"You did what?!" Rosemary shrieked, clearly unable to believe her ears. Lee was staring at Elizabeth in stunned silence. Bill stood to the side, arms folded, face set like a stone statue.

Elizabeth took a deep breath to calm herself. This was not a promising start. How was she going to go through with this crazy plan if her friends didn't support her? "I told Nathan I would marry him. That way Allie stays here in Hope Valley with him, and Jack will have a father to help raise him."

"But Bill and Lee are great father figures for Jack!" Rosemary exclaimed.

"True," Elizabeth agreed. "And I'm very thankful for that. But it's not quite the same, and you know that, Rosemary."

"Elizabeth, are you sure?" Lee asked, concern etched all over his face. Rosemary sat beside him sputtering, rendered speechless for probably only the second or third time in her life.

She sighed. "Yes, Lee, I'm sure. I've been thinking about this all night, whether or not it was the right decision. I believe it is." Placing a hand against her stomach as if to brace herself, she admitted, "But that doesn't mean this was an easy decision. I never thought I would marry for anything besides love."

"You don't have to," Rosemary said, finding her voice again. "This situation with Allie is certainly sad, and I admire your desire to give her a happy ending, but does it have to come at the expense of your own?" She got up and put an arm around Elizabeth. "Is this really what you want to do?"

Steeling herself, Elizabeth nodded. "It was my own choice. Nathan didn't ask. In fact, he looked horrified when I suggested it." She wouldn't admit it to her friends, but that look had felt like a knife in her gut. Was the thought of marrying her really so awful, or was he that concerned that she would be throwing away the chance to find love again? Either way, she had felt that look acutely.

Bill stepped forward, finally breaking his silence. "Elizabeth, I want you to be happy. You know that. I like Nathan and I know he would be good to you, but do you think this is something that could bring you happiness?"

Elizabeth thought for a few moments before responding. "Honestly, Bill, I don't know. It will make me happy to have little Jack cared for by both a mother and a father. It will make me happy that Allie will be cared for in that way as well."

Bill surveyed her face, searching for truth. "Do you have any feelings for him at all, Elizabeth?"

How was she supposed to answer that? Her feelings for Nathan were confused at best. Sometimes she thought she felt a spark between them, and other times she was so frustrated at his lack of communication that she wanted to smack him. His refusal to tell her about his job promotion back at Christmastime stood out in her mind. He had ultimately decided to turn it down, but it still stung slightly that he hadn't trusted her enough to share that information. Especially since she had asked him several times if anything was wrong. Turning her attention back to Bill, she gave a succinct answer. "I think so."

Bill smiled slightly. "It's obvious he has feelings for you. I never see him more tongue-tied than when he's trying to talk to you."

That broke the tension, and Elizabeth laughed. That was certainly true. Words were not Nathan's strong point.

Rosemary was studying Elizabeth's face. She must have seen the determination there. "You're going to go through with this, aren't you?"

"Yes, Rosemary."

Rosemary let out a breath. "You're my best friend, so I won't lie to you, Elizabeth. I don't like this." She hugged Elizabeth tightly, holding on longer than usual. "But I will support you," she whispered, tears evident in her voice.

Elizabeth pulled back, matching tears in her own eyes. "Thank you, Rosemary. That means a lot." She looked at the three of them. "I want you all there at the wedding. We're just going to go see Pastor Simon and have him do a quick ceremony. That's all. Allie and Jack will be there too."

"We'll be there, Elizabeth," Lee said. "When is it?"

Hesitating, knowing they wouldn't like the answer, Elizabeth said, "This afternoon."

"This afternoon!" Rosemary cried. "Elizabeth, that's not enough time for a proper wedding!"

"Nothing about this situation is what I'd call proper," Elizabeth said, smiling in spite of herself. Even though Rosemary wasn't thrilled, she still had it in her mind that a wedding had to be a big deal. It was good to know some things never changed. "All we need is the preacher to marry us, and you as witnesses. We'll figure out how to explain it to the townspeople later."

"Fine," Rosemary said with a huff. "But you are going to let me do your hair, at the very least. Marriage of convenience notwithstanding, you're going to look lovely."


