Chapter 49: Thankful for the Blessings

It was Thanksgiving Day in Hope Valley. The air was a bit chilly that October afternoon, so Elizabeth bundled both her and Little Jack up. She grabbed the sweet potato casserole that she offered to make for the event and secured it in one arm and took hold of Little Jack's hand with the other. Just as she was about to ask Jack to open the door for them, there was a rap at the door and then Nathan's voice called out to her. Jack immediately opened the door as he wore a big smile on his face. "Mountie Nathan! Allie! Are you coming with us?", the small boy asked excitedly.

"You bet we are, Jack. We wouldn't miss it. Would you like a ride there?", Nathan responded.

Jack peered out the door and looked around. "Mountie Nathan, I don't see Newton. How can I ride?", the little boy inquired.

Nathan chuckled and bent down to Jack's level "Would you like to ride there on my shoulders, Jack?", Nathan asked.

Jack's eyes grew large, and he replied shyly, "Really?" Nathan smiled and nodded at the boy, who in turn looked over at his mother with a pleading look in his eyes. "Please Mama, can I ride on Mountie Nathan's shoulders?", he implored his mother. Elizabeth smiled at her son and then up at Nathan, then nodded in agreement. Nathan gestured for Jack to come to the top step, and then he picked the boy up and hoisted him up over his head and onto his shoulders, keeping a tight grip on his legs. Jack's face lit up and he wore the biggest smile. "This is fun, Mama. Let's go Mountie Nathan!", the boy exclaimed from his spot.

The others chuckled, and Elizabeth closed her door and walked down the steps of her rowhouse. She joined Allie on the path, who was carrying the dish with her homemade cranberry sauce made from her Grandma Nellie's recipe. The families chatted on their walk into town. When they arrived at the inn, Rosemary stood at the doorway holding Evie and greeted them warmly. Then, she directed them as to where to put their dishes for sharing at their Thanksgiving feast.

The room was filled with many loved ones from the Hope Valley community. The two families sat with the Thatchers on one side and the Coulters on the other side. Close by were Henry, the Averys, the Yosts, Faith and James, Mei and Kevin. The Canfields were hosting a small family-style dinner at their home with Anna and Judge Bleakney. The Montgomerys, the Weises, the Wolfs and the Lawsons were having a potluck of their own on the Wolf property.

The inn provided the turkey and ham for dinner, and the others brought the sides to share. Minnie made desserts for all of the families who were hosting dinners at their various locations. After dinner and dessert, the group was sitting around the table simply enjoying the time with their loved ones. They had much to celebrate after the tough year that they had had.

Nathan walked up to William and said, "Mr. Thatcher, I was wondering if I could speak to you outside for a few moments."

William looked at Nathan, nodded, and stood to his feet. The two men walked out of the inn, onto the boardwalk, and over to the tables that sat outside of the cafe. William waited for Nathan to speak before saying anything else.

"Sir, as you are aware, your daughter and I have been courting for several months. Even though we've only been together a very short time, I have loved both your daughter and your grandson for a very long time. I'd like to marry Elizabeth and adopt Jack as my own son someday, but I don't want to do that unless I have your permission from the start. I know that is important to both Elizabeth and me.", Nathan spoke confidently as he looked intently into William's eyes.

William looked thoughtfully at Nathan for a few moments before saying a word. After awhile, he nodded and smiled at Nathan. "Nathan, I appreciate the fact that you are taking me aside and speaking to me about this. The fact that you are including me in this, means the world to me. Grace and I spoke to Elizabeth this summer about your budding relationship, and she spoke of her desire for the two of you to marry and blend your families. So, it's nice to hear from you now that it is your heart's desire as well. Nathan, if I may, son, you have my blessing for this relationship, this marriage, and this family.", William spoke sincerely to Nathan. "We love you and Allie and welcome you into our family.", he said as he extended his hand to Nathan. Nathan put his own hand into William's, and the two of them shook hands. William then placed his other hand on Nathan's hand as well and looked at him intently. "Son, continue to put family first like you do. I know being a Mountie is important to you, but I also know that you'd do anything for your family as well. Keep that up and take good care of my daughter and grandson,", William told Nathan.

Nathan looked back at William sincerely and said, "Sir, I promise to always love and protect your daughter and grandson for the rest of my days, just as I do Allie. They are my heart, my future, and my lifetime."

The two men stood there with hands clasped and eyes locked for a few more moments. And then, William took away his hands and slapped Nathan on the shoulder and said, "You're a good man, Nathan Grant. Now, what do you say that we go back inside and join our family? "

Nathan smiled back at him and responded, "Sounds like a great idea, sir." The two men walked up the boardwalk and back into the inn. William went back to sit with Grace at the table, and Nathan went over to Allie and whispered something in her ear. She smiled, quietly got up from her seat, and the two Grants disappeared into the back room of the inn for a moment. Upon their return, they were both carrying their guitars. They took their places on the stools on stage and started strumming their guitars.

The Thatchers looked over at Elizabeth with a surprised look on their faces, and Elizabeth, in return, shrugged her shoulders, indicating her own surprise at their performance. Before their song continued, Nathan looked out into the crowd and shared, "So, Allie has been learning to play guitar these past couple of months, and we thought it would be nice to play for our family and friends. We are so thankful for all of you in our lives. So, here's a small piece that we wrote. "

Hope Valley is the kind of place

We are extremely grateful for

We love to see each and every face

You have become like family

always there when we need a helping hand.

