Nathan put the finishing touches on the toy wooden horse he had carved for Little Jack. He had been working on it since he returned from Buxton and knew he'd be having dinner with Elizabeth and Jack tonight. Elizabeth had said that he didn't need to bring anything but his mom had taught him never to show up at someone's home empty handed so Nathan did what he enjoyed best and carved a little wooden horse for Jack to play with. Once it was carved, he also painted it black and added a familiar looking Mountie saddle. Little Jack would have his own mini version of Sergeant, his dad's Mountie horse. Nathan also secretly hoped that one day he could help teach Jack how to ride the real Sergeant. But he was getting a bit ahead of himself. Once he was satisfied with Little Jack's new toy, he smiled and sat down on the settee to relax before heading over to Elizabeth's. Allie was upstairs in her room reading.

Nathan closed his eyes for a minute and thought about all that had transpired over the past month. Like Elizabeth, he too had trouble sleeping at night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Jenny standing there with the rifle pointed right at him. He remembered calming her down and trying to grab her gun but, then he heard Bill screaming and then the gunshot. In his dreams, sometimes Constable Wilder was shot and sometimes Nathan himself was the one shot. He didn't know what this meant except that Allie could have lost another parent that day and Elizabeth could have lost another Mountie. That terrified him but at the same time, he knew that being a Mountie was his calling.

Nathan was glad that he and Allie had settled in Hope Valley. He liked the feeling of being a big fish in a small pond. Hope Valley was relatively safe compared to some of the larger cities across Canada but at the same time the town was large enough now to justify having its own Mountie. There was no place Nathan would rather be. Nathan also thought often about what happened when he came back to Hope Valley that day last month. He was in such a state of shock after the shooting that he just jumped on Newton and rode behind the Mountie transport wagon. Eventually, the wagon pulled ahead and Nathan slowed Newton down a bit. He finally dismounted when he got back to town and started walking over to Bill and the transport wagon to check on Constable Wilder.

Before he could get to the wagon, Elizabeth crashed into him at what felt like 100 miles/hour. He couldn't breathe for a minute and when he realized she was hysterical and hugging him, he hugged her back. Nathan had longed to be that close to Elizabeth for months now but never under those circumstances. So it was a bittersweet moment. When Elizabeth later told him that he mattered to her too, Nathan was overjoyed! At the same time, he knew he was in love with her and did not want to see her get hurt if he were to get killed on the job. Nathan also was still confused about Lucas. He was still involved with Elizabeth's book deal and Nathan had overheard Florence saying that Elizabeth had a romantic dinner with Lucas in the library the night before the shooting. Maybe that's why she turned down his dinner invitation to the Cafe. Nathan was still confused. He was very much in love but also confused. And he really didn't know how to express any of this to Elizabeth. He had hoped to decline her dinner invite but Allie was there and she basically begged him to accept.

"Uncle Nathan?" Allie gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sweetie. I must have dozed off a bit. Did you finish your book?"

"Almost done! I think it's almost time to head over to Mrs. Thornton's house." Allie said.

"I think you're right." Nathan smiled.

Nathan stood up and stretched his arms above his long torso. He was wearing his casual blue pants, blue plaid shirt, and blue vest. Allie was in her navy plaid dress so uncle and niece were nicely coordinated.

Allie gave him a worried look and asked "Are you nervous, Uncle Nathan?"

"Why would I be nervous, Allie? We've known Mrs. Thornton for almost 2 years now. She and I are friends and friends have dinner together. I'm surprised it has taken us this long."

Allie raised an eyebrow at her uncle knowing very well that he and her teacher were more than friends, even if neither could admit it. She also knew about the hug heard around Hope Valley after the prison transfer last month. But Nathan hadn't even talked to her about the hug. She just knew that both he and Mrs. Thornton had seemed miserable over the past month and Allie was hoping dinner tonight would change that. She wanted her uncle to be happy. Allie also had seen her uncle go to the outhouse several times that afternoon-he had been drinking water nonstop since breakfast and Allie knew that drinking like that was something he only did when he was nervous. His throat got very parched when he was nervous. But Allie knew better than to push the issue so she just smiled back at Nathan.

"Ready to go?" Nathan asked. "Yes!"

They grabbed their coats and Nathan grabbed the toy horse along with a surprise for Elizabeth and they were shortly on their way to her rowhouse.

Elizabeth smoothed out her blue skirt and white lace blouse. It was the same blue skirt she had worn to go Christmas tree hunting with Nathan and Allie last year. But this time she had dressed it up a bit with the lacey white blouse. Little Jack was in his dark blue overalls. She had butterflies in her stomach and was trying to calm them. Little Jack was nearby on the living room floor playing with his beloved blocks. Elizabeth made a mental note to maybe get him a new, more challenging set for his upcoming birthday. The rowhouse was filled with warm aromas. Elizabeth had prepared her favorite shepherd's pie, rolls, a salad, and a side dish of peas. Sophisticated yet still toddler friendly. She had also baked vanilla cupcakes for dessert knowing that everyone loved them already. Elizabeth thought it would be fun if they could all decorate the cupcakes together.

