Elizabeth hobbled over to Lee and Rosemary's at six o'clock. She had never been more grateful that they were her next door neighbors. The trip from her front door to theirs was a short one. She knocked on the door, then let herself in. It was a custom of theirs to simply come and go from each other's homes, with a polite knock to let whoever was home know they were coming in.

"Auntie Elizabeth!" The Coulter twins, Jesse and Clara, came running to see her. At five years old, they were as different as could be. Clara was sweet and a little reserved, while Jesse was outgoing and bold. They both loved Elizabeth, and the feeling was mutual.

"What happened to your leg?" Jesse asked loudly.

"Someone knocked me over and I fell down," Elizabeth said, taking a seat on the couch. Immediately there was a twin on either side of her. She put an arm around each of them. "But Dr. Carson says I'll be better soon."

"Good," Clara said, worry on her little face. "I don't like to see you hurt."

"Thank you, sweetie," Elizabeth said. At that moment, Rosemary came bustling into the room. "Elizabeth! How are you?" she asked, sitting on the other side of Jesse and eyeing Elizabeth's cast. "Lee told me what happened. How awful!"

"Thanks, Rosie," Elizabeth said. "I'm fine, and my leg is feeling fine too."

"How on earth are you going to work with crutches?" Rosemary asked.

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "I'm on strict orders to take a two week vacation, effective immediately."

Rosemary smothered a laugh. "Oh, I wish I could have seen the look on your face when Dr. Carson told you that!"

Elizabeth gave her a withering look. Rosemary held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying! You're not exactly known for taking time off."

"I know," Elizabeth sighed. "What in the world am I supposed to do for two weeks with a bum leg? I can't hike or swim or ride my bike or even go walking!"

"You love reading and writing. Maybe you can actually work on that novel you've been wanting to write."

Elizabeth considered that. "That's not a bad idea, actually," she mused. "I could always sit on the beach and write. Or read."

Rosemary nodded. "See? You've already found some things you can do." There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Faith came in, all smiles. "Hello, everyone!"

"Auntie Faith!" Jesse and Clara repeated their reception process, giving Faith big hugs. "We would have hugged you too, Auntie Elizabeth, but Mommy said we had to be careful with you since you hurt your leg," Clara told her sweetly as they sat down again.

"Thanks, love," Elizabeth said, smoothing Clara's hair. "I appreciate you being careful."

"Where's daddy? Jesse asked.

"He should be here soon, sweetie," Rosemary said. "He got off work a little later than usual today."

Elizabeth looked at Rosemary. "Did that have anything to do with…" She glanced at the twins and amended her question. "With what happened earlier today?"

Rosemary nodded. "He called a couple minutes before you arrived saying he was about done, so I expect him to be walking through that door any minute. Faith, can you help me set the table?"

"Of course!" Faith said.

"Elizabeth, just rest there for a moment. I'm sure the twins will keep you occupied," Rosemary said with a grin.

"Want to play a game?" Jesse asked, pulling some cards from a drawer in the table. "We just learned how to play Go Fish!"

"Sure, that sounds like fun!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She set her crutches aside and maneuvered herself onto the floor with her leg stretched to the side. Jesse and Clara sat next to her, and Jesse started to shuffle the cards, showing off his newfound ability to do so.

"Where did you learn to shuffle, Jesse?" Elizabeth asked.

"From Uncle Nathan," Jesse replied, starting to deal the cards out.

Before Elizabeth could ask who Uncle Nathan was, two things happened at almost the same time. She heard Faith say to Rosemary, "Seven plates? Aren't there six of us?" Before Rosemary could answer, the door opened and Lee walked in. With Detective Nathan Grant.

"Daddy! Uncle Nathan!" the twins said in unison, getting up and running for the door once again. Lee grinned and hugged Clara, while Detective Grant swung Jesse up into the air, landing him on his hip. "Hey, buddy! How's it going?"

Elizabeth's mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed red at the handsome detective's unexpected appearance. She glanced over to see Rosemary smiling at her right before Detective Grant greeted her friend with a hug. Her eyes widened. Had Rosemary planned this? She was notorious for her matchmaking schemes, but Elizabeth had never been the target. Rosemary clearly knew the detective, and either she or Lee had invited him to their game night. What was Rosemary up to?

Jesse wiggled his way down to the floor, grabbing Detective Grant's hand. "Come play Go Fish with us! Auntie Elizabeth is playing too!"

