January 11, 1910

Gabe stood in uniform, waiting as the train pulled into the station. He couldn't wait to get home to Faith, even though it had only been two days since they brought the horses to the ranch. He could only imagine how hard it would be when he was on an extended mission. Still, he was grateful that he had married Faith and would face anything to keep her by his side.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the conductor step out and place steps on the ground before assisting two red-haired ladies.

Approaching them, he called out, "Grace and Julie Thatcher?"

"Constable Kinslow?" Grace responded.

"Yes, ma'am. But please call me Gabe. I hope your trip was uneventful?"

"Yes, it was; thank you, and please, it's just Grace and Julie." Grace replied before adding "I'll be glad to be stationary for a while."

"Gabe, how long will it take to get to Elizabeth's house?" Julie asked.

"Traveling by car only takes an hour and a half," Gabe said, gesturing towards the car.

"Mrs. Thatcher, here are your bags," a porter said, approaching with their luggage on a cart.

"Thank you," Grace said, handing him a tip. A few minutes later, after stowing the luggage, they were on their way. Luckily, the roads were clear so they would make good time. The drive was silent for the first hour except for the occasional question about passing scenery and the town itself. Finally, Grace decided to ask the question that was on her mind.

"Gabe, can you tell me more about those women harassing Elizabeth and, as I understand it, your wife?"

"Sure. Her name is Alice Patterson, and her two friends are Amy and Brenda. Alice rejected Nathan because, according to her, he wasn't good enough for her. She also didn't want to be a mother to Allie. However, now that he is married, she suddenly changes her mind. She even came back from her trip and refused to move from Elizabeth's seat. I can't figure that one out."

"Oh, that's simple. She doesn't want to share his attention." Julie quipped. "Think of it like a toddler that doesn't want something until another child picks it up."

That sounds about right. She is certainly acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum whenever she sees Elizabeth and Faith. In her mind, because they are mail-order brides, Elizabeth and Faith are beneath her. But then, her family upholds themselves above everyone in town. In her mind, status is everything, and mail-order brides are obviously immoral women who sell themselves. We all know that Elizabeth doesn't fit that, and neither does Faith.

"I see," Grace said. "From what I understand, Catherine arranged your marriage to your wife, Faith?"

"She did," Gabe replied with a smile. "Even though it's only been a short time, I can't imagine Faith not being in my life. We may not have had a conventional start, but I loved her from the moment I met her."

"May I ask about the process you went through?" Julie asked curiously.

"I contacted Catherine because of her reputation for making successful matches and she was a former Mountie wife. After a few conversations, she contacted me about Faith. Faith and I spoke on the telephone a few times before finally agreeing to marry. Afterward, I gave Catherine money for Faith's passage and a little more to cover any extra expenses. Mail-order brides are women of good moral character who often find themselves in precarious situations and seek safety. In Faith's case, her family had all passed away, so she was alone. Anyway, the whole process took about a month, then another month before she arrived here. We were married at the church immediately after she stepped off the train by the Pastor with Nathan and Elizabeth. From our first contact until we married we spoke on the telephone and wrote letters. Her being a nurse WILL be an asset. "Similar to Elizabeth being an asset because she is a teacher," Julie exclaimed.

"Exactly," Gabe confirmed with a smile.

Grace thought about his answers and, though she wanted to ask why, she refrained out of politeness. Julie, however, had no such reservations. "You're quite handsome, Gabe, so why would you need to get a mail-order bride? I can't imagine you would be lacking female attention."

"Julia Marie Thatcher?! That is not our concern. Now, apologize for being rude."

"It's alright, Grace. I went the mail-order route because of Catherine's reputation. You see, being a Mountie, it can be hard to meet suitable ladies. It takes a certain type of woman to be a Mountie wife. There are a lot of ladies out there who love the Serge but wouldn't be able to stand up to the pressure and challenges of a Mountie wife. I wanted a woman who sees beyond my uniform to the man wearing it. As I said earlier, Catherine has made a lot of successful matches with the Mounties. In fact, all of them turned into love matches. I'll be up for orders soon, and we'll probably end up in a primitive town somewhere. I need someone that will thrive no matter where we are."

"That makes a lot of sense, Gabe," Grace said. "Is Nathan of the same mind as you?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to discuss Nathan or Elizabeth. But I'm sure they will tell you their reasons if you ask them. I will say that it was love at first sight for both of them. Actually, I should amend that for all three of them because it's true for Allie and Elizabeth as well. For that matter, the entire town, other than those three families, adore our wives and support them 100 percent."

Thankfully, they arrived at the ranch, and Gabe was spared any more questions. Pulling up near the house, he helped the ladies out just as the others came out onto the porch.

"Welcome, Grace and Julie," Moira said.

William approached Julie and then Grace to give them both a hug. "It's nice to see you, Gracie," he murmured in her ear.

"Where's Faith?" Gabe asked, looking around eagerly for his wife.

Before Moira could answer, the sound of giggling came from the barn. Everyone turned to see Faith, Allie, and Elizabeth coming out of the barn with Allie swinging from their hands.

"Elizabeth!" Julie said, catching her sister's attention. Elizabeth looked up to see Julie running towards her.

