Chapter 18

Allie was a whirlwind, gathering everything she wanted to take to stay with Quinn. "Slow down, Allie!" Nathan exclaimed, "you still have to wait for me, you know. I am starting to feel a little hurt you are so keen to get out of here."

Allie ran past Nathan, heading upstairs for something else she had forgotten, "I'm not happy you aren't going to be here; it's just I have never stayed somewhere like the cafe before, mostly just houses. I don't remember the hotels we stayed at before when we moved around."

"I am teasing, and remember you aren't going far; if you have forgotten something you need, Miss Standing will bring you home to get it," he said to her. Nathan waited for her to return, wondering at her idea of essential when he saw three books in her arms. "Allie, I might only be gone one night." He hoped it would only be one night.

Allie shrugged her shoulder resigned, "I know," she said, recovering her smile. "but it might be more, and that's why I have three books."

"Hi Uncle Bill", Allie called out excitedly as she walked into the kitchen at Abigail's, "did you know I am going to be staying here tonight?"

"Yes, I did, and I am going to check how much chocolate cake is left before I leave so I know whether you and Quinn sneak down and eat any after I am gone," he said, laughing.

Following Allie inside, Nathan looked at Quinn's face as she laughed at Allie's enthusiasm; as always, she was beautiful, but when she looked at his daughter with such adoration, there were no words to describe how incredible she was in his eyes. Moving into the Kitchen, he set down the bag Allie had packed, still shaking his head at the amount it contained.

Bill looked over, "all that for one night, Allie? You will never get it up the stairs without help."

While Bill teased Allie, Quinn watched Nathan come toward her, stopping next to her at the bench. Looking at him, her face shy, she said, "I thought I would make some food for you to take with you; now that you will be missing out on my well-gutted fish for dinner, you'll need something else to keep you going."

Nathan smiled at her and discreetly touched her hand. "Thank you, Quinn, this means a lot. I am sorry I won't get to eat dinner with you and Allie; I was looking forward to it." Nathan knew he wanted a chance to say goodbye to Quinn privately but wasn't sure how he would manage it until Bill came to his rescue.

"Shouldn't you already have left by now, Constable?" he asked, smiling to take the sting out of his words. "You don't want Gabe standing around waiting for you when there are criminals to catch."

"Yes, Bill, unfortunately, I do need to go, come and say goodbye, Allie," he said, beckoning her over and hugging her. He hated to say goodbye to Allie; it was always just as hard, he thought, squeezing her a little tighter before letting her go. "Be good for Miss Standing, okay, don't keep her awake all night," he said, kissing the top of her head, "and don't eat too much chocolate cake."

Bill watched them, his face kind. He looked at Nathan and gave him a sly grin, "Allie, help me carry your bag up to your room; it's taking up all the spare room in the kitchen," he said, winking at Nathan.

Of course, Quinn felt her face redden; she wished she had some control over it but knew it was a lost cause. Despite her embarrassment, she was glad of the chance to say goodbye to Nathan privately.

Nathan turned to her, taking her hand, and said, laughing, "I will never complain again about how much Allie packs." Quinn's laugh mingled perfectly with his, the husky sounds sending the butterflies swirling in his stomach. Reaching out, he gently caressed her face, taking the time to study it, memorising every detail.

Quinn didn't know how to say goodbye to Nathan; this was the first time she had experienced something like this, and she was sad and scared. Looking at his crooked smile, seeing him dressed in his Serge, was enough to set her heart racing, which, added to missing him, had her stomach twisted in knots.

Nathan leaned down and whispered, "are you okay with this, all of this, Allie, me leaving..?" He was confused by the look on her face, not sure he was reading it correctly.

"Of course, I am not okay you're leaving, but everything to do with Allie is more than okay." Quinn frowned up at him, "I don't know how to deal with what I am feeling. I'm worried about you and so proud of what you're doing at the same time. I'm going to miss you." Quinn could feel the tears prickling the back of her eyes and ducked her head, not wanting Nathan to see them.

