Nathan carried a sleeping Jack upstairs. Though dinner was in about an hour, he was using his sleeping son as a reason to escape for a bit. His head was spinning with all that had transpired since arriving in Hamilton. He had been introduced to Edgar Vandenhaar the previous afternoon after arriving in the city. Charles Mansfield had treated him and Mr. Vandenhaar to a late lunch, facilitating the talk about the replacement chairs for Mr. Vandenhaar's dinning room set. After lunch, the man took Nathan to his home, allowing Nathan to see first hand the chairs he would be trying to duplicate. The money offered was on par with what Mansfield had paid him for the custom dinning room set. Nathan had arranged to be able to take one of the chairs back to Hope Valley with him so that he could work from it. The chair would be shipped back with the two commissioned chairs. Though Mr. Vandenhaar had not stipulated a time frame, Nathan hoped to be able to complete the work by Christmas.

Noah and Mr. And Mrs. Montclair had joined them for dinner last night. Jack had insisted he be able to sit between his Dad and Miss Laura. His grandmother obliged the boy with the seating arrangement, making Jack a happy camper. After dinner, Grace occupied her grandson while she and Mrs. Montclair chaperoned the young couple leaving Nathan to join his father-in-law and Mr. Montclair in the library. Letting the other two men lead the conversation, Nathan participated when necessary but thankfully did more listening than talking.

Today of course had been his meeting with Charles Mansfield at the store. The man had gone over the contracts. Nathan's mind was swimming with numbers and concepts he didn't quite grasp by the time Mansfield driver prepared to take him home. He had left the paperwork with William before excusing himself to take Jack upstairs to finish his nap. William had promised to look through it so they could discuss it briefly before Nathan made the call home. Nathan had to trust William and Lee's advice when it came to the contract because that was part of the business world that Nathan was not sure of yet. Outside the details of the contract, Nathan had other questions.

Like, would be taking this contract be taking on too much? He was getting local orders but were those due to the holiday coming up? Could he depend on them in the new year? Could Lee supply the lumber needed? Would Nathan need to take on an assistant? For that matter, would Lee be interested in a different partnership agreement. His friend had seemed genuinely happy about the prospect of getting out of the office and starting the woodworking projects.

All questions, and no answers right now. Reaching the room he was staying in, Nathan gently laid Jack down near the middle of the bed. Sitting on the edge, he reached up and undid his tie and the top button of his shirt. Draping the tie over the night table, Nathan reached down an untied his shoes. Slipping his feet out of them, he settled on the bed, carefully pulling the sleeping boy toward him. His plan was to use the quiet to think things through more. However, as his head touched the pillow, Nathan realized he was more tired than he thought and was soon drifting to sleep alongside Jack.

"Shhh . . . Dad is sleeping."

The semi-whispered words broke through Nathan's slumber. He was blinking open his eyes as another voice answered, slightly quieter than Jack's words.

"I see that," Grace told her grandson.

Awake now, Nathan noticed that Jack was sitting up on the bed next to him. Looking toward the doorway, he spotted his mother-in-law standing in the doorway.

"I am sorry to wake you," Grace told him, speaking in a normal voice. "I came to get you and Jack for supper."

"Thank you," Nathan said, sitting up. "I didn't plan on falling asleep."

"Sometimes a nap is just inevitable," Grace told him. "Jack, would you like to come with Grandma?"she asked holding her hand out to her grandson.

Jack looked up at Nathan. "Go ahead, son," he told the boy, nodding toward the bedroom door. "I'll be down soon."

Jack clambered off of the bed and started toward his grandmother.

"It is just Laura, William and myself for supper tonight Nathan, so feel free to leave the tie off," Grace told her son-in-law.

"Thank you," Nathan replied, smiling at the fact that his mother-in-law had already figured out that much about him.

Grace and Jack left the room. As they disappeared from sight, Nathan heard Jack tell his grandmother that he needed to use the water closet. Knowing Jack was in good hands, Nathan reached down for his shoes. After putting his shoes back on, Nathan went to the dresser and ran a comb through his hair. As he turned to leave the room, he reached up to button the top button of his shirt. He may have had permission to skip the tie, but he had a feeling his in-laws would appreciate a properly buttoned shirt.

His in-laws and Laura were listening to Jack chatter on about his day when Nathan joined them. Both of his in-laws gave him smiles of welcome, as he found his seat next to Jack. When there was a good break in Jack's chatter, William took a moment to lead them in grace and then the soup was brought out to the table by the servants.

The conversation continued over dinner. Laura talked about her day at school a little bit. Grace and William spoke of their day and then William brought up the contract to Nathan.

"The contract seems like a fair deal, Nathan. Granted, I would try to negotiate a little more out of the deal, but that is just my nature - always wanting to get the best deal possible. I do not necessarily recommend that route for you because it doesn't strike me as the kind of man you are. I would recommend that you talk to your friend, Lee, and decide where to go from there. I talked to Mr. Basin, my lead attorney on business contracts, he is available to accompany you for your final meeting with Mansfield if you would like."

