Nathan woke in the Saloon, having slept fitfully after the fire. He was eager to get up, settle into the Mountie office, and call on Elizabeth. As the Mountie building had only been used when required, he expected it would need a lot of cleaning and possibly some minor repair. Nathan was good with his hands and didn't mind manual work. The quicker he sorted the rooms, the faster he could move out of the Saloon.
The Saloon had been quiet last night; Tom, the owner, had explained that most men were out fighting the fire and would return later. When he checked in the previous evening, Nathan hadn't told Tom he was the new Mountie in Town; sometimes, it paid to explore in plain clothes rather than red serge. People watching was much easier when you weren't in uniform.
After bathing and dressing in civilian clothes, Nathan went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast. The food wasn't exciting, but it was filling and would hold him over until he could organise to cook for himself. Stepping out of the Saloon, he was glad to see that while the Mercantile was closed, there appeared to be someone there already. Strolling over, he walked up the steps, stopping to turn around and look back at the Town. People were moving about; businesses were opening, and the Town was coming to life. The Mountie office was one of the empty buildings among the current shops. Nathan was as interested in what businesses were open as those that had closed; they could tell a story of the Town.
Nathan turned and knocked on the door of the Mercantile, waiting for the man inside to answer. As the door opened wide, he stepped inside, looking around the small store, pleased it appeared well-stocked with essential items. As Nathan entered, the man greeted him, ready to assist despite not being open, recognising he was a stranger in town.
Nathan stepped toward him, hand outstretched, "Morning, my name is Constable Nathan Grant; I am looking for Mr Ned Yost," he explained. "I was told I could find him here," he said smiling.
Ned Yost looked at the young man before him and smiled, "Hello, Constable Grant, I'm Ned Yost; the Mountie office sent a telegram telling me to expect you in Coal Valley, so I got the keys ready for you. How long do you think you will be staying?"
Nathan's brow furrowed for a moment at the question from Ned; then, he remembered previous Mounties had always been there temporarily. "I will be staying, Mr Yost; I have been permanently assigned to Coal Valley."
Ned Yost's eyebrows shot up, "is there something happening the Town should know about? Are we to expect trouble of some kind? Coal Valley has never needed a full-time Mountie before."
"There's no reason to be concerned; I am not aware of anything you need to worry about; this is a change by Mountie headquarters; they reassess postings all the time." Nathan tried to allay Mr Yost's fears without giving away the real reason for the change, the arrival of Elizabeth Thatcher.
Nathan realised Ned wouldn't be the only community member concerned about his permanent posting. Abigail Stanton was the first person who came to mind when he thought of townspeople he needed to talk to, along with the Schoolteacher, of course. He made a note to speak to the mayor, other business owners, and influential people in Town.
After setting up both personal and official accounts at the Mercantile, Nathan took the key from Mr Yost and headed for the Mountie office. He was eager to see where he would be working and possibly living. As he stepped to the door, he took a deep breath and paused. This was his first official posting, the first Town where he would establish himself as a Mountie and community member. He did not take the responsibility lightly and promised to uphold the Mountie motto to the highest standards and represent his profession with integrity and honour.
Elizabeth woke in a strange bedroom, disoriented for a moment before remembering she was in the spare bedroom of Abigail Stanton's home. Once she realised where she was, the why came rushing back, and her stomach churned. She had burned down the Coal Valley teacherage. Burning down the Teacherage had proven them right; she couldn't survive in a frontier town. Elizabeth pulled the blankets over her head and lay there, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, tears welling in her eyes. How could she face the people of Coal Valley, especially Florence Blakely?
Elizabeth heard a knock on the door of her room and Abigail's kind voice calling out to her, "are you awake, Elizabeth?" Elizabeth wanted to ignore Abigail's knock, but she couldn't; she had been kind enough to open her home and had been friendly to her since her arrival in Coal Valley. Elizabeth threw the covers back from her face and sat up, calling out to Abigail to come in.
Poking her head around the bedroom door Abigail took in Elizabeth's appearance, the poor girl looked tired, and in the morning light, she couldn't hide the anguish in her eyes. "I bought you a cup of tea; how did you sleep, Elizabeth?" she asked even though she could tell.
"Terribly," Elizabeth answered honestly. Thinking Abigail might be offended by her answer, she quickly continued, "It didn't have anything to do with the bed or your home, just what I did last night. Oh, Abigail, how will the Town ever forgive me, and how will you all trust me with your children?"
Abigail tried to calm Elizabeth and alleviate her concerns, "it might have happened to anyone; try and not think about it," she said, patting her hand. "I have put out some clothing for you, things you can borrow until Colin returns with your trunks and belongings. Leave the mothers to me; it will be fine; besides, we agreed on a trial, and we will stick to it." She handed the cup of tea to Elizabeth and sat on the chair beside the bed.
