Chapter 5

It was still dark when Nathan got out of bed, in the early morning hours. It had been a restless night, of no sleep for him, that seemed to draw on for hours. Images of the past day's affairs had consumed his thoughts all night, and they still lingered in his mind this morning. He just couldn't shake the feelings of immense guilt, shock, and sadness that he was feeling.

What had started out as a peaceful prisoner transport, had quickly spiraled into a very dangerous and horrific event.

Nathan couldn't seem to wrap his head around what had gone wrong. He had been confident, in that moment, that he had everything under control, but then things took a turn for the worst. Now a fellow mountie was dead, and it had transpired under his watch. How could he have let that happen?

After their meeting, in the jail, yesterday, Bill had assured him that it wasn't his fault.

"Sometimes things happen that are out of our control," Bill explained, "Mistakes happen. People get hurt. It's just a part of the job. That young mountie, Anderson, made a rookie mistake, and he paid for it with his life. Don't beat yourself up for something that you had no way of controlling."

"But Bill, it happened under my watch. If I hadn't tried to grab that gun and push it away when I did, then Anderson wouldn't have died."

"Nathan, if you hadn't pushed that gun away when you did, then that could have been you lying there in that wagon. Either way, the outcome would have been the same. Jenny made a terrible choice, and it cost a man his life. But, that's not your fault. You aren't responsible for the choices that others make. You did what you thought was right, given the circumstances. You can't blame yourself for doing your job right."

In almost a whisper, Nathan responded "I could have taken the bullet."

"Nathan, don't go there! You did everything in your power to take control of the situation, and Jenny was backing down. Don't put yourself in that wagon, when you're the one who did everything right. This is on Jenny and Anderson. Not on you. Think about your niece, and what it would mean for her if you were the one who was shot. She would be left with no one to look after her. And then there's Elizabeth... I know that it's none of my business, but the way that she ran and threw her arms around you tells me that there's something there. Don't overlook that. Your life has meaning and purpose, Nathan. This town needs you!"

As Nathan recalled yesterday's conversation, with Bill, his thoughts soon shifted to Elizabeth.

He still couldn't believe the fact that she had practically thrown herself into his arms. Even though his mind was in complete shock from the incident, at the time, he could still vividly recall the way that she felt in his arms. She had held him so close, that they were like two magnets touching each other. Her embrace had warmed his entire being and had given his heart a sense of renewed ease, that he hadn't been able to comprehend.

Although he didn't have the mental capacity to process everything right now, he knew that deep down inside things were about to change. It had been Elizabeth's embrace that had kept him going, following the incident. Now, if he could just get past the hurt and guilt that he was feeling, then maybe he could pull it together enough to talk to Elizabeth.

Nathan knew that it would all have to wait though. After all of the chaos, from the day before, he remembered that there was still a trial that he needed to get to.

Bill had left yesterday evening, to catch up with the other mountie and the prisoners, but he was kind enough to let Nathan go home for the night, before heading to Buxton this morning. With the trial tomorrow, and then Anderson's funeral the following day, Nathan knew that it was going to be a long few days.


The sun had just come up, when Elizabeth stepped foot into the schoolhouse. She knew that there was still an hour left, before any of her students would arrive, but she welcomed the extra time to prepare

Although it had been a long night for her, Elizabeth couldn't stay in bed longer, so she got up early and went downstairs. Then she made a cup of coffee and forced herself to eat a light breakfast. Once she had done all of that, she grabbed her things and checked on little Jack, who was still sleeping, before heading next door to the Coulter's row house.

Knocking lightly on their front door, Elizabeth waited.

When the door opened, she was greeted by Lee. "Elizabeth, good morning! Is everything ok?"

"Hi, Lee! Yes, everything's fine. I'm sorry to bother you so early, but I was wondering if maybe you or Rosemary would mind keeping an eye on little Jack for me, while he's sleeping? I hate to do this to you, but I really need to time some extra time to prepare for my lessons, at the schoolhouse, this morning. It won't be too long, and Laura should be here in about 15 minuets."

"Of course, Elizabeth! It's no bother at all. Rosemary is still sleeping, but I would be happy to watch little Jack."

"Thank you, Lee! I really appreciate it."

"Don't think anything of it. By the way, I was really sorry to hear about everything that happened yesterday. If you need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Lee! Really, you and Rosemary have been nothing but blessings to me. I don't know what little Jack and I would do without you both in our lives."

Lee had smiled and nodded, "The same goes for Rosie and I. You're our family, Elizabeth. We couldn't be more grateful to have you both in our lives."

Elizabeth's heart warmed, as she recalled all of the things that Lee and Rosemary had done for her over the years. They really were true blessings from God.

Turning back to the task at hand, Elizabeth tried to focus on preparing her assignments for today's lesson. However, she was finding it very difficult to concentrate.

