Quinn woke rested, despite having difficulty getting to sleep the previous night. After saying goodnight to Nathan, she had lain in bed thinking about him, thinking of the conversation they shared, and his confession that he wanted to spend time with her. Quinn thought about the Picnic they would share, wondering what it would be like when Allie was with them. Quinn was glad Allie was joining them; besides enjoying the young girl's company, she needed a chaperone, she thought, considering she had initiated the hand holding the night before.
Quinn had offered to pack the food for the Picnic and wondered what she should take. Quinn wasn't sure what Nathan and Allie liked to eat, besides Minnie's chocolate cake, of course, but then who didn't like that.
Quinn knew she had to hurry if she was going to prepare and pack the food, leaving enough time to get to Church for services. Quickly tidying up her room, she made a mental list of the ingredients she would need for the Picnic, hoping most would be available in the kitchen. Bill, for all his gruffness, had said to her to make herself at home, but she had insisted on paying him for board and lodgings, not wanting to take advantage of his generosity.
Bill had told her most people came to the Cafe after services on Sunday, so she wouldn't be in the way of the breakfast rush if she went down now to prepare her food.
Checking her reflection to ensure she was presentable, Quinn looked at herself critically. Selecting her outfit had taken much longer than it usually did; yes, she wanted to dress suitably for Church, she also knew she was dressing for Nathan. What did you wear to a picnic that involved fishing? Maybe two outfits were more appropriate, one for Church and then a change for fishing. Quinn hoped what she was wearing was suitable for services; perhaps she would have a chance to ask Allie how to dress for fishing. Quinn thought about that; Allie seemed to be a bit of a Tomboy, so that might not be such a good idea. She thought, giving herself a mental shake; stop fussing; Nathan won't care what you wear; make sure you are presentable for Church.
Shaking her head at her foolishness, she took one last look at herself; she had on a white blouse with a tie at the neck and ribbon detail on the sleeves along with a teal blue skirt. She hoped the shorter skirt length was acceptable for Sunday service, she had noticed a similar style on Fiona and Faith, and no one had been outraged, although that was in the Saloon. Hearing voices outside on the street, she looked out her window and saw Fiona walking down the road, again wearing an outfit like Quinn's, so she felt comfortable in her choice. Pulling her curls from her face and securing them with a small clip decorated with teal flowers, she left the room to go downstairs and prepare food for the Picnic.
Skipping lightly down the stairs, energised by the thought of seeing Nathan and Allie, she burst into the kitchen to find Bill at the stove, preparing something in a large pot. "Good morning, Bill; how are you today?" she called out happily. At her greeting, he turned to her frowning. Her smile grew broader at his dark expression. She said, "What has you so upset this morning? It's very early to be so grumpy".
Bill harrumphed at her, "it's never too early to be grumpy, especially considering that I've just found out the Saloon isn't going to open for lunch today, and they are directing everyone to the Cafe for meals. I suppose it's too much to ask that Bouchard give me a heads up when things like this happen." he grumbled.
"Why isn't the saloon opening?" She asked curiously. "It was open last night, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong that would cause it to be closed today." Quinn realised that Lucas Bouchard was one of the few prominent Hope Valley residents she had yet to meet, along with Elizabeth Thornton, the Schoolteacher. She knew Elizabeth was the widow of the Town's previous Mountie and had a small child; she had heard she and Lucas were courting.
Bill spun toward her, "you were at the Saloon last night? With who? I hope you didn't go wandering over there on your own, it's a safe establishment, but now and then, you get the wrong type of people travelling through Town who end up making trouble." His frown was now directed at her, as he was genuinely concerned. He knew Quinn had lived in a place where she was well known, and the townspeople, until her recent trouble, would have looked out for her; she didn't have that in Hope Valley yet. Hope Valley could give people a false sense of safety, and Quinn, being new to the Town, wouldn't know that there could be trouble sometimes.
