Chapter 13

Elizabeth woke up, on Sunday morning, with a big smile on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy.

In her dreams, last night, she had dreamt about Nathan and the wonderful time that they had on their date.

Elizabeth still couldn't believe how magical their night had turned out. That unexpected hug, from Nathan, had melted her heart to the core.

Although it was only their first date, Elizabeth knew, with all certainty, that he was the one for her. She didn't need to search her heart any longer. The only person she wanted, and needed, was Nathan.

Her instincts had been right, when they lead her into his arms, after the incident. Nathan was the man in her heart, and she couldn't wait to tell him how she really felt about him.

Elizabeth knew that she would have to wait, though. It was half past eight o'clock, and she still needed to get ready for church.

Nathan and Allie would be arriving at nine, so she would need to hurry.

Grabbing her favorite Sunday dress, Elizabeth slipped it on quickly and pulled her hair back into its usual half-up, half-down position.

Next, she headed downstairs.

Making herself a quick cup of coffee, while cooking some eggs, Elizabeth thought about little Jack. Rosemary had asked her, yesterday, if they could spend a little more time with him and meet her at church. Although she had been hesitant to say "yes", knowing that she would miss her son, Elizabeth was glad that she had the morning to herself.

Elizabeth hadn't expected Nathan to invite her to walk to church, with him, and she was thankful that the Coulter's weren't expecting her.

After she finished eating, Elizabeth checked the time and saw that Nathan, and Allie, would be arriving any minuet.

Wanting to be prepared, Elizabeth went to grab her coat. That's when she noticed that Nathan's jacket was still hanging on her coat rack. She had completely forgotten to give it back to him, last night, and it made her smile thinking about how he had so selflessly given it to her. Even though she was already wearing a coat, he still took it off and let her wear it anyways.

That gesture, along with him chopping the wood, had meant more to her, than Nathan could possibly know. Elizabeth knew that he didn't need to do those things, yet he had done them anyways. He wanted her to stay warm, and that thought brought happiness to her heart.

Just then, a knock sounded at her door.

Immediately opening it, Elizabeth was greeted by Allie and Nathan.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thornton," Allie spoke first, "We've come to walk you to church."

"Good morning, Allie!" Elizabeth smiled at the girl, before shifting her gaze to Nathan.

Nathan had his eyes fixated on her, and Elizabeth felt her cheeks turn flush.

"Good morning, 'Lizabeth! Are you ready to go?"

Hearing him, once again, pronounce her name without the "E", made her heart skip a beat.

"Good morning, Nathan!" Elizabeth responded back. "Yes, I'm ready, but before I forget, I have your suit jacket still hanging on my coat rack. Do you want me to give it to you after church?"

"Yes, that would be fine! Thank you," Nathan responded, as he sent a smile her way.

Feeling her cheeks grow even hotter, Elizabeth smiled back at him.

She couldn't remember the last time she had blushed so much.

As she fell into step, next to Nathan, Elizabeth sent up a silent prayer, asking the Lord to help her keep her feelings in check.

Elizabeth knew that they were going to church, and she didn't want to let Nathan's presence, next to her, distract her from the service.

She was also aware of the fact that the whole town would be there, and she needed strength to face everyone, knowing that she couldn't hide her feelings for Nathan anymore.

After all, they were walking to church together and would be sitting with each other, during the service. That was bound to get the townspeople talking.

"Where's little Jack?" Elizabeth heard Allie ask, as her thoughts shifted back to the present.

"He stayed with the Coulter's last night. They wanted some extra time with him, so they asked me yesterday, when I dropped him off, if they could bring him to church."

Seeming satisfied with that answer, Allie smiled and said "I'm glad! I was hoping that I'd get to play with him today. He sure is a cute little kid."

Looking from Allie to Nathan, Elizabeth grinned enthusiastically.

"I'm so glad you feel that way! And, I'm sure little Jack would love to play with you."

Then, turning to Nathan, she said, "He really likes playing with you, too! Ever since his christening, I could tell that he favors your funny faces."

Nathan looked at her, with surprise.

"You remembered that?"

Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

"Of course I did! That was the first time that you offered to hold my son. It meant a lot to me that you took such an interest in him that day."

Staring at her with awe, in his eyes, Nathan responded.

"He's a very special little boy! How could I not take an interest in him?"

Smiling and staring back at him, Elizabeth felt her heart melt, all over again.

She hadn't expected Nathan to say that, and it meant the world to her that he felt that way about her son.

This was turning out to be a very good day.

As they got closer to the church, Nathan, Elizabeth, and Allie ran into some townspeople, on the way.

The first person they saw was Florence Blakeley. She had just come out of the mercantile, and was headed towards the church, when she saw them.

Calling out to them, Florence said, "Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes?"

Turning to see Florence, Elizabeth braced herself.

