A week before the wedding, Elizabeth's family arrived in Hope Valley. Julie and Viola surrounded her with hugs and laughter as the three sisters reunited for the first time in years. Once they pulled apart, Elizabeth's mother enveloped her in an embrace. "I have missed you, Elizabeth."

Tears misted her eyes. "I missed you too, Mother."

Father was the last one to hug her, but he held on the longest. "My dear Beth."

Tears did fall then. She clung to him, surrounded by the familiar scent he wore that brought childhood memories flooding back. When they pulled apart, she couldn't help a laugh that bubbled up. "I'm so happy you're all here." A little furrow tugged at her brow. "I'm sorry you won't all fit in my house. When we planned the wedding, Nathan and I were hoping our new home would be done so you could stay there with me, but since he was injured …"

Grace waved a hand. "Quite alright, my dear. Your father and I will be comfortable enough at the hotel." She took Elizabeth's hands. "How is your young man doing?"

A smile lifted her lips. "He's well, thank God. I'm looking forward to you all meeting him this evening at dinner."

"Ah, yes, at the famous Abigail's Cafe." Her father chuckled. "Mrs. Stanton left quite an impression on our family in Hamilton. I think it's wonderful that her business venture succeeded."

"As am I. She makes the best food in town. I think you'll find it rivals the flavors of Hamilton."

"Excellent." Father motioned outside. "The car is outside. I'll bring in Julie and Viola's bags, and then your mother and I will get settled at the hotel while you and your sisters catch up." He kissed Elizabeth's cheek. "I love you, Beth."

"I love you too." She hugged him, then repeated the process with her mother. Once the luggage was inside and her parents drove off, Julie tugged her arm. "Elizabeth, I'm simply dying to meet Nathan! He sounds like a dream." She sighed in dramatic fashion. "You managed to meet another knight in shining armor." A playful pout formed on her lips. "Meanwhile, I can't seem to make a man stay."

"If you would act in a mature fashion, perhaps you would attract the right kinds of men." Viola slipped an arm around Julie's shoulders, her tone gentle rather than patronizing. "You will find him someday, sister."

Julie sighed again. "You're right. I do need to work on being less … childish." She shrugged. "Though I do think I've come a long way."

"You have." Viola smiled. "As have we all."

Elizabeth turned her eyes to her oldest sister. "Have you found any prospects since calling off your engagement with Lionel?"

Viola cleared her throat while Julie laughed heartily. "Well … I might be seeing someone …"

"What?" Elizabeth placed her hands on her hips. "And you didn't write to tell me? Vi!"

Her sister's cheeks flushed a pretty pink. "I wasn't sure how to tell you."

Tilting her head, Elizabeth frowned. "Why not?"

Viola fidgeted, something she rarely - if ever - did. Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Viola! Elizabeth won't mind. Just tell her."

Letting out a long breath, Viola lifted her eyes to Elizabeth's. "I'm seeing Charles."

Brows shooting up in surprise, Elizabeth blinked at her sister. "Charles Kensington?"

Viola nodded.

Her surprise quickly gave way to amusement. "And you thought I would have a problem with this … why?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Viola began to laugh herself. "I don't know! For some reason, it just struck me as a strange situation, since he was in love with you once."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Vi, I never felt that way about Charles. I've long wanted him to find happiness, and if he's found it with you, that's wonderful." She grinned. "Besides, you two have a lot in common."

Her sister's smile softened. "We do."

Elizabeth impulsively hugged Viola. "I'm happy for you. Truly. This is great news."

Relief lit Viola's eyes. "I'm glad you think so."

A knock sounded at the door. Elizabeth went to open it. Nathan stood there, something in his hands. "Hey, Elizabeth. I was wondering …" He trailed off when her sisters crowded behind her. His blue eyes grew wide. "Oh! They're already here."

Julie slipped around Elizabeth and linked arms with Nathan. Surprise flashed over his face as she tugged him into the house. "Hello, soon-to-be brother. I'm Julie. This is Viola. We're so excited to meet you!"

"Uh …" He shot a glance at Elizabeth, clearly wondering what to do. She smiled at him in encouragement. He swallowed and looked at Julie. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Nathan."

