Granting a Family - Chapter 8: Changing Seasons

Nathan closed his eyes and let the warmth of the sun wash over him and Newton as they rode back into town from completing their rounds. Winter was coming to a close, and the change in seasons was just what he needed. Spring meant new life, and he had a feeling this spring would bring some much-needed hope back to Hope Valley. 

Next week, Nathan and Allie would be heading to Union City for a few weeks. He first had to testify at the trial of Agent Julius Spurlock and the other two Pinkertons, then he would be attending two weeks of training for his promotion. When he returned home to Hope Valley, he would be Inspector Nathan Grant, no longer just a Constable. Nathan sat up a little taller on Newton with pride, remembering how Superintendent Lewis raved about his handling of the investigation and arrests of the rogue Pinkertons, not to mention all the extra work Nathan had been doing to keep the town safe with the influx of new settlers. He immediately offered the promotion to Nathan, and in the weeks since then, Nathan had been preparing for the new Constable to come to town. 

Constable Thomas Bradshaw would be coming to Hope Valley with his wife Anne, who was expecting their first child. Nathan had to admit, it would be nice to have the company of a fellow law enforcement officer. Having help with reigning in the rowdy bunch of men who had been working on the new factory, would relieve a lot of pressure off of Nathan. He would enlist Bill to help the new Constable while he was away at training. He decided he better get back to town and see if the Bradshaws had arrived and needed any help moving into the newly-vacant row house, two doors down from Nathan and Allie.

Nathan rode up to the Mountie office, and instead of the new Constable, it was Elizabeth waiting for him. She was a vision in the blush pink outfit she had been wearing at Allie’s adoption ceremony with her hair also pinned up like it had been that day. “Elizabeth,” he greeted, trying not to look her up and down and feel anything other than friendship for her. She really needed a new wardrobe so he wouldn’t have memories associated with every outfit she wore. “This is a surprise. Is everything ok?”

“Hi Nathan. Allie just told me you plan to take her to Union City with you next week.” Elizabeth began. 

“I know it isn’t ideal to have her miss three weeks of school, but I really want her with me,” Nathan started to defend himself.

“No, no. I’m not here to talk you out of taking Allie. I first wanted to sincerely congratulate you on your promotion. I have felt guilty for a long time about you giving that up two years ago, and I’m so glad the Mountie’s recognized how deserving you are to get that position now. I’m sorry I haven’t thanked you for helping put away this other Spurlock who tried to take my land.” 

Elizabeth looked down thoughtfully then remembering what she really came to see him about, handed him some papers and explained, “But the real reason I came to see you is regarding Allie’s schooling while you are away. She would have been just fine to do make-up work on her own, but since you will be in Union City, I have talked to the Advanced Learning Academy there, which is the school providing Allie’s advanced math class. They have agreed to let her be taught there for those three weeks by teachers who are credentialed for higher education. In fact, that’s why I’m dressed the way I am today. Mr. Landis is meeting with me about bringing in a teacher with those qualifications to teach the older children next year.”

Nathan now understood why she was dressed up that way. A part of him was glad this wasn’t done for Lucas, although he wondered where their relationship stood after finding out his ties to Frontier Estates. Nathan was trying to stay out of everyone’s business right now while he focused on his advancing career and his two major objectives: keeping the town safe and raising Allie.

Nathan took the papers from Elizabeth and gratefully replied, “Thank you for this, and for looking out for Allie in that way. I’m sorry I haven’t spoken with you since the Pinkerton incident, but my job has been very demanding getting ready for the new Constable, my promotion and getting ready to leave…” he let his sentence hang in the air as they saw a Mountie approach on a beautiful black stallion that looked similar to Sergeant. 

Elizabeth was taken aback with yet another man in red serge in Hope Valley. She looked at Nathan who looked up and greeted “Constable Bradshaw, welcome.”

“Constable Grant, I assume,” he responded with a solute. He dismounted from his horse and shook Nathan’s hand. “You can call me Thomas,” he instructed. “This here is Midnight,” he said, patting his horse. “My wife Anne will be here tomorrow. She is expecting our first child and wanted to take the train for a smoother ride.” 

Nathan turned and motioned toward Elizabeth and said, “Thomas, I want to introduce you to Elizabeth Thornton.”

“THE Elizabeth Thornton?” Thomas questioned. “Jack Thornton is a legend among the Mounties, and we all know about his legendary love story with the school teacher. I think you will get along really well with my wife.”

“I look forward to meeting your wife, Constable. Welcome to Hope Valley, and thank you for your kind words. If you will excuse me, I have to be back at the school for a meeting. Nathan, please let me know if you have any questions about the school” she smiled at him and walked away.

Thomas noticed Nathan’s gaze following Elizabeth as she left and smirked, “No way! You and Jack’s widow? Didn’t he replace you in the training exercise? Wow, I wouldn’t think she would have given you the time of day once she found that out.”

