It had been a day much like any other for the constable of Hope Valley- long and uneventful. At least the weather was nice, Nathan thought as he looked up at the now-darkening sky. There was nothing worse than an unending day in a rainstorm.

Smiling as he turned towards home, Nathan wondered what Allie might have made for dinner this evening. As he opened the door, a nice aroma filled the air. "What in the world is that amazing smell?" he asked as he threw his Stetson into its normal resting place.

"Chicken stew. I tried something different. Hope you like it, Dad."

Leaning in to kiss his daughter's cheek, Nathan placed his hands on her shoulders. "If you made it, I will love it."

Their relationship had been a little rocky in the beginning after her mom, Nathan's sister, died and he had taken her in, but they had bonded quickly. Shortly after her adoption was final, she started calling him Dad and it always made his heart skip a little to hear it. Her biological father had made an appearance a couple of years ago, but thankfully he was now out of their lives.

As they sat down to eat, Allie spoke. "Oh Dad, I almost forgot. I'm spending the night at Opal's tomorrow if that is okay. We have a school project to finish. I'll go home with her after school."

"I think that would be alright." It was a Friday night, so it shouldn't interfere with her sleep if they stayed up a little late.

"Great."

Upon tasting his meal, Nathan's eyes widened. "This is delicious, Allie! You are becoming quite the chef."

"Thanks, Dad!" she replied, her sunny grin all the appreciation he needed.

###

Later, after Allie had gone to bed, Nathan was making sure everything was in its place before he went upstairs. From the back of the house, he heard a light tap on the front door and looked at the clock. It was almost 10 pm, an unusual time for anyone to be stopping by. Placing the dusting cloth on the table, he walked to the door and opened it.

There was no one there.

Nathan stepped out on the porch and looked around before scratching his head. Was he hearing things? Walking into the yard, he still didn't see anyone. "That's odd," he said out loud to himself before heading back to the house. As he got to the porch, he noticed an envelope lying next to the door. Moving up the steps he picked it up and took it inside, closing the door behind him.

Quietly walking to the couch, he sat down and examined it to find nothing written on the outside. He flipped it over and opened it, pulling out the single sheet inside. Once he unfolded it, he began to read.

Constable,

Meet me behind the jail 8 o'clock Friday night.

It was signed with a heart. Turning it over, there was nothing else written. Nathan was bewildered and curious as to who would have sent him an anonymous letter. The heart led him to believe it was a woman. Did he have an admirer? If so, why would she ask to meet him behind the jail? And after dark?

Turning off the light, Nathan went upstairs. He sat down on his bed and examined the letter again. It was carefully printed and hard to tell whether it was written by a man, woman, or child. Refolding it, he placed it back in the envelope and put it on his nightstand before getting ready for bed.

As he lay down, his mind refused to settle. He closed his eyes, hoping he would be able to get some sleep tonight because he had a few visits to make tomorrow and needed some answers.