It was full dark with a half-moon as Nathan and Elizabeth rode back to the stables. They could see the lights of the ranch house, warm and inviting, from quite a distance.
They rode mostly in silence, not because they had nothing to say, but because there was so much in their hearts. At one point, Elizabeth just laughed – she couldn't hold it in any longer. Nathan took her hand and grinned at her. They rode that way for a long time.
They were both thinking about how life offers up new beginnings when you least expect them, how it really does seem darkest before the dawn, and how very strong they felt together.
Elizabeth spent a lot of time looking at her left hand. The ring wasn't on her third finger because it was a little too big and she worried it would slip off. But it fit on her first finger. That was what had made her laugh. This courtship had been anything but traditional from the moment it started. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
Nathan's thoughts were simpler. He was wondering when he was going to wake up from this dream.
When they got to the house, Rebecca, Allie and Jack were in the living room. They had draped blankets over the dining room chairs to create a fort in front of the fire.
All three were lying in the middle of the floor while Rebecca told stories about the native tribes that had lived in Alberta for generations. "Charlie's mother was Blackfoot, and that means Charlie belongs to the Algonquin family. They are a brave and powerful people, and very proud."
Jack held up his Mountie, and Rebecca smiled. "Yes, Jack, the Mounties are also very brave, and the best part is that the Mounties were formed in order to make peace with the native tribes. Others were fighting them, but the Mounties have always been their friends. They call them the Red Coats."
Jack didn't understand what she was saying, of course, but Rebecca's voice was passionate and soothing all at once, and he was mesmerized by the sound of it and the patterns of light dancing on her face from the fire.
Nathan and Elizabeth didn't want to disturb them, so they tiptoed out and sat on the porch swing.
After they'd sat a while, Nathan said, "Did I tell you that my grandparents built this house?"
Elizabeth was leaning on his chest with his arm around her. She felt safe and warm. And so happy. "No, but it feels like that. Like there's only been one family in it. Yours."
"My mother told me they started with this porch," Nathan said. "They wanted a place to watch the sunset every day, so before they built the house they would come out here and just sit. Once they had the perfect view, they built this porch and then built the house around it."
Elizabeth smiled. "That's very romantic and very logical at the same time."
Nathan kissed her cheek. "Elizabeth, I'm having trouble keeping a logical thought in my head right now. I asked and you said yes, right? That really happened?"
Laughing, Elizabeth said, "Yes. It really happened." She held up her hand. "See?"
Nathan reached out and held her hand in his. "We have to get this sized for your finger."
"I was thinking about that, Nathan," Elizabeth said. "But first I want to ask you some questions."
Nathan took a breath. "Uh-oh, that sounds ominous."
"No, no, not at all. Just logistical questions." She sat up. She could see him faintly in the light of the moon.
"So, Carson told you three months for the cast. It's been, what? Close to five weeks?" She raised an eyebrow. "Not that you're following any of Carson's instructions."
Nathan smiled. "I'm being smart, Elizabeth. I'm not out to cripple myself. There's no pain and my leg feels completely solid. I think I might heal faster than Carson thought I would. Doctors always err on the side of caution."
Elizabeth shook her head. "You're not a very good patient, are you?" She moved back under his arm and leaned into him. "Anyway, Allie, Jack and I will leave on Monday, because school starts again on Tuesday. I know we talked about you staying here for a while?"
Nathan put his arms all the way around her tightly. "Yes, but that was before you became my betrothed," he said, making the word sound elegant. "I'm not sure I'd like being away from you."
Elizabeth tightened her arms on his. "I don't like the idea of that either, but I'm wondering how you'll feel in Hope Valley with another Mountie in your office and Carson watching you not follow his instructions?"
Nathan exhaled. "Well, there is that."
"I'd miss you terribly, Nathan, but you'd be busy here. And Rebecca would love it."
"That she would. But there's no telephone here, or anywhere in Airdrie, Elizabeth."
