Nathan was awakened by sounds coming from downstairs. He sat up. Was that a scuffle? He glanced at the clock as he quietly got up and donned some clothes, then grabbed his weapon. It was not quite 3:30 am. He gently nudged Elizabeth. She blinked. He put a finger to his lips and could see the moment that she heard what he did. He leaned close and whispered, "Please stay here. Lock the door behind me."
She nodded, whispering, "Be safe, please." Once he was gone, she got up and locked the door, then very quietly got herself dressed. She then looked around the room for some kind of weapon and found a baseball bat of Nathan's propped in the corner. She grabbed it and tiptoed over behind the door and listened as best as she could.
Nathan slowly and very quietly edged down the steps. Once he got down there, he realized what he'd heard was the Mounties checking in and trying to be quiet. He instantly retreated upstairs to let Elizabeth know, then went back down to find out if there was any news. He wasn't at all surprised when he heard his wife come down behind him.
"Bill? Gentlemen? What's happening?" Nathan sensed an urgency. When he looked carefully, he could see signs of altercation on the men's uniforms. He felt Elizabeth slip her arm through his.
Bill looked back at the Mounties, he obviously didn't know what was happening, either. The one closest to them, Constable Douglas, said, "We've got him! Caught him on the outskirts of town." His eyes slid over to Elizabeth, then back to Nathan, who nodded. "He actually wasn't too far from your home, and he was armed. Constables Kinslow and Lafontaine have taken him to the jail. We're heading there now."
Nathan barely caught his wife as she sagged against him in obvious relief. He was currently torn between tearing out of here to confront the man or being here for Elizabeth. But, only briefly. His place was here, with her. There would be plenty of time to have a word with Higgins.
With a cry, Elizabeth sought out the eyes of the Constables, making sure they saw her. "I cannot thank you both enough."
Constable Douglas waved a hand. "It's what we do, but it means even more when it's one of our own, which you were even before you married this reprobate." He laughed when Nathan rolled his eyes. Both men saluted Nathan and Bill, then left.
Bill was starting to gather his things, when Elizabeth spoke up. "Bill, unless you're uncomfortable, you know you're more than welcome to stay the rest of the night. Go home in the morning. Gabriel certainly has things under control for tonight."
"You're right. I'll do that. You two go back up and try to get some sleep. We can sort everything out tomorrow."
Nathan took Elizabeth's hand and led her back up the steps. Once, they were in their room, Nathan barked out a laugh. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
He reached down and grabbed his baseball bat off the bed. "It would've served Higgins right if he'd have suffered your wrath with this thing! Good thinking! Did you get behind the door?"
She took the bat from him and put it in the corner. "Of course, I did! What do you take me for?"
When she got close enough, he yanked her into his arms. "I take you for one incredibly smart and brave woman, who I'm lucky enough to have as my wife." He nuzzled her nose, his lips hovering near hers.
She smiled softly. "You do, eh? I think that's a more than acceptable answer. Now, are you going to kiss me, or what?"
Since Nathan was one to do what his wife told him to, he could only oblige and give her exactly what she wanted. He kissed her softly and slowly, pulling her over to the bed where they made excellent use of the time they might've otherwise spent unable to get back to sleep.
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By the time Nathan and Elizabeth came downstairs in the morning, Bill had cleared out. There was a note from Rosemary on the kitchen table, along a plate of fresh scones. She was picking the kids up from the Canfield's and they were to take their time this morning and come pick them up around lunch time. She'd have them at the Valley Voice. While the couple were making some coffee and getting ready to eat breakfast, Bill called.
He told Nathan, "Don't bother rushing into town. We've got everything under control here. Higgins isn't going anywhere. He's wanted in so many jurisdictions right now, he'll not see the light of day anytime soon. Even if he could afford a fancy lawyer, the evidence against him is mounting so fast, it wouldn't matter. Besides, the two of you would likely be shooed out of town. Everyone wants you to have some time to yourselves. You might, however, be able to go to the livery to saddle your horses for a ride."
He shouldn't be surprised that Bill knew exactly what he'd planned to do this morning. Taking time with Elizabeth, though? He really, really wanted to do that. "Alright, Bill. Thanks."