Nathan felt a bit of the weight lift from his shoulders. "I would appreciate that, thank you," he told his father-in-law.

With that settled, the conversation moved away from business once again to personal matters. Jack was thrilled when his grandfather once again included him in the conversation. Nathan was just relieved that the focus was off of him once again.

After dinner, the family went their separate ways. William and Grace decided to take a walk out in their garden. Jack wanted to play with Laura, and so Laura took the boy to the sitting room to play with some toys that the Thatchers had on hand from Jack's stay with them the previous summer. As Nathan was waiting for Elizabeth's call from the Coulter's, he retreated to William's study. Picking up the volume of poetry that he had left on a small table the night before, Nathan hoped it would help him pass the time. Sitting down in his father-in-law's chair, Nathan tried to concentrate on reading some of the poetry while he waited for the phone call.

Nathan was relieved that he didn't have long to wait, as he was having trouble focusing on the poetry tonight. Answering the phone, he talked a bit with Elizabeth. Having heard the phone ring, it wasn't long before Laura appeared in the doorway of the office with Jack. Nathan motioned them into the office. Jack hurried to him and Nathan settled the boy on his lap. Jack happily told his mother about his day, including taking a nap with Dad. Nathan chuckled at his son's description of the event.

After chatting with his mother for a bit, Jack quickly spoke with Allie before handing the phone back to his Dad. As Laura took Jack back out in the sitting room to play, Nathan chatted with his daughter. She told him that she had written to Robert. "I thought he might like to hear from someone familiar seeing as he is in a new place meeting new people. I remember the process of making new friends very well," Ally told him. Nathan agreed that Robert would probably would appreciate getting letters, recalling his time at his own first posting. Letters from his mother and Colleen had been like gold to him.

After he said a good-bye to Ally, Nathan talked to Lee about the business contract and the fact that he knew he would need Lee's assistance to make it happen. His friend seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of being more hands on with the wood working business. The two men discussed a proposal to the contract terms that would give Lee a piece of the profit as well. Though his friend didn't think it was necessary, Nathan insisted. He knew the only way he was going to make the deal with Mansfield work at this juncture was with Lee's assistance. Nathan took notes and by the time Lee handed the phone back to Elizabeth, he felt confident that he knew how to explain to Mr. Basin what changes he wanted in the contract. Nathan knew that his father-in-law's lawyer would be able to negotiate better with Mansfield that he would be able to himself.

"Are you still coming home as planned?" Elizabeth asked as she took the phone back from Lee. Nathan could hear a mixture of desperation and pleading in the question.

"The deal with Mr. Vandenhaar is settled and the chair ready to ship. I have a meeting with Mr. Mansfield in the morning that your father's attorney is going to attend with me. Even if the new paperwork isn't drawn up and signed, I feel confident that after tomorrow, Mr. Basin will be able to handle whatever needs to be done here and the paperwork can be sent to me to sign. I have every intention to be on that train heading for west come the following morning."

"Good," Elizabeth said. "Allie and I miss you and Jack."

"I miss the two of you as well. Jack has been so distracted by Laura and being with his grandparents that I don't think he's dwelt on it much but he is going to be just as excited to be reunited as the rest of us."

"I am sure you are right, though tonight he was just jabbering on about his adventures. At least he told me he loved me."

"Well, I love you too, Elizabeth. I will be home within the week."

"I will be counting the days. Remember that you matter to me, Nathan Grant."

Nathan smiled at the reminder of the first time he had tried to express his feelings for Elizabeth. So much time had passed since then, but how he felt for Elizabeth had not changed. With one last good-bye, Nathan hung up the phone and headed to get Jack ready for bed.

The snow that Gabriel had sent word about had come and gone. Though Hope Valley lay blanketed in a thing layer of white for a day, the snow soon melted as most first snowfalls do. However, temperatures had not risen back to what they were before the storm had made its way through telling the residents of the area that winter was on its way.

On Monday, Gabriel returned from his tracking mission. He and his fellow Mounties had found the man they were looking for. Though one of the Mounties involved in the mission had been stabbed in the side by the fugitive before he was apprehended, the man was now behind bars. Gabriel had been relieved to find word waiting for him that the injured Mountie was expected to make a full recovery. Faith and Vincent were relieved to have Gabriel home, though Faith fussed over the bandage on Gabriel's left hand. Even after he assured her that it was a minor cut that had been well cared for, she still insisted on him going to the infirmary so she could take a proper look at it. Though he never backed down from his viewpoint that she was overreacting, Gabriel did allow his wife to fuss over him.

Elizabeth meanwhile was crossing days off a calendar. Nathan and Jack's train was due to arrive on Thursday afternoon. Yes, she missed them both. Being able to hug her son was something she was looking forward to.

Even more though, Elizabeth wanted to be able to tell Nathan that she loved him.

