Chapter 9

"Good morning Dad!" Allie burst down the stairs. "I'm so happy it's Friday!"

"Good morning sweet girl" Nathan was savoring his first cup of coffee of the day needing the jolt to fully awaken.

"Dad, I have a great idea, can we go to the café for breakfast before I go to school and you go to work?"

"Allie, I'm not sure we have time. You can't be late for school."

"We start 30 minutes late on Fridays. Mrs. Thornton wanted to have time to work with Angela on her own so we have plenty of time."

"Well that settles it, let's get going. I would love to take my beautiful daughter to breakfast."

The café was bustling on this Friday morning. Bill was rushing in and out of the kitchen balancing plates of food and looking flustered. With a nod of his head and the direction of his eyes he pointed Nathan and Allie to the only open table in the room.

"Bill, it's crazy in here this morning. I haven't seen you out of the kitchen in a long time."

Bill poured Nathan a cup of coffee and gave Allie some water. "Clara's out, her pregnancy is not agreeing with her. Minnie's in the kitchen which leaves me to serve. I could really use some help but can't find anyone reliable. What can I get you two?"

"Let's make it easy and just do eggs, bacon and toast. Sorry to hear about Clara, hope she feels better soon. I'll keep my ear to the ground and if I hear of anyone looking for work I'll send them your way."

Bill headed back to the kitchen with their order and Allie gave Nathan a curious look. "Dad, do you think I could help out at the café?"

"That's really sweet of you to want to help Uncle Bill but Allie you have school every morning. That wouldn't work."

"Maybe I could help him on Saturdays. At least that would give him a little bit of a break. He's always helped us so it would be nice to return that kindness. Plus I wouldn't mind earning some money before Christmas." Allie gave him a coy look." I'd really like to get you something special this year."

Before Nathan could respond he noticed the door open and in walked the Sarah Crawford like a breath of fresh air. She had on the loveliest shade of green that made her eyes appear opalescent. Nathan noticed her scanning the room looking for an empty table. Finding they were full she turned to leave. Nathan jumped from his chair and approached her before she could leave.

"Miss Crawford, Sarah, do you need a place to sit?"

"Oh, Constable, I was just hoping to get some coffee and a muffin before going to work."

"Please join us."

Sarah directed her eye to where Nathan was indicating a table where a lovely young girl was sitting. "Thank you that would be lovely."

Nathan stepped aside giving Sarah room to pass him on the way to the table. As she walked by he gently placed his hand on her elbow guiding her to the table he'd been sharing with Allie. Sarah felt a little shockwave go through her when she felt the slightest touch from his hand.

"Miss Crawford, this is my daughter Allie. Allie, Miss Crawford is the new manager of the dress shop."

Allie smiled and reached out to shake Sarah's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Crawford. Welcome to Hope Valley."

Sarah heard the word daughter and felt a small wave of disappointment wash over her. So Constable Grant was married and he had a daughter. Why are all the good ones taken she wondered.

Nathan held the chair as Sarah took her seat. Sarah's disappointment further increased when she realized that not only was the Constable incredibly attractive, he was married, had a daughter, AND he was a gentleman. She secretly envied his wife.

Bill saw Sarah join Nathan at his table and came over to see what he could get for her. "Miss Crawford, it is so nice to see you again. What can I get you this morning?"

"Thank you judge, just coffee and a blueberry muffin please."

Allie had been paying close attention to the lovely woman who had joined their table. "Miss Crawford, your blouse is beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen that color of green before. It matches your eyes."

Sarah was touched at Allie's comment. "Thank you Allie, that is so kind of you to say and I bet you look beautiful in blue because it matches your eyes."

Nathan looked at his daughter who was beaming at the compliment. "Hey Allie, you need to get going or you're going to be late for school."

"Oh gosh, you're right. Dad, you stay here, I'll go meet Opal and Emily on the way to school."

Nathan gave Allie a big hug and promised he'd be there after school to walk her home.

When Allie got to school Elizabeth noticed Nathan wasn't with her. "Allie, is your dad out of town? He usually walks you to school."