Elizabeth was watching him from the table, where she'd just sat down. No words necessary. Nathan took the seat beside her. "Higgins is locked up tight and Bill said that there's so much evidence piling up against him that we shouldn't worry about him worming his way out of a jail cell. He didn't tell me what, but from his tone, I'd say that there's some pretty damning things we don't know about yet. He also said that we shouldn't bother coming into town this morning, or we're likely to get shooed out. Says folks want us to have some time alone together."
She reached out and placed her hand on his. "I'd love that. More time alone with you sounds wonderful to me."
He turned over his hand to grasp hers, entwining their fingers. "I couldn't agree more."
After breakfast, they headed upstairs to get ready for their day. The temptation was strong to just spend the remaining time before picking up the kids right here in their bedroom. Ultimately, they'd been forced to stay indoors so much lately, that they decided to go for that ride instead.
A little while later, Nathan and Elizabeth walked hand in hand towards the livery, enjoying the beautiful late summer day. Nathan reveled in simply having her hand entwined with his own - for all the town to see. His wife. He needed to plan some sort of honeymoon for them now that the danger had passed. And, there was absolutely no way that he'd let his job interfere. She deserved that, and much more.
"Penny for your thoughts, Constable." Elizabeth snuck a look at him through her lashes. She could tell that he had something on his mind. His brow was most definitely furrowed.
He squeezed her hand. "You're far too observant, Mrs Grant. And, that's what I was thinking about. That you're 'Mrs Grant'. And I love it. We've hardly had a chance to truly settle in to married life, and I'm grateful that now we can."
Elizabeth stopped suddenly and turned to him. She reached up and threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Her eyes were soft when she said, "I'm grateful, too, Nathan. I want you to know that, even though the drama has passed, that we look even better to me as a married couple in the light of day. I can't wait to spend every morning waking up with you and ending the day with you being the last thing that I see before I close my eyes."
Nathan swallowed hard as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. They were a comfortable enough distance from the main street in town, so he poured his heart into the kiss he laid onto her lips.
She melted into his kiss. Regretfully, they both pulled back, not wanting to take the chance of being seen in such a passionate embrace. "Mmmm...maybe we should've stayed home this morning..." Elizabeth whispered, huskily. It was so easy to be bold with Nathan. She somehow felt more free with him than she ever had before in her life. And, the truth was, she simply couldn't get enough of him.
"Don't tempt me, Mrs Grant. I'd be willing to race you back home." She was still wrapped in his arms, and it took all of his willpower to not follow through. Yes, that honeymoon needed to happen. Sooner rather than later.
Elizabeth chuckled softly. "It really is tempting. But, we should probably go for that ride? We haven't exercised the horses ourselves lately. But, later?" She flashed her saucy grin at him, one eyebrow cocked. She trailed a hand over his chest as she turned towards the livery once more.
With a chuckle, he followed her, grabbing her hand as soon as he caught up. He knew for certain that he'd follow her anywhere, at any time, for the rest of his life.
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The ride on Sergeant and Newton was invigorating for all involved...both human and beast alike. They somehow wound up beside the very spot where Nathan had declared his love a few years before.
They'd both been drawn to this place almost a year ago - each puzzled by the other's appearance. Then, they were interrupted by Bill. So much had happened since that fateful day. Elizabeth looked uncertainly at Nathan. Wondering how he felt about being here again.
Nathan smiled gently at his wife. His wife. He was okay with being here, but he wanted to be sure that she understood that. She didn't have to say a word for him to know what she was thinking. He dismounted Newton and then went to hold his hand out to help Elizabeth down, even though he knew she didn't need it. He made sure that she landed right within his arms.
Her beautiful lake blue eyes held unshed tears as she looked hopefully into his, much like the moment when he'd told her that he'd never stopped loving her. His gaze held so much love and tenderness, it took her breath away.
"Lizbeth, this is only a place. What happened here before has led us back here, right now, as husband and wife. I'd like to believe that we're both better for it. No more looking back, only moving forward." He'd placed a hand on her jaw, brushing a thumb gently over her cheek. "I love you.", he whispered.
"I love you, too. I surely must have done something right along the way to deserve your love." She drew him closer and gently brushed her lips over his. She gasped when he tightened his hold on her and deepened the kiss.
Nathan pulled slightly away, resting his forehead on Elizabeth's while they both slowed their breathing down. He grabbed one of her hands and walked over to the log. "How about we both sit here this time around?" He lowered himself to the log and patted the space beside him.
