AN: So, in celebration of Independence Day here in the United States, I thought I would post a chapter of the story that celebrates Elizabeth gaining her independence from Lucas! Okay, so its a stretch but I am sure you all will enjoy the extra chapter this week! Also, for fans of Love Comes Softly, the book or movie version, there is a scene I know you will appreciate! Enjoy!
Elizabeth found herself humming as she weeded the large vegetable garden that Nathan and Allie had planted right after arriving in Hope Valley. With the lack of rains of late, Nathan had watered it that morning before heading into work. Though Elizabeth knew she would have managed toting water from the well to the thirsty plants if she had to, she had to admit that she was thankful that Nathan didn't want her too. While all of them helped with the garden, even Jack who sometimes pulled up a plant instead of a weed, Nathan had insisted that he would take care of the watering and if he was away, he usually asked Jesse to come do the task. With it now in August, the garden was already yielding some of its bounty. Before starting to weed, Elizabeth had picked some of the vegetables that had been ready.
Both Ally and Jack were with Bill. Ally and a few of her old classmates had been in town complaining they were bored. Bill had offered to take them on a nature hike. Though Jack was much younger than the other children going, the boy had begged his Uncle Bill to take him. Elizabeth knew that Bill had not stood a chance against his godson's pleadings. With Gabriel and Faith tagging along to help keep an eye on the kids, Elizabeth felt comfortable letting Jack tag along. With the kids away, and Nathan working, Elizabeth had been able to get some work on her new story. After writing a chapter though, Elizabeth had left the type writer for some fresh air and found herself in the garden.
The garden was bigger than anything Elizabeth had ever attempted to grow. When Elizabeth had questioned Nathan about it seeming too big to feed just two people, he had said there were always people he could share with. The response had reminded her of her husband's genuine, generous nature. While most people had no problem giving when things were plentiful, Elizabeth had come to learn that her husband was the type of man who would hand over his only loaf of bread if he saw that someone else needed it more.
Elizabeth had removed her stockings and shoes, and the warm dirt on her bare feet felt soothing. She remembered running barefoot in the summer as a child much to her mother's chagrin. She remembered her father telling her mother to let her be a child while she could. Her father had been content to let his daughters be kids in their own home but had taught the rules of high society that he expected them to observe when around people.
Looking down at her bare feet, Elizabeth wondered what her Dad would think if he saw her now. She certainly wasn't a child anymore. However, she wasn't in Hamilton either. She wasn't even with Lucas who had been concerned with how people perceived them as well. Lucas had felt entitled because of wealth. Despite his surface generosity, his airs had put distance between him and the others in Hope Valley. Just like she had experienced when she had first moved here. Though while she had changed to fit in, Lucas had flaunted it. His actions had set her apart from the neighbors she had grown to love.
This spring, she had wanted to start a garden and Lucas had told her there was no point. That he could buy whatever food they needed. He didn't understand that it hadn't been about the need for food but a need to have something with purpose to fill the time that had once been occupied by teaching.
Here in Hope Valley, in her own yard, there was no one to care if her feet were bare or not.
Her own yard? Elizabeth paused in her task and looked around. Yes, technically Bill owned the land and the buildings but that phrase was right. This was her home. Hers and Nathan's. She felt more at home here than she had eve felt in the big house that Lucas had built for her.
Returning to her task, Elizabeth resumed her humming. So engrossed in her task she was that she hadn't heard Nathan come home.
"You made quite a bit of progress there, Beth," Nathan commented.
Elizabeth felt a panic at the sound of his voice. She looked at her shoes and stockings sitting on the porch steps and felt her face flush. Would Nathan think she was being improper? Would it upset him that she was working in the garden with no shoes?
"I wanted some fresh air and the garden seemed to be calling me," Elizabeth replied, looking in the direction of his voice to see her husband standing nearby, Newton's reigns in his hands.
"Let me get Newton settled in his stall and I will come help you. We should be able to finish it before we need to start dinner for our guests tonight," Nathan told her, reminding Elizabeth that Bill, Gabriel and Faith had been invited to dinner with them tonight.
"The help would be nice," Elizabeth told him, not quite able to meet his gaze.
Nathan started walking toward the barn, leading Newton. "I think you are beautiful with or without the shoes, Elizabeth," he commented softly as he walked away.
The compliment told Elizabeth that he had noticed her bare feet. Despite the fact that he did not seem bothered by it, Elizabeth had sudden desire to get her shoes back on. She waited until Nathan went into the barn before making a dash for her shoes.
