Carson smoothed Jack's hair back from his forehead, placing a cool cloth there. The little boy looked up at him with a tired smile, sucking on his thumb.

Nathan glanced at Carson. "How is he?" he asked, standing with an arm around Elizabeth. She didn't seem too worried, but she hated to see her baby in pain. Nathan didn't blame her; he felt pain just knowing that Jack wasn't feeling well. He had learned when Allie was a tiny baby that it was possible to want to take on her pain himself if it were possible. Now he felt the same with little Jack.

"He will be right as rain soon enough," Carson said, looking up at them. "Besides the fever, he's fine. His lungs and heart sound good, but his body is clearly fighting some infection. My guess is the fever will break within a couple days, and then he will be on his way to feeling normal again." He looked at Elizabeth. "But he will be cranky and not feeling well. Apply plenty of cool cloths to his face and body, and give him a cool bath whenever you can. And encourage him to drink lots of water. We don't want him to get dehydrated."

Elizabeth nodded, reaching out to take Jack in her arms. "Thank you, Carson. I'll make sure he's well taken care of."

"I know you will," Carson said with a smile. "You're a wonderful mother."

She smiled, handing the cloth back to him. Nathan nodded his thanks, and they headed out the door. Elizabeth held Jack close to her body, and Nathan noted the careful way she was walking to keep from jarring him. He smiled. "Carson is right, you know. You really are a wonderful mother."

A light blush appeared on her cheeks, but she gave him a grateful look. "That's sweet of you to say, Nathan."

"It's the truth," he said, wrapping an arm around her as they walked. He put his other hand on Jack's back. The little boy had fallen asleep, looking peaceful even though his cheeks were flushed. "And I'm so glad Jack is going to be okay."

"Me too," Elizabeth breathed. "I can't imagine anything happening to him."

They fell into a companionable silence on the road to the rowhouses. Nathan was content to simply be with Elizabeth. Words were not always necessary since their hearts were so closely joined. When they reached Elizabeth's house, she turned at the door. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Nathan. I know it didn't end the way we would have wanted it to, but I'm glad you were with me and there for little Jack."

Nathan leaned forward, giving her a gentle kiss, and then placed a kiss on Jack's downy head. "Any time with you is perfect," he said, running a finger down her cheek softly. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight, Nathan."

He waited until she was inside before walking down the porch steps and heading for his own rowhouse. Hands in his pockets, he thought about how the evening could have ended.

He had been so close to pulling that ring from the drawer. Rosemary had come into the office right as his fingers closed around the box. What would Elizabeth have said if he asked her? Maybe Rosemary's appearance had been a sign that the proposal would have been too soon.

"Nathan!" Gabe's voice broke into his thoughts. "I've been looking for you."

"Is something wrong?" Nathan asked, his mind immediately turning to Mountie mode.

"No, nothing's wrong," Gabe said. "I was just wondering if you'd like to have a drink with me at the saloon."

Nathan smiled. "Sure, that sounds good."

"Where's Allie tonight?" Gabe asked as the two men fell into step with each other.

"She's spending the night at Opal's house," Nathan answered. "They get together a lot. Allie considers Opal to be her best friend."

"That's wonderful," Gabe said. "You've never been anywhere long enough for Allie to establish good friendships."

"That's true," Nathan said, thinking of all the years he'd had to move around, taking Allie with him. They'd already been in Hope Valley twice as long as they'd been anywhere else. And he wasn't going anywhere. Hope Valley was their permanent home. There was no way he would uproot Allie again.

Or Elizabeth and Jack. If they were to be a part of the same family, they would be part of that family here in this town.

"You're thinking about Elizabeth," Gabe said matter-of-factly. "Have you decided when you're going to ask her to marry you?"

"I almost asked her this evening," Nathan confessed. "But we were interrupted. Little Jack was sick, so we took him to the infirmary."

"So when are you going to ask her?" His friend was nothing if not persistent.

"I don't know, Gabe," he said, shuffling his feet. "When the time is right, I'll know."

"That's very vague, but I'll let it slide for now," Gabe said. A grin lit up his face. "As long as I've known you, you've never been in love. This is a whole new side to Nathan Grant. It suits you, my friend."

Nathan chuckled. "Thanks. Speaking of love," he said, leveling a look at Gabe, "have you asked Lillian out yet?"

"Yes," Gabe replied, then went quiet.

Nathan glanced at him, expecting an elaboration, but Gabe remained silent. "And?" Nathan prompted.

