COURAGEOUS HEARTS

Inspector Nathan Grant rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way through Mountie Headquarters in Union City to his office. He had spent the last hour inspecting freight coming through Union City by railroad for one of his current open cases. This particular case involved the smuggling of stolen jewelry from stores in big cities in Eastern Canada to points out west. The operation had been discovered when a shipping crate for Thatcher Shipping Company had accidentally been dropped while moving it from one train to another. Two small canvas bags with several precious gemstone rings had come dislodged from the lid of the shipping crate. Nathan had been called in by the railroad, and two other crates in the shipment had been found to have jewelry hidden in crates of dishes and utensils.

Today, jewelry from a reported robbery in Halifax had been discovered in crates of food bound for Cape Fullerton. Having no reason to believe that William Thatcher himself was party to the smuggling operation, Nathan had been in contact with the shipping tycoon. Confiding in only his right-hand man about the incident, William Thatcher had not been able to turn up any indication that the stolen jewelry was being added to the crates at their origination in Hamilton. Unfortunately, that still did not rule out involvement by someone in the Thatcher Shipping Company organization entirely. The inside man could also be associated with the railroad or a third party altogether.

Reaching his office, Nathan hung his hat up on the hook inside the door as he walked over to his desk. He had left the contraband in the crates today. Picking up the phone, Nathan called and alerted the Mounties that were near the trains next stop. His plan was to keep tabs on the contraband and see where they disappeared.

After making the call, Nathan leaned back in his chair. He reached out for the lone photograph on his desk. The photograph was of him and Allie taken at Abigail's café just before they had left Hope Valley. While Bill had stayed quiet about the promotion until after Christmas as he had asked, once the fact became common knowledge that he would be leaving Hope Valley for Union City, Bill had set about organizing a going away party for him and Allie.

The fact that the town that had been slow to accept him when he first took the posting was now sad to see him leave had been touching. However, he didn't regret his choice. The Inspector job had been one that he had wanted. He found his new job responsibilities challenging. As for Allie, his niece seemed to have adjusted to life in the city. Nathan placed the photograph back on his desk as the phone rang.

"Good morning, this is Inspector Nathan Grant!"

"Good morning, Nathan," Elizabeth said warmly.

"Elizabeth! How are you? Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes, everything's fine, Nathan. Have I only been calling when something is wrong?" she said, bemused.

"No," he said with a laugh, "but I guess I'm just worried all the time. It seems to come naturally when it comes to you."

"I see," she said with a chuckle. "I don't know if that is good or bad."

"It's good." He said softly.

"Well, I'm calling because I want to thank you for taking on this investigation to help Father sort it out. But I'm also calling because I have to be in Union City for a few days, and I was hoping that Jack and I could visit with you and Allie. Rosemary and Lee are coming too, but Jack misses his Mountie; I miss my friend and favorite student."

"It's my pleasure Elizabeth and your welcome. I just wish we had a few leads on what is going on. It's frustrating, to say the least, and I know your father feels the same way. As for your visit, we would love it. I know that she misses you too and her friends. I appreciate you writing her and calling because it helps." He said with a pang of regret then added "both of us." "Allie seems to be settling in, but I know she misses everyone, and so do I."

"You don't have to thank me for that, Nathan, because it helps me too, and the children love her letters. We have begun to write letters back and call them essays, so just be warned that you'll be getting a lot more mail." She said, laughing. "and yours too." She added.

"I swear, Elizabeth, you manage to find ways to make anything a learning tool. Should we expect grades and corrections, too?" he teased. He felt the warmth spread through him at her words.

"Maybe, you'll just have to find out, Inspector." She teased back, suddenly getting an idea. "But you may want to pay more attention to grammar sir."

"I think I am in trouble then." He said with a laugh. "Anything interesting happening in Hope Valley?"

She let out a deep sigh. "Not really, well, except for Lucas, of course, though not in a good way. There's something off about him, and he has been particularly shady lately. I have been keeping clear of him whenever I can manage, although he doesn't make it easy. It's gotten so bad Rosemary, Bill, or Lee have been walking me to and from school."

"Oh? Have you spoken to the Mountie about it?"

"We don't have one because Bill keeps scaring them off. Apparently, the word is out about Hope Valley. I thought it was bad when it came to replacing Jack. But to be honest, the two that were sent here just didn't fit in. It was obvious that they didn't care about Hope Valley. He didn't even throw them in jail and was on his best behavior, for a time anyway. You know that Bill is really protective and well…." She trailed off. "They just aren't you or Jack, and I think you spoiled us for anyone else."

He laughed, glad to hear those words and remembering his own reception. "Nathan, do you remember how Lucas was before Amos Dixon came? You know when he got mysterious packages and phone calls?"

"Yes, I do, Elizabeth. Why?"

"Well, I can't prove anything, but he's doing it again, and now there are a few strangers in town, and I have seen them talking with Lucas, and he seems…secretive. I'm probably overreacting, but my instincts tell me he is up to no good."

"Have you spoken to Bill about it?"

