Author's Note: So, I'm sorry for how long this has taken (even if I've been told not to apologize for taking a long time!). I really love this story, my life has just been pretty chaotic lately, and I haven't had much time to write. Also, this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but it just felt ready the way it is. I hope you enjoy it! Definitely leave me reviews with all of your thoughts and opinions! And I assure you, I will finish this story eventually! It may just take longer than I originally anticipated! I am grateful for your patience!

The Delaneys had been gone for over a week, and Christine was feeling established in her new routines. She got up early and made breakfast, spent time with the Lord on her front porch, went to work, had lunch at her desk or in the saloon, went home and had dinner with Fiona. But weekends were different. They had decided to create a new tradition for Sunday lunches. Each week, they would invite a family or a couple of friends to come and eat with them in their home as a way to christen their kitchen and get to know people better. Their first lunch had been with the Thorntons and the Flynns, and it had been a lot of fun. Little Jack was so sweet, and it had been a good time to get to know Clara and Jesse better, especially since Christine didn't know Jesse particularly well at all. She learned a little about their backgrounds and how they got to know each other. She learned about former members of the town who had long since left, people like Pastor Frank Hogan and Mayor Abigail Stanton and her son Cody, and there were lots of stories about Jack Thornton. It was a perfect afternoon, and Christine was looking forward to the next one.

It was Saturday, and Christine had decided to spend a bit of her morning in the library before heading over to the mercantile to pick up what she and Fiona needed for lunch the next day. They were supposed to have Nathan, Allie, and Kevin over, and Christine was excited to make her mother's fried chicken and roasted pepper salad. Christine was so occupied thinking about her menu and shopping list that she didn't hear the door open or the footsteps walking towards her. She didn't notice anything until someone tapped her on the shoulder, startling her out of her preoccupation and making her jump.

She turned to see Lucas Bouchard looking simultaneously amused and guilty. "I'm so sorry to startle you, Ms. Delaney. It wasn't my intention, I assure you. I thought you heard me walk in.

Christine pressed her hand firmly against her heart and chuckled. She could still feel her heart racing from her scare. "I should have been paying more attention, Mr. Bouchard. If I had been, I would have heard you and greeted you when you came in. I was just making a mental list and was concentrating on remembering this one particular recipe, so I didn't hear the door open."

Lucas laughed and Christine was glad to see that he didn't seem offended. One of her old roommates at her boarding house in Calgary always seemed to be offended when Christine was startled by her.

"What's the recipe for?" Lucas questioned when he had stopped laughing.

"My mother's fried chicken. The spices she uses are incredible. Honestly, better than Bill's, although don't tell him I said so. Fiona and I are having Kevin and the Grants over for lunch tomorrow, and that's what we're serving."

"That sounds like a charming way to spend an afternoon," Lucas reflected.

"Fiona and I have decided to make it a tradition. On Sunday afternoons, we invite a few friends over for a meal to get to know people better and christen our home. I think we're planning on keeping it up at least until we've had everyone over once. Sunday lunch was something my parents always made a big deal out of. Every Sunday, they would have as many people over for lunch as they could fit at our table. It was their way of making their community their family."

When Lucas gave her a questioning glance, she explained. "Mum and Dad couldn't have kids of their own, but family was really important to them. So they created their own family. They got really involved at church, from Mother playing the piano and Father singing in the choir to inviting others into their home for meals. It was their way of making people feel like family. They led Sunday school too, which led them to my brother Henry, who was abused and neglected by his biological family. So they took him in when he was about twelve. Then about a year later, the pastor heard about the fire that killed my parents and (he thought) my brother. He knew Mum and Dad were caring and generous and asked if they would take me in. And then we were four."

"That's beautiful. And utterly unsurprising, given what I've seen in your parents. They are a remarkable pair, truly. I hope to be as devoted to my spouse as they are."

Christine nodded. "Yes, they are quite special. I wouldn't trade them for the world."

"I can see that," Lucas responded warmly. "It's obvious how much you love and respect them. You have a unique bond with them, one I'm a bit envious of, to be honest."

