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If February was mild March was making up for it. One week into the month and it had snowed every day. Nathan was thankful that construction on the house had been ahead of schedule and the roof was on and windows in. From the outside it looked quite far along but the inside was still bare bones. Nathan felt the pressure to put more work into the house but the number of investigations he was juggling hindered his plans. He was thankful that so far he'd been able to work them from Hope Valley. Getting called away on a mission was the last thing he wanted right now.
On top of his official investigations he was still keeping an eye on Lucas Bouchard. Tom Hastings had gone back to Buxton the week before. The background check Nathan ran on him produced nothing but what you would find on any resume. He studied corporate law at University and specialized in employment law which explained his business with the factory. He wasn't sure what his business was with Lucas. Bill had reviewed the background check and didn't find anything unusual.
Nathan hadn't spoken with him again after he questioned him at the café but Tom had spoken to Sarah. Before he left town he made a point to go to the dress shop to say goodbye to her and congratulate her not only on the store but on her engagement to Nathan. He apologized for his anger when she broke off their engagement and his behavior when he arrived in Hope Valley. He admitted she had hurt him and his pride and seeing her again unexpectedly brought up some bad memories that he didn't handle well. He told her he could see that she was right where she belonged. Sarah thanked him and told her she was sorry for any pain she had caused him and hoped he was doing better.
Nathan shared his suspicions about Lucas with Steven and told him he had no proof Lucas was doing anything illegal but had learned a long time ago to follow his hunches. Steven told Nathan he would make a point of stopping into the Queen of Hearts more frequently to monitor activities there.
Nathan spoke with Mike and Fiona to see if they could offer any insight into what might be going on with Lucas but that only created more questions. Lucas told Nathan he'd put Mike in charge of Gowen Petroleum but Mike contradicted what Lucas said. Mike said he and Lucas talked about it but when Mike started working on the transition Lucas changed his mind. Mike told Nathan they'd lost quite a few employees to the new factory and none of them had been replaced. Fiona told a similar sounding story that she'd scouted investors for the pipeline project but Lucas put the project on hold. She also told Nathan she was no longer working with Gowen Petroleum. Lucas decided her services were no longer needed. Lucas was doing the books himself and while no one had missed a paycheck there had been delays in getting them recently. The last thing Mike said raised the biggest red flag for Nathan. He told him that the derrick which had started on fire last spring still hadn't been repaired though he knew the insurance company had paid the claim months ago.
Just as the weather started to improve and Nathan thought he could get some work done on the house he was called away to Union City to provide updates on several of his investigations. He would be leaving in the morning and not returning until late Friday. Nathan hated the idea of being away but was thankful it was just meetings and not a mission. At least there was an end date to the trip.
The store had kept Sarah busy and the new lines they were carrying were bringing in more business than she expected. It kept Clara and Anna very busy, so much that Sarah was looking for another seamstress. Clara's due date was less than six weeks away and she knew Anna couldn't manage the workload by herself. Sarah ran ads in the Valley Voice and had Anna talk with her friends out in Hope Meadows to see if there were any who had experience as a seamstress. Sarah needed someone with sewing experience more than sales experience. She could manage the customers but knew her limits when it came to seamstress work. Sarah had a great deal of respect for Clara and Anna's talents when it came to creating beautiful clothing.
She had seen pictures from Clara and Jesse's wedding and she knew she wanted Clara to design her wedding gown. Anna was going to sew it for her since Clara's baby would have arrived by then. Rosemary also wanted input into the design and between the three of them Sarah knew they would create a gown that would make her feel every bit the beautiful bride. Sarah felt so fortunate to have these women in her life and she wanted to do something special for Clara and Rosemary. She asked Anna what she thought about throwing them a baby shower. Anna thought it was a wonderful idea and, though she didn't know Rosemary very well, Sarah and Clara had nothing but wonderful things to say about her. Sarah knew they didn't have a lot of time to organize it so she quickly worked up a list of women she knew should be invited and knew she had to have Elizabeth on the list. It had been weeks since Elizabeth had her conversation with Nathan at his office and Sarah had seen her at church and at the mercantile several times. Elizabeth was always pleasant as was Sarah. Knowing how close she was to Rosemary and Clara, Sarah thought Elizabeth might want to help plan the shower and debated whether it was a good idea or not. In the end she decided to ask her. Sarah was on her way to Rosemary's office when she saw Nathan walking in her direction. His walk was purposeful and he appeared preoccupied when he finally lifted his head and saw her walking toward him. The concentration on his face broke into his lopsided grin. "Where are you headed?" she asked.
"I was coming to see you. I have to leave in the morning for Union City for a few days. I just wanted to let you know. He stood holding her hand and his thumb played with the engagement ring he'd placed there almost two months ago. "I'm sorry, I tried to put off the trip but I couldn't anymore."
"Nathan, you don't have to apologize to me for doing your job. You know I'll miss you but I have lots to keep me busy and that will make the week pass that much faster." Sarah gave Nathan a reassuring smile. "Why don't you let Archie and Allie know I'll bring dinner over Wednesday night. It would be nice to spend some time with them. "
Nathan looked at her thoughtfully then gave her a sweet kiss. "What did I do to deserve you?"
