The rest of the week flew by.
They spent their days riding, fishing, taking walks, or lazing by the stream, reading books aloud to each other. Sometimes it was just Nathan and Elizabeth, most of the time it was the four of them, sometimes five when Rebecca joined them, and in the evenings, it was all six of them as Charlie sat playing chess with Nathan, Rebecca sewed, Elizabeth wrote, and Allie and Jack played.
The kitchen was always in the middle of the commotion; Elizabeth got the recipes for Rebecca's fragrant soups and cornbread, savory roast chicken and potatoes, and pies made with apples that Jack picked from high on Nathan's shoulders.
She wrote the recipes directly into her journal, along with every observation she could put into words. She knew she would come back here again and again, but she also knew there was no substitute for defining first impressions; smells, sounds, tastes, feelings.
The garden wanted tending, the horses required brushing, the graves on the hill needed to have weeds pulled. There was always something to do; and Elizabeth loved the activity, the purpose, and the focus of keeping a ranch running smoothly.
She missed teaching and she missed Hope Valley and the people in it very much, but it was a surprise to her how much she also loved Airdrie and the Grant's ranch.
Elizabeth and Nathan went once more to the pergola, alone. It was there that it seemed easiest to talk about the future. Jack had wanted a house on the hill with a view; Nathan wanted one nestled in the trees with the life of birds and squirrels and deer all around them.
Elizabeth didn't care where their house was, as long as she could walk to school and town. Her needs were relatively simple; she wanted a kitchen like Rebecca's, a large fireplace and a porch swing. And bookshelves. Lots of bookshelves.
On Sunday morning, Easter Day, Elizabeth had to wake before the rooster crowed. She thought it would only be fair for her to go out and crow next to his bed, but she restrained herself. They bundled Jack and Allie into warm clothes and then allowed them to go right back to sleep once in the wagon.
Elizabeth snuggled close to Nathan on the front bench as he held the reins on Sugar and Nugget. She knew it was Sunday morning, but it still felt a little like Saturday night. The moon was all but lost behind a light haze. Nathan had said he could make his way on the road to Airdrie in his sleep. Between the hour and the dark, Elizabeth supposed he was putting that to the test.
She was glad that Nathan had brought the warm wool blanket that was wrapped cozily around both of them. With no spring sun yet to warm the air, it would have been very chilly without it.
Charlie had stayed home today, ostensibly to get the meats for dinner in the oven, but Rebecca had also made it clear that Charlie had his own rituals, and that he strongly embraced his Blackfoot side. He also honored all ways of communion with nature and God and he'd said so before he waved goodbye at the door this morning.
Rebecca was right behind them in the back of the wagon, leaned up against the bench. She too was covered with a blanket, but she had the added heat of a sleeping Allie on one side and a sleeping Jack in her arms. Having Allie so close, and holding Jack while he slept, was filling her with a joy she couldn't adequately express.
Elizabeth turned and whispered, "You okay, Rebecca?"
"Not just okay, Elizabeth. I'm in heaven. I may have to take the blanket off, though," she said with a little laugh.
Nathan turned and said, "Jack is like a little woodstove, isn't he, Mom? Sometimes I feel like he can heat the whole house when he sleeps."
"I believe he could, Nathan." Rebecca smiled to herself, grateful that she'd had them all at the house for a week. It made everything very clear. Nathan isn't just in love with Elizabeth. He's always loved Allie, and now he's head over heels in love with this little boy.
"So, where do they hold the service?" Elizabeth asked.
"The tradition up until a couple years ago was to hold it in the graveyard, to celebrate the triumph over death. But there's no city to speak of in Airdrie. It's mostly made up of farmers and ranchers and their families that travel a long way to come to services, and the area is growing fast. It got too full and we were all starting to trample the graves a little.
Elizabeth smiled. "More living than dead, that's a good sign."
"Yes," Nathan said, smiling over at her. "So they built a garden behind the church and put benches around it in a horseshoe shape facing the sunrise."
Sighing, Elizabeth said, "It sounds lovely. I'm really looking forward to this, Nathan."
"You don't miss being in Hope Valley?"
Elizabeth thought for a moment. "It helps that I'm going back tomorrow. But Airdrie, your ranch, the horses, everything here is so wonderful. I love both places."
She leaned up and snuggled into his neck. "I know when I'm in Hope Valley next week I will miss the ranch, and you, so much. How did that happen so fast, that I fell in love with this place?"
"It's got some magic, that's for sure. And Elizabeth," he lowered his voice a little so Rebecca couldn't hear. "I should tell you... You've probably assumed the ranch is Mom's, but it's not." Elizabeth looked up at him. "It's mine," Nathan said.
"Oh," Elizabeth said, softly.
