Granting a Family - Chapter 16: Best Laid Plans

Friday morning found Nathan whistling as he prepared for rounds, and he was glad the teenager of the house was sleeping in so she couldn’t witness his better-than-normal mood. He had tried to play it extremely cool at the Mercantile yesterday afternoon when he went to check on Allie after he visited Kate at the school. It was easier to do when he discovered Robert with Allie, giggling back at the switchboard. He had gone into protective Dad mode, and even though he liked the kid, he knew Allie was too young for a romantic relationship.

Nathan knocked on Allie’s door before he left to make sure she was up to do chores and get to the Mercantile for an early shift. “You up?” he hollered through the door. “Remember this afternoon we are taking Jack for a horse ride and picnic so the Coulter’s can get a much-needed break.”

Allie opened up the door with bleary eyes, but a big smile on her face. “He’s going to love riding Newton, and I’m excited to take Buddy out again. I’ll come home right after my shift so I can get food ready for our picnic.”

“That would be great. I better hurry so I won’t be late to talk to Thomas before my rounds.” Nathan begrudgingly put on his serge jacket and hat he really despised in the summer. He wished he could do rounds in his henley and suspenders on sunny days like this. “See you at 4:00. I’ll bring the horses here, then you can load the saddle bags with food and we can stop to get Jack after I change.”

“We are going to have so much fun! Have a good day and be safe, Dad.” Allie went back into her room to get dressed as Nathan left for work.

Walking by the Bradshaw’s house, he grinned remembering the shock of seeing Kate Monday night at dinner. He thought about how that one moment could change everything for him moving forward. He didn’t want to hide his feelings or sneak around, but he wanted to protect Allie while both he and Kate were still trying to figure out how they both felt about each other. Deep in thought, he hadn’t noticed someone coming out of the house and walking toward him.

“Inspector Grant, it looks like you have a lot on your mind this morning.”

Nathan would know that voice anywhere. “Kate, good morning. What are you doing up so early?” Suddenly his jacket felt even more stifling, and it took him a minute to catch his breath at the sight of her. She had on a light flowy lavender-colored dress, and her hair was up off her beautiful neck with just a few stray hairs blowing in the light morning breeze. “So um, where are you headed?” Nathan finally stammered.

“I need to get serious about my lesson plans. For some reason, my focus hasn’t been very good this week.” She gave him an impish grin and looked around to see if anyone was watching. “I’m not sure our plan includes walking through town together.”

“We only agreed to not go on a formal date,” he reminded her. “This was a chance meeting, as we are both heading to work. Now if I had grabbed your hand to hold while we walked, that would clearly be a violation.”

Color rose to her cheeks and Kathryn decided this was probably a good time to bid farewell. “If I admitted to you that this wasn’t exactly a chance meeting because I was watching out the window for you to walk by, does that break the rules? Just think that over and let me know when we can meet again somewhere that is far away from main street.” Kathryn turned and walked in the direction of the schoolhouse. She briefly turned and looked back at Nathan who tipped his hat to her, his adorable crooked smile lighting up his handsome face. She knew she was in trouble now.

Nathan couldn’t stop smiling as he headed to get Newton from the livery. Thomas was already saddling up Midnight by the time Nathan arrived. 

“Wow, boss, I never thought I would see the day I beat you at being ready for rounds,” Thomas teased.

“I was a little distracted this morning,” Nathan admitted. “But enough about that, we need to discuss strategy for rounds this morning. I’ve heard rumors of some disputes at the factory that might require some intervention. I’ll head out there and check it out. If you want to go in the other direction near the home settlement outside of town, we can meet back at the office when we are finished. I’m leaving a little early today so Allie and I can take little Jack for a horse ride and picnic.”

“Are you sure you don’t need backup at the factory?” Thomas asked. “I don’t want you putting yourself in unnecessary danger out there.”

“I don’t think it is that serious yet. I’ll let you know what I find out and if both of us need to make a visit later on we can. Be safe out there and see you in a few hours.”

