Chapter 1

December 1918

Nathan stood leaning against the post outside the Mountie office, watching her as Lucas placed the last of the bags in the car. Elizabeth and LJ were saying goodbye to the few friends gathered outside The Queen of Hearts to see them off on a visit to spend Christmas with The Thatchers, Lee having offered to drive them to the station to catch the train to Hamilton.

He watched the expression on her face but more importantly he watched her eyes. He thought of the saying that eyes are the windows to the soul and he knew in his heart that was true. Seeing the sadness behind her smile made him more determined to do everything in his power to ensure happiness for this person he loved more than life itself.

She turned towards him and immediately saw the emotions he was struggling with, the pain that she knew was in his heart. Excusing herself from those around her she crossed to him, her eyes holding his as she approached.

Finally her hand reached out to him as she looked up. "Shall we go home Dad? There's nothing for us here." A half smile finally crossed Nathan's face and he nodded, his arm moving around Allie as they turned and walked back towards the rowhouses.

Elizabeth looked up and watched as the red serge grew smaller in the distance, the sadness in her eyes belying the smile on her face, before turning back for a final farewell with Rosemary. Lucas was the only choice she could make she told herself, he would provide her with everything she needed and she wouldn't have to live each day in fear of losing or loving him. He wouldn't be a reminder of what she had lost. Still her eyes turned to look once more down the road but there was no red to be seen. He was gone and with him went another piece of her heart.

The next day dawned bright although Nathan felt the cold of the wooden floor as he placed one foot out of the bed. The hour was still early but with sleep having eluded him he thought he may as well get started on his day. Was it too dark to chop wood? He laughed to himself as he already had a plentiful supply stored and covered along the back fence of the yard so he knew it was not necessary, tempting as it may be to ease his mind in his usual way. Pulling his suspenders up over his henley he crossed to the door, mindful of the creaky floorboard he had been meaning to fix for some time now, and quietly stepped out into the hallway.

A light shone up the stairs from below and the sound of someone moving slowly around the ground floor could mean only one thing, Allie was struggling too. It worried him just how much Elizabeth's rejection had affected his precious daughter. No matter how many times he had tried to tell her that this was not about her and should have no bearing on her relationship with her teacher he knew that the bond between them had been irrevocably damaged and a little piece of Allie had hardened to the world.

As he stepped down into the living room his heart filled with the love he always felt when he saw her, Alison Mae Grant…his daughter. The sadness of losing his sister Colleen had been almost unbearable, something he doubted at times he would ever be able to get over. Then he thought that as difficult as it was for him, what must it be like for this small girl who had just lost her mother. He knew that life as a Mountie while single parenting a young daughter would not be easy, the impact on his career progression perhaps the least of his troubles, but it was a responsibility he undertook without question and now all these years later he had not one single regret. This girl was his world.

Allie was turned towards the bookcase, duster in hand as she worked her way along the shelves, not yet noticing his presence. She had lit the fire in the corner and a warmth was already radiating throughout the room.

A subtle cough from Nathan made her spin around, a look of concern on her face. "I'm so sorry Dad, did I wake you? I was trying to be really quiet but I just couldn't sleep and needed to do something. My mind wouldn't focus on a book so dusting them seemed the next best thing."

He moved quickly across the room and put his arms around her, grateful for the kindness this young girl always showed no matter how much she was hurting. Kissing the top of her head he looked down, raising her face up to his with one hand so he could read what was in her eyes. So much sadness there, he thought. Too much for one so young.

"Let me put the kettle on" he said, "we'll make some breakfast and then I think we need to have a talk". Allie just nodded, knowing that her dad could always understand what she was feeling as though he could see straight into her heart. He told her it was a measure of his love for her, that he needed to be able to do that to protect her from hurt, something that always comforted her when things seemed too much to deal with.

