Elizabeth leaned against the counter at Coffee and Books. Faith was arranging baked goods in the display cases. A few people were scattered here and there throughout the cafe.

"Has Nathan called yet?" Faith asked, peering at Elizabeth over the counter.

Elizabeth shook her head. "He said he was going to wait a few days after our date to call."

"Why?" Faith asked, her brow furrowed. "Isn't that kind of archaic?"

Elizabeth smiled. "I thought so too at first, but he said he's a gentleman and doesn't want to jump in too quick too soon." She lowered her voice. "I told him about Jack, you know. I think he's respecting me by not rushing anything."

Faith stood up straight. "You neglected to mention that particular detail when you told me about the date!" She blinked. "You told him about Jack?"

"I did." Elizabeth smiled a little at the memory, remembered how tender and sweet Nathan had been.

"Isn't there some kind of rule about not talking about previous loves on the first date?" Faith asked, looking like she was trying to hide a smile.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Normally I wouldn't, but I was the one who opened the door. I asked him if he'd ever been in love, and then he turned the question on me. I told him everything." Her eyes softened. "And do you know what he did?"

Faith raised her brows, waiting for the answer.

"He just took me in his arms and held me while I cried." She sighed. "He didn't back away from my pain or emotion or memories. He faced them head on and helped me through it."

"Seems like we can add 'living saint' to his list of qualities!" Faith said with a low whistle. "Most men wouldn't have wanted to hear that. Or they would have taken advantage of your vulnerability and tried to kiss you." Her eyes narrowed. "He didn't, did he?"

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed, though if she were honest with herself, she had kind of hoped he would. But then that wouldn't have been like Nathan. "He kissed my forehead, but that's something anyone could have done."

Faith let her smile escape. "Seriously, Elizabeth, he sounds like the perfect man. Does he have a flaw?"

Elizabeth kept a straight face. "He had a ton of flaws when I thought he was married with a child."

They both burst into laughter, prompting several people in the cafe to glance their way. It took a full minute for them to catch their breath. The bell above the door tinkled, and Carson walked in. Elizabeth smiled at him and waved, then turned back to see no one behind the counter.

"Faith?" she said, confused. "Where'd you go?"

"Shh!" came a hiss from behind the counter. Elizabeth leaned over to see Faith crouched down out of sight.

"What in the world are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, even more confused.

Faith's face was crimson. She looked embarrassed, but didn't stand up. "I saw Carson and panicked," she whispered.

Elizabeth couldn't help it; she laughed. "Stand up, he's coming!"

Carson stopped next to Elizabeth, who leaned nonchalantly against the counter. "Hi, Carson. How are you today?"

"Good," he said, giving her a smile. "Only one more day with that boot."

"You have no idea how excited I am to have this thing off!"

Carson chuckled. "I think I have a clue." He looked around. "Is Faith here today?"

Elizabeth tried not to smile. "She's around here somewhere."

Faith slowly appeared. She smiled shyly at Carson. "Hi Carson. I just...uh...dropped something." She smoothed her hair. "What can I get for you?"

"A black coffee to go, please," he said. He glanced at Elizabeth, then looked back at Faith. "Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Elizabeth could hear the meaning behind his words, and she felt a rush of excitement for Faith. "You know, I think I'm going to go look for a book to read." Faith's eyes widened, but Elizabeth waved at her with a wink and sauntered away. She watched them from the corner of her eye. Her attention was distracted when the door opened again and Nathan walked in with Colleen and Allie.

Elizabeth felt a zip of electricity course through her stomach when Nathan's eyes landed on her. He smiled, said something to Colleen, and headed for Elizabeth.

"Hi," he said, his blue eyes warm.

"Hi," she returned. She had been right; a woman could get lost in his eyes.

"Elizabeth!" She turned to see Colleen standing there, looking pleased. "It's good to see you again." Colleen looked at Nathan, tilting her head. "My dear little brother hasn't said a word about your date a few days ago except that it was good." She looped an arm through Elizabeth's. "You and I are going to have to have coffee together some time so I can get details!"