Sitting on the porch steps, Elizabeth quickly brushed the dirt from her fit and donned her stockings and shoes. By the time Nathan came back from settling Newton, Elizabeth had returned to her weeding.
Removing his serge, Nathan draped it over the railing before joining her in the garden, still in the rest of his uniform. Elizabeth found herself glancing over at Nathan as they worked, noting how handsome he looked even in just his white Henley, jodhpurs and high Mountie boots. How had she not noticed before just how handsome he was? Or perhaps she had, but she just had not wanted to own up to it. She had not wanted to face the emotions that came with acknowledging her attraction to Nathan. She had not wanted to lose him like she had lost Jack. However, as painful as losing Jack had been, Elizabeth had found a pain worse than she felt when she had lost Jack. At least then, she had known she had been loved. She had the happy memories she had created with Jack. With Lucas, all the happy memories had become a lie. He had shown his true colors and when he had, all Elizabeth had seen was darkness.
It was a darkness that Nathan had led her out of. Despite all she had done to hurt him and Ally, Nathan had still loved her enough to help her. He loved her with no expectation of being loved in return.
That was the kind of love that Jack had wanted her to open her heart too. Perhaps it wasn't too late to fulfill Jack's final wish for her after all. Nathan had said his love was there if she ever thought she could return it.
Little by little, Elizabeth thought she was getting more comfortable with that idea. Perhaps returning his love didn't have to happen all at once. Perhaps taking steps toward it would be enough.
Tearing her eyes away from the sight of Nathan, Elizabeth returned to helping him weed the garden. Like that night at Ally's first slumber party with the frosting, a sudden childish impulse overcame her. Acting on it, Elizabeth pulled a few more weeds from the ground. Moving over to Nathan, she reached out for the neckline of his Henley. Pulling it out, she dropped the weeds from her other hand down the back of his shirt.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Nathan said, his own weeding coming to a halt as he straightened out. He turned, an amused smile on his face.
Elizabeth let out a giggle.
"Perhaps you would like some weeds down your collar as well," Nathan teased, reaching for some discarded weeds.
Still giggling, Elizabeth turned and ran away. The feel of dirt on her feet was one thing. Elizabeth did not want to feel dirt down the back of her dress. Hearing Nathan's own laughter behind her, Elizabeth ran in the direction of the workshop. Even with her head start, she had no doubt that Nathan would overtake her. She found she was actually anticipating it with joy. Just short of the workshop, she felt a strong arm loop around her waist. She squealed, half expecting to feel the coolness of weeds slip down the color of her dress in revenge. Hers struggles to escape from Nathan's grasp were only an act. She was quite content to stay in his grasp. Her playful struggles caused her to turn so she was facing him. She placed her hands on his chest as if to try pushing herself away, but as she looked up into his face, she didn't apply pressure. Instead, she noted the pure joy that was in Nathan's expression.
Though often serious, Nathan did smile. He did laugh, but rarely had that delight seem complete. Even laughing or smiling, there was usually a hint of sadness about him. Not this time though. This time, his face and eyes lit up with joy. It was a look she had seen on occasion, though almost always brought about by something attributed to Ally. However, Ally was not here right now. Today, Elizabeth knew it was his interaction with her that was causing that joy. That realization made her go still in his arms. Gazing into his eyes, Elizabeth sensed the distance between their faces getting shorter. Part of her wanted to pull away, while another part waited in anticipation.
It was a feeling she had felt once before in regards to Nathan. A feeling that had come of nothing.
Just as she was remembering the disappointment of that night, Elizabeth felt Nathan's lips press against hers. Her breath caught as his slightly rough lips brushed over hers. Though perhaps it was nothing more than her imagination, she thought she tasted a hint of cinnamon that he loved to put in his coffee. The kiss was gentle, and sweet but Elizabeth knew there was love behind it.
Before she could get over her surprise and return the kiss, the pressure was gone. Nathan had released her and had taken a small step backward. There was shock and surprise in his expression as Elizabeth's eyes found his.
"I am sorry, Elizabeth," Nathan tod her. "I know I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I just got lost in the moment."
Elizabeth was touched by the apology. Touched by Nathan's fear that he had crossed a boundary. Boundaries had been something that Lucas had not cared about, if he had even known they had existed.
However, now that this particular boundary had been crossed, Elizabeth found that she didn't want Nathan to retreat. No, she wasn't ready to surrender her whole being to him but she had liked the taste of his lips that she had gotten. It was a taste that she wanted to get more of.
