Author's Note: Thank you, SaSeLi777, Karen Seas, daseyshipper, wendyshahan, R, Ljd21690, Loretta Sua Chang, nole, Sobieralski Robin, HopeValleyOwl, metacaroliner, lynnkersting, Karen Pearson, ETLB, wcthlcr2014, Sindie, Joan Jones, Wanda, Teacher Pat, Anniec50, eatanygoodbookslately, naroz, and guests (as well as those who are reading & give feedback elsewhere or do not leave a review) – ALL OF YOU, thank you for your continued encouragement and reviews. It makes me happy to hear from you all. Also, thank you for your comments about my continually improving health situation. We're doing much, much better. To God be the glory!

Several of you have expressed a desire to see more from Lucas & Elizabeth's honeymoon than I had intended to provide, so the story will continue a few more chapters than I had intended. However, if you're looking for M content, you won't find it here. However, there is no sin in happily married couples enjoying the pleasures of married life, so there will be a few inferred situations in the chapters to come (without being too graphic). The rating on the story has always been PG-13 due to some of the hard situations that it has contained. I don't foresee the content mentioned above flipping that rating to anything more.

Back to our story, Janine.

"Emily, my love. I know we haven't known each other all that long, and some may say wait a year before doing something like this, but…."

"Wait a year? Who says something like that?" Bill Avery asked as Nathan read the handwritten lines he hoped to use when he asked Emily to marry him sometime later that week.

"What's wrong with that?" Grant replied. "I mean, you've been married before. Didn't you figure there was a certain appropriate time to allow for courtship before you asked your wife to marry you?"

"I was in a completely different situation than you and Emily are," Bill responded. "Besides, my marriage to Nora is probably not the best example to follow. Go on."

Nathan set one notecard down and picked up another. "Okay, what about this. Emily, ever since you've come into my life, things have been different."

"Things have been different?" Bill raised an eyebrow."Well, now that's romantic."

Grant threw the notecard on the desk and his arms in the air. "Well, what am I supposed to say? I'm a Mountie, not a poet."

"Think romance," Bill responded with flourish.

"I tried to think romance. I mean, first, I thought I'd take her to dinner out of town at some fancy restaurant, but I'd have to hire the stagecoach or have Joseph or someone drive me. So that wasn't good. Then, I thought about renting out the movie theater at the Queen. But the only thing that Lucas has showing right now is Dr. Jeckll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island."

"What's wrong with those?" Bill asked.

Nathan gave him a blank stare for the longest time.

"Okay, maybe you're not the guy that I should be asking proposal advise from," he finally said.

Bill sighed. "Nathan, you don't have to do all that stuff. A woman like Emily, she's a free spirit, and she loves things that are real. Renting out theaters and big dinner dates – that's not you."

Nathan half-chuckled, "That's exactly what Allie said. In fact, she wanted to know why I was trying to act like Lucas."

"Allie's right." Bill continued. "Those kinds of things, the big gestures, the razzle-dazzle, they work for Bouchard 'cause that's who he is. And, he's sincere about it, so it's okay – for him. But it's not you."

Nathan lowered his head, tapping the index card on his desk. "Bill," he said. "If I tell you something, you have to promise to keep it between us, okay?"

Avery adopted as neutral of an expression as he could, though inside, he recalled how reticent Grant was concerning talking about personal things. To say he was intrigued would be an understatement. "Okay, I promise. What is it, Nathan?"

Nathan set the notecard down on the desk. "Well, other than my mother and Colleen, and now Allie, I've never really interacted with women much. And I struggle with what to say to them. I always stayed busy and never really socialized. In fact, Elizabeth was the first woman I was interested in as an adult, but she wasn't interested in me – at least not like that."

"Bouchard knew how to reach her," Bill said.

"No, that's not it. Lucas didn't just know how to reach her; he seemed to know her in ways that I couldn't see." Grant replied. "And as I told him, they shared something that she and I never did. But, until I met Emily, I couldn't really say what that was. It's a friendship but one that goes so much further than just friends. It's seeing into the other person's soul and wanting to do everything you can to make that person happy – no matter what. But, how do you tell a woman something like that?"

"You just say it," Bill replied to Nathan's sigh. "Listen, I don't see what the big deal is. You take her out someplace that has meaning and is special to you – someplace you feel most like yourself, and you tell her how you feel – just like you did to me, right then. Then, you ask her to marry you." Bill instructed as Nathan listened. "She either says yes, or she doesn't."

Nathan let out a deep breath and sat back in his chair, rubbing his neck with his hand.

After several long seconds, Bill spoke again. "Nathan, she won't say no."

Alabaster rays pierced satin drapes and danced along Rococo walls inside Lucas and Elizabeth Bouchard's suite at the Ritz Hotel in the heart of Paris. It was their second full day in Paris and their first day alone together without Jack. They had spent the day before with Elizabeth's family and their little boy, visiting the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden that had existed in Paris since the 1600s and which hosted a zoo since 1794. The Thatchers had taken their girls there on a visit to Europe when Elizabeth was eight, and Lucas recalled visiting the same place when he was a little older, and his family was spending their summer in France. The adults were saddened to learn of and see the disrepair that time and war had inflicted on the place. But Jack and his cousins were too enamored with the monkeys to care.

The family stayed together until early afternoon when Elizabeth and Lucas said goodbye to them, and little Jack, at the train station and found that it was Jack comforting his parents at the farewell rather than needing to be comforted. Elizabeth cried on Lucas's shoulder as they returned to the hotel and found solace in his arms when they reached their room. Later, they went for a walk to the Port des Champs-Élysées where he'd chartered a private boat that would serve them a fine French dinner and take them along the Seine, seeing sights from afar he hoped to show her over the coming days. It was all so romantic and so very Lucas. Elizabeth's heart was nearly bursting with love for her husband by the time they reached their suite again, and the couple spent the entire night showing love for one another and exploring ways to please the other in this lifetime love that would never wane.

