Alone, Elizabeth took Little Jack upstairs, talking to him as she went. Like Laura had said, he didn't feel warm and he seemed content enough in her arms. Upstairs, she went about getting her son ready for bed. She then made her way to the rocking chair.

Sitting in the chair, Elizabeth settled little Jack against her as she gently rocked the chair. Whether it was her presence, the rocking motion, or the combination of both, her son lay his head against her. As she began to sing "O Danny Boy," Little Jack's eyes started to drift close. As she finished the song, the little boy's slow even breathing told her that he had fallen asleep.

Not wanting to take the chance of disturbing him just yet, Elizabeth continued to rock as she reflected upon the evening.

She had taken pleasure at seeing the joy on Ally's face throughout the afternoon and evening. It was clear that Ally had enjoyed her party and that in itself made Elizabeth happy. As for Nathan, Elizabeth had seen he was uncomfortable with the situation, however like with the sleep over, he had forged ahead with the party for Ally's sake. Even joining in on the game of "The Mountie Says." Elizabeth hoped that Carson had managed to take a picture during that particular game.

The jewelry box had been exquisite. It was just as good as any she had remember seeing in the stores back in Hamilton. The fact that Nathan had put love into making it made all that more special. Ally was a lucky girl.

And Nathan was a wonderful father figure to her despite Elizabeth's initial impression of his parenting skills. She had certainly gotten that one wrong at first. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Nathan was doing a good job with raising a young and spirted girl alone. Despite her initial issues with fitting in, Nathan had been patient and firm with her, while letting her know that he loved her. It was the best any parent could do.

Elizabeth looked down at Little Jack. Nathan was wonderful to her son. He was a natural and the little boy had taken to him. She knew that Bill and Lee joked that it was the red serge, and Little Jack certainly did have a thing for the uniform's hat, but Elizabeth knew that it was something more than that. On some level, even Little Jack could sense that Nathan was someone who was going to love and protect him. Someone who would love him and raise him just as he would his own child. All Elizabeth needed to do was see the way Nathan cared for Ally for proof of that.

"Yes, my sweet boy, I think both you and my heart chose right," Elizabeth said softly to her sleeping son. "I even think your father would approve of the choice."

Elizabeth felt a feeling of peace settle over her. It was a feeling she had felt before, in times when she had been searching for a sign that Jack was watching over her.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth enjoyed the feeling as she continued to rock her sleeping son.

"Uncle Nathan?"

The tentative two words from his niece were all Nathan needed to open his eyes quickly. He hadn't fallen asleep, though he knew he had been close to drifting off. Now that he had heard his niece's voice, any thought of sleeping left his mind. Turning his head toward the door, he spotted Ally standing in the doorway. Though her cheeks were tear-stained, her expression was a mixture of sadness and peace. It was an expression that mirrored the way Nathan felt after reading one of Colleen's letter.

"Did I wake you?"Ally asked, staying in the doorway.

"I wasn't quite asleep yet," Nathan told her as he sat up in the bed, trying to ignore his protesting muscles. Leaning against the head board, his feet stretched out in front of him, Nathan patted the mattress beside him. "Come have a seat," he instructed. He had a feeling his niece would want to talk, and if she didn't, then he at least wanted to talk with her for a bit before she headed off to sleep.

Ally followed the instruction, coming forward and climbing up onto Nathan's bed. She settled down next to her uncle, the necklace still in her hand.

"What's that?" Nathan asked, taking notice of the necklace.

"It was in with the letter," Ally replied, holding the necklace out to him. "She said you would recognize it because you bought it for her," she said, watching her uncle for his reaction.

Nathan carefully took the necklace from her, the little gold cross looking tiny in his grown-up hand. He recognized it immediately. "I bought this for Colleen for her thirteenth birthday. She wore it all the time, until her boyfriend's started buying her jewelry, then she stopped wearing it quite so often. However, Colleen always wore this necklace for family celebrations. I had wondered where it got to," Nathan said.

Lifting his gaze from the necklace in his hand, he looked over at Ally. "I'm very glad that it is yours now," Nathan told his niece.

"Can you put it on for me?" Ally asked.

Nathan nodded. As Ally held her hair up out of the way, Nathan reached over and put it around her neck. With a little fumbling, Nathan worked the clasp and got it fastened. The little cross lay on Ally's dress, the light from the lamp glinting off the shiny surface.

"Now I'll feel like I always have a piece of mom with me," Ally commented, looking up from the necklace.

"You always have," Nathan told her. "Colleen lives on in you, Ally. Not only do you look like her, but you have mannerisms that remind me of her. Yes, you were only four years old when she passed, but that was long enough for her to leave a lasting impression on you."

Ally nodded, before leaning her head against her uncle. "I miss her."

"I know you do, Ally," Nathan replied, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "I miss her to. However, always remember that she loved you and she would want you to be happy and live your life to the fullest."

"I know," Ally said softly. She looked up at her uncle. "She wanted you to be happy too. She told me so in her letter."

Nathan smiled, not at all surprised that Colleen would have written that in her letter to Ally as his sister had written it to him as well.

