Author's Note: This little snippet takes place shortly after Nathan tells Elizabeth that he wants her safe because she matters to him. Yet, it is set before the night before the prisoner transfer. A chance meeting at the library lays the foundation for the events in this story.
My Heart Is An Open Book
Elizabeth stopped by the mercantile after school that September afternoon, knowing that her parents' package was due to arrive any day. She knew that her private library at the Hamilton house had the books that she wanted to share here in the Hope Valley library, so she had asked her parents to locate these specific books and ship them to her as soon as they could.
As soon as she walked into the mercantile doors, Ned greeted her and quickly informed her that the shipment had finally arrived. Elizabeth smiled brightly as she waited for Ned at the counter as he went in the back to get the small shipping crate. He helped her open the crate right there, and Elizabeth pulled each book out and ran her fingers over the titles and the spines of each book. She set each one aside, making a stack of them as she did. Once the crate was empty, she sighed contentedly, looked at Ned, and commented, "Ned, you just made my day even better. Thank you!"
"Glad to be of service, Elizabeth.", Ned said, chuckling in response. He moved the crate down below the counter for the time being and looked at the tall stack of books. "Would you like help carrying these over to the library?", he asked.
Elizabeth smiled but shook her head in response and said, "Ah, thanks for the offer, Ned, but I'm good. These aren't that heavy, and the library is right up the way. Have a good rest of your day!" With that, Elizabeth scooped up the large stack of books and made her way down the steps, going in the direction of the library.
Just as she approached the library, Nathan walked out of it, holding a book in his hands. He smiled shyly at her when he saw her, and in return, she smiled back.
"Hi!", he said once they were closer to one another in proximity.
"Nathan, hi. This is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?", Elizabeth asked.
Nathan smirked back at her, held up the book, and responded, "I'm checking a book out from the library."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, smiled, and said, "Yes, I can see that."
Nathan chuckled and added, "I wanted to grab a new book to read before I went home for the evening."
Elizabeth nodded in response, and Nathan gestured towards the books. "Here, let me get those for you.", he said as he swiftly grabbed the books from her grasp.
Elizabeth brushed her hands on her skirt and gestured towards the door. "Thank you! Here, let's get those inside so that you can get home."
As they walked in, Nathan moved past Elizabeth and set the books on the table. Afterwards, he turned, looked at her, and replied, "Oh, I'm in no rush. Allie stopped by the office earlier to inform me that she was having dinner over at Opal's house and that they would be working on their homework together afterwards."
Elizabeth closed the door of the library, making her way to the table and the stack of books. She grabbed a few books and headed to a bookcase in front of the table to place them on a partially empty shelf. On finishing, she glanced over at Nathan, smiled, and said, "Well, I appreciate the help and company then." She brushed past him to grab another couple of books and go across the room to place them on a smaller bookcase.
Nathan watched her for a moment and finally said, as he gestured towards the books, "So can I help you put any of these other books away?" Elizabeth turned from her spot in the library, looking at the books on the table first and then back at Nathan. She seemed lost in thought, frozen in her spot, looking at those crystal blue eyes.
"Elizabeth? Did you want these anywhere specific?", Nathan asked again as he stood there holding the last stack in his hands.
Elizabeth came back to focus on his question as she pointed across the room, gesturing for Nathan to meet her over there with the books. When they both got there, Nathan went to hand the books over as Elizabeth grabbed them at the same time. Their hands touched, and they looked at one another, their gazes locked.
After what seemed like a pleasant moment of eternity, Elizabeth got a steady grip on the books and pulled herself away from the exchange to place the books on the shelf in front of them.
"Nathan, I...", Elizabeth started to say as she turned back to find Nathan still there, staring back at her. "I was wondering… since Allie is having dinner with Opal, would you like to join Jack and me for dinner?", she asked, holding her gaze.
Nathan smiled and responded, "I'd love to join you two for dinner. And here I thought that I'd have a quiet evening at home with my book. But dinner with the Thorntons, now that's a treat for sure!"
Elizabeth blushed and smiled. They stood there silently for a moment until Nathan finally said, "Can I walk you home? I can even help with dinner or Jack if you'd like."
