And the Heart is Brave

Chapter 2

It was early Monday afternoon that Elizabeth stood in her rowhouse, suddenly swirling around at the sound of Little Jack at the window, banging his hands on the sill while emitting excited squeals. He was looking outside, obviously excited at what he saw.

Elizabeth brushed up behind him, stooping slightly to pull back the curtain and peer outside. Unsurprisingly, she caught a glimpse of a red serge coat making it's way down the line of rowhouses in their direction.

"Ah ha," she thought, knowing the moment of truth had arrived, just as she'd planned. She'd given her students at school a late lunch today, and had asked Rosemary to supervise the lunch hour and outdoor play, saying merely that she had a few errands to attend to.

But she had no errands. She'd come home instead and now, with Laura hanging laundry in the rear yard, she scooped Little Jack up into her arms and headed out onto the front porch.

Nathan Grant came up short at the sight of Elizabeth Thornton on her front porch, her son propped on a hip. "Elizabeth! What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise, then realized how inane that sounded. Questioning why a person was at their own home.

Elizabeth stared back at Nathan, something of a challenge in her eyes. "Oh, I just thought I'd come home for lunch today," she replied, deceptively casual. Using one hand to raise her skirts, Elizabeth descended the stairs and came towards Nathan, stopping a few feet away, then set her son on the ground. "I see you're...you're doing your rounds," she commented, again casual, but something in her tone inviting explanation.

Nathan took off his hat, in deference to Elizabeth's presence, then rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed now. "Um yeah," he replied looking away before returning his eyes to hers.

"Laura tells me you come by most every day," Elizabeth supplied the leading statement.

"Um yeah," Nathan replied again, without expansion.

Elizabeth sighed. Did the man ever string more than two words together? "And that you bring Little Jack something or other," Elizabeth kept trying, prodding for answers.

Suddenly realizing where this might be going, Nathan quickly apologized. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry, I hope that's okay. I hope you don't mind that I..." he trailed off, glancing down at the small boy who was staring up at the two adults above him. "He seems to like it," Nathan added, referring to the small insignificant trinkets he'd taken to bringing with him on his rounds to the rowhouses.

"Nathan, of course I don't mind!" Elizabeth replied. What was there to mind? That he kept an eye out on Laura and Little Jack when she was gone all day? That he brought little gifts with him to brighten a small boy's afternoon? What she minded was that he'd done it for some time now and apparently wanted to keep it a secret from her. "I was just surprised to find out about it," Elizabeth said.

Nathan rolled his head uncomfortably and expelled his breath. He knew she was asking him the why of it. "Elizabeth, I just...," he paused, finding the wording difficult. "I just didn't want you to think I was trying to win any favours," he finally said, squinting his eyes slightly into hers, his gaze direct and focused, not sure if the words had come out right or if she'd understand.

But Elizabeth was nodding her head slightly. In hindsight, she didn't really know why she'd even questioned him in the first place. She should have known Nathan wasn't a man to use a child to his advantage. That was not his way. Whatever he had done was to please Little Jack and Little Jack alone, and not to impress his mother or anyone else. That integrity was one of many things she was learning about Nathan the longer he was here and the longer she knew him.

"Well, it's...it's very kind of you," Elizabeth finally said, and Nathan let out his breath in relief. She was okay with it then.

"Well, it's not like I planned any of it," Nathan said. "It just sort of happened accidentally."

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh? How was that?"

"Well, I was just doing my rounds and a few times I just happened to give him something nearby, you know, a leaf or a stick or a rock or something, and then those times I didn't, he seemed kinda disappointed," Nathan explained. "So I just made it a habit to start bringing something with me. You know, it's my duty to please the citizenry," he said, half serious, half joking.

Elizabeth let out a small laugh. Did her small son have this six foot two Mountie wrapped around his finger? Elizabeth shook her head from side to side, smiling, thinking it was quite possible.

Seeing her smile, Nathan returned one of his own. Just then, Little Jack, growing impatient as he waited, tugged at the bottom half of Nathan's pant leg and peered up at him expectantly. Feeling the tug, Nathan looked down on the child's upturned face."Oh! Speaking of duty..." Nathan trailed off, lifting the flap over one of his jacket pockets and withdrawing a small wooden figure. He crouched before Little Jack and held it out to him.

Little Jack took the proffered item and let out a squeal of delight. "Look, Mama!" he exclaimed, thrusting his arm and the figure up in the air, back in her direction, inviting her inspection.

"I see!" replied Elizabeth, her mouth forming a small ooh, reveling in her son's delight, but her eyes were widened in slight shock as well. The figure Nathan had brought was a little horse, carefully carved with intricate detail. This wasn't some leaf, or stick or rock. "Nathan..." Elizabeth looked up to meet Nathan's eyes as he rose to stand, a slight admonishment in hers.

"Um..." Nathan was embarrassed again. "It's just something I carved at night. It didn't take long, really," he downplayed the gift. "You know, it gives me something to do, at night, after Allie's asleep," he said, but there was something in his gaze, something that Elizabeth recognized. She knew those nights too. When Little Jack had gone to sleep, and the house was quiet, with no one to talk to. Elizabeth's eyes softened as she looked back at him, and they both paused a moment as they stared at each other, more than just a look passing between them, more an understanding, a commiseration of something shared.

"Besides," Nathan finally said. "You caught me on a good day. Tomorrow it'll be another rock," he teased, as Elizabeth laughed out loud. "Little Jack seems happy with whatever I give him," Nathan conceded, it didn't matter if it was a carved horse one day or a rock the next, the child was delighted with either. "He's a very happy and contented little boy," Nathan observed, his gaze dropping to the child who was fiddling with the toy horse in his hand.

"Yes, he is," Elizabeth agreed, smiling and pleased. So very pleased at Nathan's observation. It was every mother's wish and joy to raise a happy child.

Nathan inhaled. "Well, what child wouldn't be happy with you as their mother," he said, then suddenly scratched his neck in embarrassment again. He hadn't meant to do that, say aloud what he'd been thinking, he hadn't wanted to burden her with what he thought might be an unwanted compliment. "Um, look, I better be getting back to my rounds," he said.

"Yes, of course," Elizabeth agreed, still somewhat flustered by Nathan's unexpected comment. She watched Nathan crouch once more before the child and give him a gentle tap under his chin with the edge of a finger.

"See you tomorrow, okay?" he asked to Little Jack's serious nod of reply. Nathan smiled, then rose. He placed his hat on his head, looked at Elizabeth and touched the brim, before he turned to go.

Elizabeth watched Nathan walk down the path past the rowhouses. It really was a very sweet gesture he had made for Little Jack. Carving that little horse. It was a sweet gesture, she thought, and then Elizabeth had another thought. That it wasn't only Nathan's gesture that was sweet.

He was too.