Chapter 55- Deliveries
The time was now.
He watched as Yost began his mail delivery rounds for the day. Making stops at the Coulter's, then the barbershop, and finally the Mountie office. Yost hadn't stayed long before moving across the street for the rest of his deliveries.
He moved quickly and surely down the boardwalk, stepping up onto the platform in front of the jail, he stooped for a moment in front of the window, before straightening and knocking on the open door.
"Constable? It looks like Mr. Yost dropped this letter for you on his deliveries. It was sitting on the boardwalk outside your office, so I thought I would bring it in before it blew down the street."
"Oh," Mountie Grant reached across the worn desk and took the resealed letter from his grasp. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he tipped his hat and took a few steps towards the door.
"Wait," the Mountie stood and moved around the desk. "I don't believe we have met. I'm Nathan. Nathan Grant."
He looked down at where the Mountie had extended out his right hand in greeting. As not to draw attention, he took the invitation and shook his hand in return. "Nice to meet you, Nathan. I'm Gregory Doyle."
"Are you new to town?"
"I've been here a little while. I found work on the pipeline construction site."
"Do you have a family?"
His temper was getting short with the constable's constant friendly questioning. Why couldn't he have taken the letter and let it be?
"Engaged." He stated directly when he realized the Mountie was waiting patiently for an answer.
"Lucky you!" The Mountie smiled as he turned towards his desk, picking up the letter.
He noted the furrow that came to the Mountie's brow upon inspecting the return address a little more closely.
"What about you? Kids? Married?"
What was he thinking? Asking questions in return? Leave before you mess this up!
The Mountie's attention turned back to him with the question, the corners of his eyes wrinkling slightly as he smiled. "A daughter, Allie. She's almost fifteen and going on thirty. Married? No... Not yet anyway."
"But you have a girl?" He felt his eyebrow raise. He wanted to understand how the Mountie viewed his relationship with her.
"I wouldn't say that. Charlotte is her own woman. She belongs to no one."
Want to bet? He thought to himself.
"What does she do?"
"She is the local teacher." The Mountie turned and picked up one of the picture frames on his desk, handing it to him. "That's her."
He studied the picture with more intensity than he knew he should be. He felt the same magnetic draw to her that he always had. The picture was of her and the Mountie dancing together along what looked like the pond by the church. A party in the background.
"She is beautiful," he handed the picture back to the Mountie. "Whomever she marries will be one lucky man."
"I agree," the Mountie answered, taking an extra moment himself to look at the picture longingly before placing it back into its spot on his desk. "Thank you again Mr. Doyle for bringing the letter. I appreciate it."
"Not a problem. Happy to help and please call me Greg."
"Hope to see you around more in the future, Greg. Welcome to town."
"Hi Minnie!" Charlotte's cheerful voice filtered in through the side door of the café that afternoon. "Would you like some of the apples Allie and I picked today at the Campbell farm?"
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd love some to make a few fresh apple pies."
"That sounds delicious! Allie is taking a couple baskets and delivering them to the other side of the street, while I take this side."
"Stopping at the Mountie office then?" Minnie's eyebrow wiggled in Charlotte's direction.
"I guess I wasn't planning on it since I don't imagine Nathan will be baking an apple pie anytime soon."
Minnie chuckled. "No, I don't imagine so. Not after he almost burned down the café making your birthday cake."
"What has Joseph been up to lately? I haven't seen him around town as much since they put the finishing touches on the hospital a couple weeks ago."
"Oh…" Minnie set about stirring a pot on the stove. "He's been working most of the time on a new project at a farm just outside of town. Long hours right now trying to get everything lined up."
"I guess it makes sense with winter coming that he tries to finish up as many projects as possible while the weather cooperates."
"Mmmhmmm." Minnie responded, not looking up from her position at the bubbling stew in front of her.
Charlotte could clearly see Minnie was busy, so she unpacked part of her basket on the table in the middle of the café. "I'll just leave these here and keep on with my deliveries. Have a wonderful rest of your day Minnie."
"You too, Charlotte."
"Oh, my goodness! Look at you!" Charlotte squealed, walking through the door into the Coulter's office. Her hands instantly going to rest on either side of Rosemary's belly.
"Don't say it…" Lee tried to interject.
"Don't say what?" Charlotte asked, obviously confused.
"What he was trying to warn you about, is to not tell me I'm fat," Rosemary's eyes shot daggers at her husband across the room.
"Lee! Did you call your wife fat?" Shock carrying in Charlotte's voice.
"No."
"Yes."
The Coulters both answered at the same time.
Charlotte's face grimaced. "Lee, you know better than that."
"I didn't call her fat!"
"Yes, you did!" Rosemary argued.
"I said you were looking a little plump now that you are starting to show."
Both of Lee's arms were playfully backhanded by Rosemary and Charlotte.
"See. Charlotte agrees. Plump. Fat. It's all the same thing." Rosemary pleaded her case.
Charlotte chuckled. "You are looking beautiful is what I was going to say and Lee you should learn that phrase as well."
"Noted." Lee smiled before going back to the huge stack of papers on his desk.
"Looks like a big order you have there, Lee. Another hospital being built?" Charlotte asked.
"Might as well be, with the size of the project," Rosemary quipped, not seeing her husband waving frantically behind Charlotte's back.
"That big, huh?" Charlotte commented, striding over toward Lee, and peeking at his papers.
Lee quickly flipped a file over the top paper, disguising what lay below. Charlotte jerked back at the action and looked at Lee quizzically.
What was with people today? Being all secretive about something?
"I brought some extra apples from what Allie and I picked if you would like a few for your family."
"I think Fred brought some home today too, but knowing that boy, all the apples could already have a bite in them as he probably became hungry on the walk home," Rosemary joked.
Charlotte threw back her head and laughed. "You are probably right. He is a growing boy. I can't believe how tall my godson has become in just the past few months. Is he getting excited for a little sister or brother to be coming?
"Brother." Lee quickly corrected. "Fred doesn't even want to entertain the idea of a little sister."
"Oh no!" Charlotte chuckled. "Why on earth not?"
"He says that girls are complicated, just like Opal," Rosemary answered.
"Opal?"
"It seems as though Little Fred may have the beginnings of a schoolboy crush," Lee answered.
"I can't believe I hadn't even noticed," Charlotte brow furrowed as she tried to remember if there was anything at school that she had missed between the two.
"I'm not surprised," Rosemary's eyes twinkled with mischief. "When you seem to have your own schoolyard crush this year,"
Charlotte's cheeks flushed. She had to admit she was having fun with Nathan joining them most days for lunch at school before playing with the kids at recess.
"Let Fred know, I hope he gets that baby brother," Charlotte winked as she headed out the door.
Charlotte didn't know if Hope Valley could handle a miniature version of Rosemary Coulter running around.
*Just a quick chapter to move things forward and start setting up for the last couple "episodes" of "Season 10". Thanks to heather4cu for finding my age typo on Allie!
Hopefully the lighthearted moments at the end of the chapter made up for the first interaction between 'Gregory Doyle' and Nathan at the start.
*BTW- Gregory means "watchful, alert" and Doyle means "dark foreigner". Thought that would be an appropriate name for this character.