As Bill reached his office, his phone was ringing. Nathan and Gabe had gone to grab some coffee and sandwiches to eat while the three of them worked out the prisoner transfers.

"Judge Avery's office," Bill growled.

"Bill, as you begin processing your prisoners, I wanted to discuss something with you. I wanted to speak on their behalf and say I was treated well, considering I was held against my will. They tried to keep me comfortable and told me I would be let go as soon as the shipment was on its way out of Hope Valley. Well, maybe not the one trying to use me as a hostage. But the two men that stayed with Lucas and me the entire time." Elizabeth said.

He was shaking his head in disbelief as Gabe and Nathan walked in. They wondered what had him so frustrated, but it didn't take long to find out.

"Elizabeth, you do realize that they kidnapped you, held you against your will, and are criminals who are…." Bill said, but apparently, she interrupted him.

"Are you sure you want to pursue a relationship?" Gabe teased.

"Absolutely," Nathan replied with a grin.

Bill's look of exasperation was telling, and the guys started chuckling as they took a seat to enjoy the show.

"I know, Elizabeth. However, they are guilty of other crimes." He paused momentarily to take a deep breath before asking in exasperation. "So, what do you want from me?" He leaned back in his chair, waiting for her answer before her response had him suddenly sitting up again.

"You just want how they treated you to be considered even though they didn't let you loose long enough to hit Lucas?"

As Bill covered his face with his palm Nathan and Gabe laughed. "Who is laughing?" Bill smirked as he looked at the two men enjoying themselves at his expense. "That would be Nathan and Gabe."

"Well, I don't know what they find funny, Elizabeth. Perhaps you should ask them. Would you like to talk to Nathan?" Bill offered, smirking at the panicked look in Nathan's eyes. Elizabeth had already disconnected the call after telling him what she wanted, but Bill couldn't resist getting a small payback by teasing him.

"Relax, Nathan, she had already hung up before you both started laughing," Bill smirked. "Now, gentleman, what are we going to do with the current residents of the Hope Valley Jail? We are over capacity by two or three if you count Bouchard."

"I guess we need to call Patrick and see what he thinks," Nathan said. "I would say that we call for prisoner transport and send them to Union City. Gabe can't stay indefinitely, and since someone keeps running off their Mounties, there's no way to guard them all adequately here in Hope Valley. We also need to discuss Lucas and his role in everything with Headquarters. While in some ways it was funny, it could have ended badly, and I'm not convinced he is done with Elizabeth and poses a danger to her."

"I would have to agree with Nathan on this one, especially about Elizabeth," Gabe said.

"I know and have to concur. However, I need to try and at least be the Judge to oversee the trial of Elizabeth's would-be heroes," Bill said, rolling his eyes.

"As for Lucas, I think when I call William Thatcher about what happened, I will let slip Lucas' part in putting his daughter in danger. Something tells me that Lucas will be hearing from him." Bill said.

"Nathan, why don't you let me and Bill handle the official business while you handle overdue private business," Gabe suggested. "I know I am not an Inspector, but there are only two phones, and it doesn't take three of us to arrange a prisoner transport and the judicial issues."

Nathan just grinned and said, "Sounds like a good plan to me." He headed for the door and called over his shoulder as he exited, "Oh, thank you for the clues about A. J. Grant, Bill."

His first stop was mercantile for some flowers, and his next stop was to his car to grab the book Bill had given him with the clues until finally, he was heading towards Elizabeth's.

He ran into Faith on her way back from Elizabeth's and stopped to say hello. "Rosemary told me to let you know that Jack is napping at her house, and you'll have no interruptions," Faith said.

"How is her hand?" Nathan asked.

"Swollen and red, but it will be good in a few days. She needs to keep icing it for the next 24 hours or so. Well, I'll let you get on your way, Nathan." Faith said as she walked away. She hadn't taken many steps before turning to call out to him. "By the way, Carson and I are happy you two finally figured it out."

"Thanks, Faith," Nathan said with a grin as he and Faith continued to their destinations. He heard a tapping as he passed in front of Rosemary's house and looked around. He smiled and waved as she tapped her window again and gave an exuberant thumbs-up! Chuckling to himself, Nathan walked up the steps to Elizabeth's and knocked on the door holding the book up where she could see it as soon as she opened it.

Elizabeth had just made her tea when she heard the knock, and figuring it was probably Faith or Rosemary, Elizabeth called out, "Come in,"

Upon hearing her call out, Nathan opened the door and walked in. As it registered to Elizabeth that it was Nathan, she also realized he was smirking as he held up a copy of Single Mother on the Frontier.

Her heart pounded in her chest as he said, "Hello, Lizbeth, or do you prefer A. J. Grant,"

Still in shock, the cup she had in her hand fell to the floor, breaking as she stood frozen. Nathan sprang into action just as the crash of the cup hitting the floor jolted her out of her stupor.

"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" Nathan asked, reaching for her hands, concern replacing the smirk.

The moment they touched, as he enfolded her hands into his looking for injuries, the familiar sparks flew, sending their hearts racing and butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

The forgotten teacup lay shattered on the floor as their eyes locked. "How did you find out?" Elizabeth asked softly, her voice shaky as her mind raced over possible scenarios and implications.

Nathan smirked, "I'd like to say that I figured it out on my own but to be honest, it was Bill." He let go of one of her hands to grab the book he had set on the table. After handing it to her, he bent down, quickly picked up the shards of the cup, carried them over to the bin, and mopped up the spill as Elizabeth began to thumb through it.