Nathan scowled at the new Constable and sternly cautioned, “You need to learn how to think a little before you speak. No, there is nothing more than friendship between me and Elizabeth...now. And everyone involved has moved past what happened at Fort Clay.” Nathan wasn’t sure how he felt about Thomas Bradshaw. He examined him closer, noting he was several inches shorter than himself, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. He exuded confidence and self-assuredness, something Nathan had never been known for.

“You’ve had a long journey,” Nathan acknowledged, coming out of his thoughts. “Let’s get you to the café for a warm meal, then I can give you a tour of the office before we head to your house and get you settled.”

“That sounds great. Sorry if I upset you before. My wife always tells me I’m too quick to spit out my thoughts before thinking about what I’m about to say and how it might not be appropriate. Having a good woman by your side can really improve your life, Nathan. I thank God every day I have Anne in my life.”

Nathan was inclined to agree with him, as his greatest wish was to find his one true love to spend the rest of his life with. He sighed and clapped Thomas’ shoulder saying, “One day it may happen for me, but you are a lucky man to have found that in your life. I do have a wonderful girl in my life right now, my daughter Allie who is turning 13 soon.”

“So you’ve been married before?” Thomas asked, a little confused.

“No, she was my sister’s daughter. When Colleen passed, Allie’s father left and I was the only person able to take care of her. Allie’s adoption became final a few months ago.” Nathan spoke with great pride and reverence about this special father/daughter relationship. He didn’t know what he would do without Allie in his life, but now was not the time to get emotional about that when he was trying to make a strong leadership appearance, his first chance at being in a superior role. “Let’s go get you fed, and I think you’ll get to meet Bill Avery over at the café. He will be able to help you out a lot while I’m out of town.”

“Bill Avery?!” Thomas exclaimed. “That man is a legend with the Mounties. I heard he just turned in his uniform, and that’s a shame based on the stories I’ve heard.”

Nathan chuckled, “Don’t tell him that, he already thinks too highly of himself.”

The two Mounties headed to the café where Thomas met his hero Bill Avery, got a hearty meal, and was introduced to several townspeople who looked with curiosity at the new Constable. Nathan hoped people would be welcoming, and felt pride in the way he had served and protected this town over the past few years. He was excited to finally be an Inspector and live out his dream. Nathan was known for his tracking and investigating skills, so this new position would perfectly fit his skills. Finally something in his life seemed to be headed in a positive direction, for the first time in a very long time.

Thomas’ wife arrived the next day, and the entire neighborhood was eager to help the Bradshaws get settled. Anne was a put-together, attractive woman in her mid 20s with curly chocolate-colored hair, dark brown eyes, and olive-toned skin. Unlike her exuberant husband, she was more reserved; however, she was extremely kind and cheerful and made friends easily, which helped with the Mountie lifestyle of moving around frequently. She had a small round belly, holding her first-born child that would arrive in the late summer. Smiling and thanking everyone, she went inside what would be her new home, and went straight up to the bedroom to rest after her tiresome journey.

“My love, are you feeling ok,” Thomas asked her, helping her get comfortable.

“I was a little sick on the train, but the fresh air and kindness of everyone in Hope Valley has helped immensely.” Anne smiled at how handsome her husband looked in suspenders and his casual civilian clothes. “How do you like working with Constable, soon-to-be Inspector, Grant?” she asked with interest. “He seems like a noble and honorable Mountie, very handsome, and he’s still unattached?”

“Don’t get any ideas,” he warned. “You know how well the last set-up worked out.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know at least three Mounties are now happily married thanks to my match-making skills,” Anne defended herself. “I feel bad about that last one, especially because it involved family. I just don’t understand how a selfless man like Nathan, who took in and adopted his niece, can’t get a wife.”

“Slow down there Mrs. Bradshaw,” Thomas teased. “I think he has a thing for Mrs. Thornton, but rumor has it he was turned down for a certain Mr. Bouchard. I suggest we just stay out of it, since he’s my boss and all.”

“Oh, all right,” she agreed as she began drifting off to sleep. Thomas sat and watched her until he knew she was in a deep slumber, then dressed in his serge and headed to do rounds with Nathan.

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Shutting the office door and walking into the street, Nathan was mentally crossing things off his list of all the things that had to be done before he and Allie headed to Union City tomorrow. He had saved the one thing he was dreading for last. Taking a deep breath, he headed toward the Saloon and walked into a nearly-empty room. Nathan scanned the room with his eyes and noticed Lucas at the bar looking defeated and troubled. He approached the bar cautiously, not exactly sure what he was here for or what he really wanted to say. Lucas looked up, surprised.

“Lucas,” Nathan began. “You may have heard I’m leaving for a few weeks.”

“Yes, I heard about your promotion. Congratulations, Nathan. You deserve it. I really mean that. I would have never forgiven myself if Elizabeth had lost her land because of me.” Lucas looked down embarrassed.

