Chapter 20

Nathan's rounds passed by slowly, on Friday morning, as he rode outside of town. The last few days had been rather difficult on him, and he couldn't wait for the weekend to finally get there.

It had been a few days since Nathan had last seen Elizabeth, and he was aching to talk to her. Although he had seen her on Tuesday morning, as promised, when he dropped Allie off at school, it was only from a distance. Instead of walking Allie to the schoolhouse door, he said "goodbye" to her in the yard and waved at Elizabeth, who was standing by the steps, before turning to leave. After that, he decided that it would best for him to give Elizabeth some space. For the remainder of the week he walked with Allie to town, and then sent her the rest of the way without him. He didn't want to risk seeing Elizabeth, because he knew if he did, then it would be too hard for him not to talk to her.

It made him anxious remembering the question that Allie asked him, after she noticed that he was doing that.

"Uncle Nathan, are you avoiding Mrs. Thornton?"

"It's complicated," he had simply told her, while attempting to reassure her that he'd fill her in when the right time came.

He still wasn't sure how he was going to explain that one to her. The last thing that he wanted to do was to get Allie's hopes up, only to crush them if things didn't work out between him and her teacher.

Although he knew that his nice was a strong girl, Nathan also knew how much Allie loved Elizabeth and was hoping that they could all be together. His heart heart thinking that he might have to crush that hope.

Turning his attention back to the job at hand, Nathan lead Newton towards the sawmill. He needed to check that everything was going smoothly, before heading back into town.


The school day had just ended, as Elizabeth made her way towards Bill's office.

Ever since she had opened Clara's envelope, last night, and saw the picture of her and Nathan with the verse on the back of it, Elizabeth had felt a peace that she hadn't felt before. The verse about perfect love casting out fear was just what she needed in order to truly let her fears go.

As much as the potential risks of Nathan's job still scared her, Elizabeth realized that she couldn't let them drive her decisions any longer. If God had brought Nathan into her life and heart, then she needed to trust that He would overrule whatever happened next.

Not being able to fall asleep last night, Elizabeth had stayed up all night thinking about all of the possible ways that she could tell Nathan what was in her heart. She knew that she wanted to do something special for him, but it took her all of the night and most of the morning to figure out what she should do. It wasn't until her lunch break, however, that an idea finally came to her.

As soon as her class finished for the day, Elizabeth gathered up her things, said "goodbye" to her students, and headed for Bill's office. She had an idea that she needed to run by him.

Making her way to the Judge's office, Elizabeth prayed that she was doing the right thing. She knew that once she revealed her plans to Bill there would be no turning back. She also prayed that she wouldn't run into Nathan on the way there.

Although she desperately wanted to see him, she knew that it would be best for her to wait. It had been three days since she had last seen him, and she knew that he had been purposefully avoiding seeing her, in order to give her space to think. That fact made her all the more certain that he truly cared about her more than he cared about himself.

Finally arriving at Bill's office, Elizabeth mounted the stairs and took a deep breath in, before opening the door.

Once she was inside, Elizabeth was greeted by Bill, who was enjoying a cup of coffee at his desk.

"Elizabeth! This is a pleasant surprise... to what do I owe the pleasure?" Bill asked, with a smile on his face, as he put his cup down and stood up.

"Hi, Bill! Is this a bad time? Because, I can come back later if you're too busy..."

"Nonsense... I was just taking a break. Please sit down," Bill said, motioning towards the chair opposite his.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, taking the chair across from him.

"So, what's going on?" Bill asked her, as he searched her face.

She should have known that he would read the expression on her face and know that something was going on.

Finding her courage, and sending up a quick prayer for guidance over her words, Elizabeth told Bill the whole story about her walk with Nathan to the pond and their discussion about her feelings towards Jack. Then, finally, she ended by telling him about how Nathan revealed his true feelings for her and how it took her awhile to weight the risks.

"I'm guessing you made a decision then?" Bill asked her, as she finished sharing her experience.

