Nathan shook hands with Constable Gabriel Kinslow at the crossroads.
"Thanks again, Nathan," Gabe said. He was leading the horse of a handcuffed prisoner that they had just located and arrested. Gabe was on his way back to Brookfield, and Nathan was taking the road to Hope Valley.
"Happy to help, Gabe," Nathan said, now a short distance away. They'd been riding slowly, but now Nathan could let Bear run a little. It was still only early afternoon, and the fact that they'd wrapped things up so quickly meant that Nathan could spend tonight in Hope Valley instead of waiting until tomorrow.
Nathan made a final wave as Gabe rode out of view. He was anxious to get home to Elizabeth, but not anxious enough to do any harm to his leg. It had been twinging just a bit with the activity of tracking and subduing the prisoner. And the process had been a little more dangerous than he'd thought it would be when he'd told Elizabeth what he would be doing.
It would always be that way. Until you're in the middle of it, you can't know. Looking up at the sun halfway down the sky, Nathan smiled. I love this work, he thought. I love being a Mountie and all it demands of me. Riding, being outdoors, finding people who have hurt others and bringing them to justice. Using my skills as a tracker, finding the answers to questions that some find impossible.
And Nathan particularly loved being the Constable of Hope Valley. There is a joy in protecting your family, a feeling of rightness about that. So when you have the opportunity to expand that out and also protect a town that you love, with people in it that you respect and admire; well, there's no better work a man could ask for. And if staying put and doing that is perceived as a lack of ambition, then so be it.
Nathan and Gabe had found some time on the trail to talk, and they'd been of a mind on the subject. Gabe loved Brookfield the way Nathan loved Hope Valley.
Nathan removed his hat and pulled the strap around to the front. There was a breeze blowing, and until a Mountie was forced to ride back a piece and dismount, pick up his hat and remount; that little strap might stay in its place at the back of the neck. After doing all that just once, a Mountie knew it belonged securely under his chin.
"You ready, boy? You want a run?" Nathan said. Bear pulled at the bridle and Nathan had only to touch his flank with his boot. Bear was off like the wind.
They should be home right around sunset.
Caleb sat on the bench outside the saloon and sighed. He knew that people were looking at him, but he couldn't stay in that room upstairs one minute longer. What he really wanted to do was buy a bottle of whiskey somewhere and take it up to his room where he could finish it off, but in a town so small that people knew a thought before you had it, that wasn't a very good idea.
Only one more day. After that he could do anything he wanted, but right now he had to make a good impression on that judge. Caleb knew that Nathan would be back today or tomorrow, and he sincerely hoped it would be today.
Caleb had finished his dinner in the saloon, had a modest one-finger whiskey, and now he had the whole long night ahead of him. No music, no girls, no dancing, and although he was dying to join in, no cards. It would be his luck to wager his last $20, drink too much and lose his chance at a little piece of the Thatcher fortune.
Caleb shook his head. Why anyone would want to live in this wide spot in the road was beyond him. As far as he could see, Hope Valley had absolutely nothing to offer.
Maybe a walk to eat up some time, Caleb thought. He stood and started toward the pond. The light was changing, and though the sun had a small piece of sky to travel before it would set, Caleb could see the sparkle of its rays on the pond surface.
And that porch out there. Who builds a porch first and then the house? The Grants, that's who. Crazier than outhouse flies, all of them.
Caleb had loved Sarah, at first. She was a wild ride, that one. Full of life, ready for anything. Well, almost anything, and for that, he had to marry her. Allie had come along right away, and though Sarah had wanted a ranch full of kids, Caleb didn't want any more squalling babies. It had taken more than three years for the next one.
Caleb breathed deep of the early evening air. Well, that's all over. But the truth was, in all these years, he'd never found another woman to compare with Sarah.
Before he knew it, Caleb was standing in front of the porch. So familiar, and so different. The porch swing was stirring in tiny circles in the breeze, but Caleb couldn't bring himself to sit there. He and Sarah had courted in a swing just like this one, and though he would never admit it to anyone, it hurt him sometimes to think about it.
"Don't move."
Caleb knew that voice well. The last time he'd heard it, he was being thrown out of the ranch house on his rear.
Hearing those particular words made a man want to show his empty hands, so Caleb did just that. He put his arms out to his sides and wiggled his fingers, showing he was unarmed. Then he turned around.
Constable Nathan Grant. Nine years older than the last time he'd seen him, looking more confident, more at ease with the uniform than he'd been just out of training. Still too tall and too wiry for Caleb to ever think he had a chance against him, gun or not.
