The next day, Allie got up early to do all her chores so she could start picking out clothes for her date with Robert. Nathan was watching Allie from the window when Archie stood next to him.
"I don't think I've seen Allie get up early on a Saturday since I've been here. She's excited about this date." Archie said.
"I know." Nathan said.
Archie laughed.
"Who knew you were going to be papa bear about this." Archie said.
Nathan smiled.
"I just want to protect her. I want this date to go smoothly so she knows how all dates with men should go." Nathan said.
"Maybe you should show her." Archie said and walked away.
With that comment, an idea popped into his head.
Nathan went into the dining room and set the table. After he was all done, he called Allie into the dining area.
When Allie arrived to the dining room, she saw the table was set.
"Are we eating?" Allie asked.
"More like a practice run." Nathan said.
"Okay." Allie said confusingly.
"Now, when you are on a date with a man, he should always pull your chair out for you." Nathan said pulling out the chair for Allie. Allie sat in the chair.
Nathan sat across the table.
"He should always put a napkin in his lap." Nathan said putting a napkin in his lap. Allie did the same.
"And while engaging in conversation, he should not talk with his mouth full and he should be looking straight at you. His eyes should not be wandering about. If they are, you should not give him a second date." Nathan said.
Allie smiled.
"Thanks Uncle Nathan." Allie said.
"Did your mother ever tell you about the facts of life?" Nathan asked.
Allie groaned and blushed. She stood up from her chair.
"This has been a great date, but I don't see a second one happening." Allie said as she turned to walk away.
Nathan grabbed Allie's hand.
"I'm serious." Nathan said.
"Yes. Okay!" Allie said.
"Oh. Good. But did she tell you the other facts of life?" Nathan said.
"There are other facts?" Allie said.
"Yes." Nathan said.
Allie sat down.
"The other fact is that there will be men who come into your life. Some will be good men and some will have bad intentions. The men with bad intentions will try to corrupt you. Stay away from them. But one day, a good man will come into your life. Your heart will flutter and that is when you know you have found the one." Nathan said.
Allie smiled. She got up from the table and hugged Nathan.
"I love you" Allie said.
"I love you too. Now go finish your chores." Nathan said.
Allie went back outside to do her chores.
At four o'clock, there was a knock on the door. Nathan answered it. It was Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth? What are you doing here so early?" Nathan asked.
"Allie asked me yesterday if I could help her get ready for the date." Elizabeth said.
"I didn't know. Please come in." Nathan said Elizabeth came inside. Once Elizabeth was inside, Nathan looked at her. She was wearing a blue coat with a blue skirt. Underneath, Nathan saw what looked like a white blouse.
"What?" Elizabeth asked when she noticed Nathan staring at her.
"Oh. Nothing. You look nice." Nathan said with a smile.
"Thank you." Elizabeth said. The two locked eyes as if they were in a trance. Elizabeth looked away.
"I better help Allie." Elizabeth said.
"Of course." Nathan said.
Nathan watched Elizabeth walk away. Nathan looked down at his own clothes. They were dirty and smelly. Nathan went into the bathroom. He shaved and cleaned himself up. After cleaning himself up, he went into his room to pick out clothes. Nathan didn't want to go too formal with a suit but he also didn't want to look like a hobo. Nathan chose a t-shirt with blue and white stripes and put his suspenders on.
After getting ready, he looked at the time. It was five thirty. Nathan decided to do some work while he waited for everyone to get ready. At fifteen minutes till, there was a knock on the door. Nathan answered the door. At the door stood Robert in his Sunday best with flowers in his hand.
"Good evening Mr. Grant." Robert said.
"Hello Robert, please come in." Nathan said.
Robert entered the house.
"Allie is still getting ready, why don't you have a seat." Nathan suggested.
Robert sat in a chair in the living room.
Nathan sat across from him on the couch.
"So, Robert, what are your plans for the future?" Nathan asked.
"Well, sir, after school I want to join the Mountie's." Robert said.
Nathan nodded.
"The Mountie's are a good choice. I almost joined them after college but felt law school was a better fit." Nathan said.
Robert nodded.
Nathan could tell her was nervous. But he wasn't sure if Robert was nervous because of his date or because he felt threatened by Nathan.
