Elizabeth sat behind her desk in the little schoolroom staring out the window. The children were silently reading their history books, but her mind focused on something entirely different. Last night… The kiss that swept her away. The very first kiss she and Jack had shared when they had both, without a doubt, knew that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

Elizabeth smiled, she couldn't keep her mind off Jack and decided to go find him before he came to pick her up for their walk. "Children, since it's the first day of a brand new year, I'm going to let all of you go home early today!"

The children were thrilled, and they quickly gathered their things, and bundled up to go out into the cold.

Elizabeth walked over to the window and ran her finger across the woodwork. She thought about how much Jack must love her, to sacrifice his time and money to build her a school. He was the one person who respected her dreams and her love for teaching. He made her feel braver, more courageous, and she was certain that they could indeed face anything if they faced it together.

She was awakened from her daydreaming when she felt a tug on her skirt.

"What is it Patrick?"

The little boy was clearly holding back a grin. "Miss Thatcher, I heard a noise behind the school. I think you'd better come check." He pulled her hand and she followed him outside.

"Oh! What kind of a noise?" She said giggling.

When they turned the corner of the school, Patrick took off running in the opposite direction. "Wait, where are you going? Patrick?" Elizabeth was completely bewildered watching him run away, until she heard Rip's barking.

"Shhh, Boy! You're ruining the surprise." Jack whispered in Rip's long floppy ear. He was standing in front of a small, black, covered surrey he had rented for the day, and he was wearing his green suit.

Elizabeth was shocked by the surprise, she thought they were just going on walk together. When she lowered her hands from her mouth, she was wearing her biggest smile.

Jack replied with his dimpled smile, and helped her into the seat beside of him. He started the horses off to a trot, and slipped his arm around her.

Elizabeth scooted down a little and curled up beside him, "I really enjoyed last night."

He sat up a little taller and grinned, "The fireworks were my favorite part."

She was a little surprised that his favorite part wasn't the kiss they shared, her smile lowered. "Yes, Lee and Rosemary really outdid themselves with the fireworks show."

"Yes, they did. But those weren't really the fireworks that I was talking about." He smiled at her, and they kissed.

Elizabeth liked the way this new year was going. They both knew what they wanted… a new start, a new life together, and they were getting a good start on reaching their goals. "You know, having two kinds of fireworks at the same time isn't a bad way to ring in the new year… Maybe we could make it a tradition?"

"I'd like that." Jack slapped the reins to make the horses go faster.

They rode off together smiling.

Pastor Hogan watched the school children running to their homes as he walked into town. He saw a blur, that he guessed was Cody as he dashed into Abagail's café. His sister would be leaving for the hospital after he came home from school, and he wanted to be sure not to miss saying goodbye to her.

Frank enjoyed being with Cody. Although he didn't know much about children, he felt so comfortable around them—they had so much faith, they were almost always honest about themselves; something that Frank wished he could be. Since his dramatic change in life, he had never confided in anyone, because it wasn't safe to do so… until he met Abagail. And even she didn't know everything.

He never expected his life to be like this—In the past he lived to gain more for himself, but now the only life he wanted was simple… to be closer to the Lord, to help others know and love their Maker, to marry Abagail Stanton, to be a good husband and a father, and to give Cody and his sister a home… no matter how long it took to make those things happen.

He shook his head. This is crazy, I know I don't deserve to have a life like that. But he still hoped that God would answer the prayer he was too afraid to even pray.

He rubbed his head, he hadn't slept much in the past few nights. He couldn't stop thinking about his old life, and his close encounter with death. God had known exactly what it would take in order to convince him to change his ways. He wondered what it would take for Jesse. Whatever it took, it couldn't happen it Hope Valley, he couldn't take a chance on Jesse endangering the good people, more specifically, the women of this town. And he was on his way to make sure of their safety now.

He stepped into the saloon and asked the bartender if a man named Jesse Flynn had checked out of his room.

