Chapter Ninety-Six: Home
"Dad, Mrs. Thornton!" called Allie through the noise of the Hope Valley Train Station.
There stood Allie with Reggie in one hand and Little Jack in the other, who in turn was doing his best to hold his already beloved Rex. Frederic was beside them, proudly holding Ollie and waving with his free hand!
The Coulters were standing watch over the Children from behind them, happily awaiting the arrival of the Newly Engaged Couple!
"Elizabeth is it me, or have those Puppies grown a lot since we've been gone?" asked Nathan as he peered out the window.
Elizabeth moved closer to the window, in order to see, and waved to everyone!
"Yikes, I think they have! How is that even possible? Look at Little Jack! He can barely hold Rex!"
"Poor little Guy. Rex is going to outweigh him in two months at this rate! How big are they supposed to get again?"
"Darling, that's immaterial now. They're Family and they're here to stay no matter how big they get!" she mused.
"Oh, and the answer's pretty big!" she added absentmindedly.
"Good to know…I think! Well, of course, they're here to stay. I just feel sorry for my Little Guy! He's going to be riding Rex like a Horse before too long!"
"Are you ready, Nathan?"
"I think I have everything, now! Let's go see our Children!"
"Here's one more, Love!"
Elizabeth was scurrying off to hug Allie, Jack, and Frederic, while poor Nathan had no idea where he even was as it was impossible for him to see over his load!
Thankfully the Conductor came by and grabbed half of the Luggage before everything tumbled from his arms!
"Chief Inspector Grant, we can't thank you enough for your Assistance with that little Serena Clayton. I shudder to think what might have happened to her had you not been a Passenger. Our sincerest Gratitude for everything."
"Just happy to have been of Service. Thank you for your Assistance, earlier and now! I'd shake your hand, but I think we both have our hands otherwise occupied!"
By now, Elizabeth had hugged Allie and Frederic and was holding Jack, but as soon as Nathan deboarded the Train, he had to quickly set all the Luggage down, because Allie, still holding Reggie, was jumping into his arms!
He twirled his Girl and Pup around, "So good to see you, Allie Bean. Why does it seem like forever, when I actually saw you early this morning?"
"Because Dad, you were really busy in Regina, and we barely got to see you, except from a distance!"
"Don't you worry, Girl, we're going to make up for that! Love you, Allie!"
As soon as Nathan set Allie down and hugged Frederic, who was next in line, Jack was reaching for him.
"Here, Big Guy! How are you and Rex doing?"
Little Jack answered in mumbled and lengthy detail exactly how he and 'Wex,' but mostly 'Wex,' were doing.
Of course, no one knew a thing he said, except for 'Wex' but you would never have known it by Nathan's attentive and expressive face.
Little Jack ended with "Wex growed!"
"I think you're right. We're going to have to find out what Seth fed him while we were gone! The little tyke is definitely bigger! Lee how did all three Pups grow this much? We were only gone for a long weekend! Seth must have thought he was still feeding the Horses!"
"The Children insisted we drive to Seth's farm to get the Pups as soon as we got off the Train! Even before we made it home! Rosie freaked when we picked them up! I think he must have given them Vitamins! I certainly can't figure it out! But I will tell you, Seth had grown quite attached and he made sure his offer to keep them was extended to any time needed in the future as well!"
The Ladies, arm in arm, were hurriedly talking with each other, mostly overlapping at the same time, cramming in very important Best Friend information, as the Men gathered the Children to start toward Lee's car.
Little Jack insisted he was going to walk just like Allie and Frederic!
"Me and Wex big!"
"Well one of you is!" muttered Lee under his breath! "Here, let me help with the Luggage. Want to drive, Nathan? Hope you're not tired because we're headed to the Café!"
Lee tossed Nathan the keys and they all got in.
"Actually, the Café's not a bad idea. I'm rather hungry! Everybody ready?"
Adeline had decorated the Café to the hilt as a Surprise for Hope Valley's newest Engaged Couple.
The entire extended Family was there waiting, including Nathaniel!
"Surprise! Happy Engagement!" they all shouted as Elizabeth opened the Café Doors with Allie by her side and Nathan holding Little Jack behind her.
