Lucky to be loving you

Chapter 28

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Hannah was so proud of her son, Gunther that when she got his telephone call that he was promoted, she burst with excitement. She was thrilled that Sargent Grant was having a celebration for him and was anxious to see the friends that she had met in Hope Valley too, for to her they were like a second family. Leaving the fine folks of Hope Valley was her and Gunther's only regret.

With her other son, Gregory managing the family farm, she had thought about renting a row house in Hope Valley where she could stay when she came to visit instead of Billees. It had been a home away from home and she wouldn't mind staying longer when she came. Living all her life at the family farm, she loved the people in her small farming community, but their farms were spread out throughout the country with no central little town like Hope Valley. They had a general store where the townsfolk could also do their banking but most of the transactions were handled with cash. Of course, there was a saloon right next to the community church, and the old stagecoach stop on the other side. Hannah didn't have an automobile, so her son had taken her to the stop where she took the stagecoach to the train station in Belmont City. Everything was in Belmont City. That's where they went shopping, to see physicians, go to a restaurant, etc. Hope Valley offered all of that but in a smaller capacity, and yet kept a hometown atmosphere.

Gunther was waiting at the Hope Valley Train Station ready to pick his mother up. He had borrowed Nathan's automobile and made sure he wore his red serge so she could spot him easily. Her big smile showed off her happiness as she waved to him. In a quick jaunt, Gunther was next to her in a flash giving his mother a big bear hug.

"Gunther, my boy, it's so good to see you!" she greeted him as she stroked his cheek.

"Mom, I'm very happy you could take time off to come."

"For your celebration? Of course, your Mama would be here, no?"

Gunther grabbed his mother's luggage, "I didn't know if you could make it with spring planting now. It's a busy time for you."

Hannah shook her head, "Nah, your brother and his wife are managing just fine. I'm only in the way."

"Aw, Mom, that's not true. You are the matriarch of the family, you're never in the way!" Gunther reassured her.

Gunther drove Hannah to Billees and she was warmly greeted by Maggie and Sam.

"Hello, Hannah! It's great to see you again. How long can you stay?" Maggie asked.

"As long as Gunther is still here, I'm here," Hannah smiled.

"Wonderful! I'll show you up to your room," Maggie said, "Right this way."

Gunther followed up the stairs with his mother's luggage. After getting Hannah settled in, they stopped downstairs and had lunch.

"Here you go," Sam said as he brought each a plate of sausage and sauerkraut, "Welcome back."

"Oh my, this lunch looks delicious! If it tastes as good as it looks, I'll be happy as a lark! Thank you, Sam!" Hannah smiled.

After lunch, they walked over to see Nathan at the RCMP office. When Nathan saw them coming inside, he stood up and met them at the door.

"How are you, Hannah?" he asked.

Without answering him, Hannah gave Nathan a hug, but it didn't take him by surprise, as he knew she was a sweet lady. He told Gunther he was going to miss seeing her too.

When she let Nathan go, Hannah stood back and smiled warmly looking intently at Nathan. "My, my every time I see you, I think you get more handsome!"

Nathan blushed and looked away, "Are you settled in at Billees?"

"Yes," she answered, "and Maggie and Sam cooked one of my favorite meals too."

"They did, did they? Well, I think you're going to be very spoiled with all your friends here. My family wants you both over for dinner tonight. So, you and Gunther come on over at 6:00 tonight and we'll be waiting for you," Nathan smiled.

Andy came in just then and stopped mid-stride. Looking directly at Hannah, he greeted her, "Why hello there Mrs. Burmeister. It's good to see you!"

Hannah chuckled, "Andy, you are such a sweetheart! I'm happy to see you too."

As she came up to him for a hug, Andy was a bit taken aback at first, but everyone knew Hannah was a hugger.

"I'll be on my way boys, I've got some shopping to do," she winked. "See you at dinner, thank you!"

When she shut the door behind her, Gunther quickly tried to explain, "Sargent she didn't mean 'boys' in the true sense of the word, it's just her way of..."

Nathan laughed, "You don't need to worry, I totally understand. Now, Andy you seemed to want to tell me something?"

Andy cleared his throat, "Yes sir, when out on the rounds in the country, I noticed a few men camping out by the river. I rode up to them, greeted them and asked if they were from around these parts."

Nathan and Gunther were listening intently, "Are they?" Nathan inquired.

"I'm not sure. They didn't answer me directly, they just nodded and walked away with their fishing rods toward the river."

"Maybe they're just having a day off to fish then," Gunther shrugged.

"Well, maybe," Andy answered Gunther. Then looking at Nathan he continued, "But Sargent I've never seen them before. What seemed odd to me was that they didn't have an automobile or horses by their campsite."

"That is concerning," Nathan nodded in agreement, "I'll go with you on afternoon rounds before dinner. Oh, and by the way Andy, dinner is at my house at 6:00."

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Fiona and James were happy to accept Elizabeth's dinner invitation with Will and little Jack. They were looking forward to a home-cooked meal that Fiona didn't have to make.