Allie knew her teacher's question was beyond the boundary she was supposed to follow but she answered anyway. "Oh no, he's in town. He's having breakfast with Miss Crawford at the café." Allie purposely left out the part that she had been with them up until a few minutes ago.

Elizabeth's eyes took on a concerned look but she chose not to inquire any further. She knew her question was out of bounds but for some nagging reason she wanted to know why he hadn't walked Allie to school today. It was disconcerting to hear that he was at the café with someone she didn't know.

Meanwhile at the café Nathan and Sarah were finishing up their breakfasts. " Nathan your daughter is lovely and so charming. You and your wife must be so proud."

Nathan was pleased at the compliment paid to Allie though he gave Sarah a bit of a confused look "actually it's just me and Allie."

"Oh I do apologize, I didn't know you'd lost your wife." Sarah felt awkward not wanting to have stirred up any negative memories.

Nathan gave a little chuckle trying to diffuse Sarah's obvious discomfort. "No, no there's no wife. Allie was my niece and I formally adopted her this summer so now she's my daughter."

Sarah was sure there was more to the story though she didn't feel comfortable inquiring any further. She felt a flutter in her heart thinking about what a selfless man this handsome Constable was. She hoped she would get a chance to know him and his daughter better.

Nathan could tell he had made her feel uncomfortable so quickly changed the subject. "So Sarah, how has your first week been in Hope Valley?"

"It's been busy. I'm settled in my apartment but the store is a little different story."

"Really? Why is that? I figured it would be similar to the store in Union City." Nathan really had no idea what it was like to run a store, let alone a dress store but he was looking for any topic to keep Sarah in conversation with him.

"Well, the two stores are similar in some ways but Union City is very different from Hope Valley so I'm trying to understand the different clientele that we have here. I'm hoping as I meet more women in town I'll start getting a better idea of what fashions they would like to have available here." Sarah was touched that he was taking an interest in her and her work.

"We've had a few women in the shop this week. I met Fiona and Faith. Of course I met Clara though she's not been feeling well so she's mostly doing alterations from home. Rosemary came over yesterday and did an interview with me for the newspaper. I wasn't really sure what to expect but she was very thorough with her question. I'm a bit nervous to see the article in tomorrow's newspaper." Sarah was rambling but couldn't seem to be able to get her tongue under control. She was not used to the flustered feeling she was experiencing.

Nathan knew he had to get started on his rounds so signaled to Bill to bring the check. Sarah offered to pay for her food but Nathan insisted on taking care of it. "Sarah, I need to get going on my rounds but I'm wondering if you would join Allie and me for dinner tomorrow night at our home. We usually go fishing on Saturdays and like to cook what we catch for dinner. I understand if you're not fond of fish. I just thought it might be nice for you to have dinner with some new friends." Nathan wasn't sure a woman as lovely as this would want to eat their fresh caught trout but he wanted to spend more time getting to know her and it seemed like a safe option given Allie would be there.

"Nathan, thank you for the invitation I would appreciate dinner very much but only if you let me bring dessert."

"It's a deal! Let's say 6:30. We're the last row house on the side of town. We'll see you tomorrow." With that Nathan paid the bill and went looking for Bill before heading out on rounds. "Hey Bill, Allie noticed how busy you are and she's wondering if you could use her help on Saturday mornings. She could help take orders and serve food. Think about it and let me know. She could start tomorrow." Making his way to the livery he felt a bit more bounce in his step. It was so easy to talk to Sarah. It was refreshing compared to his conversations with Elizabeth where he was always looking for hidden messages in everything she said.

Nathan's rounds seem less mundane as they usually did because he spent most of it thinking about Sarah. He was really looking forward to tomorrow night.

Sarah entered Dottie's and closed the door behind her. She had so much information to process. Nathan had a daughter, he didn't have a wife and it sounded like he'd never had one. His daughter was actually his niece and she was a lovely young lady. Sarah couldn't wait for dinner tomorrow night to get to know this unique family.