Chapter 160: After the Ball
"Bill, it's Nathan! Do you happen to be in your office on your secure phone?"
"How did you know? The rate I'm goin' looks like I'll be here all night! Glad you called though, was gettin' ready to call you. We've got some problems even though I was sure I had everything under control!"
"What problems?"
"The man I told you we found scoping out the Bouchards, well I've got a team of two Mounties tailin' him, but then another woman popped up, and I'd bet a horse she's his partner."
"Do you know who she is?"
"Workin' on that! But she's a right pretty thing. Not as pretty as Sophie but…"
"Bill! While you're working, who's watching this woman?" asked Nathan a bit alarmed. "Just because she's female, doesn't mean she's not dangerous too!"
"Calm down, I've got a couple of deputies on it."
"Bill, do you need Mountie backup?"
"As a matter of fact, I do, but I called Union City, and they're draggin' their feet."
"I'll take care of that as soon as we hang up. But did you put the Bouchards in protective custody?"
"Yes, in my cabin and Lucas is as mad as a hornet!"
"Your cabin? Bill, that's not secure…"
"It is now! Like a fort!"
"How?"
"That's where the first request for extra Mounties went."
"Bill take two of the Mounties from there and have them guard the woman, then deputize two of our men to take their place at your house till I can get you at least two more Mounties!"
"Why?"
"Bill, please, just do it! Any other new people around town, and I do mean around town, not just in town?"
"No, everything's clear as a bell!"
"Clear as a bell? Oh, forget it! Bill, what's happened to the money?"
"Nothin'! They can't get the money without Bouchard, and thanks to me, they can't get Bouchard!"
Nathan heaved a sigh of relief. Sometimes it was hard to understand the way Bill's mind worked, but Nathan had learned to trust it, even though his words were often less than forthcoming.
"Bill, just make sure Lucas, Sophie, and their soon-to-be newborn are protected at all costs. These people after them are murderers and worse. We're pretty sure Sophie's dad is behind all this, the more information we get, it's looking like a sure thing. I don't think he'd kill Sophie, at this point, although not even sure about that! But I know he'd have Lucas killed in a heartbeat! This is life and death."
"I know, just wish it wasn't Bouchie!"
"Who?"
"My new name for Lucas if you must know. We just don't geehaw!"
"Bill, do you have to agg it on?"
"Why not? It's the only fun I'm havin' out of this mess!"
"Bill, you're hopeless. Just remember, you're doing all this, Bouchard included, for Sophie. She loves him, and they have a baby on the way. You do your best, you hear! It's the right thing to do."
"Haven't lost one yet! Well, there was that time…"
"Bill! Pay attention. Guarantee your two visitors will make a move either at the bank or your unsafe cabin. I'm getting you back-up into Hope Valley by morning. Tomorrow, we're setting up several heists here in Hamilton. You should have money, although it will all be faux, pouring into Hope Valley, if our assumption is right."
"What do I do?"
"Nothing, till I call you after our 'heists' go down here. I'll be able to give you a heads-up. But it's pretty safe to say this is definitely an extension of Packer Johnston's gang."
"Hey, if you're doin' multiple heists in the same town, I don't care how big the town is, they're all gonna know."
"Not if we do them simultaneously!"
"Well, I'll be…"
After finally, hanging up from talking to Bill, Nathan knew what he needed to do. He knelt down in front of William's wingback chair he had been sitting in, cleared his mind, and prayed.
"Dear God, give all of us wisdom tomorrow. Help us to know what to do, and not hesitate to do so. We ask that no lives are lost in this undertaking, from either side, and we pray that your will be done. We also ask for your protection and your all-encompassing mercy. And Dear Father, please be with my family. Comfort them and give them peace as they wait for me to return home. In your most Holy name. Amen!"
His prayer was short but heartfelt and meaningful, placing tomorrow completely in God's hands.
Nathan rose, already feeling better, then he sat down again to call Union City, which he knew would go a lot faster than instructing Bill about what to do.
Besides he was learning that some things took him doing them to get the results he wanted.
"Chief Inspector Grant here, could I talk to the Superintendant? It's urgent."
"Yes, Sir! Just one moment, Sir!"
"Chief Inspector, Superintendent Holmes here. Afraid I'm the one who drew the night shift. What can I do for you?"