It surprised her how much she had shared with him, but Elizabeth knew that Bill would understand. He loved her like she was his own daughter, and he understood where her fears were coming from.

"I did," Elizabeth took a breathe in and spoke confidently. "I decided that I'm going to accept his offer!"

Looking very pleased and a little emotional, Bill stood up from his desk and came over to give her a hug.

"Elizabeth, you have no idea what a relief it is for me to hear you say that! I've known all along that Nathan was the one for you, and I've been praying that you'd finally realize that as well. Jack wouldn't want you to be alone, and I know that he'd be at peace knowing that you're going to be with Nathan. He's a very honorable and respectable man. I couldn't be any happier for the two of you!"

"Thank you, Bill," Elizabeth said, as she whipped the tears from her eyes. "I really appreciate you being there for me through it all! I don't know what little Jack and I would have done without you."

Looking a little shy, by that comment, Bill simply said, "The feeling is mutual."

Smiling at him, as she finished whipping away her tears, Elizabeth shifted her thoughts back to the mission at hand.

"Well now that I've shared all of that with you, I have a favor that I'd like to ask of you."

"Anything," Bill said, urging her to continue.

"I have a plan for a way that I can break the news to Nathan, and I'm going to need your help to accomplish it..."


Friday quickly turned into Saturday, as plans were set into motion.

Elizabeth got up earlier than usual and enjoyed a full morning of one-on-one time with her son, before getting everything ready in the afternoon.

"We're just so thrilled for you," Rosemary and Lee said, later on, when Elizabeth finally dropped him off.

"Please know that you'll be in our thoughts and prayers all day. We love you!"

"Thank you both so much! I don't know what I'd do without you..." Elizabeth said to her friends, before turning her attention to Lee. "And Lee, I really appreciate you being willing to help out like this, on such short notice. It means a lot!"

"Of course! I'm happy to help with the cause... Besides, it'll be nice to spend the day with Nathan and Allie."

After Elizabeth told them about her plans last night, Rosemary volunteered the idea of having Lee take Nathan and Allie out fishing for the day, so that Elizabeth could work on her surprise without the fear of running into Nathan. Although Lee was a little hesitant about the idea, at first, since he wasn't much of a fisherman, he quickly agreed to the idea and invited them to him for a day of fishing.

"Now remember, Lee," Rosemary interjected, "You promised that you'd keep them away until dinner time... I don't want Elizabeth worrying if they get back too early, or too late for that matter."

"Yes, sweetheart! I promise I'll get Nathan back in time for Elizabeth's surprise," Lee said to Rosemary, before turning back to Elizabeth. "You don't need to worry about a thing!"

With that, Elizabeth said her goodbyes, and headed for the stables.

She had a very important personal matter to attend to, and she didn't want to delay it any longer than she already had.


"Thanks for inviting Allie and me," Nathan said to Lee, that afternoon, as they made their way to the fishing hole.

It had surprised him last night when Lee knocked at his front door and invited the two of them to go fishing with him the next day. In the short time that he'd known Lee, over the past 2 years, Nathan had never seen the man go fishing before.

"I didn't take you for a fisherman," Nathan recalled saying to him last night.

"I'm not," Lee had responded back," But, I was going through the shed in my backyard today, and I found some old fishing gear. Since Rosemary has plans tomorrow, I figured that I might as well take the day off and try my hand at it. Then, I remembered Allie saying how much she likes to go fishing, so I thought I'd invite you both to come along."

Turning his attention back to the present, Nathan heard Lee reply.

"It's my pleasure! I really don't get the opportunity to do stuff like this very much, and it's a real treat have you both come along for the ride. I have to warn you though... It's been ages since my last finishing experience, so I may be a little rusty."

"That's alright," Allie chimed in, as she walked next to Nathan, "I can help you if you get stuck."

"I was hoping you might say that," Lee answered enthusiastically, as he smiled down at Allie.