But right now there was a gun. Nathan was holding it and it was pointed right at Caleb. There was no tremor, no nervousness, and Caleb felt that all he would have to do is say Boo and a bullet would be on its way.
It was the look in Nathan's eyes that truly terrified Caleb at this moment. Those ice-blue eyes under the dark brows, unflinching in their stare, transparent in their loathing of him. Those eyes looked like they'd seen some hard times since Caleb last looked into them, and Caleb also knew that all they would have to do is go soft and they'd be Sarah's eyes.
"Hey, Nathan," Caleb said, wiggling his fingers again in an attempt at a wave.
"What are you doing here, Caleb?" Nathan said, just softly enough to run icicles down Caleb's spine.
Caleb attempted a laugh unsuccessfully. "Well, I'd like to tell you that, but I think I'd prefer to do it in town where there are other folks around." Caleb looked at the thick stand of trees behind them. "Not out here where a body could be lost and buried without anyone knowing it."
Nathan's eyes narrowed. "And you really can't know how attractive that idea is to me right now."
Caleb took a deep breath. "But... you know... that would be a mistake, because there are people," Caleb inclined his head toward the town, "Who know I'm here. And one of them, the Judge, even knows why." He raised his eyebrows, "So, were I to go missing suddenly, you might find yourself on the wrong side of those bars in your jailhouse."
Nathan took a moment before he spoke so that he would be in complete control. "You've talked to Judge Avery? About what?" Nathan said.
Caleb was feeling more secure now, and he sat down on the edge of the porch, still keeping his hands at his sides.
"Get. Off. My. Porch." Nathan said with icy steel in his voice.
Caleb popped up as if he were on a spring. "No problem. Sorry. I thought this might be yours." He smiled at Nathan and narrowed his eyes. "Not very original, is it?"
Nathan moved over to Caleb and, still holding the gun on him, frisked him for a weapon. Once he was certain Caleb was unarmed, he holstered his pistol and grabbed him by the arm roughly.
"Let's go talk to the Judge," Nathan growled. He whistled and Bear came to him from the patch of new grass he was enjoying. Nathan took hold of the reins and the three of them walked into town.
"Nathan!"
He'd just tied Bear to the rail when he heard Elizabeth. She was running to him with a huge smile on her face.
"Stay there, Elizabeth," he said, more roughly than he intended. The thought of her being anywhere near Caleb Butler brought out an anger he'd thought he'd mastered long ago. And then he saw Allie coming out of the dress shop.
While Elizabeth stood, confused, rooted to her spot outside the shop, Allie stepped over to her and did something that made Nathan's blood run cold. Before she saw Nathan, Allie waved to Caleb and said, casually, "Hi!"
By now, Bill had stepped out of his office, and it took him very little time to assess the situation. He nodded to Nathan and walked down to take Caleb's arm. "Step into my office, Mr. Butler."
Nathan walked quickly to Elizabeth and Allie and took them into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said to Elizabeth, kissing her and holding her tightly. To Allie he said, "How do you know that man, Allie?"
Allie frowned, and looked at Elizabeth and then back to Nathan. "That's Mr. Baker. He said he likes churches and so he came to look at ours. He walked us back from school yesterday." Allie could see the darkness growing in his uncle's face, and she looked again at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth said, "Nathan, do you know Mr. Baker?" She remembered her feelings of the day before, and asked, "What has he done?"
Nathan kept hold of Elizabeth while he turned to Allie. He made sure he spoke very softly and kindly to her. "Allie, I know it's hard for you, when adults say that there are things you can't know. I need you to trust me right now, and to trust that we will tell you the minute we can, okay? For now, can you please go back into Dottie's and sit with Rosemary? We'll come get you just as soon as we can."
Allie thought for a moment and then nodded. Nathan kissed her cheek. "Thank you." She started to turn, and Nathan held her. "I love you, Allie." She smiled and said, perplexed, "I love you too, Uncle Nathan." Then she turned and went back to the shop.
Elizabeth had been standing silently through all this. Nathan turned and when he was sure Allie was out of earshot, he said softly. "It's not Mr. Baker, it's Caleb Butler. That's Allie's father."
Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, no." Her eyes turned desperate. "And why is he here, Nathan?"
Nathan looked at her and breathed deeply. "I can only think of one reason."
Remembering the conversation of the day before, Elizabeth said, "He knows we're getting married, he knows that's our house, and I had a feeling yesterday that he knows who Jack Thornton was."
Nathan narrowed his eyes darkly. "I know Caleb. He doesn't want Allie, Elizabeth. He wants money." Looking toward Bill's office, he said, "Let's go find out how much."
