Granting a Family - Chapter 15: A Date By Any Other Name

Allie looked at Nathan then at Kathryn, realizing this was the woman he got to know a little in Union City. She was the teacher from Advanced Learning Academy who had basically rejected Nathan for being a Mountie. She had heard someone mention a teacher named Miss Bradshaw, but she never thought this would be the sister of Constable Bradshaw, and her new teacher! 

Panic set in as Allie considered her Dad falling for another one of her teachers. She wanted him to be happy, but what happened with Mrs. Thornton had been hard. It took a lot to go to school every day with bad feelings about her teacher. Things were getting better with Elizabeth, but Miss Bradshaw would be her teacher most of the time now and a relationship with her Dad was out of the question. 

Knowing she had to get along with this woman, she put on a brave smile and broke the tension by saying, “Hello Miss Bradshaw, I’m Allie Grant. I was going to the academy in Union City while my Dad was at Inspector Training in Union City. I saw you at school a few times, and I know a lot of the kids here are excited to meet you and find out more about the advanced class.”

Kathryn, who was still shell-shocked and regaining her composure, answered the best she could at the moment. “It’s so nice to meet you, Allie. I look forward to meeting all of my new students here in Hope Valley, and I hope to make your learning experience fun and exciting.”

“I don’t always associate learning with fun and excitement,” Allie admitted. “But the academy taught me that it is possible to have a good time learning, even the more advanced subjects.” 

“I have some fun things planned for the summer session,” Kathryn assured. “It won’t just be sitting at a desk doing busy work.”

“See Allie, you aren’t going to want to miss out on that.” Nathan had finally recovered from shock enough to get in on the conversation. He couldn’t believe Kate was here in Hope Valley. It felt very surreal. Trying not to stare, he took in the sight of her. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Tonight she wore the same light green dress as that day he saw her at the academy, but this time her golden locks were down, and the emerald drop earrings she wore matched her eyes. 

Kathryn was stunned Nathan and his daughter were the guests for her welcome dinner. How did I not know he was the Mountie from Hope Valley who was becoming an Inspector, she wondered. Her heart was beating faster as she noticed how handsome he looked tonight in the same light blue shirt and vest he was wearing the first time they met in the dining hall. Heat rose to her cheeks when she saw the way he was noticing and admiring her. He had the most expressive, clear blue eyes she had ever seen. Kathryn knew if she wasn’t careful, she could get lost in them. He gave her his best crooked smile and she couldn’t help but shyly smile back.

Anne was beside herself wanting every detail on how they seemed to know one another, but she knew now was not the time to get into that. “We better eat dinner before it gets cold,” she suggested.

Thomas ushered the guests to their seats at the dining table. He strategically made sure his sister sat next to his boss, then realized his wife was rubbing off on him in the matchmaking department. He reminded himself that the last time they tried to set Kathryn up with a Mountie, it had not ended well. But Nathan was different, and he was sure the two of them were perfectly suited. I’m starting to think like Anne again, he said to himself as he sat down in his own chair.

“What a wonderful evening to have dinner with family and friends in our home,” Thomas began. “Shall we say grace?” The Bradshaws all extended their hands to hold the ones next to theirs, then realized the habit was not shared by the Grants. “I’m sorry, I forgot to explain that in our house we hold hands while we pray.” 

Nathan easily held Allie’s hand with his left, but both he and Kathryn nervously shot a glance at each other before their hands joined together and Thomas began the prayer on their meal. He tried to focus on the words Thomas spoke, but all Nathan could think about was how soft and warm Kate’s hand felt in his and the electric current that seemed to flow through him. He was thankful their eyes were closed and she couldn’t see the way she affected him.

Kathryn first noticed how large and strong Nathan’s hand was, especially compared to her own dainty one. She could barely breathe and struggled to focus on anything else, feeling guilty she was having this kind of reaction when they were supposed to be speaking with God. She knew Thomas and Anne were definitely trying to work their matchmaking magic, but even with her attraction to this man she still had questions she needed answered. Plus, she was still adamant about not dating a Mountie...at least that’s what she thought until this unexpected moment.

Thomas ended the prayer, and Nathan regretted having to pull his hand away from Kathryn so soon. He looked for her reaction and noticed she looked a little flushed, probably just like him. Thomas and Anne began passing food around the table for everyone to serve themselves. After a long day away from home, Nathan was excited to eat a hearty home-cooked meal of roast and potatoes.

