Chapter 3

Nathan took in the sight of his blushing bride, she was rather petite and he could tell right away she was sweet and innocent. She was wearing very fine clothes and he therefore concluded she was definitely from a wealthy family. This bit of information made him nervous, as he hoped she didn't expect all the fancy dates like Elizabeth liked. If she did he would try and accommodate her desires, but he really wanted her to enjoy participating in activities with both him and Allie. He noticed a nervous tremor from her hands that he still held, but her eyes seemed mesmerized by him. He especially liked how affected she seemed after his light kiss. Allie right away ran up beside them and enveloped him in a hug.

"Congratulations Uncle Nathan!"...She then proceeded to throw herself in Amelia's arms. Amelia stumbled slightly for she didn't expect Allie to welcome her so warmly into the Grant family. "Should I call you Aunt Amelia?" Allie questioned as she pulled away.

"Of course, I would like that. ..Or your could say Aunty Amelia if you would like. I always thought the title Aunt sounded so severe." Amelia replied. Allie readily agreed to calling her Aunty Amelia. Nathan observed that Amelia's eyes were suspiciously moist from the tender moment with Allie and he was very pleased that his girls seemed to be getting along. Wow... Nathan thought. He now had a beautiful new wife, things had happened so fast he was barely able to believe all that had happened.

"Well congratulations you three... I am so happy that you are all a new and beautiful family." Rosemary exclaimed with her arms flying about in a true Rosemary fashion. Lee likewise patted Nathan on the back as he expressed his wish they would all be happy. Judge Avery smiled and congratulated them, but he seemed rather subdued. In his mind Nathan and Elizabeth would have made a perfect match. He had even tried a little match making to try and push them together. But sometimes you can't control what other people do with their lives, and since he really liked Nathan he hoped this new marriage worked out for them.

Nathan thanked all his friends and then said, "Well, I am going to collect Amelia's luggage and get her settled in. Allie... You be good for Mr and Mrs Coulter for the next week."

Allie promised to be good, but Amelia was somewhat alarmed. "Why is Allie staying with the Coulters?"

"Oh... um I thought it would be good for us to get to know one another for a little while. Allie will not be far away. The Coulters live in one the the row houses. It is just down a ways from ours, but she will be fine there for a little while."

Nathan watched as her nerves returned. He knew she was nervous about being alone with him, especially considering it would be their wedding night soon enough. He planned to give them both time to get to know one another before they moved to fast in their relationship. For it was of upmost importance to him that they both develop a degree of affection for one another. He wanted to reassure her, but as he looked around the small group with his friends present he determined it would have to wait till they got home. This was definitely not the type of topic he wanted to bring up in company.

They all said their goodbyes and more well wishes were repeated to the new couple as they left the Judge's office. Nathan directed Amelia back to the stage stop to retrieve he bags. Nathan had expected he would need a wagon to bring several trunks to their home. But there we only two average sized luggage bags to be seen. He could easily carry them home without the need for the supposed wagon.

"Is this all your luggage?" He inquired with a puzzled brow. A woman who was dressed as nicely as she was typically had more than was present.

Amelia bit her bottom lip before she responded, "Yes, ...this is all I needed." Nathan suspected their was more to the story. His Mountie training had become so in tuned that he could easily tell when someone was side stepping an issue. He suddenly wondered if she was running away from someone or something. Nathan looked around them with a quick scan, but to anyone who may have been observing them he looked like he was just stretching a bit. He determined this was another topic he would need to discuss with his beautiful new bride, for why would such a beautiful woman need to become a mail order bride? He had wondered about that the second he laid eyes an her beautiful form sitting in the stage coach. However he had pushed any suspicion to the side for he didn't want to interrogate her the second she arrived.

Nathan picked up her bags and lead her in the direction of her new home. On the way he pointed out the mercantile, the cafe, the Mountie station and the Queen of Hearts Saloon. Amelia still looked skeptical that any saloon would be considered proper. Nathan had explained how a lot of town functions took place there, so she decided if there were town functions she would go only if Nathan attended. After all she didn't want her reputation to reflect badly on her new family.

At last they arrived at the Grant's row house. It looked identical to all the others down the line except perhaps for certain outside decorations. Amelia had never seen anything like it before so she mentioned it to Nathan.

