Melting in the afternoon heat that had suddenly decided to arrive in Hope Valley right after school had gotten out for the summer, Nathan Grant unbuttoned his serge jacket and hung it next to his hat. It had been a long eight months since the election and having Lucas as governor had increased his workload considerably. Keeping the region's top politician safe, while also investigating the incident that happened immediately following the big win, would be enough to fill his already long workdays. However, an increase in illegal activity throughout the area, added even more to his stress; and time away from Allie…and other important people in his life. Nathan picked up the letter from headquarters and read it for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was being offered a promotion with details pending.
It felt like deja vu. Last time Nathan had been offered a promotion, he had turned it down to stay in Hope Valley for Allie; and, if he were being honest, for Elizabeth. Then she had shattered his heart by choosing to be with Lucas for nearly two years, coming within weeks of marrying the now-governor. Ever since the broken engagement, Nathan and Elizabeth had skirted around the status of their own relationship. With Allie spending so much time with Jack, even when she wasn't babysitting, it made it easier for the parents to also be together. Family dinners with the four of them had become more frequent, but no one was willing to touch the elephant in the room.
Patience Nathan always told himself. He knew Elizabeth had been through a lot and needed to completely process her grief. Always having told her to let him know when she was ready, Nathan didn't want to be the one to push for the answer of what Elizabeth ultimately wanted. In the past few months, he had finally started to realize he never stopped being in love with her. She was his one and only. He would rather remain single than be with anyone else.
Looking at the clock, Nathan groaned. It was still a few hours before he could go home, and he was getting restless. Suddenly, his Mountie instincts kicked in as he heard some commotion in the street. He rushed outside, still just dressed in a short-sleeved Henley. His breath caught in his throat. Sergeant galloped into town and stopped right in front of the Mountie office. Nathan calmly approached the irritated animal, speaking soothing words as he caught hold of the reins.
"Hey there, buddy. What's going on? Where's Elizabeth?" His heart pounded harder at the thought of something bad happening to the woman he cared about more than anything else in the world. He securely tethered the black stallion so he could grab his things before going to investigate. Once fully dressed again in his uniform, he led Sergeant to the livery to be properly cared for while quickly saddling Newton.
His first stop was Elizabeth's house. He knocked, but no one answered. Trying not to panic, he then went to his own row house where he discovered Allie and little Jack baking cookies together in the kitchen. "Hey Dad," Allie greeted with a smile. "Want a cookie?"
"Um, sure. Can you actually put some in a bag for me to take while I go on rounds?" He forced himself to be calm in front of the kids, not wanting to alert them that anything was amiss. "Do you happen to know where Mrs. Thornton is?" he asked.
"Mommy went for a ride on Sarg, Mountie Nathan," Jack responded, galloping around the room. "Are you coming to dinner tonight? We are having spaghetti!"
Kneeling down to get on Jack's level, Nathan put his hand on the little boy's shoulder. "That sounds great, but I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Mind Allie for me, ok?"
Jack nodded and went back to helping with the cookies. "Here you go," Allie said, handing her dad the small bag filled with snickerdoodles.
Smiling at the beautiful young woman Allie was becoming, Nathan quickly thanked her and rushed out to begin his search. He headed in the direction he had seen Sergeant ride into town from, and prayed for a simple explanation of why his rider hadn't returned with him.
Pain shot through Elizabeth as she limped along the trail that led back into Hope Valley. An initial gunshot spooked Sergeant, causing her to be thrown off his back. More shots rang out and spooked him even more, sending him running toward town. It wasn't his fault, but Elizabeth wished he still acted more like a disciplined Mountie horse sometimes. She knew if Jack had been working with him over the past six years, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. Sergeant most likely had his own trauma from losing Jack, but regardless had been a fantastic companion for her.
