***Note: Sorry for the long hiatus, I was working on some later chapters and needed to work on this one and likely a few more in between what I have planned. Thank you for those who have left comments. It brings me great pleasure knowing my writing is entertaining those of you reading. And I do welcome all feedback as it would help to improve my writing. Thank you for reading!***

Elizabeth enjoyed teaching so much that it was rare for her to perceive a workweek so taxing that she found herself imagining her weekend plans more than she did just enjoying the time with her students. Yet this week, the weekend truly had not come quickly enough; she could scarcely concentrate on her class or her grading. She couldn't think much on anything other than the situation with Tom and her anxiety regarding what was supposed to unfold on the day she'd been awaiting: Sunday.

Since she'd admitted to Lucas, Ned and Nathan that Tom's behavior last Wednesday morning had alarmed her, neither she nor Jack had been left alone with him, at least not before nightfall, and even then, she knew Lee was now insisting they sleep with their window ajar so he could hear over to her house easier. Poor Rosemary had lamented to Elizabeth one morning last week that she'd nearly froze to death at night. However, she didn't say it as a complaint; she too, was deeply concerned about Tom. Though the two of them had never been on the best of terms either, Rosemary did care for him and understood more than the men surrounding them why Elizabeth was so insistent on helping him. After all, they'd both loved Jack once, and knew his family's struggles. They both saw pieces of him in Tom and knew he'd have wanted the best for the little brother he'd devoted so much of his own life to guiding. Neither wanted Jack's efforts to be wasted or for his dreams of seeing his brother well situated to never materialize.

That said, Rosemary lost a great deal of respect for Tom after his over-the-top, accusatory outburst last Wednesday morning and was now, like the men, equally insistent neither Elizabeth nor little Jack be alone with him for longer than absolutely necessary. So now, Lee drove Tom to work in the mornings, but he stayed in his office or the saw mill much longer than most of the workers and Tom's poor work ethic seemingly made him incapable of putting in a solid day of work. So Tom often returned to Elizabeth's little row house before she did. Therefore, Rosemary had Laura bring little Jack to the dress shop in the afternoons when he awoke from his nap, under the false pretense that she could find no other child model in town to try on the new children's clothing line she and Clara were developing. Elizabeth could not control her laughter when she picked him up from there on Tuesday, seeing him donning a frilly pink dress and matching bonnet; Jack was absolutely not amused by his appearance or the ladies' hysterics. Rosemary had borrowed Carson's camera to try to capture some images to possibly put into a catalog. Elizabeth was secretly happy he'd been uncooperative as she couldn't imagine having to explain to him one day the circumstances surrounding those pictures if they were ever published.

Lee and Rosemary, Nathan and Lucas, even Bill and Pastor Zeke were all now so fond of making unexpected visits to her residence that she had become rather unaccustomed to not having a guest in her home. It seemed they were all on a schedule of sorts as one or the other would show up just as the time drew near for the former visitor to depart. Zeke arrived with urgent schoolhouse matters to discuss regarding the configuration of the pews or the need to repaint the exterior or wanting to ask her advice on how to approach a struggling family. Bill wanted to pry stories of Jack from Tom's mind that were often quite amusing or ask for their opinions on a new dish he was considering serving at the cafe. Nathan popped over quickly to talk to her about Allie or the new schoolhouse monitoring schedule. Rosemary needed Elizabeth's opinion on the latest dresses she was designing, or when Tom was agreeable, to laugh about their shared old memories of Jack as well. Lee had matters regarding the saw mill to discuss with Tom, who seemed largely uninterested, or was just so itching to play ball with little Jack that he was unable to restrain himself from waiting until a more logical hour.

Lucas too proclaimed that he had nobody else to play trucks with or read to so he also dropped in to entertain little Jack frequently. His extreme anxiety at Tom being in her house was evidenced by his numerous unprompted visits since her admission. If there had been a competition to declare a winner from the group as the person who'd made the most visits, he'd easily have won. Last Thursday afternoon, he came decked out in work clothes, carting a ladder and a bucket and avowed to clean her gutters, noting the cloud cover looked as though rain were imminent. He was right about that as it did rain early the next morning but she wondered how he knew she hadn't cleaned her gutters out in months. Was her household in such poor condition that any passerby could notice where it was lacking? Was her failure to maintain it concerning to him because he was technically now her landlord since he owned the oil company? Maybe he'd been somewhat secretively inspecting all the row houses on his visits and that's why he was so insistent on clearing those gutters that evening or nailing her loose porch step back down just yesterday. Seeing him with a hammer again brought a smile to her face as she recalled his efforts in repairing the library those many months ago. His skills seemed to have improved though, as he handled that step expertly, as far as she could tell.

Regardless of his reasoning for the assistance, Elizabeth was grateful he so willing completed the task of clearing her gutters, as it made her nervous; she was always apprehensive with heights and feared losing her balance on that ladder. She was quite nervous having Lucas do it as well though; she stayed right underneath him the entire time, fretting and holding on tightly to the ladder, lest it wiggle, even though he insisted he was fine. Little Jack thought it was hilarious when Lucas scattered the drier leaves back to the ground. He squealed as he danced about trying to reach for them as they floated to the earth. He loved fall, which made her happy as it was one of her favorite seasons too.

