A/N Thank you for your patience, and I hope that I may be able to post weekly from here on out, or at least that is my goal. I'm still not 100%, and I am trying to bring a few of my others to completion, which will allow me to focus more on this one and a few others. Because of a bad fall, I had a few weeks ago, I may have torn my rotator cuff, so that may cause a delay. But for now, enjoy this chapter, and I will promise to try and consistently post regularly. Please be assured that I will NOT abandon a story and leave it unfinished.
Elizabeth was waiting anxiously out on the porch for the sight of her husband and father to appear. They should have only been 30 minutes behind the ladies after picking up the luggage. She had already placed the roast and vegetables in the oven to cook. The apple pie that she had baked yesterday stood ready to be cut after dinner. It had been vital to her that she prepared the meal entirely herself as a way to prove how wrong her father was about her.
She heard the door close as someone came outside and then almost immediately felt arms encircle her from behind. A familiar scent filled her nostrils, and she identified the arms as belonging to her Aunt Agatha.
"Sweetheart, I know it is hard to trust your father right now as the pain he caused you was deep. I'm asking you to trust me when I say that I truly believe that he has undergone a sincere change of heart, and I see a strength in your Mountie that tells me your father is no match for him should my instincts prove faulty."
Turning, she looked into the smiling face of her aunt and embraced her once more. "I do trust you, and I would have to agree with you about my Nathan. I think old habits are hard to break, and rebuilding that trust will take some time. I trust that whenever we visit Hamilton, you will keep rooms available for my family?"
"With Julie's wedding coming up in three months, I have already had a wing being renovated for your exclusive use. We can discuss that while I am here and get input as to preferences. May I say that glow you have fills this old heart with joy? I can only believe that divine intervention was at work to bring you and Nathan together."
"You may, indeed." Elizabeth giggled. "Oh, Aunt Agatha, I love him and Allie so much, and the best thing is they love me just as much."
"I am not surprised by that at all, and it was very obvious how much the three of them love you. Maura tells me that you are the one that will be preparing our dinner?"
Elizabeth beamed proudly. "That I am, and I can't wait for Father to see that I am not without skills to survive without servants. He will have to eat his words since I have mastered roast and vegetables, and Mom tells me my apple pie is as good as hers, although I think she is being nice."
Agatha watched her sweet girl's face as the radiant glow of happiness made her look even more beautiful and thanked God for the answered prayer. She had utterly trusted Catherine's reports, but seeing it in person made any lingering misgivings she might have had disappear. She was looking forward to getting to know Elizabeth's husband and family.
Before long, the door opened, and a giggle revealed the identity of their visitor. Turning, Elizabeth saw Allie running toward her, and she bent down so she could scoop her into her arms to cuddle her close. A few moments later, they heard the sounds of the wagon coming, and her husband appeared in the yard.
Nathan stopped the wagon in front of the house to quickly unload it. As soon as he jumped down, Elizabeth followed by Allie, were in his arms. Being Cognizant of the fact that Elizabeth's father was watching, he kept it chaste out of respect when all he really wanted to do was kiss her thoroughly, and judging by the look in his wife's eyes; she felt the same.
"Father," Elizabeth said, "Welcome to the Grant Ranch."
"Thank you, Beth," William replied, giving his daughter a tentative hug knowing that he had a lot to make up for. "It's a very beautiful place that you have here."
"Thank you, now, if you'll follow me, William and Agatha, Catherine and I will show you to your rooms," Winking at the young couple Moira smiled and said, "Come along, Allie, why don't you lead the way, sweetheart."
After they were safely inside, Nathan led her around to the other side of the wagon to assure them of privacy and kissed her with a gentle passion as he quickly deepened it. After a few minutes, they pulled away, and he chuckled at the dreamy expression on his wife's face and sighed in contentment. He imagined that he probably had a similar dreamy expression. He pulled her to him and noticed that she smelled his shirt and wrinkled her nose. "Is there a reason I can smell Alice's perfume on your shirt? Dare I ask what she is up to now?"
"First, let me say thank you for not assuming that I had done anything wrong. Having your trust means the world to me."
"There is one thing I do not doubt, Nathan Grant, and you are honorable and have a loyal heart that a woman can depend upon."
That earned her another toe-curling kiss that was even better than the first one she received. He had to hold her up practically.
"I had planned to mention it later tonight when we were alone, but we collided as I was on my way to check in at the office. She said, and I quote, "Nathan, how could you marry that horrid woman? She was so rude, and no one in town likes her. Everyone is talking about her boorish manner and questionable background." Elizabeth chuckled as he said it in a falsetto, imitating her.
