Julie had been excited when Colleen agreed to see Dr Pearce, so excited she had dragged her to see Faith immediately. Faith had supported Colleen but warned them to be cautious; even though there was no medical reason not to meet with him and allow him to examine Colleen. Julie had hurried to the Mercantile to send a telegram to him, asking him to come directly. Even if he left the same day, it would take him days and days until he arrived, and she wasn't sure she could take the delay, convinced the waiting would drive her crazy.

Sighing, Julie turned and walked out of the Mercantile after sending her Telegram, wondering what to do next. Colleen was looking after Allie; Rosemary was teaching the children for Elizabeth; Faith was in the Infirmary, so there was no one to distract her. If she offered to help Abigail in the kitchen, that would divert her. Abigail was always willing to let her watch her cooking and baking, sharing recipes and techniques. Julie didn't know if cooking were a skill she would need once she went home to Hamilton, but learning to cook meant she could sample her efforts, and she loved to eat.

Abigail was always happy to welcome Julie or anyone else into her kitchen. Julie was certainly a different woman than she had been on her first day in Coal Valley, and her determination to help Coleen was admirable. Abigail hoped none of the young women were getting their hopes up, or Nathan either. She could see the hopelessness and frustration in his eyes when he looked at his sister and knew he would move heaven and earth to see her diagnosis change. As Abigail stirred the beef stew, she listened to Julie talk about Dr Pearce and her hopes for his visit; Abigail felt strangely optimistic about the visit.

"I don't know how I will stand the wait, Abigail. It's going to be forever until he arrives."

Abigail smiled at her indulgently, ignoring the petulant tone because she knew it was only due to her impatience to help her friend. "You are always welcome to spend your days with me, and I imagine there are things you can organise for Dr Pearce's visit." Abigail turned to face Julie, "Have you organised for room at the Infirmary? You may also want to speak to Henry Gowan about accommodation; if he is going to be here for a while, and I hope he is, he will want to live somewhere besides the Saloon."

Julie's eyes went wide, "Oh, Abigail, how could I not think of those things?" Julie wiped her hands on a cloth resting near her on the table. "I will go and see Mr Gowan right now; I will find Dr Pearce somewhere to live and ensure everything is ready for his arrival."

Abigail chuckled as the door slammed behind Julie, dipping her head. She said a silent prayer this visit from Dr Pearce would be positive for the Grants. She hoped Henry would find it in his heart to find a suitable place for Dr Pearce. If the doctor was comfortable and his treatment of Colleen was successful, he might consider staying in Coal Valley for a while; surely, others could benefit from his skills and knowledge.

Nathan stood beside Elizabeth in the livery, pleased they could borrow horses for the day. They had ordered a picnic basket from Ronnie Stewart to take with them so they could spend the day exploring together. He couldn't believe they were already on day two of their holiday, time was flying, and he wished he could slow it down and make this time stretch out indefinitely.

Nathan had greeted Apollo when they arrived at the livery, along with the horse he was borrowing. It hadn't been long since he had left the brown stallion, 'Canon', in his stall after riding out with Gabe the day before. They had returned late from doing rounds as they had run into several people wanting to report petty thefts from their homes and property. No one had lost significant amounts or expensive items; mostly, it had been food and clothing, men's and women's, taken from washing lines. The food had all been taken through the night, which did concern the residents whose homes had been visited while they slept. Nathan knew it was about something other than what had been taken; most people acknowledged they would have given the items if asked. The issue was that someone had been in their homes while they slept and had been vulnerable, their children had been vulnerable, and they hadn't known. Whoever it was breaking into homes was careful and quiet; the only evidence of their presence the missing items.

Neither Gabe nor Nathan had been alerted to someone committing such crimes in their area, and they would have been if the Mounties knew about them. Brookfield was the only place these crimes were being committed. While it concerned Gabriel, it also meant they had a good chance of finding whoever was responsible. The thief had stayed in the area, their most recent theft the previous night.