Lucas' unannounced little check-ins always brought a smile to Elizabeth's face, though they made Tom grumble, at least in the first few days; he clearly was afronted by Lucas refusing his business at the saloon but as he was so good with people, Elizabeth sensed Tom was growing more accepting of Lucas. Lucas was always courteous and made a point to include Tom in their conversations and even in the games he'd play with little Jack. She caught the two of them laughing on numerous occasions, as they tried to teach Jack to play catch or draw a few simple shapes. Jack's renditions of squares, circles and triangles were some of the most comical drawings she'd ever seen. He, thus far at least, seemed to lack his father's artistic talents but he so proudly gifted his creations, everyone he gave them to graciously accepted them. Lucas, particularly, looked thrilled every time little Jack, who had recently come to calling him Yu-kus, handed over a creation. He always told Jack appreciatively that he'd hang them in his offices, making Elizabeth wonder if he actually did that and what his staff would make of it if he did. It warmed her heart though, seeing him so effortlessly bonding with her son, but it also made her nervous about how little Jack would handle it if Lucas were to withdraw his attentions at some point, which she expected would happen once Tom left.

She hadn't exactly told Tom there were men vying for her hand again, but he quickly caught on. He had even made a rather startling off-hand comment one night that 'Jack would have approved of any man so devoted to you that he'd clean your muck unprompted and with a smile on his face no less.' She wasn't sure if he'd said that because he was committed to the idea that she and little Jack required a man taking care of them or if he'd genuinely warmed to the idea of Lucas specifically. Tom had made the remark with a laugh, though, so she wasn't sure how much to take it to heart.

Her visitors were all very respectful in trying to make excuses for their appearances, never outright informing Tom of the real reasons for her now constant companionship. The excuses Lucas made for his visits were sometimes laughable, but sweet. Aside from the gutter cleaning and front steps' repair, he'd dropped by her house almost every morning since last Wednesday as well as a few evenings, claiming the saloon over estimated food orders and had too much excess. Most weekdays, he'd stop by about twenty minutes before she typically left for school to play with Jack or talk to Tom about how he was settling in while she packed up her things or spoke with Laura about her plans for the day; then he'd walk her to the schoolhouse, holding a basket of muffins or croissants for her class. She'd grown so fond of those morning visits, of starting her day seeing him, speaking with him about his impressive progress with the oil company, his decision to hand over more responsibilities at the saloon to Wyatt, Clark and Gustav, or his new thoughts about the approaching Christmas festival. Though she could tell he wanted to ask her more, to go deeper in those early morning conversations, she so appreciated his willingness to engage in that easy banter, allowing her to decide what she felt comfortable talking to him about, and when. At her request, he'd taken her target shooting two more times, again briefly after school. She'd grown confident in her abilities with her new weapon and had not had nightmares in a number of nights nor daytime panic attacks at unexpected sounds, as a direct result of her increased skills and Tom's presence in her home. She was slightly dismayed her growth in that area had required assistance, but she was very grateful for it nonetheless. She was growing ever more grateful for Lucas, actually.

She was thrilled when Lucas unexpectedly brought over a stack of pancakes and bacon and fresh fruit yesterday morning, staying to enjoy the meal with her, Tom and little Jack. He'd also brought a shepherd's pie last Friday, cheese biscuits one night, a pie another and a full, divine three-course-meal four nights ago. Tom had remarked that it was the best meal he'd ever eaten: a salad full of greens with candied pecans and goat cheese, roasted duck with plum sauce, and a blackberry tart. It was indeed exceptionally good and Elizabeth didn't believe for one second Gustav had simply over-ordered that night. What she had come to understand, though, was that Lucas had more of a servant's heart than most people caught on to. His devotion was incredibly sweet and he had such a delicate, respectful way of expressing his concern for her, as well as his disagreement with her choices sometimes, that reduced her feelings of discomfort every time their opinions diverged and enabled her to easily see his care for her beneath his own differing thoughts. She knew he didn't approve of her allowing Tom to stay in her house after last week, and possibly before then, but she also felt he respected her enough to at least try to understand her perspective, as well as to try getting to know Tom well enough to form his own, informed opinions on the matter. As the days had passed and he'd grown to know Tom better, she'd sensed his anxiety lessening as well, but she still saw the compassionate concern in his eyes, that seemed to extend beyond his concern for her and her son to her brother-in-law as well now.

