Chapter Ninety-Five: Wedding Plans

The Southwest-Bound Passenger Train was chugging along, gently rocking them both to sleep, on this the last leg of their Journey.

Truth be told, Nathan was exhausted.

There had been very little sleep to be found in Regina, coupled with the excitement of their Engagement and all the energy required for the Exhibition, the Parade, Ceremonies, and Dinner! Plus, he had just apprehended the notorious kidnapper, Nanette Grady, right in the act, only moments ago!

But with sleep, Dreams came quickly, independently filling both their heads with random images of what was to come in their Future together!

Elizabeth, however, soon completed her Dream as she stood by the Lake with Nathan vowing to love him forever as she became his Wife and he became her Husband. 'You may kiss your Bride..' She could hear it so plainly and see it so clearly…it was all just so real.

Her entire body tingled with excitement.

So much so that it woke her up with a start, leaving her with a smile as she realized this perfect Dream would be coming true in just a few Months, making her much too excited to go back to sleep!

She looked at her Engagement Ring, then at the handsome face of her sleeping Fiancé.

Biting her lip, like a Child who knew they were about to do a very bad thing, she glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then she cleared her throat…

"Are you awake, Darling?" whispered Elizabeth, as she leaned from her seat and looked up into Nathan's face.

No response…

"Nathan…it's me. Are you awake?"

This time she got a low moan.

"Nathan!" a little louder this time, and she had him. There was finally a little movement, but his eyes were still closed.

"Nathan! Aren't you awake yet?

"No…Dreaming…Holding you…perfect."

"But, it's not a Dream! It's all very real, Chief Inspector! See, I think you're pretty much awake…come on, just open those Baby Blues, Love," she begged wistfully, as she looked closely at him with her face to his face, and into his still closed eyes.

This wasn't working, so she started to tug at his arm.

He laughed, as he slowly opened one eye and mumbled, "You want to talk, don't you?"

"Just a little…" she laughed, feeling a twinge of guilt about waking him up, but definitely not enough to let him go back to sleep!

That brought raised eyebrows, "Since when have the two of us ever talked a 'little, Lisbeth?'"

"Well, you might have a point there, but we only have a couple of Hours left before we arrive at Home!"

"Home, that sounds so good! I don't think I've ever been so glad to get back to Hope Valley! Just think, now we get to start building our Future, together," and he tenderly lifted her left hand to his lips and lovingly kissed her hand, then their Engagement Ring.

"I like the sound of that! And now that our Friends know, no more hiding our Dreams! Now we can actually make plans! Real plans! And make our Dreams come true! I'm so excited, Nathan!" she smiled.

"Our Friends and everyone else! If all of Hope Valley doesn't know about our Engagement by now, that will be the real Miracle! But I agree, Love. We are now a bona fide life-long Couple!" as he stretched and yawned. "Now everyone knows how much I love you! And that we are going to be Husband and Wife. I can't tell you how happy that makes me!"

"Oh no! Not even a chance of a Broken Engagement?" she teased.

"Not even a sliver of a chance, Mrs. Soon to Be Grant! Although you are in a little bit of trouble for waking me up. Have you always been this mischievous and determined to get what you want? Can't wait till I can get some time alone with Godfrey so we can share our Elizabeth stories. But, your answer, Madame, is a resounding no! You're not getting out of this one! When you become engaged to a Mountie, well, there's absolutely no way out. It's a Code, something about a specially written Clause, I think."

Then with a glint in his now fully awake eyes, he added, "And now that I'm an Inspector, well, it's just impossible. I'll simply track you down. You see, there's just no way out now that you've officially said yes!"

"Hardly an Inspector, Darling! You're Chief of all Inspectors, now! Which I guess, come to think of it, bodes better for you than me over this clause thing! But don't you think for one minute that you have an Escape Clause either! Don't dare think about it! There's this Teacher Clause, that clearly states once the Gentleman, especially when the Gentleman's a Mountie, places a ring on a Teacher's finger, well, you're stuck. She's yours for Life!"

"Well, that's a very good thing to know! What else does that Teacher Clause say?" he grinned, always up for some flirting with his Elizabeth.