"You all! What have you done?" asked a thoroughly surprised Elizabeth.
"We're celebrating the two of you, along with Allie and Jack!" smiled Adeline.
"We weren't about to just let you come home without a little Celebration!" explained Bill.
Adeline and Felicity ran up to hug them all, as Aaron and Nathaniel stood back to give the Ladies some alone time with the Soon to Be Family and each other!
When Nathan was finally able to get away, he went to shake hands with the Men, glancing at the table in front of them.
"This is so nice of you all to do!"
The table was casual but beautiful and festive, simple just the way Nathan preferred things.
It was good to be home with their Hope Valley Family.
"Son, couldn't be prouder of you these past few days! But your Engagement, Icing on the Cake! Congratulations on everything!"
"Thank you, Nathaniel. The work part's a lot to take in, but the Engagement, I can't tell you how happy we are, all four of us!"
"Exactly as it should be! The four of you are going to make quite the beautiful Family! Hmph, in fact, I think you already do!"
Nathan smiled. Nathaniel was right, they had become Family some time ago. And it had been the most natural thing in the World!
"Nathan, quiet trip home?" asked Aaron.
"Actually, no! Remember Nanette Grady, the woman who lost her child and resorted to kidnapping? She served time but got out, and is back at it. She had abducted a Doctor's little girl from Union City, from the Library of all places, and they happened to be on the Train with us!"
"Are you serious? What happened?"
"What's this?" asked Bill as he came in from the kitchen. "The Nanette Grady?"
"Afraid so, Bill. She was going under an assumed name, of course. But, the Conductor knew something was off and when he realized I was on board, he explained the situation to me, that the little Girl seemed terrified. It's funny, how some criminals never change. I could tell who the Woman was from his description before I even saw her. Anyway, he couldn't get her to move to a less crowded car, so I went in from behind. He spilled a Ginger Ale on the Child while I placed Grady in a Chokehold. Talk about foul language. That Woman has quite the mouth! Hated for the Child to hear it!"
"Was she armed?" asked Aaron.
"Not one, but two Guns! The Child was frantic and just so relieved to be away from her Abductor. Just really thankful I was there!"
"What did you do?" asked Bill.
"Arrested Grady, shackled her to her Seat, tried to calm Serena, the little Girl, and had the Conductor to radio the next town. The Mounties met us and took her into Custody there. The Wife of the Head Mountie took the Child. But, I will say, it was still hard to leave her."
"Kidnappings are awful, Boys! You never feel like you've done enough!"
"Isn't that the truth!" commented Nathan, as he suddenly felt very tired thinking about the situation. If that had been Allie or Jack, he didn't know what he would have done! He'd check tomorrow to make sure Serena had been safely reunited with Dr. and Mrs. Clayton, her Parents.
"Okay, you all, enough work stuff! Time to eat! Everybody get seated! Nathan, you and Elizabeth are here at the Head of the Table," ordered Bill.
They all found their places, as by now everyone was hungry!
Adeline, knowing the Children would have their Pups, had set a separate lower table for them just like she had at Christmas and they were thrilled, but for some reason, the poor little Pups for the very first time ever weren't at all interested in the food Adeline had prepared for them. And their Masters and Mistress were trying very hard to entice them.
"Is it me or have those Pups grown a ton in the last three days?" she whispered to Nathan, who offered her a puzzled nod in agreement.
"It appears so! I'm worried about Jack being able to carry Rex that much longer if they keep up at this rate!"
Bill remained standing and asked Nathaniel to lead in Prayer.
"Dear Father, as we come together tonight, we do it as a Family, to celebrate the Engagement of our beloved Elizabeth and Nathan. We ask that You pour your richest Blessings upon them as a Couple and we ask that You be with them as they start their Official Journey together. We thank You for our Safe Travels and for all the many special things, the Honors, the Awards, and the Promotions, that have happened during our Trip, but most of all we thank You for this Engagement. We especially thank You that tonight we can get together more intimately in this, our smaller Family Group. And last, but not least, we thank You for the Food Bill and Adeline have so lovingly prepared for us. May You bless it to the nourishment of our grateful and humble bodies. Amen!"
