"Stop moving. Now." Lisa glared at Elizabeth, "if you move, you could get hurt, and nothing would give me more pleasure."

"What have I ever done to you that you want to hurt me? I hardly know you?"

"Oh, please, Princess. You know why. You've always known why." Lisa spat. "Its women like you that men want, not me." Lisa dragged Elizabeth back against the wall as she knelt beside her, pulling her bound hands roughly to secure them to a wooden beam inside the cabin. "But not this time. This time I win, not you."

Elizabeth stared at the woman beside her, barely recognising her. Lisa was right; she did know what this was about. Yes, she had avoided Lisa because of her behaviour, but more so because of how she looked at Nathan. If Elizabeth had taken more notice, she would have seen precisely how unhinged Lisa was.

Elizabeth looked at the man sprawled on the ground nearby as a moan escaped his lips. Lucas, Lisa had called him. Elizabeth had been shocked when they stepped into the cabin, and Lisa had hit Lucas in the head; he had fallen to the ground unconscious. As he lay there, Lisa had taken hold of Elizabeth, binding her hands behind her back. She might have gotten away if she hadn't been so shocked but running didn't cross her mind at that instant.

As Lucas continued to lie unconscious, Lisa had bound his arms too. She had more difficulty moving Lucas than she had Elizabeth. Lisa had given up trying to drag his dead weight to the opposite side of the cabin and tied Lucas nearby to Elizabeth. Using a long piece of rope, she secured his hands. He was close enough to secure him to a support beam under the window.

"You need to check on him; he may need medical attention."

"Oh, how sweet you are to be concerned for my brother." Lisa crooned sarcastically. "I hope he dies; my plan is for you both to die here."

Elizabeth wanted to be sick. Lisa was deranged; that was clear. Elizabeth knew if she were going to die, she would not beg for this woman for her life. She wouldn't give Lisa the pleasure of hearing that from her.

"You know they will be looking for me, for us. Nathan will look for me." Elizabeth said. "You will be caught."

"He will look for you, of course; that's his job. He can't look forever, though." Lisa gave Elizabeth's restraint a final tug before standing up and looking down at her. "Eventually, he will be distracted by other jobs, his sister's illness and looking after Allie. He will stop looking for you and start looking closer to home for someone to help him, and I will be there for him, not you.

"Nathan knows this area very well; he will check every cabin until he finds us." Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears of pain and frustration. She didn't believe Nathan would stop looking for her quickly and wouldn't easily give up despite distractions, but how would he know where to look?

"No one knows about this cabin; I've checked." Lisa laughed. "I found this place by accident while on foot; when I asked around about old cabins, no one mentioned this one."

Elizabeth's heart sank; if that were true, what would she and Lucas do? Not that she cared about Lucas's welfare, at least not unless he could help them to escape.

"What about your brother? Do you care so little about him that you will leave him here to die?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Yes," Lisa said, matter-of-factly, nudging her brother with her foot, smiling as he groaned again. "Lucas doesn't deserve to live, not after how he manipulated and used me throughout my life."

Lisa smiled as she looked down at Lucas, "you deserve to die, brother, and I am glad it will be by my hand," she sneered.

Elizabeth sat mute, she had never been so close to pure evil before, and despite knowing Nathan had seen through Lisa, she worried for him. What would she do to him if he rejected her? If she could leave her brother to die, what would she do to Nathan, Colleen and Allie if her plan didn't work out?

"So, Elizabeth, this is it," Lisa said from her position near the door. "I'll leave you now and go and comfort your fiancé and his family. Little Allie will need someone to be there for her since her favourite teacher has gone."

After taking a final look around the room to ensure nothing was left to incriminate her, Lisa stepped out and closed the door. Elizabeth listened as Lisa's feet clattered around the Verandah and toward the back of the cabin, the sound growing softer the further away she got. She heard horse hooves and knew Lisa had mounted a horse and ridden away, leaving Lucas's vehicle on the obscured driveway.