Gabe sighed. "She said yes. We had a nice dinner together at the hotel restaurant."

"So why the long face?" Nathan asked with a frown.

"She went out with Sam not too long after that," Gabe said shortly.

"Oh. I see." Nathan thought for a moment. "Have either of you told Lillian you want to court her?"

"Nope," Gabe said. "To be honest, Nathan, I don't think she knows where her heart is at right now. I kind of doubt that she would be able to give an answer if I did ask to court her."

Nathan was quiet for a moment. He understood that all too well. "It's scary, Gabe, I know that," he said. "But if you never ask her, you'll never know."

They walked on for a minute before Gabe nodded. "You're right, as usual. Maybe I'll gather up enough courage to ask her when I get back to Brookfield."

"Exactly. If you wait too long, Sam might get to it first."

Gabe wrinkled his nose. "Happy thought."

Nathan chuckled as they reached the saloon. "Come on, I'll buy your drink. You look like you need some cheering up."

A few days later, Elizabeth rocked Jack in the living room rocker. His fever had finally broken and he was starting to eat again, but he was tired a lot. She sang to him softly as she rocked, and she could feel the exact moment he stopped wiggling and fell asleep on her chest. A tender smile filled her face as she looked down at her precious boy. He meant the world to her, and she was so thankful that he was feeling better.

Her eyes wandered to the wall where the new plaque was hanging. She smiled as she looked at it, taking in the detail and the words. The quote was perfect. It had long been a favorite of hers. After admiring the craftsmanship for a moment, her mind automatically drifted to Nathan.

What had he wanted to tell her? The question had been nagging at Elizabeth since their date. It must be important if Nathan was hesitant to tell her, but he had been about to ask something. And if he questioned whether she was ready to hear it, that meant…

Her eyes widened. Had he been about to propose? Considering he had moved at a turtle's pace in actually asking her out, she thought that even once they were together it would take Nathan some time before he would ask her to marry him. She knew that's where their relationship was headed, and she also knew without a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He would be a terrific father to little Jack and he would be a wonderful husband.

But he had originally wanted to take things slowly, and their courtship was only two months old. She doubted he would be ready to think about marriage yet.

So what did he want to ask her? Her curiosity was piqued. She made a mental note to bring it up the next time she saw him.

Standing, Elizabeth climbed the stairs to Jack's room and placed him tenderly in his crib. She tucked a blanket around him, then quietly went back downstairs. After making a cup of tea, she sat at her desk and started typing away on her typewriter. Her book was almost finished, and she was proud of how it had come along. There were only a few chapters left to write. Time flew by, and when she was finished she was surprised to see that two hours had passed. Looking back over her work, she smiled to herself.

Clearly the thought of Nathan proposing had been on her mind. The last chapter she had written was all about Luther proposing to Elsa. She paused, leaning forward toward her desk with her chin propped up by her hand, her thoughts turning to Nathan once again.

The thought of Nathan asking her to marry him hadn't crossed her mind all that often. But now that she had thought about it, she was surprised at how much she hoped he would ask her soon. She knew he loved her, and she loved him. What was the point in waiting to take the next step? They both knew that's where they wanted to be someday. She wondered if she should hint to him that she was ready to take that next step. It wasn't something they had talked about, and she was sure Nathan would be hesitant to ask if he thought there was any chance she wasn't ready for that.

But she was ready. She knew that with a certainty that took her breath away. She wanted to be Nathan's wife. She wanted to be a mother to Allie. She wanted Nathan to be a father to Jack. She wanted them to be a family.

Tapping her fingers on her desk, she wondered what would be the best way to communicate that to Nathan without directly coming out and saying it. She wanted him to ask in his time, but she also wanted him to know that she would welcome the question when he asked.

Fiona walked to the oil office on the night of her date with Lucas. Her heart was flipping with excitement and a little nervousness. It had been a long time since she had been on an actual date. Combined with her attraction to Lucas, her nerves were shakier than they had ever been. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the office.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but what she saw took her breath away. Lucas was standing next to the desk, but he had transformed it into a dining table. A white lace tablecloth hung over it, and red rose petals were scattered all over the table and floor. A large bouquet of red roses sat in a vase off to the side of the desk, and the table was covered with small candles flickering in glass jars. A full five course meal was set on the table, complete with two glasses of white wine.

Fiona shook her head, at a loss for words. She looked up at Lucas, who was wearing a shy smile she'd never seen on him before. "Hi," he said. "You look lovely tonight."

