Chapter 30

Sarah waited for Clara to arrive from the café so she could go meet with Rosemary to review details for the Christmas festival. Having never been in Hope Valley at Christmas time Sarah had a picture in her mind of how things should be set up but she wanted to run it by Rosemary and get her opinion. It also gave her a chance to talk to Lee about using the lumber wagons and ask about the Giving Tree.

Sarah stepped out of the dress shop with arms full of lists and files she needed to review with Rosemary. As soon as she was on the boardwalk she saw the familiar figure in red standing in front of the jail with a mug of coffee observing the goings on of Hope Valley. Sarah felt like she was walking on air since their ride the day before.

Nathan used this time in the morning to connect with townspeople as they went about their business. He often could be seen helping someone load their wagon or carry something to its destination. Sarah decided to walk to the Coulter's office via the jail so she could say good morning.

Sarah thought about their conversation yesterday when Nathan asked her to court. As he'd said some may think it too soon. Sarah didn't think so at all. She'd been through this process before with Tom. They took things slowly and it still didn't work out. Sarah knew in her heart Nathan was the man for her and no amount of time was going to change that.

Nathan saw Sarah coming from down the street. A smile immediately covered his face as he thought how beautiful she was and how lucky he was. He couldn't believe she had come into his life at a time when he was so low and thought he would never find the one God intended for him. Seeing that she was juggling a stack of papers he made his way to meet her taking everything so she wouldn't drop anything.

"Good morning Constable." Sarah gave him a quick smile.

"Good morning Miss Crawford." Nathan returned the smile. "Where are you heading with all of this?"

"I'm going to meet with Rosemary and Lee. Clara's covering the dress shop." Sara said.

""Well I'm headed to Bill's office so may I escort you?" Nathan bantered.

"Constable you may escort me anywhere you like." Sarah bantered back.

They reached the Coulter Lumber office and Nathan leaned down and gave Sarah a kiss on the cheek before she went in.

"Nathan, public displays of affection? Is that appropriate for a man in your position? Sarah teased.

"Who cares? We're courting. If anyone says anything, I'll set them straight." Nathan knew he wasn't the type to make a scene kissing Sarah in public but not many people were on the boardwalk so he took advantage of it. And if anyone did question him he would certainly set them straight.

Sarah found Rosemary typing away furiously holding up a finger to let Sarah know she would be just a minute. Sarah used the time to ask Lee about the wagons and tree. "Lee, I spoke with several people on the outskirts of town yesterday and they would love to attend the Christmas Festival but they're concerned about the distance and the weather plus most don't have more than a horse or maybe two for transportation. I was wondering if we could use a couple of your lumber wagons to shuttle people from there into town. We could decorate them and I can find some volunteers to do the driving."

"Sarah, that's a great idea but don't worry about finding drivers. I'll talk to a couple of my men. I'm sure they'd be happy to do it." Sarah hadn't had too many opportunities to be around Lee but every time she was she found him to have a most generous heart and an even temperament which she thought he must need to be married to Rosemary. Rosemary was quickly becoming a good friend to Sarah and she loved Rosemary's flamboyant spirit though she imagined it could be overwhelming at times.

"I also need to ask about the Giving Tree. Is Coulter Lumber donating and setting up again this year?" Sarah hoped she wasn't being to assumptive.

"Absolutely, we've already got one picked out. When do you want it set up?"

"I was thinking two weeks prior to Christmas so the 10th? Goodness that's right around the corner! Let me know when your men can set it up and I'll be there to make sure it's in the right place." The tree was the centerpiece of the festival and Sarah was excited at the prospect of having it set up and decorated and the wishes that would be on it.

Rosemary called Sarah over to her desk and with one look said "Sarah Crawford, you are absolutely glowing today."

Sarah felt her cheeks flush what she was sure a bright red.

"That wouldn't have anything to do with a certain constable who walked by our window just as you were coming into the office does it?" Rosemary had no problem getting straight to the point.

Sarah didn't want to be coy but was hesitant to say anything yet. She ended up not needing to as Rosemary took a guess.

"What's going on with the two of you?" Rosemary prodded.

