Nathan yawned and took another swig of the strong black coffee he was drinking to help him wake up. After the lack of sleep he experienced over the weekend he was still trying to catch up.
The week started with an appearance before Judge Avery with Gray Briggs and Peter Evans. Nathan and Steven both attended as arresting officers. Gray's father was there in the front row to support his son and Peter as well since Peter's parents didn't live close by. Nathan talked to Bill about the situation before the hearing started and gave him the background. Bill could see that Nathan had become more invested in the case than he normally allowed himself but given the father-son relationship at the root of it he understood. He was one of the few people aware of his father's history. Ultimately he released both boys to Grayson Briggs. Gray would have to pay restitution and both had to do community service. He also required that they both find jobs in the next thirty days. If they fulfilled those requirements their records would be cleared. Nathan saw the relief that washed over both boys' faces when they realized they were getting a second chance. Gray approached him after and thanked him. Nathan encouraged him to keep talking to his dad and he was free to come and see him anytime he wanted to talk with someone else.
From his perch in front of the Mountie office Nathan watched Mr. Landis out for his morning walk. He was in town for the parent meeting taking place that evening. It would be impossible to fit everyone in the schoolhouse so it was being held at the saloon. He wasn't sure what to expect from the meeting. Many parents were starting to complain that the overcrowding at the school was negatively impacting their kids so they were anxious to hear what was planned. Some parents were concerned what would happen to Elizabeth's position if they brought in additional teachers. Nathan was thankful that Sarah was attending the meeting with him since she planned to be more involved in school once they were married and she adopted Allie. He continued to drop off and pick up Allie when he could, but he stayed away from the dealings of school unless it pertained to Allie specifically.
Sarah had promised Allie that she could go with her when she took dinner to the Coulter's so she picked her up from school to go to Nathan's to prepare enough dinner for both families. Seeing Sarah driving around town had become commonplace and nobody was surprised to see her driving between town and the row houses. Allie came running down the school stairs excited that Sarah picked her up in the car.
"How was your day?"
Allie told her they were in the middle of end of year exams and she was a little worried about her math exam the following day. "I think I'm ready for it but I just want to do well to prove that I belonged in the advanced class."
"Allie, I have no doubt that you will do well and from what I've seen you definitely belonged in that class. Why don't we review some more while I make dinner before we go to the Coulter's?"
Allie thought that would be helpful and as they drove to the house she pictured the future with Sarah as her mother. When her dad started seeing Miss Sarah and then courting her he asked Allie how she felt about it. All Allie had wanted was for him to be happy again and when Miss Sarah came into his life he was definitely happier. "You know what I just realized Miss Sarah?"
"What's that?"
"In a few weeks I get to start calling you mom." Allie sounded very happy about that.
Allie's comment caught Sarah off guard and she felt tears sting her eyes. "That is true. It will be here before we know it. Your grandmother will be here a week from tomorrow. Are you excited to see her?"
Allie and Sarah carried everything in the house and continued the conversation. "I am I haven't seen her since before we moved to Hope Valley. I'm trying to remember things about her but sometimes it's hard. I remember that she was a really good cook and she would let me help in the kitchen like you do."
"Well, I'm looking forward to meeting her but, honestly, I'm a bit nervous. I hope she likes me." Sarah hadn't admitted that to too many people and as much as Nathan reassured her she still didn't know what to expect from his mother.
Allie approached Sarah and put her arms around her waist. "Miss Sarah, I don't think you should worry. You're easy to like."
Sarah kissed the top of Allie's head. "Thank you Allie, that means a lot to me." Sarah got started on dinner while Allie worked on her studies occasionally asking Sarah for help. Sarah cooked and quizzed Allie on her math until Archie got home. "Where have you been Archie?"
"Oh, I'm just working on a few things Nathan asked me to do at the house. It really is beautiful up there this time of year. The wildflowers are everywhere and just starting to bloom. The creek is full and flowing fast. Pretty soon we're going to need to start packing up for the move." Archie sounded excited and it was good to hear that in his voice. It had taken him much longer to regain his strength after his treatments than anyone expected.
Once dinner was ready Sarah and Allie made their way to the Coulter's. Lee opened the door and welcomed them in. Sarah said she hoped it was okay to bring Allie but she was too excited and couldn't wait to see the babies. Putting the food on the table Sarah walked over to the cradle and saw that both babies fit perfectly inside, at least for now. Rosemary came downstairs and thanked Sarah for dinner and for staying by her side during the delivery. "I didn't hurt your hand too much did I?