"I thought you and your parents are close," Christine commented, taking a half step toward Lucas.

Lucas paused and furrowed his brow for a moment before responding. "We are, in our way. But my parents don't talk to me about marriage and life the way your parents did. I mean, my father told me about falling in love with my mother and waiting for her to be willing to consider him, but they never shared with me the hard things in their marriage. Your parents barely knew me and they spoke freely about the challenges of their marriage. I can only imagine what they've shared with you and your brother over the years."

"You know, I'd never thought about that before. But you're right. Mum and Dad have always been really good at communicating with each other, even in conflict. At least as long as I've known them. And because they could communicate things with each other, they could communicate them to us when things had been resolved, or at least addressed."

Lucas nodded. "I hope to be able to communicate like that with the woman I marry."

"It's a serious thing, choosing the person you'll spend your life with. It's not a choice to be made lightly," Christine added, absentmindedly rubbing the empty spot on her ring finger that had once carried Boyd's engagement ring.

"You were engaged once?" Lucas asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.

Christine felt her cheeks redden, and she looked down at the book in her hands instead of at her companion. "I was."

Lucas's voice was surprisingly gentle when he responded. "I'm sorry that it ended."

Christine looked up at him. "I'm not. I was for a while, but not anymore. Boyd was my boss's son. He was charming and exciting, and I was so swept up in all of that. Not to mention that Mr. Kingsley intentionally threw us together all the time. But I let myself get so caught up in the superficial niceties that I missed the most important signs that something was wrong. Boyd and I were vitally different in the foundations of our lives. I knew that my most core principles were not things that he had any interest in. He mocked my desire to be a part of a church community. He didn't respect the boundaries I set in our relationship. He refused to accept my need for deep relationships with my family. And I still agreed to marry him." She took a deep breath. "I'm just glad I realized what a mistake it would have been before I actually married him. I'm not a very bold woman by nature, but in the end I knew that I couldn't go through with a wedding to a man who didn't really love the Lord."

Even when she stopped talking, Lucas stayed silent, watching her face closely. Christine smiled ruefully and shrugged. "It's not something I could ever recommend, but that experience taught me a lot of things, and I'm glad to have had my parents to fall back on when I needed them."

"How long has it been?" Lucas asked cautiously.

"It's been almost two years since I first met Boyd. We were engaged about six months later for about 8 months. It's under a year since I saw him last. I went back to my parents' home and then went to Benson Hills to stay with my brother and his wife and stepson when they were first posted there, and then back to Mum and Dad in Athabasca Landing for about a few months until I got a letter from Henry telling me that he thought my long-lost brother was here in Hope Valley."

"Do you still love him?" Lucas's face had lost the cautious expression and was now just probing, gauging her reaction.

Christine paused for a moment and closed her eyes, tilting her head a little. But before she could answer, the door banged open.

"There you are Chrissie! Fiona told me you might be here. Oh! Hi there Lucas," Elizabeth gave a little wave.

Christine turned to her cousin. "Hi Elizabeth. You were looking for me?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I was hoping you could do me a huge favor? Nathan and I are having dinner tonight, and Laura was supposed to watch Jack, but she got sick."

"I would be happy to watch him for you, of course. What time?"

Elizabeth beamed. "Thank you! Could you come around 5? Nathan said he would come by around 5:15."

Christine smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'll be there." She looked at her cousin's bright eyes. "I'm really happy for you. And Nathan. He really lucked out."

Elizabeth flushed and her eyes darted briefly to Lucas before returning to Christine. "I should probably head back. Rosemary is watching Jack right now, but I know she and Lee had some plans for this afternoon. I'll see you tonight."

Christine waved as her cousin turned and walked back out to the street, closing the door behind her. When Christine turned her attention back to Lucas, his cheeks were red too, and he was looking at the floor.

"Is everything okay?" Christine asked, confused at his sudden embarrassment.

Lucas looked at her, a puzzled look in his eyes. "Of course. I'm sorry for prying about your previous relationship. It's none of my business."

