Elizabeth was relieved and happy to hear the outcome of the town meeting. Not only did it mean she could finally let go of the last reminder of her marriage to Lucas, but the vote was also a reflection of what she had come to think of as the town's spirit - a place for compassion and second chances. She had been shown both since coming to make this place home.
Bill and Frank worked out the arrangement of the sale between them. All Elizabeth had to do was to stop by Bill's office to put her signature on some papers. As she signed her name, it felt as if a weight was lifting from her. No longer did the house belong to her, reminding her of the lie she had been tricked into living.
"When will the sale be finalized?" Frank asked, looking across the desk at Bill.
"It'll take a few weeks for things to be properly filed," Bill replied. "I know some people in Union City that I can ask to make this a priority, though."
"I would appreciate that. Having the kids spread out like we do is hard and there are some changes I want to make to the interior of the house," Frank replied, having made notes when Bill had walked him through the place while they were negotiating the price.
"Feel free to start making those changes at any time," Elizabeth said, the words slipping out easily. The sooner the house was ready, the sooner the boys in Frank and Edward's care would have a proper home.
"Are you sure?" Frank asked, looking in her direction. "What if by some chance the sale falls through? If the renovations are only partially done, it might make selling the place even harder."
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care. More than once, when a storm came through the area, I hoped it might be struck by lighting and burned down. All that is there for me are bad memories."
Frank reached out and captured her hand in hers. Elizabeth looked briefly at their hands and then met the preacher's eyes.
"I don't know all the details, but you have been in my prayers. Abigail mentioned that she didn't think your marriage to Lucas was a happy one."
"It wasn't. Though it took me way too long to admit that to myself." Reaching up, Elizabeth wiped the tears threatening to escape her eyes, away.
"Sometimes those closest to a situation have the worst view of what it is really like and going through hardships can give us a greater appreciation for our blessings. Though God never relishes the difficult situations our choices put us in, he is there for us throughout. He uses those moments to make the good times, when we finally choose to take the path He intended for us, that much sweeter. I can tell that you and Nathan have a good marriage, one that is only strengthened by the adversity that you both had to work through to achieve it."
Elizabeth was soothed by the words. Her guilt over the baby she had lost once again bubbled up. It wasn't something that she had shared in depth with anyone. She was afraid her friends would condemn her for the initial relief she had felt over its loss instead of comforting her in her regret. If anyone could help her find peace with that situation and not judge her harshly for her thoughts, it was Frank.
"Can I speak to you privately as pastor and parishioner at some point?" Elizabeth asked him.
"The answer would be yes even if I was not your official pastor once again," Frank assured her. "You can talk to me about anything, and it will stay between you, me, and the Lord. From my understanding, Bill was going to walk you home after this meeting."
Elizabeth nodded. "Ellen was watching Jack today so that Nathan could work in the shop and Bill was going to escort me home."
"Then, if it is all right with the judge, how about I escort you home instead and we can talk. I sense that this is something that has been weighing on you for quite a while now."
Elizabeth nodded her consent.
"Well, if you will be accompanying Elizabeth home, then I will see about getting these papers off to Union City," Bill said as he gathered the now signed documents and put them into a folder. "Perhaps I might be able to arrange a courier to drive them to Union City rather than waiting for the post. I hear that Gabriel has been given the okay to ride again. He might appreciate a reason to send one of his Mounties out of town so that he can justify doing rounds himself tomorrow."
"Bill!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Though she tried to make the admonishment sound scolding there was amusement in her tone. All three knew there was a lot of truth in those words.
"So, is there anything else you need us for?" Frank asked, letting go of Elizabeth's hand as he looked back to Bill.
"Not right now," the judge replied. Opening the top drawer of his desk, he found a pair of keys tied together with a ribbon and handed them to Frank. "As Elizabeth has given her consent for you to start your renovations, I will turn the keys over to you now."
Frank accepted the keys and stood. Offering a hand to Elizabeth, he helped her to her feet. Bill got up and came around the desk. He gave Elizabeth a fatherly embrace before leading her toward the coat rack to help her with her coat. Once Frank and Elizabeth had donned their winter garments, Frank held the door for Elizabeth and the two headed outside.
In deference to the packed snow under their feet that could be slippery in places, Frank offered Elizabeth his arm. The schoolteacher slipped hers through his gratefully. They walked silently through the town and out past the pond. As they passed the white building that still stood alone by the pond, Elizabeth's gaze lingered on it. She might not teach there any longer, but the place was still dear to her heart. It always would be.
"I will take good care of the building while I am Hope Valley's pastor," Frank said softly beside her. "I can still see the pride and love in Jack's eyes when we spoke about it. I may have gotten to share it on Sundays, but he built that place for you."
"It may seem silly, but even now, I feel closer to Jack when I am in that building than I do when I stand at his grave."
