Chapter 76. Love You Forever
On Wednesday at 2 p.m., Julia walked into the livery. Nathan was already there, and had already saddled both Newton and Ginger, though Julia could have guessed that already. She had come to learn that when he was excited about something, he got there early. And, today was no exception.
When Nathan looked up from what he was doing and realized Julia had come in, he turned around. Julia felt her breath catch when her eyes met his. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a vest, though he had hung the jacket up while he worked. He looked so handsome, with the top few buttons open on his white shirt. His eyes seemed so blue as he gazed at her. Though, Julia suddenly wondered at the occasion. What would make him get so dressed up? Weren't they just going on a short ride into the forest? Though…hadn't she done the same? She had sensed he had a surprise in store, so she had put on her brand new dress, for the occasion. Now, she was glad she had.
Nathan's stomach did flip flops when he saw Julia. He was already nervous enough, and stopped in his tracks when he saw her. She was wearing a dress he'd never seen before, in a muted medium blue with crisp white accents around the bodice. The color of the dress brought out her eyes, and he was sure he'd never seen them look so deep blue. Her hair was pulled up on the sides, and soft waves fell all around her shoulders. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, she was stunning.
Finally, he moved towards her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, in greeting.
"Hi." She told him, as he pulled back.
Nathan looked down at her and said softly, "Hi, Jules." He took her in up close, wanting to remember everything about today. She had added some color and darker tones around her eyes, which brought them out even more. And, though she had covered her black eye a little bit, he could still see her freckles. Gazing down at her, he once again thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked her, timidly.
Julia smiled at him, "Yes, I'm ready."
Nathan nodded, and grabbed his suit jacket from the railing, and shrugged it on. Though, it was much too hot for it, so he immediately changed his mind. He carefully put the suit jacket in one of his saddlebags, and rolled up his sleeves instead. Julia looked at him and smiled. That look was so much more him, and she adored it; shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, and she was certain there were suspenders under that vest.
He smiled at her and led both Ginger and Newton out to the front of the livery. He helped Julia mount, and get her set, tucking her skirts under her riding boots. Of course, she had worn her riding boots under her dress again, that fact made him smile.
Then, he mounted Newton and led the way. They followed the path a little while, past the pond. Then they turned off and followed another path that ran straight and was flat. It was a beautiful ride, under the cover of the trees with the sun high in the sky. And, after a while, they took a turn off, just next to a sign post.
Nathan stopped just next to Julia, reached across, and took her hand. Then he told her, "Jules, I brought you here, because I want to show you something."
He looked so serious and intent, that Julia just nodded. She trusted Nathan completely, and would follow him blind anywhere, and today was no exception. He let go her hand, and turned Newton up the path, and Julia followed, riding just next to him. Together, they rode past the entrance, and onto a beautiful piece of land. The path was long before them, and the trees were tall on the left side. The other side was forest, and it was all beautiful.
Julia deduced, after they past the post and were headed up the long path, that this was no small piece of property, but a sizable parcel of land.
About halfway up the path, Julia looked over at Nathan and asked, "Whose land is this, Nathan?"
"All in due time, Jules." He told her with a warm smile. Then he added, "The trail needs to be cleared a little more, as you can see." Julia thought the trail just lovely, but she would take his word for it.
When they got to the end of the long entrance path, they came to a meadow. Julia gasped when she saw it, it was full of wildflowers. Beautiful ones, in all different colors. They were bright and brilliant, and happy.
Julia gazed out over the flowers and told him softly, "They are even more beautiful than my meadow."
Nathan smiled, happy she thought so. He had thought the very same thing, when he had come this morning, to put the last things in place. He couldn't have asked for the flowers to be any more perfect, for today.
He dismounted, and she followed suit. And, there they stood in the middle of the field of wildflowers. He took both of her hands in his and intertwined them together, between them.
Nathan looked down at her and asked her gently, "Tell me about your dreams, Jules." It's true, she had promised to tell him her dreams today.
Julia looked down at their hands intertwined. Then she looked back up at him and told him honestly, "In the first dream, you took my hand and promised to never let go."
That was just a little too perfect. Nathan already had her hand in his. So, he held her gaze and whispered, "I'll never let go."
Julia took a deep breath, and started to open her mouth, but then decided she didn't want to add or take anything away from this beautiful moment. So instead, she just gazed at him, taking him in and committing every detail to memory.
Finally, Nathan cleared his throat, and spoke up, "You said in the first dream, Jules. Is there more?"
