Faith sat at her desk in the Infirmary, tidying up paperwork and updating patient files. She was on her own, which was good, she thought; no one was so sick they needed attention. She glanced at the clock and realised the time had gotten away from her; she was meeting Joshua for dinner. Smiling as she always did when she thought of him, she quickly cleaned up her desk and checked her appearance. Tidying her hair and reapplying a light coating of lipstick, she locked up and headed for the Saloon.

As she entered the Saloon, she couldn't see Joshua anywhere. She looked around, her brow furrowing; it was so unlike him to be late.

"Faith," Lucas called. "I have a note for you from Joshua," he explained as he held out an envelope to her. Lucas had been happy to help Joshua with his plans to surprise Faith and launch his own surprise. He had been creating a private dining area in the Saloon near his office. The space was versatile; it could seat a small group of people, or in this case, two, in a romantic setting. Faith and Joshua would be the first to use the new location before he made it available to others.

Faith smiled at Lucas as she took the note; disappointment set in as she expected the message to let her know Joshua couldn't make their dinner date. She quickly scanned the contents and looked at Lucas in confusion.

"This note asks me to go to the private dining area here in the Saloon?"

"Yes," Lucas said, smiling at her look of confusion. "If you follow me, I will take you there."

Still frowning, Faith followed Lucas, wondering where on earth he was leading her. As they crossed the room, she noticed a sign on a door on the far wall, 'Reserved, Private Party." The sign was definitely new. Faith guessed she had seen the door before but had never wondered where it led.

"Lucas, what is this? What's behind the door?"

"Exactly what it says, a private dining area reserved for tonight. For you." As Lucas spoke, he opened the door to allow Faith to enter.

As Faith looked past Lucas, her eyes widened; she could see a table set for two, the fresh Dahlia's in the vase providing a wonderful perfume. Candles on the tables and spread around the room cast a delicate, warm light over everything. Soft music playing in the background completed the romantic mood. Joshua was standing just inside the doorway, smiling at her. Her breath caught in her throat; everything looked so beautiful, but most extraordinary was the look in Joshua's eyes.

Faith slowly walked into the room, mesmerised by Joshua. She had already forgotten Lucas, standing in the doorway, and everything else melted away.

Joshua stepped forward and took Faith's hand, leading her further into the room. He smiled and nodded to Lucas, who returned the smile before closing the door and leaving them alone.

"Joshua, what is all this?" Faith asked, curious. "I didn't even know this room was here."

"It wasn't. It's new. Lucas was kind enough to let us be the first to use it."

"It's beautiful," Faith whispered, looking around again. The room was spacious, with sideboards holding glasses and plate settings, a love seat in the corner and a cosy fireplace.

"Not as beautiful as you. Nothing is as beautiful as you." Joshua whispered, taking her in his arms and kissing her softly.

Faith leaned into Joshua as she felt his lips on hers. She slid her arms up his chest and around his neck, holding him close. She was so glad she had let her guard down and allowed Joshua in; if she hadn't, she knew she would have missed her greatest love and the man who loved her for herself, the man who completed her. When they broke their kiss, she was content to stand, head resting on his chest, feeling his solid presence, listening for his heartbeat beneath her ear.

"Come," Joshua said, gently breaking their embrace, sliding one arm around her as he led her to the Table. Pulling out her chair and helping her into her seat he said, "I hope you're hungry; I may have over-ordered. I wanted to make sure you had everything you could possibly want to eat."

"I'm starving!" Faith admitted. "I am sure what you ordered is perfect, and as long as there's a dessert, I will be a happy woman."

They ate their meal and talked about their days, each one revealing what they could without breaching confidences. Joshua's eyes sparkled when he told her about receiving good news that afternoon, information he couldn't share with her just yet but hoped to soon.

"Well, now I am intrigued," Faith exclaimed. "I can't wait..."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and they looked over to see Lucas wheeling a food cart inside. The meal had been delicious, but, if possible, the dessert looked like it would be even better.

"I understand why you said you over-ordered, Joshua. Who is going to eat all of this?" Faith was astonished at the wide selection. One plate held Ice-cream, another pineapple upside-down cake, a third a selection of cheese and fruit and lastly, Chocolate cake.

"We don't have to eat it all, just a sample of each." Joshua smiled at Faith, pleased to see her smiling too. He hoped she was looking forward to trying the dessert because he wasn't. He loved dessert, and everything looked incredible, but he didn't think he could swallow a thing. It was time. He had planned the whole evening perfectly, selecting each dish carefully; he had planned the music, place settings, flowers, and wine.