“I know you are my boss and all Nathan, but I think I’m going to have to go into protective big brother mode now. What exactly are your intentions regarding my baby sister?” Thomas tried to stand as tall as he could and look intimidating, but being much shorter and less muscular than Nathan, it came off a little weak.

“Right now my only intention is to get to know her better. I don’t think either one of us wants to rush into anything, and I have Allie to consider.  You know what my life motto is right now,” Nathan reminded him.

“Protect the town and raise Allie,” Thomas repeated. “But where does Mrs. Thornton fit into all of this. I mean, if you are taking little Jack out tonight you still have some sort of relationship with her.”

“If I ever figure that out, I’ll let you know. But right now we are only worried about objective number one, so let’s get out there and keep our town safe.” Nathan had just finished getting Newton ready, and led him outside where he mounted and rode off without another word. 

Thomas mounted Midnight and headed out of town in the other direction, wondering what was really going on with Nathan and Kathryn. She had also been distracted just like Nathan seemed to be, but neither one would admit to anything serious happening between the two of them. Both he and Anne thought they would make a good match, but after things had gone bad with Carl, they knew they had to try and not interfere in Katie’s love life. He also had to be careful not to upset his superior or overstep in that capacity. So for now, he would just watch and see if he was right about them.

When Nathan arrived at the factory, he met with the man in charge, a Mr. Curtis, to discuss the issue. He found out that they were worried that the oil pipeline being built by Lucas, Fiona, and Hickam’s company ran too close to the property line of the factory and the oil company. They wanted the land surveyed to make sure the pipeline wasn’t crossing onto their land and getting too close to their factory buildings, but Lucas had given a hard no before leaving on the book tour. Construction on the pipeline was set to begin on Monday, and they wanted to have another meeting with someone from the oil company to settle the matter.

“Mr. Curtis, I will go back into town and discuss this with Miss Miller and Mr. Hickam. I’ve viewed the pipeline plans myself, and in my opinion, it will easily be on their own property. Let me run this by Judge Avery as well, since he is the one who would make a final determination on the matter should it be questioned and sent to court.” Nathan shook the man’s hand and headed back to town.

Nathan stopped by the oil company office when he first rode back into town, but no one was there. He tried the barber shop, and hit the jackpot when Fiona was cutting Hickam’s hair as they talked business.

“Mike, Fiona,” Nathan greeted. “I’ve just come from the factory, and need to discuss the pipeline plans. I’m not sure where it’s coming from, for them to request another survey to make sure the pipeline is on your company’s land. Is there a reason why this is being disputed right as construction is about to start?”

“Oh no,” Mike lamented. “I worried this might happen. Lucas is not going to be happy when he finds out about this. What do you suggest we do?”

“In my professional opinion, your plans look legally sound. I just don’t want a big fight on our hands, so I would suggest pushing back construction for a week until Lucas is home and everyone can meet together to resolve this peacefully. I will give Bill a heads up and have him look over everything in case this is taken to court.”

Fiona had been thinking through the problem while listening to the conversation. Luckily she had stopped cutting Hickam’s hair while she was processing this information so she didn’t cut his ear again. Fiona finally spoke up and said, “There has to be more to this than just the property lines. I will make a call to Lucas and discuss what is going on. He gave me a detailed itinerary of the book tour so I could contact him if there is any news on this pipeline construction. Mike, I’ll meet you back in the office once I finish up my appointments and make that call.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to call Lucas?” Mike asked.

“You know he’ll respond better to bad news if it comes from me,” Fiona persuaded him with a little grin that both men weren’t quite sure what it meant.

“Let me know if there is anything I can help you with, or Constable Bradshaw. Sorry I interrupted your haircut...or whatever else might have been happening here.” Nathan winked at Hickam, but Mike was quick to expel any wrong ideas people in the town might have about the two of them.

“Fiona and I are just business partners and friends,” Mike professed. “I hope people in town don’t still think there is anything more than that going on.”

“No, no.” Nathan assured him. “I’ve been gone a lot lately, so it takes longer for news to get to me. I haven’t heard anything about the two of you for many months. I’m sure one day the right thing will work out for all of us single Hope Valley citizens.” Nathan patted Hickam on the shoulder as he turned to leave and tipped his hat to Fiona as he walked out the door.