There were a Chorus of hearty Amens in response, even from the Children, and everyone grinned at Jack's loud, now expected, "'Men!"
"Just one minute and I'll serve. It's Family Style tonight, Folks!"
"Whatever it is, it smells wonderful," bragged an expectant Lee, as, without fail, he was the one always hungry!
Adeline brought out two different Salads, a Roasted Veggie Salad and a Fruit Salad, followed by Bill, who carried a tray of piping hot Plates with a Platter of thick cuts of Roast Beef covered with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, along with a Basket of Steaming Yeast Rolls!
"This looks delicious, you two! Well worth the wait," complimented Nathaniel.
"My personal favorite!" chimed in Aaron.
"This hits the spot, Bill! Compliments to my favorite Chef!" offered Nathan.
"It's not fancy, but I guarantee it's good! And there are extra Yeast Rolls in the Oven when you're finished with these."
"That's what that delectable smell is! Bill, you're spoiling us, but please don't stop!" begged Felicity.
"My pleasure, Felice!"
"Bill, Adeline, thank you so much for doing this. It's just lovely. I was too tired to cook, and we were both getting hungry, so this is perfect. Unexpected and perfect!" thanked Elizabeth.
"We're dying to hear how this Engagement happened! Was this all planned, and we were just left out of the loop?" asked Felicity.
"Yes, Elizabeth, we've been dying for details!" piped in Rosemary.
Nathan looked lovingly at Elizabeth and took her hand.
"No, the best kind, not planned at all! My beautiful Elizabeth, now Fiancee, decided to surprise me by bringing Allie and Jack to Regina, along with inviting our Parents and all of you. I had no idea, whatsoever, although Bill almost slipped once on the Train Ride up there!"
Bill laughed, "I hoped you hadn't noticed that but should have known you did!"
"Talk about a Surprise. I can't tell you how much it means to have had all you there with us! And to meet Elizabeth's Parents, I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to ask her Father for her Hand in Marriage. We had always planned to travel to Hamilton with Lee and Rosemary to ask, but of course, way too much travel for Rosemary, now. So, it was just a Blessing to have William there in Regina. Thanks to some reconnaissance by Rosemary, I knew Elizabeth wanted her Granda's Diamond Ring as an Engagement Ring, but it had been lost, so I had planned to have an identical one made, once I could locate the Jeweler. But of course, that required her Mother, and me asking her Father first!"
"Oh, Darling, I had no idea you knew! Rosemary!"
"A Best Friend's job, Elizabeth!"
"And you were going to go to all that trouble for me?" asked Elizabeth of Nathan.
"It wasn't trouble, Darling. I just had to figure out the logistics. But thanks to you, William and I had the nicest talk. Then the oddest thing happened. Grace interrupted us, actually getting on to William for what she thought was interrogating me for so long. But she had a business agenda of her own. Apparently, Granda's Attorney had overlooked a second Safety Deposit Box, and when they realized their error, they located a letter for Grace that held the Key to it. Inside was the Ring along with an extraordinary Letter, leaving the Ring to the Man who would be Elizabeth's, Forever Love."
Elizabeth reached up, placed her hand on Nathan's cheek, and kissed Nathan without any reservation! Her extended Family clapped, along with the Children.
"This is Him, in case you had any doubts!" she laughed. "But actually, Granda called him my Prince! And you are that and so much more, my Love!"
Nathan blushed, but kissed her forehead and continued his story…
"Elizabeth doesn't know all of this! She knows William had given me some Cognac, which I don't particularly care for, but he had also given me a very expensive Cuban Cigar. Well, that got him in trouble with Grace, and she promptly ordered me to get rid of that awful smell, before I went across the hall to see her Daughter! So, Godfrey led the way, and I nervously tidied up. The rest is history!"
Everyone laughed, but Rosemary was the only one brave enough to interrupt, "Don't stop now! You're getting to the best part!"
"Yes, I am getting to the best part, but that's for my soon to be Bride and me, alone! Sorry, Rosemary! But I can tell you it was very romantic!"
"Very romantic," confirmed Elizabeth. "In fact, I'd say it was as romantic as a Proposal gets!"
