A mountie to rely upon

by awdeano

This is the story of how Nathan rescued Little Jack and his visit to Fort Clay. He had to move on from Elizabeth and other new characters came into his life. They all avert catastrophe and they are forced to test how they feel now that we venture into season 9 and beyond. It's not going to be easy. I, along with the program's aim, try to arrive at a positive outcome for all of us.

7. Chapter 7

The return journey to Union City for Mountie Simon was far less urgent than his race to Hope Valley the other day. He was looking forward to reuniting with the young lady who had seemed to capture his heart instantaneously, right out of nowhere, something he thought he could never allow to happen to him again. He knew that he was not an impulsive man, heaven knows that it took an eternity for him and Sarah to get together and commit to each other. He could not believe, as he was steadily riding along the track, how he was suddenly jumping to all sorts of conclusions and visualising the future. My goodness, I've only met her once and here I am contemplating grandchildren already. He shook his head forcing a dose of reality upon himself and thinking with a smile, "perhaps I'll delay booking the church and the pastor for a while."

The children had grown tired and bored at being pent up inside for such a long stint and now, after returning back home, they asked ever so nicely if they could play together out the front. The danger was now over with the two awful kidnappers safely incarcerated and behind bars thanks to Nathan and Simon. They could count themselves lucky that they would still be fed decent meals while they were awaiting the prison wagon which would provide them with a most uncomfortable trip to eventually join their former comrades.

"Now listen you two, stay by the house and don't wander away. I'll come out and watch you after I get some milk and cookies for you," said a smiling Rosemary. Emily and Little Jack had a ball to throw to each other even though they still struggled to catch it like the older children at school. Rosemary had shown them how to throw it softly to each other and she had been very praiseworthy and excited when either of them actually caught it. When they missed it, they would run and get it quickly so that they could throw it again. They had learned all of this from their day at the school recently. Little Jack was chasing after the ball when all of a sudden, a little dog outran him and grabbed the ball right in front of him. He froze in his place remembering a long time ago when he had been so frightened by that angry growling dog in the forest at night-time. He needed Uncle Nathan to rescue him again.

"Hey, you naughty little doggie, give us our ball back!" yelled out Emily running after him. This was a playful little doggie who had no intention of parting with the ball. He would run around a tease Emily with it and stay just out of range as soon as she tried to get it from him. She sat down just when Rosemary came out with milk and cookies. "Mum, he won't give us our ball back," said a dismayed little girl. Rosemary was just about to shoo him off when she noticed how he wandered over, tail wagging and sat next to Emily. She patted him and he dropped the ball and licked her on the nose. 'Mum, that doggie licked me, now I'm all wet." cried Emily. Rosemary tried very hard not to laugh as she sat on the porch with the milk and cookies. Little Jack had been watching all this from the safety of his doorstep and thought how brave she was as she patted him again. He ventured out very carefully and watchfully and soon he was sitting next to the safety of his Auntie Rosemary on the steps. "Little Jack, I wonder if he likes cookies. Would you like to see if he would have one of these?" She offered him a cookie to share with their new little friend. He took a bite and slowly wandered over to the puppy with the other half of it. He wasn't frightened anymore as he could see how Emily was patting him so nicely. He showed the cookie to the little doggie who ever so gently took the cookie out of his fingers. Little Jack turned to his Auntie Rosemary with the biggest beaming smile that he could muster. Mum had been watching from her doorstep with a tear in her eye, "Wait till Uncle Nathan hears about this." she thought.

"Well dad, where to now for a celebration, maybe the opera or even the ballet?" asked Allie with her usual cheeky enquiring smile. Nathan and Fiona looked at each other in horror and then laughed. They didn't even have a bottle of champagne in the house for a toast let alone the planning of an engagement event. "I think, right now, I'd be happy with a nice cup of tea and a sit down," said a worn-out Fiona looking happily at her new ring on her finger. "Maybe we could settle for dinner at the café," she said, "I can't think of anything that I would like better than that." She was a happy and contented woman who had been counting her blessings since Nathan's return from his accident. They were a happy family already and an engagement ring only reinforced what she already knew. Nathan loved her dearly even if he had not got around to telling her yet in so many words.

The long ride was hugely beneficial for Simon after the days' events. After a hasty speculation on a possible future with Janie, the newly met nurse, he now turned his attention to his good friend and colleague Nathan. After mounting his horse back at Hope Valley, he had paused and watched Nathan stride with purpose towards his home on his way to see Allie and Fiona. He had looked over with a lump in his throat at the rail that he had leaned on when agonising over whether to have to make the inevitable decision back then to call off the search for him. A day would never go by without that terrible occasion resurrecting itself. Things could have turned out very different for all of them where it would have taken years for them all to recover. He had been amazed to see him roll up at Fort Clay into the evening right after the successful capture of that imposter who had bamboozled the Mounties for such a long time. Nathan had not discussed the matter with him, however, whatever the concern may have been, it appeared to have been resolved effectively compliments of the Superintendent.

He was full of admiration at Nathan's approach and handling of the attempted kidnapping attempt earlier in the day. The offenders never had a chance right from the outset. Nathan had taken about five minutes only to formulate his plan and put it into action. He reflected on how methodically Nathan had issued out instructions with the same poise and calmness that he had seen in the past from the likes of Superintendent Mills. Everybody had swung into action without question because they had supreme confidence in Nathan's judgement. Janie and her father needed to know about all this as they could take a great deal of the credit for Nathan's recovery. He remembered how Janie had said how she believed in him even though she knew nothing about him. He thought he could fall in love with her simply on this point alone.

"Rusty, come here you little rascal," came a kind voice from two doors down the road. "Where have you been?" The little dog stood up and scampered down the road into the arms of a nice elderly lady. Rosemary stood up and waved to her with a joyful smile. "Has my dog been annoying your little ones here, he can be a pest sometimes." asked the kindly old lady. Rosemary and the children walked over to meet this nice lady. "On the contrary, he is a lovely little fellow, the children took to him as soon as they met him even though he didn't want to give the ball back." laughed Rosemary. "I'm Rosemary Coulter and this is my stepdaughter Emily and Little Jack here belongs to the schoolteacher, Elizabeth Thornton. They had a wonderful time with, who did you say, Rusty, is that his name?" The lady introduced herself as Mrs Martha Reynolds and said how she had only recently moved in here at the row house about a week ago. "It seems like a nice quiet and quaint little town with which, I would imagine, a nice little community." Rosemary smiled and said, "It has had its moments, but you have described it very well," She took an instant liking to this lady and said, "When I go shopping, would you like me to call in to see if I can get anything for you from time to time?" Mrs Reynolds was very appreciative and said how nice that would be, but she was not one to impose. "I'm sure that our children would love to have Rusty to play with now and again if you didn't mind. Welcome to Hope Valley." Rosemary returned home and decided that she was going to keep a regular lookout for this new addition to Hope Valley.

Nathan had to return to the jailhouse to check up on his prisoners and try to find out when the prison wagon would arrive in Hope Valley to relieve him of his responsibility. He could see that they were still wondering how they had been found out so easily. The models in the coach proved to them that the town knew that they were coming long before they had arrived. They distinctly recalled that the Mountie in the café had said that his daughter was returning in the afternoon on the stage. They could see that they had been lured into a trap and that they would probably never get to find out how they knew. Nathan knew that he would have to wait for these prisoners to be gone before he could report on the phone the successful outcome to Captain Bedford at Cape Fullarton. They were going to remain in handcuffs and leg irons for the duration.

Fiona had decided that they needed to venture to the Mercantile for some items. Allie could see that mischievous look on her face, and she knew that trouble was brewing. Fiona looked in the cabinet for some bandage and then they set off. "What are you up to, I know that I have seen this look from you in the past." enquired a puzzled Allie. "Nothing at all, I can't imagine what you are talking about." replied Fiona as they headed down the street. "What are we supposed to be getting, remember we are having dinner at the café later." said Allie totally bemused. She knew that Fiona was up to no good. They stopped just outside of the Mercantile and Fiona produced the length of bandage and proceeded to wrap it around her big toe which was now minus a shoe. Allie looked on in silence as she knew that she would not get a straight answer to an obvious question. Fiona looked at her and said, "are you ready, now, not a word."

Allie looked on in shock as they proceeded to walk in through the front door with Fiona limping and appearing to be in excruciating agony. Fiona winked at Florence who had looked up initially to the moans and groans of the lady apparently in a great deal of pain. Ned looked up in horror, "What has happened to you Fiona," Florence turned away and was trying very hard to keep a straight face while all this was happening. "That butter you sold me, you said it was soft and spreadable, it fell off the table and broke my toe. I could sue you for damages and make a fortune," cried Fiona. Ned was mortified and looked for a chair for Fiona to sit down. "Now let's see, loss of income, months of rehabilitation and the psychiatric treatment that I will need. This is going to be very expensive." she said forcefully. Ned glanced a look at Florence and started to smell a rat. "Let's take a look at this toe of yours," he growled. All of a sudden, the bandage came off and the shoe went back on. "It's feeling a lot better right now thank you very much." she replied hastily. "I might have known," he snorted, "I'm going to have you for extorsion, embezzlement and even shoplifting and have you thrown in jail forever." He looked over at Allie, "I bet you were in on it too." Poor Allie was horrified. "What's that on your finger?" he queried. Florence gasped as she saw the engagement ring. She had not noticed it during all the back and forth. "Who's the poor unfortunate," grinned Ned. "Ned Yost, you will sit in the corner for the rest of the day if you're not careful." glared Florence. "It happened about an hour ago, but I thought he might take it off me when I ruffled his hair, I only do it because I know that it annoys him." laughed Fiona. "At least he has some hair to ruffle," remarked Florence looking defiantly at Ned. "Guess who will be sitting next to me in the corner." he replied sternly. They both hugged Fiona together thinking of all the hardship and trauma that was finally in the distant past. "You are the first ones who I have shown my ring to. I love you both so very much." said Fiona "I want your first born named after me." Ned instructed.

