The following Saturday morning, Nathan and Elizabeth entered the Hope Valley Equestrian Center at 8am. They held hands as they walked over to the stables area. Nathan led Elizabeth over to Newton's stall.
"Elizabeth, this is Newton." Nathan said as he stroked Newton's mane.
"Hi Newton, it's nice to meet you!" Elizabeth said as she also reached out to touch the horse's mane. She watched as Newton quickly ate the carrot pieces that Nathan held out to him.
"Nathan, he is such a gorgeous horse. I can see why he's so important to you."
The couple spent a few more minutes visiting with Newton and then Nathan quickly brushed and saddled the horse. Leading Newton, they then walked down a few stalls to pick up the horse that Elizabeth would ride. They found the stall with a very dark brown horse. The name placard in his stall said his name was "Sergeant". Elizabeth took a few minutes to get to know Sergeant. She talked to him and stroked his mane and then fed him some apple pieces. Nathan then handed her Newton's reins while he quickly brushed and saddled Sergeant. He then led Sergeant while Elizabeth led Newton out to the shorter trail run. They then switched horses.
Elizabeth looked down at her new riding boots and smiled. Her jeans were comfortably tucked into the boots. It had been quite some time since she had worn riding boots. Nathan stood next to her and started to explain how to mount Sergeant when Elizabeth simply put her left leg in the stirrup, grabbed the saddle horn, and hoisted herself up into the saddle.
"There now! It's just like riding a bike!"
She looked down at Nathan who was now staring at her wide-eyed with his mouth open.
Elizabeth laughed. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Lizbeth, you know how to ride?"
"Well it's been many years but yes, I can ride. My parents have a vacation home in the Hamptons so we'd spend a good part of the Summer there when I was growing up. My sisters and I took riding lessons twice a week. I may know a trick or two as well. But like I said, it's been many years."
Nathan mounted Newton and they started walking slowly on the trail. It was a clear, sunny morning in early October so there was just enough chill in the air for light Fall jackets. They rode in silence for several minutes just enjoying the scenery and each other's company.
"Sergeant seems like a nice, gentle horse. Maybe I can bring Jack here for a ride too."
"I believe he may even be for sale." Nathan quickly stopped himself and then continued. "That is if you were interested in buying a horse. I'm sure you could continue to rent him as long as he's available. That is assuming you want to go riding again. With me. I'm sorry. That was out of line. We've barely even been here an hour. Never mind." Nathan finally just looked down as Newton knew the way.
Elizabeth laughed at how adorable Nathan was when he got flustered. She reached over and grabbed his hand and held it tight. "Nathan, I know what you meant and quite honestly, I might consider owning my own horse assuming that a handsome detective wanted company on his regular trail rides. I wouldn't want to impose. I know how special Newton is to you and I wouldn't want to change up your routine too much."
"You are special to me Elizabeth. More than you know. Thank you for sharing this special time with me. Riding Newton during these early morning rides always centers me and does wonders for my mental health. And I will always welcome your company on these rides. It feels amazing being able to share this with you."
"And you're very special to me Nathan. Thank you for including me in your special routine. I had forgotten how liberating it feels to ride." Elizabeth said as she squeezed Nathan's hand again.
They rode like that for the next thirty minutes. Sometimes in silence and sometimes talking to one another about their kids and friends. Both had enjoyed the barbeque with the Kinslows the prior week and they agreed they'd like to host a larger get together at Elizabeth's house soon. By the time they got back to the stables, it was almost 8:45. Nathan quickly removed the saddles from each horse while Elizabeth brushed them and made sure they each had enough food and water.
On the way back to the car, they stopped in the office to inquire about Sergeant. It turns out that Sergeant used to work for the NYPD mounted division and then had a minor foot injury that was enough to cause him to retire. He'd been used for trail rides ever since.
Elizabeth asked a few more questions about Sergeant's price and the horse's history. She vaguely remembered that Jack had briefly worked in the mounted police division before he got promoted to detective. So, she was curious about a potential connection. Kurt, the stable master, promised to look into it for her as they regularly took in and re-homed retired police horses.
Nathan then dropped Elizabeth off at home with a promise to see her later that night for their date in the city. Allie had been watching Jack for the brief time that Elizabeth and Nathan spent riding so Nathan picked Allie up and went home to spend the day with his little girl. As they continued to spend more time with Elizabeth and Little Jack, Nathan wanted to make sure that Allie still felt valued and important so the one on one time with her was precious to him.
