Elizabeth slept better than she expected and was anticipating seeing Nathan first thing. She eased from the bed, trying not to wake Allie. She grabbed her robe and slippers and tiptoed from the room.
Instead she found Bill downstairs, and not Nathan. Fortunately, with Bill came a delicious breakfast. "Bill?" she queried.
"Morning. Nathan left early for his rounds so he could get back here. You're gonna have some trouble shaking him in the coming days. Even when others are around."
That left a smile on her face, she wished it were for other reasons, because she had no desire to 'shake him'. She looked around and noticed a bedroll near the cot. "Were you here last night, as well? Sleeping on a bedroll?" she asked as she joined him in putting food on the table. She heard movement upstairs, so she knew the smell of bacon had wafted upwards.
"I came over right as Nathan was getting ready to go to sleep. No need to get anyone small minded talking. And, we can't rightly tell everyone exactly what's going on. As far as the bedroll goes, I could sleep on a rock, Elizabeth. No worries."
She made a mental note to get the Coulter's spare cot today. No point in an extra guard/chaperone sleeping on the floor.
Soon, Allie and Jack came downstairs and the four of them settled in for breakfast. Elizabeth and Allie were cleaning up when there was a knock at the door and in breezed Rosemary and Goldie.
Allie took the kids to play in the next room to give the adults a chance to talk. Elizabeth was very aware that Allie was also doing her best to listen at the same time.
"Elizabeth, I know that you're probably a little uncomfortable with needing to have a constant presence around you." Rosemary started.
Elizabeth scoffed. "You mean a constant babysitter." Then she sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't say that. I know that everyone simply really cares for us and I'm so grateful for that. I just hate inconveniencing anyone."
Rosemary laid a hand over her friend's. "You are not an inconvenience. And you know you would do the same for any of us. Now, Bill, do you need to return to town? I can be here until Nathan gets back."
Bill looked skeptical. Rosemary rolled her eyes. "There's safety in numbers, and Lee is right next door still. Nathan will be along soon. Go. And let us know if you find anything out."
After some obvious inner debate, Bill sighed. He did have work to get done, and would cover for Nathan as much as possible. "Okay, okay. You two stay put. Keep the kids close. No running headlong into any potential danger."
He got up, grabbed his things and left. Rosemary rolled her eyes, again. "Grumpy as usual."
With a laugh, Elizabeth said, "But he makes some incredible pancakes."
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Nathan and Scout stopped in at the Mountie office to clear a bit of paperwork. Fortunately, things were slow, so he knew it wouldn't take too long. The door opened and in walked his friend, and fellow Mountie, Gabriel Kinslow.
He stood up and crossed over to his friend, grabbing him in a handshake and one armed hug. "Gabe! What are you doing here? Sit. Can I get you a coffee?"
While Nathan poured some coffee, Gabriel sat down. "Judge Avery called me. I had some business in Jameson, so I came here directly after. I'm here to help you out while this Higgins character is unaccounted for. I've got Brookfield covered and Lillian insisted that I do whatever I could for you and Elizabeth. So, fill me in."
Nathan sat down and blew out a sigh of relief and began to fill his friend in, and as soon as Bill arrived, plans were made for the day.
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Elizabeth dusted while Rosemary went home to have Lee bring over their cot. Allie and Jack were playing old maid with Angela, who had come by to spend time with her friend. Goldie was playing with blocks and toddling around happily.
She stopped what she was doing as Goldie walked towards her, holding something in her hand. "What do you have, there, Sweetheart?" Elizabeth asked. The toddler babbled and held it up. Elizabeth took it and frowned. It was a small, dark blue velvet pouch. Where on Earth had this come from?
She walked over to where Goldie had been and saw that Nathan's duffel was still along the wall and he'd left it partially open. The curious girl had pulled some of his things out. She clapped when Elizabeth pointed to the bag.
Elizabeth put Nathan's things back, still looking at the pouch. She knew where these pouches usually came from. Jewelers. What would Nathan be doing with one? Her heart leapt into her throat. Now she was fairly dying with curiosity, but she could not, would not, go through his things.
At the sound of laughter from the older kids, she quickly placed the pouch inside the duffel and closed it back up. She picked up the bag, asked Allie to keep her eye on Goldie, and took it up to her room.
She set the duffel on her bed and walked towards the door. She paused and turned her head. There was a war going on in her heart and mind. 'NO!' She would not invade his privacy. It would cease to be innocent if she opened that pouch. She stepped into the hall and shut her door. When she heard the Coulter's voices, she rushed downstairs.
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With Gabriel doing his afternoon rounds, and Bill fielding and making phone calls in regards to Higgins, Nathan took Newton back to his stall, then he and Scout turned towards the row houses. He planned to stop in at home, get cleaned up, gather a few more things and head over to Elizabeth's.
