Second Chances for Nathan Chapter 10, Part 6, Page 63

Waiting at the stagecoach stop, Allie and Emily were waiting anxiously for Nathan. Brook Springs town was all abuzz as the festival was the next day and people were busy getting things ready. Around the corner the stagecoach came with a trail of dust. Nathan stepped out and Allie was right there with a big hug when his feet hit the ground. "Oh I missed you Dad!" she exclaimed. Emily was right next to her impatiently waiting for a hug too.

"Hey, it's good to see my favorite ladies!" he laughed. He grabbed his bag and dropped it on the ground to hug his Ma.

"Dad, there's so much to tell you!" Allie started.

"I bet there is, but let's walk over where Jack is waiting and once in the car you can fill me in." Sure enough Allie began and didn't even stop until they arrived at the farm. Jack laughed and when Nathan grabbed his bag and everyone got out, he waved and said, "Talk to you later."

Emily fussed over Nathan, getting him tea and a slice of cinnamon raisin bread. Allie finally took a breath and left to get Ginger. Nathan just laughed. It felt so good to be treated like a king. How he had missed their love. Emily spoke up, "Oh son, I am so happy to see you again. Allie and I have had some wonderful times together and she has learned so much these past few weeks. It's been a joy!"

"Just what I thought would happen Ma. You are the best woman I can rely on to make things better not only for Allie, but for me. Thank you!" he said as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

Just then he heard soft barking just outside the door. There was Allie and the adorable little golden puppy, Ginger. She was a bundle of fur with a sweet face and a non-stop wagging tail. When Nathan bent down to pet her she jumped up just enough to give him little puppy kisses. "Watch out for her teeth," Allie warned, "she's got sharp little puppy teeth."

"Well, will you look at you little one, aren't you just a sweetheart." Nathan smiled at Ginger as he picked her up. "Reminds me of my stray pup that I had for a short time when I was your age. I had to keep him in the barn as Charlie wasn't allowed in the house, but sometimes he'd squeeze in and he'd sneak into bed with me at night. Remember Ma?"

"Oh, I sure do, but don't go filling Allie's head with ideas now." Emily shushed.

"Oma, Ginger will have to be an inside dog, we live in row houses and we can't disturb our neighbors. Ginger will be quite a spoiled little girl!" Allie smiled and Nathan nodded.

Then Allie went upstairs to her bedroom and got the guitar Dee found for her. "What a beaut Allie!" Nathan said as he picked it up and strummed a few chords. "Let me see you play."

Allie proudly showed off her new talent and was asking him to sing while she played. It soon turned into a little songfest that put Emily in her glory watching them together. Soon, all this delightful music will be gone, but she tried not to think about that and just focused on the moment.

"By the way, Nathan, you will have another traveler with you when you leave," Emily started.

"I know, Ginger – hope she's up to the long ride!" he sighed.

"Well, yes, but that's not who I was thinking of, actually Dee will be accompanying you all to Hope Valley." Emily informed him. "She has an interview with Mr. Landis about a possible new job teaching there and at Brookfield."

"Yea, I sure hope he hires her!" Allie smiled.

"That is great news!" Nathan grinned. "It'll be wonderful to have her in Hope Valley. We've always been good friends. I sure hope she impresses Landis."

"You'll be seeing her tomorrow at Church and all day at the festival." Emily said with a twinkle in her eye. "Speaking of which, I need to bake my Bavarian apple pie for the contest, so, I'll leave you two to catch up."

Nathan and Allie went upstairs where Nathan stretched out on his bed while Allie told him all about Karen and both being adopted, that they pinky-sweared to be close friends forever, that Karen was taking a pup and named him Dusty, and that her dad was looking for a new job. Nathan asked what kind of work he did, but Allie didn't know. He thought about Lee and Henry looking for workers, but didn't say anything to Allie what he was thinking.

Allie also told him that she was working on the games with the other older children and had many games that would be non-stop. She signed both of them up together for the 3-legged and the wheelbarrow races. It was non-stop with Allie filling in him on every detail from babysitting little Nicholas to having Karen's family and Dee's family for dinner. When she finally took a breath, she looked at Nathan and he was sound asleep.

Emily told Allie to let him rest as the stagecoach ride is tiring. So, instead she helped Emily get the dinner ready while the pies were baking in the oven. When the aroma of the delicious pies woke him up, he went downstairs and there was dinner waiting for him. They enjoyed Sauerbraten, noodles, cabbage with a piece of pie for dessert. The laughter and the delicious food made for a joyful, content evening. Baths followed and then some guitar playing and singing ended the night. "Gute Nacht," my loved ones Emily said as she kissed her son and granddaughter.