Christine gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I would have refused to answer if I was really uncomfortable telling you about it."

Lucas nodded. "Well, I should probably go. I just came by to pick this up," he said, holding up a copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet. "I've got some things I need to do this afternoon."

"Okay. Enjoy the rest of your day!" she said with a wave as Lucas hastily left the library. When he was gone, she mused aloud, "That was a bit strange…"

Immediately upon leaving the library, Lucas headed straight for the woods. He needed to clear his head. There were a lot of things he needed to process through from his few minutes at the library. He should have guessed sooner that Christine had been engaged. He had known she was a bit sensitive to talks about conflict and romantic ends, he'd seen that sadness in her eyes, and heck, he definitely knew how strongly she felt about a fictional orphan girl choosing "the right man." "I should have seen this!" he exclaimed loudly. He stopped walking and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and took a moment just to take stock of his emotions.

He was a little jealous and disappointed. Christine's history with another man didn't mean that she would never fall in love again, but it made him realize how much he really liked her. But like her cousin, when they met she was still grieving. He knew he couldn't disrupt the process because that would hurt them both, as he'd learned.

He also felt like a bit of a fool. Some part of his mind and heart was so sure that she reciprocated his feelings. But it was highly unlikely if she broke off an engagement less than a year ago. And he felt his foolishness was compounded by the fact that he had quite recently been passed over romantically by Elizabeth, a close friend and relative of Christine's.

But in spite of all of this, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was attracted to Christine, that he really liked her. He sighed. It hadn't been very long since Elizabeth had chosen Nathan over him. Surely it was too soon for him to have moved on. And his awkwardness when Christine had commented on how "lucky" Nathan was to receive Elizabeth's affections told him that he was still feeling strange about the whole affair, although he felt no ill-will toward either of them any longer. He didn't know what to think. So he carried on, determined to walk until he could make some sort of sense of his emotions.

Lucas walked for almost an hour in the woods but found that he was no closer to having an answer to his emotional puzzle. But he was supposed to be behind the bar that afternoon, so he headed back to town. When he arrived at the saloon, there was the town's beloved doctor, sitting at the bar with what appeared to be a letter. Lucas grinned wryly, assuming the letter was from the nurse, Faith Carter.

"Carson, what brings you in this afternoon?" Lucas asked casually as he rolled up his sleeves and stepped back behind the bar.

Carson Shepherd looked up from the letter in his hands. "Hi Lucas. I'm just here for lunch. I don't have any patients this afternoon, so I thought I would take a long break and enjoy some of Gustav's famous goulash."

Lucas nodded. "Has anyone put that order in for you yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. Emily brought me my iced tea, but she looked pretty overwhelmed, so I told her I could wait. I'm in no rush, after all."

"Well I'll take care of it right now," Lucas assured him, while mentally making a note that he should hire another waitress for the weekends.

Carson smiled and nodded. "That sounds great, thanks Lucas."

Lucas sent back the order to Gustav and then came back to Carson to refill his drink. As he took the glass from him, Lucas inquired, "So is that a letter from Faith?"

Carson's smile widened. "Yes. She's settled into her boarding house and has made some friends. There's one other woman in her classes, and they've been studying together. It sounds like she's too busy to be homesick, which is good for her."

Lucas smiled at his friend. "I'm glad she's doing well. We all miss her a lot, and I know I'm ready for her to be back already, so I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

The doctor shrugged. "Honestly, I do miss her a lot, but I'm really proud of her for pursuing her dreams. And because of that I can't quite wish for her to be back so soon. I am planning on visiting her for Christmas, though."

"That should be fun. We'll have to get everyone together to make up a care package for you to bring to her. Something to let her know how much we all love her and are thinking of her."

"I'm sure she would love that," Carson said with a huge smile.

Lucas nodded at the man as he went through the motions of his work: cleaning glasses, straightening bottles, and wiping down the counter. And when Gustav had prepared Carson's goulash, Lucas brought it over to him.

"Thanks. Are you okay?" Carson asked, making Lucas pause in surprise.