Simon returned back late at the police station at Union City and reported straight to Captain Edwards. "I apologise for not being able to provide much detail the other day which necessitated my hasty departure." Simon started right from the beginning about the phone call from the real Captain Bedford and how they had found out about the plan to kidnap his child. "By the time I got there, Senior Constable Grant had already formulated a plan to capture them in the act." said Simon proudly. "Those two men never had a chance." Captain Edwards grinned when told of the two models in the restored coach and how the prisoners had to accompany them back to the jailhouse inside the cab. He had witnessed some of Nathan's handiwork previously and recalled the surprised looks on everybody's faces at the capture of the imposter. "If initiative was a crime then our Senior Constable Grant would be put away for a very long time Simon. We are glad to have you back and know that your daughter is safe and well."

Fiona, Nathan and Allie fronted up to the café at dusk for their long overdue celebratory dinner and it wasn't long before Clara spied the ring on Fiona's finger. She gasped with delight, "This is wonderful. Congratulations to you all, I couldn't be happier." Bill smiled and shook Nathan's hand and hugged Fiona. There were no words needed to show how happy he was for them after what they had endured. "Nathan, you are getting a wild one here," he said after a while, "Ned offered his condolences to you," he added with a smirk. Nathan was surprised as he looked at Fiona and Allie. "Don't look at me, I have no idea what he's talking about." said Fiona. Allie looked at her sheepishly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Dad's taking Fiona to the ballet." Nathan rolled his eyes which drew a chuckle from Bill. Nathan looked at Bill, "Guess who will be coming with us." The smile disappeared as he gave them each a menu.

This was just how Nathan liked it to be, a carefree family dinner date with no officialdom or ceremony to get in the way. The only ceremony or formality that he was used to was reading someone their rights in the job when required. He watched quietly as Allie and Fiona chatted away with each other. Allie was becoming a young woman and someone like Fiona was just what the doctor ordered. Nathan thought of the wisdom of Superintendent Mills, Doctor Parker and Janie and all their friends within the community. He had finally become an accepted part of the wide community and knew that the dark days were over. He was now going to be there for his family forever.

It had been far too late when Simon had returned to go and see Janie at the hospital. It was now next morning and, armed with a lovely bunch of flowers, he was on his way soon approaching the front entrance. He had suddenly become quite apprehensive at meeting her again and not having a clue what to say. What if she had changed her mind or was too busy to see him. The flowers would go a long way to breaking the ice and things might be able to progress from there. Three deep breaths and he strode up the stairs and through the front door. He was greeted by two nurses who had remembered how their hearts pumped when he had given Janie the momentous red serge recently. They both said that they were very happy to accept the flowers and that he shouldn't have gone to so much trouble. They tried to make him feel so guilty when they found out that the flowers seemed to be for someone else. "Janie refused to take off the jacket for the rest of her shift and she was quite happy to parade around with it in front of us and drive us crazy." said one of them with a grin. "We will see if we can find her for you, she is on duty this morning." They wandered off thinking, "wow, a Mountie in uniform in their foyer, that doesn't happen every day."

Allie was beaming as she arrived at school next morning and broke the news to everyone how her dad, the Mountie and Fiona had got engaged yesterday afternoon. Elizabeth received this news with mixed feelings as she told Allie how wonderful it was. She wanted the best for them, and heaven knows that no one deserved their happiness more than them. The memories came back how she had refused and avoided him so many times and how he had found it so difficult to ask her anything. They had gotten past all that, but the memories were still there. She wondered if Nathan still remembered from time to time all those awkward situations or whether he never gave it all a second thought. Allie was sitting by herself at recess time enjoying the warm sun. Elizabeth thought that she had never seen her look happier. Allie told her of the escapade in the Mercantile yesterday. "I knew something was up when dad left to go back to work. I've never seen Fiona look sneakier than then. She cooked up the broken toe story and she never had so much fun than when she saw the horrified look on Mr Yost's face." Elizabeth laughed and said how she wished that she was there to see it all happen. Allie added, "They threatened each other and then she showed them her ring and she told them how much she loved them both." She had tears in her eyes as she described how Fiona had wanted them to be the first to know of the engagement. "Allie, they obviously have such a wonderful relationship and trust with each other where they can say and do anything with such a strong belief. These are the kind of relationships that we all dream of having. They feed off each other and show love without question. You are all so lucky to have them and be part of our loving community." Elizabeth immediately planned to visit Nathan after collecting Little Jack after school.

Emily had pestered her mum right from early morning about going to see if Rusty could come and play with her and Little Jack. "We're not going to knock on Mrs Reynolds' door this early in the morning, she'll shoo us away with the broomstick." explained Rosemary. "We will have to wait and see if she comes out the front, then we can ask her. She probably has to give Rusty his brekky first and if he doesn't eat it, like a good boy, he won't be allowed to go out and play." This wasn't going to do for Emily, there was a little doggie up the street and she was ready to play with him now, not later on. She stood sadly and defiantly at the front door, not even Little Jack could cheer her up.

Rosemary relented after a while even though it was still early and now with a much happier little girl, the three of them wandered up to Martha's doorstep. "Good morning to you all, it's a wonderful morning," came the kindly voice from inside the open door. Rusty has been scratching here to get out for ages. He had such a wonderful time yesterday with your little ones." Rosemary was very relieved, "I'm sorry Mrs Reynolds, I didn't want to disturb you if you weren't up yet. Emily has been very impatient and has been ready to play with Rusty all morning." Mrs Reynolds was a kindly elderly lady, and her smile lit up the morning for everyone. "I'm up every morning at dawn and so is Rusty. You are more than welcome to come and knock on the door anytime. I will always be here." Rusty raced out and jumped all over the children. "Mrs Reynolds, when I go down the street, I will gladly pick up any items and mail for you if you like. Sometimes we could go together." said Rosemary.

Having to wait for something was not Simon's strongpoint. He smiled to himself at the story about the reaction that the red serge had made. He was sure that the flowers would make a hit with Janie and show her that he was sorry that he had to postpone their little date. She appeared from down the corridor and was overwhelmed at the nice gesture of the flowers. She thought that a girl does not get given flowers every day and when it happened, it really mattered. "Good morning Senior Constable Morgan, I trust you are well." she enquired with a cheeky smirk. "I love the flowers, but you didn't have to. They will go a long way, however, to helping you to explain why you stood me up the other day." She squeezed his hand and said, "I'm on duty now and quite busy but I finish today in the early afternoon. A trip to the café would be lovely and I could hear all about your adventures." Simon had hardly uttered a word, but he felt at home with this breath of fresh air. "There is so much to tell you, I'll come back around midday and wait for you." The two receptionist nurses were watching with their hearts in their mouths and had ignored signals from Janie that they should have gone. They thought that this handsome Mountie should be shared around.

Rosemary thought that she had outsmarted Rusty, "I'll teach him not to bring the ball back for Emily and Little Jack." she said. "He can only pinch one ball at a time so if you have another one, he will have to drop one to go and get the other one. You can teach him how to chase a stick and bring it back." Emily smiled and patted the affectionate little dog. They went outside and started to throw the ball to each other. They knew that if they dropped it then Rusty would pounce on it and that would be the end of that one. Soon Rusty had a ball in his mouth and, true to form, there was no way he was giving it back. Emily laughed when Rusty saw the other ball and looked amazed especially when he had one in his mouth. He couldn't carry two of them at the same time. Rosemary had won that battle.

The prison wagon had finally arrived late in the morning with, on the job repairs having to be carried out along the way. Nathan was glad to see the back of those two but before they left, he spoke to one of the six Mounties who was to be part of the escort on the long journey to the prison. "Will you please park down the track for a while as I need to make a phone call concerning these two." It was going to be an arduous trip for them as the cuffs and irons were to remain as a precaution for the duration. Nathan didn't make the call earlier as they would have overheard the conversation. He soon asked Florence for an urgent call to Captain Bedford at Cape Fullarton. It came through surprisingly promptly. "Good morning Captain, thanks to your information we were able to make a quick arrest without any problems. They would, however, from the manner of capture be able to deduce that we had prior knowledge of their arrival. I hereby suggest that they be taken somewhere else and be kept apart from the original inmates so that you won't have to endanger your Mountie in case you wish to use him again." Captain Bedford agreed and said that he would have Mounties meet the carriage upon arrival and have it redirected to an alternative location that would need to be arranged. "That was smart thinking Nathan. I will organise this straightaway. I hope we can meet again sometime; I still remember you from years ago."

Simon was there in plenty of time and had to wait for what seemed to be an eternity. He was relaxed and didn't care, partly because of their earlier meeting and how he respected the important job that took her immense concentration and dedication. The reception nurses had one eye on him all the time which was quite disconcerting. Janie appeared still in uniform and with a bright cheery smile said, "Shall we go?" She was quite happy to take his arm just like she had done so with Nathan. From the little that she knew of Simon she could tell that he was a good friend and confidant of Nathan and that was all that mattered. They wandered along the road unhurried and in a carefree manner arm in arm and she asked, "I hope you have a good reason for standing me up the other day. Constable Grey said that it was an emergency." Simon was very thoughtful with his answer, "There is much to tell you." He started from the beginning with the phone call from Cape Fullarton and how it involved a nasty potential attempt at a kidnapping of a child in Hope Valley. "By the time I got there, Nathan had already had a plan in action and by the finish, the two bad assailants never had a chance." He looked with admiration at Janie and added, "You can take a lot of credit in all of this." She was quite taken aback with that comment and she waited for more. "I will never forget when you and Nathan were sitting on the bench in the park and you told him how you believed in him and that he was a good man. Janie, you gave him his life back right then. Bill had told me how he was sure that Nathan had been bothered with it all but had tried very hard to put it out of his mind. You should have seen him take charge as he put his plan into action. Everybody responded to him without question even if they never knew what he was up to. We all know that he owes his life to you. That red serge of yours was presented to you in honour of your gift to someone special and a community when they needed it the most.