"You want to know what makes me happy?"

"What?"

"Seeing you happy, like you have been here in Hope Valley. You have blossomed more in this past year than in the first five years you've been with me."

"I like it here."

"Me, too," Nathan told her. "Thank-you for helping me make the correct choice last Christmas," he said, kissing the top of his niece's head.

"You're welcome," Ally replied, content just to sit with her uncle for a little while, feeling both safe and loved.

After speaking briefly with Elizabeth the following morning at the schoolhouse, relieved that Jack seemed to be back to his usual self this morning, Nathan headed back outside. He said another quick good-bye to Ally and then headed toward the town. The first thing he wanted to do was stop by the café for some coffee. The cup he'd had at home just wasn't cutting it this morning.

Spotting Bill heading his direction, Nathan groaned.

"Please tell me this isn't going to interfere with my extra cup of coffee," Nathan stated as he got close enough to Bill to have a conversation in a normal voice.

Bill smirked. "Rough start to the day?"

"You could say that," Nathan said as Bill fell into step beside him.

"Well, the good news is, you can still get your extra cup of coffee," Bill replied. "You can get it while you're grabbing breakfast for the jail's visitor."

"Visitor? Does this have to do with the commotion at the saloon that Jesse mentioned last night?"

Bill nodded. "Joe Keegan was in town drinking last night."

"Keegan? He's the guy who lives alone, west of town. Keeps to himself and doesn't want anyone on his land, including law officers."

"That would be him," Bill replied. "From what I've heard, he wasn't always like that. Word has it that he was a productive, helpful member of this community back before the mining accident. Then one day his wife decided she didn't like living in a mining town in the middle of nowhere and just left, taking his two-year-old daughter with her. Folks say Keegan's been a loner ever since."

Nathan nodded, the story giving him a better understanding of the man who he had only had brief conversations with before this.

"Occasionally, Keegan makes his way into town to escape his grief in the alcohol. Not the healthiest outlet, but in the past he's had three or four drinks and then stumbles his way back to his cabin," Bill said. "Last night he didn't stop after four. When Bouchard tried to cut him off, Keegan got a bit loud and then rearranged some of the furniture. I figured the best thing to do was to put him in a cell and let him sleep things off."

"So are we charging him or am I letting him go?" Nathan asked.

"Bouchard doesn't want to press charges and the only thing broke last night was a glass. I figured give him breakfast this morning and if he seemed to be back to his usual charming self, just let him go with a warning."

"Okay," Nathan said, willing to go along with Bill. Not only did Bill know Keegan better but Bill was the judge. If this went through official channels, the final decision would rest with Bill but there would be paperwork and a trial to deal with. It was easier just to go along with him in the first place.

Nathan and Bill walked together to the café, making easy conversation. Reaching café, Bill requested a breakfast for Keegan from Clara who was covering the kitchen for breakfast. He then went about getting a cup of coffee for Nathan.

"There you go," Bill said handing it over to the Mountie. "Hopefully it'll start making your day seem a little better."

"Thanks, Bill," Nathan said gratefully as he accepted the hot mug.

"I've got to go over to the office. I've got a custody dispute between a couple from Silverton to listen to today."

"Silverton?" Nathan questioned, surprised that they would travel to Hope Valley to settle the matter.

"Neither of them wanted to wait until I made my way there," Bill said. "Sometimes I wonder why I took this job," he added even as he was already heading for the door. As he did, Bill said a greeting to Henry which caught Nathan's attention.

Looking toward the tables, Nathan did indeed see Henry Gowen sitting at one of the tables. Henry hadn't been seen in town since he had abruptly left after selling out to Lucas. No one was sure where he had or if he would back.

From the looks of it, they had their answer to the latter question.

Sipping from the coffee mug, Nathan headed toward Henry.

"Hello, Constable," Henry said, seeing Nathan's approach.

"Hello, Henry," Nathan replied. "When did you get back in town?"

Henry shrugged. "Yesterday evening," he replied. "I have a feeling not a lot of people would be thrilled to see me so . . ." Henry shrugged leaving the rest of the sentence hair in the air.

"Well, Elizabeth for one will be happy to know that you're okay," Nathan replied, "as will a few others."

"And you?"

Nathan shrugged. "We've never had a problem between the two of us," Nathan said. "Elizabeth has been teaching me to judge people with current actions and not just on past mistakes."

Henry nodded. "Well, Elizabeth is a kind person. Not sure if others will be so forgiving."

"I've found that Hope Valley has a way of surprising you," Nathan commented, to which Henry nodded his agreement.

"Nathan, the meal is ready," Clara called out.

Nathan nodded to her and then glanced back at Henry. "Have a good day, Henry."

"You too, Constable," Henry replied.

Nathan turned from the table and headed in Clara's direction. With the plate of food for Keegan in one hand and his coffee in the other, Nathan headed for the door. He had an occupant at the jail to feed, and as long as the man didn't seem like he still wanted to cause trouble, Nathan planned on doing exactly what Bill had suggested.