Chapter 65
Nathan and Allie picked up Sarah at the store on their way to the train station to welcome his mother. It had been a whirlwind week with Allie finishing school and Sarah's first parent teacher conference and continued wedding plans. Sarah asked Nathan if she could attend Allie's conference with him since she planned to be involved in Allie's schooling once they were married. Nathan was thankful he wouldn't have to go alone. Last year's conference had been a review of his parenting abilities more than Allie's school work and though he'd listened patiently to Elizabeth's lecture he'd come to resent her commentary on his parenting especially given he'd been a parent far longer than she had. Sarah's desire to be part of Allie's schooling was welcomed not just by him but by Allie too. He'd noticed Allie seeking out Sarah's advice more and more as she navigated both school and friendships.
The sound of the whistle signaled the arrival of the train carrying Nathan's mother. Caroline Grant stepped off the train to the open arms of her granddaughter and son. Sarah stood back wanting to give them time to reunite as it had been several years since they had seen each other. At first sight Sarah could see how much Nathan resembled his mother. She was tall and had a trim figure. Her eyes were blue like Nathan's but had a subtle hint of green that made them more a shade of aqua than true blue like Nathan's. Her hair was a lustrous silvery shade of grey and she wore it in an elegant braided chignon. Sarah could see she had the same cowlick along her forehead as Nathan's rogue lock of hair that he was always pushing back into place. Her face belied her age, the only wrinkles appearing around her mouth and eyes when she broke into a smile. It was that smile where Sarah saw the most similarity between Nathan and his mother. It was the same, slightly crooked, smile as her son's and it lit up her face. Nathan had told her his mother didn't travel due to arthritis but the only indication of any physical limitation was the cane she used for support.
Nathan eagerly guided Caroline over to Sarah, anxious to introduce his mother to his future wife. "Mom, this is Sarah." The nervous feeling in the pit of Sarah's stomach that had been growing all day reached its pinnacle as Nathan made the introductions.
"Sarah, it is wonderful to finally meet the woman who captured my Nathan's heart." Sarah gave Caroline a genuine smile as she glanced up at Nathan looking for reassurance.
Sarah extended her hand and took Caroline's in hers. "Mrs. Grant, I am so happy to finally meet you and have you with us in Hope Valley." The two women and Allie stepped back on the platform as Nathan retrieved his mother's bags. "I hope you will be comfortable staying with me."
"Oh my dear, I appreciate that you would put up with me and I hope I'm not too much of an imposition for you. It would be rather awkward to stay at Nathan's." Sarah insisted that she was no imposition at all and thought it would give them plenty of time to get to know each other.
Nathan brought the car around. Sarah and Allie got in the back and Nathan helped his mother into the front seat. She complemented Nathan on his car as he explained how it would be necessary once they moved to the new house. "Yes, I'm excited to see your new house. Allie's written to me a little about it. It sounds like a wonderful place to raise a family." His mother's hint and wink was not lost on Nathan.
Smiling at her he said "Yes, mom, it will be."
Nathan took the scenic route giving his mother a quick tour of Hope Valley. They drove by his row house and then to the pond. They passed the school, his office and finally stopped at Sarah's dress shop and apartment. "This is a quaint little town, so different from living in the city. In the city I don't even go out after dark."
Nathan unloaded the car and carried the bags upstairs and once inside, Sarah showed Caroline her room and Allie helped her grandma get settled while Nathan came into the kitchen and took a moment to quickly pull Sarah to him for a comforting hug. Being in his arms calmed her and she finally released the breath that she'd been suppressing since the train station.
"How are you holding up?" His eyes searched hers looking for any sign of uncertainty about hosting his mother.
Sarah smoothed back his hair that had gotten tousled. She rested her hand on his cheek and found his eyes that always steadied her. "I'm okay. Your mother seems to have managed the trip quite well."
"Yes, she is better than I expected." Nathan bent down to give her a kiss just as Allie and Caroline came out of the bedroom.
"Watch out Grandma, Dad and Miss Sarah do that a lot" Allie teased.
Sarah felt her cheeks flush, embarrassed that her future mother-in-law had seen them. "Who's hungry?" Nathan quickly changed the subject and told everyone they were going to the café for dinner. Upon arrival they were greeted by Bill. "Bill, I'd like you to meet my mother, Caroline Grant. Mom, this is Judge Bill Avery."
Bill welcomed Nathan's mother to Hope Valley and found them the best table. "Welcome to Hope Valley. It's nice to meet the mother of our favorite Mountie, now Inspector." The often gruff Bill turned on the charm for Caroline. "I hope I'll get to see more of you while you're here." Bill took their orders and went back to the kitchen.