Now, as the warm morning sun filled their room, Elizabeth stirred from her sleep, her sated body awakening from its slumber under a covering of luxurious down. She softly smiled as she opened her eyes, ready to greet her beloved with a kiss good morning, but when she turned to do so, she found the pillow empty. Frowning, she began to sit up but stopped when she felt a certain weight resting on her abdomen. Elizabeth raised the comforter to look underneath and let out a little gasp when she saw Lucas sleeping peacefully with her belly as his pillow. The movement shook him awake.

Lucas turned toward the light at the end of his cocoon and squinted. "Hello," he said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Hello yourself. Comfortable?" she smirked.

"Apparently," he replied with a grin.

"Well, that's good," she responded. "We want for you to be comfortable. Do you want to tell me what you're doing down there?"

Lucas stopped for a moment and grinned. "Um, perhaps I sleepwalked?"

"Sleepwalked?" Elizabeth said incredulously."That's the best you can do?"

"Maybe?" he said, turning his eyes toward her and showing a dimpled smile.

"Not going to work this time, mister," she said dryly. "Besides, if you sleepwalked, I'd hear your crutches in the middle of the night, and I'd wake up. I'm a very light sleeper," she explained.

"If you say so," he chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing, dearest," he replied with a smirk.

"Lucas!" she huffed and crossed her arms. "Are you saying I fell asleep on you while we were…"

"Yes, while we were…."

"Oh. Oh, my," she replied, looking at him with a mortified look. "I guess I don't know what to say other than, I'm sorry?"

Lucas softly smiled and snaked his way up to the pillow next to her, stopping a couple of times to plant kisses on her clavicle, below her ear and mouth. "No need to apologize." He responded. "Besides, you make the most adorable sounds when you sleep. Did you know you sing in your sleep?"

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide, and she pushed him away. "What? I do not! Do I?"

Using his finger and thumb, he held up his hand, measuring about an inch. "Un peu," he replied with a shrug.

"There's no way I was singing in my sleep!" she responded.

Lucas tilted his head back and forth. "Okay, more of a hum."

Elizabeth looked at him and saw the honesty in his eyes. "Nobody's ever said I did that, not my sisters or my parents… How embarrassing. I didn't sing loud, did I?"

Lucas laughed. "You were fine. Last night was the first night I heard you, so you don't do it all the time. Besides," Lucas smirked with a slightly smug glint in his eyes. "I'm sure you were just, um…exhausted. We both were." He raised his eyebrows up and down.

Elizabeth stopped and glared at him. "And just whose fault is that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Lucas Bouchard!" Elizabeth raised her chin in mock offense. "You surely aren't suggesting that I…."

Lucas rolled over onto his back. "I'm just saying that in all of my thirty-something years, I have never felt so happy and content that I'd fall asleep with my head under the covers and not remember when it happened. There's only one factor that could have caused that."

Elizabeth rolled onto her stomach and rested against his torso. She kissed his chest then mischievously looked him in the eye. "Oh?"

Lucas's eyes darkened with desire. He immediately pulled her up to himself and began kissing her neck, jaw, and face. Their lips connected, and the kiss soon deepened. It wasn't long before the heat began to rise. Sensing where they were heading, Elizabeth pulled away at the first chance for air and rolled over onto her back while remaining close to his side.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, surprised and slightly out of breath.

"No, not at all," she replied apologetically. "It's just, as much as I've been enjoying our time together …um, I think maybe we should break for breakfast? Would that be okay? I'm famished."

Lucas smiled then kissed her nose. "Of course, it's okay," rolling onto his back so she could move. "Far be it from me to let my bride starve.

"Thank you. And we can pick up where we left off later tonight," she responded, sitting up and, even though they were now married, shyly wrapping the sheet around her mid-section so she could cross the room. Lucas chuckled at the unnecessary discretion but also found it endearing. At last, he'd found a virtuous woman. As she disappeared into the ensuite, he mentally pinched himself and thanked God at the knowledge that she was his.

"Good morning, children. Welcome to the first day of school," a petite young woman with large green eyes and medium brown hair pulled up into a bun said as she stood before the class at the Jack Thorton School on the first day of classes.

"My name is Miss Sarah Hill, and I will be your substitute teacher until Mrs. Bouchard returns. That's Hill with an H."

"Is there some other way to spell Hil.?" Cooper asked Angela

"Hush, Cooper!" Angela replied.

"The province has assigned me with quite an extensive list of subjects we are to cover between now and October when Mrs. Bouchard returns from Europe, and while that seems like a long time, I see it will be a challenge to get it all in. As such, I must insist that you all pay rapt attention to everything you are taught and that there be no interrup…."

The door to the school suddenly opened, and a thirteen-year-old boy entered.

"Sorry," he said.

"Young man, what is your name?" Hill asked sternly.

The boy took a seat. "Paul Blakeley. I'm Florence and Ned Yost's son."

"I didn't ask you who your parents were, though it is good that I know now as I shall have to speak to them about ensuring you arrive on time."

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am."

"My name is Hill. Miss Hill."

He nodded. "Sorry. Miss Hill, my parents were already at work. My step-father, Ned, runs the Mercantile, and my mother helps and answers phones. I just took a job with Mr. Judson at the factory to start raising money for a motorbike when I'm old enough to ride. I got out a little later than I had planned."

