Chapter 119- The Call of the Wild
That night, after quickly rushing through their dinner, Nathan, Charlotte, and Allie worked at setting up a nice warm bed made with an old rug and blankets in front of the fireplace in the living room for the puppy. She was a smart little thing and the family quickly picked up on her cues of when she needed to go outside. When it was time for bed, Allie got the puppy curled up in her rug and they all waited until the dog fell peacefully asleep, before sneaking upstairs to their own rooms.
As Nathan and Charlotte lie in bed that night, curled back into each other's arms, talking and laughing together about the past days apart, especially Nathan's retelling of "the bear", they both supposed that they would hear the pup whine or bark through the night, and they would have to go and comfort it or take it outside. When they awoke though, they were suspicious. Neither had heard a peep out of the young dog. Mountie, and Mountie wife, instincts kicked in. They needed to investigate.
They both crept down the hallway and stairs, but as they rounded the corner into the living room nothing was out of place. No chewed-up boot, no missing piece of bacon from the kitchen, nothing seemed amiss except the dog itself. It was nowhere to be found. They searched high and low, inside, and outside, both were clearly starting to panic.
"What are we going to tell Allie?" Nathan lamented. "We get her a dog and then lose it again in less than twelve hours."
"Come on 'Mr. Best Tracker in the Territory'... we can figure this out," Charlotte tried to stay positive. "That puppy couldn't have gone far on her own."
And with that statement, Nathan and Charlotte's eyes met in understanding. "Allie." They said in unison before racing back up the stairs. They slowed in front of their daughter's room and quietly opened the door to see Allie still sound asleep and the pup lying peacefully at her feet on top of the covers.
They later found out that Allie had got up in the middle of the night to check on the puppy and accidentally woke her up when she came downstairs. Not wanting the dog to feel lost and alone in a strange place she had picked the puppy up and carried it to her room where they both fell asleep. As much as Nathan and Charlotte didn't want it becoming a habit for their daughter, or the dog, they had to admit, it was a cute scene.
It took Allie a few days to choose a name for the puppy. She tried out everything, but nothing quite seemed right. Even Nathan's suggestion of 'Bear' was carefully considered. Finally, one afternoon while helping Rosemary with the 'Valley Voice', Allie asked to borrow one of the Coulter's books she had spotted in their house the night Patricia was born. It was a unusual title, The Origin and Meaning of Names. Rather than lend the book, Rosemary gave it to Allie. Her thoughts being, the Grants would soon be putting it to use for more than just trying to name their new puppy.
That evening, with the dog sitting beside her on the living room floor, Allie started with the 'A' names and worked her way through the book. Whenever Allie would find a name that she liked the sound of and its meaning, she would say it aloud to see if the puppy responded to it. But nothing seemed to be drawing the dog's attention away from chewing on an old ball it had found, or rather that Nathan had found for her.
"Oh! I think I got one." Allie stated, looking up at Nathan and Charlotte who sat on the couch together reading their own books. "What about Reagan? Maybe Ray for short? It's Irish for "Little King"."
"She is a beautiful dog. A rather majestic name would fit her," Charlotte said.
"And we chose an Irish name for your horse, so it would stay with that theme."
"Why don't you try it out and see if it gets her attention." Nathan added.
"Reagan." The dog didn't budge. "Ray. Here girl." Allie patted the floor beside her, but the puppy just licked at her paw and then laid her head down on top of it. Clearly unamused. Allie set the book down on her lap in a bit of a dejected manner. "I never thought this would be so hard."
"Don't give up," Charlotte tried to cheer her on. "You still have plenty of R's left and about eight more letters of the alphabet after that. You'll find something, just turn the page, and start anew."
Allie sighed but decided to follow Charlotte's advice and continue. After a few more pages she stopped again.
"Remi!" She called out, and unexpectedly the dog perked her ears and directed her attention to Allie. "Remi, come here girl." The puppy moved over and licked Allie's hand where she had patted it on the floor.
"Remi, huh?" Nathan commented. "What does Remi even mean?"
Allie lifted the book again to read the description attached to the name. "It says here it's short for Oluremi which means 'God comforts me'."
"That's a beautiful name and meaning," Charlotte said. "What do you say, girl? Is it going to be Remi?"
The Grants all laughed as the puppy yipped her approval.
Charlotte knew it was never too early to start training a puppy. A dog could be both useful and enjoyable, like her family's old dog Bo, but Charlotte's father had made sure he was also obedient. Obedience was of primary importance. Between the things she remembered from her dad's training of Bo, and the Mountie sled dog manual Nathan found buried in some of his old books, the whole family worked together on Remi's lessons.
