Although the stew Lucas forced down tasted like mud, which he didn't think Gustave would appreciate, Lucas knew it wasn't his French chef's fault for his lack of enjoyment in the meal. He ate for the sake of survival and nothing more. All the dinners and picnics he'd shared with Elizabeth played through his mind as he ate alone in his office.

"To us," Elizabeth had toasted.

He migrated from his office to the balcony. Lucas frowned at his teacup and took another sip of the bland lukewarm liquid. His typical teacup might be forever replacing any toasting wine glasses. He stood, watching life continue in Hope Valley, oblivious to his inner turmoil. As he raised the cup to his bearded lips, Lucas morosely marvelled that the inner battles fought for love were just as tragic as the ones on bloodied battlefields. There was loss either way, and no one came away the same afterward.

He was whisked from his thoughts when he spotted Elizabeth walking in the street. She must have finished at the school. Just as Lucas thought to call down to her, in the hope of continuing their interrupted conversation, Nathan came riding along on his horse. Lucas scowled and watched the scene play out in front of him, like he was a mere spectator and had no bearing on the words the actors on stage said.

"I wanted to tell you earlier how much it means to me what you said at the wedding. You don't blame me for Jack's death." Nathan stared down at Elizabeth as he spoke.

Although Lucas strained to hear the words, he caught enough to know the Mountie referred to the night before.

Elizabeth gazed up at him for a few seconds before replying. "Well, I'm glad. And I hope we're able to put this behind us."

Lucas stiffened and clutched his cup with his free hand, eyes glued to the pair.

"Have a good day," Nathan said and started to ride off. He held something out. "Oh, look, I found my glove."

Elizabeth gave him a closed-mouth smile. Then she glanced up, right at Lucas. Her smile slowly faded.

Lucas met her gaze and opened his mouth. His brow furrowed, his expression pained.

"Lucas," came Henry's voice below.

Lucas turned his head toward the co-owner of Gowen Petroleum.

"I meant to tell you that Mike Hickham asked for a couple of days off."

"Your company to run, Henry."

"He's a good man. I trust him with running the entire operation."

"You do what you think's right."

"Afternoon." Henry flashed a smile and touched the brim of his hat, then walked away.

Lucas sighed and went inside. He forced down the last dregs of the now-cold tea and went into the saloon to ensure everything was running as it should. The late afternoon crowd was thin. Dinner was still a couple of hours away. The opening of the door caught his attention.

Elizabeth, he thought, relief and anxiety coursing through him in equal measures. Lucas inhaled deeply through his nose, then released the breath slowly through his parted lips and turned to face her.

"Lucas." She said his name with a sense of urgency as she stood before him, clutching a basket.

Gazing into her blue eyes and lovely face, Lucas asked, "Is everything all right?" He longed to know the answer. He dreaded the reply.

"I'm not sure." She seemed apologetic as she shifted.

"What do you mean?" His palms grew sweaty. Longing for something to do with his hands, Lucas stuffed them in his pockets. His eyes travelled to Elizabeth's hands. How he longed to take hers and hold them, to erase any memory of Nathan grasping those same delicate fingers.

"Can we… Is there somewhere we can talk more privately?"

"We can go to my office."

Elizabeth seemed torn, then nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Okay."

"This way." He gestured, inviting her to go first.

As he followed, Lucas couldn't help the thud of his heartbeat pounding in his head. With each step, the hammering on his mind reinforced his growing apprehension.

Upon entering his office, both stared at the loveseat they'd shared the last time they had occupied this cozy space.

"Would you...care to sit?" Lucas offered.

She spun in place, her grip tightening on her basket. "I'll be brief. I'm sorry, Lucas, but I can't stay long. I've been working at the school all day, and I need to get back to Little Jack."

"Of course." Lucas tried to smile, but the tautness on his cheeks told him it was a grimace. He knew when his trademark dimples weren't showing.

"As Minnie told you, the school inspector is in town. It's all very unexpected. There's talk of major changes coming to the school in Hope Valley." Elizabeth said everything in a rush, like she couldn't get the words out fast enough.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lucas deflated some, honestly concerned. "Do you know what it's about?"

"Not entirely," she confessed, "but that's not all."

Lucas nodded.

"Last night-"

"Before you say anything more, Elizabeth, I feel I must tell you I saw you and Nathan standing outside, holding hands. I saw you leave the party with him."

Elizabeth's eyes enlarged. "Were you spying on us?"

Her words lanced his heart and twisted like a jagged piece of glass. "How can you say that?"

She stepped back. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I…"

"As I said earlier, I had no intention of bringing this up, but since it's on the table, I feel I must be completely honest with you, Elizabeth. You know I've never been anything but."

"Okay…" Elizabeth drew the word out with uncertainty.

"I told you I would be okay with a friendship between you and Nathan. I trusted...trust your judgment on that." He realized his slip up but continued before he lost his resolve to speak his heart. "But Nathan won't accept only friendship from you. When you told me about him confessing his love for you a second time, that only reaffirmed it."

"I never asked him to feel that way about me," Elizabeth nearly pleaded. "I told you, Lucas; I didn't say anything. I left."

"Yet you were holding his hands last night!"

Elizabeth stared at him in horror, like she didn't know the man in front of her. Mouth agape, eyes glistening, she stepped back again, putting more distance between them. Making physical the emotional distance Lucas had been feeling for days from her. When she blinked, a tear escaped. She turned for the door.

Lucas reached for her hand. He clasped it like a man holding onto a cliff, moments before falling to his doom. "Elizabeth, please…" He choked every word. "I didn't mean…"

Elizabeth released a sob, withdrew her hand, and fled. The door closed, closing her heart to him.

Lucas stood there, alone, so very alone. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't believe he had lost her. His Elizabeth. The woman he loved. The woman he wished he'd told, "I love you."

Unable to withstand the burden of his pain a moment longer, his knees buckled, and he crashed to the Persian rug on his unforgiving office floor.

"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not."

The words fell from his lips like little tear drops. His sorrows rained, poured.

"It's from a novel. It's about a man who falls in love with a woman who ultimately rejects him." His words from the life-giving, heart-filled summer came back to him, a ghost that he imagined would haunt him until his dying day.

Lucas' life was no novel. He was a real, breathing man who had fallen in love with a woman who ultimately rejected him.