After spending about 20 minuets on her lesson plans, Elizabeth was about to give up when she saw Allie coming through the schoolhouse door.

For a moment, Elizabeth's heart stopped. "What is Allie doing here?" She thought to herself. "And where was Opal?"

It was still too early for Allie to be at school.


"Hi, Allie! What are you doing here so early?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly, "Is everything ok?"

"Hi Mrs. Thornton! I know it's early, but I really needed to talk to you, before everyone gets here. Don't worry, Opal's mom gave me permission to come."

Elizabeth nodded and motioned towards the pews, "Would you like to sit down?"

Allie nodded, as they made their way to the front of the classroom.

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked, as they found their seats in the front row.

"I'm really worried about Uncle Nathan. He just wasn't himself after he got home yesterday. I tried to talk to him about the incident, but he wouldn't really tell me anything. He just said that a mountie got shot, on their way to the trial, but I know there was more to it than that. I have ears, and the whole town was talking about it yesterday. I know Uncle Nathan is just trying to protect me, but I'm not a little girl anymore. I just wish that he would have told me what was really going on, before he left for the trial this morning. Now, I'll have to wait a few days to talk to him."

While Allie was speaking, Elizabeth's mind started spinning, as she tried to process everything that the girl was saying. "Poor Allie," Elizabeth thought to herself.

That girl had been through so much in her young life. She must be so confused and scared. Elizabeth understood far too well what that felt like. After all, she too was also very worried about Nathan and wanted to know what was going on in his head. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for Allie, who had lived and been raised by him. Nathan was like a father to Allie, and Elizabeth couldn't even fathom what she would do, if it were her own father, in that situation.

"Allie, honey, I know you must be so scared and confused right now. We all are, after that horrible ordeal. I can't imagine what it must be like for you, hearing all that your uncle went through yesterday and not knowing how to help him. I'm so sorry that you're going through this! I know you love your uncle very much, and it hurts you, because you feel like you can't do anything to help him right now. But I think it's important to realize that, perhaps, by not doing anything, you are doing something to help him. You're giving him the time and space that he needs to heal. I haven't known your uncle for as long as you have, but I think I've gotten to know him pretty well over the last little while. And, I think it's safe to assume that he's the type of person who takes his time to reflect and analyze things, before he shares his feelings. Is that true?"

Allie nodded in agreement.

"Ok, that's good then. I think if you just give your uncle some space and allow him time to process everything, which he'll have time to do while he's away, then he might be more open to sharing some of his thoughts with you, once he gets back."

Elizabeth paused, to take a short breath, before continuing,"Allie, your uncle loves you a lot, and I don't think he's acting this way, because he doesn't want to talk to you. I just think that he needs some time to process what he's feeling. However, that also doesn't mean that he'll be able to tell you everything, once he's done processing. As a mountie, there's going to be certain things and situations, that'll happen, that he won't be at liberty to share. But if you give him some time and space, I think he'll share what he can with you when the time is right."

"Thank you, Mrs. Thornton! I really needed to hear all of that. It never even occurred to me that by not pushing him for information, that I might actually be helping him. I never thought about it in that way before. You really helped me to see things more clearly from Uncle Nathan's perspective. I feel a lot better now."

Elizabeth gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to hear that, Allie! Please know I'm always here for you, whenever you need to talk about anything. I'm so glad that we had this talk, and I know that God is going to use this experience for something good. We just have to have faith and trust that He will work it out when the time is right. May I say a prayer for you and your uncle?"

Allie agreed, and then they bowed their heads, as they prayed together.

After the prayer, Allie was about to excuse herself, to go outside and wait for her friends, when a thought came to her.

"Mrs. Thornton, do you know what I heard in town yesterday?"

"What's that, Allie?"

With wide eyes, and an almost mischievous smile, Allie blurted out "I heard that you practically tackled my uncle and embraced him, in the middle of the street. Is that true?"

Elizabeth stood there frozen in place, not knowing what to say, as embarrassment engulfed every last bit of her senses. There was no way that she could get out of this one.

Or so she thought.

Just as Elizabeth was about to say something, anything, Opal and her mom walked into the schoolhouse.

"Phew, that was a close one," Elizabeth thought to herself.

For once, she was more than grateful to be interrupted.


Throughout the rest of the school day, Elizabeth kept thinking about all that Allie had said. She also kept thinking about Nathan and how hard it must have been for him to go through all that he did. Elizabeth almost wished that she could just snap her fingers and make all of their worries go away. She'd love nothing more than to be able to comfort Nathan, in his time of need.

But then, Elizabeth was reminded of her advice to Allie. It's in this period of waiting, and not knowing, that Nathan is getting the time that he needs to heal.