Elizabeth stepped closer to Nathan, closing the distance he had tried to put between them. Reaching up, she placed a hand against the back of his head as she stood on tip toes, to press her lips against Nathan's. Like Nathan's earlier kiss, she kept the pressure light. It was a tentative kiss that reflected how she felt inside - tentative and unsure. However, it did answer a question she had wondered about on occasion and that was what Nathan's lips would feel like against hers.
Though she had kissed Nathan a little longer than he had her, Elizabeth soon let her hand fall from the back of Nathan's head to his shoulder. She settled back on her feet, putting a little distance between them. It also allowed her to look up at Nathan. She would have looked into his eyes if he had his eyes open, but they weren't. Nathan's eyes were closed though the expression on his faced seemed to express contentment.
"I have been wanting to kiss you since that night you helped Ally and me decorate that Christmas tree our first Christmas in Hope Valley," Nathan murmured, his eyes still closed.
"So you did want to kiss me that night?" Elizabeth asked, having longed wondered if she was the only one that had felt the pull that night.
"I did," Nathan admitted, his arms lightly around her waist as he finally opened his eyes to look down at her. "I was not sure if you were ready to move on then, though. I also felt guilty. Like I was betraying Jack's memory by falling in love with you."
Elizabeth's breath caught. "Falling in love? Even then?"
"I think I started falling in love with when you started trying to help Allie make friends after the incident with the card trick," Nathan told her.
"So, all those times you started saying something and then stopped?"
"Were simply me being afraid to say something and have you reject me," Nathan told her. "I often wondered if things might have worked out differently if I had just taken a chance one of those times or if acting would have just resulted in the same outcome as that day by the log, when I told you I loved you and you simply rode off."
"I wish I could say it would have, but I felt so confused at times. Like that Christmas, I wanted you to kiss me but was afraid that you would. I knew that I didn't want you to leave but I also did not want to keep you from a promotion. The only thing I knew for sure was that I feared losing you, which is exactly what happened."
"You never lost me, Beth," Nathan told her. "Even when I kept my distance out of respect for your choice, I would have been there any time you needed me."
"Just like you were there that night that everything seemed lost," Elizabeth said, a shudder going through her. "Even after everything I put you through, my red knight was right there to save me even from myself."
"You know in a few weeks the red knight label isn't going to fit me anymore, remember," Nathan said, a teasing tone in his voice.
"It doesn't matter what color you wear, you will always be my knight," Elizabeth told him.
Nathan placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Perhaps you should go inside. I think the sun might be getting to you," he said, teasingly. Elizabeth noted there was a pink hue to his cheeks that wasn't there before.
"I'll be fine," Elizabeth told him. "Though maybe we should get back to the garden. The weeds are not going to pull themselves."
Nathan nodded, releasing her. However, as they started walking back toward the garden, Nathan took a hold of her hand. Elizabeth had to admit, she liked Nathan holding her hand. It felt right somehow.
Not far way, Gabriel trailed behind the group walking through the forest. While Allie and her classmates were enraptured by the things and information that Bill was showing them, Jack was happy to explore on his own terms. With Faith up among the children following Bill, Gabriel had appointed himself Jack's chaperone. As they walked, he let the boy pick out things that interested him and gave the boy simple information about the things Jack showed him.
Reaching a clearing, Gabriel spotted Bill, Faith and the other children peering into the idyllic pond that sat almost perfectly centered in the clearing. The trees surrounding the pond cast shade over part of the clearing. Gabriel had a feeling shade could be found somewhere at any point of the day. It would be a lovely picnic site. He made a mental note of its location so that he could bring Faith back her alone.
Gabriel followed Jack into the clearing. The boy wandered toward the pond, though not where the others were gathered. As they reached some tall grasses lining the pond, Jack stopped and pointed.
"Mountie Gabriel, help it!" Jack exclaimed, tears already welling in his blue eyes.
Letting his gaze follow where Jack pointed, Gabriel found what had upset the little boy. A duck, splotches of red indicating how it had died, lay on the ground just in front of the tall grasses. Gabriel knew the duck was beyond help. Kneeling next to the boy, Gabriel pulled Jack to him, turning him from the sight.
"Sorry, Jack, but that duck is beyond even my help."
"Why did it have to die?" Jack asked, the words muffled as he held onto Gabriel.
"I am not sure, but things like that happen in nature and in life."
"Like my Daddy dying?" Jack asked.