"Elizabeth will understand if you want me to ride out with you tomorrow," Nathan had offered as he and Gabe rode toward the Orphanage, hurrying as they were conscious of how late it was. Gabe had refused his assistance, unwilling to spoil the time he and Elizabeth had together, appreciative of the time Nathan had already given him.

Nathan and Elizabeth were planning to ride around the outskirts of Brookfield anyway; he would keep an eye out for anything suspicious while spending time with his lovely wife.

"Has Lillian noticed anything missing?" Nathan asked.

"Not that she has mentioned; no one in town has mentioned anything either," Gabriel replied, frowning. "Whoever is doing this is staying well away from the Township. I'll check this evening and tell the townspeople to lock up and be more cautious."

Nathan and Elizabeth spent a lovely evening at the Orphanage, the adults lingering after the children had gone to bed. Elizabeth could see Gabriel was reluctant to leave, and Lillian seemed to be in no rush to see them out either. Elizabeth knew she had an ally in her matchmaking between the two when Grace offered to read the children's bed time stories, and Mrs Winters was suddenly tired. Eventually, they couldn't delay their departure any longer, and they said their goodbyes, a goodbye full of unspoken emotions and feelings between a particular pair, Elizabeth noticed. She really would have to talk to Gabriel. As they rode, Elizabeth suggested they change their plans for the following day to allow Nathan to join Gabriel on his rounds but once again. Gabriel declined, insisting they continue with their holiday.

Elizabeth was pleased that Gabriel had declined and had to stop herself from giggling at Nathan's look of outrage at her suggestion. She had hoped Gabriel declined but would have found ways to amuse herself if he hadn't. Her husband had other ideas about how they spent their remaining time together, ideas she agreed with completely.

"Do you need a hand, Elizabeth?" Nathan called out to her; he had finished saddling his horse and was happy to give her a helping hand.

Elizabeth stretched to her full height, her head barely high enough to see over her horse's back. "I think I have it, Nathan; I am ready to go."

"Let me give you a leg up," he suggested. The horse was tall, much taller than Sugar, the horse Elizabeth borrowed from the livery in Coal Valley.

"Thank you, I would appreciate it, Nathan," Elizabeth said with a grin. She was sure she could mount the horse without his assistance, but why would she? She hoped she never refused the chance to have her husband close to her, to feel his warm hand wrap around her ankle, his hand sliding up her thigh as he hoisted her high enough to mount her horse.

By the time Nathan Reached her side, her cheeks were aflame with colour from the direction her thoughts had taken.

"Elizabeth?" he asked, confused. "What is it? Are you feeling alright?"

Elizabeth didn't say a word; standing on tiptoes, she slid one arm up and around his neck, drawing his head down to hers. She placed her lips on his and kissed him with all the desire she was feeling. She hoped she would never get used to how her husband made her feel with only a look, a smile or the lightest of innocent touches.

Nathan hesitated for one second, surprised by her unexpected embrace, before deepening the kiss and drawing Elizabeth closer, holding her tightly to him. He lost all sense of time as he kissed his wife and felt her hands thread through his hair before roaming across his shoulders and down to his forearms. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her even closer until they were moulded together, his other hand tangling in her curls as their lips met in kiss after kiss.

"I don't know if a ride is what I really want to do anymore," he whispered huskily in her ear when they finally broke apart. "I want…"

"I know, I want that too," Elizabeth interrupted, her breath still slightly ragged. "But if we go back to the Hotel, everyone will know …why," she said, shaking her head, "I couldn't face Ronnie Stewart."

Nathan groaned; Ronnie Stewart was the last person on his mind at that moment. "Fine," he responded. "But I think we need to have an early night, maybe room service," he said, waggling his eyebrows up and down.

Elizabeth didn't laugh at his teasing; instead she winked.