"Bill has a situation in Hope Valley while we have one here in Hamilton. And they appear to be interconnected. I need a team of six Mounties to be in Hope Valley by 6 AM in the morning. Have them be particularly aware of their surroundings at all times while traveling, especially when they are thirty miles within Hope Valley. Bill is dealing with two known suspects, but I have a feeling, there are more on the outskirts of the town, and I don't want our Mounties ambushed. If your men encounter any suspicious activity at all, have them make their arrests on the way in. Also, have them report to the Judge's Office when they arrive since he's sleeping there tonight. We suspect these criminals are a new extension of the old Packer Johnston gang. They're extremely dangerous. Be on high alert and very careful."
"Consider it done, Sir. I'll send my best!"
"Thank you, Holmes. Much appreciated. Hopefully, we'll be able to return the favor when you need it most!"
"Not a problem, Sir! And Sir, good luck in Hamilton!"
"I think we're going to need a whole lot more than luck, but thanks, Holmes!"
"Prayers, Sir!"
"That works much better, but both good wishes accepted! Thank you, Holmes, and prayers for your men, too. Safe travels!"
Nathan put the phone down and sat ruminating about the long list of tomorrow's planned events before he realized he had his wife and two children waiting on him.
Then his focus totally changed to those he loved most in this world...
Closing the massive double doors to William's Library behind him, Nathan hurried down the hall and bounded up the stairs trying to remain as quiet as he could in case some were already asleep.
He walked into Jack's bedroom first which was still lit by a nightlight, but Elizabeth was not there, and the Little Guy was sleeping soundly. Nathan tiptoed to his bed and bent to gently kiss his forehead.
"Goodnight, Buddy! Cookies tomorrow!"
He rearranged the blankets Jack had kicked off, which was becoming a nightly occurrence, as the Little Guy was a kicker extraordinaire!
"May God watch over you, Jack!"
Then he slipped into Allie's room. He could tell she was tired, but she was still up reading.
"Dad!"
"Sweetheart, where's your Mama?"
"She had something she needed to do."
"Well, how are you doing?" he asked as he lifted the book from her hands, making sure he placed her bookmarker where she had left off.
"Tired!" she admitted.
"You were going to tell me about your party?"
"It was great, Dad, but can I wait till after your case is done? I guess I'm worried a little."
He sat down on her bed and wrapped his arms around her.
"I've given it all to God, Allie. I believe we'll have a successful day. No need for you to worry, just say a little prayer, Sweetheart. But promise me no worries!"
"I'll try, Dad! I just want you to stay safe."
"Allie, I have you, and your Mama, and Jack to come home to. That's the best incentive in the world to stay safe. And remember, you are always forefront in my heart and mind. I will always do my level best to return to you unharmed. Have you said your prayers?"
"Yes, Sir. Mama and I did them together. And we prayed for you, too! But Dad?"
"What, Sweetie?"
"Can I pray again with you?"
"Of course, Allie Bean!"
Allie jumped out of bed over a chuckling Nathan, and the two of them knelt by Allie's bed together.
"Dear God, I know I already prayed, but this is really important. Will you please keep my Dad safe tomorrow as he works? It means the world to me and Jack and Mama! And our Grandparents too! Please, Dear God? I'll just have faith and believe you will, is that okay? Thank you for listening to me twice in one night! I love you! Oh, and God, will you tell my Mother in Heaven that I love her, too? Amen!"
Nathan helped Allie up and bent to kiss her.
"Allie, that's exactly what your old Dad needed!"
Allie smiled.
"You'll be alright, Dad! Now, I can feel it!"
"I believe so, too! But don't you worry, we've both prayed and I've studied everything multiple times. We're ready to get the bad guys, Allie!"
Allie giggled, as her Dad had always included her in everything. But she quickly turned serious again.
"Dad, will you say the 23rd Psalm with me?" (*131)
"I think that's exactly what we should do."
Nathan helped Allie back into bed, then stretched out beside her once again, taking her hand, and they both quoted Allie's chosen scripture together, taking turns alternating the verses. It was something they had done since Allie had been old enough to understand the chapter.
Allie took the first one, then Nathan…
Allie:
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Nathan:
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Allie:
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Nathan:
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Allie:
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Allie and Nathan together:
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (*132)
"No worries, Allie, God's got this!"
"I love you, Dad. Dad, I love my trip, don't get me wrong, but is it bad to miss Hope Valley?"
"Want to know a little secret?" he asked conspiratorially.
"I miss Hope Valley too! But probably best we don't tell your grandparents that as they've gone to an awful lot of trouble to give us a grand Family Honeymoon!"
Allie giggled.
"That would be really bad, and really rude!"
"Agreed. You're going to love New York, though!"
Allie grinned.
"I can't wait, then we'll be closer to starting back to Hope Valley."
"That's my girl! I love you, Allie. More than you can ever know!"
