Granting a Family - Chapter 9: Guarded Hearts

Hustle and bustle of the city had never been Nathan’s preference. Big crowds left him nervous and claustrophobic. He was grateful he only had to be in Union City for a short time, but still wanted to get the most out of this time away from the pressures he felt in Hope Valley. It was his home, but as well-intentioned as people were, he felt judged and gossiped about because of what happened with Elizabeth last year. Nathan fell hard for Jack’s widow that he moved to Hope Valley to protect, after Jack was killed in a training mission that Nathan was originally supposed to lead. Almost a year ago, he had declared his love to her, but she couldn’t see past the red serge and REALLY get to know HIM. He wouldn’t make that mistake again with anyone, and was determined to be more guarded with his heart.

Allie had no trouble making friends her first week at Advanced Learning Academy, and some girls had invited her to study with them this evening, followed by dinner. Nathan arrived back at the boarding house following a long day of court. He was set to testify tomorrow against Spurlock and the other Pinkertons who were forging documents to take land away from Hope Valley residents, both for revenge, and to turn a profit on their own. Nathan dressed in civilian clothes a little nicer than he usually wore in Hope Valley, but not as fancy as, say, Lucas Bouchard would wear. A button-down shirt with a vest should be nice enough to eat at the boarding house dining facilities.  

Nathan arrived and only saw one small table available. Smelling the food made his stomach grumble, and he realized he had not eaten since breakfast and needed a good meal. While he was waiting for his food to arrive, he looked up and felt his heart skip a beat. A beautiful woman with long, golden hair and emerald eyes looked around anxiously for a place to sit. She wore a pretty, but not overly fancy, yellow dress that made her look like a bright ray of spring sunshine. Her eyes met Nathan’s and he motioned for her to join him at his table. She shyly walked over and he immediately stood up and pulled out the chair for her to sit down.

“Thank you, sir. I thought I would have to skip dinner tonight if I couldn’t find a place to sit,” the woman said, smiling gratefully and revealing a dimple in her right cheek.

“It’s no problem, but you can call me Nathan. Sir always makes me feel like an old man,” he joked.

“It’s very nice to meet you Nathan. I always feel so awkward dining alone,” she admitted. “If we are going to proceed on a first-name basis, you may call me Kathryn.”

“Kathryn is a splendid name,” Nathan remarked. “But you look more like a Kate to me, so I think that’s what I’ll call you.” Where is this coming from? Nathan wondered. He wasn’t usually so open and flirtatious with women, but something about her was making him blurt out unexpected things.

Kathryn had noticed the handsome man with piercing blue eyes, brought out by the light blue shirt he wore, immediately when entering the dining hall. She hadn’t seen him before, but she had only been staying at the boarding house for a couple of weeks. As she had approached his table, she was blown away by this tall, attractive man. He had silky brown hair that she felt a desire to run her fingers through, and she observed his muscular build that meant he probably did more manual labor than most of the men in the city who had others do it for them, and did most of their work sitting at desks. She pulled herself out of her thoughts to respond to what he had just said. “I most certainly do not see myself as a Kate,” she huffed. “I am an intelligent woman with high standards, so Kathryn is far better suited for me.”

“If you insist, Kathryn.” Nathan chuckled at her spunk as their dinner arrived. Both of them were starving, so they ate in silence for a few minutes. “Are you from around here?” Nathan asked politely to spark some conversation.

“No, I grew up in the country on a farm with my parents and five older brothers,” she answered. 

“Five big brothers huh, and you were the only girl? No wonder you have learned to stand up for yourself around other men,” Nathan quipped. “So what is a country girl like you doing in the big city then.”

“I’m here for work,” Kathryn said without elaborating. “I have a wealthy aunt who insisted I be properly educated, and took me in while I was in school and first starting my career." She continued on, "Without many other children around to play with growing up on the farm, I relied on books to make friends and travel to far away places.” Her eyes danced with memories of her favorite characters and stories.

“I’ve always found joy and solace in the written word as well,” Nathan divulged. “Reading was an escape for me as a child, just as you described. When things were crumbling around me at home, I turned to a good book for adventure, and to transport me somewhere far away from my reality.” A sadness swept over him as he thought back to his difficult childhood, with a father in and out of jail due to a gambling addiction supported by petty theft.

Kathryn felt the urge to take his hand at his confession, then shook herself out of that crazy thought. She was usually so in control of her emotions, but something about this man was throwing her off her normal behavior. The server interrupted her thoughts, asking if she would like some coffee and pie. “That would be nice, thank you.”

“Some for me as well,” Nathan requested. “I’m not ready to leave quite yet. Are you, Kate?” he winked at the use of the nickname and this time she just rolled her eyes, but with a hint of a smile. As they waited for their dessert, Nathan and Kathryn discussed their favorite childhood books and what they had recently read. They found out they had very similar tastes when it came to literature both in their childhood and now. 