Elizabeth greeted the newlyweds and welcomed them inside. Will was playing trucks with Jack on the floor and started to stand up when Fiona told him not to get up. "Don't get up, enjoy your time with Jack," she laughed.

James handed Elizabeth a bottle of wine from the case they had shipped home from France, "We brought a little taste of France with us," he smiled.

"Oh, how nice! Thank you!" Elizabeth smiled.

"Is that fruit juice?" Jack asked to everyone's delight.

"That's a good guess, Jack, but it's adult fruit juice for grown-ups," James answered.

"Oh, I like fruit juice too," Jack said disappointed.

Fiona walked over and crouched down by Jack, "I have some chocolate for you. So now, you have a little taste of France too!" she smiled, "But you have to wait until after dinner to enjoy, okay?"

"What do you say, Jack?" Elizabeth prompted.

Jack was satisfied, and thanked Fiona. James took Fiona's coat and hung it up on the coat rack, then joined Jack and Will on the floor. Fiona joined Elizabeth in the kitchen and smelled the chicken cooking in the oven.

Getting close to Elizabeth Fiona whispered, "Smells so good! Seems little Jack is fond of your suitor!"

Elizabeth smiled broadly, "Yes, they hit it off quite well. I'm thrilled that Will has fit in with us so easily. He's such a wonderful man and makes us both happy!"

"You deserve a good man in your life, Elizabeth. Do you two have any future plans?" Fiona hinted.

Elizabeth wiped her hands on her apron as she set the table and giggled, "Well, we haven't gone to that conversation yet, but it's been on my mind. I am finding myself falling in love with him. He already told me he's never been married, but he's ready."

"Seems like you two are tiptoeing around, but it sounds promising, I'm sure it'll be coming!" Fiona winked.

When the dinner was ready on the table, Will took Jack to wash his hands and then pulled out a chair for Elizabeth. Then, he poured a glass of 'adult juice' for the four of them. After everyone was seated, Elizabeth motioned to Will to say their grace.

"AMEN!" Jack concluded and everyone said Amen with him.

During their dinner, Fiona and James told their hosts all about their honeymoon trip, "It was amazing!" James concluded.

"Europe is so fascinating it's something I'll treasure forever." Fiona added.

"Did you get to meet the train engineer?" Jack asked.

James chuckled, "No Jack, that's one thing we missed."

Will looked at Jack, "Would you like to meet a train engineer, Jack?"

"YES!"

"Then, I'll take you to the Hope Valley train station and you, your mom, and me can do just that. We might even take a train ride to the next town. What do you think?" Will asked.

"I think, YES again!" Jack clapped while everyone laughed.

The dinner was so tasty that they ate quite well, so when Elizabeth offered a a chocolate brownie, the only taker was Jack.

"I'll wait, but a cup of coffee sounds good about now," Will suggested and asked if anyone wanted a cup with him and all nodded yes.

Elizabeth cleared the table and then over coffee, Fiona brought up the word about the new development. Both Will and her had heard it talked about but didn't know what to believe.

"Well, it's definitely happening. I just don't know exactly where. I guess prospectors, financiers, and businessmen are all over the area. I'll know more when I meet with the other local mayors soon," Fiona filled them in.

"I don't know what to think. The area is growing, and Lee has been busy building more row houses and homes, but where is all the work?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's a good question," Will added, "I know Lee is hiring, but who else?"

"That's what I will be checking into. Spending a month in Europe, I am out of touch," Fiona confessed.

"Well, you had better things to focus on!" Elizabeth smiled.

Warming up their coffee, Elizabeth brought over a slice of brownie as now they were ready. Even Jack came to the table, but asked, "Momma, instead of a brownie, can I have that fancy chocolate from," he hesitated and looked at Elizabeth for help.

"From France? Of course, lucky you!" Elizabeth hugged Jack.

As they enjoyed their desserts, James brought up the Easter Praise and Worship celebration they hosted last year, "It was well attended by both St. James and the Community Church. I know both Pastor Canfield and Father Ricardo appreciated the town coming together to celebrate. What do you two think about helping to plan another one for this Easter?"

Elizabeth burst into a big smile and looking at Will, he was smiling too.

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Emily was excited to see her good friend, Hannah. Grateful that Allie had helped her bake the apple strudels for tomorrow's celebration for Gunther, she had been in the kitchen most of the day. It was time for her to put her feet up and rest, but she found it hard to sit still with all the cooking and cleaning needing to be done.

"Mom, please don't overdue. Remember what Dr. Faith cautioned you about with your heart and slowing your pace. It would be best if you made sure to rest more often. Allie and I are here too, so don't fret," Dee tried to assure her mother-in-law that Emily didn't have to do it all.

"Oh, I know, I know, it's just so hard to sit still. You have Christopher and Colleen to take care of and need to tend to them," Emily argued.

Allie came in the kitchen and announced that the little ones were waking up from their naps. "Do you want me to get them?" she asked Dee.

