With eyes that sparkled in wonderment, Lucas Bouchard walked hand-in-hand with Elizabeth into his and the town's newest attraction, followed by the Coulters and Gowens. Lucas noted how much larger than the Queen of Hearts it was and smiled when he saw the stage at the end of the room, musing to Elizabeth, "I see Rosemary finally got her stage."

As they entered, the waitstaff lined up in honor formation on either side of Bouchard and stood at attention as if they were soldiers undergoing inspection and when he reached the end of the row, their 'commander' Gustave Pepin was there to greet him.

"Bienvenue à la maison, Monsieur Bouchard." Gustave said, immediately wrapping his arms in a tight bear hug around Lucas's torso. Lucas took in a deep breath, suppressing the urge to laugh at the unusual display of affection; then, he made his face as serious as he could when Gustave stepped back, appearing a little embarrassed at his own emotional display.

"Pardon. I am just happy to have you home."

"No pardons necessary, Gustave. I'm very happy to be home. And I'm happy to see you too. You are looking well."

Gustave smiled. "Merci What do you think, of Hope Hall?" he asked, leading the group to their seats.

"That's its name?" Lucas asked, making a face.

"It's actually Hope Hotel and Entertainment Center." Rosemary said.

"Pending your approval, of course." Gustave replied with an undiscernible look. As they reached the table, he leaned in and whispered. "Between you and me, the name…it's not very good."

Lucas nodded and looked around the room. "Couldn't agree with you more. We need something with more of a… je ne sais quoi.."

"A flair?" Gustave asked.

"Yes. Something with more flair. Do you have any suggestions, Gustave? Since I presume you'll be heading up our kitchen and not Madam Mayor's?" Lucas asked.

"Former Madam Mayor." Abigail corrected. Lee smiled.

Gustave readily stepped forward, having considered the question at length. "What about Reine de la Vallée, peut-être ?"

"Reine de la Vallée? That's got a ring to it, in French or in English. Plus, it ties into the establishment's history. It could work." Lucas turned to Elizabeth. "What do you think, my love?

Elizabeth smiled at his use of a pet name for her and hugged his arm. "Queen of the Valley? I like it."

"Excellent." Lucas looked back to Gustave. "Queen of the Valley it is."

"Merci!" Gustave responded as the parties took their seats. "I will bring you a menu."

Lucas raised a finger. "Actually, before you do that, would you happen to have a bottle of 1897 Château Latour available for our guests? I would like to celebrate."

Gustave looked at Elizabeth and Lee. "No. I do not."

"Oh, that's too bad." Lucas thought for a moment. "What about a 1904 Richebourg? Might we have that?"

Gustave looked very solemn. "I am afraid we do not have that either. Not even a cooking wine. However, we do have Pablo, Bevo and Ginger Ale for your consuming pleasure, Monsieur Bouchard."

"Near Beer?" Lucas looked confused as knowing smiles were seen around the table. "Is this a joke?"

Henry chuckled. "Now, you know why it's no longer Queen of Hearts Saloon."

Lucas looked to Lee.

"Alberta is now a dry province and the authorities are cracking down on any and all establishments that serve alcohol." Lee said.

"It was dry before I arrived. Tom handled that issue with special permits. I thought it was settled." Lucas said.

"Was is the operative word." Lee explained. "Provincial authorities refused to issue building permits unless we promised not to serve liquor. Closest place to find a glass a wine is in British Columbia."

"Well, that's just lovely. No alcohol." Lucas complained. "I'm sure that went over well."

"The wives love it." Rosemary said. "Instead of stopping by the saloon on the way home for a beer after work, the men go and see their families. At least, that's what they say."

"You can still get whiskey at the Mercantile" Henry noted. "By prescription, for medicinal purposes only, of course." He grinned.

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "Well, I hope that Dr. Carter has sufficient space in her appointment book to handle the influx."

Henry laughed. "Precisely. I've never seen so many minor coughs and colds in Hope Valley since the day I got here."

"Monsieur? Have you decided?" Gustave asked.

Lucas shrugged. "Ginger Ale, I guess?"