“We haven’t had a dinner like this for a really long time,” Allie announced. “Thank you Mrs. Bradshaw, it is really delicious. Maybe you can help teach me how to make this sometime.”

“That is so sweet,” Anne replied. “You are welcome in my kitchen anytime. I would love to pass on some of these recipes for you and your Dad.” She turned her attention to Nathan and Kathryn, not able to wait any longer to badger them for answers. “So, how did you two meet in Union City?”

Kathryn and Nathan both started to answer at the same time, and Nathan gestured for Kathryn to go ahead and speak. “We were staying in the same boarding house, and we ate together a couple times.”

“How about that,” Thomas chimed in. “But you never discussed Hope Valley?”

“Come to think of it, there was a lot left unsaid in those few conversations we had together,” Nathan admitted. “Right, Kate?”

Thomas snorted. “How do you get away with calling her Kate? She gets really upset when I call her Katie.”

Kathryn glared at Thomas and Nathan. “You both know I prefer to be called Kathryn. You are my brother, so I couldn’t stop you if I tried.”

“I’m sorry, it just comes out sometimes because I just see you as a Kate,” Nathan apologized.

“Maybe I should call you Nate,” Kathryn teased.

“Only one person has ever called me Nate before, and that was Allie’s mom.” Nathan suddenly got very quiet and seemed lost in a memory.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. How did you lose your wife?” Kathryn immediately regretted having brought up that subject.

“My Mom wasn’t married to my Dad,” Allie tried to explain, but that just made Kathryn gasp in surprise as the rest of them began to giggle as they realized how that must have sounded to her. 

“Why is that funny?” Kathryn asked, confused. But they all struggled to compose themselves to explain the misunderstanding.

“What Allie meant to say is that she is my niece, my sister Colleen’s daughter,” Nathan revealed. “Soon after she passed, I was the only one able to care for Allie. Last year I finally adopted and made her my official daughter. I’ve never been married.”

Kathryn soaked up this information she was not expecting to hear. Had she judged this particular Mountie unfairly? Taking in his niece and raising her on his own was very selfless and noble. She thought about her earlier conversation with Thomas about how Nathan was hung up on the other school teacher. That had to have been the woman she saw him with at the café that day, after both teachers took the Blind & Deaf Special-Needs Credential Test. But Kathryn had no desire to bring any of that up right now.

“Allie is one of the top students at the school,” Anne informed Kathryn. “She has been taking accelerated math classes for a year now, and of course you saw that she attended the academy while Nathan was in Union City for work. I’m sure you will both get along really well at school.”

“I can’t say I always love being forced into advanced classes,” Allie complained. “But the classes I took in Union City made me realize how much more there is to learn. Dad just always read to me from the time I was really young, and books became like friends to me when we had to always move around for the Mounties.”

Kathryn was impressed, but not exactly surprised after her discussions with Nathan in Union City about his love of learning and literature. And it touched her that Allie described books the way she had always felt about them growing up. 

“It sounds like we share the same ideas on reading and learning, Allie,” Kathryn affirmed. “When I became a teacher, I always seemed to connect more with the older children and more advanced concepts. Some teachers are cut out for teaching little ones the basics, but that is not where my strengths lie. When I discovered the higher education opportunities, I began the process to get certified.”

“How did you end up in Hope Valley?” Nathan asked, curiously. 

“When I signed up at the academy with a group of other teachers, it was for us to teach for one year as we prepared to be sent throughout the territory to teach the older children a more advanced curriculum and keep them in school a few more years. I was originally assigned to Benson Hills, but I put in a request for a change after…” Kathryn suddenly got quiet and looked down.

Thomas and Anne gave each other a knowing look and Thomas carefully continued her thought. “She didn’t want to go to Benson Hills because of the Mountie situation there.”

“Thomas!” Kate scolded. “I’m sure Nathan and Allie don’t want to hear about my pathetic love life troubles.”

But Nathan was in fact interested in learning what made her so wary of Mounties, though he would never vocally express his curiosity. Another teacher and a Mountie connection gone wrong. He wasn’t really surprised after his experience. He felt angry that anyone would hurt Kathryn so deeply that it made her skeptical of all men in red serge.

