Chapter 3

Nathan and Allie spent a couple of hours fishing and as they often did, they used the time to discuss what was going on in their lives. Sometimes the conversations were light-hearted and they laughed a lot. Nathan loved to share stories of Allie's mother, his sister Colleen, so that Allie felt connected to her mom even though she'd passed when Allie was a small child.

Lately though, the conversations had been a little heavier. Nathan had debated how much to share with Allie regarding what had happened between him and Elizabeth. He knew how close Allie had been to her teacher and her desire for Elizabeth to be her mother. It pained him to know that it would never happen and he wanted to help her process her feelings. Nathan had told Allie what Elizabeth said to him at the Mountie office a few weeks prior. He remembered the tears Allie shed as he held her shaking frame. It broke his heart to tell her because he knew there were so many levels to Allie's grief. Grief that Elizabeth wouldn't be her mother, grief that Nathan wouldn't have a great love story with Elizabeth, grief that the student-teacher relationship she had thrived in was now broken.

But Nathan also knew that being honest with Allie was the best way to help her get past it and continue to flourish into the amazing young woman she was becoming. Nathan was so proud of his daughter. She rallied around Nathan trying to lift his spirits while at the same time she showed immense courage facing school each day knowing what had transpired between her dad and her teacher. When Allie's emotions got the best of her Nathan was there to lift her up and help her work through her feelings and put a positive spin on their situation.

"Allie" Nathan started, "Do you want to discuss what happened at school today?" "Dad, I'm trying to be respectful of Mrs. Thornton but sometimes I really struggle. I get so angry at how she's treated you and me and I have to avoid her to keep from giving her a piece of my mind." "Allie I really appreciate that you are being so mature about this whole situation. I'm sorry you've been put into the middle of it. I never intended for you to get hurt." Nathan held her arm and looked her straight in the eyes wanting her to really understand that she was the most important thing to him. "I know dad" Allie replied. "I guess when everything seems to be going well we don't think about how we'll feel if it all goes wrong." Nathan looked at Allie and told her "You know what? Sometimes I think you are handling this better than I am. What's your secret?" At that Allie laughed. "Dad, we just have to get through it together. That's what's most important is that I have you and you have me."

Nathan told Allie that he was tired of rehashing in his mind all the things that led him to believe Elizabeth wanted to spend her life with him or what he might have done differently. "Allie, I know it's still a bit raw but for both our sakes, we need to move forward and put the past behind us." Allie gave him a puzzled look "I'm all for that but how do we do that?" Nathan proceeded "well, I think maybe we just lay out a few ground rules on what's okay and what's not okay relative to our relationship with Mrs. Thornton." "Like what?" Allie questioned. Nathan asked her "how do you want things to be at school? You said sometimes you feel like you need to avoid her. Is that all the time? Some of the time?" Allie thought about it "just some of the time. When we're in class everything seems to be fine. It's when she starts trying to give me advice on things outside of school that I get uncomfortable. Like the other day she noticed that I was spending more time with Robert and she tried to talk to me about boys and feelings and stuff." Nathan asked her how she responded. "I just told her that if I had any questions I would ask you since you're my father." Nathan could imagine how well that went over with Elizabeth considering he sometimes wondered what she thought of his parenting abilities. He recalled the conversation when he skipped the parent teacher conference and she decided to lecture him on his importance in Allie's life. That still irritated him.

The two of them continued to discuss what kinds of boundaries they thought they should set. The list wasn't long but everything on it was important to both of them. They agreed that Nathan would refer to her only as Mrs. Thornton and he would ask her to refer to him as Constable. While it sounded a bit petty he knew that giving Elizabeth any leeway in the formality of their relationship would soon lead her right back into the comfort level she'd had with both he and Allie previously. Allie said she would be respectful to Mrs. Thornton during school time and if she saw her in town but she didn't want to engage in conversation with her outside of those two situations. Nathan told Allie that he would do the same speaking to her only for school related matters or to be cordial in town but nothing more. Allie agreed that there were other women in Hope Valley that she felt comfortable to discuss things that her dad might not be able to understand. If it was something Allie wasn't comfortable talking to her dad about she could go to Opal's or Emily's mom or even Dr. Carter. Overall, pretty simple guidelines that some may think extreme but considering the depth of their heartache it was necessary for now. They agreed to address the situation in a few weeks and see how it was going and whether it was helping them get through their heartbreak a little easier.

Nathan had so much admiration for Allie that it brought tears to his eyes. All he could think of was how proud Colleen would be of her little girl. Nathan sent up a quick prayer of thanksgiving to have been blessed with having Allie in his life. Even if he never found another great love, he would always have Allie and helping her grow into a confident, capable, courageous young woman was his first priority.