Elizabeth couldn't remember the last time she had ridden so fast. Actually, that wasn't not true. She could. She just preferred not to. The memory of her riding away from Nathan after he'd first told her that he loved her was almost too painful to even think about. She hadn't ridden this fast since she'd fled, but even at the high speed she and Sergeant were now going, Nathan and Newton were still going faster.

Elizabeth knew Nathan was worried sick about Allie. She'd seen it in his eyes as they had both hurriedly saddled Sergeant. He wanted to find her as fast as possible and so did Elizabeth. She couldn't imagine what she would do if something were to happen to Allie. Elizabeth didn't even want to consider it.

"Nathan!" she yelled, but the wind blew her words away before they could reach him. Pursing her lips, Elizabeth urged Sergeant faster until he pulled up beside Newton. Nathan glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"We should slow down!" Elizabeth yelled in order to be heard over the rushing wind.

"We can't!" Nathan shouted back, not easing up. "We have to get Allie!"

"We could ride right past her going this fast!" Elizabeth insisted. If Allie was calling out to them, there was no way they would be able to hear it at this pace. "We have to slow down!" Nathan's face changed as he realized that Elizabeth was right. Reluctantly, Nathan pulled on Newton's reins and slowed his pace until they were walking. Elizabeth couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as she slowed Sergeant beside them.

"Sorry," Nathan muttered after they had been silent for a minute. "It's just that it's getting dark and I want to find her as fast as possible."

"And we will," Elizabeth assured him. "But if she's calling for you, we won't be able to hear her at that speed. Plus, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ride Newton that hard after the day he's had."

"You're right," Nathan finally agreed and he reached down to gently rub his horse's neck. "I didn't even think about that." They rode slowly in silence for a second. Elizabeth could tell that Nathan was deep in thought and she didn't want to interrupt him. She knew Nathan well enough to know that he would share when he was ready.

"What if we can't find her?" he finally whispered, his voice hoarse now. Nathan looked over at Elizabeth as they rode and Elizabeth's heart squeezed when she caught sight of the look on his face. She'd never seen Nathan look so scared. Not even when Allie ran off to Grandville last year. "I mean, we're over halfway to the ridge. It's getting dark and I have no idea if this is even the way she was going. I-" Nathan's voice cracked and he swallowed hard. "I feel like I've failed her," he said. Now, his blue eyes were shining with emotion. "She's my little girl, Elizabeth. I can't lose her."

"You won't. I promise," Elizabeth said, her voice woven with conviction. "We are not going back to town without Allie." Instinctively, Elizabeth reached over and grabbed his hand. "You haven't failed her, Nathan, and we are going to find her." Nathan glanced back up at her with his ocean blue eyes. He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand a few times.

"Thank you," he finally whispered. Elizabeth just smiled. She would have normally leaned over and given him a kiss on the cheek, but considering they were both sitting on horses riding slowly through the woods, she figured that might not be the best idea. So, she just squeezed his hand instead.

"Come on." Elizabeth withdrew her hand from his to grip the reins again. "Let's keep looking for her." Nathan nodded and the two picked up the pace a little until they were. Nathan didn't say a word, but Elizabeth knew that he was just worried about his little girl. Elizabeth couldn't deny that her stomach clenched when she thought about Allie alone in the woods somewhere. We have to find her. "Should we start calling her?" Elizabeth asked, after a second.

"That would probably be a good idea," Nathan agreed, breaking his silence.

"Allie!" Elizabeth called first. "Where are you?"

"Allie!" Nathan echoed. "Allie!" His voice cracked when he said his daughter's name. "Allie, please!" he cried. Elizabeth's heart broke and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Please let us find her, she prayed. Please let her be OK.

The last of the sun's rays were vanishing and Allie tried not to shiver. She was soaked in wet mud and her coat wasn't thick enough to protect against the evening breeze. She didn't know how much longer she would last out here. Please let someone find me, she prayed and not for the first.

