After work on Wednesday afternoon, I sat on Jack's front porch, waiting for him to return home. I flipped through the copy of Jane Eyre that he had given me, trying to keep my mind occupied until he arrived.

Only twenty minutes passed before I saw his car turn onto the street. I stood up, a smile spreading across my face.

I ran to him the second he stepped out of his car. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in with a kiss.

"I missed you so much." Tears stung my eyes.

"I missed you, too." He put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me again. He wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Hey, what's going on?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm just so happy to see you. I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too, Beth. So much." He took my hand and led me into his house.

I leaned back against the door, and he kissed me again. I felt my hands grab his shirt, pulling him closer to me. His hands tangled in my hair. After a moment, he stepped back, taking my hands in his.

"Wow, I should go away more often if that's going to be the kind of greeting that I'll get when I come home."

"Jack Thornton, don't even joke about that. I don't like when you're gone."

He kissed my forehead. "Sorry." He put his arms around me, holding me against his chest. "But you know, I will have to go away occasionally. It's just part of my job."

"I know. I don't want to talk about it, though."

He put his hand on my cheek. "Let me go grab my bag from the car, and then we can hang out here for the rest of the evening if you want."

"Rip is still at my house."

"Then how about I meet you over there after I unpack my things?"

I nodded. "Okay." I grabbed the book I left on his porch on the way over to my house.

He came in ten minutes later, just as I was coming down the stairs. Bronte ran over to him, nearly knocking him to the ground in her excitement.

"Hi, Bee." He patted the top of her head.

I smiled, loving that he had picked up my nickname for her.

Rip looked up from his spot on the floor beside the sofa. He wagged his tail slowly before deciding to waddle over to Jack.

"Hey, buddy. Did you miss me?" He knelt down, stroking the dog's head. He glanced up, meeting my eyes, a grin covering his face. "Thank you for watching him."

"Anything for you."

He approached me, pulling me into his arms. "Hi again." He kissed me gently.

"Hi." My voice was soft and shaky. I was surprised at the nervousness that seemed to overtake me. Butterflies rose in my stomach. I took a step back and cleared my throat. "So, um, we can watch TV if you want. Or I'm sure we could find a movie to watch."

"Hey, are you okay?" He seemed to sense that I was feeling nervous.

I nodded. "Just feeling a little off. I'm fine. It's just one of those days."

"I can go home if you want me to."

I put my hands on his arms. "Don't you dare leave."

He led me to the sofa. He left some space between us but kept one hand on my leg. I eventually found myself leaning into him, closing the gap between us.

We didn't really pay attention to anything on the TV. Instead, we talked quietly, making up for the time we had been apart. He kept one hand on me the entire evening—on my hand, on my leg, on my back—even while we ate dinner. I hadn't realized how much I missed his touch.

He roused me from sleep a few hours later. The sun had already set; the light of the half moon cast a dim glow into the room.

"Elizabeth, we need to get you to bed." He helped me up, keeping his arm around my waist as he walked me up the stairs.

I barely registered what was happening as he pulled back the comforter and tucked me into the bed.

"Good night, Elizabeth."

"Stay with me." I reached one hand toward him.

He took it and leaned forward, kissing me softly. "I want to stay, believe me, but I have to be at work early in the morning. I'll see you tomorrow."

I didn't have the energy to convince him that he could still stay over.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed me one more time before leaving the room.

I heard the clicking of paws across the floor as he took Rip back home with him. It was only a few minutes after I heard the front door lock before sleep found me.

...

I smiled when I saw Jack's name pop up on my phone. "Hi."

"Hi. Have you left work yet?"

It was Friday, so I had stayed a bit longer at the school to finish things up before the weekend. "Not yet, but I'm about to. Why?" I grabbed my purse from my desk and headed toward the parking lot.

"Um, my mom is in town."

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "What?"

"My mother decided to show up at my house unannounced." He didn't sound too pleased. "She wants to meet you."

"Jack, I'm not prepared for that. We haven't even discussed meeting each other's parents."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really had no idea she was coming to visit." He sighed. "Why don't you come over around six, and we can all have dinner together?"

"Should I bring anything? Should I dress up? I'm not ready for this."

"Hey, take a deep breath." He waited until he heard me exhale. "You will be fine, Elizabeth. She's going to love you. And no, you don't need to dress up or bring anything."

"Okay. So I guess I'll see you at six."

"I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you, too."

I don't remember how I made it home, my mind was so focused on the prospect of meeting Jack's mother. My level of nervousness crept higher when I saw her car in his driveway.

Just before six, I stood on his front porch, dressed in a sundress and sandals. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

He was there almost immediately.

"Hi." He kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful."

I held out the pan I had brought over. "I made gooey butter cake."

"I told you not to bring anything."

"I know, but I'm about to meet your mom. It felt weird coming over empty-handed."

"Jack? Is that her?" Jack's mother called from the living room.

"Yes, mom! We'll be right in." He took the pan from me. "Come on. Let's go."

I took his free hand and followed him into the house. He set the pan on the counter before we went into the living room. His mother stood from her spot on the sofa.

"You must be Lizzy." She held out her hand.

"It's Elizabeth, mom," Jack mumbled under his breath.

"It's fine, Jack." I turned back to his mother. "You can call me Lizzy, if you want." I shook her hand.

