"It sounds to me like Nathan was being modest in the telling of that story," Stella said.
Rebecca smiled. "That's my son. He tends to take more responsibility than he should for the bad, and pass on the rewards for the good." She leaned over and whispered, "Elizabeth and I are working on that."
Stella nodded. "Well, from my side, I can tell you that if Nathan hadn't put two and two together, I don't know how we would have found Jessie."
Stella looked over at her daughter. Jessie's hair was growing out nicely, and Stella thought she had the look of the young girls with short bobs she'd seen in the New York fashion magazines. Always ahead of the crowd, Stella thought, smiling. She still said a silent prayer of thanks every time she had this wave of love come over her for her daughter. She felt she'd been so close to losing her, and instead it had turned into something that had brought them closer together.
No one would ever know how much Nathan had done for them. Not only finding Jessie, but then making sure arrangements were made for Sunset's stabling and medical care. Stella thought of it as something that he would do until she was able to pay for the costs herself, but she had a feeling that Nathan never intended for her to pay him back.
"I love horses," he'd said simply. "Don't think of this as something I'm doing for you. Think of it as something I'm doing for Sunset. And of course I've told Elizabeth, so if we could just keep this between the three of us, I'd appreciate it." He'd smiled then, and said, "I'm still somewhat in an official capacity here, and it's frowned upon to get too involved."
That was somewhat true, but Nathan's real reason was that he didn't like to have a fuss made over him. Gifts, especially when they involved money, always seemed to cause a fuss. He was grateful for the abundance in his life, with the Airdrie Ranch doing very well, and he and Elizabeth drawing relatively good salaries from their jobs. Elizabeth's trust fund from her family, a not insignificant amount of money, was set aside for the children's education and to help them with their own houses when they were ready.
So Nathan felt he could do something kind for two people he liked and who needed the help.
During the days Nathan had been with them in Spruce Grove, Stella had to admit that there was something about him that was very appealing. Not just in the tall, dark and handsome realm, which was obvious; but his goodness, his integrity, his sense of what was right. Stella had been looking for someone like him for quite some time, and she was starting to lose hope that a man like him even existed.
But if there was one thing Stella knew without a doubt, it was that Nathan Grant was absolutely taken. He was a man who was clearly entirely smitten with his wife. He'd talked often of Elizabeth and Allie and Jack and his family life. Not in a way that felt at all conscious, but in a very organic and natural way. He would talk about how they would feel about things, what they would do, how smart they were, how funny. About their house and Hope Valley and the townspeople. Stella knew that no one's life was perfect, but it seemed Nathan felt his came as close to that mark as a man could get.
Stella loved hearing about all of them, and so did Jessie. Just the idea that there was a town and a family like this gave them a measure of hope, and they couldn't wait to see it. The fact that Allie would be at the train station with the rest of the family to pick them up had delighted Jessie completely, and Stella had to admit that she couldn't wait to meet Elizabeth.
Rebecca had only reinforced that desire in the time they'd been talking on the train to Hope Valley. For a mother-in-law to wax poetic about her son's wife, Elizabeth must be an extraordinary person.
Talking about Archie was slightly different. Stella could tell that Rebecca was on her best behavior, but she was a plain-spoken woman and it wasn't always easy for her to temper her words. Fortunately, Stella was the same way.
"Archie was a charmer, that's for sure," Rebecca said. "I was lucky in that he wasn't charming with other women. It was always myself I was worried about," Rebecca said, laughing. "When Archie had a full head of dark hair and that twinkle in his eye in his thirties, he was a shorter version of Nathan. That man could talk me out of almost anything, and that's not easy to do."
Stella laughed. "My father was the same." She sighed. "At least Archie did his time and got out. I don't think my father ever will. Every time he's come out of prison, he's put himself right back in. He's joked about the three free meals a day and the roof over his head, but I think there's more truth to that than I knew."
Rebecca nodded. "I suppose it becomes a way of life for some folks, and it's hard to be on the outside again." She looked out the window. "I must say that I'm glad Archie managed to get free of it. And he does seem to be."
Stella looked over at Rebecca until she turned from the window and looked at her. "Archie's a good man, Rebecca. He's been very good to us. He knows he's done a lot of wrong, but he's decided he's going to spend the rest of his days making up for it."
Rebecca reached over and took Stella's hand warmly. "I will take that as a ringing endorsement, Stella. If Nathan and Elizabeth are having him live there at their house, and if you and Jessie value him so highly, I suppose I can manage to forgive the old rascal."