There's no place we would rather be

Because you have been there for us from the very start

You loved us through the good and the bad.

And you have come to hold a big piece of our heart.

So, we are thankful for each day here with you

You've given us a place to call home.

And dear friends, you're our family too.

The friends sat at the tables, smiling and with tears glistening in their eyes. After a moment, Rosemary wiped her eyes and stood, clapping, and thanking the Grants for their lovely song. She opened the floor up for anyone else to share any messages of thanks. Bill stood in his spot as Rosemary smiled and took a seat.

Bill looked around the room filled with his friends. Then, he fixed his eyes on his wife and granddaughter, as he smiled brightly at them and said, "I want to say that I am thankful for my wife and granddaughter. They have been a true blessing in my life that I never knew I needed. It has been a joy to live this chapter of life with both of you." Molly and Bill shared a sweet smile between themselves. Just then, Rena wriggled out of Molly's lap and waddled over to Bill. She looked at him with her large blue eyes and copper curls framing her round face and then lifted her arms into the air, saying, "Papa, up please." Bill smiled down at his granddaughter with glistening eyes and bent down to pick her up. As he held the little girl in his arms, she grabbed his cheeks, looked intently at him for a moment, and then kissed his cheek. The crowd around them simply expressed their love for the sweet sentiment that they had just witnessed from the Avery family. Bill smiled at his friends and sat back down in his chair with Rena in his lap.

Just as Rosemary was about to stand again, James stood and held up his hand, signaling that he was about to share, so Rosemary nodded and stayed in her spot. James looked around at the community before him and then, back at Faith, who was sitting at the table next to him. "I want to thank you, the good people of Hope Valley, for welcoming me into your town as you have and allowing me to become part of it. I have enjoyed interacting with you and sharing events such as this with all of you.", he said, as he looked into the faces of his new friends with a bright smile.

He looked at Faith once more, his green eyes shining full of joy, and said, "And I am thankful for this lovely soul who came into my life." He gestured for Faith to join him in standing, so she rose from her seat and looked around at her friends, smiling. James took Faith's hands into his own and looked deep into her blue eyes as he continued. "Faith, you've become not only my colleague, but you've become the love of my life and my best friend. After I lost Addie and Edith, I honestly could not imagine life with anyone else again. I thought I'd simply focus on helping others alone for the rest of my life. But then, I met you and that perspective changed. Faith, I love you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?", James asked as he bent down on one knee and pulled out a simple diamond ring.

The room was silent, as the town awaited their beloved doctor's answer to her beau. Faith looked around the room for a moment, her eyes filled with tears, and smiled. Then, she took her left hand and placed it on James' cheek. "James, my love, I would love to become your wife. Being with you these past several months has brought such joy.", Faith responded. "I love you and I love who we are as a team.", she continued. James's green eyes sparkled as he smiled back at Faith. He took her left hand from his cheek and placed the diamond ring on her finger. James stood to his feet and he embraced Faith in a bear hug in front of their friends. A roar of applause and cheers of congratulations broke out in the room.

Nathan reached over and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, giving it a little squeeze as he did. She looked down at their hands, smiled, and then glanced over at him. There he sat, wearing his crooked smile and blue eyes sparkling, looking lovingly at her. "I love you, Nathan Grant.", she said to him. Nathan picked her hand up, kissed it, and then gave it a gentle squeeze. "And I love you, Elizabeth Thornton,", he responded.

As Elizabeth and Nathan walked arm in arm down the wondrous, autumnal pathway home to the rowhouses from the inn, they were quiet for a long while. The Thatchers had kept Little Jack to spend some more time with him, and Allie had gone to spend some time with Emily, Opal, and Maggie.

Elizabeth stopped for a moment and simply looked around at the magnificence that surrounded them. She loved the beauty of this season, and she was reminded of one of her favorite quotes from Emily Bronte, and she smiled to herself. Nathan stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's on your mind, my love?", he whispered into her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment as she leaned back against him and smiled again When she opened her eyes, Elizabeth looked up at the colorful trees, amazed at the beauty before her. "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." "Ah, Emily Bronte," Nathan said as he kissed her head. "I have one for you. How about, "I cannot endure wasting anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house." This season, in this town is incredible."

Elizabeth nodded and said, "Nathaniel Hawthorne. He is one of my favorites as well. You are well read and versed, aren't you, Mr. Grant? Will you ever cease to amaze me? "

Nathan chuckled and shook his head as he held her tighter and put his cheek against hers. They stood that way for the longest time until they heard the sound of a car coming down the pathway.

"Hey you two, you're kind of blocking traffic," Bill shouted out from the passenger window as he, Molly, Rena, and Henry pulled up alongside the couple.

"You're the first ones down this path since we've been here, Bill. I think we're fine.", Nathan called back, chuckling.

"Well, it's best if you get on home; you wouldn't want people to talk, now would you, Constable?", Bill responded with a wink as they drove away slowly in their car.

Nathan shook his head, held out his arm for Elizabeth to take hold of again, and they finished their walk home.