Gustave pursed his lips. "Excellent choice. It will be right out."

While they waited on a menu, the group all took turns informing Lucas on what all Queen of the Valley was bringing to Hope Valley.

"With the Textile Factory coming in, the CPR has decided to move the railway to just outside of town which is attracting other businesses. I spoke with a consulting group about three weeks ago that specializes in development. It is expected that Hope Valley's population will grow four-fold over the next five years." Lee said.

"Which is why, when we designed Hope H- … Queen of the Valley," Rosemary said. "we made it bigger and offered more attractions so that it could grow with the times."

"But I can't afford all of this." Lucas replied, concerned. "It is embarrassing to admit, but I'm back to square one. Where is all of the funding coming from?"

"Donations, in large part." Lee said.

"Donations?"

"Yes, Lee donated the lumber and the Mercantile donated the nails and tools." Rosemary said.

"And, the community pooled their money and are providing the labor and furnishings." Abigail added.

Lucas stroked his beard, nervously, and shook his head. "But I still can't comprehend why the people of Hope Valley would do such a thing. I mean, I heard what you said, Abigail, about the community taking care of its own – but I'm a relative newcomer who, until recently, hasn't had a lot in common with the good people of the town."

"Lucas, just because you came from wealth doesn't mean you don't have much in common with people from the valley." Rosemary said. "Since you've been here, you've never held back when it came to helping others when they were in need."

"You paid the worker's salaries and bailed out the oil company just as it was going to go under." Henry said.

"You've provided goods, food, and a place to meet for most of our town events, free of charge, I might add." Rosemary said.

"And you even donated a library." Elizabeth said. "Because you knew that the town needed 'food for the soul' and that it was 'a good thing.'"

Lucas smiled.

"Lucas, you came here a stranger surrounded by mystery but, even from the start, you embodied Hope Valley's values with your generosity, your kindness and your compassion." Abigail said. "And now, the community has decided to return a little bit of that to you."

"I don't know what to say." He replied.

"I'd say you don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Henry said. "Besides, you're still one of the town's key businessmen and you're going to be challenged with accommodating all of the new business. So, why worry about something like this? You've got bigger fish to fry." Henry said.

"For the immediate future, that is true." Lucas said, with furrowed brow. "I still need to figure out where I'm going to live. Henry, is the space in the attic at Gowen Petroleum still open?"

"Already covered." Henry said.

Lucas raised his head. "Excuse me?"

Gowen smiled. "You know that investor that Fiona was talking to in San Francisco? That friend of hers?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"Well, he…unlike the owner…wasn't so opposed to selling me shares from his investment." Henry replied. "Got it for a real bargain."

Lucas tilted his head, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he knew where this was leading. "What are you saying?"

"I am saying thanks to combining his shares with my own, we are now a 50/50 company. You and I hold equal shares and you and I have equal say over what happens in the company. The loan you took out for the expansion is paid off. There's no need to sell your house."

With that, Lucas sat back in his chair, cupping both hands over his face as relief washed over him. Elizabeth gripped his arm as he fought back emotion. He honestly had no idea of how stressful the thought of being homeless when he returned to Hope Valley had been and hearing about all that his friends and the community had done – it was almost more than he could handle.

"I…" his voice quivered as he teared up.

Henry smiled a lovingly mischievous smile. "I know. You don't have to say a thing. It was a gamble on my part that I think I just may live to regret."

Later that evening, Nathan and Emily stopped by Lucas's home for a preliminary look at his surroundings to evaluate the house for any accessibility issues he might have.

"What we're looking for at this point is anything that might cause a fall or be less convenient than it needs to be." Emily explained. "For instance, your bedroom – do you want it to stay down in the main floor library area or would like to move it upstairs?"

"It needs to be back upstairs." Lucas replied, confidently. "I am able to manage the stairs and it's not only more private up there, that is where everything else is, my wardrobe, bathtub, shower."

"Is taking a bath with a prosthesis even possible?" Nathan asked.