Nathan, on the other hand, had difficulty keeping his disapproval out of his tone during his own unprompted calls to her home. He seemed incapable of understanding why she was so determined to help Tom, why she even continued to feel an affinity for someone who'd made such mistakes or struggled with vice the way Tom did. Nathan seemed rather discontented, perhaps even put out, when he'd stopped by, but Elizabeth had previously felt their friendship was strong, so she suspected his behavior had more to do with Tom than her. She couldn't exactly blame Nathan for that, given how outspoken Tom had been about his distaste for the Mounted Police that day and his inhospitablity towards Nathan since. And she knew Nathan found it challenging sometimes to look past a person's poor or unlawful behavior; his relationship with his own father was evidence enough of that. But she'd been pleased he'd made an effort with his father, and she'd hoped, therefore, that he'd make an effort with Tom as well. If he'd had any inclination of one day making her family his, surely he'd have wanted that, right? Or maybe that was asking too much of a potential suitor? He did seem more than willing to assist in other aspects of this situation with Tom.

True to his word, Nathan had thoroughly researched the sober house Ned mentioned, as well as two others within reasonable train journeys of Hope Valley. The one Ned knew of seemed to actually be the most promising, having provided Nathan with the contact information of three men who gave glowing reviews of the place. He'd offered to travel there to check it out this week but Elizabeth thought it would be too much of an inconvenience to him to ask him to set aside all his other duties for a few days to investigate the place. As they had an opening for Tom on Sunday and it seemed to be the most promising option for him, she didn't think a visit was necessary.

As they'd planned, Ned had joined her and Tom for dinner last Wednesday and described the sober house concept. It sounded like a solid plan to Elizabeth. There, Tom could speak with doctors and social workers about his urges, as well as other men who were struggling. And Ned said they also focused on teaching skills to help men successfully reintegrate into society. They all did chores around the homestead, practiced job interviews and spoke with the social workers about their economic prospects. And the house helped men to learn other, healthier methods of addressing difficult emotions, including stress and grief. Ned said exercise, gardening, and talking through problems were all skills the men honed. He wasn't certain how successful people were who came out of the homes but his words lessened the sense of stigma Elizabeth felt surrounded such places and she saw that it seemed to do so for Tom as well.

Ned gave a valiant oratory about how many doctors associated with the homes felt alcoholism was not indicative of moral vice or failing in a person but was actually more aligned with a medical condition; that some people's bodies or minds, for whatever unknown reason, seemed more suspect to the properties inside alcohol. He spoke candidly about how he himself came to recognize he had a problem and how he sought help for it by speaking with an old friend who'd been to a sober house as well as to his late wife. He became emotional talking about her, and about how sobriety had saved his marriage and improved his relationship with his daughter, Katie. The conversation brought Elizabeth a deep, newfound respect for Ned, for everything he had struggled to overcome and the quiet, dignified manner in which he'd lived his life since.

Ned's dinner that night, and the following Tuesday when he joined them again, did more good for Tom than anyone else's pleas or advice had. He was interested in this sober house concept and said again, that he really wanted to get his life in control. He wanted to find and be able to keep a job. He wanted to marry one day, have his own family. He wanted little Jack to be able to look up to him and his brother and mother to be proud of the man he'd become. Yet he had some hesitation about the sober house, knowing it was likely expensive and he was uncomfortable accepting financial help from Elizabeth, particularly when he was still uncertain it would have the desired impact. He was uncertain of his own ability to overcome the addiction. Elizabeth understood it would require a great deal of resolve and truthfully, she wasn't too certain of his capacity in that either, but she tried not to let on in front of him, wanting instead to help boost his confidence by reiterating that she knew he could do so.

According to Nathan's research, the house turned out to be more reasonably priced than she'd imagined; apparently it operated on what they called a sliding scale, so since Tom was not fully employed, the fees were minimal. Nathan said many of the houses offset expenses by using donations as well as revenue collected from sales of goods manufactured or cultured by the men in their employment ventures. Most men apparently stayed for anywhere from one month to two or three years. She hoped Tom wouldn't require longer than a six month stay, as the cost could get prohibitive for her after that, at least unless she sold Jack's land or some other assets or borrowed from her father. But she definitely had enough left over from Jack's pension to easily cover the first six months, so she was grateful for that.

She'd told him about Jack's pension money and how confident she was in knowing he'd have wanted her to use it for this purpose, so Tom was talked into the idea by her and Ned. It was comforting to know that Jack's name still held some sway with him as he knew Jack would want him to sort himself out. So Lee had volunteered to travel with Tom today, Sunday, by car and train to the house in Edmonton to help him get settled. It was an amazingly generous offer from her dear friend, to take two or three days to ensure Tom made it there and the place was indeed as respectable as the accounts proclaimed it to be.

The anticipated day having arrived, Elizabeth had seen Tom and Lee off early in the morning. She now sat in her parlor, alone with her son for the first time in over two weeks. She didn't know what to do with herself now. All her energies had been focused on helping Tom come to the realization that he needed help and on how to actually get that for him. Now, with Lee escorting him to this place that they'd all hoped would help resolve his challenges, Elizabeth finally felt her mind relaxing.

She'd been wondering for days how she would feel once Tom left, knowing that despite her anxiety over his condition, his presence did wonders to make her feel more at ease in her home. She never did get around to telling him what happened the night of the harvest festival, believing his concern for her and little Jack might dissuade him from going to this place to get the help he needed. Tom may have been many things but unfeeling certainly wasn't one of them. She knew he cared deeply for her, and now little Jack too, as she did for him. Elizabeth didn't want her own troubles to deny him an opportunity to set his aside, though she'd feared being ill at ease after his departure once it had been decided he'd go to Edmonton.