"He left this morning, but he'll be back. I believe he said he was going to a job."

Frank took a deep breath. "Thank you very much." He left the saloon quickly, and headed to the general store. He found Jesse in back of the store unloading crates from a wagon.

"Hello, Pastor. Nice to see you here." He said in a mocking tone. "What can I do for you?"

"You can leave, now."

"What if I don't want to? I know, I know, you'll threaten me again, right?"

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will not stand by and let you destroy this town."

"I don't know this 'Frank Hogan' very well, he's a heck of a lot different than you were, Matt. But I do know this, 'he' likes it here, and so do I. And I don't think this town wants a pastor with a $500 bounty hanging over his head." Jesse took out the wanted poster from his pocket and unfolded it. He held it up for Frank to see.

"I thought that they thought I was dead." Frank was shocked.

"I think you'd be better off if you were." He wore a malicious grin on his face. "You know, I think you're sweetheart… what's her name, Abagail? I think she'd think this was a right handsome sketch of you on this poster. Maybe I'll should show it to her. I think she'd be proud; her man is famous."

Frank grabbed Jesse and pinned him up against the wall of the store, not by the clothes this time, but by the neck. "Don't. Make. Me." He stared into Jesse's eyes, disgusted at what he had become. Disgusted that he was mostly to blame for his behavior. God, if there is any way for me to make this right, please show me. He slowly let go.

"What's the matter, Pastor? You scared? I'll make a deal with you. You forget you even know me, and I won't say a word about this." He held up the poster and put it back in his pocket. "You can keep up this 'pastor' charade as long as you want."

"I will find a way to get rid of you."

"You do that. And remember, I can have five-hundred for getting rid of you, anytime I want." He smirked while Pastor Frank walked away.

Abagail hurried around in the room trying to find clothes that would fit Becky, she didn't really have any of her own, and Abagail wanted to be sure she had what she needed for her trip to the hospital.

"Let me hold this up to you." The dress was a bit too long in the sleeves. "Let me see if I can find one that would fit you better."

"No, that one is fine. I can sew, I'll fix it." Becky smiled. "I've never had a dress this pretty, thank you."

"Your welcome, I'm happy that it works." She hugged Becky. "We have to hurry. Dr. Burns is waiting for you."

They hurried down the stairs and out the door. The doctor created a bed in the back of the wagon. He helped her climb into it, and Abagail tucked her in. Cody climbed up too.

Dr. Burns said, "Cody, you know you can't go with your sister."

"I know, but I don't want her to go." He held on to his sister's arm.

Abagail brushed the hair back from his eyes. "Cody, have you ever heard the story of a brave boy named David?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, this boy was just an average little boy, about like you, and his people were in trouble. A big giant named Goliath came and was making things hard for everyone. Everyone was afraid of the giant, and David was afraid too, but he knew that someone had to be brave enough to do something about it instead of just being afraid. So he prayed, and asked God to help him do to what he needed to do. And he defeated that giant with a rock and a sling."

"He did?"

"He sure did. And that's a real story too, from the Bible. Cody, you don't have a real giant here that you can make go away. But this problem is hard for you, kind of like the giant in the story. You don't want to be away from your sister, but you know that she needs to go in order to get better, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then if you pray, God will give you the strength and the bravery of David to help you through this."

Cody closed his eyes and folded his hands for a moment, then he wrapped his arms around his sister. "I love you, Becky. I'm going to pray for you every day. I'll miss you."

She hugged him back. "I'll miss you too. I'll be back before you know it."

Cody climbed down. Abagail handed the doctor a basket. "I packed you some lunch and some cookies for your trip."

"Thank you so much. We won't go hungry." Dr. Burns smiled. "I'll make sure you're notified about her treatment, and I'll be in contact with the state in regards to you being appointed legal guardianship of Cody."

"Thank you, Doctor." Abagail and Cody waved as they drove away. Abagail looked down at Cody, who was frowning. "She'll be back soon. And God will help you to be brave."

