Chapter 13: Who's asking who?
"So, Bill…" Molly eyed Bill eagerly from across the desk of the Judge's office. "Did you hear about Ned and Florence?" Bill looked up, exasperated from a sheet of paper in his hand and eyed Molly with frustration. "What about Ned and Florence?" he asked indignantly. Molly folded her hands against her knee and shifted excitedly in her seat. "Ned asked Florence to the Founder's Day Dance" she informed him eagerly. "She's setting up an appointment with Fiona to get her hair done. What do you think of that?" Bill frowned, bewildered, and shrugged helplessly. "What am I supposed to think?" he asked, getting up the shelve one of the dusty law books sitting on his desk. "They're married Molly! What did you expect? For Ned to ask someone else?" Molly took offense and crossed her arms. "Of course not!" she grumbled huffily. "I only meant to say that it was quite romantic." Bill gave a short laugh. "Ha! It's all a bunch of hogwash, if you ask me" he muttered, pouring himself and Molly a cup of coffee. "Dances always cause trouble and hurt feelings! They never end well." Molly looked Bill over and smiled sympathetically. "Aw, Bill" she crooned. "Did you get your feelings hurt at a dance?" Bill spluttered. "Well, no…" he admitted. "But I know plenty of people who have." Molly stood up and came to Bill's side with a smile. "And I promise that will not happen" she murmured. "If you ask me to the dance…" Bill frowned indignantly, but his frown quickly melted when Molly handed him his cup of coffee from the tray with a winning smile. "What do you say we step out on the dance floor together and show em how it's done" she suggested, picking up her own cup of coffee. Bill looked from Molly to his coffee, then back to Molly and smiled. "I suppose that is a tempting offer" he admitted, holding up his cup in toast to her. "Does that mean you're going to go make a hair appointment with Fiona now?" Molly grinned and clinked her cup against his. "That's exactly what I'm going to do" she agreed. "And I'll see if Lee will lend you a pair of cufflinks. It'll look dashing with your grey suit." "Hold up!" Bill retorted. "Nobody said anything about a suit. Wait! Molly!" But before he had even finished protesting, Molly retreated for the door, giggling as she went.
Nathan hung his hat on the peg in the Mountie office and pulled down the clipboard from the wall so that he could begin the day properly by finishing the report from last night. Before he even had time to reach the leather chair behind his desk however, Lee rapped his knuckles lightly against the open door. "Hey Nathan…" he called. "I was hoping to catch you before you left on your rounds." Nathan looked up and smiled. "Well, then you're in luck Lee" he said, tossing the clipboard down on the desk. "What can I help you with?" Lee cringed a little and pointed his finger awkwardly. "About that…" he said slowly. "Jesse and I… We got into a bit of a fight yesterday… I was hoping maybe you could help us sort things out, you know. Kind of be the umpire for the two of us?" Nathan leaned against his desk, frowning. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked, curious. Lee shrugged. "As you know, I've been elected to the role of mayor" he began. "Somehow Jesse got it into his head that I could make laws whenever I feel like it. He wants me to run Wyman Walden out of business and out of town, though we both know I can't do that." Nathan's eyes narrowed. "And was there a particular reason why Jesse wanted you to do that?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager. Lee rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Something about him scamming people, and accidents happening. And Faith having more patients than normal. I know he and Clara had some trouble with Walden, but I thought that's where it ended." Nathan sighed and nodded. "Like I said before, I don't have enough evidence to prosecute" he admitted. "Though I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sure there are some things going on behind the scenes that we don't know about yet." He thought for a minute, then said, "Tell Jesse to stay after work tonight and I'll join the two of you. We'll put our heads together and come up with a plan." Lee beamed. "Thank you Nathan!" he breathed. "You have no idea how tense things have been in the office lately! You're a life saver!"