"Julie," Elizabeth met her in a tight embrace. After a brief hug, Elizabeth bent down and picked Allie up.

"Hello, sweetie," Julie said, tweaking her button nose. "You must be my new niece, Allie."

Allie nodded and, feeling bashful, placed her head in the crook of Elizabeth's neck for comfort.

"Allie, this is my sister Julie, but you can call her aunt Julie."

"Hello, Aunt Julie," Allie said softly.

They turned towards the others and saw Faith already wrapped in her husband's arms. As they approached her mother, she saw tears glistening in her eyes that matched Elizabeth's.

"Oh, Elizabeth," Grace rasped, holding her arms out.

"Mother," Elizabeth said, accepting her embrace. After a few moments, they pulled back, and her eyes eagerly moved to Allie.

"Mother, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Allie. Allie, this is my mother, but you can call her grandma Grace."

"Hello, sweetheart," Grace said softly. "You're the prettiest sight I have ever seen. May I?"

Allie looked at Elizabeth before nodding and, after receiving permission, easily went into Grace's arms. While this was taking place, the others silently went into the house to give them a little time alone.

Grace held Allie to her as tears fell. "Oh, Elizabeth, she's beautiful. I'm so sorry; please forgive me."

"Shhhh, Mother, it's okay. We can talk about everything later," Elizabeth soothed, giving her a reassuring hug.

"You smell like flowers, just like Mama does," Allie said with a giggle, placing her hands on Grace's cheeks.

It was Elizabeth's turn to cry as she heard Allie call her Mama for the first time. Grace, realizing that, quickly moved on toward the house to give her time to compose herself.

"Your new home is gorgeous," Grace exclaimed as she looked around. From what I've seen on our trip, this part of the country is beautiful, and I can't wait to see more of it."

Elizabeth dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief before saying, "I know I never get tired of seeing it. I can't wait until the weather's warmer."

"Where is your Mountie," Grace teased with a little smile. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Elizabeth blushed and then said, "He will be home shortly." The look in her eyes told Grace everything she needed to know, and that Gabe had been right in his assessment. Her little girl was in love with both Allie and her husband. "I can't wait for you to meet him."

Placing a hand on Elizabeth's cheek, Grace gave her a warm smile. "If he's the one who has put that smile on your face, I can't wait either. I am so happy for you, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Mother," Elizabeth said, relief evident in her words.

"You have nothing to worry about, Elizabeth," Grace said. "I am here only to support you, make amends, and meet my first grandchild. Nothing more, I promise you."

"I love you, Mother, and I'm so glad you're here."

"I love you too, my sweet girl. Thank you for allowing me to come."

When they entered the house, William showed Grace to their room while Allie and Moira showed Julie where she was sleeping. Moira had given up her room for Julie and was going to share Allie's room since it was only for a few days before they moved to the hotel.

Nathan arrived and surprised Elizabeth in the kitchen by coming up behind her and kissing her neck. "How was my lovely wife's day today?"

"Allie called me Mama today," Elizabeth whispered, turning around to wrap her arms around his neck. Tears welled up, making her eyes look glassy, letting him know how touched she was by it. "Do you think Mom will be upset?"

"No, because I know she has been working with Allie to understand what her adoption will mean. In case you are concerned, Allie referred to Colleen and Dylan as Mommy and Daddy. Ma has been telling her that I will be her dad while you're her mama."

"How did you know I was worried about that? Are you a mind reader?"

"No, sweetheart. I am just a man in love who happens to be very in tune with his wife, just like you are with me. How did it go with your mother?"

"Very well. Father took her to their room to settle in while Mom cared for Julie."

"Then properly welcome me home, sweet wife so that I can get changed for dinner." Nathan teased. Elizabeth did just that, and a few minutes later, a bemused Nathan headed toward their cabin while a dazed Elizabeth continued prepping dinner.

A short time later, Faith came in to help put dinner on the table while Nathan called the others to it. "It all smells so delicious, Lizbeth," Nathan said, holding her chair before taking his seat.

"Thank you. Faith helped me and if you enjoy our dessert, she is responsible." Elizabeth said with a smile.

Dinner was a lively affair as usual, and Grace just drank it in, greatly enjoying the interaction between Elizabeth and Nathan. He was quite handsome, even in his shirt and suspenders. The ladies of Hamilton would trip over themselves, trying to catch his attention. However, she could tell that he was a man who only had eyes for her daughter.

She was brought out of her deep thoughts when she felt William's hand on hers. Looking at him, he leaned over to whisper, "Are you all right, my dear?"

"I'm fine, William. Just really enjoying the dinner and watching Elizabeth and Nathan. It's just so relaxing here compared to our normal dinners. Don't you think?"

"I do. But there is no reason that when we are home, we can't continue to dine informally when it's just the family. I think I would quite enjoy it. Just this morning, Elizabeth, Allie, and I even did the dishes after breakfast. I highly recommend it."

"Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?" Grace teased.

"Maybe I have finally realized what blessings I have in my life and have learned to embrace the simple pleasures of my family," William said soberly. A particular look in his eye caused her to shiver, and suddenly, she wanted the same and was all in.