"Oh, little things, like you promise to love and cherish me forever, and when we're married, you promise to bring me Breakfast in Bed every single Saturday, and you draw my Bath for me every single Night, with lots of bubbles, and you buy me Flowers on a fairly routine basis, at least Weekly, oh, and Lavender Roses at least Monthly, oh, and Chocolates, and…"

"Whoa, I think I'm going to have to revisit my Clause! I'm sure there are some particulars in there as well…little things, too, you know! Like…bringing me steaming hot Coffee in bed with my favorite Blueberry Muffins dipped in Butter and Sugar, helping me get my boots on each morning, which by the way is quite the task, meeting me for Lunch every single Day you can sneak away from School, watching every Sunset with me no matter where we are, helping me shave occasionally, now that I trust you, meeting me at the door with my slippers, surprising me with romantic Picnics, kissing me every single time you see me, oh, and Dancing with me in the Rain, and the list goes on from there, I'm quite sure!"

She laughed, "Dancing in the Rain? Really? Well, since we're both apparently stuck in this thing, maybe we should at least figure out the When and the Where! What do you think?"

"As quickly as possible, like right now this very Minute! Let's see if there's a Pastor or Judge on Board. That's what I think. I'm so ready, Lisbeth!"

And the depth of blue in his eyes showed that he truly was…

"Nathan! A Wedding is a lot of work and it does take a little bit of planning! Can we please still say June? That way I'll have enough time to get ready, and I'll be out of School so I can pamper my new Husband, and help our Daughter and Son adjust!"

"I don't think there's going to be much adjusting with those two. They're already joined at the hip. You just want your June Flowers!" he teased.

"Okay, guilty as charged! Yes, of course, that too! Actually, I desperately want my June Flowers," she pouted.

"I suppose June will do, but only if you make it as early as possible, like June 1st! I honestly don't think I can wait much longer."

"I'll see what I can do, Darling! But you do know we need it to be a Friday!" she warned.

"Then the first Friday of June, it is! There, the Date is settled! Now, are we still on the same page as to Location?"

She grinned, "I can't imagine any other place than our Lake!"

He reached to kiss her, "Our Lake Granda! Given the Ring on your finger, I think that's only fitting! That does have a ring to it! No pun intended, of course!"

But, he couldn't help but laugh at his slip of words.

"You and your Dad jokes! Speaking of Rings, I adore this one, Love. But, I just realized it's going to be really hard to get a regular Wedding Band to look right with it."

"I have an idea for that. A visit to my friend, Jefferson Lauder, the Jeweler in Benson Hills, will take care of all that. He does remarkable work with gold. This way our Wedding Bands will be totally different than anyone else's. You just leave it to me!"

"I love that idea, Nathan. Totally unique Wedding Bands, designed just for us!"

She was amazed Nathan would even think of something so sentimental as that, as she realized not many Men would. But she was learning every single day, Nathan was not just any Man at all.

He was full of surprises and thoughtful gestures, and she treasured each and every one of them.

"You know, Lisbeth, your Granda had to have been something really special. Someday I'll show you the Letter she left me. Quite feisty in her day, I'd say."

"Oh, what did the Letter say? Please, please, please, tell me!" she begged.

"She gave us the Prescription for a Successful Marriage…"

"And…?"

"It was her favorite Poem and ours, Lisbeth. "This is My Wish for You," by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's a Sign that she's with us, don't you think?" (*48)

"Nathan, I never knew that was her favorite Poem. How could I not know that? And yes, it has to be a Sign, for sure. That's remarkable, Darling. Just remarkable."

"I thought maybe we could get creative and somehow use bits and pieces of the Poem along with our Vows. What do you think?" he asked expectantly.

"Oh, Love, I was going to ask if we could somehow use it! That's just perfect! But, Nathan, I still don't understand. How was Granda's Ring found? Mother said they had looked everywhere!"

"They had, but they didn't know about a 2nd Safety Deposit Box. Apparently, your Granda's Attorney had overlooked it as well, and when his Office realized the oversight, they found a letter saying the key was to be given to your Mother. When Grace opened the Contents, there was your Granda's Ring and a really beautiful letter to…"

"To whom?"

