Taking in the warmth of the sunshine, Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in the fresh air. Nathan Grant's face was in her head again. Lately, it was the first image she saw every time she closed her eyes. Little Jack's laughter brought her back to reality, and her eyes quickly scanned the little grassy area where her son was playing joyfully. Elizabeth had brought him to this spot to play every afternoon this week, just in case Nathan finally made it home. He had been called out of town more frequently since the election; but she hoped their investigation would wrap up soon, so he could stay home.

While picking some flowers, Elizabeth finally heard the sound she had been waiting all week to hear…Newton's steady gallop. As she focused her eyes on the path into town, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the handsome man in red serge heading toward them. Ever since the day Bill interrupted them at the spot where Nathan had declared his love nearly two years prior, the two of them had barely been granted any time alone. So much still needed to be said.

Nathan had been riding for a few days without much rest, trying his hardest to get home as quickly as possible. He had told himself it was to sleep in his own bed, and that was part of it, but what he really wanted was to see the people he loved. Of course he couldn't wait to see Allie, but Elizabeth was also constantly on his mind. He knew things had changed after she had broken her engagement. They'd had several moments since that had given him a sliver of hope. He thought he had given up on love; but somehow, his heart wouldn't let go of the woman who had become his best friend over the past several years.

When Hope Valley came into view, movement caught his eye and his pulse raced when he saw her. Elizabeth, he whispered, his body tingling with anticipation. Little Jack played on the grass near his mother, and a familiar ache squeezed his chest. He had loved that little boy like a son for so long; but for now, all he could be was a friend and "Mountie Nathan" to him. Finally close enough, Nathan slowed Newton down and stopped, his eyes locking with Elizabeth's. Time seemed to stand still as she stood and started walking closer.

Lost in the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, Elizabeth felt physically drawn to Nathan. She moved to be near him, resisting the urge to run into his arms like she had done after the prisoner transfer gone wrong. She watched him dismount Newton, admiring his tall, lean, yet muscular frame. Elizabeth had always found Nathan handsome, but her feelings ran much deeper than simple physical attraction. Their bond ran as deep as the ocean…if only they could get on the same page. Little Jack zoomed past her and jumped into an unsuspecting Nathan's arms.

"Mountie Nathan! You're back!" Jack squealed. "Can we go find Allie? She can't wait to see you. Are you staying home this time? I think my mom missed you, too. I know I did. Can I pet Newton?"

Watching her son interact so openly with Nathan did things to Elizabeth's heart that were completely unexpected. She knew Jack Sr. would approve of his son spending time with such a gentle giant of a man, who also just happened to be a Mountie. With little Jack's growing questions, she thought it was perfect for them to be spending more time together. She watched as Nathan tenderly sat little Jack in Newton's saddle.

"Hi," she finally voiced with a smile. "Thanks for humoring Jack. He's been anxiously awaiting your return."

"Oh, is that right?" Nathan answered with a smirk. He turned to the little boy holding tightly to the saddle horn. "You missed me that much, huh Jack? Were you the only one?"

Elizabeth flushed under his amused gaze. "Alright, I might have missed you a little as well."

Looking smug, Nathan chuckled. "I'm glad." He took off his gloves and reached for her hand, giving it a little squeeze before letting it go. "I missed you all terribly. I'm surprised Allie isn't with you, but I guess she's probably with Angela."

Distracted by the tingling in her hand from his brief touch, Elizabeth finally processed Nathan's last statement. "Um, yes. Allie has enjoyed staying with the Canfields, but deep down I know she's ready to be back home with you. She's been so great watching Jack for me when I've asked."

"Allie's my favorite!" Jack shouted, sitting proudly on Newton as Nathan led them into town and toward the livery for Newton to be groomed and fed.

Both adults chuckled as they walked together in comfortable silence. Elizabeth broke the silence when they were almost to their destination. "How is the investigation going?"

"Good," Nathan answered, suddenly too tired to get into the details at the moment. "Maybe we can talk about it later…well, at least what I can tell you."

"Of course," she responded, noticing the fatigue in his face. "Why don't you let Henry care for Newton so you can go home and rest. I think the girls are at the hot springs with some of the other children, but I can watch for them to come back and let Allie know you're home."

Before he could even respond, Henry was there and agreed to care for Nathan's trusty steed. He pulled Jack down from the saddle and held his hand as they walked back to the row houses. "Thank you, Lizbeth. I underestimated how much that trip took out of me. My own bed sounds really nice right about now."

When they reached the Thornton home, little Jack waved and went inside. Elizabeth instinctively put her arms around Nathan, resting her head on his strong chest. She felt his tension melt away as he put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "Welcome home, Nathan." She looked up into his eyes, suddenly feeling very vulnerable." Little Jack saved her when he bound out the door, Mountie hat on his head.