Elizabeth snorted and said, "with my luck now; my things will have disappeared overnight. I will end up wearing your nightgown to school each day." Elizabeth looked down at herself and realised this was the second nightgown she had borrowed from Abigail and shook her head at how badly her life in Coal Valley had started.
Abigail laughed and said, "Well, at least it can only get better from here."
Elizabeth laughed with her and said, "I hope so, Abigail."
Abigail continued, "Any way you can cover up the nightgown with the coat the Constable loaned you last night," she said with a cheeky smile. "He seems like a very nice young man, handsome too." The Constable was very good-looking, and she thought those blue eyes would have any young woman swooning. "He was very concerned about you." Abigail waited for Elizabeth to say something, amused by the blush on her cheeks.
Elizabeth knew Abigail was teasing her, but she was right. Nathan had seemed concerned about her, which she found confusing, given that he had shown no ongoing interest in getting to know her in Hamilton. And yes, he was very handsome; he still made her stomach flutter when he looked at her. "Yes, Abigail, he is very handsome and has those…incredible eyes, but his interest in me is purely professional. He is a Mountie and showed concern for a citizen involved in an incident." Elizabeth was determined not to get her hopes up again after his previous rejection.
Abigail raised her eyebrows while listening to Elizabeth, not believing it for a minute. She had seen how Constable Grant, Nathan, looked at Elizabeth, and there was much more than professional interest there. "Well, we will see, shall we. Now I think you should get up and come downstairs; you will feel better after getting dressed and having something to eat."
Elizabeth agreed with Abigail, and she was hungry. Putting down her teacup, she lifted the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. After eating, she wanted to visit the Teacherage and see if there was anything left to salvage. Elizabeth looked for a dressing gown; she didn't want to wrap herself in the blanket she used last night; it would reek of smoke and bring bad memories. She caught sight of Nathan's brown woollen coat hanging over the back of the door and decided she would borrow it again as Abigail had suggested; surely, he wouldn't mind, and he wouldn't find out anyway.
As Elizabeth swung the coat around her shoulders, something fell from the inside coat pocket, landing at her feet. Elizabeth bent down to pick it up and realised it was a letter. A letter addressed to her. Elizabeth looked at her name written across the front of the envelope, no address, just her name, so it was meant to be delivered to her by hand. The writing appeared feminine, and she turned it over, looking for a return address. Elizabeth's face broke into a smile as she realised the letter was from Rosemary. Nathan must have caught up with her friend in Benson Hills, and Elizabeth couldn't wait to read all about it. Biting the inside of her lip, she wondered if she should open the letter or allow Nathan to give it to her. Elizabeth decided to wait until later before she decided and slipped the note into the outside pocket.
Abigail smiled as Elizabeth skipped down the stairs, wearing a particular brown woollen coat. She might say she wasn't interested in Nathan Grant but wasn't fooling Abigail. She was also pleased to see Elizabeth seemed to be in better spirits. It said a lot about her: she didn't wallow in self-pity and could pick herself up and continue. Living in a town like Coal Valley, you needed to be resilient.
Nathan pushed open the door to the Mountie office and slipped inside quickly, he had been worried for a moment when the key stuck, but it was just stiff from lack of use. He was keen to get inside and assess the office before being seen by the townspeople. Once he was discovered, he was sure there would be many interruptions and introductions, and he wanted time before that started. Nathan stood with his back to the door and looked around. Directly in front of him against the opposite wall was a rudimentary kitchen and pot belly stove, the equipment to make coffee covered in a thin layer of dust. To Nathan's left was the desk, with several chairs spread out around it, one for him and two for visitors. Diagonally to his right were two jail cells separated by a small corridor allowing someone to walk between them. There was a door in the wall on his right, which opened into another room that Nathan hoped was large enough for him to sleep in. He was keen to have somewhere permanent to stay and one which gave more privacy than the Saloon; he wasn't someone who liked to drink to excess or gamble.
Nathan smiled as he looked around the space that had become his new home. He was pleased with the Mountie office and would enjoy settling in and making his mark on the place. Before he could do that, though, he would need to do a thorough cleaning; the layer of dust wasn't contained in the kitchen; it was throughout the office. Sighing, Nathan headed toward what would become his sleeping quarters, hoping to find cleaning implements so he could make a start.
Nathan inspected the small room in the jail and decided it was perfect for him to use as a bedroom. He had been right; it would need tidying up and, when possible, a new bed to accommodate his height; otherwise, he could move in as soon as he cleaned it. Unfortunately for Nathan, there wasn't anything to clean the Mountie office with, so he headed back to the Mercantile. As he walked through the door for the second time that day, he noticed other customers in the store.