Allie leaned her head back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. She was so worn out that she could've fallen asleep, but that didn't seem like such a good idea. If someone was out looking for her, she should be awake to make sure they didn't miss her. And then again, if there was some sort of wild animal lurking around, Allie definitely didn't want to be asleep for that.

Finally, she just decided to sing.

"By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea,

You and I you and I, oh! How happy we'll be,"

Allie slowly started to smile as she remembered the time her dad had helped her practice. She loved hearing him sing. The only thing Allie loved more was singing with him.

"When each wave comes a rolling in," Allie continued to sing quietly, with only the trees as her audience.

"We will duck or swim, and we'll float and fool around the water.

Over and under, and then up for air,

Pa is rich, Ma is rich, so now what do we care?"

A tear slowly trickled its way down her cheek. She and Angela always sang this song together. At least, they used to. Who knows if we ever will again, Allie couldn't help thinking as tears continued to leak out of her eyes. She missed her best friend.

"I love to be beside your side, beside the sea,

Beside the seaside, by the beautiful sea."*

Allie's voice trailed off, but she didn't open her eyes. Her tears trickled down her cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. For a second, Allie forgot about her broken arm and her throbbing ankle. Right now, her physical pain paled in comparison to the ache she was feeling in her heart. She missed her friends. She needed her dad. She just wanted to be home.

"Allie!" Her eyes snapped open. "Allie!"

"Dad?!" Allie yelled back, her heart instantly starting to beat fast. Allie held her breath, waiting for a response. Please, Dad, she implored. Hear me.

"Allie, where are you?!"

"I'm here, Dad!" Allie cried.

"Allie?!" This time, it was Mrs. Thornton's voice that reached Allie's ears.

"I'm here!" Allie yelled again. A second later, Allie saw what she thought was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Two horses were riding towards her, carrying two of the people Allie loved most in the world.

"Allie!" Nathan didn't even wait for Newton to stop before he was jumping off his horse and rushing towards his daughter. Elizabeth wasn't far behind.

"Mom! Dad!" Allie cried, immediately bursting into tears of relief at the sight of them. Not even comprehending the significance of what she just said, Allie didn't notice how Elizabeth froze as soon as she swung off Sergeant. Allie could barely see anything as tears blinded her vision. Nathan reached her a second later and immediately knelt down beside her.

"Oh Allie, are you OK?" he asked, reaching up gently to move the hair from her face. He wanted nothing more than to wrap Allie in his arms, but he knew that could be dangerous if she was injured. Nathan's eyes skillfully checked his daughter for visible injuries, but stopped cold when he noticed how she was gingerly cradling her left arm.

"I think I broke my arm," Allie managed to reply. She sniffed and tried to blink the tears from her eyes.

"Does anything else hurt?" Nathan asked. All he wanted to do was give his little girl a hug, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"My ankle," Allie whimpered, the full weight of the pain suddenly racing back. "I don't think it's broken, but I can't walk on it without it hurting." Now, Elizabeth came closer and bent down on the other side of Allie.

"You have a few scraps on your face," she said softly, carefully moving Allie's hair aside. "But nothing looks concerning."

"We should make a sling for your arm," Nathan said, his Mountie training kicking in.

"I was going to do that earlier," Allie said. "But I didn't think I could do it without hurting my arm, so I just tried not to move it too much."

"That was good thinking, Allie," Elizabeth replied, smiling tenderly as she brought her hand up to wipe a tear from Allie's cheek.

"Do you mind if I tear off the bottom of your skirt?" Nathan asked his daughter.

"Go ahead," Allie replied. "I think it's probably ruined anyway," she said, surveying her mud-stained clothes.

"Would you mind telling us what happened, Al?" Nathan asked gently, as he slowly started to tear part of the hem of Allie's skirt.

"I was going to ride up to the ridge," Allie said, her words tumbling out faster. "But I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize how fast Newton and I were going. I tried to slow him down, but we were already going too fast. Then there was a tree right in front of us and Newton didn't swerve until the last second, but then it threw me off balance and I fell and landed on my arm." More tears were streaming down Allie's face at this point. "I would have tried to walk back to town, but I couldn't even stand on my ankle."

