Nathan finished buttoning up his vest over his dark blue checked shirt. Last time he had worn this particular ensemble, he was about to go undercover at the train station. Elizabeth had accosted him about his shutting her out and reminded him that the reason she had gone to Union City with Lucas was because "he had asked." A lot had changed since then.
The nerves were incredibly real. Tonight was going to be just Nathan and Elizabeth. No Ally sharing stories. No Little Jack being adorable. No Rosemary talking up a storm. No Lee to make sure nothing was awkward. It was just going to be the Teacher and the Mountie.
Nathan was also trying to not overthink his plans for tonight. Lucas had pulled out the stops many times for Elizabeth. And even though he hadn't been told he was right, Nathan knew that Jack had to have done the same thing. It was hard to not question the lack of candles or fancy food. But he also knew he had to go with his gut.
"Everything is all set," Bill Avery poked his head into the jail.
Nathan smiled. He had roped Bill into helping him cook for tonight. Bill had taught him how to make chicken and dumplings. The two men actually had fun in the kitchen, cutting fresh vegetables, mixing flour…and the smell had been divine. With that, and a loaf of hearty bread, it was a simple meal—but Bill had assured Nathan she would like it.
"Elizabeth is going to love the fact that you made the meal," Bill had said matter-of-factly. "It's not gimmicks with you and her. Trust it, Nathan."
So that was what he was going to do.
Elizabeth stood outside the schoolhouse, just where Nathan had told her to be. She reminded herself to breathe. She was officially out on a date—calling this dinner what it was. Elizabeth knew what this evening had the potential to mean. The concept of Nathan and Elizabeth developing a relationship worked when the children were involved. How would it hold up with just the two of them?
Elizabeth had struggled with knowing what to wear. She definitely did not want to go overboard like she had in Union City. If only she could erase that whole trip from her mind. It certainly had complicated matters. Momentarily, she reminded herself. Nathan and Elizabeth had finally gotten out of their own way and here she was with Nathan. Elizabeth had decided on her white lace shirt and a new blue skirt. She also had decided to leave her hair down, with not even a barrette holding up one side. Rosemary had seen Elizabeth leaving the row house and had yelled out the window about how pretty she looked.
Hopefully Nathan would think so.
She glanced around and noticed Nathan walking towards her. Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat. He looked really handsome in his shirt and vest. His hair was combed. He hadn't shaved but Elizabeth found herself really attracted to his five o'clock shadow. But what she noticed were his eyes. They were unwavering as he walked closer to her. It was as if there was a gravitational pull and Elizabeth could not escape. Not that she wanted to.
Nathan couldn't tear his eyes away from Elizabeth even if he had wanted to. She looked absolutely breathtaking.
"Elizabeth," Nathan smiled. "You look beautiful." Beautiful really did feel like an understatement but that was the only word he could spit out at the moment.
"Thank you," Elizabeth replied. "You look rather nice yourself."
Nathan grinned. "Well thank you. And thank you for meeting me here."
Elizabeth looked around. "I'm told to trust local law enforcement. I figure that you had a very good reason for asking me to come here." Elizabeth realized just how completely she trusted Nathan. While it had only been a few days of listening to her heart, actually listening to her heart, Elizabeth knew that this trust was something deep and abiding.
"Well," Nathan replied, "Since you are supposed to trust local law enforcement….I'm going to ask you to go on a ride with me."
Elizabeth hadn't fully expected that. "A ride?"
"Yeah, a ride," Nathan approached Elizabeth even closer. "You know, on a horse to an undisclosed location. That is, if you trust I'm not taking you somewhere dangerous or have less than honorable attentions."
"I say," Elizabeth swished, "let's go saddle up Sargent and Newton."
"Already ahead of you," Nathan replied, gesturing her to go on ahead towards the stables. He wanted to hold her hand so badly, to feel that electric connection pass between the two of them. Maybe later…there were things he needed to say first.
Elizabeth let Nathan lead the way on horseback, a comfortable silence between the two of them. She honestly had no idea where they were going. Clearly, Nathan had decided against dinner at the Café, which frankly, Elizabeth was happy with.
She adored Abigail's Café. It held so many memories for her. Memories of Abigail Stanton starting the café, memories of living above it before marrying Jack. She had memories of the students gathering there when Mr. Stoneman had come to town and making the kids dread school. The Café had been a haven for so many people—Clara and Carson among many others. Now Bill helped run it, with Abigail being back East and all.
The Café had been where she and Jack had had their first date. She would never forget the special meal that had been made. She would never forget the music playing on the phonograph as she and Jack danced. Those were indeed special memories and she would one day share them with Little Jack. And while she was totally fine eating at the Café in the future, it was nice that Nathan had sought to make a different memory.