"Well, Lizzy," She turned toward Jack, a smug look on her face. "I'm Charlotte."

"It's nice to meet you."

Jack cleared his throat. "I'm going to check on dinner."

I glanced over at him, a look of distress plastered across my face.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against my cheek. "You'll be fine. I love you." He squeezed my hand, reassuring me before he left the room.

I took a deep breath, unsure of what to say now that I was alone with his mother.

"So, Jack tells me you're from St. Louis?"

I nodded. "Born and raised. I lived there until about two years ago, when I moved here."

"What brought you here?"

"I just wanted to be somewhere different, and Hope Valley just felt right."

She moved back to the sofa and ushered me over. I hesitantly sat beside her.

"You and Jack seem to be really close."

"We are." I smiled timidly. "You raised a really good man."

"Well, thank you."

Jack came back into the room. "What are you talking about in here?" He put his hand on my shoulder.

"You."

"No embarrassing stories, right?" He shot his mom a look.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't tell embarrassing stories." She smiled mischievously.

"Well anyway, dinner is ready."

The rest of the evening went well. With Jack beside me, my nerves melted away. Charlotte was so welcoming and sweet. Though she asked lots of questions about my life, she steered clear of anything that could be construed as too personal. At the end of the night, she hugged me goodbye before Jack walked me home.

"I'm sorry again about tonight."

"It's okay, Jack. I actually really enjoyed it. Your mom is great."

"Good." He put his hands on my shoulders. "I'll be over in the morning to pick you up for your super secret birthday celebration."

"But your mom…"

He kissed my cheek. "I already told her we've had these plans for a while. I'll just have to make sure I spend lots of time with her Sunday."

"Okay. You should get back home before she wonders what's taking you so long."

"Good night." He leaned down and kissed me gently. "I love you."

"I love you, too. See you in the morning."

...

The next day, we pulled up in front of a barn. "Um, Jack? What are we doing?"

"This is what I wanted to do for your birthday before I was called out of town. I thought we'd go for a ride."

"Like on horses?"

He opened the car door for me. "Yes. Well, technically just on one horse. It's cozier that way."

He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

He put his arm around me and pulled me close to him. We walked into the barn and stopped in front of a stall that held a beautiful black gelding. "This is Sergeant."

I watched as Jack saddled the horse. "Since when do you ride horses?"

He shrugged. "My dad was a Mountie up in Vancouver. I know they drive cars most of the time now, but he liked the nostalgia of riding horses, so he taught me and my brother to ride. Sergeant was a gift from my mom for my college graduation."

"So there's more to learn about you yet."

He laughed and lifted me onto the horse. He hopped up behind me, guiding my hands to the reigns. "Okay, gently tap his sides with your heels."

I did what he said, and the horse started forward. "Where are we going on this ride?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

We were both quiet on the ride, enjoying the feeling of being so close to each other. Eventually, we reached a small meadow, and Jack brought the horse to a stop. The clouds that had filled the sky earlier in the day began to clear out. Wildflowers dotted the ground, breaking up the green with pops of yellow and red.

"Jack, it's beautiful out here."

He helped me down from the horse. "You're beautiful."

"Jack…" I blushed.

He touched my cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth Thatcher."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I love you, too."

He leaned in and kissed me softly. My whole body grew warm at his touch. I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. He linked his arms behind my back. I sighed, perfectly content to be in his arms.

He kissed my temple. "Dance with me, Elizabeth."

I giggled, his breath tickling my ear. "Right here? There's no music."

He started swaying back and forth, meeting my eyes. "We don't need any music. Just each other."

I leaned my head against his chest as we slowly turned in circles, moving to the beat of his heart.

I didn't know how long we stayed like that; we were just so comfortable in each other's arms. I felt like I could stay there forever.

"Elizabeth?" He slowed his movement.

"Yes?" My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't help but think that he might be about to ask me an important question.

"Are you hungry?"

I laughed softly.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." I felt my cheeks warm. "That just wasn't the question I expected." My voice was soft.

He grinned, touching his hand to my cheek. He gave me a gentle kiss. "Let's eat."

We spent a few more hours in the meadow, eating lunch and talking. After we ate, we lay beside each other on the picnic blanket, watching puffy white clouds roll across the sky.

Eventually we left the meadow, taking a long ride on Sergeant before heading back to the barn.

Later that evening, we stood on my front porch, arms around each other. "Thank you for today, Jack. That was one of the best days I've had in a while."

He leaned in and kissed me. "I don't want this day to end."

"Neither do I. Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"Yes." He kissed me again. "But if I go in, I'm not going to want to leave. Besides, my mom is probably up waiting for me, and Lord knows what she'll think if I get in late."

"See you tomorrow?"

He nodded and brushed his lips against my cheek. "Good night, Elizabeth. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"By the way," his voice was barely above a whisper, "the question you thought I was going to ask earlier?" He leaned in, his face just inches from mine. "I am going to ask it." He squeezed my hand before he walked away, not giving me a chance to respond.

I watched him as he crossed the yard to his house, butterflies filling my stomach. When I saw him in the café all those weeks ago, I never thought that I would grow so close to him or fall in love with him or make plans to marry him. I was so thankful that my life hadn't gone the way I expected.