Rachel soon discovered that her body was not producing enough milk to keep Gilbert's hunger satisfied. Carson came by with some baby formula to supplement the breast milk. He tried to console Rachel with the hope that this would not be a permanent problem. That this pregnancy had been anything but normal. She had gone through physical and emotional trauma during the beginning of it, had not gotten proper nourishment during part of it and had been on bed rest for the last few weeks. All were reasons that her body might not make enough milk but that did not necessarily mean it was permanent. For now though, Carson assured her that Gilbert was a healthy baby boy and that he would help her make sure he received the proper nutrition so that continued that way. Carson spent a lot of time that first day with the Randalls, teaching them what they needed to know about balancing the formula with the breast feeding, how to properly prepare the formula and clean the bottles and nipples.

There was one thing that Rachel quickly learned to appreciate about the bottle feeding - she did not have to necessarily be awake for all of Gilbert's night time feeding. More than once, Rachel had fallen back asleep, while Tyler was giving their son, his bottle.

After a few days of healing, Rachel was allowed to be up and about. Carson cautioned her about trying to do too much too soon though, given her weeks of bed rest leading up to the pregnancy. As Tyler put in for and was a granted a week of leave time, Rachel found that those instructions were easy to follow. Not only did Tyler help with the children but he was more than willing to pitch in with the house work as well.

As July gave way to August, Ned and Florence's wedding became the focus. Gabriel borrowed Ronnie's car and drove both Lillian and Eric Ross to Hope Valley. Lillian and Eric stayed with the Coulters while Gabriel stayed with the Grants in their new home. Meeting Dylan in the café, Gabriel did his own feeling out of Dylan though he had only meant the man once before. Having asked his questions in the café, Henry had been one of the witnesses to the conversation. The former mayor of Hope Valley found his way over to Dylan's table afterwards.

"Speaking from experience, you should get use to those types of questions. You can never completely out run past mistakes," Henry told him.

Dylan looked up at the older man from his chair with a wry smile. "Not exactly the type of advice I was hoping to get but at least it tempers expectations."

"The good thing is, the people who really matter, they will be there when you need someone with advice or support, whether you want them to be or not. Just keep your head up, and you will be fine," Henry told him, clapping Dylan on the shoulder before leaving the café.

The day before the wedding, Bill took Eric and Evelyn for a walk. He wanted a casual atmosphere to have a chat with the children before the paperwork was signed for the adoption. Though he had been able to speak to Evelyn about her feelings, and Lillian and Grace had spoken with Eric, Bill wanted to speak with the boy himself now that he had been able to meet Ned and Florence.

It was with the confidence that Evelyn and Eric would thrive, with Ned and Florence that Bill signed the paperwork along with Ned, Florence and Lillian transferring the guardianship of Evelyn and Eric Ross to Ned and Florence. The official adoption paper would be signed following the wedding and filed then.

As it was the second wedding for both Florence and Ned, they kept the wedding simple. Henry stood up with Ned while Molly stood next to Florence. They were the only attendants as Pastor Zeke led them through their vows. Katie had come home for her father's wedding. Lisa had traveled from her school in Calgary to be with Florence and Paul on this happy occasion. Both older girls were very welcoming to Eric and Evelyn. Along with all of Ned and Florence's children the wedding guests included the Grant family, including Viola, Margaret and Dylan, the Randalls, the Coulters, Bill, Abigail, Becky and Cody, Lucas and Fiona, and Laura. Florence had invited Laura after seeing her with Pastor Zeke together. She thought it would be a nice opportunity for the pastor and the young girl to spend more time together.

After the ceremony in the church, the group took the celebration to the Queen of Hearts. Gustav had prepared a meal for everyone. Bill and Abigail had worked together to create a lovely cake. Ned and Florence took turns cutting a piece and feeding each other the first bite before Fiona took over the cutting of the cake and passing it out. After the cake, the kids ended up outside to play. Laura and Pastor Zeke offered to go out and keep an eye on all the children. Despite the small gathering, Rosemary insisted that Ned and Florence needed to share a first dance. She had brought her Victrola over and played the song she had chosen for them. As trying to talk Rosemary out of something was next to impossible, Ned took Florence's hand and led her to the middle of the saloon. With their arms around each other, Ned and Florence swayed to the music with their gathered friends and family watching. After that first dance, other couples took advantage of the music that Rosemary continued to play to do some dancing themselves. After several dances with Nathan and one with Bill, Elizabeth offered to hold Gilbert to give Rachel a chance to dance with Tyler.

"You want another one don't you?" Nathan asked, looking down at his wife gazing down at the infant in her arms.

Elizabeth nodded, still gazing at Gilbert. Moving a chair next to her, Nathan sat down and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Elizabeth finally looked up at him. "You want more children, don't you Nathan?"