Anne, feeling responsible for her previously unsuccessful matchmaking debacle, joined the conversation to give more understanding on the subject. “I probably should have vetted Carl better before setting you two up, but he had been friends with Thomas in a training exercise and I was overly confident in my abilities after two successful weddings of Mounties and friends I set them up with.”

“Carl Jessop!” Nathan exclaimed. “He’s the new Inspector at Benson Hills, isn’t he? We had some confrontations at our training. I wiped that smirk off his face when I beat him handily in the wood chopping competition.”

Kathryn couldn’t help but giggle, picturing Nathan beating Carl at something and erasing the cocky smile from his face. She always thought Mountie’s were a little too full of themselves. Even though she loved Thomas dearly, he had his moments when he thought he was God’s gift to the world. Carl only further confirmed to her that Mounties were arrogant, and he had broken her heart and betrayed all trust she had in men...especially Mounties. Wanting to change the subject, Kathryn offered to clear the dinner dishes so they could bring out the dessert.

“Anne,” she said. “Shall we bring out the strawberry shortcake?”

“That is our absolute favorite summer dessert, right Dad!” Allie blurted out. “This dinner has been amazing!”

They all enjoyed dessert and conversation moved to small talk and discussing people in the town that Kathryn would meet. Nathan could feel himself fading out after his long day, so he thanked his hosts and started to usher Allie out the door so they could go home and get to bed. 

“Thanks for coming over,” Thomas said as he walked them to the door. “See you tomorrow, boss. Allie, it was great to see you tonight.”

“Thanks for dinner, it was great! Bye Constable Bradshaw, Mrs. Bradshaw, Miss Bradshaw. Have a good night.” Allie waved to them all and stepped outside.

“It was a very enjoyable evening,” Nathan agreed. “Anne, the food was wonderful. Take care of yourself, and that little one. Thomas, I will see you for rounds in the morning. Kathryn, welcome to Hope Valley.” He smiled at all of them and joined Allie outside. They walked home and went to bed smiling, thinking of the delightful company they shared tonight at dinner. Nathan couldn’t believe it: Kate was here in the same town, but he couldn’t ask her out because of Allie. He replayed the evening in his mind as he tried falling asleep, and just before he drifted off he thought about holding her hand. He wasn’t sure the last time he had smiled quite so big and looked forward to seeing someone again with so much anticipation.

Tuesday and Wednesday had been busy for Nathan, with a lot of traveling around the countryside. He had caught glimpses of Kate coming and going, but hadn’t gotten a chance to talk with her again. He was trying to respect Allie’s wishes to not ask out another one of her teachers, but he needed to get to know Kathryn better somehow. Thursday afternoon, Nathan had just completed paperwork in the office, and decided to fulfill Elizabeth’s request to check in on the new teacher at the school. Allie was working the switchboard, leaving him open to have a meeting with the new teacher without getting caught.

In the schoolhouse, Kathryn had been preparing lesson plans for the summer session most of the day. It had been getting hotter by the hour so she had fastened her hair haphazardly up on her head to stop it from sticking to her neck, and unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse to try and keep a little cooler. In all honesty, her focus had struggled since finding out Inspector Grant that Thomas had raved about for weeks was actually Nathan. She was deep in thought, but it had nothing to do with math, science, or reading.

As Nathan walked into the schoolhouse, he had to catch his breath at the sight in front of him. Miss Bradshaw was sitting at her desk, her hair in a messy bun, a few buttons undone at the top of her blouse, and she was chewing on the end of a pencil as she looked off in the distance, extremely focused on something.

Nathan cleared his throat and Kathryn just about jumped right out of her chair. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Nathan chuckled.

Kathryn shot up out of her seat while frantically doing up the buttons on her shirt and letting her hair down. “I’m sure I look like a fright. I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

“I think you look lovely,” Nathan uttered, as he walked closer to her. He had an overwhelming desire to reach out and tuck a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear, but told himself to take it slow. “Elizabeth...Mrs. Thornton, wanted me to come check on you and make sure you are finding everything you need.”

“I’ve been wanting to know more about your relationship with Mrs. Thornton,” Kathryn confessed. “I’ve heard things, but you never know what the truth is unless you go straight to the source.”

“Only if you plan on sharing more about what happened with Carl and why you are so against dating another Mountie,” Nathan challenged.

“Why don’t we take a seat then,” she suggested, motioning to a pew at the front of the classroom. They sat slightly turned so they could easily face each other as they spoke.