Nathan's breath caught; few people outside his family had ever worried about him like this; while it made him happy, he didn't want to cause Quinn unhappiness. He struggled to find the right words to tell Quinn how he felt, but it wasn't easy to convey it all. They moved at the same time, leaning into each other, lips joining.

Quinn wanted Nathan to know how much she cared for him, her fears for him, how lonely she would feel knowing he wasn't close by. Feeling Nathan's arms wrap around her, tightening as the kiss intensified, she knew he understood.

Breaking apart, they stared at each other while they regained control of their emotions and breathing, aware Allie and Bill could be back anytime. Quinn touched Nathan's face lightly, running her fingers over his cheek and strong jaw, allowing her thumb to slide across the dimple in his chin she loved so much.

Nathan looked at Quinn, his blue eyes full of emotion, "I will do everything to get back as quickly as possible." His face broke out into a bashful smile, "I miss you already, and I haven't even left yet," he said, taking hold of both her hands.

Quinn nodded, "make sure you don't do anything rash just to get home; take it as slowly as you need to make sure you come back to us safe."

Bill and Allie walked downstairs into the Kitchen, making much more noise than necessary. Bill looked at the two of them with a knowing smile, and Allie was smirking at them from behind Bill.

"Time to go, Constable," said Bill, clapping him on the shoulder. "Stay vigilant, and make sure you catch those guys before they can do any more harm." Bill's face was calm, but his eyes let Nathan know he knew this could be dangerous and to take care.

The three of them stepped out of the cafe to say goodbye to Nathan and Newton. Nathan mounted Newtown and looked back to them; as he tipped his hat, Quinn blew him a kiss, and his face broke out into an enormous smile. As Bill and Allie laughed, Nathan and Newton trotted out of town toward where he would meet Gabe. Allie and Quinn stood, watching until he was out of sight, arms wrapped around each other, Allie leaning her head against Quinn's shoulder. Quinn wasn't sure who was comforting who, but it didn't matter; neither of them would be happy until Nathan was home.

Quinn and Allie decided to have their dinner in the cafe; they could eat breakfast in the Kitchen in the morning. Abigails was busy, and they chatted to many people while eating dinner. Quinn tried not to laugh at how many people tried to hide their surprise at the two of them eating alone; she was sure Florence wouldn't stop until she had all the details of why that was.

The one awkward moment came when Elizabeth stopped at the cafe on her way home. Quinn heard her telling Florence she had dinner with Lucas but was buying dessert to take to Laura and Little Jack. Elizabeth stopped at their table, greeting both Quinn and Allie, although her gaze remained on Allie. "Hello Allie, is your father away?" When Allie responded by nodding, as her mouth was full, Elizabeth decided to turn her attention to Quinn, addressing her directly for once.

"I believe you met my father's lawyer, Mr Lydell Miss Standing? she said to Quinn, making her statement into a question.

"Yes, I did, Mrs Thornton; although I hadn't realised the connection to you at the time, I wasn't aware of your Maiden name," Quinn responded. "I am sure there is quite a story of how you came to be in Hope Valley from Hamilton."

Quinn watched Elizabeth blink, and Allie turned a laugh into a cough. Quinn wasn't sure what she had said, but she had said something wrong!

Elizabeth pressed her lips together in annoyance, although quickly recovered to smile at Quinn condescendingly, "there is indeed quite a story, Miss Standing, one that has recently been published."

Quinn, realising now why Allie had laughed, said hastily, "Well, that is a novel I would love to read." Quinn knew that Elizabeth wanted to turn the conversation back to My Lydell, but there wasn't a way to do so without it being obvious; she and Allie paused while Elizabeth clumsily excused herself and said goodbye.

Later, Bill stood at their table, watching as they finished off a large slice of chocolate cake, teasing them about the number of pieces he knew were left. Quinn looked at Allie when she saw her stifling a yawn, realising it was getting late. "Oh Allie, here I am keeping you awake when your Uncle thought it would be the other way around; we need to get you up to bed." Quinn bustled Allie out of the cafe and upstairs, saying good night to Bill and promising not to eat more cake.

