Heartbeat of Hope Valley
Warning ... this story does not follow the morals of WCTH when it comes to premarital sex.
The first five chapters cover Nathan's story and how he copes after the events of the Season 8 finale.
If you would rather not read those chapters then skip ahead to Chapter 6, I have added a brief summary as to where we find him now. Then we move on...
This story concentrates mainly on Nathan and Bea but includes all
your well-loved characters and a few new ones I have added. My love for Celtic Folklore
and life beyond are also brought into the story.
I am no wordsmith, this is simply written, let your imagination run wild.
Bea could remember her father saying to her as a child of about ten or eleven...
"Sweetie, sometimes in life things just happen.
They can't be explained, no amount of questions will tell you
who, what, why or when, you just must accept them for what they are.
I have a feeling as you grow older you may experience such events.
Promise me you will embrace such things, don't try to evaluate them,
accept the message they send, advice they give, or whatever.
If you don't, they will eat you away.
Your Grandmother always said
"There is more to Heaven and earth than we could hope to know,"
I believe her to be right."
CHAPTER ONE (September 1918 Hope Valley) ….
Nathan watched as Elizabeth left his office, he seemed to be watching the whole scene unfold from the corner of the jail. As if he was a spectator watching this happen to someone else.
The door closed and she was gone. In less than 5 minutes his world appeared to have collapsed, he himself did collapse into his chair. Had he heard right? How could he have been so wrong? The questions just kept coming, his mind was racing. He fought hard to keep control but as the lump in his throat grew so the tears came. Then the numbness hit. He felt like a stranger looking in on what had just happened, he had to get out of the office, he needed to escape the scene of this heartbreak. As he closed the door of the jail-house, he did not notice Lee and Rosemary, he did not hear them speak at first,
"Good morning Nathan "Rosemary said when he did not answer and she looked again she instinctively knew, his face said it all, something was wrong, had Elizabeth had made her decision?
"Nathan" she repeated, "are you OK, you look miles away".
"Sorry Rosemary, yes I was, just a lot on my mind". "Sorry I need to get on my way, I will catch you both later".
He headed off to the livery, saddled up Newton, and headed off out of town, he needed space to breathe and think.
"Lee, I think Elizabeth has finally decided where her heart lies."
Lee laughed, "what makes you think that?"
"Oh Lee, men can be so blind, could you not tell something was wrong, that was not our strong, noble Mountie, that was a broken man."
Lee was never surprised by his wife's thinking, her ability to see things he just could not see,
Nathan had seemed preoccupied though. "So, you think that was the look of a rejected man?"
"That is exactly what that was, the look of a very heartbroken man. I believe after all these months Elizabeth must have chosen Lucas?"
"Would that actually surprise you?"
"You know Lee it really would. I have watched over the last year or so the connection there is between Elizabeth and Nathan, her need to know where he is and what he is doing all the time. Even the way they look at each other. There is, or perhaps was, something incredibly beautiful there and if I am right then I tell you this Lee Coulter I will not be the only one here in Hope Valley who is shocked.
Nathan managed to leave town without encountering anyone else, a blessing he thought. An overwhelming desire to ride off and carry on going came over him, he did not know where just away from Hope Valley. Then he thought of the one reason he could not do that, Allie. His already shattered heart sank even further, how bad could this day get. He would have to return home and tell Allie about Elizabeth's decision. Tell her what Elizabeth had told him, although she loved him and Allie she was not in love with him. He did not want to hear those words again and yet here he was saying them to himself and would have to repeat it again.
Nathan knew Allie loved Elizabeth almost as much as he did, she was so upset the night the one and only date he had managed to arrange had fallen through at the last minute. She was a clever girl for her age, wise beyond her years in many ways. On their way back that night, after seeing Elizabeth and little Jack home, she had commented how funny it was that Mrs. Thornton was OK until we saw Mr. Bouchard. Nathan had replied by saying that was an unkind thing to say, but as the same thoughts were running through his mind, he did not push it.
By now Nathan has reached the old, deserted cabin in the woods, the one where... and again, that pain in the pit of his stomach. He dismounted and tethered Newton to the rail, sank down on the old steps, and again the tears came. He remembered as a young boy, his father had taken every cent in the house again, coming home from school he had found his mother in tears. He had tried to be so strong back then, he was just a boy, and that day he started to cry. Then he got angry with himself for crying. His Mum had wrapped her arms around him and told him to let that emotion out. That it took a big man to cry. "Never be afraid of showing your emotions Nathan, of letting them out. Keep them locked away and they will eat you up." How he would love to feel his mother's arms around him at this moment, she always had the right words, a way of making even the darkest situation seem a little brighter.
Round and round his thoughts spiraled, how had he not seen this, how had he got that so wrong, what about Allie, what about Hope Valley, could he face Elizabeth and Lucas. Then again that strange out-of-body feeling took over as if he were floating watching himself go through this turmoil. It was calming in a strange way, and then he heard a voice, a female voice, not one he recognized, and yet one that for a brief instant brought a sense of peace. He suddenly jerked and was back, "Hello, is anyone there, "he asked loudly. "Hello ". No reply. He shook his head, got up, and had a quick look around, no sign of anyone. "You are losing it," he said to himself. He now realized that the day was getting old, the light was starting to fade. Duty called, he must head back into town and do his rounds. With the Pinkerton's in the area and a general sense of unrest, he could not neglect his duties. At least by the time he did get back, it would be dark and with a little bit of luck he would not meet anyone, he could not face that right now.
With his rounds complete and Newton bedded down for the night, he locked up the office and headed home.
He was torn, while he hoped Allie was in bed that would mean having to wait until tomorrow to have a talk with her. The school year was supposed to start in the morning, he could not tell her what had happened and then send her off and expect her to sit and watch Elizabeth all day, that would be cruel. In fact, there was another problem added to this complicated mess, would Allie want to go back at all. He dreaded the thought of seeing Elizabeth, was it fair to drop this on Allie and then expect her to sit in her classroom all day. That like so many other things would have to be sorted. First things first he thought, the only thing now is to tell her. If I can do that today at least I will have achieved the first step.
At that thought, Nathan stopped dead in his tracks, "One step at a time "that is what the voice had said, "One step at a time, take your time, don't rush and all will be well".
Was it his imagination, it had sounded real, whichever that would be the way out of this, one step at a time, one day at a time. Somehow, he would never forget it and the message it conveyed. One step at a time it would be.