Remi quickly grew. One day she was a fluffy pup, and the next day it seemed she was a gangly, growing dog. She turned from cute into beautiful. Her dark fur glistened, but it slowly seemed to be transitioning from predominantly black to more hints of brown. She was curious and sensitive, and a quick learner. Within a few short weeks, she had at least an understanding of the basics: come, stay, sit, and lie-down. She was still getting used to walking on a leash at times and had yet to master the command of 'quiet'.
Remi would usually come to town with them through the week and stay with Nathan at the office, sleeping most of the time on an old pillow he had placed beside his desk. When he would have to leave town on his rounds, Remi would go to the construction company office and spend time with Maise who spoiled the puppy excessively with treats and attention, but even Maise was no match for 'Uncle Bill'.
As much as Bill tried not to show his fondness for the pup, he seemed to stop by more frequently and he never came empty handed. He was always bringing scraps from the café that he was 'going to have to throw out anyway' or a new chew toy he just 'happened to come across'. Nathan, on more than one occasion caught Bill ruffling Remi behind the ears saying, "How's my little Bear today?".
At recess and after school, Remi would usually play with the children. They took her on walks around the pond and taught her how to play fetch. She would be so worn out from chasing them around that by the time Nathan brought her back to his office she would fall asleep on her little bed for a long afternoon nap. Everyone in town loved Remi and she quickly became an honorary mascot for the RCMP office. Even Elizabeth, in passing one day, wistfully expressed how much she missed seeing a dog guarding the office like Jack's old basset hound, Rip, had done many years ago.
"Do you think Remi would make a good sled dog?" Allie asked one evening as they all sat in the living room. Remi perked her head up at the mention of her name, but soon realized she was not needed and laid it back down on her paws.
Charlotte was grading papers and editing her students' next round of letters for Warren. While they had yet to hear if he received their first package, she wanted to have another wave of correspondence to send him before the school year was over. This time she had asked the students to write about their plans for summer vacation and while many of the letters were very well written, she did go through and correct some misspellings and grammar issues by making small notes in the margins. "What's with this sudden curiosity in sled dogs?"
Allie lifted the book she held in her hands. "I've been reading this."
"'The Call of the Wild', huh? It's been a while since I read that one."
"I picked it up in the library the other day. I've been interested in learning more about sled dogs since Warren's letter about using them in his posting up North."
"I'm not saying that Remi couldn't, because she has a lot of heart," Nathan said from his position in the chair where he had been writing in his journal. A new ritual he seemed to have picked up over the past few weeks. "But normally sled dogs, like what Warren has, are huskies. They are bred for that kind of work and being out in the elements all year long. Remi is part shepherd. Her instincts are more for herding, than pulling a sled."
"That's what Dad trained Bo to do. He helped on the ranch herding cattle for us."
"I recently read where some are training shepherds for police and rescue work. They have great protective instincts that seem to serve well for this purpose."
"You're wanting to put Remi to work with the force? Is she becoming too much of a pampered pooch now in your eyes, sleeping all afternoon in her bed by your desk?" Charlotte teased.
Nathan chuckled. "No, that's not what I'm saying, but I do think that she's too smart to not be given a job of some sort and seeing as we don't have any cows for her to chase around, I've been thinking of writing to a Mountie in Regina who I heard has been training shepherds like Remi. See if he can't give us some pointers. I really think she may have the makings of a good police dog."
Remi whined at Nathan's suggestion.
"You already come to work with me every day, Rem. How about you earn your keep?" He joked which only earned the raise of one of the dog's brown furry eyebrows in response.
"Doesn't seem as though she's too sure about that idea," Charlotte laughed.
"Oh, come on girl. I promise…" Nathan reached over to scratch Remi's tummy as she had rolled onto her back beside him. "You do not have a ruff life."
With the end of the school year less than a month away, Allie had been clamoring for weeks to go on a camping trip. Well not really a camping trip, more a survival trip. At dinner, their first night in Calgary, Warren had told her about his favorite training exercise Nathan led them in at Fort Clay. Where each cadet packed one knapsack of supplies and then they were taken to a remote location and had to survive for three days out in the elements. Now, after practically memorizing the RCMP manual Tremblay had given her at the train station, Allie believed she was ready for the same drill.
Nathan was hesitant. While yes, he and Allie had been camping a few times, and enjoyed their days last summer on the cattle trail in Brookfield, his survival drills were not meant to be enjoyable. They were meant to be practical. A place for recruits to put all their training skills to the test, not some grand adventure Allie had imagined.
