With the matter of Dylan Parks settled, Constable Mackenzie took his leave of Hope Valley the following Day. Nathan rode with the other Mountie as he left town, part of his rounds coinciding with the road that Mackenzie was taking. It was along this road that Lee's car passed them. At the insistence of his youngest passenger, Lee stopped the car alongside the two Mounties.

"Hello, Nathan!" Jack said happily from the safety of Elizabeth's lap. "Going for ride," the toddler informed him.

"Hello, Jack. I see that. You be good for your Mama today, all right," Nathan told him.

Whether he understood everything or not, Jack nodded solemnly. He then pointed at Constable Mackenzie. "Another Mountie."

"Yes, Jack. This is Constable Mackenzie," Nathan replied. "He has been helping me out but he is leaving town now. Can you say good-bye to him?"

"Good-bye, Consta'le Ma . . . Make . . . Consta'le Mack!" Jack finally said, struggling with Mackenzie's last name. The toddler did seem happy with the compromise.

Mackenzie laughed. "It definitely is not the worse thing I have been called," the man said. "Good-bye, Jack. It was nice to meet you," he said waving to the little boy.

Jack waved back, and after the adults exchanged a few more words, Lee continued on the way to Benson Hills. As he drove, he glanced over at Elizabeth, who was looking back over her shoulder at Nathan. Lee smiled. Rosemary had said she thought Elizabeth was finally opening her heart to Nathan's love. When she turned back to look out the windshield, Lee noticed a distinct blush in her cheeks. Lee was sure his wife was right then.

"Try not to break his heart again, Elizabeth," Lee commented lightly.

Elizabeth looked over at Lee. "What?"

"You and Nathan are both my friends. I want to see you both happy. I believe you could make one another happy, but your choice to see Lucas broke Nathan's heart, Elizabeth. I saw it. Nathan respected your choice, and would not have done anything to try to sabotage your relationship with Lucas after you made the choice, but it still hurt. I do not want to see him have to go through that again."

Elizabeth looked down at Jack, sitting happily in her lap, playing with the carved Mountie that he insisted on bringing with him.

"I guess I know whose side you would be on," Elizabeth commented.

"I am on both your sides," Lee told her. "If Nathan did something intentional to hurt you, then I would come to your defense. However, I have a hard time imagining that happening."

Elizabeth nodded.

They drove in silence for a little while. Though still holding his wooden Mountie, Jack was more interested in the passing scenery now as they had reached an area that he had never seen before.

"Lee, can I ask you a personal question."

"Of course," Lee replied without hesitation.

"What is the most significant thing that Rosemary has given you as a gift?"

"My pocket watch," Lee answered without hesitation. "Yes, I already had one, but the one from Rosemary is special because it came from her. It is like carrying a piece of her with me wherever I go. When I pull it out to check the time, I think of her, and it always brightens my day."

Elizabeth smiled. "That is sweet."

"Are you thinking of getting Nathan a gift?" Lee asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth admitted. "But I do not want it to be an ordinary gift. I want it to be special. I need it to let him know that I am committed to making us work."

"What brought this on?" Lee asked.

"We talked at the school house on Christmas Eve before Carson and Faith showed up with Ally. He admitted that he loved still loved me but that he needed a commitment from me before he would risk Ally's heart again."

"That is a tall order," Lee said. "But understandable and noble really. It is sweet that he would put Ally's feelings above his own happiness."

"It is," Elizabeth said. She lifted a hand and brushed her fingers gently through Jack's hair as the toddler watched the passing scenery. "But sitting alone after you, Rosemary and Bill left Christmas Day I realized something, Lee. I could picture a future that included Nathan and Ally in it. That is something I never could manage with Lucas. If making a forever commitment to Nathan now is the only way I can get that future, then I am willing to do it. I know losing him like I lost Jack would hurt, but then so has losing him because I chose to push him away."

"I know losing Jack hurt, Elizabeth, but you cannot condemn Nathan simply because he is a Mountie. It is not fair. Not being a Mountie would not keep him safe. I was so afraid I might lose Rosemary when she got so ill from the Chicken Pox and then Rosie had the scare with me in the windstorm. Love comes with risks, Elizabeth, but I believe it is worth those risks."

"I am finally ready to take a risk for true love again," Elizabeth replied.

"Are you saying you are planning on proposing to Nathan?" Lee asked, unable to keep the surprise out of the question. Having met Elizabeth's younger sister, it was an action that would not surprise him from Julie. However, Elizabeth had always been a bit more conservative then her outgoing younger sister.

"Maybe not proposing to him but I definitely want to get across to him that I want him to propose to me," Elizabeth said. "Do you think I am being silly?"

Lee took one hand off the steering wheel and rested it on her arm.

"It is not silly at all. I think it is brave and if there is anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Thank you, Lee," Elizabeth said. "I will need someone to watch, Jack. I want to surprise Nathan with dinner, which I am going to need Bill and Abigail's help with I think."

