Nights like this leads to

Love like ours

You light the spark in my bonfire heart

People like us, we don't need that much

Just someone that starts, starts the spark

In our bonfire hearts

-James Blunt, "Bonfire Heart

Breakfast was finished, dishes were washed and put away, and the basket for school was ready. There was noting else to do, so Elizabeth needlessly rearranged pots and pans in her kitchen as she waited for Laura, Nathan, and Allie to arrive. Little Jack was very busy with what sounded like a very serious and spirited conversation between Dog and Duck. Little Jack had finally warmed up to the stuffed animal Lee and Rosemary had bought a couple weeks ago. She chuckled a little as she remembered Rosemary telling her how he'd thrown the duck after being presented with it because only Dog would do in his tired state. Jack had been a man who liked things a certain way and it seemed his son had inherited the trait as well. It almost brought tears to her eyes that Little Jack would have some of his father in him despite being born after his passing.

She was brought back from her reverie by a knock on the door and Laura coming through a moment later.

"Good morning, Laura!" Elizabeth called out, her mood chipper.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thornton," she said, looking around the room. The young woman was surprised to see that Little Jack was not still having breakfast or needed to be cleaned up, per usual on her arrival.

Elizabeth caught the look and explained. "Constable Grant and Allie are coming over. We're all going to visit his horse at the livery before school. I hope you don't mind another walk so soon."

"Not at all. Little Jack and I love our walks, don't we?" she asked the little boy, who'd ambled over to her and grabbed at her leg, saying, "Up." She obliged his request.

Elizabeth was very happy to see how much Laura cared for her son. She knew he was in good hands during her absence.

Another knock sounded and Laura, who was closest, went to open the door. A chorus of Good mornings! could be heard and Nathan and Allie walked inside. Allie wore an expression of excitement, while Nathan's was a bit more reserved, but a look of happiness nonetheless.

"Nay'en," Little Jack shouted (it seemed he had no other volume when it came to express his happiness when seeing Nathan) and squirmed around in Laura's arms, making it clear what he wanted by stretching his arms out to Nathan. And Nathan, with pure joy lighting up his features, eagerly took Elizabeth's son into his arms. "New?" he asked.

"Yes, we are going to see Newton," Nathan responded.

Little Jack squealed in delight, clapping his hands together. The room's occupants all laughed at his enthusiasm. To be so carefree and young again, enjoying the little things in life so much, Elizabeth thought wistfully.

Elizabeth joined the little group and donned her coat while Laura and Nathan worked together to wrangle Little Jack into his. Coats on and things gathered, they set off into town. Nathan and Elizabeth were leading the way, Little Jack still in Nathan's arms. Allie and Laura were comparing books they'd recently read, while Elizabeth and Nathan exchanged shy looks as Little Jack chattered-mostly unintelligibly-to Nathan. Despite not knowing what her son was saying, she was pleased to see that Nathan indulged Little Jack and paid as much attention to their 'conversation' as he would any other. About halfway to town, the little boy became distracted by Nathan's uniform buttons and ceased his ramblings, his attention wholly focused on fiddling with them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Elizabeth asked how the rest of Nathan and Allie's night had been. She wondered if he'd had as much trouble getting to sleep as she had, the butterflies of new love and daydreams of the future filling her mind, body, and soul.

"It was good. I read a little and Allie finished a letter to my father before we went to bed," Nathan responded to her question.

"That's wonderful that their bond is continuing to grow," Elizabeth replied.

"It is. He's kept his promise of sending monthly letters to her. I think he really has changed this time," he said quietly.

She smiled at him. "Sometimes it takes a few tries, but someone can change when they're motivated and determined. And Archie was clearly sincere in wanting to reconnect with you and forge a relationship with his only granddaughter."

"Yes," he said with a smile. "And it's all because of you."

Elizabeth waved this away. "Nonsense."

Nathan gave her a look of disbelief. "Elizabeth, I tried to literally run him from town and then arrested him. I wouldn't have investigated his case like I did if you hadn't made me second-guess my prejudiced feelings against him."

Elizabeth blushed at the intense gratitude that radiated from his eyes.

"I-well, yes, I thought it was worth a deeper look, but it was you who decided to look for another explanation. You found the real culprit." Elizabeth emphasizes that it was Nathan who had done the actual work-not her.

"You encouraged me, Elizabeth. I don't think I thanked you for that."

Elizabeth's brow furrowed in confusion. "Yes, you did," she said, remembering that he had when they'd talked after Nathan had released Archie from the jail and then mouthing it when his father had left Hope Valley.

A rare, mischievous glint came into Nathan's eyes as he said, "I didn't thank you properly, then."

She grinned playfully. "What would 'properly' entail?" she asked.

Nathan looked off into the distance, his expression of faux deep concentration. "I suppose I could've asked you to dinner. It could've been like asking you on a date but not."

"Hmm," Elizabeth mused, playing along, "yes, that would've been nice. And good practice for you."

"The Lord knows I could've used it," he muttered.

Elizabeth laughed. "All that matters is we got there in the end," she said sincerely.

