Nathan dropped the brick and the note in a plastic bag, wrapping it tightly while Elizabeth swept up the broken glass. He was going to need to take it in as evidence. He watched Elizabeth surreptitiously for a minute, noting that her shaking had finally stopped. But she still looked pale.

As she dumped the glass into her trash can and put the broom away, Nathan looked at her leg, and a thought came to his mind. Maybe he could distract her for a short time. Anything to get her mind off the fact that her house was vandalized. "Where's your boot? I thought Carson said you had to be in it for a month. It's only been about a week."

Elizabeth looked down at her leg, confusion momentarily lighting her face. "Oh. It healed a lot faster than we thought possible. I'm thinking it was barely cracked, and since I didn't do anything for two weeks, it healed quickly. I called Carson about it, he said to get it x-rayed, and then it confirmed that I was all better."

"That must be nice."

She smiled at him. "It is. Are you trying to distract me?"

"Um...well, yes."

Elizabeth laughed a genuine laugh, the tension easing from her face slightly. "Thanks, Nathan. But I don't think you're going to be able to take my mind off of what happened."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I wish I could."

She smiled. "I know." They looked at each other for a moment, both processing what had happened. Though he knew she was nervous, Nathan was thankful nothing worse had happened.

"Do you have any plywood?" he asked.

Elizabeth blinked. "Yes, out in the garage. Why?"

"We need to board up that window. Where is the garage?"

"This way." Elizabeth led him there and turned on the light. Nathan rummaged around for a few minutes until he found what he was looking for: plywood, nails, and a hammer.

Elizabeth had disappeared, and Nathan came back into the kitchen to find her there, wrapped in a robe, making two cups of tea. He quickly fitted the plywood to her window, hammering it into place. He gave it a couple of good shakes, then nodded in satisfaction. "That's not going anywhere," he said. "It should hold until we get you a new window."

"We?" she asked with a small smile.

"Oh yes, we," he said with a nod. "Your window was broken because of a case we are working on. I figure the least the department can do is pay for a new one."

Elizabeth leaned against the counter, her beautiful face showing signs of exhaustion. "Thank you, Nathan." She reached out and handed him a cup. "I hope you like peppermint tea."

"I do," he said, accepting the cup. "Thank you."

"It's supposed to be relaxing," she said, leading the way to the sofa. Sinking into it, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Though I don't know if I can relax tonight. It's going to be hard falling asleep after this."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere tonight," Nathan said. Elizabeth started to protest, but he held up his hand. "No arguments, Elizabeth. There is no way I'm leaving you here alone."

She gripped his hand in hers, relief flooding her eyes. "I'd appreciate that."

He leaned forward. "I don't want you to stay here after tonight, Elizabeth. And you can't stay at Lee and Rosemary's either. This guy knows you live here, and my guess is he knows that the Coulters would be your first choice for who to stay with." He looked down at their joined hands, wondering how she would react to his next suggestion. "I want you to stay with me."

Her mouth dropped. "I can't stay with you, Nathan!"

"Yes, you can," he said evenly. "I have an extra room, right next to Colleen's. She would love to have another woman staying at the house. I'm sure the two of you would get along wonderfully. And to be honest, I would have great peace of mind knowing you're nearby."

She studied him. "Do you really think I'm in that much danger?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I hope not. But I tend to err on the side of caution. Better to be safe than sorry." He squeezed her hand. "Please think about it. Just until we catch the people responsible." His heart caught in his chest as he thought about something happening to her. "I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."

Her eyes searched his. "It means that much to you?"

He nodded. "It does."

A smile crossed her face. "Alright, Nathan. I'll stay with you."

Relief flooded him. "Good." He grinned. "And I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman."

Elizabeth yawned, smiling drowsily. "I would expect nothing less." She chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Especially considering your big sister is there to chaperone." It looked like she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

Nathan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "It's okay to go to sleep, Elizabeth. You need it."

"Mmhmm," she murmured against his shoulder, her eyes slowly shutting. Within a few minutes, her breathing deepened.

Nathan leaned his head against hers, thankful that she was sleeping peacefully. He told himself he would stay awake, but after a half hour, he also fell into a dreamless sleep.


Elizabeth woke several hours later, feeling surprisingly refreshed after the events of last night. She slowly became aware of Nathan's arms around her, his head resting against hers. Her head was on his shoulder. She was warm and comfortable, especially considering she'd just been sleeping sitting up. That was a first. She smiled, watching Nathan sleep. He looked like an adorable little boy, despite the fact that he was very much a man.