Emily nodded. "Not with the prosthesis. Prolonged water exposure might warp the wood. And, while the bathtub is an option, I imagine Lucas will avail himself of showers since getting in and out of the tub can be dangerous. Beyond that, Lucas will not be wearing the prosthesis around the clock. I'm guessing you'll remove it for when you clean up and leave it off when you go to sleep at night?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes. That's what Dr. Shepherd advised."

"So, my thought is he can utilize his crutches to transfer to the shower and we can perhaps install a metal bar for him to hold on to. Lucas has done very well getting used to his new center of gravity, but tubs and showers are always a concern. Better safe than sorry."

Moving into the kitchen she looked at what items he would most commonly use and where they were currently placed. Since he didn't cook much for himself, there wasn't much to consider – just making sure that he didn't have to reach for much lest he throw off his balance.

"Of course, you're so tall and strong, this is probably not as big of an issue." Emily said, patting then rubbing Lucas on the back.

Nathan stiffened when he saw Emily touch Lucas's back. "He's not as tall as me."

Emily and Lucas both turned to him in confusion.

"No. You're a couple of inches taller than me. What's your point?" Lucas asked, not at all perturbed by Nathan's odd statement but truthfully wondering what Grant was trying to say.

"I was just…" Nathan said, as Emily's eyes searched his own. "Never mind. I interrupted."

Grant and Reardon spent around twenty more minutes talking with Lucas and examining the placement of items on the main floor before they turned to go.

"I'll be back in the morning, Lucas." Emily stated. "Since I'm going to be here a week, I want you to think about things that you want to work on, something you want to do that I can help teach you. We can discuss it more tomorrow, around ten?"

"I appreciate you stopping by." Lucas said, with a nod. "You as well, Nathan."

"Anytime." Grant replied before holding the door open for Emily as they left.

Nathan and Emily walked side by side down Lucas's sidewalk to the car which they had borrowed from Lee. Neither said a word until they entered the vehicle.

"Guess we need to be getting you back to the hotel." Nathan said.

Emily's mouth twisted to the side. "That will be fine - in a minute. Nathan, there's something I need to know about."

Nathan looked over at her through curious eyes. "What's that?"

She appeared a little distant as she formulated her words. "You told me that you had at one point had an interest in Elizabeth Thornton."

"Yes." He replied.

"And, you're over that now?" she asked.

"Elizabeth is with Lucas and I've accepted that fact. And, truthfully, I can say I'm happy for them." he said. "So, yes, I believe I've moved on."

"That's good. What about your relationship with Lucas? How would you describe it?" she asked.

He tilted his head back and forth as he considered how, in fact, he would describe his relationship with Lucas. "I guess, before everything that happened, you could say I had a level of respect for him. Due to our mutual interests in Elizabeth, I would never have called him a friend, but I grew to know him as a man of honor and grew to appreciate him in that way."

"And, now?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Now, I see us becoming friends. Why do you ask?"

"Back in his house, you made a statement about how you were taller than him." She said.

"Yeah, that was kind of a stupid comment." He replied.

"Was it?" she asked. "Or, was it jealousy?"

Nathan prided himself on being a private person and if he was feeling a strong emotion such as jealousy boiling inside him, he'd try to hide it as best he could even to the point of withdraw. But somehow, Emily had seen straight through him and she was asking him to admit some things he felt uncomfortable to admit – particularly to her.

"I've never been jealous of his material wealth."

"That's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about me."

"You? Why would I be jealous of him and you?" Nathan replied. "Lucas has Elizabeth."

"Yes, he does. But at one point, you thought that Elizabeth could be yours as well. It must have hurt when she chose to be with him and not with you. And, maybe, perhaps, your subconscious still sees him as competition."

Nathan pondered that suggestion but didn't reply.

"I guess what I want to say to you, Nathan is…I don't think it is any secret that there is something going on between you and me." she said, pointedly. Nathan's heart sped up. "And, while Lucas is a kind, handsome, and honorable man, he does not interest me in the least as a romantic suitor." she said. "He is a friend and a client. My compliments of him are meant to bolster his spirit, not to vie for his affections. In fact, there is only one man whose affections interest me at all and that man is you." She said, caressing his arm.

Nathan's mouth went dry and his mind raced for the right words to say. Finally, he blurted out the only thing that he could think of in the moment. "Well, it's good that you and he can be friends."