Elizabeth had spent most of the weekend trying to figure out how to make the moment special. Nathan's love had endured more than should be asked of anyone. He had continued to love her even when she had stopped loving herself. At the same time though, Elizabeth knew she had to be sensitive to the rest of her family members' feelings as well. As much as she wanted Nathan to herself, she knew she needed to allow Nathan and Ally some time as well as give her son some attention too. By Tuesday, she felt she had a plan she that would allow for that but would also give Nathan and herself a night alone. She just needed to recruit some help to pull it off.

So, after school was over, Elizabeth tacked up Newton, having been trying to exercise him a bit in Nathan's absence and heading toward town. She had three requests to make of friends but the first thing she needed to do was talk to her father-in-law. Both Allie and Jack enjoyed spending time with Archie. She was hoping that he would take the children for the night. Though they would be perfectly fine with the Coulters or Bill, on this occasion having them with Archie felt more appropriate. Yes, she wanted an evening and night alone with Nathan to tell him the words she knew he had waited too long for to say, but she wanted the kids to have something special as well.

Approaching town, Elizabeth greeted her neighbor and friends as she made her way to the Amaryllis. Instead of stopping right outside the hotel and diningroom, she instead reigned in Newton outside of the Mounted Police Office. Tying him to a post next to Apollo where he could enjoy some water if he would like, Elizabeth crossed the street. It wasn't until she walked into the Amaryllis that she noticed something was different. Gone was the tension and apprehension that previous trips into town had caused. Thinking back, she realized she had been totally at ease during Allie's birthday party as well.

It was as if she had finally shed the heavy blanket of negative feelings that she had been carrying around for so long.

Shaking herself from her thoughts before someone notice she was simply standing there and became concern, Elizabeth looked around the main room of the Amaryllis. Gretchen was behind the reception desk, either checking-in or checking-out guests. Several families sat at tables, enjoying their meals. Most of the faces, Elizabeth didn't recognize, though she knew that many families had moved into the area since she stopped teaching that she was not familiar with. Just when she was about to ask Gretchen if Archie was in, the man appeared from the direction of the small room he had relocated the dart board too, as well as a few tables for men to play friendly games of cars if they liked. Her father-in-law had made it clear that arguments or fights would not be tolerated. He already had several local men that he forbid to go into the room for those exact violations.

Elizabeth started toward the man. Archie noticed her coming, and a smile spread across his face. "Elizabeth, my dear, what brings you into town?" the older man asked.

"I have a favor to ask of you," Elizabeth replied as she came up to him. The two took a moment to give one another a hug before Elizabeth continued. "It is something I would like to do for, Nathan."

"I will help in whatever way I can," Archie replied without hesitation. "Why don't we go back to my office and sit while you tell me about it?"

Elizabeth nodded her agreement and let her father-in-law lead her to the office. Once she got things settled with Archie, she had a favor to ask of Bill and one of Rosemary, all in preparation for her surprise for Nathan.

Nathan paced the corridor of the car his compartment was on, trying to soothe the upset boy in his arms. Jack had been doing well on the long trip home until this evening. Something about his dinner had reminded him about his mama, and Jack had started crying that he missed her. Nathan wasn't even completely sure what that connection had been as Jack had been trying to explain it to him through his tears. Though neither of them had touched much of their meal, Nathan knew that the best thing to do was to get Jack out of the dinning car so that the other passengers could eat in peace. The waiter had come over as he stood up, assuring him that he would make sure the meals got to the compartment. Nathan had simply nodded as he headed out of the dinning car, though most of the looks on the other passengers faces were of sympathy and not annoyance.

Their meals had been delivered to their compartment. The man who had delivered them had asked if there had been anything else he could do. Nathan had shaken his head as Jack's tears had quieted by that time and Nathan did not want to do anything that might set the boy off again.

Reaching the compartment door, Nathan opened it and slipped inside. He was hoping that Jack would be calm enough that he could at least sit and eat. Maybe even entice Jack to eat a little something.

Sitting down behind the table the conductor had folded down when he brought the food in, Nathan settled Jack on his lap. The boy was still awake, his head resting against Nathan's chest.

"Are you ready to eat dinner, Jack?" Nathan asked, half wondering if he should even bring the subject up.

Jack shook his head. "Want Mama," he murmured quietly.

"I know you do, Jack. We'll be home tomorrow a little after noon. Your Mama is going to be waiting for us at the station."

"Ally too?"

"Yes. Ally is going to be there too. Perhaps a few others too," Nathan assured him in a soothing voice.

"Good," the boy replied.

Nathan sat with him quietly for a bit. Jack seemed content to rest in his lap, and whether or not the boy was hungry, Nathan knew he was. Having mastered the skill of eating with a kid in your lap when he first took Ally in, Nathan began eating his own dinner.

"Can I have a bite?" Jack asked before long.

Nathan obliged, giving Jack a bite from his own fork. Despite the dinners having gotten cold father and son enjoyed the food, as Nathan continued to feed Jack as the boy cuddled against him. If the outburst at dinner was as bad as it got, Nathan knew they would both be all right until they reached the Hope Valley station tomorrow afternoon.