Author's Note: thank you again for those of you who continue to read this story and for those who take the time to review and let me know what you think, - especially LJD, Jacki Foster, HopeValleyOwl, Michelle, MamaBethany, Debbie Matke, Rockchelle, LukeBethStan,Saseli777,sd,metacaroliner,guests and others who have recently reviewed . PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING. IT ENCOURAGES ME TO WRITE QUICKER.

A couple of comments based upon things some of the reviewers have said (publicly and privately). 1) I do not work in the medical field. The treatments, procedures and drugs used at the time have all been gleaned from researching medical books pre 1920 (available online at for those wanting to research themselves). 2)I'm sorry the story is still depressing to several of you, but Lucas has been through a major life-altering trauma that I feel it would be very hard for him to quickly bounce back from- so, unfortunately, there will be some struggles for him along the way (some of which will be very hard). But, just hang in there with me for a little while. Lucas and Elizabeth will be happy. It's coming. 3)I'm glad you like Emily. Nathan's love interest needs to be someone pretty special; someone who can challenge him but also pet on him because I think Nathan needs that kind of love. Elizabeth saw him as impeccable (and I truly understand why it still stings for team Nathan people to see her with Lucas) but Emily will see, understand, and appreciate Nathan in full. Or at least, that's my intent. But, for now, I return you to our story.

Nathan stood at the depot waiting for his return trip to Hope Valley. It had been an interesting voyage and one he would not soon forget. He had begun the trip with duty and gratitude in mind but by the time he left, he felt a connection to his former rival that he hadn't expected. Expecting Lucas to be antipathetic and distant from him he was surprised when Bouchard had made it his business to tend to Nathan's personal happiness. But now, as he looked at it all in retrospect, he had to consider that perhaps he had misread the man – just as he had misread …

Oh well. That's history. He thought, trying to convince himself it was true.

But, perhaps it could be… Emily Reardon was a delightful woman to be around. Smart, spunky, beautiful and easy to talk to, she understood what it was like to put her life on the line to save others and was accepting of his calling. Her upbringing was similar to his own, growing up in a rural area with just one parent who was present full time – working hard to make ends meet. And, he could see where she would both challenge him as well as embrace that part of him which he tried to keep hidden – but sometimes couldn't help but show openly. Yes, he had to admit that he often wore his heart out on his sleeve and more times than one that heart had gotten broken. Elizabeth was a heavy blow, but perhaps it would be as Pastor Canfield had told him, losing Elizabeth just meant that God had someone better. Perhaps that someone was Emily Reardon. Perhaps.

Back at the hospital, Emily sat at her desk filling out some routine paperwork and thinking about the tall stranger whom she had met on her train trip home back from a nurses conference in Seattle. Ever since Amy had passed, she had found solace in her work – at first doubling up on her assistance in the defeat of the Germanic Central Powers and then in just trying to help as many soldiers as she could to survive and be able to one day return to the life they had, not knowing that would forever be changed. So bloody and awful was that conflict that she wondered what it was about - and was it worth it? So much death and destruction on both sides, surely men could find a better way to settle their disagreements.

Returning home about six months before wars' end, she could not get away from the open scars and wounds of the heart created by the loss of so many she knew and held dear so, she decided to start anew. A life in America seemed just the ticket to forget the life she loathed and with her expertise on the field, Johns Hopkins afforded her the opportunity she sought. It was just what she needed.

Arriving in Baltimore in the fall of 1918, she became Carson Shepherd's assistant from the start. Oft times he would speak of home, of a doctor whom he seemed very fond of named Faith Carter and of several of the others. She had heard the name Lucas once or twice in passing but he'd never mentioned Nathan Grant by name and therefore she was just as surprised as he when they met again at the hospital. Likewise, she was surprised by how quickly they hit it off. Perhaps it was the honest expression in his eyes or that hint of vulnerability that she felt lay just underneath the surface, but she immediately felt drawn to him and despite the fact that they agreed to keep in touch (for stated purpose of seeing how Lucas was progressing- though both knew that wasn't the only reason) she already found herself missing him. She hoped he would write soon.