Frank shook his head. "That is not silly at all. Our loved one's souls do not linger in their graves. It is merely a resting place for their physical being and a place to help those left behind remember them. The schoolhouse that Jack built you holds all the memories that you need to keep him alive in your heart."
Elizabeth nodded but fell silent until the schoolhouse was obscured by the trees on the island in the pond. Looking forward again, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before bringing up the topic that she wanted to discuss with the pastor. As they continued the walk to the home she shared with Nathan, Elizabeth poured out everything in her heart concerning the baby she had lost - including the pain of knowing that Nathan had discerned the truth in one meeting while her own husband thought she was just getting fat. She even told him in detail about how her fall had occurred that night.
As her free hand came to rest on her abdomen she confessed, "sometimes I fear that God might take this little one from me as punishment for my relief of losing that baby."
"It isn't our thoughts that God judges but our hearts. Would you have ever sought out a way to purposely terminate that pregnancy despite all the fears that surrounded it?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "I couldn't even imagine doing something like that."
"And God knows that. Your fall that night was caused by Lucas."
Elizabeth opened her mouth, ready to argue that she didn't think her ex-husband had meant for her to fall down the stairs, but Frank hurried on.
"Now, I am not about to argue whether he intended to or not. That truth died with him. However, it was still his actions, intentional or not, that caused you to fall that night, not your own. You told me that you grieved for that lost life you carried even though you felt relief that you were not bringing them into the bad situation you were living in. Those feelings are perfectly human. Give the guilt you are feeling up to God and simply rejoice in the blessing he has given to you and your family in the form of the life you are carrying now."
"Will you pray with me?" Elizabeth asked.
"Of course," Frank replied, bringing them to a stop at the end of the drive leading up to the Grant's home.
There, alongside the road, Frank held Elizabeth's gloved hands in her own. He began the prayer asking for peace and protection for Elizabeth and her family. Then, with eyes closed, Elizabeth spoke her own prayer to the Lord. It wasn't the first time for some of the regret she had about her choices and what Little Jack had endured because of them, but it was the first time she offered up her regret and guilt over her lost child. As she finally said Amen, Elizabeth felt lighter than she had in a long time. A flutter in her abdomen, though it seemed a little too soon to be sensing movement, reminded her of the blessing she carried with her. A new life created from the love that she and Nathan had for each other.
"Thank you," Elizabeth told Frank, the two words holding so much meaning that she couldn't put into words.
"You are welcome, my dear," Frank said, his voice full of assurance.
Tucking her hand in the crook of his elbow, Frank began to lead her up the drive to her home.
"Will you stay for supper tonight, pastor?" Elizabeth asked.
"I would love to. Beats eating alone," Frank replied, even as Nathan stepped out of his wood shop as they came into view. The pastor raised his hand in greeting, looking forward to getting to know Nathan Grant and his family better over a meal.
"Are you sure that Tom can't make rounds himself?" Faith asked, her voice filled with worry as she watched her husband put the saddle on Apollo. Yes, she had cleared him for duty. She and Gabriel had even taken a horseback ride together the day before so she could monitor how his newly healed arm handled the activity. Still, she had been expecting that he would be spending a good portion of his time still in the office. Instead, she found out the Corporal Mayne was borrowing Henry's automobile to take papers to Union City for Bill.
"I am very sure," Gabriel replied, patience and love lacing his tone as he spoke to his wife despite the exasperation he was feeling because at her over protectiveness. "Tom is still in his probation period, which means he is still learning. He needs to be supervised in the field and as Corporal Mayne went to Union City, that means I need to supervise him."
Gabriel continued with his task without missing a beat.
"Well then maybe you should have done the errand instead of Corporal Mayne."
"If I had done that, I would have been staying overnight in Union City instead of coming home to you tonight," Gabriel reminded her as he pulled the girth tight.
Faith gave an exasperated sigh of defeat.
Gabriel finished securing the saddle and then walked over to the door of the stall where Faith was standing on the other side. "I promise I will be careful. If my arm starts to ache, we will cut rounds short."
"If we have to cut wood or any other physical labor for anyone, I will do it myself ma'am," Tom spoke up from where he stood holding Coal Dust's reigns.
Gabriel didn't have to look in the younger Mountie's direction to know the reassurance for Faith was delivered with a smirk intended for him.
"You make sure you take advantage of that offer," Faith told him, a stern look in her eyes.
"Yes ma'am," Gabriel replied, before leaning across the stall door between them to place a sweet kiss on her lips. Despite the momentary frustration he felt at her fussing, he still knew he was a lucky man to have someone love him the way Faith did. "I'll be careful," he promised her softly as he pulled back from the kiss.
"You better," Faith replied.
As Gabriel finished tacking Apollo, Faith switched from trying to convince him not to go to giving him precautions. Knowing that it was his wife's way of dealing with her anxiety, Gabriel listened good-naturedly. A glance at Tom showed the young man's amusement though he held his tongue.