She plopped down on the settee in shock after she saw what Bill had annotated throughout the book. She had reached his message in the back when she felt him return to the living room. Nathan sat beside her, took one of her hands, and asked, "Why didn't you tell me how you felt?"

"I could say the same about you, Inspector," Elizabeth teased, needing time to calm herself before answering.

Nathan smiled sheepishly as he looked down at their hands. "I guess you can." There was so much that needed to be said, but both were having a hard time being vulnerable and the first to bare their hearts.

"Elizabeth, I know we have things to discuss, but in my mind, the most important thing is that…." Nathan took a deep breath, gathering his courage as the memory of her kiss entered his mind, and then, with a smirk, said. "I love you, and after that kiss and your words earlier, I know that you love me too, so let's start with that."

Elizabeth grinned and, with a sigh of relief, said, "That sounds good to me,"

Nathan cupped her cheek gently and leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss. The kiss quickly deepened as Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, igniting the passion that had begun simmering since the first day she arrived in Union City.

A few minutes later, Nathan pulled back to look at Elizabeth to gauge her reaction and smiled. She had her eyes closed, and her dreamy expression that made him rejoice. Being assured of her feelings for him, he mustered up the courage to finally lay it all on the table and reach for what he had only dreamed of.

"Lizbeth, may I court you?" Nathan rasped. "I know that we have logistical things to deal with, but for now, can we begin with that?"

Her eyes opened though she still looked dazed. He could see that passion that his kisses stirred was still evident in them.

"Yes," She replied with a soft smile. "Nothing would make me happier, Nathan." Then she drew his lips to hers once again. They pulled back once again and snuggled together on the settee, happy to finally be together and their feelings spoken and reciprocated.

"I brought you flowers," Nathan said, motioning toward the bouquet on the table.

"They are beautiful, and I will put them in water, but for now, I just want to enjoy being in your arms," Elizabeth explained, worried that he might think she didn't appreciate them. "Is that okay?" she asked with a contented sigh.

"More than okay because I don't want you to move either," Nathan chuckled, kissing her head as he caressed her knuckles with his thumbs. "So, A. J. Grant?"

Elizabeth could feel the heat coming to her cheeks as she answered. "I know it's not very original, but I wanted to honor the three of you while maintaining anonymity. I'm sure now that you have read single mother, you can see my feelings are revealed. It was you who gave me the idea of what to choose for a pseudonym."

"Me?" Nathan asked, looking down at her.

Elizabeth nodded. "That day, you asked me what was in my heart," Elizabeth explained. "When I decided to continue writing, I recalled your words once again, and I realized, given I was writing mysteries, that my three favorite Mounties were what was in my heart which is Bill, Jack, and you. Obviously, Bill is like a father to me; Jack was my first and treasured love, but you, Nathan, are my lifetime love."

Nathan's heart rejoiced at her words. "Oh, Lizbeth, you are my lifetime and only love. I feel honored to be included with Bill and Jack as one of your favorite Mounties." Overcome with the emotions their words created; their lips met in an explosive kiss as they strove to be as close as possible. Feeling their control slipping, they pulled back to catch their breath and put a bit of distance between them.

"Wow!" Elizabeth rasped, trying to catch her breath.

"I can't tell you how many times I have dreamed of kissing you," Nathan said huskily, eyes smoldering.

"Maybe we should take a walk and continue our discussion?" Elizabeth said.

"That might be a good idea," Nathan agreed. Elizabeth quickly put the flowers in a vase, setting them on her table before they headed for the pond. Recalling Lucas taking credit for being her inspiration, she wanted to ensure Nathan knew the truth.

"Nathan, I want to clarify something with you about my writing. Jack was the first to inspire me and where my A J Grant books originated. When he passed, I thought I would never feel inspired again. But that day at the pond, you reignited it by asking me what was in my heart. So many things slipped into place that day as I pondered your words. You took my breath away as you Mounted Newton, but you stole my heart when you waved to Jack and acknowledged him like you always did. Actually, it would be more correct to say you won both our hearts that day, and though Lucas believes otherwise, you were my inspiration to write Single Mother on the Frontier.

Arriving at the pond, they sat on one of the benches Lee had built at the town's request since it had become a popular spot for people to gather. Nathan looked around and saw two picnic tables nearby as well.

"It's nice out here with the benches and the tables," Nathan said.

"It's become a good family spot and sometimes couples, so the town commissioned Lee to build them to encourage families to come," Elizabeth said.

"Speaking of families, I should let Allie know everything is all right," Nathan said.

"Oh, that's right, she is still at the O'Reilly's," Elizabeth said. Thinking for a moment, Elizabeth pushed forward, "Nathan, now that we are officially courting, do you have any vacation time?"

"I do, actually," Nathan grinned, suddenly having an idea where Elizabeth was going with her questioning.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we can bring Allie here, and the two of you could spend time here in Hope Valley as we begin our courtship."

Nathan smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling, "I think Allie would enjoy coming here and will be even more excited to find out we are courting."

"I can't believe that we are finally together on the same path," Elizabeth exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a quick embrace.

Pulling her closer, he murmured, "I finally feel whole again, Lizbeth."

"Me too, Nathan," She answered, kissing him on the cheek before laying her head on his chest and snuggling closer.