"Auntie Elizabeth?" Detective Grant asked, allowing himself to be led to the living room. He stopped short at the sight of Elizabeth. A small smile crossed his face. "Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here."

"Hello, Detective," Elizabeth said. "I would get up, but…" She motioned to her leg.

He laughed, waving off her concern, sitting on the floor across from her. "No worries. And please, call me Nathan. I couldn't tell you that at the police station under the circumstances, but now I can. Detective Grant sounds too formal here."

"You can call him Uncle Nathan like we do," Clara said, her wide blue eyes blinking up at Elizabeth innocently.

Elizabeth smiled. "Grownups don't have to use 'uncle' and 'auntie' like children do. When you're all grown up, you'll be able to call people by their first names."

Clara frowned. "That's weird."

Nathan and Elizabeth laughed. "It took me a little time to get used to being called 'Auntie Elizabeth'," Elizabeth told Clara. "When I lived on the mainland, children called me Ms. Thatcher."

Now Jesse frowned. "That's even weirder!" he exclaimed. He proceeded to reshuffle and deal the cards.

"Where are you from?" Nathan asked.

"New York City."

His eyebrows shot up. "That's a far cry from Kauai. What brought you to our little island?"

"That's a long story," Elizabeth said. "But the short of it is I was tired of living in the city and wanted a change of pace. I guess you could say I was searching for hope and new beginnings." She smiled. "That's why I chose Mana'olana Awāwa. Do you know what the name translates to in English?"

Nathan smiled wryly. "I can't say I paid much attention to Hawaiiana classes in school, so my knowledge of the Hawaiian language isn't the greatest. What does it mean?"

"Hope Valley. Or more literally, valley of hope. It sounded perfect."

"Hope Valley, huh? That has a nice ring to it. Though I do like saying Mana'olana Awāwa. And I find it funny when tourists completely butcher the pronunciation," Nathan said, grinning.

Elizabeth laughed. "Me too."

"Ahem!" Jesse said loudly, looking between the two of them. "Are we going to play or what?"

"Sorry, bud. Yes, let's play," Nathan said, shooting Elizabeth his signature smile. They played a couple rounds of Go Fish, bantering back and forth with each other and Jesse and Clara. After a while, Rosemary came into the living room. "Alright, everyone, time for dinner!"

Jesse and Clara shot up and raced for the dining room. Nathan extended a hand to Elizabeth to help her up. "Thank you," she said as he pulled her into a standing position, trying to ignore the jolt of electricity that went through her at his touch. He steadied her, then handed her the crutches.

"Nathan!" Lee called from the grill. "Can you help me with these steaks?"

"Sure," Nathan called back. "Excuse me, ladies."

As soon as he was out of sight, Elizabeth turned to Rosemary. "Alright, Rosie, what are you doing?"

Rosemary blinked innocent eyes at Elizabeth. "I'm simply having some friends over for dinner and game night. I thought Nathan would enjoy it. He doesn't get out nearly enough, you know."

"No, I don't know. I just met the man today!" Elizabeth's eyes narrowed on Rosemary. "I think you're…" Her words died off as Faith came into the room. "Come on, you two!" Faith said with her sunny smile. "Jesse and Clara are asking why it's taking Auntie Elizabeth so long to come to the table."

Elizabeth chucked. "Tell them walking on crutches is a lot harder than it looks." She started walking forward, Rosemary hovering next to her to make sure she was steady. Elizabeth laughed. "I've got this, Rosie."

"Oh, I know," Rosemary said. "It's just my maternal instincts. Here, I'll take those," she said as Elizabeth got to the table, taking the crutches and placing them against the wall.

"Let me help," Nathan said, suddenly appearing at Elizabeth's side. He placed the plate of steaks on the table, then assisted her into the chair. Again, his touch sent butterflies spiraling in her stomach. "Thank you," she said, managing to sound relatively calm.

Rosemary was watching the exchange with delight. She winked at Elizabeth when Nathan wasn't looking. "Nathan, why don't you sit next to Elizabeth? Faith, you can sit next to me."

"Okay," Nathan said, taking the seat next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth gave Rosemary a look, which Rosemary conveniently ignored. Her friend wasn't even trying to be subtle. She was definitely in matchmaker mode. Elizabeth had watched Rosemary match people over the years, but she had never been the target. Until now.