"I know. He already did." He was still frowning.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Becky got cookies. I didn't get any cookies."

She laughed. "Well, we'll just have to make some, won't we?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have something to show you." Rosemary reached into her red coat pocket and pulled out the photograph of her and Lee that was taken for the San Francisco Herald's article on the new year's celebration in Hope Valley. "Wasn't it nice of Mr. Ward to leave this copy for us?"

"Let me see that." Lee took the photograph, rolled his eyes, and laughed. "I look ridiculous."

"You do look a bit perplexed, Mr. LeVeaux."

"I had a good reason to be. But I promise, when we have our real wedding picture taken, I won't look like that."

"Oh really? Who says we're getting married?"

"I do." Lee patted her on the back, and smiled.

Rosemary frowned. "Well… I think that's up to me to decide." She still wasn't ready to rush into anything. She had dealt with many men, most all of them had ended up hurting her. Though she could tell that Lee was different, she still had a good reason to be cautious in any relationship. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because I love you." He kissed her cheek, momentarily taking her breath away.

She looked up at him, trying to sort out the thoughts in her mind and the feelings in her heart. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. And whenever you're ready, I'll be here."

"Maybe my heart it's ready, but my head still tells me no. I just don't want to hurt anyone, or to be hurt anymore."

"Then I'd say to listen to your heart. Because I know that heart, and it's a good heart."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "So why did you bring me out here in the middle of nowhere? You said you had something to show me?"

"Yes, I did." He stretched his arms out. "This… It's all yours, Rosemary."

She looked around at the little clearing in the woods, the sunlight was spilling though the pine trees. "For me?"

"Yes. You can have me build whatever you want right here. This is your property now."

She smiled, "Thank you. It's very nice. But don't you think it's a little too far out of town for a theater?"

"I think you're on to something there. Maybe this land would be more suitable for a house… what do you think?"

She stayed quiet for a minute. "I… think that… one day… I think that this would be a beautiful place for our house, Lee."

He hugged her, and they both stood envisioning their future together.

Elizabeth and Jack were almost to the spot where they had shared their first kiss. The special spot where he told her she was 'the one… the only one'. Jack's heart began to race as he tried to decide how to ask 'the question'. The question that he was ready to ask just about a week before—at least anything that happened today would be better than that day.

He didn't want to even think about that day, or ever tell Elizabeth that he had her diamond in his pocket—ready to get down on one knee, but Charles beat him to it. But was that really the best way to start their new life together?

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"I should tell you something. I don't think we should keep things from each other when we have a choice, so I've made a new year's resolution to share everything I can with you. I need to start by telling you… this isn't the first time I planned this trip for you."

She saw the pain in his eyes and looked worried. "You came for me… to take me here… when Charles…?"

He didn't answer, but she could tell the what the obvious answer was.

"Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry."

"I trust you. You know that at first, I was really hurt. I didn't understand how he could just propose, without thinking that you might possibly say yes. But that's behind us now, and we're not talking about that right now. The point I'm trying to make is, I was hurt and that affected my judgement. I was afraid to move forward like I had planned, but now I'm not. And I would be a fool to wait now, when I know who my heart loves, and so do you."

He pulled back quickly on the reins, and the buggy came to a halt. Then he took her hands in his, and helped her down.

Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her, running out into the beautiful open space. The sunset was eclipsed by the shimmering snow on the mountaintops. Jack stopped, and dropped to one knee. With misty eyes, he started, letting his heart pick the right words.

"Elizabeth Thatcher?"

She smiled, this was even more special than the way she'd dreamed it would be. "Yes, Jack Thornton?"

"I love you…" He stopped, trying to decide what to say next. But he decided he'd say the most important part again. "I love you!"

She laughed. "I love you too!"

He took the ring from his pocket, and held it next to her ring finger. "And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Please say you'll marry me, and be my Mrs. Thornton… Will you?"