"Now, tell me if you feel any pain" Faith instructed, as she pressed her fingers against her patient's bicep, feeling for bruising. The man was one of the factory workers from just outside of town. He looked up at Faith admiringly and smiled, a somewhat weaselly smile. "None to speak of" he said bluntly, his eyes laughing as they looked up at her. "It ain't nothing much. Just got in a tussle with one of the other guys." Faith raised an eyebrow, unimpressed and shook her head. "Dani, can you hand me the witch hazel?" she asked, trying to contain her annoyance. Dani cheerfully poked her head behind the screen and smiled. "Coming right up" she called. It was her first Thursday helping Faith and so far things had been going well. Unfortunately for Faith, there had been so many walk-in appointments that she could not make house calls as planned. Instead, she and Dani worked together to patch each patient up as quickly as they could simply to keep up with the high demand for medical attention. Dani smiled as she handed Faith the little bottle and watched as she used a cotton swab to apply it to the injured man's bruised arm. Once again the man grinned at Faith, his yellow-looking teeth showing. "I hear there's a dance coming up" he said. "Would you like to go with me?" Faith frowned and crossed her arms in exasperation. This was the fourth invitation she had received today, and she was tired of hearing it. Thankfully, Dani came to the rescue and shook her head with mock concern. "You know, I really think some of that aspirin Dr. Carter gave you is going to your head" she joked, steering him toward the door. "Now head on back to work." As she guided him out the door and onto the boardwalk, she nearly ran into Nathan who was on his way to the livery. "Nathan!" she cried breathlessly. Nathan's who face lit up with a smile. "Dani!" he exclaimed excitedly. "It's so good to see you! I forgot it was Thursday today!" Dani smiled and shrugged. "I almost did too" she admitted with a laugh. "Luckily, my rooster woke me up in time." Nathan laughed and then settled into a comfortable smile as he gazed down at her. "How are things in the infirmary?" he asked, looking through the window and waving briefly at Faith before turning his full attention to Dani again. Dani pulled the hair out of her face with a sigh. "Busy" she admitted. "And it brings back a lot of memories… But I love it. And being here in town… It's so good to see everyone again, even if we're just waving through the window." Nathan nodded and smiled. "Well, you certainly brighten up the place" he murmured. "Can I stop be later to say hello? Maybe after my rounds?" Dani nodded eagerly. "Of course!" she smiled. "Please do!" Faith watched as Dani and Nathan chatted for a little bit longer before he continued on toward the livery. She felt her heart drop, a little sadly as the red serge disappeared from the window's view. Thoughtfully, she set down the little bottle of witch hazel and turned to sort through the cabinets again. If only she could go and talk to Fiona. Yes, later she would stop by the barbershop and spend time with Fiona. Surely that would make her feel better about everything.
Even as Faith wished to talk to her, Fiona was following Mike down the street as he excitedly led her toward the café for lunch. "There's a special surprise inside Fiona!" he said excitedly, walking so quickly that she had trot to keep up. "Minnie helped! I hope you like it" he added bashfully as she laughed and nodded. "Of course, I will Mike!" she grinned. "I do love surprises!" Mike beamed. "Well, come on then!" he cried, taking her hand and pulling her through the door of the café. He led her to one of the tables near the window and held her chair for. "Now…" he breathed, putting his hands together and sliding into the chair across from her. Fiona laughed and shook her head. "Mike, what is going on?" she asked, completely bewildered, but also completely amused. Mike smiled and turning, beckoned someone from the back. Clara came out, bearing a tray of cucumber sandwiches, along with two bottles of soda pop. "Here is your order Mr. Hickam" she said stylishly, setting down the tray in front of Fiona. Fiona smiled, but her smiled quickly turned into a gasp when she took a look at the little sandwiches. Each sandwich had a letter piped on top in dark vinaigrette sauce. Fiona scanned the rows and spelled out the words "Will you go to the dance with me?" She looked up from the tray, delighted. "Mike!" she exclaimed. "You planned all of this?!" Mike nodded humbly and smiled. Fiona clapped her hands together and giggled. "How creative!" she marveled. "You are a wiz! You know that?" Mike blushed and looked down at his empty plate shyly before answering. "You didn't answer the question yet…" he ventured, with the hints of a smile at the corners of his mouth. Fiona beamed and stood of from her place. "I would love to go to the dance with you!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck, causing him to blush even more. "Thank you so much! This is the best surprise I've ever had!" From her place in the corner where she liked to read up on the latest news, Rosemary eyed the couple with interest and smiled to herself at Mike's thoughtfulness. "I wonder how Lee plans on asking me" she mused, before downing the rest of her coffee and stacking the papers spread out in front of her. She had to make sure she was with Lee so that he every opportunity to do whatever it was that he planned to do.