Nathan gave his mother a bit of Bill's background since she was curious about the judge serving them dinner at the café. He told her he'd been a Mountie, then an Inspector and then appointed judge. He bought the café in between his job as inspector and being appointed judge. Allie told her grandmother that she worked at the cafe on Saturdays and told her she really wanted her to come for breakfast so she could serve her. After dinner Nathan knew he needed to have a conversation with his mother but he struggled with how to initiate it. With one look from Nathan Sarah knew what he was about to do and told Allie she needed to talk to Bill about the wedding dinner and they discreetly left Nathan and Caroline alone.
"Mom, I know you just got here and I wasn't sure when to bring this up but we need to talk about when you're going to see Archie" Nathan didn't know any way to approach the conversation other than straightforward. "He's planning to stay home from Allie's program tomorrow so you won't have to see him. He doesn't want you to be uncomfortable, which is fine, except I know Allie really wants both of you there."
Caroline told Nathan she'd been preparing herself to see Archie ever since she decided to come for the wedding. "I know it's inevitable that I'm going to see him. I suppose I would rather do it sooner than later so we're not all walking around on eggshells." She told Nathan there was no reason for Archie to avoid Allie's ceremony. "He's part of Allie's life and should be there too."
Nathan was relieved and impressed with his mother's fortitude. He kissed his mother on the forehead. "Thanks mom, Allie will appreciate that both of her grandparents are there tomorrow."
Arriving at Nathan's the following morning, Sarah helped Caroline up the steps but before she could knock Allie had opened the door greeting her grandmother with a big hug. "Hi Grandma, come in." Allie was wearing the new dress Sarah had gotten her for today's celebration. It was a pale yellow with tiny white daisies throughout and it had a lace trimmed collar and a sash that tied in the back. "Miss Sarah, can you tie my sash? I don't think my dad did a very good job." Allie turned around and Sarah could see it definitely needed a woman's touch. Nathan came down the stairs looking exceedingly handsome dressed all in blue that emphasized the color of his eyes. Nathan greeted his mother and Sarah and took them in the sitting room while they waited for Archie. Allie walked to her grandmother's side and took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Even though she was young, Allie knew enough of her grandparent's history to know this would be difficult for her grandmother. They heard footsteps and Caroline turned to see Archie slowly descending the stairs using the railing for support. It took her a moment to recognize him. She knew from Nathan's letters that he'd been sick and that he was supposedly getting stronger but she could see the toll the disease and its treatment had taken on his body. His frame seemed smaller than she remembered and he was stooped over ever so slightly. The lines that etched his face indicated the hard life he'd lived and she knew they weren't just because of his treatment. There was a palpable tension in the room while everyone stood waiting and watching.
Archie was first to speak. "Hello Caroline, it's good to see you." Though his body was frail he still had the same lilt to his voice that she had found so charming when she first met him many years before.
"Hello Archie." Caroline found herself at a loss for words. She always thought she would know what to say to him if she ever saw him again but now the words escaped her. She thought the feelings of anger that she'd held onto for so very long would return but they didn't. This wasn't the same man who'd left her, Colleen and Nathan. Caroline barely recognized this man. The only feeling she could muster was sympathy for Archie knowing how much he had missed out on in his life, especially time with his daughter before she passed.
Nathan tried to cut through the awkwardness by letting them know they needed to get to school. Sarah drove Caroline and Allie while Nathan and Archie walked. Archie commented that Caroline looked good. Nathan agreed that she did. They walked on in silence both pondering brief exchange that had just taken place. Seeing his parents together again brought up some memories he'd blocked out long ago. He could hear the arguments between them, Caroline in tears because Archie had gambled away their food money and Archie swearing he would stop though he never did. Nathan put it out of his mind determined to focus on Allie and her accomplishments and thankful that she wasn't growing up in the same environment that he did.
Arriving at school Nathan and Archie met the rest of the family and took their seats. The program was much the same as the one the year before with the students singing and Elizabeth speaking briefly of the changes coming the following year and that she would miss the students who would be moving to the new class. She announced several special academic awards including a math award for Allie which she accepted proudly.
Following the program Elizabeth was making her way around to the different families and eventually made her way to Nathan and his group. She greeted him, Sarah and Archie and Allie introduced her grandmother. "It's nice to meet you. I'm so glad you could be here today."
Nathan and Sarah heard the coolness in Caroline's voice as she returned the greeting. "Hello Mrs. Thornton, Allie wrote to me about you. It was good that this coincided with my trip for the wedding."
At mention of the wedding Elizabeth's smile wavered. "Yes, yes it is. You must be quite proud of Allie."
