Chapter 3
Elizabeth stood on the steps of the library, not believing the conversation she just had with Lucas about the library. Of course, according to him it wasn't a library anymore. This was just not acceptable, she thought. She decided to go speak to Lee since he was the mayor pro tem.
Elizabeth entered the Valley Voice office and found both Rosemary and Lee in the office. "Oh dear," Rosemary said. "You seem upset about something. What's wrong?"
Elizabeth turned her attention to Lee. "Lee, Lucas has commandeered the library and said he is now using it as his office. He can't do that, can he? He donated it to the town to be used as a library." Elizabeth said adamantly.
"Elizabeth, I'm afraid he can. Lucas owns the building not the town. He was letting the town use the space for the library. We needed the tax revenue and asked that he retain ownership of the building which he did. The building is his to do with as he wants. He is under no obligation to continue to let the town use the building for their needs." Lee told her sheepishly as he knew he was responsible for this mess.
"Lucas said his office at the saloon was unusable. What is he talking about?" Elizabeth asked
"Hmm, I may have used it for a storage room. He is correct, right now it is unusable as an office." Lee said embarrassed.
"Why did you do that? That's just as bad as Lucas taking over the library. Now you have caused a bigger mess." Elizabeth said angrily.
"Elizabeth, calm down, please." Rosemary said. "Lucas reneged on his promise to name the park after Goldie. What was Lee supposed to do?" Rosemary asked defending her husband.
"Rosie, he did not renege on naming the park after Goldie. There were problems with the park and I thought he was taking the cattlemen's side and not doing what was in the best interest of Hope Valley. I do admit I didn't stick around long enough to hear him out and that is on me. I was being pig headed and unfortunately, I have made things so much worse. I'm sorry Elizabeth." Lee said contritely.
"Well march over there right now and fix this. The students need a library and there is no other viable place for us to put it." Elizabeth told him.
"I really don't think he would listen to me right now. After all I didn't listen to him. I'm afraid we are at an impasse." Lee said honestly. Elizabeth glared at Lee and then stormed out of the office.
Rosemary and Lee watched her walk out in a huff. "Don't worry Lee, I'll talk to her later after she has had a chance to cool down. She will be fine." Rosemary told him, hoping that was true. Rosemary then turned to face her husband. "And you need to fix things with Lucas." She told him emphatically.
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November 2, 1921
On Wednesday of the following week, Joseph and his crew had finished the construction items Lucas needed done inside the former library. The space now had a complete bathroom with shower. The back storage room converted into a small bedroom with a window. Lucas walked around the small room with the single bed, it would do for short stays in Hope Valley. With any luck he hoped he wouldn't have to spend too much time in this town going forward. He just needed to resolve this shared used problem for the National Park and for Jeanette Aucoin's trial to end, once that happened, he could return to Capital City.
Joseph was outside the building putting up the new signage. He had painted over the library sign and it now read Governor Lucas Bouchard. Province of Alberta. Lucas also was having Joseph add another sign underneath that had Edie Martell, Attorney at law.
Edie walked up to the building; she was surprised at seeing the sign. "Mr. Canfield, did the Governor asked you to add that sign with my name on it?" Edie questioned.
"He sure did Mrs. Martell." Joseph told her as he climbed down from the ladder.
"Well, I'm surprised, but it does look wonderful. Thank you very much." Edie told him happily.
"Thank the Governor. It was his idea." Joseph told her with a bright smile.
Edie stepped on to the porch to enter her new office. As she opened the door she couldn't believe the transformation. "Good morning, Lucas. The space looks wonderful." She told him with a smile.
Lucas looked up from his desk. "I'm glad you like it. I hope you will be comfortable here. Make yourself at home." He told her brightly.
Edie walked around and then took a seat behind what she knew was to be her desk. "This is very nice. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. But I do have a question for you. How often do you think you will be Hope Valley using the office here? The reason I ask, when clients come in…I don't know how they would feel about the Governor listening in on their legal woes." She told him honestly.
"Yes, I can see where that would be a problem. Actually, I hope not to be here very often. Once we figure out this shared use problem I will be heading back to Capital City. But while I'm here, I promise to make myself scarce if you have a client. Is that acceptable, Miss Martell?" Lucas asked with a wry smile.
"Thank you and I will do the same for you when you need privacy." She told him.
"Good, then that's settled. I was also hoping that maybe after lunch we could ride out to the land that is causing all the problems and see if we can get a handle on this shared use issue and resolve it quickly." He told her.
"I think that would be good idea. It's makes things easier if you can actually visualize the problem." Edie told him.
"I agree. Sounds like we have a plan." Lucas told her with a smile.
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Nathan Grant walked into The Queen of Hearts and right up to the bar where Lee and Bill were standing. Mike Hickam was tending bar.
"Hickam, pour me a beer." Nathan told him
"Since when do you drink, especially in the afternoon?" Bill asked as he stared at Nathan with concern. "Is there something wrong?"