The question brought back memories of his squad leader in the Northern Territories. Jack Sr. had been a good leader and a good friend. His death had been untimely and perhaps unfair, but as he had just told the boys, things like that sometimes happened, whether one understood them or not.
"Yes, Jack, like your Daddy," Gabriel told the boy as he held the boy close. As he did, he looked passed the duck and into the grasses beyond. A glint of white among the strands of grass caught his attention.
Picking up the upset child, Gabriel moved past the still form of the duck and closer to the grasses. Reaching out a hand, Gabriel pushed the grasses aside. Sure enough, there were three eggs nestled in a nest among the tall grasses. Gabriel knew that the duck had died protecting its babies. There was nothing like the determination of a mother to protect their child.
"Jack, look at the eggs," Gabriel said, hoping to give the boy something else to focus on other than the dead duck.
Though still tearing up, Jack did as instructed. "Are they orphans now?" Jack asked.
"I think so," Gabriel admitted, not wanting to lie to the child.
"Can we take them home?" Jack asked.
Gabriel paused. He knew there was a good chance that the eggs would not hatch at this point. "Jack, we do not know how long the eggs have been without care. There is a good chance that they will not hatch."
"But they might if we helped them?" Jack asked.
Gabriel sighed. "There is a chance," he admitted.
"Then we need to try," Jack insisted. "We can't help the mama but we might be able to help the babies."
Gabriel put the child down. "Go ask your sister for her basket," he told the boy. "We'll take the eggs home and keep them warm. Just keep in mind Jack that they may not hatch."
"But they could," Jack insisted. "Besides, at least we will know that we tried."
"Yes," Gabriel replied. "The important thing is to try, whether we succeed or fail," he said.
As Jack ran off to get the basket from Ally, Gabriel turned to the dead duck. He had a feeling that it would not just be Jack coming back and he would rather not upset more of the children with the sight of the dead mother duck.
Nathan watched as Jack patted the thin layer of hay he had placed over the eggs in the shallow crate. With the crate near the kitchen stove, it was the best they could do to substitute the warmth of a mother sitting on top of them.
Jack stood up and looked at Nathan and Gabe. "There, the eggs are tucked away in bed," the boy said, turning to Nathan and Gabe.
"Very good," Nathan said. "Now, go ask your sister to help you get washed up for dinner," he added, glancing over at Elizabeth who was slicing the freshly baked bread. Nathan felt his heart beat a little faster at the domestic sight as his lips tingled at the memory of Elizabeth's lips on his. He couldn't deny that he wanted to kiss her again, but he also did not want to push her too much. How did he know if Elizabeth did not already regret kissing him earlier?
Nathan became aware of voices drifting in from the dining room. Ally, Faith and Bill had volunteered to set the table. He also found that Elizabeth was meeting his gaze now. There was a mix of admiration and worry in her eyes. Like himself, he knew Elizabeth wondered what their son's reaction would be if the eggs never hatched.
"Yes, Dad!" Jack replied happily, hurrying out of the kitchen calling his sister's name.
Nathan looked over to Gabriel after making sure Jack was out of the room. "I let my son spend a day with you and you bring home duck eggs."
"It wasn't exactly planned," Gabriel said. "If I had spotted the dead duck before Jack, I would have never let him see it. However, he did see it and the eggs were a pleasant distraction. I couldn't tell him I wasn't going to try to help the eggs and you know that you would not have either."
Nathan sighed, even as he heard Elizabeth's giggle. "I know," Nathan admitted. "It's just that you and I both know the likelihood of one of the eggs hatching is low. How long do I let Jack cling to hope that the eggs might hatch? Not to mention, you are not the one who is going to have to deal with the emotional fall out."
"Children have to learn about death at some point," Elizabeth chimed in. "Perhaps this was a good way for Jack to learn that lesson. As long as we love him and support him, he'll get through facing that reality when it comes. Until then, let him have hope."
Nathan nodded at Elizabeth's mothering wisdom. "The question remains for how long?"
"Until the eggs start to stink," Gabriel offered.
Nathan shot his friend an exasperated look even as Elizabeth giggled again. Putting down the bread knife, she walked over to her husband and patted his arm. "We'll figure it out together. Right now, dinner is almost ready. You and Gabriel should wash up as well."
Nathan nodded, kissed his wife's cheek and then left the kitchen.
"Duck eggs," he muttered softly under his breath.
Behind him, Gabriel bit his lower lip to keep from chuckling.