Elizabeth. He could hardly believe that she was his now. He never thought it would be. He'd given up that hope so long ago. He'd barely had a chance to take it in before Hargreaves came in like a thunder cloud. Well, he refused to let that man or Higgins take anything from her...from them.
He packed up the things that were needed for himself, Allie and even Scout, then he and the dog walked down to the Thornton's. Elizabeth and Rosemary were seated in chairs out front watching Allie, Angela, Jack and Goldie playing nearby.
The longing hit him straight in the gut. This felt like home. His heart was all right here, right in front of him. His eyes sought out Elizabeth's as hers sought his. He wanted to drop his things and simply take her into his arms, but they had an audience.
She rose with a smile on her face and came around to greet him. She kissed his cheek and offered to take some of what he was carrying. Scout was pulling at his lead because he wanted to play with the kids and Rosemary chuckled at the scene from her seat.
Allie glanced over and saw what was happening. She hurried up and took Scout from her dad. "I brought the things that you asked for, Allie." Nathan told her.
"Thanks, Dad. Do you want me to take my stuff now?"
"I'll bring your things in and put them in my room, is that okay?" Elizabeth offered.
"Perfect! Thank you!" the girl answered as Scout dragged her towards Jack.
Rosemary walked up to Nathan and Elizabeth with Goldie in her arms. "It's time for this one to have a nap. I'm going to make a few calls and check in with Bill. I'll talk to you both later?"
"Yes. Thank you so much, Rosemary. For everything."
"Always! Behave yourselves!" she called with a laugh.
Nathan looked at the kids running around with Scout. "What does she think we're gonna do?" he laughed.
"Right?" Elizabeth responded. "Allie? We're going inside. Maybe you all could come back in soon?"
"Sure, Mrs Elizabeth."
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Inside, Nathan gave Elizabeth Allie's things, then went over to where he'd left his duffel to put his own down. His bag was gone. He looked around for a moment when Elizabeth came back into the room. "Lizbeth, I left my duffel bag over there, I'm sorry by the way. I know I should've moved it. Have you seen it?"
Looking momentarily startled and slightly shifty, Elizabeth answered "Ummm...it was, apparently, open just enough for a toddler's curious hands to get into. I took it upstairs into my room.
There was an awkward moment. Neither was sure what the other was thinking. Elizabeth wondering if he was going to know she'd seen that jeweler's pouch and Nathan wondering exactly what Goldie had gotten into and what Elizabeth had seen.
"Thank you. Again, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I take my things up there?" Into her room. Which he'd never been into. There was something so intimate about it.
Her cheeks reddened a little. "It's really no problem, Nathan. I'm just glad I caught her quickly. I don't mind a bit." She was praying he hadn't noticed her blush as she watched him go up the steps.
Upstairs, Nathan was immediately struck at the pure scent of Elizabeth that hit him when he stepped into her room. There were some girly things, but it was very practically decorated at the same time.
His duffel was on the bed. He opened it up and there, right on top, was the pouch. He sighed. She had to have seen it and she was probably feeling very awkward about it. Just like he was. He'd have to have a conversation with her sooner rather than later. It was just going to be a little tricky to get some time alone. Maybe Allie could put Jack to bed tonight and hopefully, Gabriel (tonight's chaperone), would show up late enough to allow for it.
He put the pouch back into the pocket inside the bag and sorted through his things, then closed it. He'd leave it up here until the kids went to bed.
Speaking of those kids, he heard them burst into the house just as his foot hit the top step. That conversation was definitely going to have to wait. Of course.
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After dinner was prepared, consumed and the kitchen cleaned, Nathan and Elizabeth moved to the settee. Allie and Jack were building a castle with his blocks. Nathan put his arm around Elizabeth while she moved over and put her head on his shoulder. They sat in the very comfortable silence that comes from being in that beautiful place where words weren't always necessary.
No matter how uncertain she felt about what was potentially going on with Hargreaves and Higgins or how nervous she was about Nathan thinking she'd looked in that pouch, this was the place where her heart wanted to be. He was her home.
The kids weren't looking, so Nathan leaned over and kissed her temple. He breathed in her scent and smiled. Then he whispered into her ear so softly she barely heard it. "I love you, Lizbeth."
Goosebumps traveled down her arms when she felt his breath on her neck. The man had a way with just a whisper. Looking up at him through her lashes, she whispered back, "I love you, too, Nathan."
Allie rolled her eyes, quickly looking back down at Jack. "Hey, Jack, want to read a story? Angela brought us some new books from the Library.
The boys eyes lit up. "Yay! I love stories. 'Specially when you read them, Allie." He stood up and started to dismantle the castle and put his blocks away.
Elizabeth noticed and suggested the kids get into their pajamas, then they could have milk, cookies and a story or two. In the spirit of getting a little alone time for her dad and Mrs Elizabeth, Allie was only too happy to comply.