She liked the idea of sitting with Nathan this time. It seemed fitting. The first time, she ran. The second time, they were both called away before they'd barely spoken. Now? They were one. She thrilled when Nathan reached an arm around her, pulling her closer. She gladly rested her head upon his shoulder.
"Lizbeth? I've been wondering, this morning, how you're doing with everything that's happened since last night? We never really talked about it."
Contemplating her answer, Elizabeth sighed. "Frankly, I'm relieved. I'll feel even more relieved when the man is no longer in Hope Valley." She turned to look at Nathan. "I just feel bad that he's managed to abuse more women during this time. It makes me angry. Nathan? Could we possibly go to Buxton to visit with Francine Fessler? I really feel as though I'd like to see her and make sure she's okay."
Nathan's hold tightened on his wife. She never ceased to amaze him. "Of course, Sweetheart. I think that's a wonderful idea. Let's wait until the prisoner transfer is complete, and then we'll go. Lizbeth, what I said to you before? When you faced off with Higgins? That still stands today - maybe even more. I'm proud of you. Yes, maybe the man stooped even lower than either of us could have imagined, but your remembering Francine was the clue that eventually broke the mystery of his whereabouts and just how close he was."
Elizabeth beamed a little at her husband's praise. He really did make her feel braver than she thought she was. "Well, Francine did help out a bit by being observant enough to go see her fiancé's brother and noticing Higgins' wanted poster."
"You can downplay your involvement all you want but, nonetheless, you did play a crucial part. I just want you to know that you have that power within you and to never forget it."
Oh, how she loved this man! The most glorious thing to come out of this whole situation was the realization that she didn't want to waste another moment of her life waiting for 'the right moment' when she knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt that this was already right. Rosemary had been so right about that.
She shifted so that she could look him in the eyes. They caught and held their gaze. So much feeling passed between them without a single word being uttered. Elizabeth wondered if she would ever get to the point where she didn't feel completely consumed by this need for her husband. She fervently prayed that would never happen.
Nathan was feeling pretty much the same way as he looked lovingly on his wife. Should he not be wishing that they'd stayed home this morning? Maybe he should put his plans for a honeymoon into some quicker motion. He wondered if they just needed that alone time.
Elizabeth reached a hand up to his handsome face, sliding it down his cheek, then behind his neck where her fingers toyed with his hair. With her voice barely above a whisper she said, "I'm in love with you. Nathan, I love you..."
A half smile spread over his face. "I see what you did there, Lizbeth, and I like it. I like it a lot. I love you, too." Then he reached his other arm around her and pulled her up onto his lap, his mouth closing over hers in a thorough and passionate kiss.
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The Grants finished taking care of Newton and Sergeant at the livery and made their way over to the Valley Voice. Before they went inside, Nathan told Elizabeth that he really needed to check in with Bill at his office. She grabbed his arm. "You promise you're not going to the jail?"
He brushed a hand over her cheek. "Lizbeth, I promise. I have something that I need Bill to take care of and I'd like the privacy of his office to discuss it. It has nothing to do with Higgins or Hargreaves."
Elizabeth nodded. "Be safe." She watched her husband walk towards Bill's office and then went inside to see their kids and her best friend. She quickly found herself rushed by both Jack and Allie. Jack was simply glad to see her, but Allie looked so relieved that Elizabeth thought the girl might faint.
Allie looked around, then whispered nervously, "Where's Dad?"
Elizabeth hugged her tighter. "He's talking to your Uncle Bill and he'll be right over. He's fine. We're both fine. Thomas Higgins is in custody." Her voice was barely above a whisper, so that Jack didn't start asking questions to which he'd never understand the answers.
After Jack had his fill of hugs from Elizabeth, he went back over to his Uncle Lee's desk where he was coloring. Allie settled back down with a book and Rosemary disconnected from the phone call she'd been on, checked on Goldie who was sleeping in her pram, then walked over and gave her friend a hug.
Rosemary pulled back and examined Elizabeth's face, then smiled widely. "Well, don't you look refreshed!" There was a distinct twinkle in her eye as she said it.
Elizabeth found herself blushing and couldn't stop the small smile from her lips. Her eyes slid over to where Allie sat; the girl was simply far too observant for any real conversation about herself and Nathan to happen with Rosemary right now.
Rosemary's eyes followed Elizabeth's and she giggled merrily, enjoying her friend's dilemma just a little too much. She laughed even harder when Elizabeth's eyebrow raised.
