"Rosemary! They're... purple!" Elizabeth looked down at her new culottes in despair. "I can't wear these!"
Looking at her from across the room, Rosemary fluttered her hands like tiny captive birds.
"It's such a good color on you. So… so… regal! You look stunning, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth frowned, "Yes, well, I'm certainly stunned." She looked over at Lee, who was suddenly entirely engrossed in the picture book he was showing to Jack. "Lee? Help me out here."
Peering over the book, Lee laughed. "Nope. Elizabeth, I learned long ago not to get in the middle of two women on the subject of fashion." He gazed at his wife lovingly. "Especially if Rosemary is one of the women."
Lee looked down at Jack and whispered, "I hope you're taking notes. These are good lessons for you, and you can never learn them too early." He made a funny face, and Jack giggled happily.
Rosemary pouted. "Oh, Elizabeth, I was hoping you'd like them." Brightening a little, she said, "But Clara said you wouldn't, Florence said you'd never wear them, and Fiona thought they might be just a teensy bit too bright."
Widening her eyes, horrified, Elizabeth said, "What, did you take it to the Town Council for a vote?"
Rosemary shook her head. "No, Lee wouldn't let me."
Elizabeth gasped and Rosemary laughed, walking toward her. "Just kidding."
Rosemary started tugging the culottes and straightening seams, "But they do fit well, don't they?"
Seeing the tragic look on Elizabeth's face, Rosemary finally gave in and went to her bag.
Sighing loudly, Rosemary said, "Which is why we made another pair in boring old brown. They're exactly the same." She pulled the second pair out of her bag and handed them to Elizabeth.
"Oh, Rosemary," Elizabeth said, running her hand over the beautiful sable brown fabric, soft but sturdy, and beautifully made. The relief in her face was so acute, that Rosemary had to smile.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said. She gave Rosemary a heartfelt hug. "They're so lovely."
"And you'll look lovely in them, Elizabeth. Nathan won't be able to take his eyes off you." Rosemary raised an eyebrow and said softly, "As if he can anyway."
Elizabeth had already run upstairs to put on the brown ones, and within moments she was back down, looking much happier.
"They're perfect. So comfortable, and I think they'll wear well."
Rosemary folded the purple ones and handed them to Elizabeth. "Keep these. You may change your mind."
Elizabeth thought the purple fabric was almost glowing. "Well, I suppose I'd be easy to find in the dark," she said, laughing. "I'll keep them. And thank you."
"You're very welcome." Rosemary moved in her usual rapid-fire way to a new subject. "So. What are you making for lunch tomorrow?"
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Oh, I don't know, I was thinking about using the leftover chicken to make some sandwiches, a couple of apples, maybe some..." She stopped, seeing the deep frown that was taking over Rosemary's face.
"What?" Elizabeth said, "Is that wrong?"
"Oh, my dear Elizabeth," Rosemary said, shaking her head. "You're courting! We need scones, and lemon curd, and madeleines, and... and... raspberries!"
Elizabeth laughed out loud, trying to imagine Nathan eating raspberries and lemon curd from his horse.
Elizabeth looked over at Lee, and although he was partially hidden by the picture book, she could see him also shaking with laughter.
"We're probably not stopping for lunch, Rosemary. We have a long ride."
Rosemary was frowning again, "Oh, I suppose you're right. That might be messy." She went to her kitchen cupboard. "But madeleines aren't." She handed Elizabeth the box of fancy French cookies. "I had Ned Yost order these for a tea I was thinking of giving next week at the dress shop. I can get more."
Elizabeth smiled at Rosemary with gratitude. "You're the sweetest friend. Thank you."
Seeing that Jack and Lee were happily reading, Elizabeth went to Rosemary's stove. "Do you mind if I get a cup of tea?" They were entirely comfortable in each other's kitchens and had dispensed with any formalities.
"Pour me one too, will you?" Rosemary said. Rosemary sat down at the table. "This will give me a chance to find out what's really been going on with you two."
Elizabeth put a cup in front of Rosemary and got one for herself.
She smiled warily. "What do you mean, what's really been going on? We're courting. What more is there?"
Rosemary looked at Elizabeth dreamily, "Oh, just that I had no idea that Nathan was so gallant," Rosemary said, using the French pronunciation. "When he kissed your hand this afternoon..."
Elizabeth opened her mouth in shock. "Rosemary! How could you have seen that? Unless you were peeking out your window? Are you spying on us?" Elizabeth tried to keep her face stern.
Caught, Rosemary said casually, "No... certainly not spying. I heard noises and simply went to investigate." She quickly took a sip of her tea, which was still a little too hot. "Oh!"
Elizabeth leaned closer and said, "He is gallant, isn't he?" She shook her head. "It's so surprising."
She smiled, remembering. "But he's not gallant like Charles or Lucas, that studied European suave way. He's gallant in a..." Elizabeth searched for the right way to say it.
"In a cowboy, knight-in-shining-armor sort of way?" Rosemary suggested.
"Yes!" Elizabeth said, her eyes bright. "Yes, exactly! Like he would fight a duel for me or something, or protect me from stampeding cattle, or..."
