Chapter 60

Lee and Nathan spent Sunday afternoon at the saw mill working on the cradle for the baby. The craftsman in Nathan felt like a kid in a candy store walking through Lee's warehouse full wood just waiting to be crafted into a piece of something useful. They selected the necessary pieces for their project. He brought some of his tools with him and together they cut the pieces they needed and started assembling. Nathan told Lee he had a natural instinct when it came to working with wood and between the two of them the cradle came together quickly. Nathan discovered Lee was quite talkative when he was on his own and they had a lot in common including the loss of a sibling. Lee had lost his brother Patrick as a little boy but told Nathan it still influenced his approach to life, even today.

"I put off reading the final chapter of the book I was reading to Patrick thinking I could finish it the following day. I didn't get that chance. He was gone in the morning." Lee spoke softly when he talked about Patrick. "I know that tomorrow is never promised to anyone so we have to make every day count."

Nathan could relate to what Lee was saying. "My sister passed when Allie was four. She had been sick so we knew it was coming but it was still a shock when it happened. I still miss her, she was my confidant."

Lee put his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "We all wish we had another day. I spent a lot of years avoiding the aftermath of Patrick's death. I missed my father's funeral because I was running away from all the pain. I just recently reconciled with my sister but we lost a lot of years together. If I've learned anything it's to appreciate the here and now. I don't waste time with regrets and what ifs and I try every day to show Rosemary not only how much I love her but how much I appreciate her."

By the end of the afternoon the cradle was ready for finishing. Nathan said "Lee, I think you remember much more from working with your grandfather than you thought. Maybe we should start a side business." Lee proudly admired the work they'd done together.

"Well, I can't thank you enough for your help. I owe you a huge favor in return." Nathan told Lee he was going to take him up on that offer when it came time for the wedding.

Nathan and Lee loaded the cradle into Lee's car so they could get it to Nathan's house. He was going to put the finishing touches on it before they gave it to Rosemary.

Sarah was at Nathan's helping Allie with her math homework as she got ready for end of year exams. Seeing his girls working together at the table and the smell of roast for dinner had Nathan anticipating the life they would soon share together.

As they ate Nathan gave an update on his mother's upcoming visit. "She's planning to come for a month which sounds like a long time but it would be two weeks before the wedding, the week of our honeymoon and a week after we've moved into the new house."

Sarah thought about the time she was going to have with her new mother-in-law. "We'll be fine Nathan. I think she should stay for a month. She's never been to Hope Valley and it's been a long time since she's seen you and Allie. I want her to have all the time she needs. Maybe Allie would like to sleep over a few nights at my apartment. I'll have to work the first week she's here so we'll have to find some things for her to do. Maybe she'll want to spend some time with me at the store."

Nathan was thankful for Sarah's eagerness to spend time with his mother. He had been praying daily that his mother and his future wife would form a strong bond.

Archie sat quietly while they discussed Caroline's upcoming visit. "You're very quiet dad. What are you thinking?"

"It's been a very long time since your mother and I have seen each other and we didn't part on good terms. I don't want to be a distraction during her time here."

"I understand that dad. Mom knows you've been with us for quite a while and that it will be impossible for you to avoid each other. You know Lee said something today that keeps coming back to me. He said don't waste time on regrets and what ifs. I think there's some healing that's possible for both of you if that's what you want."

"Son, if I could erase all the pain I caused your mother I would. I just don't want my presence to be a constant reminder of it nor do I want it to be a black cloud hanging over your wedding."

Nathan knew the meeting between his parents would likely be difficult and he hoped he would know the right words to say to make it easier for all of them. The Grant family had experienced so much pain over the years and Nathan hoped that the wedding could be a fresh start for all of them.

Steven was already at his desk on Monday when Nathan arrived. There had been another report of vandalism at the factory on Saturday night. Several windows had been broken but it didn't appear anyone had gotten into the building. Nathan wondered what their security people were doing that would allow three different incidents with the claim they hadn't seen anything.

