Chapter 45: The Long Awaited Date
Elizabeth took her time riding over to Jack's land. She reflected on her way over. Not only was this place special because of what it represented between her and Jack, but this was also where she first professed her love to Nathan just two months prior. Lost in that thought, she smiled to herself. It gave her a whole new appreciation for the place.
Once she finally looked up, from a distance, she saw Nathan there on Newton. She smiled as she saw him sitting proudly on his trusted steed, in his brown pants and blue plaid shirt. Elizabeth smiled to herself and thought, "My favorite shirt." It has always brought out the blue in his eyes. She was only truly beginning to appreciate that fact.
One of her first memories of him in that shirt was at the bachelor/bachelorette party for Jesse and Clara. His bashful and hopeful wave that he gave from a distance when he thought she waved at him across the room She giggled to herself as she remembered how her dart flew into his drink later on and the look on his face. Elizabeth smiled as she remembered their game of darts soon after.
Another memory came to her as they sat there in the distance, almost frozen.She whispered out loud, "He told me he loved me in this shirt." The first time, when they met by that log down the road and she ran away from him. And the second time, at his house, a couple of months ago, when he confirmed that he loved her too. Here he was again, wearing it on their first date. She giggled to herself and muttered to herself, "Most definitely, that will always be my favorite shirt."
And as if in sync, the two started riding toward one another. Finally, when they were near one another, Nathan smiled brightly at Elizabeth, saying, "Hi!"
Elizabeth smiled back, slightly blushing, and answered, "Hi."
Before anything else could be said, Nathan reached out his hand to Elizabeth, and she took hold of it. He pulled it close, kissed it, and then asked, "Come ride with me?"
Elizabeth gave a big grin in return and responded, "I'd love to!"
And so, they rode on Jack's land together and throughout Hope Valley on Newton and Sergeant. They were just having fun with each other, their horses, there in their town. When they were exhausted from riding, they headed back to town to put the horses up for the evening.
They finished up with Newton and Sergeant, and Elizabeth turned to Nathan and took his hand, smiling, and said, "Oh Nathan, it has been such a wonderful day. I love all the reflections of our journey together so far, and the ride just now was the perfect end."
Nathan kissed Elizabeth's hand and chuckled. "Lizbeth, we aren't done, my love. Come with me please." He led her to the far end of the livery where there were several empty stalls. At the last one, there was a quaint little setup. The stall was illuminated by several lanterns hanging throughout it. A tiny table from the cafe and two chairs had been placed in the corner. Blankets were laid out over the hay bales on the other side of the stall. Elizabeth looked around the small stall and smiled, looking at Nathan in awe. He led her to the small table, held out the chair, and gestured for her to take a seat. Afterward, he sat in his seat across from her.
The next thing that they knew, Allie and Robert brought out two covered trays and set them before Nathan and Elizabeth. They left and returned a moment later with a bottle of wine and two glasses and poured it for them. Lastly, they brought in two more covered dishes and set those on one of the hay bales.
As they finished, Allie smiled brightly at them and said, "Have fun, you two! Thanks for letting me be part of this! I love you both." Then she waved and pulled Robert to follow.
The two of them chuckled and ate their meal, enjoying one another's company. As they finished up their meal, Elizabeth gazed at Nathan with twinkling eyes and a wide grin. "Nathan, this was amazing. So quaint and personal. You've made me feel so special.", she said as she reached over and held his hand. Nathan squeezed her hand gently and said, "Oh Lizbeth, we still aren't done yet." He stood and held out his hand for her to take it and walked her over to the hay bales covered with blankets. Once she had taken her spot, Nathan said, "Wait here my love, I have a surprise for you."
"Another one?! Nathan, you truly are spoiling me tonight." Elizabeth responded. Nathan simply looked at her with his crooked smile and left the stall for a brief moment. When he returned, he carried the guitar case that his father had given him in Rock Creek. He explained to Elizabeth the story behind it and how he had promised to teach Allie how to play it, but that he was borrowing it for the evening to share its significance. Elizabeth listened attentively, looking adoringly at Nathan and holding her hand to her heart.
I'm playing like I haven't in a long time. My heart is so full of song, it could just burst. The thing is, like the gardenia, I think this is Colleen's way of showing her approval.", Nathan said to her looked at her with a sweet and sincere expression. Elizabeth felt like she could just melt right there from the sentiment.
Nathan started strumming, closed his eyes, and sang.
It wasn't long ago
You walked into my life
And it was never the same.
The bond was always there.
Between me and you
We'd help see each other through
We've had our share of ups and downs
Sometimes it was a hard road
But friends, we always stayed
The path has led us here
We're going through this together.
Learning and growing as we do
So if you ever doubt
What my love is all about
Look into my eyes and you will find
I am completely yours, soul, body, and mind
You're a blessing from above.
You're my forever. You're my love.
When the song ended, Nathan waited a moment and then opened his eyes. He bashfully glanced up at Elizabeth, who was staring at him with her own blue eyes full of tears and her hand over her heart.
"No one has ever written or sang a song for me before, Nathan. That, that was absolutely one of the most beautiful, most precious things that you could have done, or given me, in my lifetime! What, what did I ever do to deserve to be loved by you?" Elizabeth said, in a voice barely above a whisper. Her tears were now flowing down her cheeks. Nathan tentatively smiled and reached over and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. He held her gaze. As he pulled his hands away, he opened up his arms and gestured for her to come into them. Elizabeth scooched in closer, wrapped her arms around Nathan, and leaned her head against his chest. She closed her eyes within that embrace and simply got lost in listening to his steady heartbeat and feeling the rise and fall of his chest. And Nathan sat there, his eyes closed as well, holding Elizabeth as he stroked her hair. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined they would ever be here, but they were.
