It had been two weeks since Nathan and Allie had met with Mrs. Thornton to lay out their boundary plan. So far it was going smoothly though it was easier for Nathan than it was for Allie. She still had to see her every day at school. While the pain in Nathan's heart was still there it didn't seem as raw as it had been. It helped that he had been busy with a tracking mission. He'd spent several days in Brookfield with his good friend and fellow Mountie Gabe Kinslow. The two of them had known each other since their training days and given the proximity of their posts had worked together a lot over the last few years. Allie called him her "Uncle Gabe" and they both considered him family.
Nathan was happy to be back in Hope Valley and was appreciating the peacefulness of his afternoon rounds. The chill in the air was more persistent than it had been, signaling that winter was on its way. Nathan made his way back to the Mountie office and tethered Newton. After finishing his rounds report he started making his way through town. It wasn't every day he had the time to stop in and visit with some of the local merchants but today he did. Having been gone for several days it was nice to reconnect with his community.
Nathan's first stop was Lee Coulter's office also known as Rosemary Coulter's office. Since Rosemary had re-launched the town newspaper, The Valley Voice, she had taken over a large part of Lee's space. Nathan stepped inside and saw that Rosemary was typing away furiously probably up against a deadline. Lee was nowhere to be found. "Good afternoon Rosemary how is the newspaper business?"
"Oh Nathan, it's so good to see you back in town! This newspaper has been so much more work than I ever thought it would be. I've been working such long hours trying to make sure I'm capturing all the news of our little town. I love it! You know how I thrive on being the first to know everything!" Rosemary was speaking so fast Nathan had a hard time keeping up. Nathan had always like Rosemary. She was straight forward and said what she thought and Nathan appreciated that in a person.
"Well Rosemary, I just want to let you know I appreciate your work with the newspaper. It's good to have someone keeping tabs on what's going on in Hope Valley. If there's anything I can help with please let me know. Give Lee my best." Nathan headed for the door not wanting to take Rosemary away from her work.
"Oh, Nathan, before you go, have you met the new manager at Dottie's? She was working with Dottie in Union City but after I left the store and then Clara got pregnant, Dottie thought it would be a good idea to have someone from the Union City store come to Hope Valley to manage the store here. It would be nice if you could stop by and introduce yourself."
"Thanks for the heads up Rosemary, I'll be sure to stop by there. Do you happen to know her name?" Nathan asked.
"Her first name is Sarah but I don't remember her last name. I just met her briefly and arranged to interview her next week for a story in the paper."
Nathan's next stop was the mercantile. Florence was working the switchboard and Ned was behind the counter. "Hey Ned, how's everything going? I'm just trying to catch up after having been away for a few days. Did I miss anything exciting while I was away?
"Thanks for asking Nathan, it's been pretty routine around here" they were interrupted by the ring of the bell above the door. In walked Elizabeth who had stopped to pick up a few things for dinner. "Hello Na..Constable. I Hope you're doing well." Elizabeth was trying to be mindful of the boundaries. "Mrs. Thornton, I'm fine thank you." Nathan said his goodbyes and left the store. Ned wasn't sure what to make of the interaction. He'd always know Nathan and Elizabeth to be on a first name basis so their formality was a surprise to him. Florence also popped her head out from the switchboard having heard every word too. "Hello Elizabeth, how's Little Jack?" Florence inquired. Elizabeth was feeling a bit awkward following her interaction with Nathan and didn't realize Florence was waiting for her to respond. "I'm so sorry Florence, Jack is good, thank you for asking." Elizabeth went about picking her few items, paid and headed home.
Nathan stopped next at Abigail's hoping to catch Bill getting ready for the dinner crowd. Bill welcomed Nathan in and got him a fresh cup of coffee. "Where have you been Nathan?" Nathan went on to explain that he'd been in Brookfield helping Gabe track some bank thieves. Bill commented that he hadn't seen Allie about town lately. He had taken a shine to her while helping Nathan navigate the adoption process earlier that summer. Nathan didn't say much but told Bill that Allie preferred to stay a bit closer to home these days.