Although that answer didn't satisfy her, the way it had done for Allie, Elizabeth knew that it was best, for the time being. Nathan is a quiet man, and he needed this time to process what he's feeling. Even if that wasn't the case, Elizabeth came to the conclusion that she wouldn't know what to say to him right now, anyways. It's not like she didn't have her own fears and emotions to sort out.

In her heart, Elizabeth knew that it was best, for everyone all around, if she just let it be for now. She had done her part, by comforting Nathan's niece and making sure that Allie's emotions were taken care of.

It warmed Elizabeth's heart, knowing that Allie trusted her enough to share her innermost thoughts and feelings with her. Elizabeth was thankful for that, and in a very small way, she knew that it had been healing for her heart, as well.

"Allie, girl, you sure know how to touch my heart," Elizabeth thought to herself.

The girl also knew how to throw her for a loop, with her embarrassing questions. Allie was too smart sometimes for her own good. Elizabeth had no idea what she would have said if Opal and her mom hadn't arrived, to check on Allie, when they did. And, she was relieved that Allie didn't try to ask her about it again, once school was over.

Elizabeth noticed that Allie's friends had been paying extra attention to her and had been keeping her preoccupied, throughout the day. They must have known that Allie needed some extra attention today.

It made Elizabeth so happy to see her students caring and looking out for each other. It was in moments like these, that made being a teacher so worthwhile and rewarding for her.


Lucas's mind was racing, as was he was contemplating his next move. He had been up, for half the night, last night, racking his brain and trying to figure out what he should do about the whole Nathan situation. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he couldn't escape the sinking feeling that what Elizabeth had been feeling was much more than a friendship for Nathan.

Having needed some fresh air, Lucas got out of bed, before the sun was even up, and stepped out onto the front porch of the saloon. Breathing in the fresh morning air, he walked to the side of the building and took a seat on the bench.

That's when, by sheer coincidence, he had seen Nathan come out of the jail. Not wanting Nathan to see him, however, Lucas had sat very still and tried to not make a sound. He didn't stay that way for long though, because Nathan soon mounted his horse and quickly rode out of town. Breathing in a sigh of relief, Lucas let his body relax.

"That was a close one," he spoke to himself.

The last thing he had wanted, in that moment, was to confront Nathan.

Hours had gone by, as Lucas was still contemplating his options, when low and behold, a small window of opportunity passed by him. It was around 3:00, in the afternoon, when he saw Elizabeth walking home from school, on his way to the oil office. Before he had time to plan what he was going to say, Lucas heard himself call her name.

"Elizabeth, hello! How are you this fine afternoon?" Lucas asked in a very chipper manner, before silently reprimanding himself.

Turning to face him, Elizabeth answered him hesitantly,"Good afternoon, Lucas! I'm doing just fine, thanks. How are you doing?"

"Was that a hint of avoidance that he detected in her voice? Lucas thought to himself. "No matter," he decided to ignore it.

"I'm good, thanks for asking! I was just thinking about your book, and how, with all of the excitement, we forgot to discuss your plans for finishing it. I would very much like to set aside some more time, in the next few days, to hear about your ideas. Perhaps over dinner tomorrow night?"

Lucas hoped that he wasn't sounding too pushy, but he needed to divert the conversion away from anything having to do with Nathan. Since they both had a love of writing, he assumed that it would be a safe and sure way of getting her attention. Now, all he needed to do was convince her to have dinner with him again. He would worry about the Nathan situation later.


Elizabeth just stood there, trying to figure out what to say to Lucas. He had completely caught her off guard.

Although she had known that there was a small possibility that she might run into him soon, she hadn't expected it to happen today, especially not at that moment.

"What should she say to him?" She thought to herself. Elizabeth knew that sooner or later, she'd have to explain everything to Lucas, but she wasn't ready for that, at least not yet.

Before she could figure out how respond, Lucas spoke again.

"Elizabeth, if dinner doesn't work for you, I can always just stop by the school, during lunch, tomorrow instead. We can eat a quick lunch and then discuss your ideas. How does 12:00 sound?"

Not having the energy, or mental capacity to argue, Elizabeth nodded.

"I think that would be alright, as long as it doesn't take too long. I really don't like to take time anyway from my students."

"Excellent! It won't take very long, I assure you."

"Thank you for understanding, Lucas!"

"Of course! Well, I'll let you be on your way then. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon. And, I look forward to hearing about your ideas tomorrow."

Elizabeth nodded, and gave him a halfhearted smile, "Thank you! Have a good day, Lucas!"

As Lucas walked away, Elizabeth's mind raced. What had just happened? Did Lucas really just offer to come by the school tomorrow, in order to talk about her book, instead of them having another dinner together? That wasn't like him at all.

