"Dinner was delicious, Nathan. Thank you." Elizabeth's soft words floated across the table, and Jack could have sworn his neighbor's ears reddened.

"I'm glad you liked it," he said, gazing into her eyes.

Jack smiled to himself. He was watching two people fall in love before his very eyes. He knew it was early in their relationship, but it was so obvious that they were meant to be together. He wondered how long they would be able to keep it to themselves.

"Alright, Allie," Nathan said, scooting his chair back. "Say goodnight to Uncle Jack and Miss Thatcher."

Allie rose, giving Elizabeth a hug and then Jack. She looked up at Nathan. "Can Uncle Jack tell me another story, Daddy?" she asked, pleading with her eyes.

"Oh, Allie, Uncle Jack has to go to work soon," Nathan said regretfully.

Jack looked at his watch. He still had thirty minutes before he had to be at the station. "I've got some time," he said, smiling at Allie. "I'd be happy to put her to bed, if that's alright with you."

Nathan looked surprised. "That's fine, Jack. If you're sure."

Jack nodded, scooping Allie up into his arms. "I'm sure." He grinned at the little girl. "Let's go talk about Princess Allie's new bunny friend."

Allie giggled in delight. Nathan and Elizabeth began clearing the table as Jack took Allie to her room. She got her pajamas out of a drawer and then headed for the door. "Be right back!" she chirped.

Jack smiled, looking around the room. It was a little girl's paradise, with pink everything and lots of stuffed animals and dolls. Jack wondered if Nathan had put it together or if Allie's mother had. He figured the latter was more likely.

Allie was back within a few minutes, in her pajamas and sporting a wide smile. "I brushed my teeth!" she announced proudly.

Jack chuckled. "Good girl. Ready for your story?"

Allie nodded. Jack helped her get settled, then sat next to her. "Once upon a time…"

The story lasted ten minutes. Allie began nodding off near the end, telling Jack it was time to tuck her in. "The end," he said softly, pulling the covers over the little girl.

"Thanks, Uncle Jack," Allie muttered sleepily, reaching up to give him a hug.

"You're welcome, Allie-girl," Jack said. Something inside of him melted at Allie's lack of reserve and her sweetness. In a few short weeks, he had grown very fond of the little girl. He was thankful that they were neighbors. "Goodnight."

He quietly closed her door, then headed for the kitchen, where Nathan and Elizabeth were just finishing their clean up. Nathan glanced up. "Thank you, Jack. I'm glad Allie trusts you like that. It does my heart good to see her open up."

Jack smiled. "To be honest, it does me good as well. You're raising a wonderful child, Nathan."

Nathan's throat worked for a moment, but he smiled back. "Thanks," he rasped. "I appreciate that."

"No problem," Jack responded. He looked at the clock again. "I've got to get going." He grinned between his two friends. "You two have a good night, and try not to get into trouble."

Elizabeth blushed while Nathan shook his head, laughing. "We're going to watch a movie," he said. "The Greatest Showman."

"Good movie," Jack said. "Enjoy! I'll see you both soon."

"Bye, Jack," Elizabeth said, giving him a hug. "You be safe at work."

"I'll do my best," Jack promised, smiling. "Normally night shifts are very uneventful."

Five minutes later, he was eating his words. His monitor buzzed on the way to the station. "Thornton," he said.

Bill's voice came over the line. "We need you to head to the university," he said. "A young woman was attacked and the perp got away. Go see what you can find."

Jack's heart dropped. He had an intense dislike for men who misused their strength to harm women. His lips hardened into a firm line. "I'm on my way."

He reached the university in record time, finding the correct place by the flashing police lights on squad cars. Getting out of his car, he strode toward the park bench where he could see Officer Gowen speaking to a woman.

"Hey, Henry," Jack said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Mind if I ask her a few questions?"

"Not at all," Henry said. "She hasn't said much to me, though. I hope you can get something out of her."

Jack smiled his acknowledgement, then sat beside the distraught woman. "I'm Detective Thornton," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid I need to ask you a few questions, ma'am."

She looked up sharply, tears streaking her face. "Jack?" she whispered, shivering.

Jack's mouth dropped. "Rosie?"