The two decided a trip out to the factory was in order and a conversation was needed with the plant manager, Grayson Briggs. Nathan had spoken to him after the first incident. When Nathan and Steven arrived they walked the perimeter of the building and found the windows that had been broken. What seemed odd was that there was no pattern to the damage. The first reported damage was paint that had been thrown onto the side of the building. The second incident had someone taking an axe to the side of the building destroying a large section of the exterior wall. This time it was broken windows. Nathan and Steven were escorted into Grayson Brigg's office where the dominant feature was a large window that looked out on the production floor. Nathan watched with fascination as each worker did their part on the production line. Grayson Briggs commented that it was quite mesmerizing to watch. "Each person knows exactly what they're supposed to do and if one person misses the mark the entire line breaks down." Nathan turned and took a good look at Briggs. Nathan thought Lucas Bouchard wore the nicest suits in town until now. He was dressed in a charcoal grey three piece suit with a watch chain dangling from his vest pocket. His white shirt was heavily starched and fitted to his lean but muscular frame that stood a couple of inches shorter than Nathan. Briggs bow tie sat perfectly straight on his neck and his blonde hair had a smattering of white streaking through it which made Nathan think he was a little older than he was.

"Mr. Briggs we wanted to follow up on the most recent vandalism to your building. It seems it is becoming more than a random act or two. Can you think of anyone who might have a grudge against the company or anyone here?"

"Please call me Grayson. I can't think of anyone. We haven't been open long enough for there to be too many complaints. I think we pay a fair wage and treat our employees well."

"What about former employees? Anyone get fired that might not have handled it well?" Briggs couldn't think of anyone but referred them to Walter Simpson, the manager in charge of employees. Nathan hadn't met Simpson but, for some reason, thought the name sounded familiar.

Walter Simpson was as tall as Nathan but even more slender. His suit, which could easily have swallowed him up, wasn't expensive but was perfectly tailored as though made specifically for him. He wore round, wire rimmed glasses that made his eyes look larger than they really were and when he tried to sweep his stick straight hair to one side it immediately returned to cover his forehead. A spattering of freckles across his nose made him look much younger than Nathan thought he was. Shaking his hand, Nathan was aware of how much rougher his hand was than the fair, smooth skin of Walter Simpson. Nathan introduced himself. "I'm Deputy Inspector Nathan Grant and this is Constable Steven Andrews. We just have a few questions about the incidents that have been reported." Nathan looked at Walter and tried to think what was familiar about him. "Have we met before?"

Walter smiled and told him they had not but he knew of Nathan. "We haven't met but I'm familiar with you. My wife Anna works for Sarah Crawford." She has made mention of you stopping by the store from time to time. Now Nathan made the connection. Sarah had mentioned Anna's last name once or twice. Walter continued. "I have to tell you how much Anna enjoys working at the shop and working for Sarah." Nathan thanked him and told him the feeling was mutual for Sarah and she was always extolling the talents of Anna and Betsy and how she couldn't run the shop without them.

"I'm not sure I have much information that can help you but I'm here to answer any questions you have." Simpson took a seat behind his desk and asked the two Mounties to have a seat also.

"We're wondering if there have been any recently fired or disgruntled employees that may want to make trouble."

Simpson thought about it for a moment and started rifling through some files on his desk. "We've not had to fire too many people but I can get you a list of those names and their last known addresses. I do have a few that have made complaints of one type or another. We do our best to address concerns quickly but we can't satisfy everyone."

As Walter made out his list Nathan asked if it would be possible to interview those working today.

"I'm happy to accommodate you in any way I can. The sooner this situation gets resolved the better for everyone." Walter showed them to a room where they could meet in private and arranged for each person on the list to come and talk with Nathan and Steven.

By late afternoon they had interviewed eight men. Six of them had alibis for the time in question and the two that didn't lived alone and judging by their age and physical condition it was doubtful they could have produced the damage that had been seen. Once they'd done what they could they thanked Walter and told him they would keep him apprised of any developments.