Emily stared at him incredulously and then flushed when she considered that perhaps in her boldness she had misread the entire situation. What if he didn't feel the same way?

"Yes, I agree." She said, straightening up in her seat and looking straight ahead. "If you don't mind now, I'd like to go back to the hotel."

Nathan knew in that instant that he'd said the wrong thing, but to try to recover now seemed impossible. He drove her back to town.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning?" he asked.

"Um…sure." Emily said. "Won't Lee need his car?"

Nathan paused. "Probably so. You mentioned riding horses in Ireland."

"Yes?" she asked.

"My horse, Newton, he's just around the corner from the hotel and I know they have other horses there that we could borrow for the day. Want to meet me at nine and I'll take you to pick one out?"

She smiled softly. "I would like that. I'll see you then."

In the meantime, Nathan would have to figure how to fix what his inability to articulate had broken.

At eight fifty-eight, Nathan Grant arrived at the Queen of the Valley dressed in his serge and riding tall atop Newton throughout the town. While road traffic was increasingly becoming open to cars and trucks, given the wooded and mountainous terrain about them, Hope Valley still maintained a strong presence of the equestrian type and would for several decades. Emily had changed into a soft white cotton blouse with puff sleeves and a khaki pair of trousers with riding boots.

Nathan looked at her curiously as she approached.

"Top o' the morning to ya, Constable Grant." she stated.

"Good morning, Miss Reardon" he replied, looking her over with surprise. "Did you pack riding clothes before leaving Baltimore?"

"Oh, no. I visited Faith at the infirmary this morning and mentioned what we would be doing today. She ran to her apartment and brought back a pair of knickers and some boots. Did you know we're the same size?"

"Um, no. Never really thought about it." He replied. "Are you ready to go pick out a horse?"

"Absolutely." She smiled.

He reached down his hand for her to take and pulled her up onto the back of his steed. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stayed that way until they arrived at the stables, at which point, he helped her down.

"Newton is a beautiful horse." She replied. "Reminds me of a boy that I once took care of when I was a young teenager."

"And you said you used to show horses?" he asked.

"Yes. For a little while. But they were always other peoples' horses. We would have never been able to own a show horse of our own."

The two walked through the stables, Nathan noting immediately that Sergeant was gone and wondering where Elizabeth would have taken him to, given that school was in session. But, before he could consider it more, Emily's eyes lighted on a brown and white stallion at the end of the row.

"There! That's my horse." she said, pointing him out.

Nathan winced, slightly. "That's Pilot. You may want to pick a different horse. He's pretty wild and unpredictable."

Emily walked up to the horse and began to pet his nose then appeared to say something privately to him before turning back to Nathan. "Pilot tells me he's fine for a ride."

Nathan was unsure but acquiesced to her request and soon they were travelling side by side towards Lucas's home.

Arriving at the house around nine-thirty, the two were surprised to see Sergeant and then Elizabeth. She was standing outside of Lucas's house by herself with a basket in her hand. She was looking out to the field behind his house.

Climbing down from their horses they joined her. Even from where they were, they could hear a grinding sort of clatter coming from an opening in the middle of the field. Lucas's car was there, as was he, and they all watched with curiosity as it lurched back and forth.

"What on earth is he doing?" Nathan asked.

"I think he's trying to teach himself to drive again." Elizabeth replied. "I got here about twenty-minutes ago and he's been out there stalling and restarting the car since I was here."

"He's having trouble working the clutch." Emily said. "The movement is a bit different than he's used to with a prosthetic limb than with his natural foot, but he'll get it."

"Should he be doing that now?" Elizabeth asked. "I mean, is there any danger?"

Emily patted Elizabeth on the back. "Generally speaking, when someone loses a limb, they tend to drift into one of two camps. Either they will isolate themselves and fall into despondency or they will move towards denial and try to do more than they are able to do. Cyrus was in the latter category as is Lucas. The only reason he went away was not to isolate himself but was to protect those he loves, namely, you. But even then, he was always attempting to do more than he was able to do at that time."