"Jack!" she cried again, throwing herself into his arms. Jack's eyes widened in shock, his arms automatically catching his life-long friend and former love. Rosemary sobbed against his chest. Jack slowly ran a hand up and down her upper back, trying to provide comfort, getting angrier by the moment at the man who had attacked her.

Their personal history notwithstanding, no one deserved to be treated like this. He could feel Rosemary's blood seeping into his shirt. Her forehead and cheeks had several cuts, bruises already forming on her face and arms. "What happened?" he whispered, afraid to know the answer.

She shuddered against him. "I don't know," she said hoarsely. "One minute I was walking to my car, and the next I was being assaulted." She sniffed. "But I fought him." Jack could feel her spirit flowing back into her body. She sat up straight, holding her head high. "And I daresay he looks just as bad as I do."

Jack couldn't help a small smile. "That's the Rosie I know," he said, placing a hand over hers. He swallowed hard, needing to ask the next question but afraid of the answer. "Did he...did he…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, but Rosemary understood his implication.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "That was clearly his intent, but he didn't expect a fight."

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "That's one piece of good news." He smiled. "And good for you for fighting back."

She looked at him with pure vulnerability in her eyes. "I had a good self-defense teacher," she said softly.

Jack squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you remembered your lessons."

An ambulance pulled up, and Jack stood. "You're going to have to go with them," he said. "I'm going to look for clues as to where this man went. And I'll need to talk with you again for a description."

Rosemary nodded, shivering once more under the blanket she had been given. "Jack…" she said, swallowing.

He tilted his head. "Yes?"

She bit her lip before plunging ahead. "I think we need to talk. Once this has settled a bit."

Jack knew she was right. He nodded slowly, both dreading the conversation they needed to have and hoping it would bring some needed closure. "We will, Rosie. I promise."

Nathan pointed the remote at his TV, turning the power off. The movie had ended, but he had been too distracted to pay much attention. He and Elizabeth had started off sitting next to each other with a respectable distance between them, but somehow over the course of the movie they had ended up snuggled together. He looked down at her with a smile. She had fallen asleep on his chest halfway through and was breathing deeply. She looked so peaceful, Nathan hated to wake her. But he knew he had to. Part of him was tempted to just let her sleep through the night, but he knew that would not be appropriate.

"Elizabeth," he said softly, brushing a curl of hair from her cheek. "Wake up."

She nestled her head against his chest with a little grunt. "Mmm," she murmured, her eyes opening briefly before closing again. Her arms tightened around him, making Nathan catch his breath. "Five more minutes."

He chuckled. "Do you say that every morning?"

She blinked, her eyes finally coming open fully. "Morning? Is it morning?" She sat up straight, almost looking to be in a panic. "Did I spend the night?"

"No," Nathan said, quick to assure her. "You just fell asleep during the movie. It's only nine o'clock right now."

Elizabeth let out a breath, relaxing against the couch. "Good." She smiled sheepishly. "I have a rule about not spending the night at a man's house."

Nathan smiled. "That's a good rule. I happen to have the same rule myself."

Elizabeth raised a brow with a teasing smile. Nathan rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She chuckled. "Yes, I do. And I'm glad we agree on that."

"Speaking of agreeing on things," Nathan said slowly, taking her hand in his, "we don't really know that much about each other."

Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "That's a good point. It's only been a few weeks, hasn't it?"

Nathan nodded. Elizabeth shook her head, letting out another breath. "It feels like longer," she admitted. "I feel like I know you, but the reality is that I really don't."

"I feel the same way," Nathan said. "This connection between us is deep and has the potential to lead somewhere. But we have to get to know each other to know if it's the kind of connection that would last a lifetime, or if it's simply an attraction."

Elizabeth smiled wryly. "I think this is more than simply an attraction, Nathan."

He laughed softly. "I think you're right. But I also think we need to spend time getting to know each other." He hesitated, a thought coming to mind that he didn't like, but a thought that he knew was prudent. "I made the mistake before of falling hard and fast, Elizabeth, thinking I had a connection with someone. It turned out I was wrong. I made some mistakes in that relationship, mistakes I don't want to make with you." He reached out to cup her cheek. "I think what you and I have is stronger than that was. And in a way, that frightens me. I don't want to make the mistake of thinking attraction and feelings of connectivity are the basis for a relationship." He swallowed. "What would you say if I asked that we keep things between us at a minimum physically until we've had some time to get to know each other?"