Quinn raised an eyebrow at Bill and said, "Yes, I did go to the Saloon last night, and yes, I did walk over there all on my own, is that a problem?" She knew she shouldn't be teasing him, but technically it wasn't a lie; she had walked over there by herself. Quinn watched as his face reddened in outrage, his mouth opened in shock.
She decided she should put him out of his misery before he got on a roll, and she didn't have a chance to stop him, "Calm down, Bill, yes I went to the Saloon last night, and yes I did walk over by myself. I met up with Fiona, Faith, Mike, and Kevin. Nathan also joined us, and at the end of the night, he insisted on walking me back here and making sure I was safe and secure before heading home himself." She finished with an innocent smile.
Bill shook his head at her, his face softening, and she could tell he was trying to hide a smile, "Well, of course, he walked you home; he is a Mountie; it's his job to keep the townspeople safe." He turned back to the stove, stirring the pot of stew and missed the smile slip from Quinn's face.
She swallowed; Bill seemed sure Nathan only walked her home out of a sense of duty. As a Mountie and honourable man, Nathan would make sure anyone in her situation got home safe, but that wasn't the only reason she told herself; stop doubting him, he didn't have to say those things last night, he didn't have to invite her on a picnic. He didn't have to hold her hand. She grimaced to herself, alright, actually, she had held his hand, but Nathan hadn't let go and seemed happy about it.
"What's that look on your face for?" Bill asked her.
Lost in her negative thoughts, Quinn hadn't realised he had turned back around; blushing, she said, "What look?" She felt her cheeks burning and hoped they would cool before she gave away any more of her thoughts. She went to the kitchen pantry and began busily looking for the ingredients she needed for the Picnic.
Scrambling, Quinn asked him, "Do you need anything at the mercantile, Bill? I am going to go and pick up some things I need for the Picnic and work tomorrow?" still avoiding looking at him, collecting her basket and keeping her head down.
Bill looked perplexed at the change in her demeanour but said nothing, just shook his head and said, "I have all I need for the café and don't buy too many things for your desk; I like things uncluttered."
Quinn smiled, "noted Bill," and walked out the door. Quinn laughed as she heard Bill call out from inside the café, "what picnic?" and kept walking.
There was a soft knock on the door near the kitchen, and as it opened, Fiona stuck her head through. "Hi Bill, I don't mean to disturb you, but I was looking for Quinn; we wondered if she wanted to walk to Church later with Mike and me," she said, smiling at him and looking around the room for Quinn.
Mike pushed the door open wider and stepped around Fiona, "what she means is that she wants to get the gossip about Quinn and Nathan on the way there," he said with a slight frown. "I would prefer to be left out of it."
Bill frowned at her, "What gossip?" he demanded, starting to worry about what he had missed.
"Well," said Fiona animatedly, her eyes lighting up, "we were at the Saloon last night, and Nathan joined us, and you know he rarely does that. He sat next to Quinn, and Nathan was talking a mile a minute. You should have seen the chemistry between them!" she took a breath and realised that neither Bill nor Mike seemed as keen on the conversation as she was; maybe they were the wrong audience, she thought, perhaps she should talk about it with Faith. Needing an excuse to leave the two of them, she said, "I just remembered I need to talk to Faith about something. Mike, Bill, I will see you at Church," she exclaimed and quickly left the Cafe in search of her friend.
Bill looked at Hickam and raised one eyebrow, "Is that true?" he questioned.
Mike looked at Bill and shrugged, "I don't think anyone would ever accuse Nathan of talking a mile a minute, but he did surprise me by showing up, we always ask, but he never says yes, and he checked beforehand if Quinn would be there." He paused, trying to think how to phrase what he wanted to say, "Fiona was right; he did talk more than usual, and he barely took his eyes off Quinn all night. She was the same; you could tell something was going on between them." Mike shrugged; he didn't know what the big deal was.