Allie yawned sleepily then turned her mouth into a huge broad smile.
"To the moon, Dad!"
"To the moon, Allie Girl!"
He pulled the covers up over her, then bent to kiss her cheek.
"Sweet dreams, Sweetest Heart!" and he turned out the light.
He stood in the darkness at her door for a moment till he heard her deep rhythmic breathing, smiled at his daughter's young wisdom, and prayed a short prayer.
"Keep Allie safe, Dear God!"
Then with a full heart, turned to walk down the hall to his loving wife…
At the door of their bedroom, Nathan paused before he opened it, bringing his hands up to his face, and running them back through his hair.
He had to admit it, it had been a very long day, and he was truly exhausted.
But now wasn't the time to show that!
His beautiful wife was waiting, and she had very explicit, loving promises to keep.
Promises that surprisingly had made him, a grown married man, blush.
His Elizabeth had always loved him. He had no doubt of that. Yet he knew there was a part of her that was sometimes torn between her past and her present.
And he hated to see the turmoil within her that caused.
But tonight, they had surpassed a most critical point in their marriage, with Elizabeth finally conquering her fears by literally throwing them away into the Sea, and choosing happiness instead.
After all this time from Nathan courting her to now, she was truly ready to put all of the pain of her past behind them, keeping only the wonderful memories.
He could see the dramatic change in her countenance, she was finally at peace.
It had taken some time, but she now realized that she deserved their love, and that gave him such joy and peace as well.
Nathan knew it would be hard for most couples to comprehend, but in this one night, they had grown leaps and bounds in their marriage by facing an ongoing problem head-on and figuring out a way to resolve it together. They were now unified in ways even beyond their marriage vows, embracing their present and future wholly together, without the shadows of her past consuming her.
Yes, Elizabeth was fully whole again, her brokenness now healed.
It had been a process, and thankfully, God had led him tonight to know how to help her, while at the same time opening Elizabeth's heart and mind to be receptive.
Nathan hadn't even thought about Colleen's pearl, now Elizabeth's, till the moment he took it from his pocket.
But then it was as though God helped him understand what his wife needed.
Elizabeth's being made whole again had been Nathan's prayer since he had first met her, and truly even before, from the first time he had heard Jack had a widow and son, and for that prayer to be answered now, so early in their marriage, he was beyond thankful to God.
He knocked lightly, in excited anticipation, but there was no answer.
So, he opened the door ever so slowly, first noticing the candlelight romantically flickering around the room.
That elicited his crooked grin, making him forget his weariness instantly.
But when Elizabeth turned from the window where she had been looking out over the beautiful gaslit garden, his grin disappeared as, instead, he stood frozen, heart racing, just inside their door, gasping at the vision before him.
"You're speechless! Promise One kept, Husband," she pronounced in a sultry voice, still fairly far away from him.
"Promise One definitely kept, Wife. You look as resplendent as on our Wedding Day!"
"This, Sir, is our Wedding Night negligee," and she did a little twirl. "That didn't quite make it off its hanger if I remember correctly."
"Yes, Mrs. Grant, you have a perfect memory."
"And you, my Darling, have a photographic memory, which scares me a little if I'm completely honest."
"What? I thought there were no more fears, my Love."
"You're right! No more fears, just a little healthy surmisal. Because if your memory is photographic and I know that it is, just what is it you recall about me in your moments of leisure, Chief Inspector? Wrinkles? Stretch marks?"
She was walking to him slowly, with him fully aware of her graceful movements.
There were no words, just a deep-throated chuckle as she reached him.
How he adored her.
To be so beautiful, yet so self-deprecating, he would never quite understand.
She was perfect. Why couldn't she see it?
He drew her through the few remaining inches between them and lifted her gorgeous robe of multiple organza layers off her shoulders, causing her to shiver at the touch of his long fingers against her.
Then he helped her out of its fancy sleeves, carefully tossing it on a nearby chair while looking into her eyes the whole time with an intensity matched only by hers.
She immediately untied his loosened tie, then removed his Tux Jacket, throwing both on top of her robe.
"I'll never tire of you undoing my tie and removing my jacket," he admitted, as his lips found hers.
Their kiss started ever so gently but quickly escalated into a fiery passion.
So, he lifted her up in one fell swoop, placing her gently on their bed, causing her to giggle like a schoolgirl all over again.
"Will you be able to pick me up like a feather when you're old and gray," she asked tauntingly, in a low voice, still looking into his eyes.
"When I'm old and gray and decrepit?"
He had already started looking for buttons to remove her gown, but there were none.