"Colleen!" Nathan said, looking aghast. "There's no need to meddle."

"Nonsense, that's what big sisters are for," she shot back.

Elizabeth grinned. "I would love to have coffee with you sometime."

"Excellent," Colleen said, her smile wide. "If you'll excuse me, Allie and I are just going to grab some treats and then go to the park." She looked at Nathan with innocent eyes that reminded Elizabeth of Rosemary when she was planning something. "Nathan, why don't you stay here and keep Elizabeth company?" With a nod to Elizabeth, she headed for the counter, where Allie was telling Faith which treats she wanted.

"She's not exactly subtle, is she?" Elizabeth asked.

Nathan shook his head. "Nope. Never has been."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I like her. Now that I know she's not your wife," she teased. Looking back at Colleen, she continued. "Actually, now that I think about it, the two of you look very much alike. I'm surprised I didn't see it then."

"Your surprise at seeing a woman at my door probably didn't help the matter," Nathan said with a laugh. They sat at the table, and Nathan just looked at her for a few moments.

Elizabeth could feel the blush tingeing her cheeks. "What?"

He smiled. "I was just thinking how silly it was of me to wait several days to see you again. I've missed you."

"I missed you too," Elizabeth said softly.

Nathan smiled. "How about another date? Say two nights from now? I'd say tonight or tomorrow, but I have to work evenings this week."

"I'd love that."

"Good." He leaned back in his chair. "Though I suppose we could consider this an informal date."

"You don't have to be at work?"

Nathan shook his head. "Not for a couple hours. And there's nothing I would rather do than spend some time with you."

Colleen came over and placed a coffee in front of Nathan and another in front of Elizabeth. "Enjoy!" she said with a wink. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Uncle Nathan! Nice to see you again, Ms. Thatcher!" Allie called as they walked out the door.

Nathan smiled. "She'll be calling you Auntie Elizabeth once you get to know her. She already refers to you as that at home."

"I'm honored," Elizabeth said. "Clara and Jesse are the ones I hear that from the most. It will be nice hearing it from Allie too." A question nagged at her mind, but she wondered if it was her place to ask.

Nathan must have seen the conflict on her face. "You have something you want to say," he stated.

"It might be too personal," Elizabeth said, hesitant.

"You can say it," Nathan said. "You can say whatever you want." He took a sip of his coffee.

Elizabeth's eyes went to the door Colleen had disappeared through. "You said Colleen's husband went missing a few months ago."

Nathan nodded, a shadow crossing his face.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" Elizabeth asked.

Letting out a sigh, Nathan shook his head. "No," he said heavily. "Lee, Hickam, and I have been working on the case since he disappeared, but he's gone without a trace. There has been literally zero evidence. I've never seen anything like it before. It's like he simply vanished."

"When was the last time anyone saw him?"

"He was working at the bank, and he left once his shift was over. The bank manager saw him get in his car and drive away. Steve - my brother-in-law - called Colleen to let her know he'd be home as soon as he fueled up his car. That was the last she heard from him. No one has seen him since. We can't even find his car. I tried every gas station in town, but none of them have security cameras. This town is too trusting to have them everywhere." He sighed. "I think Colleen still holds out hope that he will show up, but I just don't know where he could have gone. He didn't fly anywhere, there's no record of him getting on a boat, and his car vanished with him." He didn't say anything for a few moments, then looked at Elizabeth with pain in his eyes. "I think he's gone, Elizabeth. Steve was a good man, and he would never leave Colleen of his own volition. I fear foul play. But I have no evidence, and as we say on the police force, 'no body, no crime.'"

"Oh, Nathan," Elizabeth said, her heart breaking for him and his family. She reached out, taking his hand in hers. "I'm so sorry."

He wrapped his fingers around her hand, holding on tightly. "I'm going to find him, Elizabeth." Determination lit his eyes. "One way or another, I'm going to find him. Colleen needs closure."

