Elizabeth sat in the armchair in the sitting room enjoying the noise that filled her home. Today was the first day since last Friday that she had gotten dressed, having opted for her robe most of the week. However, she was not about to meet new people in her robe and house slippers even if she was still under doctor's orders to take it easy.

With a house full of people, taking it easy would not have been hard even if Nathan had not taken the week off. Housework was done before she could even think about it. Jack had enough people to get attention from that it did not bother him that Mama could not pick him up. Her son was content with climbing up on the settee with her when he wanted her attention. There had even been very few occasions when she'd had to carry Gabriella anywhere as there were plenty pairs of hands wanting to hold the infant.

Tonight there were even more, even with four people in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"At home I can barely get that boy in the kitchen long enough to wash the dinner dishes two nights a week and tonight he volunteers to help cook," Victoria Kinslow commented from her spot on the settee next to her husband. Her comment was about Matthew, who upon Gabriel and Nathan saying they were making dinner for everyone volunteered to help out.

"It is not cooking that is the draw, Mother," her daughter Victoria, or Tory as she liked to be called, commented. "Matthew is only in there to spend time with Gabriel."

"I am starting to think we should have left Matthew at home on the ranch," Arthur commented gruffly. "Too much time with Gabriel might start putting ideas in his head."

"Arthur, let him have this time with his older brother," Victoria told her husband patting his arm.

"Besides, Father," Evelyn said, always ready to speak up on behalf of her favorite sibling. "Matthew loves the ranch. Though Gabriel always enjoyed working with you growing up, his dreams always were somewhere beyond our little patch of the world."

Elizabeth caught Lillian's gaze. The red head was currently holding Gabriella but it was clear the current line of conversation was worrying her.

"So how was the train ride here?" Elizabeth asked, directing the direction to Victoria. "I remember my first trip from Hamilton to here. The train ride seemed to take so long. Even though I had a long stage coach ride ahead of me as the current station was not in the area yet, I was so happy to get off the rocking train," she commented, deciding that mentioning Edward or the stagecoach robbery was not needed for this conversation.

"It was a nice experience," Victoria said. "We have been to a couple of Gabriel's postings but never in this area of the country. It is pretty and the train is a better means of travel than a wagon."

"My wife tended to spend as much time walking as in the wagon during those trips," Arthur commented. "I do not think she would survive a long stage coach ride where she could not get out when she wanted."

The conversation continued along the lines of sights they had seen. In a lull of the conversation Lillian asked Elizabeth if she would like for her to lay Gabriella down as the girl was sleeping. Elizabeth nodded even as Victoria asked Elizabeth what had enticed her to move away from the city. As Lillian left the room with the sleeping infant, Elizabeth told the Kinslows about her desire to be a teacher and getting the posting out west. As she usually did, she left out the unpleasant reason she had been giving an assignment so far away, though she did tell the story about Julie, Edward and the mice.

As most of the people at the Grant's home that night were his family, Gabriel had volunteered to make dinner. Though Eleanor had volunteered to help, Gabriel had told her to take it easy this evening as Nathan had already volunteered to help. Having Billy in the kitchen with him was not a big surprise, as the boy had taken to helping him with meal prep at home. What had surprised Gabriel was Matthew volunteering. However, Gabriel was glad for the extra time with his little brother, so while Nathan and Billy made cornbread and bread pudding for dessert, the two brothers worked together to make the stew.

At first the conversation was about typical day to day stuff. Gabriel asked his brother about school and working on the ranch. He answered Matthew's questions about his life in Brookfield. Then Matthew made a statement that changed the feel of the room.

"So I heard you went missing for a few days," Matthew tentatively probed. "Were you in danger?"

Gabriel glanced over at Billy. The lad met his gaze and Gabriel had a feeling Billy had already said something to Matthew. As Billy and Nathan already knew about the incident, Gabriel saw no point in trying to keep things from his brother at this point.

"I was abducted by some criminals who wanted me out of the way so they could conduct a robbery," Gabriel admitted to his brother.

"Were you in danger?" Matthew asked, having gone back to slicing the carrots he had already peeled.

"Even though the men who abducted me were not necessarily out to cause me harm, just get me out of their way, yes I was still in danger," Gabriel replied, Randy's steely, cold eyes surfacing from memory. He had been the one out of the four that had truly scared him, though the only one he had given the details of Randy about was Nathan. He had a feeling it would remain that way. "I was in a situation that I had to trust in my fellow Mounties to search for and find me. They did, along with members of my community," he finished, thinking about the tales of the search parties sent out to look for him shortly after he was discovered missing. Those accounts had touched him more than his fellow officers' actions. Searching for him had been expected of the Mounties. No one would have faulted the citizens of Brookfield for not organizing such an extensive search party, yet they had. Even Ronnie, who wavered between liking him and being afraid of him, had gotten on a horse and went out with a search team. "The action of my community was a testament that I am doing my job well and making an impact in their lives. For me, that is why I do this job."