As Allie passed Nathan, he put his hand on her arm. "Thanks, Kiddo."
She smiled. "I love you, Dad." Then she ran upstairs after Jack.
Nathan turned back to Elizabeth and she was already leaning towards him. "Hi" he said, staring at her lips.
She was so close by now that he could feel her breath. "Hi", she whispered and she put her hands on either side of his face to bring his lips to hers. They had to keep it brief, but it lacked for nothing in passion.
"I'm okay, Nathan. A little restless, but okay nonetheless."
"Thank you for letting me know. I wondered. Gabriel Kinslow is here. He's going to cover for me as much as necessary and help us figure out what's going on. He's also going to show up here later this evening and be here overnight."
With a little smile on her face, Elizabeth grabbed his suspenders and pulled at them. "So, does this mean that you'll be forced to follow me around all of the time?"
His voice husky, he said, "Well, it's a tough job, but I'll do my best."
The sound of little feet on the steps warned them to back up a little, but their eyes remained glued to each other.
"Story time!" Jack shouted as he hopped up on the settee between Nathan and Elizabeth. "Allie's slow. Milk and cookies, Mama?"
Nathan leaned in and whispered, "You might want to say 'please', Jack."
Jack's mouth opened in an 'oh'. He gave Elizabeth his best smile, "Please, Mama?"
With a chuckle, Elizabeth ruffled her son's hair. "Okay, Jack. I'll get the milk and cookies."
Even when Allie came back downstairs, Jack remained snuggled up between Nathan and Elizabeth. With a smile, Allie began the first story, and soon, she was joined by Nathan and Elizabeth...all three of them doing the voices of the different characters. Jack's delight and giggles made it all worthwhile.
Jack had finally lost the battle with sleep leaning on Nathan, who whispered to Elizabeth, "I'll take him up to bed." She mouthed "Thank you." Nathan gathered the boy in his arms and headed up to his room.
Allie took that cue to exit, saying to Elizabeth, "I'm going to go on up and read for awhile. Goodnight." She smiled softly and followed her dad upstairs.
Elizabeth knew exactly what the girl was up to and loved her all the more for it.
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By the time Nathan returned, Elizabeth had become really anxious about the whole jeweler's pouch thing that she'd gotten up and made some chamomile tea to try to settle her nerves.
When he came back downstairs, they just looked at one another. Elizabeth was seated on the settee and Nathan joined her. They both started speaking at once.
"Nathan, I"...
"Lizbeth..."
Each of them chuckled softly. Elizabeth interjected. "Please, let me start. Nathan, I promise that I didn't look through your things. I found Goldie holding a little bag and then I saw she'd taken some of your things from your duffel. I should've known better, as she's into everything these days.
I simply put everything back into the bag and took it upstairs. I would never invade your privacy like that." She looked at him pointedly. Yes, she saw the bag. No, she hadn't looked inside of it.
Nathan swallowed hard. "Thank you. I really didn't think you had, but I wasn't sure how much Goldie had gotten into. I don't think that we can pretend nothing happened here, though." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pouch he'd retrieved earlier in anticipation of this conversation.
Her eyes widened, heart picked up tempo. She didn't want him to propose because he'd been found out, but she knew she wanted him to propose. She found herself more than okay with how quickly that could happen.
"I'm doing this in full disclosure, because I never want to keep anything from you, Lizbeth." He opened the pouch and pulled out the ring.
She gasped when she saw it. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it was so uniquely her. She wanted to speak, but realized she needed to let him finish. She fastened her eyes on his, trying to wordlessly convey her love to him.
When he saw what looked like delight for the ring and the warmth in her gaze now, he felt a little less anxious to tell the story. He blew out a breath. "I um, I bought this ring a little over three years ago." He stopped to let that sink in.
Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath. She instantly knew what he was saying. She felt her eyes well up, but refused to give into tears and the regrets that still gnawed at her from time to time. "Nathan...I..."
"It's okay, Lizbeth. Our timing, remember? I bought this right before I went to look at Bill's land. Even after everything that happened, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. I think that I might have eventually passed it on to Allie, but I wouldn't have ever given it to another woman.
"I was packing my things yesterday and I saw the pouch in a drawer. I'm not even sure I had a plan, but I decided I might want to keep it on my person, just in case. I know we've just gotten our timing right, so I would never want to push you to rush anything. I won't do that ever again. I want our decisions to be made together. What I do want to tell you, is that this is where I see us going and I pray that's what you see as well."
He looked at her with such heartbreaking vulnerability that Elizabeth wanted to just throw herself into his arms. She took a deep breath and reached for his hand. "First, I believe we're seeing the same destination. Second, I'm humbled by you and just how well you love me. This makes realize even more how incredibly blessed I am to have you.
As far as timing goes...you can be assured of a most favorable answer whenever you feel like it's right. And, Nathan, this is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. It amazes me how well you see me and know me."