Charlotte worked to change his mind. "Who better for Allie to learn this from than you?" She had asked. "What's that old saying? Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. These things you show Allie are skills that she can use forever."
"It's not as romantic as I think Tremblay made it sound," Nathan rebutted. "You get exhausted, cold, hungry. Men even got hurt during this training practice. It's meant to push them to the extremes to see how they handle themselves when their backs are against the wall. It's the drill that always showed us the best recruits in each class of cadets."
"And you don't think Allie can handle it?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it's not as easy or as fun as I think she expects it to be."
"Then be honest with her. Explain it all in detail and see if she still wants to go."
"And if she still wants to go?"
"Then go. Elizabeth and I were planning on canceling classes next Thursday and Friday as a bit of a spring break for the kids before the last push of the school year. You could use that time for this trip. Bill can take care of things at the office, and I'll handle things around here with Remi's help."
"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Nathan jokingly pouted, encircling his arms around Charlotte's waist and drawing her closer.
"I don't think so, Sarge," Charlotte laughed, wiggling playfully out of his embrace. "I wasn't the one buying into Tremblay's idea of fun. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy camping, fishing, the outdoors, and especially spending time with the two of you, but I think I'm going to sit this one out. You and Allie need some more time together just the two of you. This would be the perfect opportunity. Teach her everything you know. I don't think either of you will regret that you did."
Nathan paused and thought pensively about what his wife was suggesting. "You are right." He finally sighed.
"Every woman's favorite words to hear," Charlotte teased. "Especially when they come from her husband."
Nathan laughed, his eyes filled with humor, and he again reached towards Charlotte, but she playfully eluded his grasp, giggling at his failed attempt at capture. She gave another half-hearted try to sidestep him, but this time Nathan caught her hand and swung her around. Pulling her into his arms he cupped the back of her head and covered her mouth with his. Nathan reached up and slipped the bandanna she wore off her hair. Pulling the string of her braid loose, he raked his fingers into her waves and tipped her head back to have better access to her lips as Charlotte's hands roamed across his chest. She could feel the fierce pounding of his heart beneath her palms. A loving warmth sweeping over them.
After a few moments, their lips parted slightly to catch their breath. Nathan's hands slid down her arms and he squeezed her hands gently. "I would like to take you on a camping trip sometime too, Mrs. Nathan. Just the two of us."
"I think I'd like that." She kissed the sensitive spot along his stubbled jawline. "Where are you planning on taking me?"
"Someplace where we can see stars right before we drift off to sleep like we did on the cattle drive last summer."
"Well," Charlotte pulled back slightly, her dark grey eyes connecting with his. The look she gave made his mouth go dry. "Since I've married you, I seem to be seeing stars quite often, Sarge."
"Alright, I'm ready." Allie proudly stood at the base of the porch steps, one of Nathan's old Mountie knapsacks swung over her back. "I have everything packed."
It was still dark out that Thursday morning, with just the slightest hints of dawn beginning to make its presence known in the east. Nathan and Charlotte were tightening Newton and Bandit's cinches for the trip up the mountain. Charlotte would ride double with Nathan until they reached their drop off spot past the meadow. The plan was for her to ride Newton and trail Bandit back down to the house and then return to the same spot late Saturday afternoon to pick up Nathan and Allie after their expedition.
"Are you sure you have everything?" Nathan questioned.
Allie nodded her head. "Yes. Everything that was outlined in the manual. A knife, some food, a canteen with water, a couple small cooking pans and utensils, bedroll, extra socks and warm clothes for layering, a map, rope, fishing line and a couple hooks, matches, a hatchet, and a first aid kit."
"Compass?"
"I thought you had that. The one Mom gave you for the wedding."
"I do, but it's always good to be prepared with your own supplies in case we get separated or something happens to me."
Allie looked slightly upset and Charlotte couldn't quite tell if it was over the idea of something possibly happening to Nathan or the fear that without a compass of her own, Nathan would cancel the whole trip. She noticed Nathan soften as he also read Allie's expression.
"Don't worry," he said, moving over to stand in front of Allie. "I just so happen to have an extra one right here." Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a well-worn compass to give to Allie. "Take care of it, please. I've had that since my first day with the Mounties. It saw me through training and every posting I've been to. But since I have the one your mom gave me, I figured it's time to give this compass to someone who will use it more than I currently do, and I couldn't think of anyone better to have it than you."
"You mean… it's mine? You're giving it to me?"
"Yeah, Allie." Nathan nodded his head slowly, a large smile building across his face. "It's yours."
Everyone's eyes were misty as Allie pulled Nathan into a tight hug. "Thanks, Dad." She whispered against his chest.