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And the Heart is Brave

Chapter 4

Nathan Grant stopped outside the library building, hearing the boisterous laughter from inside. He was doing his rounds so it wasn't only the laughter that drew him up the library stairs to the front door. He opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately he spotted Elizabeth Thornton and Lucas Bouchard seated at one of the larger tables, their heads close together as they poured over papers scattered in front of them, enjoying a hearty laugh over some shared joke.

Looking up simultaneously at the new arrival, Elizabeth and Lucas's laughter dimmed as they regarded Nathan with questioning eyes.

"Everything okay in here?" Nathan asked, his eyes scanning around the room, but there were no other occupants, just these two. But he was just doing his duty, wasn't he? Checking on things around town?

"Everything's fine," Lucas replied, somewhat dryly. There had always been a slight animosity between the two men, and Elizabeth didn't know why. They were both fine, honourable men and it seemed to her if they'd only let their guard down with each other that one day they might even be friends. But obviously today was not that day.

"Good," Nathan replied curtly, and made to leave. Immediately, Elizabeth shot out of her chair to follow him. She caught up to him just as he was about to descend the stairs.

"Nathan! Nathan wait!" she called, as Nathan halted, one foot on the top step, the other on the step below. He swiveled in her direction, a question on his face.

Elizabeth came up alongside him and unconsciously mimicked his stance, one foot on the top step, another on the one just below, as she faced him. "Nathan, I was just wondering if you are coming on Saturday?" she asked, referring to the do at the library for her book.

Nathan was nodding. "Allie and I will be there," he said.

"Good," Elizabeth said, well pleased, as she shot him a smile and a look indicating her pleasure. Nathan braced himself against the pain that shot through him at her look. "So I'll see you then?" she reaffirmed his presence.

Nathan nodded, his eyes flickering with some unexpressed emotion. "Good," Elizabeth said again, then turned happily away, back up to the library doors and disappearing inside.

Nathan watched her go, staring at the door long after she had gone inside, then turned abruptly to hurry down the stairs and across the street towards his office.

Inside the library, Elizabeth slid into her spot next to Lucas as he shuffled through some papers before them. "So, cupcakes or finger sandwiches?" he asked, finalizing the details of the book celebration.

Elizabeth smiled. "Cupcakes," she announced her decision. "Definitely cupcakes."

"Right. Cupcakes it is," Lucas agreed with a smile.

"So Lucas," Elizabeth began in a teasing voice. "Are you bringing anyone with you on Saturday?" she asked slyly, as Lucas groaned inwardly. .

"I might be," Lucas answered evasively.

"And do I know this person?" Elizabeth teased. Oh, Rosemary was training her well.

"You might," Lucas conceded. He didn't quite know when this kind of ribbing had begun between the two of them, but it seemed to come up more and more of late. Perhaps if he'd had a sister he'd have been more readily able to identify it, but he had no sister, at least not one related by blood. "I believe it's possible Miss Miller might turn up on Saturday coincidentally at the same time as myself," Lucas said, not above a bit of mischievous teasing himself.

Elizabeth laughed out loud. "Coincidence my foot!" she called him out. "I like Fiona, Lucas," Elizabeth told him, a bit more serious, conveying her approval, that is, if Lucas needed or wanted it. "I like her a lot."

"Coincidentally, so do I," Lucas said playfully and Elizabeth laughed out loud.

"So, are things progressing as they should?" Elizabeth asked, wondering just how serious things between Lucas and Fiona were getting.

Lucas let out a suffering sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "If by 'progressing' you mean she's got me so tied in knots so I never know whether I'm coming or going, and me thinking half the time she's the most impossible woman on the earth, and the other that she's...she's...not, then yeah, I think things are progressing. Does that sound like it to you?" he asked, shaking his head, summing up the current state of his relationship with one Miss Fiona Miller. A relationship both so confounding and rewarding as to be confounding!

Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah," she smiled at him. "That sounds about right," she laughed again, amused but pleased too. Pleased and happy for Lucas. "Only Lucas..." Elizabeth started, her voice subtly shifting more serious and her eyes took on a dreamy look.

"Only what?" Lucas prodded at Elizabeth's hesitation.

"Only...if I could offer a bit of advice?" she asked "If you wouldn't think I was interfering..." she trailed off.

"Elizabeth, of course not! What is it?" Lucas asked, curious now more than anything on what she had to say.

"It's just...just...Lucas, big gestures are wonderful and exciting and fun," she began, thinking of all the times Lucas had planned and executed grandiose ideas. Some of his very early ones were for her, she knew that, although later they had shifted to ones for the town as things had settled into their destined order. "But sometimes...," Elizabeth was choosing her words. "Sometimes it's the little gestures that mean the most to a woman. Don't forget the little gestures too Lucas," she told him.

For all their earlier teasing, Lucas could sense now that Elizabeth was trying to convey something important to him, and he nodded, taking heed. "I'll do that, Elizabeth," he said quietly. "I'll remember."

"Good," Elizabeth replied, satisfied. "Now let's get back to the cupcakes. Chocolate or vanilla?" she asked.

"Chocolate!" they both said in unison, breaking into new fits of laughter.

A/N: thank you for all the wonderful comments on my story so far! They are so very lovely to read and a huge motivator to keep going.