Julia nodded slowly. "Yes. In the second dream, I'm at home in the big white house, cooking in the kitchen, when you come home from work." He smiled, he could tell already, he was going to like this one. She continued, "You went to the barn first, of course, to put Newton in his stall, next to Ginger. And, then you came up the front steps and into the house. You took off your boots, your serge, and your inspector hat by the front door. Then, you tried to sneak up on me in the kitchen."
Nathan gazed at her, curious and amused. "And, did I?"
"Try? Yes. Though, I knew you were there." Julia said with a playful smile.
He grinned. "What happened next?"
"You turned me in your arms and you kissed me. In fact, we got so carried away with the kissing, that I almost burned our dinner." Julia told him with a soft giggle.
Nathan tilted his head at her, and gave her his crooked smile, "I did that?"
Julia titled her head right back at him, and answered, "Yes, Mr. Grant. You distracted me." He chuckled. He hope she realized that he intended to distract her for the rest of his days.
Nathan smiled again, "That seems to be a running theme with us, huh, the distracting?"
She giggled. It most certainly was. "I guess so."
"Oh, it's no different today. And, I would like to eventually get to the point." He took a step back from her, though ever so playfully. "So, Miss Matthews, stop distracting me." He said, teasing her, as he dropped her hands and put a little more distance between them.
Julia shook her head at him softly, "I am not doing that."
Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled, "Oh yes, you are most certainly doing that." He teased her a little more.
Julia playfully put her hands on her hips. "Well, I can try to stop, Lawman."
"I don't think that's possible, Jules. But, let's try moving on, on my little tour. Shall we?" He told her shyly.
"Okay, you're the boss." She told him. "So, this is a little tour, then?" She paused and gazed at him long.
Nathan kept his gaze fixed on her and replied, "Yes, a tour of sorts."
She asked the question again, "Whose land is this, Nathan?"
He shook his head at her playfully, "I can't tell you that yet." Nathan saw how she pursed her lips at his response. But, he just quickly moved to Newton and swung up into the saddle. She did the same, mounting Ginger in one fell swoop.
Though, he rode close to her, and made a promise, "But, I promise to tell you eventually, if you follow me."
And, she did.
They rode on together north, along the east most side of the property, and curved around on one side. It was mostly forest on this side, but beautiful. Huge tall trees of many different varieties, that seemed to go on for as far as the eye could see.
At one point, they crossed a little stream, and came into a huge pasture. It was deep green, and just begged for horses or cows, to come and graze it.
Nathan turned them towards the west, and they moved perpendicular to the entrance path, for a long time. The pasture was huge, and they passed through some trees to a second large pasture. This one was even greener than the first.
Nathan slowed and looked over at Julia. "What do you think so far?"
"It's beautiful, Nathan. All that's missing are horses or cows." Julia told him.
"The land goes on a good ways in that direction." He pointed to the north, "Those first two hills are still part of it." He told her. Her mouth fell open as she took it all in.
When they reached the west most boundary, Nathan turned back south. This side was more fields and flowers, and was even more colorful than the forest. There was a view looking southwest, out over an immense valley, as far as the eye could see. And just down at the bottom was the town of Hope Valley. It was breathtaking.
"Wow," Julia told him wistfully, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "Look at the view."
But, Nathan's gaze was fixed on Julia, as she took it all in. He wanted her to love it as much as he did.
Eventually, they turned left again and rode a short distance, until they came to another clearing. Nathan dismounted and Julia followed suit. He took both reigns and tethered the horses there.
Looking out over the clearing, Julia thought it was the best one so far. It had a view on Hope Valley, but was huge, and level. There were patches of wildflowers scattered about, and it was green.
Nathan took Julia's hand. "Are you ready to see the rest?" He asked her low.
Julia didn't know what the rest was, but she was sure of one thing. If this was all part of a surprise orchestrated by Nathan, she would love it. So, she nodded timidly.
He led her over to the far side of the clearing, just where the forest began. As they walked, she took in all the beauty, the flowers, the birds, the butterflies fluttering about. And, then, as they were almost to the other side, she spotted it.
The heart-shaped tree.
Nathan had been watching her, and he pinpointed the very moment she noticed it. Her mouth fell open, and she looked up at him, questioning. He led her closer still, until the rest was visible.
As they approached, Julia saw that an inscription had been carved into the heart-shaped tree.
Another heart.
And, inside the heart were carved the words: Nathan + Julia 4ever. Julia's mouth was still slightly open as walked right up to it, and touched it with her free hand. She ran her fingers over the heart, and each and every letter. Julia took a deep breath and looked at Nathan.