Lee Coulter sat at a table at Abigail's café waiting for his old friend, Garrison James, to arrive on the coach from Edmonton with the permits required for the rebuilding of the Queen of Hearts Saloon. Given the anticipated expansion that the town was expected to experience, the new saloon's blueprints were designed in a way to include more amenities and a more expansive design than the original building ever had. The main floor would still include a restaurant and bar which, with little effort, could be converted into a banquet center or used for all of the purposes the town had formerly used it for. But the entryway would now be cordoned off as a lobby and would include a check-in desk for the hotel and a pick up area for food from the new state-of-the art kitchen, like those seen in big cities. On the opposite side of the new complex in the front would be Lucas's new office, now on the main floor to accommodate his physical disability and far enough from the action that he could still maintain his privacy. And upstairs there would be more rooms all furnished with stylish new furniture and a balcony, simply because Rosemary liked balconies. In addition to this, each room would include a private bath – something even big city hotels such as those in San Francisco didn't always have. And, the pièce de resistance was a movie theater at the back of the hotel where the latest Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and lady's favorite, Rudolph Valentino pictures could be seen. The first film they hoped to show, however, was The Grim Game, a 1919 romantic thriller that was illusionist Harry Houdini's first feature film – just for Lucas whenever he would return.

Right on time, Garrison walked into the café and immediately greeted Lee.

"Well, look who it is! Lee Coulter! You're a sight for sore eyes!" James stated as he shook Lee's hand.

"Gary! It's about time you came out to see me. I've been in Hope Valley for eight years already and have been hoping you'd stop by."

"Well, business is busy Lee and with a wife and five children…"

"Five now? Incredible. I remember when Rebecca was born."

"Yes, she's ten years old now. And Benjamin is going on fourteen."

"Doesn't seem possible. How is Alice?"

"She's doing well. Finally, have her to myself again. About a year ago she was working on the campaign of Mary Smith for the British Columbia Legislature."

"Heard about that. First woman in the legislature."

"And first election British Columbia women were able to vote it."

"That's true. Guess we were ahead of you. Our former mayor was a lady named Abigail Stanton and around here, the ladies have been voting for years. Of course, many of them were widowed in the mining disaster so to deny their voices representation just wouldn't be right."

"I suppose not." Garrison said. "But enough with pleasantries, you say you have a new building project?"

"Yes." Lee said, bringing out the blueprint. "Hope Valley recently had a tragic event in which our town saloon was burnt to the ground and its owner seriously injured. That establishment wasn't just a saloon though. It was really the hub of a lot of our social events here in Hope Valley. Therefore, we would like to rebuild it and do so in a way that is better than the original."

"Sounds like an interesting venture." Garrison replied. "May I see what you are planning on doing?"

Lee passed the blueprint and sketches over to his friend and began to go over the many aspects of this new design. "And over here, there will be a movie theater…and right here, a new and improved bar." He explained. "Now, upstairs we…"

Garrison interrupted. "Just a moment, Lee. You say a bar. By that, do you mean one that serves hard liquor?"

Lee shrugged. "Yeah, whiskey, wine, beer…"

"You are aware that the sale of alcoholic beverages has been forbidden throughout Alberta since 1916, are you not?""

"I was aware it was banned in the big cities."

"No. Everywhere. It's Prohibition. The Liquor Act of 1916 prohibits the sale of hard liquor anywhere inside the province and if your establishment sells anything more than a very weak beer, well the provincial police have really been cracking down."

Lee paused. "We're a small town with a single constable in charge. Surely, they wouldn't bother with us."

Garrison shook his head. "They would especially bother with you because it's easy. If you go forward with a plan for a saloon, what would probably happen is within a short time of it opening they would send someone privately to scope out the place. Nobody would know because the agent would be undercover and with new people coming into town all of the time, he'd fit right in. Evidence would be gathered as to the violation of the law and the establishment would be shut down, its owner arrested and probably yourself as well."

"That's all we need." Lee said. "So, you're saying no bar."

"Correct. Everything else I see is fine, but as long as there is a bar present, I can't possibly approve the drawings or issue the permits."

