The last time Nathan and Archie had seen each other, their only contact had been to shake hands. When Nathan saw Archie standing under the sign that said Margie's Coffee Shop, he couldn't restrain himself. Maybe it was Elizabeth's tender influence with her frequent hugs, or maybe it was just long overdue, but Archie was folded into the first hug he'd had from his son in nearly twenty years.

Nathan had debated whether to wear his red serge, and had opted instead for the plaid shirt, brown pants, suspenders and jacket. He had no need to stand out tonight, and in fact, he thought it might make Stella more comfortable about sharing information with him about Jessie.

The frustration of Nathan's search for Jessie came from the fact that he felt he'd exhausted the few leads he'd found. A friend of Jessie's had moved to Edmonton from Spruce Grove and Nathan had spoken with her and her parents. They hadn't heard from Jessie, and the friend had no idea where she might go in a city this size. Her teacher said she had an ambition to possibly be a dancer someday, but none of the schools or ballet programs in Edmonton had any record of her. Every other lead had fizzled out, and Nathan was pretty much at the end of his rope.

Now, to have the opportunity to talk with Stella meant that there would be new information. Nathan was excited for the possibilities.

"Dad," Nathan said. "We're going to find out where Jessie is. I'm not leaving until we do."

Archie looked at the ground. "I don't know what I did to deserve this. But I thank you, son."

Nathan looked out at the traffic on the street to gather his thoughts. "Did you know that only about one quarter of the people released from prison make real changes in their lives?" He looked at Archie. "You chose to ask for help, instead of falling back on what you knew. That takes real courage."

Archie looked up at Nathan but he couldn't speak.

Nathan smiled. "What I'm trying to say is... I'm proud of you, Dad."

Archie shook his head and exhaled. "And that's something I never thought I'd hear." To cover his self-consciousness, Archie turned and opened the door for Nathan. "Are you hungry?"

Nathan nodded, smiling. "I am. I missed lunch."

Archie smiled too. "Well, it's not the Spruce Café, that's for sure, but it's not bad."

They stepped inside and the mix of the smells of home cooking and the murmur of the crowd inside stopped Nathan for a moment. It was like Abigail's but doubled and then multiplied. Nathan took a deep breath and again felt gratitude for his life in Hope Valley. He wondered how people could find happiness piled on top of each other this way all the time.

Archie nodded to a young woman in a pink uniform, one of five that Nathan could see at first glance. She was across the room, and she had the same light brown hair as Jessie in her photo. She was taller than Nathan expected, but Helen's reports of how pretty she was weren't overblown.

Stella moved easily as she worked, and smiled often. When she waved back at Archie, Nathan saw her appraising him quickly, her eyes narrowing slightly before she nodded and smiled at him as well.

Archie and Nathan sat down at a booth that had just been vacated, with dirty dishes still on the table. "We'd better get this one while we can," Archie said. "This is dinner hour."

Stella came right over and started clearing it. "Sorry, I might be a little longer. My relief isn't here yet. Soon as she gets here, I'll come join you," she said. She had a warm, efficient manner about the way she cleared the table and spoke to them.

Finally, she made eye contact with Nathan, and he saw deep brown eyes that looked like they'd seen their share of pain. She smiled genuinely and said, "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help, Constable Grant."

He smiled back and said, "We'll do everything we can to find her." He started to put his hand out and realized there would be no way for her to shake it. "Please call me Nathan."

Stella nodded. "Well, thank you, Nathan. If you're hungry, the meatloaf special is excellent."

"I am, and I'll take it," Nathan said.

She looked over at Archie and said, "Do you want anything, Archie?" For a moment, Nathan saw his father hesitate and it dawned on him.

"I'm buying," Nathan said quickly. "Mountie expense account. Have whatever you want."

Archie frowned and then Nathan saw his hunger get the better of him. "Thanks, son. I'll have the same," he said to Stella. "Coffee, black."

Nathan nodded, "And one for me, please."

Within moments, they had fresh napkins, silverware and two cups of hot coffee in front of them.