Allie showed Mrs Thornton her little paragraph and drawing for the upcoming newspaper article that Mrs Coulter had proposed. It said how her Uncle Nathan had adopted her and now she was so happy that he was now her dad. A very creative drawing showed them and Fiona sitting by the pond trying to catch a fish. Elizabeth was very impressed and thought that there was going to be far too many articles from the children for just one edition of the paper. It would have to run over several weeks and families would be waiting feverishly for which article would appear next. She remembered Nathan coming to the school rather agitated recently and telling her about the possibility of an attempted kidnapping. She thought that Nathan would have to be informed about Allie's proposed article and whether there was still any danger. She didn't know how it could be resolved without alarming Allie who had done such a wonderful effort.

Rusty was having a lovely time with Emily and Little Jack. He was even learning at this early stage that, if he dropped the ball at their feet, they would throw it for him to chase. When he got tired all three of them sat down together for a while. Emily made sure that they had a bowl full of water for him when he got thirsty. Sometimes he had his foot in it and the water would get muddy, but he didn't care. The two children went and found the washing bucket that mum used and filled it with water just in case he might want to lie in it. He was only a little dog, so they didn't need much water, but it was still heavy for them to carry. Rusty jumped around all over them trying to find out what was going on. When they set it down, he jumped in and splashed water all over Emily and Little Jack. They laughed at each other and Emily pointed her finger at Rusty and told him that he had to play nice. She had heard that before from her mum.

Simon and Janie sat in the little café enjoying each other's company. They were finding it very easy to talk to one another about family life, work commitments and anything that came to mind. "You know, there was one day when Nathan was starting to recover, well, we sat in here just like we are doing now. In a flash he had raced outside and apprehended a bag snatcher and held him until some Mounties came along. They told him to leave the law enforcement to the ones whose job it was. He did that purely on instinct." Simon was hanging on every word. "Janie, while you had him here, I had a squad of twenty Mounties scouring the countryside for six weeks looking for him. It got to the stage where I looked like having to make the decision to call off the search. That was just about the worst day of my life. I thank God every day that I never had to make that decision." He took her hand in his and she never took it away. He looked into her eyes and said, "It's rather ironic isn't it, Nathan's injury is what has brought us together."

Rosemary looked out the window and was horrified at what she saw. Rusty was covered in soap from head to toe which Emily had found in the little washroom. This was her washing bucket and the dog was in it. She could see that the children were more drenched than the dog, but they were having a wonderful time. She would soon have to intervene, but she decided to leave them there for the moment. They couldn't do any more damage than this. She didn't think that Emily would be bored ever again. "My goodness, what if Elizabeth comes back early and sees all this" she thought in horror. "What if Mrs Reynolds comes down here for a walk and sees her little dog looking like Santa Claus." She grabbed some towels and went outside to take charge and get Rusty to look a little more presentable. It wasn't long before she was just as wet as the others with two little ankle biters laughing at her. "Rusty, if your mother sees you like this you will be sent to bed without any dinner tonight." She looked at the children, "We can't have that, now can we?" In five minutes, there was one dry dog and three wet people.

Martha Reynolds had wandered out to see if Rusty and the children were anywhere in sight. She continued on down the road and saw the three wet people and the little dog wrapped in a towel. She laughed when she saw how horrified they were initially, then how relieved they were when she wasn't angry. They let Rusty loose only to see him roll in the dirt until he felt back to normal. "My, you people have had quite a time. Rusty loves the water." grinned the happy old lady. "I'm so sorry Mrs Reynolds, I'll have to watch them more closely." cried Rosemary. "Nonsense," came the reply, "A little water never hurt anyone, and I don't see Rusty complaining, do you?" She looked at the children and asked with her kind voice, "Would you two little ones like to come tomorrow and help me make some cookies, you might be dry by then," she laughed. Rosemary looked longingly at this wonderful old lady and wondered about all the stories that she might have from her past.

"I'm sorry for what I said back there, I got rather presumptuous and I didn't mean to make it awkward for you. Can you forgive me please Janie?" She didn't know how she felt because she was trying to handle the thought of her having saved an entire community just by doing her job. "When I walked into that room at the hospital and first saw you, I knew straightaway that it was you who had looked after Nathan. I thought that I was looking at an angel. I can't believe." Simon was suddenly lost for words as he stared at her. "It was my privilege to look after Nathan when he needed someone, and I am enjoying being here with you Simon." She held his hand and looked him in the eye as she added, "I think that there is more to this, I'm sure that you will tell me when you are good and ready." She was very perceptive and thought that there must have been a strong reason which caused him to have to race so anxiously to Hope Valley the other day. "I would love to spend more time with you, maybe you can teach me how to ride a horse and I can help you with your dancing. I'm going to have some competition though, those girls back at the desk are planning to set up a roster." she laughed.

Elizabeth returned after the end of the school day to pick up Little Jack and noticed a very defensive Rosemary. "Is there anything wrong? "enquired Elizabeth. "No," replied Rosemary. "Does it look like there might be something wrong?" Elizabeth was rather bemused, "You just look to be a bit out of sorts." A very careful Rosemary asked, "Can you tell if there is anything wrong?" Elizabeth looked around and shrugged her shoulders, "Well, no I can't." Rosemary took a deep breath and looked at Little Jack, "Well Little Jack, I think we're home free." She laughed and reported the watery afternoon and how the bath was wasted on Rusty who had gone in the dirt straight after. Little Jack was now in a change of clothes which Elizabeth hadn't noticed. "Thanks Rosemary, I'm heading down the street to the jailhouse to congratulate our Nathan on his engagement to Fiona. Allie told me at school today."

Elizabeth was pleased to find Nathan in his office talking with Bill about how well all the participants did their jobs to help capture the two men yesterday. Little Jack raced over to Nathan as always and said how Rusty was his friend. "Who is Rusty?" Nathan asked, "He is a new four-legged addition to our little neighbourhood, and he was very brave yesterday when Little Jack fed him half a cookie. They are now, along with Emily, the best of friends." She hugged Nathan and said, "I am so pleased for you and Fiona, Allie couldn't wait to tell us all at school this morning. I hear Fiona put on a big show for Ned and Florence before showing them her ring. I wish I could have been there to see it all in progress." Nathan looked as if he was putting two and two together, "Bill, didn't you say last evening that Ned offered his condolences to me. I wonder what Fiona did to him this time. They're not satisfied unless they're teasing the daylights out of each other." Elizabeth laughed and said how Allie was right there in the middle of it all. "Poor Allie, she didn't know what to think but she had a grin on her face this morning at school when she told me all about it." Nathan was listening to all this while he was looking for something. "Bill, have you seen Little Jack's wanted poster, it doesn't seem to be here anywhere.

Elizabeth brought up the subject about Allie's drawing and article and how concerned Nathan was when he had come to the school previously. "Nathan, if this goes into the Hope Valley newspaper and the wrong people get a hold of it, then it could be damaging to you. The daughter of a Mountie could be a prime target. If you like, I will try to help modify it in some way so that it could be included and not upset Allie." Nathan then broke the news to her how Emily was the actual target of the two men. "They had found out that Simon had a child possibly living here in our town. We had prior knowledge of the attempt and that's how we were able to stop it from happening. Rosemary needs to be informed of this, Elizabeth and her article on Emily should not include any mention of Simon or the adoption." He told Elizabeth how those men were waiting and listening in the café and how Andrew and Clara fed them the wrong information which led to the capture. Elizabeth lay awake that evening dreaming about dogs in the bath, broken toes, engagements and kidnappings.

A long way away from Hope Valley there was someone else at Fort Clay lying awake with visions going through his head that just wouldn't go away. Jason, the young Mountie could not get the memory of Fiona and Allie coming to help in the saloon during the latter part of the search for Nathan so long ago. The look on their faces would be etched in his mind forever. He had tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat when he thought that he had never seen a braver pair arriving to help the Mounties in the worst period of their lives. He knew he was the youngest there and he hadn't been a Mountie for very long. Some of his comrades had seen many things during their service, things that they would rather forget or not have seen but they knew that they had to come to grips with it all. He hoped that those girls had been able to get past it and resume their lives.

A few days went by when Rosemary ventured to see Elizabeth before she raced off to school in the morning. "Have a look at this week's newspaper before you go," she casually said. Elizabeth was absolutely horrified to see Little Jack's wanted poster boldly displayed across the front page. "Look at this," she cried, "Wanted, Little Jack for hiding toys and not eating his dinner," It went on to say, "If you see this nasty person, approach with caution because he is very dangerous." Elizabeth looked at Rosemary with steely eyes. "How could this happen and how did you get hold of this, Nathan has had this for ages in his drawer. I'm going to shoot someone very soon." Rosemary had a sheepish grin and said, "Someone gave it to me and asked me to print one copy only and give it to you as a keepsake, He said that he didn't want to be around when you got it for his own safety." Elizabeth knew that whoever organised this had hit their mark. "I have to confess that I was first going to blame Nathan, but I bet it was Bill's handiwork. Come on Rosemary, confess, you will feel better. I don't want to shoot the wrong person."

Sandra could tell that her young Mountie friend was having some difficulty of some sort. She had been observing how quiet and secluded he had been for quite some time and now felt that it wouldn't hurt to see if she could be of some help. She had told everybody time and again how she was a good listener and she was generally accepted. Nobody ever considered her to be just a mascot and just the daughter of the Superintendent. Her own personal example of rising above adversity had been nothing short of inspirational to the entire garrison. Her horse-riding accident years ago had barely proved to be not much more than a minor setback to her. She approached Jason one morning after breakfast and sat with him for a while. "Jason, I can see that you have something that is really bothering you and I want you to know that I am happy to listen and help out. You come and see me anytime and we can talk if you like." He thanked her and said that it sounded like a good idea as he didn't know what else to do.