Rebecca looked across at Charlie. He'd spent the entire trip either walking the aisles restlessly, or with his nose in the Farmer's Almanac. Jessie sat next to him, totally engrossed in a book about Queen Victoria. In fact, Rebecca was envying both Charlie and Jessie for their ability to shut out the world and read.
Rebecca always seemed to have a window open in her brain somewhere, and conversations would drift in without her even wanting to hear them. When she read, she needed to be alone, without distractions.
Smiling, Rebecca nudged Stella lightly and inclined her head toward Jessie and Charlie. She leaned over and whispered, "I think this train might fall into the Pacific Ocean before those two came up for air." Stella laughed and nodded.
Rebecca leaned back in her chair and looked out of the window again. She thought about the divorce papers tucked safely away in her bag and had a momentary flutter. Charlie had asked her so many times to marry him, and she'd always had the fact that she was still married to Archie as an excuse. She planned to get the papers signed and then put them under the tree wrapped and tied with a bow for Charlie.
She knew it was a house of cards. Once those papers were signed, everything would come tumbling down. No more excuses, and she supposed there would be a wedding, and then Charlie would move from his quarters out in the far barn into the main house, bringing all his belongings with him. How that was going to feel was anyone's guess. Rebecca worried she may have grown slightly stubborn and unbending in her old age.
But the plain fact was, she loved Charlie. She loved almost everything about him. And Charlie had stuck with her longer than any other man in her life. He was as steady as a church and just as faithful, and she knew she could never do better. So why not get married? Truth was, she'd run out of reasons.
Outside the windows, the outskirts of Hope Valley were coming into view. All those years hating the train, and now she felt blessed to have this noisy, dirty hunk of metal because it brought her closer to Nathan's family and the town she had quickly grown to love.
"It's not far," Stella said to Jessie. Jessie was curling a short strand of hair repeatedly around her finger while she read, obviously immersed in the love story of Victoria and Albert. Stella tapped Jessie's knee lightly and she looked up at her mother.
"We need to start gathering our things, honey. We'll be in the station in just a few minutes," Stella said.
Rebecca looked out the window at the farms passing by. "None too soon for these old bones. I can't even imagine how you feel, coming all the way from Edmonton." She patted Stella's hand. "But I can tell you, once you step through their door, you'll have a good hot meal, a comfortable bed, and probably a hug you don't expect. Or ten."
Stella smiled across at Jessie, who had put her book away and now had a look of anticipation on her face.
All Stella knew was, if the rest of the family was anything like Archie, Rebecca, and Nathan, this was going to be a very pleasant holiday.
In the end, the whole Grant family came to the train station to meet them. They brought the wagon for the bags and for anyone who didn't want to walk, but Elizabeth hoped they could all wander through the town on the way home. Late afternoon in Hope Valley was pleasant in the winter when everyone was bundled up, especially as the roads had been plowed and the sky was clear. They would get to the farm just in time to enjoy the sunset beyond the pond.
Nathan had spent the afternoon in his office and he'd done rounds on Bear, so as Archie drove the wagon behind Sergeant, they joined up and Nathan took Jack to ride with him. It simply wasn't possible for Nathan to ride beside the wagon with Jack in it. Jack knew where he belonged and it was on Bear with his dad. Especially when he was wearing the red serge as he was this afternoon.
Elizabeth had to admit that she was beginning to feel her pregnancy. Where she used to walk briskly without a second thought, most days now she felt like she was carrying a good-sized watermelon around with her. Her life was very active and she was determined to keep that up, but she moved a little slower and didn't go quite as far.
Carson had been researching everything he could find on twins. He'd told Elizabeth and Nathan that she would get bigger much faster than she had with Jack. At five months, she was already where she had been just a couple of weeks before Jack was born. Rosemary had her hands full adjusting the hems of her dresses to accommodate the rapid changes.
So Elizabeth decided to ride in the wagon to the station and then walk home. She was so anxious to talk to Rebecca, another woman who had given birth to twins and seemed to have nothing but good stories to tell about it. She'd been imagining a nice walk through town and out to the house with her arm through Rebecca's.
The train from Edmonton by way of Airdrie was on arrival when they all joined on the platform. Nathan had left his hat on Bear and Jack was now on his shoulders. Jack absolutely adored watching the train pull in. The noise, the steam, the whistle, its shiny metal and massive size was a two-year-old's dream.