Nathan strode around the small store, looking for cleaning products. As he poked around, he could hear voices coming from the other side of the shelves and listened in when he realised they were talking about Elizabeth.
"Can you believe that she didn't make it even one night without creating a disaster" one strident voice exclaimed? Another voice responded, "She expects us to trust her with our children; how can we?" "I think she should turn around and return to where she came from; she doesn't belong here," a third voice agreed.
Nathan was shocked; he knew Elizabeth would be different from the townspeople but didn't expect she would be so unwelcome. He wanted to protect her from these women, step forward and defend her.
As he walked towards the women, he heard his name called and turned toward Ned Yost as he approached him, "Constable Grant, can I help you find anything?" The conversation between the women stopped abruptly, having heard his title from Ned. He waited as the three women strode up to him and Ned, and the first woman spoke.
"Did I hear you say, Constable Ned?" she asked, her eyes sharp with curiosity, her lips pursed, her basket held stiffly in front of her. Her eyes roamed over Nathan as she spoke to Ned, and he stood, taller unfazed by her scrutiny.
"Constable Nathan Grant, Maam, I am the Mountie for Coal Valley," Nathan replied, holding his hand. He watched as the woman looked at his hand for too long before shaking it and looking at his companions.
"Florence Blakely," she replied curtly, and this is Mrs Ramsey, Mayor Ramsey's wife, and Mrs Baxter," she introduced the group. "What brings you to Coal Valley, and how long will you be required to stay?"
"My posting is permanent, ladies," Nathan explained. "The Mounties have reassessed requirements and decided a permanent posting is required for Coal Valley."
"How interesting," Mrs Ramsey said tartly, "My husband, the Mayor, hasn't mentioned it."
"The Mayor is one of the people I intend to introduce myself to first thing tomorrow. Today I need to clean the Mountie office to make it fit to live and work in."
The ladies shared a look, and Florence spoke up, "Well, there are a lot of new faces in Coal Valley. I hope your start in the Town is more successful than others." The Ladies giggled at the statement, assuming Nathan wouldn't understand their comments.
Opening his mouth to come to Elizabeth's defence, he was interrupted by someone else entering the Mercantile. As the women saw Abigail, their laughter stopped abruptly.
"Where is your new house guest, Abigail? I hope you haven't left her alone in your home; you may find you don't have one to go home to," Dotti Ramsey asked sarcastically.
"Dotti, don't be unkind; it doesn't look good on you. You should be ashamed of the welcome you gave to that young girl. She came to our Town to teach our children and travelled a long way to do it. All you have done is make her feel terrible and doubt herself." Abigail admonished them all, glaring at each woman in turn, "we will be lucky if Elizabeth decides to stay and teach the children; who knows when anyone else will be willing to come here."
Nathan smiled at Abigail, glad Elizabeth had found a defender in her. He spoke, "You're right, Abigail; Coal Valley doesn't have the same attractions as a larger town. It takes real commitment to volunteer to uproot your whole life to educate other people's children, devoting your life to making sure they have opportunities and choices for their future."
The smiles on the women's faces dropped at the rebuke from Abigail and support from Nathan. They each put their heads down and hurried away with hasty excuses leaving Nathan and Abigail to share a smile at their quick departure.
"How is Elizabeth this morning Abigail?" Nathan asked, hoping she was okay and wasn't hiding from the world.
"She is still so embarrassed about what happened; she has gone out to the Teacherage to see if there is anything she can salvage," Abigail explained. "I doubt there will be, but it made her feel better to go and look. Of course," she said, smiling at him, "if someone wanted to go and check on her, I am sure she would appreciate it."
Nathan smiled back; he sensed he had an ally in her, pleased to have her support. "I was planning on cleaning the Mountie office; it's covered in dust, but I could do it later; I am sure the dust isn't going anywhere."
Abigail wondered how many hearts the Constable had captured with that crooked smile beside Elizabeth's. The phrase tall, dark, and handsome was perfect to describe Nathan Grant; however, she was beginning to realise what was inside the young man was what made him truly special.
Nathan walked through town, acknowledging the people who spoke to him, not surprised they were aware of who and what he was. In Coal Valley, information would spread quickly, and he suspected Florence Blakely was behind most of the discussions. Approaching the burnt-out remains of the Teacherage, he couldn't see Elizabeth and worried he had missed her.
A twig snapped on his left, and he spun toward the sound, seeing Elizabeth step out from behind a nearby tree.
"Did you come to inspect my catastrophe in the morning light?" she asked softly. "I was hoping it was all a horrible dream." Elizabeth said, walking toward him, her face sad, "clearly, it wasn't."