Robert Pearce stood in his hotel room in Benson Hills, smiling as he read the Telegram from Miss Julie Thatcher. He could feel the woman's tension and anxiety in the short Telegram and her barely concealed demand for him to drop everything and visit Coal Valley and examine her friend. While he would have rejected this type of demand from anyone else, in this instance, he would do precisely what Miss Thatcher requested because he was intrigued. Miss Thatcher didn't know that he was only one day away from Coal Valley. While he said he would wait to hear from her before starting his journey, he had been too impatient to do that. He had been travelling for days, sending location updates to his home so Telegrams like this one could find him. He couldn't wait to see Miss Thatcher's face when he arrived the next day, not in a week.

Robert wondered what Coal Valley would be like, why on earth Miss Julie Thatcher, from the 'Thatcher Shipping', Thatchers was doing in some backwater town, miles away from society, fancy parties and maids and butlers. He hadn't met Julie Thatcher, but he knew her type. Rich, spoiled, haughty and demanding would adequately describe Julie Thatcher. He would see Ms Colleen Parkes, no doubt one of Miss Thatcher's equally spoiled friends while avoiding social interaction with both of them as much as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was get caught up in the Thatchers and Parkes families and Hamilton society. He hated being paraded about in front of his parent's friends; he hated the expectation he would make a 'suitable' marriage and the simpering fools he met at party after party. He would also ask Miss Thatcher and Miss Parkes to avoid discussing his visit; that way, his parents wouldn't find out about his latest adventure. His non-conventional medical opinions were a point of contention between them that he didn't need to be inflamed.

Early the following day, Robert gathered his clothing and other personal items, he was tidy by nature, and it didn't take him long. He was used to packing lightly for his travels to out-of-the-way places where he had to carry his things, unable to rely on others to get him from one place to another. At least this trip, a vehicle was at his disposal, having borrowed one from his parents. He shook his head, knowing it was hypocritical of him to refuse to be part of the society his parents made such a big deal of while using the trappings of their wealth to his advantage when it suited him. As he made his way out of the hotel after settling the bill, he checked the time, happy to see he would be in Coal Valley by lunchtime.

Julie rushed out of the house she was sharing with Colleen while Nathan and Elizabeth were away. She had spoken to Henry Gowan yesterday, and he had agreed to meet her at the Mercantile first thing the following morning to give her the keys to a vacant cabin he owned on the outskirts of Town. Julie frowned as she remembered how easily he had agreed to help Dr Pearce with accommodation. Julie had pondered his reasons for agreeing to her request but hadn't reached any conclusion. Should she ask him about it? Would it jeopardise the accommodation if she asked? She couldn't risk that; she needed Dr Pearce in Town, and the Cabin Henry had made available was close to Colleen and Nathan and an easy trip to Town and the Infirmary. No, she decided, she wouldn't ask him about it unless, of course, he seemed to want her to ask.

Henry Gowan strode up the stairs to the Mercantile, a set of keys jangling in his pocket. On the key ring was the key to the Cabin he had agreed to let to the Doctor Julie Thatcher had arranged to come to Coal Valley. Henry would not have leased his Cabin to anyone, but he decided this time because of Constable Grant. The young man had impressed Henry when they discussed building a school for the Town. Yes, the Constable's niece would eventually benefit from a school being built, and his wife, the Teacher, would benefit, of course, but despite those things, he knew the Constable wanted to do it for the whole Town. The fact that building the school was Henry's redemption, too, played on his mind; the Constable, allowing him to be part of building the school, would allow him to make amends for the terrible acts he had done.

"Good morning, Mr Gowan," Julie called out, pleased the man was waiting for her, that he hadn't changed his mind. "It's going to be a lovely day," she exclaimed happily.

"Good morning, Miss Thatcher," Henry replied. There was something infectious in her smile, and he found himself unable to resist returning her smile. "Do you have someone helping you clean the Cabin? It's neat but could probably use a clean; no one has used it in a few months."

"I am going to do it myself, everyone else is busy, and I am sure it won't be too arduous." Julie smiled smugly. She lifted the basket of cleaning items she carried, "When Dr Pearce arrives, everything will be in order."