"Good morning, Florence!"

"Morning," Nathan said, at the same time.

Allie just waved.

Looking from Nathan to Elizabeth, and then down at Allie, Florence's expression turned from surprise to interest.

"I heard a rumor that the two of you went on a date last night, and, if so, I'm very intrigued."

Then turning to Nathan, she added, "It's about time that someone dignified, such as yourself, took our Elizabeth out on a date."

Before Elizabeth, or Nathan, could respond, however, Ned Yost showed up.

"Good morning all!" Ned said, as he looked at the group.

Then turning to Florence, he asked, "I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me on a walk to church?"

With her eyebrows raised, and a hint of pink growing on her cheeks, Florence responded with a simple nod of her head.

With that, Ned lead her away, looking very pleased with himself, as he called back to the rest of them.

"We'll see you all in church."

Elizabeth and Nathan just stood there, staring at them for a moment, not knowing how to process what had just taken place.

Suddenly, Allie broke the silence.

"Are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to walk to church?"

Turning to face Allie, Nathan said "We're going to walk to church."

Then looking at Elizabeth, with amusement in his eyes, he said, "Are you ready?"

Nodding her head, in reply, Elizabeth tried to regain her focus.

She had not been expecting that at all. Knowing that Florence had heard about their date meant that the whole town would know by now. Elizabeth wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Although she knew that Nathan was the man for her, Elizabeth wasn't sure if she was ready to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions about it. This was their special time together, and she didn't want anyone jeopardizing it.

As she fell back into step with Nathan and Allie, Elizabeth recalled seeing Florence's reaction to Ned's invitation.

Turning to whisper in Nathan's ear, so that Allie couldn't hear, Elizabeth motioned towards the couple ahead of them.

"Do you think they like each other?" She asked him.

Turning to look at her in the eyes, and sending her a flirtatious smile, Nathan whispered back.

"Not as much as I like you."

At that comment, Elizabeth's cheeks turned red hot, as her heart started beating super fast.

Not being able to speak, Elizabeth just stared into his eyes and smiled back.

Interrupting their moment, Allie asked, "What were you two just whispering about? And, why are you looking at each other that way?"

Keeping his eyes fixed on Elizabeth's, Nathan responded, "It's nothing Allie."

Hearing herself speak, Elizabeth said, "Your uncle was just telling me about how much he likes apples, and I was just about to agree with him and say how much I like the color red."

At that comment, Nathan broke into a huge grin.

Elizabeth knew that he had understood her hidden message.

"Yeah, apples are pretty good..." Allie said, looking from Nathan to Elizabeth, with confusion on her face.

"We should probably pick up our pace, if we don't want to be late," Elizabeth suggested.

"That's a good idea!" Nathan agreed with her.

With that, they picked up their pace and headed for the church.

It was crowded, by the time that they arrived at the church.

Searching for a place to sit down, Nathan, Elizabeth, and Allie found some seats in the back row.

Scanning the crowd, for any sign of the Coulter's, or her son, Elizabeth's face turned to a frown.

Moving closer to her, on the bench, Nathan turned his body slightly towards her and lowered his head close to her ear.

"You're wondering where little Jack is, aren't you?" He asked her quietly.

Elizabeth nodded her head.

"I don't like leaving him overnight. I always miss him, when he's away from me, and I worry about whether or not he's alright."

Giving her a sympathetic smile, Nathan responded.

"I'm sure he's doing just fine! The Coulter's are great with him."

"I know you're right," Elizabeth responded, with a small smile, "He loves spending time with them... I just don't like being away from him."

Nathan nodded, with understanding.

"You're a wonderful mother, Elizabeth. Little Jack is lucky to have you."

Before she could respond, however, the music started playing and the pastor announced that they would be singing "Amazing Grace", to start the service.

Picking up the hymnal, Elizabeth turned to the selected hymn, as she continued to search for any sign of Rosemary or her son.

As they began to sing, Elizabeth could hear Nathan's beautiful voice ring out, from beside her.

She had never heard Nathan sing before, and it surprised her at how good he sounded.

Turning to whisper in his ear, she stopped singing and said, "I didn't know you could sing."

Sending her a small smile back, he teased, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me."

Just then, Rosemary appeared next to her.

"There you are! I was wondering when you'd get here... Where's Jack?" Elizabeth whispered to her friend.

"I'm sorry we're a little late! Jack was kind of fussy on the way here, so I asked Lee to stay with him, in the car, until he calmed down. Don't worry I dressed him in extra layers, before we left."

Surprised by that comment, Elizabeth whispered, "Maybe I should go check on him," as she started to get up.

"You'll do no such thing," Rosemary whispered back. "He's fine! Lee is with him, and I'm sure they'll be in shortly."

Looking over Elizabeth's shoulder, just then, Rosemary smiled at Nathan and gave Elizabeth a knowing look.