Knowing that Bill's cabin was close, she ignored the blood soaking through the make-shift bandage on her leg and bit her lip to try and forget the pain. It was getting hot. Elizabeth didn't have water with her but knew Bill's well would provide relief once she reached it. Pangs of regret for not checking in with Nathan before leaving, left her pondering why. But she actually knew. Since Allie had unintentionally spilled the beans about Nathan getting another promotion letter, Elizabeth was avoiding being alone with him. She had been putting off an honest conversation about their relationship for months, but maybe now it wouldn't even be necessary. At that thought, the pain in her heart felt worse than the physical pain she was experiencing. Maybe they had lost their chance to actually be together.
Just when she was about to give up, Elizabeth saw the cabin. It was just the boost she needed to keep her going. Before approaching the cabin, she went to the water pump and guzzled up as much water as she could. Her leg throbbed, but she didn't dare take the bandage off the wound until she could find supplies to treat it. Hobbling up the steps, Elizabeth found a sofa inside that she immediately dropped onto in a heap and fell fast asleep.
Normally, Nathan was calm when he conducted search and rescue missions. This time, however, he had a harder time not completely losing his cool. Elizabeth was too important to him. He constantly worried about her safety. He knew she worried about him too, even if he only knew because he saw her looks when he arrived back home from dangerous missions. Sergeant had been coming from the direction of the cemetery, so it was the first place Nathan checked. He dismounted and walked to the familiar grave, solemnly removing his hat. Fresh wildflowers sat in front of the headstone, indicating someone had placed them there within the past hour or so. Both relief and disappointment washed over him. He was happy to know Elizabeth had been there but frustrated she wasn't still there.
Where could she be Nathan wondered. A gunshot rang out, causing more fear to grip him. "Jack, I'll be back another time to talk. Right now, I have to find Elizabeth."
He rushed to Newton, who had been a bit spooked, but knew Nathan needed him. Because he was close to Bill's land, he decided to stop at the cabin and fill up his canteen. More gunshots followed as he approached the cabin. He decided to take cover while he worked to assess the situation. He tied Newton up in the back where no one would be able to see him, then slowly worked his way inside, securing the area to make sure no immediate threats existed.
More loud gunfire woke up Elizabeth, and she sat up so quickly that she could feel the cut on her leg start oozing blood again. She trembled when she heard the door of the cabin move and heard loud footsteps approaching. "Don't hurt me!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face.
"Elizabeth?" Hearing her voice was a relief, but also sent a surge of emotions through Nathan.
Seeing Nathan standing there in his red serge, Elizabeth froze. Her heart was beating fast, first because of being scared, then it turned into something else. "Thank goodness you found me! Where are all those gunshots coming from?" Expecting answers, she looked into his eyes but didn't quite understand why he wasn't moving. His jaw was clenched, his mouth twitched, and his eyes searched hers.
Finally, Nathan moved to her side and scooped her into a strong embrace. Never had he initiated a hug between them, but this one felt more desperate than anything. "You have to stop putting yourself in danger like this, Elizabeth," he admonished her. "We've been having troubles with bootleggers and other violent criminals using these rural areas to hide from the law. Until we get these gangs under control, you must let people know where you are going or more preferably go with someone."
Elizabeth clapped back. "Nathan Grant, I will not be talked to in that tone. I was fine until Sergeant got spooked, threw me into a bush, then ran off. Are you going to help me or just yell at me?" She looked at him, both of them fired up and on the attack. Their eyes were locked on one another, daring the other to make the next move.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Nathan took Elizabeth in his arms and pressed his lips to hers, letting their pent-up passion be released in an electric kiss that took them both by surprise. Elizabeth's response made Nathan go completely weak in the knees, and he let the kiss deepen until they were both completely out of breath. When he finally pulled back, he noticed Elizabeth looking a bit pale. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry about that."
Gripping Nathan's arm tightly, Elizabeth tried to smile. "Don't apologize. We both just kind of acted out in the moment. My…my leg is hurt, and I might need your help treating the cut."