"Has Lillian arrived?" Elizabeth asked, choosing to instead change the subject.
"I see what you're doing, and yes, she arrived a little while ago."
"Nathan and I thought it would be nice if we hosted a dinner for them tonight at the hotel. Would you like to be a part of it? We could invite Bill as well. It would be too many people for our house. Do you happen to know where Lillian is, at the moment?"
Rosemary giggled again. "Oh, Elizabeth. I think you probably know exactly where she is, if you just think about it. I mean, where would you be right now if..."
The light bulb went on and Elizabeth frowned at her friend and whispered, "Okay, okay! I think I know where she's at! What is with you today?" She laughed helplessly. "I have an idea. Let's put together a basket of food from the cafe and leave it with a note on the porch. They can let us know." Because, of course, the Kinslows were likely spending some quality alone time at Nathan's old house.
"Now that sounds like a plan!" Rosemary reached a hand out and touched Elizabeth's arm. "And what's with me is that I can't remember when I've seen you this happy. It's been far too long. I'll try to behave...for now."
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Down at Bill's office, Nathan sat across the desk from the man. Bill looked up with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you weren't supposed to be getting involved..."
Nathan put a hand up. "I'm not. I walked right past the jail. I'd actually prefer if Rosemary were here as well. I'd like to surprise Elizabeth with a honeymoon and I'm going to need some help to pull it off. I also need to make a call to headquarters and put in for some leave. I have plenty of time to take. You know it's going to be hard to surprise her, especially considering I'm not going in to work right now."
Bill grinned. "I know I called you slower than molasses in January, Nathan...but I have to say that I'm impressed with your follow up! Now, why don't you start with that phone call to headquarters? I'm fairly certain that you won't have a problem getting approval. Word is that Constable Douglas may be assigned to Hope Valley for awhile. He and I could have you covered, no problem."
Nathan made his phone call and, of course, Bill was correct. Liam Douglas was assigned to Hope Valley indefinitely. Between the troubles with Jeanette, protecting the governor when he was in town and then Higgins, they felt as though it was time to test out having two Mounties available. Nathan's leave was approved. He'd have two weeks to take his wife on a honeymoon and spend time with his new family before Elizabeth and the children went back to school and he went back to work.
He discussed the dinner for the Kinslows and Bill decided to accompany him back to the Valley Voice to find out what the final decisions were. Bill promised to talk to Rosemary about Elizabeth's surprise and find a way to get that ball rolling. Nathan just needed to figure out where he wanted to take her.
As the two men exited Bill's office, Nathan said, "Bill, I can't thank you enough for being there for us."
"Always, Nathan. You and Elizabeth are like family. It's what family does."
Nathan chuckled inwardly. That was about as mushy as Bill Avery ever got. He'd file this one away for remembrance. He slapped Bill on the back in response and they walked the rest of the way to Rosemary's office.
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Nathan, Elizabeth, Rosemary and the kids walked slowly towards the row houses. Well, Goldie rode in her pram, but the rest walked...or skipped. Jack definitely skipped, then got a piggy back ride from his dad. The group stopped at the Grant's old home and put a basket on the porch, with a light knock at the door before they moved on. The adults were mostly content to listen to Jack's chatter about how much fun Pastor Joseph was at home.
Once at home, Jack managed to fall asleep on the settee in the middle of a sentence and Allie went up to her room to read some more. Nathan and Elizabeth chose to sit on the front porch step together as they had a habit of doing.
Elizabeth sat with Nathan's arm around her and sighed happily. "I've missed this. It's so nice to get to simply sit on our front porch together without fear of attack."
"It really is." Nathan agreed. The couple sat there for awhile until they heard Jack calling for them inside. As they stood to go inside, they noticed Gabriel walking their way. Elizabeth continued in to see to Jack and Nathan walked down the steps to meet with his friend.
Gabriel wore the same sappy look that Nathan had just this morning. Nathan smirked, but didn't say anything because he knew Gabriel could read him.
"Thanks for the basket of food, Nathan. Though, I suspect that it was more your wife and Rosemary who's responsible. We'd love to come out for dinner tonight. Lillian can't wait to see Elizabeth and Rosemary again."
"You're right about that basket. I'll pass your thanks on to Elizabeth. We'll look forward to seeing you two at six, then?" When Gabriel nodded, Nathan continued - with a wave towards his old home. "Go on, get back to your wife." He chuckled when his friend muttered a quick 'thanks' and abruptly turned around to hustle back to Lillian. How well he now knew the feeling.