She heard a knock at the door and took one last look at her son playing peacefully on the floor. Smiling, she walked over to the door and opened it to find Nathan and Allie smiling back at her on the porch.

"Hello Elizabeth. Hi Mrs. Thornton!" they said. Elizabeth was already getting lost in Nathan's deep blue eyes which were now sparkling too. Then she remembered where they were and quickly greeted them and invited them inside.

"These are for you Elizabeth." said Nathan as he handed Elizabeth a gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers. This bouquet was even more beautiful than the one Nathan had given her a few months back. Elizabeth had to fight back tears. Allie was beaming.

"Nathan, these are beautiful. Thank you. Here you can hang your coats up on the coat rack." Elizabeth said.

"Thanks." They both said as they took off their coats and hung them up.

"We have some time before dinner will be ready. Why don't we have a seat in the living room?" Elizabeth said. Nathan and Allie followed her to the living room area where Little Jack was comfortably playing.

"Hi Jack! How are you doing Big Guy?" said a smiling Nathan as he sat down on the floor next to Jack. The toddler stared at Nathan at first. Jack had seen Nathan many times but always in passing and never for a prolonged period of time. Even when Allie had stayed with Elizabeth and Jack, Nathan was never there for more than a few minutes. This was different. Nathan slowly started to build a small tower with the blocks in front of him, talking to Jack the entire time. Jack continued to stare at Nathan and then he started handing Nathan blocks. Soon the 2 men were building together and in their own little world. Elizabeth sat on the nearby settee with Allie and chatted with her about anything and everything. Occasionally, Elizabeth would sneak a glance at Nathan and Little Jack. Sensing it, Nathan would also look up at Elizabeth and smile. Finally, Nathan stood up and walked over to his coat and retrieved the toy horse from the pocket.

"Here Jack. I brought you a little something. It's a miniature version of your horse Sergeant." said Nathan as he handed the little boy his new toy. Nathan was surprised to see Jack look up at him and say thank you in his cute toddler way. His mother had taught him well. Nathan smiled at Jack.

Elizabeth had tears in her eyes. "Nathan that is exquisite! Thank you! Did you make that yourself?"

Nathan reluctantly nodded. Elizabeth couldn't contain herself any longer. She stood up and surprised Nathan with a hug for the second time. Nathan hugged back immediately and smiled as he rested his head on top of hers once again. Meanwhile, Allie slipped down to the floor joining Little Jack with his blocks and new horse.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth realized that dinner was probably close to ready so she pulled away from Nathan while they continued to look into each other's eyes.

"I should finish getting dinner ready."

"Here let me help you." smiled Nathan.

Nodding, Elizabeth smiled back and Nathan followed her into the kitchen. The table was already set so she asked Nathan to pour the water into glasses and bring them to the table. She also had bottles of apple cider in the icebox so Nathan brought three of those as well and poured a glass of apple juice for Jack. Meanwhile, Elizabeth had placed the food in serving dishes and brought it to the table. She then prepared a small plate for Jack and called the children to the table. Nathan scooped up Jack, kissed his forehead, and placed him in his highchair. He then sat down next to the highchair while Elizabeth sat on the other side. Jack was pretty good at feeding himself but, Nathan kept a close eye on him nonetheless. The dinner conversation flowed freely and naturally and everyone was having a good time. After dinner, Nathan helped Elizabeth clean up while the kids went to play in the living room.

"I have a surprise for everyone!" said Elizabeth.

She proceeded to place the plain vanilla cupcakes on the table along with the icing she had prepared earlier. Everyone smiled and came over to join her. After some more lighthearted banter and playfulness with the icing, the cupcakes were ready and the foursome enjoyed them together. At one point, Nathan put some icing on his finger and reached over to Elizabeth and put some on her nose, just like she had done to him at Allie's sleepover. Elizabeth giggled and the kids squealed with glee. Nathan then repeated his actions with Allie and Little Jack. When he finally turned back to eat his own cupcake, Elizabeth caught him off guard once again and put icing on his nose. More giggles from Elizabeth and the kids while Nathan gave her the same look he gave her the first time she did it. After dessert, Nathan once again helped Elizabeth with the clean up while the kids played on the floor.

"Mrs. Thornton, I think Jack is falling asleep." said Allie.

Elizabeth looked over and saw that her son's eyes were drooping. She quickly grabbed a children's book from the bookshelf and picked up her son to take him upstairs.

"How about if I read to him?" offered Nathan.

"Jack, would you like that?" asked Elizabeth.

The sleepy toddler nodded and Nathan pulled him into his lap as he sat on the settee with Jack. Allie sat next to them and then Elizabeth next to her. Nathan read the brief story to Jack in different character voices. By the time he was done, Jack was already fast asleep. Elizabeth took Jack from Nathan and went upstairs to put him to bed. By the time she came back downstairs, only Nathan was in the house.

"Where is Allie?" Elizabeth asked as she looked around the room.

"She went home to read a little before bed. I watched her walk home from your porch. I think she's on to us and wanted to give us some time alone to talk."

