Bill's Reaction – Chapter 12
Thank you for the lovely reviews. Your kind words and your continued support are very humbling.
Bill left Nathan at the jail and went in search of Elizabeth. He wanted to get her signature on the incident report, so he could leave it on Nathan's desk, for the morning.
He found Elizabeth at home cooking dinner for her father, who was moving from Nathan's home into Elizabeth's for a few days. Bill quickly explained the normal reporting protocol and the compromise Nathan had come up with in this instance. She was hesitant at first; but once she read the record of events, she shuddered and signed the report. Elizabeth was grateful for Nathan's thoughtfulness and said as much. Bill signed the report as a witness and then put it in his pocket for safekeeping.
Mindful of Elizabeth's privacy and wanting to be discreet, Bill left as quickly as he came. He wanted to avoid the return of William Thatcher so that Elizabeth would not have to answer any questions she was not prepared to deal with. He suspected she would not have had time to share this information with her father; perhaps she did not even plan to tell him!
Later that Evening – Elizabeth's Home
As William Thatcher settled his things in his daughter's bedroom, she was downstairs preparing another meal, this time a hearty beef stew with biscuits. She had decided there were enough things to discuss without focussing on her nasty break up with Lucas. That could wait for the train ride to Hamilton!
When William came back downstairs, once again he was impressed with his daughter's cooking. "Elizabeth, it smells wonderful in here. What are you making tonight for dinner?"
Elizabeth said, "Thank you, Father. Tonight's dinner is beef stew with biscuits. I must confess, I bought the biscuits; mine are not as light and fluffy as they should be. I have been practicing, but I wanted the meal to be perfect for you."
William smiled and said, "My Dear, you continue to amaze me at the amount of growth you have achieved over the last eight years. I am sure your biscuits would have been just fine."
"Well, dinner should be ready in about a ½ hour. Why don't we settle in the living room and visit, while we are waiting for dinner to finish cooking?"
They both headed into the living room and settled in.
William started the conversation, "I spoke with your mother and told her I was staying on for a few extra days." He had a wide smile on his face, as he continued, "I also told her I was bringing her a surprise. Of course, she guessed straight away that you were coming home for a visit." He chuckled and said, "Then the dear woman started to cry when she realized a visit from you meant she would finally get to meet her grandson. I assured her we could have some "grandparent time" with Little Jack. I hope I didn't overstep."
Elizabeth smiled broadly and replied, "I am looking forward to seeing Mother. I can hardly wait to introduce her to Little Jack. Of course, you can have 'grandparent time' with him! Just please remember not to spoil him too much."
William just smiled. Elizabeth knew he had no intention of honouring that request. Little Jack was their only grandchild in Canada and they fully intended on spoiling him.
Instead of replying to her comment, William inquired, "So, how was your day?"
Elizabeth remarked, "I had both an interesting and productive day. I was able to accomplish some of the personal business I wanted to do, so that made me feel good."
Then, she countered back with, "How was your day, Father?"
As she rose to go check on the stew in the kitchen, her father replied, "I also had an interesting day. While Benson was moving my belongings over here, I walked into town and found myself at the jail, of all places!"
Elizabeth's head snapped around to look at her father, who remained seated in the living room. "Of all the places we have in town, why on earth would you go to the jail?"
William observed Elizabeth's reaction, but said nothing. Instead, he replied, "I personally went to thank Nathan again for the use of his home these last few days. I'm certain it was a terrible disruption for both he and his daughter, having us take over his home. I also thanked him for the thorough investigation into my stolen vehicle. He released the car back to me and Charles and Benson started their journey back to Hamilton this afternoon."
Elizabeth conveniently had her back to her father as she stirred the stew. Her eyes were wide and her thoughts were racing. 'Did they discuss anything about her? Why does her father always mention Nathan?'
She snapped her thoughts back to the present and tentatively asked, "What did Nathan say?"
