Chapter 30

Elizabeth looked around the bookstore, there were so many people there who had been influential in her life and her journey to get her to the point where she was finally able to be a published writer. At one point she had all but given up on her dream to make it a reality. Having her first attempt at it rejected had made her question herself and her abilities to weave a decent story, but slowly, just like her heart opening up again, she was able to gain the courage to write and try. She stood to the side of the room, holding Jack, trying to take it all in. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Fiona approach her.

"Are you ready for your speech, Elizabeth," Fiona asked her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath with a concerned look on your face and replied, "I think so."

Fiona followed Elizabeth's eyes behind her and towards the door of the bookstore in the direction that Elizabeth had been looking, "Is there something wrong, Elizabeth?"

She shook her head, "Uh, no, well maybe, it's just that,"

"you're worried about Nathan."

Elizabeth shook her head, unable to hide her growing concern and disappointment, "He said he would be here and he hasn't showed up yet. I really don't want to make this speech without him."

"We can wait a few more minutes. Perhaps he just got tied up in his office with something."

"I don't know, he wasn't in there when I stopped by earlier before coming here. He usually lets me know if he has to leave or go take care of something. I'm starting to get worried, this isn't like him at all."

"I'm sure he is fine, Elizabeth. Maybe there was an urgent call he had to attend to and he didn't have time to let you know."

Elizabeth nodded and looked down at her shoes and then back up at Fiona nervously, "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I would have thought that at least Allie would be here then. I guess we can get started, hopefully they walk in soon."

After handing Little Jack off to Rosemary, Elizabeth moved to the front of the room with Fiona who gave a short introduction, her eyes still scanning the doorway to the bookstore. She watched as Bill turned toward the door sensing the worried look on her face. He knew exactly who she was looking for and could see her brows furrowed in worry even though she was smiling at everyone else in the room.

Her journey with Nathan had not been an easy one and Bill knew that the road ahead would also be bumpy at times for her until she learned to trust that God would take care of Nathan and that his fate wasn't wrapped up in Jack's. Jack's focus, even though he loved Elizabeth dearly, had always been duty first, but Nathan was different, he had more at stake to lose from the beginning of his Mountie service because of Allie. He had no desire to leave her an orphan with no home and now the stakes were even higher that he was about to have a bigger family of his own. Nathan, Bill thought, knew what Elizabeth had been through and he had no desire to put her through that again. Bill could see that Nathan's first priority was Elizabeth and the kids and his job came after that.

For a split-second Bill thought that maybe he should sneak out and try to go find Nathan, but then he quickly decided that might cause more alarm for Elizabeth so he decided it better to stay put. He turned back around and gave Elizabeth a small encouraging nod with a slight smile to try and calm her.

As soon as Elizabeth began to speak, Nathan came running through the door completely out of breath, looking exhausted with crazed bloodshot eyes that looked as if he had been crying. Elizabeth took one look at his haggard expression and knew something wasn't right. Her eyebrows creased in worry and her eyes showing concern, she quickly ran to him and blurted out, "Nathan, what's wrong?"

Nathan stood in the doorway trying to catch his breath as all eyes in the room turned to him, wondering what was going on that had their town Mountie interrupting the ceremony and apparently in distress.

He stood there trying to catch his breath. "Allie," he breathed, "Allie…."

Elizabeth was soon joined by Bill standing next to her. "Allie," she shook her head, her heart already rising into her throat. "Nathan," she questioned.

"He," Nathan stood there with his mouth open unable to get the words out as the reality of what was happening was starting to sink in more. He shook his head slowly from side to side as he connected his eyes with Elizabeth's. It was then that she could clearly see the tears threatening to brim over, turning his eyes into a deep blue, shimmering, watery mess.

"What happened to Allie?" Elizabeth stood next to him taking his hands and urging him to speak up, her panic now becoming apparent, "Nathan, please."

"Her dad showed up, he knocked me out and then tied me up," the tears that were threatening before were now starting to fall and she could hear the anguish in his voice, "and he took her. He threated to hurt me if she didn't go with him willingly."

Elizabeth's worried eyes that were now also threatening tears looked upward and she took in the bruise on the side of his head and gingerly reached her fingers up to brush over it. "Oh Nathan. We have to go after her."

Bill finally spoke up as he listened to the hurt in Nathan's voice, his mind already going into action, "I'm going to call the Mounties in the surrounding towns and then send out a wire to be on the lookout."

Lee stood up quickly and walked over to Nathan, putting a hand on his shoulder, "We're going to form a search party. Will get her back, Nathan."

Henry stood up, "I want to help."

"So do I," shouted Jesse.

Elizabeth pulled Nathan into an embrace and then looked up at him, putting a hand on each side of his face to draw his eyes back to hers. "Look at me Nathan," she began, "please look at me." When she saw that she had his attention, she said with determination and conviction "We're going to get her back, but you need to focus."

"I'm trying," he whispered between crying breaths while trying to still his emotions. They finally settled and Elizabeth watched as his facial features went from pure grief to the strong Mountie resolve that Elizabeth knew him to have. "If he hurts her," he said while shaking his head in anger and clenching his jaw tightly, "I can't promise I won't….," he trailed off as Bill came running back into the bookstore.

"Nathan," Elizbeth called out startled, "promise me you won't do anything stupid." She paused and then added for emphasis, "Promise me, Nathan."

Nathan breathed a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly, "All right, I won't, I promise,"

"Good because Allie needs you and so does Little Jack and I."

"All right," he was going into Mountie mode as he turned to Bill, "I'm going to need your help, Bill."

"You have my support, Nathan, you always have and look around you, everyone in this room is ready to help." Bill turned to Lee, "Ok, will have you and Jesse and Henry take the roads out of town going west. You can take your car. He has a weapon, so get yourselves armed."

Nathan looked out over the room and called out, "Anyone else, I won't blame you if you say no. It's risky because he's armed."

Nathan watched as Lucas stood up and stepped forward, "I'll help."

Nathan stared at him in disbelief, "I…uh…I appreciate that."

"She's a part of this town and I have a soft spot for the child. Despite our differences, I know you love her and I don't want to see anything bad happen to her."

Hickam also stepped forward, "I'll go with Lucas."

"I'll go to," added Kevin.

"Great," Nathan replied, "why don't you take the roads going north and then Bill and I will go east." He pulled a small picture out of his pocket. "Look, this is what he looks like." He showed all of them the photo of Colleens wedding, "his name is Daniel Beckham." They looked at th photo of the man. He had brown straight hair with dark brown eyes and a scruffy looking face that had a short clean-cut beard. Under his left eye was a small birthmark. The men all filed out the door and headed out to begin their search, agreeing to come back into town by dusk to meet up if they had not found her.

Nathan turned to Elizabeth and quickly met his lips to hers in a quick, chaste kiss, and then pulled away and looked her straight in the eyes while putting his hand on her cheek and brushing his thumb to wipe away the dampness forming under her eyes, "I'll bring her back."

She nodded her eyes full of worry and fear, "I know you will." He turned to leave and she called back out to him, "Nathan," he stopped and looked back, "be careful." He nodded and then he and Bill were off to the stable to saddle up their horses.

To Be Continued…..