On a misty Saturday morning, Elizabeth and Rosemary set off for their errands in Benson Hills. Meanwhile, Nathan finished his breakfast and went upstairs to his room. After dressing, he went to the trunk in the corner of the room and knelt before it. He opened it and began removing things until he came to a carved wooden box. Putting away the other items, he took the box to his bed where he sat down and opened it.
...
Elizabeth and Rosemary were headed into a jeweler's shop in Benson Hills. She'd spoken with both Bill and Fiona, as well as discreetly prying Allie for information, about what Nathan may like in a wedding band. But, she also planned to purchase him a pocket watch, personally engraved, for the proposal.
She could sense her friend's distress and laughed. "Rosemary, it really is going to be okay. The world won't suddenly stop spinning on its axis if I propose to Nathan."
Rosemary rolled her eyes and blew out a breath. "Oh, I know, Elizabeth. I apologize for not being as supportive as I need to be. This isn't about me and I promise to try to do a better job."
Elizabeth laughed as she scanned the jewelry displayed. "I appreciate your sacrifice for the cause, Rosemary!"
"Ha ha. So, what are you looking for, precisely?" Rosemary asked.
Elizabeth stopped. "There! That's it!" She pointed to a simple gold pocket watch that looked durable. She wanted him to be able to use it at home or work. She also wanted to purchase a plain wedding band and have that engraved as well.
She didn't wait for a response from her friend. Everyone had their limits and she'd been pushing Rosemary's for awhile.
She spoke to the jeweler about someone to do engraving and if it could be done today. She was in luck, as his nephew did it on site and happened to be available.
She made her purchases and gave instructions, then agreed to come back just after the lunch hour.
Stepping back out on the street, Rosemary said "Okay, Elizabeth. I think we should go buy you a new dress. Or two. And don't you dare try to tell me no. Everyone has their limits!"
With a laugh, Elizabeth linked her arm with Rosemary's. "Okay, let's go, then we can have some lunch and pick up the watch and ring.
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Back in Hope Valley, Nathan had gone into the Mountie office to go over some cases with Constables Markham and Pelton. After that, he planned on picking up a meal for supper from the cafe and having it ready when Elizabeth returned from Benson Hills.
He was perplexed about exactly what she and Rosemary were doing there. If people hadn't been evasive about it, he would have just considered it a girl's shopping excursion. Now, his Mountie instincts were on alert. They were up to something.
On his way back from the cafe after lunch and placing his order with Minnie, he ran into Fiona. Time for some light interrogation. "Fiona! How are you today?" he asked as casually as he could. He should've known better with this one.
She stopped and looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Nathan" she started, drawing out his name.
He frowned. "Why are you looking at me that way? What did I do, or not do now?"
"Hmmm, the list might be long." She laughed. "I can probably guess what you want to know."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "What makes you think I want to know anything? Can't a man just say hello to a friend?"
"Well, of course he can, if that's all he's doing. But, it's not, is it?"
Nathan chuckled. "You are one tough customer, Fiona Miller. Anyone ever tell you that you'd make a good Mountie?"
She stopped and turned to him. "No, that'd be a first. Look, Nathan, I can't tell you anything other than Elizabeth and Rosemary went shopping in Benson Hills. Was Elizabeth on a mission? Yes. What it is...well, you'll just have to wait and see." With a smile, Fiona disappeared inside the barber shop.
He hadn't walked two steps when he heard her call his name. He stopped and turned to look at her.
"And, Nathan? Don't do anything. Don't plan anything. Just be patient and let this happen, okay? You won't regret it." Her eyes bored into his.
He sighed. He could be patient. Heck, he'd been more than patient for years, what was a few more days? He nodded to Fiona. "Okay, okay. I surrender. I'll be patient. I promise."
With a sharp nod back at him, apparently satisfied, she responded. "Good. Good talk." and proceeded to shut the door again.
As he headed back to his office, he thought about the beautiful ring he had. The ring he'd bought three years ago, but never bothered to get rid of when Elizabeth had broken his heart. It was in the wooden box at home.