Her hand was still on the lettering as she told him softly, "I love it, Nathan. I love it so much." He had brought her here to show her the carving he had made for her. Though, she wished it wasn't so far away. She wanted to see it everyday. She wondered why he had carved it here, on this land? Was it just because of the heart-shaped tree from her daydream?
Now she really wanted to know whose land this was. So she tried again, "Nathan, whose land is this?" But he only shook his head no, signaling that he still wasn't ready to tell her.
She looked back at the carving again, taking in every gauge and every line. She let her fingers trace it all one more time.
But, there was so much more. "Jules, there's more." He told her gently.
"More?" Julia asked him. He nodded at her.
"Are you ready for the next part of our tour?" Nathan asked her.
Julia felt a little speechless, so she just nodded.
He turned left and led her past some trees, and across to the north side of the clearing. There she saw a large object, covered by a blanket. Not far behind, in the distance, the little stream passed by, which obviously flowed all the way across the piece of land. The sound of the babbling water was audible from this distance, and seemed to almost sing them a lullaby.
Nathan slowly let go of Julia's hand, and left her standing directly in front of his next surprise. He slowly gave a tug on the blanket, and as he did, he kept his gaze fixed on her.
As the blanket fell to the ground, Julia saw what was underneath it. She gasped and a hand went up to her mouth. She took a step back and looked at Nathan, then she looked back at the object before her.
She whispered breathlessly, "Our swing."
Yes, it was the swing with the heart carved into the back of it. The one that Julia had seen in her daydream, while laying on the blanket by the stream, down in Hope Valley. When Nathan had surprised her with a picnic, and asked her, if you are dreaming about us, really dreaming, where do you see us living? Julia had lain back, closed her eyes, and seen the big white house. And this swing was hanging on the front porch.
Nathan had crafted it perfectly, in every way. It was even more beautiful than in her daydream. And the only difference was that right now, it was hanging on a wooden frame, instead of on the front porch.
Then, Julia noticed something else. Rolled up and laying on the seat of the swing, was the scroll of papers Julia had accidentally stumbled across in Nathan's new desk.
His house plans.
"Will you sit with me, Jules?" He asked her, picking up the house plans, so she could sit down.
Julia, still feeling speechless, just nodded. She was slow to take a seat, as she ran her hands over the wood of the swing, and admired the fine craftsmanship. She recognized the artist, and looked up at him affectionately as she sat.
Nathan sat beside her, and he untied the string on the scroll of papers. He put his arm around her, and she snuggled in close, as he unrolled them on her lap.
Even though she had seen his plans already, the house struck her emotions, even more so today. It was so beautiful, and so inherently them. Julia ran her fingers over the writing at the bottom, Grant House. Then Julia took a moment to admire Nathan's immaculate drawings, which reminded her once again, just how creative and artistic he was.
Nathan asked her, "Remember when we were on the blanket by the stream, and I asked you where you saw us living? I asked you to dream big, do you remember?"
"Yes, I remember very well." Julia told him, her eyes full of every emotion that she felt. She said softly, "I saw this house."
"Remember, I told you that I had already drawn the plans out for it, though you didn't know it?" Nathan asked her.
Julia looked down and saw the date, she ran her fingers over it, too. 04 June 1919. She and Nathan had already met, but it was well before her daydream.
"I drew them before our picnic by the stream. But, I drew them with you in mind." Nathan let that sink in. "I drew them hoping there would be an us, and believing that we would one day live in this house, together."
Julia just gazed at him. It had been an accident, but she had seen the plans before. They were everything that she had dreamed about and more. And, she remembered her exact thought, standing there in his office, when she had stolen a glance at them. All that was missing was the swing, and the heart-shaped tree.
A few minutes ago, he had shown her the heart-shaped tree. Now, she was sitting on the swing.
With adorable excitement, Nathan turned the pages of his drawings, explaining everything. The living room, the library, the kitchen where she could give him cooking lessons. But, Julia wasn't paying too much attention to the house plans, she was just gazing at him, relishing his excitement and his enthusiasm. He turned the page again and showed her the second floor, and all the bedrooms. He had drawn quite a few bedrooms, 4 or 5 to be exact. He pointed out one for Allie, and then, he pointed to the bedroom he had designed for the two of them. When he was done with his explanation, Nathan let the plans fall back to the first page.
"We are sitting on the front porch, Jules." Nathan told her, with a broad smile. "Well, where the front porch will be, one day." He rocked his foot and put the swing in motion, "We are swinging on our front porch."
