Sarah looked at the calendar she had hanging over her desk. Nathan had been gone for a full week. She remembered the morning he left stopping by her apartment very early to say goodbye. She put her fingers to her mouth remembering his kiss that was supposed to last until he returned. Unlike his trip to Union City this absence had no end date. It just depended on when they could solve the case. She told him to be careful and come back to her as soon as he could. Her heart ached every time she thought about him. This was the longest they'd been apart and she had to admit that she didn't like it but she knew part of loving a Mountie was respecting what he had to do and being supportive of him. She looked forward to his afternoon phone calls and on the days he didn't call her concern grew until she heard from him again. She used the time while he was gone to get ahead with work so she could take time off before and after the wedding. She also spent time with Allie and Archie. Allie had come by after school to get fitted for her maid of honor dress. The smile on her face was enough to tell Sarah that she loved it. "Miss Sarah, it's even more beautiful than my Christmas dress." Sarah's heart swelled at the realization that in two months she was going to be Allie's mother. They had started talking about what it would be like once they were a family and Allie had admitted that she was nervous. Sarah shared her own apprehension which made Allie feel better. They agreed to take it one day at a time and do their best to be patient with each other.

One thing that hung heavy over the wedding plans was that Nathan's mother still hadn't committed to attending. Sarah knew how important it was to Nathan and Allie to have her there so she decided to take a risk and write to her. When Nathan talked about his mother it was clear that, not only did he love her, he admired her for the strength and determination she showed after Archie left. Caroline Grant was suddenly thrust into the role of sole provider for her family. Raising two teenagers, working, and managing a home couldn't have been easy and Sarah respected what she had accomplished. Allie was the only one who knew that she was writing to her and it was only because Sarah needed Caroline's address. Sarah thought about what she'd written in her note and prayed it would convince her future mother-in-law to come for the wedding.

Dear Mrs. Grant,

We haven't met yet but from what Nathan has told me about you I feel like we have. I want to tell you I have never known a man as loving, kind, selfless, and honorable as your son Nathan. I know that he inherited these traits from you and I thank you for raising him into the man he is. Please know I love your son and your granddaughter more than anything else in this world. They are the most important people in my life and I will do my best every day to make sure they know that.

I hope you are able to come to Hope Valley for our wedding. Nathan, Allie & I very much want you to be here. Our day won't be complete without you and we will do everything we can to make your stay in Hope Valley memorable.

Fondly, Your future daughter-in-law

Sarah Crawford

Sarah hoped for a response but still hadn't heard back from Caroline. Sarah had seen a couple of pictures of Caroline Grant at Nathan's house. Sarah could see she was a lovely woman who had the same stray lock of hair that fell across her forehead as her son had. She saw Nathan's smile in his mother's. Colleen was also in the pictures and the resemblance to Allie was uncanny. It made sense why Nathan could sometimes be seen watching Allie with a distant look in his eyes. It would be hard not to think of Colleen when looking at her.

Allie had asked Sarah to take her up to the house so they could see how much work had been done so on her afternoon off she drove over to school to pick her up. She stood by the car as she heard the familiar sound of the bell indicating the end of the school day. Sarah waved to Allie as she came out of the building with her friends. She also saw Elizabeth watching from her perch at the top of the stairs. Sarah hadn't spoken to Elizabeth since the baby shower and decided that for her own well-being she needed to keep her distance. She saw Elizabeth give her a little wave and Sarah returned it with a slight nod but quickly turned her attention to Allie.

The drive up to the house didn't take as long as Sarah expected. She and Allie couldn't believe how much Archie and his crew had accomplished at the house. The interior walls had all been painted and the kitchen was taking shape with the appliances in place and the cabinets under construction. Allie and Sarah moved around the kitchen planning how they were going to organize their dishes, pots and pans. Allie couldn't contain her excitement when she saw the bathroom. Sarah reminded her that there were three other people who would need to use it and she had to share. They explored the rest of the house including Allie's bedroom and the creek where they knew they would spend many happy hours fishing. Allie asked where they were going to have the wedding but Sarah wasn't sure. "We'll have to wait for your dad to come up and help us figure that out. They had agreed that it was to be a casual day with guests sitting on hay bales during the ceremony and the wedding dinner was going to be picnic fare that could easily be eaten sitting on blankets on the ground. One thing that Nathan didn't want to forego from a traditional reception was the dancing. Lee and Rosemary had agreed to provide their Victrola and their many records. She looked around their land and could almost picture the day which was coming very soon but not soon enough for her.

Sarah stopped by the store before going to Nathan's to make dinner for Allie and Archie. She quickly went through the mail and saw a small envelope addressed to her with the name Grant on the return address. Knowing it must be Nathan's mother Sarah opened it with a nervous hand.

My dear Sarah,

I am sorry it has taken me so long to give you and Nathan an answer about the wedding. It is not my intention to cause additional stress to either of you. Thank you for your kind words about Nathan. He has been a blessing to me his whole life but never more than when we lost our dear Colleen. I am very happy he has found a woman who has captured his heart. I know he is a wonderful father to our Allie and I am so happy that she will have a mother figure in you. I am happy to say that I will be coming to Hope Valley for the wedding. We can talk about arrangements as the date gets closer. I look forward to meeting you very soon.