As they walked in, Bill was talking. "Well, I can tell you one thing, Mr. Butler, we're going to be very civilized about all this, even though we're in, as you so colorfully put it, a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. I can also tell you that's not a very convincing argument for taking a young girl away from the only family she's ever known."
Nathan and Elizabeth stood silently in the doorway. Bill knew they were there, but Caleb didn't.
"I'm her father. Isn't that all you need to know?" Caleb's voice took on a theatrical tone. "I've been looking for my baby girl and I've finally found her. I lost her mother, Judge Avery, I can't lose Allie too."
Elizabeth could actually feel the heat emanating from Nathan. She turned to him and put her hand gently on his face. Leaning up, she whispered almost silently in his ear, "What's best for Allie, Nathan? What will help us keep her?"
She felt him breathe deeply and saw a calm come into the features of his face. He kissed her forehead and said, "Thank you." Then, holding Elizabeth's hand, he walked into Bill's office.
Without looking at Caleb, Nathan said, "What's the next step, Bill? How does this proceed?"
"I get my daughter, that's how..." Caleb started to say.
"Shush," Bill said, forcefully to Caleb. "Speak when you're spoken to, Mr. Butler, or I'll have you held in contempt of court."
Caleb frowned. "This is your office..."
"It's a courtroom if I say it's a courtroom. It's either this or we clear the saloon, and at this hour there will be lots of people none too happy about that turn of events."
Bill turned to Nathan and Elizabeth. "Nathan, to your knowledge, is this Allie's father?"
Nathan exhaled sharply. "Yes."
Bill sighed sadly and shook his head. "Well, then, I have to tell you something you're not going to want to hear. If Caleb Butler is Alice Rebecca..." he looked up at Nathan, "...Grant's?" Nathan nodded. "If he is her natural father, then unless..." And at this point he looked hard at Nathan, "...unless you can show evidence why he would not be a fit and proper father to his daughter, the court will need to grant Mr. Butler's request to render your guardianship null and void."
Nathan stood tall. "And how would you prefer I show that evidence? May I testify?"
Bill frowned. "Just you, or are there other witnesses?"
"There are other witnesses. My mother and the head hand at our ranch in Airdrie. They have seen Caleb Butler physically abuse Allie's mother numerous times." Nathan's voice quavered slightly. "And I have seen him shake Allie violently when she was only three years old."
Elizabeth felt a tear course down her cheek, but she didn't make a sound. She held on to Nathan's arm as if for dear life.
Caleb stood up from his seat and started to protest.
"Sit. Down." Bill said loudly. He narrowed his eyes and looked coldly at Caleb. "Do you deny that these accusations are true?"
"Of course I do!" Caleb said vehemently. "That whole family is against me. You can't take their word against mine."
Bill was quiet for a long time, and then he leaned forward and looked Caleb in the eye. "What is it that you want, Mr. Butler? The law is the law and I have to follow it, but I have my doubts that it's your daughter you want." He just waited, silently, for Caleb to answer.
Caleb was thinking about how long it would take for Rebecca and Charlie to arrive, and how long a court case would take, and that didn't mesh with the one day he had left before his name would be flying across the wires as a military deserter. He had no doubt that Judge Avery was asking around about him, and that would not only lose him the money but it would land him in jail. For a very long time.
Maybe best to take what he could get and move on.
"You know, Judge, I'm starting to see that this might not be a bad place for a girl like Allie." He nodded seriously. "I do travel a lot for business, and, well, I could be convinced," Caleb said, frowning, "to accept some compensation for the loss of my daughter..."
Nathan said softly, "How much, Caleb?"
Caleb raised his eyebrows, weighing what he could expect in a situation like this. He looked at Nathan, and then at Elizabeth. "I know who her family is, Nathan. The Thatchers? Didn't you fall into a pot of honey," he sneered.
Elizabeth held Nathan's arm as she felt him flinch. She turned and looked at him and said again, softly, "What's best for Allie, Nathan?"
Nathan regained his control. "You know what, Caleb? You don't get to choose. I will get $500 out of the bank first thing tomorrow morning. In exchange, you will sign a document that Judge Avery will have drawn up that says not only do you relinquish any rights you have to my niece, Alice Rebecca Grant, but that you will agree, under penalty of imprisonment, that you'll never attempt to see or speak to her again."
Caleb tried to protest. "With all the money you have, you want to give me..."
Nathan raised his hand. "Or," he said ominously. "We can wait for my mother and Charlie to arrive, and during that time, we'll see what Judge Avery's contacts in law enforcement have to say about your history with them."
Caleb looked from Bill to Elizabeth to Nathan, and then he slumped and sighed loudly. "I'll take the $500."
Nathan smiled. "I thought you just might."
