2 and a half years later, I'm finally back to finish the story! I still adore Nathan and Elizabeth and want to continue their story, they deserve a wonderful love story, as does the rest of Hope Valley! I'm not sure how often I'll be updating so keep your seat buckled for this crazy ride! Hope everyone is doing well and happy reading! :)
Elizabeth enters her house. There she sees Jack Jr. resting and Rosemary reading a book. After realizing Elizabeth's presence, excitedly, Rosemary asks "Ahh Elizabeth, you have to tell me everything! How did the date go?"
Elizabeth reflects on her recent date with Nathan and thinks about what to share with her friend. "Rosemary, it was amazing! He took me to the pond and we had a picnic and watched the sunset together. Most importantly, we're now courting!"
Rosemary is shocked, in a good way, and replies "Courting?! That is so amazing, Elizabeth! I'm so happy for you and Nathan!"
Rosemary could not believe it. After 2 years of going back and forth between Nathan and Lucas, she had finally made a choice. She would begin a new adventure and start her relationship with Nathan and enjoy each other's company. She couldn't wait to hear more!
Beaming with joy from her friend's announcement, and despite her prior judgment, she decides to share her news without going to Carson first. "I have some exciting news to share with you too. I've wanted to tell you ever since I found out. Elizabeth, I'm pregnant!"
Tears rolling down Elizabeth's face, she replies "Eeeee, Rosemary, I'm so excited for you and Lee! I know you've both wanted this for so long and I'm so glad it's finally happening! I can't wait to pick out baby clothes and host your bridal shower and set up your nursery and so much more!"
Both friends hug each other and continue to chat more about the big events happening in their lives. After a long time of catching up, Rosemary finally leaves and goes back to her row house.
Alone, Elizabeth reflects on the eventful day she's had. I can't believe I'm courting Nathan. I can't help but feel a bit sad and miss Jack, but I know he wanted me to be happy. I'm so excited to see Nathan tomorrow! I can't believe Rosemary is pregnant! There is going to be a new bundle of joy in Hope Valley and I'm so excited to be a part of that little one's life.
Too excited to stay awake any longer, Elizabeth drifts to sleep.
The next morning, Elizabeth is all ready for the day when she sees Nathan. "Nathan, what are you doing here?" she asks. Realizing the flowers he's holding in his hand, she exclaims "They're beautiful, Nathan. I do assume these are for me?" she says jokingly.
"Wow, you're quite peppy this morning! Yes, those flowers are for you. I picked them out of the pond from our date yesterday!" Nathan replies.
"That was very thoughtful of you, Nathan. Thank you so much!" Elizabeth replies ecstatically. "Anyway, what is on your agenda for today?" she asks.
"Nothing much. I just need to do my rounds and talk to Bill about a prisoner being transported through our jail. Pretty boring, but I feel better just seeing your smile" Nathan says, blushing just a bit.
"Aww, thank you, Nathan. It was nice seeing you. Talk to you later?" Elizabeth says. 'Of course. Have a good day, Elizabeth!" Nathan says as he's walking to the jail.
Elizabeth then walks to the schoolhouse and has an eventful day teaching all the children of Hope Valley. She anxiously waits for the clock to tick as she gets to have dinner with her best friend later.
Back at the oil company, Lucas just got there to start the day. Then Fiona enters, as promised, carrying a stack of books about the oil business.
"I can see you did your homework!" Lucas says seeing all that Fiona has accomplished since yesterday.
"I did tell you that I am a hard worker! I am ready to do anything that you need me to do!" Fiona says with a positive outlook on her situation.
"I'm glad to hear you say that!" Lucas says, admiring her work ethic. "The first thing on the agenda is to figure out why the oil drill is clogged."
Lucas had tried to figure out what the problem was days before but because he is busy with the saloon, he hasn't had the time. He hopes that Fiona will be able to figure it out before he goes back!
"That's simple! According to the History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida Tarbell, all you need to do is fill the drill with excess water and the oil should start coming out." Fiona states, sure of herself. Please don't quote me on that ;)
They performed the task and in fact, it worked and the oil machine is running again. "I can't believe you figure that out, Fiona," Lucas states, impressed by her work. "To repay you, how about we have dinner tonight?" he says, hoping she said yes.
"I would like that very much. Meet you at the saloon?" Fiona says, excitedly. "See you then," he replies. Lucas then goes back to the saloon and Fiona tidies up in the oil offices for the rest of the day.
During the day, Rosemary and Lee decided to go to Carson and get a check-up and make sure Rosemary was pregnant and everything was looking good for her and the baby.
During the ultrasound, Carson pulls up the view of the baby. "Is that our baby?" Rosemary and Lee say out loud, shocked beyond belief.
