Chapter 9

Rosemary looked at the clock on the mantle for the hundredth time that evening and then back at Lee with a worried expression on her face, "It's starting to get dark outside and the weather is turning and there is still no sign of Elizabeth. Lee, I'm worried that something may have happened."

Lee moved away from the window he had been looking out and crossed the room to sit with his wife who was holding Little Jack on the couch and had just finished reading to him. He sighed and pursed his lips and then tried to reassure both himself and Rosemary, "I'm sure she's fine and she'll be back soon. Maybe she caught up to Nathan and she's just spending a few moments with him."

She shook her head, "you're right, I bet that's what it is and I'm probably worrying about nothing, but it's way after supper and she usually isn't out this late." She looked at her husband and could see the concern on his face and it didn't match his words. "I can see it Lee, you're worried too."

"Yeah, I guess I am." With those last words they heard a knock at the door and they both gave each other a look of relief, "See there, I bet that's her right now and we've been worrying for nothing."

Lee stood and crossed the room to open the door. Upon swinging it open he stood face to face with Nathan and his smile faded instantly as Nathan spoke,"Uh, hi. I guess judging by the look on your face I'm not who you were expecting."

"No, but come on in out of the cold."

Nathan walked through the door and removed his hat, "I don't mean to bother you, but I was wondering if Elizabeth was here? I was just at her place next door, but no one was answering. I told her I would swing by this evening." He looked up and noticed Rosemary sitting on the couch with Jack on her lap. "Oh, I see you have company," he added while pointing to Jack with his hat. "So where's Elizabeth," he asked while looking around the room.

Rosemary stood and walked across the room over to meet the two men, "We were hoping she was with you."

"I've been out on my rounds, I haven't seen her all afternoon." He noticed the ill at ease look that passed between the couple and it made him suddenly nervous, "What's going on?"

Lee turned back to Nathan, "We're not sure, we offered to watch Jack so that she could get some work done and then she came by and said she couldn't concentrate and was going to go for a walk up towards the mountain."

His eyes grew big with panic and he was practically shouting at them, "What? Do you mean to tell me she is out in that storm?" His mouth flew open and he tilted his head upward and put a hand over his mouth and then slowly removed it to calm himself. "Ok," he breathed, "I'm going to go search for her."

"I'm coming with you," Lee quickly said while reaching for his coat.

"Oh no you're not," said Rosemary while grabbing his arm, "you are in no condition to go searching for anyone, you are still recovering from the last time you went up there."

Lee nodded in frustration "I can't let him go alone."

"I'll be fine, Lee, I can't waste any time I have to get moving," he swallowed hard fighting to maintain control of his worry, but failing miserably. He looked down at the ground "If she's up there and she's…."

Lee put his hand on his shoulder, "No," he shook his head, "you can't think like that, you have to stay positive. Elizabeth is a smart woman she will figure out how to keep herself safe."

Nathan stared at him the concern written all over his face. He nodded looking down at his feet "You're right, but I still have to see if I can find her."

Lee turned back to Rosemary and decided it was no use arguing with her. He threw his hands in the air, "All right, all right, but I'm going to drive into town and get Bill and let him form a search party and then I'll come back home and help you with Little Jack."

"Mrs. Coulter would you mind checking on Allie for me and maybe watching her for now?"

"Sure, I'll go get her."

"Thank you."

Rosemary nodded at him, "Of course."

Lee disappeared back into the house for a second and then returned, "Here, take my lantern, you're going to need it." He handed it over to Nathan. Nathan thanked him and then they both headed out the door. Lee hopped into his car and then shouted at Nathan over the wind, "Good luck."

Nathan nodded in acknowledgement and then started galloping off toward the mountain at full speed. To say he was worried was an understatement and he silently prayed that Elizabeth was all right and that he would find her right away. The rain had subsided and he was grateful for that, but the wind was still blowing strong and it was slowing him down and leaving him frustrated. His mind wandered back to Lee and what happened to him the last time he was up here, 'No,' he thought, 'I can't go there. I'm going to find her.'

His eyes darted back and forth on the trail and he slowed a bit so he could hold the lantern up while he guided Newton through the debris. It was cold outside and he was grateful for his wool uniform coat, but it presented another problem all together. If Elizabeth was out here then he was racing against time before hypothermia set in, especially if she was wet from the rain.

"Elizabeth," he yelled her name into the night air, but with the wind it was like yelling into a brick wall. "Elizabeth," he tried again without any luck. "Come on Elizabeth," he mumbled to himself, "where are you…I can't lose you like this, not when we were just starting to figure things out." He looked around him the wind was still howling and debris was flying everywhere. Leaves swirling in front of him and branches cluttering the path. The gravity of his situation was starting to take a toll on him and his mind was fighting to maintain hope. He could feel a lump rising in his throat and his breathing became heavier and he fought to choke that lump back down. "Elizabeth," he called out once more, the desperation in his voice rising and he still heard no response.