Nathan smiled at Archie, waiting for him to initiate the conversation. He certainly had questions, but the answers didn't all have to come in one night, and finally, Nathan felt there would be time.

Archie sighed and blew on his coffee to cool it down before taking a sip. "Look, son. I will always be honest with you when you ask me a question, that's a promise. But I've had a long life. Some good, more bad. And I'm... I may not be able to share it all at once." He looked up and met Nathan's eyes.

Nodding, Nathan said, "I understand. We have a lot to catch up on. We'll just take it day by day, Dad." He sipped his own coffee and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. "Right now, we have a little girl to find."

Archie exhaled, his brown eyes still held on Nathan's. "Thank you."

"So," Nathan said, "Tell me where you've looked so far."

At that same moment in Hope Valley, Julie and Elizabeth were clearing the dinner dishes from the Grant's harvest table. Allie had gone to her room to finish her homework and Jack was playing happily in the corner of the room they'd set aside for his toys.

Once they'd finished the dishes, Elizabeth brewed two cups of tea and they sat down to enjoy them.

Elizabeth laid out the extra wedding photos and those from Airdrie on the table. She was asking Julie's help to decide which ones should go where. Julie had also brought over the few old photos of Elizabeth with Jack that she'd had on the small table in her row house.

"Maybe just one of these in Jack's room?" Julie looked across at Elizabeth and said softly, "He wanted you to move on, Elizabeth. You have. Nathan is very understanding, but if you're asking my opinion, these need to be put away."

Elizabeth nodded. "I agree. I think I just needed to hear it." She took the five framed photos and moved them into the drawer of the sideboard. "Thank you, Julie."

"What are sisters for?" Julie said. She peered over her cup and narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth.

Frowning, Elizabeth said, "What?"

Pursing her lips, Julie said, "So, when were you planning on telling me?"

Elizabeth's heart sped up, but she feigned innocence. "Tell you what, Julie?"

Whispering, Julie leaned over the table toward her sister. "That you're pregnant?"

Elizabeth just stared, her eyes glazed and her mind racing.

Julie gasped softly, still whispering. "Oh. You haven't told Nathan yet, have you?"

Sighing loudly, Elizabeth said, "What, is it written on my forehead? How do you always know these things?"

Julie laughed, "I've known you my whole life, sister. You're moody and emotional and you hardly touched your dinner." She tilted her head toward Elizabeth's teacup. "And you hate ginger tea."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You can't say anything, Julie," Elizabeth said, her eyebrow raised. "I just don't want to tell him on the telephone."

Julie grinned as she saw the sparkle in Elizabeth's eyes. She reached across and took her hand. "It's so wonderful!" she said enthusiastically, but keeping her voice down. "Are you happy?"

Elizabeth's cheeks went pink in an instant and her eyes filled as she squeezed Julie's hand. "I've never been so happy in my life, Julie, and I've had to keep this a secret. I can't say I'm sorry you know, but I really thought Nathan should be the first."

"My lips are sealed," she said, "Of course you want to tell him in person. This must be so hard for you!"

"It has been, but I count my blessings. He's doing something important for his father, and I can wait a few days while he does that," Elizabeth said, sipping her tea. Then she laughed, looking down at her cup. "And I do hate ginger tea but it's the only thing that settles my stomach!"

Julie sighed. "So, this will be a Spring baby? March or April?"

Elizabeth beamed at her sister, blushing again. "Yes. As near as I can tell, it was our wedding night..."

Julie laughed softly. "When it's right, it's right. Isn't that what you've always told me?" Julie took a sip of tea. "I don't suppose I can be Godmother again, can I?"

"Probably not," Elizabeth said. "But the position of Auntie is just as important." She looked at Julie with soft eyes. "I'm so glad you'll be here for this." She paused for a moment. "You will be here, won't you?"

Julie raised her chin and smiled. "Yes. I find that I become more charmed by Hope Valley every day. I should have done this a long time ago."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "And that charm doesn't have anything to do with Lucas Bouchard? You keep saying it doesn't, but I'm just not sure I believe you."

"The last thing I need in my life is another debonair, smooth-talking, cosmopolitan, good-looking man, sister. I had plenty of those following me around in Hamilton."