"Yes, we are. Her mother was always a very good student too." Caroline knew the background of Nathan and Mrs. Thornton from letters Allie had written her. Reading between the lines it was evident that her son had wanted a relationship with Allie's teacher but it hadn't come to fruition. She remembered how much anguish her young granddaughter had expressed in those letters and it made her so sad knowing how much heartache the two of them had experienced. She was relieved by the change in the tenor of Allie's letters once Sarah entered their lives and Caroline hoped she would be the person to take away the pain caused by Elizabeth Thornton. She'd kept her eye on Nathan during the program to see how he reacted as Mrs. Thornton did her presentation. She was relieved to see that he appeared completely unfazed by Allie's teacher and his hand held firmly held to Sarah's throughout the program. She could also see Sarah's love and pride in Allie as she walked up to receive her award. Her heart was comforted knowing that her granddaughter had not just Nathan who loved her but Sarah too. They returned to Nathan's house for lunch to celebrate Allie's school year and accomplishments. As Allie looked around the table she realized, for the first time in her life, she had her whole family surrounding her.
The week since Caroline arrived flew by as Sarah was still working and finalizing wedding plans. Caroline spent quite a bit of time in the store which gave her a chance to meet several of the women in town all who sang Nathan's praises to his proud mother. Anna and Betsy had done a fitting on the dress Sarah had gotten her for the wedding. Caroline's eyes filled with tears when Sarah first showed it to her. She'd never had such a beautiful dress and thanked Sarah for her thoughtfulness. Nathan had taken his mother and Allie up to the new house several times to work on some projects but he wouldn't share what they were with Sarah. Caroline saw the pride on Nathan's face and in his voice as he showed her around the house and the property. All a mother ever wanted in her life was for her child to be happy and from everything she'd seen in the last week, Nathan was happier than she'd ever seen him.
Nathan's bachelor dinner was low key by Hope Valley standards and suited his personality perfectly. He wasn't comfortable being the center of attention and, given his father's history, he wasn't a fan of poker. He would have been perfectly happy to skip this tradition but Lee and Bill wouldn't hear of it so he agreed to a simple dinner at the cafe. There was a small group of men assembled who enjoyed a dinner of Nathan's favorite dishes and spent the evening making toasts and giving out advice to the groom. Nathan took it all with good humor and it wasn't lost on him that after almost four years of living in Hope Valley he had friends that he knew he could rely on if he needed them. He'd never had that in any of his previous posts.
Sarah's bridal tea was more festive than Nathan's bachelor dinner party. Florence and Molly decorated the café and Minnie outdid herself with a selection of finger sandwiches and pastries for dessert. Allie made sure her grandmother was introduced to anyone she hadn't yet met during her first week in Hope Valley. When it came time to open gifts Sarah was moved by everyone's overwhelming kindness. Anna and Betsy gave her something new and blue, a set of handkerchiefs that Betsy had embroidered with tiny blue flowers along the edges. Rosemary loaned her a small silk purse to use on her wedding day as her something borrowed. The last gift was from Caroline and she gave it to Sarah telling her it was her something "old." Sarah opened the box and inside found a beautiful hair comb decorated with pearls and crystals. Caroline said it had been her mother's and Nathan's grandmother had worn it on her wedding day and she wanted her to have it now. It was a beautiful gift and Sarah was touched that Caroline chose to give it to her and knew it would be the perfect accessory for her wedding day. As she looked around the table Sarah knew how blessed she was to have ended up in Hope Valley where she found, not only the love of her life, but an amazing group of women she called her friends.
After their busy day Sarah and Caroline were thankful for some time to have a cup of tea and just sit and visit with each other. There hadn't been a lot of time for it given the busyness of the week. As they talked Caroline perused Sarah's library and commented on the interesting variety of books she had. Sarah was wistful as she told her about the bookstore and that many of the books in her collection belonged to her father and were favorites of his. Caroline told Sarah she understood how much she must miss her parents as she planned the wedding. Sarah admitted that, even though her mother had been gone since she was a young girl, she was sorry not to have her there to share the experience. She was most sad that her father never got to know Nathan. "I know how much he would have loved and respected him." Caroline patted Sarah's hand and told her though they weren't there physically they were certainly with her.
"I wish Colleen were here to see Nathan get married. They were so close and I know that her absence will be felt as well. I miss her every day as I'm sure you do your parents. Even though they're gone we do our best to keep their memory alive." Sarah could see the tears that slowly made their way down Caroline's cheeks as she remembered her daughter. "Allie reminds me so much of her which is comforting. I just wish she had more memories of her mother." The two had found a common connection and sat together silently, both lost in their thoughts about the loved ones who wouldn't be there next week.