"On the record or off the record?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, absolutely off the record." Rosemary replied. Sarah knew she could trust Rosemary.

"Nathan asked if he could court me." Sarah tried not to sound too excited but inside her heart fluttered every time she thought about it.

Rosemary squealed and jumped from behind her desk to wrap Sarah in a big hug. "Oh that's the best news I've heard in a very long time. You two are perfect together. Nathan may be quiet but he's a good man and a wonderful father. What did Allie say?"

Sarah told Rosemary that they'd gone to Nathan's after their ride yesterday to find Allie doing homework. "As soon as we walked in she asked if we were courting. When we told her yes she teared up and gave us both big hugs. It almost felt like a blessing from her." Sarah felt her eyes water thinking about how happy Allie had been. "I have to tell you I love that girl so much already."

"So when do you think he'll propose?" Rosemary was certainly getting ahead of herself.

"Rosemary, we just started courting. We need to give it some time. Besides we've both got a lot on our plates during the next month." Sarah thought about the to-do list she'd started that just kept growing.

"Well don't wait too long. A June wedding would be beautiful and I won't be pregnant anymore!" "When is the baby due?" Sarah was already thinking of a joint baby shower for Rosemary and Clara.

"The first part of May. I'm so thankful I won't need to go through the hot summer big as a whale!" Rosemary exclaimed.

Rosemary pulled her chair around so she was sitting next to Sarah and they reviewed everything Sarah had brought with her. Rosemary made a few small suggestions but for the most part she liked everything that was being planned.

"It's going to be wonderful Sarah and again, I can't thank you enough for taking on the role of organizer. I know I couldn't have done it between the newspaper business and still feeling quite queasy a lot of the time."

Over in the judge's office, Nathan found Bill buried in a stack of briefs with a bit of a scowl on his face. "Not a good day to be Judge Bill?"

"Nathan, how've you been? It's not a bad day, the reading just becomes a bit overwhelming at times. I think lawyers get paid by the word so they continue to write even after they've already made their point." Bill was curious at the unexpected visit from Nathan. The two were good friends in fact Bill thought of Nathan as family. When Bill found out about Ft. Clay and the reason Nathan came to Hope Valley he'd gone to Elizabeth and told her in no uncertain terms that Nathan couldn't be blamed for Jack's death and how admirable it was for Nathan to request assignment to Hope Valley. Elizabeth was being very stubborn at the time but finally acquiesced. Bill had expected Nathan and Elizabeth to eventually work out their issues. It was obvious to many that they had strong feelings for each other. Still she'd chosen Lucas which Bill thought he would never understand. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Do you still have that land I looked at last spring?" Nathan got excited thinking about how perfect the land was.

"I do. I thought I'd sold it but the buyer backed out at the last minute and, quite frankly, I've been way too busy to think about it." Bill remembered how excited Nathan was earlier in the year when he'd heard about Bill's land. "Why do you know someone who's interested?"

"Yes. Me." Nathan wasn't sure if that would surprise Bill or not.

"Really? Tell me what's going on. Why the change of heart?" Bill was curious what had changed Nathan's mind, or even more so, who had changed his mind.

"I asked Sarah Crawford to enter into a courtship and she said yes. I think it's time for me to reconsider settling down into a home for Allie and me and God willing Sarah in the not too distant future." Nathan had been thinking about this conversation with Bill all night. He spent half the night wide awake drawing plans in his head for a house, a barn and a workshop.

"Congratulations Nathan. She's a very lucky lady. I'm happy to sell you the land and I'll give you a good price." Bill couldn't remember a time he'd seen Nathan so happy and confident. He knew how heartbroken Nathan had been when Elizabeth rejected him. It was good to see him excited about life again and Bill couldn't have been happier for his friend and he had to say, Sarah Crawford seemed a perfect match for Nathan.

"Thank you Bill. Let me know when you've drawn up the papers. I'd love to surprise Allie and Sarah for Christmas. I thought maybe we'd find our Christmas tree on the land. Seems like a good way to start the holidays."

Nathan headed back to the jail already thinking of how excited Allie would be when he showed her the property. It was going to be a very merry Christmas!