One afternoon Elizabeth returned to Rosemary's and wandered inside as per usual. Rosemary met her halfway across the room and pleasantly enquired with a grin, "Good afternoon madam, who might you be strolling into my home like this." Elizabeth was quite taken aback and said, "Last time I looked I was Mrs Elizabeth Thornton who lives next door. Are you worried about me having a dangerous fugitive for a son?" Rosemary looked very serious, "I'm sorry madam, we already have a Mrs Thornton here." She took Elizabeth by the arm and went to look out the back window. "Have a look at this, she's out there conducting class." They watched as Emily had some chalk and was drawing on a little blackboard that Lee had bought for her to play with. Her two students, Little Jack and Rusty were sitting and paying attention very attentively to their teacher. "Goodness me, how does she get Rusty to sit still like that," said Elizabeth in total amazement. Rosemary added, "She has a little bell to ring for when it's recess time and they go and play for a while. Rusty has his recess as well, two cookies which go down very quickly and then it's back on the job." Rosemary was just about the proudest mum on the planet.

Have you got a few minutes Sandra, I think I'm ready to ask for some advice please?" said a rather forlorn Mountie Jason. Sandra had resumed her painting of an ancient ruined castle after finishing her breakfast earlier. She had found a picture of it from a book that she had been given. "Can you imagine the people living in this castle Jason, the stories that would be stored amongst the walls from people long ago. Come and sit for a while and let me pack up, I can't let the paints dry out." Jason could see that this was more than just a picture for Sandra. People must have had worked painstakingly hard probably against their will and under duress at the whim of a tyrannical ruler to build that castle. In its heyday it would have housed hundreds of soldiers to provide defence against attackers from afar. There was a story behind every painting that she had ever done. "Jason, I could tell for a long time that something was causing you a problem. Come on, give me a push and take me for a walk." She was generally self-sufficient, but this time she was happy to have Jason push her wheelchair along the road for her. She took him to the Elizabeth Thornton chapel, and they headed up the ramp and went inside. "I often come in here to sit quietly and reflect for a while. There is a history to this place that every Mountie here at Fort Clay holds very dearly. One day I wish to meet Mrs Thornton and tell her how we love her so much and how she is honoured so much by everyone.

She sat quietly with Jason for some time inside the little chapel and she was happy not to push or prompt him in any way. "Sandra, I am so happy to be a Mountie and to be able to be part of the most noblest of professions that I can think of. I will ride into danger when I have to, and I have even had to draw my weapon on someone in the past. Thankfully I never had to pull the trigger. I understand that this is all part of the job when you have to support your comrades. I was proud to be a part of Constable Morgan's squad when we were searching for Constable Grant and not one of us complained or dropped our heads during the entire period. I thank God that he returned safely even if it wasn't because of us. I got to meet him when he was here recently." Jason sat still for a while and looked and felt absolutely spent. "One night when we were all in the saloon during the search period, Fiona, that lady who was with Constable Grant when he was here, and his daughter, they came in to help with feeding all of us. I cannot get the sad, determined look that they both had on their faces because they had no idea where Constable Grant was after all that time and they could do nothing about it. I can face anything that happens to me, but they never deserved to have a thing like that happen to them. His daughter could have been my little sister." Sandra could see that time alone was not going to heal this problem. "Jason, I already have an idea if you will let me help you." He thought that just being able to talk to someone like Sandra had helped him already.

Mrs Reynolds was the perfect host to the little ones who were given their own little jobs to do in the preparation of the cookies. They were bound to make plenty of mess, but she didn't worry about anything like that. She had been making cookies for many years and any damage could be rectified by more flour or an extra egg if necessary. Both Emily and Little Jack looked on wide eyed and Rusty was there to help out if anything went on the floor. Mrs Reynolds was careful enough to keep them away from the hot stove where the butter had to be melted before they could mix everything up. She gave Emily the job of cracking the egg. "I can't do it," she cried. "Just bang it gently on the side of the bowl until it cracks," smiled Mrs Reynolds, "You will get the hang of it after a while." The whole egg fell into the bowl, but Mrs Reynolds was clever enough not to have all the other ingredients in there first. "That's alright Emily, practice makes perfect, we can use our fingers to take out all of the shell and nobody will no any difference," she grinned. She was now waiting to see how they were going to cope with the mixing job. Little Jack had seen his mum make cookies many times and now he thought he was going to be able to help out from now on. Butter, sugar, and flour went in with the egg and Mrs Reynolds found the vanilla extract which Rosemary had bought for her yesterday from the Mercantile. Both children had a turn at carefully mixing all the ingredients together. Rusty looked on in wait but there was not much stuff coming his way. Mrs Reynolds showed them how the mixture ended up on the tray ready for the oven. "This is where you have to be very careful, the hot oven is not a place for little fingers." she said firmly. Three trays of cookies went into the oven and the children and the little dog went out to play until the cooking was done.

Sandra had gone immediately to Captain Foster's office who was very pleased to have a visitor. She had the run of the entire complex and her thoughts were valued by the entire complement. "Captain, there is something that I need to discuss with you." His door was always open to her as she had shown infinite wisdom and care for someone of such a young age. He was a young Captain who hadn't been at Fort Clay for very long, but this was one of the first things that he had learned. "Come right in Sandra, as always, you have my full attention." She described the conversation that she had just had with the young Mountie and how she felt that she might have a solution to his problem. "He is a good young man trying to do his best, but this problem seems to be standing in his way." Captain Foster thought how this might have turned out years ago and the young Mountie with a problem could have been instructed to march a post for seven hours to serve as a means to fix any issue that he may have. Thank goodness things had changed for the better since then. He smiled at her and said, "As usual you are one step ahead of all of us, what do you have in mind Sandra."

Emily and Little jack squealed with delight as the cookies, which smelled so good, came out of the oven. Three trays meant that there would be plenty for everyone, even Rusty would get some. "Be careful," warned Mrs Reynolds, they're going to be hot for a little while." The little children and the dog sat obediently at her table full of expectations. The cookies looked and smelled so good. When Rosemary came along to get the children she was greeted with a nice batch of cookies and she was amazed that there was no mess to be seen. Little Jack was going to proudly present his mum with all these cookies that he had helped produce thanks to the help and guidance and patience of Mrs Reynolds. When Elizabeth saw them and the happy smile on Little Jack's face, she nearly cried as she hugged her son. He had bravely befriended a little dog and now he was cooking like his Godfather. She thought, "I still have to deal with him, dangerous desperado indeed."

"Captain Foster, I suggest that it would be advantageous for all of us to have Jason sent to Hope Valley for a nominated period of time to be under the direction of Senior Constable Grant. I haven't discussed this idea with Jason as I have come to you first. I think by the end of about four weeks he would have come into contact with those two girls enough times and have much more happier memories of them than the ones causing him so much grief. Nathan Grant would not even have to know why he has been sent there other than that it might be just for experience. It would also give him a chance to get to know Mrs Thornton who, I can imagine, would have a strong influence on him. With your permission Captain, I might write to her and fill her in with the details of why he is going to be there. I think she would appreciate that, and eventually we might be able to entice her here to Fort Clay sometime in the future.

The weeks went by in Hope Valley generally uneventful. Emily and Little Jack would regularly turn up at Mrs Reynolds home with Rosemary watching from her doorstep. She was always pleased to see them and would have heaps of different little activities for them to tackle. One day the paints came out and the little brushes were all ready for them to go to work on some little plain figurines that she had acquired for just such an occasion. She marvelled at the intense focus and concentration on their faces as they learned to put the paint on the brush without making a mess. She had made little smocks for them just in case of any accident but so far, all was good. They had an afternoon with the Canfields and the children and Mrs Reynolds watched in amazement as they saw Angela play the piano. Elizabeth had confronted Bill and Nathan and showed them the cookies that Little Jack had helped make. "I shouldn't give you any after your appalling misrepresentation of this wonderful little man." Godfather Bill tasted one of the cookies and began to worry that Little Jack might open a cookie shop in competition to him and put him out of business.

Simon was so thankful that he had been allocated to Union City even if it was only a temporary situation. He was spending every opportunity to have time with Janie, and he knew that he had to respect the vocation that demanded so much of her attention. He marvelled at her approach to her work which made her the person that she had become. He was not about to compromise anything about her, and he valued the time that they would have together. He also had his responsibility as a Mountie which was not dissimilar to Janie's responsibility. She invited him to a local dance, and he was able to get her on a horse. "How do you do this," she screamed, "This is so dangerous, I feel like I'm on the second-floor balcony." She hung on for grim death as he walked her around slowly. Everything about her was so captivating and so natural. She was pleasantly surprised that he was very handy on the dance floor. He had an older sister and a younger sister who had needed dance partners as they were growing up. She invited him for an evening meal at her home and he was honoured to meet her father Doctor Parker again.

After dinner they sat outside together on the balcony at dusk and she could see that he had something on his mind that he had to deal with, and it probably concerned her. As always, she was perceptive and patient as they sat quietly enjoying each other's company. "I am totally in awe of you and your father and the job that you both do. It's not just a job to you and I am sure that you have had to deliver terrible news to patients from time to time and still be able to function yourselves. You said yourself before that I would get around to telling you about why I had to race off to Hope Valley recently." He took her hand and described how Nathan had outfoxed whisky runners and that, all but two of them ended up in custody. Information had been received that the two remaining criminals had planned to kidnap a child at Hope Valley. Thankfully the attempt was foiled thanks to Nathan's ingenuity. Janie could hardly breathe as she listened intently. "That little child is my daughter." Suddenly there was a million thoughts going through her head. "Three years ago, my wife Sarah and I and our daughter were walking along the street at Fort Clay when our little toddler Emily wandered onto the street in the blink of an eye. It's hard for me to have to relive this again." He could hardly speak as he recalled how the runaway horse and cart would have hit the youngster if not for the quick-thinking reaction from the mother who got hit instead. Janie was horrified when Simon said how she died in his arms in the middle of the road. She was crying as she said, "I could tell that there was something on your mind, but I never imagined this, Simon, I'm so sorry that this happened to your family." She sat sobbing with her head on his shoulder. "Sarah was a wonderful wife and mother and she was so happy. I was supposed to command a training mission, but I was not in any fit state for ages. This is when I first heard of Nathan Grant who had stepped in for me instead." Janie composed herself after a while and with a croaky voice asked, "What about your little girl, you say she's at Hope Valley, I can't bear to think that she won't remember her mother." Simon continued, "Last year I had a bit of a scare on one of our raids," as he showed her the little scar on his forehead. "After that, I adopted her out to a lovely family who live next door to Elizabeth Thornton. I promised them no matter what might result in my life, Emily would be there daughter forever."