I told her that going by the number of compliments I receive regularly, it was just her and her group alone that didn't like you. I also informed her that I heard about what happened at the shop and that she, her little group, and her mother didn't come out smelling like a rose in the retelling of it. I also thanked her for showing her true colors because if she hadn't, I would never have found the love of my life, and in hindsight, I really dodged a bullet."
This time it was her turn to reward her husband with a kiss, and then, as he tried to regain his senses, she whispered huskily, "Just for that, I'm going to wear the lavender one for you later." Then she kissed his cheek, moved out of his reach, and grabbed two bags. Nathan stood there, unable to move, as a picture of her from last night and earlier this morning popped into his head.
"Do you need any help?" William asked, bringing him abruptly out of his daydream and unable to look his father-in-law in the eye for fear the older man would know his thoughts.
"That would be great," Nathan said. It didn't take long for them to carry all the bags in and for Nathan to take care of the horse and wagon.
Throughout the day, William watched the interactions between Elizabeth, Nathan, and Allie, enabling him to see how much love existed between the three of them. Nathan looked at his daughter as if she hung the moon, and she returned it. Watching the couple, one would never know they were a mail-order marriage. Nathan may not have been what he had in mind for his daughter, but it appeared he was everything Beth had been looking for.
Allie was adorable and quickly stole his heart. He wished Grace could see what he had and meet their little Allie. He could also see how much Moira loved Elizabeth. Despite the circumstances, she had also been welcoming to him, even going so far as to give up her room to him for his stay. It had been a bit awkward when she explained that Nathan and Elizabeth had moved to the cabin to allow them some privacy while Gabe and Faith were gone.
William was surprised to learn that his daughter had prepared the delicious dinner and the apple pie they had for dessert. What he enjoyed most, though, was the sparkle in her eyes and the pride she took in doing all by herself. Nathan was both appreciative and encouraging of her efforts, and the more he watched his daughter and her husband, the more he thanked God for bringing them together. He couldn't recall a time when his middle daughter was as comfortable in her skin or as happy as Nathan made her.
They sat in the living room after dinner while Allie played with the new dolls her grandma and Grandpa Thatcher brought her. There were three new storybooks as well from Aunt Julie and two new dresses from Aunt Agatha as a welcome to the family present.
Looking at the time, Elizabeth excused herself to give Allie her bath and ready her for bed.
While she was gone, Nathan filled them in on Alice's latest actions and explained to William and Agatha the history behind the woman.
"Well, she is messing with the wrong woman if she is trying to discredit Elizabeth. My girls have dealt with people like this woman many times and far worse and came out the victor." William said with pride. "Elizabeth may naturally have this easygoing personality, but when a social bully tries to strong-arm her or those she loves, they will come out the loser. I think that is why she was considered the cream of the crop of debutantes. She was considered elusive, but in reality, she didn't care about all of the society trappings."
"You know Catherine, I think we should have lunch at the café in town tomorrow. Since you know who she is, you can let us know. I want to observe this person for myself and then fight fire with fire." Agatha said.
"Sounds good to me," Catherine said.
"While you do that, I'm going to do a little discreet research on her family connections," William said. "We'll soon get her sorted out."
A little while later, with Allie tucked in for the night, Nathan and Elizabeth headed to the cabin. Nathan started the fire while Elizabeth, true to her word, put on the lavender peignoir set. It had been all Nathan could do to concentrate on the conversation after dinner.
"Nathan," Elizabeth said softly.
He turned and froze as he looked at the vision standing there in the doorway. His mouth went dry, and he nervously rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. His hands ached with the need to touch as he slowly approached her, savoring every moment. He drew her closer to him and gently caressed her cheek and down her neck with the back of his hand before cupping her cheek and capturing her lips. No words were needed as the kiss deepened. Elizabeth ran her palms down his arms and clutched his forearms for support as the kisses made her senses swirl, leaving her unable to focus on anything but her husband and the delicious feelings he was stirring within her.
Elizabeth removed his suspenders and shirt and ran her hands over the smooth muscles of his chest, making him shiver with pleasure at her touch. Their lips parted to allow them to catch their breath. Nathan reached to untie the ribbon to her robe as his teeth playfully nipped at her bottom lip. He pushed her robe off her shoulders, picked her up in his arms, and carried her to their bed. As he knelt beside her and took her in his arms once more, he whispered huskily, "I love you so much, Lizbeth! You are my joy and my treasure, and I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I adore you." Then captured her lips in a fiery, passionate kiss that they allowed to burn unchecked for the remainder of the night.
