"Nathan!" Bill poked his head into the Mountie Office, looking irritated. Nathan sat up with a little start. "Bill?" he exclaimed in surprise. "What's the matter?" Bill let himself in curtly, a sour look on his face. "I'm going to need your office this morning" he said. "I wanted to look at some more of those ledgers, but Lee took over my place for some 'campaign' luncheon that he's hosting. It was Rosemary's idea. Don't ask!" Nathan frowned, confused. "Campaign? What campaign?" Bill laid his brown, leather briefcase down on Nathan's desk with a thud. "He's running for Mayor" he said with a sarcastic nod. "And using my office!" Nathan nodded slowly, interested. "I had no idea" he mused. Laying down his pen, he stood up and motioned Bill toward his chair. "Well Bill, you're welcome to take over my desk for a little while. I might go grab some coffee at the café. Allie and I ran out yesterday, so…" Bill didn't wait for further explanation and quickly took a seat behind the mahogany desk. "Take your time" he said, pulling a thick green book from the shelf beside him and flipping through its pages frantically. Nathan smiled a little to himself and grabbing his hat, left Bill to his own business.
The town was bustling this morning, though there was still a strange lull near the Queen of Hearts. No one had gone in or out since the day Lucas had sold the place. Once or twice, Nathan had imagined he could see shadows moving around in the dark interior. But he was never quite sure. The windows remained dark and the doors, locked. The morning breakfast rush was just beginning to dwindle when he walked into Abigail's. He had always liked the café. It was bright and pleasant there. Minnie Canfield came out to greet him. She had been running things since Clara and Jesse were out of town. "Good morning Constable" she greeted him warmly. "What can I get for you?" Nathan smiled faintly. "A cup of coffee would be great" he said. "Thank you."
As Minnie disappeared into the back again, Nathan noticed that someone sitting alone in the corner near the counter. It was Faith Carter. She was holding something in her hand and a few solitary tears would rolling down her face. Seeing her pain, Nathan wanted to help, but wasn't sure whether or not he actually could. More instinctively that logically, he made his way over to the table. He immediately felt awkward and foolish when she looked up but caught himself and forced a smiled. "Do uh… Do you mind if I join you?" he asked as casually as he could. Faith shook her head tearfully. "Oh, course not" she breathed in a quivering voice. As he sat down, she smiled. "It's actually good to have someone here. It's nice to not be alone." Nathan felt the words tug at his own broken heart, but he managed a compassionate smile. "How are you holding up?" he asked. It always broke his heart to see Allie cry. Seeing Faith cry felt very much the same. She sighed shakily. "I wish I could say I was fine" she murmured. "But I was looking through some of my medical books last night to refresh my memory a bit, when I found this…" She held out the object in her hand for Nathan to see. It was a photograph of she and Carson, standing together in front of the bridge. "He took that picture that day I left for medical school" she sniffed sadly. "It feels so long ago. He did the right thing when he took the fellowship" she said, as another tear rolled down her face. "And I know it's selfish of me to… to still love him…even though we can't be together." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at the picture in her hands. Nathan felt his heart melting with pure compassion. "How could it be selfish to love?" he asked.