"It sure is," Carson replies. "It looks like you are 8 weeks along, Rosemary, and your baby is on track and healthy. Again, I just wanted to say congratulations to you all!" Carson exclaims.
Carson shows them more of the ultrasound of their baby and sends them home with photos to show their friends. Carson can't help to think about Faith and what she must be up to. He misses her but knows she is doing what she needs to be doing to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor.
Rosemary and Lee leave and prepare for the dinner they will be having with Elizabeth later this evening.
Back at the schoolhouse, Elizabeth just finished teaching for the day. She was about to leave when Allie came and greeted her.
"I'm so happy you're courting my uncle, Mrs. Thornton. He has liked you for so long and I'm glad he can stop overanalyzing every one of your interactions with me." Allie states, relieved.
"Thank you, Allie, I am very happy! I didn't know that he did that, your uncle doesn't seem like the over-thinker type." Elizabeth replied, surprised.
"There's a lot of things you'd be surprised to know about him. Anyway, I have to go back home and get started on my homework. See you later, Mrs. Thornton." Allie states while walking away.
'There are more things I need to know about Nathan?', Elizabeth thought to herself. Whatever they were, she was excited to find out!"
Elizabeth met back up with Laura to check on little Jack before going to Rosemary and Lee's for dinner. Thankfully, he was doing okay so she went ahead and walked over to their row house.
Rosemary had made some chicken and mashed potatoes, yum, and they chatted while they were enjoying their meal.
"So, tell me about your doctor's appointment today," Elizabeth asks, curious. "Oh, Elizabeth, it went so well! It was so crazy seeing our baby on the monitor and knowing how long we have been waiting for this." Rosemary replies while passing Elizabeth the photos of the ultrasound.
"Oh, Rosemary and Lee, your little one already looks like a heartbreaker. I'm so excited to meet him or her!" Elizabeth says, bursting with joy.
"Enough about us, tell us about your day, Elizabeth. Did you talk to Nathan at all?" Rosemary asks.
"Matter of fact I did! I saw him this morning while I was leaving to go to school. He brought me flowers that he picked yesterday at the pond which was sweet of him!" Elizabeth exclaims, blushing.
"Ahh, Nathan, I didn't see him as much of a romantic, but I'm so happy for you!" Rosemary says. "What do you mean he's not a romantic guy? Nathan wears his heart on his sleeve and for good reasons, he just needed to find the perfect woman to shower with his affection. I think he chose correctly." Lee replies, part jokingly.
"Haha, very funny Lee." Rosemary and Elizabeth both say. "Anyway, thank you both so much for the meal and I look forward to talking to you both more tomorrow," Elizabeth says while leaving.
Back at her row house, Elizabeth watches sweet little Jack as he is falling asleep. 'Where did the time go by? Just yesterday, he was a baby. And now, Rosemary and Lee will be having a baby!' Elizabeth thought to herself. Maybe someday she will have another kid and Jack will be a big brother. Wow, slow down there Elizabeth, you and Nathan just started courting. It's way too soon to be thinking about that. She thought about her day as she drifts off to sleep.
Over at the saloon, Fiona enters the building and sees Lucas. He had prepared a lovely decorated table for her, and she was excited to chat with Lucas.
"Please sit, Fiona" Lucas gestured as they sat down. "Care for some wine?" He asks. "Yes, please," she replies. "Anyway, Fiona, I feel like I don't know a lot about you, where are you from again?" Lucas asks, curious.
"Yeah, so, I'm from San Francisco, the big city, and moved to this part of town just a few years ago," Fiona replies. "So fascinating, I have always wanted to visit," Lucas exclaims, engaged.
"It is a beautiful city. Maybe we could visit together sometime?" Fiona asks, hoping for a yes. "That would be magnificent, thank you for the offer," Lucas says as he drinks his wine.
The main course, salmon, came out, and both are eating their food. "Wow, this is amazing. Please give Gustave my best." Fiona says, munching on her dinner. "I'm sure he would be glad to hear that, thank you," Lucas says, not quite as impressed with the salmon.
"Please, Lucas, tell me about what it's like running both the oil company and the saloon," Fiona asks, already stressed for him. "It is a lot and not for the faint of heart but I love both companies and have to delegate my time," Lucas replied, acknowledging her interest.
Both finished their salmon and wine and it was time to end their dinner. "Thank you so much, Lucas, I had a great time," Fiona says, putting on her jacket. "Likewise. Hope we can do it again sometime." Lucas exclaims. "I would like that. See you at work tomorrow!" Fiona leaves.
Lucas and Fiona go their separate ways and think to themselves how much they like each other and want to go out again.
To Be Continued…
Ahh, I'm finally done! It may not be the best, but I forgot how much I liked writing and coming up with different ideas! Please let me know how you liked this chapter by leaving a review. I would appreciate it! :)