AN: Sorry it has taken so long to get this story updated, but it will return to regular updates. Thank you for your patience.
Elizabeth and Julie returned to the ranch a short time later. Julie had been looking a little green on the way back and Elizabeth helped her down and told her to go lay down for a while. Tom and some of the men came over to the wagon and began unloading supplies, so she went into the house.
Upon opening the door, she could hear talking coming from the kitchen and found Charlotte and Nathan sitting at the kitchen table, laughing at something. She entered the kitchen, smiling at the pair. "What is so funny?"
"I was showing Nathan some early letters that Jack sent me when he first arrived in Coal Valley," Charlotte said.
"Oh," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "I can imagine what he said about me. Our early days were pretty rocky. May I see them?"
"Of course. I had meant to show them to you when you first arrived." Charlotte said, pointing to the letters on the table. "Do you want some tea?"
"I would love some. Thank you, Charlotte," Elizabeth said as she sat down at the table. "Tom and the others are unloading the wagon and putting it in the barn for now."
Charlotte nodded as she set the teacup on the table in front of Elizabeth. "Where's Julie?"
"Julie wasn't feeling well, and I told her she should lay down and rest for a bit. She looked exhausted, and Tom told me she hadn't slept well the past few nights. Apparently, her nausea isn't just a morning thing." Elizabeth answered.
"Start with these," Charlotte said with a smirk. "These are the first two he wrote me after meeting you," Then she pushed the two envelopes over.
Elizabeth chuckled after she read them. "My journal pages from that time would have read similarly about an annoying Mountie instead. I wouldn't be surprised if my letters to Julie were also similar. Do you mind if, while I'm here, I copy these into s journal? I would love to gather these someday and create a special book for Jack. I'll get my journals, and maybe Julie still has her letters too."
"That would be fine, Lizzie. I think I even have an empty journal that you can use. I'll get it for you later, but I will see about those supplies." Charlotte said, standing up and leaving the room.
Gathering up the letters, Elizabeth placed them to the side and fully turned to Nathan. "These bring back some great memories."
"I bet. Do they trigger anything else?" Nathan asked gently, concerned that it might have saddened her.
Elizabeth smiled, shook her head, then leaned over to capture his lips with hers. After a while, they pulled back, and she snuggled contentedly into his arms. "As I said before, coming here and taking this time with Charlotte, where Jack grew up, has helped me process the grief. After I finally realized how much burying it all deep inside and denying that I was afraid and what I did so it wouldn't be suppressed anymore. I never thought I would get to that place where I look at my memories of Jack and not be hit with that overwhelming sadness at what he is missing out on. Now I am grateful for my time with him and focus on the happy times though I'm sure there will be times that I struggle."
Nathan nodded, "Allie and I both have pockets of grief with the loss of Colleen, especially at Allie's birthday or Colleen's. I'm sure when Allie reaches the big milestones in her life, like her wedding and having a child, it will be hard not to experience a bit of grief. Though if I'm honest, I'll probably be sad for myself as a dad, as much as Colleen or Allie." They both chuckled at that, knowing that it was true. "If you ever feel scared or overwhelmed, I want you to talk to me so we can walk through it together. I won't be upset about you grieving for him. He was your first love and the father of your son. He will always be part of our lives, and I'm not jealous of him. I would be hurt and upset if you shut me out."
"I understand and promise. I want you to promise the same to me when it comes to working, Colleen, or even Allie," He nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of Allie, are you nervous about seeing her tomorrow?" Nathan asked.
Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded.
"Well, I think if you give her time, she will come around. I called her while you were out. She seems okay with the idea of us and said that she loves you," Nathan said as Elizabeth smiled brightly. Knowing he needed to be truthful, he added, "However, she did admit to the need to learn to trust you again, like before."
Though her smile faltered, she nodded. "I would have been surprised if it hadn't. But I'm happy that she is willing to give me another chance to prove myself. I promise you, Nathan, I will work hard to do that. I'm willing to meet you both halfway and do whatever is needed for us to be a family eventually. I give you my word on that."
"I appreciate that, Elizabeth, and I promise to do the same," Nathan said, cupping her cheek and giving her a sweet kiss to seal it. Before anything else could be said, Jack came running in immediately, wanting to be in Nathan's lap, and the rest of the day flew by.
The following day Elizabeth and Nathan stood at the station. Nathan could tell Elizabeth was nervous and recalled that he hadn't yet asked about Allie addressing her as something other than Mrs. Thornton. "Elizabeth, Allie brought up a good question. Since there are three Mrs. Thorntons on the ranch, would you object to her calling you Miss Elizabeth since you are not her teacher anymore and we are pursuing a relationship?"
Elizabeth thought about it for a moment and replied. "I don't see that as a problem with her calling me Miss Elizabeth or Miss Beth as my father does. Why don't we leave it up to her?"
Nathan smiled, "I think that sounds like a good idea, and I think it will mean a lot to her that you are giving her options. By the way, I meant to ask you about the whole Lizzie versus Elizabeth thing, and I'm guessing that Charlotte originally coined that?"
