Chapter 11

Allie and Nathan had a good day at their favorite fishing spot. They had plenty for dinner and enough to share with Opal's family too. Allie often stayed with Opal's family when Nathan was taken out of town on Mountie business so it seemed right to do something nice for them.

The pair spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house and preparing dinner. In addition to the fish they were also making fried potatoes, green beans and the biscuits Nathan's mother had taught them to make when she was visiting last summer.

Just before 6:30 Sarah made her way to the row houses on the side of town. She'd not been out this way yet so as she approached she realized she wasn't sure which house was the Grant home. Nathan had said it was the last house but depending on which way you were going there were two houses that could be the last house. She decided to try the one closest to her and climbed the steps of the house on the end. She knocked and waited a few moments. When there was no answer she knocked once again. Finally she could hear footsteps approaching the door. She was embarrassed when the door opened and in front of her stood a lovely woman not much older than her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was looking for the Grant home. All I knew was that it was the last house in the row but I wasn't sure which end of the row. Please forgive me for bothering you."

Elizabeth stood at the door as the woman left as quickly as she'd arrived. She was making her way down the row of houses on her way toward the Grant home. Who was she and why was she looking for Nathan's house? Why did she look familiar? Elizabeth stepped back in the house and there on the dining table was a copy of the Valley Voice and on the front page was a picture of the very woman who had just appeared on her doorstep. The name under the picture was Sarah Crawford. That was the name of the woman Allie had said Nathan was having breakfast with yesterday. And now she was having dinner with him. Elizabeth couldn't deny that Miss Crawford was quite lovely. Reading through the article Elizabeth realized she'd only been in town a little over a week. Elizabeth had a hard time believing that Nathan was already on his second date with her. She remembered how tongue-tied Nathan got every time he tried to ask her on a date. Maybe Nathan had finally overcome his nervousness around women. Elizabeth's mind drifted to what it would be like to go on a date with Nathan. The idea made her smile and feel sad at the same time realizing she would never experience it. Shaking off the thought she went about getting Little Jack ready for bed before Lucas stopped over ahead of going to the saloon for the evening.

Sarah arrived at Nathan and Allie's just a few minutes late after going to the wrong house to start. She wondered whose house she'd been at. The woman was lovely but Sarah couldn't recall seeing her around town yet. She'd only been in Hope Valley a short time so she was sure there were many more people for her to meet. She would ask Nathan whose door she'd knocked on by mistake.

Climbing the stairs she knocked on the door and heard the footsteps approaching. The door opened and Nathan and Allie welcomed her into their home.

"I'm sorry I'm a few minutes late. When I got to the row houses I realized you said the last house but I wasn't sure which end." Sarah felt a bit silly admitting that but continued." I knocked at the house on the other end of the row and a lovely woman answered the door." Nathan and Allie looked at each other knowing that she must have gone to Elizabeth's house by mistake. "She pointed me in this direction so here I am. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"We're glad you're here Miss Crawford. The woman you are talking about is my teacher Mrs. Thornton." Changing the subject Allie continued "Dad and I had a successful fishing trip today so we have plenty of food. Hope you're hungry."

Sarah wasn't sure what she expected the Mountie bachelor and his teenage daughter's house would be like but the room had such warmth to it that Sarah immediately felt comfortable. "What a lovely home you have. The furniture is beautiful."

Allie was quick to share that Nathan had made almost all of the furniture in the house. Sarah looked in wonder at this man who had so many layers. "Nathan, you're so talented. Your work is beautiful."

Nathan thanked her just a bit embarrassed by the attention. Sarah walked over to the large bookcase along the wall. She first noticed the beautifully carved plaque hanging on the wall with the Emerson quote 'Nobody Can Bring You Peace But Yourself.' "Wow, you have quite the library. Who's the reader in the family?"

"We both are. Sometimes we read on our own and sometimes we read aloud to each other." Allie shared. With Sarah's background from the bookstore she had a full appreciation for what Allie had just told her. Not only did Allie and Nathan like to enjoy books on their own but they also like to share them with each other. She had always thought that reading aloud to each other was more intimate than reading alone because it created a connection between the reader and the listener.

