Elizabeth bundled little Jack in his warm jacket. "Are you ready to go look for a tree with Allie and Nathan?" she asked with a smile.

Jack nodded his consent, a grin on his little face. "A'wee! Na'tan! Twee!" He flapped his hands in the air, looking for all the world like a little snowman in his big jacket. Elizabeth chuckled and placed Jack's hat on his head. She placed a hand on his cheek, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. "We're not going to be able to call you 'little' Jack much longer," she said with a sigh. "You're getting to be such a big boy."

"Big boy!" Jack repeated with a sweet smile.

Elizabeth kissed his head. "That's right, baby. You're going to be two years old soon! We need to get ready to celebrate your birthday."

Jack just continued to smile at her, still too young to quite understand the concept of birthdays. He started singing to himself in his toddler voice, and Elizabeth recognized the song Nathan had been singing to him when he had come to ask her to dinner. She smiled, her eyes softening as she watched her son. Clearly Nathan had left an impression on him.

A knock sounded at the door. "Time to go," Elizabeth said, swinging Jack up into her arms. "Are you ready?"

"Weady!" Jack repeated, clapping his hands. Elizabeth walked to the door, pulling it open to see Nathan standing there. Behind him Allie was waving from the wagon.

"Good morning," Nathan said, his smile lighting his face. "Who's ready to find a tree?"

"Me!" Jack said, waving an arm in the air. He tried to dive out of Elizabeth's arms to Nathan, making her take a step forward. "Whoa, little guy!" she said, securing her grip on him. "You almost fell out of Mama's arms!"

"Na'tan!" Jack squawked, reaching his arms out to Nathan.

Nathan took him gently from Elizabeth. "How would you like to help me drive the wagon?" he asked, making one of the funny faces Jack loved. Jack squealed with glee. He loved horses and would be happy with any opportunity to be around one.

"Hi, Mrs. Thornton! Hi, Jack!" Allie said as she sat in the wagon bed. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Are you going to find the perfect tree again this year, Allie?" Elizabeth asked as Nathan helped her into the wagon.

"You bet I am!" Allie said proudly. "I wouldn't settle for anything less."

"That's the key," Elizabeth said with a wink, remembering their exchange from the year before. Allie giggled, the memory one she readily recalled.

Nathan handed Jack to Elizabeth, then climbed into the driver's seat. "Alright, little buddy," he said, taking Jack into his arms once again and settling him on his lap. "Take the reins."

Jack latched onto the reins, his little hands covered by Nathan's larger ones. "Giddyup!" Nathan called to the horses, flicking the reins. Jack's eyes widened with delight as the horses started walking. He started giggling and attempting to flick the reins himself.

Elizabeth smiled, watching as Nathan talked to Jack about driving a wagon. Though she knew her son wouldn't understand everything, he still listened intently, looking up and back at Nathan with wide eyed attention.

Allie leaned up on the backboard, putting her head next to Elizabeth's. "Uncle Nathan is good with kids, isn't he?" she asked, hazel eyes bright.

Elizabeth nodded. "He sure is," she said. "It's obvious he cares very much." She smiled at her. "You're a lucky girl, Allie. Your uncle loves you very much."

"Yeah, I know," Allie said. "He tells me that a lot." She grinned, an excited look on her face. "We're actually getting a tree earlier than usual this year! It'll be up a whole week longer than normal. I'm excited!"

Elizabeth chuckled. "I can tell. Do you still have those ornaments you made last year?"

"Yup!" Allie said proudly. "And I've made some more." Her brow furrowed. "Though we might need to borrow some from you again. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I have more than I know what to do with."

"And can you help us decorate again this year?" Allie asked, her eyes hopeful. "It was so much fun last year, and this time we can have Jack help us."

Jack perked up at the mention of his name. He grinned and squealed. "A'wee!" He tried to jump out of Nathan's arms the same way he'd tried to jump out of Elizabeth's arms earlier.

"Whoa!" Nathan said in surprise, wrapping an arm firmly around Jack to make sure he didn't fall. He smiled wryly. "Would you like to ride in the back of the wagon with Allie?"

"Yes!" Jack said. Nathan handed the reins to Elizabeth, then turned and set Jack in the back of the wagon. "There you go, buddy." He looked at Allie. "Keep a close eye on him, okay?"

