Chapter Forty-Five

Nathan had desperately wanted to go back to work on Monday, but Commissioner Blake had been adamant that he take off at least through Wednesday, so that he would have a full two weeks off. He understood why his Commissioner was being insistent, given all he had been through, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Commissioner Blake had also told Nathan that he wanted Aaron to stay on in Hope Valley for now, which thrilled both Nathan and Bill.

They would be able to do so much more as a team having Aaron on board, and Aaron was ecstatic over the news! Both men had really grown to like Aaron. And they had a healthy respect for his work ethic. He was quieter turned, like Nathan, and the two of them just seemed to understand each other.

Truthfully, neither Nathan nor Bill would have ever complained over their workload, but they were more than ready to have the extra help!

Both Nathan and Elizabeth were looking forward to meeting Felicity, who was expected in Hope Valley any day now. She was traveling by train, but their schedule had been running a bit behind because of the weather.

Aaron was anxiously awaiting her.

Nathan had used the last three days to complete all his Christmas projects and start the bigger projects he had planned for Little Jack.

It had been almost therapeutic to work on the items for Jack.

He had cut and put together the pieces for the individual items fairly quickly. But the six pieces had required much more carving detail than he had anticipated, which in turn, made the sanding and finish work a little more involved. So he had ended up spending his three days off this week mostly on Jack's Christmas.

But the two projects were turning out beautifully. They were definitely one of a kind. Jack would be the only little boy who had them, for sure!

Lee had spent an hour each morning with Nathan driving. And both felt comfortable that Nathan was ready to drive on his own. He had even mastered parking for Union City! The lessons had been made more difficult with all the snow, but the two men were not about to be deterred!

In addition, Nathan had taken an hour each evening to drive for practice without Lee, and Elizabeth often joined him.

Hope Valley, in Bill's words, did indeed now have a driving Mountie!

So, although Nathan felt much had been accomplished, he was literally itching to get back to work and making his rounds with Newton. He had really missed Newton, and being in the saddle.

He was anxious to start riding with Elizabeth. They had never gotten to do that as a couple, and both were looking forward to long rides together. Elizabeth had already been taking Sargent on short runs, while Nathan did his morning driving sessions, but she missed not having Nathan by her side.

Finally, the big day had arrived!

"Dad, you fixed my favorite pancakes!"

"Yes, Allie Bean, we're celebrating. I finally get to go back to work! Look what I've made…"

"You didn't!"

"Oh, yes I did," and he laughed as he poured Homemade Banana Syrup all over her pancakes.

"Oh, yum! But Dad, I feel bad. I should have made you Breakfast."

"Can't a man make his beautiful Daughter Breakfast? I rest my cast!"

"Dad, this really is going to be the best December ever!"

"Yes, it is! But you need to eat these before they get cold!"

"Just promise me you'll be careful at work. It's been nice having you home."

"Allie, I promise you I am always careful. And I'll always be careful. Don't you worry your pretty little head, Sweetheart. You are supposed to enjoy every single minute of growing up. You got that?"

"Yes, Dad!"

"Allie, I need to have a grown-up conversation with you. One that stays just between us okay?"

"Yes, Dad, what is it?" a worried look was crossing Allie's face.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. I just need you to do a favor for me. I need you to make sure you stay close to Mrs. Thornton at school, and then always walk home with her."

Allie looked puzzled, and Nathan realized he was going to have to be more specific for Allie to understand.

"Allie, do you remember when Mr. Bouchard used to come to the schoolhouse and surprise Mrs. Thornton?"

"Do I ever! He was always popping up, especially at recess, and she never looked happy about it, either."

"Well, if that were to happen again, would you just go stand by Elizabeth, so she doesn't have to be alone with him. I think she would appreciate that very much."

"Sure, Dad. I can do that easily. If I see Mr. Bouchard coming, I'll just go to her. And I won't leave her either. Not even during recess!"

"That's a good girl, Allie. I think that will make Mrs. Thornton feel better, just in case it does happen again. We just don't want her to ever feel uncomfortable. I'll clear the table. You go finish getting ready, and I'll come up to get dressed so we can walk to school together with Mrs. Thornton."

When Nathan had finished, he climbed the stairs to his room and took out the red serge hanging in his closet.

He dressed quickly and was fumbling with his belt when Allie came in to check on him.

"Here, Dad. Let me help!"

"I can't argue with that. Sometimes, Allie, I think you know where everything goes better than I do."

