When Breaks the Dawn (Canadian West)
Read When Breaks the Dawn (Canadian West) Online
Authors: Janette Oke
Tags: #ebook, #Fiction, #General, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Loss, #Arranged marriage, #Custody of children, #California, #Adult, #Mayors, #Social workers
| When Breaks the Dawn (Canadian West) | |
| Janette Oke | |
| Bethany House Publishers (2005) | |
| Tags: | ebook, Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, Loss, Arranged marriage, Custody of children, California, Adult, Mayors, Social workers |
SUMMARY:
Having survived the harshness of their first year in the far Northwest, Elizabeth and Wynn, her Royal Canadian Mountie, now face new challenges. Just when they've made new friends and started a new school, they are presented with a new posting. It seems Elizabeth's dreams for a family and home of her own are not to be. Will their love for each other, hope for the future, and their faith in God carry them through the crushing disappointments? Book 3 of the bestselling Canadian West series.
W
HEN
B
REAKS
the
D
AWN
Books by Janette Oke
Another Homecoming
*
Tomorrow’s Dream
*
Return to Harmony
*
C
ANADIAN
W
EST
| When Calls the Heart | When Breaks the Dawn |
| When Comes the Spring | When Hope Springs New |
Beyond the Gathering Storm
When Tomorrow Comes
L
OVE
C
OMES
S
OFTLY
| Love Comes Softly | Love’s Unending Legacy |
| Love’s Enduring Promise | Love’s Unfolding Dream |
| Love’s Long Journey | Love Takes Wing |
| Love’s Abiding Joy | Love Finds a Home |
A P
RAIRIE
L
EGACY
| The Tender Years | A Quiet Strength |
| A Searching Heart | Like Gold Refined |
S
EASONS OF THE
H
EART
| Once Upon a Summer | Winter Is Not Forever |
| The Winds of Autumn | Spring’s Gentle Promise |
S
ONG OF
A
CADIA
*
| The Meeting Place | The Birthright |
| The Sacred Shore | The Distant Beacon |
The Beloved Land
W
OMEN OF THE
W
EST
| The Calling of Emily Evans | A Bride for Donnigan |
| Julia’s Last Hope | Heart of the Wilderness |
| Roses for Mama | Too Long a Stranger |
| A Woman Named Damaris | The Bluebird and the Sparrow |
| They Called Her Mrs. Doc | A Gown of Spanish Lace |
| The Measure of a Heart | Drums of Change |
Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie
Biography of Janette Oke by Laurel Oke Logan
When Breaks the Dawn
Copyright 1986
Janette Oke
Cover design by Jenny Parker
Cover artwork based upon photograph in the book
Victorian & Edwardian
Fashions for Women 1840—1919
by Kristina Harris.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Oke, Janette, 1935—
When breaks the dawn / by Janette Oke.
p. cm.—(Canadian West ; bk. 3)
Summary: “Having survived the harshness of their first year in the far Northwest, Elizabeth and Wynn, her Royal Canadian Mountie, are now challenged by a crushing disappointment. Will their love for each other, hope for the future, and their faith in God carry them through?”—Provided by publisher.
ISBN 0-7642-0013-5 (pbk.)
1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police—Fiction. 2. Canada, Western—Fiction. 3. Women pioneers—Fiction. I. Title. II. Series: Oke, Janette, 1935—. Canadian West series ; bk. 3.
PR9199.3.O38W28 2005
813’.54—dc22
2004024207
To my dear fifth sister, Joyce Ruth,
whom I had the privilege of
helping to name when she arrived
and to spoil as she grew.
I appreciate her unselfish love
and her dedication to her Lord.
To her and to her husband, Elmer Deal,
I dedicate this book with my love.