Matthew silently finished slicing the carrots, seemingly thinking about what his brother had said.

"I do not think I could be a Mountie. I do not think I could deliberately put my life in danger for other people," Matthew said, scraping the carrots from the cutting board and into the bowl in front of him as Gabriel started adding the potatoes to the pot of boiling water that already held the meat. "Does that make me a coward?"

"No," Gabriel replied immediately. He finished adding the potatoes, stirred them a bit and then turned to Matthew. "The job Nathan and I do is not for everyone. Just like not everyone is suited to raise cattle or teach children. Every job in this world is important in its own way and never be ashamed of putting in a day of honest work, whether it is just helping around the house or something that you are paid for," Gabriel glanced over at Billy. "That goes for you too."

Both boys nodded solemnly.

Gabriel looked back at his brother. "The fact that you admitted that you could not do my job takes a certain kind of courage. Courage is not about willingly putting your life in danger. It is about facing whatever challenge comes your way instead of running away from it. That challenge could be as simple as giving a speech in front of a class. Or it could be asking for a little more time to give that speech because you are not quite ready," Gabriel added, looking toward Billy again as he realized how his first example might sound to the boy.

A little pink appeared in Billy's cheeks as he returned to mixing the cake batter.

Gabriel returned to the counter where Matthew was now peeling onions. Reaching for the basil, Gabriel started mincing the herb.

"Thanks for answering my questions," Matthew said. "I tried asking dad about it but Father changes the subject any time I bring you or the Mounties up. Why is that? He does not avoid the topics whenever anyone else brings them up."

"Because Father is afraid that talking to you about me or my job might encourage you to follow in my footsteps instead of his."

Matthew shook his head. "Not a chance. I like riding but I think that is the only thing I like about your job. I would never want to deliver a baby. I will stick to calves. I also do not think I could ever point a gun at another human being. I am not particularly fond of shooting an animal but I understand that sometimes it is necessary for food or to protect yourself or the herd."

Matthew paused and looked at Gabriel. "Though feel free to keep telling me about your adventures. Just because I do not want to live them myself, it does not mean I do not want to hear about them."

Gabriel chuckled. "I can do that," he told his little brother.

The conversation moved onto lighter topics as dinner preparations continued.

"I am exhausted," Lillian said as she leaned her head on Gabriel's shoulder as he guided the wagon from town and back to the Grant's home.

They had driven Gabriel's family back to the Queen of Hearts. Though the trip into town had been boisterous, the trip home had been quiet. Billy had elected to stay with the Grants and Gabriel and Lillian had just been enjoying some quiet time alone together.

"Was meeting my family too much for you?" Gabriel asked lightly.

"Not really," Lillian said. "I like your family. Your sisters had same cute stories of you when you were little," she said amusement in her voice.

"I bet," Gabriel said with his own amusement. He had an idea about which stories his sisters would have shared and they were definitely not ones that he would have shared himself. Giving what tales he had told his brothers-in-law, he supposed it was to be expected.

"I especially thought the tale about the lopsided birthday cake for your mother was especially sweet," Lillian said. "Did you really cry?"

"For an eight-year-old, a lopsided cake for you mother's birthday is quite a travesty," Gabriel said a bit defensively.

Lillian chuckled. "I guess even then you wanted to make others happy," she commented, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"I can accept that take on the story," Gabriel replied, a smile coming to his lips. "So, is there someone I can go to for cute stories about you when you were a little girl."

Lillian chuckled, thinking of the time spent around the table with Grace, Chuck and the children while Gabriel and Nathan had been looking for the bank robber that they thought might have been Sam.

"Chuck is always happy to tell stories," Lillian replied. "And I am more than happy to return the favor if you want to hear about some of his childhood antics."

Gabriel chuckled. "Good to know," he said.

Both of them were quiet for a bit. In the distance an owl hooted and the snap of a branch gave the presence of a nocturnal critter away in the brush to their right.

"Do you remember much about your life before coming to Brookfield?" Gabriel ventured.