"Allie!" Nathan called up the stairs. "Can you come down here, please? I need to talk to you."

His niece appeared reluctantly at the top of the stairs and slowly descended them. Judging from her eyes, she'd spent most of the morning crying. Her shoulders were slumped over, and she looked like a child defeated.

It broke his heart.

"Come here, Allie," he said wrapping his arms around her. They stood in an embrace for several minutes. Nathan was horrible with words, and he sensed in this instance Allie just needed to be held.

Allie wiped her cheeks and looked up at Nathan, putting on her brave face. "I'm okay, Uncle Nathan."

"No, you're not," he said. "Let's sit." They sat on the settee, and Nathan put an arm around Allie again. "I have something to tell you, Allie. Something I hope will make you feel better."

"I doubt anything can make me feel better right now," Allie said sadly.

"I think this will. We've found a way to keep you here with me."

Allie's eyes brightened instantly. "Really? How?"

Nathan cleared his throat, still having a hard time believing that Elizabeth would marry him for the sake of his niece. "I found someone who was willing to marry me."

Allie's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "You...did?" she said, sounding exceedingly surprised. A little too surprised.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" he protested.

"You're wonderful," Allie affirmed quickly. "But you said finding someone to marry you would be impossible. Who did you ask?"

"Um, I didn't exactly ask," he admitted. "She offered."

"Really? Who's 'she'?" Allie asked. "Do I like her?"

Nathan smiled. "Yes, Allie, you like her very much."

Before he could continue, Allie's eyes widened even more. "Is it Mrs. Thornton?" she gasped.

Nathan simply nodded. Allie's face lit up in a beatific smile. "Really?" She laughed for the first time since she'd found out about her father wanting to take her back. "She did it!"

"She did what?"

"She promised me she would find a way to keep me here, and she did! I thought she was just trying to make me feel better." She clapped her hands. "This is better than I thought it could be."

At least someone is thrilled about this whole thing, Nathan thought wryly. Allie shot up from the settee. "I need to go thank her," she said. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is," Nathan responded. "We have to be at the church in a couple hours, though, so be back before then to get ready."

"You're getting married today?" Allie questioned. "Isn't that fast?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes, but it has to be today. Pastor Simon is going out of town tomorrow and won't be back for a few weeks."

"Oh, okay," Allie said with a shrug. "I'll see you in a little bit." She took off out the door, hurrying to Elizabeth's house to show her gratitude.

Nathan sat on the settee, his emotions conflicting. He was glad to see Allie so happy. He was relieved that she was able to stay with him. But he was worried about Elizabeth, concerned that she might regret her decision eventually. What if she ended up resenting him? And how much was her offer to marry him guided by the promise she had made to his niece?

As he thought, an idea came to him. What if he gave her the option of bowing out once Allie was old enough to no longer need a guardian? That was only about six years away, and Elizabeth would still be relatively young and able to find love again. He mulled the idea over, then nodded. He would let her know that their sham marriage could be annulled if she so chose when the time came.


Elizabeth stared at her reflection in the mirror, butterflies beating hard against her stomach. She let out a hard pent-up breath, hoping it would relieve the butterflies. It didn't.

"What am I doing, Rosemary?" she asked, nerves starting to get the better of her. "I offered to marry Nathan, and now I'm so nervous. We haven't talked about anything except that this will be a convenience marriage. What does that even look like?" Her hands were shaking, so she stuck them in her lap.

Rosemary took a pin out of her mouth and expertly placed it in Elizabeth's hair. Since she'd had time to think about Elizabeth's situation, she had gradually warmed up to the idea. "You'll figure that out as you go," she said gently. She looked Elizabeth in the eyes through the mirror. "Are you having second thoughts? There's still time to back out."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply, but a knock on the door stopped her. Rosemary went to open it, and Allie came flying in, heading straight for Elizabeth and flinging herself into her arms.

"You kept your promise!" she said, looking up at Elizabeth with sparkling eyes. "I get to stay here, and the best part is that I'll have you as an aunt! Thank you so much, Mrs. Thornton!" She hugged her tightly.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Allie, looking at Rosemary. Unspoken words passed between them, and Rosemary nodded. "This is why you're doing it," she said in a voice too soft for Allie to hear. Elizabeth nodded.