Nathan rode Newton back towards Hope Valley, following the same road he had been down twice before. He was missing something; he had to be, or he would have found them by now. Where were they? Where was Lisa? He was driving himself mad with all the unanswered questions he had. Nathan pressed his heels into Newton's side, the slight touch urging him into a canter. He needed to get back to Coal Valley and see if there was any news he was missing.

As Nathan rode into Town, he saw people outside the Saloon; recognising Bill and Lee in the crowd, he headed toward them.

"What's going on, gentlemen? Is there any news?"

"Nothing concrete," Bill replied. "You?" When Bill saw Nathan shake his head with a look of disgust, he explained, "we are just about to go inside and talk about Lisa; the things she said or asked about that might give us some clues as to what is going on, what we may have missed."

"I'll come in for a short time, but I need to be back out there, Bill."

Nathan tied Newton up and followed the men inside. As he was about to close the door, he heard a voice and turned to see Ned Yost heading toward him. "Nathan, I thought I would join the men inside. I served Lisa several times in the store. Any news?" Ned listened as Nathan explained where he had already looked, hearing the frustration in his voice. He clapped him on the shoulder before taking a seat at the back of the gathered men.

Nathan stood at the back of the room, listening as Bill and Lee addressed the men in the room. He knew why there were no women present, none of them had befriended her, and they wouldn't know her secrets. A few of the men mentioned her skill at cards, the bitterness spilling over; several said other activities but didn't elaborate.

"Okay, I understand what you did with the time you spent with Lisa, but what did she talk about?" Bill could feel the tension within him rising; they were getting nowhere.

"Think about something she may have asked you about, something that might have seemed odd or unusual," Lee suggested.

A man Nathan didn't recognise spoke up, "she asked me a lot about land deals."

"She was quite interested in houses and land," Ned said. "She came into the store asking about cabins, especially old, vacant ones that might need repair." Ned looked around as he spoke, and when he saw a spark of recognition in several pairs of eyes, he said, "I thought she might be thinking of fixing one up."

"She asked me that, too. I thought it strange when she wanted to know about isolated cabins; you know...a young woman alone." The farmer looked around the room, "I told her about the ones I knew of."

There was a chorus of voices, all calling out in ascent. Nathan perked up; it sounded like they were onto something. Lisa had asked almost all the men about cabins.

"Alright, Alright," Nathan called out, getting their attention. "Let's think about this. "Did she seem interested in any particular cabin that you mentioned?"

"The more isolated, the better," Ned said.

Lee stepped forward with a piece of paper and pen, "One at a time, tell me the cabins you mentioned to Lisa."

Nathan stood next to Lee, impatient as Lee recorded the information from the men. "Is there anyone we haven't spoken to, any cabins you have forgotten to mention?"

Florence Blakely, who had come to see why the Mercantile was closed, looked at Nathan, "I told her about the old Mangle place; I saw her coming through the bush from the overgrown track and asked her what on earth she was doing." Florence sniffed haughtily, "I told her to stay away from the cabin; it was a run-down death trap that had only gotten worse after Mr Mangle passed away."

"I had forgotten that cabin even existed, Florence," Ned said, frowning. "Did any of you men mention it to her?"

The men shook their heads; they hadn't remembered the cabin either.

"That's it, that's the one," Nathan said to Bill and Lee, jaw clenched. "Where is it, Florence? Can you show me?" doing his best to be polite and respectful when all he wanted to do was scream.

"Yes, of course I can." Florence sniffed; her mouth pursed. "Which way would you like to go, through the bush path I mentioned or via the road?"


Elizabeth watched as Lucas opened his eyes, wary of how he would behave. She had been watching him, wondering when he would rouse from the blow to his head. It had been hours since she left on her drive with John Anderson. Lucas had taken longer than she thought to wake up; she had been starting to worry, not about him, but that no one had found them yet, and what it would be like to be imprisoned with a dead body.

"Where is she? Where is my sister?"

