A/N Thank you for your patience, and I hope that I may be able to post weekly from here on out, or at least that is my goal. I'm still not 100%, and I am trying to bring a few of my others to completion, which will allow me to focus more on this one and a few others. Because of a bad fall, I had a few weeks ago, I may have torn my rotator cuff, so that may cause a delay. But for now, enjoy this chapter, and I will promise to try and consistently post regularly. Please be assured that I will NOT abandon a story and leave it unfinished.

Elizabeth ran to the Mercantile to pick up a few ingredients she needed for dinner and ran into Laura again.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Thornton.

"Hey Laura, I need to grab a few things before I head home.

"I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice, and it was so good. Do you have any others?"

"HMMM, Have you read Emma? It's about a young woman who fancies herself a matchmaker but is horrible at it. Sort of like Mrs. Coulter, but you didn't hear that from me. Stop by when you can, and I'll lend it to you."

"If it is all right, may I stop by when I get off in an hour? I'd like to see Baby Jack. He is such a cute baby." Laura asked.

"Sure, I'm going straight home after this. He would love that. You always were quite the reader."

"I love the women in these books because they are so strong and smart."

"That's why I love them so much, too," Elizabeth said. Laura, I remember you saying you wanted to go to college. What changed your mind?"

"I do want to go, or I mean, I did. But my Dad says college is only meant for city folks, not farmers like us."

"I don't think that's true. I think you can achieve whatever you want if you are willing to work for it."

"We don't have the money. Besides, my job really helps out, even though it's only part-time." Laura said.

"I understand, but you'll have to start thinking about your future at a certain point. Mrs. Thornton became a teacher and grew up similar to your situation. If ever there's anything I can do to help, please let me know because you were one of my brightest students."

"Thank you, Mrs. Thornton."

Elizabeth smiled once more and grabbed her items, and started for home. The situation with Laura weighed on her, and what she would do with her son once Charlotte left in a few days. Suddenly she got an idea and turned towards Abigail's office instead with an idea of how to fix both issues.

A short time later, she encountered an excited Rosemary halfway to her home. Rosemary was excited about something, and judging by the look in her eyes, and it probably didn't bode well for the person she was thinking of. It was the look she got whenever she was plotting something.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you will never guess the idea I had.

"Your right. I won't, so I won't even try," Elizabeth said. "I have to get home and get dinner started. Charlotte and I are having Nathan and Bill over for dinner tonight."

"Well, that's nice, though don't tell my mother because she will crash it if she knows Nathan will be there. I swear she has the biggest crush on him. That poor man is so reserved, and she loves nothing better than to make him blush with all her comments though she still maintains she is just looking out for your Mountie."

ROSEMARY!" Elizabeth said, raising her voice a bit in exasperation. "He is not my Mountie. Therefore, I have no interest or claim on him."

"That may be as of right now, but I can see it in your eyes that you want him to be. Why you practically light up like a Christmas tree when he is around."

"Oh, I do not."

"Do too!" Rosemary retorted back.

"I give up. Dare I ask what has you so excited.?"

"I've decided I'm going to give Faith and Carson the push they need to finally give in to the sparks that flow between them and allow themselves to love and be loved. "

"Really?" Elizabeth replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, really! Even Mother thinks they should be together."

"How do you propose getting them to go to dinner?"

"Don't worry; I have that all handled. I told Carson that Lee and I were having a dinner party tonight and that he was invited. I told him to be there at 6 pm and to wear something nice."

"Carson agreed to come?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, of course, he did. I mean, why wouldn't he? I'm one of the best cooks in Hope Valley, and it's a free meal. Then, of course, I invited Faith as well. And I'll let nature take it from there."

"So, neither of them knows about the other attending, and you think that getting them in the same room will magically what? Make them fall in love?" Elizabeth asked, chuckling as they approached their rowhouses.

"Nope! They didn't guess anything was up. Regarding your other comment, anything is possible when it comes to love. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare dinner for the two lovebirds. Once they see how wonderful Lee and I are, the two lovebirds won't be able to help themselves."

"Well, you have fun with that, and I wish you luck!" Elizabeth said before entering her own home." Elizabeth said, laughing as she walked in at the picture of Faith and Carson as they realized it was a setup.