"I know I had asked you to dinner at the Café," Nathan appeared to be reading Elizabeth's thoughts. "But I wanted to do something a little more personal instead." Elizabeth realized that they had stopped right outside the cabin in the woods. The cabin that Ally convinced her classmates was haunted. The cabin where Elizabeth and the class had sought refuge from the windstorm. The cabin where Nathan had finally let his guard down.
Nathan clearly had put a lot of thought into tonight.
"I like it here. You and I have made quite a few memories in this place." Elizabeth smiled as she dismounted Sargent.
"That was the idea," Nathan said, opening the door of the cabin.
Elizabeth's eyes were met with quite a beautiful sight. A table had been put in the middle of the room and covered with a lace tablecloth. A small vase of sunflowers was in the center of the table and two small candles flanked the bouquet on either side. A fire blazed in the fireplace and something smelled delicious. It was romantic and easy.
"Oh Nathan," Elizabeth breathed. "This looks wonderful."
Nathan grinned. "I'm really glad you like it." He moved over towards the dishes and pans. "Would you mind putting the bread on the table? I'm just going to finish chopping parsley for the main dish."
Elizabeth found it incredibly attractive watching a man cook. She wasn't going to tell Nathan that just yet. So she was so glad to have a task. Anything to distract her.
Nathan brought over two steaming plates. "Chicken and dumplings?" Elizabeth practically squealed.
Nathan laughed so hard. "I take it you're okay with this."
Elizabeth touched Nathan's arm. "Am I okay with this? This is one of my favorite dishes that Bill makes."
"Bill didn't tell me you liked it." Nathan chuckled. Clearly Bill had known what he was doing when he suggested this particular dish. He really needed to stop underestimating Bill's support of him, and him and Elizabeth.
"Well, I love it," Elizabeth smiled. Nathan got her chair and the two settled down for their meal.
"Thank you," Elizabeth looked earnestly into Nathan's blue eyes.
"For what," Nathan looked skeptically.
"For showing me a different side of you."
"Honestly, Elizabeth," Nathan reached for her hand. He wasn't sure if she would reciprocate but she did. Holding her hand, in private, brought emotions to Nathan's heart, mind, and body that he had never known. "Honestly, Elizabeth, I want you to see different sides of me."
"I chose this cabin for a reason. Because you told me to tell you what was on my mind. At that moment, I was upset with you having gone to Union City. I was worried about how you could have died up here. And I did snap. But that snap gave me courage to start being more vocal with you about my feelings. Honestly, if we hadn't been interrupted so much, I would have asked you out many times."
"I know you were about to in the stables," Elizabeth chuckled. "Were you going to at the Science Fair when Ally left to get something?"
"That girl's timing blows," Nathan laughed. "Yes, that was a time too."
"I wrote in my letter that you have brought colors into my life that I never could have imagined. You helped me make peace with my Dad. You always seek after me and I in turn seek after you. And these last few days of you and me, Ally and Jack…
"You've sensed it too."
Nathan rubbed her hand with his thumb. "I have."
Elizabeth turned to face the fire for a moment. She had to be honest with Nathan.
"I'm scared, you know," Elizabeth swallowed.
"Of what?" Nathan wanted nothing more than to calm every fear that Elizabeth had. But something told him this was a fear he couldn't quite fix.
"After Jack died and I found out was pregnant," Elizabeth swallowed, "I thought that that was enough. I didn't know if I even wanted to find love again after Jack. And then, these emotions that swirl around in me every time you are around. I am terrified with how fast I'm falling."
"Elizabeth," Nathan stood up and encouraged Elizabeth to stand up as well, "Are you saying….."
"I'm falling in love with you," Elizabeth blinked back tears from her eyes. "I have been for a while."
"Lizabeth," Nathan drew Elizabeth closer to himself and wrapped her in a hug. He kissed her hair. "I'm falling in love with you too." He whispered into her hair.
The two stood in each other's embrace for a while. No words passed between them.
"I wasn't going to say it tonight," Nathan pulled away and held Elizabeth's face in his hands. He wanted so badly to kiss her. To kiss away each tear. To communicate just how much he loved this brown haired beauty.
"I'm glad you did," Elizabeth said. "I'm glad I spoke it out loud too. "
"Elizabeth Thornton," Nathan asked. "I want to hold your hand in town and in church. I want to be a couple in public and in private. I would like to court you…"
"Nathan Grant," Elizabeth once more met his eyes. His eyes spoke even more of his love and interest and devotion. "I would like that very much."