Elizabeth tilted her head, studying him with an inscrutable look on her face. Nathan wasn't sure if he'd said something wrong. He waited for her answer, not realizing he was holding his breath.

Finally, she smiled. "Thank you, Nathan."

He blinked. "Thank you?"

She nodded, tears in her eyes. 'What you said tells me that you respect me, that you're not just wanting some casual fling. You want to get to know me. That means more than you know." She smiled. "So I say yes." Chuckling, she leaned back. "Though you realize this isn't going to be easy, right?"

Nathan nodded. "Oh, I know. Believe me, I know." Their kiss at the restaurant had told him just how far they could fall in a short amount of time. He had been completely lost in that kiss, his passion for her stunning him. Elizabeth had returned his kiss with a matching passion, and they had gotten lost in each other. It had been wonderful. The taste of her lips and the feel of her body against his were heady. But he knew one kiss was one thing; if they continued down that road at the pace they were going, it would be too much, too soon. He needed an emotional connection with her that matched their physical connection. Nathan had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they knew whether they were right for each other, but he needed to travel that road. As did Elizabeth.

He took both her hands in his. "I also think this will be good for keeping our relationship a secret. If we're kissing on a regular basis, it's going to be a lot harder to keep our feelings hidden from the rest of the world." He laughed. "Jack knows, of course, as does Lucas. But they don't have to know that we're dating. Unless you want them to."

Elizabeth exhaled. "The less people that know, the better," she said. "I don't mind Jack and Lucas knowing, since they are friends and have been supportive. But until this school year is over, it might be best to keep it hidden." She chuckled softly. "Though I have to admit, Nathan, I don't know if I can keep this a secret that long."

"Me neither," he admitted. "I'd love to shout from the rooftops that we're dating. But that probably wouldn't be prudent. Technically, we're not even officially a couple."

"We're not?" Elizabeth asked, raising a brow.

Nathan smiled at her. "Are you telling me you'd be comfortable thinking of me as your boyfriend? Less than three weeks into knowing each other?"

She bit her lip. "I guess not. You have a point." She looked at him. "So how long are you thinking we refrain from kissing?"

Nathan thought for a moment. "How about at least until Christmas? I know that's over two months away, but it's not that long in the grand scheme of things."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "I can accept that. On one condition."

Tilting his head, Nathan studied her. "What's that?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "One kiss now. To hold us over until the end of December."

Nathan blinked in surprise as his heart started racing at the look in her eyes. He nodded with a little smile. "I think I can handle that."

Elizabeth smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning closer. "Good," she whispered, closing her eyes in anticipation. Nathan didn't keep her waiting. He pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers in a long, slow kiss. He deliberately held the reins on his passion, knowing that he could easily lose control if he didn't. And he respected Elizabeth too much to risk that. They were practically alone in his home, which was dangerous enough. He had no intention of adding fuel to the fire.

Time once more stood still as he kissed her, loving the feel of her lips against his and the way she made him feel. He knew without a doubt that their connection was real, and he couldn't wait to get to know her better. Nathan also knew that he could very quickly and easily fall in love with Elizabeth Thatcher.

It was only a matter of time.

He slowly pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. Though their kiss hadn't been passionate like their first kiss was, it had been tender and long, enough to make them both breathless.

"I should get going," Elizabeth said softly. "I have to be in early tomorrow."

Nathan nodded as they both stood. He walked her to the door. Elizabeth looked up at him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Thank you again, Nathan," she said. "You have no idea how cherished and protected I feel right now. I think this is a good idea."

He smiled down at her. "How about a date in two days? We can go for dinner a couple towns over so no one from Hope Valley would know. And we can start finding out more about each other. I can pick you up at 5:00 that evening?"

"Perfect," Elizabeth said. "I look forward to it." She smiled. "Goodnight, Nathan."

"Goodnight, Elizabeth," he said. "Sweet dreams."

She laughed softly. "Oh, they will be."