Elizabeth smiled. "And that still doesn't answer my question."

Julie stared back at Elizabeth, blinking her eyes. "I'm fairly certain all it would take is a word from me." She pressed her lips into a flat line. "Oh, I don't know. I am attracted to him. Quite a lot, actually. And we have so much in common. He makes me laugh, and he's a complete gentleman. He respects me and values my opinion. But don't I want something different?"

Smiling, Elizabeth said, "Do you?"

Julie sighed heavily. "No." She squared her shoulders and raised her chin again. "But I didn't come to Hope Valley to find a man, Elizabeth. I came here to find out who I am, and I'm not finished with that yet."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Take it from your older sister, Julie, that discovery hasn't stopped for me. And if you talk to Rebecca, it never stops. You'll always be figuring out who you are, and believe it or not, sometimes having someone standing next to you makes that process easier."

Jack came over and climbed up on the chair next to Julie. He crawled over into her lap and looked at the photos on the table in front of her. She put her arms around him and kissed him on his downy blonde hair. "I love this boy so dearly, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You think you might want one of your own someday?" she asked.

Julie looked at her sister from under her lashes. "You know I do." She nuzzled the soft skin on Jack's cheek and murmured, almost to herself, "I wonder how Lucas feels about children?"

Allie's voice came from the hallway. "Mom? I still don't get the difference between similes and metaphors." Allie came into the dining room. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Julie smiled. "Actually, I'd like to hear the answer to that question."

Elizabeth said, "Well, a metaphor is a comparison that says that something is something – like my sister Julie is an angel. She's not really an angel, but we use the metaphor to tell us something about her characteristics. A simile says that something is like something – Allie is as cute as a kitten. Again, you are not a kitten, Allie, but you are definitely cute."

Allie laughed and said, "Thanks. That helps," and Julie said, "Well done, sister. I even understood that!"

Allie looked at the photos on the table. "What are you doing with these?"

"Trying to decide which ones to put on the wall," Elizabeth said.

Pointing to the one of Nathan and Jack in their matching Mountie pants, Allie said, "This one has to go up. Dad looks so handsome. Doesn't he, Jack?"

Jack looked at the photo and pointed to Nathan. "Dad," he said, clear as day.

All three of them went silent. Elizabeth held her breath and pointed to Nathan again. "Who's that, Jack?" she said.

"Dad," Jack said.

All Elizabeth could think was how silly it was for adults to try to decide things like this for children. They had their own minds and their own ideas about life.

Now Jack was pointing to all the photos, and finding Nathan. Each time he said, "Dad."

There were tears in Elizabeth's eyes as she said softly, "Yes, Jack. That's your dad."

Nathan thought the meatloaf was delicious, and his clean plate proved it. Stella was now sitting with them in her street clothes, and they'd been talking easily about Jessie and life in Spruce Grove and Edmonton compared to Hope Valley.

"Automobiles are still few and far between in Hope Valley," Nathan said. "I'm not sure I'd ever get used to the streets here."

"How do people get around?" Stella asked.

"Wagons for some, but mostly horses. Behind our house, we have a barn and paddocks where Elizabeth, Allie and I keep ours." He took another sip of coffee. "But they're more than transportation. I would go so far as to say they're friends. Mine has saved my life more than once."

"Jessie had a horse for a while. Well, not strictly hers, she cared for her out at one of the stables in Spruce Grove," Stella said.

Frowning, Nathan said, "Why just for a while?"

Stella said, "The stables sold her. Kind of broke Jessie's heart. She'd bonded with that horse."

Nathan leaned forward. "Any idea where the horse ended up?"

"Here. Edmonton," Stella said. Nathan watched as she came to the same realization that had already hit him. "She really loved that horse."

Nathan took out his notebook. "Name of the stables in Spruce Grove? And do you remember the name of the horse?"

"The Bar-S Ranch, and the horse's name was... oh, what was it? Sunrise? No, Sunset!"

A chill went down Nathan's spine. He wrote down the information, but his thoughts were with his wife.

Elizabeth would love this.