Some days later a young Mountie rode into the township in the early afternoon and immediately reported to Nathan in the jailhouse. "Good afternoon sir, I hope you are expecting me," said Jason. Nathan showed him around the jailhouse and said, "This will be your home for the next four weeks. I hope you're not too fussy, the meals here are top quality and you shouldn't have any unwanted company." Nathan added, "I remember meeting you recently at Fort Clay. You said that you had met my daughter Allie when you were here." Jason said how he remembered being here with Constable Morgan's squad. They wandered outside, "It will generally be routine for you as we have a quiet little community which goes about its daily business without much drama. You will get to meet most of the people as you go. They will be pleasantly surprised to have another Mountie in their town."

Approximately the same time that Jason arrived a letter was delivered by Robert to Mrs Thornton's house, but she was at school at the time. It looked important so he took it to her at the school. She had no idea who it could be from and she noted that the address on the envelope was typed. She was curious but it would have to wait until school ended for the day which was in a couple of hours. Finally, the bell rang, and the classroom became quiet with all the children having headed home for the day. Elizabeth opened the envelope and noticed the very neat handwriting. It read, "Dear Mrs Thornton, I should have written to you a long time ago as I feel very close to you even though we have never met. Firstly, I must introduce myself and then my reason for contacting you will eventually become clear. I am Sandra, the daughter of Superintendent Mills of Fort Clay who you had met a few years ago when he came to meet you at your home. I am sitting quietly in the little chapel named after you as I write this letter so if any of the words on the pages are smudged then you will understand why. I have so much to tell you and I also have a request. I had the great pleasure of meeting your Constable Nathan Grant upon his recent visit here at Fort Clay. I got the impression at the time that he had been dealing with some issues and that a long talk with my father may have helped him. It was so sad here when Nathan was missing, as each day we waited desperately to receive news that Nathan would be found safely. All that time went by with nothing and we were in despair. We never stopped praying for him in your perfect little chapel. I cried for hours when we finally got the most wonderful news that he was finally back safe. One of the Mounties in the squad helping to conduct the search for Nathan was a young man called Jason. He came to me recently saying that he could remember Nathan's daughter and Fiona coming into the saloon one evening to help feed the Mounties. He continually recalls the look of resignation on their faces, and it is now driving him to distraction. He is a good young man and a dedicated Mountie, but we run the risk of losing him if we do not help him. I went to the captain here and suggested that Jason spend some time at Hope Valley on the job and come into contact with those two ladies. He should finish up with much happier visions of them rather than the ones that he is currently harbouring. I would be grateful if you could keep an eye on him and point him in the right direction if necessary. Nathan will know nothing of the reason why Jason is there. He will believe that he is there for experience alone. I have to add that Simon talks glowingly of you and how you helped him with his daughter. I miss him terribly now that he is on temporary duty in Union City. The entire district here is hoping that one day you may be able to find it in your heart to come back here to see us at Fort Clay. I can understand how this will be very difficult for you, but I will always hope that this day will come. When I go to mail this letter, I will return and sit in here in silence and think of you at Hope Valley. I will always have you in my heart Elizabeth," signed Sandra Mills.

Elizabeth sat quietly in the empty school classroom and looked at the letter again and again. She noticed that there were now more smudges on the pages than before. Just when she thought that there were no more tears left, she now finds out that there had been a person many miles away who had shared in the agony of desperately hoping for Nathan's rescue. This was someone who she had never heard of who cared for the wellbeing of a young man and probably everyone at Fort Clay. There was a lifetime of love and wisdom in every word that she had written. Elizabeth had agonised over the thought of returning to Fort Clay but now, she felt that she had to meet this most wonderful lady who had written this most heart wrenching letter to her. She couldn't put a face to the name even though she had helped to feed the Mounties in the saloon. She had been in a daze for the entire six weeks. Sandra has asked for her help and that's exactly what she would get. Jason would see in his short stay how Hope valley had recovered, and he would be made to feel part of the family and the community.

Nathan considered that introductions could be had as a matter of course later. He decided to take Jason on his rounds with him to serve as a guided tour of the town and surrounding area. They saddled another horse from the stable to give Jason's horse a rest and feed after the long trip from Fort Clay. Nathan pointed out the saloon which Jason remembered sadly and the Mercantile. They saw Fiona's barber shop along the way and soon they were heading past the school. Jason was looking forward to introducing himself to Mrs Thornton. He was very impressed with the look of the little school building and related it in his mind to the chapel at Fort Clay. Children were just being dismissed for the day and they were surprised to see the two Mounties riding past the school in the afternoon. Elizabeth was placing her attention instead to the letter that she was about to open.

Nathan had told Fiona and Allie that Jason was coming any day soon and they were waiting expectantly. Allie had remembered him fondly from the time in the saloon during that awful period. It would be nice to have him here now that times were much better. "Welcome back to Hope Valley Mountie Jason, we're glad to have you here in far better times than before," said Fiona warmly. Allie was on the way back from school and noticed the extra horse out front. She raced inside and they saw each other simultaneously. This was not the face he saw inside the saloon so long ago. "Hello Allie, it's nice to see you again," he smiled. It was worth every inch of the long journey to see her happy. "Where has Nathan got you staying as if I didn't know, not in that awful prison cell." Jason grinned, "I get to see how the other half live, I hope Constable Grant here remembers to leave the door unlocked."

"You must be tired after your long trip. You can stay and have dinner with us and another night we can take you to the café." insisted Fiona. Allie was watching him like a hawk, she had never had a big brother before. She frowned when he asked her if she had homework to do. She remembered how easy it was to talk to him that night in the saloon and she was very grateful for his concern. "Have you caught any fish since I saw you last? perhaps you could show me the best spot and see if we can be more successful. Fiona, is that an engagement ring I can see, it looks like congratulations are in order." Nathan kept him company as they took his borrowed horse back to the stable and then he left him in the jailhouse for the night. He lay on the bed thinking that things are much better already and what a brilliant idea it was from Sandra to send him here.

Allie couldn't wait to tell everybody at school next morning about the new Mountie in town and how he was going to be here for a few weeks. Elizabeth perked her ears up at the news of Jason's arrival. She could see by Allie's excitement that her job of keeping an eye on things was going to be easy. They would all make his stay here an experience to remember. She planned to catch up with Nathan after school and, without mentioning the letter, somehow get him to talk about Sandra and what she must be like. She remembered that he mentioned that he had seen and talked to her when he was there before, after having received a promotion.

When Elizabeth got to the jailhouse in the afternoon, she saw that Nathan was on his own having sent Jason out to do the rounds and occasionally meet some of the people and introduce himself. "I have my wanted poster back in my drawer after it had mysteriously disappeared," Nathan grinned at Little Jack, "You have a nasty and devious Godfather I think." Elizabeth said with a smirk, "Nathan, I never suspected you for much more than thirty seconds." She was trying hard to think how to steer a conversation towards Sandra Mills. "How is our new Mountie getting on?" she asked hoping that this would be a good start. "He came in yesterday afternoon and had dinner with us last night. He seems to have made quite a hit with Allie. He should be back here soon." said Nathan. Elizabeth scratched her head, "I'm trying hard to remember him if he was here before in Simon's squad. I just can't visualise him at all. Have you met him before?" Nathan said how Jason had come and introduced himself when they were having breakfast at the request of Superintendent Mills. He was a quiet, well-spoken young man quite apart from the others who were falling all over each other trying to impress Fiona. He said that he had been part of Simon's troupe." Nathan did not make any mention of Sandra much to Elizabeth's frustration. It looked like that part of the conversation might have to wait.

It wasn't long before the young Mountie Jason trudged his way through the door. Elizabeth recalled instantly that there had been a Mountie in the saloon at that awful time who looked not much more than a young boy and he was talking to Allie. "Hello, you must be Jason, I vaguely remember you. Welcome back to Hope Valley now in much better circumstances. I'm Elizabeth Thornton and we will see to it that you enjoy your stay with us." Jason stared at her in awe almost making her feel uncomfortable. He hastily said, "I'm sorry Mrs Thornton, you caught me by surprise. It was only the other day I was sitting in the little chapel which is named after you at Fort Clay. I am so very honoured to meet you. Sandra Mills, the superintendent's daughter was with me and she asked me to seek you out at Hope Valley. I can already see why she would suggest that. "He looked at Little Jack, "He is a very handsome young man that you have there." Jason excused himself and took his horse to the stable.

"He mentioned Sandra Mills, did you get to meet her when you were there last?" asked Elizabeth finally seeing her opportunity. "Yes," replied Nathan, "I was told by Superintendent Mills that I would meet her the next morning at breakfast. That was a meeting that I will never forget in my entire life. She is one of the nicest people who I have ever had the good fortune to speak to." He went on to tell Elizabeth how she had been in a wheelchair since her early teens because of the riding accident and how she had never felt like being a victim. "She gives strength to everyone she talks to and her father is so proud of her. I returned from Fort Clay a different person after getting to see her. She gave me the strength to face the thought of going to Union City with you."

The next few weeks were very eventful to say the least. They all invited Jason to the café for dinner and he got to show them how capable he was at catching fish. He attended the Sunday service and was awestruck with the little church and how it became the school classroom through the week. He asked Elizabeth to sit with him inside for a while after the service. "This place has the same spirit as your chapel which I spend a lot of time in when I need to. Fiona and Allie took him to see the Yost's at the Mercantile one day. Ned introduced himself and Florence and said sternly, "I'd advise you to watch out for these two, they will get you just when you are not expecting it." Jason said how he was sure that he must be mistaken. "Don't say I didn't warn you," as he shook his finger at the two ladies. Jason thanked him for the advice and went outside to go and do the rounds. He tried to mount his horse and finished up on his backside on the ground. The strap was loose, and the saddle had slid sideways. Ned came out and laughed, "See I told you, and you didn't listen. These two are bad news." Jason stood up and dusted himself off, "I'm sure that it was just an accident." He said staring directly at Allie. He fixed the strap and bid them all good afternoon and then set off for his rounds.