"Alright, everyone, let's say grace," Lee said, holding out his hands to Rosemary and Clara on either side of him. Each person around the table joined hands. Elizabeth glanced at Nathan before tentatively taking his hand. His hand curled around hers, engulfing it. Elizabeth couldn't explain why, but she suddenly felt protected. She turned her attention to Lee's prayer, adding an "amen" at the end with everyone else. Nathan held onto her hand a beat longer than was necessary before gently letting go. Elizabeth tried to ignore the incessant butterflies.

"Uncle Nathan, do you know Auntie Elizabeth and Auntie Faith?" Jesse asked, digging into his potato salad.

"I knew your Auntie Faith," he said with a smile. "But I met your Auntie Elizabeth today."

"You knew Faith?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.

Faith laughed. "He loves Coffee and Books. I see him there all the time."

Elizabeth turned to look at him. "Really? I'm there a lot too, but I don't remember seeing you before."

"My schedule can be weird. I tend to go for coffee breaks in the middle of the day. You're probably at work."

"True," Elizabeth said. "My shifts can change, but most times I work days." She took a bite of steak. "Lee, these are incredible!"

"Thanks," Lee said, grinning. "It's my dad's secret recipe."

"Secret?" Nathan laughed. "Isn't this the recipe you shared with all the guys on the force?"

Lee shrugged. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'll never tell."

There was a chorus of laughter around the table. The conversation continued with lots of stories and laughter. Elizabeth noticed that Nathan was relatively quiet compared to everyone else, though he did participate from time to time. She wondered if he was the strong, silent type.

"Elizabeth, Faith, would you mind helping me with dessert?" Rosemary asked once everyone was finished eating. "We're going to bake cookies!"

Lee stood, clearing some plates. Nathan helped him. "Rosie, why don't Nathan and I take the kids for a walk while you ladies make the cookies?"

"Perfect!" Rosemary said. "Off with you now! Have fun."

Jesse and Clara whooped. They went off with the men, clearly excited to be going for a walk.

Rosemary gathered the cookie ingredients. "Elizabeth, you can keep us company while we make these. It probably would be very hard for you to help on the crutches."

"Thanks, Rosie," Elizabeth said, maneuvering to the small table in the kitchen on her crutches.

"Okay, out with it," Faith said, turning with a hand on her hip to Rosemary. "You're playing matchmaker right now, aren't you? You're trying to set up Nathan and Elizabeth."

Rosemary smiled, unconcerned at being found out. "What if I am? Don't you think they'd make a lovely couple?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Faith said.

Elizabeth's head shot up. "You do?" She hadn't expected Faith to have an opinion on the subject.

Faith nodded. "He seems like a really nice guy, Elizabeth. He's quieter than most men, maybe a little reserved, but he's sweet. And very handsome." She tilted her head, studying Elizabeth. "Do you find him attractive?"

Elizabeth blushed, wondering whether to admit it or not. Rosemary grinned. "Her cheeks are crimson. I think she does indeed find him attractive."

"Hey, no fair ganging up on me!" Elizabeth protested.

"So do you?" Rosemary persisted.

"Yes, if you must know."

Rosemary clapped. Faith's eyes lit up. "Elizabeth, that's huge! I haven't seen this kind of reaction from you since…" She trailed off, her eyes suddenly softening. "How do you feel about this?"

Elizabeth bit back sudden tears. Rosemary had a look of concern on her face. "Oh, Elizabeth, I'm sorry! I didn't realize setting you up might bring back memories. I should have known."

"No, it's okay, Rosie. You had good intentions. And I am attracted to Nathan. Very much so, if I'm being honest. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I'm not sure how I feel about it, actually."

Faith covered Elizabeth's hand with one of hers. "Elizabeth, you know it's okay to move on. Jack would have wanted you to be happy."

"I know," Elizabeth said softly, acknowledging what she knew to be true. "It's just so surreal. I thought the kind of love I had with Jack only happened once in a lifetime. I was ready to spend the rest of my life on my own. I never expected to feel this kind of attraction again. But as soon as I saw Nathan, something woke up inside of me. There's something about him. I can't explain it, but I feel a strong connection to him. Does that sound crazy?" she asked, looking at her friends.

They shook their heads in unison. "Elizabeth, I think if you like Nathan, you owe it to yourself to be open to where it could go," Rosemary said gently. "Get to know him. It could be that the two of you will be nothing more than friends, but there's also the possibility it could blossom into something more." She smiled. "Faith is right, you know. Jack would not have wanted you to stay alone."