Fondly,

Caroline Grant

Caroline had slipped a small piece of paper with her measurements into the envelope as Sarah had requested. Sarah slipped the note back inside and held the envelope to her heart saying a silent prayer of thanks. She was so glad she'd followed her instincts and ordered a dress for Caroline. Anna and Betsy could alter it to fit her measurements and they would do a final fitting when she arrived. Sarah decided to wait for Nathan to return before telling him about his mother's decision but she knew he would be happy and relieved that his mother would be at the wedding.

Following dinner Archie, Allie and Sarah sat around the kitchen table talking about the new house and everything they needed to get moved up to it. It was going to be quite the process between The Grant house and Sarah's apartment.

All three turned when they heard the scrape of boots out on the porch. Allie was up and rushing to the door just as it opened and she threw herself into Nathan's arms almost knocking him over. "Hey, sweet girl, that's quite the welcome." Nathan looked up at Sarah whose face was awash with relief. Nathan stood up and hugged Sarah, wishing he could kiss her like he did before leaving. He saw Allie and Archie watching him so instead pressed his lips to Sarah's forehead and whispered in her ear "I missed you so much and I couldn't be happier to see you here."

Sarah took comfort in Nathan's arms and told him how thankful she was to have him home. "You must be starving. Did you eat while you were gone? You look too thin." Sarah rushed to the stove to get Nathan a plate of food. As he ate he filled them in on the case he'd just been working on. Allie asked how many bad guys they arrested.

"Well there were three bad guys but there was also a bad girl we arrested." Nathan noticed Allie's eyes grow larger. "It seems this young lady had fallen for one of the men we arrested and she got mixed up in their crimes. Unfortunately she is now sitting in jail also waiting for her trial. It just goes to show you have to be careful who you associate with."

Allie rolled her eyes at Nathan. "Dad, I'm not associating with any criminals, just Robert and Paul and they aren't going to start robbing anyone's houses."

"Well that is reassuring." Nathan got up to put his dish in the sink and ruffled Allie's hair on his way just as he'd been doing since she was little. Allie would have minded but she'd missed her dad so much that she let it go.

It was getting late so Nathan offered to drive Sarah home. She asked him if they could walk instead and he happily obliged. Walking arm in arm they just appreciated the closeness of being together again. Sarah put on a kettle for tea and they sat together catching up from their time apart. Sarah filled in Nathan on the news that Lee Coulter bought the Gowen Petroleum office for the Valley Voice office. The other big news was that an anonymous donor had purchased the library and given it to the town. The rumor was that Elizabeth had written to her father and asked him to buy the building but that hadn't been confirmed.

Sarah handed Nathan the letter she'd received from his mother. "There's one other thing I need to share with you. I wrote to your mother asking her to please come for the wedding. I thought she might make a decision if I invited her personally. I just heard back from her today."

Nathan opened the note and read through it. The smile that stretched across his face told Sarah he was happy with his mother's response. "This is wonderful news and I'm so relieved that she's coming. Now I feel like our day will be complete."

Sarah told him she and Allie had been at the house earlier in the day and that they needed to go up together and start to make plans for the wedding. Nathan said he had the next several days off since he'd just done a long stretch and he was going to use it to work on the house. He and Sarah decided they would go up on Sunday after church and make some plans. Nathan noticed Sarah stifle a yawn and realized it was time to go. "Only two months until we don't have to say goodbye to each other at the end of the day. I think about that a lot Sarah." Nathan stroked Sarah's cheek and kissed her softly.

The drive up to the house on Sunday was filled with anticipation. It was the first time all four of them would be at the house together and would give them a glimpse into their future together. Nathan had been busy during his few days off. The kitchen was finished and exactly what Sarah and Allie had asked for but the most impressive change was the wall of bookshelves Nathan had built in the living room. Sarah hoped they had enough books to fill it. She ran her hand over the smooth, polished wood and pictured her father's collection on the shelves her husband built and knew her father would approve. She was sad he wouldn't be there to give her away but she trusted that both her parents would be present in spirit on their wedding day. Nathan saw Sarah's far-away look and asked her what she was thinking.

"I'm just thinking how much my father would have liked you and how he would have loved that his book collection has such a special place in our home. You really are remarkable Nathan." Sarah wrapped her arms around him smiling up at him.

"I know it's hard not having your father and mother here. I would have liked to have known them and thanked them for you." Nathan was thankful that he still had both of his parents and they would both be at the wedding. He thought there must be something they could do to honor Sarah's parents at the wedding but he needed to think about it before sharing it with Sarah.

After a picnic lunch the four started mapping out the arrangements for the wedding. Allie was full of ideas and not afraid to share them. Nathan and Sarah realized that she was anticipating the wedding day as much as they were. They stood arm in arm listening to Allie as she told them how they should set everything up. It did their hearts good to see her excitement and Sarah could see Allie's vision for the day. "Allie I love your ideas. You've put a lot of thought into this. Thank you." Sarah hugged Allie not sure she could have loved her any more than she did at that moment.