"We could write each other letters," Elizabeth said.
Smiling, Nathan said, "Just like Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning."
Elizabeth sat up. "Yes!" Nathan was constantly amazing her. Horses and literature? How did I get so lucky? "I've read those letters over and over. So romantic!"
Nathan laughed. "I'm not Robert Browning, although you could probably give Elizabeth Barrett a run for her money."
"That's very sweet of you to say. And I would love anything you write."
Nathan sighed. "I have thought about this, and it does make sense for me to stay a little while. There's so much to do, and I did tell Mom I would expand the animal enclosures. And she's a terrible bookkeeper. I usually have to straighten those out when I visit. And you're right, I'd have to sneak around to ride Bear in Hope Valley with this cast."
Elizabeth nodded. "Carson said at eight weeks you could ride, so maybe you stay three weeks here and then come home? Allie can stay with me, of course." As she talked, Elizabeth was holding Nathan tighter and tighter. "Oh, I can't believe I'm saying all this. I already miss you."
Nathan said softly, "It seems we're going to have a lifetime together. Maybe it's not a bad thing for us to miss each other. Don't want you getting tired of having me around."
"Never," Elizabeth said.
Nathan frowned. "So how did all of this start with you sizing your ring?"
Elizabeth held her hand out and looked at it again. "I like that you just called it my ring."
"I gave it to you."
"Yes, you did."
Another pause. Nathan and Elizabeth did this. A lot. They would look at each other and get a little lost.
"So. The ring," Nathan said. "Sizing it."
Elizabeth took a deep breath to clear her head. "Yes. The ring. How would you feel if I got a chain and wore it around my neck until you get back to Hope Valley? I want to tell a few people, like Rosemary and Clara, in private. And then you and I will be able to tell everyone else together when you get there."
Nathan was quiet for a moment and Elizabeth frowned. She could almost read his mind. "No, it's not that I'm having any kind of second thoughts. It's not that I don't want people to know. It's not any of the things you're thinking right now."
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "You told me once that you're psychic. You were kidding, right?"
Elizabeth didn't say a word. She just moved closer and kissed him. She could feel him relax, feel his defenses go down. Leaning back, Elizabeth said, "I love you. I'll shout it from the church spire if you want me to. I'm not ever changing my mind. I just want to be standing next to you when we tell people."
Nathan smiled. "When you put it that way, it sounds perfectly reasonable. But just in case, maybe you'd better kiss me again..."
Behind them, the screen door opened with a creak.
"Hold that thought," Elizabeth said.
"Just wanted to be sure you got back okay. I figured I might find you two on that swing," Rebecca said, peeking out of the door.
The porch swing was very wide and Elizabeth moved over and said brightly, "Come sit with us, Rebecca."
Rebecca laughed and said, "Oh, I don't think you need a third wheel out here under the moon."
Nathan laughed. "Mom, please sit," he said.
Rebecca walked over and sat down next to Elizabeth. "I do love this swing. Did Nathan tell you that my parents built this porch to face the sunset?"
"He just told me," Elizabeth said. "It's a sweet story."
Rebecca nodded. "They were pretty sweet together."
Casually, Elizabeth held her hand up in the moonlight, admiring her ring.
Rebecca saw it and laughed out loud. "Nathan!" she said, joyfully, "You didn't dawdle!" She reached her arm around Elizabeth and gave her a hug that could crack ribs. "I'm so glad!"
Taking Elizabeth's hand, she said, "I thought it might be too big for your slender little fingers. We'll have to get that sized down, but it should be easy."
Elizabeth said, "Oh, I can do th..."
Rebecca clasped her hands together. "Oh, we're going to have a wedding! So much to do!"
Nathan and Elizabeth turned to each other and laughed.
And so it begins. At least we had it to ourselves for an hour or so.
The screen door squeaked again. "You see, Jack? They're all out here." Allie and Jack came down to the swing holding hands. Jack put his arms up for Elizabeth and Allie jumped up on the other side of Nathan.