Nathan smiled as he swayed lazily in the saddle, Newton's hooves beating a rhythm in his ears. The sun felt warm and good against his face as he looked out over the road that lay ahead of him. As he rode along, leaving a trail a dust behind him, a bunch of black-eyed-Susan's suddenly caught his eye. Their yellow petals shown out brilliantly in the sun, causing them to stand out from among the long, wavy grass. Nathan smiled to himself as the wildflowers brought him back to his conversation with Dani. She did love wildflowers. He remembered the image of her sitting beside him by the lake, with Allie's daisy chain lightly crowning her head. Without realizing it, he sighed blissfully at the thought. As his eyes drifted back to the black-eyed-Susan's, a sudden thought hit him. Maybe it would brighten her day a little if he brought some wildflowers to her in town. She had told him she was having a very busy day, hadn't she? Decidedly, Nathan dismounted and pulling out his scout knife, cut the flowers from their hardy stalks, before turning them over in his gloved hand admiringly. A sudden snort from Newton reminded him that he was in the middle of rounds, and he quickly secured the flowers beside his saddle bag, so as not to crush them. After picking the bright yellow blooms, Nathan's eyes suddenly seemed drawn to any of the other wildflowers he passed along the way. There were blues and pinks, and whites, and even some purples. He didn't know the names of all of them but was thoroughly convinced that Dani knew them all. By the time he rode back into town, his bouquet for Dani had grown considerably in size and made up a splendid array of vibrant colors. Bill was surprised to find the bouquet resting proudly on the Mountie desk in an old vase Nathan had found. He frowned quizzically at Nathan, who was filling out the reports for the day. "Should I be offering my condolences for something?" Bill quipped, pointing sarcastically at the bunch of flowers. Nathan looked up from his work, though it took him a minute to process when Bill was saying. "Oh… The flowers…" he grinned. "Those aren't for me Bill." Bill frowned, even more confused. "If they're not for you, then what are they doing here?" he spluttered. Wildflowers always made him sneeze. Nathan went back to finishing the report. "I'm going to give them to Dani" he explained. "I thought she might like them." Bill raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Dani?" he murmured, more to himself than to Nathan. Before he could inquire further, Nathan suddenly looked at the time and jumped to his feet. "I've got to go get Allie from school" he murmured. "I'll be back after dinner." Bill stared after Nathan as the younger man marched hurriedly towards the schoolhouse. Was Nathan calling on Dani regularly? Had they reached some sort of understanding? Bill glanced back at the bouquet of flowers on Nathan's desk and chuckled. "Well, if things aren't romantic yet" he muttered to himself. "They certainly will be soon!"
