Chapter 14

A continued thank you for all of the likes, follows and reviews! Sorry about the delay again, but I was kinda busy trying to pass my final for my HR class as I am working on my MBA, plus trying to work. This is a nice little chapter, and will hopefully bring you all some smiles and happiness, even if Hope Valley is "dreary" at the moment. Enjoy!


The day was dreary, so unlike the beautiful Hope Valley days that the have been gracing the residents that lived there. The outdoors matched Nathan's heart. Gloomy. He could not believe that Elizabeth had the audacity to write her novel about them. Granted, it was a beautiful story. It was about loss, love, and family, and it ended happily, but it was a slap in his face, and in Allie's. How is it that Elizabeth can find her happiness, write a novel about it, and then tell them that they were not a part of it?

Nathan did not want to go to church, but he knew that he needed to. He just wanted to stay home and do nothing, but today of all days, he needed to go. He knew he needed to find peace to move forward, and church is the only place he knew of where to find it.


When Nathan and Allie arrived at Elise's rowhouse for the walk to church, Elise immediately noticed that Nathan looked horrible. He looked like had not slept, his eyes were puffy from crying. "Are you sure you want to go?" He looked at her and said that he did, that he felt he had to. So, the trio headed off under two umbrellas, Allie tucked in between her two favorite people.

Instead of the traditional mingling outside, everyone came in upon arrival and found a seat. Allie situated herself between Nathan and Elise, and Elise looked around her. Most of the community was there. The Coulter's were across the aisle, the Flynn's just ahead of them and Minnie Canfield and Cooper were in the front row with Angela at the piano, but she noticed that Elizabeth and Lucas were not there.

"Good morning my friends. Thank you for coming out on this very dreary day. It would be a nice day to stay in, wrap up in a chair and read a good book. But instead, you chose to come here, and learn about the Good Book."

Joseph's topic of the day was forgiveness, which immediately resonated with Nathan. He tried to concentrate on the words, but Nathan replayed the scene in Elizabeth's living room. He knew he was harsh, but how many times can she hurt him and Allie? In answer, Joseph said "Matthew 18:21-22- Then Peter came to Jesus and asked "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, 'I'll tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times". Nathan's eyes went forward to Joseph's face and knew that those words were true. It did not matter how many times she hurt him, he had to forgive her every single time. Then Joseph quoted Luke 6:37: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." He ended his sermon with Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


Nathan hung back after the service to speak to Joseph. After the night confronting Elizabeth, he needed exactly what Joseph had said. He knew it would take time, but he needed to forgive her. He needed to forgive her for all of it. Until he was able to, he would not be able to move on completely with Elise, and he wanted that more than anything.

The Coulters and Weiss' were quietly talking in a corner, but Elise could not help but overhear the conversation. "He was so upset, yelling at her about her novel. Poor Nathan, I did not know he did not know. It was a surprise to so many of us, but we at least thought he was aware of it. No wonder he was so upset."

Elise needed to walk. She felt so much guilt for Nathan looking miserable. She was the one who told him to read the book! She would never want to cause him pain. She turned away from the conversation and walked towards the door. Nathan was deep in conversation with Joseph, and Allie was talking and laughing with Opal and the rest of her friends. She would not be missed. She grabbed her umbrella, walked out the door, and to the one thing on the planet that she could always rely on. Storm.


Nathan thanked Joseph for taking the time to speak to him. Today's sermon touched his soul, and he knew he needed to forgive Elizabeth for everything that had happened over the last few years. He turned, immediately looking for Allie and Elise. He saw Allie with Opal and her friends, but Elise was nowhere to be seen. We walked by each small group of friends chatting, and he still did not see her. He finally reached Allie and asked, "Have you seen Miss Monteith?"

"She was just standing there," pointing towards a now empty space.

"Can you walk home with Opal? I'm going to go see if she went to the office". Allie nodded and Nathan headed into the drizzle.

As he approached her office, he looked down the main street through town. Rounding the corner at the saloon and turning on the road past the Cafe, Elise was astride Storm. She galloped out of town, but as soon as she was past the cafe and on the open road, Nathan watched her dig her heels into Storm's side and the horse took off at a run.

Nathan's protective instinct kicked in, and he ran for the livery. He quickly saddled Newton up and took off in the direction that Elise went. She still was not that familiar with the area, and he was terrified that something would happen to her. He put his tracking skills to work and followed Storm's path. He quickly realized they were heading towards Bill's land. He urged Newton on, hoping he was not wrong.

When he arrived in the meadow that they had their picnic in that beautiful Sunday afternoon, he saw Storm grazing, but no sign of Elise. It was still drizzling, so as he dismounted near Storm, he unrolled the blanket he kept attached to his saddle. He headed towards the path that led to the overlook, and when he exited the woods, he saw her there. She was seated on the log, her head buried into her hands. He quietly approached her, unrolled the blanket, and silently placed the blanket around her shoulders as he sat next to her.

"What do you think you were doing?" he asked quietly.

Her head popped up and said, "Excuse me?"

"What do you think you were doing riding like that? You do not know this land. Do you know how badly you could have gotten hurt?"

"Does it really matter how I ride?" she responded curtly.

Taken back, he responded, "Of course it does. You do not want to get hurt. You could kill yourself riding like that".

"What does it matter?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it doesn't matter. I hurt the one person in the world that I care about. I deserve to be alone. Just me." Tears were streaming down her cheeks, trying to convince herself she was unworthy of love. Her voice breaking, "I don't have a family anymore. No one cares about me. I go home to an empty house every night. I sit at a table for one. I have no one to share my life with, and you wonder why I say it does not matter?

"But it does matter. It matters to Allie. And it matters to me".

He noticed that the pin holding her hair up had become loose. He reached his hand out to her hair and pulled the pin away from it. Her hair fell loose, and even damp, the glorious tendrils framed her beautiful face. His hands went to her cheeks, and he used his thumbs to wipe her tears away. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful eyes?"

"They are just puddles of mud".

"When the sun hits a mud puddle just right, it turns into a rainbow".

Her breath caught as he stared into her eyes and spoke to her soul. "My life has been dark for so long. I thought light was coming into it, but I was wrong. You brought the sun into my life. Without words, you showed me what I was missing in my life. You show me how you feel every day, and actions speak louder than words." Nathan paused for a moment, scared. "I have fallen in love with you. And I hope you have fallen in love with me too".

Elise stared at him; her eyes huge as she took in the man in front of her. Yes, she was in love with him. She nodded and smiled, and before she knew it, his hands were in her hair, and his lips were on hers. His lips were soft and gentle, but that was not enough. The warmth they both felt deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. She had imagined what kissing him would be like, and nothing compared to this. Her hands moved up and down his back, until finally she had to break their connection. He was taking her breath away.

Her head dipped down, and he kissed her forehead. She then looked back up at him, then said, "How did I get so lucky?"

He responded, "I'm the lucky one." He brought his lips to hers again, and their lips danced as though they had been kissing for years.

In the distance, thunder crackled through the sky, and they parted. "We need to get back before it downpours." Nathan then tightened the blanket around Elise, covering her head, then grabbed her hand, and like two children, ran through the woods to their horses, laughing as they ran.