"First of all, motorbikes are dangerous. And, second, did you say you just came from your job?"

"Yes, ma'am," Paul stated. "I'm helping out at the textile factory every morning, carrying boxes and supplies in while they are getting set up. Once things are ready to go, he says he's going to use me as a doffer full time and pay me $3.00 a week!"

Hill lowered her brow. "And you intend to continue your schooling while working full-time?"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled. "I don't sleep much anyway, so I think I can handle it."

"Sit down, please" she frowned. "Now, as I was saying, the province has assigned a list of assignments that we simply must get through and…." She stopped again.

"Who is this young lady?" the teacher asked, pointing to a sleeping student at the front of the classroom.

"Opal! Wake up!" Allie said, pushing on Opal's shoulder.

Opal looked up and saw the substitute's harsh stare.

"Young lady, what is your name?"

Opal lowered her eyes. "Opal Weise. I'm sorry that I fell asleep."

"Are you feeling ill?" Hill asked.

"No, she worked late last night," Timmy said. "Mr. Judson hired several of us to be paper folders for his new newspaper that gets issued today."

The teacher stood up. "Children, how many in this class are working for this, Mr. Judson?"

Over half the class raised their hands.

"And your parents are aware?"

Timmy nodded. "My dad says it's a good wage and should be a good experience."

Hill sighed. "Very well, then. See to it that it doesn't interfere with your classwork. Now, if you all will pull out your notebooks, I would like to first conduct an assessment of where you are in your education."

Nathan donned his serge and set out early so that he could finish his rounds before meeting Emily for breakfast at Abigail's. Even though he had decided not to propose to Emily until the weekend, he found himself with butterflies in his stomach at the prospect of seeing her. He'd considered Bill's advice which, while helpful, wasn't going to get him over the hump, and Allie, while well-meaning, had pretty much shut down every idea that he had regarding when and how. Oddly, he found himself wishing that Lucas actually was around at this time to talk to, not that he'd ask for advice on how to propose nor that Lucas would necessarily give it. Bouchard was indeed a good read of people and would instinctively know that what worked for himself would not work for Nathan. Still, over the past many months, a friendship had developed that Nathan would never have predicted, and the brother-like sparring that they'd engage in had an effect of giving him that extra bit of confidence that he sometimes lacked. For instance, he recalled how Lucas goaded him into asking Emily out and then encouraged him once they found out that she was Lucas's physical therapist. But Lucas wasn't there, and he had nobody but himself who could give him the kick in the pants needed to push him forward – and so he'd just have to rise to the occasion. Perhaps it would be as easy as Bill said. He needed to just do it.

"I'm ready to go," Elizabeth said, stepping out of the ensuite dressed in a floor-length cream and navy-colored silk dress with matching buttons that ran down the front and a waistband that accentuated Elizabeth's tiny waist.

Lucas's eyes lit up as they scanned her frame and then settled on her face. "So, beautiful!" he said, walking to join her near the exit to their room.

"Thank you," she replied. "It was a wedding gift from Dottie Ramsey. I didn't know we would be gone so long, so almost everything I have has been worn. But, I figured if we're going to be walking around the fashion capital of the world, I might as well do it in style."

"Just be careful that the editors of Vogue Magazine don't spot you. They'll be wanting to hire you to be one of their fashion models."

"Oh, stop," she said, pushing him gently. "You're joking now."

Lucas grew serious. "I would never joke when it comes to describing how beautiful you are to me, mon amour. You are simply exquisite," he responded, then kissed her hand and raised it to his heart.

Elizabeth's felt as if her own heart would melt for all the love and adoration he was showing her. "You are very sweet," she responded softly, running her fingers through his hair and resting them on his face.

"Just being truthful," he replied, reaching for her shawl. "Let's hurry on to breakfast. I can't wait until my friends see you."

"Friends?" Elizabeth looked surprised. "Are we meeting with friends of yours?"

"Yes, for breakfast," he responded, slipping the shawl over her shoulders then following her out the door."Before we left Canada, I contacted one of my friends in Paris to see if he could do us a favor while we're here."

"What was that?" she asked curiously as they stepped on the elevator.

"For that, you'll have to wait and see. His name is Adam Junot, and his wife is named Clarice. I met Adam when I was a teenager, and my father was working with the embassy in Paris on business. Adam and I were taking fencing lessons together and were friendly, but it wasn't until I was in my twenties and living in New Orleans that we became friends. Adam's father is a Frenchman, and his mother, American. He decided to go to school to become a construction engineer in America, and that's when we met up again. We've continued to correspond through the years."

"What's he doing in Paris?" she asked as the doorman held the door open for them, and they walked toward the street.

"That would be Clarice. Clarice is from Paris as well, and her mother, who was a widow, took ill, so being an only child, she came home to care for her. Adam, of course, came with her," he responded as they slid into the backseat of a cab. "Thirty, Rue de Beaune," he instructed the driver before continuing the conversation. "Adam, Clarice, and I were part of the same little club…."

"A club?"

"A book club," he replied. "We'd get together at least once a week to discuss whatever book we were reading at the time. Sometimes it was historical fiction, sometimes mystery, sometimes romance. At the time, I was partial to science fiction. My favorite was H.G. Wells."

Elizabeth smiled as she discovered another piece of the puzzle that was Lucas Bouchard. "Well, it sounds like a club that was right up your alley. I look forward to meeting with your friends."

"I think you'll like them. Adam is smart and outgoing, and Clarice, well, she's a lot like you. Intelligent, independent and yet graceful, sweet, and caring. I think you'll get along quite well."