“My relationship with Elizabeth is complicated,” he began. “So I’ll give you the short version for now. Her husband was a Mountie and replaced me in a training mission that took his life. When I found out, I felt it was my duty to protect Jack’s wife and child so I requested a transfer to Hope Valley to look after them.” Nathan stopped for a moment as he fought familiar feelings of guilt trying to overtake him. 

Kathryn found herself wanting to comfort Nathan, who was clearly still struggling with emotions she didn’t fully understand. But she was hesitant to get too close to any man again after being hurt like she was last year. Instead she encouraged him to go on by saying, “So you fell in love with her as you got to know her and watched over them.”

“It was the last thing I ever wanted to happen,” he stressed. “She just really became like a mother figure to Allie, and I began to love her little boy Jack. We shared so many moments and I had just asked her on an official date the day a prisoner transfer went bad and another Mountie was killed. It could have been me, and Elizabeth ran into my arms when she found out I was alive.”

“Oh my!” Kathryn exclaimed. “That must have been horrible for you both.”

Nathan was impressed by her empathy, which helped him have the strength to continue. “I told her how I felt about her after that and she ran away upset. Then she started seeing someone else. She was so back and forth and eventually told me she only saw her dead husband in me and it broke me for a while. She’s still confused, I think. I’ve done my best to move on, then I met you and for the first time in a long time I felt something for another woman.” He looked away not wanting to see rejection in Kate’s face.

Kathryn’s heart broke for him as he told her of his heartbreak, but it soared at the realization that he admitted to feeling something for her. They both had experienced rejection around the same time, and if she were completely honest with herself, Nathan was the first man she had feelings for since Carl had humiliated her.

“You know, when I met Carl he seemed too good to be true. He was very sure of himself, but I figured he was just a bit full of himself like most Mounties I had met previously,” Kathryn proceeded. “He was smooth and offered me plenty of flattery and gifts. I was completely infatuated and thought I was in love, but I found out that he was seeing other women at the same time. He had even discussed marriage with me, since we knew it was a possibility for me to teach in the same place he was stationed. Then one day I was walking by the Cardinal Café and saw Carl kissing another woman. Here I was thinking we were about to get engaged, and he was playing me. I guess I don’t have great luck at that café.”

Nathan was fuming mad and wanted to punch out Carl for hurting this beautiful, amazing woman that he just had to know better. He also felt bad she had to witness him and Elizabeth having a moment at the same place her heart was broken at before.

“I’m really sorry you had to see me there with Elizabeth. We just have a lot of history together, and she is really struggling to find her way right now. But she really hurt me, and trusting her with my heart doesn’t seem like a possibility anymore. I still feel the need to protect her and have a special bond with her son, but my only interest right now is in the woman sitting next to me.” Nathan finally got the courage to look into Kathryn’s deep green eyes and she resisted as long as she could before she finally allowed herself to get completely lost in his ocean-colored eyes.

Without warning, Nathan stood up and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Look Kate, you have to understand that Allie was very hurt when Elizabeth rejected me. It also felt like a rejection to her, because she had become so close to Elizabeth. She made me promise not to ask any more of her teachers out, but I’m not sure I can keep that promise with you here.”

Kathryn stood and gently touched his arm, “Trust me when I tell you I have worked with many teenagers over the years, and you have to just know how to play their games and outsmart them. Maybe we can find ways to be together, without it being a formal date.”

“You, Miss Bradshaw, are a genius. How about we just happen to be at the same places at the same time...somewhere away from prying eyes and listening ears.” Nathan was forming plans already in his mind. Before he could vocalize his plans, Joseph Canfield walked in carrying some bibles.

“Oh hello Nathan and Kathryn,” Joseph declared. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“No, no,” Nathan answered. “I was just making sure Miss Bradshaw had everything she needed to get her summer class ready. Elizabeth had asked me to check in on her while she is on her book tour. But I have work to finish up, and need to check on Allie at the Mercantile. Have a great day Pastor Joseph, Kathryn.” 

When Joseph turned around, Nathan gave a little wink to Kate and felt like he was floating on cloud nine as he left the school and walked to the Mercantile. Kathryn knew there was no point trying to complete any more lesson plans today, so she gathered up her belongings and decided to head home the long way around the pond as she contemplated possible trysts with the most handsome man in Hope Valley.