"I think you two will have fun tonight." Nathan said.
"Me too." Robert said.
Nathan stood up and so did Robert.
"But if she doesn't have fun, you and I will have some private time alone." Nathan said.
Robert gulped.
"Yes, sir." Robert said.
Nathan slapped his back.
"Relax. That was a joke!" Nathan said.
Robert laughed awkwardly.
They both heard a door open and footsteps coming their way. When Allie rounded the corner, not only did Robert's face light up, but so did Nathan's. Allie looked so much like her mother. Allie was wearing a nice blue dress with a light white sweater over it.
Before Nathan could get the words out, Robert took a step forward.
"You look beautiful. These are for you." Robert said giving her the flowers.
Allie smiled.
"You look nice too." Allie said smiling.
"Should we get going?" Nathan asked.
Everyone nodded. As they were heading out the door, Archie came in.
"Well, don't you look pretty as a peach." Archie said to Allie.
"Thanks Grandpa." Allie said.
"Didn't I tell you everything would work out." Archie said with a wink.
Allie nodded. She and Robert went outside.
"Archie, this is Elizabeth Thornton. Allie's teacher." Nathan said.
"You are much prettier than Nathan described you." Archie said.
"Really?" Elizabeth said with a teasing smile.
"We better get going. We don't want to be late for our reservations." Nathan said.
"You two kids have fun." Archie said. Nathan rolled his eyes and Elizabeth laughed. Once they were outside, they saw Allie and Robert sitting in the seat of a wagon.
"Where did this come from?' Nathan asked.
"I borrowed it from my father. I didn't want Allie to have to ride a horse." Robert said.
Nathan looked in the back of the wagon.
"And these are our seats?" Nathan asked.
"I hope that is, okay? There is a blanket you can put down." Robert said.
"It's fine Robert." Elizabeth said. Nathan put the blanket down in the back and helped Elizabeth get into the back and then he got into the back himself.
"Hold tight." Robert said as the wagon started moving.
Elizabeth and Nathan held onto the sides. Nathan looked at Elizabeth and Elizabeth looked at him. Suddenly, they both burst out laughing. They were sitting in the back while the kids were up in front.
Once they reached the café, Robert parked the wagon. Everyone got out.
"I think I might be getting too old for wagon rides." Nathan said stretching his back.
Elizabeth laughed.
"I'm pretty sure Ned sells canes in the Mercantile. Do you want me to get you one?" Elizabeth asked.
"I think those are Shephard crook's, not canes." Nathan said.
Elizabeth laughed. The four of them walked inside. Once they were inside, there was a table with a card that said Robert and Allie.
"I reserved a table for us." Robert said.
Allie smiled.
"That was sweet." Allie said.
"And we'll be at that table over there." Elizabeth pointed to a table against the wall. Elizabeth grabbed Nathan's arm and started pulling him over.
"I'll be over here." Nathan called out. Robert pulled out Allie's chair. Nathan smiled at that.
Once they were at their table, Nathan pulled out the chair for Elizabeth and went over to his side and sat down. He looked over at Allie's table.
"You need binoculars to see from way over here." Nathan teased.
Elizabeth laughed.
"They'll be fine." Elizabeth said.
Nathan nodded. A waitress came over to take their drink orders.
"So, did you think a year ago that you would be in Hope Valley chaperoning a date for your niece?" Elizabeth asked.
"I would have asked if it was a nightmare." Nathan teased.
Elizabeth laughed.
"No. Let me think. If I was back home on a Saturday, I would probably be at the office working late and then grabbing a drink with some colleagues. And then head home to an empty apartment." Nathan said.
"Sounds like fun." Elizabeth teased.
"Always." Nathan teased back.
"Did you and your husband come here a lot?" Nathan asked.
"It was our first date. He rented out the whole café. Just for us." Elizabeth said.
"Impressive. What was he like?" Nathan asked.
"Jack was an honorable, noble man. He had a great sense of humor. He would do these gestures but they were from the heart. He had a sense of duty to his job, which created conflict between us. I loved him with all my heart and miss him every day." Elizabeth said.
"I'm sorry." Nathan said.
"Me too." Elizabeth said.
Nathan and Elizabeth looked over at Robert and Allie's table. They were holding hands on the table.
