed how excited they were that he was here.
"Mountie Nathan!", they shouted in chorus. With a few strides towards the door Nathan was in front of them, amazed at how much they had both grown in the last year. "Well, well, if it isn't my two favourite cadets of the future. You are both getting closer to the height required to join the Mounties. Your mother must be feeding you double rations."
They giggled at that before he knelt down, ignoring the glaring look he received from Rosemary at mention of the boys becoming Mounties. Sensing a hesitation in them he quickly added, "You do know that even the strongest and bravest Mounties give hugs to the people they are happy to see, no matter where they are or who is watching." With that two pairs of arms were around him squeezing tightly.
For the briefest of moments time stood still and the pain of those he had been unable to help hit him, as it did each year. Cecilia watched, knowing this was part of the mental process he went through every time they returned, as though he had to let those demons out again before he could move on to enjoying their time here. Then as he hugged them back the smile on his face showed just how much it meant to him to be back here for these two. They would be his shadows for much of the summer and that was just fine as far as Nathan was concerned.
In Rosemary's arms little Victoria's squeals broke the moment as she spotted the cakes Minnie had set out on the counter. Lee laughed as he came through the door, "That's my sweet toothed girl. Not so excited to see her daddy but put a cake in front of her and she is in heaven! That was all that the boys needed for their attention to be diverted and standing up Nathan gave them both a pat on the head, "Off you go get some. I'd try the chocolate cake, Mrs Canfield still makes the best I have ever tasted!"
As other people came in the café was becoming crowded so Allie and Emily took the children through to the kitchen table where, with napkins tucked around their necks, there were oohs and aahs of delight at the sight of the cakes set out just for them. Cecilia heard her oldest daughter's cry of despair as she tried to prevent chocolate frosting from being spread through Colleen's hair, while Victoria was busy wiping her jam covered hands on the skirt of her dress. Beside her Rosemary said with a laugh, "It seems that our two daughters are in competition to see who can wear the most of their food in the shortest time!"
As Minnie bustled about making fresh pots of tea and coffee, Joseph handed around the plates of cake and cookies to the adults, taking the time at each table to agree how wonderful it was to have Nathan and his family back again this year. He had already written his sermon for this Sunday. The premise of good triumphing over evil and how blessed they all were to have true friends back again was one that he knew he used every year at this time but it was something he wanted to make sure was never forgotten.
To see how far Hope Valley had come since the demise of Lucas Bouchard and his criminal cohorts was testament to the strength and determination of the community, but none of that would have been possible without Nathan and his men. And his family, for that matter. They had all suffered to bring about the end of the bad times here and the only sadness now was that there were too many memories for them to feel they could settle down here for good. So Joseph knew it was important for them to give thanks for the time they did get to spend together, knowing that they were living the life God meant them to have.
The sound of a knife tapping against a cup brought silence to the room and all eyes turned towards Fiona. "I'm not going to say a lot, just that I think I speak for everybody in Hope Valley when I say how happy I am to have The Grant family back here for the summer."
Turning towards Allie she continued, "We've been lucky to have spent the last week with you Allie and it almost seems as though you never left. I know from the bleary eyes I see on Opal coming into the salon each morning that you've already had some late night catch ups and I am sure there may be quite a few more throughout the summer."
Looking around for Cecilia she wasn't surprised to see her at the kitchen table, wiping faces and not caring that sticky hands were leaving marks on the sleeves of her dress as they all protested at the interruption to cake time. "If someone had told me four years ago that a famous author would one day be here just being a normal mother like the rest of us then I doubt I would have believed them. But we are always so happy to have our friend back here every summer and I, in particular, cherish the time we spend together talking and laughing, sorting out how as women we can ensure that our daughters grow up in a world where their voices can be heard just as loudly as the men around them."
Cecilia had paused what she was doing, smiling back as she listened to her friend's kind words. She understood the struggle Fiona had gone through after Mike was killed and knew that one of the greatest personal achievements for Nathan's in his career had been when he identified and arrested the man responsible for murdering him. It had taken time to put all the pieces together and once again Patrick O'Reilly had been instrumental in finding the information needed. While it would never make up for what her stepfather had done in letting go free the man who had killed her father on Rocco Perri's orders, it had sent a message to the crime boss that one day they would be coming after him. She was willing to settle for that.
Fiona found Nathan then and everyone waited, letting the moment be just the two of them as the warmth in her eyes was reflected back from his. "As for you my dear friend. Every year I try to find words to express just what it means to me, to my family, this town, to have you back. Without you none of us would be enjoying the life we have. We all have our ups and downs, but you gave us back our community and our belief that as long as we worked together we could overcome any obstacle."
She looked across then to where Ed was holding their baby Michael in one arm, his other draped around the shoulder of their adopted daughter, Mui Lan. "To say that you have given me my whole world would be an understatement. Like so many here I shall be forever grateful to you."