"Just let me know when you need us to watch him. No matter when. Rosemary and I will make sure Jack fits into any plans we have."

"I appreciate it."

"I also know a jeweler in Benson Hills that usually has a collection of pocket watches with engraved sentiments on them. Or they can engrave something personal though I do not know what kind of time frame you have in mind."

"I was thinking on dinner on New Year's Eve. It would be nice to start the new year with the matter settled," Elizabeth replied. "I also do not want to give myself time to talk myself out of it."

Lee chuckled. "Both very good reasons," he told her, placing his other hand on the steering wheel.

"Will you hold off on saying anything to Rosemary? I love her, and I know she means well, but I really want this gesture to come from me."

"I will not say a thing to her," Lee promised. "Rosie does tend to get over enthusiastic about things like this."

Elizabeth laughed. "She really does."

The following day found Bill rubbing his temples with his hand as Nathan led Spurlock out of his office. Spurlock was still sputtering curses as the door shut behind him. Though he felt a measure of satisfaction at being able to put Spurlock in jail for a couple of days for lying under oath, Bill knew whatever the man was involved in was still taking place. They had not been able to unravel that, and things were getting worse.

A man on the outskirts of Hope Valley had brought a complaint that Spurlock had caused damages to his property while trespassing. Though the man had said he had run Wyman off his property after refusing to sell his land, the man had no proof of a connection between Wyman and Spurlock. However, despite saying under oath that he had not been on the property, a later argument between Spurlock and the plaintiff had resulted in the Pinkerton saying something that proved he had indeed been on the man's property.

What Bill really wanted was to have Wyman, Spurlock and whoever else who was involved in whatever was going on around his town as far away as possible.

A knock caused Bill to look up. Elizabeth was standing in the doorway.

"Do you have a minute?" Elizabeth asked.

Bill motioned her in as he sat back in his chair. "For you, always," he informed her.

Elizabeth smiled as she came into the office. "Was that Spurlock I saw Nathan leading away from here?" she asked.

"Yes," Bill replied. "I hate when people lie to me. One of the perks of being a judge is that when that occurs under oath, I can put that person in jail. Not that it will change much. Spurlock will be out in a couple of days and back to whatever it is he has been up to."

"Hope Valley will weather this situation just like we have other situations," Elizabeth said confidently.

Bill nodded, smiling a bit in spite of the forming headache. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your help with something," Elizabeth said. "I want to invite Nathan to dinner on New Year's Eve at the café. Abigail has already said she would close early so it can just be the two of us and would cook though she did say she would like your help if you are willing."

Bill nodded. "I can do that."

"I also need your help in getting Nathan to the café," Elizabeth said.

"You can't just ask him to dinner?" Bill asked her.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Nathan made it clear to me that he wanted to avoid Ally getting wrapped up in any thing that happens between the two of us. I feel that if I ask him he would say no just to protect Ally."

Bill nodded, seeing Elizabeth's point. "I am not comfortable lying to Nathan," he told her.

"You would not have to," Elizabeth said. "At least not if you help Abigail with cooking that night. Just tell Nathan that you want to cook him dinner at the café. Once he is there, I will explain everything to him. I promise."

Bill sighed. Elizabeth was right. As long as he helped with the dinner it would not be a lie if he used those words even if he didn't actually eat with Nathan.

"Can I ask what this is about?" Bill asked.

Both Elizabeth and Nathan meant a lot to him. He did not want to see either one of them getting hurt.

Elizabeth sighed. "I've made a lot of mistakes lately. I have hurt a lot of people, Nathan and Ally among them. I cannot change any of that. However, I have realized that I want my future to involved Nathan and Ally, no matter what that might bring. I know the challenge is convincing Nathan that I am ready to make that commitment and I want to do it in a way that if it doesn't work out, Ally will not get hurt again."

Bill smiled. "I am proud of you Elizabeth for finally being willing to open your heart to love again. Jack would be proud of you."

Elizabeth blushed at the compliment. "So, will you help me?"

"I will get Nathan to the café for you. Tell Abigail though that she has a sous chef for the night."

"Thank you, Bill."

"You are welcome," Bill told her.

Secretly he just hoped everything went well both for Elizabeth and Nathan's sake. The two belonged together but they had been through a lot these last couple of years. Could they finally overcome all of that and embrace their destiny or had Hope Valley already seen its share of miracles this holiday season?

After making sure Spurlock had dinner, Nathan headed out to his home. He was more than ready to spend a quiet evening with Ally.

Stepping into the house, Nathan took off his hat and hung it on a hook. That was as far as he got before his attention was diverted elsewhere.

"Dad, watch this!" Ally called out. The girl's shoulder length hair, hung down from underneath a purple headband. By pushing the hair toward the back on the side that it was longer, it drew attention away from the side that had been shaved.

Looking in the direction of her voice, Nathan spotted Ally sitting in her wheelchair in the middle of the sitting room. Carson, who had been doing a therapy session with Ally after relieving Ellen, was standing nearby. Seeing that she had Nathan's attention, Ally got to her feet with the help of her crutches. With a lot of concentration, Ally was able to take several slow steps. They were the first steps Nathan had seen Ally take since before her accident.

