Canadian West 01] – When Calls the Heart

With one quick motion I jerked back my hand.
"No man ever has to kiss me-not for any reason," I threw at him. "I would rather have been mauled by that bear than to be so-so indebted to you, Mr. Delaney!" I jumped from the auto and ran blindly across the ditch and down the pathway from which I had just been rescued.
I did remember the bear, but in my anger I was convinced that he would be no match for me. I heard Wynn call my name, but the sound only made me more angry and my tears fall more freely. The nerve of the man to get me to throw my love at his feet and then turn his back upon me

When I began to revive I sensed that I was moving, being carried in strong arms. For one terrifying minute I thought that it might be the bear toting me off. I fought to regain consciousness. My eyes slowly focused. It was Wynn.
"Steady, Elizabeth. It's all right." His arm tightened about me. I turned my face against him and began to cry.
He carried me out to the roadway and then lowered me to my feet, but he did not let me go. He pulled me close and let me shiver and weep until I began to regain some sense. All this time he had held me and stroked my hair or patted my shoulder, saying, "It's all right now. Elizabeth-you're fine--you're with me-it's gone-it's gone."
Finally I had control of myself enough to stand on my own feet and speak.
"A bear--"
"I know," he said, "I saw him."
"I was going to take the shortcut." I babbled on.
"I saw you."
"Where'd you come from""
"I was driving to your house when I saw you leave the road. I left the automobile and ran after you, so that I could give you a ride home. Just as I caught up with you I saw-"
"The bear."
"Yes, the hear. I was going to call out to you, but I was afraid that you might run----running is the worst thing that one can do."

my thoughts back with that reared-up hear slowly advancing toward me.
Wynn's arms tightened about me and then I was being kissed--a kiss that drove all thought of the bear far from my mind. Slowly my arm stole up and around the back of Wynn's neck. I floated in a world where only Wvnn and I existed, a world that I never wanted to end. But it did. Wynn stopped kissing me and swung me into his arms and carried me to the auto that was waiting on the roadway.
"Your mother sent a parcel to Jon and Mary," he said matter-of-factly as he walked. "She included a number of things for you, so, as I had a couple of days off, Jon suggested that I borrow his vehicle, visit my brother and deliver the packages to you."
"I see," I murmured against Wynn's shirt front as he lifted me to the seat of the car, then went around to climb in beside me-but I didn't see. I was still far too busy remembering Wynn's kiss. I expected him to start the automobile, but he didn't. Instead, he hesitated, and I dared to hope that he might kiss me again. Instead, he cleared his throat to speak, reaching for my hand and holding it.
"Elizabeth, I owe you an apology."
Startled, I came back to full consciousness.
"I had no right to kiss you like that-I know that. And I didn't mean by it-" He stopped and gazed at me. "I could see that you were thinking again of that bear-your face was going white and your eyes looked terrified, and I thought that you might faint again. I had to make you think of something else, to get your mind off the bear; and the only thing that I could think to do-well-I-I kissed you."
Slowly the words sank in. At first they had made no sense, but the sting of them began to reach through my numbed senses. Wynn had kissed me just for the medical benefit of snapping me out of shock. But that wasn't how I had kissed him. Surely he had been aware of my response, my eagerness. Oh, yes, he would have been aware all right, and now he was apologizing for having kissed me at all! He wanted to be sure that I knew that he meant nothing personal by the kiss and to point out that the response on my part had been ridiculous and unfounded. He was still Mr. Mountie, married to his profession

Mary delighted in letting slip frequent references to Wynn and his obvious high regard for me

Wynn mailed me a book-or rather, a manual, which I imagined was used by the North West Mounted Police. It contained many facts about Alberta, including its vegetation, animals and their behavior, the peoples and their way of life and industry. I found it fascinating-especially since it had come from Wynn. His short note had stated that he thought I might find the information interesting and helpful. I did. I used much of the book in my classes. The students and I took advantage of the early spring weather to go on a nature hike and identify the growth according to the manual.

When Wynn left, he surprised me by giving me a compliment, at least it seemed like one to me.
"I think that this country life must agree with you, Elizabeth.

One of the other fellows had just left for Lac La Biche, he said, and another Mountie who had been in Calgary for three years had just received a posting to Grouard, on Lesser Slave Lake.

But Wvnn went on.
"Aitcheson had a girl. When his posting came in, she called off the wedding."
My heart sank.

The next day I had another visitor. Wynn had come to see Phil and Lydia, so he stopped by the school to deliver a note from Mary.

Bill Laverly stood on the platform, his smile stretched from ear to ear, when I descended from the train