Worry washed over his face, and Nathan gingerly picked Elizabeth up and set her on the couch. "I'll be right back with my medical supplies." Once outside, Nathan leaned against the door to calm his racing heart. He had never meant to kiss her like THAT, but the fear of losing her just overtook him in the moment. His lips still tingled, but he forced his mind back on the task of treating her wound. After getting his medical kit out of Newton's saddle bag, he put some fresh water in a pan before going back inside.
Touching her lips with her fingers, Elizabeth was still stunned by Nathan's passionate kiss. He made her feel things she thought had died with Jack. Never had a kiss affected her quite that way. She could feel the desperation and fear of losing her that Nathan poured into the kiss. No one, including Jack, ever really knew Elizabeth the way Nathan did. They had become best friends, even as she courted and got engaged to Lucas. Nathan had become her rock, and the person she shared all of her deepest thoughts and desires with. She knew it was time to clear the air and come clean about some things. His demeanor was completely different as he came inside to fix her cut.
"Show me where you're hurt," he coaxed gently, kneeling next to her. Embarrassed, she pointed to her lower thigh, a few inches above her knee. Glad she had chosen a skirt and not her riding pants, Elizabeth lifted it just above the wound on that side. Nathan felt like he might hyperventilate for a second, but quickly scolded himself and focused on the haphazard bandage Elizabeth had been using that was completely stained with blood. "Ouch, this doesn't look good at all, sweetheart."
Trying to ignore what Nathan's touch and his words were doing to her, Elizabeth cleared her throat and explained, "I landed on a pile of loose branches when Sergeant threw me, and a sharp one got me. I figured it needed some stitches, but I tore some of my slip and just made the best bandage I could."
Carefully cleaning the wound with water, Nathan warned her before pouring some antiseptic on the cut. "It's not quite as deep as I thought, but it still needs to be closed with stitches, so you don't lose any more blood. It might hurt, since I don't have anything to numb it like Faith would. I just can't risk transporting you with an open wound."
"I'm tougher than you think." Elizabeth, cupped Nathan's chin in her hand and felt the slight stubble from the day's growth beneath her fingers. "Do what you need to do. I'm not sure anything you do to me will hurt nearly as much as I hurt you."
Closing his eyes to take in what she had just said, Nathan swallowed to try and fight the emotion that threatened to bubble to the surface. "Elizabeth," he whispered, not even knowing what to follow that up with. Instead, he prepared the needle for the stitches.
"You don't have to say anything, but I've been avoiding this conversation for far too long." Elizabeth tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts. "Since we are here with nowhere else to be, maybe it's time."
"Ok, but maybe let me do these stitches first. I'll do my best to keep the pain at a minimum," he promised.
Nervously, Elizabeth bit her lip again; but surprisingly, it didn't hurt as bad as she was expecting. Well, I have been through childbirth in a cabin, so I guess I can handle a few stitches, she thought to herself. After a bandage was carefully placed over the stitched cut, she pulled her skirt back down and made room for Nathan on the sofa. "I guess Mounties have to learn a bit of everything in their training," she observed.
A little embarrassed, Nathan nodded. "I kind of always had a knack for stitching, probably because my mom taught me to sew at a young age. If any of the Mounties needed something stitched on any training missions away from a medical team, they always wanted me to be the one to do it."
"It seems to me that your talents are pretty endless," Elizabeth complimented him. "I know you told me in the past that you are bad at love, but I disagree. What happened between us…that wasn't your fault. Nathan," she took one of his large hands in both of hers before continuing. "I know I broke your heart, more than once. I am so sorry. You didn't ever deserve the way I treated you."
Shocked to hear those words, Nathan finally broke down. He let the floodgates open and began to sob. "I've been trying not to show you how I feel for the past few years. I can't pretend anymore." He buried his head into her shoulder and cried until he felt himself run out of tears.
