TRUE LOVE'S PERSEVERANCE

CHAPTER 16 OVERCOMING FEAR

Jack went back over to Charlotte, curled up in her arms, and snuggled down, looking to sleep.

"Lizzie, I'm going to put him down," Charlotte said. "Are you all right?" seeing the emotions rolling across her face. "I will be willing to watch Jack for a while. The guys are going over the information on the case, so why don't you take Fireball for a run."

"You know Charlotte; I think that is a good idea. I need to sort through everything and let the dust settle on my emotions before I start dinner." Elizabeth said. Standing up, she kissed jack and headed towards the stable. The men watched Elizabeth walk away, worried about her. Charlotte saw them, and after handing Jack over to Julie, she talked to them while Julie put him to bed.

"Everything okay, Charlotte?" Bill asked as they saw Elizabeth ride off. Nathan was instantly taken back to the last time Elizabeth had ridden off. The pain of it must have shown on his face because Charlotte came around and sat beside him.

"It is, but I noticed that Lizzie is overwhelmed by what happened earlier with Jack. To be honest, so am I, so I told her to go for a ride and take a bit of time to herself." Charlotte answered. Then she turned to Nathan and said, "Nothing has changed between you and her, Nate, so please don't worry about that. In fact, given her response to her son, I think you should realize that a huge obstacle has been removed." She added with a smile.

Nathan smiled and nodded, but then he frowned and said, "Should I maybe go after her if she needs comforting? I know how hard that must be for her to hear."

"Nate, she is a lot like my Jack was as far as being an internal processor. I know it is hard because you love her; however, for now, I think that you should give her some space and let her come to you." Charlotte advised. That will give her a bit of time to process and deal with the emotional overload."

"But what if she doesn't? I don't want us to go backward, especially with Allie coming."

"I understand your concerns and given everything that has happened between the two of you, and they are valid. But I'd bet money that she will approach you when she returns. If she doesn't, maybe after dinner, the two of you can go for a walk because I'm sure there are some things you still want to sort out before Allie arrives." Charlotte advised.

"I agree with Charlotte on this, Nathan. Just give her some time to come to you. After witnessing what we did this morning, I think that you being a Mountie won't be an insurmountable issue anymore," Bill said. "If she hasn't reached out to you, then like Charlotte said after dinner, approach her."

"I must admit that it really surprised me how well you and Elizabeth took the idea of Jack possibly following in his father's footsteps. He is still young, though, and things will probably change," Tom said to his mother.

"Unfortunately, I don't see that he will change his mind, Tom," Charlotte said.

"What do you mean?"

When your brother was Jack's age, he was just as crazy about the Serge. It was all he ever thought of, drew, and talked about. On the other hand, you wanted to play cowboys and pirates, etc. You would often play a crook or a lost kid while he was the Mountie.

While sitting on the blanket, Lizzie and I felt your brother and father there with us. It felt like a passing of the torch. It probably sounds strange to all of you, but when Jack is old enough, he will join the Mounties."

"It doesn't sound strange to me at all, Charlotte," Nathan said softly.

"I had forgotten until today how obsessed Jack had been at his son's age with anything dealing with Mounties," Bill added. "Did you notice how intuitive and protective he was about how Elizabeth felt? The older he gets, the more that will grow to include his siblings. It reminded me of another spunky kid I know that is the same way about her father."

Nathan chuckled and said, "I was thinking the same thing. Unlike others his age, he can grasp things just like Allie."

"He and Allie are very close, and I can't wait to see them together again," Bill said with a smile, already picturing the reunion in his mind.

"She was very excited to be seeing him again. I've often wondered if the kinship of having lost a parent drew them together and created their strong bond." Nathan mused.

"Well, I can't wait to meet your Allie Nate. In the meantime, Bill, it's almost time for you to head to the station. Nathan, why don't you and Tom take him, and if you don't mind, stop and get a few supplies we need?" Charlotte asked.

"Your right, Charlotte," Bill said, checking his watch. "We were done here, for now, anyway, so we might as well get going."

While Nathan waited with Bill at the station, Tom, sensing they needed to talk, went to pick up the supplies his mother requested.

"Have you thought about what you and Elizabeth are going to do?" Bill asked. "Right now, we both admitted we were in love with each other and have been for a while. We discussed what happened between us, and she acknowledged how she had hurt us many times. Now that we are finally on the same path, I hope there is a wedding at the end of this current path." Nathan said.

"I think Elizabeth is hoping for that same thing, Nathan," Bill said reassuringly.

"She does, but we also recognize that with the kids, there is a lot at stake, so we don't want to rush anything. Two children could be hurt if we rush things and get it wrong. Then there are the big issues that we still need to address. One of them is Allie and how she was hurt, but there's also the fact that she is in Hope Valley, and I am in Union City. Plus, there is still the whole Mountie thing and her fear of losing me."

"But you saw how she talked to her son. Surely that would convince you that she would be fine?"

"I want to, but you didn't see her face that day or feel her body shaking when she ran to me after the prisoner transport. How can I put her through any of that again? I had told her once that I would quit the Mounties, but she wouldn't hear of it. Now that I am an Inspector, she would not accept that as an option for our being together. So that is still on the table, but it's not as big an issue as it once was." Nathan said.