And it was clear to all that the look of love on her face confirmed her words.
"At least after I finished my million questions!" explained a very guilty looking Elizabeth.
Nathan laughed, "Only my Elizabeth! I'm not sure a Man has ever had to work so hard to get the Woman he loves to focus!"
"But we did, Darling!" interjected Elizabeth with a coquettish smile.
"Oh, yes we did, Love!" agreed Nathan, with both of them dreamily remembering just exactly how they had 'focused!'
"Well, that even intrigues me more, though I suppose fair is fair, for now! But someday, mark my word, I'm getting the full Story! And you two are not getting out of it!"
Elizabeth and Nathan barely even heard Rosemary speak, as they were just lovingly looking into each other's eyes, remembering the exact words of their Proposal, lost in their own romantic world together, without a single other person in the room.
She smiled coyly till Nathan couldn't resist taking her in his arms and kissing her.
"Oh, young love, Lee! Take your cue from Nathan, Sweetheart!"
"Yes, Dear," and Lee reached to kiss her, then Bill reached to kiss Adeline, and Aaron reached to kiss Felicity.
"Now, you all are making me feel left out over here! Kids, it's time for a Gramps hug!" ordered Nathaniel, to which all three Children promptly complied, running and hugging their Gramps with fervor, proudly showing off all three of their Pups to him!
"Sweetest story ever!" said Adeline.
"Darlin' are you crying?" asked Bill.
"Just a bit!" sniffed Adeline.
"Well I think it's the perfect Engagement Story, full of Mystery with all the Surprises and the lost Ring, then ending in a Surprise Proposal! I just love it! And I especially love that we were all there to celebrate the Engagement together with the Official Party in the Ballroom. It was all such a great Surprise and truly so perfect! And so much fun!" added Felicity. "Aaron's never danced that much in one night!"
"It really was perfect!" and Nathan reached to kiss his Lisbeth again.
"Well, if that's all your spilling, I suppose we better move on to all these Wedding Plans. You all do know, we Ladies have to get busy fast because these Weddings, especially Bill's and Adeline's will be here before we know it! I mean Valentine's is just around the corner! Plus, we have to get them all done, at least the planning, before the Baby's here, and at the rate I'm growing, that could be sooner than we think!"
"Rosemary, are you not telling us everything?" asked a shocked Elizabeth.
"No, no secrets. But Carson thinks we've misjudged the dates a bit. Our little Violet may just be coming a bit earlier than we thought," explained Rosemary beaming from ear to ear!
"By how much," asked Adeline.
"At least a month!"
"A month!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "Rosemary, that means we only have three months before Violet gets here?"
"That or maybe four, but no more. Carson's just not sure, but it's definitely not going to be in June. He says the heartbeat is awfully strong, even though he thinks Violet is going to be tiny."
"Thanks a lot, Elizabeth, I guess none of you are going to let me hold on to my Dream of Lee, Junior!"
"Oh, Lee, don't be silly. You know this is our sweet Violet, a Mother knows these things! And I don't want to hear another word about it!" pronounced an emphatic Rosie.
'Sorry, Dear!" but Lee couldn't help to do his version of the famous Allie eye roll!
"Lee, nothing better than a Little Girl. Why when Colleen had Allie, that precious Baby Girl wrapped me around her finger the minute I saw her. Most adorable thing ever! You're going to love having a Daughter!" shared Nathan as his money was on Rosemary's intuition.
"Thank you, for that, Nathan! At least I can always count on you!" Rosemary said, throwing an exaggerated, very exasperated look at her Husband.
"Well, apparently that's exactly what we're having!" pouted Lee.
Everyone tried hard not to laugh.
They had all gotten used to Rosemary and Lee's pregnancy banter by now.
Well, all except Carson, who was still struggling somewhat, as Lee came along for each and every one of Rosemary's visits with him.
The Doctor had known he was going to have his hands full with a pregnant Rosemary, but he hadn't quite anticipated the myriad of questions from Lee. Especially the ones that had no answer!
Though Carson, better than anyone, understood their concerns, and he was as patient with them as any Doctor could be.
Well, probably even more so.