Drying her own eyes, Elizabeth waited for Nathan to stop crying before she finished what she had started. "It took me a long time to figure out why I made some of the choices I did after Jack died. I know that a lot of it was grief, but most of it was fear. When I found myself…when I found myself falling in love with you, it scared me. I already lost my first love, but how could I lose another great love? I wasn't sure my heart could take that again. When you told me at our log how you were feeling, you were right. I did feel the same way, but I ran away. I should have never even started a relationship with anyone at that time, because I wasn't ready. Nathan, you were the one who was always patient with me and assured me I could wait until I was ready. I felt pressure to move forward and have something secure for me and my son, but I know now that I was wrong."
"You don't have to justify anything to me, Elizabeth. However, I do appreciate and accept your apology. I would be lying if I didn't admit how much I was hurt in the past." Nathan pulled her into him and held her, making sure not to bump her sore leg. "I tried to move on with Mei and then Faith, but I think both of them recognized that something was in the way. You were in the way, my darling. I'm a one-woman man. I fell for you the first time you came into my office. Imagine how I felt, finding out you were Jack Thornton's widow. I fought hard to push those feelings aside every day for years. You know I felt like I was betraying Jack, but I was in love with you and your son. I guess I just decided that having you in my life as a friend was better than not having you at all. It just never felt like enough, though."
Hearing his confessions gave Elizabeth more hope than she had felt in a very long time. "You remember when you asked me what I wanted in the schoolhouse before the election? That night I told Rosemary how I had chosen something safe instead of following my heart. But I couldn't ignore my heart getting louder anymore, so I broke off my engagement the very next day. What I didn't tell Rosemary was that I purposely hurt you over and over to push you away; but no matter how hard I pushed, you were ALWAYS there for me. That's when I knew you still loved me. Then life just kind of happened, and suddenly it's eight months later. We've kind of gotten into this comfortable routine with the kids, and I convinced myself that everything was fine. But it's not fine."
Nathan looked at Elizabeth, surprised. "What's wrong?"
"You're going to leave me for real this time, aren't you?" she acknowledged quietly. "Allie kind of let the promotion thing slip again."
Rolling his eyes, Nathan grumbled. "Why can't that girl listen to me when I say to keep something to herself? Elizabeth, I only received a letter saying I was given a promotion with no exact details. I'm not planning on going anywhere."
"Plans change," she muttered. "You can't give up any more promotions. This is your career, and you're good at what you do. I need you to put yourself first once in a while. You are always putting everyone else above what is best for you."
Kissing the top of her head, Nathan smiled. "You and the kids are what's best for me and the most important part of my life. Being a Mountie is my job, but will never be as important as my family. Hope Valley is my home."
"Nathan, of course Hope Valley will always be home to us, but YOU are my home. I want to be wherever you are, now and forever." She carefully took his face in her hands and gently pressed her lips to his in a much softer, more deliberate kiss than the one before. She felt him respond, pouring more love into a kiss than she had ever experienced.
"I love you," he murmured against her lips as they parted and the two of them rested their foreheads together. "We'll figure it out together."
Suddenly tired from loss of blood as well as emotionally spent, Elizabeth laid her head on Nathan's chest and fell asleep. As he held her, Nathan went over every detail of their conversation again and again. He couldn't believe she had finally come clean about her feelings for him, and he felt deep gratitude that he might actually have his dreams come true.
As he began drifting into his own peaceful slumber, closer-range gunfire rang out. Elizabeth woke right up, and the two of them looked knowingly at one another. "Stay here," Nathan commanded, going back into Mountie mode. "We'll be much safer in town. Let me make sure the area is clear and Newton is ok, then we can go."
Squeezing his hand one more time before he stood, Elizabeth assured Nathan. "I'm not going anywhere. You saved my life, and I trust you implicitly. Oh, and Nathan?"
"Yes," he asked, giving her his signature crooked grin.
"You told me before to let you know when I was ready." Pausing ever so slightly, she declared, "I am now!"
With an exasperated chuckle, Nathan sighed. "Can you at least wait until we get safely back to town?"
"If I must," she joked, nervously remembering the dangers that existed outside the cabin walls. "Be Safe."