Hello, everyone! Thanks for the positive reviews and patience! This is a very rough draft, but I didn't want to lose any more time with another post.
Chapter 28
Firsts
Allie eventually was well enough to go into town with Elizabeth, and she was dragging her feet and walking slowly the entire way to Dottie's.
"Do I REALLY need them?" Allie asked in frustration and anger and being forced to wear something so constricting.
"Every lady does," Elizabeth said firmly.
"Why? Who made the rule? And why do we follow it? I feel like it was a man because only a man would think of something so restricting for a woman to wear," Allie protested as they walked onto the boardwalk steps.
Elizabeth just gave her a firm look.
"I would bet Nana Charlotte doesn't wear them," Allie argued in a whisper.
"She does when she wears a dress," Elizabeth argued back.
Allie sighed.
"Why can't I just wear my pantaloons?" Allie asked as she gestured down to her peach pants.
"You're out growing them, and you will be wearing a dress at some point in your future," Elizabeth pointed out to the worn bits of fabric.
Elizabeth and Allie had caught Nathan's attention as he was standing outside of the Mountie Office watching the comings and goings of the people on the street.
"Oh look, there's Dad. It would be rude to not say hello," Allie said as she started in Nathan's direction.
"Allison Grant, your father cannot save you from this trip," Elizabeth stepped into her pathway and directed her into the door of Dottie's where Clara was waiting inside.
Allie gave a pleading look over her shoulder, but Nathan just shook his head at her before returning to his work.
Elizabeth escorted Allie to the back where the changing rooms were, as Clara came over with some different options and sizes. Elizabeth showed her how to tie and close the strings by herself, which was a struggle from someone who hadn't had to do it before.
Elizabeth and Clara then went about getting Allie some new outfits, and that included a new dress that Elizabeth thought would be appropriate for a date.
Allie looked at the dress and shook her head, while Elizabeth nodded behind her.
"I can't do anything in it," Allie protested as she held the soft material.
"Sometimes it's about looking nice. This would go well with your complexion and hair," Elizabeth said.
"And I'm sure you'll stun Robert in it," Clara winked.
"Only because I don't wear dresses this nice! And I shouldn't be trying to impress him by being something I'm not. I'm an outdoorsy girl, and he knows it," Allie protested.
Clara and Elizabeth both just shook their heads and laughed at her.
"I'm buying them anyway," Elizabeth said to Allie and Clara.
Allie got dressed back into her normal clothes and was skipping around with the ability to move.
"Hi, Allie! Glad to see you're doing better," was called out to her as she exited Dottie's and went down the boardwalk to the saloon where Archie and Ruth were spending one last meal before going back to Calgary.
"How was the shopping trip?" Florence kindly asked Elizabeth as she and Clara followed Allie outside with their purchases.
Nathan saw them with their full arms and came to relieve them of their packages.
"This shopping trip has proven that Allie is 100% Nathan's daughter," Elizabeth said as Nathan stopped to help her. He blushed a little.
Clara and Florence both laughed at him.
"Is that a bad thing?" Nathan asked self consciously.
"Not at all. It shows how much you love her, because she takes after you, which makes me love you both more," Elizabeth said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Nathan bent down to meet her lips in a light kiss. They walked together to the saloon dining room where Ruth and Archie were waiting for them to have lunch.
Allie was already giving them both hugs.
"Are you sure you need to go now?" Allie asked.
"Yeah, we need to go back to the apartment and start packing. Besides we were staying just in case we were needed for those clowns, but they haven't been trouble. And you all need time to be with each other," Ruth said.
Archie nodded in agreement.
"It won't be the same without you," Allie said as she released them.
Elizabeth nodded in agreement.
Bill brought Jack over from watching him while Nathan worked and Allie and Elizabeth had their girl time.
"Granma Roof! Granpa 'R'Chee," Jack said with excitement when he saw them together. Both smiled as Archie picked him and held him closer to be hugged by both at the same time.
The family ate their lunch in a bittersweet happiness, knowing that they would miss each other, but also knowing that Ruth and Archie couldn't stay any longer. They helped the elder Grants to the train station and helped them inside and waved until they couldn't see the train.
They walked back with heavy hearts and tear filled eyes.
Nathan helped walk Elizabeth and her purchases back to their home and set them in Allie's room.
"I'm sorry if Allie gave you too much trouble," Nathan started apologizing.
Elizabeth turned to look at him.
"It's fine. I was expecting it, to be honest. She IS 100% your daughter. I would have been more surprised if she hadn't resisted," Elizabeth said as she unpacked and put away Allie's new clothes.
Nathan rubbed the back of his head.
"I'm not that well versed in 'girl,'" Nathan said as he looked down shyly.