"Some of it," Lillian admitted, her voice taking on a bit of a distance tone as she continued to speak. "I remember little Grace always following me around," she admitted, sharing with Gabriel the memory she had shared with Grace. "I remember the first birthday party I had with my school friends. It was seventh birthday. The last one I had before my birth parents passed. I remember Grace tripping somehow and getting a splinter in her hand. While our Mother was tending to Grace, the cake burnt. Like you, I cried over that cake. Grace was crying because she thought I was mad at her for the cake burning. Mother simply dried both of our tears, mixed some more batter and by the time my friends had arrived she had cupcakes for all of us, and frosting in several colors, chocolate chips and sprinkles and she let us decorate the cupcakes ourselves. The burnt cake was never mentioned and everyone thought the cupcakes were the original plan."

"That is a lovely memory."

"It is," Lillian agreed. "Like Billy, I sometimes have trouble picturing my birth parents, but I remember mother's laughter and Papa's singing voice. Mother would play the piano in the evenings and the rest of us would sing to the music. Then after Grace and I were tucked in bed, he would often stand between our two rooms in the hallways and sing another song for us to drift to dreamland to."

There was a slight pause and then Lillian spoke again. "Sometimes, those times seem so far away, and other times, when I pause and think about them, the memories seem so vivid."

"There was time, right after my adoptive father passed away so far away, that I believed I was a very unlucky person. I was seventeen, and on my own. I had lost two sets of loving parents. I had a sister that I did not know where she was. For a time, all I did was mope around that big house. Perhaps I would have continued to do so if it has not been for Eleanor but after giving me some time to grieve, she patiently told me that all for of my parents would not want me moping around the rest of my days. That they would want me to choose to find the happiness that the world held for everyone as long as they chose to look for it. Soon after, I started trying to track down Grace."

"Now, I realize just how lucky I was. I had four parents who loved me. Even when I thought I was alone after Father's death, Eleanor was still right there ready to offer support. I found my sister and together, the two of us are trying to help other children realize that they are not alone in this world and now I have you. Despite the heartache, my life has been blessed and I would not want to change much of anything."

"You are an amazing woman, Lillian Walsh," Gabriel commented. "I am blessed to have you in my life."

Lillian did not comment, simply accepted the compliment graciously from the man she loved.

The infant's cries broke through Nathan's sleep. As he climbed from the bed, he was aware of Elizabeth stirring next to him.

"Stay where you are," Nathan told her, his sock clad feet already on the wooden floor of their home. "I'll bring our daughter to you."

"You will not get an argument from me," Elizabeth replied sleepily.

Lighting the lamp next to the bed, Nathan padded over to the small bassinet their daughter currently occupied. "Do you want some attention, Gabby?" Nathan said softly to the crying infant as he reached down to lift the little girl from the bassinet.

As Nathan settled her in the crook of his arm, Gabriella's full out wails quieted to soft whimpers. However, as his daughters cried softened, Nathan became aware of Jack's muffled cries from beyond the bedroom.

"Is that, Jack?" Elizabeth asked.

"It is," Nathan replied, already heading to the changing table with Gabriella. "Let me just change this little one so I can give her to you to feed and then I will go check on him," he told her. "I hear pacing footsteps outside the room, so Gabriel, Eleanor or Lillian already has him. If it was anything serious, they would have come for us already."

"All right," Elizabeth conceded reluctantly.

In a few minutes though, Nathan was placing a quiet Gabriella in Elizabeth's arms. As Elizabeth undid the buttons of her nightgown, Nathan left the room. Following Jack's cries, Nathan found Gabriel pacing the sitting room in front of the fireplace. The banked fire had been started once again and threw a soft glow over the room. Lillian was handing Gabriel a damp cloth and as Gabriel pressed it against Jack's scrunched up, red face, Nathan felt a hint of concern.

"Is Jack running a fever?" Nathan asked as he walked toward Gabriel.

Gabriel shook his head. "He was cool when I got him out of his bed. However, he has been crying for the last twenty minutes and his face is warm now. I was just going to wake you up when I heard Gabriella doing it for me. I figured you would be out here shortly."

Nathan reached Gabriel and reached out for Jack. Gabriel passed the crying toddler over to his friend. As he settled his son against him, he heard a distinct "Dad" from Jack intermingled with the cries. Gabriel gave Nathan the damp cloth, and Nathan pressed it against Jack's flushed face. Within moments, the boy's cries started to quiet.

"Why don't the two of you go back to bed," Nathan suggested to Gabriel and Lillian. "I think I am going to keep Jack down here with me and Elizabeth for a while."

"All right," Gabriel said. "If you decide the doctor is needed, wake me up. I'll go into town."

"Thank you," Nathan said. "Hopefully it is just a restless night for him though," he added, looking down at Jack whose cries were now merely whimpers.

"I'll bank the fire," Gabriel told him.

Nathan nodded and then headed to the bedroom with his son.