She took a brief moment to think about how she was feeling being alone here now, finally. It felt odd. Almost unexpected, in spite of the fact that she'd known it was coming. But it wasn't really unsettling, like she'd feared it would be. For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth felt hopeful. Hopeful for Tom's future. Hopeful for her own. She'd made a lot of progress in these last few weeks in moving on from the traumatic incident. She knew it was largely because of two people: Lucas and Tom. With his lessons and encouragement, Lucas had helped her feel more equipped to protect herself and Jack. And Tom's presence and all that he'd reminded her of had given her a push she needed to work harder at her own emotional recovery. She'd told Lucas and Nathan the day he arrived that he reminded her it was okay to accept help, and he had.

He brought back the memories of the worst days of her life, when she'd lost Jack and how she only made it through those dark times by relying on the love of this community. She then accepted that to get through the clouds darkening her skies now, she'd need to rely on that again. And so she did, trying to set aside the guilt she felt for inconveniencing her friends, knowing she'd unquestionably do the same for them if they ever needed her aid. But he'd reminded her of so much more than that. Speaking so candidly with Tom that day, and in the days since, enlightened Elizabeth to how much time she'd wasted trying to sort out her own desires, her own heart, when she and Jack first met, when they finally got around to courting. In her pain after the harvest festival, and with her warring emotions, she'd let more precious time pass. Precious time she could have embraced to deepen her friendships here, to bond with her son, to pursue her passion of writing, to use tragic circumstances to help teach her students valuable life lessons, to possibly find happiness with another man who now vied for her heart. Now, when presented with this new conflict, as well as perhaps this new chance at love, she did not want to waste any more of that precious, irretrievable time. Elizabeth wanted to continue pushing forward, pushing herself to grow stronger, braver, more resilient and more resolved to live out the life she desired: the life she'd found here in Hope Valley and the one she hoped to continue with a newly opened heart.

She exhaled, smiling down at Jack as she wondered what to do with the little time they had remaining before church, contemplating taking up her writing again. It had been ages since she'd worked on her novel, since the days before the harvest festival, and she dreaded conversing with her publisher, Mr. Branson, about the reasons for the delays in her next chapters. She had been putting that conversation off for weeks. Today was actually the first time she'd felt she might have a brain cell to spare that could focus on her writing. However, the task of taking it up again also felt a bit insurmountable as it had been such a long time and she'd need to reread the chapters she'd already written to get her bearings with the work again. She knew she wouldn't get very far in the hour or so before she and Jack would need to head to the church.

As she thought over what her other options were to pass the time, she heard a quiet rasping on the door. She scooped Jack up and ambled over, surprised to see Nathan and Allie standing there, fishing poles in tow. Nathan gave her a sheepish, goofy grin, "Allie and I were wondering if you and Jack might like to join us for fishing before church."

Elizabeth smiled back at him. She wondered whose idea it really was: his or Allie's. But they'd come at an opportune time, providing an answer to some questions circling her mind. She wanted to get closer to figuring out which man, if either, she could really see a future with. And that required spending more time with, and having some deep conversations with both men. She wanted to know if she and Nathan could get back on that path towards something more than friendship now that the distraction of Tom was removed from the picture. For months, she'd somewhat assumed that of the two men, Nathan would be the smarter choice for her, thinking he'd understand her continued love for Jack better, that he'd be a better parent to little Jack because he was more experienced, that he'd be more reliable given his quieter, resolute nature and occupation. Having grown so close to Lucas over the last few months and seen so much of his character, Elizabeth was no longer as sure of that with Nathan. But she, of course, wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. She wanted to be certain whichever man she chose was the right one for her, and for Jack, and she felt remiss in giving Nathan an opportunity to possibly prove that in these last months with everything else that had transpired. She smiled, "We'd love to."

"Really? Great!" Nathan replied happily, with obvious surprise.

Elizabeth thought a moment, then asked him, "How far is it exactly though?"

Allie answered, "My favorite spot is on the steam near the old mine. It's only a fifteen minute walk."

Elizabeth bit her lip asking Nathan hesitantly, "Would you mind carrying Jack for me? It's still a bit uncomfortable for me to do that for more than a few minutes."

He smiled, "Of course I can. If he will let me." He handed Allie his fishing pole and reached his hands out for Jack. "What do you say little man? Would you like to see some fish?"

"Fish!" Jack clapped, leaning in toward Nathan, his arms outstretched.

Elizabeth was grateful her son was generally sociable and unafraid of other people; those qualities had proven very beneficial in these last weeks when she'd had to rely on this community so much to help care for him. She worried immensely in the first days after the attack that his personality would have been altered by that incident, like she feared hers might be as well, but he'd proven to be far more resilient than she'd expected. He had returned to his generally easy going nature, aside from being a bit more attached to her since. Separations, even in the morning with Laura, that were once rather effortless were now somewhat upsetting to him. But so long as she was near and the people around them were calm, her boy still fared just fine with other people.