He had a slight grin on his face as he rode off. What those ladies didn't know was that he had three younger sisters who had battled and been at war with him for years. He recalled the time when those three darling sisters had coated his saddle with honey, and he was sticky all day from it. Those girls woke up next morning and attempted to get dressed but found the sleeves of their blouses tied very tightly in knots. It took them hours to get them undone. Their mother's warnings and threats continually fell on deaf ears. Even with all this, they loved him dearly and cried for days when he was going to be leaving to become a Mountie. Now they only see each other a couple of times a year.

Allie was racing to get ready for school next morning. She hurriedly grabbed her books and when she grabbed her bag, she nearly wrenched her arm out of its socket. Two big bricks had been placed in the bag much to Allie's annoyance. She was a good sport and she loved the startled look on Mrs Thornton's face when she told her. She went to open her lunch box and found it full of leaves and rocks. She was horrified and then they both laughed. "Here, you better try this one," giggled Elizabeth, "Jason dropped this one in earlier." It had sandwiches and an apple and a banana. Allie was very determined, "I'm going to catch a fish and put it in his lunch box."

One morning Jason was returning when he saw, at the other end of the street, Nathan was riding out of town with a woman. He went inside the jailhouse and thought that he would take charge and wait for him to eventually return. He wondered what it must be like to have the responsibility for the wellbeing of the town and to be one step ahead of any prospective reprobates. If there was any trouble brewing anywhere, he would be the first person townsfolk would turn to. This would be different than just following orders as part of a team, he would be on his own. He wandered outside and stood on the landing and thought that it was a bit odd that Nathan had ridden out of town without leaving a message or anything. Maybe it was some sort of an emergency. His thoughts were interrupted with the phone ringing. "Hello, Hope Valley Police regional office, Jason speaking," This was the first phone call that he had answered since he had been there. "Good morning, this is Constable David Black from Buxton. I'm seeking to talk to Nathan Grant, however, if he is not there you will need to get word to him as a matter of priority." Jason had pen and paper ready to go. "Yes sir, go ahead and I will find him straight away." Constable Black sounded quite concerned, "We have had three people here, two men and a woman, total strangers hanging around looking rather suspicious. One of our Mounties, not in uniform, was watching them and he suspected that they were preparing for a possible robbery of a shop in our street. They seemed to think better of it with all the activity and then rode off out of town together in your direction. They didn't look like they had much in the way of provisions. It may be nothing, but it pays to be aware in advance."

Jason thanked Constable Black for the forewarning and then sat quietly for a while trying to take it all in. He looked outside in the direction where Nathan had departed hoping that he would see him returning but unfortunately there was no sign of him. He recalled that Constable Black had mentioned a woman and it had been a woman that Nathan had accompanied out of town. Could that be just a coincidence or was she part of some sordid plan. After thinking about it for a while he considered that he had to assume that it was. A small town would most probably have only one Mountie and maybe it was her job to lure him citing some emergency out of the way. That would mean the two men would have a better chance at conducting a robbery and getting clean away if there was no Mountie to intervene.

He strode over to the café to refer to Bill, but Clara said that he was at the Infirmary with a bad stomach complaint. Clara also said that Jesse was away with a big consignment and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. "What's the matter Jason, you seem worried about something." He said how he got a phone call and that they needed to take some precautions. "It may be nothing, but I want you to close down for the day just in case and go home for your own safety." He was already thinking ahead, "Before you go home could you get me the biggest dark sheet of cloth from the dress shop and put it in the jailhouse please. Make sure the dress shop is locked up as well." There were a lot of things going around in his mind. He was planning to make the Mercantile the obvious target, but he didn't want Ned and Florence to be in any danger. These men may be desperate and dangerous. He also remembered how Nathan had told him during their many and wide range discussions that you have to catch them in the act or else they will go free.

He removed his uniform and headed for the Mercantile. He was thankful that all the children were in school and not in the main street. There would still have to be people walking around or else the trap would be seen through and the men would go elsewhere. He wasn't completely sure how he was going to do it, but these men were going to have their criminal intentions ended right here today. With Nathan out the way, they would not be expecting any opposition so that was something that would be in his favour. He tried very hard not to alarm Ned and Florence, but it was not going to work. "I must insist that you let me handle this and you both have to be right out of the way to be safe. Take most of the money that you normally have in the till. I am going to be in here alone. By the way, do you know where Robert is, and do you have any big banners and signs for special sales?"

Robert soon returned from mail delivery and was soon given an important task. They quickly set up the large banner and put the signs out the front to make the Mercantile appear as an even more enticing target. "Robert, I want you across the street where you could have a good view of two men approaching. I won't be able to see you, but I will hear the rock that you will throw at the roof here after you see them. Then you have to stay out of sight completely. "Hello Jason, are you here on your own, where's Ned and Florence. I have quite a list for them. We're shopping for the lady two doors up from us." asked Rosemary. She had brought the little ones for a walk down the street." Jason hustled them out the back way, "I'm sorry Mrs Coulter, we may have a bit of an emergency here shortly and it would be better if you and the children weren't here." He then heard the rock landing on the roof. He sent them out quickly and hid out of sight down an aisle. He heard horses and someone dismounting and then two men entered through the front door. They had ridden past the café and had noticed that it was closed and probably locked up. They were surprised that there was nobody behind the counter in attendance to serve customers in the Mercantile. "Jed, there doesn't seem to be anyone here. Quick, get the money from the till and I'll fill this bag with some goods for us." Jed went behind the counter and was disappointed that there wasn't much money in the cash register. "We might be in luck; we can be gone before anyone knows." They emptied the cash register and filled the bag and turned to head for the front door. "You two are not going anywhere except across the road." said Jason sternly with gun in hand. "Put the bag down and slowly put your guns on the ground." They had no alternative as they were staring at the barrel of Jason's pistol. He cocked the pistol and said aggressively, "I mean what I say, now, get moving."

"Ned, everything is okay, but I need you down here please, I need the bag and the money from the one here called Jed, all for evidence. You can gather up their pistols and accompany us all to the jailhouse." Ned was pleasantly surprised with the assuredness and poise of the young Mountie who had taken charge of a dangerous situation. Soon they had the two felons behind bars with handcuffs through the bars. Jason then had them gagged and the big sheet that Clara had got for him put across the bars so that the two were out of sight. The job was still unfinished, and he planned to be ready. Ned went back to comfort a distressed Florence and said how Jason had the matter completely in hand. Jason thanked a very inquisitive Robert and asked him to see if he could help Ned.

Now it was just a matter of waiting. The woman would eventually wonder why her two men had not returned from the job. If something had gone wrong, she still had Nathan to use for bargaining. They soon appeared in the main street with Nathan in front of her where she could keep an eye on him. She saw the jailhouse and planned to lock Nathan up in his own jail. She ordered her prisoner inside at gunpoint and before she entered, she looked around the room to see that nothing seemed out of order. She went inside and immediately had a gun pointed at the side of her head. "Drop your gun on the ground please," Jason had been behind the door as it opened. She did as she was told. He had remembered to get Robert to take the two horses to the stable right out of the way.

Nathan had retrieved his pistol while Jason drew back the sheet to reveal the two men trussed up like Egyptian mummies. Soon there was an extra horse in the stable as those people would not be needing horses where they were going. There was going to be a lot of explanations to be made on both sides but that would be for later.

"That woman rode in looking desperate and asking for help when her friend had been thrown from his horse. We rode out there and she pulled a gun on me. I took her at her word that she needed help. We had to wait for about two hours until she realized that her two men weren't coming back for some reason. Jason, you did very well to stop these people today. Things could have been a lot worse if not for your ingenuity." Jason told him about the phone call and how things progressed from there. Nathan smiled, "Seeing that all this is your handiwork, you had better get on with making your report while everything is still fresh in your memory." Jason groaned as soon as he was given a pen and some paper to get started. Nathan added, "That was a clever stunt to have that sheet across the bars to keep those men hidden from view."

Rosemary was still on edge by the time Elizabeth got back from school late in the afternoon. She found it difficult to have to tell her that she had nearly put the children in danger. "Everything is okay because of Jason. Elizabeth, he did it all on his own." Elizabeth impatiently asked, "For heaven's sake, what did he do all on his own?" Rosemary replied, "Oh, nothing much, he just captured two men trying to rob the Mercantile and then saving Nathan from another. We had better not underestimate this man. Even though he is young, he has proved himself more than capable when he was needed in a crisis. His first thought was for the safety of the children." Rosemary tried her best to describe what had happened to her and said how she was still distressed about how close she and the children had come to being in the middle of something very distasteful. "Is Nathan alright," asked Elizabeth becoming quite distressed herself. Rosemary put her mind at rest, "He is fine but, if not for Jason things could have been a lot worse."

Elizabeth had to sit down and take Rosemary's hand. "Again, the Mounties have come between peril and our children," She started to sob, "Rosemary, tell me honestly, have I been so selfish about Nathan over the past years. All he ever said was that he wanted to see me happy. I can't ever remember asking him if he was happy. Rosemary, you are my best friend but so is he. We don't tell each other enough how much we care for each other. I feel so selfish. I am so happy for him and Fiona. Nathan and I have so much history between us and I have to be better than this." She told Rosemary about the letter that she had received from Sandra and why Mountie Jason was in Hope Valley. Rosemary helped her wipe away the tears, "Elizabeth, you are by far the best friend that Nathan could ever have. Of course, he knows that you care for him more than the two of you will ever know. He should see you now and the dreadful state that you are in, that would tell him." Elizabeth stood up and said firmly, "I'm going to gather up my little boy and go down the street and barge into the jailhouse and tell the two of them how much I love them."

