Julie sighed with her head leaned up against the window. She was finishing a cup of tea while Elizabeth began the process of preparing food for the weekend. The house smelled deliciously of the sourdough bread baked from Rebecca's recipe.

Elizabeth grinned and looked over at her sister and said, "Are you watching my husband, Julie?"

Exhaling, Julie said, "Rest assured that Nathan isn't at all my type, sister, but a woman can have an appreciation of the sight of a man chopping wood no matter who he is."

Elizabeth picked up her teacup and walked around to join Julie at the window. For a moment, they both stood and watched silently.

"I will admit I've stood at this window before," Elizabeth said, her voice soft and a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

Nathan was preparing for the upcoming weekend as well, knowing the stoves would need constant filling. There was a crispness in the air that said snow was coming, and the flat gray of the sky told the same story. Snow sky is what Elizabeth called it, and it had a very particular look to it. She hoped that it wouldn't fall before the roof was in place on Rosemary and Lee's house.

Nathan took another piece of wood and placed it on the block. There was that moment when it was perfectly placed, and he would pause, measuring the distance with his eyes. Then he would raise the axe over his head and bring it down powerfully and perfectly at the center. The two pieces of wood would fall neatly to the sides with the axe embedded in the block.

Elizabeth took another sip of her tea and felt a light shiver go down her spine at the thought that this man was actually hers. He was so beautiful to her, in the best sense of the word. Strapping, yes. Strong, muscular, but beautiful in the economy of his motion, the precision of his process from long practice, his hair blowing uncombed in the wind, the stroke of the axe hitting its target as his jaw tightened and then relaxed...

"Elizabeth? Did you hear a word I said?" Julie laughed and waved her fingers in front of her sister's eyes.

"Sorry?" Elizabeth said, her eyes refocusing on Julie.

"I have to remember how completely in love you are with that man," she said, threading her arm through Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth laughed as well, blushing a deeper shade of pink. "I am," she said, sipping her tea to cover her obvious discomposure. She took a deep breath and went back to the kitchen. She could watch Nathan all day, but she knew from experience that nothing would get done while she did.

Looking over at her sister, Elizabeth said, "I'm not unhappy that Nathan isn't your type, but in what way exactly?"

Julie took a sip of her tea. "Much too rugged and economical with his words. And though I do see how he can be charming in his own way, I need someone who recites poetry," Julie said with a flourish of her hand.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I keep telling you, Julie, still waters run deep. Nathan is most definitely a poet."

"I'll just have to take your word for it," Julie said. "And enough talk about your perfect life. Now it's time to talk about mine!" Julie raised her eyebrows and came back into the kitchen. "Okay, what can I help with? Something I can't ruin."

Elizabeth pointed to the large basket filled with potatoes, carrots, turnips, onions and garlic; one of the last big harvests she would take from the vegetable garden. "Those need to be prepared for the stew, you can start with the potatoes and carrots, if you don't mind."

Julie smiled and put on an apron. "Peeling potatoes, how very glamorous!"

"If you're going to run a restaurant, it's never a bad thing to start at the bottom," Elizabeth said, handing her the paring knife. "And how is that going?"

"To be honest, the hardest part so far was our meeting with Bill Avery. We had to convince him that Le Bistro will be something completely different. We're trying to see how we can all work together and not be in competition. You know, so that we can each have our own niche?"

Elizabeth frowned, "I don't see that the kind of fine dining you're talking about would cut into Bill's business." Elizabeth smiled suddenly. "I know you remember my first date with Jack, when you all cleared the tables away at Abigail's so we could dance? It would have been nice to have had the Bistro then."

"Exactly!" Julie said.

"How did you leave it with Bill?" Elizabeth said, taking another loaf of bread out of the oven.

"He's skeptical, but supportive," Julie said.

Elizabeth laughed. "That pretty much sums Bill up."

The back door opened and Nathan came in. "That should keep us for a while," he said, wiping his hands on a towel. He walked straight to Elizabeth and put his arms around her. He kissed her tenderly, not willing to let her go. "Mmmm. It smells good in here."