As the heads around her were nodding in agreement she broke out into the broadest smile, "But now is not a time to be looking back, it is for celebrating good friends being reunited and thinking about all the fun we are going to be having. This is just the beginning of another wonderful summer all together. We wish it was for longer but we are grateful for what we can have of you."
Just when the cheers that followed her words were subsiding the door to the café opened once more and the well dressed stranger from the train stepped into the room. He looked embarrassed as he realised he had walked into a private gathering. As he took in the faces turned towards him he noticed some of the people he had seen at the station, Nathan Grant and Bill Avery amongst them. Stopping quickly he began to retreat, offering his apologies. "Désolé. I am very sorry for interrupting your party, I was in search of a cup of coffee as it seems the staff at the hotel are not to be found for now."
Cat Montgomery was about to speak and offer to accompany him back to the hotel when Fiona stepped forward, extending her hand to the man. "Please, you have nothing to apologise for. We are celebrating the return of our dear friends for the summer but one thing you will learn about our town is that everyone is always welcome. I am Fiona Harter, the Mayor of Hope Valley."
Before the man could reply Joseph was ushering him towards a small table and Minnie came from the kitchen with a clean cup and coffee pot, ready to pour. "I'm afraid our coffee may not match the standard you will be used to in Europe but I can assure it is hot and strong. My husband ground the beans this morning so it is fresh as well."
The man remained standing, not sure what to make of this welcome he was receiving. "You are all too kind. I had heard that Hope Valley was a friendly town but this is more than I expected." His eyes lit up as he saw the plate of cakes being placed on the table in front of him. "But I forget my manners. My name is Phillipe St Germain and I am the one who is building the new hotel here in your town."
From the other side of the room Nathan and Ed both watched intently, their Mountie instincts telling them that there was more to him than just that. There was something that they recognised, the intonation of his voice and certain mannerisms causing both men to immediately decide that some checks needed to be made before they would welcome him unreservedly. But for now they said nothing, looking at each other to silently confirm that they would bide their time.
Lee Coulter was the one to step forward next, offering his hand and explaining that it was his lumber company providing all the wood and his construction business doing the building work. He indicated various men around the room who were involved with the project, explaining that they had started early that day so as to be free for this welcome party.
Phillipe stopped him there, assuring him that he understood that other matters sometimes arose that were important. "I know that the work is ahead of schedule so please do not feel any guilt", he added.
Cecilia had come through from the kitchen, watching the interactions with interest and knowing exactly what was going through her husband's mind right now. It didn't surprise her. Each time they returned for the summer he would make a point of looking for something that was wrong, as if trouble lay dormant for the rest of the year waiting to surface whenever he was in town. She could see from his face that he was already overthinking this man's presence and yet she too had a strange feeling about him, as though they had met before.
When it was her turn to be introduced she hesitated, seeing a flicker of recognition from the man, so brief that it would have been easy to miss. She managed only a half smile before experiencing a strange sensation that was difficult to explain as he raised her hand to his lips and placed a light kiss upon it. It was not a pleasant feeling but knowing that Nathan would be closely watching she kept her face impassive as the man's eyes met hers. I will have to be careful around him, she thought, and wondered if perhaps Nathan was going to be proven right this time.
In her room at The Royal Hotel, Lily Bercot was waiting impatiently for her husband to return. He had promised that he would not be long, the summons for room service to provide further refreshments having gone unanswered as they realised that it was not something commonly available in such small town establishments. It was certainly not her choice to come here but having managed to get him to put a very large ring on her finger she was not about to do anything to upset the arrangement they had agreed upon. He would fund her movies and she would be the beautiful and dutiful wife on his arm when required.
Even so, this was further from Paris than she had ever imagined travelling and not somewhere she was eager to spend any more time than necessary. Living in California was bad enough. Two weeks, she had promised him on their journey up here. She knew that probably meant it would be closer to four weeks, which was what she really expected when she agreed to come. He would then be appreciative when she graciously offered to stay longer. The more bargaining chips she had in the bank for use in the future the better.
If she was honest, the town seemed more civilised than she had been led to believe, although she still could not understand what drove her husband to decide to build a hotel here. She was sure it had something to do with his past but he had never been forthcoming when asked and she sensed that it was not a subject she should push too far. She would wait, listen and find out what she could from others.
Right now she just wanted to soak in the bathtub while sipping a glass of De Venoge Champagne, which her husband had shipped over from France to keep her happy, with a number of crates always accompanying them on their travels. But of course it needed to be put on ice before it was the right temperature and what the hotel was offering in the meantime was something far below what her palate was accustomed to.
But patience was not one of Lili's virtues and she had the feeling that the little she did have would be sorely tested over the coming weeks.