But some of those visits had proven quite, well, quite entertaining as well as memorable, and that was all the Good Doctor would say. At least as Doctor Visits go! Definitely, ones he would never forget. And if he ever did write that Book he had always tinkered with, bits and pieces of those visits would definitely be hysterically highlighted, with assumed names of course!
"Rosemary, we have our List, and there's going to be plenty of time for our Wedding as it's not till June. As you said, it's Bill and Adeline we have to be concerned about next. Have you gotten your Gown, Adeline?"
"Rosemary and I are working on that. Bill and I are having fireworks over the Reception. I want to have it at The Queen of Hearts so there is enough room for everyone to sit comfortably, but Bill is insisting on us having it here. You all know the Café is entirely too small for a Sit-Down Dinner for the whole Town!"
"Sorry, Bill, your Wedding Planner has just vetoed that idea. The Queen of Hearts it is!" ruled Rosemary. "There's simply not enough room here for a formal Town Dinner!"
When Rosemary spoke, she was accustomed to being listened to.
When Rosemary, the Wedding Planner, spoke, she demanded total acquiescence.
And that was that!
"Bill, you come up with the Menu you want, and I'll review then tweak it!" ordered Rosemary.
Adeline couldn't help but laugh as Bill's face went from pleased to furious as he realized Rosemary held the final say over their Wedding Menu in addition to their Reception Location. She did however at least have the good grace to stifle her laugh with her hand, and quickly recover from what could have been a good long fit of laughter!
"If that's the case, then I demand at least that Taleisha be over the cooking. I've got to have somebody to watch over Gustav. Don't trust the man! Not with my Wedding Cooking! And he's NOT getting any of my Recipes!"
Everyone laughed knowing just how protective Bill was with his Prized Recipes, but then again, as far as Gustav was concerned, all of his Recipes were his Prized Recipes.
"Bill, you talk to Taleisha and get her to agree, then she and I will get together with Gustav. But not you, I've learned my lesson putting up with Groomzilla Lucas! Not about to put up with you!" announced a very determined, now much wiser, Wedding Planner. "Because, I have the distinct feeling you'd be just as bad, if not worse, than Lucas!"
Everyone tried their best to stifle their laughs at this one, but it was just too good, and not a single person was successful as the Café erupted into laughter.
"Well, I never!" exclaimed Bill indignantly.
But both Rosemary and Adeline gave Bill a look that would have killed, which promptly brought him back in line.
"Yes, Ma'am" retorted Bill sardonically, whose tone Rosemary completely ignored!
"Now, the four of us Ladies are to meet Tuesday afternoon at the Shoppe, when Elizabeth gets out of School to do our initial Dress Fittings. Taleisha will be there to help as well. She has some ideas about taking in the sides a bit more to streamline the overall look. I thought we'd go over the Flower options then, too," Rosemary continued. "Valentine's Day will be here before you know it!"
And so, the Wedding Planning continued till the Men could wait no longer for their Dessert.
Which Bill very promptly and proudly served!
"In honor of this auspicious Occasion we are Celebrating tonight, Elizabeth, Nathan, I made your favorite Red Velvet Cake and there's Homemade Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream to go with it! That I made especially for Allie, Jack, and Frederic!" Bill winked over at his favorite Niece and Nephews.
Adeline followed with Champagne for the Adults and Apple Juice for the Children.
"Bill, it's beautiful!" then Elizabeth started to tear up.
"To our Dear Elizabeth and Nathan: May your Love for each other always grow Deeper and your Life together be filled with Joyous Wonder!"
"Hear, Hear!"
"To Deeper Love and Joyous Wonder!"
Happiness filled the room as glasses clinked and the toast was repeated by all: "To Deeper Love and Joyous Wonder!"
"Thank you, Bill, the Cake's exquisite. A work of Art, and of Love!" acknowledged Nathan. "Our happiness is truly overflowing and to be able to share it with you, our Hope Valley Family, means everything! To Family!"
"Hear, Hear!"
"To Family!"
Then Nathan spoke up to say, "It doesn't get better than this, and we have it all right here in this Café. Happiness, Love, and Family!"
Then he softly added as he held Elizabeth's hands and looked into her eyes, "We are truly blessed beyond measure…"