It had been a long day already, but the thought of riding horses with the kids and eating outdoors rejuvenated him. He led Newton and Buddy to the house so he could change and get ready for their little adventure. Allie was all ready to go with the picnic packed. Nathan quickly changed into more comfortable and cooler casual clothes with his shirt slightly unbuttoned so he could breathe a bit after taking off his heavy serge. He always had mixed emotions when having interactions with his little buddy Jack, but knew he still had a duty to watch out for Jack’s son.

Nathan and Allie led the horses over to Lee and Rosemary’s just a few houses down the row, and Jack was already excitedly waiting for them on the porch with the Coulters. “‘Atan! Awie! ‘Ewton! Ride the horsey!” They all laughed at little Jack’s enthusiasm as he ran and jumped into Nathan’s arms and motioned to pet Newton. He patted the horse’s neck, then gave him a big hug. “We go riding ‘ewton! Is Awie widing Buddy?”

“Yep, do you want to come pet Buddy now?” Allie asked him, taking him from Nathan and holding him up to reach Buddy’s neck. “And I packed a picnic too, so we are going to have a lot of fun!”

Lee and Rosemary thanked Nathan and Allie, and went inside to get dressed for their date night they had planned. Allie hopped up on Buddy, while Nathan put Jack on Newton then pulled himself on and showed Jack where to hold on and even taught him how to use the reins to guide Newton to where they needed to go. Jack soaked it all in and hung onto every word Nathan said to him. They rode at a leisurely pace in the meadow and out by the schoolhouse, just in time to see Kathryn leaving. 

To Nathan’s surprised, Allie was the first to acknowledge her new teacher. “Hi Miss Bradshaw!” she yelled across the way.

Kathryn smiled and waved, then began walking toward them as they turned their horses to meet her. Nathan stopped Newton when they were close enough to talk and said, “Kathryn, how was your day? I hope you finally got some work done on your lesson plans.”

“Nathan, Allie. And who might this adorable little man be?” Kathryn smiled sweetly at little Jack.

“I Jack Forton. Dis is ‘ountie ‘atan and we riding the horsey ‘ewton!” Jack proudly stated.

“Yes, this is Jack Thornton Jr. and we are riding Newton to the pond to have a picnic, right buddy?” Nathan beamed, looking at the child he was holding on his lap in the saddle.

Kathryn had mixed emotions as she took in this beautiful family scene. It was obvious Nathan had a way with children and loved them deeply. If it was even humanly possible, he was even more attractive to her in that moment as he sat on his regal horse, dressed casually with his shirt unbuttoned several inches, and his large hands holding the little boy and the reins with ease while looking completely joyful. 

Nathan Grant was meant to be a father, and even though these two children weren’t his children by blood, Kathryn could tell he loved them unconditionally as if he were their biological father. She suddenly felt insecure, not knowing what his true relationship with Elizabeth might be if this is how he treated her child. She panicked and felt the urge to run away, but taking a deep breath she regained her composure enough to smile and say, “Have a lovely evening Nathan, Allie and Jack. I won’t keep you from your ride.”

“Bye Miss Bradshaw. I am excited to see what you have planned for the summer session,” Allie replied politely.

“Bye, bye,” little Jack bellowed.

“Good evening, Kathryn,” Nathan added, looking confused at her reaction just now. It suddenly dawned on him that this probably had to do with him holding Elizabeth’s child. He needed to talk this out with her later, but now was not the time. She waved to them all, then turned to walk home. He thought about a way they could meet up tomorrow and talk, but decided he better focus on the task at hand first.

“Can Buddy and I lead all the way to the pond?” Allie asked enthusiastically.

Nathan leaned down to Jack and questioned, “Should Allie and Buddy lead us to the pond, Jack?”

“Yes, Awie, Buddy lead us to pond for picnic!” Jack screamed.