Elizabeth gazed up at him. "Nothing like fresh baked bread. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Very," he said, finally releasing her and moving toward the sunroom. "But I have to call Mom in a few minutes. She and Charlie will be at the Post Office in Airdrie soon. I don't suppose I could ask one of you lovely ladies to make me a sandwich?"

Elizabeth smiled at Julie and said softly, "See how charming he can be? Especially when he's hungry." Then she called out to Nathan, "Ask her about the beef for the stew, please."

"I will," he said, his voice coming from far down the hall.

Julie smiled. "I will admit he's charming in a rugged way. Perfect for you, sister."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "And how would Lucas ask for a sandwich?"

"By quoting Shakespeare, most likely," Julie said, raising an eyebrow.

Elizabeth looked over at her. "And, how is it going with Lucas, now that you've had that first kiss? It must be different."

Julie sighed. "Isn't it curious how even the simplest things can have double meanings once you get past that point?" She dropped a peeled potato into the large bowl of water on the counter. "We were talking about appetizers, and suddenly my cheeks went red and I couldn't think!"

Elizabeth laughed. "Those must have been some appetizers."

"Oysters, I think. We were talking about how it might be more than Hope Valley is ready for. Raw oysters..." Julie sighed again.

Elizabeth leaned forward to catch Julie's eyes. "That knife is sharp, Julie. Try to stay in this world, okay?" Smiling, Elizabeth said, "It's a wonder you two get any work done."

"He wants me to go with him to Europe. To go back to Paris, and to stop off in London and see Viola and Lionel."

"And who runs both of your businesses while you're gone?" Elizabeth said, chiding her gently.

"Oh, sister. You're always so practical. We're just dreaming about it. We're not getting on a boat tomorrow," Julie said.

Elizabeth put her arm around Julie and hugged her. "I'm glad you've found someone to dream with." She smiled. "And I like the two of you together. You fit, somehow. I just want to be sure he's as serious as you are. It's not easy to tell with Lucas. How much is charm and how much is real?"

Julie looked at Elizabeth. "Oh, he's real, Elizabeth. You know how you tell me things about Nathan that I don't see? Lucas shows me a side that he doesn't show to anyone else. He seems very confident and sure of himself, but there's a little boy under there. I'm just starting to find out about his very complicated relationship with his mother. She's extremely intelligent, respected, and really ahead of her time as a female book editor. That's been daunting for a child to live up to, you know? I get the sense he's still trying to prove himself to her."

Elizabeth nodded, "I can imagine. It makes me think of how successful Father is in business. I often wonder if Mother and Father had a son instead of just us girls, what that would be like for a boy to grow up in his shadow. I saw a little of it with Jack, dealing with Father."

Julie turned to her sister. "Elizabeth, we haven't talked about this. How do you feel about having this life so separate from Mother and Father? You must have known that they would never travel to a place like Airdrie for your wedding. And they've never even met Nathan. They only saw little Jack that one time when you brought him to Hamilton."

Elizabeth sighed. "It goes both ways, Julie. I write to Mother, send her photos, and tell her everything that's going on, and then she writes me back and tells me all the parties and luncheons and balls she's going to." Elizabeth finished making Nathan's sandwich and began sifting the flour for the next batch of bread. "Would she even understand what we're doing in this kitchen right now?"

"I can just hear her. Don't you have people who peel potatoes for you?" Laughing softly, Julie said, "And her answer when I said I was thinking of investing in the restaurant was that if I needed money she would send me some." Julie nodded. "She doesn't understand that I might want to do it for the satisfaction, the challenge, the... creativity of it." Reaching over and touching Elizabeth's waist, Julie said, "And what about this baby? Will they be a part of this?"

Elizabeth raised her chin. "Only if they're nice and respectful of Nathan. They weren't with Jack, you know."

Julie laughed. "Or with Tom. I remember. I wonder how they'll react to my relationship with a saloon owner."

Laughing too, Elizabeth said, "Please let me be there when you tell them. It will make me feel less like the black sheep of the family."

Julie gave her a little push. "Thanks a lot!"