JANETTE OKE was born in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she grew up in a large family full of laughter and love. She is a graduate of Mountain View Bible College in Alberta, where she met her husband, Edward, and they were married in May of 1957. After pastoring churches in Indiana and Canada, the Okes spent some years in Calgary, where Edward served in several positions on college faculties while Janette continued her writing. She has written over four dozen novels for adults and children, and her book sales total over twenty-two million copies.
The Okes have three sons and one daughter, all married, and are enjoying their dozen grandchildren. Edward and Janette are active in their local church and make their home near Didsbury, Alberta.
Contents
When Comes the Spring Synopsis
When Elizabeth Thatcher, the fashion-conscious young schoolteacher from Toronto, boarded the train for Calgary, it was with one purpose in mind. She was going to teach pioneer children in a country school. But Wynn Delaney, a member of the Royal North West Mounted Police, entered her life and changed all that.
After a wedding in Calgary and a brief honeymoon in Banff, the couple left for the North where Wynn had been posted to a remote Indian village. Elizabeth soon learned to love and respect the Indian people even though the adjustment was difficult.
Tragedy struck the village when the trading post burned to the ground. With it went the vital winter supplies of the people. Nimmie McLain, the trader’s Indian wife, had become Elizabeth’s best friend, so Nimmie was missed terribly when she and her husband went “out,” back to civilization, to arrange for more supplies and the materials to build a new store.
Nimmie promised they would return in the spring. Elizabeth watched for that day with great anticipation and longing. Finally it came, and with the coming of the wagons came hope, renewed strength, and joy.
Characters
ELIZABETH THATCHER DELANEY—schoolteacher and wife of Wynn. Though raised in comfortable circumstances in the city of Toronto, she learned to live on little, without fuss or selfpity.
WYNN DELANEY—a member of the Royal North West Mounted Police who saw his occupation as a means of caring for others.
IAN AND NIMMIE McLAIN—owner of the settlement trading post and his self-educated Indian wife.
JON, MARY, WILLIAM, SARAH, KATHLEEN, ELIZABETH— the brother of Elizabeth, his wife and family. Their home was in Calgary.
JULIE—Elizabeth’s pretty and somewhat flighty younger sister, whom she loved dearly.
MATTHEW—Elizabeth’s younger brother, raised in Toronto.
The nearer we came to the rumbling wagons, the more my heart pounded. Frustrated with the wait, I wished I could just hoist my long, cumbersome skirts and break into a run, but I held my impatience in check. I wasn’t sure how Wynn would feel about my impulsiveness, and I was quite sure there would be some puzzled expressions on the faces of our Indian neighbors.
They were so near and yet so far away, just dipping down over the last hills before our little village. I had missed Nimmie so much in the time she had been gone, and was anxious to see for myself that she was all right. I wanted to hug her close, to welcome her back. I wanted to talk, and talk—for hours and hours—and to hear all about the outside world and every little thing that had happened to her while she had been away from us.
I’m sure Wynn sensed my feelings. He reached for my hand and gave it a loving squeeze.
“It won’t be long now,” he said, trying to calm my trembling hands and heart.
I took a deep breath, gave him a quick smile and attempted to slow my stride, just a bit, but it was hard. My legs ached with the effort. I was so eager to see dear Nimmie.
Just when I thought I would burst with anticipation, I saw someone climbing down from the side of the distant wagon, and then there was Nimmie running toward me! Without another thought, I grabbed up my skirts and broke into a headlong run to meet her.
At first neither of us could talk. We just held one another, tears mingling on our faces.
Nimmie was not only my much-missed friend—she held the secrets of the outside world, the world of my family that I loved and missed so much.
By the time we had finished embracing, there was great com- motion all around us. Wynn was greeting Nimmie’s husband, Mr. McLain, and a crowd of people from the settlement gathered around. The wagon drivers were trying hard to hold the tired teams steady in spite of all of the confusion. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, and Nimmie and I both knew it would be useless to try to visit now. We backed up, looked at one another’s face and smiled our delight, our eyes promising each other a long, long talk together as soon as it could be arranged.