"My father lost everything, and when he went to prison, we were worried that the bank would come after the ranch. So we had it legally changed into my name."
Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you for telling me, but somehow it doesn't seem to change anything in my mind."
"You're right. It really doesn't make any difference. I'm Mom's only child now, and she would leave it to me anyway. And of course she will live here for as long as she wants, which is probably as long as she's alive." Nathan tightened his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder. "But I wanted you to know, because when we're married, it will belong to you too."
Elizabeth said softly, "When we're married..."
After a pause, Nathan said, "What?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to say it." Elizabeth looked up at him. "Or... we could play a game. When we're married, we'll have our own house and a cow named Lizzie."
Nathan laughed. "When we're married, I will make you breakfast every Sunday and Allie and I will do the dishes."
"When we're married, you'll have a thousand horses and you'll know all their names," Elizabeth said.
Nathan said, "Hey! You stole that one from seven-year-old Nathan. You have to do another one."
"Okay." Elizabeth spoke very softly, "When we're married, I won't have to wave to you at the row houses anymore. We'll finish each day, and start each morning, together."
Nathan looked at her for a moment and then let the horses have the reins. They knew the way anyway. He turned and pulled the blanket up around them and kissed her, knowing that this was the greatest mystery of all. He didn't even have it in him to dream what it would be like to wake up to Elizabeth. The miracle was that she loved him and one day he would know.
The phrase came again to Elizabeth as they kissed. Still waters run deep. Nathan was remarkably complex and yet utterly guileless. He had shown her more of what went on in his mind and heart than she imagined he ever had with anyone, but still she had no idea how much of him was below the surface. All she could think as she melted into his arms was how she looked forward to spending the rest of her life finding out.
After a short time, breathless and sufficiently warm, Elizabeth shrugged the blanket off of her shoulders. "Sorry," she said, glad he couldn't see her blush. "That really wasn't fair of me."
Nathan looked at her and smiled. "I'm not sorry." He picked up the reins and looked out at the still-dark road. "I just don't think I can top that one." He leaned over and gave Elizabeth a quick peck on the cheek. "You win."
"I have one more, actually," Elizabeth said.
Nathan turned to her, wondering why she was looking a little sheepish. "Yes?"
"When we're married, you will share equally in my trust fund, which I found out about a couple of years ago from Julie. And it has..." Elizabeth leaned up and whispered a number into Nathan's ear.
"Holy cats!" Nathan said, turning sharply to look at her. Rebecca shushed him from the back of the wagon, and he said, "Sorry. Sorry, Mom."
Nathan laughed. "Oh, I'm definitely marrying well."
Elizabeth punched him lightly in the arm. "We're not married yet," she said, laughing too. "And I'm only telling you this now because you asked me for my hand when I might have been disowned and poor as a church mouse."
Putting his arm around her, Nathan said, "Elizabeth, I would live in a shack with you eating nothing but gruel. But," he said, turning serious, "Money is good for opportunities for the children. For school and giving them a start in life. For that, I'm grateful."
It was that time between night and sunrise when the edges of the mountains and the trees seem to glow faintly. They were just a few minutes from town, and Elizabeth could see some lights in the distance. She turned to the back of the wagon and said, "Sorry, Rebecca, but we should get him up now. He needs a little time to get oriented in the mornings."
"Wake up, sweet Jack," Rebecca whispered, taking the opportunity to kiss him on his velvety cheek. He turned his head and went right back to sleep. Rebecca laughed and said, "This may not be easy."
Elizabeth leaned down to Jack's ear and said, "Jack, do you want to see the horsies? Come to mama and Nathan, and let's see where they're taking us." Jack's little head came up sleepily at the word horsies, his eyes just halfway open. Elizabeth reached back and lifted him into the front of the wagon, wrapping him in the blanket.
Moment by moment, and yawning hugely, Jack began to come around. Of course, he wanted to sit on Nathan's lap, so Elizabeth handed him over. Nathan had Jack hold on to the reins along with him and whispered things into his ear that even Elizabeth couldn't hear.
Jack had his eyes fixed on the road ahead and the horses, and on Nathan's voice. Elizabeth reached up and put her hand on Nathan's collar right where the fringe of his dark hair lay on his neck, and Nathan put his arm out and drew her to him.
Now the light at the horizon was visible as the Easter sun began its travels up into the sky. In five minutes they would be in the garden behind the church, and in fifteen minutes, the sun would rise over the mountains in a ball of fire so bright that they would have to shade their eyes from its intensity.
From the pulpit, the Airdrie pastor spoke passionately:
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!
Elizabeth thought it was right today that she was here in this new place with Nathan and Rebecca and the children. It was time for a new life, and she couldn't wait for it to begin.