Bill was silent for a moment, considering all Nathan had said before replying. "Your right. She wouldn't allow you to quit for her sake. She knows how much being a Mountie and the promotion to Inspector is to you. For what it's worth, I definitely see a wedding between you and Elizabeth soon. The type of love you and her share has weathered so many storms and will prevail. Just keep the communication going and keep talking, and things will become clearer. Charlotte thinks so too, for what it's worth."

"Thanks, Bill, for bringing Allie here and standing by me through everything," Nathan said.

"You're like a son to me, Nathan, and I've never told you this, but you are the reason I was able to heal from the loss of Jack. So, thank you for respecting his memory and doing your best to honor that while forging a place of your own." Bill said, giving him a quick hug before stepping back and getting on the train. Nathan heads over to the Mercantile to meet up with Tom.

Back at the ranch, Charlotte saw Elizabeth return from her ride. Though she was quiet, she smiled occasionally and seemed at peace as she started dinner. Her first question as she walked into the house was about Nathan. Julie looked over at Charlotte, and they smiled, knowing everything would be fine. Before long, they heard the wagon return, and Charlotte went out to greet them.

"Hey boys, I was beginning to wonder if I needed to send out a search party," Charlotte teased. Seeing the concern in Nathan's eyes as he stepped down, she whispered, "She's back safe and sound and was asking for you."

"Really?" Nathan said with a smile. "How did she look when she returned from her ride?"

"She was quiet but calm and even smiled a bit. Why don't you let her know you are back so you can see for yourself." Charlotte said.

"Tell Julie that I need her for a moment," Tom said with a wink.

Nathan nodded and headed for the house. When he entered the door, he could hear Julie and Elizabeth joking and laughing, so he took it as a good sign. He shut the door a bit louder than usual, and Julie poked her head out and said, "Nathan! How long have you been back?"

"We just returned. Tom wanted me to tell you he needed your help with something." Nathan answered.

"Well then, can you help my sister with the prep?" Julie asked, handing him a paring knife.

Entering the kitchen, he saw that Elizabeth was working at the stove. "I sure can, Julie," Nathan said, taking the knife and moving to where the vegetables were waiting. After Julie left and they heard the door closed, Nathan took a quick peek to ensure she was gone before moving to take Elizabeth in his arms.

"Are you okay, Lizbeth," Nathan said softly, taking his hand and rubbing circles on her back.

"I am now that you are back," Elizabeth said before capturing his lips with her own. Nathan was surprised when she quickly deepened the kiss but wasn't complaining. After a few minutes, she drew back so they could catch their breath.

"WOW! I could get used to that kind of welcome home." Nathan said with a smile.

"I could get used to welcoming you home that way myself and having you there every day," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I suppose we better focus on dinner, though." She added with a pout as they settled down at the table to work on the vegetables.

"Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?" Nathan asked.

"I'm doing okay though it surprised me. I was a bit panicky when I rode out, but I sorted through my feelings. I've thought about this type of scenario when he was born, but it is different when actually faced with it. But it makes sense that he would because he loves anything that is Mountie." Elizabeth said.

"Well, he could change his mind since he is only 4," Nathan said. "That's a lot of time between now and him being old enough," Nathan said.

Elizabeth smiled and said, "I know, and I appreciate that you are trying to comfort me. It's hard to explain, but I felt Jack there, and I sensed Charlotte felt Tom Sr. I know this probably sounds strange, but it felt so sacred and special that I know he will be a Mountie. It was like a passing of the torch or something. There was also a look in his eyes that confirmed that he knew what he was saying."

"That doesn't sound strange because Charlotte and Bill said the same thing. I want you to know that regardless of what happens between us, Bill and I will ensure he completely understands and is prepared for that life." Nathan said reassuringly.

"I know and have no doubts about that since you love him as much as I do," Elizabeth said. "One good thing came out of that conversation, though."

"What was that?" Nathan asked anxiously.

Reaching over to take his hand, she said, "I realize that your being a Mountie wasn't the problem. It's the thought of losing you at all. But I can't live in fear because not having you in my life is just as painful, maybe even more than losing you in death. Because I already love you and seeing you that day with Nancy hurt so much. So, while I worry about you, I want you to know that you have my whole heart, and I want a forever with you, Nathan. I know that we have other things to work through before we even think about that, but I will fight for us, whatever that will look like."

Nathan couldn't do anything for a moment but sit in shock, but as her words permeated, he stood up and went over and pulled her in his arms. "Elizabeth, you don't know how happy you just made me."

"Nathan, if it is anything like how happy I am, then I have an idea." She said before their lips met.

They didn't know how long they kissed, but they became aware of someone clearing their throat. Breaking apart reluctantly, they turned to see Charlotte, Tom, and Julie in the doorway, looking at them. "Now that you two have that figured out, maybe we should get dinner finished?" Charlotte teased.

"Save my spot so we can continue later," Elizabeth whispered huskily.

"You can count on it," Nathan replied, a soft fire still burning in his eyes. Then he moved away from her and handed the knife back to Julie before helping Tom set up the tables. Charlotte went with them after grabbing Jack and Julie worked on the vegetables. There was a sense of a joyful atmosphere in the air as they did.

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