Reluctantly letting Elizabeth go, Nathan could still feel the electricity from holding her in his arms. He focused on Jack showing him his dad's hat instead. "Wow, Jack. Now we're twins," he said, pointing to his own campaign hat on his head.

"Next time I ride Newton, I need this." He turned and looked proudly at his mom. "Do you think I'm almost big enough to learn to ride Sarg?"

"We'll talk about that later, son." Elizabeth looked between Jack and Nathan, both wearing their Mountie hats proudly. "Right now, we need to let Mountie Nathan get some rest."

Jack hugged Nathan's legs, then ran back into the house. "I wish I had that much energy," Nathan admitted. "Can we talk later?"

"I'd like that," she smiled. "Now get out of here and get some sleep."

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. Spring had brought with it a hope of new beginnings, but Elizabeth needed to clear her head after interacting with Nathan as he returned home the day before. More than ever, she wanted to have the conversations with him that had been running through her mind for months. She knew a ride on Sargent before church was just what she needed. Having heard Rosemary singing to Goldie next door, she began down her porch stairs; but before she made it to the Coulter's house, she saw Allie.

"Mrs. Thornton, good morning!" she exclaimed, a little surprised. "I didn't really expect to see anyone out this early. My dad woke me up when he left for rounds. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to go for a walk before breakfast. What are you doing?"

"I was going to ride Sargent before church, but I needed to find someone to watch little Jack," Elizabeth explained. "You wouldn't want to do it by chance, would you?"

A grin spread across Allie's face. "Of course I do! Don't worry about anything. We always have a great time."

"Thank you. He's still asleep, but I expect him to wake up at any moment. I shouldn't be gone long." Elizabeth headed to the livery once Allie was settled inside. She began riding across Jack's land, memories more sweet than painful these days. Somehow, she found herself back at the log that had changed things between her and Nathan when he confessed his feelings. She let Sargent graze as she sat on the familiar log. Why couldn't I let myself love Nathan back then? she asked herself. She played the events of that day over in her mind. So much had transpired since then, including the strengthening of her friendship with Nathan. He was the person she wanted to tell all her deepest thoughts to; but suddenly, it wasn't enough.

Sargent's ears perked up, causing Elizabeth to look down the lane. Her eyes widened as she saw red serge approaching. She stood as Nathan dismounted.

"We meet again," Nathan joked, taking off his hat and gloves. "What are you doing out here this morning?"

Meeting his gaze as they stood right in front of each other, Elizabeth struggled to come up with an explanation. "I just…always feel drawn here it seems. How is it that you are ending up here at the same time as me?"

"I don't know, I just can't seem to stay away, even though this place brings back…memories. Something draws me here." Still not knowing where her heart was, Nathan tried to read her thoughts while at the same time trying to push away his desire to reach out and touch her. During the time she was engaged, he kept very strict boundaries; but now that she was free, he found it more difficult to control his desire to be close to her.

Remembering their hug from the day before, Elizabeth tried to distract herself. Clearing her throat, she looked down both directions of the road. "Do you think Bill is going to show up this time?" she wondered aloud.

Softly chuckling, Nathan shook his head. "Luckily, he's still in the city finishing up paperwork. He let me come home ahead of him so I could be with Allie."

"That was nice of him, but I must admit I'm glad we won't have to worry about him dragging us away again." Gathering her courage, Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Nathan, can we talk?"

"I thought that's what we were doing?" he quipped, then motioned to the log. "Should we sit?"

Elizabeth nodded. Once seated, she began: "I've been wanting to talk alone for a while. Things have been so crazy since…well, since the election."

"You mean since you broke off your engagement?" Nathan clarified, catching her eyes with his. "I felt responsible for that, after questioning your desire to leave Hope Valley."

Unable to contain herself, Elizabeth reached out and took Nathan's hand. They hadn't touched hands like that very often; but every time it had happened, she was amazed at the sparks it created. "Nathan," it barely came out a whisper, like the way he said her name when he asked her what she wanted. "That's not why I broke things off with Lucas. It was just the final straw and what caused me to finally dig deep and admit to myself that I was making a huge mistake."

Between the touch of her soft hand in his and the nearness of her on the log, Nathan's senses were on fire. Her smell always drove him a little crazy, but her vulnerability in this moment took his breath away. He longed to be completely honest about his feelings for her; however, he wasn't going to make that mistake again until he knew exactly what she was feeling for him. "What mistake was that?" he finally managed to ask.

Nerves shot through Elizabeth, causing her to stand and reluctantly tear her hand away from Nathan. She began pacing as she continued. "When I lost Jack, something inside of me broke. I didn't know if I would ever feel whole again. I was not expecting to have love in my life again. As I got to know you and Allie, I started caring for both of you more intensely than I could have ever imagined was possible. Lucas, of course, did everything to make me feel special, but I was never able to connect with him like I always did with you. Nathan, YOU became my best friend."