"You're more versed in 'girl' than most men I know. Besides, Allie was also raised to be surrounded by men. It makes sense that she prefers catching frogs and fishing and putting large bugs in the boys' hair," Elizabeth said as she looked at Nathan.
Nathan chuckled at the last image, as the boys had found gross bugs to torment the girls of Hope Valley with, and when they terrified Opal, Allie had retaliated by finding the biggest and grossest bugs and quietly managed to put one on each boy's head who had attacked Opal. The boys found out that Allie had no bug squeamishness, and that the boys, in fact, were afraid of some of the bugs. Her look of smugness when the boys screamed meant that she felt the punishment was worth the action, and the boys had stopped picking on the girls in that manner.
"I'm not going to lie, that is something I would have done when I was her age," Nathan said.
"Oh, I know. Like I said, 100% your daughter, protective streak and all," Elizabeth smiled up at him.
Nathan just nodded.
"I hope that it's not a hindrance for her in the long run. She's not as womanly because of me and how I raised her. I know there are certain expectations for women, but I also agree that some of them are wrong and outdated," Nathan said as they went downstairs.
"You've raised her to be a strong girl with impeccable character, and a protective streak the whole size of Canada," Elizabeth said.
"The size of Canada?" Nathan said with wide eyes.
"Rosemary has described your protective nature as being that big. I thought it fitting," Elizabeth said in a teasing explanation.
Nathan nodded.
"Actually, with Allie, it might be the whole northern hemisphere," Elizabeth said teasingly.
Nathan blushed.
"My point is that Allie is going to be just fine," Elizabeth ended.
"Thanks to you," Nathan added.
Elizabeth blushed slightly, but shook her head in disagreement.
"Allie will be just fine because of you. 100% YOUR daughter," Elizabeth said firmly as they finally exited the row house and went back to town to complete their tasks for the day.
Robert and Allie had their first date after church on Sunday. Elizabeth had managed to persuade Allie to wear the new dress to the church service, but she was also allowed to wear appropriate riding wear after the service. Elizabeth had helped Allie get ready for church that morning, while Nathan helped with Jack. As both women were descending the steps, Nathan sighed heavily when he saw Allie. Nothing she wore was inappropriate in the slightest, and everything was minimally done. She wasn't wearing makeup, her necklace was her normal cross (that had once belonged to Colleen), Allie usually had it on. She was wearing her charm bracelet as the accessory. But the new dress did fit her well and made her eyes and hair color stand out.
"Awwie pretty!" Jack said.
"Yup," Nathan growled under his breath.
Allie and Elizabeth both glared at him.
Nathan sighed heavily.
"You're just as beautiful as your mother, and that means that I'm going to have to chase away some of the bad people away from you," Nathan said as he handed Jack over to Elizabeth to give Allie a hug.
"You think so?" Allie said self-consciously.
"I know so. I've always known it, and I've always been dreading the day when it was outwardly obvious to everyone else," Nathan said.
Allie beamed at him before wrapping Nathan in a hug.
They put on their coats and walked to church.
The Grants took a seat in the back of the church. And took their coats off and put them to the side.
Allie in her new dress was the gossip in the town pews most of the service.
At the end of the service, the Grants all waited until others had passed them. Robert approached Allie shyly.
"Allie, your...dress…" Robert started.
Allie raised an eye at him.
"It's new, right?" Robert asked quickly.
"Well nothing gets past you, Robert Wolf," Allie said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.
"You look nice...in it," Robert said.
Allie narrowed her eyes further.
"Oh, you like it then?" Allie asked, but her tone of voice was suggesting that she wasn't quite pleased with his potential responses. Everyone who could hear the conversation could see exactly where Robert was going wrong, and while Nathan knew he probably should stop the oncoming train wreck, he felt that he needed to see how far Robert would dig his own grave.
"Yeah," Robert said with a smile.
"Do you think I should wear it more?" Allie asked.
"Yes," Robert said.
Allie looked at him with a hard look.
"Well maybe not that one. It is fairly nice. It looks like a special occasion dress," Robert said.
"So, you think I should wear more dresses?" Allie said.
Robert nodded.
Allie scoffed and rolled her eyes as she walked away from him in a huff.
"Did I say something?" Robert asked.
"Yes!" All the females around him glared and said loudly.
Robert flinched.
"Awwie awways pretty!" Jack glared and reprimanded Robert as Jack took off after his sister in the snow.
"I never said she wasn't," Robert looked confused.
"Robert, think about what you said to Allie and how you said it," Elizabeth encouraged.
"And only then come grovel and maybe she'll listen to your apology," Nathan added as he escorted Elizabeth out the church doors.
Robert looked at them in confusion, but was led away by his parents.
Allie had made it home with Jack before Nathan and Elizabeth could keep up. Allie was steaming around in her bedroom for a bit.