Julia liked that. She sat back and cuddled in and enjoyed swinging in his arms.
But then, she remembered something. He still hadn't answered the very first question she had asked, and she had asked it several times. Though it was fairly obvious now, she still asked it one more time, with her playful smile. "Now will you tell me who owns the land, Lawman?"
"It's ours." He told her, simple as that. "Well, I bought it. But, I want it to be ours." He said with a slow grin.
Julia sat up straight, letting it all sink in. Nathan had bought this beautiful land, and was planning to build their house, the one that they had dreamed about. He wanted them to start their life together, and he wanted to do it here. And she would get to see the heart-shaped tree and his carving everyday, if she wanted to?
She looked at him, and placed both her hands on his face. Her eyes were full and misty as she whispered, "It's perfect."
Julia felt the excitement build, and she stood and moved back a bit from the swing. She could picture it. She held her hands up and looked at him. "The house situated here, Lawman?"
He left the plans sitting on the swing, and came to stand next to her. "Exactly. The house sitting here." He motioned with his hands. "So, the stream is just a ways behind. At night, we can drift off to sleep to the babbling of the water." He told her. Then he turned her towards the view, and motioned with one hand that way. "And our view from the house will be this."
Julia turned towards him, her eyes full of so much love. She whispered, "I love it." It was all perfect. The house plans that were so wonderfully them, the heart-shaped tree and the heart carving, and the swing he had made with the heart carved in the back.
"There's one more heart, Julia." He told her. She didn't think she could handle any more. But, he took her hand, and led her out into the middle of the clearing.
There, Nathan had spread wildflowers out on the ground, in the shape of a heart. He led her directly into the middle of it. She didn't want to crush them and tread lightly as he gently pulled her to the middle of the heart.
He turned and took both her hands in his, and he intertwined them just like she loved. And he looked down at her so tenderly. Her heart began to race.
"Julia, I remember the very first time I laid eyes on you. I went home and told Allie that I had just seen the most beautiful of women. She made me promise to come and introduce myself, she said it was my duty as the town Constable. But, that introduction wasn't necessary, because the very next morning, I caught you running through the flowers. Do you remember?" Nathan asked, with an amused smile.
Julia laughed low, and nodded. "How could I forget? I thought you regal and handsome and I was embarrassed that you caught me."
Nathan continued, serious. "It was perfect, Julia. A moment frozen in time, that neither of us will ever forget. And, I knew in that moment that the winter was over, for me. I knew that something was going to bloom between you and me, that would last a lifetime." He paused, "And, it has bloomed, Julia. What we have is beautiful and wonderful. And, I want it for a lifetime." He told her. "You and I are like the swing that I built. Each piece of wood has it's own markings and hard places, imperfections. But, when it comes together, and the pieces fit just right, it is beautiful. It becomes a work of art."
Nathan kept going, "Julia, I want to make you a promise today. I promise I will love you, and I will give you all of myself. And, I will let God do what he wants, even with the imperfections." He paused, looking down for a moment, at their hands. Then he lifted his intense gaze back to her, "I think that we can be happy like your parents were happy. You are my rib, Julia." Her eyes filled with tears at his tender confessions, and she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Words seemed so futile in that moment, inadequate to respond to any of the wonderful, amazing things he was saying to her.
Finally, he let go of her hands, and pulled a velvet bag out of his pocket. He dropped down on one knee, and started to take something out of the velvet bag. Julia gasped, and her hands went instinctively to her heart, as it beat madly in her chest.
"Julia, my darling, my beloved, my perfect match, my rib," He paused shortly, "One question..." Nathan just gazed up at her, and let that one sink in. Julia gazed intensely at him as it registered.
One question.
"Eleanor Julia Matthews, will you marry me?" And, Nathan Grant held out the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
Julia gazed down at him, wanting to take in everything about this moment. His handsome face, his look of love, his strong muscular hand as he held the ring. He was so beautiful, and she wanted to etch this moment onto the fabric of her heart forever. She wanted to keep every tender confession tucked away as a treasure, until the end of time.
Finally, she found her voice, "Yes, Nathan. I will marry you. Yes. Two Times." She exclaimed, as a happy tear escaped. "A million times, yes!" She told him. Nathan quickly stood and embraced her, sweeping her up off of her feet, and swinging her around in a circle.