A fatigued Lucas Bouchard wheeled himself down the hallway at Johns Hopkins eager to climb into bed and rest after a long afternoon of physical therapy. The goal of his initial treatment was to stimulate circulation and maintain a normal range of motion in his injured leg, thus avoiding contracture. Contractures (which involved the shortening or stiffening of the body's soft tissue) could create a permanent situation in which Lucas would not be able to carry out normal everyday activities and might not even be able to use a prosthesis. So almost immediately upon admission, they started him on therapy to assiduously avoid this complication.

Now Lucas was a modest man and, generally speaking, the idea of a stranger touching his body would have made him ill at ease. But during his months at Johns Hopkins, he had to let loose of this feeling because that was now just a part of life. Each morning, he'd start by going to the hydrotherapy pool and soaking in a nice hot bath. This was both invigorating and relaxing and Lucas looked forward to that part of his day. What came next, he was not so fond of. Still sore from all of the initial trauma, he also suffered additional pain due to the atrophy that had begun in his leg from disuse. The remedy for this was an extended time of deep tissue massage and stretches to maintain flexibility. Once that was finished, he was allowed to rest and have a nutritious lunch before sometime in the afternoon when he'd have a 'heat bath' in a lighted chamber followed by more massage, electric stimulation and finally a hot and cold hydrotherapy bath before being released. By the end of the day, he was exhausted but he cooperated with it all because he wanted to do everything to return to home and to Elizabeth.

As he entered his room, Lucas was surprised to see that he no longer had the room to himself. Sitting in a bed on the other side of the room was a young man about 25 years old with a friendly round face and blonde hair that was cropped short on the sides but long on top. He appeared to be reading a newspaper and listened to a Victrola to the popular songs of the day, which were a little livelier than Lucas wished to listen to after a hard day's therapy – though he never would have said so. Instead, he was cordial as always when he greeted the man.

"Well, hello." Lucas said, as he wheeled across the floor to meet him, sticking out his hand.

The young man smiled and put his paper down, then stuck out his hand which Lucas immediately noticed was missing all but two of its fingers. Unseen at the time was his right leg which had been amputated just below the knee.

"My name's Cyrus, Cyrus McDougal. But, my friends call me Cy. Bridgeport, Tennessee."

Lucas nodded. "Lucas Bouchard. Hope Valley, Alberta. I'm pleased to meet you. What are you reading there?"

The young man smiled shyly. "Just Mutt and Jeff. Used to love reading them before I went overseas. First chance to see them since I've been back."

"Oh, you were in the war?" Lucas asked.

"Fought at Belleau Wood. Had my leg and hand destroyed in the shelling. Was in the hospital for months over there. Just now getting back."

"I'm sorry." Lucas said. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, well…how about you? Were you injured in the war?"

Lucas shook his head. "Different kind of war though the cause was worthy. I'm afraid I wouldn't make a very good soldier."

"Hey, you never know. When I left, some companies were taking just anybody, good or bad."

Things were quiet for a minute while Lucas got back into his bed and reached for a book. As he did, his roommate noticed the photo of Elizabeth sitting on his nightstand.

"That your wife?" he asked.

Lucas looked at the picture and smiled softly. "Perhaps, someday."

Cy shook his head. "I got me a girl too. Maggie Fay. She's been my girl since we were in school and we got married just before I went overseas. She's comin' to see me tomorrow. Bringing our little boy. I've never seen him in person. Very excited."

Lucas smiled. "That's wonderful. I'll look forward to meeting them."

"Yeah. She's waited so long. I almost died twice, once from my injury and then I got influenza back in January. They didn't think I'd make it then, but you can't hold ol' Cyrus back. Knock me down, I'll just get right back up."

Lucas listened but didn't respond as he was intrigued by the man's level of bravadom particularly since boasting about his own prowess was the last thing he personally felt like doing. He tabled it for the time being as he was too tired to even think much about anything other than his pillow and his Elizabeth.

"What do you mean, we can have alcohol?" Judge Bill Avery asked Lee who had just given him the news about the saloon.

"Garrison said it's illegal, even for rural areas such as Hope Valley." Lee replied. "And before you even say it, any infractions of that law will not be handled by your court but by the Provincial Police up in Edmonton."