Maybe he wouldn't actively plan anything, but he thought he should maybe start keeping that ring on his person...because you never knew when an opportunity might present itself. Yes...that's what he'd do.
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A couple of hours later, Elizabeth said goodbye to Rosemary and entered her house to the aroma of a meal cooking and the sounds of Jack, Allie and Nathan laughing. Right there. There was her heart...her whole world.
She sighed, then felt something wet against her hand and looked down with a laugh. "And you, Scout, you're a part of that world, too." She gave him a pat right before she was bombarded by Little Jack.
"Mama! Mama! Allie and me builded a fort and we played at the playground with Sarah and Chloe, then we found some baby bunnies. But Scout scared them away."
Elizabeth knelt down and pulled her boy into a hug, which he tolerated for about two seconds, then he was off to his toys again. When she stood back up, Nathan was standing before her.
"Hi Lizbeth. Did you have a good day?" he asked, looking down at her intently, reaching an arm around her back to pull her close.
She was momentarily speechless, her eyes suddenly focused on his mouth. A burst of laughter from the kids brought her back to reality. They were not alone. She smiled up at him and brushed a light kiss over his mouth.
"Not nearly enough, Nathan, but it's going to have to do for now." she whispered huskily.
"We're going to have to do something about that...soon." he whispered back, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "Very soon."
From the kitchen, Allie shouted "Dad, I think everything is heated up. I'm going to set the table."
The two laughed somewhat nervously and went in to help get supper on the table. "Thank you, Nathan, for making sure that supper was waiting for me when I got home. It was a thoughtful gesture and it's wonderful."
"You're most welcome, Lizbeth." He replied, as they headed in to help Allie.
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As much as Nathan had wanted to pry information out of Elizabeth the evening before, he tried to heed Fiona's request to just 'let things happen'. It was hard. Really hard.
Before he left his room the next morning, he tucked the ring box safely into his pocket, along with the bookmark. He had half an idea to propose when they'd made one of Elizabeth's 'new memories'.
After he and Allie had their breakfast, they set out to pick up Elizabeth and Jack for church.
...
Elizabeth's plan was set for right after service today. Rosemary, Lee, Bill and Fiona all had their parts. The Wolfs had invited Jack over for after church and Allie had plans with her friends. Now, she just had to play it as cool as possible so that she could get Nathan to go where she needed him to without suspecting anything. Oh...trying to fool a Mountie! She had an idea of how she could distract him just enough to maybe not notice her part in things until it was all clear. Just the thought made her cheeks warm.
Bill's part began as they were leaving the church. He and Rosemary asked Nathan to meet with him and Bill suggested they do so in his office. This was information about the investigation into what happened to Lucas on election night.
Nathan looked at Bill and Rosemary as if they'd grown two heads a piece. He was finally going to get some alone time with Elizabeth, and now this. Bill promised that it wouldn't take long. He looked at Elizabeth and she hesitated a moment.
"It's alright, Nathan. We can all walk to town together and you can meet me at the cafe afterwards. It's best to just get this out of the way." She reached out for his arm and began the walk to town.
...
Once they reached the cafe, Elizabeth gave Nathan a kiss on the cheek and stopped to talk with Fiona as the rest headed towards the cafe. Lee had gone on to take Goldie home as she was fussy. Once she saw Nathan enter Bill's office, she and Fiona rushed around the back of the Mountie office.
Bill had already helped by bringing a small round table over. Fiona had a basket from the cafe with their lunch. The two of them worked quickly to set the table.
When they were finished, Fiona put her arms on Elizabeth's shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked. Her brown eyes warm and encouraging.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm nervous, but okay. As far as spending the rest of my life with Nathan...I don't have even one shred of doubt or anxiety about that."
With a soft smile, Fiona responded "I don't think he does, either. Do you have the watch?"
Elizabeth patted the pocket in her skirt. "Right here." She blew out another breath. The women both started at the sound of Bill and Nathan's voices and Fiona quickly let herself out the back.
The doorknob rattled and Elizabeth turned and waited for her man to appear...
...