His eyes slowly blinked open. She smiled at him. "Good morning."

Nathan smiled sleepily, his blue eyes drowsy. "Morning," he said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. She giggled. "You're not fully awake yet, are you?"

"Hmm?"

Now she laughed, wiggling out of his arms. "You stay here. I'll make some coffee."

"Coffee. Coffee is good," he said, his eyes closing again as he leaned his head against the couch.

Elizabeth set about making the coffee, trying to ignore the fact that her kitchen window was boarded up. While the coffee brewed, she got two plates out and put a large muffin on each one, then pulled a fruit salad she had made the day before from the fridge. She put both on the table, then got the cream and sugar. Placing them on the table as well, she got two mugs from her cupboards and poured the coffee into them.

Nathan walked into the kitchen. Elizabeth grinned at his less-than-polished look. His clothes were wrinkled from sleeping on the couch, his hair was tousled, and his eyes were still sleepy. It melted her heart.

"Smells good," Nathan said as she handed him a mug. He downed half the cup in one long gulp.

Elizabeth raised her brows. "Are you one of those people who needs coffee before you can function in the morning?"

He smiled a boyish smile. "Not always. Just on the days I don't need to go to work right away." He put an arm around her. "Have I told you how beautiful you look right now?"

"With my hair everywhere and no makeup?" She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh."

His eyes bored into hers, suddenly serious. "You are beautiful, Elizabeth. And yes, even with your hair everywhere and no makeup."

She could tell he meant what he said. Their eyes remained locked on each other for several long moments. Elizabeth's heart was pumping double time when she finally tore her gaze away. Going to the coffee pot, she lifted it and turned. "Refill?"

His lazy smile made her heart skip a beat. "Yes, please." She refilled his cup, then motioned to the table. "Why don't we sit? There are muffins and fruit salad for breakfast."

"Sounds wonderful," he said, waiting for her to be seated before taking his own.

She smiled. "You were raised to be a gentleman."

Nathan grinned. "Yes, ma'am. My mother would be appalled if she knew I acted as anything less." He held out his hand to her. "Shall we say grace?"

They bowed their heads and prayed, and then started eating. Nathan bit into his muffin and his eyes widened. "Wow, these are delicious! Where did you get them from?"

Elizabeth smirked at the insinuation that she had bought them. "I made them."

He glanced at her in awe. "You are quite the baker. Those cookies were delicious, the cake was out of this world, and these muffins are amazing!"

She leaned back with a smile, sipping her coffee. "And that's just the beginning. I told you I was going to educate you on sweets." Lifting her brow wryly, she said, "And since we're going to be living in the same house until you catch the bad guys, I'll have plenty of time to wow you and your family with my culinary abilities."

Nathan grinned. "I can't wait. And you just found the way to Allie's heart. She loves sweets. Especially cupcakes."

"Well, then, I guess cupcakes will be the first order of business," Elizabeth quipped. She hesitated. "Are you sure about this living situation? You already have Colleen and Allie living with you."

Nathan nodded his head firmly. "Yes, Elizabeth, I'm sure. I have a state of the art security system, and it'll make me feel a lot better knowing you're nearby and not in danger like you are here."

Elizabeth looked at him over the rim of her mug. "Do you think this is going to be a long arrangement?"

Lips pursed, a steely look of determination entered Nathan's eyes. "No, I don't think it will be too long. We want to catch this guy. I'm banking on the fact that he made a mistake in vandalizing your house. Maybe he left some evidence behind. The brick could tell us a lot too, actually. I'll be looking into all that at work today. After I get you settled at my house." He reached out, taking her hand. "And then this evening, you and I have a date."

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten about that!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What are we going to do?"

He smiled. "It's a surprise. But I can say you won't want to wear heels."

Elizabeth laughed. "I wasn't going to. I should probably stay away from heels for a few weeks just to make sure my leg is working properly again."

Nathan squeezed her hand before letting it go. "Good idea." He started on his fruit salad, eating in silence for a few moments. "This is good." He looked at her, scrutinizing her face. "Elizabeth, how are you doing with all that's going on? I know it can't be easy knowing you have to leave your home for a while."

Elizabeth swallowed her bite of muffin, considering his question. "I was terrified last night," she admitted. "That was horrible, waking up to a crash and then finding my window shattered. But I am glad that you came over and stayed with me." She smiled before continuing. "That made me feel safe and protected. And I think I'm okay now, just not sure how to take all this. I'm guessing that I'll be safe at work and with you, so I don't feel too nervous about that." She shrugged. "I don't like to live in fear, and I get the feeling that everything will work out in the end."

