Elizabeth woke up with a start. It couldn't be true. It couldn't. She remembered her family dinner with Nathan at the Café hadn't been interrupted as in the first part of the dream which had a title for some odd reason. The first part of the dream was called Season Eight. In fact, that family dinner at the Cafe had been the start of a glorious courtship that lasted until summer. She had married Nathan that summer and they moved into their beautiful home built on the land he bought from Bill. Her book had been completed and was available in bookstores across North America.
They had been blessed with another child. Noelle Anne Grant was one year old. Allie and Jack adored her, and Nathan spoiled her. Elizabeth thought she might be pregnant again.
Elizabeth shuddered as she thought more of her dream. She was thankful that she hadn't given up the opportunity to have daily unlimited access to Nathan. They were so happy together. They worked together to do good in the world. Changing the world around them as a Mountie and as a Teacher.
Things were going well in Hope Valley. Lucas was happy that she was happy and had even started courting Fiona before Nathan and Elizabeth got married. Seeing them fall in love was beautiful. Fiona brought out the best in Lucas and together the Bouchards were a leading couple in Hope Valley. Fiona was even elected mayor. They were expecting their first little one any day now. Lucas was even heard saying that he's a family businessman now. No more life as a gambler for him.
Carson and Faith were married and had replaced the infirmary with a small hospital. People from Benson Hills, Buxton, and Brookfield came to Hope Valley for day surgery instead of going to Union City. The Shephard's had a 3-month-old son who they adored.
Joseph and Minnie continued to be an asset to the community. The church was getting so crowded that there were discussions of adding a second service. Wednesday evening Bible Study was also well attended. The Bouchard's were often the first ones there.
Ned Yost married Florence Blakely shortly after Nathan and Elizabeth were married. Ned had a health scare, but fortunately, Carson was able to save him with his surgical skills.
The children continued to grow. Allie and her friends only had two or three more years at the local school before they were done. Elizabeth already found it challenging to come up with lessons to challenge the older children. She was proud of her students and their accomplishments and knew they would go far in the world.
Molly and Bill were a couple, yet not a couple. They would get together for coffee and dinner a couple of times a week and would always attend events together. They seemed comfortable leaving their relationship at that. Not getting more intimate, yet comfortable being close friends and confidants.
Finally, Rosemary and Lee were still Elizabeth's closest friends outside her family. They were doing well. They had adopted a young boy Jack's age and Andrew and Jack were often inseparable. Rosemary recently discovered that she was pregnant, and their child was due in another 5 months.
When Elizabeth shared her dream about Hopeless Valley with Nathan, she discovered that at least one thing about Nathan was true in it. Nathan confessed that he thought that he was the richest man in Hope Valley. The money came from the inventions he had made while working on farms in his late teens and early twenties before joining the Mounties. The money kept coming in from continued sales. Before getting married they had discussed living a simple life on their salaries instead of off her trust fund and Nathan's savings and investments. Though their house was built with funds from Nathan's savings they hadn't discussed exactly how much money they each had. Apparently, it was far more than enough.
As time went on the details of Elizabeth's dream of Hopeless Valley faded. She just remembered that it was bad, and she was so happy and thankful for the life she was living. She was thankful for her family and her community here and now. They thrived on simple things and sharing love and kindness with those around them. They thrived in a community that was full of love, compassion, and hope. It was all they needed. It was Hope Valley, after all.