Henry remained silent but internally allowed himself to feel doubt, wondering when, if ever, Julie Thatcher had cleaned a house by herself. His Cabin didn't need a light dusting; it had been unoccupied for months. "I have two keys, Miss Thatcher; I can give them both to you or…."

"Oh, please, leave one in the Mercantile if you would. I have advised Dr Pearce the key would be available there, and Mr Yost has agreed to give it to him when he arrives." Julie smiled; this was the perfect plan; she could come and go at the Cabin over the next few days without worrying about dropping the key into Ned Yost each time. Ned had assured her he would give Dr Pearce directions to the Cabin and then let her know he had arrived.

Henry sat in his car, watching Julie Thatcher walk out of Town towards his Cabin. A smile played across his lips at her striding confidently toward her mission. Henry hadn't tried to downplay the condition of the Cabin; he hoped Miss Thatcher knew what was in store for her. He hoped he had underestimated her, and she managed to clean the apartment without incident. Just in case, he would call in to see her later that day; he wasn't afraid of hard work and expected she would need some help, and she would be unlikely to admit it. She could hardly refuse to allow him to clean his own Cabin.

Robert Pearce drove into the small Town of Coal Valley, looking around him as he slowed down, trying to find the Mercantile. Spotting it up ahead, he drove towards the building, looking for somewhere to park.

"Good afternoon. Can I help you sir?"

Robert glanced up at the gentlemen behind the counter and smiled as he said, "Yes, thank you. I am looking for Mr Yost. My name is Dr Pearce."

The man behind the counter's face lit up, "Dr Pearce, I wasn't expecting you so soon; I was anticipating it would be days before you arrived." Holding his hand out, "I'm Ned Yost."

"Dr Pearce?" a voice questioned from behind Robert, and he spun to see a well-dressed man step out from within the Mercantile. "I'm Henry Gowan; I own the cabin you will rent while you are in Town."

After introductions were made among the three men, Ned handed over the key to the Cabin and some basic food and supplies he quickly put together to help the doctor until he settled in and could purchase his own.

"Let me show you to the cabin," Henry offered, "You can follow me out there; it isn't far." He wanted to make sure the doctor didn't get lost, but his real motivation was wanting to see Miss Thatcher's response to the unexpected arrival of the doctor several days early.

As the two men parked their vehicles and headed up the steps to the Cabin's front door, Henry tried to see the building with fresh eyes. It was small, well-maintained and secluded, allowing privacy while being within walking distance of Town. Inside, they would find one large room broken into several living areas, including a sitting room, a kitchen with eat-in dining, and a smaller desk area. The Cabin was small and serviceable, nothing like the house he now lived in. Sometimes he missed living in this cosy building.

Knocking on the front door, they waited for a response from inside. When no response came Robert looked at Henry, held up the key, and shrugged; it was his rental property after all. When he received a nod from Henry, he turned the handle on the front door, opening it wide so he and Henry could both see inside.

Robert's mouth dropped open at the sight which greeted him. A woman with deep red curls pulled back from her face in a messy, tangled updo knelt before them in a puddle of dirty water. The woman, who he assumed was the cleaner engaged by Henry Gowan, was filthy. Her dress, which appeared to have once been a light blue, was now grey and covered in dark, wet blotches. Her face was covered in dirt, with darker smears of the same dirt on her cheek and forehead. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her hands, red from the heat of the water she was using to scrub the floor, were filthy. Tilting his head to the side as he stared at her, he realised there were clean lines on her face where her tears had washed away the dirt.

Robert stood there for a moment, trying to make sense the scene before him, wondering if she was hurt somehow and if that was why she had been crying.

"Are you all right, Miss?" Robert asked his voice loud in the silence.

"Miss Thatcher!" Henry exclaimed at the same time, shocked at her state of dishevelment.

Julie looked up from where she sat in a puddle of filthy water and gasped. Leaping to her feet she threw down the scrubbing brush and ran out the door, ignoring Henry and the stranger with him as she barrelled past them, focused on escaping her humiliation.