“I wanted to know if you had somewhere we could talk privately,” Nathan asked. 

Lucas looked a little taken aback, but motioned for Nathan to follow him back to his office where the incident with Spurlock happened just a few short weeks ago. “You know, I’ve always been so in control of my life. The master of my own destiny, “Lucas lamented. “I don’t know if I can get myself out of this mess.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok before I left town,” Nathan responded. 

“I tried to explain everything to Elizabeth, but she is unsure if she wants to continue in a relationship with me,” Lucas admitted. “Right now we are taking a break and I am giving her space.”

This was news to Nathan, and he felt a surge of mixed emotions at Lucas’ admission. “I guess I just don’t quite understand what is going on with Frontier Estates, or why you hired the Pinkertons and Wyman Walden. I know that the article Rosemary had in the Valley Voice didn’t put you in a very good light, and I’ve seen that people in the community have lost trust in you.”

“First and foremost, I want to be clear that nothing I have done is illegal,” Lucas explained. “When I found out the Pinkertons might be involved in fraudulent activities, I was doing everything I could to make sure they didn’t involve my company in anything unlawful. I stopped letting them be the couriers for the legal documents, and kept all of the original documents in my safe.”

“So what is it exactly that your company does then?” Nathan tried to understand. “You acquire properties like land and businesses to develop, spruce them up, then resell at a much higher value once land values go up due to something like a factory coming to town? Does that just about cover it?” 

“More or less. This business is how I financed all of my other ventures, like the oil business. Now that is in jeopardy because people don’t feel like they can trust me. Luckily, Mike is doing a great job running both Gowen Petroleum, and the pipeline business. Fiona…” Lucas paused at the mention of her name and winced. “I’m not sure she will ever forgive me for not being honest with everyone. I really messed things up this time.”

“What happened to Wyman Walden?” Nathan asked. “I know people had a really hard time with him, especially since he was trying to do his own personal transactions on the side and tried to take all of their money.”

“Mr. Walden has headed to work at another town that is close to booming, like this one, to start buying land and businesses. I’m not the only person involved in Frontier Estates, and I don’t make all of the decisions.” Lucas asserted. “You have to understand, I have done this in multiple frontier towns and my intent is always to make positive changes.”

“And a profit,” Nathan interjected suspiciously.

“Of course I would want to make a profit,” Lucas pointed out. “It doesn’t make me a bad person to want to improve people’s lives and make money in the process.” 

“No, I supposed not,” Nathan said. “I have a suggestion. Why don’t you go to Rosemary and give her your side of the story in an exclusive expose that she can print in the Valley Voice. You need to let people know that hiring the Pinkertons and Wyman Walden was a mistake, and give them a reason to start trusting you again. You need to clean up the Saloon and make it a more family-friendly environment. It can’t continue to be a place where brawls break out and unsavory characters hang out. While I’m gone, work with Constable Bradshaw to really try to keep the peace in Hope Valley.”

Lucas gave Nathan a grateful smile and stood up to go shake his hand. “I don’t deserve your kindness and friendship after the way I treated you back when we were both vying for Elizabeth.”

“It’s all water under the bridge,” Nathan replied, walking out of the office. He turned and sincerely said, “Lucas, everyone deserves a second chance, especially in a place with hope in the name of the town. I’ll see you when I get back home.”

Lucas watched his former adversary walk out of the Saloon and contemplated what he had said. Could he overcome this and actually stay? He was so used to developing a town, turning a profit, then moving on. Hope Valley had become his home, and he was tired of running away.

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Allie went over the list she had made and checked her suitcase for the umpteenth time. She was used to moving around, but not since they had been in Hope Valley the past three years. She knew they would only be gone for a few weeks, but she had a feeling this trip was going to change things. Hearing the door close, she headed down to serve her Dad the last dinner in their own home before they left.

“Allie, you made all this for me?” Nathan asked, impressed. “That was very thoughtful. Are you packed and ready to go?”

“Sure am!” she exclaimed. “Are YOU all packed?”

“You know I don’t need much,” he joked. “Are you excited to spend some time in the city and go to a big school?” 

“I’m a little nervous I won’t measure up to the other kids there, but I know it will be good for me. I’ll miss my friends...and Robert.” Allie giggled and her cheeks turned a bright pink.

“Maybe getting you away from here for a while will be good for more than one reason,” Nathan suggested, rolling his eyes and laughing.

“Dad!” Allie groaned. “What about you, are you nervous about your training?”

“Just excited,” Nathan confessed. “I think this is going to be good for us both.”

After dinner, Nathan read Allie a few chapters of Anne of Green Gables, one of her favorite books, because Allie had always felt a little like an orphan and related to the Anne character. They always laughed at Anne Shirley’s antics together and discussed who they thought were Kindred Spirits in their own lives. The duo went to bed early, and both dreamt of excitement and adventure that awaited them in Union City: a trip that could prove to be a major turning point in the Grant Family.