They sat down to dinner and Sarah noticed the lovely place settings and the effort they had made on the table. After a quick prayer they enjoyed the dinner prepared by Nathan and Allie. The conversation flowed easily between the three of them. Allie made sure to thank Miss Crawford for her generous tip this morning. "It was my pleasure Allie. You did a very good job today." Sarah asked Allie about her school and Allie was quick to talk about her different classes including the advanced math class she'd been put in at the beginning of the year.

"Oh I loved math when I was in school. And not to brag but I was quite good at it." Sarah hoped she wasn't sounding too boastful.

Nathan perked up "maybe I'll need to send Allie your way when she has questions. Math was never my forte in school. My sister had to help me with it all the time." Nathan looked a bit wistful recalling all the times Colleen had to help him with his homework because he couldn't quite wrap his head around all the numbers.

"I would be happy to help if Allie gets stuck with something though I doubt Nathan that you are as bad with math as you say."

"No, Miss Crawford, he's telling the truth, he really isn't that good with math, especially the advanced things I'm doing." Allie laughed knowing her dad wouldn't get mad at her for stating the truth.

Nathan got up to get coffee and as he passed Allie he made sure to ruffle her hair, a habit that drove Allie crazy and therefore made it all the more fun for Nathan to do. He opened the box that held one of Minnie Canfield's delicious chocolate cakes. "This looks fantastic. How did you know this is my favorite?"

Sarah laughed and said a little bird give her a clue. They all enjoyed a slice of cake and coffee for Nathan and Sarah and milk for Allie.

Sarah sat and admired the relationship between father and daughter. They obviously worked well together and she could feel the love between the two of them. "Is your sister close by so she could help Allie with her math?" As soon as the words were out of Sarah's mouth she could see the cloud come over both Nathan and Allie's faces. She sat there regretting that she'd brought up something that obviously held so much pain for them.

Nathan's voice was barely audible. "My sister passed when Allie was four. She was Allie's mother and I took over as her guardian when Colleen died."

Sarah felt her insides crumble and she whispered. "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." The three of them sat in silence for a few moments that to Sarah felt like an hour.

Allie was the first to speak. "It's okay Miss Crawford, you couldn't have known. My dad is the only dad I've ever had and I'm so thankful that he talks about my mom all the time so even though I may not remember her much I know lots of stories and I feel close to her even though she's not here."

Sarah blinked her eyes several times trying to stem the tears that threatened to fall. She had never met a girl quite like Allie. She seemed wise beyond her years and yet displayed so much of the fun that came with being a 13 year old girl.

Sarah glanced at Nathan who sat silently and was obviously thinking about his sister. Suddenly Sarah felt as though she was intruding on something very private.

"Maybe I should get going. It's been a long day." Sarah got up and started moving toward her coat.

Nathan looked up suddenly realizing he'd been off in another world. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It really is okay. We do our best to keep Colleen alive in our home every day."

Sarah appreciated his words but still insisted it was time for her to head back to her apartment in town.

Before Sarah could leave Nathan stopped her. "Please let me walk you back to town."

"No, no, that's not necessary." Sarah insisted.

"I am headed that way anyway. I need to do a quick walk through town. The crowds at the saloon seem to grow every week so I like to have a presence there, especially on Saturday nights, to ward off any trouble. I just need to quickly change into my uniform."

Sarah agreed to wait until Nathan was changed and they left to walk back to town.

"Nathan, I can't apologize enough for bringing up something that is obviously so painful for you."

Nathan stopped and turned toward Sarah. He locked his eyes on her and with a small crack in his voice he told her "Sarah, Allie was right, you couldn't have known. Please don't feel guilty about anything. This evening has been the most fun Allie and I have had in a very long time." Nathan wanted so badly to take Sarah in his arms and make sure she knew his words were sincere.

Sarah took Nathan's hand in hers. Both of them felt a spark that they could feel down to their toes. "Thank you Nathan. I can't tell you how much your words mean to me. This has been a lovely evening and I had a wonderful time with you and Allie."

Sarah released Nathan's hand and they continued their walk back to Sarah's apartment. Nathan bid her a good night and told her he hoped to see her in town soon. With that he headed to the saloon.

Sarah closed her door and leaned against it hardly knowing what to think. She couldn't pinpoint what she was feeling at the moment. Her stomach was full of butterflies and her heart was beating faster than she ever remembered. Even when she was with Tom she never had any of these feelings. Sarah wasn't sure how to interpret what she felt and hoped that a good night's sleep would give her some clarity.