Sarah wove one hand through Nathan's black locks smoothing them back and looked intently into his beautiful eyes. "I don't know. All I know is that I love you very much." She pulled his lips to hers and kissed him quickly but passionately. "I will be here waiting to welcome you home."
Dazed momentarily from the intensity of Sarah's kiss Nathan finally whispered in her ear. "Soon you will be able to welcome me back in our own home." Smiling Nathan tipped his hat to her and took off to get Allie.
Sarah continued to Rosemary's office with red cheeks and they weren't because of the temperature outside. Rosemary noticed it as soon as she opened the door. "Did someone see our fine Deputy Inspector out on the street?"
Sarah laughed. "I can't help it. He has that effect on me."
"Don't you worry you don't need to explain anything to me." Lee could still make Rosemary feel that way. "What can I help you with? Do you need to place another ad for a seamstress?"
"Yes, actually I do, but that's not why I came in. I want to throw a baby shower for you and Clara. Are you okay having one together?"
"Oh Sarah, that would be lovely. Clara is like a sister to me so being pregnant at the same time has been a blessing and to share a baby shower makes it perfect." Rosemary's hands went to her rapidly expanding belly. "I can't believe we're getting so close to this little one's due date!"
"I have another idea I want to run by you." Rosemary noticed Sarah's hesitancy. "I think I would like to ask Elizabeth to help me plan it. I know she's good friends with both you and Clara. "
Rosemary didn't hide her astonishment. She knew what had happened between Elizabeth and Nathan so Sarah wanting to plan the shower with her was unexpected. "Well, I would say I'm surprised. Don't get me wrong, I love Elizabeth and I know she's gone through a very difficult time but she certainly hasn't made life easy for you."
"I know, it sounds crazy, especially to me, but I keep thinking about what people say about Hope Valley. We give people second chances. In this case it's more like a third or fourth chance but I can't imagine she wouldn't want to be part of it. She may say no but I can at least ask her." Sarah waited for Rosemary's answer.
"I think it's a very kind thing for you to do. You're right, she may say no but I hope she sees it as opportunity to reconnect with the women in town. With Sarah feeling resolute in her decision she headed back to work.
Nathan made it to Union City the following day and went directly to Mountie Headquarters. On the train he'd reviewed everything he had related to Lucas Bouchard trying to understand where his suspicions were coming from. On one hand, Nathan never fully trusted Lucas and after hearing from Mike and Fiona what had been going on and how it differed from what Lucas told him, he knew there was good reason for his suspicions. The first thing Nathan did at headquarters was track down his friend Jason Wells who was also an inspector. He and Nathan had worked a few cases and Nathan knew he could trust him to be discreet. Nathan turned over the notes he'd made about his questions regarding Lucas and his business dealings and passed them off to Jason asking him to see what he could find out. He made it clear that he had no proof that Lucas was doing anything illegal but had nagging suspicions. Nathan knew he had to tread lightly.
Nathan's days were a series of meetings and briefings. He'd been able to call home on Wednesday during a morning break. He wanted to catch Sarah at the store before she had the afternoon off. The sound of her voice always lifted his spirits. She was picking up Allie at school and going home with her to make dinner for the three of them. Nathan wished he could be there with them. "Say hello to them for me. I miss you all but should be back in Hope Valley Friday evening." Sarah let him know she would be ready to welcome him home.
Sarah loaded up her basket with everything she needed for dinner. Tonight they were going to have roast chicken and all the fixings. Sarah knew Archie was a meat and potatoes guy. He'd been gaining weight steadily since he'd been in Hope Valley but Sarah was concerned he still wasn't where he needed to be in his recovery. The three months he'd committed to with Nathan and Allie were almost over and Sarah wanted to talk to Nathan about trying to convince Archie to stay in town. The house they were building had plenty of room for him and she knew they would all feel better if he was close enough for them to take care of him if needed.
Sarah approached the school and waited for the familiar sound of the bell. Watching the doors open she saw Elizabeth step outside. Allie came from school surrounded by her friends and asked if she could go to Emily's for a while. Emily assured Sarah it was okay with her mom. Sarah agreed and looked forward to the day, not too far in the future, when Allie would be asking her if it was okay to have friends over after school. The thought put a smile on Sarah's face. Elizabeth had retreated back into the school so Sarah headed up the stairs and knocked softly on the door. Elizabeth turned from her desk to see Sarah. "Oh hello, is there something I can help you with?" Elizabeth was surprised to see Sarah and curious as to what she wanted. She was sure Nathan had told Sarah about their conversation at the Mountie office, he wouldn't keep that from her. Since then Elizabeth and Sarah had been cordial to each other, which, Elizabeth thought, was more than she probably deserved. She hoped Sarah wasn't there to discuss the day that she was still trying to erase from her memory.
"Elizabeth, I'm planning a baby shower for Clara and Rosemary and I was just wondering if you would like to host it with me. I know they are both very good friends of yours." Sarah waited for Elizabeth to process what she'd said and respond.
"Really?" It was the last thing Elizabeth would have expected. "I would like that very much. Thank you for asking." Elizabeth's face softened and while she was surprised she also felt encouraged by Sarah's kindness.
"That's wonderful. Let's meet at the café Saturday morning at say eleven and we can get started." Sarah gave Elizabeth a brief smile. "I really have to get going. I'm on my way to make dinner for Allie and Archie. Have a good evening Elizabeth."