Elizabeth smiled through the tears that slipped unheeded down her cheeks. "I never expected to move on. I'd never even really considered it. Now I think I'm ready to move in that direction." She paused. "After I gave Nathan my statement, I came home and took a nap. My dreams were filled with Jack." She couldn't go on.

Rosemary gripped one of her hands. "Another nightmare?" she asked quietly.

Elizabeth nodded, unable to speak. Rosemary looked her square in the eyes. "Elizabeth, what happened to Jack was not your fault. You have to believe that."

"That's easier said than done," Elizabeth whispered. "Sometime I think I believe it, but other times the guilt comes out of nowhere and won't let go."

Faith's eyes had misted over. "Elizabeth, you can't blame yourself. There were so many variables involved, and we'll never know exactly what happened. All we can know is that you had nothing to do with it."

"But if he hadn't been talking to me, he might not have been late to his mission. And if he hadn't been late, maybe he would have been better prepared…"

Rosemary shook her shoulders gently, cutting her off. "You can't live in what ifs. Jack was a Marine. He knew the risks when he signed on. War is a terrible thing, and we can't control it. What happened to Jack was tragic, but it was an effect of the war. It was not you."

"My head knows that," Elizabeth said, wiping her tears with a tissue Faith provided. "It's my heart that needs convincing."

"Let it go," Rosemary said softly. "Each time it comes up, let it go with a prayer. And you can always talk to me or to Faith. We're always here for you."

Elizabeth smiled, putting an arm around each of them. "And I'm so thankful for both of you. I don't tell you nearly enough, but I love you like sisters."

"The feeling is mutual," Faith said. They stayed that way for a few minutes, then Rosemary nodded and got back to business. "Well, let's get cooking before everyone comes back. These cookies won't bake themselves!"


Nathan put his cards on the table, effectively ending the game of Phase 10. There was a chorus of groans from the rest of the group. He grinned. "Never challenge a detective to a game of cards. He will win every time."

"Every time?" Elizabeth asked slyly, shooting him a side glance. "Are you sure about that? Because I say challenge accepted." She looked around. "I think we should make Detective Grant here a regular member of our game nights. Mostly so we can figure out ways to beat him." She winked at him, making his heart skip a beat. Steady, Nathan, he told himself as everyone agreed heartily to Elizabeth's declaration.

She had caught his attention the moment he'd stepped into the interview room. Her brown hair was long and wavy, and her blue eyes had a depth to them he'd never seen before. Nathan was a good judge of character, and he got the impression she was sweet and kind hearted.

A lethal combination for his heart.

He wasn't looking for a relationship. He was too busy, and his line of work didn't mesh well with dating. But there was something about Elizabeth Thatcher that made him wonder if maybe he'd come to that decision a little too hastily.

Lee was saying something. Nathan brought his mind back to the present moment. "...every Thursday. We'd love to have you join us anytime. It's usually at Elizabeth's house, but with her leg in a cast we thought we'd have it here tonight."

Nathan nodded. "This was a lot of fun. I'd love to join you again." Everyone stood. Rosemary smiled at him. He detected something in her facial expression, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Nathan, would you mind walking Elizabeth home? She lives just next door, but it would give me and Lee such peace of mind to know she got there safely."

"It would?" Lee asked.

"Yes, Lee, it would," Rosemary replied, poking him in the ribs. Elizabeth shot a look at Rosemary. Nathan glanced between them all, wondering what was going on, but prominent in his mind was the opportunity to spend some more time with Elizabeth, no matter how short it was.

"I'd be happy to, if Elizabeth doesn't mind."

She turned those blue eyes on him, something inscrutable in their depths. "That would be nice, Nathan. Thank you."

Rosemary saw them to the door, grinning. "See you tomorrow, Elizabeth! Nathan, thanks for coming tonight. We look forward to having you with us again next week."

"Thank you, Rosemary," Nathan said. She shut the door after they walked out, leaving Nathan and Elizabeth to take in the night air. It was still quite warm and the air smelled like flowers and the ocean. Nathan loved the combination. It embodied Hawaii.

"Have you lived here your whole life?" Elizabeth asked as she slowly made her way down the driveway on her crutches.

"I have," Nathan said. "Born and raised in this little town. I never wanted to go anywhere else."

"I don't blame you. This is paradise," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "I fell in love with this town as soon as I moved here."

"You said it was a long story," Nathan said, wondering what that version was. "Do you care to tell me about it?"

