Chapter 11

A soft knock sounded at the door, as Elizabeth finished writing in her journal. She couldn't believe that the time had finally come for her dinner with Nathan.

Putting her journal away, as she brushed down her dress and stood up, Elizabeth looked at the time. It was seven o'clock, on the dot, and she appreciated the fact that Nathan was a man of his word.

Sending up a handful of prayers, for courage and guidance over their time together, Elizabeth took in a deep breath of air, before opening the door.

Once she finally had the door open, she was greeted by a very handsome looking Nathan. He was dressed in his formal blue suite, with his hair combed back and a small bouquet of wild flowers, in his hands.

Elizabeth couldn't help but stare at him. The man looked so good in a suite, and she had always loved how the blue matched his eyes.

For a moment, neither one of them spoke a word. Elizabeth could tell that Nathan was just as distracted by her appearance as she was of his. He stared right back at her, with a shy smile of admiration and expectation.

Finally finding his words, Nathan spoke first.

"Elizabeth! Wow, you look so... so..."

"You too," Elizabeth cut in with a smile, realizing that he was struggling to finish his sentence.

She knew what he was trying to say, and she felt the same way.

Still staring at her, Nathan's mouth turned from a shy grin to a slightly more confidant smile. Although it was very subtle, Elizabeth could tell that he had appreciated her for offering a comment, just then.

Looking at his hands, and motioning towards the flowers, Elizabeth asked "Are those for me?"

At that question, Nathan suddenly looked down at the flowers, and then back up at her, as if he had momentarily forgotten about them.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry! These are for you," Nathan said holding them out to her.

"Allie and I picked them for you this morning. We thought you might like to add them to your collection."

Elizabeth took them, and looked at him, with wonder in her eyes.

"You and Allie picked these? Nathan, they're beautiful! I'm touched that you would go through so much trouble to get me flowers. I can tell that you put a lot of thought into arranging them."

Nathan blushed.

"That was all Allie's doing. I don't know what I would have done without her help. She was insistent that we had to use those specific flowers. There were so many to chose from, and she helped me pick the ones that she thought you'd like the best. She made sure that we discarded all of the weeds and left only the pretty ones."

"That's really sweet! Thank you, Nathan! It means a lot to me that you and Allie would pick them together. I love them!"

"I'm glad you like them! And Allie will be thrilled," Nathan responded back, with a hint of red still lingering on his cheeks.

Elizabeth thought it was adorable that a grown man, who was as brave and strong as Nathan, could still get embarrassed and blush, after her complimenting him. That fact made her even more intrigued by him.

Turning back to reality, Elizabeth heard Nathan ask her "So, are you ready to go?"

Giving him a smile, she replied "Yes, just let me grab my coat and put these in water. After that, we can go."

Waiting patiently, Nathan nodded, as she left the door to grab a vase for the flowers. Once she filled the vase with some water, Elizabeth placed the flowers carefully into the water, and then she set the vase on her desk.

After slipping into her coat, she took one last look at the flowers and smiled, before closing the door behind her.

Once she was outside, Elizabeth could feel the chill of the night air setting in. Before she could even process that was happening, Nathan graciously offered her his arm.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

Slipping her arm into his, Elizabeth could feel the warmth of his body heat transfer over to her. Warming her from the inside out, she realized that this was the closet she had physically been to him, outside of him rescuing her from the wind and their embrace in the street. The only difference, this time, was that they were both safe and fully aware of each others closeness.

Nathan had offered her his arm, without hesitation, and she had taken it, without the fear of wondering what might happen if she did. It had happened so naturally, and Elizabeth had felt that it was right.

It felt so good to be with Nathan, and Elizabeth couldn't wait to see how the rest of their night unfolded.

Walking arm and arm, with her, Nathan gently led Elizabeth towards the cafe.

Lost in his own world, Nathan thought about how smoothly that had went, despite his inability to finish his sentences or the fact that he almost forgot to give her the flowers. He was grateful for Elizabeth's quick comment, which had helped to snap him back to reality.

Feeling the warmth of her arm tucked securely in his, Nathan found peace.

It felt so good to be there with her, walking so close, as the night air began to set in.

Letting his thoughts linger, for a moment, Nathan wondered what had taken him so long to ask her out to dinner. He could have been experiencing this much sooner, if he hadn't let his fear get in the way. That's when he realized that it had happened for a reason. Elizabeth probably wouldn't have been ready, if he had asked sooner, and the truth was that he wouldn't have been ready either.