"Breathe." Elizabeth said.
Nathan laughed.
"I don't know why I'm so protective of her." Nathan said.
"Because, she is part of your sister. And you want to protect that part." Elizabeth said.
Nathan smiled at the thought of his sister.
"Where do you see yourself in five years?" Elizabeth asked. Before answering, the waitress took their order for food. After she was gone, Nathan answered.
"Back home with Allie. A successful business. Hopefully married." Nathan said.
"Hopefully?" Elizabeth asked.
"I have always been focused on my job. I thought marriage and children would fall into place. What about you? Where do you see yourself in five years?" Nathan asked.
"Still here. Still teaching." Elizabeth said.
"And marriage?" Nathan asked.
"I'm not sure." Elizabeth said.
The waitress brought their food over.
"Your food looks good." Elizabeth said.
"Would you like some?" Nathan said.
"I was taught to always eat your own food." Elizabeth said.
Nathan smiled. He took his plate and spooned some food onto Elizabeth's plate.
"Rules were meant to be broken." Nathan said. Elizabeth laughed.
While they ate, they talked about Hamilton and the different places they had both been and had not been to in the city. After eating, the waitress asked if they wanted dessert.
"That piece of chocolate cake is calling my name but I don't think I could eat it all." Elizabeth said.
"One slice, two forks please." Nathan said to the waitress.
Elizabeth smiled. Nathan looked over at Robert and Allie's table. They were eating dessert too.
The waitress put the slice in the middle. They both took a bite at the same time.
"That's really good." Nathan said. Elizabeth nodded her head. As Elizabeth was eating, she got some chocolate on her face.
"Come closer." Nathan said. Elizabeth leaned forward. Nathan took the napkin and wiped the chocolate off. The two eyes lingered at each other after he wiped the chocolate off her face. When Nathan looked in her eyes, he saw pain but also hope. His heart fluttered. Elizabeth leaned back and looked back down at the cake.
"Thank you." Elizabeth said quietly.
"You're welcome." Nathan said smiling.
After dessert, Nathan paid for their meal and Robert paid for his meal too. As they were walking toward the wagon, Robert was getting into the driver's seat.
"Uh, no. You two are in the back this time. One ride was enough for me. You two are young. Your back can handle it." Nathan said.
Elizabeth laughed.
Robert got into the back first and then helped Allie in. Nathan helped Elizabeth into the passenger side and then he got into the driver's side and moved the wagon forward. As they were heading back to the house, Elizabeth turned her head to the back of the wagon and smiled.
"Don't go crazy, but they are holding hands back there" Elizabeth whispered in his ear. Nathan didn't register what she had said because Nathan was distracted by breath in his ear. Nathan just smiled.
When they got home, Allie asked if she could show Robert the stable. Nathan agreed. As Nathan watched them go to the stable, Elizabeth smiled.
"I think Allie might get her first kiss tonight." Elizabeth said.
Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you think that?" Nathan asked.
"A woman intuition." Elizabeth said.
"Should I stop it?" Nathan asked.
"No! Let her experience the wonder of a first kiss." Elizabeth said.
"Who was your first kiss?" Nathan asked.
"Charles Kensington." Elizabeth said.
"I've heard that name." Nathan said.
"He owns a lot of textile plants in Hamilton. It was an awful first kiss. Too much spit" Elizabeth said with a gross face.
"And who was your first kiss?" Elizabeth asked.
"Rebecca Johnson. It was quick and sweet." Nathan said. Elizabeth smiled.
"Those are the best sometimes." Elizabeth said.
Nathan turned to Elizabeth. Did she want him to kiss her? But Nathan didn't get that far to process that thought because Allie and Nathan walked back towards them.
"Let me give you a ride home, Mrs. Thornton." Robert suggested.
"Thank you, Robert. That is kind of you." Elizabeth said.
"Robert." Nathan said putting out his hand.
"Sir." Robert said shaking it.
"I'll see you at school." Allie said shyly.
Robert smiled. Robert helped Elizabeth into the wagon and then he got into the driver's seat. Elizabeth and Robert waved to them and left.
Allie looked longingly at the wagon as it left.
Nathan smiled.
"I know the exact same feeling." Nathan said putting his arm around Allie.