"Yes, with all my heart."

Jack slid the ring onto her finger, and at the same time a tear slid down her cheek. Then he stood and kissed her tear away before he pressed his lips to hers.

Abagail put the last cookie on the pan, and slid the cookie pan into the oven.

"Well now, that batch is done. You picked out two of my very favorite kinds of cookies, Cody—peanut butter and oatmeal raisin." She opened the oven to let the little boy inspect his work. She didn't realize how much she missed having a son by her side in the kitchen. It had been many long years since she baked cookies with her Peter.

"My favorite kind is chocolate chip." He looked up at her with big eyes.

"Then why, Young Man, didn't you ask to make chocolate chip cookies?"

"Well, they're my favorite, and I thought that if I saved them for last, you'd be more likely to make them too." His eyes were begging now.

Abagail kept from grinning at his sneaky plan. He definitely was smart, because that's exactly what she would do… after all, they were his favorite cookies… She played along seriously. "Well, that was a sneaky thing to do. Did you consider the possibility that I might not let you have any cookies at all for trying to trick me?"

He scrunched his shoulders, looking defeated.

"Cody, remember I said I was a businesswoman, maybe we can make a deal. Can you help me cook dinner tonight, and eat all of the spinach on your plate?"

His face brightened, "Yes, Ma'am!"

They shook sticky hands before Abagail started measuring out the flour and the other ingredients for the third batch of cookies of the day.

She heard someone enter the dining room, and since she had the 'closed' sign hanging on the door she hoped it wasn't Henry Gowen or Bill Avery paying her a visit. She braced herself.

"Knock Knock."

She instantly recognized the voice as Pastor Frank's and let herself relax. "We're in the kitchen."

"Hello Abagail, and Cody…" He smiled. "I heard your sister left for the hospital today."

"Yeah, I miss her already." Cody already had his hands in the sticky dough mixing it.

"The time will go by really quickly if you remember that she is in God's hands. He is taking good care of Becky… and you… and Mrs. Stanton."

"Always?" Cody questioned.

"Always." Frank and Abagail answered simultaneously. They exchanged smiles.

"What is that wonderful smell?" He walked to the oven and took a big breath.

"It's cookies! Two kinds! And we're making more too!" Cody took his hands out of the bowl while Abagail added the chocolate chips. "Here you can help." He put a mixing spoon into Frank's hand, and started eating the dough off his sticky fingers.

"Cody, the pastor didn't come here to work." She laughed a little.

"Well, if you're not afraid I'll jinx the cookies with my bad baking luck, I'd like to learn how."

"I'll take my chances. Anyway, I thought pastors weren't supposed to believe in luck."

"That's right. But we do believe in miracles, and if you can teach me how to bake cookies that aren't black, it will be one. May I?"

"Be my guest. Those chips are pretty hard to mix in sometimes." She enjoyed watching his strong arms easily mix the thick batter.

After a few moments of quiet, she turned around to find Cody had licked his hands clean, along with every other dirty utensil in the kitchen, and now he was watching her and Frank standing side by side.

"What sneaky sticky cookie schemes are you plotting now, Young Man?"

He laughed. "I'll have enough cookies now, Mrs. Stanton. Thank you."

"Well, that's good to know. I thought I was going to have to go fetch more sugar from Mr. Yost, if we were going to be making cookies all night!" Everyone chuckled. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's just kind of like having a Ma and Pa again, I'm glad you're here Pastor Hogan."

Abagail smiled and looked down. Frank turned and looked at the boy, "You know what, I'm glad I'm here too."

Cody grinned and ran upstairs.

A few uncomfortable moments of silence passed before Frank said, "Kids are really special. They can be rambunctious, but they're a big blessing, aren't they?"

"Mmm, that is so true. I didn't realize how much I missed being… well a mother, especially to a young child. It's been so long."

"He's certainly blessed to have you here for him."