"The Man who would Marry you and be your Forever Love!" he smiled. "Your Prince was how your Granda actually put it."

"And you are absolutely my Prince, my Knight in Shining Armor, Darling!"

"Your Prince, eh? Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. "Do Women really think like that?"

"Perfectly serious. And yes, we do! You, are my Prince, Nathan. You are everything I ever dreamed of my whole life through, and more."

"Then, in that case, come here, my beautiful Princess…"

The Conductor came just at that very moment to offer Coffee, but instead of interrupting, smiled and quietly slipped away, leaving the Young Couple to complete their most important task at hand…

They were so intent on this particular kiss, and each other, they never even noticed the Conductor had been there.

Their kiss of passion lingered till there was barely a breath left between them. Then they nestled back into each other, feeling perfectly content and at home, with Nathan's arm wrapped around Elizabeth and their free hands intertwined.

Nathan suddenly had a crazy thought related to his new Uniform, of all things, which unacknowledged by him, though completely recognized by Elizabeth, was actually very similar to Princely Attire!

"Oh, no! All that Gold on my new Uniform. It's just too much, Elizabeth. I like plain, and there is nothing plain about it! And I only caught a glimpse. The Boots are nice, though!"

She covered her mouth to try to hide her giggles, "That Uniform is rather 'Princely' when you think about it! I'm sorry! That was mean of me. You'll just have to show me when you try it on. I'll be much more objective than you about the matter. It's probably not nearly as bad as we…you think…"

But she couldn't resist adding, as she once again giggled, "Although those Stage Lights did seem to reflect an awfully lot of Golden Flash up there from that Uniform the Superintendents laid at your feet…"

"That would be the one I'm talking about! There's no way I'd ever wear that Hat! I'm not even sure I can wear the Uniform!"

"Oh, your opinion about the Hat situation was made abundantly clear, my Darling! In fact, that was the most endearing part of the entire night, last night! I think that's why all the Mounties love you!"

He laughed, "What can I say, we Mounties are Brothers! Totally apart from Top Brass, thank goodness!"

'My sweet Love, you ARE now top brass!"

Nathan had a shocked look on his face and no comeback…

"Darling, it's alright, just be yourself," Elizabeth coached. "It's a bit different, but really all the same!"

"Easy for you to say. Well, let's just continue to think of Commissioner Blake and the Superintendents as the real top…"

And he stopped dead again, finally realizing his new Position was on the level of the Superintendents.

"Nathan, look at me. I know it's a lot to take in, all at once. And you've had less than twenty-four hours to come to terms with it. But, Darling, this Position was created because of your talents. Whatever Position you have, whatever Titles are added, you are still just you…Nathan Grant, Mountie, doing the given Task at hand to the best of your ability."

"I'll always, always just be a Mountie, Elizabeth, one of the Brothers. That's just who I am."

"Yes, you are that and you'll always be that, Darling. But now you're also one of their Leaders and Teachers, and that's a very good thing for them. I know it won't change who you are, Nathan. That's why I love you. Top Brass knows it too. But you're going to change who the new Recruits are, shaping them to be the best Mounties they can be. And because your new Position holds that added responsibility, there is some recognition that you might not want that comes along with it, but…"

And he looked at her intently, as if it all was dawning on him for the first time.

"It's both needed and deserved! You'll get the hang of it, and you're going to be great at it!"

He shook his head, "You know, there wasn't much of a choice in all this, although the actual job is rather intriguing! But, Lisbeth, I couldn't do this without you. I really couldn't."

And he reached to kiss those luscious lips he had been intently watching as the encouraging words had fallen from her mouth, feeling her strength as he melted into her, needing her, loving her, and feeling monumentally blessed to be betrothed to her.

They sat together, him holding her, for at least another half hour, as they drew closer to Hope Valley.

"Lisbeth, about the Wedding. I meant it when I said I want you to have your Dream Wedding. So, whatever you want to do, I'll be happy if you're happy. Make any decisions you need to make, and I'll help you make them when you need me to. Money is no object. I'll set up an account, so you can order whatever you need. But you'll have to walk me through all this. I truly haven't a clue as to what needs to be done, or even what a Groom should be doing!"

