Nathan spent his week working with Constable Andrews. He took him on rounds daily showing him Hope Meadows, the new factory and another area that had been staked for more houses. They made their way around town meeting different business owners and shop keepers. While Nathan didn't want to make a big fuss about his job change, Steven wanted to make sure no one thought he was replacing Nathan. He kept a running commentary on several of the people he met and Nathan recognized he had good instincts. He had pegged Ned and Florence Yost as good people though he thought Florence might be a bit of a busybody. He looked a bit star struck when he met Fiona Miller especially when he found out she was mayor and had two businesses she split her time between. The Coulters welcomed Steven and commented how much he was needed in Hope Valley given its growth and the accompanying challenges that came with it.
The two made their way to the Queen of Hearts and found Lucas inside his office meeting with Tom Hastings. Nathan remembered what Sarah had said about the two of them meeting together frequently and he wondered what brought them together. Nathan introduced Steven as the town's new Constable.
Lucas didn't bother getting up but commented rather sarcastically "I didn't realize Hope Valley was worthy of two Constables."
Steven jumped in before Nathan could say anything. "We still have just one Constable. Nathan has received a promotion to Deputy Inspector."
Lucas congratulated Nathan and then introduced them to Tom Hastings. Nathan shot a look at Tom and then told Lucas he'd already had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hastings. Now it was Nathan's turn to be sarcastic. Tom looked uncomfortable to be in Nathan's presence but nodded at both he and Steven.
Nathan checked his watch after leaving the saloon and saw that it was close to the end of the school day. I usually go meet my daughter at school so let's head that way and I'll introduce you to Mrs. Thornton, our school teacher. As they approached school they could hear the bell ringing. Allie saw Nathan and came running down the stairs. Allie's enthusiasm at seeing her dad still touched Nathan. As she got older they certainly had their squabbles about rules and boundaries but Allie was still openly affectionate with Nathan and he was thankful for that. "Allie I want you to meet Constable Andrews. He and I will be working together."
Allie stood tall and put out her hand to shake Steven's hand. "It's nice to meet you and I'm glad you're going to be working with my dad. I hope you like it here. We really do."
Steven thanked Allie and told her he thought he was going to like it just fine. Steven looked toward the school and saw Elizabeth standing on the top step watching the threesome in the school yard. "Who's that?"
"That's my teacher, Mrs. Thornton. Dad, can I go over to Opal's?" Allie had enough of the small talk and was ready to go.
"Sure, as long as it's okay with her mom." Nathan gave Allie a hug and sent her on her way. "Come on Steven, I'll introduce you to Mrs. Thornton."
They climbed the steps into the school and saw Elizabeth at the chalkboard erasing the day's lessons. She heard the familiar scrape of boots on the wood floor and turned to see two men in red serge. Both men removed their hats and held them in their hands, Nathan playing with the edge of his. Elizabeth's eyes were drawn to Nathan's face as they always were. All she could think was that it was such a good face full of honest emotion. It could be tender or very animated depending on what he was feeling. Elizabeth missed the smile that Nathan used to readily share with her. It was one of many things she missed. "Good afternoon Nathan. Is there something I can help you with?" She stood close enough to him that she could smell the combination of horse and pine that she had always associated with him. The memory of the day in the livery when Nathan attempted to ask her out before he was interrupted came back to her. She had tried to encourage him with his invitation but he'd lost his nerve. How different would her life be if he'd managed to ask her out that day. She was sure she would have said yes and had that happened, where would they be now?
"Good afternoon Elizabeth. I wanted to introduce you to Constable Steven Andrews. He's joining our office here in Hope Valley." Elizabeth turned her attention to Steven and shook his hand.
"Mrs. Thornton, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard very good things about your late husband." Steven noticed the pained look on Elizabeth's face and immediately regretted mentioning it.
There were days Elizabeth thought if it weren't for Little Jack she would think her relationship and marriage to Jack had been a dream. It seemed so long ago and while her memories of him brought her happiness she recognized how much she let the pain of his death guide her decisions and not always in a good way. "Thank you Constable. I hope you'll enjoy Hope Valley. It's a very special place. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get cleaned up here so we're ready for church on Sunday."
Nathan and Steven made their way back to the office. "Does Mrs. Thornton have negative feelings toward Mounties after what she went through with her husband? Nathan thought that was a loaded question and wasn't sure where to begin answering it.
"That's an interesting question. I think she is still trying to work through the grief of losing her husband. She was courting Lucas Bouchard for a while but apparently that didn't work out." Nathan was silent about his relationship with Elizabeth.
Steven was surprise. "She was with the saloon owner? That's an unlikely combination isn't it?"