The only time since that he'd really shown fear was that morning Tom had been shouting. He clearly had some lingering trauma over raised voices but he had not displayed trust issues with anyone in their circle since. She'd been surprised by that but Carson had told her he wasn't because Jack had been so lovingly and protectively cared for immediately after, that he felt her boy's trust, at least in those she herself expressed comfort around, had been restored. It was one more thing she felt indebted to Lucas for.

She'd noted a slight change in Carson after that night. There were numerous instances where she'd previously felt he was somewhat pulling for Nathan in this romantic mess she'd somehow managed to become entangled in. But he'd noted on more than one occasion during their follow up visits that Lucas had been extraordinarily helpful that night and the day that followed. Others had made similar remarks: Florence, Jesse, Rosemary. But Elizabeth tried valiantly to ignore them, wanting her own heart to decide, and not wanting to compare the two of them on how they responded to the whole incident, knowing that Nathan's occupation imposed restrictions on how he handled all of that. Having Nathan show up this morning felt like the perfect opportunity to see if their friendship could go back to the way it once was, a time that now felt distant.

As they started their walk towards the lake, Nathan looked over at her and asked, "So how did it go this morning?"

She smiled, "Well. He's hopeful. I am too. Thank you again for doing all that research. It was very helpful."

Nathan nodded politely, "Of course, Elizabeth. It was no problem."

They were quiet the rest of the walk to the stream, just listening amusedly to Allie rambling on about fishing techniques and the various species found in the waters surrounding Hope Valley. Elizabeth really was very fond of this vivacious girl, as she was of all people who expressed such a love of life and a steadfastness to living it on their own terms. Once they reached the stream, Allie pointed out the fish swimming in the waters to little Jack, who squealed with delight and tried to reach for them. Fortunately, before he tried to follow them into the depths, Nathan distracted him by showing him how to bait the hook with a worm. Elizabeth chuckled seeing little Jack's delight with the dirty, slimy creatures. He was becoming more of the stereotypical little boy every day with his growing obsessions with cars and trucks, balls, and bugs. She was grateful his love of reading wasn't lessening though,doubting that she herself would ever fully grow an affinity for viscous, mucky creatures or contraptions, and wanting to share at least one passion with her boy.

Nathan fashioned a fishing pole for little Jack from a long stick, tying a string to the end. He tried to tie a worm on as well but wasn't able to attach a slimy creature without a hook and didn't want Jack to injure himself on one. Fortunately Jack didn't seem to mind, as he was thoroughly enjoying practicing his cast, regardless of the missing bait, following along with Allie's movements.

After a few minutes, when it seemed Jack would follow along with Allie's direction, Nathan nodded to her, "Allie, can you watch Jack for a few minutes? Make sure he doesn't hurt himself or fall into the water? I'd like to ask Mrs. Thornton to take a little walk with me." He looked at her inquiringly, seemingly asking for her consent. Elizabeth chewed on her lip a moment, wondering if it was wise to leave Jack. Allie's glance alternated between her and Nathan, who cleared his throat and looked intently at Elizabeth, promising, "We will stay within view."

She nodded. Allie smiled, "Sure, Uncle Nathan."

Nathan stood up and held his hand out to her, helping her rise with ease. She called to Jack, "Jack, you stay right by Allie, okay? Let's see if you can catch a fish!"

He grinned, "O-tay, Mama! I fish!"

Nathan moved back a pace and Elizabeth followed him. He smiled, as he walked, asking, "How have you been feeling lately?"

She smiled back, stating happily, "A bit stronger every day."

"So no more headaches or lightheadedness?" he inquired seriously.

"Very infrequently now," she mused, grateful. "And much less intense when it does happen. I feel pretty good now; near normal." She thought to herself how much of a difference rest really made for healing. She hoped she'd be able to sleep soundly still, even though Tom would no longer be there when the sun set that evening.

He smiled broadly, "Well that's very good to hear." Finding a fallen log on the ground twenty yards back from the children, Nathan asked, "Want to sit and watch them from here?"

"Sure," she smiled, curious as to which topic of the dozens they should probably be discussing he wanted to bring up. She sat down and looked over at him, willing him to state what was on his mind.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Elizabeth, I, I have been needing to apologize to you for some time now."

"For what?" she puzzled, hoping he'd finally realized that some of his words and actions had wounded her and that he wanted to make it right, that he was remorseful for that and wanted their friendship to return to what it once was as well.

He swallowed, becoming emotional, "For letting you get hurt and for not apprehending that man yet."

His comment surprised her. She was unaware he'd been harboring any thoughts of guilt about what had transpired that night. How could she have known when he didn't share them with her? She was grateful he was open to doing so now. Wanting to encourage him to open up more to her, she reached her hand out, touching his, which was resting on the log, and squeezed it affirmingly, "Nathan, I have not once blamed you for any of that. Not once. Have you felt that I did?"

