Chapter 47: Good News and Surprise Visits
Elizabeth's phone started ringing first thing that Saturday morning in early October. She woke with a start and glanced over at the face of her alarm clock and wondered who would be calling at 7 o'clock in the morning. She sat up, pushed back the covers, grabbed her robe, and shuffled downstairs to answer her phone.
"Good morning, Elizabeth. Your father and I are coming to celebrate Thanksgiving with you and Jack.", her mother announced excitedly over the phone.
Elizabeth sat on the couch, still shaking off the sleepiness that she felt and taking in the news she had just been told as well. "That's so exciting, Mother! We would love to have you! What made you two decide to join us this year?" she asked her mother.
"Your father has some business to take care of close to Hope Valley, so we figured it would be a nice way to tie in a personal visit as well. Now, I don't want you to worry about accommodating us in your little home. We will be fine in a room at your local inn. But we did want you to be aware because we weren't sure what you were doing for your holiday dinner.", Grace responded.
"I appreciate that, Mother. I haven't made any specific plans yet for this year. Last year, well, things were a little different, and this year, I'm with Nathan.", Elizabeth mused as she gazed out the window of her rowhouse.
Grace answered, "Of course, dear. We just wanted you to know so that you could plan on a few extra guests at your table this year. I'm so excited to see you and Jack and meet the Grants. Also, I can't wait to see your little home and this town that has captured your heart. "
Elizabeth smiled at Grace's last comment and thought to herself, "Yes, Hope Valley had captured her heart long ago. She loved everything about her little town." She talked with her mother a little longer before saying their goodbyes. Elizabeth hung up the telephone, stood to her feet, walked over to her desk, and wrote down on a piece of paper the dates that her mother mentioned that they would be visiting. Her father had business until Friday, October 8, and then they would make their way to Hope Valley. They would stay there in town until the 13th and then take the train back to Hamilton. It would be a short visit, but it would be nice to share the holiday with her family this year.
As Elizabeth moved away from her desk, she smiled to herself as she realized something. Not only would she be spending this holiday with her parents and Little Jack, but with Nathan and Allie as well. What a special holiday it would be! There was so much to be thankful for. One thing that this year taught her was to never take anything or anyone for granted anymore. Life was too short and the people in her life were too precious.
There was a quiet rap on the door as Elizabeth was making her way into the kitchen. She turned and looked at the door in confusion and thought to herself, "Who in the world would be knocking at this hour on a Saturday?" She cracked open the door to find a smiling Nathan clad in his serge. "Hi!", he said as he smiled even bigger at her surprised face.
"Hi! To what do I owe this rather early but delightful surprise?", Elizabeth asked, and smiled in return.
"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could all have breakfast at the cafe this morning.", Nathan said.
"That is a wonderful idea, Nathan! Let me wake up Little Jack and get both of us ready. Can you come back in, say, an hour?", she responded.
"Sure thing! I've got to wake up Allie as well. See you then!", Nathan said as he walked back down the steps and waved to Elizabeth.
Later, the two families walked into the cafe. Several of the tables had been pushed together and were placed in the center of the room. Elizabeth froze in her place and said, "Oh Nathan, it looks like they might be having a private party going on. Maybe we should try the inn instead. "
Nathan wore a concerned look as well as he looked around the cafe. Minnie and Anna were nowhere to be found either. "Well, let's just take a seat and wait and see what Minnie or Anna say when they come out.", Nathan said, as he gestured for Elizabeth to sit at the head of the table with her back to the door and Little Jack to her left. Nathan sat to the right of Elizabeth, as Allie sat next to Jack.
The four kept chatting as the cafe door opened and the Coulters walked in. They came over, pleasantly surprised to see the others, and sat down next to them. Rosemary went on to explain that Lee offered to take the four of them to breakfast that morning to give her a break. Elizabeth took Evie from her daddy, Lee, as Rosemary sat next to Allie. Allie instinctively turned to Rosemary and reached for Ian. Ian giggled and reached out to her in response. The group chuckled over his response as Rosemary handed her son over to the young girl. Lee joined Nathan on the opposite side.