Rebecca had made enough food for an entire Mountie regiment; sweet glazed ham, herb roasted chicken, scalloped potatoes, roasted root vegetables and three different pies.
Charlie had started things while the rest were in church, and then Rebecca, Elizabeth and Allie took over. At one point, Elizabeth went out on the porch for a breath of fresh air and she found Nathan lying on the swing, sound asleep with Jack snoring happily on his chest.
Elizabeth had never seen Nathan fully asleep before, and she stood for a moment, gazing at him. The vulnerability of it touched her, as she listened to his soft breathing and watched the rise and fall of his chest.
She loved him very much. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the man she would grow old with. God willing. That was an important caveat, but Elizabeth wasn't afraid anymore.
And where she had trouble sometimes imagining herself old with Jack, precisely because she was always so afraid, she had no trouble at all seeing herself with Nathan; sitting on this porch as the sun set with children and grandchildren nearby, and being at peace.
Dinner was finished, dishes were done, and before they knew it, it was Sunday night.
Jack and Allie were asleep in their beds, and Charlie and Rebecca sat by the fire talking in their own companionable language, one they had cultivated for over a decade.
Elizabeth was in her favorite place on the porch swing, her head on Nathan's shoulder and his arm around her. He was pushing the swing in tiny revolutions that would lull her to sleep if she let them.
"When you get my letters, and I'll probably write every other day or so," Elizabeth said, "Will you read them here? I don't know why, but I like the idea of you being with me in this swing."
"I will. And if no one is planning to go into town, I'll go to get the mail and send mine." Nathan pulled her closer. "I miss you already, Elizabeth. I don't know if I'll last for three weeks, but I'll do my best."
"Where would you like me to read your letters?" She asked, looking up at him.
"I think on the dock where you were that day. I can see you there so easily. Imagine I'm just riding up to talk to you," Nathan said softly.
Elizabeth smiled. "Who knew you were such a romantic? The taciturn Mountie." Elizabeth laughed suddenly. "I just remembered Lee describing you, one of the first days you got here, when we thought the stage had been robbed?"
Nathan smiled. "We went out to Snake Run Canyon to see if we could figure out what happened to his payroll." Nodding, Nathan smiled, "I remember what he said." Nathan did a fairly good imitation of Lee saying, "You don't say much, do you?"
Elizabeth laughed. "And then you said, 'Not unless there's something to be said.'"
Nathan sighed. "Well, I couldn't very well tell him that I was nervous in the new posting, that it was pretty daunting to think about following Constable Jack Thornton in Hope Valley, and on my first day a stagecoach appeared to have been robbed." He looked down at Elizabeth. "I had a few things on my plate."
Elizabeth was laughing. "You can be excused for being a man of few words that day, and I'm sure Lee managed to fill the silences."
Now Nathan laughed. "Yes, he did."
They sat quietly for a time. Elizabeth finally said, sighing, "I don't want to, but I should get to bed. We have an early train in the morning."
Nathan sighed. "And Rosemary is picking you up at the station?"
"Yes, and I need to get a lesson plan together for Tuesday. I might just fall back on the lazy teacher plan," she said.
"Which is...?"
Elizabeth did her sunny teacher voice, "Class, we're going to write an essay about our Easter celebrations! Don't forget to write with your senses. What did you hear? What did you eat? Who was there?"
Nathan laughed. "That doesn't sound lazy. Don't you have to read and grade all those essays?"
"Yes, but you won't be there with me on Tuesday night. So it will be a welcome distraction."
Holding her tightly, Nathan said, "I'm having second thoughts. Should I come home with you?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "No. Though a part of me would love to say yes. Rebecca hasn't had you nearly as much as I have recently. She loves you so much, Nathan. Life is short. Be with her."
Nathan nodded, and then he said, "I grew up on this ranch. My whole life. You've been here a week, and when you're gone there will be something missing for me here."
"And I've loved Hope Valley, and there will be something missing for me there without you." She turned to face him. "That's love, Nathan. It's the price we pay. But it's worth it."
Nathan kissed her. Not the fiery kiss from earlier, but softly, tenderly. "I love you, Elizabeth. Write to me." He held her tightly. "Tell me what everyone is doing. Who's at Abigail's, what's going on at the saloon. Tell me about your rides with Allie and Jack, and what Rosemary's latest crisis is. Tell me about the new Mountie." He stopped and looked at Elizabeth. "Actually, only if he's fat and has gray hair. If he's young and dashing, I don't want to know."
Elizabeth smiled. "It doesn't matter. Do you remember when I told you that half the women in Hope Valley were in love with you? What did you say to me?"
"I'm taken."
Elizabeth held up her left hand and kissed the ring Nathan had given her. Then she put it to his lips and he kissed it.
"I love you, Nathan. And I'm completely taken."