William replied, "He didn't say too much, other than all they have is circumstantial evidence. Apparently, Hamilton will keep investigating, but they don't expect to be able to lay charges."
He continued, "Your Mountie is an unusual man; wouldn't accept a thing for letting us use his home. I finally had to insist, but all he would concede to accepting was a dinner for two at the Café. His intent is to take his daughter out for a special dress-up dinner."
Elizabeth softly sighed and replied, "I am sure Allie will love that. She would have missed seeing her dad on a daily basis. They have a very good rapport."
Not for the first time, William wondered about the relationship his daughter had with the Mountie and his daughter. He was curious, but was also mindful his daughter was a grown woman and entitled to her privacy. Perhaps she would share something on the train ride home?
Elizabeth had thankfully pre-set the table for dinner. All that remained was asking her father to come to the table. This time, Elizabeth went upstairs and brought Little Jack down to join them. Once again, she held hands with her father as he said grace and started eating. Little Jack was more interested in his toys and the extra person at the table, to eat his food. Again, Elizabeth was thankful. Prodding Little Jack to eat gave her something to do other than think about her father's comments about Nathan.
Dinner conversation was light and easy. William also told her that, while in town, he had arranged for a telephone to be installed in her home, the next day. "I am sorry, Dear, it never occurred to me to ask if you would be able to give the installer access to your home. Do you have plans for tomorrow, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth most certainly did have plans – more personal business, but how to tell her father?
She replied, "Well, there is something I'm hoping to do, but I don't have any firm plans made." That was the truth. She did want to see if Pastor Joseph could speak with her, but she had not made an appointment.
William surprised her with, "I just had an idea. I made the plans, so I can stay and let the installer in. If you show me where you would like the phone installed, I can point him to the exact spot." He thoughtfully added, "I can look after my grandson too, if you like?"
Elizabeth was delighted with this plan and welcomed her father spending more time with her son. She pointed to the area where the phone should be installed.
William took note of where she wanted the phone. He said he was certain he was up to the task of letting in the phone installer, but made a suggestion to Elizabeth, "My Dear, perhaps this time you could leave some lunch for Little Jack?"
Elizabeth laughed and agreed she would leave enough lunch for the two of them, in case she had not returned from her errands.
The Next Morning
Elizabeth was up early the next day. She was searching for wisdom – the kind of wisdom that only came from God.
So far, she had been able to end one relationship and mend two others, with a minimal amount of petitioning from the Lord.
For this last relationship to be restored, she needed to humble herself and pray. She would need to pray like she had never prayed before. She would need to storm the Gates of Heaven and seek the Lord and His Strength.
She would need a miracle.
She needed to pray for the person who would receive her next apology just as much as she needed to pray for herself. Prayers that her words and her unforgivable conduct could somehow be forgiven, if not forgotten.
Her mind kept replaying the awful, hurtful words she spoke just a few weeks ago.
She now knew her heart believed the opposite of what she had said. It had taken time, but she had finally realized what her heart truly wanted; but was she too late?
Her mind recalled Pastor Joseph's message on 'Forgiveness'. She had taken note of his exact words, "Sometimes, once true forgiveness has occurred, it is possible for people who were once at odds with each other to form beautiful friendships. Although this is not always possible, it still remains a blessing to be forgiven."
Could she ever be satisfied with receiving forgiveness only, with no possibility of moving toward a deeper relationship? She shook her head – that is the wrong line of thinking. This is not about what she could or could not be satisfied with. No, this has nothing to do with her and what she could accept.
This has everything to do with him and what his heart was willing to extend to her. He'd already offered her his heart twice before. By God's Grace, could there be a third time? She had no right to expect this, but she was praying with a believer's heart.
She would only have one more chance to try and make things right between herself and Nathan. For that to happen, God will have to intervene, like only God can. As long as God was in control, there is hope.
Once again, very special thanks to MamaBethany for beta reading and her suggestions. She always seems to know the message I am trying to convey and her suggestions enhance the story.