Elizabeth smiled tenderly. "You're a good brother, Nathan."

"If only I was as good of a detective," he said wryly.

Raising her brows, Elizabeth looked him right in the eye. "This is not your fault, Nathan. You're doing the best you can." She squeezed his hand gently before letting go. "Is there any word on the robbery investigation?"

Nathan glanced around, then leaned forward. "Yes, actually. There's not much I can tell you since you're not on the force, but it looks like we're dealing with at least three people here."

"Three?" Elizabeth said, surprised. "How do you figure that?"

"Well, there's the person doing the actual robberies. We think that is the man who knocked you over. Then there's the person who's making the money disappear. There's no paper trail, so something is being done over the black market. And I figure there's a third person who's probably the mastermind of the whole thing but doesn't want to get his hands dirty."

"And you have evidence of this?" Elizabeth asked.

Nathan nodded, then smiled slightly. "And that's all you're going to get from me. You promised not to get involved."

She held up her hands. "And I won't. But I will certainly ask you and Lee about it from time to time. I'm curious. This is something that's never happened here before." She eyed him. "What did you say has been stolen?"

Nathan raised his brows. "I didn't say. And I'm not going to."

"Oh come on," Elizabeth said in her best cajoling tone. "Maybe we can throw ideas around if you tell me some small, teeny-tiny details like that."

Pursing his lips, Nathan studied her for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Okay, fine. But this is not going to be a typical conversation between us. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" she said with a little salute.

Nathan laughed. "You are certainly charming, my dear Elizabeth." He glanced around, making sure no one was listening. Elizabeth did too, noting there were several more patrons in the cafe now. Faith was busy taking orders, and Carson was sitting nearby, shooting smiles at Faith. Elizabeth's brows raised. She was pretty sure Carson had come here to ask Faith out on a date, and she fully intended to ask Faith all about it. But for now, she turned her attention back to Nathan.

"So, what was stolen?" she asked, her eyes fixed on his.

"Jewels," Nathan said quietly, glancing around again. "Each of the four robberies were jewel heists. Two jewelry stores, one pawn shop, and one museum."

Elizabeth blinked. "And you've managed to keep this from the press? How?"

Nathan smiled grimly. "We have our ways. We're keeping this quiet. Chief Avery doesn't want to spook the thieves, so we asked the press to keep this under wraps with the promise that they'll have the exclusive scoop once this is all over."

Elizabeth laughed. "Exclusive scoop? Isn't there only one press company in this town?"

"Yes," Nathan said, chuckling. "But they hear the word 'scoop' and seem to forget that they don't have much competition."

A movement from the corner caught Elizabeth's eye. A man she hadn't noticed before stood from a couple tables away and started for the door. She watched him, and suddenly they locked eyes. A glimmer of recognition washed over her. Blond hair. Blue eyes. About 5'8". Her eyes widened as she took in a full view of his face.

"Nathan, the man leaving the cafe...I think he's the one who ran me down after the robbery!"

The man bolted from the cafe. Nathan leapt up without a word and chased after him. Faith stared after them, as did every person in the cafe. She walked over to Elizabeth. "What's going on?" she asked, eyes wide.

Elizabeth felt her heart hammering in her chest. That man had been watching them, and she was sure he had been close enough to hear their conversation. "That's the man involved in the robbery," she said faintly. Her mind was on Nathan. He was chasing down a criminal. What if…?

No! She shook herself firmly. He was going to be okay. He had to be okay.

The next ten minutes were anxious ones. Faith and Carson sat with her as they waited for Nathan to return. Faith held onto her hand, lending silent support. When the door opened, Elizabeth sat up straight and turned to look.

"Nathan!" she cried, running straight into his arms, not caring that anyone could see. Her relief was overwhelming, and she held onto him tightly.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tightly as well. He gave a shuddering sigh. "He got away, Elizabeth. I lost him." He pulled back slightly, looking at her with concern. "And he saw you. He obviously knew who you were, or he wouldn't have run."

"And he was listening to our conversation, Nathan. He knows you're on to him."