Fiona eyed Faith worried as her friend stared distantly out the window. "Are you upset about what happened earlier?" she asked. "You know, with your patient?" Faith looked up, startled, then quickly shook her head. "No…" she sighed. "It was fine. Dani was there, and she kept things from getting awkward." Fiona gave Faith a sympathetic, sideways glance and came to sit down beside her. "What's wrong then?" she asked softly. "You haven't been like this since Carson left. Is something else bothering you?" Faith looked up at Fiona and opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shook her head and looked away. "It's nothing…" she said quickly. "It's silly anyway." Fiona reached out and lifted up Faith's face to meet hers, her eyes full of sympathy. "Faith, you can talk to me" she said quietly. "Do you have feelings for someone else?" Faith's lower lip trembled a bit, and she took in and let out a deep breath before nodding timidly. Fiona smiled and took both her hands. "It's a natural part of life to move on" she reassured her. "You have before. I did too, remember?" Faith nodded and tilting her head to one side, looked up at Fiona doubtfully. "I don't think that's the problem" she admitted with a slight shake of her head. "I loved Carson, and I miss him but… My heart is being draw to someone else now." Fiona nodded understandingly. "After breaking off my engagement, I didn't think I would ever fall in love again" she admitted. "But lately, Mike and I… We've gotten to be close. And if he asked me to court him, I think I would say yes. I was afraid at first, but Mike didn't give up on me. When I told him I wasn't ready, he didn't walk away, although he could have. Sometimes, it's about taking a chance again." Faith smiled gratefully, but her eyes were still sad. "I'm so glad you two are coming to an understanding" she congratulated Fiona. "I only wish the same was true in my case. He's been nothing but good to me. Yet, I can see that his heart is with someone else." Fiona glanced at Faith from the rim of her teacup and shook her head. "I'm sorry Faith" she murmured softly. "I didn't know…" Faith smiled and shook her head. "It's alright" she reassured Fiona. "He deserves to love and know what it's like to be loved. I just can't help feeling that… If I had ended things sooner with Carson, I could have recognized his goodness sooner. I could have loved him if he asked."
Rosemary made her way breezily into Coulter Enterprises and eyed Lee excitedly. "Oh Lee!" she cried. "I just saw Hickam asking Fiona to the dance! It was adorable! I was wondering when he would do it. First Ned and Florence, now Fiona and Hickam!" Lee looked up from his paperwork with amused interest. "You can add Molly and Bill to your list" he said with a smirk. "Imagine that? Bill Avery taking a date to the dance?" Rosemary smiled brightly. "Clara also told me that Jesse made her a special meal last night and asked her then" she clapped her hands together. "It's all so romantic! I can't wait to see what you come up with!" Lee looked at her blankly. "What I come up with?" he asked. "What do you mean Rosie?" Rosemary raised her eyebrows. "How you are going to ask me to the dance" she filled him in. "I'm so excited to see what you have planned." Lee frowned and shook his head. "Rosie, I didn't exactly plan anything" he admitted. "I just assumed…" Rosemary's smiled turned to a frown. "Lee Coulter!" she cried. "Never assume anything! Next, you're going to tell me you weren't going to ask me at all!" Lee shrugged helplessly. "I mean…" he defended himself lamely. "We are married after all…" Rosemary's eyes widened passionately. "Lee, we cannot let our love grow cold just because we're married!" she protested. Lee looked surprised and got up from his desk. "Sweetheart" he soothed, coming around the desk and crossing his arms. "I would never let that happen. Now, how's this? Will you go to the Founder's Day Dance with me?" Lee was startled when his proposal, instead of making her happy, only made her more upset, and with an exasperated huff, she walked out the door in a whirlwind. Lee stared after her and frowned. "What just happened?' he asked the thin air around him. Shaking his head in confusion, he walked back to his desk and sank down.
Nathan eyed Allie from across the dinner table and frowned. She looked at her food miserably and poked at it with her fork but didn't eat. "Allie?" he said with concern. "What's the matter?" Allie shrugged, but didn't answer. Nathan sat silently for a minute before laying his own fork down. "Did something happen at school today?" he tried again. When her only response was to shrug again he shook his head. "Allie, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's bothering you" he murmured. Allie looked up glumly and sighed. "Mrs. Canfield said we're getting next Wednesday off so we can help set up for the Founder's Day Dance" she muttered. Nathan frowned, confused. "So?" he asked. "I thought you'd be happy to get a day off." Allie pushed her plate away and buried her face in her folded arms. "I don't want to help with the dance" she groaned. "It's not like I'm even going to go." Nathan stared down at her helplessly. "Allie, you're allowed to go to the dance" he offered helpfully. "If that's what you want…" Allie lifted her face and frowned bitterly. "I don't want to go!" she cried, getting up from the table and running up the stairs. "Allie?" Nathan got up from his place and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Allie!" The only answer to his calls was the slamming of Allie's bedroom door. He stood there for a long minute, debating whether he should try and talk to her, or give her some space. He couldn't understand why she was so upset all of the sudden. Maybe because he didn't understand, it would be better for her to have some time alone. With a heavy sigh, he returned to the table and finished his meal in silence. In her room, Allie cuddled herself in her warm blanket and cried. It had been a hard day at school, listening to all the older girls talk about how they had been asked to the dance by their male classmates. How they were all to have new dresses. How they were all going to do their hair. Allie sobbed bitterly at the thought of going to the dance without being asked by someone. True, Robert Wolfe would be gone in Union City with Mr. Wolfe on the night of the dance. Allie had heard Anna say that he needed to pick some supplies for the upcoming harvest. But still… It would have been nice to be asked, no matter who asked her. Miserably, Allie buried her face in her pillow and cried herself to sleep.
