Chapter 3: Banking on the Future
"Allie, I'm home" Nathan called breathlessly as he let himself in, his red serge and hat drenched from the falling spring rain outside. He was surprised when there was no answer. "Allie?" The seat in front of the fire was empty, and Allie's library book lay there untouched. Even Allie's schoolbooks hadn't been properly put away and lay in a scattered heap on the table. Nathan's worry was mounting quickly, when he suddenly caught the sound of a few faint sobs coming from Allie's room. The door was closed and locked, but Nathan knocked on it softly. "Allie?" he called. "Can I come in?" The only answer was the sound of the door unbolting and the pattering of feet across the floor. Turning the knob, Nathan poked his head in and saw Allie face down on her bed, shoes, and all, sobbing bitterly. Nathan grabbed hold of the chair that was set in front of the little desk near the door and placing it beside Allie's bed, proceeded to sit down. "Allie…" he murmured softly. "What's wrong?" Allie didn't answer right away but shook her head inconsolably into the pillows. Nathan frowned faintly. "Are you sick?" he asked. Again, Allie shook her head.
There was a long silence, hindered only by the pattering of the rain overheard before Allie finally lifted her tear-stained face to her uncle. Nathan gave her a loving, sympathetic smile as she straightened up into a sitting position. "Did something happen today at school?" he asked. Allie breathed in shakily. "Anna and Timmy and Robert are all planning an expedition to climb Thistle Hill" she whispered, her voice quivering. "I heard them talking about it at recess. They said they didn't want to invite me because then Opal would tag along too, and she's too young. It's not fair Uncle Nathan! Why can't Opal just… stay home?" Nathan frowned and crossed his arms. "Well, that wasn't very nice of them" he admitted thoughtfully. "And it doesn't sound like they are being very good friends to you or to Opal." Allie threw a wistful glance out the running windowpanes and sighed pitifully. "I want to do things with the older kids" she said sorrowfully. "But I can't because I'm friends with Opal… I don't want to be one of the younger kids anymore Uncle Nathan!" Nathan nodded understandingly. "Allie…" he articulated carefully. "Every time I see you with Opal, I can see that you are happy, and that you have a lot of fun. Now, I understand how… being with the older kids might seem more interesting or exciting than the time you spend with Opal. But Opal has always been a loyal friend, and you two love spending time together. You will get to know plenty of the older kids in time Allie. But friends like Opal are hide to find." Allie dug her clenched fist deep into the cushions and shook her head. "Why does it have to be so hard? Being friends with Opal?" she asked bitterly. Nathan sat back again thoughtfully. "Sometimes it's hard to be loyal to our friends" he replied. "There were quite a few times when your mother felt the same way about me."
At the mention of Colleen, Allie perked up immediately. "She did?" she breathed disbelievingly. Nathan nodded, smiling at the memory. "Yes" he grinned. "On my first day of school, she held my hand while we walked through the schoolyard. A lot of the older kids laughed at her and called her a baby. But she didn't let go because she cared more about me than she did about what they thought of her. Your mother was always brave and loyal, just like you." Allie smiled brightly again. "I'd much rather be like her" she admitted. Nathan smiled thankfully. "That's my girl" he murmured. "Maybe you and Opal should plan your own expedition. Unless…" he added after a moment of thought. "How would you and Opal like to come with me on my rounds tomorrow? I'm going to be visiting a lot of the new homesteads, so it will be more like an expedition than my ordinary rounds." Allie's face lit up. "Yes please!" she squealed in delight. "Thank you, Uncle Nathan!" She was about to hug him when she realized that his serge and hat were soaking wet. "Before we go anywhere, I should probably dry your uniform" she smirked. "You're dripping water all over the floor." Nathan glanced down at the growing puddle at his feet. "Yeah, I should get cleaned up before I flood the place" he laughed.
The house was quiet and still later that evening after the two of them finished dinner. As Nathan sat in front of the fire with Allie, his eyes stared sightlessly into the flames. His thoughts were elsewhere. They were in town, on the boardwalk across the street from the mercantile. As he sat there with Allie, Nathan was reliving the events that had occurred that morning. He had seen Elizabeth. The pain in his heart began to throb again at the memory of it. She looked different somehow. Her cheeks were rosier. Her smile was wider. He knew he should be happy to see her doing so well. She had smiled and approached him. Nathan felt his heart pounding just like it had that morning. She was saying something about Allie. What was it? Grades? School? He couldn't quite recall. She seemed to see the blank expression on his face and suddenly became serious. "Nathan…" her voice saying his name startled him. That caught his attention. "Nathan, all I want is for us to be friends. We need to put this behind us. For both of our sakes'? For Allie's? Please Nathan… Say something…" Nathan swallowed hard at the memory of her face as she looked up at him worriedly. She must have seen the pain and the deep grief in his eyes because her worry only grew. "Nathan, I hate seeing you like this" she said. "I want you to move on because I love you. I want you to be happy."