Nathan opened his office door and turned to say something to Bill, who was suddenly nowhere to be found. "Bill?" he called out. What in the world? Then he turned and his jaw dropped when he took in the scene before him.
Elizabeth stood in front of a table set for luncheon. "Hello, Nathan. It's about time you got here..." she said with a smile.
He shut the door behind him and heard her say softly, "You may want to lock that." That's when all rational thought fled his mind.
"Huh? Oh..." he blurted and then quickly locked the door. He thought he should maybe say something, but she had a look in her eyes that was very intentional and he simply could not think, could not speak. Well, coherently, that is.
She cocked an eyebrow and smiled again. "Well, are you going to come here?"
He closed the gap quickly, but before he could put his arms around her, she grabbed his hands.
"You, of course, probably realize that this is a new memory. In the place where I, quite possibly, hurt you the most. I don't take this one lightly, at all, Nathan."
"Lizbeth, we don't have to relive this one. Not again." he offered. "You know I've forgiven you and understand."
She looked into his eyes, reaching a hand up and caressing the side of his beautiful face. "And, I thank you for that, Nathan. It's more than I probably deserve and I'm grateful."
When he started to protest, she put a finger to his lips. "I just want to say that what I said to you that day was wholly unnecessary and probably the most cruel thing I've ever done in my life. Yet, you still love me. I can look back now and see that and realize that very thing is what I want."
Taking a deep breath. "I want to be with someone who can love me even when I'm unloveable. Someone that sees me, even when I can't recognize myself. Someone who isn't afraid to challenge me when I'm completely wrong. That's you, Nathan. I was in love with you then, and I love you even more now."
Before she could stop him, he responded. "Lizbeth, I thank the Lord for the broken road that's brought us to where we are now. We're stronger for it. Our love is stronger for it."
At that moment...as if God choreographed it, both Elizabeth and Nathan started to go down on one knee...they bumped knees and then heads. Each fell back onto their rear ends. They took one look at each other and dissolved into laughter.
Gasping for breath, Nathan said "Lizbeth, what on earth? I was trying to propose to you..."
"Well, I was trying to propose to you!" she choked out, dissolving again into a fit of laughter.
Once they caught their breath, Nathan scooted over next to Elizabeth. Grasping her hand, he pulled them both to standing. "Okay, let's try this again. Absolutely no kneeling. You start and then I'll go."
With a giggle, Elizabeth nodded. She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the watch and handed it to him, nodding at the question in his eyes.
He opened it up. Inside the cover it said 'Nathan, You are my home. Love Always, Elizabeth'.
He looked at her and whispered, "Lizbeth, I love it. Thank you."
She took one of his hands and said "You are my home, Nathan Grant. The only one I ever want to be with again. Will you marry me?"
He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful silver ring with a filigree band and a round diamond set in the center.
"Lizbeth Thornton, you are my home. Wherever you are, that is where I want to be. Forever. Will you marry me?
Her mouth dropped open. The ring was simply stunning, so different from any other engagement ring she'd ever seen. A lot of thought went into it.
Her hand was trembling ever so slightly as she watched him slide the ring onto her finger. Then it occurred to her...
"Nathan? When did you...how long have you had this ring?" She had to ask, because this ring wasn't something that one just picked up at a local jeweler on a whim. It was unique and required a great deal of thought and planning.
Nathan's eyes took on a bit of a faraway look for just a moment, and he swallowed hard. "Um...about three years ago..." his voice trailed off.
Elizabeth gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, tears welling in her eyes...instantly spilling down her face. "Nathan!" she cried.
He looked at her a little hesitantly...just waiting for her to process the fact that he'd had the ring all of this time. Would she think that he'd planned to give it to the next woman he fell in love with?
"Lizbeth...I..." he started to respond, but she shook her head. Instead, he fished for his handkerchief and handed it to her.
Once she'd dried her tears, she looked into this beautiful eyes. "I'm just overcome. You could've given me a pebble on a piece of wire that you'd made yesterday and I'd be moved...but this...you've held onto this all of this time and it is possibly the most beautiful ring I've ever seen...even more so because of the love and thought that you must have put into it."