The Grants went to the Hope Valley Diner for breakfast after leaving the Thornton home. Both were excited that the adoption process had been legally started over the past week. Since Allie's biological father was still alive, it would take some time to make sure everything was done correctly. But after discussing it with Elizabeth, Nathan had decided to be open and honest with Allie about the entire process. She knew that it was in the hands of the courts now. But Nathan was secretly hoping the adoption could be finalized by Christmas.
After breakfast, they decided to take advantage of the weather and play a round of miniature golf at the local course. They then stopped by the used bookstore at the local library and each picked up a few new titles. Allie also suggested that they buy a few picture books to have at home for Little Jack which Nathan gladly obliged. By the time they finished, it was almost 1pm and both were famished again. So, they went home and enjoyed lunch out on the patio. Both decided that they needed a nap after that so Nathan and Allie both slept for over an hour.
Cat Mongomery stopped by at around 3pm to pick up Allie for her sleepover with Emily. Allie gave Nathan a quick hug and kiss good-bye and she was off. Nathan used the time to shower, shave, and get ready for his night out with Elizabeth.
Promptly at 4pm, Nathan rang Elizabeth's doorbell. Both gasped as soon as Elizabeth opened the door.
"Hi 'Lizbeth. You look beautiful." said Nathan as he looked at Elizabeth's black modal knee length dress. The dress had three-quarter length puffed sleeves and a bunched up waist. On her feet was a pair of comfortable looking silver flats and she carried her red clutch with her jacket draped over the same arm.
Elizabeth pulled Nathan to her and gave him a long, passionate kiss right in her doorway.
"You look pretty handsome yourself, Detective. You clean up nicely." added Elizabeth as she looked over Nathan. He was wearing grey jeans, a black v-neck sweater with a light blue crew neck shirt underneath. Black suede oxfords were on his feet. Elizabeth silently marveled at how they always managed to match without coordinating beforehand.
Nathan smiled and kissed Elizabeth again. "Where is the little guy?"
"He's next door with Lee, Rosie, and Abby for the night. I definitely owe them some babysitting though. But for now, they are happy to stay home before Rosie's performance schedule gets crazy."
"Well, Allie and I are happy to help whenever you need it. Abby is adorable."
"And very much her mother's daughter! What time is our train, Nathan?"
"We're driving!"
Elizabeth finally let go of Nathan and looked up at him. "We are?"
"Yes. I am not a big fan of the train. So, I always drive to the city. Are you ready to go? We should have plenty of time for dinner before our curtain call at 8pm."
"I'm ready, Nathan. Let me just put on my jacket."
Elizabeth quickly put on her grey leather moto jacket over her dress and then stepped outside the house, set the alarm, and quickly locked the door. She then took the arm Nathan offered they walked over to his car. After getting settled, Nathan backed out of the driveway and they headed over to the Long Island Expressway to drive Westbound into Manhattan. As always, Elizabeth and Nathan had no shortage of topics to discuss. But sometimes they also drove in silence and just enjoyed the approaching skyline and being in one another's company.
Once they exited the Queens-Midtown tunnel into Manhattan, Nathan headed up 3rd Avenue and then drove West across 42nd Street. As they approached 6th Avenue, Elizabeth asked him to turn right and then enter a garage underneath a large office building. Nathan raised his eyebrows and then did as she asked. After pulling into the check-in area, the valet greeted them and his face lit up when he saw Elizabeth.
"Miss Elizabeth! How are you? It's been a while."
"Hello Harper! I'm well thank you. This is Detective Nathan Grant."
Nathan was a bit shell shocked but he quickly recovered and greeted Harper. A few minutes later, the car was checked in and Nathan and Elizabeth were walking across Times Square arm in arm.
"Ok 'Lizbeth who was that?"
Elizabeth laughed and playfully swatted Nathan's arm.
"That was Harper. Our lead valet. My father's company, The Thatcher Group, owns that building." Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Oh."
"I don't have much to do with running the company though I do have a Board seat. So the parking space comes with the territory." Elizabeth smiled up at Nathan from under her lashes.
The couple arrived at Carmine's for dinner and were promptly seated. Since the food was served family style, they decided on baked ziti and a house salad to share.
"Tell me more about your family, Elizabeth. I know you've talked about your sisters but I haven't heard much about your parents until today."
Elizabeth sighed and proceeded to tell Nathan about her family. "My father built the company from the ground up. He worked as a real estate agent out of college and quickly decided that he wanted to run his own office. So, he borrowed some money from his dad and opened his own office. That grew quickly and within 5 years The Thatcher Group was born. They specialize in all kinds of real estate now and also own a small chain of luxury resorts. My sister Julie heads up the Thatcher Group Foundation so she's the closest we have to having one of us work for the company. But none of us were ever interested in working for the company much to my father's chagrin. Julie is now dating my childhood friend Charles Kensington III and he has been my father's right hand man for years now. So if things work out for him and Julie and I suspect they might, then my father can have some peace of mind that at least someone in the family is involved with the business."