"So, we should get him to stop." Elizabeth said, beginning to step forward.

"No. We need to allow him to test his capabilities in so much as he feels comfortable. Lucas is not Cy and he's not going to be stupid or reckless about his choices. If he is unable to do something, he will adjust and regroup and either accept it or figure out another way. Trying to drive a car – I think it's an important step for him being able to feel like the man he once was – the man he still is, for the most part, though physically changed."

Elizabeth shook her head with understanding, continuing to watch until from the middle of the field they heard the blare of a horn.

"And that would be Lucas becoming frustrated." Emily said, knowingly.

"Should I walk down there and let him know we're here?" Nathan asked.

Emily looked at Nathan. "Yes. I think that would be a good idea. He could use the break."

A few minutes later, Lucas and Nathan returned to Bouchard's house, the former appearing slightly embarrassed that he had been entertaining an unseen audience and had lost his temper.

He looked at his pocket watch then placed it back in his vest. "I'm sorry that you had to witness that. I hadn't expected anyone here until around ten." he said to Elizabeth, who gave him a quick kiss before taking his arm as they walked toward his door.

"It just shows me that you're getting better. I'm very proud of how hard you've been working." She waited as he climbed the stairs then as he opened the door for her. She smiled and entered his home.

Lucas looked back at Nathan who winked at him. "I'll get this one." He said with a smirk. Lucas nodded then joined Elizabeth inside as Nathan held the door for Emily.

"Why thank you, Constable Grant." she said.

Nathan took her by the arm. "Emily…"

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"No. It's just… would you just call me, Nathan? It's true that around here a lot of people will refer to me as that. That's my job. But that's not how the two of us have been and, well…It makes everything feel so formal, like I'm just on Mountie duty."

Emily smiled. "Isn't that why you're here? Taking care of a member of your community?"

"You know that's not the only reason why." He said, ardently, grasping her by both arms and looking intently in her eyes. "I just want to spend as much time as possible with you while you're here."

Emily swallowed. There was no misreading Nathan Grant, for the way he was looking at her now told her all she needed to know. She smiled. "Alright, then. Nathan it is." She said, holding out her hand for him to take before joining Lucas and Elizabeth in Lucas's kitchen.

He smiled and took it and together they joined the other couple.

"Elizabeth made muffins." Lucas said, with a mouthful of the blueberry confection. "So good. Won't you have some?"

Elizabeth was pleased as she stood by the tea kettle and watched them interact. Being back with those he loved had done wonders for Lucas's spirit and yet she also saw through his outward façade and recognized there were still many things with which he struggled. But slowly, he was letting her in to that secret place within himself that he sought to protect her from. She'd have to be patient and diligent but that was progress.

The two couples ate breakfast and soon, Elizabeth stated that she had to leave and head back to the school.

"I was wondering how you were here if school is in session. Who's teaching my daughter?" Nathan asked.

"Would you believe it, Bill Avery?" she said with a smile.

"Bill is?!" both Nathan and Lucas said at the same time. The two glanced at one another before returning their attention to Elizabeth.

"Yes. He's teaching them about the Canadian Judicial System and various aspects of the law. Sort of a guest lecturer in civics." She said.

"I'd imagine he'll do well at that." Lucas said.

"As opposed to?" Nathan asked.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing. Just wondering if you were inferring something." Nathan replied. "It was stupid. Forget I mentioned it."

Lucas cocked his head and shrugged but Elizabeth understood.

"Did you think he meant that Bill would do a good job at talking about the justice system but that you would not?" Elizabeth responded.

Nathan was quiet as both women watched him. Bouchard picked up his cup of tea.

"Nathan, Bill offered to help and I took him up on it." Elizabeth said. "If you would like to talk to the students about what it means to be a Mountie, then I can certainly arrange for you to take a morning."

"Well…I…"

"Yes, constable. Show them what you learned in Mountie school." Lucas teased. Grant threw him a look.

"I think you would be wonderful, Nathan." Emily gushed.

A small smile appeared on the corner of Nathan's mouth. "Um…sure. Why not? I'll do it."