"I heard from a friend of mine who said that there is a rumor going around about Mountie stations being closed due to budget cuts. And Hope Valley is on the chopping block." He told the men.
"Lucas wouldn't close the Mountie office here." Lee said although he doubted the validity of what he just said.
"Oh, wouldn't he?" Nathan said sarcastically.
"The Hope Valley office was originally opened because Elizabeth's father greased the pockets of some of the higher ups. He wanted a Mountie presence in town if his daughter was going to be living here." Bill told the men.
"Well, I'm guessing Thatcher isn't going to have enough cash to grease Bouchard's pocket on this topic. This is a perfect way for him to get me out of town. He must be loving this." Nathan said frustrated.
"Now, Nathan you don't know that. It's all rumors." Lee said trying to put a good spin on the situation. He had his own problems with Lucas right now and was now seriously beginning to realize that perhaps he had pushed Lucas too far with the office stunt. Hickam had warned him that it was not a good idea to mess with Lucas's office.
"The man is in town, why don't you go over to the library and ask him if it's true." Bill told him.
"I heard he was back in town but why is he at the library?" It worried Nathan that Lucas was at the library since that was Lucas and Elizabeth's special place. Despite how close they had become; they never went to the library together.
"Lucas's office here at the saloon is otherwise occupied right now so he is using the library." Lee told him not feeling the need to elaborate more and admit his own culpability in angering Lucas.
"No, I don't think that's the best idea. He and I do not exactly have a friendly relationship these days." Nathan told them as they all shook their heads in agreement. Elizabeth's change of heart had put everyone in a bad position where Lucas was concerned. No one quite understood what happened, they seemed so in love, both of them. Everyone was afraid to broach the subject with either one of them.
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Nathan stepped out of the saloon and headed back to his office. As he stood on the porch, he saw Lucas come out of the library with a woman. She was petit with dark brown hair and glasses. Nathan wondered who she was. She didn't appear to be Lucas's type of woman. He didn't think it was a date, business he thought, as they were both dressed in business attire. Although something about the way they were smiling at each other made it seem that they were more than business associates. He had not seen the woman around town before at least not that he remembered. He chided himself as he did not have the time to give Lucas's love life any more thought, he was having enough trouble with his own right now.
"OK Miss Martell, how about you show me what the problem is with the land." Lucas told her with a smile as they both mounted their horses. They had a pleasant ride to McGinty's Meadow, which was the land that was in question.
As they came through the trees, the forest opened into a large meadow. "So, this is where the cattle come to graze when necessary?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, and the only access to the meadow is through the path we just took… in your National Park." She told him with a side eyed glance. "Besides territorial law that would prohibit the continued shared use currently going on, it would hardly be prudent to have tourists hiking or picnicking while ranchers are trying to herd their cattle to the meadow." She told him with a knowing smile.
"Ok, so first we would need to fence in the meadow. Then we need to find another access route for the ranchers to take that would still allow them to bring their cattle to the meadow but not impact the National Park. Would you say that sums up the problem?" Lucas asked her with a dimpled grin.
"It does, except that the land is owed by A.J. McGinty and you would need his permission to fence in the space. He is not really the most agreeable fellow, if you know what I mean." She told him.
"Hmm, ok but first order of business is to find another route to the meadow. If we don't find that then it is moot point about the fencing. Enough about that for now. I would love to see all of your ranch. Care to take me on tour?" He asked her.
Edie smiled and for the next hour they rode around areas of what Lucas hoped to be his National Park and then they rode around the Martell ranch before stopping at Edie's house. As they rode up to the log house, Lucas smiled. The scenery had been breathtaking and the ride helped to relax his spirit. As they dismounted, Lucas took a good look at the log home.
"Did your uncle build this?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, he did, along with my aunt and my cousin." It's not huge but it's comfortable. The only problem is there is no electricity up here which is one of the reasons it's not conducive to my working here. And to be honest, I love electricity." She said with a laugh.
Lucas laughed along with her. "I agree with you. Once you have enjoyed the ease of having electric lights and a refrigerator it is hard to go backwards. He told her as they dismounted and walked on to her wide wrap around porch.
"Would you like a glass of lemonade?" She asked.
"That would be nice. Thank you." Lucas told her.
"Wait here. I'll be right back. Please have a seat." She told him as she went inside. Lucas looked out at the mountains. It was beautiful out here. He felt himself for the first time in a very long time start to actually relax. He took a seat on one of the rocking chairs and waited for her to return.
"Here you go. I just made it this morning." Edie told him as she handed him a glass of lemonade.
"It's really lovely out here. Do you plan to keep the ranch? You said you were a lawyer by trade and it seems that is what you would prefer to be doing. You don't exactly strike me as the rancher type." Lucas told her with a soft laugh.
"I'm not, not really. But I could never sell Uncle Ernie's ranch unless I absolutely had too. My ranch foreman does most of the work, I just pay the bills. But I know I should be here more which is why I want to open my own practice to service Benson Hills and Hope Valley. I love being out here but I'm probably more a city girl at heart. Although I loved coming here in the summers. Right before l graduated from school my parents died and Uncle Ernie took me in. It has been home ever since." She said a bit forlornly.