"First things first, John, who are you, and what are you doing in Coal Valley?" Elizabeth was pleased her voice hadn't shaken. She didn't feel as confident as she sounded; she was frightened and felt sick to her stomach at the thought of dying out here, alone with this man. Tears threatened as she thought of the life she wouldn't get to have with Nathan; blinking them back, she said, "Well?"

"Do I really need to explain it to you? I thought you were meant to be smart." Lucas said, snarling.

Staring him down, Elizabeth waited. There was nothing else to do.

"Fine, my name is Lucas Bouchard. Lisa is my sister. I sent her to Coal Valley to lure men into investing in my company and land deals."

"I bet the land deals don't exist, just like the job you offered my friend, Rosemary Leveaux."

"Ah, Miss Leveaux, she was lovely but too easily enticed by the lure of fame. How is dear Rosemary?" Lucas asked with a nasty smile.

"None of your business. Tell me what your sister is planning for us." Elizabeth regretted mentioning Rosemary; she hated hearing her name from him, seeing the mocking glint in his eyes at duping her friend.

"Does it look like I know," Lucas said, looking at himself, bound to the wall. "It appears whatever fate she planned for you is the same one she has in mind for me."

Lucas shifted; he was uncomfortable and had a pounding headache. Now he was conscious; he was seething with anger at his sister. How had he not seen her intentions? He prided himself on seeing through other people, but in this case, he failed, and everything was on the line. He vowed he would get out of this, find his sister, and make her pay.

"Do you think she will change her mind and come back for us?" Elizabeth asked hopefully, "what did she tell you about this cabin?"

"No, she isn't coming back. she had destroyed everything we had, and she knows I will never forgive her." Lucas' tone was flat. "Lisa said no one in Town remembered this cabin; she had found it and discreetly asked about old cabins, but no one ever mentioned this one."

Elizabeth's heart sank; that was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Do you think you can work free of your restraints?" Lucas asked her; she looked small and delicate, and he wondered if she would have the strength to do it.

"No, I have been trying since she tied me up, and I haven't been able to budge them. Can you?"

Lucas struggled; the rope tying him to the beam was longer than hers, but the binding around his wrists was tight. If he had a sharp object, he could cut through them. If he could get close to the window, he could break it and use a shard of the glass. Lucas studied the window above his head and tentatively tried to stand. As he used his legs to raise himself, he felt the rope securing him slide with him.

Elizabeth watched as Lucas stood; the way Lisa had secured her, she couldn't move the way he was, as Lisa had tied her to a lower beam. She cheered for Lucas as he stood, his back against the windowpane, something she wouldn't have believed possible only minutes earlier. As she watched, Lucas contorted his body, bringing his bounds wrists up behind his back and driving his elbow against the glass.

Nothing happened.

Elizabeth winced along with Lucas as the sound of his elbow banging against the solid glass reverberated throughout the cabin. She watched as Lucas braced himself, planted his feet and twisted again.

"Agggh," Lucas cried as his already throbbing elbow connected with the glass windowpane for the second time. This time he was rewarded with the sound of shattering glass, along with a sharp sting as the glass pierced his skin through his suit coat. Hissing in a breath, Lucas stood still, taking stock of his injury, determining how bad it was.

Elizabeth gave a surprised shout and ducked her head quickly as shards of glass from the broken window showered down around her. She wanted to wrap her arms around herself to guard herself against the falling glass, but she was helpless. She ducked her head and sat, powerless as she felt sharp pain where the glass landed, cutting her. Pain flared in her upper arm as a piece of glass hit her, tearing her blouse, and slicing open her skin. Blood blossomed from the wound and ran down her arm; pain coursed through her as she continued to sit, frozen, waiting for the cascade of glass to stop.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked. "Now we have something we can use to free ourselves; I need you to be able to help me."

Elizabeth stared at him, incredulous. How could he be so insensitive? She could feel the blood trickling down her face from the number of small lacerations she had received. Her arm throbbed, and she could feel the warm flow of blood down her arm. Her eyes roamed over Lucas, and she saw he was largely unharmed; even the cut on his elbow was minor and barely bleeding.