Nathan hated to leave Allie so upset but was somewhat relieved when he found her asleep after he had cleaned up the dinner table. Leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the forehead, so as not the wake her, and tucked the blanket around her a little more securely. Then, wordlessly, he went back downstairs and headed out the door to meet with Lee and Jesse. Coulter Enterprises was dimly lit when Nathan walked in. Jesse glared at Lee from across the desk, while Lee jumped up and eagerly greeted Nathan. "Thank you so much for coming!" he breathed. "Jesse and I can't seem to agree on anything tonight." Nathan's eyes narrowed as he read the room. "Look Jesse" he said slowly, putting down his gloves and hat on Lee's desk. "Lee told me everything. Now, I understand where you're coming from, but you cannot expect Lee to solve any of this with his public authority. Next time you have a complaint, I want you to take it to me first." Jesse shrugged sarcastically. "Why should I?" he muttered. "You never do your job anyway. The people of this town aren't happy Nathan!" Nathan nodded. "I know" he admitted. "And I almost had a bigger scar to prove it" he added, pointing to his nose to remind Jesse of when he had been attacked. "No one should be taking the law into their own hands." Jesse straightened up, his face a little less angry. "Why won't anyone listen to you at headquarters?" he asked agitatedly. "Why won't they just let you arrest Walden and Spurlock and the whole gang?" Lee eyed Nathan worriedly as he shook his head. "I don't think that's something he can disclose Jesse" he murmured, getting only a glare from Jesse in response. Nathan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair wearily. "There's not much I can do on my own" he said slowly. "They think I'm trying to fabricate a story about Spurlock, just so I can get him locked up and out of my hair. If there was more I could do Jesse, I certainly would. Unless…" he thought for a minute, then snapped his fingers. "There is something you both could do." Lee frowned doubtfully. "What's that?" he asked. Nathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If there's any way either of you could get a hold of an eye-witness, who has seen Walden and Spurlock acting outside of the law…" He thought again, more soberly this time. "I don't like to involve civilians in my work, but it seems I have no choice" he murmured. "I need solid evidence against the two of them. Something concrete. Something undeniable. There have been a lot of strange things happening to some of those factory workers, and I've begun to suspect some foul play. If there was a way to catch them in the act… With multiple eye-witnesses… Headquarters would have no choice but to grant me a warrant for their arrest." Jesse nodded eagerly. "I can do that!" he agreed. "I know how to get some of the guys talking. They might spill some beans if I try hard enough." Lee nodded. "And I send deliveries to the new factory all the time" he added. "It wouldn't hurt to stop by on a visit, to scope the place out a bit." Nathan nodded. "That's good" he murmured. "And of course, I'll keep a look out, though they are less likely to do anything in front of a Mountie. Just promise me neither of you will put yourself in harms way." Jesse and Lee nodded. "You have my word" Lee said, shaking Nathan's hand. Jesse nodded. "We'll do what ever we can to help" agreed. "Thank you Nathan." Nathan nodded and eyed them both quizzically. "So…" he said a little awkwardly. "Are you two… good now?" Lee and Jesse looked at each other and nodded. "I think so" they said in unison. Nathan smiled. "Good. Well, I should probably go…" Lee looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows. "Right!" he exclaimed. "There's one more argument I need to smooth over tonight. I might need your help Jesse." Jesse nodded. 'Sure boss" he said playfully. "Anything you say."