"It was an accident, Elizabeth; the building looked pretty old to me. You need to stop punishing yourself," Nathan said kindly. "Is there anything I can do to help you, help you start over?" he asked. Nathan knew he would do anything to make her feel better.
"Unless you can turn back the clock, I don't think there is," she said. "Don't trouble yourself, Nathan. I doubt I will be here long enough to worry about starting over." Elizabeth could only imagine the wrath she would face from Florence Blakely and the others, women she hadn't met who she was sure now had a poor opinion of her. "The mothers were sceptical of me before. Imagine how they feel now."
Nathan could see the hurt and fear beneath her disappointment, "don't count yourself out yet, I believe you have a strong supporter in Abigail Stanton, and you can depend on me too."
Nathan stepped toward her, "Elizabeth, I need to talk to you about Hamilton and what happened between us."
Elizabeth stepped back, "nothing happened between us. There's nothing to talk about." Why was he doing this to her? she wondered, wasn't it enough she had humiliated herself by burning down the building, and now he wanted to talk about his rejection of her.
"I need to talk to you about the letter you wrote me," Nathan said.
"You really don't," she muttered, the words barely escaping through her gritted teeth. Elizabeth turned to walk away, "you made it clear how you felt about it by ignoring it."
Elizabeth, please wait," Nathan begged. "Where is my coat?" he asked suddenly.
"Your coat?" she asked incredulously, barely able to keep up with the conversation; shaking her head, she said nothing but pointed to where it hung on a small branch of a tree. Watching him walk toward it, she said, "I planned to return it to you when I finished here."
Nathan rummaged around in the inside pocket, starting to worry when he couldn't find the letter from Rosemary, hoping it hadn't been lost.
"I put it in the outside pocket," she explained, knowing he was looking for the letter. "I wasn't snooping; it fell out."
"It's your letter Elizabeth; it was yours to read. I was hoping you had read it to understand what happened to your letter to me." Nathan explained, his voice earnest. He found the letter and walked to Elizabeth, holding it out to her. "Please, Elizabeth, read the letter from Rosemary explaining what happened."
Elizabeth took the envelope from Nathan and opened it slowly. Inside were two letters, one several pages long and one a single page, written by Rosemary after she met with Nathan and Gabe. Elizabeth read the shorter letter in which Rosemary explained what happened to her letter to Nathan, that it had been misplaced and he had only received it the day they all left Hamilton. Rosemary vouched for Nathan's sincerity, confirming he had not rejected her as she had thought.
Rosemary added a postscript to the letter, asking Elizabeth to take a chance on Nathan, believing they were well-suited and he cared a great deal about her. Rosemary wrote, 'I believe Nathan didn't reach out to you after your first meeting because he was worried he wouldn't be able to let you go when it was time. Take a chance on him, Elizabeth; I feel the two of you are meant to be.'
Elizabeth folded the note and slipped it back into the envelope, leaving Rosemary's other letter to read later when she was alone. She stood looking at Nathan; she could tell he was nervous, anxious for her to say something. "I believe the letter was lost, and you didn't receive it."
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Thank you, Elizabeth. I would have responded if I had received it."
"Would you have? You never attempted to see me, to contact me, so why should I believe you?" Elizabeth challenged, unsure whether to believe him. "You knew where to find me if you had wanted to."
She was right; he knew he had to explain it to her. "I was worried, Elizabeth; I knew something was different about you from the moment I met you. I had never felt anything like it before. I was worried I wouldn't want to leave for this posting if I continued seeing you and got to know you better." Laughing at himself, he said, "I couldn't imagine you wanting to leave Hamilton, especially for a place like Coal Valley. It looks like the jokes on me."
Elizabeth's heart was racing, thrilled by Nathan's words and that he had made himself so vulnerable to her. Knowing he hadn't rejected her due to indifference did make her feel better, but a relationship right now, when her place in Coal Valley was uncertain, would be a mistake. Wouldn't it?
"Thank you for explaining it to me, Nathan. I will not pretend I wasn't hurt when I thought you were uninterested." Elizabeth could feel her cheeks reddening, and she hurried to explain. "I am glad we can be friends, Nathan; now we have cleared the air, it would be nice to have a friend in Coal Valley."
"A friend?" Nathan asked her, disappointment on his face and in his voice.
"Yes, friends, that is what I need right now; I can't afford any distractions, not when I have to prove to everyone that I am the right teacher for Coal Valley," she explained.
"Okay,' Nathan said, "Friends." silently adding 'for now.' Smiling at her, his eyes bright, he said, "at least I know I would have been a distraction."
Elizabeth laughed at him, shaking her head as they walked back to town, where they would face the residents of Coal Valley together.