Faith looked at him, surprised, then smiled a little more calmly. She dabbed her eyes with the napkin in front of her. "I guess I… I never thought of it that way before" she admitted with a little bewilderment. "I knew I would never forgive myself if I held him back, and neither would he. But I didn't love him any less. And somehow it felt wrong of me… to still love him so much." Nathan nodded understandingly. He knew exactly how she felt. He could feel it himself. She cheered up a bit when she saw the knowing look on his face. "No Nathan, you are right… Love could never be selfish. Love is a gift we give freely of ourselves. And sometimes, that gift… We give it to someone or something that can't accept it or reciprocate it. Carson loved me, but I knew that he wouldn't be happy. My gift would never be enough in the end." She looked down at the picture again and smiled a little to herself. "We were good together though" she murmured fondly. Nathan nodded. "You were a very handsome couple" he agreed. Faith laughed a little and tucked the photograph back into her pocket. Then she looked up suddenly, as if she realized something. "Nathan…" she said, almost a little surprised. "Thank you! I feel actually feel so much better now." Nathan smiled shyly. "I'm glad…" was all he could think of to say. She smiled playfully and shook her head in disbelief. "I guess a Mountie's job is more than just chasing gunrunners and catching cattle rustlers" she laughed. Nathan shook his head. "Not a Mountie's" he murmured. "Just a friend's. If you ever want to just… talk, I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere." Faith nodded gratefully. "Thank you" she said, her smile fully restored. Suddenly she glanced at her watch. "Oh my!" she exclaimed under her breath. "I have an appointment in five minutes. I'm so sorry! I should probably go." Nathan smiled. "No, it's alright… I should probably head out myself" he agreed. "I can't let Bill take over my office for too long." Both laughed as they made for the door.
The sun was high in the sky when Nathan stepped back out into the street. The glare blurred his vision momentarily so that he didn't realize that someone had walked up next to him. "Hello again, Mountie" boomed a deep, unfriendly voice. Nathan turned around slowly and found himself face to face with Julius Spurlock, the Pinkerton. His eyes narrowed. "Like I said before, it's Constable Grant" he muttered in annoyance. Spurlock laughed sarcastically, "Who cares?" he shot back. "You're all the same anyway. Rigid, stiff-necked prudes who stick their noses where they aren't wanted." Nathan stared at Spurlock in disbelief. "Is there a problem Agent Spurlock?" he asked incredulously. Spurlock eyed Nathan for a long moment, then leaned in closer. "Just stay out of our way, and there won't be" he whispered threateningly. "We know you've been watching us. We know you have eyes on Waldon. Don't forget, this is a small town, and we know where to find you if our plans are somehow… complicated." Nathan set his jaw firmly. "I've dealt with plenty of Pinkertons in my time" he said slowly. "And I'm not going to let you take over this town." Spurlock laughed. "This town is growing. More people are coming in by the day. How are you going to maintain discipline Constable when town gets too big for one Mountie?" Still laughing, he walked away towards the saloon, where a familiar figure was waiting for him; Wyman Waldon. Nathan felt his fist clenching as the two of them turned the corner, out of sight. He was aware that Hope Valley would be growing in size. He also knew that the crime rate would grow right along with it. Soberly, he trudged in the direction of Coulter Enterprises. If Hope Valley was going to expand, he needed to know where the new homesteads and facilities were being built.
With Lee gone at his campaign luncheon, Nathan wasn't surprised to find Kurt Lawson behind the desk. Kurt was surprised to see Nathan and jumped to his feet. "Constable" he exclaimed. "What can I do for you? Is everything alright?" Nathan smiled a little at his over reaction. "I was wondering if you could tell me…" he began, carefully parsing his words. "Have you and Lee been selling more lumber than usual lately?" Kurt's brow creased as he tried to recall the numbers. "As a matter of fact…" he finally remembered. "There have been quite a few orders lately. Smaller ones… You know? We've had a few contracts, but our main shipments have been to individuals, not big cooperations. I think new homesteaders are flocking to Hope Valley." Nathan nodded thoughtfully. "And where would you say these new homesteaders are looking to build?" he asked. Kurt shrugged. "Lots of the shipments were sent further outside of Hope Valley" he admitted. "With all the orders we've had though, I'd say the town property lines will need to expand." Nathan pursed his lips together. "I know…" he murmured absently. "Maybe I'll ride out there on my rounds today. It can't hurt to check things out." Kurt nodded, still somewhat in awe of the fact that Nathan was even there in the office at all. Nathan saw the look and smiled. "Thank you Kurt" he grinned. "Tell Lee and Rosemary I said hello when they get back." Kurt nodded vigorously. "You can count on it." he said.