"Great! I'll schedule you for next Monday." Elizabeth said

Around a half hour after Elizabeth left, Nathan went to do his rounds, leaving Emily and Lucas alone on the front porch outside his house to discuss the next steps of his rehabilitation program. Already, he was further along in several areas than he would have expected to be, but at the same time, given his earlier frustration, she didn't want him becoming discouraged when some things were not moving along as quickly as he had hoped they would.

"The driving will come." she said. "The fact you even got the car out into the field was a surprise. How did you do that?"

"That was easy." he said. "I just released the clutch and let it roll. It was when I tried to shift and all of the movement that is involved with that activity, that I found it difficult to switch positions from the dead pedal to the clutch fast enough to stop it from stalling or grinding on the gear."

"You'll just have to practice." She replied.

"How long?" he asked.

"How long, what?"

"Before I am able to drive as I did before." he said.

"Oh, it will come."

"A few days? Weeks?" he asked.

"Maybe. Or it could be a few months before everything feels natural enough for you to be out on open road. You need to be patient with yourself and don't beat yourself up so hard when you don't get things the way you want them the first time."

"That's not the only reason I feel frustration." he said.

"Oh?"

Lucas looked at her. "No." he said, though he didn't immediately elaborate. "So, you don't think I'll be able to drive before you leave?"

She shook her head. "Not to where I'd want you to be on the road. But we can work on that."

He looked out into his yard at her horse who was secured to a post. "What about that?" he asked, nodding toward Pilot.

Emily looked at the horse and then at Lucas, one eyebrow raised with an incredulous smile.

That afternoon, after school was dismissed and she had made her way home, Elizabeth dropped Jack off with Rosemary and took Sergeant over to Lucas's in order surprise him with a homemade dinner. All of the windows and the front door were open, allowing for a spring breeze to flow through the entryway, cooling the house. And when she stepped onto his porch, she could hear the sound of Chopin playing softly in the library. Raising her hand to knock on the screen door, she spotted him, sound asleep on the couch with a book resting on his chest.

Briefly, she considered turning back toward home but with a mischievous glint in her eye, instead decided to enter his house and awaken him with a kiss. Slowly, she made her way across the floor admiring how handsome he looked when he slept. She noticed immediately that his prosthetic limb had been removed and that the end of his residual limb was slightly exposed from underneath a throw he had draped over his lap. Quietly, she moved around to the back of the couch and leaned over it, gently lifting the corner of the throw. As she did, the feeling of the moving cloth awakened Bouchard with a start so violent that he immediately flung himself off of the couch. His stump made contact with the leg of a coffee table and he screamed out in agonizing pain.

An alarmed Elizabeth rushed around the back of the couch to the front in order to help, but as she reached him, he sat part-way up and with a look of fury in his eyes, yelled at her. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

Startled, she tried to explain. "I wanted to cook you dinn-"

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
"But, Lucas?!" she cried

"NOW! JUST LEAVE!"

Taken aback and somewhat frightened, Elizabeth tried to reach for him.
He pushed her hand away, then grimaced and laid down on the floor.

"Lucas, you've fallen. Please let me…"

"NO! Elizabeth." He said, through gritted teeth, "I have asked for you to leave. PLEASE! JUST… GO!" he roared.

Immediately, Elizabeth sprang up and ran, swinging open the screen door and rushing toward Sergeant. The man that she had just encountered was someone she didn't know, a man she couldn't recognize, a man filled with violent rage, a man in torment. That man wasn't her Lucas who was gentle and kind.

From the outside, she could hear the breaking of glass from within the house as Lucas tossed the ice pack across the room and shattered the window of an antique grandfather clock. Choking back tears, she placed her foot in Sergeant's stirrup and prepared to speed away from the home as quickly as she could. She had just given the signal when she suddenly pulled back on the reigns and stopped the horse from progressing. She listened and she could hear weeping coming from inside. Closing her eyes, she got down from Sergeant the made her way back toward the house.

Lucas was still lying on the floor, but had rolled to his side and was sobbing into one arm. With compassion and love she saw him there and immediately went over to comfort him. The moment she touched his shoulder he spun around and this time with frightened eyes looked at her most pitifully. She embraced him and he held on to her weeping openly into her hair as he clung to her with all of his being.