Nathan was finished with his telephone call and he came up behind Elizabeth. Putting his arms around her, he kissed her neck and said, "How anyone could think you're the black sheep of anything is beyond me." He put his sandwich on a plate and whispered, "Thank you, angel," as he walked around to the harvest table.

Julie raised her eyebrow. "Elizabeth was almost always good, but no one can be good all the time. She had her moments."

Nathan took a large bite out of his sandwich and smiled at Julie, raising an eyebrow. "We may need to talk."

The back door opened and Archie came in with Allie and Jack. Allie was triumphant. "We got lots of eggs. Jack is really good at getting them out from under the chickens."

Elizabeth looked over at Nathan with a worried face. "And the chickens don't make a fuss?" she asked Allie. "I don't want them scratching him."

Archie said, "He talks to them while he does it. He says, 'tick tick tick.' We think he's trying to say chick, but it seems to soothe them."

Jack looked up at his grandfather and smiled. He said, "Tick, tick, tick," and Archie reached down and picked him up. "You're a good little farmer, Jack my boy," Archie said, nodding.

"And starting next week, we'll have cow's milk. And then," Elizabeth said to Allie, "We'll learn how to make butter and cheese."

Julie leaned over to Elizabeth and said, "Le Bistro might buy some of that from you, if you're willing."

Elizabeth looked at Allie. "What do you say, you want to make some extra money? You could learn how, then sell it to Julie's restaurant?"

Allie nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely!"

Nathan looked at his father. "Well, Dad, looks like the Grant farm will soon be self-supporting. You and I can just sit around and eat up the profits."

Archie laughed. "Somehow, I think there will always be enough to do around here, son." He kissed Jack and put him down in the chair. "Speaking of which, I thought I'd take Sergeant out for a ride. Am I needed here?"

Allie's eyes lit up. "You want company? I haven't ridden Sarah yet today."

Archie put his arm around her. "I would love it."

Allie looked at Nathan and Elizabeth. Nathan said, "Fine with me," and Elizabeth said, "Homework?"

"All done," Allie said.

"Then off you go," she said, smiling. "But be back for dinner, you two. Six-thirty."

Julie smiled as they left. "Archie is so good with her. I don't really even remember our grandparents. Do you?"

"Not very well. Father's mother died before you were born, and his father was a bit of a broken man after that. Mother's parents were very severe, as I remember. I don't think they liked children very much. We were mostly paraded out in fancy dresses and asked to curtsy and then we went off to another room. I remember he smoked a pipe and I didn't like the smell."

Nathan finished his sandwich, and then turned to watch Archie and Allie outside as they headed to the barn. He exhaled softly. "I almost kept that from happening," he said, looking over at Elizabeth and Julie. "I thought I was protecting her from being hurt, and look at them. He's such an important part of her life now." He shook his head.

Elizabeth looked back at him with soft eyes. "But you didn't stop it from happening. And the happiness of our family has multiplied."

"It has," Nathan said, smiling back at her.

Jack had crawled down from his chair and was looking out the window, watching as Allie and Archie walked to the barn. When they disappeared inside, he reached over and took a handful of Nathan's shirt in his fist. "Dad. Horsey," he said, gazing up into Nathan's eyes, frowning a little.

Nathan picked him up and put him on his lap so they could look out at the barn together. Jack pointed, and looked back at Nathan. Jack repeated, "Horsey. Dad," and he crawled down and took hold of Nathan's suspender and pulled.

Nathan laughed and picked up his plate in one hand and lifted Jack into his other arm. He raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth, and she said, laughing, "Go."

He kissed her and hurried out the door to catch up with Allie and Archie.

Julie had simply stood and watched how this family blended together so sweetly. There was a reason she found herself so often out at Elizabeth and Nathan's house.

Elizabeth looked at her and tilted her head in a question.

Julie said softly, "Just wondering what it would have been like to grow up in a house like this with all of you."

Elizabeth put her arms around her little sister. "I think the good news is that we always have the chance to grow up again, wherever we are. This is a second chance for me, Julie. It can be for you too."