He set the pouch and ring down on the table and took her into his arms. "I could say the same to you. I know it took us a long time to get here, but Lizbeth, I wouldn't trade our story for anything. It's been a long and sometimes broken road, but it's led us right here and I think we're stronger together now than we would've been before."
"I think you're right, Nathan. It doesn't mean I'm any less sorry for what I put you through, though." she said in a soft voice. She leaned in and brushed her lips over his.
Nathan put his hand gently on the side of her face and kissed her with a bit more fire. He would never get tired of this. Whenever he did propose, he knew that he'd want to marry quickly. It was only going to get harder to wait for her to be wholly his.
They pulled back and Elizabeth groaned. "Um, Nathan? Let's not wait too long for the next step okay?" She couldn't believe she'd been so bold as to say it, but it was truly how she felt. So much time wasted already.
He chuckled low and as he gathered the pouch and the ring to put them safely away, he said "I tell you what, let's get past this crisis with Hargreaves and Higgins and then we'll have a serious conversation about it, okay?"
"Okay. Yes. That sounds like a very good plan."
The sound of footsteps on the front porch alerted them to a visitor. Mostly likely Gabriel. Alone time was officially over for tonight. Nathan got up and went to the front door to let his friend in.
After greetings and making sure the men had everything they needed, Elizabeth bid them goodnight and went up to bed. All in all, it had been a good day. She'd have a hard time thinking about anything else than the moment when she'd be wearing that ring, Nathan's ring, on her finger. A ring bought specifically with her in mind, without any prodding or suggestions from her at all. This is how it was meant to be. It's when you knew it was right.
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Despite going to bed with sweet dreams of Nathan on her mind, the night was littered with restlessness and nightmares of Higgins merged with memories of being held hostage by Jeanette and her henchman. Rather than risk waking Allie with her bad dreams, Elizabeth slipped from the bed, donned her robe and slippers, grabbed her book from the nightstand and tiptoed downstairs. She didn't want to wake Nathan and Gabriel, but she didn't know what else to do.
She decided to sit at the kitchen table with a candle and read. Maybe she'd finally get so tired that she could go back up and sleep more soundly. Her foot barely hit the floor at the base of the steps and Nathan was up. Right. Mountie sleep. She should've known better.
"Lizbeth?" he whispered. "Is everything okay?" He came over to her.
"I'm sorry, Nathan. I ended up having a nightmare and didn't want to wake Allie in case it came back. I was going to sit at the kitchen table and read for awhile.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the settee. "Don't worry about Gabe. I'm on watch as he traveled a lot yesterday. He's taking my morning rounds. He sleeps like a rock when he's off duty. So, do you want to tell me about this nightmare?" He grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the settee, wrapped it around her and pulled her close.
She sighed, comforted by his steady presence. Finally, she said, "It was part Higgins and part hostage situation from the other night. But, Higgins was the one with the gun on me. Talking with that voice that makes my skin crawl and my blood turn to ice. Telling me that I need to 'learn my place.' And, he also had Anna as a hostage. Nathan, can you please have someone get Lucas to check on her?"
His arm tightened around her. He wanted, so badly, to make all of this go away. Since he couldn't do that, he'd do whatever she asked or needed within his power to make things easier for her. She was right about Anna, though he didn't think that Higgins was as far away as Capitol City. Too many people knew him there and it was 24 hours away by train from Elizabeth.
"I'll talk to Gabe and Bill in the morning and we'll make sure to get in touch with Lucas. I think that Bill has already filled him in on our Higgins suspicions so that he and Gowen can be on alert from Capitol City. We'll make sure that someone checks on her."
"Thank you, Nathan." She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed again.
After a few moments of silence, Nathan felt her body relax and her breathing even out. He gently put his feet on her table, hoping she wouldn't be offended by that, and soon drifted off himself.
Elizabeth woke to the first rays of daylight and the sound of stirring in the room. She was still snuggled up to Nathan and he was sound asleep. The settee was immensely uncomfortable, but she'd ended up sleeping very peacefully in his arms.
She sat up when she realized that Gabriel was probably needing to get ready for the morning rounds. Nathan didn't stir, so she put the throw over his lap and tiptoed over to the stove so that she could begin making some coffee.
She then quietly went upstairs to get cleaned up and dressed, trying to do so without waking Allie. She really hoped that this situation didn't go on for too much longer because she was certain that one or more people would soon start to get cranky and out of sorts.
And, honestly, if they had to keep doing this, people were really going to start talking about why Nathan was constantly at her house. This thought led her to thinking about a day when she and Nathan would finally become a family. She glanced over at a sleeping Allie and blushed. Best to not let her thoughts travel any further in that direction right now.
It was time to begin another day and she was determined to rise above the troubles and be grateful for the blessings.