“I don’t find a lot of men who read the works of Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, and other women like Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’m impressed,” Kathryn professed.

“I like getting a woman’s perspective on things, so I enjoy reading many great women authors. I hoped it would help me understand women, but so far it really hasn’t helped,” Nathan sighed.

Kathryn laughed and quipped, “I have a hard time believing a man like you has any trouble with women.” As soon as she said it her mouth dropped open and she mentally kicked herself as her cheeks turned a deep crimson color. Right at that moment, the server brought their pie and coffee, but she had lost her appetite after embarrassing herself. 

Nathan was just as embarrassed as Kathryn seemed to be, since he was never very good at taking a compliment, especially from a good-looking woman (not that it was something that had happened to him much in his life). He did his best to make her feel more comfortable by changing the subject. “Have you lived in Union City long?”

“I have been here since September, but this particular boarding house I have only been staying at for about two weeks.” she answered between small bites of pie and sips of coffee. 

Nathan suddenly realized the time and took the last bite of his pie. “You’ll have to excuse me Kate, I have somewhere to be. I appreciate the company this evening, and it was a pleasure to meet you.” With that, he hurried out of the boarding house, leaving a bewildered Kathryn alone at the little table, wanting to know more about the handsome and kind mystery man named Nathan.

As he walked through the crowded street to pick Allie up at the assigned location, Nathan thought about the dinner he shared with Kate, or Kathryn, which she preferred to be called. In many ways, it seemed easy and natural to talk about books and memories with her. Maybe it was because he knew he would only be here for a few weeks and never see her again. It felt good to have a pleasant conversation with a woman for a change. Every time he had talked to Elizabeth over the past year there was so much tension, anger, and uneasiness that he tried to avoid her whenever possible. That wasn’t the way their relationship started, and most days he felt deep regret for ever letting the words “I love you” escape his lips to Elizabeth. He wouldn’t make that kind of mistake again.

At the specified street corner, Nathan saw Allie jump out of a car and run towards him. “Dad, you made it. I had such a great evening! I hope you weren’t too lonely without me.”

“I managed ok, and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. We better get you to bed so you can make it to school on time tomorrow.” Nathan put his arm around Allie, and they walked the short distance to the boarding house where they went up to their room to get ready for bed. Nathan had a hard time falling asleep, with thoughts of an alluring blonde woman in a yellow dress occupying his thoughts...the first time a woman other than Elizabeth was the last thing he thought about before drifting off.

__________________________________________________________________

Nathan dreaded testifying in court. The last thing he wanted to do was face Julius Spurlock and the other two lackeys who tried to take away Elizabeth and other Hope Valley residents’ land. But it was a means to an end, and he couldn’t wait to send Spurlock to prison with his brother, where they both deserved to be. Once today was over, he planned on spending the weekend taking Allie to explore the city, before he spent two weeks completing his Inspector training. His thoughts were interrupted by his name being called to the witness stand. 

Giving his testimony was basically a formality. They had all the evidence they needed and more to convict the three men of their accused crimes. Nathan was always pleased when justice was served, especially in cases where he was involved in the arrests. Spurlock looked at Nathan with contempt as he was being taken away in handcuffs and sneered, “This isn’t over Constable.”

“I think it is,” Nathan assured. “I’m not going to ever let you hurt the people I care about, and I’ll never stop protecting them. You picked the wrong town to mess with.” He walked out of the courthouse feeling even more determined to be the best Inspector the Mounties ever had, for Hope Valley.

__________________________________________________________________

Allie was in bed with a bad headache when Nathan returned to the boarding house after court. “Can I get you anything, Allie girl?” Nathan whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll be ok once I get some rest. I think my brain literally hurts from trying to cram too much information in it this week.” Allie turned on her side and apologized, “Sorry Dad, I know you wanted to go do something in the city tonight. You should go out without me, and tomorrow we can try again.”

Nathan changed out of his uniform and into his city-appropriate casual attire, then decided he needed a walk to clear his head. “I’m going for a short walk, but when I get back I’ll grab some food at the dining hall that I can bring us up to eat in the room.”

“Mmmmhmmm,” Allie murmured as she was in and out of consciousness. Nathan decided to let her sleep off the headache while he was gone.

Out in the fresh air, Nathan was replaying his testimony from earlier in the day as he walked. Suddenly he heard someone call his name, “Nathan!” He smiled, recognizing the voice and turning around.

“Kate,” he greeted. “How are you this afternoon?” Nathan was caught off guard at the way his heart beat faster as he got a better look at her. Today she wore her hair up, and she had on a flattering green dress that brought out her eyes and looked more business-like than the more playful yellow dress she had on last night at dinner.