Nathan nodded and encouraged Elizabeth to continue. "Father has always been a workaholic while Mother was more interested in the society scene. So, she's always been involved with charity work and making sure the Thatcher name was well represented at benefits and other social events. They make a good team but that just wasn't the life I wanted for myself. My older sister Viola is just like my mother. She married an English Knight, Sir Lionel, right out of college. They live in London with their four year old daughter Victoria. So Vi does the same thing as my mother except overseas. I don't see Vi as often as I'd like but we are also not as close as Julie and I are."
"And you mentioned that Julie stayed with you after Jack died?"
"She did. She stayed with me until Little Jack was about 6 months old and I finally kicked her out so she could focus on her own life again." Elizabeth said with a chuckle.
"Nathan, you should know that while I fully intend to live my life on my own terms and support myself, I have also had some help. The reason my house is so large is because my father paid for half of it as a down payment because I would not allow him to pay for the entire house. I pay the mortgage on the balance. He was never a big fan of Jack and I guess when he saw how serious I was about him, he wanted me to have a comfortable place to call home regardless of what happened to my relationship."
Elizabeth paused and took a breath. Her eyes teared up as Nathan grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"It's almost as if Father knew things wouldn't end well for me and Jack. So, he just wanted me to always have a comfortable home. In hindsight, I am grateful because being able to live next door to Lee and Rosie has been a godsend. I couldn't have gotten through any of this without them or Julie. And I was all set for Little Jack when he was born so that was one less thing to worry about. Father wanted to set up trust funds for Little Jack and myself but I refused those. I know I can ask for help if I truly need it though and I will likely have a hefty inheritance one day in the distant future. But aside from that, I support myself on my salary and Jack's pension. My only involvement with the company is my Board seat. And Nathan, if you're willing, I would like you and Allie to meet Mother, Father, and Julie."
Nathan squeezed Elizabeth's hand again and gave her his crooked smile.
"We'd be honored to meet them anytime."
Elizabeth squeezed Nathan's hand too and they continued dining in comfortable silence. After dinner, they walked one block over to the Marquis Theater to see Tootsie the Musical. Nathan had secured really good seats in the front section of the Orchestra. Both Elizabeth and Nathan loved the show and couldn't stop laughing throughout. They walked back to the garage arm in arm.
"Nathan, thank you for that! It's been forever since I've been to the theater just to enjoy it. And that show was perfect. I do hope you'll join me for Rosie's opening night performance and festivities next month. She won't take no for an answer."
"How can I say no to that? Pleasant company and Rosie's opening night. I wouldn't miss it."
They got lost in each other's eyes for a moment and continued walking. Once they got to the car and thanked Harper, Nathan quickly drove them back to Elizabeth's house. Traffic was light once they got through the tunnel on the Eastbound side. They arrived at Elizabeth's house about thirty minutes later. Neither was in a rush for the night to end. They sat in the car and just stared at one another for a few minutes.
"Would you like to come inside for a cup of coffee or a drink?"
"I would but I'm not sure I should. It's getting harder for me to leave you each time we do this."
"I feel the same way, Nathan."
Nathan took a deep breath and took Elizabeth's left hand into his right hand.
"Elizabeth, I know you've been through a lot the past couple of years so it's not my intent to rush you at all or ask you to do anything you're not ready to do. But, I'm in love with you. I've questioned whether it's possible to fall for someone this quickly but when it's right, you can just feel it. I know I'm in love with you."
Nathan took another deep breath as Elizabeth just stared at him with tears in her eyes.
"I'm in love with you too, Nathan. I love you so very much. One of my struggles has also been how this could happen so quickly. In fact, it's one of the things I tried to talk to Jack about last month at the cemetery. I asked him for a sign and then when I got upset, I subconsciously dialed your number. So I think that was my sign that it was ok to move forward with you now."
Both were now crying and Elizabeth continued.
"I don't expect this to be easy. I still have a lot of fears about your job that we are going to have to work through together. I cannot lose you the way I lost Jack. But I also know that you are very different from Jack and you will always do everything in your power to come back to us. And Nathan, I cannot imagine my life without you and Allie in it so I will do everything in my power to move forward with you."
With that, they both leaned forward and explored their newfound love with a long and passionate kiss. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.