Nathan finished his rounds and made his way to Abigails. He was even more nervous than when he set out because complications on his route caused him to be about an hour later than their agreed-to meeting time. Still, he knew Emily'd be waiting and was excited to see her. Entering the restaurant, he was disappointed to see that she wasn't alone.

"Hello, Faith," he said as he walked up to the table, removed his riding gloves, and tucked them into his belt.

Faith turned and smiled, looking between the Mountie and Emily. "Oh hello, Nathan!" she smiled. "Emily and I were just going over some details for our trip," she explained. "Pull up a seat. We've already ordered."

Just then, a waiter walked up to the table with two plates filled with pancakes covered in Bill's own house-made berry syrup. Emily looked at Nathan apologetically, but he waved her concern off. After all, he was an hour late.

"What sort of details?" he asked, both to make conversation and determine what sort of time that he'd have with Emily before they were to leave. He knew that getting ready for the hospital job would take at least some of her time, and since Faith had been talking with Carson, he knew she'd have the scoop.

Faith glanced at Emily, who smiled slightly, leaning forward in her seat. "Carson is sending one of the doctors from the Institute to fill in for Faith while she's gone. Dr. Augustus Bates."

"He's a renowned cardiologist." Faith added.

"Cardiologist?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," Emily replied. "But, he does other things. He was a general practitioner before becoming a surgeon. He's very good."

"Oh. I wasn't questioning his abilities. It just sounded strange that a heart doctor would be the town's doctor for a while," Nathan responded.

"Truthfully, he's overqualified," Faith said. "I mean, when I first came to Hope Valley in 1912, Henry, who was the mayor at the time, asked me to run the infirmary. I was engaged to a banker from Union City named Peter who promised to give me a life beyond compare so I could stop 'playing Florence Nightengale.'"

"Oh, I'm sure that went over well," Emily laughed.

"Yes. You could imagine," Faith responded. "But ultimately, I wanted to be married, but I also had such fulfillment in the medical field. So, I had to decide. Did I pursue what I thought I wanted or go with who I was born to be? I decided to take the job in Hope Valley, and the rest is history. I ran the infirmary for another year and a half until Carson came along. I've never regretted that decision."

Nathan looked over at Emily as unspoken words coursed through his mind. Being a nurse was who she was born to be. Quebec was an awesome opportunity. How could he ask her to give all that up for the uncertainty of being the wife of a Mountie?

Lucas and Elizabeth exited the cab outside a Parisian eatery in the heart of town. Offering her his arm, Bouchard proudly led his bride into the restaurant, which was much fancier than Elizabeth had expected when they left that morning. It was also busier. As she stepped onto the pristine marble flooring and observed the opulent surroundings, she was suddenly quite thankful that she'd picked that morning to wear Dottie's beautiful gift.

A line had formed in the foyer leading to the restaurant, and Lucas checked his pocket watch for the time. Meanwhile, Elizabeth looked around to see if any couples looked like they might be looking for Lucas. She didn't see his friends, but she did spot a couple of beautiful French ladies looking their way. The women were whispering to one another and giggling, seemingly ogling her husband. Taking a step forward, she looped her arm through Lucas's and kissed him on the cheek, making it clear he was taken. The women turned away.

A few minutes passed, and when it was clear that the line was moving slowly, Elizabeth leaned in again.

"Do you mind if I go to the powder room for a moment? I think we have time," she asked.

Lucas turned to her. "Of course, I don't mind. You never have to ask."

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

The inside of the restroom, or more appropriately, the Women's Lounge, was even more extravagant than the foyer. There were two main rooms. One had a cream-colored settee covered in rich velvet, which matched the cream walls accented by gold leaf. A station was set up where various toiletries and other items were there for the taking. There were soaps and candies and even samples of the latest perfumes from the Parisian lines. Elizabeth picked up one of the samples, smelled it, and set it down when she heard two women's voices coming from the next room.

"Il a vécu à Paris il y a des années, le long des Champs Elysées. Son nom Lucas. Lucas Bouchard."

Elizabeth gasped when she heard her husband's name. Though Elizabeth's French was not perfect, she understood perfectly well that the speaker had known of Lucas from back when he and his parents lived near the Champs Elysées when he was a child. She tiptoed to where she was closer to the door and noted that the women were in individual restroom stalls talking, so she quietly slipped into the room and entered a third.

"Who is his woman?" the other woman asked in French.

"I'm sure that's his wife. I heard he got married recently through a friend of their family. He lives in the Canadian frontier, where he owns several businesses."

Elizabeth heard a commode flush and the opening of the stall door of the second woman followed by the first.

"I see; well, that explains it."

"Explains it?" the other woman asked.

"How someone as debonair and cosmopolitan as this Lucas you knew could end up with someone who…well, let's just say - I believe my grandmother may have worn a frock similar to that."

"Margaux, don't be cruel," the woman stated. "Her look may be a little outdated, but she is beautiful just the same. And, Lucas, he seems very happy," the woman responded.

"Perhaps. Nevertheless, if for no other reason than his business success, she should make a better presentation given that her husband is such an important man."

Elizabeth sat in her stall for several moments longer, shaken and a little teary-eyed by Margaux's words and struggling with self-doubt. As cruel as the words were, she knew there was an element of truth there. Lucas was an important man and would be dealing more and more internationally now that he was a part of the Thatcher group. The last thing she would want to do is hold him back.

A knock came on the door of the Women's lounge. "Elizabeth?" Lucas's deep voice sounded concerned. "Are you in there? Are you okay?"

Elizabeth quickly pulled herself together and exited the stall. "I'll be right there," she stated, looking at herself in the mirror and wiping her eyes. She straightened out her skirt and tried to put on a smile for when she met him at the door.