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Nathan and Elizabeth sat around a table with the Coulters, Bill and the Kinslows. Dinner had been exceptional and they were waiting on dessert and coffee. Gabriel challenged Nathan to a round of darts. Nathan could tell his friend had something on his mind, so he quickly agreed.
As Gabriel threw his first dart, Nathan dove straight in with the questions. "So, what's on your mind, Gabe?"
Gabriel chuckled. He threw another dart. "I hear that you want to surprise your wife with a honeymoon. Do you have a plan in mind?"
Nathan stepped up to take his turn. "Yes I do want to surprise her and no, I don't really have a plan yet." He finished his turn and they gathered their darts.
"Well, it turns out that Lillian and I have an offer for you. An elderly friend of the Walsh family passed away about six months ago and left her cottage to Lillian. It's about halfway between here and Brookfield. Secluded, but not too far from either town in the case of an emergency. We'd like to let you two use it for as long as you want. Lillian hasn't yet decided on whether to sell it, rent it or just keep it for guests. It's just sitting there, empty, right now."
Nathan's jaw dropped open. "It's perfect, Gabe. I don't know what to say besides, thank you. Now, all I need to do is figure out when and how to surprise Elizabeth." He saw Gabe's eyes widen slightly, then felt his wife's arms slide around his middle.
"Did I just hear my name? Is this a boy's only game, or can I join?" Elizabeth was quickly followed by Lillian.
The redhead put her arm around Gabriel. "I think we should do girls against boys."
Nathan barked out a laugh, remembering Elizabeth's dart going straight into his beer. "Well, if you're aiming for someone's beverage, Elizabeth is your girl."
She pulled away and batted at his shoulder with a mock frown on her face - trying very hard to not laugh. "Nathan!" She turned and looked sheepishly at their friends. "But, he's not wrong, Lillian. It really happened. You should probably stick with Gabriel." She looked at her husband. "But you, you're stuck with me."
Everyone was laughing and Nathan leaned down to plant a kiss Elizabeth's nose. "I think I can live with that. You do know that they're going to crush us, right?"
Elizabeth giggled. "So long as I'm with you, I think I can live with that, too."
The dart game went about as well as expected. Everyone's beverages remained safe from Elizabeth's darts. "I think I might be losing my touch." Elizabeth said with a laugh as the couples walked back to their table. The group enjoyed their dessert and coffee with plenty of lively conversation.
Nathan looked up from his plate to see Rosemary looking like she had a twitch in her eye. She was staring directly at him and suddenly nodding her head to one side while trying to look casual. Elizabeth had just gotten up to speak with Mei, so Nathan moved over to the vacant chair beside Rosemary.
"Okay, Rosemary, I'm here. You can stop the facial tics."
Her eyes darted over to Elizabeth and then she turned back towards Nathan. "The Kinslows told us about the cottage. I think I have a way to surprise Elizabeth. But, it's going to take a little sacrifice from you to do it." She figured that he would, at least internally, object to her plan.
Nathan stifled a groan. He'd do whatever it took to pull this off. "What's the plan?"
"Well, the town wants to throw you two a reception. You already knew that. We can make it happen as soon as you want to leave, which I assume will be quickly so you can have Elizabeth back in time to finish preparing for the new school year. We'll have her bags packed and you can whisk her away afterwards."
He felt her eyes on him, and she was right about him not wanting a party, but Elizabeth was worth it, every bit of it. "Alright. But, please, Rosemary, some restraint?" He was a bit ashamed at the desperation in his voice, but was shocked by the beaming smile he received.
"Oh, don't you worry, Nathan. You see, you've made my dear friend happier than I think I've ever seen her. I'll respect your wishes and those that I know she'd have." There was a slight pause. "I haven't said it yet, but thank you. I'm glad that you never truly gave up on her, despite the pain that it might've caused you."
He could only nod. After a moment, when he could trust his voice again, he whispered, "Thank you, Rosemary, for being such a true friend to her and now to me."
Rosemary patted his arm. "Well, are you ready to tackle convincing your lovely wife to have a quick wedding reception?"
He rolled his eyes as he listened to her delighted laugh. "What's so funny over here?" Elizabeth said from behind him. 'Well, here we go...' he thought.