"Oh, Darling, I just want our Wedding to say us. I want it to be intimately ours. I'd be happy if it were just you, me, Allie, and Jack at the Lake together. But on the other hand, I know our Family and Friends would never forgive us if we don't include them. If you're okay with it, I thought maybe we'd rent a Tent for everyone to Dine under and perhaps another Tent with a Dance Floor, but all that's quite expensive. Are you sure it's okay?"

"I'm positive, Elizabeth. Don't hold back. Make it everything you desire. And it will be what I desire."

She kissed him, "You're so wonderful. And I love you for it! I want us to include Allie and Jack in the Ceremony somehow. That's the most important thing to me. And I want us to talk to Bill about legal Adoptions for both of them, before-hand. Maybe we could sign them as part of our Wedding Ceremony. I want Allie and Jack to be true Brother and Sister."

"Are you sure, Elizabeth, about the Adoptions, I mean?"

"I'm certain. It's only fair to them. And legally, God forbid, if something were to happen to one of us after we're married, I don't want there to be any question that the Children should stay together and in Hope Valley, no matter the circumstance. It's very important to me that they're raised together in Hope Valley, their true home."

"You're right. Why don't we talk to Bill about it this week, so he can start working on it?"

"Perfect. And Darling, I'm not as Musically inclined as you. Do you think you could help me select the Music?"

"I'd be happy to do that, Lisbeth! We'll need to have live Music, too, because there'll be no piano or organ at the Lake. And I want lots of Dances with my new Bride!"

"My entire Dance Card is yours, Darling!" and she sealed her promise with a kiss. "So, we have our Date (to be confirmed), Location, Music, Flowers, Reception – oh the food!"

"Lucas and Sophie want to do that for us as our Wedding Gift. Are you all right with that?"

"That would be wonderful because I assume you'll need Bill to assist you."

Nathan grinned, "Yes, as Best Man. I'll talk to Aaron, Gabe, and Lee. Although, if I had my rathers, it would still just be you and me, Allie and Little Jack."

"Oh, that would be so perfect, Darling! Just the four of us. But I honestly don't know how to leave everyone out of the Wedding Party. In fact, I'm worried about not being able to work everyone in! I'll talk to Adeline, Felicity, and of course Rosemary. I'm hoping Julie will come and also be a Bridesmaid. I don't think Viola will be able to make it all the way from England, but I'll have to at least ask her…"

"I'm looking forward to meeting your Sisters, but there's no way they're as beautiful or as perfect as you! Although my Sisters-to-Be ought to be very good sources for some great stories starring their Middle Sister!"

"You, my Love, might just be a bit prejudiced! You also need to forget about gathering any stories! Just suffice it to say I've lived a very full childhood! And there may be a few things in there, you might just not want to know about your future Wife, like the time I accidentally almost killed Mr. Whiskers! It took a month for the Vet to nurse him back to health, and Father was furious over his Bill! It wasn't pleasant. He said he could have bought a hundred of the most expensive Cats in the World, for the cost of Mr. Whiskers' Vet Bill. I think I had to eat in the Kitchen alone for the entire month while Mr. Whiskers was being rehabilitated!"

"Well, as well you should have and thank goodness, Rex and Reggie are Dogs instead of Cats!" exclaimed Nathan in mock horror.

She playfully frowned and drew her lips into a studied pout, which he quickly traced with his fingertips, drawing her into a full-blown laugh.

"See, Darling, I always knew you were the precocious one! I don't doubt the 'very full childhood' at all, and I mean that in the best possible way! But poor Mr. Whiskers! Really?" and he couldn't resist kissing his little mischief-maker while laughing at the same time.

"What I would give to have known you then!" and he kissed her again, this time without the laughter.

"So now I know that's where you learned how to deal with wayward Boys and Girls! From your own personal experience! Who would have thought it? But, don't worry, I won't give away the Teacher's trade secrets!" he promised, placing his hand over his heart.

"You know, Lisbeth, life really is all about Family, and we're blessed to come with a ready-made one. Do you think there's any way, we could maybe have just the four of us, you, me, Allie, and Jack, together up front at some point during our Service? Just something to take a few moments to celebrate the four of us together?"

