"Come on, Uncle Nathan!" Allie said, fishing gear in hand. "We're going to be late!"

Nathan glanced at the clock on the wall. "Allie, we're going to be early," he said with a chuckle, looping his arm around his niece. "You must be pretty excited about this little outing."

"I told Jack we would be fishing again, and he was so thrilled he wanted to go right when I told him," Allie said, bouncing up and down. "And it's such a beautiful day, it would be a shame to waste any of it."

Nathan smiled as they stepped outside. Allie was right. It was a beautiful day that felt more like early spring than late winter. The sun was shining and birds were chirping happily in the trees. Plant life was starting to grow, the promise of spring in the air. A time of new beginnings and new life. He felt like his heart reflected the physical changes going on around them, thawing from winter to spring. He put an arm around Allie, grinning down at her. "So who's more excited to catch some fish today, you or Jack?"

"Oh, definitely me!" Allie exclaimed. "Jack doesn't quite understand why fishing is so much fun. I think he likes it because he knows you and I like it." She grinned. "But one day, he will have an appreciation for it all his own." They walked for a moment in silence, then Allie looked up at Nathan. "Uncle Nathan, can I ask you a serious question?"

Wondering what his niece could be so serious about, Nathan nodded. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

She was quiet for a moment, which made Nathan study her face. Allie usually just came right out with whatever she was thinking. She looked up at him, her brown eyes wide. "You love Mrs. Thornton, right?"

"Right."

Allie shuffled her feet, a move Nathan recognized as something he did when he was nervous about something. "And when a grown-up loves another grown-up, they usually end up getting married, right?"

"Sometimes," Nathan said. "What's this about, Allie?"

"Are you going to ask Mrs. Thornton to marry you?" Allie asked bluntly as her eyes turned pleading. "She would make a great aunt, and I would love to be a big sister to Jack. It would be so nice to have a real family, and then you and Mrs. Thornton could have more kids and we'd all be one big, happy family, and I could call Mrs. Thornton Aunt Elizabeth, and…"

"Whoa, honey, slow down," Nathan said, pulling Allie to a stop. He got on a knee in front of her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Looking her directly in the eyes, he asked, "What brought this on?"

Tears were forming in Allie's eyes. "I miss having a mom," she said, sniffling. "There was never anyone I could see becoming a new mother for me, but now that you and Mrs. Thornton are courting, I've been thinking about it a lot. She would be the perfect mother. And I know she loves you, so you would be happy with her. Please, Uncle Nathan, can you ask her to marry you?"

Nathan smoothed back Allie's hair. "Can you keep a secret?"

Allie nodded. Nathan smiled at her. "I am going to ask Mrs. Thornton to marry me. I just don't know when that will be."

Allie frowned. "But if you know you're going to ask her, why not just ask her already? What's the hold up?"

She always had been blunt, a trait she got from Colleen. Nathan looked down at the ground, then back up at Allie. "Allie, sometimes grown-ups have things they need to work through before they can ask someone to change their life so drastically. Mrs. Thornton has been through a lot, and she might not be ready to take that step. I want to be sure I'm not rushing her. Does that make sense?"

"No," Allie said, tilting her head with a roll of her eyes. "She loves you and you love her. Why wouldn't she be ready? Seems to me she wouldn't have said she loves you if she's not ready to move on with you."

Nathan stared at her for a moment before a smile broke free. "You're pretty wise for a twelve-year-old, you know that?"

Allie shrugged. "Seems simple enough to me, Uncle Nathan. But take whatever time you need. Just as long as you ask her. And soon."

Nathan stood and they continued walking the short distance to Elizabeth's house. Before Nathan knocked on the door, he looked down at Allie with raised brows. "Not a word about the proposal. Promise?"

"I promise." Allie held up her hand solemnly, a mock serious look on her face.

Nathan laughed and ruffled her hair. "That's my girl." He knocked on the door, and within a few seconds it opened. Elizabeth smiled at them, little Jack at her side holding his fishing pole.

"A'wee! Na'tan!" he said, toddling onto the porch. He held up his pole with a happy grin. "We go fis'!"

Nathan scooped him up, planting a kiss on his cheek. "That's right, buddy, it's time to go fishing!" He set the boy on his feet, and Allie took his hand, leading him down the stairs. Elizabeth held a picnic basket over her arm and she shut her front door. "He's been talking about fishing since he woke up this morning," she said, taking the arm Nathan offered her. Together they walked down the steps, following Allie and Jack on the familiar path to the pond.

"You know," Elizabeth said lightly, "I might be open to you teaching me how to fish today."

That stopped Nathan in his tracks, and he stared at Elizabeth as if she had grown a second head. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that? I thought I just heard Elizabeth Thornton, avowed non-fisher, say she might be open to being taught how to fish."