COULTER ROWHOUSE

"Lee, fix your cuffs because our dinner party is about to start," Rosemary ordered after giving him a quick inspection.

"Rosie, you know what you call a party Faith and Carson might call an ambush."

"Only the most unromantic amongst us, which I know is not you. Now please, Lee, fix your cuffs. They will be arriving any minute."

Just as Lee finished rolling his sleeves down, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey, Carson," Lee said. "Come on in."

"Hey." Carson said, then looking around the empty living room, asked, "Am I early?"

"No, you're right on time," Lee replied, feeling awkward. "Can I, uh, fix you a drink, or- "

"No thanks, Lee. I'll wait for the others to get here."

"Ok. Well, it's a beautiful evening, isn't it?" Lee said, attempting small talk again to diffuse the awkwardness.

"it is," Carson said, realizing this was probably a setup.

"Dinner will be ready soon, Carson. May I say you look dashing this evening?"

"Thanks, Rosemary. I appreciate the invitation."

Suddenly the door rang again, but this time, Rosemary got there before Lee could. "I'll get that. I wonder who that could be?"

"Hopefully, the other guests," Carson mumbled as he looked at Lee. Lee looked back and mouthed, "Not my idea.

Carson stood beside Lee as Rosemary practically danced to the front door. Affecting an air of nonchalance, she opened it. "Faith. Hello. Won't you please come in?"

"Am I early?" Faith asked, looking around and expecting to see more people.

Looping an arm through hers, she replied and ushered into the room. "No, you're right on time.

"Well, here we all are," Lee said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He always hated it when Rosie corralled her in her matchmaking schemes. He sent apologetic looks to both Carson and Faith.

Carson and Faith looked at each feeling confused about what was happening. Sensing this and needing to cover her tracks, she added. "Well, Lee and I have found that we don't get a chance to visit with our guests with bigger parties. I hope you don't mind that it is just us. Mother decided to eat at the saloon tonight."

"It's fine,' Faith said, "Whatever you're cooking smells great."

"Why don't you help me in the kitchen?"

A short time later, they were seated at the table. "Mmm, this chicken is delicious."

"Well, thank you, Carson. Lee always says there's nothing like home cooking. Isn't that right, Lee?"

"Mmmhmm. Right. Nothing. Mmm." Lee said, stuffing his mouth to prevent him from having to join in the conversation, much to his wife's annoyance.

Rosemary just took it all in stride and, smiling, graciously said, "Every woman has their own family recipes. What are some of yours, Faith?"

"Oh, actually, I don't cook a lick. Sometimes I'll warm a can of beans or go out and grab a bite, but I usually open a can of beans. They're pretty nutritious, and you can't mess them up.

Rosemary was not about to fail in her mission and said, "Well, this woman certainly knows her nutrition.

"Yeah. Beans don't agree with me so much." Lee noted.

"It's funny that you should say "agree" because that is one of the things I love the most about being married." Rosemary with all the subtly of a bull in a China shop.

"What do you mean?" Faith asked.

"Why you always have someone who will agree with you, of course." Rosemary said with a chuckle.

"Even when you're wrong?" Carson teased.

"Oh, Carson, I'm never wrong." Rosemary chuckled. "Because Lee loves me so much, isn't that right, Lee?"

At that moment, Lee had been taking a sip of his wine and choked. He then replied. "That's right, yeah. I do.

But, you know, sometimes you do kind of... go in the wrong direction."

"But we always work it out," Rosemary said reassuringly, to the other's amusement, then added pointedly. "Don't we, Lee." He just took a spoonful of food and nodded.

MEANWHILE AT THE THORNTON ROWHOUSE

Elizabeth, Bill, Nathan, and Charlotte sat in her living room, having finished dinner and talking.

"I wonder how Rosemary's dinner with Carson and Faith is going," Elizabeth asked. "She is trying to get them together and is setting them up. She invited them both to dinner but neither knew it."

"I didn't even know they were interested," Bill said.

"I don't think they are, but apparently, she saw a spark or something that put a bee in her bonnet. They should be together," Elizabeth said. "She even said Sophia agreed, so I don't know if that is good or bad."

"If you think Rosemary is bad, her mother can take it to a whole other level," Charlotte said.