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to say good-bye but, I have to remember to thank her next time I see her. I was hoping we'd have some time to talk tonight. I've missed you." said Elizabeth.

"I've missed you too Elizabeth. But, I'm not sure where we go from here. I could have been killed last month and I would never want to put you through what you went through with Jack again. I know you've also been spending a lot of time with Lucas lately and you seem happy with him so maybe that's where your future lies." said Nathan.

"Are you done?" asked Elizabeth incredulously.

Shocked at her tone, Nathan slowly nodded.

Elizabeth took Nathan's hand in hers and said: "Nathan, I wasn't lying when I told you that you matter to me. It may have taken me a long time to realize it but I now know that it has always been the case. I can assure you of that. Lucas has never been more than a good friend and I've told him as much. In fact, I've told him that all along. Looking back, I realize how things must have looked and I do regret going with him to Union City. I don't know what came over me other than the fact that I must have been flattered by all the attention. Virginia Woolf is one of my favorite writers and I was excited to see her."

Nathan took a deep breath and looked down at their joined hands. Elizabeth immediately sensed his sadness, squeezed his hand, and continued: "I'm not saying any of this to make you feel bad. I'm not sure if you know but Jack and I were married for a very short time. We basically got married, spent a few nights here, and then I joined him for a week as he journeyed to the Northern Territories. We camped out along the way. That was our honeymoon. I then came home and never saw him again. So all in all, I was married for less than 3 weeks but widowed for over 2 years now. So again, I guess I was just flattered by Lucas' attention. However, as I spent time with him, I realize that I never had any type of romantic feelings for him. It just took some time for me to figure that out. I should have stopped accepting his gestures some time ago but, I am selfishly grateful for the book deal. That's always been a dream of mine and I'm not sure I would have gotten the deal this soon without his help and encouragement to write."

"What other gestures are you talking about?" asked Nathan.

Elizabeth nodded and said: "When we came back from Union City, he gave me a signed copy of Virginia Woolf's new book. I've since told him that I will be donating it to the Hope Valley Library. And the night before the shooting, he invited me to celebrate the book deal with him over dinner. He asked me to meet him at the library. When I got there, the entire place was decked out with candles. It was quite scary actually in a wooden building full of paper. It brought back memories of when I burnt down the teacherage after I first arrived here. Anyway, that's a story for another time. He had a romantic dinner set up and I should have left immediately but I didn't. Again, I don't know why I didn't but, I can say that I knew for certain that night that Lucas and I would never be more than friends. And the reason for that is because I kept imagining that you were the one having dinner with me in the library that night. That was the only thing that got me through it.

So the next morning, I found you outside your office and you know the rest. I think I was so shocked when you invited me to dinner because it was what I had wanted the night before. So, I felt like you were reading my mind. I'm so sorry I didn't answer then but I would absolutely love to have dinner with you at the Cafe if that invite is still there. And I am really sorry for my behavior over the past year. Please know that it has never been my intention to hurt you. I've had strong feelings for you and Allie for some time now and I just haven't been able to admit them to myself until now. Nathan, you and Allie are very important to me and Little Jack and I'd really like to see where this could lead us. And as for you being a Mountie, I have feelings for you Nathan Grant, all of you. Not just Constable Grant. You gave me a certain plaque a while back and told me to always do what I'm afraid to do. While I'm always going to worry about you, I'm not going to let fear keep me from you either. I know what happened to Jack was a tragic accident and that many Mounties live long lives with families. So I'm ready to move forward with you and see where this leads if you're willing."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked at Nathan. They just stared at each other for a few minutes. Nathan finally brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it tenderly. Elizabeth felt a jolt of electricity go through her as did he.

"Thank you for being honest with me Elizabeth. I appreciate it and the fact that you're willing to take a chance on another Mountie. I should mention that I overheard Florence talking about the library dinner a couple weeks ago-I didn't quite understand it then so I'm glad you mentioned it and explained it to me. I would love to see where this leads with you. The truth is you and Little Jack have become a very important part of my life and I would like that to continue. I know you're the only one for me so if it's not too premature, I'd like to ask if I can court you. I know we haven't been on an official date yet but we've known each other for almost 2 years and we already have this amazing connection." smiled Nathan.

"Yes Nathan I would love to begin a courtship with you."

They smiled at each other again while continuing to hold hands. Eventually, Nathan started to get ready to head home to Allie.

"The holidays are sneaking up on us. Would you like to look for a tree again this year? Maybe Jack can join us this time." asked Nathan.

"We would love that! How about next Sunday after church? It will be the first week in December and perfect timing."

"That would be great!" said Nathan.

"Great! Thank you again for the flowers and for Jack's present. It really is exquisite." smiled Elizabeth.

"And thank you for a wonderful evening. I hope it's the start of many more."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "We will see you tomorrow in church."

With that, he put on his coat and scarf and drew Elizabeth into a hug. They stood like that for a few minutes before Nathan kissed her forehead once again, gave her his crooked smile, and headed home. Elizabeth closed the door behind him and couldn't take the smile off her face.