Elizabeth laughed and swatted his arm. "You tease, but I'm serious. Watching what a bonding experience it is for you and the kids makes me want to try it too. Will you teach me?" she asked, batting her eyes at him.

Nathan pretended to consider it. "Well, I can teach you, but it'll come at a price, Mrs. Thornton."

She raised her brows. "Oh? And what might that price be, Constable?"

He stopped her, grinning. "A kiss."

"Oh?" Elizabeth gave him a smile he'd come to recognize as flirty. "It's a high price, but I think I can manage." She stepped toward him and reached up to kiss him. Her kiss was slow and deep, and by the time she pulled back, Nathan was having a hard time thinking straight. She smiled into his eyes and winked. "Will that do?" she asked softly.

"Umm...yeah. Yeah, it will. In fact, it might have earned you two fishing lessons," Nathan said, his heart skipping a couple of beats.

Elizabeth chuckled as they resumed walking. "Good. Jack kept asking me why Mama doesn't fish, and I was running out of reasons to give him. He thinks since you and Allie fish, so should I."

Nathan laughed. "Toddlers can be more logical than adults."

"Yes, they can," Elizabeth said wryly. "And his new favorite question is 'why?' So anytime I would say I don't like to fish, he would ask why. And I eventually realized I never actually gave it a try. So this could be fun."

"Oh, it is fun," Nathan assured her. "And I can't wait to see you bait a hook." He grinned. "You don't strike me as the type who enjoys touching worms."

Elizabeth's nose wrinkled. "Worms? Can't I just use a lure?"

"No!" Allie exclaimed, appearing in front of them with Jack in tow. "Lures are cheap substitutes! Worms make for the best catch. Right, Uncle Nathan?"

"Right," Nathan agreed, laughing at the expression on Elizabeth's face. "Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll get the hang of it in no time."

"If you say so," Elizabeth said doubtfully. By the time they arrived at the pond, it appeared she had steeled herself for the task of placing a worm on a hook. Nathan watched as Allie showed her how to do so, then laughed when Elizabeth squealed at her first touch of a worm. He was impressed when she soldiered past her disgust and hooked a worm. Her eyes lit up as she proudly held up her fishing rod. "I did it!" She grinned at Nathan. "Time for my lesson."

"I'll help Jack with his pole," Allie said, walking over to the little boy and showing him how to use his pole once again.

Elizabeth looked at Nathan, holding the pole slightly away from her body. "Well? Your turn to be the teacher, Constable."

Nathan let out a laugh. "There's a reason I'm a Mountie and not a teacher, but I'll do my best," he promised, standing behind her. "So first, you put one hand here, and the other here," he said, reaching around her to position her hands on the pole. "Then you cast like this…" He put his hands around hers and showed her how to cast the line. Elizabeth was completely ensconced in his arms, and she turned her head and smiled up at him, causing him to lose his train of thought. "Hey now," he said, giving her a mock stern look. "You're supposed to be looking at the pole. How else am I going to teach you how to fish?"

She leaned back in his arms, resting the back of her head against his shoulder. "Why do you think I wanted you to teach me, Nathan?"

His mouth dropped. "This was a ruse?" A slow smile crossed his face. "You know, if you wanted me to hold you, all you had to do was ask."

"I know," Elizabeth answered, her smile turning sassy. "But this was more fun."

Before Nathan could respond, the line jerked in Elizabeth's hand. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I think I caught something!" She stood up straight, and Nathan helped her reel in the fish. His brows rose as they saw the fish come out of the pond.

"Wow!" Nathan said with a low whistle. "You really know how to catch a good one, Elizabeth!"

She smiled back at him. "I sure do."

He had a feeling she wasn't talking about the fish, and a slight blush came to his cheeks. Elizabeth laughed gently, placing her free hand on his cheek. "You're cute when you blush."

Nathan cleared his throat. "Don't get too used to it. We Mounties have a tough-guy reputation to protect."

"Oh, of course, I forgot," Elizabeth teased. "We can't have Hope Valley knowing you're a big softie."

Catching her in his arms, Nathan nuzzled his nose against hers. "Only with you, my love." He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled. "And Allie and Jack." After resting his forehead against hers for a moment, he straightened and gave her a teasing smile. "Ready to learn how to prep a fish for frying?"

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "If I have to."

Nathan grinned. "You catch it, you prep it." He winked. "But don't worry, I'll help."

Elizabeth and Nathan strolled arm in arm along the street after their fishing trip. Allie and Jack had ice cream cones in their hands. They had asked if they could have ice cream after their fish lunch picnic at the pond, and the adults had readily agreed. Now they watched as the kids skipped ahead - or rather, Allie skipped and Jack attempted to copy her.