"Certainly, why wouldn't I be?" he responded, his brow rising.

"I don't know, you just seem a little off today. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's almost like you're just a split second off the beat."

Lucas shrugged. "I've just got some things on my mind."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

He hesitated just a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think so."

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Lucas nodded and smiled. "Thank you, my friend. Now, if you'll excuse me," and he headed back to the kitchen to grab Mike's food on the way over to his table.

That evening, Christine headed over to Elizabeth's row house a little earlier than she was expected. It was a surprisingly warm evening for so late in the year, and she wanted to enjoy her walk. She strolled along, cutting across the field next to the school and admiring all of the wildflowers growing there. She was surprised to see the light on in the school on a Saturday night. So, after checking her watch to make sure she had enough time for the delay, she walked cautiously up to the front door and knocked, before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Good evening Miss Delaney, how are you?" called Pastor Zeke from the pulpit that had been moved to the front of the classroom.

"Pastor Zeke! I'm doing well, thank you! I'm sorry for bothering you, I was just headed to Elizabeth's and saw the lights on here. I thought I would check to make sure everything's okay."

"Oh, you're not bothering me at all. I was just finishing up. I like to do a practice run of my sermons on Saturday evenings."

"That's really interesting. It's funny, I never gave too much thought to how pastors prepare for Sunday mornings, even though my parents were both Sunday school teachers when I was a little girl, and they spent several hours per week getting ready."

The pastor smiled at her. "It's easy to forget that pastors are people too. With families and lives and nerves." He shrugged. "Practicing giving my sermon aloud to an empty room has always calmed my nerves. It's a technique my mother taught me. But I'm done for the evening, so I was going to head back to the preacherage."

"Of course. It was good to see you, Pastor," Christine said with a smile as she moved back toward the door.

"Miss Delaney, may I escort you to Mrs. Thornton's? It's on my way, and I would hate to leave you to walk alone as it's getting dark."

Christine paused for a moment, hesitating for a split second before responding. "That would be lovely, thank you."

Zeke quickly gathered up his notes and his Bible and walked down the aisle to meet Christine at the entrance. After turning off the lights, the pair stepped into the cool night.

"So Miss Delaney, we haven't had an opportunity to really get to know each other. How did you end up here in Hope Valley?" he asked. "I don't believe you had arrived yet when I first came to settle in and perform the Flynn's wedding."

"No, I arrived only a few days before your return. My brother Kevin is the blacksmith here, and we were separated as children when our parents died, but my adopted brother investigated for me and helped me find Kevin. And then I just sort of decided to stay. Because Elizabeth Thatcher is my adopted cousin and Nathan Grant was one of my brother's best friends and, I don't know, Hope Valley just started to feel like the right place to settle in. Especially after my complicated ending in Calgary."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Calgary was my home until not long ago, and I'm quite fond of the city."

"Really? You lived in Calgary?"

Her companion nodded. "I was born and raised there. My father is a businessman. He works in publishing. And my brother is a doctor, and my sister married one of my father's employees. They all still live there. I was the only one who decided to leave. The call to ministry isn't only a call to a specific profession, but also where to practice that ministry. And I believe that Hope Valley is where I've been called."

"Well, I can say that many people in town are very glad you're here, Pastor. I know they've had a bit of a hard time finding a pastor who sticks around. At least, from what Elizabeth's told me, that's true. And I've really appreciated your sermons. I admire your enthusiasm and authenticity in the pulpit."

"Thank you Miss Delaney. That's very kind of you to say. I just speak as the Lord leads."

Before she had even realized it, Christine and the pastor had arrived at the Thornton's door. "It was a pleasure talking with you. I hope to see you at church tomorrow."

"You certainly will. Good evening, Pastor Zeke." Christine waved as she knocked on the door to Elizabeth's home.

Elizabeth opened the door breathlessly. "Christine, you're early!"

Christine shrugged. "Sorry. It was such a nice evening, I left early, planning to walk slowly. I guess it wasn't quite slowly enough."