Then, in almost a whisper, she added "Plus, I'm shocked that you didn't sell it after what I did to you that day in this very place."
Nathan immediately pulled her close, running a hand over her hair and down her cheek. "Lizbeth, I couldn't get rid of it and I would've never given it to another. I bought it for you and only you. Maybe someday, when I'd become old and grey, I might've passed it on to Allie...but it was meant for you. And, now, I get to give it to you. Now, will you marry me?"
"Yes, Nathan! A thousand times, yes." she whispered on a half laugh/half cry.
Their lips met for a kiss so full of love, tenderness and more than a little passion. Blowing the old memories from this place into oblivion, never to be recalled.
Coming up for air, Nathan rested his forehead on Elizabeth's and with a laugh and a sense of wonder said softly, "So, we're really doing this..."
Elizabeth's face lit up with a smile, her eyes soft and dreamy. "Yes, we are, Nathan Grant. Is tomorrow too soon?"
With a rueful laugh, Nathan quipped, "You kid about that, but no, tomorrow would not be too soon for me."
Her heart tripped all over itself. "Who said I was kidding? I would marry you right here and now, if I could."
"You don't want to have a traditional wedding?" he asked.
She pointed to the table as she rounded it for her chair. "Let's talk about this over some lunch. I don't know about you, but I'm starving now that the nerves are out of the way."
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Once Nathan and Elizabeth were finished with their lunch, Nathan made some coffee and over their dessert, they began their wedding discussions.
"Nathan, I think we both need to put our needs and wants on the table and then we can sort it all out. You see, this isn't my first engagement, wedding planning or actual wedding but it is yours. I don't want to take anything away from you. On the other hand, I'd prefer this to be about us and not any pomp or circumstance. I'm more interested in the marriage than the wedding."
After taking his last bite of chocolate cake, Nathan set down his fork and wiped his mouth. This was exactly what he'd hoped to hear from her because he felt the same way.
"I'm of the same mind with you, Lizbeth." He reached over and took one of her hands in his, caressing it with his thumb, which sent shivers up her arm.
"Selfishly, I'm glad that you want this to be different, though I wouldn't be concerned if you'd wanted something more traditional. The marriage is most certainly more important than how we get there." He finished, waiting for her thoughts.
"I would like for Joseph to officiate, but can we get married in Bill's office? One last memory redo? Also, different for me." Elizabeth turned her hand over and did the same thing to him with her thumb. She could see that he knew what she was up to.
They ironed out a few more details and decided that Bill, Rosemary, Lee, Fiona and Minnie must also be present as well as the kids, of course.
Elizabeth suggested that they have a picnic for the rest of their friends and loved ones afterwards.
"I like that idea, Lizbeth." Nathan responded as they began to clean up their lunch mess and his office. "So, now for the when." He nearly dropped the plates he was holding at her response.
"The only thing keeping me from marrying you this evening is that others are involved. I wasn't kidding, Nathan" she said as she took the plates from his hands and set them down, snaking her arms around his neck and pulling him close, "We can't get married soon enough for me." Then, her lips met his in a way that made it very clear just how she was feeling.
After that blistering kiss, Nathan was struck somewhat speechless. She had a way of doing that to him. "Umm...you have a point and it's one that I wholeheartedly agree with."
Once they had everything cleaned up and the cafe's baskets packed, Elizabeth pronounced, "Two weeks from yesterday. It will be an eternity for us, but it'll give everyone a chance to do what needs to be done. Now, let's go make sure that this works for them."
They picked up the baskets and slipped out the back door of the Mountie office to go plan the rest of their lives.
A/N: When Elizabeth says 'I want to be with someone who loves me even when I'm unloveable.' was borrowed from my daughter, who at age 4 announced to me (after getting busted for something) 'It's okay, Mom, I love you even when you're lousy.'
To this day, (she's 26 now) we still use that as a somewhat family motto.
In regards to the engagement ring...my grandparents got married in October 1925. They weren't rich, but my grandmother had the most beautiful engagement ring. To this day, my oldest sister wears it. Not a big stone, but it's set into the beautiful silver filigree band. I'll share a pic for those in the SNS Facebook group.