The streets were dark and empty as Nathan headed towards the infirmary. He had been sure the stop by his office to fetch the bouquet he had made for Dani. Silently, he approached the blue building and had almost reached the boardwalk just as the light flickered off for the night. Dani emerged and shutting the front door, locked it securely. She had offered to let Faith leave a little early so that she could catch up with Fiona, especially since things had slowed down considerably. Nathan smiled as he saw her turn towards the café, where he knew she was staying with Clara and Jesse in their spare room for the night. "Dani!" he called. She turned around sharply and let out a breath of relief when she saw him. "Nathan!" she breathed, with a shaky laugh. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Nathan joined her on the boardwalk, the flowers hidden behind his back. "I'm sorry I startled you" he murmured. "Can you walk you back? To the café?" Dani smiled and nodded. "That would be nice" she said warmly. "Thank you." For a moment they walked in companionable silence before Dani sighed. "It's been a long day" she said. "Probably for you too? You looked very busy." Nathan smiled. "I guess you could say I was" he admitted. He paused momentarily, before pulling the bouquet from behind his back. "I found these while I was on my rounds" he said, holding it out to her. "I thought you might like them." Dani stared at the bouquet in awe for a moment, before delicately taking it from his hands. "Oh Nathan!" she gasped. "I've never seen such a beautiful bunch of flowers!" She held them close to her face and breathed in deeply. "Mm…" she sighed, shutting her eyes, before looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you so much!" Nathan smiled tenderly. "I'm glad you like them." He murmured, not really knowing what else to say. Dani continued to marvel over the flowers as they walked. "I've never seen some of these on my land" she said. "You must have had to go out of your way to find them all." Nathan shrugged modestly and grinned. "It was fun" he admitted. "Plus, it's almost autumn now, so… Wildflowers won't be around for much longer." Dani nodded thoughtfully. "That reminds me" she said, unconsciously holding the flowers closer to her heart. "I should probably set aside time to harvest the corn I planted earlier this summer." Nathan frowned faintly. "That sounds like a lot of work for one person" he worried. Dani shrugged. "It'll get done" she murmured. "Hopefully before the rainy season comes." Nathan looked down at her questioningly. "I can send Allie to help you, if you like" he suggested. Dani quickly shook her head. "Oh no…' she declined. "I couldn't ask her to do that." Nathan shrugged. "I'm sure she'd be happy to" he reassured her, before frowning. "Plus, I think she could use the change of scenery. She was really upset tonight, and I don't know why…" Dani looked up at him sympathetically. "Poor dear" she murmured. Nathan nodded sadly. "Sometimes I feel so helpless when I don't know what she needs" he said. Dani looked up at him and smiled. "If she wants to help me harvest the corn, she is more than welcome" she assured him. "Plus, it sounds like she and I could use some girl time to ourselves." Nathan laughed and turned to face her as they reached the door to the café. "I bring her by tomorrow" he promised. "Well… Good night Dani. And thank you for letting me walk you back." Dani smiled cheerily. "Thank you for the wildflowers" she murmured, before giving them a last sniff. She breathed out again in delight and Nathan laughed. "Good night Nathan."