"Sorry I took so long," she said as she exited the room.

"That's alright. Are you feeling okay? You look like you've been crying," he stated.

Elizabeth wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm fine," she said, kissing him on lips, then drawing him into a tight embrace. "Anxious to meet your friends."

Lucas kept watch over her, knowing something was wrong but decided not to press it. "They are anxious to meet you. They've reserved a table for us in the back. Shall we?"

She took his arm, and they went to join the others

Breakfast ended, and Nathan stood to return to work, letting the ladies know he would leave them to their planning.

"Might I see you this evenin' after work?" Emily asked, hopefully.

"Um, of course," Nathan said nervously. "I should be done around five o'clock. Would that be okay?"

"I would like that," Emily smiled.

Nathan placed his hat on his head and tilted it toward her. "I will see you then," he replied, then wished both women a good afternoon before leaving.

Faith observed the pair, picking up on uncertainty in Nathan and longing in Emily. Having become good friends with Nathan when they were both dealing with romantic disappointment, she was excited to see the relationship between the Mountie and the nurse heating up. It was a very good match, and Emily was just the kind of person that Faith knew Nathan needed – someone strong yet soft and able to understand and accept him for who he was and what he did. So to see him seeming hesitant – Faith knew something must have happened and resolved to talk to Nathan that afternoon before he allowed his inner insecurities to ruin something good.

Adam and Clarice Junot were exactly like Elizabeth had pictured them. Young and beautiful, the wife looked like she'd just stepped off a Paris runway in her navy blue frock accentuated with cream-colored buttons and a silk sash tied about her waist. Her sandy locks were bobbed and covered by a blue taffeta hat featuring a cream-colored feather. But it was in the warmness of her smile and her kind, gentle spirit where her true beauty lay.

Adam was Lucas's age, about an inch or two shorter, athletically built with brown hair that he slicked back and parted down the middle. His angular features were not harsh, and his eyes the prettiest shade of violet that Elizabeth thought she'd ever seen. They made a striking pair.

"So, how have you been doing, my old friend, now that you're a family man? Are you fully recovered?" Adam asked as they took their seats.

"Doing well, my man. Doing, well." Lucas nodded. "My strength has pretty much recovered, due in large part to this lovely woman who sits beside me, and truthfully, I've never been happier."

"That's so wonderful to hear," Clarice said. "Elizabeth, we were so happy when Lucas wrote to us and told us that he had met you. I'd never heard him speak so enthusiastically about any other woman."

"When was this?" Elizabeth asked.

Clarice looked at Adam, and the two reflected. "I'd say Spring of 1916. He'd just moved to your town."

Elizabeth looked at Lucas with amazement.

"I told you that you'd captured my heart from the beginning," he responded, kissing her hand.

"And, I am so glad," Elizabeth replied.

The Bouchards locked eyes, and for a few moments, it was as if the rest of the world did not exist. Then Adam cleared his throat. Lucas's eyes smiled as he realized what had happened, and he ducked his head, a bashful grin playing on his face.

"Sorry," he said quietly. Elizabeth bit her lip and took his hand under the table.

"So, tell us about young Jack," Clarice stated, changing the subject.

A broad smile appeared on Lucas's face, and for the next half hour, they discussed little Jack and what life was like in Hope Valley, as well as Elizabeth's role as a teacher and a published author. However, Elizabeth became quiet when the conversation turned to her life in Hamilton and Lucas's newfound venture with Northwest Shipping.

"Northwest is quite a prestigious company," Adam said. "You're going to hobnob with some very important clientele."

"Probably not for a while," Lucas said.

"Of course you will. I understand the Prince of Wales just signed a contract with Northwest for transporting the Crown's goods back and forth from New York."

"That's true," Lucas replied. "But our little division is on the frontier and is somewhat separate."

"Perhaps, but it's only a matter of time," Adam said with a smile. "Before you know it, you're going to be overrun by Dukes and dignitaries. And there goes all the fun. You know how demanding those people can be. Soon it'll be who can impress the most."

"Lucas will do wonderfully," Clarice added. She turned to Elizabeth. "You might be surprised to know that despite his inner shyness, Lucas was our best party host. He always brings the very best."

Elizabeth smiled, "That doesn't surprise me at all. He's always been a wonderful host in Hope Valley as well."

The conversation went on a little while longer until Adam and Lucas started getting into an actual business discussion concerning Adam designing some office and garage space for what would become Lucas's fleet of trucks. The men were using the backs of paper menus to map out what Lucas would need and seemed to have temporarily forgotten that their wives were by their side. Clarice, sensing that the conversation was going to go on a while, suggested that they head back to the Junot's apartment, which was a few blocks away. Adam and Lucas could talk business, and she'd entertain Elizabeth over tea.

"Actually, you know what I'd rather do?" Elizabeth said.

"What's that, dear?" Clarice replied.

"If we could, that is, if you don't mind – could we go shopping while Lucas and Adam are busy talking business?" she responded. "I'd love to see what is in the boutiques."

Lucas smiled softly that Elizabeth seemed to like Clarice, but he was curious about the sudden need to go shopping since she'd never mentioned wanting to do so before.

"Certainly! If that is what you wish to do," Clarice replied. "I can even take you to see my friend Gabrielle. I've known her since we were children, and she's one of Paris's rising couturières. You may know her by her nickname."

"Oh?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, it's Coco. Coco Chanel. She's been busy pulling together all of the clothing and hats and the like that will fill her new boutique, which opens next year, but I imagine I can convince her to give us a private showing."

"Really? That sounds amazing." To visit such a prestigious and key figure in Parisian fashion was precisely what she was looking for. "Lucas, is it okay with you if Clarice and I go shopping while you two talk?"