Turning her attention to Allie, she smiled. "You don't have to call me 'Mrs. Thornton' anymore," she said. "Like you said, we're about to become family. You can call me Aunt Elizabeth."

Allie grinned. "Does this mean Jack is going to be my cousin?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, it does. Though I think the two of you will be more like brother and sister than cousins."

"I've always wanted a brother," Allie said. "This is going to be fun." She looked around, a thought clearly occurring to her. "Are we going to live here with you or at Uncle Nathan's?"

"Um, that's a good question," Elizabeth said. "I don't know. Your uncle and I still need to talk over a lot of things. Where we're going to live is one of those things."

"I think we should live here," Allie announced. "Uncle Nathan and I have only been living in our rowhouse for a few months, and you've been here for much longer."

"We'll see," Elizabeth said, not wanting to commit to anything, especially without talking to Nathan.

Allie took Elizabeth's hand, examining her ring. "Are you going to keep wearing this?" she asked with all the innocence of a child, unaware of how that question set Elizabeth's insides to swirling.

"Um…" Elizabeth managed to choke out. Rosemary came to her rescue.

"Allie," she said, "why don't you run along and get yourself ready for the ceremony? You'll see your Aunt Elizabeth there, and there will be plenty of time for questions once everything is settled."

"Okay!" Allie agreed cheerfully. She hugged Elizabeth again. "Thank you for doing this," she said, meeting Elizabeth's eyes. "I know this isn't an ideal situation, but I truly appreciate what you're doing for us."

Elizabeth blinked. Allie was showing a maturity beyond her years. "It's my pleasure, sweetheart," she said sincerely.

Allie skipped out of the house, closing the door behind her. Rosemary met Elizabeth's eyes, concern in hers. "Are you alright, Elizabeth?" she asked.

Elizabeth's eyes were fixed on her ring. "I don't suppose I can keep wearing Jack's ring if I'm getting married to Nathan," she said, slowing twisting the ring back and forth. Tears sprang to her eyes. "But I don't know if I can take it off." After debating within herself for a few moments, she decided on a compromise. Sliding the ring off her left ring finger, she slid it onto her right one. "There. That shouldn't be a problem."

"I think Nathan will understand," Rosemary said.

"I hope so," Elizabeth sighed. Her face fell again. "Rosemary, I don't know how I feel about giving up his name, either. In a couple hours, my last name will be Grant, not Thornton."

"This is a lot to process," Rosemary agreed. "You're giving up a lot, Elizabeth. But you're not going to lose your memories. Jack will always be with you, and you have a visible reminder of him all the time through little Jack." She smiled quietly as she ran a brush through Elizabeth's hair, lost in thought. After a while, she said, "You know, I don't think I"ve ever seen someone demonstrate the kind of love you are right now."

"What do you mean?"

Rosemary continued brushing. "Agape love: willing the good of another person for their own sake. I don't remember where I heard that, but I've not really seen it in action until now. Marriage always involves agape love, but you are showing it in its purest form."

Elizabeth smiled lightly. "When did you get poetic?"

"Me?" Rosemary blinked. "Do you see who you're talking to?"

Elizabeth laughed, some of the tension releasing from her stomach. "Thank you, Rosemary. That's kind of you to say."

"It's the truth," Rosemary said. "You're giving up so much, but you're doing it out of love for a child. I wish I had your courage."

"I don't know if courage is the right word. Right now I just feel terrified at the uncertainty of the future."

Rosemary leaned down so that she was face to face with her friend. "Terrified or not, you won't be doing this alone, Elizabeth. Lee and I will be with you every step of the way." She straightened again, resuming her brushing and styling. "Now, let's get you ready for your wedding."


Nathan stood in the church, pacing a little nervously off to one side. Allie was chattering away with Pastor Simon. Once she had found out she wasn't going away, she had gone back to her usual self. Bill sat in a pew near Nathan, watching him pace. Finally, he got up and walked over to him. "Nathan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nathan said, letting out his breath. Bill raised a brow. "Okay, I'm not so fine. What have I agreed to, Bill? I feel like I can't let Elizabeth do this, but I can't lose Allie either. This feels like a situation in which no one wins, not really."