"We've heard a lot about you." Viola smiled. She grabbed Julie's hand. "And we look forward to getting to know you better over dinner this evening." She turned to her sister. "Come on, Julie. We need to get settled in our room."

Julie started to protest, but Elizabeth interjected quickly. "Good idea. It sounds like Nathan and I need to talk, anyway." She mouthed a thank you to Viola as her oldest sister led their baby sister up the stairs.

Nathan turned to her. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to see them here. My words just disappeared."

She smiled, lifting on her toes to give him a gentle kiss. "Don't worry about it. They like you. I can tell."

He relaxed slightly. "I'm glad." The worried look soon returned. "But your father and mother …"

They were interrupted by a little meow. Misty curled herself around Nathan's ankles, gazing up at him adoringly. A smile broke through his worry. He placed the object he carried on a small table, then lifted the cat into his arms. "Hello, sweet girl."

Misty responded by purring and butting her head against his face. Elizabeth watched with a smile of her own. "You two are so cute."

He shot her a grin. "Cute, huh?"

She nodded. "Adorable, in fact."

He laughed, setting Misty on the floor. His arms slid around her. "I never gave you a proper greeting." As soon as the words left his lips, he pressed them against hers in a sweet kiss. When he pulled back, he bestowed another kiss on her forehead. "I brought something, a gift for your family. I wanted to see if you thought they would like it."

She looked up at him, curious. "What is it?"

He let her go to pick up the object on her table. "This." He pulled away the cover, revealing a wooden carving of a family. Elizabeth inhaled softly. "Nathan. It's beautiful." She took the piece into her hands, studying the details. A man stood with his hands on a woman's shoulders. A little girl sat in the woman's lap, while two other girls stood on either side. They all wore smiles as they looked at each other with joyful expressions. It was a lovely image of family. Her family.

She smiled at him. "I think it's perfect. You made this, didn't you?"

He nodded, scuffing the toe of his boot against the floor. "I thought it might be too sentimental, but the image just wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't want to meet your parents empty-handed."

She placed a hand on his arm. "They will love it."

Her words proved true. When she and Nathan made their way to the cafe with Julie and Viola - with Julie chattering a mile a minute describing life in Hamilton - their parents were already there. Elizabeth sensed Nathan's heightened nerves the closer they got. She slipped a hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "Just be yourself, love."

He exhaled, then nodded. They stopped in front of her parents. Elizabeth made the introductions. "Father, Mother, I'd like you to meet my fiance, Nathan Grant." She placed a hand on his chest, smiling up at him. "Nathan, these are my parents, William and Grace Thatcher."

Nathan stood tall, at attention like the Mountie he'd once been. "Sir, ma'am. It's an honor to meet you." He shook her father's hand firmly, then bowed over her mother's hand like a courtier. Elizabeth smiled, seeing the impressed looks in her parents' eyes.

Nathan then held out his gift. "This is for you."

Mother accepted it. She studied the piece, her eyes taking in every detail. "My goodness. Nathan, this is exceptional workmanship."

Father peered at it over her mother's shoulder. "Excellent, indeed." He turned to Nathan. "You have a gift, son."

Nathan swallowed. "Thank you, sir."

Elizabeth could still feel his nervousness, but he seemed to relax slightly. He offered one arm to Elizabeth and the other to her mother. "May I escort you ladies into the cafe?"

Mother smiled. "Of course." She took his arm, and they began walking. "We're excited to hear all about you, young man. Anyone who captures the heart of our Elizabeth is worth getting to know well."

His eyes widened. Elizabeth stifled a laugh, knowing he didn't particularly like being the center of attention. Today, though, with her family all gathered, he would likely talk more than he had in a while.

She chuckled. It might be good for him to be thrown out of his comfort zone.

The only sound Nathan heard was the crunch of gravel underfoot as he and William headed for the best fishing hole in Hope Valley. He racked his brain for something to say, but small talk had never been his forte. William seemed comfortable enough with the silence. Nathan tried not to worry about it, but he found his future father-in-law to be a bit intimidating. Though the man had been nothing but kind at dinner last night, Nathan couldn't help wondering if this fishing trip would be something of an interrogation.

"Nice day, isn't it?"

William's comment broke through Nathan's thoughts. He nodded in response, then hurried to add words. "Yep."