"Apparently, she is also an ardent admirer of our new Mountie." Elizabeth teased.

"Didn't she say you were so handsome it should be against the law or something along those lines?" Bill said teasingly.

Nathan blushed but didn't reply and tried changing the subject. "I'm still embarrassed by being thrown in jail. Gabe won't stop teasing me about it. I'm probably the only Mountie to get locked up before he even officially reported for duty."

They all laughed as they recalled the look on Bill's face when Nathan identified himself and Charlotte called him out right after.

Elizabeth took a sip of her tea. "Well, you aren't the one in this room who has been on the inside of one of Hope Valley's jail cells. Is he Bill?"

Nathan turned to Bill. "Is that so?"

"Long story. Not important." Bill muttered though he had a smirk as he said it. "Besides, after we solved that robbery so quickly, folks have completely forgotten about that and are singing your praises."

"That is a huge relief," Nathan said.

"I still can't believe that those two had it planned out. Where did they stash the money?" Charlotte asked.

"It was in the stagecoach the entire time under the seat cushions. We quickly devised a plan once we figured out it was an inside job. It was the most entertaining arrest I have ever made." Nathan said.

"I told them they would have to catch the train because the axle wouldn't be repaired for a few days. Then we just hid and waited for them to come looking."

"We had already removed the money by then. They came looking for it with the woman keeping watch. They were not happy once they realized it was gone."

"So Bill steps out and says, "Looking for this? He held up the money while I stepped out, guarding the other exit so they couldn't go anywhere.

"It was all over, but the shouting, after that."

"Boy was there shouting as they turned on each other." Nathan chuckled.

"You and your brilliant ideas," Bill said, mimicking the woman using a bit of falsetto.

Nathan joined in. "She's the one who messed with the bridge."

"Well, a gentleman would take all the blame, but oh no, not you," Bill replied, adding a bit of falsetto. By this time, all of them were laughing.

Nathan was finally able to control himself enough to say the best part was Bill's response. He told them the jail would allow them time to re-evaluate their relationship." That sent them all into a fit of laughter.

"I'm telling you, it was all I could do to keep a straight face as we looked at each other." Nathan chuckled.

A few minutes later, Elizabeth turned the conversation toward her new student. "Nathan, when will Allie be arriving?"

"Our household goods will be here in 5 days, so she should be here a few days after that. I want to have everything set up before she arrives. The train ride is only 5 hours, so my mother won't need much notice.

I also have her records for you since I had to pull her out of school. I can bring them by the school sometime tomorrow if you like. That will allow me to introduce you to my students formally." Elizabeth said with a smile. "Which reminds me, I have a request to make of you. You see, the students had a close bond with Jack and called him Mountie Jack, so would it be all right if they called you Mountie Nathan?"

"I'd be honored if they called me that. This is my first time being a Town Mountie, so if there's any way I can assist you or the children, please let me know." Nathan replied, making him even more attractive to Elizabeth. She groaned inwardly because she couldn't afford to even think about romancing the new Mountie, especially since he had a student in her class."

"Looking at his watch, he realized it was time for him to head back. "Elizabeth, Charlotte, thank you for the warm hospitality; dinner was delicious. I'm afraid I didn't sleep well last night being in a new place, and it is catching up to me."

"I'll walk back with you, Nathan. Charlotte, you still leaving the day after tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately," Elizabeth muttered. "But I have an idea of a permanent solution to my daycare woes. Sophia offered to watch him when necessary. I'm hoping I get a telegram back from a friend, which would allow Laura to work still but get her college degree through correspondence courses. I placed a call to my friend from Abigail's office, and she said she should be able to send me a reply within the next two days. I haven't spoken to Laura yet because I didn't want to get her hopes up."

"Well, I best be going, but I'll see you tomorrow, Elizabeth," Nathan said, and thanks again.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it." Elizabeth said, then realizing what she said quickly added. "To…. uh…see the records and introduce you to my students."

Bill and Charlotte exchanged knowing looks before he followed Nathan out.

"You know Sophie doesn't mean anything by her flirting, right?" Bill asked. "She has been that way as long as I have known her, but she fell in love with Alain at first sight. She misses him, and behind that flirty boisterous side is a heart of gold loyal but still longing for her first love."