"That's just ridiculous." Bill replied. "We don't have a problem with crime around here as a result of people having a little drink now and then. Don't they know they are just creating an illegal market for the stuff? Bootleggers will be crawling all over these parts if people can't buy it legally."

"I understand, but that's the law and they are going to enforce it. They said that violators would be jailed, which would include Lucas and me. Probably even you."

"Like to see them try." Bill replied, though he wasn't seriously considering breaking the law. "What are you going to do?"

"I think it's time to call the town council together to make them aware of this new development. I don't want to give up on the idea of rebuilding. It's too important to Hope Valley as well as to Lucas Bouchard. But we may have to rethink some of our plans."

"Just tell me when and where you want to meet. I'll be there." Bill grumbled.

Night fell in Hope Valley and most of the town was already preparing for bed except for Elizabeth. She had tucked little Jack into his crib about a half hour prior and now was sitting at her writing desk journaling her thoughts as she did every night around that time. Looking to her right hand she saw two framed pictures. One was of her late husband and one was of Lucas – the two men in her life that she had loved more than any others, and yet love had not been easy.

They were alike in many ways and in many ways different. With Jack, there was always a tug and pull, a certain tension in the early days of their relationship but despite the insertion of two other suitors, Charles for Elizabeth and Rosemary for Jack, there was simply no denying their love. Their union marked the fulfillment of her long-held dreams and the love they shared was perfectly represented in their beautiful son who was growing up too fast. Jack's death had nearly destroyed her and Lucas helped to restore her to life. But now, once again she felt alone. With her love thousands of miles away and the knowledge it would be months before she would see him again, she just felt so very sad. And that's what she recorded in her diary that evening.

It has only been a few days since my Lucas left Hope Valley and as I look out the window at the trees now becoming barren of their colorful leaves, it seems a perfect reflection of how I feel inside. The joy that once filled me as we stood on a bridge and kissed one another, declaring our love, has been overtaken with the sadness of knowing that he is not there. And yet, I know that he is not gone forever and that it is now I that must exercise a bit of that great virtue that he so graciously afforded to me. Yes, I must be patient and know that while he is away, he is not gone forever. I will see his eyes again and feel the butterflies I feel within each time he smiles, and when he speaks I shall…

Just then, the telephone rang on the table across the room. Lucas had encouraged her to install the phone as her writing career began so that publishers could contact her, but she had found it useful for a multiplicity of reasons. Her calls to her family back in Hamilton had renewed a connection that was fading with time and she had to admit that being able to reach out and call the businesses in town made life much more convenient. But, aside from Rosemary and Lucas, she rarely received an inbound call. And so, hearing the ring of the phone immediately distracted her from what she was writing. She rushed to answer before it had an opportunity to wake up little Jack.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Yes, is this Elizabeth Thornton?" the switchboard operator asked.

"Yes. It is."

"Inbound call from Baltimore, Maryland. Will you accept?"

Immediately, Elizabeth's heart began to race. "Yes! Yes, I will accept!"

A few seconds later she heard the voice that her heart so longed to hear.

"Elizabeth?"

"Lucas! Oh, Lucas! Is it really you?"

Lucas smiled as he sat in his wheel chair in a tucked away corner of the hospital that happened to have a phone. "Yes, my darling. It's really me. I can not tell you how happy I am to hear your voice."

"Oh, Lucas! I was just sitting here writing about how much I've missed you. I can't wait until you're back with me. It doesn't feel right with you gone."

Lucas's features tightened slightly but he still had hope and hearing her speak to him helped to bolster him more. "Well, God willing, I'll be home by the end of January. I can't wait to see you again and to hold you. Elizabeth, I love you so very much."

"And, I love you. More than words can say." She replied. "Do you think you can do this often? I mean, I know there's probably not a phone in your room, but do you think perhaps you might be able to call me sometimes? Just hearing you makes things so much better."

Lucas nodded. "How about I call every Friday night? Say, eight-o'clock? I know there are so many things going on during the week but perhaps that can be our time."

"Friday night at eight?" she smiled. "I love it. You can consider it a date."

He smiled. "As in a real, actual date?"

She laughed. "Yes. A real, actual date!"