Granting a Family - Chapter 20: Falling Into You

Bill’s office was filling up Friday morning, as everyone gathered for the court hearing on the property line dispute regarding the building of a pipeline. Lucas had arrived back in town late the night before, and met briefly with Hickam and Fiona before going to Bill’s office. Nathan had to make a last-minute phone call before he went to testify, and arrived shortly after Mr. Curtis and his posse. 

When Bill saw Nathan come in, he banged his gavel and called the court to order. “We are ready to begin this proceeding regarding this land dispute. I have gone over all of the evidence presented to me, and have determined that the county land deed was a forgery. Mr. Hickam presented me with both the forgery from the county and the original documentation which were consistent with the forgeries apprehended with the Pinkertons who have been arrested and found guilty of all charges and currently reside in the penitentiary in Union City. We will hear some testimony from Inspector Nathan Grant who investigated this case, and then I will give my ruling. If there are any objections to my ruling, I will give both sides a chance to respond. However, you should know that this case is basically iron-clad and needs to be resolved today.”

Nathan went to the front, where he read a statement he had prepared just a few minutes before. He described his work investigating the fraud being performed by the Pinkerktons, their arrests, and everything he learned while attending their trial. Then he moved on to the evidence he was able to collect with Hickam regarding the property lines and the new oil rig being built on land adjacent to the factory. He continued, “I just got off the phone with both the county office, who confirmed Wyman Walden owns that land and got permits to drill for oil on that particular plot of land. My second call was to the Union City Penitentiary where the Pinkertons are being held. Mr. Walden is fortunate they are all refusing to implicate him for soliciting their services to forge documents to get the optimal land pass to build a pipeline, so there is nothing we can do to press any further charges at the moment. Mr. Bouchard, Miss Miller, and Mr. Hickam purchased the piece of land that borders the factory land, and as Judge Avery mentioned, it has been proven that the original documents kept by the original owners are the official papers. This means the property lines stand, and after the ruling today they are free to commence with the building of their pipeline.”

Bill ruled in favor of Lucas, Hickam and Fiona and Mr. Curtis did not object to the ruling, knowing he didn’t have any evidence to dispute their claims. Mike and Fiona rushed up to Bill and Nathan, shaking their hands and thanking them profusely. Lucas hung back a little, seeming distracted and a bit sad. Fiona went over and encouraged him to go with her to the Barber Shop for a much needed haircut and beard trim. That left Hickam and Nathan to discuss the end of the trial.

“Lucas was really quiet in here,” Nathan observed. “What’s going on with him anyway? I still don’t understand why he left Elizabeth to finish her book tour and travel home alone.”

“From what I gathered from our brief conversation, I think any chance of a relationship between them is completely over. He claims he came home to work things out with all of his businesses, but something personal happened out there.” Hickam and Nathan sat pondering how they felt about Elizabeth possibly being available again.

Nathan decided he really didn’t want to entertain those thoughts. Instead, he had someone else on his mind that he just had to see to confirm plans with on Saturday afternoon. “If you’ll excuse me Mike, I’ve got some business to attend to right now.”

“Right,” Hickam agreed. “I have to start preparing for our crews to begin the pipeline first thing Monday morning. I need to make sure all of the supplies are ordered on time. Thanks again for all of your help. You saved my life!”

“I’m glad I could help,” Nathan replied. “You let me know if anyone gives you trouble out there when the construction starts.”

“Will do. Hey, you are planning on checking on Elizabeth when she gets home, right? She’ll be back Saturday night very late. Can you please stop in and make sure she’s ok on Sunday?” Hickam looked a little embarrassed showing concern for a woman completely out of his league, but he felt better about Nathan watching over Elizabeth than Lucas.

Nathan wasn’t sure how he felt about Hickam’s request, but knew he couldn’t avoid the talk he knew was coming when Elizabeth got back. “Of course I’ll check in on her and little Jack. She’s a strong woman, and I’m sure she’s handling things just fine. But I see no reason why you can’t check in on her if you are so worried.” he slapped Mike on the back on his way out of Bill’s office, chuckling at what seemed to be a secret crush Hickam had been holding onto for all these years.

Looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to his next move, Nathan began the short walk to the school house to discuss plans with the incomparable Miss Bradshaw. He analyzed how thoughts of her made him feel so much lighter and fulfilled, but thoughts of Elizabeth seemed to always cause confusion and anxious feelings. Determined to be present in the moment, he pushed all thoughts aside and took a deep breath to calm the ever-present butterflies in his stomach when seeing a certain teacher. He used his Mountie sneaking skills to quietly climb the stairs and peek into the classroom. 

Kathryn knew she needed to spend Friday getting the classroom ready for the summer class to start on Monday. She had worked to get the curriculum planned and the projects prepped. There were some signs that needed to be hung up around the classroom, but her short stature made it difficult to reach high enough. She took her chair to one of the spots and stepped up to hang something, when the chair started moving and she felt herself losing balance. Just as she started to fall backwards, two strong arms caught her and scooped her up. She turned her head and came face to face with Nathan Grant. She moved her arms around his neck and they both stared into each other’s eyes, while still breathing hard from the stress of the almost-fall. Nathan slowly put her down, but she kept her arms around his neck even after her feet had been solidly placed on the ground and his hands were still at her waist. Their eyes were dead locked in an intense look of longing and desire. 

When Nathan had peeked into the classroom, he saw Kate on a chair to hang up something and immediately rushed to catch her when he noticed the chair slipping. Now here they were once again so close together and he was losing control of his head that kept fighting his desire to let himself open up completely. Her familiar sweet scent that reminded him of a fruit orchard, filled his senses as he moved one hand up to smooth back the hair that had come loose and fallen in her face. 

Realizing neither of them had said a word, Kathryn tried to vocalize something coherent. “Thanks for catching me. I guess standing on that chair wasn’t the best plan. Where did you come from anyway? Is the court hearing finished?”

Squeals from kids playing just outside the schoolhouse broke Nathan’s focus away from the woman in his arms, and he realized the door was wide open for anyone to look in and catch them together this way. He gently pulled away and stepped back to gather his thoughts.

“Yes, the court hearing is over, and Hickam is getting started on the pipeline as soon as possible. And you should definitely stay off chairs. It’s a good thing I was here to save you, or who knows what would have happened.” Nathan gave her a wink and a blush appeared on her face, as they both remembered him catching her.

“So what are you doing here? I thought we were trying to be discreet and stop any rumors.” 

“I just came to talk to you about plans tomorrow,” he explained. “Allie has a party tomorrow, and won’t be home until right before bedtime. I thought maybe we could make dinner together at my house, if you are up for that.”

“That sounds nice,” Kathryn admitted. “What time should I sneak over, and what do you need me to bring?”

“I have to go into the office for a while tomorrow, but how about you meet me at 4:00 and we can cook together then eat before Allie gets back. I’ll pick up the ingredients from the Mercantile on my way home, so just bring yourself and any cooking skills you have. I need to get back to work and make sure your brother is staying on task.” Nathan chuckled and pointed toward the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Inspector,” Kathryn said, waving to him as he left and started walking back to his office. When he was out of sight, she slid into the chair that she fell off of and took a minute to catch her breath. This moving slow thing wasn’t working out very well, and she tried to suppress thoughts of her having stronger feelings for him than he had for her. The last thing she wanted was to be hurt by another man who didn’t want to fully commit to her. She brushed off her doubts and went back to her work with a smile on her face remembering her hero in red serge catching her and holding her in his arms. Again she tried to clear her mind and get back to work, but she knew it might be a long day after such a romantic encounter that was causing her to daydream about a tall, dark, and handsome Mountie with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Get it together, Kate, she thought without even realizing she had used his nickname for her. You are in so much trouble.

