As Nathan sat in his office and thought of his early days in Hope Valley, he had to smile fondly. It was certainly an auspicious beginning, and he and Bill had come a long way since that day. He began to reflect on the progression of their friendship. He chuckled as he recalled the day Bill threw him in jail his first night. But they enjoyed working together and made a great team. They solved that stagecoach robbery shortly after he started his first day as the Constable of Hope Valley. They both fought over the desk in the jail and who did what. It became a running joke between them.

Nathan didn't know where he would be without Bill. Neither of them ever had to go into much detail when working on investigations together because they had a unique way of communicating that didn't require a lot of words. Bill tended to get straight to the point, which suited Nathan perfectly. However, Bill did poke and pry when he thought something was wrong and wouldn't stop pestering someone until they broke and spilled their guts.

He never beat around the bush either, but with certain people, he could be compassionate when needed. Not to mention, Elizabeth and Jack were like his daughter and grandson, and he watched over them like a hawk. In short, Bill Avery was someone you wanted in your corner and not against you. He hadn't met Jack Thornton's widow until a few days later. He had to get his home situated as he had been expecting his niece soon after his arrival.

Chuckling to himself, Nathan recalled Allie's first day when she skipped school and went fishing instead. Elizabeth had very nicely helped him track her down and remained hidden. When Allie tried to lie her way out then, Elizabeth came in and stood by as he told Allie she was busted. He recalled smelling the subtle hint of lavender and lilies clung to her. It had made it hard for him to focus on reprimanding Allie. All his senses were keenly aware of her standing just behind him. After that, Nathan made a point of walking her to school, standing by until school started to prevent a repeat performance.

Nathan couldn't help but smile a bit at himself because it wasn't long before it was also so he could see Elizabeth. Allie is a good kid, very intelligent, with an eager love of learning. But that had been squashed somewhat the more the other teachers discouraged her from asking questions. During the conference, he remembered that he had almost walked out when she began, sure that she would focus on what Allie did wrong and nothing else. He had been about to walk out. But she surprised him when she offered to work with him, acknowledging the constraints of Mountie life.

Then to his surprise, she quickly dealt with the offense but then moved on to get to the heart of the problem, which was that she was anxious about making new friends. None of her other teachers had ever reached out as Elizabeth had. There had been a few that had romantic intentions and tried to use Allie to get closer to him, but he knew that Elizabeth was genuinely on Allie's wellbeing. It was evident that she cared for her and sought to ease Allie's discomfort. She did that quickly by acknowledging that her feelings were valid, then reduced them by revealing that two of the kids already liked her.

Elizabeth had even gone as far as to quote his favorite poet, who wrote one about friendship. When she did that, he knew he was in danger of falling in love for the first time. He was over the moon that someone had finally seen Allie for who she was underneath, not the tough exterior she hid behind.

After that, Elizabeth began to engage her more and more in the classroom, using her to help the other children who struggled. He would often come upon the two of them sitting on the steps having a deep discussion in literature or working out a complex math problem. Elizabeth discovered that she was advanced in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. She had done what no one else was able to. Through time and patience, Elizabeth managed to bring his niece out of her shell and reengage her love of learning.

Then they had another parent-teacher conference when Allie struggled to work as a team with other students. She had approached him to find out what could be an underlying issue instead of going straight to she was being disrespectful. She asked about Colleen, and their family life, realizing that Allie was protecting herself from being hurt again by keeping the children at a distance. Elizabeth won his heart when she said Allie was a bright girl, and she had no intention of giving up on her and wanted to make sure she felt valued in her class. She even encouraged him by telling him to keep doing what he was doing because he was doing a good job.

Even though it didn't work out the way he had hoped, all their hard work with Allie paid off even after they moved. Allie hadn't lost her ability to make friends, she was very engaged in school, and she didn't retreat to her pre-Hope Valley persona. It helped, too, that Elizabeth communicated with them regularly, and they still saw their friends when possible. On the heels of that thought, he looked up at the knock on his door and saw his friend and mentor, Judge Avery.

"Everything okay, Nathan? You seemed a million miles away just now."

"I'm fine, Bill. I was reminiscing a little about our early days and how far we came."

"Oh, you mean when I arrested you and locked you up? I remember I told you to leave law and order to me?"

"Yeah, I don't know who felt worse when I told you I was the new Mountie, you or Jessie." The two men laughed as they pictured that moment in their heads.

Grabbing his hat, he walked over and said, "I went ahead and cleared the rest of the day so we could catch up. I warn you that Allie will be chomping at the bit to see you when she gets home. She had a sleepover last night."

"I can't wait to see her either. I miss that kid more than I can say. I remember the first time she walked into the office and introduced herself. I think she called me Bill the Sheriff and said you told her I had been sort of nice to you."

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten all about that."

"Lots of kids are a little intimidated by me, but when I told her that she could call me sir, she just said your funny."

"That sounds like her. I left Newton at home today and brought the car instead." Nathan said, leading him over to a car similar to Lee's. They pulled into the driveway of Nathan's home. Bill couldn't get over how different it was than he had expected. Though he had seen Nathan a few times, this was the first time he had seen their house.

"Wow, Nathan, this is a nice home you have here. It reminds me of Hope Valley, situated as it is on the outskirts of town."

"Thanks, Bill; Allie and I certainly like it. It's pretty big, I have to admit, but we have a stream to go fishing in, space to walk, and we even have a place for Newton and Anne. There is a cottage out back where the caretaker and his wife stay. When I have had to go out of town, they come and stay in the house with Allie. Then two ladies come and help with the cleaning as needed. But for the most part, it is just Allie and I the rest of the time."

Bill let a whistle as they walked in the door. "Well, you certainly have moved up in the world."