"No, because he has been really stressed out trying to deal with the café, hearing court cases, and, of course, watching over us. Since I didn't know anything concrete, I didn't want to add to it. Not to mention that he is always watching Lucas anyway and may see the same thing." She said with a laugh. Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the picture she was painting. It made him miss her even more. He had second-guessed himself more than once before accepting the promotion and moving to Union City. But though he knew he was in love with her he knew she wasn't ready to move on from Jack. Then, she practically shoved him out the door, talking about the importance of following his dream. He often wondered if he had just waited a bit more for her would the outcome have been different. Nathan learned that looking backward was a waste of time, and they still had their friendship.

"It will be nice to see you and Jack and of course the Coulters. I carved him a couple of Mounties that bend and horses to add to his regiment."

"He will be thrilled by them I'm sure. His regiment is his favorite things to play with."

"What days will you be here?"

"We will arrive on Tuesday and will be there for three days. I have a meeting and a couple of engagements, but otherwise, we could have plenty of time to visit."

"I can't wait to tell Allie." She smiled as she thought about a beautiful surprise for Allie. "Will she be around for those days, Nathan?"

"Oh yeah, in fact, she will probably throw a party when she finds out you are coming. She has missed you too."

Elizabeth laughed and teased, "Maybe it's time for a slumber party."

"Bite your tongue." He groaned, remembering the one she had in Hope Valley. It brought back the memory of that interaction between them. He then recalled the one their first Christmas in Hope Valley where they hung the bird on the tree. It all seemed so long ago now. With pain, he recalled the prisoner transport where everything went downhill, the only bright spot being that Lucas left town for a while. The hug that he and Elizabeth shared after she realized he wasn't dead was bittersweet because it gave him a taste of what that felt like to hold her but would never have again.

But he and Elizabeth had retreated into themselves, each dealing with what had happened. There was no way he could ever ask her to risk that pain again. He couldn't bring himself to be the cause of that pain. So, when the Inspector promotion was offered again, he jumped on it. HE was struggling to keep his feelings hidden and they left just after Christmas. But he still longed her like a man thirsts for water in a desert.

"We can't wait, Elizabeth. I'll see you then." His excitement built at the thought of seeing two of his favorite people. They hadn't been to Hope valley since they traveled to Hope valley for her adoption ceremony. The town had put together a wonderful reception even bigger than their going away party months before.

After they disconnected the call, Elizabeth sat for a moment processing her thoughts. It was getting hard not to blurt out her love for Nathan. She knew that her life was here, and he was in Union City. Elizabeth had thought about telling him how she felt many times before he left. But he had changed for a time after the death of that Mountie and seemed to push her away, and she didn't protest. Thinking that he had died had shaken her to the core and made her aware of her feelings. By the time she had processed them and accepted them, the offer came again, and he took it. Knowing that she struggled with him being a Mountie, she stayed silent and began to write. She finished up Single Mother on the Frontier and craved to write something new and experiment with other genres. She chose to write a mystery novel that was quickly accepted for publishing and did quite well. It spawned a series that looked to be relatively successful, and she enjoyed writing them. Only a few people knew about them and were sworn to secrecy. After her other book revealed her true feelings for Nathan, she elected to publish it under a pseudonym. It was the genre that gave her the idea of the name itself. Recalling that day by the pond, when Nathan asked her what was in her heart a new author by the name of A. J. Grant was created. She always dedicated to "My Three favorite Mounties who always maintain the right!"

Using Avery for Bill, J for Jack, and Grant for Nathan, she honored the three men she loved. Bill was a fatherly love she could always count on; Jack was her first love she would always treasure, and Nathan was her lifetime love longed for but kept secret. It was funny, too, because occasionally, Bill would help with various forensic questions but never questioned why she was asking. Patrick O'Reilly helped her not only with the forensic stuff extensively, but he helped with the Thornton Foundation. She had established it with Charlotte, Tom, and her father. She set it up with the help of her father and Chief Superintendent Collins. He, along with Bill, Charlotte, and Patrick O'Reilly, acted as administrators for it. It was funded and supported using the proceeds from her books to help establish a Mountie Widows and children fund. Charlotte and Tom made donations from time to time, and the proceeds from her books also went into it. But over the past year other Mounties had also begun to donate money to it as well. At that time, they decided to add another fund for Mounties and needy families. Her father, for her birthday, had established a third fund named for her that helped underfunded schools get what they needed to teach students through Canada.

Recently her publisher kept pressing her to go public with the true identity of A J Grant, but she didn't know if she could. Elizabeth attended on behalf of the foundation and the "author" doing the book readings. While everyone loved that, since Jack was often with her, they began to wanting to meet the author with increasing desire.

She smiled as she recalled the inspiration for her latest book because it came from the case Bill worked on where Jack had arrested him. Rosemary enjoyed being in on the secret and often teased about coming out as A J Grant herself They had an article planned after they returned from Union City that would appear as an interview, and Rosemary couldn't wait. Elizabeth knew that she would be lying if she denied the strong desire to be out in the open and what Nathan would think. Maybe it was time to see what he would think and if it would change things.