Lucas looked curiously at her and then smiled. "Of course! If that's what you want to do, by all means. We can catch up later. However, you might need something to shop with. Coco charges a premium, I hear."

"You know Coco Chanel?" Elizabeth asked.

Lucas lowered his chin and grinned. "Through my mother. She also may have asked me out on a date when I was in Paris in 1912."

Elizabeth laughed. "Really? Did you go?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. She was already seeing a wealthy polo player, Boy Capel – and his good friend Etienne. Even if she were my type, I wouldn't have said yes."

"Lucas and his particularity," Adam said.

Lucas just smiled and handed Elizabeth a clip full of cash from his wallet. "You don't hear me complaining," he replied. "Go have fun shopping and don't worry about the cost. I want you to have fun."

Elizabeth took the money and smiled. "Thank you, Lucas. We'll see you two later tonight?"

"I'll be counting the minutes and seconds," Lucas said, kissing her hand. Adam rolled his eyes.

A couple of hours passed, and Faith was making her way across the street from Abigail's, where she'd checked on Clara and Jesse's baby, who was suffering from a cold. Stepping out onto the street, a flash of red caught her attention. It was heading in her direction.

"Good afternoon, Constable," she said as Nathan caught up to her.

"Afternoon, Faith," Nathan said quietly. "Stopping by for some of Clara's pie?"

"No," she responded. "Sick baby."

Nathan furrowed his brow. "Oh, no. Dorothea's sick? Is it bad?"

"She should be fine," Faith responded. "But I am worried about you."

"Me?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," Faith said. "You seemed awfully quiet at breakfast today. Something on your mind?"

Nathan stalled for a moment and shook his head. "Oh, nothing really. I'll figure it out."

"Why don't I believe you?" Faith responded. Nathan said nothing.

"Listen, Nathan. You and I have been friends for a couple of years now, and I think I know you pretty well. And, I'm recognizing something in you that we need to nip in the bud, right now."

Nathan looked over at her, but just barely. "And what is that?"

"Uncertainty and indecisiveness. You love Emily, and she loves you, but you're not sure where your relationship is going because she's going back to Quebec; and, you want to step in and say something, but you're feeling conflicted because she loves what she does and you don't want to interfere with that. Am I right?"

Nathan kept looking down, playing with the glove in his hand. "I want her to be happy."

"And, you think she can't be happy with you and have a career too? What? Would you make her quit?"

"Of course not."

"Then what is it?" she asked. "Nathan, what are you worried about?"

Nathan was quiet for several seconds, then finally looked Faith in the eye. "There's nothing here for her, Faith. I mean, Quebec has all of the excitement and opportunity that she could ever want. And being a nurse, it's been her dream since she was a child. Pursuing a relationship with me would probably wreck all that. I can't ask her to do that."

"You can't, or you won't?" She asked. He clamped his mouth shut. "Nathan, you wasted three years of your life wanting a relationship with Elizabeth but never reaching out to her until it was far too late to matter."

"It wouldn't have mattered. She would have still ended up with Lucas," he replied.

"Probably so. But wouldn't it have been nice to know that before you got in so deep? Before Allie had a rough spell of getting her heart broken too because of unfulfilled expectations? Wouldn't it have saved a lot of grief if you'd just have asked or asked earlier? At least then you would have known.

Nathan, when Carson got the opportunity to go to Johns Hopkins, I was very torn. I wanted him to stay here but didn't want to step in the way of the opportunity. So I'm afraid that I let my indecisiveness and uncertainty concerning the matter get in the way of our relationship. I let the best man I've ever known get on a stagecoach and ride away without him knowing how I truly felt. And, while I know Hope Valley is where I'm supposed to be, there hasn't been a day that I haven't regretted not at least telling him where I stood and how I felt about him. It's been hard. We talk. But it's not the same, and I miss him so much. I can't help but think we could have worked it out if I'd just given him a chance. You need to give Emily a chance. Let her decide. At least then you'll know."

Elizabeth and Clarice stepped into Coco Chanel's boutique at 31 rue Cambon, a few blocks north of the Louvre, and were greeted with a kiss on the cheek by an elegant woman with short black hair and an air about her that was regal. Clarice quickly introduced them and allowed Elizabeth to explain precisely what she was looking for.

"Where we live, it takes a while for the latest trends to get to us – and, with my husband Lucas starting a business…."

"Lucas? You married Lucas Bouchard? Helen's son?" Coco asked.

Elizabeth smiled softly. "Yes. We're in Paris on our honeymoon."

Coco looked at Elizabeth with an inscrutable look for a long time. "Lucas is a good man, and he has a beautiful bride. Slim figure. Flawless skin. Yes! We must dress you in the very best. Come this way!"

Miss Sarah Hill entered the Mercantile around thirty minutes after her class let out. It had been a difficult day, and the children were restless. This was her first teaching assignment, and she knew it was important to fulfill the agenda laid out by the Alberta Board of Education before Elizabeth Bouchard returned. But, today, she felt she was an abject failure at doing so. Exhausted, she only wanted to take some aspirin, have a bite to eat, and go to bed in her room in the Queen, which was being funded by the provincial board of education.

She spotted the aspirin immediately on one of the Yost's shelves and looked around for a few minutes, picking up a bottle of soda and a new ink pen before making her way to the counter. Florence was on the phone, and Ned was across the street at the soda shop, so she waited by the cash register for her items to be rung out. While standing there, she noticed the Valley Voice and picked up a copy to take back to the room with her.