"No, I'm fine. How have the first few days been?" Sarah inquired.
Rosemary and Lee looked at each other and laughed. "Well, we're trying to get used to managing on a couple hours of sleep at a time and I never imagined how many diapers a baby could go through in a day and we're doubling it with two of them, but I wouldn't trade it for the world." Rosemary gushed.
"What did you name them?
Lee picked up his son who was looking up at his daddy with wide eyes. "This is Thomas Patrick. Allie, would you like to hold him?"
Allie nodded her head eagerly, sat down on the couch and held out her hands. Lee reminded her to support his head. She couldn't stop looking at him and commented how tiny everything was, his nose, his ears, and his hand which had escaped the blanket and wrapped itself around Allie's finger. "He's so strong!" Allie exclaimed. "I think we're going to be very good friends Thomas."
Lee then picked up his sweet baby girl and handed her to Sarah. This is Frances Jane. Sarah couldn't get over how much different they looked just since Saturday. "They are precious."
Rosemary laughed again. "You may not think that if you were here at two in the morning when they are both crying." Sarah knew Rosemary wasn't complaining. She looked just as radiant today as she did the night she gave birth.
"What can we do to help?" Sarah knew one baby was a lot, she couldn't imagine two.
"We're doing pretty well for now but Lee's niece, Rachel, is going to come and stay with us for a while. She stayed with us last year and worked with me at the dress shop."
Rosemary asked Sarah if she was ready for her future mother-in-law to come visit. "I think so, I've cleaned my apartment so many times I would challenge anyone to find a speck of dust. I just really hope she likes me. Nathan and Allie are all she has and I want her to think that I'm right for them."
Rosemary looked at her friend. "Sarah, I can't imagine a world where someone couldn't see how right you are for Nathan. I'm sure his mother will see that too."
"Thank you Rosemary. I guess we'll find out next week. Allie, we better go if we're going to have dinner before tonight's meeting." Sarah reminded Rosemary and Lee that tonight was the school meeting. Rosemary told Sarah she had someone there to cover it for the newspaper. She was curious to hear what it would mean for Elizabeth. She knew how much Elizabeth liked to be in control of the school and the change to being a county school worried her about how her role would change.
Allie reluctantly gave Thomas back to Lee and said goodbye to Frances before telling Rosemary that she would be happy to help with the babies if she needed it. As she and Sarah walked home Allie grabbed Sarah's hand. "Miss Sarah, are you and dad going to have babies?"
Sarah was getting used to Allie saying whatever was on her mind. "We hope to, God willing. Are you okay with that?"
"I think I'll make a good big sister." Allie's comment answered Sarah's question for her.
"I know you will sweet girl."
Nathan was home when they arrived and they sat down for dinner together and Allie couldn't stop talking about the babies. It made Nathan happy to see how excited she was and he looked at Sarah and smiled thinking about having children of their own. Once they finished Nathan and Sarah left for the school meeting. "It's such a beautiful evening, let's walk." Nathan proposed. They walked arm in arm and Sarah could see that Nathan still had something on his mind.
They talked about moving things to the new house. Nathan thought there were some things that could go up as soon as the weekend. "We'll need some things up there for the honeymoon. I'll start taking some things with me when I go up on Saturday."
She told Nathan she didn't want to start dismantling her apartment until after his mother's visit. "I don't have that much anyway so it shouldn't take long to move it."
They arrived at the meeting and found a good showing of parents. Nathan knew many of them but there were quite a few new faces too. Elizabeth stood by the door looking apprehensive but trying to put on a brave front. "Hello Nathan, Sarah, I didn't expect to see both of you but I'm glad you're here."
"Thanks, Sarah's hoping to be more involved next year so we both want to hear what's in store for the school."
"Yes, Mr. Landis is going to give us an update on what we can expect. He hasn't shared much with me yet." Elizabeth's nerves were obvious in her voice.
Nathan tried to reassure her. "It will be fine Elizabeth. You're a very good teacher." While Nathan's words should have helped she was still anxious.