He smiled and she giggled, as they spun. When he set her down, he claimed her lips and kissed her, passionately. His heart soared with the realization that this woman would become his wife. He kissed her long, letting the love flow between them. And, when the kiss deepened, they both jumped out into the deep, together. The deep was beautiful, packed full of possibilities, and future plans, and all their dreams.
When he finally pulled back, they were both breathless and smiled at each other. Nathan realized he hadn't even put the ring on her finger yet. He still held it in his hand. "Julia, the ring." He told her with a soft laugh. Julia giggled low, and realized she wasn't wearing it yet.
They backed up from each other, though just enough for him to slip it on her finger. It fit perfectly. Julia was taken aback by how very exquisite the ring was. It had a delicate and dainty band in white gold, with a huge square diamond in the middle. All around the center diamond was antique detailing, and many smaller diamonds. It was more than she could have ever imagined. She looked up at him, "It's so beautiful, Nathan."
He explained with a broad smile. "It was my grandmother's."
Julia couldn't believe it, "It belonged to Grandma Rose?" She asked him. "And was from Grandpa Sully?"
"Yes." He told her. It was so perfect, and that information made it even more wonderful. Julia had loved them already, from the stories Nathan and Rebecca had told her. Theirs was such a beautiful love story. Julia felt so honored to wear their ring.
Though, she was surprised about something. "It fits exactly."
Nathan smiled at her, "Well, do you remember my jeweler who was supposed to be working on your charm bracelet, but kept looking at your finger?"
"Ah." It donned on her. "He was sneaky and sizing my finger. Is that it?" Julia asked him, realizing in hindsight.
Nathan nodded, "He's good at what he does, don't you think?"
"Indeed he is. The size is perfect." She told Nathan. She wiggled her hand around, admiring the beautiful ring.
Then Julia looked at Nathan. This sweet, thoughtful man, who had thought of everything. This whole day, and everything thing on his little tour. It was unbelievable. His deep ocean of love was never-ending.
"You have rendered me speechless, Nathan." She told him with tears in her eyes. "All of it, it's too much. The land, the house, the swing, the tree, the ring."
Nathan just looked at her with his happy smile. The one she loved the most. And stated, matter of fact, "What's too much? It's all very simple, really. I bought the land because I want to build a future with you. The house, well, we need a place to live and make our family. The swing, was because I knew you would want a nice place to drink your coffee in the morning. And, the tree is because I love you, and want everyone to know. The ring is because I want you, and only you, forever." He did make it sound so simple.
She just keep gazing at him while a happy tear escaped, "It's all a dream come true."
Nathan moved close and placed his hand gently on her cheek. He wiped her happy tear, and told her. "Just tell me yes, that you'll build the dream with me. That's all I need to hear. Because you are the most important part of the picture. You are the one that I need, the one person I can't live without." His words went straight to her heart again. And his tender touch turned her insides to mush.
When she found her voice again, she softly responded, "Yes. I will build the dream with you." She told him softly, "And, you have me, Nathan. All of me." She gave him her own intense gaze as she made her own proclamation, "I am yours, forevermore." At her words, he kept his hand on her cheek and kissed her yet again. Sweet and tender and long. Julia relished the kiss after such sweet sentiments, and held on tight.
When he slowly pulled back, he asked her, "Mrs. Grant-to-be, will you swing with me?"
Julia nodded happily, and Nathan took her hand and led her back to the swing. They sat together, and he put his arm around her. She leaned into his side, cuddled in, and pulled her feet up under her skirts. He gave them a little push off with his feet, and they began to swing again. Julia gazed out at the land.
"So, this will be our view, huh?" Julia asked him, in awe of the scenery before her. It was beautiful.
"Yes. The barn over there." Nathan motioned to the left, against the tree line, so it wouldn't obstruct their view of the valley. "And the chicken house just beyond that."
"And the chickens pecking and scratching in the yard." Julia added, he looked down at her, amused. She looked up at him, and told him simply, "I like chickens."
"Me, too." He told her. "And, the mule, do you remember the mule?"
"Of course, I remember the mule. When I told you I didn't know why there's a mule in my dream, you smiled. Now you can tell me. Why do we have a mule?" Julia teased him.
"I like mules." He told her simply, "And, I need one to pull the plow."
"For my garden?" She asked, looking up at him, playfully.
Nathan chuckled. "Exactly. What should we plant in this garden of yours?"
She thought for a minute. "How about some fat, juicy tomatoes? And, maybe some cabbage, and zucchini, and…squash, and maybe some bell peppers?" Julia looked at him, he was obviously amused. "What else, my love?"