"Is there a reason for that?" Bill hated it when Nathan gave him vague answers and he wasn't beyond pushing him for more information. Nathan responded "well, you know, since everything that we went through with Elizabeth in the last couple of months she prefers to steer clear of where she might run into her or Lucas." Bill wasn't surprised by that admission. He knew how much Nathan had been hurt by Elizabeth and he could only imagine how a 13 year old girl was handling it. "Well, tell her to stop in and see me some time. I'll have a piece of chocolate cake with her name on it." Nathan smiled. He was so thankful for his friendship with Bill. He wished he could express it better but sometimes he and Bill didn't need words. They just understood each other's silence. As Nathan left the café Bill couldn't help but think to himself how disappointed he was that Elizabeth had chosen Lucas. Sure Lucas was a nice enough guy and he'd done a lot for Hope Valley but he didn't fit the life that Elizabeth had carved out in Hope Valley. Bill knew how much Elizabeth loved the town and being a teacher. He was sure she likely enjoyed some of the extravagance attention Lucas showered on her but at the end of the day, that wasn't what Elizabeth was about. Her priorities were her son and her school. He hoped Lucas understood that.
Nathan found himself standing in front of the Queen of Hearts. He really didn't want to go in and would have preferred to avoid the saloon and Lucas but given it was a central gathering place in town he knew he should check in. As he entered he noticed a couple of tables with card games being played. It looked like the waitresses were getting set up for the evening dinner crowd.
Nathan stepped up to the bar and saw Lucas arranging the liquor bottles on the wall opposite of Nathan. "Hello Lucas."
"Constable?" Lucas said it more as a question than an acknowledgement.
Nathan explained that he was just doing some quick rounds through town trying to get caught up with the business of the town after having been gone for several days.
"Everything here is fine but thank you for checking." Lucas continued to arrange his bottles.
Nathan left quickly wanting to put space between him and Lucas. He didn't dislike Lucas as much as he had when they'd first met but he still was chafed at how Lucas always tried to outdo him whenever Elizabeth was around. "Well" thought Nathan "I don't have to worry about that anymore. That is all behind me."
Nathan's last stop before heading home was Dottie's to meet the new store manager. Nathan had never had reason to go into the woman's dress shop so he felt a little out of place in the very feminine store. Allie was still a little young to shop there. Most of her clothes were purchased in Benson Hills or through the catalog Ned had at the mercantile. He didn't see anyone at the front counter so he called out to see if anyone was in the back. "Hello, is anyone here?" "I'll be with you in just a minute" The voice coming from the back sounded much younger than what he was expecting. For some reason Nathan assumed the new manager would be closer in age to Dottie. Nathan continued looking around the store wondering how soon Allie would be wanting to shop here. As he moved around the room he heard a voice "Hello Constable, is there something I can help you with?" Nathan turned and there he was facing a woman whose beauty made him stop and take a moment to remember why he was there. He was sure his cheeks were flushed. Her hair was the color of corn silk and it fell down her back in loose waves held only by a jeweled hair comb. Her eyes were as green as Nathan's were blue. Her skin was flawless and she wore just enough makeup to highlight her eyes, cheekbones and lips. Nathan was mesmerized. "Constable, is there something I can help you with? Her question brought Nathan back to the present. "Yes, so sorry ma'am. I heard that you were new to Hope Valley and I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I'm Constable Nathan Grant."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Constable. I'm Sarah Crawford."
"Miss Crawford, it's nice to have you in Hope Valley. Are you here temporarily or do you plan to stay?
Sarah was trying to maintain her composure having been caught completely off guard by the handsome Mountie standing in front of her. She knew her cheeks must be almost as red as his jacket. "Uh, I'm not sure how long I'll be here. Dottie has asked me to stay indefinitely at this point and a lot of it depends on how much Clara can work."
"Well, I just wanted to say welcome and please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you settle in. I won't keep you any longer but it's nice to have you in Hope Valley."
"Thank you Constable."
"Please call me Nathan."
"Sarah."
Nathan took one more glance at Dottie's new manager just as she was giving him another look. Their eyes met and Nathan found himself holding her gaze for a little longer than he normally would.
After replacing his hat he tipped it toward Sarah and walked out onto the boardwalk. He stood there for a moment wondering what he'd just experienced. Where was the tough Mountie? Why did he feel a little like a teenage boy? While he was surprised at the reaction he had to Sarah Crawford he was also pleased that he could still be caught off guard by a beautiful woman. A few weeks ago Nathan didn't think he would ever look at a woman the way he looked at Elizabeth but he realized he'd just proven himself wrong.