"Well?"

"What can I possibly do? I can't use my arms." Elizabeth was exasperated with Lucas, she wasn't sure what he expected, but her options were limited.

Lucas looked around, realising she was right; she was no help to him. He looked at the window and noticed a shard of glass wedged in the frame, jutting out. He could use it to cut through his ropes, he would need to be careful, but there were no other options available.

Moving slowly, Lucas positioned his hands near the shard of glass, and then using his legs, he moved his body up and down. The glass dragged against the rope.

"Can you see if it is working," he cried out to Elizabeth, not wanting his efforts to be in vain.

Peering behind him, she called out, "Yes! Keep going, slowly. The glass is moving slightly; you need to be careful." Elizabeth's heart was racing; if this worked, they could get out of there. She could go home to Nathan.

Lucas worked slowly and steadily, moving his bound arms against the rope; sweat was beading on his forehead, dripping into his eyes. His thighs were burning, and his hands were shaking as he continued his attempts to free himself. It felt like time had slowed down; the minutes dragged, and as he reached breaking point, he felt the binding separate, freeing his hands.

Elizabeth cried out as the rope fell away from Lucas's wrists. "It worked, Lucas; now untie me," she cried, twisting away from him to give him access to her hands.

Her cries were met with silence.

"Hurry up, Lucas," Elizabeth cried, turning back to him, "what are you waiting for?"

"Well, Miss Thatcher, we have a problem. If I let you go, you will run to your fiancé, the Mountie and tell him everything you know." Lucas explained, a pleasant smile on his face, "that would ruin all my plans."

"They will find out what the two of you have done." Elizabeth spat.

"How?" Lucas sneered, "Lisa won't tell anyone, and I will be long gone, so even if they do find out, they won't be able to find me to punish." Lucas adjusted his suit, wiping away the dirt and started walking away.

"Don't do this, Lucas. I haven't done anything to you, and I won't tell Nathan anything. I promise." Elizabeth was begging, but she no longer cared; he couldn't leave her like this. Surely, he couldn't.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe you, and really Elizabeth, I don't care." Lucas opened the door to the cabin, slowly peering out to ensure they were still alone. "Goodbye, Elizabeth; thank you for the entertainment."

Elizabeth watched him leave, tears rolling down her cheeks. He meant it; he wasn't going to help her; he would leave her here to die. Bending her knees, she rested her forehead against them, letting her tears fall.

Hearing the car start and then drive away, Elizabeth's stomach dropped, and her tears flowed faster; now, there wasn't even the car to find. Elizabeth had hoped the vehicle would make it easier to find them, but now there was nothing, no hope. She sat, head bent, deflated. Lucas leaving without her had sapped her energy. Closing her eyes, she waited, ears straining for the sound of someone coming to rescue her, someone coming to find her before it was too late.


In the end, Nathan decided they would approach the cabin in both directions via the road and the overgrown track. As he allocated people to go with Bill, he heard his name called and turned to find the source of the urgent cry. Lisa.

"What are you doing here? What have you done with her?" he shouted as he strode toward her, his anger boiling over. He felt Lee next to him, ready to intervene, but he didn't care; he stood before her, his face stiff with fury, "tell me," he demanded.

"What are you talking about? I went for a walk for my headache; I only wanted to know what was wrong," Lisa stammered, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. "What's happened?" she asked, placing her hand on his forearm.

"You and your brother happened, that's what," Bill said, standing beside Nathan. Reaching out, he pulled Lisa's hand off Nathan's arm, "It's over, Lisa Bouchard, for you and your brother. Tell us where she is."

Lisa's eyes narrowed, and she dropped the facade, knowing Nathan would never believe her now; somehow, they knew her true identity. Nathan knew what she had done; he would never forgive her. Stepping away from Bill, addressing Nathan and the other townspeople gathered, she snarled, "you'll never find her."