"Pardon me, ma'am. You don't want that one," a tall man with sandy brown hair and a thin mustache said, walking up to her with a stack of freshly printed newspapers in hand. He pulled out a copy and passed one to her. "Take this one. Compliments of the publisher."

"And, I suppose you are the publisher?" Sarah said, taking the newspaper from his hand.

"Darius Judson, publisher of the Hope Valley Tribune and owner of the factory at the edge of town. And you are?"

She looked at him sternly, recalling his name from the sleepy children earlier in the day. "Ready to pay for my things and get back to my room. Thank you for the newspaper."

"It's the inaugural edition," he responded. She nodded her head.

Just then, Florence walked up to the cash register and prepared to ring Sarah out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Florence said, ringing in the soda price in from memory and then picking up the bottle of aspirin to check for a label. "I don't believe we've met," she said casually as she rang in the pills. "Florence Yost."

Sarah glanced over at Judson, who was pretending to be looking at a jar of jelly on the shelf.

"Sarah. Miss Sarah Hill," Sarah said quietly.

"The new school teacher. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Florence said, louder than Sarah wanted. Sarah cringed. Darius placed the jar back on the shelf and approached the counter.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But, I have a meeting I need to attend in twenty minutes. Mrs. Yost, here are the newspapers we were talking about," he set them on the counter. "Just collect the money, and I'll be in at the end of the week for payment.

"Certainly, Mr. Judson," Florence said. "How much per copy?"

Darius stopped for a moment to look around. Seeing a sign on display for the Valley Voice that said each copy was two cents, he smirked. "A penny each. Have a good day, Mrs. Yost. Nice to meet you, Miss Hill," he said before leaving the Mercantile.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you look lovely!" Clarice stated as Elizabeth exited the dressing room in a tea-length black evening dress.

"It's from my new line," Coco explained. "It's called the little black dress. Soon, every woman will want one."

"It is pretty," Elizabeth said.

"Oh, yes," Clarice replied. "Turn around."

Elizabeth turned and revealed the back of the dress, which plunged about midway down her spine.

"Ooh!" Clarice said, "Lucas will like that."

Elizabeth smiled, "You don't think it's too much to go to a dinner party?"

"Not at all," Clarice replied. "It's very modern."

"And it's what you said you wanted. A modern look sends a message that says you're ready to go into the future," Coco agreed. "Your appearance - tres magnifique!"

"I'll take it," Elizabeth said, "And the peach one and the blue beaded gown."

"The one that matches your eyes?" Clarice asked.

"Yes. I thought that was very pretty."

"Wonderful," Coco responded. "We will package them up. But now, the piece de la resistance."

Elizabeth's eyes brightened? "More?"

"Yes. Your hair." Coco replied. "It's very pretty, but if you're do truly want to be in style, then wearing a hairstyle from the Victorian era simply will not do."

"Coco! Elizabeth's hair is beautiful." Clarice said. "It's versatile, and she could always wear it up if she wanted."

Elizabeth looked over at Coco somewhat pleadingly.

"Pins and combs are things of the past, as are corsets and bustles," Coco responded. "The modern woman is allowed to be comfortable and carefree. But, it's up to Elizabeth, of course. What do you say, dear?"

Elizabeth thought for several seconds, thinking about all of the people she had seen in Paris and the women in the ladies' lounge. She swallowed. "Well, okay. But only a trim."

Nathan quit work early that day, returning to his house to change before heading back into town. Stopping first by the hotel, he sent a note to Emily through the hotel staff to be dressed in casual clothes and ready in fifteen minutes. They were going for a ride.

"Where are we goin'?" Emily asked as he rode up on Newton with Pilot in tow.

Nathan held Pilot steady as she mounted her steed and then grinned his crooked grin. "Macinnes Bluff," he stated. "Has the most spectacular sunsets in the province."

"That sounds wonderful," she replied with a smile. "You lead the way."

The couple traveled the foothills for several miles behind Hope Valley, then took a sharp turn right heading straight up the mountainside.

"Hold on," Nathan said as they traversed the rocky landscape. "Sometimes, these areas can get a little hazardous."

"I'll be careful," she responded, holding tightly to Pilot, who seemed to handle the terrain with little difficulty.

About forty-five minutes later, Nathan stopped. Tying Newton to a tree, he helped Emily down from her perch, and while he pulled a blanket from his saddlebag, she walked to the edge of the bluff and enjoyed the view it afforded.

"This is beautiful!" she exclaimed. "How come you've never taken me up here before?"

"In truth, I never thought to," he replied. "I haven't been up here myself for a few years. But I was just thinking of where I could take you away from the prying eyes of the dear citizens of Hope Valley, where we could be alone."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "So you took me up in the Mountains five miles away?"

Nathan nodded, handing her a tin coffee cup that he'd retrieved from his bag. Opening up a thermos, he poured some of the hot liquid into the cup. "Yes, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sounds serious," she responded, taking a sip of coffee and then his hand as he led her to sit on the blanket.

"It is," he replied. "But not serious in a bad way. At least, I hope not."

Elizabeth sat nervously in a stylist's chair, having had her face made up with the season's latest shades and waiting for the stylist to come and do her hair. Clarice reassured her that the makeup wasn't too heavy, but when Coco's hairdresser walked up with his shears, she needed a little more than reassurance.

"Elle a des cheveux comme une crinière de cheval!" the man whispered to Coco.

Elizabeth leaned over to Junot. "Did he say something about a horse?"

"He said your hair is like a horse's mane," she responded.

"I know, Bertrand," Coco said. "Just do something pretty to give it some shape."