"Ally that is wonderful!" Nathan exclaimed, rushing forward and picking her up in a very happy embrace. The crutches clattered to the floor as Ally let them go to hug Nathan back.

"Ally has been working very hard in her therapy," Carson replied, beaming proudly at his patient's accomplishment. "Things are only going to get easier from here."

"Thank you, Carson," Nathan told him.

"You know how this goes, Nathan. I was simply doing my job," Carson replied.

Nathan laughed, having used that line on more than one occasion himself.

"I am going to leave. I am taking Faith to the Queen of Hearts for dinner tonight," Carson said. "I will see you tomorrow for another therapy session young lady," he said, looking at Ally who was now sitting back in her wheelchair."

Ally nodded. "Maybe I can walk the length of the room tomorrow."

"Sounds like a good goal to me," Carson replied.

The doctor said good-bye and then left the house. While Nathan went upstairs to change out of his uniform, Ally wheeled herself into the kitchen. They were purposely leaving some of the dishes out of the cupboard so that Ally could get to them easily from the wheelchair. Gathering what she needed to make biscuits, she spread everything out on the table and got started with making the dough.

When Nathan came down, he started making the stew. As relieved as he was that Ally was going to make a full recovery, it was not lost on him the adaptations they had made to their lives to accommodate her injury. He was proud of Ally for the way she had handled things. Yes, there had been times of fear and doubt and even self pity, but for the most part she had stayed upbeat. If she had not gotten movement back in her legs, Nathan had no doubt that she would have been okay.

Dropping chopped carrots into the pot of boiling broth, Nathan turned and placed a kiss on the top of Ally's head.

"What was that for?" Ally asked.

Nathan shrugged as he turned back to the counter, this time reaching for some parsley to mince.

"I was just thinking of how brave and strong you have been through this all and how proud I am of you. Your mother would be proud of you as well."

Ally blushed as she put the last biscuit on the pan. Uncertain of how to reply she remained quiet.

The two finished making dinner. Ally said grace when they finally did sit down for dinner. Father and daughter used the time to catch up on one another's day. When they were finished, they cleaned up together. Afterwards the two retreated to the living room. Though both were reading their own books, they both sat on the settee. Nathan sat at one end, while Ally reclined across it, her feet in Nathan's lap.

A knock on the door interrupted their reading.

"I wonder who that is," Nathan murmured, marking his place and setting his book aside. He slipped out from under Ally's feet and then went toward the front door.

Though Ally still held her book, she turned her head to follow Nathan as he answered the front door.

Opening the door, Nathan found Bill standing outside. "Come on in," he told the older man stepping aside.

"I can't stay long, I just had something to ask you," Bill commented as he stepped inside out of the cold. "Hello, Ally," he said, noticing the girl.

"Hello, Judge Avery," Ally replied.

"What did you want to ask me?" Nathan asked as he shut the door against the cold.

"I was hoping you would come to the café for dinner on New Year's Eve. I'll cook for you. It will give you a chance to relax for a bit before the new year starts."

"You are not planning another ambush by a crowd of people on me, are you Bill?" Nathan asked, thinking of Lee asking him to dinner at the Queen of Hearts before Christmas.

"I can promise you that there will not be a lot of people," Bill told him.

"I would need to find someone to stay with Ally," Nathan said.

"No, you don't," Ally interjected. "You trusted me to stay home alone before my accident. Dr. Shepherd told me to do what I felt up to doing and that I do not have to be so careful about being around others now. I would be just fine for a couple of hours while you have dinner with Judge Avery."

Nathan shook his head. "What if you fell and couldn't get up on your own. You are doing much better Ally, but you are still recovering the strength in your legs."

"Then let me invite Opal over," Ally said. "You said we could have a sleep over soon. We can do it on New Year's Eve. Opal and I would be fine here while you go to the café for dinner. If something happens, she would be able to get help."

"You do have people on either side of you Nathan that would gladly help the girls if something came up. It would only be for a couple of hours."

Nathan looked from Ally to Bill and then back to Ally. It was clear that he was being ganged up on. Ally also had a point. She had been on her own at times before the accident. He would eventually need to start doing that again. He had just been hoping she would be walking a bit more before that happened.

Nathan looked over at Bill. "I want your promise that there is not going to be a big group of people at the café when I show up. If there is, I will walk out."

"There will not be a group of people there," Bill promised.

Nathan nodded before looking back at Ally. "We will check tomorrow if Opal can come spend New Year's Eve here and that the Weise's are okay with you two being her alone for a couple of hours. If so, then I will go join Bill at the café after making you two dinner."

"Great!" Ally said happily.

"I will let you know for sure sometime tomorrow," Nathan told Bill.

"Fair enough," Bill said. "I will let you two get back to your evening. Good night."

With that, Bill left. As Nathan shut the door behind the judge, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to the invitation than what was being said.