"Yes, let's do. Let's think about it and maybe we can do the Service a bit differently. Sometimes different is good! And different might even help solve my problem of working everyone in! But regardless of that, we've got quite a bit of Wedding Planning done in a single Hour! At least I have a framework to give Rosemary. I'm telling you, if we showed up in Hope Valley without at least this, it would have been really bad for both of us! She might have had our heads! So, see, it really was necessary to wake you up. I'm so sorry!"

Nathan laughed, "No, we don't want to incur Rosemary's wrath under any circumstance! Especially a pregnant Rosemary! I've at least learned that! And whether our Wedding's big or small: it really doesn't matter! As long as I get to marry you."

She smiled brilliantly as she touched his cheek, "Same, Darling!"

"Nathan, I know it was a shock, but we're truly blessed that our Parents got along so famously. I love that they'll be with us together for the Wedding! That makes me so very happy! By the way, you do know your parents are still in love, right?" she asked in a much softer voice, as she studied his face intently.

"As much as that scares me to even acknowledge, I think you're right. You couldn't help but see it in the way they looked at each other. I'll just have to let that sink in a bit over time. Quite frankly, it scares me to death. I just can't stand by and watch my Mother be hurt again. I won't! And you better believe, I'm having a very long discussion with Dad over that very thing!"

Elizabeth could tell Nathan meant business as he continued…

"But yes, we're going to need to come up with plans for our Home, really soon. It will have to be ready as a place for both of our Parents to stay when they come for the Wedding! Lee is determined to complete the Cabin and Lodge first. Are you really okay if we move the Cabin and just try to keep everything the way it is? That way we'll only have to design the new Lodge, which we've mostly done. Plus, I think we both want to keep the Cabin as is, anyway. That Cabin's pretty important to us, you know!" he winked and grinned that lopsided grin of his.

And she totally melted.

"Very important, Darling! Actually, we have to keep that Cabin as is, for sentimental reasons very dear and close to both our Hearts, Love! Besides, I do think it really will be perfect for the Children to have as an extra space for play. But, since you've talked our Fathers into Fishing lessons, that means two more Bedrooms for the Lodge! Do you think we can really manage to add two more Bedrooms to the Design?"

"Of course, we can manage. There's plenty of Land and the materials are free since they'll all be taken from our Land. The only building cost we'll have will be labor and Lee insists he's donating that. Of course, Bill, Aaron, and I are going to help on weekends, which should really lighten Lee's load. Lee thinks the entire thing can be done in less than a month!"

"Then I'll have to get busy on Furnishings!"

"Yes, Darling, I thought we might ride out to Nathaniel's and get some ideas. His Furnishings are beautiful and all very rustic. The man who built them lives not too far from him. But we'll need to do it soon! I think he stays fairly booked. And you'll have to choose the colors and fabrics."

"Oh, that's going to be the fun part! And truthfully, I'd like to do all that, before Rosemary decides to get too involved. Is that terrible of me? After all, when they've not with us, it will be our Home Away from Home. And I want to make it perfect for the four of us. As well as the entire extended Family, too, of course! But I want it to feel like it belongs to us. Like it's really the Grant Family's Second Home!"

"I love that, Lisbeth. Our Home Away from Home!"

"Our Home. I love the sound of that…and to think we'll have a second weekend Home is really remarkable. And it's all thanks to Nathaniel."

Elizabeth smiled wanly in agreement, but she was suddenly very still and quiet as she fell asleep against him…

Nathan couldn't help but smile as he reached down to kiss her forehead.

This beautiful dynamo had woken him for their little discussion, led the discussion, and then fallen soundly back to sleep in less than what seemed like two seconds…

'Everything I ever wanted is right here…' he thought. "Everything I ever dreamed of and more."

"I love you, Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton soon to be Grant," he whispered as he gently stroked her hair. "You're my everything…"

Then looking out their window, watching the scenery go quickly by, Nathan gently rested his chin on the top of Elizabeth's head as he continued to hold her.

"My Darling Lisbeth! Thank you, God, for the joy that is her…"

(*48) Ralph Waldo Emerson *1803-1882), "This Is My Wish for You" (written in the mid-1800s), Public Domain