"She doesn't bother me. I'm flattered, and I know she's kidding. I'm just not used to being noticed by anyone, especially the female variety." Nathan said.

"Well, you better get used to it because, from looks I've seen and the rumors floating around, you'll be garnering a lot from the single ladies in town. I imagine the foot traffic through our office will triple." Bill teased.

"Bill, the last thing I'm concerned with is female attention. I still have Allie and me to get settled into the rowhouse and her in school." Nathan said, rolling his eyes.

"That may be, but I'm telling it like it is. You should know that taking Allie in the way you did only sweetens the pot where they are concerned."

Before Nathan could say anything else, Bill was already heading in the opposite direction towards home.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER, AT THE COULTER'S

Carson and Faith were so glad that they could finally leave when the dinner was over. They waited until they were safely away from the rowhouse before they broke out into laughter and could finally talk about the evening.

"So that was... Something." Faith said, chuckling nervously.

"Yes, that was something all right." Carson chuckled.

"Carson, I want you to know I didn't know any of this," Faith assured him.

"I know Faith, and I want to assure you that neither did I. Though I probably should have suspected something when she invited me to a dinner party and to wear something nice."

"Same here. Her dinner parties are usually the talk of the town before they even happen. I've never known her to host last-minute parties." Faith said. "She sure drew us in, though, didn't she?"

"She did," Carson chuckled. "It's like we were caught in Rosemary's web."

Faith laughed, "And there was no escaping it."

"I mean, trying to set us up as a couple...That's one of the most ridiculous notions I have ever heard. I gave Rosemary more credit for being smarter." Carson laughed, not seeing that Faith had stopped smiling and seemed hurt."

"Yeah. Can you imagine? What was she thinking?" Faith said. "No offense, but I'm not interested in you like that. Not to mention we work together, and I don't want to ruin that."

"I feel the same way. I greatly respect you, but my only interest in you is as a friend." Carson explained. "Especially since we work so closely together, as you pointed out."

"From now on, if we get any other invitations from Rosemary, which I know we will, we will just make sure the other one knows."

"That's a good idea because I have a feeling Rosemary is not going to give up so easily." Carson agreed. "I certainly don't want a repeat of it."

Reaching town, Faith quickly excused herself and headed towards her apartment above the dress shop. Carson watched her go a bit confused by the abruptness but went on to his own apartment above the infirmary, sure that he must have misconstrued her body language.

THORNTON ROWHOUSE

Elizabeth walked back and forth, singing to Jack while Charlotte cleaned up downstairs. "And if that mockingbird won't sing, Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring, And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Mama's going to buy you a looking glass."

His eyes fluttered closed as she sang the last word, and she breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he was ready to go down. She continued moving for a few minutes more to be sure before attempting to try and put him down. Thankfully he was truly asleep, and she quietly turned to find Charlotte standing in the doorway with a soft smile.

"Oh, you startled me," Elizabeth whispered, moving into the hallway with Charlotte after cracking the door of Jack's room.

"Sorry about that. I just loved watching the two of you. I'm sure going to miss you both when I head back home the day after tomorrow." Charlotte said as they headed back downstairs for a last cup of tea.

"Not as much as we will miss you, Charlotte. I don't think I would have gotten through everything if you hadn't been here. I worry. I don't know what I'm doing with him."

"Lizzie, from what I have seen, you are a natural. You are doing a wonderful job with your son.

"I don't know. If you saw how much I struggled before you arrived. You probably wouldn't think that.

I feel like I need to provide my son with some stability in his life, but without Jack here, I don't know if I can."

"You can and you will. If there's one thing I know, a good mother always figures out what's best for her child. Then moves heaven and Earth to get it done."

"Charlotte, do you think I'm a good mother?" Elizabeth asked. Charlotte saw her vulnerability and insecurities reflected in Elizabeth's eyes and the unshed tears.

"No, I don't, Lizzie. Both Abigail and I think you're a great mother. I couldn't have asked for a better wife or mother for my son and grandson. I'm very proud of you, Elizabeth Thornton, and you should be too."

Elizabeth hugged Charlotte tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm only a phone call away, Lizzie," Charlotte assured. "Now, let's get some sleep."