"I'm so sorry, Al," Nathan said, his face white as he imagined what his daughter had just gone through.

"We were so worried about you," Elizabeth whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she slowly ran her hand through the teenager's tangled hair.

"I'm sorry," Allie burst out suddenly and tears started coursing down her cheeks again.

"Hey, hey," Nathan said then, coming closer again. "You have nothing to apologize for Allie." He laid a gentle hand on her right shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone."

"I was scared that you weren't going to be able to find me," Allie choked out.

"Oh, Allie," Elizabeth said, gently putting her arm around the girl's back, being careful not to jostle her arm. Allie laid her head on Elizabeth's shoulder and just cried.

"Allie, listen to me." Nathan waited until Allie lifted her head and looked over at him. "I would have never left you out here alone. Never. I would have kept looking for you until I found you. No matter how long it took. OK?" Allie nodded, more tears filling her eyes at her father's words.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered, her voice cracking on the last word. Nathan smiled softly as his own eyes filled with moisture.

"I love you too, Allie-girl. So much." He reached for his daughter's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks for coming to find me, Mrs. Thornton," Allie said then, turning to look at her teacher.

"Of course, Allie," Elizabeth replied. It almost looked like she was about to more, but something seemed to hold her back. Before Allie could think about it any longer, however, her dad spoke again.

"Are you OK if I wrap your arm, Allie?" he asked, standing up and holding the cloth in his hand.

"Sure," Allie replied, but she tensed knowing that it was going to be uncomfortable. Elizabeth moved aside as Nathan took her place and knelt down beside Allie.

"I'll be as careful as I can," he promised, not wanting to cause his daughter any more pain.

"OK," Allie replied, but she knew there was only so much he could do. Elizabeth came around to Allie's other side and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Allie closed her eyes as Nathan folded the fabric and gently maneuvered it under Allie's left arm. Allie bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. Nathan looped the cloth up and over her injured arm and then tied the ends together around Allie's neck.

"OK, I'm done," Nathan said and Allie heard him stand up. She let out a breath and slowly opened her eyes. She didn't realized how tight she had been gripping Mrs. Thornton's hand until she let go.

"Sorry," Allie apologized to her teacher, but Elizabeth just shook her head.

"That's what I'm here for," Elizabeth replied, smiling down at her.

"It's getting dark and we need to get you to the infirmary, kiddo," Nathan said and Allie had to squint to see his face in the rapidly fading light. Nathan looked over at Elizabeth who said,

"She should ride in front of you on Newton and then I'll follow on Sergeant."

"My thoughts exactly." Nathan came around to Allie's other side and then gently slid his arms around her. "You ready?" he asked. Allie slipped her uninjured arm around her dad's neck.

"Yeah," she answered and Nathan hoisted her into the air and gently carried her towards the horses. Allie buried her head in her dad's shoulder and let out a shuddering breath. Now, Allie knew that everything was going to be alright. They'd found her. She wasn't alone anymore.

Nathan and Elizabeth both helped Allie climb onto Newton, since she couldn't pull herself up without putting strain on her injured arm. Once Allie was on the horse, she glanced towards the ground and almost threw up. She was so far off the ground! She'd never really noticed it before, but she sure did now. Allie had a feeling she wouldn't be getting on another horse anytime soon.

Nathan mounted behind Allie and then reached around to grab Newton's reins as Elizabeth swung up onto Sergeant. As the three of them started their slow trek back to town, a blanket of exhaustion came over Allie. Leaning back against her dad, she closed her eyes. She felt Nathan bend down and lightly kiss the top of her head. His arms held her securely and Allie didn't even worry about falling off. She knew her dad would never let that happen. Allie smiled without opening her eyes.

"I love you, Dad," she whispered, already half asleep.

"I love you too, Allie-girl," Nathan replied. That was the last thing Allie heard before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

*"By the Beautiful Sea (1914) - music written by Harry Carroll and lyrics written by Harold R. Atteridge (Public Domain)