Nathan's eyes dropped to the floor just as they had earlier that day. His chest rose and fell heavily. "Elizabeth…" he had managed to say, his voice slightly choked by his grief. "Elizabeth… I think I need more time… I hope you understand… I just need more time." He knew she wanted him to be move on, but something was still hurting him too much. Maybe it was the heartache of losing her, or the pain of living in Jack's shadow, a shadow he could never seem to escape. Maybe it was the ache that had been tearing at his heart since she had walked out of the Mountie office for the last time. Whatever it was, he knew he wasn't ready to share a friendship with Elizabeth. Not yet. Elizabeth was both surprised and dismayed by his words. She had thought her reassurance would make him feel better, but his answer told her otherwise. She frowned, somewhat impatiently. "Nathan, I…" she began defensively, but the words died on her lips. She stared at him for a minute, then seemed to understand. Whatever had happened between she, Lucas, and Nathan over the past year, it was Nathan who had suffered the most from it. She suddenly seemed to realize that and changed her tone. "Of course," she corrected herself, her gaze moving toward the ground, like his. "Let me know when you figure it out." He had nodded gratefully and with a heavy breath, had continued down the boardwalk towards the Mountie office, trying to keep his head high. "Uncle Nathan!" Allie's voice roused Nathan out of his thoughts. He looked up quickly. Allie eyed him quizzically. "Are you okay?" Nathan smiled. "Of course," he grinned. "I just have a few things on my mind. Say, we should make a list of everything we'll need for our expedition tomorrow." Allie smiled and shut her book. "I'll get some paper" she said excited, disappearing into her bedroom. Nathan smiled after her, though there were still many things tugging at his heart. He knew the healing would take time. There was just so much hurt to heal from.
Nathan didn't sleep very well that night. His conversation with Elizabeth had reopened an old wound, and that nagging ache at his heart that never seemed to go away was sharper than ever. As soon as the window showed even the faintest colors of gray, he finally got up and made himself a cup of coffee. The house was quiet, but a flock of birds sounded cheerily outside the front window. Nathan pulled back the curtain and looked out toward the dewy fields and misty woods. The sky showed the faintest hints of pink and blue as the sun prepared to rise. It was a beautiful morning. He, Allie, and Opal would be having perfect weather for their "expedition." Noiselessly, Nathan laid his tin cup on the table and checked his red serge, which was hanging near the fire. It was still damp to the touch, as was his hat. With a sign, he went back to the window. It was quiet outside, and the air was fresh. There was no one on the road. It would be nice to take in a quiet moment in the great outdoors. Suddenly something Elizabeth had said a long time ago came back to him. Didn't she tell him that she liked to take Sergeant for morning rides to "clear the cobwebs before school?" With an unconscious smile, he remembered that she had. It was a Saturday morning, and no one ever woke up this early on a Saturday. Maybe a morning ride on Newton would help to clear his head before the busy day ahead of him. It didn't take Nathan long to throw on a light coat and a pair of boots. He knew Allie would be fine, but he left her a note just the same. His walk to the livery was quiet and peaceful, just like the sparkling landscape around him. Hope Valley was very still. The only disturbance to the silence was the sound of the horses' breathing. Newton gave a little start when Nathan entered his stall. "Whoa buddy" Nathan reassured him, patting his neck gently. "I know, I'm a little early this morning. I just thought it might be nice to clear some cobwebs before our big day today. What do you think?" It didn't take long for Nathan to saddle up. Before he knew it, he found himself galloping toward the pond. Even the pond seemed to be asleep like the rest of the town. Nathan slowed Newton to a trot and looked out over the water. The vibrant colors of the sky and the growing brightness of the sun helped to lift his spirits. He patted Newton again, and sighed contentedly. "I think we'll be doing this again old buddy" he smiled, looking out over the rippling water.
The day started off with out a hitch. Opal's mother was delighted to know that Opal would be spending her day outside and under Nathan's protection, Nathan borrowed Bill's horse for Allie and Opal to share, and the three of them made very cheerful company together as they made their way towards the mercantile to buy supplies. "I've never to the border of town before" Opal said timidly. "You don't think we'll get caught in a windstorm again, do you?" Allie put her arm around Opal. "I don't think so" she reassured her friend. "But even if we do, my uncle is here to protect us. He saved Emily when she got lost. Didn't you Uncle Nathan?" Nathan smiled ruefully. "Well, I don't know about that" he deflected. As they made their way down main street, Nathan suddenly caught sight of a gathering crowd in from of the saloon. It was mostly made up of some of Lee's men, as well as a few farm hands and strangers. From the sight and sound of it, they were all growing increasingly agitated. Some even started raising their voices. "We won't stand for this!" Nathan heard a tall, burly man shout. Looking closer at the scene, Nathan spied Wyman Walden in the thick of it, guarded carefully by the three Pinkertons against the mob. To his dismay, the Pinkertons were armed with rifles and handguns. "Girls" he said seriously, not taking his eyes from the scene. "stay close to me." He guided Hero and Newton to the hitching post outside of the Mercantile and helped Allie and Opal out of the saddle and onto the ground. "What's happening Mountie Grant?" Opal asked timidly. Allie's face was white too. "Uncle Nathan?" she asked, frightened. "What's going on at the saloon?" Nathan glanced back at the growing mob outside of the Queen of Hearts before turned back to the two girls. "I don't really know" he admitted. "But I want you both to listen to me, okay? I want you to go into the Mercantile and stay with Mrs. Yost until I come back for you. Tell her I sent you, she'll understand." Both nodded and began trotting up the stairs. Halfway to the top, Allie stopped and turned to face him. "Uncle Nathan" she said shakily. "Please… be careful!" Nathan nodded and smiled. "I'll be fine Allie" he reassured her. "I won't be long." Allie nodded doubtfully and guided Opal into the store.
