Nathan and Elizabeth boarded the train from Hope Valley to Airdrie on Wednesday with Allie and Jack. Allie would lose two half-days of school because Molly and Florence had already decided that Friday would be spent in arts and crafts and outdoor games. There would be fewer children in class so their reasoning was that they didn't want the children who were attending the wedding to get behind.

Elizabeth suspected Florence and Molly thought they might perhaps need a break even more than the children would.

When they'd left their new house it was livable, but not very comfortable. There were no interior doors, the floors were unpolished rough wood, but the kitchen and stoves would work. As they were still not married and were living in their separate row houses, they hadn't moved much furniture in, and in any case, no rugs would go to the new house until the floors were finished.

As they rode the train to Airdrie, Nathan was disappointed they hadn't gotten further.

"But it's a house!" Elizabeth said, "We wanted to camp. Now we have a house to do it in."

"Finally!" Allie said. Then she turned to Jack and said, "You'll like camping, Jack. You eat marshmallows and chocolate and you can get as dirty as you want!" Jack was mesmerized, listening to her every word. "And then, you can sleep looking up at the stars and there are more than you ever thought could fit in the sky."

Elizabeth smiled. "Bravo, Allie. That's lovely!"

Allie immediately pulled her journal out of her bag. She had started it when Elizabeth told her that when she has lots of feelings, she writes them down.

Allie's journal was that to her, but it was also a place she drew pictures, wrote quotes that she liked, where she saved words that she wanted to put into a story someday, and also descriptions, like the one she just used with Jack. She had gone from not having a journal, to it being her most valuable treasure. She had it with her always, and sometimes she would let Elizabeth read parts of it.

Allie and Jack were, as usual, joined at the hip. And now that Jack was getting around more quickly, Allie found herself being followed everywhere. He would tug on her skirt, saying "Lee," over and over, and she got so she always looked when she turned and stepped for fear of trampling him. Allie loved Jack as much as he idolized her.

To Nathan and Elizabeth, watching them together was better than any other pastime they could name. They would often find themselves sitting in silence, just watching and listening. Then one or the other would realize it and look at the other, and they'd laugh and move on with whatever task they were trying to complete.

But now, on the train, there was nothing else to do. Elizabeth had often found train travel tedious, but she didn't have this lovely caravan of people with her then. They were endlessly entertaining.

While Allie read and Jack napped, she and Nathan talked. Elizabeth wondered if they would ever run out of things to talk about, but she doubted it. And it would make her laugh now to remember how hard it was to get Nathan to string two words together at the beginning.

As they neared Airdrie, Elizabeth said brightly, "I can't wait to see your mother again." She was leaning against him in her favorite spot, with her back against his chest and his voice close to her ear. "And Charlie," she said. "And Toby and Rio and Sunset..."

Nathan laughed. "You said Toby first, which means he's your favorite. I won't tell Rio," he said as she turned to protest. "And you are clearly enamored of Airdrie and the ranch and... Well, that's what we Grants do, we get under your skin." He kissed her neck, tickling her, and she giggled.

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yes, to all of the above."

After a moment, she continued dreamily with her list. "And the swing, and oh, that bed. So soft that only your mother's pancakes and that persistent rooster can get me out of it in the morning."

Nathan put his arms around her. "She's missed you too." Nathan smiled, whispering, "Of all the girls I've brought home, she likes you the best."

Elizabeth turned around, her eyes narrowed. "Your mother has already told me that you haven't brought a girl home to meet her since you were sixteen."

Nathan grimaced. "Caught. You two are definitely too close if she's telling you my secrets."

They sat in silence for a time, watching as the wide open fields turned into a farm here or there, and then a ranch, then a scattering of telegraph wires and water towers, and they knew they were nearing Airdrie.

"Are you tired?" Nathan asked her.

"No, in fact, I was thinking I'd love to take a ride." She sat up and started gathering her things. "Maybe to the pergola?"

Nathan smiled. "Does it surprise you to know that I was going to suggest that exact thing?"