"Wheee," Rebecca said to Jack, putting him on her lap. "Five on a swing!"
Nathan put his arm around Allie and said, "We have something to tell you."
Elizabeth leaned over Nathan and said, "And we hope you're happy about it."
Allie knew right away. Her mouth dropped open and she looked up at Nathan grinning, "You asked her?"
Nathan raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly, and Elizabeth held her hand out to show Allie the ring.
"Oh!" Allie said. "This is the best day ever!" She hugged Nathan, and then she and Elizabeth both leaned over Nathan and hugged.
Grinning at Allie, Nathan said, "So I guess you're saying you're okay with this..."
Allie rolled her eyes. "I just don't know what took you so long."
The next morning, the moment Elizabeth stepped out of her room with Jack, Nathan came into the hallway.
"I want to show you something," he said.
Elizabeth laughed. "Good morning to you, too."
Nathan stopped. "Oh, sorry," he said, kissing her quickly on the cheek. "Good morning. It's just that you're not going to believe this."
"What is it?" Elizabeth said.
"Follow me," Nathan said, as he started down the hallway.
"We're going to your room?" Elizabeth said, frowning.
Nathan turned and looked at her, pretending to be shocked. "Do you doubt the honor of a Mountie, Elizabeth? You'll be perfectly safe, I assure you."
She laughed and said, "No, I don't doubt you. Lead on, Constable."
Elizabeth was laughing, but she had to admit, the idea of walking into the room he'd lived in as a boy made her feel as if she was looking into a very private space. She was remembering her room, growing up.
There was the usual assortment of baseballs, a bridle and some lead ropes hanging on a nail, a desk with inkstand and pen, a camping lamp... boy things.
And she shouldn't have been surprised, but there were so many books. Elizabeth ran her hand along the titles with her head tilted to read them.
She stopped when she got to an entire section of Jane Austen; Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion.
Nathan noticed and he came up behind her.
She turned and looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Jane Austen? I'm very impressed."
"What? That a boy of fifteen loved to read Austen? I did. But I never told anyone."
She smiled. "And here you are, trusting me with your secret."
He moved closer to her and touched her cheek. "It gets worse than that. I'm trusting you with my heart."
Elizabeth leaned up and kissed him, gently. "Lucky for you, both are entirely safe."
"So...," Nathan produced a small school writing book. "This is what I wanted to show you. I was reading before going to sleep last night and I saw this tucked between two books on my shelf. I probably haven't looked at this since I first wrote it."
Elizabeth recognized it, because she gave them out to her students all the time. They were for essays, or homework, to be handed in and graded and then given back to the student.
He gave it to her, and she read the front. In strong capital letters was written NATHAN GRANT.
She smiled up at him. "You were about, seven? Or eight? When you wrote this?"
"You're very good, Elizabeth. Seven."
"I've had a lot of practice."
"Open it," Nathan said. "In particular, read the first essay."
Elizabeth turned the page. At the top, as she often did with her students, was written a question. They were to write the answer in the pages that followed. Elizabeth read it out loud.
"Imagine you are grown up. Where do you live, who are you with, and what do you do? Don't let anything limit you!" Elizabeth smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, I like your teacher very much. I may have to steal this idea!"
Nathan whispered, "I believe she was a hundred years old when she was teaching me. Somehow I don't think she'll mind. Read on," he said.
In Nathan's seven-year-old hand, Elizabeth read:
I will live on a ranch in Airdrie with a thousand horses, and I'll know all their names. Every day I'll ride a different one. My job will be to take care of them. My sister will live there too. I will marry a girl named Elizabeth.
Looking up sharply, Elizabeth said, "No. How...?
Nathan laughed and shook his head. "I have no idea. I almost knocked on your door in the middle of the night, but I didn't want to wake Jack."
Narrowing his eyes, Nathan said, "So, Elizabeth. Just to be clear. Is this what you would call a signpost?"