"Oh, not me; this belongs to an old Mountie Inspector I had worked with on a few occasions as a Constable."

"Patrick knew him as well and arranged this for us to stay. Come on, let me show you where you'll be sleeping. What time do you have to leave tomorrow?"

"I'll wait and go back with Elizabeth and the others. She's a bit nervous about the reading and the presentation dinner for the foundation. She asked me to attend and lend my support. I'm also part of it, so it's probably a good idea. You do have a tuxedo, don't you, Nathan?"

"Yeah, I've only worn it twice since I became an Inspector, but I don't think it will fit you."

"I'm sure it won't, but I brought mine, see?" Bill said, holding up a suit bag.

"Then why are you asking about my tuxedo then? Nathan asked, confused by his question. Before Bill could reply, the phone rang. Leaving Bill to get settled in, Nathan went to answer the phone.

"Hello, Grant residence!"

"Nathan, how are you?" Elizabeth asked, sounding happy to talk to him.

"I'm great, Elizabeth; I was just showing Bill his room."

"Oh good, I'm glad Bill made it safely. Nathan, part of why I'm calling you is because I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, is everything all right, Lizbeth?"

"Yes, in fact, I have a surprise for Allie. I've arranged for Opal, Emily, and Anna to travel with us and spend time with Allie. We will be staying at the hotel, but I thought maybe they could get together when we weren't busy."

"Allie will be thrilled when she sees all of you. I won't say a word. Is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"Uh, no, it wasn't. Um, Nathan," Elizabeth was beginning to feel a bad case of the nerves set in as she struggled to get her question out.

"What is it, Lizbeth?"

Steeling her courage, she said, "Well, I wanted to ask if you would be my escort for the presentation dinner. I know Bill would be there along with Lee and Rosemary, but I would like you to join us as my guest?"

Nathan sat in silence for a moment, shocked and thrilled at her invitation. He was so caught up in the emotions that it took him a moment to realize he hadn't answered her.

"Nathan, are you there? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. You probably have other things that you want." Before she could finish her sentence, Nathan interrupted, wanting to reassure her.

"I would love to go with you, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, I just got distracted for a moment."

"Are you sure, Nathan, because I would understand if?" Nathan interrupted again before she could finish.

"I would be honored to escort you to the dinner, Lizbeth. I promise you that I would like nothing better.

"That makes me so happy."

"Well, I'm glad, and I can't wait to see all of you." Seeing an opportunity, Nathan thought of an idea but wasn't sure if he should mention it. It only took a moment for him to decide. "I have an idea, but I'm unsure how you would feel."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Well, I have a huge house with six bedrooms, and with Bill, the Coulters, and all the kids here too, why don't all of you stay with Allie and me instead of a hotel? With all the people in the same house, there's plenty of chaperones so that it wouldn't be improper."

Elizabeth thought about it for a moment and decided to take a leap of faith. It would give them more opportunity to talk, the kids could spend more time visiting, and she didn't relish Jack being confined to a hotel room suite. "Are you sure about that, Nathan? I wouldn't want to put you out by all of us descending on you like that."

"I'm positive that you are welcome to come and stay. There is more than enough room here for all of you."

"Let me just check with Rosemary real quick."

He could hear her mumbling, followed by loud exclamations of "Are you kidding? Of course, we would."

Elizabeth returned to the phone laughing at Rosemary's reaction, and said, "I guess you're going to have a full house for the next few days, Nathan. Jack will be beside himself when I tell him. But there's just one condition."

"Oh? What would that be? You know you can always trust a Mountie?" Nathan teased.

Elizabeth laughed and said, "I do trust you, but I insist that while we are there, Rosemary and I help out with cooking."

"I'll gladly take you up on that offer, Elizabeth, and thank Rosemary for me."

"I will be sure to pass them along."

"What time do you get in? Bill and I can meet you at the station. I'll ask Patrick if I can borrow his car, so we have room for everyone. I'll bring Allie too so you can reveal the surprise."

"That all sounds wonderful. We will be arriving at noon tomorrow. I can't wait to see you, Nathan." Elizabeth said softly before quickly adding, "Allie too, of course. Goodbye!"

"I can't wait either," Nathan said before hanging up.

Nathan felt like he was in a dream and just sat there reliving their conversation. Bill found him sitting on the arm of the chair in the library, looking dazed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan didn't respond, so he called out again. "Hey, Nathan!" when Bill still didn't get a response, he touched Nathan's arm and finally got a response.

"Oh, hey, Bill."

"Hey, Nathan," Bill said, looking amused.

"How long have you been standing there?" Nathan asked, still looking a little dazed.

"Not long, Nathan, but you seem a bit preoccupied just now. What gives?"

"That was Elizabeth on the phone just now. She wants me to accompany her to the presentation dinner as her guest."

"Well, that explains everything. Elizabeth told me what I had thought about her asking you. She was worried that you might feel a bit uncomfortable about it." Bill said.

"Well, I'm not uncomfortable in the least. I also suggested that since I had plenty of room and plenty of chaperones. I mentioned to her that they stay here with us too."

Bill brightened and said, "Really? How did Elizabeth respond?"

"After talking it over with Rosemary, she said yes with the caveat that they help with the cooking while they are here. Their train arrives at noon, so I'll talk to Patrick about borrowing his car to pick them up and bring them here."

"That's great; I imagine Allie will be thrilled about that. Speaking of which, we should get dinner going before Allie comes home."

"Sounds great, Bill; let me show you our kitchen," Nathan said, unable to stop smiling. He needed to calm down, though, or Allie would suspect something. So, he forced himself to focus and worked with Bill, talking about the case as they prepared dinner.