"I doubt that Missie." Florence called, "you aren't as clever as you think."

"If she has come to any harm..." Nathan muttered through gritted teeth.

"Nathan," Lee warned, his voice quiet.

"I'll take her," Bill said. "You start searching, and I will make sure this one is locked up where she belongs." Bill grabbed Lisa's arm and held tight. "Walk," he instructed as he half dragged, half carried her to the Mountie office.

Nathan breathed deeply, trying to control his anger as he watched Bill lead her away, his eyes cold. He felt no sympathy or compassion, just rage for what she had done. Lisa had manipulated his niece, drugged his sister, and taken the woman he loved; he didn't know if she was still alive.

"Let's go; we need to move," Nathan called out. Lee had taken Bill's position, leading the group travelling by car, so he followed Florence as she hurried toward the back of the Mercantile to a track only she knew how to find.


Elizabeth drew in a shuddering breath; she needed to remain calm and think of a way to get out of the cabin. She couldn't sit there and wait to be rescued, especially if no one were coming. Wriggling her arms only confirmed there was no budging of her restraints. She put her head down again; think, she demanded. It was no use; nothing came to mind. Resting her head back on her knees, she concentrated on what she could hear. Birds twittered, and the wind rustled the leaves on the trees, but the one sound she wanted to hear, someone coming for her, was missing.

Time dragged as Elizabeth sat, her mind whirling as she tried to think of a way out of her predicament. She raised her head. What was that? Had she really heard someone call her name? Holding her breath, she leaned forward, straining her ears, desperate to be right.

"Elizabeth!" Nathan called, waiting for a response. Hearing nothing, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called again, "Elizabeth". He looked at Florence, Ned and Tom and indicated they should start forward, slowly, and quietly.

"Nathan," Elizabeth shouted as loudly as she could. "Nathan," she cried, her voice straining. Elizabeth stretched out her legs and beat her booted heels upon the timber floor, trying to create as much noise as possible. She refused to cry; she refused to give in now; she was sure she had heard him; she had known he would come."

Nathan raised his hand, halting the group, "do you hear banging?" he whispered. He waited as the others listened, and when Florence gave him a small smile, he knew she heard it too. Adrenaline rushed through Nathan; she was alive. Hold on, Elizabeth, I am coming.

Nathan felt a hand on his arm and looked down; glancing at Florence, he saw her point at the corner of the cabin's roof. Nathan squeezed her hand, "thanks, Florence, but you three stay here; it could be dangerous." Nathan didn't look back to see if they had followed his instructions but began walking toward the cabin; a small smile flitted across his face; he was close to getting Elizabeth back.

Elizabeth's voice had grown hoarse, "I'm here. Nathan," she called softly, her throat thick with tears. Tipping her head back, resting it against the cabin wall, she waited, hoping to hear his voice calling back to her.

Nathan approached the cabin quietly but with less caution than he usually would, his gut told him Elizabeth was alone, and he needed to get to her. His stomach clenched as he approached the front door; taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open, standing still momentarily while his eyes adjusted to the gloom inside.

"Nathan!" Elizabeth screamed, recognising the silhouette of the man she loved. Seeing Nathan there, knowing she was safe, she gave in to her emotions. Relief flooded through her; he had come. She knew he would. A sob of relief escaped her, and tears flowed down her cheeks.

Elizabeth's cries pierced his heart, and he ran to her, dropping to his knees beside her. Frantically he reached for the knife in the pouch on his belt; and sawed quickly through her bindings. Nathan whispered to her, "I'm here; you're safe. It's okay; I've got you."

Elizabeth leaned against Nathan, letting the warmth of his solid presence seep into her skin. Resting her face against his chest, she drew strength from him. Inhaling, she breathed in the warm, masculine smell she would recognise anywhere. As he released her hands, she reached for him and clung on; never wanting to let him go.

They sat together, her sobs mingling with his murmured words of reassurance. Nathan tried to assess her injuries while he held her, reluctant to let her go; the best medicine for both of them was each other.