However, it did make Nathan wonder whether or not it would have finally happened at all, if that prisoner transport hadn't gone the way that it did.

Either way, Nathan was grateful that he didn't have to find out. Elizabeth with him now, and that's all that mattered.

Finding his voice, once again, Nathan spoke through the silence.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"It really is," Elizabeth responded back, with a hint of a sigh in her tone.

Looking down at her, Nathan smiled contently.

Although neither one of them spoke for the remainder of their walk, Nathan could feel his nerves subsiding. It felt good to walk beside her.

As they entered town, Nathan wondered who would be wandering the streets, at that hour.

It made him a little weary thinking about what the towns people might think, if they saw the two of them walking arm and arm.

It didn't bother him, if people knew that they were on date. In fact, he wanted to everyone to know how much he cared about Elizabeth.

However, it did make him wonder how Elizabeth would feel about it, if they knew. He was very much aware of the fact that them going to dinner, at the cafe, could get everyone in town talking. After all, they were going on a date in a very public setting.

Suddenly, Nathan wondered if he had made the right choice, by deciding to have dinner during normal cafe hours. He knew that he had the option to have a private dinner, alone with her, but he didn't want to make Elizabeth feel uncomfortable.

The more he thought about it, though, the more he wondered if it was a bad idea. Perhaps he should have asked for her opinion, on the matter, before deciding on what to do.

As they got closer to the cafe, Nathan realized that there weren't that many people out on the streets.

He was thankful for that, and he hoped that the cafe wouldn't be too busy.

Elizabeth was growing anxious, as they got closer to the cafe.

Although she had just enjoyed a very pleasant walk, with Nathan, she was still nervous about having dinner with him.

The last time she had shared a meal with a man, at the cafe, it had been with Jack, after they got married.

Remembering how sweet their time there had been together, brought a little bit of sadness to Elizabeth's heart.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't help, but think about how different things would have been, if Jack hadn't died. She wouldn't be having to experience all of these confusing feelings again. And, she would have never met Nathan.

Elizabeth let that thought linger, for a moment.

"What would my life be like now, if Jack were still alive, and I had never met Nathan?" Elizabeth wondered to herself.

She realized that her and Jack would have been raising their son together, and that she wouldn't be having to worry about opening her heart up again.

Although Elizabeth's heart still ached for her husband, and the life that they could have shared together, she also realized that she couldn't even imagine her life now, without Nathan in it. He had become such a huge part of her heart, and she wouldn't trade that for anything.

With that thought in mind, Elizabeth felt her nerves relax a little bit, as they arrived at the front door of the cafe.

While, Nathan held the door open for her, Elizabeth found her courage.

She looked up at him and said "Thank you," before stepping inside.

Once she was inside, Elizabeth took in the scene before her, and it surprised her to see that there were still some people eating, inside of the cafe.

While there were only two occupied tables, Elizabeth realized that this wouldn't be a private dinner.

That fact made her feel slightly less worried, while, at the same time, a little surprised that Nathan hadn't planned on this being a private affair.

That's when she looked to the corner of the room and realized that there was a very nice looking table, with a reserved sign on it.

The table had a white linen tablecloth on it, with a single candle in the middle.

Motioning towards the corner of the room, Nathan asked, "Shall we?"

Elizabeth simply nodded her head, in reply, and followed him to the table.

Once they were there, Nathan offered to take her coat, before pulling out the chair for her.

Elizabeth graciously accepted, by taking her coat off and handing it to him. Once she sat down, Nathan pushed in her chair and went to hang her coat, on the coatrack, near the front door.

As Elizabeth watched him, she realized how smoothly this had all been going.

Although she had been expecting it to be more like her first dinner with Jack, at the cafe, she was grateful for the simplicity of it all. It was very thoughtful of Nathan to reserve the table for them, and she was grateful that the cafe didn't have many customers.

In fact, the other customers barely even acknowledged that they were there. It helped that Elizabeth didn't know any of them too well, outside of occasionally seeing them around town.

Nathan soon returned and took a seat across from her, at the table.

He looked at her and searched her eyes, before speaking.

"Elizabeth, I hope you don't mind that we're having dinner here tonight. I know it's not the most private setting, but I wanted to make sure that you felt comfortable. I didn't want to make you feel pressured in anyway..."