Well, one word, at least. And he couldn't think of a single follow-up sentence. Silently cursing his inability to speak, Nathan adjusted the fishing rod over his shoulder.

William chuckled. "You know, I was a nervous wreck when I met Grace's father for the first time."

Nathan blinked. "Really?"

"Really." William nodded. "I had rehearsed all the lines I wanted to say, practiced imaginary conversations in my mind, and thought I was well-prepared. All that preparation flew out the window when I actually met the man. I'd never been so discombobulated in my life."

They reached the small lake, but Nathan continued to look at Elizabeth's father. "I have a hard time picturing you out of control, sir."

The man chuckled again. "Call me William, son. We're going to be family." He smiled. "And I'm rarely out of control. But in that instance, I wanted to disappear."

"How did it go?"

William snorted. "Not well. He didn't like me at all. Didn't believe I was good enough for his daughter. He's the reason I spent so much time and energy building my shipping empire. I wanted to prove that I had what it took to be worthy of Grace." He pressed his lips together. "Unfortunately, I adopted that same mindset when Jack began courting Elizabeth. I was hard on him, thinking my daughter could do better than a Mountie." He sighed. "That is one of my biggest regrets. Neither Grace nor I handled the situation well." He clapped a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "We are determined not to make the same mistake this time. It's obvious Elizabeth loves you, Nathan. We just want her to be happy." His smile reappeared. "So try to let go of those nerves. I just want to get to know you a bit better. It's clear to me just from dinner last night that you adore my little girl."

Nathan felt a rush of relief. William's candid sharing put him at ease. They set up their rods and cast their lines into the water before he spoke. "Thank you, William. I do love Elizabeth with all my heart. It is an unending source of joy and wonder that she accepted my proposal."

William smiled. "I could see that. You have a light in your eyes when you look at her, a tenderness that can't be faked." He adjusted his line. "And I happen to know that you will be able to support her and any children that come along. Benjamin Forsythe is a friend of mine. He raved about your work. I imagine you won't be hurting for more clients."

Thinking of his already heavy workload, Nathan shook his head. "No, sir, that shouldn't be a problem. My business is doing better than I expected."

William regarded him for a few moments. "Your work is better than most I've seen, even in big cities like Hamilton. That family image you carved for me and Grace is a beautiful piece of art. I saw the image of Jack writing a letter under a tree in my daughter's house. She told me you made it for her." He raised a brow. "It doesn't bother you that she has something like that to remind her of her first love?"

Nathan shook his head. "Jack Thornton was one of my best friends. He was the one to introduce me to Elizabeth, in a manner of speaking. Without him, I never would have come to Hope Valley, and I never would have met your daughter. He held a special place in both of our lives. That carving was an image I saw time and again while fighting in the Northern Territories. Jack wrote to Elizabeth faithfully. I thought she might like a glimpse into his life there, as well as a reminder that he thought of her all the time. He will always hold a part of her heart, and that's fine with me. I don't intend to forget him either. We both loved him, just in different ways."

A smile played at Willam's lips. "You are a mature man, Nathan. Not many would be happy with the idea of their fiancee keeping a piece of her past love."

Nathan flushed, giving a little shrug. "It seems like the right thing to do."

William nodded. "You have a good heart, son."

He'd been calling Nathan son almost since they met. It warmed his heart to know that the man who'd be his father through marriage accepted him in such a way. Maybe in getting to know William, he'd know what it was like to have a good father. His own father had left more scars than anything.

Pushing the thought away, Nathan focused his attention on the lake. "I know it's a little late at this point, but I wanted to ask anyway. May I have your blessing to marry Elizabeth?"

William smiled. "You may. I give it freely."

Nathan held out a hand. "Thank you, William."

His future father-in-law shook it firmly. "I don't think I have to tell you this, but be good to her, son."

"I will." No promise had ever been so easy to make. Quiet descended between them for a few moments. Nathan observed William's movements with the pole, his patience in waiting for a bite. "You're a natural fisherman."

One side of William's lips turned up. "This was my favorite activity as a boy. It's been too long since I had the opportunity to just sit and fish." He shifted to what looked like a more comfortable position. "This feels like a little slice of heaven."

Nathan smiled. He couldn't agree more.