Realizing there were no buttons, placed him in a momentary quandary, but he stayed resolutely on task, despite her question, as he finally realized the tiny straps holding her gown were actually tied.
He untied them carefully from her shoulders, then kissed his wife passionately as she wriggled free from the confines of the gown's luxurious lacey silk.
"Well, I forgot that decrepit thing, but it does come along with," she insisted, still maintaining that intense eye contact. "And what about when I'm nine months pregnant with two?"
"That, my Love, is much later, not now!"
He was mesmerized by her, and her chatting only mesmerized him more, although she was indeed distracting him too.
"How about we just focus on tonight," he asked with a raspy voice. "No 'decrepitancy' in sight, only perfection."
"Did you just make up a word for me?"
"I did! But more importantly, doesn't my gorgeous wife have certain promises to keep?"
"You have no idea!" she laughed as she turned serious, then quickly unbuttoned his shirt, her intermittent gentle touches causing a current of electricity to flow throughout both their bodies.
They drew closer, as their breathing synced with each other, rapidly escalating to an even greater passion than what was already building within them.
The longing they had had for each other from their private moment at the beach together, all through the long reception line, was fully exploding into a need for each other like neither had ever experienced.
But this time it was Elizabeth who led, fully present in the moment, adoring her husband in an even more profound way, cherishing him, showing him exactly what he meant to her, without any other thoughts or fears.
This was different, and he knew she was holding nothing back, not the past, not the turmoil, not the fears she had carried since he had known her, which she had truly now discarded.
She was laying her soul bare, just as he had already done upon their marriage.
And now, her heart was overflowing, spilling out lovingly onto him and their marital bed.
His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He had patiently waited, knowing she would have to adjust, knowing she would have to work through the remnants of the past. He had been willing to wait as long as it took, to play second if need be his whole life through because he loved her that much, with his entire being.
But here she was; the time was now.
She was putting him, and only him first.
And he was filled with her love in a new way, a way that touched his very soul.
Elizabeth too, was overcome, now being fully aware that she was blessed with this extraordinary love, this extraordinary man, and she vowed again in the depths of her being, that she would never again take him for granted, nor would she shut him out because of her past.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled through her love for him. "You've deserved so much more than I've been able to give."
But he simply closed her mouth with his own lips, grazing them gently across hers, touching her face, her neck, her hair. There wasn't time to say 'No apologies,' but his lips told her the words, as did his touch against her soft skin.
He had forgiven her even before she had placed him as second in her mind. He had forgiven her when she had shut him out three days ago. He had even forgiven her again earlier tonight when she had answered his question about who she was married to, even though, again, he hadn't been uppermost in her mind.
But tonight, they had moved past all that.
Nathan Alexander Grant was now her one and only husband and he would be for the rest of his life.
Their passion escalated to a place where only the other existed for both of them. There was nothing else in the world. Nothing else at all.
And they fell into each other, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically, becoming one in a new way, a way of valuing each other as their own lifeline, knowing one couldn't truly exist without the other.
As they blissfully rediscovered each other, both just reveled in their souls laid bare, loving each other completely and intensely, becoming one again on this new expanded, all-encompassing level.
She struggled to whisper the words knowing he was her everything.
But they had to come; he had to know.
"I love you more than anything in this world, Nathan Grant, only you!"
A tear fell down her cheek, then another and another, but he instantly kissed them all away.
"You are my entire world, Elizabeth Grant," he was finally able to whisper in her ear, dizzy with their love. "And you always will be."
They laid back breathlessly, relishing each other's touch, side by side with hands clutched, both feeling like this moment would never end.
Husband and Wife were complete in the other, and both knew deep within that their present and future would be more than enough to surpass any pain of the past, filled with both present and future joys, that would cement them as the strongest and most loving of couples and families because tonight, they truly became one inseparable unit, ready to face the world around them, and perhaps even conquer their own little corner of it.
"Mrs. Grant?" he asked in a low raspy voice.
"Yes, Husband?"
In those two words, her voice sounded more contented than he had ever heard it, as he lifted her hand and kissed it gently, placing it across his heart.
"You know, I may not survive another round like this."
"I suppose I could just be a plain and boring wife, instead," she teased breathlessly.
He turned to look at her incredulously with raised eyebrows, as he shifted to bend over her, bringing his radiant face to hers.
"Not a chance, my Darling Wife. I'll manage somehow, even if it means going back to the Academy to re-do my Mountie drills," he assured as his chuckling lips met her copious giggles, all full of endless love…
(*131-132) The Twenty-Third Psalm, King James Version, The Holy Bible, Public Domain.