The ring.

He was nervous about what her answer would be and if she would like the ring he had designed. It wasn't a traditional engagement ring; the diamonds and sapphires were set deep into the gold band, ensuring no raised edges could interfere with her work. All that remained was to get the ring out of his pocket, ask her the question and hope she said yes.

"I guess we should start with the ice cream," Faith suggested, "before it melts."

Joshua didn't respond to Faith; he just slid the ice cream dish toward her. Joshua held his breath as Faith dipped her spoon into the frozen Strawberry dessert, smiling when he heard her spoon clink on the hidden item.

Faith frowned; it felt like her spoon had hit something hard in the ice cream, something which shouldn't be there; it should be smooth and creamy. She paused and looked up at Joshua, ready to tell him about the object in her dessert, but the look in his eyes stopped her.

"Is something wrong with your dessert, Faith?" Joshua asked, his voice amused.

"No, of course not," Faith said, not wanting to ruin his lovely dessert surprise. Gently moving her spoon around, she held his gaze, trying to distract him from her bowl, wanting to confirm if something was in it. Her spoon connected once again with something solid; there was something in there that shouldn't be. Using her spoon, she scooped up the item and looked closely.

"Oh," Faith gasped. It was a ring. Her wide eyes flicked to Joshua, who was staring at her, his expression unreadable.

"Joshua, do you know anything about this?"

"Yes," Joshua responded softly, looking at her with a small smile. "I arranged for Lucas to put it there, but I didn't think it through; it's all sticky."

Faith looked at the ring on her spoon and the man sitting opposite her. She always wondered how she would feel at this moment; amused was never an emotion she considered. Laughter bubbled up in her throat and burst out of her as she imagined Joshua sliding the sticky ring onto her finger.

"Laughter wasn't what I was hoping for right now," Joshua admitted as he started laughing too.

Faith and Joshua stood up and began walking toward each other, meeting in the middle of the room. Joshua took the ring from the spoon Faith still held and dropped it into his water glass. Joshua wrapped his arm around Faith as they both stared at the ring as it emerged from the ice cream coating.

"Faith, this was not how I saw this playing out when I planned this, but the sentiment is the same." Joshua kissed her temple and said, "I love you; I can't imagine my life without you."

"I love you too," Faith whispered, looking up at him. "I can't imagine my life without you either."

"Marry me, Faith, build a life with me, raise our family, grow old together."

"Yes," Faith said without hesitation, surprising herself. She had been so frightened of allowing herself to be with Joshua, but now she knew she wanted to spend every moment with him.

Joshua dipped his hand into the water glass extracting the now shining ring. After using his handkerchief to dry it, he took her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

Faith looked at her hand; the ring was stunning.

"Is the ring okay, Faith?"

"No, it's not okay; it's perfect."

He was leaving today; Fiona sighed as she thought about it for the hundredth time. Lee was driving him and his luggage to the train station. Rosemary had made sure she knew he was travelling on the 1:00 pm train. Fiona thanked her for the information, planning to forget all about it. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened. Fiona had spent a restless night, tossing and turning, unable to stop thinking about Adam, wondering what it would feel like when he left.

She eventually gave up trying to sleep and crept into the living room. Why was she hesitating? Her imagination ran wild as she sat in the dark living room, imagining many different scenarios. She imagined letting Adam leave Coal Valley and never seeing him again, and her heart felt heavy. She imagined him tiring of waiting for her and finding someone else. She still loved him, and he said he loved her.

Adam hadn't slighted her; he hadn't known how she felt about him when he began dating Anna. If he were to be believed, he hadn't realised how he felt about her. Did she believe him?

Fiona dropped her head into her hands; what was she go

ing to do?

After Faith shared the news of her engagement, they talked into the night, and Fiona finally opened up about her history with Adam. Fiona knew her friend understood how she was feeling. Obviously, she was still in love with him but too scared to act on it. Fiona was determined to let him leave Coal Valley without another meeting between them. Faith had attempted to talk her into seeing Adam before he left Town, but ultimately, she knew it had to be Fiona's decision.

Sighing, she stood, preparing to start the day, the day Adam would leave Hope Valley.

Fiona studied Nathan as she wiped the last of the shaving cream from his chin and adjusted the chair, ready to cut his hair.

"So, when will you tell me the message Quinn sent you to give me?"