Elizabeth smiled sweetly at him, as she began to realize Nathan's intentions. He had done it this way on purpose, in order to make sure that she felt comfortable.

That fact made her grow all the more fond of him.

Nodding her head, Elizabeth responded.

"Nathan, this is perfect! Thank you! I can tell that you put a lot of thought into this, and it means a lot that you would be concerned about my feelings! You did good job. The table looks very nice, and I love the simplicity of it all."

Nathan looked at her, with relief in his eyes.

"I'm so glad to hear that, Elizabeth! I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way, especially since I'm sure that you've shared many meals here in the past..." Nathan's voice trailed off.

Suddenly understanding his implied meaning, Elizabeth sat up straighter.

"I did have some very nice dinners here with Jack," she offered.

Looking at her with compassion, Nathan responded back.

"Yes, I'm sure you have. I heard that this was where you and Jack had your first date..."

The moment he said it, Elizabeth could tell that Nathan was unsure about whether or not he should have mentioned that.

Before he could take it back, however, Elizabeth gave him answer.

"Yes, we did! Although, that wasn't the first time that we shared a dinner together..."

"Elizabeth, you don't have too..." Nathan cut in.

Giving him a grateful smile, Elizabeth said, "It's alright, Nathan. Really! It's good for me to talk about it."

Just then, Bill came over to the table.

Greeting them, with a pitcher of water, Bill gave them some menus.

"Take your time," Bill said, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

As Bill walked away, Elizabeth and Nathan chuckled, while shaking their heads, at his abrupt exit.

Then looking down at the menu, Nathan said, "Well, I suppose we should probably decide on what we'd like to order."

Elizabeth smiled at him and nodded, before looking down at her menu.

She was thankful for the change of conversation, although she did find herself hoping that she would be able to share more about her experiences with Jack.

Elizabeth rarely got the chance to talk about him, and she was grateful to Nathan for being so thoughtful and considerate of her circumstances.

Once they had finished ordering their food, Nathan and Elizabeth settled into an easy conversation.

"So, what was it like growing up in Hamilton?" Nathan asked. "I've never been there, but from what you've told me, about your family Christmas's, to everything else I've heard about it, I can imagine that it's quite different from here."

Elizabeth smiled thoughtfully and nodded.

"It is quite different! Hamilton is a very high society place, with a lot of businesses and large mansion-like homes. Growing up, my family was a part of a rich social circle. Since my father is one of the top shipping tycoons, of the city, we were always expected to dress formally and be well-mannered. My sisters, Viola and Julie, and I had a private tutor, who would come to our house every week. Although my parents didn't believe in sending us to a local school, they still wanted us to gain a decent education. Most of our studies consisted of learning about music, language, literature, and proper social etiquette. As girls, we were raised to become women of privilege, and we were discouraged from doing anything that wasn't socially acceptable for a young lady. Unlike my sisters, however, I was never satisfied with the high society lifestyle, that my parents wanted for us. I always had a passion for learning, and my head was constantly in a book. Once I got older, that passion turned into a desire to teach, which was something that my parents frowned upon. They didn't believe in women going to college, and I don't think they ever fully accepted my decision to become a teacher. In their opinion, that wasn't something that a Hamilton women, of my family's social status, would do."

Once Elizabeth finished talking, Nathan looked at her, with wide eyes, before responding.

"Wow, I had no idea! I always knew that Hamilton was an upscale city, but I didn't realize how formal everything was. I'm sorry to hear that your parents didn't accept your decision to go to college or become a teacher. How did they take it when they heard that you were moving to Hope Valley, in order to teach?"

Elizabeth looked at him, with a mixture of seriousness and amusement, at his question.

"Not very well! Once they heard that I was planning to move far away, to teach in small coal mining town, they tried just about everything to keep me in Hamilton. They even attempted making a deal with another school to hire me. When that didn't work out, however, and they saw how determined I was to teach here, they backed off a bit. It wasn't until I was finally settled here, that I discovered why. Without me knowing, my father had done some research and he discovered that there were no mounties in the area, so he pulled some strings to have one sent here. Although I wasn't too thrilled about it, at the time, I'm thankful he did what he did. If it weren't for that, I would have never met Jack."

At that comment, Nathan sat up straighter .

"Your Father was the one who was responsible for sending a mountie here?"

Elizabeth smiled at Nathan's interest.