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Nathan spent Saturday catching up on paperwork after morning rounds, but couldn’t concentrate to save his life. He was frustrated with himself for feeling so conflicted. He was excited at the prospect of making dinner with Kate tonight, but nervous things were moving fast and he would seem uninterested if he kept trying to slow them down. He hated that he couldn’t stop thoughts of Elizabeth coming home tomorrow from creeping in and adding to his confusion. He and Allie had stopped by to see little Jack after work yesterday, and he loved that little boy so much it hurt. When Jack played with the Mountie and horse toys Nathan had built him, his heart ached for himself to be a father, and for that little boy to have one.

He still had a couple hours until he was supposed to be home, but Nathan knew at the rate he was going on reports he should wait until Monday. He picked up his serge and put it on, but didn’t bother buttoning it all the way up because of the heat. He walked over to the Mercantile so he could get supplies for making dinner, but didn’t want to make it too obvious he was cooking a meal for someone special. Luckily, Florence had stepped out and Ned knew better than to ask questions about what people bought. Once the shopping was finished, he headed home to unpack the groceries and prepared for Kate to come over.

Allie was still home when Nathan arrived with his purchases and came in to help him put things away. “So, I guess things are starting to get serious with Miss Bradshaw, huh Dad? Are you planning on sneaking around forever, because it's getting harder to not slip and say something about you two when talking to people.” Allie looked at him with her annoyed teenager face, but also had a sparkle in her eye that told Nathan she wasn't upset with him finding happiness with someone new. But it did make him sad they both felt like they had to be a little guarded to keep from getting hurt again.

“I don't plan on keeping it a secret forever, if we decide to pursue a more serious relationship. We just need time to figure out what we both want. I'm more concerned about protecting you than myself.” Nathan put his arm around her and kissed her head. “So tell me what time you are planning to get home tonight, so I make sure I end my 'secret date' before you get here.”

“I'll probably be home by 8:00, but if you want me to see if I can stay later I will,” Allie smirked. 

“I don't think so, but I appreciate the offer. I hope you have a fun time with your friends. Is everyone excited to start summer school on Monday morning?” He figured out the answer pretty quickly by the look on her face, so he let that go and moved on. “Will there be boys at this party, or is this a girls only thing?”

“Girls only this time, but we have plans to include boys at the next one. Is that a problem?” Sass was coming on very strong in this conversation, and Nathan decided to go clean up and change to step away from the teenage hormones.

“Let me know when you are leaving. I need to get myself ready.” Nathan went to his room and closed the door. Dating itself was never easy, but it was made even more complicated with a teenage daughter who was starting her own journey of romantic relationship discoveries. It was at moments like this he longed for a companion to share these things with, preferably someone who understood teenage girls better than he did. He laid down for a few minutes to rest his eyes, then was startled awake when there was a knock at his bedroom door. He must have fallen asleep and was disoriented, still in his uniform, sans the hot serge jacket. 

“I'm leaving, Dad! It's almost 4:00, and I just let your date in the house.” Nathan bounded out of bed and opened up the door. “Wait, did you fall asleep? You haven't changed or anything. Want me to stay while you change?”

“No, go ahead and go, I'll just come down and explain before changing.” He ran his finger though his disheveled hair and followed Allie down the stairs where he was greeted by a very, put together and gorgeous Kate who looked slightly shocked and amused at his appearance. 

“Have fun,” Allie said with a little too much attitude, as she walked out the door. 

Kathryn smiled in understanding at Nathan, knowing what teenage girls and their attitudes were like. She marveled at how attractive she was finding Nathan in this moment in his Henley and suspenders, and his uniform pants. He looked like he just woke up, and he had pieces of partly-curled hair covering his forehead. When he finally spoke, she realized she had been holding her breath.