"I'll take care of Colleen; she'll want to nurse. It would help though if you took care of Christopher."

"See, what did I just say?" Emily nodded. "The dinner isn't going to cook by itself." Emily got up and went back to the kitchen.

Dee sighed. There was no use trying to convince Emily otherwise.

Looking into Colleen's crib brought a huge smile to Dee's face. Colleen must have had an active dream with her blankie in one corner while she was snuggled up tight sucking her thumb, her bottom up in the air on the other side.

"Silly little girl, what were you dreaming about?" Dee asked her precious little baby girl as she picked her up and hugged her, "My, my you sure have a wet bottom, so let's clean you up peanut."

When Colleen was cleaned up, Dee brought her downstairs and sat on the sofa to nurse her. Christopher's big sister had plunked him down on a blanket on the sofa by his mama. He was all eyes watching his grandma in the kitchen and his grandpa reading in his chair by the fireplace. He slowly let one leg down and then the other to reach the floor. Once there he cautiously walked sideways holding onto the couch until he couldn't anymore. Plunking himself down, he crawled to Archie's chair and pulled himself up to stand there and babble at his grandpa.

Archie chuckled. "Look at you big boy! Do you want to read my book with me?"

Lifting him up on his lap, Archie showed Christopher the photographs in his Reader's Digest magazine. When he would name the picture, Christopher smiled, laughed, or tried to repeat the word. The two of them were always laughing and having fun like best friends.

Allie now free, went to her grandmother's side and asked what she could do to help. Handing her a fresh tablecloth, Emily told Allie to get the good dishes out of the china cabinet and set the table with their Sunday best.

Just then, Nathan walked in and looked around seeing his family busy and happy.

"Hello!" he greeted them all.

Christopher looked over and seeing his daddy, squealed, "Da-da!"

Colleen stopped nursing to see who was talking, saw her dad, but went right back to the task at hand.

Giving Dee a kiss, Nathan walked over to his dad holding Christopher saying, "There's my little man!" Christopher held up his hands for his daddy to take him.

Giving Christopher kisses on his neck, Nathan laughed as Christopher giggled. Holding him he walked over to the kitchen.

"What smells so good?" he asked Emily after hugging Allie.

"Sauerbraten and spaetzle. One of Hannah's favorite dishes!" Emily said proudly.

"It does smell delicious!" Nathan complimented his mother with a kiss on the forehead.

"Andy, Gunther and Hannah are coming soon, ya?" Emily checked.

"Yes. I'll go change and get washed up." Nathan said while handing Christopher back to his grandpa.

Soon the Grant house was filled with people hugging and laughing. Archie was confused at first, but once everyone was gathered around the table and he was next to Emily he felt comfortable.

The dinner was even better than it smelled. Emily had such a gift for cooking and baking which was well-known. Hannah added, "I couldn't have made it better myself!"

"No slight meant to you, Mrs. Grant," Gunther added, "but when it comes to cooking, my Ma's cooking is on the top of my favorites!"

Hannah smiled broadly looking at Gunther, "Thank you son."

The conversation briefly touched on the new development that was the talk of the town. "Until we have a town meeting, I don't have much to add," Nathan explained, "Meanwhile, Andy spotted two men camping down by the river earlier, so we followed up just tonight, but when we went looking for them, they weren't there. It's important though, that we know what's happening with any strange activity or people. There will be more people popping up, I'm sure."

After dinner, Hannah insisted on helping to clean off the table and dry the dishes. "Please, let me help. You've been working all day. Even though we all thoroughly enjoyed your delicious dinner, Emily, I know you need to take care of your heart. Go sit down and put your feet up on the footstool."

"It's all right, Hannah."

"Don't argue with me, Miss Allie is helping me, now shoo!"

Emily admitted once she sat on the sofa, it did feel wonderful to get off her feet.

Andy and Gunther both bantered back and forth about the young ladies in town and Andy made sure that Hannah knew about Rosaleen. Gunther was embarrassed, but he finally admitted in front of everyone that he was worried about their relationship.

Hannah looked sympathetically at her son, "Son, remember, if it's meant to be, God will work things out for the both of you."

Knowing Gunther didn't want to be the center of attention especially concerning his love life, Nathan swiftly changed the subject. "Hannah, you know we've planned a nice dinner celebration for your son tomorrow. Bill is going to be roasting pork ribs and my mom and Allie have been busy baking apple strudels."

"I'm really looking forward to it. Gunther, you make me proud to be your mother, in more ways than one."

Dee was still holding Colleen and asked if anyone wanted coffee and cake.

"It's so good to see your precious little daughter!" Hannah exclaimed, "Such a beautiful lass you have! May I hold her?"

"Yes, of course!" Dee walked over by Hannah placing Colleen in her arms. At first Colleen was wide-eyed staring at Hannah, but once Hannah began to sing a German Lullaby, "Guten Abend, Gute Nacht", Colleen settled right in Hannah's lap and listened, cooing along.