Nathan shook his head. "I'm not as worried about that as I am that a criminal knows you well enough to know where you hang out. He was there on purpose, Elizabeth, I'm sure of it." His hands went to her shoulders. "I need you to be careful."

With Nathan's blue eyes boring into hers and the situation being what it was, she could hardly think. "What do I do?"

"Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Don't let down your guard." He put a hand to her cheek, briefly. "And call me or Lee the second you feel like something is wrong. It doesn't matter if it's just a feeling with no evidence. Make that call. Promise me."

"I promise," she said softly.

Carson came up to them, putting a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I'll make sure she's safe at work, Nathan," he said. "I got a good look at the guy too. I'll put a description of him out at the hospital so our security can keep an eye out."

"Thanks, Carson," Nathan said, clapping him on the back. "I appreciate that." He looked at Elizabeth. "Do you lock your doors and windows at night?"

"In this town?" Elizabeth shook her head. "My door is locked at night, but I usually sleep with the windows open. It gets too warm if they're closed."

"We'll get you a fan for the time being, then," Nathan said. "Your home is all ground level. Anyone could easily break in one of your windows."

A shot of fear went through Elizabeth. "You think he knows where I live?"

Nathan looked worried. "He might. He knew you were here."

"Yes, but he ran into me when I was coming out of the cafe. It would be logical to assume I would come back." She bit her lip. "He would have to have followed me to know where I live."

"That's my concern," Nathan said. "Please, just be careful, alright? And call me if you need anything." He smiled. "I don't want anything to happen to the woman I'm dating."

Her fear vanished. She had a feeling that she would be fine with Nathan around. She smiled at him. "I'll be careful, Nathan."


The next day, Elizabeth sat waiting for Carson to return with her new leg x-rays. He had taken off the boot and x-rayed her leg, then told her to sit until he got back. She sat patiently, swinging her leg back and forth. She was feeling relatively peaceful after the strange events of yesterday. She had locked her doors and windows as Nathan suggested, but didn't feel anything out of the ordinary all through the night. That gave her a measure of hope.

Carson came back into the room, smiling widely. "Your leg healed quickly and efficiently!" he exclaimed. "This was one of the fastest recovery times I've ever seen for a hairline fracture." He held a hand out to her. "Can you stand?"

Elizabeth took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She tested her weight on the leg. No pain. She walked around a few times back and forth, then grinned at Carson. "I think I'm good to go!"

"I think you're right," Carson said with a laugh. He leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "But you're still not allowed back at work for another three days."

Elizabeth frowned. "Oh come on! I'm all better now!"

"I know," Carson said. "But now you need to enjoy some things you couldn't do. Now go out there and have some fun!" He raised his brows. "I do believe you said you wanted to hike. And I'm pretty sure I heard that you have a date with a certain detective tomorrow."

Elizabeth smiled innocently at him. "And I hear you have a date with a certain local businesswoman who sells coffee, books, and sweets at her cafe."

Carson's mouth dropped. "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, please!" Elizabeth said, laughing. "Faith is one of my best friends. You don't think I heard all about it the moment you left the cafe yesterday?"

"Ah, right. I suppose I should have known," Carson said wryly. "What do you think about this?"

Elizabeth grinned. "I'm thrilled! I think the two of you could get along very well." She winked at him mischievously. "And remember, be nice. Because I'm going to hear all about your date!" She sauntered out the door as Carson protested, following her out. "I kid, Carson. Well, kind of. I will hear about it, just like she heard about my date with Nathan. Just know I'm rooting for the two of you."

"And I can say that I'm rooting for you and Nathan as well," Carson said. "You seem like a good fit. I haven't seen you this happy in a while."

A light blush crept across her face. "It's that obvious?"

"It is," he confirmed. "And that makes everyone who knows you happy. You deserve happiness, Elizabeth."

"Thanks, Carson," she said, grateful. She raised her brow as she realized he was still following her. "What are you doing? Don't you have other patients to attend to?"