"Okay!" Allie said, pleased to be in charge of Jack. They started to play pat-a-cake together, with little Jack staring raptly at Allie.

"They get along well," Nathan said with a smile, taking the reins Elizabeth handed back to him.

"They do, don't they?" Elizabeth said, looking back and taking in Jack and Allie playing together. She scooted a little closer to Nathan on the wagon bench. "I'd say that's promising."

Nathan looked over and held her gaze, his eyes searching hers. "There's a lot of promise here," he said softly. Elizabeth felt a light shiver go down her spine. His intense gaze nearly felt like a caress. Before she could say anything else, Nathan pulled on the reins, halting the horses.

Allie looked over their shoulders. "We're here already?" she asked, eyes wide. "That didn't take long!"

Nathan jumped down from his seat, then helped Elizabeth down. Then he pulled Jack and Allie from the back. "Alright!" he said when everyone was situated. "Who's ready to find the perfect tree?"

"Me!" Allie and Jack said in unison. Allie took Jack's hand, and they trotted off.

"Make sure you stay in sight of us!" Elizabeth called after them. Allie waved her free hand in acknowledgement. Elizabeth and Nathan walked together through the trees, laughing as they watched Allie wrinkle her nose at tree after tree. Sometimes she would lean down to Jack and ask him if he liked the tree. He would copy her nose wrinkle and shake his little head.

"This could take a while," Nathan said dryly. "Especially considering we need to find two trees today."

"Yes," Elizabeth said, linking an arm through his. Nathan smiled and drew her a little closer. "I think Jack is going to be the one to find the tree for our house this year. Although judging by his adoration of Allie, he'll choose whatever tree she likes best."

Nathan nodded, but he was quiet for a moment, watching the children. Elizabeth looked up at him. "What's on your mind, Nathan?"

He smiled, but it was a slightly sad smile. "Allie and Jack remind me of how Colleen and I used to look for Christmas trees. The age difference was a lot smaller, but Colleen would ask me if I liked a certain tree, and I would only say yes if I knew she liked it." He looked lost in thought. "I'd forgotten about that until now."

"You must miss her very much," Elizabeth said softly.

Nathan nodded, his jaw working as though he was trying to keep back tears. "Every day," he said simply. A real smile broke through. "Allie is a lot like Colleen. She looks like her and acts like her. It's like seeing Colleen as a child all over again."

"I think it's good that you have that reminder of Colleen," Elizabeth said quietly. "The two of you sound like you were close."

"We were," Nathan said. "She was my best friend. When she died, I felt like a part of me died too. And then to add to the heartache, Allie's father wasn't around much. He couldn't handle seeing Colleen sick. When she died, we never saw him again. I got guardianship of Allie, and we've been together ever since."

"She's blessed to have you, Nathan. You're a good uncle and guardian to her."

Nathan smiled, his eyes on Allie. "She's been a blessing to me. I never expected to have a family when I joined the Mounties, but then I got Allie and that all changed. I'm so thankful to have my little girl." He frowned. "She's growing up way too fast. She's already twelve going on twenty."

Elizabeth laughed. "I understand. Little Jack is only going to be two, and I feel like he's growing up faster than should be possible."

They walked arm in arm, enjoying being together. Elizabeth felt the difference between this year and last. Last year she and Nathan had been awkwardly trying to navigate their friendship, both of them recognizing their budding feelings for one another but unsure how to approach them. Nathan had thought Elizabeth was interested in Lucas, and Elizabeth hadn't been ready to admit she could open her heart again. This year, they had spoken their feelings and knew where they stood. They would take things at a slow pace and let the feelings develop naturally.

"We found them!" Allie called from somewhere around a bend.

"Them?" Nathan said, surprise in his voice. "Both trees?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Let's find out!"

They rounded the corner and came to a halt, mouths dropping. Allie and Jack stood in the middle of two identical trees separated from all the others. They were tall and round with lots of pine needles.

Allie was grinning from ear to ear. "These are perfect!" she said. "One for us and one for Mrs. Thornton and Jack!"

Nathan shook his head, wonder in his eyes. "I don't know how you do it, Allie. These are amazing!"

It only took Nathan a short time to chop down both trees. They got them back to the wagon and loaded inside, then they drove back to town, singing Christmas carols and laughing together.