"Yes, Allie here is a real pro when it comes to catching fish... Ever since she got her first fishing pole at the age of seven, she's just about outdone me every trip with her ability to catch more fish than me, so if you need any pointers she's definitely the one to ask," Nathan said.

He was so proud of his niece! She constantly amazed him with how talented she was at everything that she did. As long as she put her mind to it, Allie seemed to excel at everything that she did, whether it be at school or participating in a particular activity.

"Is that right?" Lee asked, with a knowing look in his eyes. "Well, I guess I came to the right place then. Allie, are there any techniques you'd like to share with me before we get to the fishing hole?"

With that question, Allie jumped into a lively conversation, with Lee, about the best bait to use and how to find the best spots to fish.

As they were talking, Nathan's thoughts shifted to Elizabeth. He missed her so much, and he couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before he got an answer from her.

Although he had wanted her to take her time in thinking about it, Nathan prayed that she wouldn't take too long to make her decision. He didn't think that his heart could handle the wait much longer.

Nathan loved Elizabeth, and, no matter what happened next, he knew that he wanted to respect her decision.

Ever since he revealed his true feelings to her, he had been praying that the Lord would help him to accept whatever the outcome would be.

As much as Nathan wanted her to say "yes", it was the not knowing that was really getting to him. He was more than ready for her to make a decision, and he prayed that the Lord would help him to remain patient until then.


The wind blew through Elizabeth's hair, as she galloped through a field on Sergeant.

It had been months since she had last rode out this way, and Elizabeth was beginning to feel her heart start beating faster and faster, the closer that she got to her destination.

It wasn't until she saw it, however, that all of her built up emotions from the last two days threatened to escape from her.

Jumping off of Sergeant, Elizabeth tied her horse to a tree and walked the remainder of the way to the stump, on Jack's land.

As soon as she reached the stump, Elizabeth knelt down and ran her fingers over the spot where her and Jack had carved their initials so many years ago. This stump had always held such precious memories for her, and it was the place that she'd always go to whenever she was missing Jack. He had always felt the closest to her whenever she was there.

Taking in a long breath of air, as tears began to fall from her face, Elizabeth spoke aloud.

"I will always love you, Jack! You were my best friend, my partner in life, my inspiration, my favorite person to laugh with, my rock, and so much more... You encouraged me in the times when I needed it the most and showed me the importance of living a truly meaningful life. The love that you gave me was one of the greatest blessings of my life, and I will forever be grateful for the times that we had together..."

Her voice trailed off just then, as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.

Holding her hand out in front of her, Elizabeth slowly and bravely took her wedding band off.

Once she held it in her hand, Elizabeth continued speaking.

"Jack, in the letter that you wrote to me, in the case of your death, you asked me to open my heart up to love again. When I first read that, I didn't want to hear it... After you died, my whole world came crashing down and the last thing that I ever wanted to do was to find love again. I didn't think that I would ever be able to find a man who would be worthy of my heart, in the same way that you were... You were one of a kind Jack, and I will forever be thankful for the blessed privilege of being your wife."

Pausing to wipe the tears from her face, Elizabeth held the ring in her palm and placed it against her chest, before continuing.

"You will always be in my heart, but the time has come for me to let you go... I'm finally ready to love again."

After that Elizabeth grabbed a stick and dug a small hole, in the ground, underneath the stump.

Next, she took the wedding band, in her hand, and raised it to her lips. Closing her eyes, as she sent up a silent prayer for strength, Elizabeth kissed the band and dropped it in the hole.

"I'll love you forever, my darling Jack! Thank you for all of the memories."

Then preparing to fill the hole back up, Elizabeth reached down and dug her palms into the dirt.

"Goodbye, my love," Elizabeth whispered through the tears.

Although that was one of the hardest things that she had ever had to do, it was also one of the most important moments of her life.

As soon as she buried the ring, Elizabeth's heart was filled with a peace that she'd never felt before.