Rosemary was surprised when the phone rang as she tidied up the little rowhouse. Picking up, she recognized Lee's voice. "Hello Rosie" he said softly. "Meet me at the baseball field? I have a surprise for you." Before she could answer, he hung up. Rosemary rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then quickly ran and fetched her shawl, before hurrying out the door. At the baseball field, on the little wooden bleachers, Lee had spread a blanket and some food, along with two tall candles for light. He beamed as Rosemary slowly approached, a playful smile on her face. "Lee Coulter…" she murmured. "What did you do?" Lee held out a glass of white wine to her and drew in a breath. "Rosemary Coulter" he said slowly. "I know we've both been busy and haven't done anything like this for a good long while. But I never want our love to grow cold. In fact, I want it to grow and warm our hearts for the rest of our lives. And I want to start by asking you a simple question." He handed her the glass, which she took, before kissing her hand. "Will you go with me to the Founder's Day Dance?" Rosemary beamed and kissed his cheek. "Of course, Lee" she breathed. "I will admit, I was a bit dramatic earlier…" Lee held up his fingers in a pinch. "Just a bit…" he admitted. "But dance or no dance, I'm glad we get to spend the evening together this way. So, are you saying yes to my question?" Rosemary nodded. "Yes I am!" she smiled, wrapping an arm around his neck. Lee looked past her out into the field. "Did you hear that Jesse?" he called to Jesse who was standing out in the field next to a little tin trough. Rosemary hadn't noticed him before. "She said yes!" Jesse gave the thumbs up. "Okay!" he called, before bending down next the tin trough. Rosemary looked up at Lee quizzically. "Lee Coulter, what are you..?" Before she could finish, there was a burst of color above as a set of bright fireworks lit the sky. She gasped in delight. "Oh Lee!" she cried. "It's beautiful!" Lee watched her as the colors in the sky played against her face. "Well, I think you're beautiful" he murmured, leaning down, and kissing her.
From the from porch of the Mountie Office, Bill and Nathan watched in amusement as the fireworks exploded in the sky. "What was that all about?" Bill wanted to know. Nathan shook his head, smiling. He had returned to lock up and had run into Bill just in time to see the firework show. "I think it's Lee and Rosemary" he surmised. "Something about the dance." Bill nodded and folded his hands as he leaned up against the railing. "So… Have you asked Dani to the dance yet?" he asked. Nathan turned around sharply in surprise. "Uh… No…" he stammered. "Why do you ask?" Bill leaned forward, bemused. "Nathan, you're obviously in love with her" he pointed out. "Why wouldn't you?" Nathan's jaw dropped in complete shock. "I'm not… in love with her" he said hesitantly, realizing as he said it that it was a lie. Bill nodded, unconvinced. "Oh really?" he asked, smiling to himself. "Ever since you met her, I've never seen you so happy. You've ridden by her house every single day just to check on her. Who does that? Plus, you never shut up about her" Bill chuckled at the look of surprise on Nathan's face. "I hate to break it to you Nathan, but you're dead gone on her." Nathan shook his head in disbelief, and for a long minute couldn't say anything. He tried to think of some way to prove Bill's statement false, but he couldn't. The truth suddenly seemed to hit him like a wave. He was indeed, in love with Danielle Lemont. He couldn't deny it. "But… It all happened so gradually…" he murmured. "How did you know Bill?" Bill shrugged. "Like I said" he smiled, "It was pretty obvious." Nathan frowned. "How did I not know?" he asked, confused. "I wasn't looking to fall in love with her." Bill smiled supportively. "Sometimes love finds us when we're not looking for it" he pointed out. "Or, in your case should I say, Dani did. Sometimes, we fall gradually and don't realize it until we're in deep. And let me just say, you're in deep, my friend. Just picture your life without Danielle." Nathan shook his head. "I don't want to" he balked stubbornly. "I can't." Bill threw his hands in the air. "Thus, proving my point" he said triumphantly. Nathan stood rooted to the spot, the gears in his head turning quickly. Suddenly, a troubled look came over his face, and he eyed Bill anxiously. "Bill…" he ventured. "Do you think… Do you think she loves me?" Bill straightened up slowly to his full height and looked Nathan over seriously. "There's only one way to find out" he said. Nathan's eyes grew big. "No, Bill! I can't do that again!" he recoiled. "What if she doesn't? What if she can't?" Bill sighed and gently laid a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "What if she does?" he asked. "Are you going to leave her in doubt of your feelings just because you're afraid of getting hurt again? Nathan, you own it to her to tell her. If you two are going to continue to be friends, she deserves to know." Nathan nodded reluctantly. He knew Bill was right. It still didn't make things any easier. "When should I tell her?" he asked soberly. Bill laid a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "In your own time" he murmured. "You'll know when the right moment comes along."