"It is," Nathan agreed.

The love pouring from his gaze took Elizabeth's breath away. It had been so long since she'd seen a look like that directed at her that she could feel the butterfly wings beating wildly in her stomach and her heart skipping a beat or two...or three.

Nathan rose that morning and dressed with a lightness that felt unfamiliar but was more than welcome. He'd only ever felt the puppy love of adolescence once and that felt like a lifetime ago. Sure, he'd felt desire for a woman. He was a man after all. But love? True love? No. Love like this had never been in his life. Elizabeth had set his heart aflame much like the spark lighting a bonfire. And Nathan knew it was love because thoughts of Elizabeth Thornton consumed him from almost the day he'd first laid eyes on her. She was not only in his waking thoughts, but she featured in his dreams as well. Dreams that had felt like a curse until the night before. Now they would be a blessing.

Nathan had come to recently learn that he was only adequate in the kitchen, if his experience with Bill and Allie often taking charge of their meals was anything to go by. And on this particular morning, breakfast was a very simple selection. Eggs, toast, fresh fruit, coffee for Nathan and milk for Allie. He was too distracted to attempt anything fancier and required more brain power. Allie had also slept a little later than usual, so she had not been up to offer to fix pancakes or fry bacon (bacon, for Nathan was tricky, it usually ended up too chewy or burnt to a crisp) to go with their eggs. Her letter to his father had taken quite a while to finish so Nathan surmised she must've had a great deal to say on the new development of his and Elizabeth's courtship.

He smiled. Allie had been so excited that the short walk from Lee and Rosemary's to their house had been filled with talk of all the things they could start doing together. Picnics, fishing, and Christmas tree hunting were at the top of her list. He wasn't so sure if Elizabeth would be keen on fishing, but it couldn't hurt to ask. He rather liked the idea of helping her to learn and showing her the proper way to cast a line. It would give him the perfect excuse to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

After settling into bed the night before, his mind had spiraled from Allie's suggestions of family activities to what he and Elizabeth could do alone. Romantic walks and horse rides sounded lovely, but so did cuddling while reading together. He'd put a mental roadblock up before his imaginings could go any further, sternly reminding himself their courtship was only a couple of hours old and Elizabeth deserved to be treated with respect. He was no scoundrel!

"Come on, Uncle Nathan!" he heard Allie urge from the doorway, her coat on and school things already in her arms. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, clearly impatient to get going. Nathan just smiled at her excitement, and walked to the door. He slipped into his serge, fixed his belt, and grabbed his campaign hat, then gestured for her to lead the way. He loved how happy she was and that she was not afraid to show it. Nathan was sure this was something she'd been hoping for for a long time now, but was unsure if she should voice it. Especially with how downtrodden and hesitant she'd been when telling him Elizabeth had gone out of town with Lucas.

Allie practically skipped down the road to Elizabeth's and Nathan wasn't too far behind. His long-legged strides allowed him to quickly catch up and he ascended the porch steps just as Allie knocked on the door. Laura answered and invited them inside. Elizabeth smiled at them as they all exchanged morning greetings. Little Jack, who was in his nanny's arms, had immediately wanted him, so Nathan had taken mercy on the poor girl who was trying to keep her hold on the wriggly little boy, taking Little Jack into his own arms.

"Yes, we are going to see Newton," he assured Little Jack after he'd asked again about the horse. It seemed he had a one-track mind for someone so young. Laura had been kind enough to help him get the little boy's coat on and they set off for the livery. Once Little Jack had become distracted by his golden uniform buttons, he and Elizabeth had talked and teased each other while the two girls chatted, following along behind them. Nathan loved how good and natural it felt. It felt like they were already a family.

Arriving at the livery, Allie and Laura sat on a bench to continue their discussion about Laura's experience with Correspondence School while Nathan, Little Jack, and Elizabeth approached Newton's stall. Nathan held tightly to Little Jack so he could lean forward, brushing his fingers through the horse's mane. Even as young as he was, Little Jack knew to be gentle with the animal. He'd obviously been taught how to interact properly with animals.

"New!" Little Jack exclaimed happily.

Nathan and Elizabeth both laughed at her son's exuberant joy as he babbled away to the horse.

Elizabeth smiled fondly as she gazed at Little Jack. "Jack loved horses, too. I'm glad he has so much of his father in him."

Another man might feel threatened or disheartened to hear the woman he loved talking about her late husband, but Nathan's character was stronger than that. He was glad she felt comfortable enough with him to talk about Jack, knowing that Nathan would never be jealous or that Jack was a topic he would rather Elizabeth not speak of around him.

"He certainly has a way with Newton. I wasn't kidding when I said he doesn't take to new people all that well. It just shows how adept of a horseman Little Jack will be one day."

Smiling, Elizabeth began rubbing Newton's nose, the horse nuzzling into her hand, looking for a treat. Finding none, Newton just pushed his nose further into her hand, enjoying the affectionate touch. "Yes, he will be. He's going to love having riding lessons with you in a few years."

Nathan could feel his heart swell with pride and love that she trusted her son with him with an activity that still had the potential to be dangerous, no matter how many safety precautions one took.