Once he had a cup of coffee in his hand Nathan sat, pausing for a moment before he spoke. "Allie, I know how difficult the recent months have been for you, how much you have struggled with the disappointment you feel while still wanting to be polite to Mrs Thornton at school. If I have pushed you too much in any way I am sorry. I really thought things would ease with time but I can see that you are still finding it so hard to move on. I hope this has nothing to do with feeling concern for me as that is the last thing I would want".

Allie reached across to him and he could see she was struggling to find the right words. "Take your time Allie girl" he said quietly.

She looked up then, determination suddenly settling across her face and without hesitation she spoke "I want to leave Hope Valley. I've given this a lot of thought and I know we have friends here but in my heart I just know it is time to move on. A fresh start is what we both need and it is time for you to refocus on your career now that I am old enough to not be such a burden to you".

"Now hold on, young lady", he interrupted, "you have never been a burden to me. I will tell you again what I have told you many times before, adopting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me".

She smiled, the light reaching her eyes for the first time. "I really couldn't ask for a better father than you. I know you gave up the promotion to inspector a few years ago so that we could stay here because you knew how happy I was….and I think Mrs Thornton was letting you think that she had feelings for you. But it is different now. Neither of us is happy and there really is nothing to keep us here. Plus, I also know that the promotion was left open for you to reconsider at any time. So all I'm asking now is that you make some enquiries and find out where there is an opportunity that would suit us both…an interesting job for you and a good school for me."

Nathan looked at her in amazement. What had he done to deserve this girl? He knew she was right, it was time for both of them to move on, and the sooner the better.

April 1922

Nathan pulled the car to the side of the road by the sign for Hope Valley. A half smile crossed his face as he paused to think about what that meant to him and how much the word hope defined his time spent in this small frontier town. Although, as he looked down he realised it was not so small anymore. In the three and a half years since he and Allie had left the town had grown considerably. New businesses had spread to this part of the country and with them workers and their families and all that this encompassed.

His thoughts slipped back to the Hope Valley he had known, the people who had meant so much to them and the pleasure they had taken from their life here. Then the blackness had descended, with great turmoil and uncertainty, until finally their hearts were broken and he knew that for Allie's sake, if not his own, they had to leave.

A clean break, that was what they both decided, and other than his contact with Bill that was what they got, although they had followed the ups and downs of this town through letters and news within the Mountie community. There had been difficult times at first as they adjusted to a world without the friends they had come to think of as family but eventually they had made a new life for themselves…with new dreams and opportunities.

Was it really only that long, he thought. Allie was now a young woman, making her own plans for the future, while he had finally found the happiness in life that he had craved for so long.

Now here he was, not sure that this was the best thing for them but feeling dutybound to answer the call to once again serve these people who he still cared for so deeply. People who had opened their hearts to a young Mountie and his niece even though it was a difficult thing for them to accept a replacement for their beloved Jack Thornton.

He knew from Bill that so much had changed in this town. The community spirit that had embraced him and Allie, never more evident than when Elizabeth had chosen to spend her life with Lucas Bouchard and their friends had wrapped their protective arms around them, was no longer the same.

There was a guilt within him about their sudden departure, a quick goodbye to as many as possible then it felt as though they were sneaking out under darkness to be gone before Elizabeth arrived back from Hamilton. He knew that would be one farewell too far.

He could see the new buildings filling the empty land at each end of the street and he sought out those that he remembered. The Mountie Office, The Mercantile, Abigail's Café…although he couldn't quite make out the name now painted across the front. The library seemed to be gone and he wondered what had happened to the plaque that hung there, crafted by his hands when he still had hope in his heart, "Always do what you are afraid to do". Well, this was certainly one of those times he needed inspiration from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

He took a deep breath and moved the car forward, not sure to what exactly, but knowing that Bill would not mince his words in outlining the depth of the task that lay ahead. Whatever that may entail, he was determined to follow his own path here, with honesty and kindness to everyone no matter what history may lie between them. He only hoped that would be enough for some.