Nathan stared at the phone, steeling all the courage he had. He could feel his palms sweating. In all his years as a Mountie he couldn't remember feeling this nervous. Pull yourself together man, he thought. He couldn't help but think of the stories he had heard of how Elizabeth's father did not take to Jack at first, and here he was, about to talk to this man for the first time on the phone and ask for his daughter's hand. Being a father himself, he started to imagine what it might be like to receive a call like this out of the blue…nope, no, don't go there Nathan. I'll never call if I go down that path. You have years before you have to be that father. A flash of Oliver smiling at Allie popped in his mind…stop it Nathan…He shook his head, took a deep breath, and focused on the task at hand.

It wasn't as if Elizabeth's father didn't know they were courting, she had told him that she had informed her parents about him and Allie. They were at least aware of their relationship. He wasn't sure how much they knew, nor was he exactly aware of what their reaction had been to the news of their courtship. He didn't exactly want to know at the time.

So here he was, staring at a phone, about to call his potential father-in-law, God willing.

Nathan took one last deep breath and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, can you patch me through to William Thatcher in Hamilton?"

"Of course, Chief Constable, one moment."

Nathan was extremely thankful that he was not currently in Hope Valley at this moment. He liked Florence and Ned, but it eased the situation to not have Florence connecting the call, for she would have instantly known why he was making this call. This most important phone call of his life.

The line connected, Nathan took a deep breath.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Thatcher, hello, this is Chief Constable Nathan Grant."

"Yes, Chief Constable Grant, Elizabeth has mentioned you. Is she okay? Jack?" William's tone was even keeled and full of business, and yet Nathan could hear the worry of a father and grandfather underneath the calm.

"Yes sir, they are well. Jack is improving every day, being here near the clinic in Cape Fullerton. I'm actually calling on another matter sir."

There was a pause, and Nathan thought he heard a quiet sigh on the other end. Nathan's worry started to kick into overdrive. This did not seem to be going down the right path.

"Well, to be honest Chief Constable, I think I may have an idea of why you are calling me." Nathan heard a louder sigh this time.

"Please call me Nathan, sir. Sir, I think Elizabeth has already informed you that we have been courting for awhile now. I love your daughter very much and I love Jack as if he were my son. I'm sure Elizabeth has informed you that I have an adopted daughter, Allie, my niece by birth. I took her in when she was younger than Jack, when my sister died. We have all become a family sir, and I would very much like to make us an official family and ask your daughter to marry me. I will do everything in my power to take care of your daughter and grandson. I'm calling because, well, I would very much like your blessing before I ask her."

There was a long pause. Nathan tried to think of what more he could say, he was not one to fill space with words, and he felt that that was the heart of what Elizabeth's father needed to know.

William Thatcher cleared his throat, as Nathan's heart started pounding so hard, he was sure it could be heard over the phone line, all the way to Hamilton.

"Chief…Nathan…I can't say that this call surprises me. When I heard you and your daughter had accompanied Elizabeth and Jack to Cape Fullerton, well, I had a feeling this call would be coming sooner rather than later." There was another pause. "I'm sure you are aware that I wasn't, shall we say, completely supportive of Jack when he and Elizabeth first started courting. I also have to admit I'm not fond of my daughter marrying a man in the same profession that took her first husband from her. As a father yourself, I think you may be able to understand my feelings on that matter."

Nathan's heart sank, not that he hadn't been expecting this reaction, nor did he blame him, as he could definitely understand it from a father's perspective, but the words still hurt.

"All that being said," another pause, and was that a sniffle? Surely Nathan imagined that. "Nathan, I owe you gratitude for sticking by my daughter and grandson through this ordeal. I'm not sure what my Beth has told you about her phone calls to us of late. Nathan, if I may, son. She told us how you have been there for them every minute of this trial they have been facing. What she told me about the last several months and the fact that you uprooted your life and your daughter's life to support and take care of Beth and Jack. Son, that tells me all I need to know about your character. There are not many men in this world that can truly say they put their family first, and I'm the first to admit that I'm not one of them. My family means everything to me, but I'm ashamed to say, I'm not sure I could have done what you have done. So, son, and please know I mean this, I would be honored to welcome you into our family. So yes, Nathan, you have my blessing."

Nathan was stunned.

"Nathan?"

"Sir, yes…I'm here. Sir, I can't tell you how much your words mean to me. Please know that your family, my family, will always come first to me. I don't know what more to say, than thank you sir."

"No Nathan, son, thank you. I hope we get to welcome you officially to our family soon. I hope I get another call from you and Beth soon with happy news, we could certainly use more happy news right now. I also hope we get to meet you and your daughter soon."

"Thank you, sir," and with that, the phone call was done.

Nathan sat there, hand in his pocket holding onto the ring box. Had that really just happened? Did shipping tycoon, William Thatcher, really just compliment him, thank him, and call him son.

Nathan had to stop himself from running out of the jail and asking Elizabeth to be his wife right this minute. She deserved a better proposal than that, but one thing he knew, he could not put it off much longer. He aimed to ask Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton to be his wife as soon as possible.