This was the last step for her to take, before talking to Nathan, and Elizabeth knew that she was finally ready to move forward with her whole heart.


It was nearing seven o'clock by the time that Nathan and Allie got home, from their fishing trip with Lee.

"What a day," Nathan said, as he took off his coat and placed it on the coatrack.

He hadn't expected them to be gone for so long, and he was itching to get dinner started.

After fishing for nearly four hours, Allie had caught three fish, while Lee had caught one. Nathan, on the other hand, was left with zero.

As much as he had enjoyed their fishing trip today, Nathan's heart just wasn't in it. He had been distracted by thoughts of Elizabeth all day and was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Uncle Nathan, is everything alright? You didn't catch any fish today, and you usually catch at least one... Even Mr. Coulter did better than you, and he doesn't even fish."

Looking over at his niece, Nathan tried his best to convince to Allie that everything was alright.

"Yes, everything is fine! I think the fish just didn't like me today... they seemed to be a little distracted by yours and Mr. Coulter's lines. There may have been too many of us in that one area... I'll be sure to catch some next time."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense..." Allie said, as shrugged her shoulders. "I hope we can go fishing with Mr. Coulter more often! I had a lot of fun talking with him and showing him what to do."

Nathan smiled, as he recalled watching her help Lee.

"That was fun, wasn't it? You did a great job helping him, and it was really nice of you to give him one of your fish, so that he had an extra one to bring home for his wife."

Before Allie could answer, however, there was a knock at the door.

"I wonder who that could be?" Nathan asked, as he moved to open the door.

There, on the other side of the door, stood Lee.

"Lee, you're back so soon?" Nathan asked, with a surprised looked on his face.

"I'm sorry to bother you again, but I just got a call from Bill asking me if I could come over here and ask you to meet him at his office immediately."

"Did he say what this is all about," Nathan asked, with a concerned look on his face, as he glanced over at Allie.

Lee just shook his head.

"He didn't say... he just said that it was urgent, and that he needed you to get over there as soon as you could."

"Alright, I'll leave right now," Nathan said as he grabbed his coat.

Then turning back to Allie, he said, "I don't know how long this is going to take, but I promise you I'll try to get back here as soon as I can."

Allie simply nodded her head.

"Has she eaten yet? Because she's welcome to come over to our place and eat with us... Rosemary was just about ready to start cooking the fish."

Looking very pleased with that idea, Allie asked, "Can I, Uncle Nathan?"

"Yes, of course," Nathan said to her, before turning back to Lee.

"I'll be sure to call once I know how long I'll be... Thanks for all of your help, Lee!"

"Don't mention it!"

With that, Nathan took off in a brisk walk towards town.

He was worried about the urgency in Bill's request to Lee, and he prayed that everything was alright.


It was dark, as Nathan quickly made his way towards Bill's office.

The sun had completely set, and there was a breeze in the air, which sent a shiver up his back.

The whole walk there, Nathan had been preparing himself for whatever laid ahead. It wasn't like Bill to send someone else to go get him, so he figured that Bill must have been tied up with something at the moment.

Finally reaching the Judge's office, Nathan quickly mounted the stairs and opened the door to the building.

Once he was inside, Nathan was surprised to find that the room was empty and mostly dark, with the only light in the room coming from the burning flames of the fireplace.

"Bill?" Nathan called out, as he walked to the middle of the room.

He thought it was strange that Bill would ask him to meet there, if he wasn't even in the office.

As he walked over to Bill's desk, in order to check for a possible note from his friend, something caught Nathan's eye.

There, spread out in the middle of the floor, by the fireplace, was a blanket with a picnic basket on top of it. Not knowing what to think, Nathan lowed his frame and crouched down to check it out.

Just then, he heard a shuffle behind him.

Turning around to face the noise, Nathan stood up and fought to strain his eyes through the dark. Someone was there, but they looked too small to be Bill.

As the figure got closer to him, Nathan felt his heart leap out of his chest.