Elizabeth laughed. "You're fine. I was just a little surprised. You're always welcome! Do you mind if I go finish getting ready?"

"Of course not, go finish!" Christine said with a wave as she walked to the table and set down her basket.

"You should come sit with me while I do. I would love to catch up for a few minutes!" Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Sure!" So Christine followed Elizabeth up the stairs of her house and into her bedroom.

Elizabeth moved to her jewelry box and pulled a pair of earrings out, holding them to her ears and checking her reflection in the mirror. "So Christine, what were you looking for at the library this morning?"

Christine smiled. "Oh, I was just browsing. There's something about being so surrounded by books. There's just so much potential-so much hope. So I walked around and looked, but I didn't find anything that particularly stood out to me. And anyway, Mother is sending me the next Anne book, and that's supposed to get here any day now. But speaking of the library-" she began, unsure how to word the question that had so suddenly emerged in her mind.

Elizabeth turned from the mirror to look at her cousin perched carefully at the foot of her bed. "What is it?"

"Things seemed very… awkward there for a minute. Is there some conflict between you and Lucas that I didn't know about?"

Elizabeth colored and set down her earrings. "Not exactly. You just… inadvertently hit on a sore spot between us."

Christine raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Her cousin walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. "Lucas and Nathan were both vying for my affections when they first got to town. It intensified for a while, and Lucas was pursuing me pretty clearly, in spite of my verbalized hesitations. I think he really thought I was going to choose him. And then I didn't. So when you said that Nathan was lucky to be with me…"

"Oh goodness. Poor Lucas." Christine sighed. "I should have kept my mouth shut."

"Don't worry about it, Chrissie. Lucas and I are fine. I don't think that he harbors any hard feelings toward me or Nathan. It just hit a little close to home." Elizabeth paused and gave her cousin a piercing glance. "What were you talking about with Lucas before I arrived, anyway? Because that looked like an intense conversation that I interrupted."

Christine flushed and looked away. "Oh, um… Lucas was asking about Boyd. Well, we were talking about marriage generally, and then I alluded to my previous engagement, and he asked about it. And I was just telling him about my mistakes." She waited, and Elizabeth said nothing, so finally, she looked at her.

Elizabeth had raised one eyebrow, but not in a condemning way. More surprised looking than anything else. Eventually, she responded. "You never talk about Boyd. Not with me. Not with Nathan. Not with Fiona or Kevin."

Christine scrunched her brow. "Have you been talking about me behind my back?" she asked incredulously.

Elizabeth stood back up and straightened her skirt. "I just… I worry that you haven't processed your grief. So, when Aunt Beth was here, I asked how she thought you were doing. And she said she thought you were doing a lot better, but she didn't think you had shared much, which is important. So I've been asking discreetly. Not to be nosy, but to be your caring older cousin who looks out for you."

Christine sighed. "I suppose I can't be upset with that." She stood up and followed Elizabeth back in front of the mirror. She picked up a silver pair of earrings with a pearl drop. "Wear these. They're perfect. And next time, just ask me directly. You know I'll be honest with you."

Elizabeth nodded, taking the earrings and putting them in. "You're right, of course." She giggled. "I've clearly been spending too much time with Rosemary."

Christine laughed with her. "If Rosemary pushes her way into her friends' business because she cares about them and wants them to be okay, there are worse people you could be emulating," she said after their laughter had subsided.

Elizabeth pulled her cousin into a deep hug. "I love you Chrissie, and I want you to be happy and fulfilled in life. And you can't do that if you're closed off from people."

Christine nodded. "I know. Thank you for looking out for me. And I really am working on being more open about my history. After all, I told Lucas, well, kind of a lot about it."

The women stopped in the nursery to check on the sleeping toddler, before heading downstairs. "He went down for his nap kind of late, so don't be surprised if he fusses when you try to put him down for bed after dinner."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. As Elizabeth walked over to open it, she turned to her cousin. "And don't think we won't be discussing why you've been so willing to open up to Lucas Bouchard before your own family," she said with a coy smile.