"That's because I see you in your uniform every single day You just wear it, you don't see it."

"Aah, the wisdom of children. How right you are! Okay, that's got to be it. Let's go!"

They ran laughing down the stairs, sharing some little joke the two of them understood.

"Wrap up tight, Allie. It's still cold. Not quite as bad as last Sunday, but you still need to stay warm. Here's your scarf. Oh, no where's my overcoat?"

"Here, you go, Dad!"

"Allie, I don't know what I'd do without you! And here, I'm supposed to be taking care of you!"

By the time they got to Elizabeth's, she was helping Little Jack, who was in a meltdown over a toy dilemma.

"Little Jack can't find his duck, and so far I haven't had any luck either."

"I'll get it. I think it's in his room."

"Oh, Allie thank you!"

She turned and almost gasped.

Even though Nathan had his overcoat on, The red serge was peeking through and he was carrying his Stetson. His hands were enveloped in the same bulky leather gloves that had held her so close. The sight of him in his uniform almost took her breath away. She had never seen a Mountie look more handsome.

She reached to kiss him and looked into his eyes, taking both of those gloved hands into hers, "You promise me to be careful."

"With all my heart, my Love! With all my heart!"

"Here's Duckie!"

"Allie, where did you find that?"

"Under Jack's bed. I remembered we were playing with it in his room last."

"You're a lifesaver. Look at that, now, he's happy as a clam! Bye, my Sweet Boy. Be good for Laura, Oh, and Laura, Rosemary is off today, so if you need anything, she's right next door!"

"We'll be fine, Mrs. Thornton. Have a good day!"

"You, too, Laura!"

As they walked to school together, Allie skipped ahead.

"Darling, I spoke with Allie, Didn't give her details, but she knows if Lucas shows up unexpectedly to come straight to your side and not leave you. Also to be sure and walk home with you, whether it's Bill or me picking you up. So don't worry about any of that."

"I won't Nathan. I love you so much and that's what I'm going to think about."

"That's my Girl!"

And he kissed her right there in front of the Schoolhouse.

Allie walked back to them, and Nathan bent to give her a kiss as well, "You have a good day, Allie Bean, and don't forget to stay close to Mrs. Thornton!"

"I promise, Dad!"

"Can't wait to see my Girls this afternoon and walk them home!" and he grinned that crooked, lop-sided grin that completely melted Elizabeth.

He waved and turned to walk away, and Elizabeth's heart did a little flip watching him.

"Finally, I get to work!" boomed Nathan as he hung up his Campaign Hat on the hook by the door.

"Welcome back! You've been missed, Nathan. Every time I go on Rounds, someone asks about you! When will he be back, is he okay, he's not leaving is he? And on and on!"

Nathan laughed, "Sorry about that, Aaron. Hey, congratulations and welcome to the team! Thrilled to have you with us. I don't know how that happened, but I'm sure glad it did!"

"You and me both, I was shocked. But I'm so excited about it Nathan. Have loved working with you. It just feels like this is where I'm supposed to be, for work and for home. And I think Felicity's going to love Hope Valley, too! She's wanting to open a book store!"

"That would be wonderful, Aaron. Really wonderful! I think that's a great idea! Elizabeth will be thrilled, too! When should she get here?"

"Depends on the train. Hoping tomorrow. Saturday at the latest! Can't wait to introduce you and Elizabeth to her. But I better get you briefed on all the work stuff, first…"

"Let me have it…"

"First and foremost, a personal message from Commissioner Blake. He's going to have your celebratory ceremony on January 23rd. That's a Saturday, so everyone can make it a weekend-long event, he said. His office will send you a detailed schedule as soon as it's finished, so you'll know what to expect."

"Oh, great! That's just what we need! A weekend Celebration!"

Nathan's sarcasm couldn't help but seep through.

"Nathan, it's a huge honor. And you deserve it. We all know you deserve it! Just relax about it and try to enjoy it. We're all awfully proud of you!"

"Thank you, Aaron, point taken. I'm just not a medal kind of guy. You know, you do your job to the best of your ability and that's that!"

"Well. in your case, fate stepped in and changed all that. And thank goodness it did! Think of the lives you've saved moving forward. Packer and his gang would still be out there killing, raping and who knows what else? What you did is huge, Nathan and you've got to come to terms with that before Blake's huge celebratory event! You know Commissioner Blake is not going to accept anything less."