"Quinn didn't send me Fiona," Nathan said, frowning. Quinn had shared her concerns regarding her friend, but she hadn't asked him to talk to Fiona.

"Nathan, it's been forever since you asked for a shave, and Quinn gave your hair a trim the last time," Fiona said with a smile. She didn't really mind her friend looking out for her, and she enjoyed teasing Nathan.

"Really, Fiona. Quinn didn't send me here, I had time spare, and Quinn has been busy with the twins, Allie and Isobel Manning's case."

"Well, whatever the reason, you are overdue for a haircut." Fiona ran her comb through Nathan's hair, assessing what needed to be done.

"That's for sure, so thank you for fitting me in." Nathan smiled at Fiona as she started to cut his hair and said in a rush, "I wasn't sure if you would be available. I thought you might have been catching up with Adam."

Fiona stopped cutting, her hands frozen in mid-air above his head; she looked at him, a horrified expression on her face.

"Why would you think I would be seeing Adam? There is nothing between us; he is an old family friend." Fiona watched Nathan's face as she spoke; he didn't react to her words, just watched her impassively. "Quinn told you, didn't she?"

"She did, but only because I asked her after seeing your reaction to him. I knew there was more than you were telling me." Nathan spun the chair around and looked at her before continuing, "You're in love with him."

"Yes," she said and burst into tears.

Nathan's eyes went wide; this was the last reaction he expected from Fiona. Anger, maybe, annoyance that he brought Adam up to her, but not tears; he really wished his wife were here and that he hadn't said anything to her.

Nathan stood and put a hand on Fiona's shoulder as he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief, handing it to her and taking the scissors.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Fiona," Nathan grinned, "especially not when you were holding scissors." Nathan was pleased when Fiona gave him a watery smile.

Fiona wiped her tears away and said, "I am in love with him, and I don't know what to do about it. He says he loves me, but what does that mean? If we did decide to be together, what would people think? Where would we live? Would I need to leave Hope Valley?"

"Fiona, those are excellent questions, but you won't get the answer to any of them if you don't talk to him." Nathan prodded.

"He said he would wait as long as I needed," Fiona whispered.

"I'm sure he did, and I'm sure he meant it, but …Fiona," Nathan paused, waiting until she caught his eye, 'Why wait?" Nathan said, "If you love him and can make each other happy, why not now?"

Fiona blinked; Nathan was right; what was she waiting for?

"How much do you want your hair cut today?"

"Not as much as I want to see you chase after Adam Hillman," Nathan laughed.

"Oh, how will I get to the station? Lee has already left to go and get Adam." Fiona asked, smoothing her hair down in the mirror.

"It just so happens I brought the car back to town after my rounds; I felt it might be needed."

"Can I drive?" Fiona asked, not surprised when Nathan shook his head emphatically.

"I think it's best I drive," Nathan said in mock horror. "Let's go!"

Adam tried not to feel disappointed as he carried his last bag to Lee's car. He settled into the car's front seat and focused on directing his conversation with Lee to their business dealings. Lee's sympathetic smile had been the final sign to him that Fiona wouldn't be coming.

"You know we can still do business, although I won't be in Hope Valley," Adam assured him.

"I know; But I was looking forward to you sticking around. We work well together." Lee meant every word. He and Adam had hit it off instantly when they met; they had the same philosophy about business, community and giving back to those who needed it. Lee wished he and Fiona had been able to work it out. He knew Adam had come to Hope Valley for her, with business as the secondary reason.

Adam sighed; he had been looking forward to doing whatever it took to be with Fiona. He could do his business from anywhere and had no real need to be anywhere else. With the telephone and motor cars becoming the norm, the world they lived in was becoming smaller and visiting distant locations much easier.

"Don't give up on her," Lee said, "When Rosemary and I first met, she wasn't interested in a relationship."

"I promised her as much time as she needed, and I meant it. She's the one for me. I can't believe I didn't see it before." Adam blew out a frustrated breath; how had he been so blind? "I think it was because I was too close to her; I didn't see her." Adam smiled, "I can't see anyone else now."

Lee drove toward the train station, thinking about what Adam had said. If Fiona didn't turn up, he would visit her to tell her about what Adam had said. Adam deserved someone to intervene on his behalf, to make sure Fiona knew how loved she was. Grinning to himself, he thought about what Rosie would say if she found out about his plans; she was the matchmaker out of the two of them.