Never thinking he would hear any of this, Nathan stood and put his arms around Elizabeth in the kind of hug he had always wanted to give her. She really was his best friend, and hearing her admit that he was hers felt really good. "You are the best friend I've ever had," he whispered while holding her close. He knew they still had a lot to say, so after a few minutes of absolute bliss, he pulled her back to look at him. "I'm sorry, please continue."

She didn't realize she had been crying until she saw the wet spot on Nathan's serge. "Rosemary came over the night before I was supposed to leave for the convention. I finally broke down, not just about leaving Hope Valley; but for the first time, I said out loud why I chose Lucas. He was safe and never had my whole heart."

Didn't have her whole heart? Safe? What was she saying? Nathan's mind was trying to piece all of the information together to figure out what she meant. "Then why exactly were you with him? Why did you get engaged and almost marry him? Elizabeth, help me understand." He was pleading to know.

"When I thought you had died during the prisoner transfer, something snapped inside of me. You had become so dear to me, that I didn't think I had it in me to be with a man who could be taken from me like Jack was." She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I guess I associated losing you like I lost Jack to just your profession; but I realize now, it was more than that. My feelings for you were very similar to those I had for Jack. When I said I was looking for Jack in you, I tried to pass it off as not daring to love another Mountie; but now, I know that you have always had my whole heart. I thought if I was with you, I would break beyond repair if anything happened and I lost you. When you were taken hostage, I had a meltdown in the livery. Henry was there and tried to get me to acknowledge that my feelings for you were more than just friendship. Even though I was in denial, I finally figured out that losing you would hurt just as bad, whether or not I had pushed you away romantically."

Nathan could feel tears burning his eyes. He had trained himself to fight back tears and rarely cried in front of anyone; but here and now, he couldn't hold back. He had dreamed for years of Elizabeth finally admitting she had feelings for him. It was overwhelming to finally be validated for what he always believed to be true.

"Don't cry, sweet Nathan," Elizabeth pleaded, reaching up to dry his tears. He grabbed her hand and held it close to his heart as she spoke. "Nathan, when you stood in this spot and said you loved me and knew I felt the same way, you were right. I just wasn't ready to admit that to you or even to myself. Nathan Grant, I've always known I loved you as a friend. But now, I want to be very clear that I'm in love with you. You have my whole heart. I guess I could understand if you didn't want to be with me after how horrible I was to you."

"Lizbeth," Nathan's voice cracked with emotion as he tried to respond to her declarations. "I've been doing a lot of soul searching the past few months. You know I tried to move on and date other women after you rejected me, but they all knew that something was in the way. My love for you was that thing standing in the way. Some people only fall in love once for a lifetime…you are my one and only love. I'm now and forever completely in love with you."

Through the tears that sprang to her eyes and ran freely down her cheeks, Elizabeth slipped her arms around Nathan's neck. Suddenly aware of how close together their lips were, she quickly scanned his eyes, then lips, then eyes again. His eyes were full of the love she had seen there on so many occasions, like the time he saw her in the hideous wedding dress that had been sent by mistake. Wanting to finally know what Nathan Grant's kiss would taste like on her lips, she went on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his ever so lightly for only a brief moment.

Nathan sucked in a deep breath when he felt Elizabeth's gentle kiss. She pulled away and looked for his reaction. He had been holding back his affection for her for so long that at first, he was frozen. Once he glanced down at her slightly parted lips, he knew it was time to show her how much he really did care. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and put his hand behind her neck, pulling her mouth to his. He explored her lips slowly at first, amazed at how soft and smooth they felt on his. It was more than just the physical pleasure that made the kiss so sweet…it was the way it enhanced their deep connection. "Lizbeth," he murmured against her lips, convincing himself this was really happening. His strong arms tightened around her as he pulled her closer to him. Their kiss deepend with a passion and hunger that they had both held back for way too long.

When they finally separated and gasped for breath, Elizabeth's eyes were full of fire. She could honestly say, that kiss was different than anything she had ever experienced. Jack had been her first great love, but they were young. Life experience, especially heartbreak and loss, had changed both her and Nathan, making them able to express love in a more mature way. She knew what she wanted in life now, but she suddenly realized that time had gotten away from them in this present moment. "I've got to get back to the kids and get ready for church!"

"Is Allie watching Jack?" Nathan asked, trying to steady the racing of his heart. "Let's ride back together. My rounds are over and we can all go to church together."

"Don't you think people will talk if we all show up and sit together?" Elizabeth teased.

Helping Elizabeth onto Sargent, Nathan looked at her and grinned, "That's the plan."

Mounting Newton quickly, the two of them rode side by side back to the row houses. Both of them knew it was only a matter of time until they would only need one of those houses; but today, a major hurdle for that to happen had been overcome. Neither one of them could stop smiling.