"You mentioned that your cousin and aunt helped your uncle build the house. Why did your cousin not inherit the ranch or do you share it?" Lucas asked.
"My cousin, William, he was a few years older than me. Unfortunately, he died in the war. His mother, my Aunt Mabel died of the influenza last year as well." She told him sadly.
"I'm so sorry. That's a lot of loss." Lucas said with compassion. "Not to mention losing a fiancé along the way as well." Lucas said reticently. "Sorry, I guess that was an inappropriate thing to say."
"No, it's fine but something I'm not ready to talk about… with you at least, not yet. But it has been difficult losing my aunt and uncle in such a short period of time. This ranch meant so much to Uncle Ernie. He wanted William to take it over when he got back from the war. He just never expected that he would not come home at all. I owe it to him to try to keep it going. I do love it out here, it does wonders for the spirit to come back here after practicing law all day. Looking out at the mountains, it's just so beautiful." She told him with a serene look in her eyes.
"That's why I want the National Park. So that people from the city can also come here and basked in the beauty that Canada has to offer. America is creating all kinds of National Parks in the western part of the country. Canada is just as beautiful and we owe it to our country to preserve some of the land for that same purpose, as you said to rejuvenate the spirit." Lucas told her with a smile.
"I wish that was possible. I just don't know if it is." She told him.
"Well, surely between the two of us we can come up with something." Lucas pulled out his pocket watch. "It's getting late. I better head back to town before it gets dark. Thank you for the tour. I enjoyed it. I will see you at the office tomorrow." Lucas told her as he stood to leave.
"Have a safe ride back to town." Edie said to him as he left. Edie watched as he rode away. He was a handsome man. She was attracted him but it was more than his good looks. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was about him that she found so intriguing. She had decided he was a complicated man and she could also see the sadness that his eyes revealed. He smiled often but his smile rarely reached his eyes. Governor Bouchard had seen his share of heartbreak as well, Edie thought to herself.
The next several days, Edie and Lucas brainstormed regarding ways to fix their dilemma but no clear options presented themselves. But the days passed pleasantly enough. They often had lunch and dinner together at the café. They even enjoyed a game of cards one night with Lucas winning easily. Lucas felt himself relaxing more in her presence. She was witty, smart and interesting to talk with. She was pretty but very buttoned up he thought. He caught himself on more than one occasion wondering what she would look like in more casual attire and her hair down. He was relieved to know that perhaps a part of him was coming back to life.
On the Thursday after Lucas and Edie had toured the meadow at the center of the controversy Allie Grant and Oliver Garrett visited him at his office.
"Allie, what do I owe this visit too?" Lucas asked cordially.
"I think Oliver and I have come up with a solution to your National Park problem." Allie said all smiles.
"What might that be?" Lucas asked the two teenagers.
"There's another pasture that is available to the ranchers which would not impede the National Park. It also would have a positive impact on the salmon that spawn in the stream that the cattle cross to get to the meadow. The cattle are contaminating the water. The path to the alternate pasture is currently washed out and seriously blocked but with some effort it could be cleared." Allie told him.
"I wonder if the ranchers know about it and if they do why don't they just unblock it?" Lucas asked thinking out loud. "This is good work kids. I will look into it. I appreciate your efforts." Lucas told them. They left the maps with Lucas and went on their way. Lucas would need to discuss this with Edie to get more information.
When Lucas saw Edie the next morning, he brought up the alternate pasture. "I believe I have found a solution to our problem. A Mountie recruit and his friend found an alternate pasture on land that is already owned by the province and does not border the national park. The path to the meadow is washed out and blocked but we could have it cleared and the ranchers could use this pasture for grazing when needed. I'm just surprised that the Cattlemen Association didn't know anything about it." Lucas told her ready to show her the map. As he rolled out the map on his desk, he sensed that Edie was not pleased by this discovery.
"My. Well, that is very promising. Until my uncle's death I didn't really pay much attention to where the cattle grazed when our land was not sufficient. That would be why I'm not aware of this other meadow. Hmm, let me check with the other ranchers and I will let you know. Can I take this map with me? I will visit the other ranchers and get their opinions." She smiled sweetly at him.
"Yes, of course. I look forward to hearing what they have to say about this." Lucas told her a bit hesitantly.
"Yes. I am too." She said quietly. She picked up the maps and abruptly left the office.
Lucas watched as she left. Something wasn't right, Edie seemed uneasy about something of that he was certain. Just then the telephone rang. Lucas returned back to his desk and picked up the phone.
"Governor Bouchard." Lucas said as he answered the phone.
"Governor, Mr. Mitchell is on the phone for you." Florence told him.
"Put him through Florence, thank you." Lucas said. "Edwin, what do I owe this call too?"
"I have news about the Jeanette Aucoin trial. Are you sitting down?" Edwin asked anxiously.
Lucas closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead as different scenarios played out in his head. What new hell was he in for now? He thought.