Squeezing her fingers in return, he shrugged his shoulders, his eyes downcast, "I feared you might. It's evident many in town do."

"Well if that's the case, that's an absurdity," she asserted. She'd overheard some unkind comments from a few of the children on the topic as well, likely repeating what their parents had said. But she knew such comments were borne from people's fears rather than their rationality. Still, it had been on her mind that this incident might be impacting Allie as well but she'd yet to be informed that any of the children had raised those issues directly to the girl, so she'd ignored it, not wanting to open up further inquiry from them all on this topic that had scandalized the town. She now wondered if that was the wrong approach; if any of the other children had been saying anything unkind or inaccurate on the topic to Allie as well.

She looked over briefly at Allie with sadness, then sighed, turning back to Nathan. She beseeched, "Nathan, look at me." He did slowly, his eyes rising to meet hers. "Nobody can expect you to have eyes everywhere at all times or to know every single person who strolls into this town. Just as nobody should expect you to be omniscient, knowing people's motives or movements before they've enacted them. You are an exceptional Mountie, Nathan. You are intelligent and brave and strong and so committed to your work, to the people here. You are not to blame for what happened to me. Not at all. Please don't take on that burden."

Nathan smiled at her, squeezing her hand again before releasing it slightly to rub his thumb gently back and forth over it as he looked deeply into her eyes. Though she felt a bit self-conscious at this proximity, this touch now, Elizabeth kept his gaze, wanting him to know how sincere her claim was.

The intimate moment lasted a second or two too long though and she began feeling uncomfortable, though she couldn't place why exactly. She knew Nathan, trusted Nathan, had wanted him to pursue her at one point. But now, when he seemed to be expressing renewed interest, her stomach clenched and her palms became sweaty. She didn't want to hold his gaze longer. She didn't want to give him an impression that she wanted this moment to lengthen.

Hearing little Jack's laughter in the distance, she turned her head towards the melody, grateful for what seemed to be a natural break to their exchange. Nathan, however, had other ideas. Just as she turned to look away, Nathan, unexpectedly and somewhat quickly, leaned in. Their abrupt counter movements forced his intruding kiss to miss his mark and land rather roughly upon her upper cheek, near her ear.

Jarred, she withdrew her hand from him quickly and leaned away. He leaned back too, his eyebrows raised, as he took in her response. She had not intended to give him the impression she wanted him to kiss her; she'd merely been trying to ensure he knew how much she respected and appreciated him for his loyalty to his profession. Yet she understood now how he might have misinterpreted that. She blushed, embarrassed, as her heart started to race. She felt a slight panic coming on as she breathed deliberately, trying to calm her nerves. She didn't want this. She wasn't ready for this. She looked away from him, not wanting to view his reaction. Would he be angry? Disappointed? Confused? She felt a bit confused. She felt ruffled, in an unsettled sort of way. She pondered how awkward and alarming the exchange had become, when all she'd intended to do was bring him comfort.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. Still looking away, she whispered, "I should check on Jack; see what he and Allie are finding so amusing."

He sighed, "Right."

She stood up abruptly, smoothing out her skirt. He stood awkwardly too. She noted him looking down at her and wondered what he was thinking about this embarrassing moment. Feeling remorseful and considering that she might have led him on, she mumbled, "I don't think I want that. Not now at least."

He stuttered, "It's alright. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry."

Looking up at him bashfully, she whispered, "I'm sorry too." And she was sorry. Sorry for ending this rare moment of openness from him. Sorry their fishing excursion did not seem to resolve her disquiet about their changing friendship. Sorry she was not able to reciprocate his passion. Sorry she'd made him feel, in that moment, that she could. Sorry she'd felt anything resembling fear or panic with him when she knew, without doubt, that he'd never hurt her. Indeed, there were a lot of things she felt sorry about.

Nathan mumbled, "Don't be. I clearly shouldn't have thought right now would have been the right time to show you how I feel about you."

Her cheeks flushed as she replied, "I didn't mean to make you think that…" That I wanted you to express that right now, she thought. "I just wanted you to know how sincere I was in saying that what happened wasn't your fault."

He smiled timidly at her, "Well thank you. I appreciate that. And, um, I'm sorry for misinterpreting things just now. But Elizabeth, I." He swallowed uncomfortably. "I know I haven't said it in a while or perhaps not done a good enough job of showing you lately, but you do matter to me. Very much. I hope you know that."

She looked up at him and nodded silently. She wanted to tell him that he mattered to her too, because he did, but she held back, feeling that the expression meant something more to him. She wasn't sure what exactly she felt for Nathan anymore but she didn't want him to think it was anything resembling love unless she was sure. And she definitely wasn't sure, at least not with him. She still had so many questions about Nathan and didn't feel she was nearing any answers.

The other man in her life, though, had really begun to drive his way into her heart. He seemed to find it easier to prove his compatibility with her lately. A part of her unease in this moment with Nathan had to do with those deep and growing feelings she held for Lucas. She couldn't let another man kiss her when she felt so strongly for him. Besides, she really couldn't envision kissing anyone she wasn't courting, wasn't committed to in some fashion, especially now, after what had happened. She knew any act of intimacy with a man had taken on new meaning for her after that, required more trust and more commitment from them both.