"Not exactly! While my father definitely played a role in helping to get one here, he wasn't solely responsible for making it happen. When I first got here, the town had just gone through a horrible mine disaster, and there was a desperate need for help. I believe that it was providence, which allowed Jack to be the one who was assigned here, around the same time that my father sent that request."

Nathan raised his brow and gave her an inquisitive look.

"Did your father know who Jack was, prior to you moving here?"

"No, he didn't! In fact, I later found out that my father actually requested for a more seasoned mountie to come here and look after me. He didn't know who they would send. All he knew was that they had already been on a look out for a mountie, and that his request had helped to rush their efforts. Its kinda of funny, because the first time that I met Jack he actually accused me of being the reason that he got assigned here. He hadn't wanted to come here, and then when he heard who my father was, he got pretty upset. Jack detested the idea of having to look after me, because he assumed that I was a spoiled schoolteacher, from Hamilton."

Elizabeth chuckled at that memory.

"Wow! It sounds like the two of you didn't exactly have the smoothest beginning," Nathan said, with amusement in his eyes.

"It's true! Jack and I really didn't like each other, at first, but we eventually worked things out. It didn't take long for us to become friends."

Before Nathan could reply, however, Bill came over, to the table, with their food.

"This looks great. Thank you, Bill!" Elizabeth said, as he placed their dishes in front of them.

"My pleasure," Bill responded back, as he smiled at both of them.

"If either of you need anything else, just give me a holler. Enjoy, you two!"

"Thank you," Nathan and Elizabeth answered, in unison.

Once Bill was back in the kitchen, Nathan offered to pray over their food.

As they bowed their heads, Elizabeth's heart was full.

It had been a lovely night so far, and she was looking forward to sharing a meal with him.

As they began eating their food, Elizabeth found herself wanting to know more about Nathan's past.

She realized that she really didn't know that much about him, outside of his complicated relationship with his father and his willingness to take care of his niece, after his sister died.

"Nathan, what was your life like growing up? I realized that you never told me where you grew up."

At that question, Nathan looked up in surprise. She could tell that he wasn't expecting her to ask him that.

"I grew up in Okotoks, which is a small sawmill town outside of Calgary. At the time, my father was a teller at the local bank, while my mother stayed home to take care of my sister and I. We'd go to school everyday, and then we'd come home to help her with the chores, before running outside to play. We were a pretty happy family, back then, until my mom found out about my dad's gambling problem. She hid it from us, for about a year, before I found out about him pawning her brooch. I was ten, and Collen was twelve. Not long after that we found out that he was stealing from the bank. While my father was in jail, for a year, my mother found herself a job, at our local mercantile. Although it didn't pay much, she worked hard to provide for us. Since we didn't have any family close by, my sister and I spent a lot of time at the neighbors. Once my father finally got out of jail, he had a hard time finding another banking job, so we moved to another town. That's when he lied and told us that he found a job, working at an oil company. We soon found out, however, that he was stealing, in order to provide for us. That was the final straw, for my mom. Once my dad was back in jail, she packed our bags and we moved to Calgary. I was fifteen, by that the time."

As Nathan was talking, Elizabeth listened intently, as she took small bites of her food. She was beginning to understand more about his family situation.

"How long were you in Calgary, before Archie finally got out of prison?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. We never told him where we went. My mom figured that it would be best to not tell him. She found another job, and we bought a small house, just outside of the city. I lived there until I was seventeen, when I left to join the North West Mounted Police. It wasn't until a few years later, that I found out about him getting out. By that time, my mom had moved away and Colleen had just gotten married."

Although she wanted to know more about Collen, Elizabeth decided that it wasn't her place to pry. Nathan would share more about his sister, when he was ready.

Instead, she simply said, "That sounds like a lot to take in, in such a short period of time."

Nathan looked at her, between bites, and nodded.

"It was... but we managed."

"Yes, I can see that you did! You're a wonderful uncle, Nathan, and an excellent mountie. I think that the experiences you had, growing up, are an excellent witness to that. Despite all of your life's challenges, you've learned to overcome, and you're a better person, because of them. It's very inspiring to see!"

At that comment, Nathan put down his fork, as he looked at her with admiration and gratefulness in his eyes.

"Thank you for saying that, Elizabeth. I really needed to hear that!"

"It's the truth," Elizabeth smiled back.

She was having a wonderful time, with Nathan, and she didn't want the night to end.