"Yes," he said, showing no signs of leaving her side. "But I promised Nathan I would make sure you are safe at the hospital, and in this case that means walking you to your car."

Elizabeth tried to protest, but Carson held up his hand. "No arguments."

She dropped it, secretly thankful. If Nathan thought she could be in danger, she would allow the extra precautions.

They got to her car without event. As she was about to open her door, Carson frowned.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing to a piece of paper secured by her windshield wiper.

"Good question," Elizabeth said, pulling the paper from the wiper. She glanced around. "I don't see any paper on the other cars." She unfolded the paper, read the few words there, and gasped. She could feel the blood draining from her face.

"What?" Carson said, catching her arm. "You look like you're about to faint!" He took the paper and read it, his face blanching as well.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS CASE OR ELSE!


Nathan, Lee, and Hickam were sitting around a table, trying to piece together clues in the robbery case. Nathan ran his hands through his hair, feeling tired. This case was giving them more trouble than he had expected.

An idea suddenly popped into his mind. "Can we run that sketch of the perp through our database?" he asked. "Maybe something will come up that will give us his identity."

Lee nodded. "It might take a couple of days, but yeah, we can try that." He stood, stretching his back.

Hickam looked at the sketch on the table. "How old would you say this guy is?"

Nathan let out a breath. "He looks like he is barely out of his teens," he said, feeling a sense of sadness, recalling the kid's face from the cafe. "That tells me he's not the mastermind behind these robberies. If I had to guess, someone else is pulling his strings."

"Grant!" Bill Avery called from the front desk. "There's someone here to see you."

Nathan walked to the front. "Elizabeth!" he exclaimed. Her face was white, and she was clutching a piece of paper to her heart. Bill had a hand on her arm, apparently trying to keep her steady. "What's going on?" Nathan asked, putting an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and leading her to a chair.

"I found this on my car at the hospital," Elizabeth said woodenly, handing him the paper. "I came straight here."

Nathan looked at the paper and felt his stomach clench. The words froze his heart, especially knowing they were aimed at Elizabeth. He grasped her hand, looking into her eyes. "Are you alright, Elizabeth?"

"I...I don't know," she whispered. She sounded scared. "He knows my car, Nathan. What else does he know?"

"Are you locking everything at night?" he asked, searching her eyes. Elizabeth nodded. "Good," Nathan said with a sigh of relief. "I'm going to have a cruiser patrol your street at night until we catch this guy. Better to be safe than sorry."

Elizabeth smiled a little, some color returning to her cheeks. "Thank you, Nathan. That will help."

Lee had appeared, catching parts of their conversation. "Either Rosie or I could stay with you tonight," he offered. "Or you could stay with us."

"Thanks, Lee," Elizabeth said. "But I think my house is pretty secure, and with the patrol car I doubt this guy would try anything. I should be fine."

She was a brave woman. Nathan admired her courage. "Thank you for bringing this in, Elizabeth. That was the right thing to do." He held up the paper. "I'm going to need to keep this for evidence. Maybe we'll be able to get prints off of it."

"Not likely, but at least it's a shot in the dark. Better than nothing," Lee said, nodding.

"Grant, Coulter, back to work," Bill said, shooting them looks that said he wanted the case solved as soon as possible. He didn't like it when innocent civilians were involved. He nodded to Elizabeth. "Ma'am."

"Chief," she acknowledged. Lee hugged her, then headed back to their work space.

Nathan stood with Elizabeth. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, reluctant to leave her.

She nodded. "I'm going to go spend some time with Rosemary and the kids," she said. "It'll help take my mind off all this."

"Good idea," Nathan said. He engulfed her in a hug, not wanting to let go. They held onto each other for several moments, neither wanting to be the first to pull away. Finally, Nathan drew back. "Call me if you need anything. Anything at all," he said, running a hand down her hair. "Okay?"

She nodded. "I will." They stepped apart. She smiled at him a little shakily. "Let me know if you find anything out."

