PART 2

 

Brian Cooper rode out to the Château with an armful of that day’s “Colorado Spring’s Gazette”, the local newspaper, to deliver.

 

 Brian stopped his horse and got down to tie him up.  As he turned around to walk up the front staircase, he ran right into a beautiful young woman.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Brian apologized.  “I didn’t mean to run into you.  I should have been looking at where I was going.  Are you OK?”  He stared at this vision of beauty standing in front of him.

 

“Yes, I’m fine, but it was my fault.  I’m the one that wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” she said quietly.

 

“You visiting here?” Brian asked curiously.

 

“Yes, for the holidays.  A friend of my mother’s is a cousin to Preston Lodge.”

 

“Oh,” he smiled at her.  “My name is Brian Cooper.”  He looked down at the newspapers in his arms.  “I work for the newspaper here in town.”

 

“As delivery boy?” she questioned.

 

“Right now, at this moment.  Actually, I write for the Gazette too,” he explained.  “A lot of the things in this newspaper, I wrote.”

 

“I see.  I’m Noelle Bentley,” she introduced herself.

 

“Noelle?  That’s a pretty name.  Fit’s the season coming up.”

 

“Yes.  I turn 20 on Christmas Eve.”

 

“So that’s why you got the name Noelle?  You were born on Christmas Eve.”  She nodded.  Brian smiled.  “Have you seen the countryside around here yet?”

 

“No, I haven’t had a chance to yet.”

 

“I need to take these papers inside, but after I do, I’m done for the day.  How about I show you around.”

 

“That’s sound great, Brian.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

As this was happening; Meredith, Judith, and Preston were sitting in the hotel dining room having a cup of coffee.

 

“So, Judith,” Preston began, “what happened to your husband?”

 

“He died about ten years ago.  I’ve had to raise Noelle by myself these past ten years.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

 

“Took me awhile to get over his death, but I had Noelle to keep me smiling.”

 

“She’s special to you, then?”

 

“Very special.  I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

 

“Yes, she is precious.  She doesn’t have very good manners, though.”  Meredith said as she picked up her cup of coffee.

 

“Her manners are just find, Meredith.”

 

“The girl associates with the servants, Judith.  How many times have I told you that they are servants, not friends?”

 

Judith sighed.  “To you maybe,” she looked over at Preston and sighed.  “Noelle likes to be friends with everybody, and I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

 

“No, I don’t suppose there is anything wrong with it,” Preston agreed.

 

“Preston,” Meredith said shocked.  “Where’s the city cousin I used to know?”

 

“He’s been living out West in a small town for years.”

 

“You’ve changed.”

 

“Maybe I have; maybe I haven’t.  Suppose that’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

 

“You certainly have in my eyes, Preston.”

 

“Yes, I guess so.  You might say I changed back when the stock market crashed.  Lost all my money; almost lost the Château.  I’m thankful for what I still have.”  He looked over at Judith.  “It was a hard time for me.”

 

“I guess we’ve both been through hard times.” Judith replied.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

“So, have you been around here long?” Noelle asked Brian as they took a walk near the hotel.

 

“Been here my whole life.  At least as much as I can remember of it,” Brian smiled at her.

 

“Where are your parents?”

 

“My real Ma died when I was really little.  I remember her.  She was really nice.  I have a little niece named after her.  Her name was Charlotte.”

 

“That’s a nice name.”

 

“I always thought so.”  He paused a moment and continued, “I have no idea where my real Pa is, or even if he’s still alive.  He could be anywhere.”

 

“What happened to him?”

 

“He ran out on us when I was a baby.  I’ve seen him a few times since, but nothing has come of it.  He abandoned us.”

 

“That’s too bad.”

 

“Nah, my adopted parents are great.  Dr. Michaela Quinn, one of the doctors in town, is my Ma.”

 

“I heard there were a few women doctors here.”

 

“Yep, Ma was the first.  Then my sister, Colleen, followed in her footsteps.”

 

“Dr. Cook?  She works in the clinic here by the hotel?”

 

“Yep, here with her husband Dr. Andrew Cook.”

 

“So that’s your sister, huh?”

 

Brian nodded.  “My brother’s the lawyer in town.”  He stopped and turned to her. “What about your parents?”

 

“I’m here with my Mother, Judith Bentley.  My Father died ten years ago.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“No, that’s OK.  I treasure the years that I was able to spend with him.”  Just ahead, Noelle saw a creek.

 

“Look, Brian.  Let’s go walk around that creek.”  She pulled him toward the peaceful waterhole.  Brian couldn’t help to laugh at her eagerness to do the simplest things.