Elizabeth smiled brightly and responded, "Yes, please; thank you! Speaking of treats, that would be a treat."
So, Nathan grabbed the book that he checked out off the table, opened the door, and gestured for Elizabeth to go through. The two of them walked the pathway back to the rowhouses, chatting about the day that they had both had.
On their way home, they briefly stopped at Nathan's house, giving him the opportunity to put his book away and change into his regular clothes. Elizabeth waited downstairs, looking at the pictures that Allie and he had on display on their entry table. There was an old family photograph of Allie as a toddler, a young woman, an elderly woman, and a younger Nathan in his serge. Elizabeth picked up the frame and carefully touched the picture, knowing that this was most likely the last photo that they had of them together before Colleen passed away. Her heart ached for them, knowing what it was like to have a precious piece of their lives taken away too soon. Before she placed the frame back on the table, she looked at Nathan in the picture. She wondered to herself what he was like prior to taking on the responsibility of being Allie's guardian. Her eyes fell on the ruggedly handsome, youthful face, and she was caught off guard at how drawn she was to it. It was actually striking. He was so different from Jack, that was for sure. She quietly sighed to herself and placed the frame back on the table. Shortly after she did, Nathan came back down the stairs wearing his blue plaid shirt, brown slacks, suspenders, and a wide grin on his face. "Thanks for waiting.", he said.
When they got to the Thornton house, Nathan joined Jack on the floor, where he sat playing with his wooden Mountie and horse that Nathan had given him in the past as Elizabeth and Laura chatted about Little Jack and the things that occurred there at home with him. Elizabeth watched them out of the corner of her eye. When Laura left, Elizabeth turned around and again watched as Nathan and her son interacted on the floor. Nathan looked up after a moment and smiled back at her. Elizabeth blushed, slightly embarrassed that she got caught, so to speak, watching the two of them.
"How can I help?", Nathan asked. Elizabeth thought about it for a moment and responded, "Actually, doing what you're doing right now is the best way to help. Jack loves the attention you're giving him. That will allow me to focus on dinner, if you don't mind.
Nathan shook his head and said, "Not in the slightest. I love hanging out with Jack." He smiled and winked at Elizabeth, then chuckled in response. The three enjoyed a nice dinner, and Elizabeth cleaned up and put things away while Nathan read a story to Jack. When Elizabeth finished up, she went to take Jack up to bed. Nathan tousled the little boy's blond hair and kissed his head as he said, "Goodnight Jack, I had fun!" Jack, in return, gave Nathan a bear hug and then jumped down and toddled over to his mother. Elizabeth took his hand and made her way to the stairs, but then turned back around and said, "Nathan, could you stay for a little while longer? I'd like to talk to you after." Nathan nodded his head, and the mother and son continued up the stairs once more.
A little while later, Elizabeth came back down the stairs and took a seat on the sofa next to Nathan. They sat in silence for a bit until, finally, Elizabeth turned and faced Nathan. "Nathan, you told me the other night that I mattered to you. I didn't know what to say to you at that time, but I do now. Nathan, you matter to me too. This time with you tonight has been so amazing, even as simple as it is. I feel so comfortable and at ease with you. I love seeing you interact with Jack too.", she said as she looked at him intently.
Nathan smiled, leaned over, grabbed Elizabeth's hand, and said, "This means so much to me, Elizabeth. Do you think that I could take you to dinner once I return from the prisoner transfer tomorrow?", Nathan asked as she looked into her blue eyes.
Elizabeth smiled, squeezed his hand, and responded, "I would love to go to dinner with you tomorrow night, Nathan!" Nathan smiled brightly and stood to leave, all the while their hands were still in one another's grasp. As he turned to say goodbye, Elizabeth embraced him, and he wrapped his arms around her. As they pulled apart, they smiled at one another, and Nathan said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth watched as he walked home and out of sight, closing the door behind her afterwards. She leaned up against the door and smiled to herself. Elizabeth didn't know what lay ahead in the future, but she knew that right there, in that moment, she was happy and at peace. Her heart was open once again, and it was open to Nathan.