All three of them burst into laughter and the horses slowly plodded along to take them to their destination. Once they arrived at the pond, Nathan got a little nervous because he knew bodies of water and toddlers didn’t mix too well. They laid out a blanket for the picnic far enough away from the pond to not be dangerous, but close enough for a beautiful view. Nathan looked over at the dock and remembered the time little Jack played at Elizabeth’s feet as Nathan asked her what was in her heart, while trying to help inspire her to write. She obviously figured it out, because she was now on a book tour, promoting that very book she wrote from that inspiration.

All three of them enjoyed the picnic Allie had put together, and after they were done eating they went and tried skipping rocks across the pond. They walked around the perimeter of the pond looking for frogs and letting the horses get a rest before heading back home. This kind of family life is what Nathan longed for. One day he hoped to have more children with a woman he loved, and these were the moments he could picture being the most meaningful and precious to him. He had never experienced a father who was there for him, or who just spent time with him. He would be that for his children. Jack was starting to act tired, so they decided to ride back into town.

As they neared the livery to take the horses back and let Jack pet Sergeant, Hickam spotted them and came rushing over. “Nathan, can I have a word with you for just a moment?”

“Sure Mike, what is it?” She handed the reins to Allie and she led both horses into their stalls. Nathan held Jack, who had become very sleepy, in his arms.

“Oh, you are helping take care of little Jack,” Hickam observed, patting the little boy on the back with affection. “So, you and Elizabeth...what’s going on with that?”

“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think anything is going on with Elizabeth,” Nathan assured him. “I just promised to help look out for him while she was away. We had a good time, didn’t we, Jack?” The boy just nodded and made a little sound of agreement. “What was it you wanted to discuss?”

“Right. Well, Fiona talked to Lucas. As you might have guessed, he is not happy about postponing the construction of the pipeline. But somehow he agreed to do it as long as Bill determines everything is in order, legally. I’m not sure how Fiona is able to talk him into things he would just yell at me for.”

“Sometimes it’s all about the right woman saying the right things to get a man to do whatever she says,” Nathan contemplated.

Hickam pondered that sentiment for a moment and nodded in agreement. “Do you ever think we’ll each find that right kind of woman someday, Nathan?”

“I keep hoping and praying that we will. I better get this little guy back to the Coulters for bedtime. Let me know if there is anything else us Mounties can help with as you prepare for that pipeline construction.”

“Sounds good. We’ll probably plan a meeting with you, Thomas, and Bill in a few days. Have a good night.” Hickam headed back to his office and Nathan went to the livery to help Allie finish getting the horses settled in for the night. Jack got a second wind enough to pet his horse Sergeant, then they took him back to Lee and Rosemary who had just gotten home from their date. They thanked Nathan and Allie and took Jack in to put to bed. As Nathan and Allie walked by the Bradshaw’s house, he thought about his plans with Kate and knew it would be better if he just discussed the situation with Allie honestly before pursuing anything further.

“Allie, I wanted to run something by you. I never want to have secrets between us, within reason.” Nathan felt extremely nervous for this talk, because he didn’t want to have to give up a chance at love. “I know on our fishing trip you said I shouldn’t ask out another one of your teachers. At the time, that seemed very doable because I didn’t think I would be interested in the new teacher. But then it ended up being Kate, uh, Kathryn and I already started to like her before she even came here.”

“I think I know where you’re going with this,” Allie theorized. “I know you are interested in Miss Bradshaw, but I’m scared what that means if things don’t work out like with Mrs. Thornton.”

“I know. That’s why I came up with a plan, and you can add suggestions as well. I know with Elizabeth, she really became a part of our lives and acted like a real mother to you for a long time. I keep kicking myself, because I feel like it was my fault when you lost that relationship with her. I should have never told her I loved her until I knew she felt the same. I never meant to ruin that relationship you had together.”

Allie nodded and wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. “I was hurt, Dad. But that was nothing compared to how hurt and broken you were when she hurt you. I just don’t want that to happen again.”

“Love hurts sometimes, Allie. You’ll learn this soon enough. But love is also worth the risk, because the greatest risk can bring the greatest reward.” Nathan truly believed that love was always worth fighting for.