Clearing the lump of emotion from his throat, Nathan said, "I look forward to it. I just thought that might be something you would want to-er-do with him, though, with Sergeant, since he was Jack's horse." He tried not to shuffle his feet with nervous energy.

"Well, I'm not saying I'll never join you guys, but I thought it would be a good bonding experience for the two of you," she said grinning. "One of many," she then added.

Nathan returned her grin. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of those. And I know Allie will want to get a fishing pole in his hands as soon as she can."

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose a little and Nathan knew he was right that she probably wouldn't be joining them on fishing trips any time soon.

"He'll like that. I can tell they're going to love being siblings."

Elizabeth and Nathan both went red at the implications of that statement. It wasn't embarrassment Nathan felt, or the feeling that she'd spoken that particular thought aloud too soon, but because of the ideas those words conjured. For Allie and Little Jack to be siblings, Nathan and Elizabeth would need to be married, and thoughts of marriage brought to mind the image of Elizabeth in a white dress, the exchange of vows and then...

Nope, uh uh, not the time for that, Nathan Grant!

"I-um-I-" Elizabeth stammered, at a loss of what to say.

"It's all right, Elizabeth," Nathan reassured. "I look forward to the day Allie and Little Jack can officially be brother and sister, too."

His words, laced with so much meaning, and a smile thankfully soothed her embarrassment and Elizabeth smiled back. Nathan captured her free hand with one of his and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Nathan! Good, you're already here. Morning, Elizabeth," Bill Avery said, interrupting the moment. He didn't seem to have noticed he'd broken up an emotionally charged moment between the two lovebirds because he'd walked up from behind Elizabeth and hadn't seen Nathan holding or kissing Elizabeth's hand. He let go, knowing she wanted to talk to Lucas before anyone else found out about their relationship.

"Bill," Nathan said, working very hard to mask the irritation he felt. "What brings you here so early?"

Bill, never one to hide his feelings, looked at Nathan in exasperation. "We're going to Buxton, remember? Elias O'Rourke's trial. Am I ringing a bell?" The sarcasm really grated on his nerves that morning.

Nathan snorted. "Of course I remember. I thought we'd leave in a few hours is all. The transfer wagon isn't even here yet."

Bill ruffled Little Jack's hair, giving most of his attention to him as he spoke, "Well, they're almost here. I saw them coming when I left the cafe."

Nathan sighed. He looked back to Elizabeth, who was trying, and failing, to hide her amusement at the exchange. "Well, duty calls," he said, shifting Little Jack into her arms.

"I know," she said, taking her son. "Just be careful, okay? Both of you?" She looked between him and Bill.

"You know me, Elizabeth, I'm always careful," Bill said, patting her on the shoulder before walking off to saddle his horse.

"I'll be careful, Elizabeth," Nathan said seriously. He could see the worry in her eyes as she looked at him. He looked around them and seeing that no one was looking in their direction, he took a chance and pressed a quick kiss to Elizabeth's temple. Whispering, he said, "I have too many reasons to come home."

Tears had gathered in Elizabeth's eyes, but being the strong woman that she was, she blinked them away and said, "That's right. We'll all be right here waiting for you."

Nathan wanted to kiss Elizabeth properly, but knew he couldn't, so he settled for a soft squeeze to her hand and went to fetch his things to saddle Newton. Allie appeared at his side and began to help.

"You said you'll only be gone a couple of days, right?" she asked.

"Depends on how long I'm needed for my testimony, but hopefully, yes."

"Good," Allie said. "I want to take Jack fishing as soon as you're back. It's going to be too cold soon to take him."

Nathan couldn't help the smile that statement brought to his face. He knew he'd been right about her wanting to take Little Jack fishing as soon as possible. "I think he'd like that. You have to remember that he's young, though, so he probably won't have the patience it'll take to wait to actually catch anything," he reminded her.

"I know. We'll take his blocks to keep him busy when he gets bored, or we can go home. I just want to start him on getting used to it," Allie replied with a shrug.

"Sounds like a plan, kiddo," Nathan said, ruffling Allie's hair. She batted his hand away, giving him a withering glare, but the twitching of her lips indicated she wasn't truly upset with him.

When the horses were saddled and everyone had exited the livery and Nathan and Bill were holding the reins to their horses, goodbyes were said all around. Nathan needed to stop by the jail to pick up a few things for the journey and to get the prisoner ready to leave. He knew it was his job, but he didn't want to leave. He knew Elizabeth would be waiting for him and he didn't have to worry she would be off with Lucas again when he returned, but still, it was new and he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.

He turned to her. He didn't extend a hand, didn't try to hug her, but he just looked at her, trying to convey everything he wanted to say but couldn't in their present company in just his eyes. He knew she understood because her smile softened. "I'll see you soon," she said quietly.

"I'll see you soon," he echoed.

Hugging Allie, and giving a wave to Laura, who waved back, he turned and headed toward the jail with Bill. Only a few days and he would be back with Allie, Elizabeth, and Little Jack. He smiled. These next few days couldn't go fast enough!