“I am well, thank you. Is everything ok?” Kathryn asked with a look of concern on her face. “You seemed very deep in thought when I spotted you just now.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize I came across that way,” Nathan replied. “I was just thinking about my day. I find that walks can clear my head. A nice, long ride on Newton would have been even better.”

“I’m assuming that’s your horse, and I approve of the name.” Kathryn liked the thought of Nathan riding a horse, and the mental picture caused color to rise to her cheeks and her breath to momentarily be taken away. “Walking always calms me down when I’ve had a rough day,” Kathryn continued, to try and divert her mind from the thoughts running wild in her head.

“Did you have a hard day?” Nathan inquired. “Is that why you are walking out here right now?”

“Maybe a little, but I already feel much better. What was so bad about your day?” she asked.

“I had to testify in court to put away some really bad men, one in particular, for a good long while.” Nathan sighed and added, “I’ve testified before, but this time it was...personal and the man threatened me after. But enough about me, why was your day so terrible?”

“I wouldn’t call it terrible,” Kathryn decided. “I’m just happy for the weekend to regroup and have time away from work.” 

“Kathryn,” a man called to her and waved as he stepped from his car onto the sidewalk. Both Nathan and Kathryn turned to see the dapper young man smiling at her.

“I’m so sorry, Nathan. I have an engagement and need to go. I hope your walk gives you the peace and calm you need tonight.” With that, Kathryn hurried over to greet the man with a hug and left with him in his car.

Of course she’s attached to someone, Nathan thought. A woman as fascinating and smart as Kathryn wouldn’t stay single for long. It was just his luck that he would meet a woman who, just for a short time, made him forget Elizabeth, but then wasn’t available. He watched her drive away, then walked slowly back to the boarding house to get himself and Allie dinner to eat in their room.

________________________________________________________________

Allie felt better on Saturday, so she dressed up in an elegant cream-colored dress they had found in a boutique last week when they first arrived in Union City. She headed out with Nathan, who was dressed in his finest suit, for a day on the town to explore the city. One of Nathan’s Mountie friends was able to secure them a reservation at a fancy restaurant for the evening, and tickets to a production of The Tempest, which Allie was excited about since she had just read the play for a school assignment. 

“You look so lovely in that dress, Allie. But I’m not sure I like how grown up you are getting,” Nathan lamented. 

“If only Robert could see me now,” Allie half-joked and Nathan rolled his eyes. “I just can’t believe how fancy dinner was in that magnificent restaurant. I can’t wait to see the theatre!”

“I’m so glad we can make these memories together, but don’t get used to it, because I will never earn enough money to do this on a regular basis.” Nathan was secretly just as excited to see The Tempest as Allie was, since it was one of his favorite Shakespeare plays. The theatre was a lavish building, and all the patrons were dressed to the nines. They both felt a little out of place, but once the curtain rose, the actors drew them both into the story. 

During intermission, they stood to stretch their legs but stayed close by their seats. Nathan looked around to scan the crowd (a habit that most likely came from his Mountie training), and his heart nearly stopped. Across the room, he saw a gorgeous blonde woman in a burgundy dress laughing and smiling so big that he could see the dimple in her cheek. Kate, he thought. Who was she with? He noticed the same man she had left with yesterday evening, sitting in the same row, along with some other women she was talking and laughing with. What were the odds the two of them would be at the same play on the same night? Luckily, intermission was ending and the lights were dimming to signal the second act beginning. As much as he tried to mentally get back into the play, his mind was a few sections over in that theatre.

When the play ended, Nathan rushed Allie outside, insisting they were exhausted and needed to get back to the boarding house to go to bed. What he really wanted to do was find out who Kathryn was with, and ask her what she had thought of the play. But he also remembered the vow he made to himself to guard his heart. He wasn’t sure how much more it could take, and he was sure Kate had the potential to break it into a million pieces again.

“You ok, Dad?” Allie questioned. “Didn’t you enjoy the play?”

“Of course I did, especially with the prettiest girl in the theatre!” Nathan assured her. “This has been an unforgettable night, but we better get some rest so we are ready for the two big weeks coming up. My Inspector training and your school will take a lot out of us, so let’s get a good night’s sleep, then tomorrow take it easy for a while and maybe take a picnic to the park in the afternoon.” Allie nodded, and they headed back to their room to settle in for the night. 

Nathan tried to fall asleep, but his mind was processing all that had happened during their first week in Union City. Allie was thriving at Advanced Learning Academy, the trial against the Pinkertons ended with a guilty verdict, and Nathan had met a woman who had made him feel something for the first time since Elizabeth. He longed to know more about her, and wondered who the man was that she was with this weekend. Nathan tried to push all thoughts aside and get some rest. He needed to focus on his objectives: keep the town safe, and raise Allie. Nothing else mattered.