“I'm so sorry, Kate,” he apologized. “I tried to lay down for a few minutes before getting washed up and changed, but it seems I fell asleep. Can you give me a few minutes and then we can get started?” Nathan stopped and took a moment to take her in, and admire how stunning she was right now. She was wearing her light, flowy lavender dress with her hair all down across her shoulders and back, accented by the emerald earrings and necklace she often wore to match her eyes. “You look so beautiful,” he remarked, moving closer to her and reaching out to tuck some hair behind her ear. “I'll be back soon, please take a seat and make yourself at home.” 

“Thank you,” she finally voiced, completely out of breath from the intense reaction his touch has caused her.

Nathan quickly headed back up to his bedroom where he actually washed up this time and changed into his light blue shirt that brought out his eyes, light gray pants, and matching suspenders. He brushed his hair back in its normal style and looked at himself in the mirror. He took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves before walking back downstairs to prepare dinner with his lovely date.

Kathryn took the time Nathan was upstairs to look around the main living area of his and Allie’s row house. She loved seeing the bookshelf with a variety of books, making it obvious that both of them had a love for reading. She saw some pictures of Nathan and Allie together, and other pictures that looked to be of his parents and one of Allie as a toddler with, who she assumed, was her mother Colleen, Nathan’s sister. When she heard Nathan coming down the stairs, she caught her breath. He had been handsome before, but his striking good looks were really on display at that moment. 

“You look so handsome, Nathan. Thank you for inviting me over tonight. What do you need me to get started on?” Kathryn moved to the kitchen and put on an apron she saw hanging on a hook. Nathan moved over and helped her tie it in the back. Aware of how close they were threw him off for a minute, but he regained his composure and moved away to get the vegetables to start chopping for the meal they were preparing. 

“Do you mind working on cutting up the carrots and potatoes, while I season the pork chops? Ned told me this was the best meat they had available today, and I had a recipe from my mom that she used to always make when I was growing up and we had enough money to add meat to our meal. I thought we could roast the vegetables while they were cooking.”

“It sounds delightful, and I’m happy to chop vegetables. Is there anything you can’t do? Everything I keep learning about you amazes me even more. How are you still single?” Kathryn was expressing her thoughts out loud, and shocked herself a little by expressing how she felt.

Nathan never took compliments very well, and usually just tried to shrug them off. But coming from Kate, it made him feel like he could be the man she deserved and the thought made him feel larger than life. Suddenly he remembered the night right after getting home from Union City and he had the vision of Kate in his house doing things like cooking dinner with him. Once again he pondered on the thought that his dreams really could come true. 

They worked together in comfortable silence, until the vegetables were roasting, and the pork chops were pan-seared and also in the oven. “I knew I wouldn’t have time to make dessert, so I picked up this apple pie for dessert at the café yesterday.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she responded. “Why don’t we sit and talk while we’re waiting for the food to be done.” Kathryn took off the apron and hung it back up, then grabbed Nathan’s hand and led him to the couch in the living room. “How are you? I feel like you are a little bit distracted, and I never want to push you to tell me anything. But if you need to talk about anything, I’m always going to be here for you. I...I care about you Nathan Grant.”

Emotion welled up in Nathan at her admission. He knew he felt the same way, but wasn’t sure he could express it...yet. “That means so much to me. I’m sorry if I seem preoccupied or distant. I have so much weighing on me right now, and I know there are things I need to work through before I can totally and completely commit to a relationship. I’m so sorry, Kate. You have been so open with me and the time I’ve spent with you has been unforgettable. I want to move forward with you, I hope you know that. I just still need some time.” He stood up and went to check on the food in the oven, which looked and smelled done. “Do you want to help me set the table for dinner? I hope I’m not scaring you off with all of my emotional baggage.”

Kathryn was feeling bold and brave, so she moved into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Nathan in a strong embrace. His arms slowly came around her and she settled against his chest, speaking quietly to him as they stood there together. “We all have emotional baggage. You are so strong and brave, but even you need someone to be there for you. I know Allie has been a big support, but she’s just a child who needs you just as much. I will be here when you are ready to move forward, but right now I’m starving. Show me where you keep everything and I’ll get the table set if you pull the food out of the oven.” She slowly pulled out of the hug and moved to the task at hand.