“I want you to find love and be happy,” Allie promised. “I want a real family with a mom and a little brother or sister. Being with Jack tonight made me want that even more. I know you have to date in order to have that. I’m sorry you felt like you had to keep it from me to protect me. What are your ideas to help us both get through this?”

“For now I just want time to get to know Kathryn without people gossiping about us around town. I don’t want you to think I’m hiding anything from you, but I just want to see how we both feel before we let anyone know about our relationship moving forward. But I think it would be best for you to just act as teacher and student when you are together, until the two of us come to an understanding about a formal courtship. If that happens, then we would begin to include you in our relationship, but you would still be able to have a say in how much or how little you feel comfortable being with or sharing with her. What do you think about that?”

Allie was still thinking when they arrived home and trying to decide how she did feel about Nathan dating again. She knew he would have to put himself out there and risk getting hurt again, if he were to ever find love. “Dad,” she said as they walked through the door. “I’m not going to be the reason why you don’t fall in love again. I think me just treating Miss Bradshaw like my teacher for now is a really great idea. I hope we can be friends, because we already like the Bradshaws and sometimes I wouldn’t mind having dinner with them again. Just promise me that you’ll be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt like you were last year ever again.”

“You know I can’t make that promise,” Nathan emphasized. “But I wouldn’t risk it again if I didn’t think there was potential for a great reward.”

“I’ve seen the way you light up around her,” Allie remarked. “You have my blessing, if that is what you need to make the next move.” 

Nathan pulled Allie into a big hug until she did the teenage thing and pulled away acting disgusted, while secretly loving the affection.

“Do you mind if I go have a little conversation with Kathryn right now?” Nathan asked.

“Who is the parent now?” Allie rolled her eyes and shooed him out the door. “Go and charm your lady friend, Dad. I don’t even want to know any details though, ok?”

Nathan laughed and headed toward the row house two doors down. To his surprise and delight, he spotted a beautiful blonde woman enjoying the beautiful sunset on the porch. She was a vision in the glow of the pink and orange sky. He wished he could wrap her up in his arms and...nevermind, he was getting way ahead of himself.

When Kathryn saw him approach, she had long forgotten her insecurities about him taking care of another woman’s child earlier that evening. She couldn’t get over how ridiculous it seemed that no woman had snatched this beautiful man up and settled down with him. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest as he walked toward her in the glow of tonight’s magnificent sunset.

“Kate,” he said with emotion in his voice. “I ruined our plans to sneak around Allie.”

“Oh?” Kathryn questioned. 

“The more I thought about our dilemma, I knew it would not end well if Allie thought we were hiding our relationship from her, so I told her I wanted to get to know you better,” Nathan explained.

“From what I’ve observed, you and Allie have a very close bond, and I would never want to come between that,” Kathryn confirmed. “It took a lot of courage for you to trust her to be mature enough to have that conversation with you.”

“For now she just wants to have a student/teacher relationship with you. If we ever choose to enter a formal courtship, she can decide then how close she wants to get to you. I want her to move at a pace that she’s comfortable with.”

“And what about you, Inspector Grant? What pace are you comfortable with?” Kathryn moved closer to Nathan and touched his arm below where the shirt sleeve was rolled up so she could feel his tensed muscle beneath his warm skin. She looked him in the eyes with what little light was left as the sun dropped beneath the horizon. 

Nathan’s breathing had sped up to the point he felt he might pass out. Kate’s touch made the skin on his arm feel like it was on fire and she was staring deep into his soul as their eyes connected. He reached up to tuck stray hairs behind her ear and moved closer to her as her hand slipped from his arm into his hand and electricity shot through them both. He wanted to kiss her, but his head said surely this was too much too soon. 

Before he was able to react to anything else, the door opened up and Thomas came out in a panic. “Nathan, good! I need you to run and get Dr. Carter. Anne is having pains and she still has at least 6 weeks before the baby should come.”

“Uh, yeah,” Nathan stammered. “Right away. Kate, can you go tell Allie I’ll be back as soon as I can? Thomas, you keep Anne calm and make sure she takes deep breaths.” With that, Nathan headed to town to find Faith.