"You're right. Just keep telling me that, and I'll work on adjusting my attitude. What else has been going on?"

"We've completed all the paperwork for Johnston and his gang, but you are to be on standby for the trials. No dates as of yet. We've had a house robbery out of Benson Hills, and we're keeping a close watch out, as there was talk he might be heading in this direction. But so far, nothing! Here's his poster. Not a name I'm familiar with, but Bill seems to know him. He pretty much thinks he's harmless, but I don't know. Didn't sound that way to me."

"We have had several brawls at the saloon while you've been gone, mostly out of towners, Did have to arrest Elijah Sutton for being intoxicated Saturday night. He spent the night here, and he was none too happy about it, let me tell you, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from him! The train from Union City has had a couple of petty robberies over the last week, and since they have several regular passengers, we've narrowed it down to these two," and Aaron handed Nathan the information.

"That's odd. This is a man I know from when I worked in Union City. Do you really think he might be involved?"

"Sort of looks it. In fact, things are leaning his way more than the second option. They just want us to keep an eye out. And they've asked that we meet the train whenever it pulls into the station. Here's their schedule. They're having a Constable to meet them at each of their stops, I think more to put the fear in whoever is doing this than anything else. But, you never know. We'll still have to be prepared for a possible chase!"

"Aaron, sound like you're on top of everything. I really appreciate that!"

"Well, he's finally back!" and Bill burst through the door. "How does it feel to be back at work, Nathan?"

"The truth, really good. Aaron just caught me up to date on everything. Hey, Bill what are all these boxes still doing in the center of our floor?"

"I knew you were going to ask that, and I guess I can't skirt around it any longer. Part of it's official business, and the rest of it...well... are all my handwritten recipes."

"You have three big boxes of handwritten recipes, and you made Gabe and me carry them here when we were getting ready to face Packer Johnston and his Gang? No, Bill, surely not! Not even you would do that!"

Nathan hadn't yet raised his voice, but he was on the verge and glaring down at Bill with his hand on his hip, Bill got the message loud and clear.

"Well, I gave up my whole kitchen to those two turkeys for that little episode, and I wasn't about to hand over my prized recipes to Lucas and Gustav too. So, just shoot me and get it over with! I'd do the same all over again."

"Never mind, what's done is done. And I guess I do sort of understand. Those recipes are a business, too! But help us all! Couldn't you have just told us what they were?"

"No, because you would have left them, and I didn't have time to do it myself! See, I knew you'd understand."

"Wait a minute, why are the boxes still here? And you said part of it's official business. What official business?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell you, but Harold sent me your HR file and wanted me to go through it, to make sure he wasn't missing anything for your big celebration. Good grief, Nathan, have you always been a Star? It's taken me a week to go through that thing! Commendation after commendation…"

"Bill," and Nathan gave him his most disparaging look, and Aaron couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

Bill sat down at Nathan's desk anyway and started to shuffle his papers.

The three men settled into their individual routines and prepared for Morning Rounds.

But all of a sudden, Nathan heard scratching at the door.

"What's that?"

"Sorry Nathan, that would be Tilly. If we don't pick her up, she's figured out where we are, and comes here after us," explained Aaron as he went to let Tilly in.

"And you're okay with this?"

"Sure, I just didn't want Gabe to know I knew. That was so much fun watching him hide her!" Bill slapped his thigh. "And, boy did I ever give him a hard time over it, too. He still doesn't know that I knew all along!" chuckled Bill.

Nathan just shook his head, "Well, welcome to the staff, Tilly. Has she been formally deputized yet?"

"Oh, I think Gabe took care of that, and everything else too!" answered Aaron, tongue in cheek, cemented with an eye roll to rival Allie's.

Both Aaron and Bill laughed and laughed!

"That Boy went to the Mercantile and bought a month's supply of Tilly snacks out of his own pocket, so at least we won't have to expense that," laughed Bill.

The men settled down and went back to their work with Tilly at their feet. She went from one to the next without playing favorites.

Till finally, Bill spoke up.

"Hey, Nathan why didn't you tell me you were stationed in Coal Valley six years ago?"

"Because I never went Bill. That's when Colleen died and I got Allie."

Nathan had looked up at Bill for a second and immediately returned to nonchalantly finish his paperwork.

"You don't know, do you?"

Bill was perplexed, 'Could he really not know?'

"Know what, Bill?"

"Nathan, Coal Valley is Hope Valley..."