"That's a good attitude," Nathan said quietly, giving her a heart-melting smile. "I'm glad you're doing well with this, all things considered."

"Rosemary is going to be so worried when she hears about this," Elizabeth mused. "She'll probably worry more than me."

A loud knock sounded at the front door. Nathan put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder when she started to get up. "Let me," he said, his voice suddenly cautious. He stood and went quickly to the window, peering at the front porch from behind the curtains. Apparently he was happy with whoever he saw. He opened the door and ushered Lee into the kitchen.

"Hi Elizabeth," Lee said. He was wearing his officer uniform, clearly ready to head to the station. Looking at her kitchen window, he nodded as if confirming something. "You had a break-in last night, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" Elizabeth asked.

"I heard the crash," Lee said. "I wasn't sure what it was until I saw Nathan show up here. I would have come over, but since I knew you were safe with Nathan I thought it would be better not to worry Rosie. And there's something else you should see, Nathan."

The three of them tramped outside to the backyard. Elizabeth and the Coulters had no fence between their yards, and Elizabeth could immediately see what Lee wanted to show Nathan. "He left footprints everywhere," she said.

Lee nodded. "It had been raining shortly before the crash, and the ground was muddy. We can get casts of these shoe prints, Nathan." He grinned. "I knew this guy was bound to make a mistake at some point! He's acting out of fear now, and that causes mistakes."

Nathan looked like he was in full detective mode. "This is perfect. Thanks, Lee!" He looked at Elizabeth. "Can you stay with Rosemary for the next few hours while we go into the station? I want to get that brick run for fingerprints."

"Of course," Elizabeth said. "I'll pack a few things and then hang out with Rosemary until you get back."

"Pack?" Lee said, looking between them, eyebrows raised. "Are you going somewhere?"

"She's going to stay with me until we catch the people responsible," Nathan said evenly. "I thought her staying with you and Rosemary would be too obvious for the bad guys."

Lee nodded. "I agree. That's a good plan. And then Colleen will have someone to keep her company besides Allie."

Nathan laughed. "She does say she misses adult conversation. Apparently I don't count as an adult."

"Of course you don't. You're a little brother!" Lee said, chuckling. "Little brothers always count as non-adults."

"Har har," Nathan said dryly.

Elizabeth laughed at their exchange, her heart feeling lighter. The footprints in the mud were a good sign, and she hoped Nathan would find something on the brick. Anything to know they were on their way to being safe again. It still surprised her that something so intense could happen in their innocent little town.

Nathan got ready to leave with Lee, promising to be back as soon as possible. He hugged her before he left, and she could feel his concern for her. She looked at him, imploring him with her eyes to not worry. "I'll be fine, Nathan. It's just a few hours."

"I know," he said, holding her tighter. Slowly, reluctantly, he released her. "See you soon, Elizabeth." With that, he left, casting one more look at her over his shoulder.

Elizabeth quickly cleaned up and packed a suitcase with essentials. If she needed more outfits, she could always come back to get some. She headed for the door, then stopped to look around. A lump formed in her throat as she wondered how long it would be before she could come back to her home. She had been living on her own for so long, it was strange to think that she would be living with people for the foreseeable future. Shaking herself out of it, she stepped onto the porch, closing and locking the door behind her.

Now to face Rosemary and the inevitable barrage of questions.


He ran through the woods, still trying to catch his breath. He knew he had messed up and messed up big. The boss was not going to like this. There were going to be serious repercussions.

He was in too deep at this point to get out. The longer this played out, the harder it was for him to silence the shreds of conscience that whispered to him that there had to be another way. It hadn't fazed him at first that he might have to bring harm to someone. He was desperate and the boss was using his situation to his advantage. But now he was starting to question the boss' motives. Once he had found out who Elizabeth Thatcher was, the stakes had risen.

Her family was rich. If Elizabeth's connection to Detective Grant wasn't enough, her ties to her family had sealed the deal in the boss' mind. He had a plan coming together. And the boss wanted to use him to do the dirty work.

He brushed an angry tear away. How had it come to this? How had he stooped so low?

But he couldn't back out. He had no choice. The plan was set in motion, and he had to comply.

He looked down at his gloved hand. A piece of the glove was missing over his right index finger. He hadn't realized it when he threw the brick through Elizabeth's window. His fingerprint was on that brick.

He wondered if getting caught would be such a bad thing. Maybe it would help him find a way out of this mess…

No. If he let that happen, someone he loved would suffer the consequences. He couldn't allow that.

He had to stick to the plan. No matter how much he didn't want to.