Elizabeth smiled sweetly. "Not a bit." She reached over to the other bench and gently picked Jack up. He was sound asleep and his soft, warm face on her neck was like a little slice of heaven. She leaned back and sighed. "He's getting so big, Nathan. I won't be able to do this for very much longer."

Nathan bent and kissed the back of his head as he slept. "Mom kept saying in her letters that she wants to bake cookies with Allie and Jack as soon as we get there. She's planning on feeding a Mountie regiment this weekend, and she thought she might as well get started." Nathan rubbed Jack's back absentmindedly. "We can take a ride while they do that."

Allie had already pulled together her books and Jack's toys and put them in a cloth bag. Then she put her nose on the train window and tried to guess when the station was going to come into view.

Elizabeth smiled as the train slowed and she saw Rebecca and Charlie in almost the identical places they were the last time. Today, Elizabeth knew it was Nugget and Sugar who pulled the wagon, and that they had tethered Buddy at the rear for Allie to ride back to the ranch.

Everything was familiar, and Elizabeth found that she could already hear Rebecca's voice, feel the soft scratch of Charlie's beard in a hug, and even smell the soup that she knew was always on the back of the stove in the ranch house, ready for weary travelers.

She suddenly turned to Nathan and hugged him as they came to a stop. "I'm so glad we're getting married here!" she said, joyously.

Nathan laughed, "So am I," holding her tightly. "And I can tell you someone who is even happier than we are about it. She's about to give you a hug. I'm hoping no bones will be broken."

Nathan tried not to take it personally that his mother hugged Elizabeth, Jack and Allie before she managed to get to him. In fact, he loved watching it happen. Rebecca was in rare form, beside herself with joy about this marriage and this family.

Jack woke up to Rebecca's kisses and then spent the rest of the ride to the ranch on her lap in front, sitting next to Charlie, who let him hold the reins like Nathan had the last time they'd been in this wagon.

"You painted the wagon," Elizabeth said from the bench where she was sitting with Nathan, right behind Rebecca, Jack and Charlie. "You didn't have to do that, Charlie."

Charlie turned to Elizabeth and laughed. "Oh, yes I did. Someone wasn't going to rest until I did." He looked affectionately at Rebecca.

Putting her chin up, Rebecca said, "Doesn't hurt to spruce things up a little. We're here like a couple of old shoes all the time, we don't even see it anymore." She lifted Jack up and spoke right to him. "But we're having a wedding, aren't we?"

When they arrived at the house, it was getting to be late afternoon and Nathan wanted to get out to the pergola. Elizabeth saw Nathan nod to Charlie, and Charlie nodded back. She looked quizzically at Nathan and he said, "Just ranch business."

After getting Jack settled with Allie and Rebecca in the kitchen, the cookie making began in earnest. They hardly looked up when Nathan and Elizabeth left for the barn.

Toby just happened to be already saddled, as was Sunset. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and Nathan said, "Well that's a lucky break, all ready to go."

Elizabeth leaned up on her toes and whispered, "I know something is going on, but because I'm a good sport, I won't mention it."

"That's very nice of you," Nathan said, kissing her cheek.

They went straight to the pergola at a run, and after being on the train all day, it was glorious for Elizabeth to feel the wind in her hair.

When they walked into the clearing, Elizabeth was expecting something, although she didn't know exactly what. But all was as it normally was, if you can call exquisitely beautiful normal. They walked around, pulling a tiny weed from between the stones here, and tucking in a honeysuckle stem there, while they talked about where they wanted to stand, where the guests would be and where to put the food and drink tables.

Finally, assuming she was wrong about any kind of surprise, Elizabeth suggested they ride back before it got dark.

"Not just yet," Nathan said. "There's one more part of the ranch you haven't seen."

"Okay," Elizabeth said, intrigued. "Show me." She started to walk to the horses, but Nathan took her hand.

Instead of passing through the trees where they usually did, he took her to the opposite side of the clearing. They had to bend down under the blueberry elder trees, full of creamy white flat blossoms that sprinkled over them like rain as they walked through.