"I like strawberries. And, cucumbers." He added to the list, with a content smile.
"Oh, and lettuce, and maybe some eggplant?" She asked him.
"That will be some garden." Nathan told her.
Julia told him, "Well, if you plow it good with Dreyfus the mule, I'm sure Allie will help me with the rest." When she said Dreyfus, Nathan burst out laughing. Dreyfus was the name of the very first horse the Mounties issued Nathan, the very old one that keeled over in the middle of a mission. He laughed at the memory and was amused that she had remembered. And, it would be a funny name for their mule.
Nathan surmised, "There are so many dreams, between us." He told her. "So many wonderful dreams. I love that."
"Me, too." She told him. "My dreams with you are never-ending."
"Our life will never be boring." He told her.
Julia agreed, "No, it won't."
They swung together for quite a while, taking in the view and the scenery. Just being together. Julia snuggled in to Nathan's side, and he held her.
"How soon can we break ground?" She asked.
Nathan asked her, "On the house?" She nodded. "Well, now that you've said yes, we can start as soon as possible. I'd like to get the foundation and the framing done before winter."
Though there was a question that probably should be answered before the ground breaking. He asked her gently, "But, perhaps the first question is, how soon would you like to get married?"
Julia looked out at the land, and thought for a minute. That was a very good question. She had only been engaged about 20 minutes, so it was hard to say. But, she was ready to start their life together. "I don't know, next week?"
Nathan was so surprised by her answer, he stuttered, "N…Next week?" Surely she was teasing him.
"Oh, yes, I forgot, you are in Union City next week." She gave him a sly smile, letting him know that she was indeed, teasing him. But, the truth was, she didn't want to wait too long. "Maybe I should talk to Rosemary. Is there an amount of time that we are supposed to wait?"
"I already spoke with Rosemary about that, actually. She told me three to six months, and some couples are engaged up to a year." Nathan told her the facts.
"Oh, no. That's much too long, Nathan. Could you imagine waiting a year?" She asked him. And, no, he honestly couldn't either. So, he shook his head no.
"Julia, aren't there people you would like to be with us, for the ceremony? Auntie Elle, for example? And I would like my mother to come." He told her.
Julia pointed a finger, "And, Charlie. Charlie should be there." Nathan liked that she had included Charlie. She paused, and looked at him, calculating something. "Maybe I should call Auntie Elle, and you call your mother and Charlie, and see if we can find a good date, not too far off, when they can be present?"
"That sounds reasonable." Nathan told her. Though, he was relieved to hear they wouldn't have a year long engagement. "A wedding in the fall would be pretty. With the leaves changing colors."
"Oh, Nathan, I agree. I love Autumn. And, a wedding then would be just lovely. That would be two or three months time? Which would be just perfect." Julia told him. He nodded in agreement. "Auntie Elle wanted to come for a visit already, in the fall."
Julia asked him with a smile. "When do the leaves start changing colors here?"
Nathan loved where she was going with this, now. "Towards the end of September, and that could be just right."
"Oh yes, just perfect." Julia smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, as they swung.
Nathan and Julia swung for a long time on their "front porch". Dreaming, and sharing, and laughing together. Nathan was now an open book, and shared all of his ideas for the property. Julia loved everything he shared, and reveled at this man who was so thoughtful and so loving. He was a deep ocean, and she would live the rest of her life discovering more and more of his depths.
When the afternoon started to fade into evening, they reluctantly packed up to go home. They walked back, hand in hand, to the horses. Nathan got them ready to ride, and helped Julia mount. Then he mounted Newton and they headed back to Hope Valley, side by side.
After dropping the horses at the livery, they walked to Nathan's where Allie and Archie had prepared dinner. Allie had also invited Jake, to come and celebrate her dad and Julia's engagement.
Archie's prayer before dinner, sung in deep baritone melodies, was a beautiful blessing for the union to come. His thoughtfulness brought tears to Julia's eyes, once again. Her heart was full, as she sat and ate with the most important people in her life. These were the ones that mattered the most.
Later, Julia twirled the ring on her finger as Jake told the story of how Nathan had asked for her hand. How he had waited one evening in the livery, and asked to accompany Jake on rounds. And then Nathan had promised to take care of her, and honor her, all the days of her life. Just when she thought her heart couldn't get any more full.
When Nathan walked her home, he held her hand tight. Then he kissed her breathless, under the stars. When he held her close, and a countdown began in his heart. A countdown to when this woman, whom he loved to the deepest depths of his heart, would finally become his wife.