The mob had already doubled in size by the time Nathan reached it. He pushed his way to the front where Walden was standing. "Well Mr. Walden" he said, crossing his arms. "What did you do that has people so upset?" Walden gave Nathan a condescending smile and eyed Julius Spurlock, who came to stand next to him. "I don't think you need concern yourself with the crowds Constable" he said, grinning while he did. "I simply announced what this fine building will be used for in the future." Nathan frowned. "And what would that be?" he asked sarcastically. Walden's smile didn't waver. "I will be establishing Hope Valley's new bank and loan enterprise" he calmly sneered. "Hope Valley doesn't need another restaurant. What it needs is what I am providing it with." From behind Nathan, Jesse Flynn spat in the dirt. "We don't need a bank!" he shouted. "Especially a bank run by you! You took all my money! Give us the saloon back!" A few of the other men shouted in agreement and moved in closer. But Nathan stepped in between them and Walden. "Hold up everyone" he ordered, raising his own voice above the din. "Let's arrange a meeting with the town council. We need to talk about this rationally and officially." Jesse threw his hands in the air. "Come on Nathan!" he pleaded. "He's up to no good! You can't let him destroy our town!" The crowd, encouraged by Jesse's argument and his familiarity with Nathan, started to move in. Nathan's eyes narrowed sternly. "Jesse" he murmured fiercely. "I need you to back off, now!" Jesse's face was white with anger. "First, why don't you do your job and put this criminal away?" he asked hotly. A few of the farmhands, encouraged by Jesse's frustration, started to rush toward Walden. Nathan quickly inserted himself in between them. "I need all of you" he directed them loudly "to stop and think before anyone gets hurt!" But most of them were already riled up beyond rationality, and a few of them rushed forward again, this time with full force. Nathan didn't really know how it happened, but he suddenly found himself face down in the dirt, nursing a bloody nose. He lay there stunned but was relieved when he realized that his injury seemed to momentarily to frighten and pacify the crowd, who hadn't meant to hurt him. The farmhands who had rushed Walden quickly backed off, realizing what they had done to their own Mountie.
"You see?" Spurlock shouted loudly over the nervous crowd, as they started to back away. "This is what happens when you don't think before you act! Someone always gets hurt!" Walden grinned even wider. "We can talk about this more in the next Town Council meeting" he announced, almost cheerfully. "I hope all of you will attend." And with that, he unlocked the saloon and disappeared into it's dark exterior. The crowd quickly disbanded, afraid of the consequences of their actions. While the other two Pinkertons followed Walden into the saloon, Spurlock went over and helped Nathan to his feet. He winced sarcastically when he saw Nathan's bleeding nose. "That's some tough luck there Mountie" he shuddered. "But then again, I did warn you about maintaining discipline around here. It seems like this growing town has some growing problems that you just can't control. I look forward to meeting your replacement." He patted Nathan mockingly on the shoulder and followed the others into the dark saloon. Nathan stared after the four of them despairingly, wondering how on earth he was supposed to solve this growing problem. Just then Jesse came up beside him, a little sheepishly. "I'm so sorry Nathan" he apologized contritely. "I never meant for things to go that far! I just didn't want anyone to get scammed by that guy! I'm so…" He stopped midsentence and winced sharply at the sight of Nathan's face. "Oh… That looks pretty bad. Here" he said, reaching into his pocket and handing Nathan a white handkerchief. "We should probably go see Faith."
Luckily, Faith's diagnosis was not as dire as Jesse's. "Well, the good news is, no bones were broken" she announced cheerfully. "What's the bad news?" Opal asked. She and Allie had come to the infirmary as soon as the coast was clear of the angry mob. Faith smiled sweetly as she handed Nathan several small linens. "The bad news" she said softly "Is that Mountie Grant won't be able to take you on the expedition today. I don't think he has a concussion, but I don't want to take any chances." Opal nodded soberly. "That's ok" she said softly. "As long as Mountie Grant is okay." Allie took Nathan's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm glad you're alright" she whispered. He smiled and pulled her hand a little closer to him. "Thank you" he murmured. "I'm sorry we couldn't go today. Maybe some other time?" Allie nodded. "Yes" she agreed. "Or… Opal and I can bake a cake together at our house instead! Please Uncle Nathan!" Nathan looked up at Faith with a helpless grin and glanced over at Opal's eager face. "Baking a cake…" he pondered. "That sounds… great. As long I get to try a piece of it" he added with a playful grin. Opal smiled. "We'll give you the first piece" she offered generously.