"Think Nathan," he spoke to himself, "Where would she go…she's smart…..she's resourceful…if she was able to you know she would find shelter." All at once his eyes lit up, the cabin where they had their fight. She knew it was there and it was likely that if she got caught out here that she would try to make her way to it and if she hadn't made it to it perhaps she was somewhere close to it.

He clicked his heels on Newton and turned toward where he remembered the cabin to be. Newton was normally spooked by the wind, but tonight he had earned his keep and maybe even a few extra apple slices. It was almost as if he sensed his owner's urgency and he had become as steady as a rock, maneuvering through the treacherous terrain like he had always been familiar with it.

Nathan held the lantern up high, straining to see if he could see the cabin coming into view. Without warning he heard a crack of thunder and then the whole sky lit up under the flash of lightning that followed and he could see that what he had been looking for was about a hundred feet in front of him.

He spurred Newton forward, "Come on Newton, let's go. We're almost there, buddy." As he approached the cabin he leaped down off of the horse before he had even come to a full stop. Grabbing his reins, he led him to the side of the cabin and tied him up under the awning and then made his way to the front door of the cabin. It was dark all the way around it and he swung the door open briskly, causing it to slam into the wall on the other side with a loud bang.

At the sound Elizabeth jumped up wide-eyed with fear on her face, "Hello," she called out in panic and then she saw the lantern being held up into the air, causing her to hold her breath. Within seconds Nathan's face came into focus and she released that breath.

"Elizabeth," Nathan called to her through heavy breaths, the relief evident in his voice. She ran towards him and threw her arms around him. He sat the lantern down and drew her in close. "Thank God, I found you. You had me so worried." He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand down the back of her hair in a calming motion.

He inhaled a deep breath and then let it out. "Elizabeth, you're soaking wet and shivering," he took a step a backward and held her at arms-length, examining her. Gently holding onto her right shoulder, he picked up the lantern and held it up so he could see her better and that's when he noticed the gash on her forehead peaking out from underneath her hair.

His eyes grew wide with concern and she could see the worry creased into his face as his eyebrows furrowed and he strained to examine it further. He swallowed back a small gasp as he gently pushed her hair back and saw the line of dried blood down the side of her face, "Elizabeth, you're injured." He couldn't hide the distress in his voice. He recomposed himself before speaking again, "Listen, I have a medical kit in my satchel and a spare set of clothes." He cupped the side of her face with his hands, "I'll be right back. Are you hungry?" She shook her head yes, "Ok, I don't have much food, but I have jerky and some hardtack and my canteen is full. You go sit back down." He guided her back to the small bed before going back outside to Newton.

He came back in just as quickly as he had left with all the items he had found. He held the lantern up and looking around the cabin he spotted an old oil lamp. Upon inspecting it he saw that it had oil in it so he grabbed the box of matches he had also brought in and lit it. It instantly provided a greater source of light for the cabin. He then spotted the wood burning stove in the opposite corner of the cabin.

He turned back to Elizabeth and for the first time he smiled at her, "Here." He laid the clothes down beside her on the bed, "I know it isn't what you're use to wearing and they might be a bit big, but I don't have any skirts in my closet so you're going to have to make do with my shirt and pants."

She looked at him incredulously, "You're kidding, Nathan I can't wear your clothes."

He sighed, "Elizabeth, you can't stay in those wet clothes. You don't have a choice, you'll get sick." He tilted his head at her and pointed to the clothes, "I'm not going to fight you on this. It's either those or nothing."

Her mouth instantly flew open in shock and the realization of what he had just implied caused his face to turn red and he began to stutter, "I…uh…I," he held his breath and shook his head back and forth, "Uh…I mean…I…..I'll just wait outside while you change and see if I can gather enough uh….wood…..for the stove."

She watched him has he turned, pulling at the collar on his tunic and cringing slightly as he exited the cabin before she allowed herself to laugh. She didn't think he even had a clue how cute he was when he got flustered like that. She quickly made work of her clothes and changed into the pants and shirt. They fit her perfectly fine except they were a bit long. She rolled up the pant legs and the sleeves on the shirt. She had to admit that having dry clothes on felt good and they had instantly warmed her up more.

She heard a soft tap at the door, "Elizabeth, are you good? Can I come back in?"

"Yes," she answered, "You can come back in." She watched has he opened the door and set the wood he had gathered down next to the stove. He then turned around and she could hear his sharp intake of breath.