Elizabeth laughed as the tiny flowers caught in her hair and eyelashes. "Nathan! Where are you taking me?"

And suddenly, another clearing, but this time instead of a pergola, there was a small structure. The light was beginning to fade in the sky and in among the trees it was almost dark, but Elizabeth could see soft lamp light coming from the windows.

Nathan stood looking at it, holding her hand, and he exhaled. "This is what we've always called the Summer Cabin. It's rarely been used in recent years, but Mom and Charlie have been out here fixing and cleaning."

He turned to Elizabeth and said, "For us."

"Oh, Nathan," Elizabeth said softly on a breath. "It's lovely." The whitewash was fresh and the small paned windows gleamed. The warmth of the lamplight inside was so welcoming that Elizabeth stepped toward it. She kept her hand in Nathan's and led him up to the tiny porch filled with colorful overflowing flowerpots.

From the beam above the porch, there was a willow hoop that was hung with feathers and leather strings in a web above a half-moon of deerskin. Elizabeth touched one perfect feather gently and looked at Nathan with a question in her eyes.

"It's a dreamcatcher. Charlie told me stories when I was young about how the night air is filled with good and bad dreams. His people believe that these protect us from the bad dreams, because they become entangled in the webs and they're held until they're destroyed by the first light of morning."

"Oh," Elizabeth said. She couldn't say more because her heart was somewhere in the vicinity of her throat. She pulled herself closer to Nathan and held him while they both looked at the intricate detail of blue beads in the webs. Elizabeth thought they were exactly the color of Nathan's eyes.

Finally she found her voice. "I can't tell you how this touches me, Nathan."

He smiled at her. "Then Charlie would say that you are of the people, Elizabeth." Kissing her gently, he added, "Which doesn't surprise me at all."

Nathan took her hand and opened the front door. Now Elizabeth understood what the silent communication was with Charlie before they left the ranch house. The small wood stove showed embers through its window, and all the lamps were lit. The resulting warmth and soft glow filled the one room with a feeling so hospitable that Elizabeth could imagine immediately curling up in the soft chair in the corner with a good book and a cup of tea.

Elizabeth turned and looked at Nathan. "I'm guessing this was what all the whispering was about," she said, looking at him from under her lashes.

"This is... it's..." Nathan started and then stopped. He plucked a few stray flower petals from her hair and one from her shoulder. Elizabeth looked into his eyes in the golden light. It had been so long since he'd stuttered, she was surprised, and wanted to know why.

"If you'd like," he started again, "We can spend Saturday night here." He took a breath. "Our wedding night."

And now, as she gazed over his shoulder, she could see the four-poster bed that all but dominated the room. It was covered in pillows and a wedding quilt with interlocking rings of colorful fabric and patterns. Rebecca has outdone herself, Elizabeth thought.

She looked again into Nathan's eyes. They were so full of love for her, and though she knew her cheeks were turning crimson, she didn't turn away the way she usually did.

Saturday was three days away, and in all this time, they had never talked about it. Elizabeth reached up and ran her fingers tenderly down his face. He closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed.

Whispering, she said, "I'm glad you're nervous too."

Nathan laughed softly and shook his head. "Oh, I don't think nervous really covers it," he said, suddenly fascinated by the collar on her blouse.

Through the pounding of her heart, Elizabeth said simply, "I love you, Nathan."

He looked up and into her eyes again. "I love you, Elizabeth." He cupped his palm around her face. After a moment he said, "I think I've known from the very beginning that you and I were part of God's plan." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It helps me to know that this is also part of His plan."

Elizabeth nodded and then kissed him gently. She moved into his arms and they stood, as always, calming their breath and their hearts. Together.

Nathan banked the fire and turned down the wicks in the lamps. Taking the still-lit lantern by the door, he put his arm around Elizabeth's waist and they walked outside into the delicious summer air.

They took one last look at the room, knowing that the next time they walked through this door they would be husband and wife.

Then they let the lantern guide them back through the trees, into the clearing where they would be married, and back through the trees again to Toby and Sunset.