The families sat there catching up when the cafe door opened once again. Henry and the Averys walked in and smiled at the others. With still no sign of Minnie or Anna, Lee gestured for the others to join them. Molly sat next to Rosemary as she held Rena in her lap and Bill took his place next to her. Henry sat next to Lee, across from the Averys.
Molly went on to share with the group that Bill had offered to take her and Rena to breakfast, and they decided to extend the breakfast invitation to Henry as well. Rosemary started scowling and looked over at Lee suspiciously.
"Ladies, I have the strangest feeling that our fellows are up to something. However, I cannot, for the life of me, figure it out.", Rosemary said as she looked between Lee, Nathan, and Bill.
But the men sat there straight-faced as if they weren't up to anything at all. Then, the cafe door opened once more. "Oh good! You're all here!", a familiar voice said from behind them.
Elizabeth's face lit up as she realized whose voice it was, and she turned around to see the two people who stood at the door. Rosemary sat there in shock and speechless. The room was silent until Henry finally spoke. "Abigail. Cody. You're actually here, in Hope Valley.", he said, in a surprised voice.
Abigail giggled and responded, "Yes Henry, we're here. I thought meeting in person was a lot better than the telephone and occasional letters. When I found out we'd be in the area, we both knew that we wanted to see you all. Bill and the other two men helped me set this up."
Rosemary and Elizabeth got out of their seats instantly, went straight over to their dear friends and hugged them tightly. Then, Abigail and Cody went over and hugged each of the others. When she went to Nathan, Nathan offered Abigail his hand to shake as he officially introduced himself.
"Constable, I appreciate the formal introduction, but I feel like I already know you very well because of what all my friends have told me about you and Allie over time. It's so good to meet you both! But I have to tell you, I'm a hugger. ", she responded by embracing his large body with her own smaller one.
Once everyone had gotten the opportunity to say hello to their two friends, they took their places. Abigail sat over next to Henry, and Cody took his place next to her. Allie decided to keep him company and offered to take Jack with her on the other end of the table. Everyone on Elizabeth's left shifted over one as Allie and Jack took their places at the end of the right side.
When they were settled, Minnie and Anna appeared from behind the curtain with water and coffee for those who wanted them. The friends sat there catching up and reflecting on old times. Nathan, as the newcomer in the group, simply sat back and watched the friends interact. At one point, Elizabeth reached over, grabbed Nathan's hand, gave it a little squeeze, and smiled sweetly at him. He smiled in return as Abigail watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself.
Abigail shared that she and Cody would be in town over the weekend and then make their way back to Brookfield to spend the holiday with the children at the orphanage the following week. As their meal ended, the Averys and Henry said their goodbyes, promising to meet up again at a later time. The two teens offered to help Rosemary and Elizabeth walk back to the rowhouses with the smaller children. Lee would get the Stantons set up in their room at the inn. Elizabeth hugged Abigail and invited her friend over for tea and more visit time once she had the opportunity to get settled in and rested.
Nathan would do rounds one last time for the day and some paperwork, and then he would join Allie, Elizabeth, and Little Jack later that evening for dinner. Before they left, Nathan squeezed Elizabeth's hand one last time and brought it to his lips. "Thank you for my surprise, Nathan. This is truly a treat, having Abigail and Cody here for the weekend,", Elizabeth said in response. Nathan simply smiled back at her and went on his way to do his rounds.
Late that afternoon, when he was finished with rounds and paperwork, Nathan closed up the Mountie office and started making his way towards the cafe to pick up a dessert for that evening. Abigail was sitting outside with a cup of tea, simply observing the comings and goings of her old hometown.
"Constable, do you have a moment to come sit with me?" , Abigail called out as Nathan reached the steps of the cafe.
Nathan looked over at Abigail, smiled, and walked over to her. "Hello again, Abigail. Have you had a good day so far? Were you able to visit a little more with Elizabeth and Jack?", Nathan asked as he took his place across from Abigail. Anna came over instantly and asked Nathan if he wanted anything, and he ordered a cup of coffee.