As much as he loved Faith, Gabriel couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him as he finally rode off. Looking over his shoulder, he offered her a final wave as she stood next to the livery.
A soft chuckle at his side caused Gabriel to look over at Tom. "You'll get it when you get married," he told the younger man.
"Given the bridges I've burned in relationships already, I am not sure marriage is in my future."
"It will come when you least expect it," Gabriel said.
Tom nodded but didn't respond, the two falling into a comfortable silence as they continued on their way.
Though she had been thinking about what to do with the money from the sale of the house since signing the papers, Elizabeth had kept her thoughts to herself at first. Giving Nathan's practical nature, she wasn't sure how he would feel about making plans before the sale was finalized. However, as the days went by the desire to share her thoughts increased. The fact that Nathan was building bunk beds for the boys' use remind her that Frank wasn't waiting for the sale to finalize - he was going through with his plans on faith.
Perhaps making plans ahead of time wasn't a bad thing.
"Are you still awake?" Elizabeth asked as she lay in Nathan's embrace, her head pillowed on his shoulder.
"Sort of," Nathan said, sleepily. She had a feeling he had been starting to drift off. "What's on your mind?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I have been contemplating what we might do with the money from the sale of the house," Elizabeth ventured.
"Well, I guess we could make plans though I'm not sure I am comfortable with going ahead with anything until the sale is finalized like Frank is," Nathan ventured.
Elizabeth smiled to herself.
"Of course, from what I understand, their venture is very well backed."
"If Mr. Montclair is backing them, then yes, financials would not be a problem for them," Elizabeth said, thinking of the information she had learned back in Hamilton from Margaret.
"So, what is on your mind?" Nathan asked her.
"I was thinking perhaps we might see if Bill is willing to sell us this place," Elizabeth said. "I think we've settled in very nicely. Jack's got his pond for Nate. You've got your wood shop. Even if eventually you want to start a place in town, you would still have a place to work on personal projects here."
"Or I could just expand the shop here and stay close to home," Nathan told her. "There would be room to expand the house as well. Perhaps build a first-floor master bedroom and nursery so you don't have to do the steps was much. Colleen always complained about the steps during the end of her pregnancy with Allie. Not sure we could get it done to make much of a difference for this little one," Nathan said, the hand not wrapped around her finding its way to her stomach. "But perhaps there will be other children."
"How many children do you want?" Elizabeth asked.
"It might be fun to play baseball in my own yard with my kids," Nathan ventured lightly.
Elizabeth laughed. "Not quite sure I am up to having that many children, but I will take however many we are blessed with."
"That sounds good," Nathan said. "And maybe once we're more settled, we can think about giving a home to a child who needs a second set of parents. A mother is a teacher as well."
"I would be open to that discussion at some point, though right now I am just looking forward to welcoming this little one into the world. This testament to our love. Thank you, Nathan, for loving me through the darkness."
"Thank you for finally helping me heal the cracks in my heart. I told Rosemary once that I wasn't sure it would ever feel whole again, but your love just might prove that statement wrong," Nathan whispered in her ear. "And as we are making plans for the future, now might be a good time to ask you how you would feel about doing a vow renewal for our anniversary. Even if it is just family and close friends again. I was thinking of doing a bigger celebration but given the coming baby, I wasn't sure if you would feel up to that."
Elizabeth let the idea wash over her. She didn't remember much of saying vows with Nathan the first time. Her clearest memory was of him returning the locket with Jack's picture in it. She had agreed to marry Nathan because she hadn't known what else to do. He offered her a lifeline and she had grabbed hold of it.
Now, she truly loved the man laying here beside her. Though it was different, it was just as strong as her love for Jack had been. Being able to say those vows to Nathan, in love, would be a wonderful feeling. She had no doubt it would be significant for him, especially as he was suggesting it.
Though the baby was a visible sign to others that their union was more than just one of convenience now, saying the vows in front of their family, friends, and neighbors would allow for a celebration of the love that existed now.
The thought of doing so visibly pregnant did not bother her. It was a renewal of their vows. This baby had been conceived within a legal union and in love. There was nothing to be ashamed of.
"I think I would like to repeat my vows to you in front of all of our family and friends," Elizabeth said. "I am sure Rosemary could help me figure out a style that would look becoming on me no matter how much I am showing at the time. Perhaps both Bill and Frank could officiate this time."
"Are you sure?" Nathan asked, his voice breathy with disbelief.
Elizabeth shifted so that she could face Nathan. "I am. I want to proclaim my love for you in front of everyone. You have loved me through better and worse already and you deserve the recognition for that."
Not giving him a chance to verbalize a response, Elizabeth leaned in and pressed her lips against his. She put all of herself into the kiss and soon Nathan returned the loving gesture. She had a feeling that the expression of their love was going to go beyond the kiss, and she was perfectly okay with that.