Janette Oke - When Breaks the Dawn

WHEN BREAKS the DAWN

Books by Janette Oke

Another Homecoming * Tomorrows Dream *
Return to Harmony *

C ANADIAN W EST

Beyond the Gathering Storm

When Tomorrow Comes

L OVE C OMES S OFTLY

A P RAIRIE L EGACY

S EASONS OF THE H EART

S ONG OF A CADIA *

The Beloved Land

W OMEN OF THE W EST

Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie
Biography of Janette Oke by Laurel Oke Logan

www.janetteoke.com

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 18401919 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 meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout 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 PoliceFiction. 2. Canada, WesternFiction. 3. Women pioneersFiction. I. Title. II. Series: Oke, Janette, 1935. Canadian West series ; bk. 3.

PR9199.3.O38W28 2005

813.54dc22

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 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 traders Indian wife, had become Elizabeths 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 DELANEYschoolteacher 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 DELANEYa member of the Royal North West Mounted Police who saw his occupation as a means of caring for others.

IAN AND NIMMIE McLAINowner 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.

JULIEElizabeths pretty and somewhat flighty younger sister, whom she loved dearly.

MATTHEWElizabeths 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 wasnt 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 talkfor hours and hoursand to hear all about the outside world and every little thing that had happened to her while she had been away from us.

Im sure Wynn sensed my feelings. He reached for my hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

It wont 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.