By the time they got back to the office it was after five. Steven had to head out on his rounds as daylight was quickly fading. Nathan took Newton back to the livery and got him settled for the night. Walking back to his house he saw Elizabeth up ahead coming from the direction of the school. Though exhausted from his long day, Nathan had been trying to find a time to apologize to Elizabeth for his outburst after the baby shower. It was against his nature to throw out accusations with no proof and he regretted his behavior. This was the first time he'd seen her alone so decided it was as good a time as any. He called her name and waited to see if she would stop and wait for him.

"Hello Elizabeth, you're getting home late tonight."

"Yes, there is a lot to do before the end of the school year not to mention the upcoming parent meeting about the school transition. Is there something I can help you with? Does Allie need anything?" Elizabeth did her best to maintain distance between them but stood fully aware of Nathan in his uniform. From the first time Elizabeth had seen Nathan in his red serge he served as a beacon drawing her eyes to him and she found herself unable to look away. Her cheeks became flushed as she remembered the day she warmed his serge by the fire and helped him put it on, smoothing the material across his muscular shoulders and buttoning it for him. The memory made her lose her train of thought for a brief moment. Nathan removed his hat and stood twirling it in his hands.

"No, Allie's fine. Sarah's been helping her with math in preparation of her end of year exams." Elizabeth cringed inwardly thinking of how she used to be the one that Allie turned to for extra help in her subjects. "I just wanted to say," Nathan shifted his feet and breathed a heavy sigh, "I want to say I'm sorry for how I spoke to you after the baby shower."

Elizabeth recalled the anger Nathan had spewed at her that day. She still had no idea what was behind it. "Thank you Nathan. Can you tell me what you thought I did that deserved the way you spoke to me, especially in front of Jack?" Her voice took on a slight confrontational tone and at the end of this long day Nathan wasn't up to an explanation nor did he want to get into it with her.

"Let's just say I jumped to conclusions and I was wrong and for that I am sorry." Elizabeth didn't know what to say. "Listen Elizabeth, it's been a long day and Allie is expecting me for dinner. Have a good evening." He strode away leaving her standing in the road still wondering what had caused his anger and knowing she would probably never find out.

The house smelled heavenly when he walked inside and he took a moment to look around at the cozy home they had made in the row house. Soon they would be moving to the new house and while he was excited to build new memories there with Sarah, he would miss the first place he and Allie had ever called home. Nathan immediately removed his jacket and hung it by the door. He unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt and then pulled the suspenders off his shoulders and let them hang. He sat down to remove his boots and thought to himself that while the Mountie uniform looked distinguished it was incredibly uncomfortable. Allie came running down the steps to welcome her dad home. Nathan asked. "What's on the stove that smells so delicious?"

"I made beef stew and homemade biscuits. Nathan pulled her onto his lap like he did when she was a little girl and realized she was getting too big to do this. He gave her a hug and told him how thankful he was for her. "Are you okay dad? You sound more tired than usual."

"I'm fine sweet girl. Just a long day and I ended it with a conversation with Mrs. Thornton that didn't go as easily as I hoped it would."

"What did she say to you this time?" Allie was immediately defensive when it came to her dad and her teacher.

"It wasn't like that. Remember when Sarah was upset after the baby shower?" Allie nodded. "Well I accused Mrs. Thornton of being the cause of it before I had all the facts and I wasn't very nice to her. I saw her on my way home and I knew I owed her an apology. She thought I should give her more of an explanation than what I did."

Allie put her hand on Nathan's cheek. "Dad, the important thing is you apologized. It's up to her whether to accept it or not. And, let's be honest, she probably owes you lots of apologies that will never be made."

Nathan smiled at his daughter who was sounding wise beyond her years. "Wait a minute, who's the parent here, you or me?"

Allie laughed. "You are. I'm just saying what you would if the situation was reversed."

Nathan kissed her forehead. "I'm not sure how I did it but I raised a very smart young woman. Now, get your grandpa and let's eat. I'm starving."