Quinn stood in the Mercantile, looking at the shelf of writing materials, having already selected several items for her desk, but not so many Bill would be offended, she thought with a smile. She reached to pick up a notebook, thinking it would make a good Journal; the bell over the door of the Mercantile trilled, announcing another customer. Quinn looked over and saw Nathan walking through the door; her face flushed instantly, remembering the previous night. Nathan was the reason she was considering buying a Journal, to help her process her thoughts and feelings about the handsome Constable.
As Nathan stepped into the Mercantile, he looked around, his face lighting up when he saw Quinn. He couldn't believe his luck; he had resigned himself to not seeing her until Church, where he may not even have the chance to talk to her. As always, his heart sped up at the sight of her. He'd had trouble sleeping last night, thinking about the possibilities for them if she would agree to spend more time with him. Although he already had the Picnic to look forward to, he wanted more.
Quinn watched Nathan walk towards her, smiling broadly, and she couldn't stop a matching smile lighting up her face. He was dressed for Church, wearing a light brown tweed three-piece suit, looking attractive, as always. Quinn's heart fluttered, which she realised was her usual reaction to seeing Nathan and wondered if she would always feel that.
As he reached her, Nathan looked into her eyes and said, "Good morning", lightly brushing her hand with his; he wanted her to know how much he wished to hold her hand, wanting to be the one who reached out first. Touching her hand sent a jolt of electricity through him; as he watched, her eyes widened as well, and he knew she felt something too. Her husky 'good morning, Constable' made heat pool in his stomach, and his mouth went dry.
Quinn hadn't realised how much she had needed to see Nathan after her conversation with Bill; she needed to be sure he didn't walk her home out of a sense of duty. It had taken one smile and a brush of his hand to convince her she hadn't imagined last night but, she still hoped to have the chance to talk to him about it.
"What brings you to the Mercantile Nathan?" she asked, hoping to cover her reaction to him, especially in front of Florence, who she was sure didn't miss anything when it came to observing her customers. "I came to get some things for work on Monday and our picnic." Smiling, she said, "I am still not sure about the fishing part, though."
Nathan grinned at her, "I will leave the convincing you to fish to Allie; she spent her time at Breakfast talking about ways she could get you to try it. I know I shouldn't give all her secrets away, but she is willing to negotiate; if you decide to try fishing, you may be able to get her to agree to clean any you catch."
Quinn nodded "thank you for sharing that;" her eyes were glowing, but her tone remained serious, " I won't tell; your secret is safe with me," she said and placed a finger on her lips. She watched Nathan's eyes follow the direction of her finger, and when she dropped her hand, his eyes lingered on her lips. Studying his face, she saw his eyes darken and tried to stifle the feeling that went through her already fluttering stomach.
Nathan watched Quinn wishing he could reach out and touch her face and trace the curve of her cheek with his finger. He looked into Quinn's eyes and knew she understood how he was feeling, seeing that same longing echoing in her eyes.
"Ahem." said a voice causing both Nathan and Quinn to jump, "I am sorry to disturb you, but I just need to sneak past you," said Rosemary delighted to have startled them. She had taken one look at the two of them standing together and knew they had no thought for anyone else in the Mercantile. How fascinating, Nathan and Quinn seemed to be very cosy, considering she had just arrived in Hope Valley. Shaking her head as she walked past them, who was she to judge? She and Lee had a whirlwind courtship, and look how happy they were.
Nathan and Quinn looked at each other and grinned. Quinn said, "maybe I should pay for these and get back to Abigail's", although she made no move to leave.
Nathan nodded, "Let me walk with you," he said, not wanting to end their time together so soon. Placing his arm on the small of Quinn's back, he walked with her to the counter.
Rosemary watched Nathan take the basket from her, opening the door to allow her to leave before him, once again placing his hand against the small of her back. Smiling, she thought, they might think they were being subtle, but they weren't fooling anyone. Watching them leave, she thought what a beautiful couple, they looked perfect together.