"The town used to be a mining town, and the mine company built and used the houses for the mines employees."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." She said as Nathan opened the door and ushered her inside. It was a lot simpler than she was used to, but it was very tidy and kinda cozy. The only thing she really would change would be to perhaps add some more colorful curtains. Nathan watched as she approached his bookshelf, he had quite a collection of book.

"This is great...", she beamed and added, "we shall have so many stories to read together during the harsh winters. I have heard it is much colder here than back in Ottawa."

Nathan's lopsided grin appeared as he pictured the scene she had just painted. He often imagined having a family and reading some of their favorite books together during the winter. Then afterwards debating why certain things happened or why characters made certain decisions. "Definitely, it sounds like a good plan. Although you might have to wait for a while as it is only spring."

Amelia laughed and quickly stated, "Well it doesn't have to be winter to enjoy a book, plus I love most all seasons with the exception of winter. A good book and a loving family however, can make even winter a happy season. And Constable Grant, I intend to love living here all seasons of the year."

Nathan noticed her again blushing with her determinate declaration. They both seemed to want this marriage to work and that was a great place to start. Nathan showed her around a little more, showing her the pantry and larder in the kitchen. Out back he had built a shed where he did a little woodwork when he had time.

As he brought her back into the house he encouraged her to sit at the table, and he sat next to her taking her hands. "Amelia, I know you have been nervous today. It has been a lot of changes for the both of us. But I want you to be comfortable around me, so for the week that Allie is at the Coulters you can stay in her room. When she returns we will share my room together or I guess it will be our room, but I want us to get to know one another and perhaps develop some affection for one another before we move forward with our relationship...Do you understand?"

They both were blushing from the direction of the conversation, but Amelia was smiling as she nodded in gratitude. It seemed to her that Nathan was everything she had been hoping and praying for the moment she decided to become a mail order bride. They both gazed into the others eyes a little lost.

Nathan was the first to look away for he needed to satisfy his curiosity about how her circumstances brought her to him. "Amelia... the other thing I need to discuss with you is Why a beautiful women such as you needed to become a mail order bride? What brought you to it?"

Amelia tried to pull her hands away from him, for she really didn't want to tell him about having run away. She thought maybe he would think her childish. But Nathan held her hands firmly, only releasing one of her hands in order for him to lightly grasp her chin and bring her gaze back to his. "Please tell me Amelia, I know you are running from something."

Amelia felt tears slip down her cheeks almost instantly, it was hard to think about her father and how much he seemed to not care for her. Nathan was the exact opposite, he was patient and kind and maybe even loving in the way he interacted with her. So Amelia explained how her father and three brothers arranged for her to marry Mr Arbor. How she found out about how unsavory a lifestyle Mr Arbor had and of her fathers refusal to stop the marriage. She continued, "So you see, he didn't leave me many options. And I just couldn't marry that man. I hope you don't think me foolish."

"Oh Amelia, of course not. But, How could he force you into marriage. You are over eighteen correct?" Nathan sure hoped she didn't lie to the matchmaker about her age.

"Of course, Mrs Reynolds would never have let me come otherwise. I am currently twenty-two, but my age would never matter to my father. He is a very powerful man and he knows how to get his own way."

Nathan took her hands again in order to reassure her. "You are Mrs Grant now, so he can't force a marriage on you any longer. And I am not a man who will be intimidated and I don't agree with divorce. I know sometimes bad things happen and couples separate, my parents for example are still married but they live separately. But I don't ever want that to happen to us. I hope you feel the same."

"I agree wholeheartedly Nathan, I know we can make this work and I am confident we can be happy together. You are kind of a dream come true." She grasped his hands tighter and her voice cracked slightly from her emotional expressions.

"I am so glad to hear you say that Mrs Grant... would you allow me to escort you to dinner at the cafe tonight?"

Amelia bit her bottom lip trying to hold her blushes to a minimum. But her cheeks just about matched her copper tresses. She nodded shyly and Nathan helped her up and gently led her out as they made their way to the cafe.

Authors Note:

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I started writing this FanFiction for a couple of reasons: 1 I truly thought When calls the heart would end up with Nathan and Elizabeth being together. But after the final of season 8 I started imagining a better women for the hero. 2 I love writing, but I was hoping to see what people thought of my writing style. I know my story is not edited and there are some mistakes that I hopefully will fix with time. But I was hoping that some of you would give me an honest review of what you think. I have several ideas for my own original Novels that maybe I will publish on Amazon some day.