She blushed. She'd bought a dress from Clara, not sure any of her dresses would work for the evening. Clara had sold her a sky blue dress and some opal earrings, telling her she would sweep Lucas right off his feet. Fiona had laughed at that, but judging from the look in his eyes, Clara wasn't far off from the truth. She smiled at him, ducking her head. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

Lucas chuckled at that. "Thank you." He pulled her chair out and smiled. Fiona sat as Lucas pushed the chair in for her, then walked around to his side of the table and sat in his chair. He raised his glass, his charming smile firmly in place. "To new possibilities," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Fiona's stomach fluttered, and she clinked her glass against his. "New possibilities," she echoed softly. As they began eating, Lucas tilted his head. "So what was it like growing up with so many brothers and sisters?" he asked.

Smiling, Fiona let out a happy sigh. "It was so much fun," she said. "I always had a sibling to play with, and life was never boring. We could fight like cats and dogs, but we always had each other's backs. I was a middle child, so always had the siblings I could look up to as well as the ones who could look up to me. It was a neat dynamic."

Lucas looked reflective. "I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling," he said, his tone wistful.

"You're an only child?" Fiona asked. She couldn't imagine having grown up without all her brothers and sisters.

He nodded. "My parents were a little older when they got married, and I guess they only wanted one child. I used to ask for a brother or sister, but my mom always said they already had the perfect child." He shook his head. "I think she said it to make me feel better, but a part of me always wanted to know what it was like to be like other kids, to grow up with built-in playmates. I was a bit of a loner in school, especially since we moved around and traveled so much. Characters in books were my best friends. It would have been nice to have a sibling to share life with."

"Oh!" Fiona exclaimed, a hand going to her heart. She could easily picture Lucas as a boy, wishing for friends and siblings to play with, and her heart broke for him. "I'm so sorry."

He chuckled. "It's fine, Fiona. I had a good childhood. It wasn't nearly as lonely as I just made it sound."

"How many places did you travel?" Fiona asked.

"Quite a few," Lucas said. "I've been to most of Europe, a lot of Asia, and a few places in Africa and South America."

Fiona's mouth dropped. "Wow. Why so much traveling?"

"My father was a business tycoon," Lucas said. "He had business connections all over the world, and we would travel for that. It allowed me to see some very interesting places. I'll forever be grateful for that." He smiled at her over his wine glass. "And for the record, yes, I've been to France, and can speak it very well."

A smile formed on Fiona's face as she recalled one of their first meetings. "We really didn't have the best start, did we?"

"No, we didn't," Lucas said with a laugh. "Those were some rough beginnings." He studied her for a moment with his enigmatic eyes before speaking again. "But sometimes rough beginnings can turn into something beautiful." He smiled at her. "And I'm very interested in seeing where this goes."

A blush worked its way onto Fiona's cheeks, and she was grateful for the dim lighting. "So am I," she said softly.

Lucas smiled and stood. "Can I interest you in a dance?" he asked.

"What?" Fiona said, a startled laugh escaping her lips. "There's no music!"

"Ah, but there will be," he replied. A phonograph was sitting in the corner, and he placed a record on it. A beautiful song began playing, and he walked over to her, holding out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Feeling a little breathless, Fiona placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her into a standing position. "You may."

Lucas smiled, placing a hand gently on her back while the other held her hand. They moved slowly to the music, and Fiona's heart started hammering as she locked eyes with him. His gaze remained on her as he expertly danced her around the room.

The music kept playing, but suddenly Lucas stopped moving, and they stood for a moment just staring at one another. Fiona's heart raced faster as Lucas's eyes dropped to her lips and then back up to her eyes. He took a step closer to her, framing one side of her face with his hand. "May I?" he asked quietly.

She didn't have to ask what he meant, and she couldn't get any words past her throat. She simply nodded.

Lucas leaned toward her until their lips met. He kissed her gently and tenderly, and Fiona's knees went weak. She knew she was falling for him, and the feelings he awoke in her as he kissed her proved it. He pulled away, looking once more into her eyes. She couldn't stop the smile that broke free, and Lucas was wearing an equally wide smile. He started moving to the music again, pulling Fiona closer to him. She leaned her head on his chest as they danced, feeling happier than she could ever remember feeling. Hearing his heart beating again her ear told her that he was just as affected by their kiss as she was. She closed her eyes, just letting herself feel all the feelings washing over her. There would be time to analyze them later. For now, she just wanted to live in this moment with Lucas.