She marched off down the track very determinedly and talking to her son along the way. "We're going to thank Uncle Jason for saving us all today and tell him how proud we are of him." She strode in and immediately gave Little Jack to Jason, "Here, hold this!" she said. She then went to Nathan and hugged him tight. With tears welling up in her eyes she said, "I never tell you how much I care for you and I'm so sorry. Rosemary told me what happened to you today and I nearly collapsed." She let go and then hugged Jason nearly crushing her son in the process. "Jason, we are so proud of you for who you are and what you did today." She hadn't even noticed Bill sitting there looking rather pale and sickly. "Don't interrupt him Elizabeth, Nathan is having trouble getting him to fill out the report for today's events." Elizabeth had her arms around the both of them and was so close to tears. "I'm the schoolteacher here and you have to do what you are told. What sort of an example are you going to set for your honorary nephew?" Nathan looked at her quite concerned, "Elizabeth, we are both okay and just fine." She was feeling very sorry for herself, "Many times you said that all you wanted was for me to be happy. I have never once asked you if you are happy and I feel so sorry."

The woman behind bars had heard all this commotion and suddenly stood up to speak, "Hey mister," she said sadly looking at Nathan, "You are the luckiest man alive to have people who care so much for you. Nobody has ever cared anything for me and I'm really sorry for what I did to you today. I'm so relieved that I didn't do anything worse. I know I did wrong and I am going to jail. My name is Amy. When they let me out, I want to come back here and make up for what I did. Nathan thought that she hadn't hurt anyone, however, pulling a gun on anyone let alone a Mountie was a serious misdemeanour. Nevertheless, he thought that he would be prepared to put in a good word for her and she might only get about six months internment. "If you mean what you say I will gladly help you if you come back to Hope Valley. We all make mistakes one way or another and we all deserve a second chance."

Fiona and Allie were astounded to hear of the day's events and how they had not known about any of it. They were relieved to know that Nathan was no longer in any danger and they were very thankful that they had not had time to worry about it all. Allie now had a new hero and big brother who had saved her dad from harm. She sat with her arm around Jason for over an hour and had accepted him as family. She was shattered along with Fiona when he broke the news that he would be returning to Fort Clay tomorrow. She had known that this day would be coming but now she cried and begged him to stay longer. "I never want you to leave us ever." It was no use; he was expected to return to duty by a certain time.

Just before closing time, Jason called into the Mercantile and Florence immediately threw her arms around him. "We will never be able to thank you enough for what you did for us all today." He told them how he would be leaving the next day and how he would never forget how all the people had accepted him into their community. "I want to introduce you to my daughter someday, "said Florence. "I should get out of town tonight if I were you," blurted out Ned as he dodged the packet of breadcrumbs whistling past his ear. "I've come for a jar of honey if you please," said Jason finding it hard to hide his smile. Ned looked at him with suspicion and said, "If this is what I think it's for then it's on the house."

It was a tearful farewell as he said goodbye and hugged everyone. Elizabeth had come also to see him off. "We won't ever forget a member of our family Jason." she said thinking of the glowing letter that she was going to write to Sandra. He came here with some problems but now leaves here as a hero. He stood at attention and saluted Nathan, then mounted his horse and was gone and soon out of sight. A gentle smile soon appeared on his face. He had left a jug and a bottle on the table and he wanted to be well out of earshot when Allie or Fiona picked them up. Nathan wandered over to the jailhouse and walked through the door to be confronted with Amy sitting in his chair with a gun pointed at him. The two men had got a hairpin from her and skilfully negotiated the lock on the cell door. Nathan was horrified to see this happen all over again, but the two men were still in the cell. She stood up and slowly placed the gun in her other hand and gave it to Nathan. "I meant what I said yesterday sir, you will have to put up with me when I return from jail." Nathan's first thought was that she would not be travelling with the two men in the prison vehicle. She had already made a good start to the rest of her life.

Rosemary and the children wandered over to Mrs Reynolds' place early next morning so that she could explain why she hadn't been able to collect all the goods on the list from the Mercantile yesterday. Emily was anxious to play with Rusty and not waste a moment with him. She knocked on the door even though she had been told to just come inside whenever she wanted to. "My door is always open to you and the little ones," she had often said and always with a smile. "Hello Mrs Reynolds, it's only me, Rosemary," She wandered inside to see Martha sitting silently in her chair with her head leaning back. Rusty was sitting next to her strangely quiet and subdued. "Shh," whispered Rosemary to the inquisitive little children, "she must be tired and having a morning nap." She ventured a little closer not wishing to wake when she suddenly feared the worst. It looked like she wasn't breathing, and she looked so peaceful just resting there. She gently felt her arm and it was cold. She wanted so badly to break down and cry, but she couldn't because she had the children with her. She ushered them outside quickly and left her friendly old lady as she was. "What about Rusty," asked Emily. "We'll let him sit with Mrs Reynolds for a while." said a sad Rosemary.

This had been a major shock for Rosemary, having been dealt a huge dose of reality right before her eyes. She knew she had to keep it all together as they strutted off to get Faith at the Infirmary. You didn't see something like this every day. They could see on their way that Clara was bringing some cookies or muffins from the café for Faith which was always a nice gesture. Faith could tell immediately from the look on Rosemary's face that something was dreadfully wrong. She sat her down and was very patient and gave the children the little doll and the train to play with. At least there wasn't going to be a problem with the little ones. "Faith, you must come at once, Mrs Reynolds is an elderly lady who lives two doors up from us. We hardly know her except for her little dog Rusty who plays with Emily and Little Jack." Faith knew to be a good listener and not prompt Rosemary. "We called in earlier and I think she has passed away overnight in her chair. We came straight here," Rosemary put her head in her hands, "She was the nicest lady that you could ever hope to meet, and now it looks like she's gone." Faith had many years of experience, firstly as a nurse and now a doctor so she had seen many instances of tragedy and despair, "I will go right now and see," and then she paused and said, "Rosemary, it is probably just her time."

"I'm going to get Bill to go with me and I want you to take the children home for now. I presume you left the door unlocked." They got to the front door, took one look at each other and then went inside. Faith was now showing the calm, level headedness which had guided her through her journey over the years. Rusty was still at her side but looking hopefully at Faith. She bent down and carefully patted the forlorn little dog. "Bill, can you take Rusty over to Rosemary's and get them to keep him inside. I'm sure this little fella knows exactly what's going on. I will check on Mrs Reynolds while you are away." Faith stood and looked at this kindly elderly lady just sitting in her chair as she probably had done so for such a long time. She had now passed on and her story and history will have gone with her.

Nathan had seen off the two men into the prison vehicle and now he sat in his office and watched the sad young woman sitting silently in her cell. He was thoughtful for a while and then he went over to Bill's office. Bill was not there so he decided to make a decision and put forward his own recommendation. He marvelled at the new technology of the day and how in but a few minutes, he was able to talk to someone many miles away. His phone call to Fort Clay came through almost immediately. "Good Morning Captain Foster, I want to thank you for providing Jason to us for his four-week term. I must tell you that it has been a total success and we all wish him well for the future. He is and will be a very capable Mounted Policeman in our service." He knew that Jason would not be back there at Fort Clay for many hours, so he decided to outline the event on the previous day in advance. "Jason showed very creditable ingenuity and I would recommend a commendation for him."

Nathan continued on with another request which was now concerning the young woman in his cell. "Captain, this young woman has shown a great deal of remorse and even when she had an opportunity to escape, she handed a gun back to me and said how she intends to make it all up to us after she completes her prison term. I suggest that she be placed in my custody on a good behaviour agreement for about six months rather than a term behind bars. She says she wants to make amends and I believe her." The captain had seen situations like this before, many turning out successfully and only a few resulting in eventual prison sentences.

"I am inclined to follow your recommendation Nathan and hope it works out. This woman now has a second chance and I trust she will make good use of it. Before you go Nathan, I wonder if you knew that it was Sandra who suggested that Jason go to Hope Valley." He told Nathan of the genuine troubles that Jason was experiencing and how this would rectify the matter." Well captain, she was right, but she wouldn't have known that he was lucky to get out of here alive after what my daughter did to him." Captain Foster laughed when told of how Jason had landed on his backside when trying to mount his horse. "I think Jason will have many fond memories of Hope Valley to help guide his way in the future."

Faith completed her examination and could only ascertain that the cause of death would most probably be from heart failure and old age. She had experienced death in the past as part of her job and breaking the heart wrenching news to family was always difficult. This time there was no one to tell and that was very strange. Bill returned and between them they decided to make arrangements for a burial and hopefully some sort of a service. They went first to confirm to Rosemary the unfortunate news and, in the absence of any family, a funeral of sorts would have to occur very soon. Joseph Canfield would have to be consulted without delay and a number of volunteers would be required. A suitable coffin and people with shovels and spades would need to be sought out. Rusty had sat by the front door and was not interested in any games with the children. They had never seen him to be so sad.

Nathan took Fiona into his confidence as he had done so many times before and told her of his plan for Amy. "I believe in your judgement Nathan. If this is how you see it then it sounds fine to me. This is a wonderful thing that you are doing and if she listens to all of us then she will be fine." she said. He headed back to the jailhouse with confidence and went over to the cell that housed a very sad young lady. She could hardly look him in the eye as she thought about what she had done and how it could have been much worse. He had brought a chair over and sat next to the bars. "Amy, I have gone out on a limb for you today. Normally for an offence such as this you would attract a prison sentence of about six months." She could hardly bear to look up. "I have asked and been given the okay for you to be placed in my custody for that duration and you can live and work here in Hope Valley." She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "You mean I can stay here in this lovely little town and find a job. I promise I won't let you down and I will do anything you want me to do." Nathan told her, "There are lots of jobs here and many good people who you can talk to and get advice, we will start with the stable. I hope you like horses." When Nathan opened the door, she flung herself into his arms.

Next day school finished around midday to allow for the little service and funeral. The people in attendance were there mainly to support Rosemary. Pastor Canfield invited Rosemary to speak mainly because nobody else had known or come into contact with Mrs Reynolds who had kept mainly to herself. "Thank you everybody for coming today, I really appreciate it. Only two days ago I had a shopping list of items to get for Mrs Reynolds from the Mercantile. I still have it here." She held the list aloft to show everyone. "I was glad to help as she was elderly. She was so good with the little ones and they loved to play with her little dog. I can't believe it but now she has gone."