He stared at her and his eyes wandered up and down her body. Seeing her standing there in his shirt was his undoing. He had to move his eyes off of her before his thoughts went somewhere that they shouldn't have been going. She was beautiful and he could hardly breathe with the way her hair cascaded down her shoulder and the blue of his shirt brought the blue in her eyes out and made them all that much brighter. He wasn't sure if he would ever wash that shirt again. He turned away from her and started to throw the wood into the stove and then lit it.

He watched the flames dance around the logs for a few minutes and then regaining his composure, turned back around to face her. "I need to check that gash out on your forehead."

She nodded while moving her clothes to closer to the stove to dry and then they both sat down on the bed. He lightly touched her face and moved her head to the side so he could see the gash in the light. He then gently took the wet cloth he had brought over and dabbed at it, trying to clean some of the blood off. She winced slightly at his touch, "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I don't want to hurt you, but we need to clean it up so you don't get an infection. I think it's going to need stitches, but I can't do that so we will just clean it and put a bandage over it for now. It's not bleeding anymore. How did this happen?"

"A falling branch. I tried to side step it, but it still managed to get me."

He sighed, "Oh Elizabeth, you have no idea how worried I was. I wasn't even sure I would find you, but I sure am glad I did." He finished cleaning the blood up on her face and then covered the small gash with a bandage, "There, it's not as bad as it initially looked. How are you feeling?"

"I won't lie to you, it does hurt and I'm a bit dizzy, but overall I am much better now that you're here."

"I think I can help with that," he cupped his fingers under her chin and pulled her closer, softly placing a kiss on her forehead right above the gash. He then pulled back and their eyes met.

"I think that helped," she whispered. Her eyes were pinned to his and she could see them go dark with desire and watched him as his breathing seemed to become heavier. She could hardly breathe when he looked at her like that.

His mouth parted slightly and then his eyes moved to her lips and back up to her eyes again looking for any sign of resistance, but he saw none. Slowly he tilted his head and leaned down towards her, their lips finally brushing together in a kiss that had been building for weeks. His head was spinning, she tasted even sweeter than he had imagined and the softness of her lips caused his stomach to churn.

She leaned into him and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach at his delicate touch and it left her unable to think at all and in a complete state of euphoria. She had anticipated this moment and it was even better than she had dreamt. She thought her heart had stopped beating in that moment and then she just couldn't get enough of him.

He finally pulled away leaving them both breathless and they looked at each other for confirmation that what they had just shared was mutual. The smiles confidently spread across their faces, eyes sparkling as they gazed at each other in relief. He then drew her in closer and she laid her head on his chest and they relaxed against the wall holding onto one another.

He couldn't stop smiling and she could feel his joy and her heart met it fully. "Elizabeth," he breathed into her hair as he laid his head against hers, "I can't even…" he paused choking back the emotion he was feeling in that moment, taking a deep breath and releasing it he continued, "There was a time I thought this moment would never happen, when I thought I had lost you to Lucas" He chuckled in relief, "Not exactly how I planned it in my head, but better than I could have ever imagined. I started falling for you practically from the first moment I met you, but I knew for sure that I was in trouble the day that you were talking to Allie in the schoolhouse about Emerson. I was so impressed with the way you handled her and then in the library when our fingers touched on that book and our eyes really met for the first time…wow, I could hardly breathe in that moment."

She pulled back and looked up at him, "I'm sorry, Nathan."

He looked at her questioningly, "For what reason?"

"For being so indecisive. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially you and I can see how me going to Union City probably looked to you and how it hurt you."

He opened his mouth slightly and looked up at the ceiling and then back down at her, "It was my fault. I should have been bolder, but every time I tried to talk to you I just couldn't find the right words and I would get all flustered and nervous. I wasn't sure if you would even want me because of my profession, but looking back I wouldn't change anything because it all led me to you, even if I didn't realize it at the time and I'm not sure you would have been ready had it happened any sooner."

"You're probably right," she searched his eyes and then reached up and ran her hand through his hair. He closed his eyes at her touch and then she reached up and kissed him again. They broke away and she laid her head against his chest again. She could feel and hear his heart pounding, giving away how much of an affect she was having on him.

"I almost forgot about the food, are you still hungry," he asked.

"Yes," she exhaled slowly, "but not for food."

He was glad she wasn't looking at him because he could feel his cheeks go hot. "I think we better get some rest. I don't think we will be able to leave until daybreak. It isn't safe to try."

She snuggled into him more and he wrapped his arms tighter around her holding onto her in a comfortable embrace. "I think I'm ok with that," she mumbled into his tunic. Her eyes already growing heavy. She felt safe and at home. He closed his eyes and soon they had both succumbed to sleep, perfectly content with one another.

TBC….