Bill put a hand on his shoulder. "Elizabeth is a strong woman. She would not have agreed to this if she didn't believe it was the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do for everyone but herself, maybe," Nathan countered. "She's giving up so much. Too much."

"And gaining a lot, too. Remember that, Nathan. This isn't how she would have planned on her life going, but she's about to gain a daughter and have a father for her son. And she's going to have you as well. You're a good man, Nathan, and I know you'll take good care of her."

"Of course I will," Nathan said. "But…"

"But what?"

"But what if I keep falling for her?" Nathan whispered, glancing at Allie as he spoke the words out loud for the first time, hoping she couldn't hear them. She would inadvertently tell Elizabeth. "What if I fall in love with her but she never feels the same?"

Bill smiled. "Admitting you could be in love is the first step, Nathan. Just love her. If she never feels the same way, you'll figure out how to navigate life together regardless. Don't borrow worries from the future that haven't materialized and may never happen. God only knows what your future holds."

"I'm going to give her the option of having the marriage annulled when Allie is a legal adult," Nathan said.

"I'm not surprised," Bill said. He started to walk away, then looked back at Nathan. "But I doubt she'll accept."

He doubted she would accept? Before Nathan could analyze that, Elizabeth came into the church with Lee and Rosemary. Nathan caught his breath. She was wearing the dress she'd worn to Jack's baptism, and her hair was pinned back with little flowers scattered throughout. She held a small bouquet of wildflowers in her hands. She smiled at him timidly. "Hi, Nathan."

"Elizabeth, you look beautiful," he said. Motioning her toward the side of the church, he said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She nodded. When they were out of earshot, she said teasingly, "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

Nathan smiled and shook his head, but he could see through her teasing. She was just as nervous as he was, if not more so. And no wonder. She was about to marry someone out of sheer necessity on his part. "Elizabeth, I wanted you to know that I won't hold you to this marriage once Allie is no longer in need of a guardian. We can have it annulled once she turns eighteen, if you want."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open, surprise in her eyes. She took a few moments to think it over, looking at Allie, and then at little Jack in Rosemary's arms. She looked back at him and shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, Nathan, but I believe in the permanence of marriage, even considering these circumstances. I will hold to our vows. Besides, an annulment would mean little Jack would lose you too, and I couldn't do that to him. He already loves you,'" she said with a small smile. "He's going to need you as he gets older."

And what about you? Nathan thought. Will you need me too? He pushed the thoughts away as quickly as they'd come. He couldn't be thinking that way. She didn't love him. She respected him, he knew that, but love was not a part of this agreement.

"Okay," he said, his mind still troubled. He noticed the ring on her right hand and paused. "Are you positive you want to go through with this, then?"

Her chin lifted and she gave a resolute nod. "Yes."

He held out his hand to her. "Alright, let's go." They took their places in front of Pastor Simon. Nathan could hardly focus on the short ceremony. His mind was racing with doubts and concerns, but he repeated the vows and placed a ring on Elizabeth's left hand. He saw the surprise in her eyes when he had produced matching wedding bands. One day he would tell her that they were his grandparents' rings, given to him by his grandmother before he became a Mountie. "Give it to that special woman you find someday," she'd told him. Elizabeth was certainly special. He was pretty sure that this wasn't exactly what his grandmother had envisioned for him, though. No matter. The ring was hers now. Within seconds, Pastor Simon was pronouncing them husband and wife.

"You may kiss the bride," the pastor said automatically, before realizing his mistake.

Elizabeth froze. The room stood still.

He couldn't kiss her, not in the way the preacher meant. The emotions playing out across her face told him that much. Compelled by a force he couldn't recognize, he leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek, barely touching it with his lips. He drew back and looked into her eyes. She smiled at him, gratitude reflecting in her face.

"We did it," she said softly, looking as if she couldn't quite believe it.

Neither could he. This was going to take some time to get used to. But even with all the doubts, even with all his uncertainty, as he gazed into Elizabeth's blue eyes, he had a feeling that they would have a good life together. Even if it had come about simply for the sake of convenience.