Nathan stood outside Elizabeth's door with Allie bouncing up and down next to him. He had picked up Allie last night after his date with Elizabeth since he saw the light still on at the Coulters when he walked by. Allie had questioned him the whole way home about his date. Allie saw him bring all the wildflowers to their house before he walked her over to the Coulters.

The door opened and a little boy came walking out the front door. Nathan reached down quickly to grab the boy before he fell. "Whoa there little guy, you need to wait for your mama."

Nathan held Jack as the boy started to play with the buttons on Nathan's serge. Nathan had planned to do rounds while Elizabeth set up for the library opening that afternoon. He didn't want to miss a minute of it by having to leave early. "Well it looks like Jack was excited to see you both." Elizabeth locked eyes with Nathan, "So am I."

Nathan and Elizabeth stood there until Allie broke the moment. "Come on Jack, let's go before they get all mushy." Allie took Jack's hand and slowly helped him down the stairs. She walked very slowly with Jack, taking extra care to make sure he didn't fall.

"Want to get mushy?" Nathan said with a wink at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "Alright constable. We need to get to church. If you are good, maybe we can sneak away after the library opening."

Nathan got a mischievous look in his eyes as Elizabeth laughed, pulling him beside her as they walked behind their children towards church.

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Elizabeth and Nathan walked out of church together holding hands. There was talk about them, but it was all positive. Many of those in town were thrilled for the couple and that the children would have more than one person looking out for them. Nathan kissed Elizabeth's hand and said goodbye to the children before heading for the stables. Elizabeth watched him walk away, admiring how good he looked in his serge. After he walked out of view, Elizabeth and the children walked over to the library to meet the others that agreed to help.

Minnie and Clara were brining refreshments from the cafe. Lee and Mike were hanging a banner outside the library when she walked over. Both of them had left church right when it was over so they could get started. Jack sat on a blanket with some toys that Elizabeth had left in the library for him while she and Allie made sure all the shelves were set up. Elizabeth walked over to the desk that she had in the library when Rosemary walked in.

"It looks wonderful in here!"

"Thank you Rosemary, I'm so happy it is finally done and ready to open."

"Everyone is going to love all the work you put into it. That plaque is beautiful, where did you get it?"

"Uncle Nathan made that!" Allie said.

Rosemary looked at Elizabeth as she blushed. Elizabeth was looking right at the plaque but she was thinking about the date they had last night. Rosemary knew that she would need to have time with her friend later so they could talk all about it. A hour or so later, everything was in place and the opening was ready. Elizabeth was looking at the papers she had prepared to check out books with her back turned to the door.

Nathan saw her as soon as he walked in. The library was a huge thing for the town but it was also a huge thing for Elizabeth. He walked over and put his arms around her waist. She put her hands over his and leaned back into him. He kissed her check and whispered, "I am so proud of you."

Elizabeth turned to face him and put her arms on his. He put his hands on her waist. "Thank you for all your help in making this come true."

"I didn't do anything Elizabeth, it was your idea."

"You helped with so much, from the painting to the plaque. Not only that you supported me when I had the idea and I wasn't sure if I could do this." Elizabeth kissed his cheek and took his hand to lead him out to the porch.

The crowd outside started to clap as Elizabeth walked to the front of the porch. Nathan stood back knowing that it was Elizabeth that deserved all the credit.

"Thank you everyone for coming today. From the first day I came to Hope Valley, I wanted to build a library for the town where everyone could come if they wanted to borrow a book or sit and read. In the future, I'd like to add more books and shelves and maybe even a set of encyclopedias one day. I hope you all will enjoy. It is officially open!"

The people started to walk in, congratulating Elizabeth. Edward Morton hung back in the crowd until most of the people had walked in. Nathan came and stood next to Elizabeth and she took his arm.

"Congratulations on the opening Mrs. Thornton," Edward said to Elizabeth.

"Thank you Mr. Morton."

"I would like to make a donation of 400," Edward said holding out the cash to her.