When Anna returned with Nathan's coffee, Abigail set her teacup down and nodded as she spoke. "Yes, Cody and I are all settled in at the inn for the next few days, thanks to Lee. Afterwards, we went over to Elizabeth's and visited for a while. Robert came over as soon as he heard that Cody was in town. I left Elizabeth not too long ago so that she could rest for a bit before dinner. We are going to join you all this evening for dinner over there.", she said as she looked intently at Nathan.
Nathan nodded as he took a sip of coffee. Abigail figured out instantly that she was going to have to take the lead in the conversation with Nathan Grant. "Nathan, I want to say that I appreciate the way that you've stepped in and taken care of Elizabeth and Little Jack, not only in the absence of Jack himself, but even in my own absence. It was so hard to leave my friend shortly after she'd given birth and was still grieving the loss of her husband. Elizabeth has shared with me what originally brought you to Hope Valley and how your friendship has developed since then.", Abigail said as she reached out and touched Nathan's hand briefly, before she pulled it back to take another sip from her teacup, giving him an opportunity to respond.
Nathan reached for his coffee mug, drank from it and smiled at Abigail as he set it down. "Abigail, Elizabeth, and Jack mean the world to me. I came here to look after a fellow Mountie's young family, but I grew to love them both. Now, I can't imagine my life without them.", Nathan said, and he looked off into the distance, lost in thought with a smile on his face. He awoke from his trance and returned his gaze to Abigail.
"Abigail, I have a question for you. It may sound a little strange, but since you're here, I believe that this step is important. Eventually, I would like to ask Elizabeth to marry me and adopt Jack as my son. I'm asking for your blessing, as one of her dearest friends and a sort of mother figure too. ", Nathan told Abigail, searching her eyes for the answer he was seeking.
Abigail reached over again and placed her own hand over Nathan's. "Nathan, I am so honored that you would even think of including me in that request. I know we don't really know one another, but Nathan Grant, I know you more than you may realize.", Abigail responded. She looked intently at him and continued, "You see, I was a witness to Elizabeth's and Jack's love story from the very beginning."
Nathan lowered his head and nodded in response, Abigail waited for him to look back up before she continued. "But I feel like I've watched this love story too, your love story with Elizabeth blossoming, but this time, it's been from a distance. You see, Elizabeth shares everything with me, and I knew all about you and Allie from the start. And, from what I heard from others, I think I knew how Elizabeth felt about you, long before she did. I knew that Lucas was, with no disrespect to the man, a mistake, but I supported her choice to move on. My heart broke for her when he passed, but I also wondered if it would allow the two of you an opportunity to find one another once again. Eventually it did, and here we are now. Nathan, you have my blessing. To be honest, you always have, without even knowing you did.", she said to Nathan, looking earnestly into his blue eyes.
"But one thing Nathan, I need you to promise me that you will take care of her and Jack, as you have done since the beginning. Nathan, continue to love them with that genuine heart of yours, as you already are doing and have been doing for a long time now.", she urged as she took both of his hands in her own at that moment. "I know that Jack would be pleased with you Nathan and how you love his family.", she added, with tears forming in her eyes.
Nathan searched Abigail's eyes and nodded as tears formed in his own eyes. Hearing these words from Abigail meant the world to him. Not only having her approval, but knowing that he would have had Jack Thornton Sr.'s as well, made his heart smile. As their conversation wrapped up, Nathan stood to leave, and Abigail joined him. She wrapped the younger man in her arms and thanked him once again for being the special person that he was. "We will see you at Elizabeth's for dinner later tonight.", she said to him as he walked away.
Early on Monday morning, before Abigail and Cody boarded the stagecoach and went to leave, Abigail hugged Elizabeth goodbye. She held her there for a moment longer and whispered in her ear, " You did well, Elizabeth. Nathan, he's a keeper, and Jack would be so happy for both you and Little Jack." Elizabeth closed her eyes, nodded and squeezed her friend a little tighter.