"Who do you think she needs more?" Nathan asked in a low whisper after they had let Allie rage in private.
"Both of us," Elizabeth said.
Nathan nodded and they both went upstairs to Allie's room. He knocked.
"Enter," Allie said tearfully.
Nathan and Elizabeth both were a bit sucker punched at seeing her in tears because of a boy.
"Allie?" Elizabeth asked in concern as they sat next to her.
"I thought Robert was different. That he liked me because I'm not afraid of bugs, and would rather wear pants than a dress," Allie said as she wiped her tears from her face.
"Robert is a boy. They tend to stick their feet in their mouths," Elizabeth said as she looked pointedly at Nathan.
"Yeah, we don't out grow it, either, unfortunately," Nathan admitted.
Allie and Elizabeth both smiled at him as they recognized his many times where he got tongue-tied.
"My late husband was quite good at putting his feet in his mouth as well, especially when we first got to know each other. He wasn't always a charmer," Elizabeth said. "But I've also come to realize that they do it out of nervousness, because the person they are speaking to matters."
Allie looked surprised to hear that Mountie Jack hadn't been as slick and as charming as everyone always said he was.
"But the entire town talks about him as this huge romantic man," Allie said.
"Jack could be, but it took him a while to get him to express them. And in looking back, I think that the big romantic gestures were Jack's way of making up for the time we were apart or going to be apart. Because in his heart he knew that he would always answer the call to be away and to fight. Jack was never able to stay here, and I wanted that. I believe that eventually, Jack was going to die in his line of duty," Elizabeth admitted.
Allie looked at her in sympathy with her pain.
"But, my point is that I don't believe that Robert doesn't like those things that make you you. Because they are what make you you. But he's like Rosemary in that he speaks his thoughts out loud before coming to a decision, and he was excited to see you in a dress," Elizabeth said.
"He's seen me in a dress before. And if he thinks he can make decisions about what I wear, then I don't want to be with him or any other guy who thinks he has a say," Allie said angrily.
"I'm perfectly okay with that choice," Nathan said.
Elizabeth gave him a look.
Nathan just smiled back.
"Are you still going to go on your riding lesson?" Elizabeth asked.
Allie and Nathan had a silent conversation.
"It wouldn't hurt. Even if Robert doesn't show up, I could use a good trot," Allie added.
Nathan nodded in agreement.
"We'll let you get dressed then," Elizabeth said.
Nathan and Elizabeth left Allie to get changed and walked into their own bedroom, so that they also could change.
"A good ride does wonders to clear the head and helps heal the heart," Nathan said as he pulled on a wool sweater.
Elizabeth shook her head as she approached him to kiss him.
"Don't race," she said.
"What makes you think we would?" Nathan asked.
"Because I know you, and she is 100% your daughter," Elizabeth said.
Nathan just smiled his crooked smile before kissing her one last time before he and Allie began the walk towards the livery.
"Dad?" Allie said as they walked.
"Hmmm?" Nathan slowed down to look at her.
"What do I do?" Allie asked in nervousness.
"I can't tell you what to do, Allie Bear," Nathan said.
Allie gave him a look.
"This has to be your choice. If I told you what to do, it would be my decision, not yours and not Robert's," Nathan explained.
"What would you do?" Allie asked.
"I think we both know that my track record with Elizabeth isn't the greatest," Nathan added. "And we both know that she is the first I've cared enough that it mattered."
Allie rolled her eyes.
"You've worked through your issues enough for you to be married," Allie pointed out.
"That's true," Nathan admitted as he thought about how to respond to her. "Every relationship has its problems, its ups and its downs, but I think the ones that truly stand the test of time and last are the ones where you communicate your needs and and wants and they listen to and respect it. When Robert approaches you, you both need to talk and listen to what the other wants and needs, and then decide from there if continuing to date is something you both want, or if it would be better to be friends."
Allie nodded as they walked into the livery.
Both started saddling Newton and Winter, the livery horse that Allie usually used for her lessons. Then they went on a ride towards the land Nathan had bought from Bill. They rode in a quiet companionship for a little while.
Before Allie raised an eyebrow in competition and both raced home. Nathan and Newton won, but it was close. Allie was smiling widely at the race. When she noticed that Robert was standing outside the livery.
"Hi, Allie," Robert said.
"Robert," Allie replied flatly.
"Can we talk?" Robert asked.
She looked like she was about to lecture his grammar, but looked at Nathan, who gave her an encouraging nod.
"Why don't you talk while putting away the horses. I have to check in with my cadets anyway," Nathan said, giving them privacy while still being within his vision.
Allie nodded and Robert sighed with relief.
Allie led Newton while Robert worked with Winter.
"Allie, you have to know how sorry I am for earlier," Robert started.
She glared at him, "which part, the one where I'm not pretty, or the one where I need to wear a dress more often to be pretty?"