After decorating Elizabeth's tree, they set to work on the Grant's tree. Nathan had pulled out all the decorations they'd accumulated from last year, and Elizabeth had a box of extra ornaments if they needed it. Jack had gotten the hang of placing the ornaments on the tree with Allie's help, and the two of them were working together again to decorate the lower branches.

"Remember this?" Nathan asked, holding up the little red cardinal that Elizabeth had tried to hang last year. She hadn't been able to reach the top of the tree, and Nathan had helped her. It was one of the first moments she'd realized she was capable of feeling again. Nathan's close proximity had made her aware of him as a man, not just as the guardian of her student.

She blushed slightly. "Yes, I remember." She held out her hand. "Let's see if I can get it on the tree this time."

Elizabeth tried to reach the top branch, but once again couldn't quite get there. She could hear Nathan's quiet laughter as he came up behind her and reached for the ornament. "This seems familiar," he teased as he easily hung the little cardinal on the tree.

His body brushed lightly against hers, the same way it had last year when they were decorating the tree. She turned to face him, her breath caught in her throat. Last year, she'd been simultaneously aware of her attraction to Nathan and terrified of it. Now she felt the attraction and welcomed it.

His eyes settled on hers, a fire smouldering in their depths. She suddenly wondered how deep Nathan's feelings ran. He didn't show them often, but she knew they were there. He was a man who felt things deeply.

Nathan's gaze dropped to her lips, and Elizabeth inhaled as she realized he meant to kiss her. "Is this your idea of taking things slow?" she teased, tilting her head up.

One side of Nathan's mouth curled up in a smile. "I did say that, didn't I?" he asked, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I seem to remember you saying that sometimes things move faster naturally than we were expecting."

"And is this one of those times?" Elizabeth asked, feeling breathless as his mouth inched closer to hers.

"I think so," Nathan whispered, reaching up his other hand to frame her face. She could feel his warm breath on her skin, and closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss.

"Uncle Nathan," Allie said, coming around the tree. Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she and Nathan pulled away from each other quickly. Allie looked between them for a moment, eyebrows raised. With a little smirk, she said, "I can come back later."

"Uh, no, it's fine," Nathan said, sounding flustered. "What did you need?"

Allie's smirk was still firmly in place. "I told Jack he could put the star on top of the tree, but he needs you to lift him up." As if to confirm her words, Jack toddled around the tree and held up the big star in his hands. "'Tar!"

Elizabeth's cheeks were on fire, and she took a few moments to calm her emotions as Nathan swung Jack up onto his shoulders. Their near kiss had sent her stomach fluttering and her heart pumping double time.

"Alright, Jack," Nathan said, his voice normal again. "Can you put the star on top of the tree?"

Jack reached out, and Elizabeth giggled at the look of serious concentration on his little face. Nathan helped guide his hands to the uppermost bough, and together they secured the star in place.

Allie wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's waist as Nathan hoisted Jack from his shoulders to his arms. Allie looked between the adults, a serious look on her young face. "This is nice," she said, a note of wistfulness in her tone. "It's almost like we're a real family."

"Oh, honey," Elizabeth said, hugging her tightly. "Are you okay?"

Allie nodded, a smile lighting her face. She looked at Nathan with a curious expression. "Uncle Nathan, are you officially courting Mrs. Thornton?"

Elizabeth's breath caught. With Nathan's desire to take things slowly, she hadn't expected the subject to come up so soon. But she suddenly realized that she wanted that more than anything. A courtship would mean they were intentionally trying to figure out if they would one day become a family. She looked at Nathan, eyes hopeful.

A slow smile spread across Nathan's face as he considered Allie's words. He answered her, but he was looking at Elizabeth. "If it's okay with Mrs. Thornton, then yes. I would like to be officially courting her."

Elizabeth couldn't help the smile that formed on her face with his words. She gazed at him, looking so natural holding her son in his arms, then looked down at Allie who was looking up at her with a hopeful expression. It was so easy to see them all becoming a family, blending their lives together to become one. It might take some time, but she knew she wanted to walk that path.

Smiling, she nodded. "I would like that very much."

Nathan's grin spread. He walked to her and put an arm around Elizabeth so that the four of them were in their own little circle. "I guess it's official then."

Allie's face lit up like the tree, and she whooped in her excitement. "This is the best Christmas ever!"