Rosemary was giggling now, "Oh, Elizabeth, you are a goner. You sound like you're head over heels in love with him."
Elizabeth didn't answer right away. She took a sip of her tea and then said, softly, "I've always been the type of person who has to label or dissect how I feel, and I'm not doing that right now. I'm happy, Rosemary. Content, almost serene in a way. And I haven't felt that way for a long time. Right after Jack died, the world looked so dark to me. I've had lots of moments of happiness since then, but this feels... permanent."
She took another sip of tea, thinking.
"Nathan is just so... so good. And strong. And kind. And he makes me think. He's a man you'd never imagine reading poetry, but he loves Blake, Coleridge - the romantic poets. And Emerson, who's always been one of my favorites. There's so much about him that he keeps to himself, but he's not secretive, he just doesn't feel a need to talk about everything the way the rest of us do. But he talks to me. Long sentences."
Over on the sofa, Lee turned to them, smiling. "I had the longest ride of my life with him out to Snake Run Canyon when he first got here. I told him he didn't talk much, and he said..." Lee lowered his voice to taciturn cowboy level, "'Not unless there's something to be said.'"
Elizabeth laughed. "That sounds like Nathan."
Lee nodded. "But I like him. A lot. He's not Jack, that's for sure, but that's not a bad thing. He's steady and I don't think he'd ever lie to me. Good qualities for a Mountie." Then Lee added. "And a friend."
Elizabeth nodded. "That's just it. Nathan is so different from Jack. I can hold them both in my mind and there's no competition. I'm not sure I could be with someone who was too much like Jack. It would be confusing."
Rosemary put her hand on Elizabeth's. "And how is he with little Jack?"
Elizabeth laughed, looking over at her son. "He adores Nathan. It's like he's pulled to this wonderful man in the red coat, like a part of him knows somehow. On Sunday, out at the pond? Jack just crawled up in Nathan's lap and fell asleep."
Rosemary smiled. "I'm just so happy to see you happy. We've all wanted this for you for a long time." Squeezing Elizabeth's hands, she said, "Our hearts were broken too, you know? Not only for ourselves without Jack, but most of all for you, sweet Elizabeth. We didn't know if you were going to survive." Rosemary's eyes were glistening. "But you were so strong, and that meant we had to be too."
Elizabeth said softly, almost as if it was a surprise to her, "I've survived."
Rosemary thought she had never seen Elizabeth quite so beautiful.
The next morning just before eight o'clock Nathan and Allie came out of the row house at the end of the road and walked down to Elizabeth's.
Five minutes later, Allie was sitting on the top landing of Elizabeth's front steps with her arms crossed in front of her.
"I don't need to be babysat, Uncle Nathan."
Nathan and Elizabeth stood down on the road, ready to head over to the livery and ride out.
"I know that, Allie. You're much too old for that," Nathan said. "But maybe Laura could use some help keeping an eye on Jack? He's getting pretty fast."
Allie glanced up and then looked at Laura, who stood on the porch holding Jack. Laura nodded and said, "I could use some help." Elizabeth smiled gratefully at Laura.
Allie thought about it for a minute, and then said, "I guess I could do that."
"Thank you, Allie," Elizabeth said. To Laura she said, "We'll be back before dark."
Elizabeth ran up the stairs and gave Jack one last kiss, and they were off down the path to the livery.
"You're very good with her, Nathan."
Nathan looked over at her. "I've often wished there was some sort of instruction manual that came with Allie. It's pretty much one day at a time."
Remembering all her days in the classroom, Elizabeth said, "It is with all children. You've done a wonderful job raising her."
Nathan didn't take compliments well, and Elizabeth knew it. She turned and looked him right in the eye and raised her eyebrows. Finally, he laughed softly and said, "Thank you for saying so."
"You're welcome."
Elizabeth was excited about a day of riding ahead. "So how do we do this?" she asked. "Do we ride out together on one horse, so we don't need to lead Allie's back home?"
Nathan turned and looked sideways at her, a grin threatening to surface.
"What have I said now?" Elizabeth asked.
Nathan said, "Well, much as I would enjoy sharing a saddle with you for half the day, it's not good for a horse to ride double for any distance. It puts a strain on their back."
Elizabeth frowned and realized she hadn't thought through the logistics of two people in a saddle. Jack had always sat back behind the saddle, but that was when he was first teaching her, and only for very short periods of time.
On a long ride, of course that wouldn't work, and they would both be forced to share that small space...
She felt the tingling of heat coming into her cheeks and realized that Nathan had been watching her work out the physics of the thing.
She stole a glance at him and exhaled sharply. "Oh, if I could change one thing about myself it would be that I not blush at the drop of a hat!"
Now the grin did escape. Nathan said, "I'm partial to your pink cheeks, myself." He reached over and gently touched his finger on her forehead. "It's like a little window into your thoughts."
Indignant, Elizabeth pulled herself up to her full height, which still only reached just past Nathan's chin. "I'm not sure I want you peering in that window, thank you very much."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Then I guess you'd better stop having those thoughts."
They'd reached the livery.
Elizabeth laughed and made a face at him and they went their separate ways to get Bear and Sergeant.
They had a long ride today.