I'm blessed to have him to take care of. You know, kids seem to have a special knack of seeing a situation, and to us it might be so complex, and to them it makes all the sense in the world. I like to ask for advice from that little guy. He always seems to know just what to do."

"I pray that the Father will give us all the gift of seeing things through a child's eyes. There's a lot of problems I'd like to have advice on from someone who knows what do, even when there aren't any good answers." He kneaded the dough with more force. Abagail saw by the veins in his forehead that he was upset.

"Is there anything I could do to help? Sometimes it helps to have someone listen, even when they might not know what to do either."

"Actually, that's why I came over. I need to tell you something." He stopped and wiped his hands on a towel, then he leaned on the surface of the counter.

"Sure, absolutely."

He hesitated. "You know when I asked you to have dinner with me a few days ago, I told you there was more to the story… I wanted to wait until the right time to finish, but now… something has happened that has made me need to tell you now… for your safety."

She worried when he added the last of it. But she was eager to hear the truth about his past. She knew he needed to get it off his chest, and she was slightly proud he was choosing to confide in her.

"You can feel free to tell me anything, Frank, anytime you're ready."

He nodded. His fists clenched and loosened several times as he took deep breaths and looked up at the ceiling. Abagail saw how hard it was for him to remember the past, she wanted to comfort this man who she was beginning to have feelings for. She put her hand over his fist and squeezed, and he looked at her.

"I haven't always been Frank Hogan. When I changed my life, at the seminary, I learned from the good Book how God used a lot of people who led bad lives to do great things for Him. He made them new people, and gave them new names. I learned that the old has passed away, and the new is come when we accept Him."

"But the old seems to have a way of coming back and haunting us, yes?"

"Yeah. God knows that there was a dying man named Matt Landry. That man was scared of going to Hell, so he made a promise to change. Matt died, and his old ways died with him on the Cross with Christ. But the world Matt lived in didn't go away when he changed his name and moved to a new place… My crimes, they weren't the only thing, I set a terrible example for a lot of young people, for one young man in particular. I caused him to ruin his life, and now I'm afraid he may be a danger to this town, to you."

"I see." She remembered the young man sitting in her café just a few days before, asking after 'Matt Landry'. He must have been the danger.

"I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to tell you what 'Matt' did, you deserve to know."

"I don't want you to feel pressured on telling me anything you're not ready to share."

"I am ready. Thank you… I…"

The back door swung open and Jack and Elizabeth came in grinning and giggling, not paying attention to anything else but each other. Abagail looked at Frank, she mouthed 'I'm so sorry'. He silently answered, 'It's ok.' and pulled his hands back.

Abagail asked, "Well, I wondered where you were. What have you two been up to?"

They giggled, without breaking the eye contact. Elizabeth's eyebrows raised, "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

Abagail had never seen Jack's smile so big, "How about we do it together?" Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Jack started, "I asked this beautiful woman to become Mrs. Thornton…" He held her hands tightly before raising her left, showing the diamond he'd been saving for just the right time.

"And I said yes!" Elizabeth squealed.

"That is so wonderful! I am so happy for you both! Of course, it's not really a surprise, I always knew you two were perfect for each other." She hugged Elizabeth first, then Jack. "Congratulations! Have you set a date for the big day?"

"We've been thinking about that… nothing decided, but the sooner the better."

Jack smiled at Elizabeth's enthusiasm, he added. "Pastor Hogan, I'm glad you're here too. We wanted to ask if you would perform the ceremony for us."

He walked over to them and shook Jack's hand, "Of course I will. It would be my honor to be there at the start of your new life together. You let me know when you have a date set, ok?"

Elizabeth exclaimed, "We will!"

Abagail worried about Frank, it was hard for him to tell these things, she hoped he would try to tell her again soon. For now, she needed to rejoice with the young couple who were just entering the world of love.

"Let's go into the parlor and celebrate!" She took the Pastor's arm, hoping he would know she wanted him to stay.