Dinner was delicious, and the conversation was lighter with a lot of fun banter between them. They talked about the books they were currently reading, and shared their all-time favorite books from different stages of their lives. Finding out they shared a love for Mark Twain as kids made for a lot of fun debate about their favorite characters and stories. Both of them also claimed to learn about romance from Jane Austen, and couldn’t agree on which hero and heroine were the best match. Neither one of them had laughed so much, or enjoyed a dinner quite so much for a very long time.

“I’m not a huge fan of candles normally,” Kate mentioned. “But this single candle really does add just the right amount of romance. And this candlestick is exquisite, with such amazing detail.”

“I nearly forgot I even had that candlestick, but figured it couldn’t hurt to up my game a little for tonight. It was my grandmother’s that she gave to Colleen and when Allie gets married I will pass it down to her. But I figured there’s no reason I shouldn’t use it every once in a while.” Nathan ran his calloused finger over the intricate work on the candlestick, remembering both his sister and his grandmother, who had died when he was just a young boy. 

“How special to have an heirloom like that to remember them both by. That makes it more beautiful than the chandeliers in great hotels and theatres around the world.” Kathryn’s mind wandered to the traveling she did with her Aunt Edith throughout Europe, the United States, and the big cities in Canada. Though it had been exciting to visit those places, they never felt like home. Here in Nathan Grant’s small row house in Hope Valley, she finally felt at home for the first time since leaving her family’s farm as a young teenager. One day she would share that with him, but she knew he wasn’t quite ready to hear that yet. 

“Why don’t I clear these dishes and you can cut the pie,” Kathryn suggested, standing up and moving the plates to the sink. “Your mother’s pork chop recipe was truly incredible. I never knew you were such a great cook.”

“I wouldn’t call myself great at cooking, but I’ve learned a lot through the years. Allie makes a lot of our meals these days, just because I rarely get home early enough to get dinner started. And we eat at the café more than I like to admit, but I try to keep us fed.” He served up the pie and they sat down to enjoy the dessert.

“Remember having pie together at the boarding house in Union City?” Kathryn reminded him. “That very first time I saw you in that dining room, I just had to get to know you better.”

“When I got home from Union City, I used to have visions of you here in Hope Valley riding horses and in my house doing things like this,” he revealed. “I can’t believe those dreams are coming true.” He smiled at Kate and couldn’t remember a time he felt this content and happy. “I just have one question left for you.”

“Oh yeah?” she curiously challenged. “What’s that?”

“Wash, or rinse and dry?” He asked, handing her a dish cloth.

“Why don’t I wash and you can rinse and dry?” She moved over to the sink and started scrubbing their plates and silverware. 

While doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, Allie arrived home and Kathryn excused herself to go home for the night. Nathan decided to walk her home while Allie got ready for bed. Outside, Nathan grabbed Kate’s hand to walk her home. 

“Aren’t you afraid of someone seeing us together?” Kate wondered, looking around at the empty street.

“Maybe, but I wanted to hold your hand, so I did.” Walking in silence, enjoying the beautiful summer evening, Nathan finally unloaded what had been on his mind. “Elizabeth is coming home tomorrow,” he began. “She hurt me, and I should be over her completely by now. I’m just...confused. Helping out with little Jack while she was gone just made it harder. But Kate, I really like you and don’t want to lose you because of this.”

Even though his confession stung a little, Kathryn had no intentions of giving up on this wonderful man. They had arrived at her house and she started going up the porch steps, but suddenly turned around to face him on his level. She put her hands on either side of his face and looked deep into his bright blue eyes to have his full attention, then forcefully asserted, “I am not going anywhere. I will be here when you are ready. I know what I want, and I am confident that very soon you will want the same thing. Thank you for dinner, Nate.” She kissed his cheek and went in the house, leaving him stunned, with a big crooked smile on his face.