At that comment Nathan couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, very unlikely, which is probably why they are no longer together."
When they reached the office Nathan stepped inside just long enough to grab a large envelope that had been sitting on his desk. He told Steven he needed to get to an appointment but he'd be back soon.
Nathan stepped into the Coulter's office thankful to see both Lee and Rosemary at their desks. "Lee, do you have a minute?" Lee and Nathan had become friends over the last few months. They both enjoyed wood working and could talk about carving and furniture building at length. Lee knew what Nathan had been through because of Elizabeth's decisions and he felt bad for him. It was good to see him happy again now that Sarah had come into his life.
"Come on over Nathan. What have you got there?" Nathan pulled out the plans for his new home. Nathan reviewed them with Lee and shared his ideas with him. "Nathan, this is going to be beautiful but five bedrooms? That's a big house. How are you going to fill that?" Lee looked at Nathan with a mischievous grin on his face. Nathan felt the heat rising in his cheeks but tried to keep his focus on the plans.
"Lee can you work up the lumber and supplies I'll need to build this? I'd like to get started as soon as I can. I would love for it to be finished by spring." The excitement and anticipation in Nathan's voice was obvious. "Also, if you know of any men looking for extra work I'd like to talk to them. I know I can do a lot of this myself but with the change in my job responsibilities I think it's wise to hire some help." Lee assured Nathan he would get him a quote and also ask around about men looking for some side work.
Rosemary told Nathan that she thought it was important to run a story about his promotion. He told her he would agree but only if she included an introduction of their new Constable. "Absolutely we will do that. It will have to wait for next week's paper. I'm almost done with tomorrow's edition. How are things going with Sarah's offer to buy Dottie's?"
Nathan told Rosemary they were just waiting for the approval from the bank which was expected any day. Bill had read through Dottie's contract for Sarah and gave it his stamp of approval. Rosemary loved how excited Nathan got when he talked about Sarah. The man was surely in love and he didn't hide it.
Nathan pulled Rosemary aside. "Rosemary, I need your help with something." She directed him to the chair next to her desk. The two sat with their heads together for quite a while. Lee could see Rosemary becoming quite animated several times while Nathan sat quietly and listened to Rosemary. Though the office wasn't that large it was still hard to hear what they were talking about. After Nathan left Lee asked Rosemary what it was all about.
"You'll find out when you need to Lee Coulter." Lee thought Rosemary looked like a cat who'd eaten a canary. He had an idea what was going on but he knew that Rosemary would keep the secret, even from him.
Sarah got word late on Friday that her loan had been approved. She practically ran to the Nathan's office to tell him. She burst through the door and after taking a quick scan of the room saw that Nathan was alone. "I got it! Dottie's is mine!"
Nathan picked her up and spun her around. He was so proud of her. "I knew you could do it." Sarah told him she'd just signed all the papers and had sent the contract back to Dottie and done all the necessary money transfers. Nathan was as happy for Sarah as she was.
"You are such a remarkable woman. I love you so much." Nathan's eyes shined brightly. He leaned down to give Sarah a quick kiss but she pulled him to her holding him close.
"I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for believing in me." Sarah stood with her arms wrapped around Nathan's waist and the two stood there excited about all the changes in their lives.
Nathan spoke. "We have a lot to celebrate. Why don't you come to dinner at my house tomorrow night. I'll cook for you." Sarah looked at him skeptically. "Okay, well maybe Allie will cook and I'll help." Nathan smirked.
Sarah thought that sounded like a wonderful idea. She looked forward to spending an evening with the Grants. She offered to bring dessert but Nathan declined telling her to leave everything up to him.
Leaving Nathan's office she made her way over to the Coulter's office. She knew it was likely that Rosemary would still be there putting the final touches on tomorrow's edition of the Valley Voice. She walked in and saw Elizabeth sitting with Rosemary and looking rather downcast. "I'm so sorry to interrupt." Rosemary waved her in and told her she wasn't interrupting anything. "Rosemary, I just wanted to thank you for your encouragement. Everything has fallen into place and I'm the new owner of Dottie's.
"Oh Sarah, that's wonderful news." Rosemary hugged her friend. "I'm so happy it worked out."
Sarah could see that Elizabeth was a bit confused so explained what she was talking about. "Dottie wanted to sell the store here in Hope Valley and have me return to Union City to manage her other store. I couldn't leave so I made an offer to buy it and she accepted. I just got final approval today from the bank." Elizabeth was in awe of Sarah's courage to go into business by herself but also disappointed because she knew the reason Sarah couldn't leave Hope Valley. It was Nathan. Elizabeth wondered if there would ever be a day where she didn't regret the decisions she had made.