There before his very eyes stood Elizabeth, with a look that he couldn't decipher.

"Elizabeth?" Nathan heard himself speak, as he tried to understand what was going on.

"Hi, Nathan," Elizabeth said softly, as she came closer to him.

"Elizabeth, what's going on? I was supposed to meet here to discuss an urgent matter with Bill, but it seems he's not here..."

Nodding her head, in reply, Elizabeth said, "That would be correct... except I'm the one who asked him to get you here."

Scratching his head, in confusion, Nathan said, "I don't understand..."

Taking a step closer to him, Elizabeth gazed into his eyes.

"Nathan, I needed to talk to you, and I didn't know how else to do it. You've been avoiding me for the past few days, so I came up with a plan to get you here. I needed you to come alone, so I sent word with Lee that Bill needed to talk to you... I chose to meet here, because I wanted it to be a place that was just for us."

As soon as she said that, Nathan felt his eyebrows raise.

"Elizabeth, what are you saying?"

Just then, she walked over to the blanket, sat down near the fire, and motioned for him to do the same.

Following her invitation, Nathan obliged and sat down on the floor, across from her.

Looking up to face her, Nathan realized just how beautiful she was with the shadows of light, from the fireplace, dancing across her face.

"Nathan," Elizabeth began, as she paused to take a deep breath in. "Several months back you asked me what was in my heart. Although I didn't give you an answer, at that time, I would have said that it is my family who is in my heart. Loving and raising my son, here in Hope Valley, has been the greatest joy of my life. Little Jack is my everything, and he's a daily reminder to me of the love that I shared with husband. What I didn't realize, however, was just how much room my heart still had in, aside from loving the two of them. After I lost Jack, I thought I'd never be able to love again. The thought of opening my heart to anyone else was terrifying and scary. I didn't think that I could ever risk opening my heart up like that again... that is, until I met you."

Just then, Elizabeth looked down and placed her right hand gently on top of Nathan's hand.

As soon as he felt her hand touch his, Nathan's heart exploded. Forgetting to breathe, for a moment, he starred longingly into her eyes, pleading with her to continue.

"Nathan, you asked me to weight the risks, and I have..."

Then taking her hand off of his, she reached behind her and grabbed a long, thin box.

"I want you to open this," she said, as she placed it in his lap.

Not knowing what to think, Nathan obliged and placed the box on the floor in front of him.

Opening it carefully, Nathan removed the wrapping paper.

What he saw in that moment, brought a great deal of surprise to his heart.

There in the box sat the plaque that he had made for Elizabeth almost three years ago. On it, he had engraved a quote by one of her favorite poets, Ralph Waldo Emerson, which said, "Always do what you are afraid to do."

Not being able to speak, Nathan just looked down at the plague and then back up at her.

"Nathan, when you first gave this plaque to me, I had no idea how important the words in this quote would be... But now that so time has past, I truly believe that it was the Lord who put it on your heart to engrave those beautiful words on this plague. All of this time, I've been fighting to open my heart up to you, because I was afraid that I might lose you like I lost Jack. But it wasn't until after the incident happened, that I realized just how much I needed you in my life. Nathan, the fear of living my life without you in it is far greater than any of the risks that we might face. In life, there are always going to be risks, but it's who we are willing to take those risks with that really count."

Searching her eyes for clarification, Nathan asked, "Elizabeth, what are you saying exactly?"

Taking in a deep breathe, Elizabeth leaned in closer to him.

"I'm saying yes, Nathan! I'm willing to take that chance and open my heart up again, despite all of the risks. You matter to me too, and I want to explore a future with you, because... Because I love you."

As soon as she said that, Nathan leaned in and griped her face with his hands.

"I love you too, my Elizabeth! So much," he whispered.

Then bringing his lips down to hers, he finally kissed her, with all of the love and affection that he had.

After almost three years of waiting, Elizabeth Thornton had finally told him that she loved him, and that was the greatest blessing that Nathan could have never received.