And why had she been so anxious around him? She'd never felt that way around him before. Perhaps it was because she still needed to talk to him about Nathan, but Lucas was her friend, and she shouldn't have been so nervous to answer his questions.

Something very strange was going on, and Elizabeth had resolved to get to the bottom of it.


After working on designs in the dress shop, all day, Rosemary was about to go home, when Clara stopped her to ask a question.

"Rosemary, before you leave, I don't want to pry, but how's Elizabeth doing? I've been thinking about her all day, after everything that happened yesterday, and I just had to ask."

Rosemary nodded and thought about how she should answer, before responding.

"I think Elizabeth is still processing everything. It was lot for her to take in... and just between the two of us, she's having a lot of doubts and fears. I think it would be really good for her if you could talk with her about it sometime. I reminded her of the conversation that you two had before you got married, and it seemed to help, if you understand my meaning."

Clara nodded, and sighed, as she began to understand Rosemary's implied meaning.

"Poor Elizabeth! She's been through so much already... I would be happy to talk with her sometime, if you really think it would help. Rosemary, I don't want to overstep thought. I know it's none of my business. But, I'll consider it and pray for guidance on the matter."

"I think that would be a good idea. Thank you, Clara!"

"Of course! Thank you for sharing that with me, Rosemary. It's been on my mind on all day, and I didn't want to bother Elizabeth with it, especially right now."

Just then, Fiona walked into the dress shop.

"Are you both talking about Elizabeth? How's she doing? My heart just aches for her. I feel so bad about the way that I ran into Ned's yesterday, with Elizabeth standing right there. I've never seen Elizabeth so scared… I thought she might faint."

"Wait, Fiona you were there when it happened? How did I not know about this?" Rosemary exclaimed.

"Yeah, I saw the whole thing. I was standing outside, having a conversion with Carson, when Bill came galloping into town , at full speed, pronouncing that someone had a gunshot wound. That's when Carson told me to go to Ned's and grab all of the bandages and gauze that he had. So I ran in and told Ned. But Elizabeth was standing right there. She asked me who had been shot, but I wasn't sure who it was. Then when someone shouted Nathan's name, my heart sank as I saw Elizabeth's reaction. I ran outside after her with the gauze and bandages, but at that point Carson had just pronounced that the mountie was gone."

Fiona took in a breath, before continuing.

"A lot of things happened after that. As everyone around us was processing what had just taken place, I saw Elizabeth's face turn to fear. I could tell that she was going into shock, as she started breathing heavily. That's when I heard someone announce that Nathan was alive and coming in the distance. By that time, I think everyone had looked up and saw him walking towards the town, except for Elizabeth. I don't think she head what anyone was saying, or knew that Nathan was alive, because she still looked in deep distress."

"Oh my, the poor dear," Rosemary interjected.

"What happened after that," asked Clara curiously.

"This is where things got very intense. As Nathan was nearing the crowd, I saw Elizabeth turn around slowly and pause. Then, as if she had been hit, by a lightning bolt, she took off and ran into Nathan's arms. I almost stopped breathing, for a moment, when I saw that happen. Elizabeth looked so sad and scared in that moment. And poor Nathan, I could tell that his mind was far away. He was in total shock, but it seemed like Elizabeth's hug steadied him a bit. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and placed his chin on her head. It was very sobering. And one thing I'll never forget, is the look that I saw on Lucas's face when it happened. He looked so confused, standing there watching Elizabeth embracing Nathan."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait," Rosemary interjected with her hand coming up in a gesture of urgency, "Lucas was there? He saw it happen?"

"Yes, and he didn't look too happy about it either. I know it's none of my concern, but I could tell that he's had his eyes on Elizabeth, for a while. And Nathan too, for that matter."

Rosemary smiled mischievously," Yeah, it's no secret that those two men have eyes for Elizabeth. I think the whole town knows it, by now."

"One things for certain, I sure don't envy Elizabeth right now. I don't know what I'd do if I were in her situation. And then to hear that one of them almost died yesterday... that's a lot to juggle," said Fiona.

Chiming in, just then, Clara offered her thoughts.

"It is, but I have no doubt that Elizabeth will figure it out, on her own, when the time is right. For now, all we can do is pray that the situation will be resolved in the best way possible, for all involved."

"That's right, Clara. Elizabeth knows her own heart, and she will find her way when the time is right," Rosemary gave Clara a smile of gratitude, as she had so effortlessly changed the topic.

"Yes, that's right! Well, I guess I should get going now… Before I leave, though, is my blouse ready to pick up?" Fiona asked Clara.

"Oh yes, it's right here," Clara grabbed it, from behind the counter, and handed it to Fiona.

Fiona examined the garment and then said, "My blouse looks as good as new. Thank you! It was so was lovely to chat with you both. Have a good day, ladies!"

"You too, Fiona!" Rosemary and Clara responded, in unison.