Elizabeth laughed, "She did. Originally, she was the only one, although Tom picked it up from her. Julie usually calls me Sister, but to annoy my mother and sister, she calls me Lizzie too." Elizabeth chuckled. "Even my Aunt Agatha does it around my mother to annoy her. Here though, that's all they call me, so it stuck with the others. But in my mind, Elizabeth is that person in Hope Valley that was cruel, selfish, and meanspirited—the name of the woman I used to be. Lizzie is who I truly am, and I've encouraged that name to remind me of whom I want to be. Does that make any sense?"
Nathan nodded. "So, which would you like me to call you?" Nathan said softly. "I don't see the old Elizabeth anymore, and though parts of you are how you were, there's another part that's new and exciting; it makes you more beautiful and fun."
Elizabeth looked at him and smiled. "Well, actually,…." He saw her pause as she blushed, but then she continued. "I love Lizbeth, and it's like a caress and …." She let the sentence drift off as the feelings it evoked flooded her, and she blushed. Nathan noticed the sultry smile and fire in her eyes and grinned. She was telling him that he was the only one that had ever called her that and wanted it to be unique to him. "It got so whenever you called me Elizabeth; it was usually during a disagreement. So now when I hear you say Elizabeth, it's like I feel I'm in trouble or something," She chuckled, making him laugh. Before he could say anything else, the train entered the station. Grabbing her hand in his, they drew closer to the platform and began scanning the passengers stepping off the train.
It didn't take long to see Opal and Allie step off the train with Bill behind them. Allie ran straight to her father while Opal went right to her teacher. After hugging her, he turned her toward where Elizabeth and Opal were talking. Allie was shocked to see that her teacher indeed looked different and looked up at her father with wide eyes. "I told you she had changed," Nathan whispered in her ear with a chuckle.
Hearing Nathan's chuckle Elizabeth looked over to where Nathan and Allie stood. With an arm around Opal, she gently moved her to where they stood, sad to see the nervousness in Allie's eyes.
"Hello, Allie," Elizabeth said softly. Being unsure of Allie's receptiveness to anything, she refrained from hugging her though she wanted to. She briefly saw Nathan give a perceptive nod that was a good decision, and Elizabeth could see though he saw that she struggled with holding back.
"Hello, Mrs. Thornton," Allie replied, smiling hesitantly.
"Girls, since three Mrs. Thorntons are currently on the ranch, why don't you refer to me as Miss Elizabeth or Beth if you prefer?" Elizabeth said, realizing that Opal would have the same issue as Allie did on the ranch.
Allie and Opal looked at each other in silent communication, and then Allie said, "Could we call you Miss Beth?
"You may," Elizabeth said. "Why don't we get loaded up and be on our way? Everyone is happy to meet you, Allie, and to see you, Opal." As she and Opal walked to the wagon, Allie hung back with her father. They could hear Elizabeth explaining that Jack was napping but should be up when they got back—then informing Opal that the ranch is where Mountie Jack had grown up.
"Are you all right, Allie girl?" Nathan asked his niece as they followed at a slower pace.
"I am. I'm just taking it all in," Allie laughed. "If you had told me that my teacher would be sporting pants and a cowboy hat, I wouldn't have believed you."
Nathan laughed then, with a wink, said. "Well, you're in for a bit of a surprise because she's wearing Jack Sr.'s clothes."
Suddenly Allie couldn't wait to get there and see for herself. She intended to keep her guard up until she had time to observe Mrs. Thornton for a bit, but she liked what she saw already. Her Dad handed her into the back of the wagon. Then he went around, and with Mrs. Thornton in the middle, he and Uncle Bill flanked her on the seat. She couldn't help noticing that Mrs. Thorn…. Miss Beth handed the reins to her father. Then seeing the looks passing between them, she relaxed and enjoyed the scenery on the way home.
Pulling up to the ranch house, Bill got down and helped Elizabeth. Nathan came around the back of the wagon and helped the girls down before grabbing their bags. Having heard the wagon pull up, the others came out to greet them. Jack realizing who the new arrivals were, came running down the steps shouting for his Allie. The two embraced, and anyone watching got tears in their eyes. It was clear that those two children loved and missed each other greatly. Even the children themselves teared up after finally being together again.
Elizabeth approached Opal and led her to where Charlotte, Tom, and the others waited.
Miss Thatcher! Mr. Thornton!"
Julie stepped off the porch first, embracing the little girl. "Hey, sweet Opal. It's Mrs. Thornton now since I married Mountie Jack's brother." Opal returned the hug with a giggle.
"Why don't you just call me Miss Julie? Would that be okay?"
Opal nodded. Tom joined his wife and asked her to call him Mr. Tom. Charlotte was the last to approach. "Hello, Miss Opal," Charlotte greeted. "It's so nice to see you again; it has been too long since last time."
Opal embraced her, and Charlotte held on just as tight. Before she could say anything, Nathan and Jack came over with Allie. Charlotte felt an instant kinship with the young girl. "Nana Charlie, this is Allie," Jack said proudly as if he was presenting the queen of England. "Allie, this is my Nana Charlie."
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Thornton," Allie said, holding out her hand to shake. "Oh, no, none of that. You girls can call me Nana Charlie, as my grandson does. Anybody special to my boys is special to me too, and it makes you part of our family." Both girls nodded happily and embraced her.