Nathan took Sarah's hand and they went to find a seat. Sarah whispered to Nathan "That was nice of you to say that to Elizabeth." Nathan kissed her hand and smiled at her as they sat down. They said hello to the people around them; Minnie and Joseph, Ned and Florence, the Weiss's, and Cat Montgomery. Fiona came and sat next to Sarah. She told her that, as mayor, she wanted to know what was planned. Nathan noticed Lucas standing at the top of the stairs watching the crowd from his spot at the railing. He could see that he was paying particular attention to Elizabeth.
Mr. Landis stepped to the front of the room and got everyone's attention. He started by praising the school and the work that Mrs. Thornton had done over the last eight years. He mentioned, for many of the newer residents, that the first year she taught in Hope Valley, school was held in the saloon until the current building was constructed.
"The number of students has grown every year and this year Hope Valley had the most students they've ever had. The influx of students is what caused county officials to bring Hope Valley's school under their jurisdiction to insure that your children receive the same quality education as other students in the county. During the summer a new classroom will be added on to the existing school building to create space for another class. We will also bring in an additional teacher who is credentialed in areas that are needed." Landis didn't have to explain what he meant by his last statement. It was understood that he was talking about bringing in a teacher credentialed to teach a blind student. A smile stretched across Minnie's face when she heard that news. Angela's first year going to school with other students had been challenging given Elizabeth's limited knowledge of braille and teaching methods for students like her. Minnie knew she had done her best but it had still been rocky.
Landis continued on talking about timelines for the construction of the building and the hiring process of the new teacher. "We will definitely include parents on the hiring committee." He asked parents to ask any questions they might have.
Several hands went up asking about how classes would be separated to which Landis said that once the student list was together for the following year the classes would be split by age. One question asked that Landis didn't have an answer for was whether the school would remain The Jack Thornton School as it had been named after the town's former Mountie had been killed. "Typically our schools are identified by number, not names. It is certainly something that can be presented to the school board for discussion."
The look of surprise on Elizabeth's face when she heard the question about the name of the school quickly turned to concern when she heard Mr. Landis's answer. It hadn't occurred to her that they would take Jack's name off the building. At that moment she knew she would do whatever she could to keep his name on the school and his memory alive in Hope Valley.
Following the meeting Sarah and Nathan spent a few minutes talking with the people around them. They had all been invited to the wedding and had just received their invitations. Joseph told them that he wanted to get together with them to discuss the ceremony. Talk of the wedding stirred up excitement and nerves in Sarah. While they were keeping it simple she still felt like there was a long list of things to get done before the day.
Following the meeting Nathan went to Sarah's for a cup of tea. Sarah puttered around the kitchen while she waited for the kettle to boil. Nathan instinctively walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned his head down so he could see her face. "Don't worry, everything will get done."
"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" she asked.
"I recognize the look you get on you face when your mind is thinking of too many things at once." Nathan turned her toward him. "What is the biggest thing on your mind?"
"You mean besides your mother's visit?
Sarah told Nathan she was trying to figure out how they would get everything set up for the ceremony and reception without seeing each other before the wedding. "I know it's a silly tradition but the groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding and if we have to set everything up we won't be able to avoid that."
Nathan held up his hand to slow her down. "Why don't you let me worry about getting everything set up? I don't want you to think about anything but marrying me on our wedding day. I know Allie has a lot of ideas what to do and she wants to contribute something to the day. I can get some men to help. Do you trust us to make it beautiful?"
Sarah contemplated that idea. She wasn't usually the type to relinquish control but she also trusted Nathan and knew he and Allie would do everything they could to make it perfect. "Okay, I will entrust it all to you and Allie but I reserve the right to give you my ideas too." Even as Sarah said the words she had second thoughts but Nathan looked so satisfied she couldn't change her mind.
They shared their cup of tea and Nathan finally told Sarah the story of Gray and Peter, how it had hit close to home for him and that he worked with Bill to give them another chance. Now the hug between Archie and Nathan started to make sense. Nathan didn't usually involve himself in a case once the arrest was made but Sarah knew Nathan's heart and conscience wouldn't let him leave those boys to the more serious consequences they faced. "I'm proud of you Nathan. You could have ignored what was really going on between Gray and his dad and who knows where those boys would have ended up. Instead you altered the path for both of their lives."
Nathan pulled Sarah into his arms and kissed her. "Thank you for saying that. You know I have you to thank for it." Sarah asked him why. "I could hear your voice in my head telling me that God had purposely put these boys in my path because I was supposed to help them."
Sarah returned his kiss proud of the man that would soon become her husband.