"They're so good together," Elizabeth said, leaning into Nathan as he wrapped an arm around her.

"They are," he agreed, a smile on his face as he watched the children. Allie caught sight of some of her friends, and after talking with them briefly, she hurried over to Nathan. "Can Jack and I play with Opal and Robert?" she asked.

Nathan glanced at Elizabeth. "Are you okay with Jack going too?"

"I think so," Elizabeth said. She looked at Allie. "Where were you all going to play?"

"In the field across from the rowhouses," Allie said. "We'll be right by the houses."

"Of course," Elizabeth said. "We're heading that way anyways."

"Thanks!" Allie said, taking Jack by the hand and heading for Opal and Robert. The four of them started for the field by their homes. Elizabeth could see Nathan glance at the Mountie office as they passed it.

"Can we stop at the office real quick?" Nathan asked. "I left my extra uniform in the back room, and I need to get it washed."

"Of course," Elizabeth said.

"Thanks," Nathan replied. "It'll be fast."

"That's good, because I need to write a little note to Rosemary. She brought over a casserole last night as a surprise, and I want to write her a thank you. You have paper and pen here, right?"

"Yeah," Nathan said, pointing to his desk. "They should be right on top there." He opened the door to the back room and began rummaging around inside. "I really need to organize this space."

Elizabeth smiled, sure he hadn't meant for her to hear that last part. She found the paper, but didn't see a pen anywhere. "Nathan, there's no pen on this desk," she called.

"There should be some in the top drawer," he called back. Elizabeth grasped the handle of the drawer and gave it a tug. It didn't move. She pulled a little harder, but it still didn't move.

"I think your drawer is stuck," she said, jiggling the knob and trying to loosen whatever was causing it to stick.

"That happens sometimes," Nathan said, emerging from the room with his uniform in hand. As he did, Elizabeth yanked on the handle as hard as she could. The drawer came unstuck and flew off its track, clattering to the floor.

Elizabeth's hands went to her mouth. "Oh my! I did not expect that to happen." She knelt on the ground and started placing the items back in the drawer. Nathan crouched next to her, helping to put everything back.

Elizabeth reached for a little black box that had opened. She glanced at it before putting it in the drawer, and her breath caught in her throat. The open box revealed a diamond ring. Jaw dropping, she looked at Nathan.

He looked back at her for a moment, clearly confused by the look on her face, and then his eyes drifted to the box in her hand. His mouth formed an "O" and he looked back up at her, a sudden vulnerability in his eyes.

"Nathan…" Elizabeth said slowly, her eyes moving between him and the ring. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

It took him a moment to respond, but when he did a determined light filled his eyes. He spoke clearly and deliberately. "Yes, Elizabeth, it does." He glanced around the jail. "But this is not how I would have chosen to ask you."

Her eyes took in the jail cells, the clutter on the floor, the uniform discarded on a chair. It was ordinary, it was messy, it was everyday. She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "The setting doesn't matter," she said, willing him to believe her. She didn't need grand gestures or a romantic setting. All she needed was him. "What matters is the intention of your heart."

Nathan smiled and sat her gently in the chair by the desk. He took the ring box from her hand and then got down on one knee in front of her, taking her hand in his free one. "In that case…" He looked into her eyes, the blue depths glittering with emotion. "Elizabeth, you have quickly become the most important person in my life. I love you more than I thought possible. I love little Jack as much as if he were my own son. I want both of you in my life, in Allie's life, forever. I want to wake up with you every day, to spend our lives together through all the ups and the downs." He smiled gently. "I want to grow old with you, to watch our children grow up and become the people they are meant to be. I want to go through this life with you and only you as my wife." He drew in a breath, holding up the ring. "Will you marry me?"

Tears had started in Elizabeth's eyes when Nathan started talking, and started falling halfway through his speech. Her joy was overwhelming, the knowledge that he loved her so completely leaving her slightly speechless. She nodded, words finally making their way out of her mouth. "Yes," she whispered, a laugh escaping her lips. "Yes, Nathan, I will marry you."

A grin split his handsome face, and he slid the ring on her finger. Standing, he pulled her up with him, drawing her into his arms. "I love you, Elizabeth," he said, kissing away the tears on her cheeks. "I promise I will spend the rest of my life loving and cherishing you the way you deserve."

She placed a hand on his cheek, basking in the tender look of love shining from his eyes. "I love you too, Nathan. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Nathan bent and kissed her, his intense passion telling her how much he loved her while taking her breath away. She clung to him, holding him as close as the day she had when she thought she had lost him forever. Their lives could have turned out so differently that day. But they hadn't. They were both here now, lost in a moment they would remember for the rest of their lives.

A moment that began their journey to forever.