They took the coffin to a suitable place that had been prepared earlier. Pastor Canfield read some passages from the bible as she was being laid to rest. After everything had been completed Rusty went and sat on the gravesite. He growled quietly if anyone came close to express their condolences and lay flowers. Emily went and sat next to him on the grave and patted him and made him feel better. Rosemary was distraught as she said to Lee and Elizabeth, "We know nothing about this wonderful lady who has just passed on. She would have been someone's wife, someone's mother and even a grandmother. I refuse to allow her just to be gone and forgotten. It would be as if she never lived at all and didn't count for anything. I don't know how but I'm going to find out who she was and give her proper recognition even if I have to put ads in every paper in the country." She knelt down and some tears went on the grave. "Rest in peace Mrs Reynolds, we will take good care of Rusty."

Rosemary was the last to leave after just staring at the grave for so long. This was a hard pill for her to swallow. "I only knew her for a few weeks, but I can't handle that she's gone so suddenly, and I never got to get to know her even just a little bit. I promised her that she is going to have a proper send off and that she will be remembered. I am worried because I have no idea where to start." She sat silently with Lee and remarked, "I can now have some idea of what Elizabeth had to accept so long ago." Emily and Rusty were lying on her bed together. "I have to explain something to you Emily, Mrs Reynolds has gone to heaven today. We must always remember the time we had with her and we now have to take good care of Rusty." Emily was sad as she had a hug for her mother and a pat for Rusty.

Rosemary visited the gravesite again the next day with more flowers and thought how this was the only place where she felt even a little peaceful. Bill and Faith seemed to know where to find her. They were very concerned for her and knew that she was going to need plenty of time. They had heard her say how determined she was at finding Mrs Reynolds' history and any family. They had come along to see her with a request. "Rosemary, we're sorry to have to ask you to do any of this, but Mrs Reynolds as far as we know had no family that we know of, so someone has to go through her things and sort everything out. We wouldn't wish this task on anyone, but we have no choice but to ask." Rosemary felt sick at the thought of picking through the remains of someone who had just died, like heartless people but in the end, she acknowledged that this was a thankless task that had to be done by someone. "I will ask Lee and Elizabeth to help me."

Jason would have been back at Fort Clay by now and most probably have spoken with Sandra about his time at Hope Valley. Elizabeth decided that now would be a good time to set about replying to her wonderful letter from weeks ago. There was so much good news to report but her disposition was tempered with the recent loss of Mrs Reynolds. She reread Sandra's letter and then felt that she was able to make a start. "Dear Sandra, I can't tell you how glad I was that you thought of the idea of sending Mountie Jason to us. I am so honoured that you took me into your confidence because of the reason he was coming here. I helped out where I could but there was hardly a need for my assistance because Fiona and Allie treated him as family as soon as he got here. He is a fine young man and he fitted in here at Hope Valley like a glove. Nobody would have seen the problem that arose where he was on his own to have to deal with it. His quick and calculated action not only averted a robbery but most probably saved Nathan's life. There is something that Jason would not know, Nathan saw some good in the young woman who held him at gunpoint and has decided against pressing charges. She is happy to be under his direction for about six months rather than go to jail. Jason will have left here with much better memories and a recommendation for a commendation, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your influence in getting him here. Allie was so distraught when he had to leave. I was so happy to hear that Simon had asked for an extension to his temporary posting to Union City. The young nurse who took so much care of Nathan with his accident may have something to do with it. We had a sad occasion here just recently when a very nice elderly lady passed on unexpectedly and we knew nothing about her and any family that she might have had. The stepmother of Simon's little girl has taken it very badly so she will need all our prayers. I can picture you in my little chapel as I can imagine that you can see me in my little classroom each day. I will always have you in my heart." signed Elizabeth Thornton.

Rosemary was thankful to have Lee and Elizabeth there to lean on. They went inside and slowly looked around trying to figure out the daunting task that was in front of them. Mrs Reynolds had not bothered with many kitchen utensils so they decided that what was there could be given away to townsfolk. Rosemary recalled how it wasn't so long ago that the children had been there when they made all those cookies. The paints and the little brushes were placed tidily on a shelf out of the way. Everything that Rosemary looked at in that house was now just a memory of a nice lady who should still be here with them. She wanted this to be done and over with, but she still insisted that she was going to have proper closure.

They thought it strange that there were no photographs in any of the rooms when most other places had pictures of relatives standing on shelves or hanging on the walls. There were no books anywhere, not even a recipe book. She must have had everything she needed in her head. Clothes along with sheets and blankets could be reused after inspection and some of the material could be used for children's clothes. There was a writing desk in the corner which had paper and pens, but it appeared that it was all unused. It had a drawer which would normally house papers and documents but all they could find was a small biscuit tin. Lee opened it as it was too tight for the others and it revealed a few envelopes with letters. Rosemary felt like they were imposing on someone else's private particulars, but this might be the only way of answering any elusive questions about her. Many were greeting cards from long ago which she might have retained for sentimentality, but none of them had return addresses on them. There were a couple of letters in particular that drew their attention. One that Lee decided to read said, "My dearest Marty, I finally have a chance after all these months to catch a breath or two from this accursed conflict that we are all embroiled in and try by any means to let you know that I am still here. I never dreamed that it would be like this. I have seen the terrible carnage on both sides and how strange it seems as their fallen look the same as ours. All those men would have left behind mothers and sweethearts just like me. I wonder if it all ended tomorrow whether we would still have a home to return to. I am frightened my dear, frightened for the loss of so many good men that our country can ill afford to lose. I am worried and disillusioned that, what we all thought was a noble struggle will end up being all for nothing. Until it ends all we can do is continue to knuckle down and follow orders. It is hard though because we all have lost so many good friends and comrades along the way. I never felt this way during my time in law enforcement in Texas because we were doing something that mattered by protecting the people. Now it's just a struggle for survival. What keeps me going is remembering the day when I first met you at that railway station, the same one where you saw me off. You were so radiant, and I fell in love right then and there. I am so proud and fortunate to have you as my wife and I yearn for the day when I will return and hold you in my arms again. I can still see us sitting together on our swing in the park without a care in the world. Please find time to pray for me and everyone on both sides so that sanity can prevail again and the time for rebuilding can start. I will keep my head down as promised. Until we meet again my dearest." signed Joshua Reynolds.

Lee was silent for a while, looked at the letter again, then he put it down and got up from kneeling on the floor and went outside. Rosemary and Elizabeth looked at each other in astonishment. "Lee, what is it," asked Rosemary with concern, "I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, I've just read a piece of history. Her husband wrote to her from the battlefield. You have to read this but be very careful with it because it is very old and easily damaged." Lee and Elizabeth sat with Rosemary as she read the letter out loud. She had to stop from time to time to try and stop the tears and regather her faculties. Lee asked for the letter once again, "Rosemary, I just have to check something, he mentioned how he was involved in law enforcement in Texas." He looked at the two ladies, "Don't you see, Martha Reynolds may have been married to one of the Texas Rangers. What could she possibly be doing here so far away from home?"

Elizabeth found a letter in the tin that looked rather official. She looked a bit frightened at the thought of opening it. It looked more like a telegram and it read, "Dear Mrs Martha Reynolds, it is with sincere regret that I must inform you that your husband Sergeant Joshua Reynolds was killed in the line of duty recently. He served with gallantry, valour and distinction and was a valued leader with his men. He will be sadly missed." It was signed by a captain and his signature was faded and indiscernible and the letter was dated April 1865. Rosemary spoke after a while, "Martha is finally reunited with her husband Joshua after all these years at being on her own." Lee added, "I know one thing for sure, she is not going to be lost and forgotten by any means. Family members of fallen combatants are valued very heavily in our countries. We are going to need Nathan's help to contact the police headquarters in Texas."

Rosemary wanted a quiet moment with Martha at the gravesite, "Martha, I want to offer my condolences to the loss that you had so long ago. I can't begin to imagine what it was like for you, not being able to say goodbye to your husband. What was he like? His letter shows that he was a real gentleman, a man you must have loved dearly, and you were very proud of him. You lost him over fifty years ago, but I bet you never forgot him even for an instant. We are going to give you the closure that you deserve."

It took four weeks for a reply to come back from the police headquarters somewhere in Texas. They had taken the sensitive matter very seriously and had searched their records exhaustively to find that they did have a Joshua Reynolds in their service many years ago. Captain Palmer had supervised the search and was very pleased to have found this information from older and sparse records. "We don't get many communications and requests such as this and we were so thankful that we could be of service." Two further weeks went by when a carriage arrived in Hope Valley with three men in unfamiliar uniforms. They found their way to Nathan's office and, with good manners, knocked on the door. "Good afternoon sir, I trust you are Senior Constable Nathan Grant. We have travelled many miles to meet you and Mrs Coulter." Nathan invited the men inside the little jailhouse which housed his desk and the two cells. "I'm Captain Palmer from Texas. Myself and my two associates are only here for a day or so, therefore we will need to get busy immediately. We've come to pay our respects to the wife of one of our own. Nathan invited them to the café for some refreshments while asking Robert to fetch Mrs Coulter as soon as possible. He introduced them to Bill, and they wondered what they had in store and why they had come all this distance.

The following day most of the townsfolk were gathered at the gravesite which now had a headstone placed upon it which had inscribed, Martha, (Marty) Reynolds, beloved wife of Sgt Joshua William Reynolds and loving mother of Marie. These men had left no stone unturned to find as much information about the family. There had been no information available about the daughter. They conducted a little service at the gravesite and fired two rifle shots as a mark of respect and then the bugle rang out at the end. Rosemary's tears today were for Martha and her husband and the love that they had for each other which would never be lost and forgotten.

That night a very contented Rosemary tucked Emily into bed and patted Rusty who had decided that his place was at the end of the bed just where he could feel her feet. "Emily, Rusty is your dog now and we promised Mrs Reynolds that we would take good care of him." Rosemary smiled as she went to leave the room, "Goodnight Emily, goodnight Rusty."

Elizabeth had said to Nathan after the service, "I think I am ready for you and Fiona to take me back to Fort Clay."