They had already reached her porch. Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, then gestured to her porch swing. "Why don't we sit?"

Nathan helped her onto the swing, then sat next to her. They rocked gently back and forth for a few moments, then Elizabeth began her story. "My parents are wealthy. Exceedingly wealthy. The Thatchers are up there with the Kennedys as far as New York society is concerned. I was raised in that way of life, and for the longest time it was all I knew."

Nathan blinked, surprised. She certainly didn't act like a lot of the rich people he had known. He waited for her to collect her thoughts and continue. He didn't have to wait long.

"My family was of the opinion that I should marry a wealthy and well-known bachelor and 'take my place in society'." She drew air quotes over the last several words. "They even went so far as to pick out a man they wanted me to marry. A childhood friend, Charles Kensington III. He was a nice man, but I only ever saw him as a friend, and to be honest, something felt very empty about high society. It wasn't for me. I wanted to help people." She smiled. "For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a nurse. I wanted to go to college, get a degree, and work for others."

Nathan smiled. "That's very noble."

Elizabeth frowned. "My family didn't agree. My father said if I went to school, it would be under the condition that I come right back to the family afterwards and be a socialite. Otherwise my parents wouldn't pay for my schooling." She took a deep breath. "I told them I would make it on my own. They didn't think I would last a semester." Lifting her chin, a look of accomplishment entered her eyes. "I lasted all four years and got my nursing degree. I paid my own way, taking out loans when I needed to. I paid them all off about three years ago." A faraway look crossed her face. "After college, it was hard finding a job where no one knew who I was. My parents have a lot of influence, and for some reason knowing I was a Thatcher made hospitals reluctant to hire me. I was running out of hope. And like I said before, I was tired of city life. I wanted something completely different."

Understanding filled Nathan. "Hence why our little 'Hope Valley' was appealing."

Elizabeth nodded. "Exactly. I randomly decided one day to research small towns on the internet that had 'hope' in the name. I didn't care for any of the search results until I came to Mana'olana Awāwa. Something about a small town on an island as far away from New York as I could get seemed appealing. No one here knew about my family. They don't care about wealth and status. They are about family and community. I loved that. I flew out the next day and came straight to the hospital. The neonatal unit was hiring, and the rest is history." She grinned at him. "So that was the very long version of how I got here."

Nathan laughed. "It's an amazing story, Elizabeth. I admire your decision to come out here all by yourself and make your own way. That took a lot of courage."

An impish light came into Elizabeth's eyes. "I'm not completely alone. I had a friend stay with me every step of the way. You might know her as the owner of Coffee and Books."

"Faith?" Nathan asked, surprised. "She's New York royalty too?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Kind of. Her family has money, though to a lesser extent. She and I grew up together, and I think she's a big reason I stayed relatively humble. She would always call me out when I needed it, which I'm thankful for. Her parents never cut her off, and if she hadn't moved out here with me, I don't think I would have been able to support myself through the first couple of years."

"That's amazing," Nathan said. "It's great that you two have such a good friendship. Have you been here long?"

"Almost ten years," Elizabeth said. "I've been working at the same hospital all that time, and I love it. There's something about this town and its people that just draws you in." She tilted her head, looking at him. "In fact, I'm surprised that we've never run into each other over the last ten years. We've both been here, and this is a small town! It's even crazier since you know Faith and Lee and Rosemary. How have we never met until today?"

Nathan shrugged. "Good question. That is surprising." He studied her for a moment. "Maybe there's a reason it didn't happen until now."

Elizabeth looked at him. "Do you believe everything happens for a reason?"

He nodded. "I do."

She smiled. "Then maybe one day we'll figure out the reason we didn't meet sooner. But for now, I'm glad to have met you."

A little jolt went through him at her words. He smiled, attempting to remain calm and collected. "Likewise."

Glancing at her watch, Elizabeth raised her brows. "Well, detective, it's a half hour past my bedtime. You've managed to keep me talking for a while now."

Nathan laughed. "Trick of the trade."

She smiled. "Maybe next time I'll get you to talk about yourself."

"Oh, I don't know. I've been told I'm economical with my words." He stood, helping her to stand as well. "I suppose I'll see you next week for another game night."

Elizabeth nodded. "See you then."

Nathan watched as she opened her door and said goodnight. Once she closed the door, he headed back to the Coulter's. Getting into his car, he drove the short distance home. As he got into bed and tried to sleep, he knew his dreams would be full of a certain lovely nurse who had captured his attention.