Yet, she also didn't want to close the door fully on Nathan when she wasn't entirely clear that he wasn't the man for her. She wanted to be certain of the future she chose, and that required getting some answers. However, after this awkward moment, she didn't think now was the time to try extracting those from him. She'd need to find another opportunity to do that, and soon. These conversations with Tom drove home her need to sort out her confused romantic life so she could stop wasting precious time: hers and theirs.

They rather briskly walked back to the children and Elizabeth took Jack's hand to lead him back toward the house. Allie protested at leaving before she'd caught more fish but Nathan explained that they needed to return to prepare for church. As they began walking back, Elizabeth resolved that she needed to get to the bottom of her feelings for Nathan; she needed a conversation with him but she wasn't sure how to orchestrate that without coming off as boldly asking for a date, which she didn't want to do. She silently hoped that he'd come up with some idea to get them talking again but her thoughts were interrupted by Jack, who began complaining about the long walk home. Nathan's long legs had a stride even Elizabeth struggled to keep up with at times.

Nathan reached down and effortlessly picked him up. Elizabeth smiled up at him appreciatively, "Thank you, Nathan." She turned to Allie and said, "And thank you, Allie, for showing Jack how to fish. I know he had such a wonderful time. He loves being around you two. Perhaps we can do this again sometime soon?"

Nathan interjected hopefully, "You, you want to do this again?"

She nodded, looking at him intently, as she emphasized, "Yes. I'd like to continue that conversation sometime."

He smiled shyly, "Alright then."

Allie beamed, "I usually go fishing after school at least a few times every week but Uncle Nathan doesn't come, since he has work. But he tries to take me at least once on the weekends."

Elizabeth smiled at her, "Well you're lucky he loves you so much to make that special time for you."

Allie nodded contentedly, "I am."

Nathan gave Elizabeth a soft, appraising smile. She wondered what he made of her remark. He clearly wasn't accustomed to accepting compliments. But she tried to give them where she saw fit. And Nathan was a very devoted parent; anyone could see that. He deserved to know she respected that about him.

As they turned around the bend heading into town, she spied Bill speaking with Lucas in the middle of Main Street. The two men were deep in conversation and looking concerned. Bill's head snapped up, seeing them approach and he called out with relief, "Nathan! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

They quickened their pace, stopping just in front of Lucas and Bill. Elizabeth's cheeks flushed as she felt Lucas' eyes boring into hers. She never tried to flout these friendships with either man in front of the other and she imagined he must have been frustrated seeing her and Jack alone with Nathan and Allie. He knew her so well; she wondered if he could possibly suspect what had just transpired between her and Nathan. Could he sense that Nathan had tried to kiss her? She looked down, unable to meet his gaze, feeling surprisingly guilty for putting herself in such a position to have any other man giving her such attentions, even though it was just Nathan, and Lucas knew about Nathan.

She looked up hearing the strain in Bill's voice as he spoke to Nathan, "Got a call about twenty minutes ago. Terrell's been spotted outside Wildwood."

Elizabeth stopped breathing as Nathan asked urgently, "How long ago?"

"Last night in their saloon. He was with Berry and two others from their gang," Bill answered.

Paying no attention to the serious tones of the adults, as Bill spoke, little Jack reached his little hands out towards Lucas, squealing, "You-cus!"

Lucas turned his attention from Bill and smiled mirthfully at her boy, taking him from Nathan as Nathan frowned. "Hello, little man," Lucas said warmly. "Were you fishing with Allie?" Jack curled happily into the nook of Lucas' neck, babbling about fish and streams and sticks made into fishing poles. Elizabeth noted Lucas' eyes softening slightly as he caught her looking the pair. Elizabeth swallowed; her heart racing as she tried to process both Jack's seeming preference and Bill's proclamation.

Bill continued, ignoring little Jack's interruption, "Supposedly left late at night. Mountie there, Northrop, thinks they're camping in the hills just outside though; someone caught Berry scoping out the bank yesterday. We're thinking they may plan to hit it soon; probably today or tomorrow. It's obviously closed today and Constable Northrop is guarding it but he was too nervous to go after them in those hills alone; requesting help."

Nathan bit his lip, "Four?"

"Four known. Could be more," Bill answered.

"Anyone else responding?" Nathan asked.

Bill replied, "Edmonton's sending three men out but they won't get there before nightfall. I figured if we leave now, by car, we could get horses from their stables. We'd be there in a few hours, hopefully before they tried anything."

Nathan nodded, "I like that plan."

He looked at Lucas, who replied affirmatively, "I'm ready. My tank's full and I've got Gustav packing food."

Bill asked Nathan, "Did you want to change?"

Nathan looked down at his clothes, then back at Bill, shaking his head, "No. I'll go without the red surge. Don't want to force a civilian into this work again."