"No, thank you. The town wouldn't be able to accept such a large donation," Nathan said.

"Constable, I wanted to give the donation to Mrs. Thornton. She can use it for the library or the school or…"

"I'm sorry. If you would like to donate books or supplies, that would be acceptable. But no cash donations are being accepted at this time."

Edward looked at Nathan, annoyed at his interference. He put the cash back in his jacket pocket and turned to go back to his office.

Elizabeth turned and put her hand on Nathan's chest, "Nathan, what is going on?"

"Elizabeth, we can't take money from that man. Not until we know what is going on with his business or his connection to Charles Kensington. I don't want you to be in any danger or trouble because of his business dealings."

"Thank you for looking out for me."

"Always."

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The townspeople had started to leave after a few hours. Allie was reading a book to Jack in the corner of the library with Jack sitting on her lap. Elizabeth looked over at them and she thought how good of a big sister Allie would be one day. The thought surprised her as she thought of the future. She moved one of her hands to the new diamond earrings that she received from Nathan last night.

When Elizabeth saw the box in Nathan's desk, Elizabeth thought it could be a ring. She realized now that the thought didn't scare her one bit. She wanted a future with him. When Jack proposed to her, it was because he was leaving for the Northern Territories. Yes, she loved him. Of course she did. But she could never picture that far into the future. Even when Jack bought land, she couldn't imagine the house on that land or leaving her row house.

Since she had started courting Nathan, Elizabeth had all kinds of dreams. She thought about getting engaged and marrying Nathan. The thought of Allie and Jack becoming siblings. Elizabeth already owned the land that Jack had bought but maybe Nathan would want to build a house there. A house for the four of them and any other children that would come along. She could see a porch on the house where she would sit with Nathan at the end of a long day. Where they would sit as they grew old together.

Elizabeth sat in the chair at the desk as all the feelings came at her at once. She loved Nathan. She was in love with him. Now, how would she tell him?

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While Elizabeth, Allie and Jack stayed in the library, Nathan asked to talk to Bill alone. The two of them walked across the street and into the Mountie office. Bill walked in and sat in the chair across from Nathan's desk. Nathan hung up his hat and sat in his chair.

"Ok, Nathan what is this about? Is everything ok with you and Elizabeth?"

"What? Oh yes, everything is great. I told her about Charles last night."

"How did that go?"

"It was fine. She said her family and his family are close but his business started after she moved to Hope Valley so she doesn't know about it."

"I have a few more calls I can make about the business," Bill said.

Nathan nodded. "I actually had something else I wanted to talk to you about. What would be involved if I wanted to adopt Allie?"

"That's great Nathan. Well since you are her guardian and her parents are both dead, it should be easy to do. There is just some paperwork I need to do. I can get started on that and let you know when it is done. We can set up a day for you to sign if you want to have a small ceremony for it."

"I can ask Allie, I think she'd like that."

"Good. Now let's get back. I think you have some people waiting for you. Why don't I buy us all dinner at the cafe?"

"That's a great idea Bill, thank you."

As they walked back to the library, Nathan began to think about how much his life had changed. He never thought he would be the type of man to have a family. When he joined the Mounties, he thought he would be single like so many of the men in the upper ranks. Then he took custody of Allie and all of that changed. He held that little four year old girl in Mountie headquarters after her parents' death and he vowed to always be there for her and protect her. Now he would be her father but the vow would not change.

Nathan walked into the library and he stopped. Allie sat with Jack in her lap reading a story. Elizabeth had gone and sat next to them, point to the pictures to show Jack. All of them were laughing and Nathan smiled. Nathan began to think of his future. A house for the four of them with a huge yard. Elizabeth standing on the porch as he rode home on Newton, pregnant with their first child. Watching the sunsets together and surprising her with wildflowers. Elizabeth looked up and caught his eyes. She smiled and looked down as Jack started to talk. Nathan knew in that moment that he was in love with Elizabeth and he would be for the rest of his life.