Chapter 61

The letter inviting parents to a meeting with the superintendent of the county school district outlined some of the changes that would be taking place but encouraged parents to attend a meeting where there would be a more thorough presentation and they could get their questions answered. After reading it Nathan walked over to Sarah's shop to ask if she would attend with him. Anna was the first person Nathan encountered when he entered. "Good morning Anna. I met your husband earlier this week. He was very helpful in our investigation."

"Yes, he mentioned you'd met. I hope you're getting closer to finding who the culprit is. Walter has been on edge never knowing when something else might happen."

"We're working on some different theories. So far it hasn't been any serious damage but we'd like to solve the case before it escalates. Is Sarah here?"

She just ran to the mercantile but she should be back soon. As soon as she said that the bell on the door rang and Nathan looked to see his beautiful bride-to-be walk in the door. "Oh, Nathan, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning. I'm sorry if you've been waiting long. I ran to the mercantile and popped into Rosemary's office to see how she's doing. She looks like it could be any time now. Did you finish the cradle?"

"You didn't keep me waiting at all and, yes, the cradle will ready to deliver tomorrow. Why don't you join me after work and we can take it together."

"Yes, I'll plan on bringing them dinner too. Poor Rosemary looks miserable."

Nathan handed Sarah the letter. "Here's the letter about the school meeting next week. It's asking all parents to attend. Would you go with me?"

"Of course I'll go with you. I want to know what changes we can expect next year. Actually, that reminds me of a conversation I've wanted to have with you." Sarah skimmed the letter.

"Conversation about what?" Nathan looked puzzled.

The front door opened and several women came in needing Sarah's attention. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk about it right now. Maybe we can we have dinner tonight? We have some wedding decisions to make too."

"Absolutely, I'll pick you up at seven." He gave her his "I wish I could kiss you but there are too many people around" smile and left her to her customers. He stopped at Lee's office to let him know he would be delivering the cradle the following day if that worked for him and Rosemary.

"We don't go anywhere these days except our offices and home. Rosie is so uncomfortable that by the end of the day she just wants to lie on the couch and put her feet up." Lee felt powerless to relieve his wife of her discomfort but did what he could to make it easier for her to manage.

At the Mountie office Steven was working through the list of fired employees trying to contact any that were still in the area. Of the six on the list three were still in town but happily working for Coulter lumber so seemed unlikely suspects. Looking back at the previous incidents they realized that all had happened on Saturday nights. "As much as I hate to say it, I think we're going to have to patrol Saturday night. I do not look forward to losing a night of sleep but it will be worth it if we can catch this guy." Nathan thought he was getting too old for all night stake outs but didn't want to leave Steven on his own. "I need to get going, I want to spend some time with Allie before I go to dinner with Sarah tonight. Hey, speaking of dinner, did you ever go out with Fiona again?"

Steven turned a shade of red that rivaled his serge. "Yes, we did."

Nathan waited for further explanation.

"You've heard of Murphy's law?" Steven's embarrassment was evident. He went on to explain that he'd taken Sarah's advice and came up with something different for their second date. Fiona had told him her brothers used to take her fishing so he invited her for a picnic and fishing at the pond.

"So far it doesn't sound so bad. So what went wrong? "

Steven continued. "We were getting set up at the pond and I took a step back not realizing how close I was to the water and I fell into the pond. Fortunately, it was only up to my knees but still an embarrassing way to start the date." Nathan was already trying to contain his laughter.

"Just wait, it gets better. When we finally were able to cast our lines they got tangled and it took twenty minutes to untangle them. Finally, we cast our lines again and I…" Steven stopped short of finishing his sentence.

"You what?" Nathan couldn't wait to hear the ending.

"I got my hook caught in Fiona's scalp." Steven was now not only as red as his jacket but shaking his head, still in disbelief that he'd been so stupid. "I had to take her to the infirmary and Faith had to remove it and give her five stitches."

Nathan couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "Well, that is certainly different than dinner at the café and much more memorable. What happened after Faith stitched her up?"

Steven perked up. "I took her home and helped her get settled. I told her I would understand if she never want to go out with me again. Surprisingly she said she would but I was never to take her fishing again."

"Well, I can understand that. Maybe next time we do a double date." Nathan looked at his watch. "I really need to get going. See you tomorrow."

Nathan got home just as Allie was finishing her homework. Archie was reading in the sitting room. Nathan sat down with her and offered his help, not that he could be much help with Allie's homework anymore. Allie had been invited to a sleepover at Opal's and Nathan told her she could go only if she made sure to get to work on time. "If you want your Uncle Bill to take you seriously you need to be professional about your work." Allie agreed and went upstairs to gather her things together. Nathan told Archie he was going to dinner with Sarah and offered to get him something to eat before leaving. Archie declined and said he would get something himself and probably go to bed early. He'd been working long hours at the house and it had taken a lot out of him.