"There was a time I did not even want to be a father, Elizabeth. Then life gave me Ally. I would not give her up for anything though I fully expected to be raising her alone. Then I came here and you and Jack came into our lives. Again, I would not give up what life has given me. So, should life give us more children, whether it is one or ten more, I will be grateful for everyone."

"Ten, might be pushing it," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I don't think I want to go through pregnancy that many times."

"Perhaps somewhere down the line we might find a child who needs a family and adopt them," Nathan told her. "Ivy and Bridget have seemed to fit in well with Lee and Rosemary and Abigail seems to be doing a great job with Cody."

"Speaking of Cody, what was he asking you about earlier?"

Nathan reached up and pulled at his collar though the tie was already loosened and the first button of the dress shirt undone. He knew the Mounties were a sensitive topic for his wife. He wondered how Elizabeth would feel about another one of her students wanting to become a Mountie.

"Cody was asking if he could shadow me at work one day to get a better feel of what it would be like to be a Mountie," Nathan told her.

"He's thinking about it, then?"

"Yes," Nathan admitted. "He said he wanted to make Jack proud by following in his footsteps."

"Now that does not surprise me," Elizabeth admitted. "Is Abigail aware?"

Nathan nodded. "Cody says she is the one who suggested to him that he should talk to me and Tyler. He says she told him she wanted him to make an informed decision. I plan on talking to her before I let Cody shadow me. I want to know exactly what she is willing to let me expose him too."

Elizabeth sighed. "Part of me hates to see my students go into such a dangerous profession but then I think about the examples these boys have had in you and Jack and realize that perhaps it is inevitable." She looked up at Nathan. "I do hope Jack finds that being like Uncle Lee is preferable to being like the other male role models in his life."

Nathan chuckled. "Perhaps I will try to get him interested in working with wood. That school Jack Senior built for you is quite a bit of craftsmanship and he was quite the painter too. Perhaps Jack will pursue a more artistic career choice."

"I hope so," Elizabeth said quickly, her cheeks growing pink. "No offense."

"None taken," Nathan assured her.

Soon, Rachel returned to take Gilbert from Elizabeth and Nathan asked Elizabeth to join him on the dance floor. As the swayed to the music though, Nathan realized his wife's focus was not on him. Following her gaze, he spotted Viola dancing with Dylan.

"I am not sure how I feel about that?" Elizabeth commented and Nathan knew that she had realized he was gazing at the other dancing couple as well.

"Because of the recent passing of Lionel or because of whom she is dancing with?"

"The latter," Elizabeth admitted, shifting her gaze to him. "I never got the feeling Viola was truly in love with Lionel. She married him for the social status so I cannot expect her to grieve him like I did Jack. I also know that it probably seems a bit contradictory that I encouraged you to be open minded about him but I don't want Dylan dancing with my sister but there it is. Viola has always been the one that has done what is expected of her and wanted to fit in with society. Even if our father accepts him, Dylan is never going to be perfect society though he might blend in a bit better than you do," Elizabeth added with a teasing tone in the last words.

"I never claimed I would be able to blend it. I just knew that marrying you meant being exposed to that way of life," Nathan countered. "As for Viola, I wouldn't worry too much about her. I think Viola will keep her wits about her," Nathan commented. "It isn't like it is Julie dancing with him."

"Thank God for that," Elizabeth said. "Julie and Tom Thornton managed enough of a headache."

Nathan's eyebrows rose at that mention. He silently asked her to further explain that comment as they continued to sway to the music.

Around four, the reception came to an end. The single women gathered in a group so that Florence could toss her bouquet. Though Florence tried to locate Molly in the group before turning her back on them to make her toss, the bouquet found its way into Abigail's lap. Refusing to join the group, she had been sitting next to Bill on the other side of the table that Nathan and Elizabeth were sitting at.

Nathan reached across the table to clap a hand on Bill's shoulder. "Is there something you haven't told me?" he teased.

"Shut up," Bill muttered casting a murderous look in Nathan's direction, causing Nathan to chuckle though the exchange went unnoticed by all but Elizabeth as Abigail had been swarmed by the other women who had been trying to catch the bouquet.

Afterwards, people started to leave. Nathan and Tyler loaded the wedding gifts into the back of Ned's wagon. The guests offered a final congratulations to the newly married couple before heading to their own home. Lisa and Katie would see Paul to Timmy's house for the night while the two young women would spend the night in Florence's old row house. Pastor Zeke had offered to take Evelyn and Eric out to the Moores home fro one more night to allow Florence and Ned a night alone in their new home. It wasn't much of a honeymoon, but Florence was happy with even one night alone with her new husband under the circumstances.


After the wedding guests had left, Lucas, Fiona and Gustav set about cleaning up. Though she had been surprised by the fact that Lucas did not plan on opening to the public following the weeding reception, Fiona had to admit she was relieved. She was more than happy to be able to relax for the evening. Though she was glad to be a part of Ned and Florence's special day, she was exhausted. Finding a chair, she sank down into it. She definitely needed just to sit for a few minutes before heading home. Not to mention, she couldn't leave without saying a good-bye to Lucas, who was taking out the trash. Even if they were not courting, it still would not have been right.