Nathan had been spending as much time as possible in the woodshop with Archie, not only making a second crib to match Jack's old one, but also a wooden train set for Jack's birthday on Christmas eve. He and Archie had painstakingly designed tracks that could be put together in many configurations like puzzle pieces, and six detailed and sturdy cars that hooked together. Elizabeth had often heard Nathan and his father talking and laughing together out there, and it warmed her heart that they enjoyed each other's company so thoroughly.
Allie and Elizabeth had done the painting of the wooden train cars when they were finished, so it was truly a family gift to Jack. They'd painted Hope Valley Express on the passenger cars, and there was a log carrier that had Coulter Sawmill written on it. Nathan and Archie had carved small horses to go into one of the boxcars. The train set was wrapped and under the tree, along with more presents than Elizabeth could remember, at least since her Hamilton days.
Jessie would stay in Allie's room on the rollaway bed. Elizabeth smiled, remembering how she had first ordered that bed for the times Allie would spend the night if Nathan had to go out of town. That little workhorse had been used steadily since the day it had arrived.
Archie had his bedroom, of course, and Stella would stay in the room across from his. Charlie couldn't be swayed from his spot at the livery, but everyone knew he loved talking to Kevin about metalwork and horseshoeing, so it was no hardship. Rebecca said she could stay at the saloon again, but the truth was, she really didn't want to be away from the family, so she decided to stay in Jack's room with him in the bed Nathan had built.
A full house. Christmas. Family. Food. Love. Elizabeth couldn't be happier.
As they waited at the station, Jack wanted to walk, so Nathan put him down and Allie took his hand to go a little closer.
Elizabeth stood beside Nathan with her arm through his. "Do you remember when we were looking for the tree last year? You asked me about our family traditions and I told you that on Christmas day we had all my aunts and uncles and cousins over for a late supper, and I told you that some years we had twenty people at the house?" Nathan laughed softly, because he knew what was coming. Elizabeth smiled. "Do you remember what you said to me?"
He did a perfect imitation of himself. "Twenty people? That's a lot!" He raised an eyebrow. "So how many will we have on Christmas day?"
"More than that, I'm glad to say," Elizabeth replied, squeezing his arm.
Nathan put his arm around her and ran his lips across the softness of her hair. "I didn't know then what this would be like. Family, friends, our house." He bent down to kiss her quickly and raised his eyebrow the way he did right before he told one of his jokes. "In fact..." he said slowly, "...I think we should invite more people."
Elizabeth smiled sweetly. "Really?" she said in surprise. And just like that, she turned to a family of strangers passing by and said, "Excuse me..." Nathan laughed and whispered, "I'm kidding!"
Elizabeth continued her question to the family, "...can you tell me if this is the Edmonton train?"
"Yes," the man said, tipping his hat. "Should be in any minute."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said, smiling, and then she looked up at Nathan.
He laughed softly and smirked at her, "You're a troublemaker."
She tilted her head. "But you love me."
Holding her tightly, he sighed and said, "That I do, Mrs. Grant."
His last words were nearly drowned out by the sound of the train as it pulled in with a deafening roar. Inside, Stella and Jessie had the windows down and were searching the small crowd for Archie and Nathan, the faces they knew.
They found them and Jessie's eye went straight to Allie holding Jack's hand, while Stella found Elizabeth standing next to Nathan.
"There they are!" Rebecca said, and Charlie finally closed his Almanac and stood.
Within minutes of stepping off the train, Stella and Jessie had been hugged multiple times, Jack had proudly shown them his Mountie and his horses while chattering away in a language they couldn't fully understand, and their bags had been whisked away to the wagon.
As they started walking, conversations blossomed, but the loudest by far was between Jessie and Allie. "I did a report on Queen Victoria!" Allie said when she saw the book Jessie was holding.
Jessie sighed, "And Albert, they were so much in love."
"Did you know she became queen when she was only eighteen years old?" Allie said, handing Jack up to Nathan on Bear.
By now, Jessie was talking horses, "Can we go out to your barn as soon as we get there? I want to meet Sarah. My horse's name is Sunset."
"Really?" Allie said, "My dad's horse where he grew up is Sunset!"
As she watched Allie and Jessie take the lead with Nathan, chattering all the way, Elizabeth smiled. She not only had Rebecca on her arm, she had Stella on the other. They walked for a short while watching the girls.
Elizabeth smiled at Stella and said, "I wonder if they'll find anything to talk about..."
Stella laughed. "Doubtful," she said.