Robert looked at her in horror.
"Both. You were beautiful," Robert tried again.
"Were?" Allie said in protest.
"Are! You ARE!" Robert said.
"But only in a dress?" Allie said.
"No," Robert stopped himself again.
Allie was waiting impatiently.
"I am not the type of girl to get excited about a dress, Robert Wolf. And if you think you need a girl who does, then you need to date Anna Hayford, not me," Allie glared.
"Allie, if I wanted to date Anna, I would have asked her father and her out already, and not have had to deal with the very real threat that your father poses to me," Robert said firmly.
Allie looked at him.
"I like you for who you are. You are a wonderful girl who surprises me in the best ways, and the dress made you even more beautiful, and I'm sorry that my nerves made that come out wrong. But you have to know that I am quite happy with whatever you wear as long as you're smiling. It's your smile that makes you beautiful," Robert said.
Allie was looking into his face.
"When you're angry is slightly more terrifying," Robert said as he looked into her piercing eyes.
Allie couldn't help the crack in her demeanor.
"As it should be," Allie said with a smug look, before smiling at him.
Robert smiled back.
"Are we okay?" Robert asked.
Allie paused before answering.
"Robert, are you really okay with how I dress? Because I can't be with someone who tries to control who I am," Allie said.
Robert looked at her.
"I really am okay with it. And I wouldn't dream of trying to control you," Robert said.
Allie looked at him once more before she looked at the doorway. A fishing pole was leaning against the entrance.
"What's with the pole?" Allie asked.
Robert blushed.
"I brought it just in case things went well," Robert said.
Allie crossed her arms.
"I brought it because I think our first date shouldn't be a horse ride, where you and your dad both laugh at how inexperienced I am. So, will you go fishing with me?" Robert asked.
"Fishing? You want to take me fishing?" Allie said.
Robert nodded and smiled.
Allie smiled back.
"I need to grab my pole and lures. Yours are truly awful," Allie said as she eyed Robert's pole and bait.
Robert's smile widened as he followed her out of the livery.
"Dad, do you mind if Robert takes me fishing?" Allie asked as she crossed over to where Nathan was standing in the street. Nathan looked between Allie and Robert, who was holding his fishing pole.
"Not at all. Let's go get your poles," Nathan said.
The three of them approached the Grant row house, where Allie quickly explained what had happened and grabbed their fishing gear.
Elizabeth was smirking at Nathan as he left again.
Allie led Robert to her favorite fishing spot, and they started bantering back and forth. Allie made it a competition. Nathan had taken a spot just above them so that they could have some privacy while being in view still.
Allie won the competition between her and Robert by a lot. Nathan had three. They were carrying their catch to back home, once again going the long way into Hope Valley.
"I was hoping with it being cold and Archie being gone that the three large fishes being donated would dwindle," Lucas said in a teasing manner when Nathan entered with his catch.
"Oh, Bouchard, how little you know me," Nathan said back as he left the saloon.
"Please don't take that comment as a challenge," Lucas added to Nathan's retreating back.
"Sure," Nathan shrugged as he stepped back out into the cold winter's air.
"That's a challenge, then, right?" Allie said as they walked home after leaving Robert to the business of the café.
Nathan just laughed.
They finally returned to their home and Elizabeth greeted them with hugs and kisses and hot chocolate to warm them up. Allie was telling her about the day as Elizabeth started cooking the fish.
Elizabeth kept her smug look until after the children had gone to bed.
"What?" Nathan asked as he was sitting up on their bed reading a chapter in Frankenstein.
"Allie. Even her taste in literature is influenced by you," Elizabeth said as she looked down at Nathan's favorite book.
Nathan just looked down at the book and shook his head. It was technically Elizabeth's copy, but she had found that Nathan would read before bed, and he always went for a female author. She was quite certain he had read more of her Mary Shelley than she had in the month they had been married.
"Surely that isn't a bad thing," Nathan protested.
"Not at all. Who would have known I was marrying such a forward thinking man?" Elizabeth said.
"You did. Because you wouldn't be attracted to anyone who wasn't," Nathan replied firmly.
Elizabeth smiled widely.
"That is true. I do love you, husband," Elizabeth said as she finished her nightly preparations and got into bed beside him.
She leaned into his side and looked down at the book pages to read with him. But Nathan was a faster reader than she was and soon became annoyed when she protested him turning the pages too quickly.
"I think I need to get a library copy," Nathan finally growled before closing her book and placing it on the bedside table.
Elizabeth smiled seductively up at him.
"I can think of several ways that we can spend our time that makes us both happy," she whispered into his ear.
"Oh, yeah?" Nathan whispered back.
Elizabeth nodded before capturing his lips in a searing kiss. She was soon proven right about them both fully enjoying the activities that followed.