"I will." They said their goodbyes. He watched as Elizabeth walked away, wishing he could follow her and protect her. Heart heavy, he went back to his station with Lee and Hickam. Determination rose in him, determination to catch the men responsible for this and to make sure that Elizabeth was no longer in any kind of danger.

He couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt.


Elizabeth tossed and turned, trying to sleep. Every little noise made her jump. Restless, she got up and checked all her windows and doors again, making sure they were securely locked. Reassured that everything was safe, she went back to bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

The hot air blew against her face. Even though it was night, the heat was intense. She walked and walked and walked, trying to find someone. She didn't know who, she just knew it was someone. A military Jeep rolled past her.

"Jack?" she said, trying to peer into the Jeep. No one heard her as the Jeep drove steadily on.

Straight for a minefield.

"No!" she screamed, trying to run to warn them. But she couldn't move. Her feet were glued to the ground. "Stop! Stop!"

The explosion rocked her backwards, sending her into the dust. Crying, she stood again, seeing a man lying ten feet away. But it wasn't Jack.

"Nathan!" She ran to him, falling to her knees at his side. He wasn't moving. "Nathan, wake up!" she cried, patting his face to wake him from his trance, desperate to see his bright blue eyes looking back at her.

Suddenly she became aware of another presence. She looked up sharply. The blond haired, blue-eyed man stood before her, silhouetted against the burning Jeep. He stared at her, his eyes cold. "This is what happens when you interfere," he said, his voice icy as he slowly walked toward her. Elizabeth screamed and buried her face in Nathan's shoulder.

A crash broke into her dreams, and she jolted awake with a cry, coming abruptly into a sitting position. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty.

Another nightmare. She let out a pent-up breath, relieved to be awake. Until she realized something wasn't right.

That crash.

It hadn't been a part of her dream. Something was wrong.

Wide awake now and thoroughly frightened, Elizabeth grabbed her phone and dialed Nathan's number. He answered on the fourth ring, his voice groggy. "Hello?"

Elizabeth glanced at her clock. 2:43 am. "Oh, I'm sorry, Nathan. I didn't realize it was the middle of the night…"

"Elizabeth?" he asked, sounding suddenly alert. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she said, shivering despite the fact that the room was warm. "I heard a crash. Something isn't right."

"I'll be right over," he said. Elizabeth stayed huddled in her bed with the covers up to her chin. Within three minutes, she heard a knock at her door. "Elizabeth, it's me. Open up!"

She quickly made her way to the door and opened it. Nathan stepped in, shutting the door behind him and locking it. Elizabeth launched herself into his arms as soon as he turned around, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Whoa!" he said, catching himself and her. He held her for a few moments, then led her to the couch. He turned on a lamp, flooding the room with warm light. "Now, what's going on?" he asked, his eyes fixed tenderly on her face.

"There was a crash," Elizabeth said, her voice shaking. "Something didn't feel right. I was having a nightmare, but the crash woke me up."

"Is anything out of place?" Nathan asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know. I was too scared to look around."

Nathan glanced around, taking in the room. "Nothing out of the ordinary in here," he said. Standing, he pulled her up with him. "Come on, why don't I make you a cup of tea? Then I'll have a look around."

She nodded, looking at him with a smile. "Thank you for coming over, Nathan. I feel better already."

He smiled at her, and the emotion in his eyes made her heart flutter. "I'm glad you called. I want to be here for you." He looked like he was about to say something more, but he suddenly halted, putting an arm out in front of her to stop her. She followed his gaze to her kitchen.

The curtains were blowing in the breeze, and glass covered the floor. Her window was shattered, a gaping hole through the middle. A brick lay on the floor, something wrapped around it.

Nathan reached for a paper towel, then carefully picked up the brick, placing it on the table. Using the towel, he pulled the paper from the brick and unrolled it. Elizabeth looked over his shoulder as he placed it on the table.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, MS. THATCHER.

Another jolt of fear rolled through Elizabeth. Nathan looked at her, worry in his eyes. "He knows where you live."