Nathan walked Allie to Opal's and then made his way to Sarah's apartment. She let Nathan in and he immediately pulled her into his arms. He looked at her with adoring eyes before his lips hungrily found hers. It had been too long since they'd been alone together. She responded equally and they stood wrapped together until Sarah pulled back and leaned her forehead against his and regained her composure. "I think we better go to dinner or we may end up standing here all night."

"That wouldn't be so bad would it?" Nathan teased. Sarah swatted his arm and told him she had things to talk to him about at dinner. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

The café was crowded but they found a table toward the back. Bill came over and said hello before taking their order. While they waited for their dinner Sarah decided to broach the subject that had been on her mind. "I've been thinking about something for a while and when you brought me the letter for the parent meeting I thought it might be the right time to discuss it." Sarah reached for Nathan's hand. "Allie and I have talked about what she's going to call me after we're married." Sarah told him about the conversation she and Allie had the night of Gabe and Lillian's wedding. "She told me she called Colleen 'Mommy' and we agreed that should remain special between the two of them. We finally agreed on 'Mom'. What you would think if I really did become her mom? I would like to adopt Allie, formally. I want her to know that she is my daughter, our daughter, so when you and I have more children she will know she's just as much our child as her brothers and sisters will be."

Nathan lifted Sarah's hand to his lips. "I think you are amazing."

Sarah smiled at Nathan. "Before we talk to Bill about doing the paperwork I think we need to talk to Allie, Archie and your mother first. I don't want them to ever to think that I'm trying to replace Colleen. I know how important she was to all of you and I don't want her to ever be forgotten."

Nathan appreciated how much thought Sarah had put into their circumstance. She suggested they wait until after the wedding and the honeymoon to discuss it with Allie, Archie and Caroline. That would give Caroline time to get to know Sarah and hopefully feel more comfortable with the idea of her adopting Allie.

Bill brought their food and while they ate Nathan retold Steven's story about his fishing date with Fiona. Sarah was laughing so hard she could hardly eat. "Now I feel terrible for suggesting he do something different. Maybe I should have been more specific about what constitutes a good date. You're right, we owe them a double date. Maybe we can do that next weekend."

Nathan ordered dessert and offered to share it with Sarah but she refused telling him she had a wedding dress to fit into next month. While he ate she pulled out some paper and a pen and told him they needed to finalize their guest list. Both agreed they wanted it to be a small affair so the list was limited to their closest friends in Hope Valley and Nathan's family. Sarah also reminded Nathan he needed to get Lee his list of men for his bachelor dinner. Sarah had already spoken to Florence about her bridal tea and kept the list small as she preferred the intimacy of her closest friends rather than a large affair. Now that they had their guest list completed she could send out invitations and check something else off her to-do list.

Nathan finished his cake and coffee and told Sarah they had one more thing to decide. "Where are we going on our honeymoon? We need to make a decision so I can make arrangements." They had discussed a couple of places including Union City and Hamilton. Tonight Nathan had a different idea that he wanted to broach with Sarah. "We each have a week off after the wedding so what if we spend a few days in Vancouver and then come home and spend a few days in the house, just the two of us?"

Sarah was visibly relieved by Nathan's suggestion. She had been trying to figure out how they were going to get everything moved and settled on top of the wedding and leaving town for their honeymoon. "I have another idea. What if we spend the whole honeymoon at the house instead of going anywhere?"

Nathan balked at the idea. "Sarah, you deserve a honeymoon."

The more Sarah thought about the idea the more she liked it. "Nathan, please hear me out. It will be a honeymoon. We don't have to tell anyone we're there. We can tell them we're leaving town and then spend the whole week by ourselves in our new home. We will never have another opportunity to be in the house alone – at least until all of our children are grown and gone. We can spend a week relaxing, reading, you can go fishing, we'll sit by the creek together, have romantic dinners. Doesn't that sound heavenly?"

Nathan had to admit the thought of the two of them, alone in their new house for a week, sounded like a dream. "I don't want you to wake up one day and regret that you didn't get a real honeymoon."

"Nathan, this is a real honeymoon. All I want is for us to be together and I can't think of anything more perfect." Nathan noticed Sarah's cheeks turning red and asked what she was thinking. With slight hesitation she said "learning to live together presents its own unique challenges and I think it would be a good thing if we can make that adjustment privately, just the two of us."

"Well then I guess that's settled. But….no one should know we're there. I may tell have to tell Archie in case of an emergency but I know he'll keep our secret. I can arrange for most of the furniture to be moved to the house before the wedding. One more time, are you sure?"

"I am absolutely sure." Sarah couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be to have a week of uninterrupted time with Nathan; no place they had to be, no one they had to see, no work that had to be done, nothing but time together with no distractions.

Nathan walked Sarah home and they lingered at the door. He looked into her eyes noticing how luminous they were under the light. "Are you sure this is what you want for a honeymoon?"

Sarah reached up and laced her fingers through Nathan's hair and pulled him to her. Her kiss gave him his answer as she held on to him and didn't let go. "The only thing I've ever been surer of is my decision to marry you."