Allie settled into her bed in Quinn's room, excited to be sharing the same room as her. Quinn was sure she could have used Jesse and Clara's room, but sleeping over and sharing the room seemed more fun. They had taken turns using the washroom before climbing into their beds.

Quinn was nervous, wondering how to tell Allie about what had happened so that she would understand; there were things adults understood without explanation that children didn't.

"Allie, remember I told you that I would tell you my story one day? Would you like to hear it now?" Quinn asked her nervously.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Miss Standing, or if it's too hard to talk about it," Allie said kindly, although her face showed her curiosity and desire to hear it.

Quinn said, "I want to tell you, Allie, but not all of it will be nice to hear, and I might get a little sad remembering part of what happened. It's my story Allie, and I want to be the one to share it with you; I don't want you hearing it from anyone else who might not know the real story."

Allie nodded solemnly, and Quinn started her story by telling Allie about growing up with just her father, how she hardly remembered her mother. Quinn described her life with her father how their favourite thing to do together was early morning rides near their home in Oakville. She told Allie about the Fieldings, their closest friends, growing up with Joshua, who was like a brother, and how Mary Fielding had taken on the role of mother.

Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, Quinn told Allie about the morning her father died, tears running down her cheeks, unheeded. Quinn saw the tears forming in Allie's eyes; as a child being raised by a single father, she could empathise with Quinn more so than anyone else who knew her story.

Quinn's face tensed as she told Allie about the rumours spread about her involvement with her father's death. She described the townspeople's attitude and how they had turned against her, people, she had known her whole life. She explained to Allie how she felt when people called her a murderer, when Gabe arrested her and put her in a jail cell, why she was frightened to visit the Mountie office. Smiling softly, she told Allie about her friend Sam, meeting Bill, and starting again in Hope Valley.

Throughout telling her story, Quinn gauged Allie's reaction, making sure she said her enough so she could understand but not feel overwhelmed. Quinn saw Allie's face become sad, occasionally tears welled in her eyes, and when she heard about Mary Fielding, she reached out and grasped Quinn's hand, not letting go.

Quinn finally finished her story and sat waiting for a reaction from Allie. She hoped Allie understood all she had explained to her, but it was a lot to take in. Finally, when she didn't think she could stand it any longer, Allie leapt out from under the covers and threw herself into Quinn's arms, crying her heart out.

Quinn felt terrible. Clearly, she had said too much, been too graphic for Allie's tender heart. "Allie, I am so sorry; I never meant to upset you; I shouldn't have told you," Quinn cried, tears springing to her eyes again.

Allie spoke, her voice muffled against Quinn's shoulder and shook her head, "I am glad you told me; I just hate that happened to you; how could they do that to you?" she cried out. "It's not right, and how could Uncle Gabe arrest you?"

"Oh, Allie, Sweetheart, thank you, but it's okay. Gabe was right to do it; that's his job. Sometimes people don't do the right thing, but you can't control that; all you can control is what you do and how you react to difficult situations. I didn't respond very well, I was angry, and I hated, which was wrong." Wiping the tears from Allie's cheeks, she said, "coming to Hope Valley gave me a chance to start again, with people who understood that I wasn't guilty of what I was accused of doing and people who don't know my history. I met people like your Uncle Bill, your Uncle Gabe, you, and your Dad, who made me smile again. Before I can move on completely, I still must forgive those people who hurt me, and I am working on it."

Allie and Quinn sat together in silence, taking comfort in each other. Quinn was glad she had shared with Allie what had happened in her past but wondered where to go next.

Allie sat back, holding onto Quinn's hands, and looked at her, "thank you for trusting me, Quinn; it means a lot that you did," she said, sniffing around the last of her tears. "You know what will make us feel better," she said, smiling up at Quinn.

"Chocolate Cake," they said at the same time, dissolving into much-needed laughter.