Bertrand nodded and approached Elizabeth's chair with a stern look on his face. Turning her away from the mirror, he measured out her hair in his hand. Clarice began to speak when she saw where he was cutting but was too late when suddenly, ten inches worth of Elizabeth's length dropped to the floor. Elizabeth must have sensed what was happening and started to turn around, but she found herself scolded like one of her students and told to sit still or she'd get cut. When he was through, Elizabeth's once long locks had been shorn into a shoulder-length bob. Her natural waves drew the hair up and made it appear even shorter.

Elizabeth and Clarice were too much in shock when he was complete to say much of anything but the former was in tears by the time she reached the car. "What have I done?"

"Nathan, what is it? What is it you want to talk to me about?" Emily asked after several minutes of Grant's obvious stalling.

Nathan stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath. "Emily, what I wanted to talk to you about was…."

Suddenly, Newton made a squealing sound, and Nathan looked his way. About twenty feet away from the couple was a large black bear!

Emily screamed and huddled behind Nathan while the wide-eyed Mountie looked between his saddle and the bear, realizing his revolver was too far away. Slowly, he stood up, keeping Emily behind him.

"Here's what we're going to do," he said. "You keep behind me, and we're going to slowly walk backward toward the horses. I brought a couple of sandwiches for us to have as a snack later on. If I can throw them toward him, we should be able to distract him long enough to get away."

Emily didn't argue but stood behind Nathan and began to walk. A few seconds later, Pilot became very restless and began trying to tear himself away from where he was tied.

Nathan and Emily looked just behind him on the hillside and saw another bear heading their way.

"On second thought," Nathan said, just as they reached Newton, "Let's go!"

Nathan quickly jumped up on Newton and, with one arm, pulled Emily up behind him and began to ride, loosening Pilot from where he was tied as they passed by. The two bears began to run after the couple, but Nathan's expert horseman skills helped them navigate down the rocky path and to a clearing where he stopped and listened. Emily held to his waist so tightly that he felt limited on breath but wasn't complaining.

"I think they're gone. Are you okay?" he asked, turning in the saddle to see her. The minute his face was toward hers, he found her lips pressed to his and her arms wrapped around his neck. She nearly pulled the two of them down.

After a few seconds, Nathan gently pushed her away and raised a finger. He slid to the ground and then offered her help down from Newton's saddle, his hands wrapping around her waist. She unintentionally lost her footing and fell against him when her feet hit the ground, but he caught her. He leaned down and continued the kiss, holding her to him for the longest time.

Pulling apart, their eyes met, and all Nathan could see was the woman he loved. He knew he could never let her go. He would later find out that she was thinking pretty much the same thing toward him.

"Emily," he stated.

"Yes, Nathan," she replied, starry-eyed as she looked at her Mountie.

"I don't want you to go," he began. "But, I know you have to because of your job. But that doesn't mean we have to lose each other. I'm generally a man of few words, not all of them eloquent – but I'm sincere."

"Nathan, what are you trying to say?" Emily asked, confused.

Nathan swallowed. "Emily, what I'm trying to say is that I'll wait for you and even rearrange where I'm at, if need be, to be with you. Knowing you has been the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. It's taught me a love that I never thought possible, and I'm not willing to let that go. And, while it may be a little while before we can be together again…well, I couldn't let you leave without telling you how I feel about you and without asking you…." Nathan dropped to one knee and reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a small leather box.

Emily's eyes whelmed up, and she drew her hand to her mouth as Nathan asked the question. "Will you marry me?"

She began crying, and at first, the Mountie wasn't sure that they were happy tears, but when an overwhelmed Emily began to shake her head, yes, a feeling of relief and pure joy flooded his soul.

Emily stuck out her hand, and he slipped the beautiful engagement ring on her finger; then, they kissed and held each other, both shedding tears over the knowledge they'd be together.

"I love you, Nathan Grant," Emily said as she looked up into his eyes.

"And I love you, Emily," he replied.

He leaned forward for another kiss. "More than I ever thought poss- " Suddenly, they heard a loud rustling in the woods. This time, Emily jumped into his arms, and Nathan began to walk toward the horse but stopped when Pilot came into view.

The couple laughed, but Nathan didn't let her down – instead, he kissed her long and with passion as he held her in his arms, wordlessly finishing the thought he'd started before.

Lucas and Adam had finished with their business plans and were sitting in Adam's den talking about old times and enjoying a cocktail when the door to the suite opened. Expecting Clarice and Elizabeth to walk in, Lucas was surprised when only Adam's wife appeared. He frowned, then shrugged.

"She's coming," Clarice stated. "But, she asked me to warn you first."

Lucas looked confused. "Warn me?" he chuckled nervously. "Why would I need to be warned?

A shadow appeared on the wall in the hallway, and Elizabeth made her way into the room. She was dressed in the blue dress from the salon with a matching hat that covered her hair. When Lucas saw her, his face broke out into a huge smile.

"Beautiful!" he exclaimed. "Simply stunning!" He would have gone on, except he sensed that something was wrong.

He looked at Clarice and shrugged. "What's going on?"

Elizabeth slowly removed the hat, and the smile on Lucas's face became a bit more forced. "You…you cut your hair," he said, stating the obvious.

"Isn't it pretty?" Clarice prompted, but all Lucas could do was nod his head.

"It's um…it's shorter."

Immediately, Elizabeth burst into tears. "I told you he would hate it!" She ran out of the room.

A helpless Lucas shook his head and began moving toward her. "No…no, that's not what I meant…" he said, walking toward the door. "Excuse me," he said to the Junots who heard him from out in the hallway. "Elizabeth, please wait up. Sweetheart. Come on, you know I can't run! Elizabeth…."

Clarice let out a whistle then shook her head. Adam took a drink from his glass and did the same.