"So, how did it go last night? Did you two walk to church together?"

Giving Rosemary a "not now" look, Elizabeth simply shook her head and said, "I'll tell you about it later."

Elizabeth couldn't hide her happiness though, as a wide grin appeared on her face.

"Oh, Elizabeth! Your face tells me all that I need to know. I'm so happy for you."

"Shhh, Rosemary we're in church," Elizabeth whispered back. "I promise I'll tell you everything later."

Then looking to her left, Elizabeth saw that Nathan had been watching them, while he was singing.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Elizabeth gave him a small shrug.

Nathan shook his head playfully, and grinned at her, as he continued singing.

Elizabeth was grateful that they had opened with a longer hymn, because she needed some time to refocus her mind.

Once everyone stood up, for the last verse of "Amazing Grace," Lee came in, with Little Jack, and handed him over to Elizabeth.

As she held her son, in her arms, Elizabeth rubbed his back with her hands. She was so grateful to have him back.

After the hymn and opening prayer, everyone sat down again.

Moving to position little Jack on her lap, Elizabeth noticed that Nathan was looking at him. He had the biggest smile on his face, and she could tell that he genuinely cared about her son.

That realization stuck with her, throughout the service, as her heart overflowed with joy.

Once the service was over, Rosemary turned to Elizabeth and asked her if she had any plans for lunch.

"Not yet. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that you should come over to our house and have lunch."

Than looking over Elizabeth's shoulder, she motioned to Nathan.

"You and Allie are invited to come, as well."

Nathan looked at Rosemary with surprise, before exchanging a glance with Elizabeth.

"Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"Of course not," Rosemary answered enthusiastically, "We'd be happy to host all of you. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Rosemary glanced over at Lee.

At that comment, Lee nodded and said, "The more the merrier."

After that, Elizabeth was about to say something to Nathan, when they were approached by Jesse and Clara.

"Good morning, Nathan! How are you doing today?" Jesse asked.

"Good morning, Jesse! Clara! I'm doing well! How are you?"

"We're doing good, thanks! Hello, Elizabeth!" Jesse said, looking over Nathan's shoulder.

"Morning!" Elizabeth offered back.

Just then, Clara left Jesse's side and made her way slowly over to where Elizabeth was standing, with little Jack.

"Hi, Elizabeth! How are you doing?" Clara asked hesitantly, eyeing Nathan, before looking back at Elizabeth.

Noticing Clara's hesitancy, Elizabeth tried to set her friend at ease.

"I'm doing well! Thank you, Clara!"

"That's good! I'm really glad to hear that. I've been thinking about you a lot, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get together sometime soon?"

Smiling at Clara, Elizabeth nodded.

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Clara!"

Before Clara could respond, however, Jesse came over.

"Clara, are you ready to go?"

Nodding her head, Clara said "I should go, but we'll talk soon!"

Then looking towards Nathan's direction, Clara said, "Have a good day, Nathan!"

After that, she looked back at Elizabeth and gave her a knowing smile.

"You too, Clara," Nathan responded back, with a chin up gesture.

Once Clara and Jesse had left, Nathan came over to Elizabeth's side.

"Well, it looks like we have lunch plans."

Turning to face him, Elizabeth answered, "Yes, it seems we do."

Just then, Rosemary and Lee came over.

"Are you guys ready to go? Lee and I drove the car here, so I was thinking that maybe we could take little Jack and Allie with us, while the two of you walk back."

Before Elizabeth could object, however, Nathan stepped in.

"Thank you for the offer, Rosemary, but I think Elizabeth has been missing little Jack. If it's alright with her, I would be happy to help her carry him back."

Giving Nathan a grateful smile, Elizabeth nodded.

"Thank you for the offer, Rosemary, but I would like to keep little Jack with me."

Then turning back to Nathan, she smiled and said, "Thank you for offering to help me carry him. I really appreciate it!"

Looking from Nathan to Elizabeth, Rosemary smiled.

"Well, alright then. It's settled!"

"Can I still ride with the Coulter's?" Allie asked her uncle.

"Yes, of course! Enjoy yourself!"

"Great!" Allie answered, enthusiastically.

With that, Rosemary took Allie's hand and headed towards the car.

"We'll see you soon," Lee said, as he turned to follow them to the car.

Looking back at Elizabeth, Nathan held out his arms towards little Jack.

"Do you mind if I carry him now?"

Smiling down at her son, and then back up at Nathan, Elizabeth nodded, as she handed her son over to him.

Taking little Jack in his arms, Nathan smiled at the boy and gave him one of his funny faces.

As soon as Jack saw that, his face broke into a big grin, and he started giggling.

"See? I told you he likes your funny faces." Elizabeth said, with a smile on her face.

She couldn't believe how quickly Nathan was becoming a part of their lives.