Lucas snorted, rubbing Jack's back, "You didn't force me into anything."

Nathan looked at him and sighed, "I know that, but I still don't want to put you in that type of a position again." Elizabeth's head spun as her eyes darted among the three men standing before her. What position had Nathan put Lucas in? And when? And why exactly?

Lucas looked at Elizabeth, then back at Nathan, and remarked almost angrily, as he absentmindedly stroked the back of Jack's head, "Well I'm still coming this time." Elizabeth wondered what he was angry over but her curiosity over his emotions lost out entirely to the fear now gripping her heart that he, Nathan and Bill were about to drive off into danger, because of her. If anything happened to any of them, she knew she'd not be able to cope with it.

Nathan nodded, then remarked sincerely, "I'd appreciate it, Lucas. But still, I'd rather not make you take lead on anything like that again, despite how well you handled Fred." Elizabeth looked up at Lucas with confusion, feeling her skin pale; she'd never asked any of them what had transpired with that man over a month ago now, but she'd assumed Nathan or Bill had handled him. Apparently it was Lucas who did? She wasn't sure how to feel about that but it increased her anxiety about his involvement with this new mission in Wildwood. She didn't want any of them to be in danger, but certainly not Lucas, someone untrained for this kind of work.

Bill commented, "I spoke with Jesse; he'll watch over the town. I deputized him for however long we're gone. Said he'd increase the neighborhood watch patrols."

Nathan nodded, "Good. I just need to grab my badge and gun from the jail."

He turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Could you ask Opal's mother if Allie could stay with her until I get back?"

Finding her voice, Elizabeth croaked, "Of course, don't worry about that, Nathan. If not with Mrs. Whitmore, then she can stay with me."

He told Allie, "Take our fishing gear home and get ready for church. You can walk to church with Mrs. Thornton. And you listen to her and Mrs. Whitmore, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Nathan," Allie replied seriously. "I love you."

"I love you too, Allie," he smiled down at her. She hugged him tightly and then took off towards their house. Elizabeth marveled at how collected the girl seemed, when her own thoughts were so unfocused. Nathan turned and walked quickly into the nearby jail.

Lucas hugged little Jack for a moment and then passed him over to Elizabeth, telling him, "I've got to give you back to your mama, alright? I have to finish getting ready for a little trip."

Elizabeth reached out for her son, glancing between Lucas and Bill with concern. Looking Lucas deeply in the eyes, she whispered pleadingly, "Do you really have to go too? Maybe you could just lend Bill your car?"

Lucas shook his head somberly, "There's no way I can sit aside knowing the man who hurt you is within reach and I could possibly help in apprehending him."

"But surely Bill and Nathan…" she started.

Bill cut her off, "Could use his help. The three of us made a good team last time. We will be careful, Elizabeth. I promise."

She looked at Bill tearfully, "If anything happened to any of you because of me."

Lucas reached up and stroked Jack's back as she held him, grazing her fingers that were splayed there. He murmured, "It is not because of you or anything you've done or not done, alright? It's because of them and what they've done. These men are evil, Elizabeth, and they need to be stopped."

"But does it have to be you?" she fretted.

He looked at her tenderly, though he seemed a bit confused, before remarking, "As Bill said, we will be careful."

Staring into his eyes, not caring that her own were beginning to water, she murmured, "Promise me. Promise me you won't do anything reckless. Please, Lucas. I couldn't bear it." And she knew she couldn't. If she lost him, like she'd lost Jack, to some supposed higher cause, how could she recover from that? But more than just that, if any of them died because of their desire to keep her safe, she'd never be able to forgive herself.

Holding her gaze and continuing to stroke Jack's back, his fingers touching hers as he did, he nodded and whispered, "I promise."

Bill cleared his throat and Lucas swiftly withdrew his hand as Nathan deftly strode over to them, calling out, "I'm ready!" He held his Stetson hat in one hand and a large bag in the other and Elizabeth wondered what was in it.

Lucas turned his head back to the saloon as Gustav placed a wicker basket into the rear seat and shouted, "All set! Good luck, sir."

"Thank you, Gustav," Lucas yelled back. Turning back to Elizabeth, he remarked, "I'll see you soon."

Numbed, she merely nodded at him. Bill pulled her into a quick hug and whispered in her ear, "We will be careful, Elizabeth. I'll watch over them both."

"Thank you, Bill," she whispered. "Watch over yourself too, please." He kissed her cheek and she squeezed his hand as he released her from their embrace. She spoke to him loud enough for Lucas and Nathan to hear her, "Hope Valley needs all three of you back unharmed more than we need anything else to happen. Understood?"

Bill nodded, "I do. We will be back soon."

The three men clamored into Lucas' car, Nathan in the front passenger seat to give his legs ample room. Watching them drive off hastily into an unknown and potentially perilous future, Elizabeth struggled to maintain her composure, as the familiar sensations of panic started taking over her body, fear gripping her heart. Yet this time, she wasn't feeling fear for herself but for three men who each held a piece of her heart, and for one, in particular, she pondered may have entirely captured it.