"I'm sorry…I'm so…so sorry…I wasn't angry at you…I didn't mean…"

"Shh, Lucas." She said, backing up and placing her fingertips over his lips "I startled you and made you fall."

"I had no right." he said. "I…I just didn't…" he began to shake. "I didn't want you to see me…like this… I am so very sorry."

Elizabeth hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek.

"Please, Lucas, don't give it another thought. Let's just get you up off the floor." She said, standing and reaching out her arm for him to grab onto so that he could right himself enough in order to scoot back on the couch.

Once he was there, she knelt down on the floor in front of him and gently touched his leg.

"What are you doing?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"I'm taking a look to make sure that you didn't further injure yourself." She replied.

"But, Elizabeth…I…"

He reached his hand out to push her away but before he could, he felt the warmth of her lips tenderly kiss his knee just above his surgery. He gasped.

"Elizabeth, why are you…?"

Raising her face, she took his hand and began kissing his fingertips, up to the knuckle and then the wrist. He sat mesmerized as she then turned his hand over and kissed his palm, the wrist up to the elbow, the shoulder, and his neck just at its pulse point. By now, she was standing straight up on her knees in between his legs and she took his face in the palms of her hand and kissed him firmly and with passion on the lips.

Lucas closed his eyes and felt the warmth of her back underneath his hands as he felt her move even closer to where now she was seated on his good leg with her arm around his neck, deepening the kiss. When she stopped for a moment, she looked him in his chocolate eyes which looked at her as if she were the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen, and in his mind she was.

"Lucas Bouchard, I love you and everything about you. I love the broken parts of you (she pointed to his heart) and the strong. Everything about you, to me, is beautiful and nothing, absolutely nothing can diminish my love for you in the slightest. So, there is no need to hide from me because I already know you and I accept you joyously, exactly as you are. If you need me to help you, that I gladly will do and if you need me to step to the side so you can do it yourself, I will do that also. But what I won't do is reject or leave you. So, don't ever think of trying to send me away again, because I cannot and I won't go."

"Oh, Elizabeth, my love." He said, through misty eyes. running his fingers through her hair with one hand and stroking the bare skin on her arm with the other." I love you more than words can tell. Truly, I don't deserve you."

"Oh, hush, hush." She smiled "It's me who doesn't deserve you, so hush with all that silly talk." Leaning against him, she pressed her lips to his again and he took her into his arms, holding and kissing her and loving her more than he ever thought possible. Elizabeth Thornton was worth all of the wait and the turmoil and the trials they had gone through to get them to this point and now he knew there was only one more thing that he needed to do.

As thoughts of joy and a future with the love of his life lingered in his head, and a dizzying strain of amorous feelings coursed through his veins, Lucas held her even tighter, kissing her, caressing her - to the point that his own self-control began to give way. But just as the passion between them intensified, two familiar voices were heard from the hallway.

"Oh, please! Don't you two every stop?!" Nathan Grant rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Nathan, don't be rude!" Emily responded.

"Does he have another mode?" Lucas asked quietly as he and Elizabeth pulled apart

Elizabeth giggled. "Now, don't you start too! Good evening, Nathan and Emily." Elizabeth said, with her forehead still pressed against Lucas's.

"Yes, good evening. Irreproachable timing, Grant." Lucas said dryly.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well your door was open and Gustave sent over some Coq au Vin for dinner tonight - or should I call it 'Coq au Medicinal Tonic' from his private stores? Anyway, if you two want to unlock lips, Emily and I will go get set up."

"We thought we might eat and maybe play some cards afterward or something." Emily added.

"Sounds like a delightful evening." Lucas said with a smile. "We'll be right there."

Elizabeth began to stand up from Lucas's lap in order to give him some privacy to do whatever he needed to do before joining them, but Lucas stopped her and grabbed her hand.

"Would you mind staying and helping me?" he asked. "It really goes a lot quicker if there is someone there to help me put everything back together."

Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled at him. "I would be delighted to help you in any way you wish. Teach me what I need to do?"

"Certainly."