Lee parked the car and stood beside Adam, helping him unload his luggage. Lee watched Adam and could see him looking around furtively. Lee knew he was looking for Fiona but didn't want Lee to know what he was doing.

She wasn't coming. It was too late. The Train had pulled into the station, and the passengers were already boarding. He swallowed his dismay, fixed a smile on his face, and held out a hand to Lee.

"Thank you for everything, Lee," Adam said. "I appreciate your hospitality and the opportunity to work together; I look forward to our future together."

Lee shook Adam's hand, "me too, and whatever has happened, don't be a stranger."

"Promise me you, Rosie and Lily will visit me. Soon." Adam had grown fond of Lee and his family while in Town. Theirs was the type of relationship he envied, one he hoped to mimic with Fiona.

"That will be an easy promise to keep," Lee said, passing him the bag he held.

Lee stood waiting for the Train to leave, not wanting to go without knowing Adam had gotten away with no trouble. As the steam train pulled out, Lee raised his hand in farewell despite not being able to see Adam; maybe Adam would see Lee.

Lee turned to walk away and blanched; Fiona ran desperately through the crowd, followed by Nathan, calling Adam's name. Lee caught Nathan's eye and shook his head, 'Adam's gone,' he mouthed. Nathan nodded back at him; he had known, had seen the Train pulling away from the station.

Lee and Nathan knew the moment Fiona realised she was too late. Nathan saw her crumple and heard her sob of disappointment as she stood, head bowed in defeat. He looked at Lee as he stepped closer to Fiona, wanting to comfort her but unsure of what she needed.

"Fiona?"

Lee, Nathan, and Fiona were startled, then turned at the sound of her name being called.

Adam stepped toward Fiona, barely daring to hope she had come for him. As she stepped closer, he smiled when she threw herself into his arms; closing his eyes, he buried his face in her hair to hide his tears. Lee and Nathan stood watching the two, as did the rest of the crowd at the station. Nathan heard 'ooooh's' and 'ahhh's' as people watched them fall into each other's arms.

Holding Fiona in his arms, Adam listened as she spoke frantically.

"I can't believe you're here; Nathan wouldn't let me drive. I can't believe you didn't get on the Train. I thought I wouldn't get a chance to tell you how I feel. That you would leave and forget me."

"Fi, No! I told you I would wait as long as it took for you to know how you felt about me, about us." Adam whispered. "So? How do you feel?" he teased.

"Like this," Fiona said as she held his face in hers and placed a kiss on his lips.

As her lips touched his, Adam tightened his hold on her and kissed her back, not caring about their audience.

"I love you, Fi," he said when they broke apart. "I love you."

"I love you too, Adam," Fiona cried softly, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

Lee went to stand with Nathan, laughing as the crowd, now unashamedly watching them, cheered, whistled, and clapped.

Nathan strode inside his house, listening for sounds to tell him where his wife was, heading toward their bedroom when he heard her moving around in there.

"Nathan! You're home early?" Quinn exclaimed happily, always pleased for more time with her husband. "Is everything okay?" she asked, confused by the look in his eye.

Nathan didn't answer Quinn; instead, he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Quinn responded immediately, her hands tangling in his hair as the passion flared between them.

Nathan kissed his wife over and over, unwilling to release her. Nathan loved the feel of Quinn in his arms, her mouth on his. He heard her murmured sound of passion and broke away from her lips to trail his mouth down her neck.

"Nathan," Quinn whispered breathlessly, "Avery and Sam..."

"Sleeping," he whispered in her ear.

Quinn tipped her head back, giving her husband better access, goosebumps breaking out on her skin at the touch of his lips. She smiled as Nathan guided her backwards toward their bed, pulling him with her as she fell onto the mattress.

"So, are you going to explain what that was all about?" Quinn asked as they lay together once the urgency of their need for each other was satisfied. She couldn't imagine a time when she wouldn't feel this need for her husband or him for her.

Nathan ran his hand lightly over his wife's ribs, her skin silky beneath his fingers. He told Quinn about his day, his talk with Fiona and the car ride to the train station. He told her about Fiona and Adam. He told her about the sick, helpless feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach when he realised, they were too late, and he thought Fiona had missed Adam.

Nathan told her how much he loved her and their family. Quinn and the children were his world. He told her how lucky he felt they were together, that they had found one another.

"I know that. Nathan, you show us that every day, every moment." Quinn stroked his face as she kissed his chin. "You're stuck with us."

Nathan held her tighter, "good."