As she sat alone in the main room of the saloon, Fiona became aware of smells drifting in from the kitchen? Had Lucas changed his mind? Was Gustav preparing food to open tonight after all?

Fiona was about to stand up when Lucas came into the room with silverware, napkins and two glasses.

"Stay put, my dear," Lucas told her coming over to the table she was sitting at.

"I thought you were not opening," Fiona commented.

"I am not," Lucas told her. "I have a dinner for two planned if you are willing to stay and eat with me." He wore the most charming smile as he made the invitation.

"Well, as dinner already smells good and it will keep me from having to walk home right now, I would say dinner with you sounds lovely," Fiona replied, with a smile of her own.

"Splendid," Lucas replied as he set the table. The plates would be provided when Gustav brought out the food. "What kind of wine would you like?" he asked her.

"A red wine would be nice," Fiona replied.

"Red it is," Lucas said as he moved away again.

Leaning back in her chair, Fiona watched his movements as Lucas went over to the bar. As he knew the layout of the bottles well, Lucas went directly for the red wine, selecting a bottle. Though she had often attracted the attention of men, no one had caught her interest until she met Lucas Bouchard. The air of mystery he had brought with him when he first came to Hope Valley had intrigued her. Perhaps he had even scared her a bit at times, but then that fear had only added exhilaration in her books. If she were honest, Fiona had been disappointed when Lucas had started pursuing Elizabeth but she was not going to pine for Lucas at that point. She'd had more self-respect than that. However, once he had accepted things with Elizabeth were not going to work and he had shown interest in her, well Fiona didn't see what being upset that she had not been his first choice would accomplish. Very few people ended up with the first person they had a crush on. She knew that from personal experience.

Returning to the table, Lucas made a production of pouring the two glasses of wine. Fiona smiled, enjoying the show. After filling both glasses, Lucas recorked the bottle and placed it on the table. He then pulled out a deck of cards.

"We have a little time until supper is ready. How about a little magic to pass the time?" Lucas asked.

"Fine," Fiona said, feigning boredom when in reality she always enjoyed seeing his tricks.

Lucas fanned the cards out and instructed her to pick a card but not show him. She did as asked, noting that she had chosen the queen of heats. Lucas put the cards back into a pile. He then split the deck, telling her to place the card on top of the cards in his left hand. She did and watched as he shuffled the deck. When he was done shuffling them, he then split the deck again. Flipping the top part of the deck over, Fiona expected him to ask her if the card on top was her card. It would be the queen of hearts, she knew. She had not seen him mess up a magic trick yet, though she still had no clue how he did them.

"Fiona Miller, will you marry me?"

The question did not register at first as Fiona was staring at the card Lucas had turned over. Or rather what was on top of the card, as sitting in the middle of the queen of hearts was a ring, its two diamond shaped diamonds sparkling back at her.

"I know it took me a little while to notice you," Lucas continued when he received no answer. "That was my loss because once I got to know you, I quickly learned that you are the woman I have been searching my whole adult life for. You are the one that I want to spend my life with," he told her going carefully down on one knee so as not to disturb the ring still on the card. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," Fiona was able to get out this time, having gotten past her surprise.

Lucas smiled then, a look of relief spreading across his face as he put down the cards in his left hand so he could retrieve the ring. With the ring now in his left hand, Lucas placed the rest of the cards on the table. He took her left hand in his right, the touch of his fingers sending jolts of electricity through her hand. Her heart sounded so loud to her that Fiona was sure Lucas could hear it too.

"Is this really happening?" Fiona asked in a breathless voice as Lucas slid the diamond on her slender finger.

"It is my dear," Lucas assured her. With the diamond in place he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand before looking up at her.

With a shriek of joy, Fiona threw her arms around Lucas. Gone were all traces of exhaustion. Fiona felt like she was walking on air. Part of her wanted to run out and shout her news. She wanted everyone to know that they were going to get married. The other part, the more steady part of her, didn't want to leave Lucas'. Yes, she had just committed to spending forever with him, but their parting would come all too soon anyway. For now, perhaps it was best to enjoy time with her husband and share her news after they had eaten supper. She didn't think either one of them were going to change their mind about the choice they had just made.

Though staying within his embrace, Fiona finally pulled back enough to see Lucas face. The happiness there mirrored what she was feeling inside. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, then those smiling lips were leaning in toward her. She felt the tickle of his facial hair before the pressure of his lips. She wondered if she would ever convince him to shave off the mustache and beard. However as she pressed her lips against his, committing the feel to memory, Fiona realized that it didn't matter. Facial hair or not, she was going to love Lucas Bouchard just the same.

Tonight's card trick had been more than magic. It had been the promise of forever.