After a while, just enjoying the presence of one another there in the livery stall, Nathan pulled away, looked down at Elizabeth, and asked, "So, do you think that you're ready for some dessert, Lizbeth?"
Elizabeth opened her eyes, looking into Nathan's blue eyes as if in a daze, and shook her head. Nathan stood up from the hay bale and reached for Elizabeth's hand. She looked up at him, smiled, and then placed her hand in his and stood up. The two walked back over to the small table, and Nathan once more pulled the chair out for Elizabeth. After she had taken her seat, Nathan went over to the hay bake with the additional covered dishes and walked them back to the table. He uncovered the dishes, revealing two different desserts, one with a piece of chocolate cake and the other with a slice of apple pie.
"Well, Lizbeth, which one would you like to have?" he asked, as he gestured towards the two selections. Elizabeth giggled and answered, "To be honest, I'd love a little of both if that is OK."
Nathan thought for a moment, nodded, and handed her a fork. "Do you mind if we share then?" he asked, flashing his crooked grin.
Elizabeth held up her fork and said, "Cheers, Mr. Grant," she said as her eyes twinkled and a wide smile grew on her face, waiting for Nathan to mimic her actions. Grabbing her clue, Nathan held up and clinked his fork with Elizabeth's and said in response, "Cheers!"
As they finished their dessert, the two stacked their dishes. Nathan grabbed the plates with lids, and Elizabeth carried the wine glasses and empty wine bottle, and they walked over to the cafe. Instead of going through the main entrance, they went to the back entrance and knocked quietly. Anna came out and took the glasses and bottle from Elizabeth, and Nathan walked all of the plates over to the sink to soak them. Millie came into the kitchen just then and assured them that someone would be by in the morning to collect the table, chairs, and blankets. All that Nathan and Elizabeth would have to do was return to the livery and turn off all the lanterns that they had used.
Once they completed the task of shutting down the lanterns, Nathan grabbed Elizabeth's hand and the two walked home from town. As they got to the rowhouses, they decided to pick up Jack from the Coulter's house. So they climbed the stairs together, and Elizabeth knocked quietly on the door. Lee answered, looked at the couple before him, and smiled.
"Rosemary, the twins, and Jack are all asleep upstairs. Elizabeth, go ahead and head home. We will bring Jack over in the morning." Lee said as he removed the burp cloth from his shoulder. Elizabeth nodded, thanked Lee, and said good night. As Lee closed the door, they turned, walked down the stairs together, and over to Elizabeth's door.
They stood there facing one another, holding hands and smiling. After a few moments, Nathan brought Elizabeth's hands up and kissed each one. After a few moments, Nathan brought Elizabeth's hands up and kissed each one. "I should go, but Lizbeth, I had a wonderful evening with you, my love," he said, keeping his gaze locked on Elizabeth the entire time. She smiled sweetly and answered, "This was an amazing evening, my love. I'd say unforgettable. Thank you for, well, everything. "
Nathan smiled and released her hands after gently squeezing them one last time. He walked down the stairs and towards his own home, looking back once to wave goodbye. Despite the darkness, the two of their eyes locked briefly once more as they waved to each other. Then, Nathan walked to his home, up the steps, and closed the door behind him. At the same time, Elizabeth entered her own home, walked in, and shut the door. She leaned up against the door and closed her eyes. "What a wonderful time today!" she thought to herself. She let out a contented sigh and walked up the stairs to bed, knowing she'd sleep soundly that night.
After she changed into her bed clothes, Elizabeth went to her window and looked out into the night sky blanketed with stars and a three-quarter moon. She stood there gazing at the beauty of it all as she loosely braided her hair. "I had such a lovely time tonight. Thank you Lord for the gift that Nathan is in my life. Thank you for his pure and gentle love. I know, in a way, it's just the beginning of our relationship, but I can't wait until we join our families together. As each day passes, I know, deep in my heart, that this is our future. I know that I've hurt him in the past. Help me to show him, to assure him, that this time it is genuine and we are one another's lifetimes." Elizabeth quietly prayed in her darkened room. She turned away from the window and slipped into her bed, where she fell fast asleep.
When Nathan walked inside the rowhouse, he realized that he wasn't quite that tired quite yet. Allie had been invited to sleep over at Opal's with some of the other girls. He made himself a cup of tea to try to wind down and stepped outside and sat on the bench that he had carved a couple years earlier. He took a sip of the hot tea and then set it on the small wooden table that he had made to go next to the bench. Nathan draped his arms around each side of the bench and started absentmindedly circling the carvings within. As he cued in to what he was doing, he reflected on the reason that led him to make this bench. Things were so different now, he thought. Here he sat on this bench, created out of the release of his broken heart two years prior, after his first official date with Elizabeth.
He smiled to himself as he thought about the evening. The date went well—really well—and he was proud of how things played out. Elizabeth received the adventure well and was truly touched by each location that he had chosen. Choosing the livery for the conclusion of that adventure was perfect because it was simple and intimate. And the song, those silly words rattling around in his heart and head, moved her to tears. All of this made his heart smile and him feel full of joy.
It wasn't that the past was erased, but it definitely was a confirmation for him that this bond between them was blooming into a truly beautiful love. The relationship had grown stronger over the last couple months as a result of their counseling, prayer, and simply spending time together. He took another sip of his tea, set it down, and looked up into the sky. He gazed upon the third quarter moon and all the stars that were out that evening. Nathan let out a big sigh and whispered a prayer of thankfulness for both Little Jack and Elizabeth, asking for continued blessing upon the growing relationship between them, and the courage and strength to let go of the past hurt to move on and into the future.
He finished up his tea, stood up, and stretched. Once again, he thought to himself, what a great day it had been. He was hopeful and excited about what was to come in the future. He smiled and headed inside for bed.