Bill peered through a gap in the curtain separating the dining room from the Kitchen in Abigail's Cafe.

"Bill, what are you doing?" Abigail scolded him as she came up behind him. "Give them some privacy."

"I just wanted to see if they liked the food."

"Oh, Bill. Please, you are being nosy."

"Fine. I am, but aren't you curious to see if they can work this out?" Bill shrugged, "I hope they can, and the two of them stay here in Coal Valley; the town could use a doctor to help Faith."

Abigail resisted the urge to glance into the dining room, closing the gap in the curtain and pulling Bill away.

"I would love the two of them to stay in Town, but we must let them decide. Robert would have a role here, but Julie must feel she can make a life here, too. While I don't understand the life Julie leads in Hamilton, it does keep her busy."

Bill knew Abigail was right; Coal Valley had little to offer Julie Thatcher besides her family. He was pinning his hopes on Robert Pearce and Julie forming a relationship and wanting to remain close to the Grants.

Bill sat at the table in the kitchen, watching as Abigail prepared dessert plates. Watching her confident movements as she arranged chocolate cake, berries, and cream, he thought of Julie Thatcher and what she could do in Coal Valley that would amuse her.

Bill wracked his brains for ideas for Julie. Abigail didn't need help in the Cafe; she had Clara and Rosemary. Lee didn't need help at the timber Mill; he had Mike. Henry, no chance there; he hadn't even started working again after the mine shut down. If he ever started working again, there might be something. In her role as Mayor, Abigail could use some help, but it wouldn't be full-time and wouldn't use Julie's skills. Julie was creative, an artist who had a way of making people feel at ease. Julie would excel if they ever had the budget for a Town social secretary.

Bill looked up, grinning, pleased to hear Julie's laughter drifting through the curtain. Catching Abigail's eye, he saw her smiling too.

"I think your dessert might seal the deal, Abigail."

"I don't think they need my dessert to do that. They just needed time to talk...without being spied on!"

Bill shook his head, his smile growing wider at her teasing expression. "Well, as soon as they finish, we can have our dessert ...without being spied on."

"Bill!" Abigail exclaimed, her cheeks reddening as she tapped his knuckles with the cream-covered spoon. "Hush, someone might hear you."

"Abigail, there is no one here. Clara is having dinner with Rosemary and Lee." Catching hold of her hand, he held it between both of his. "Besides, I don't care who knows how much I care about you."

"I am sure most people have guessed about the two of us anyway," Abigail conceded. I am happy for people to know, but we don't need big announcements."

"Good, I don't like sneaking around." Bill brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it. "No big announcement, but no hiding anymore, either."

Abigail smiled, "No more hiding, but no lingering over dessert, you promised to watch Patricia; you do need to hurry back. I hate the thought of her being alone there."


Julie looked up as the curtain parted, and Abigail approached their table, ready to return their empty dishes to the kitchen.

"Can I get you two anything else?"

"Not me, Abigail; I ate so much I might burst. Everything was delicious."

Abigail smiled but held her tongue. Each time she had come to deliver another course, the one before it had barely been touched. After a slow start, the two young people before her had been engrossed in conversation. When Robert and Julie arrived, there had been tension between them. Abigail would have liked to be a fly on the wall to hear what they had discussed because whatever it was, the change in their demeanour was miraculous.

"Can I offer you something to take home? Nathan always seems to find room for my cakes."

"Yes, he does, and he may have hinted at my bringing something home for him," Julie laughed. "I think he missed your cooking while he and Elizabeth were away. He would greatly appreciate it if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not; let me put something together for you."

Julie smiled at Robert across the table as they watched Abigail retreat to the kitchen. "I guess she is letting us know it is time to go home." Julie knew it was past time; they had been lingering over their meal for hours. She didn't want the evening to end; she couldn't remember the last time she had been content to sit and listen to someone else talk. Robert Pearce was even more fascinating than she had already thought. When he spoke on a topic, he was passionate about, his face lit up, and his dark eyes flashed with excitement.

Julie was pleased they had sorted out their misunderstanding, well, her misunderstanding about Robert and Colleen. The evening had started awkwardly as she had struggled to broach the subject of the coldness she had created between them. She couldn't tell Robert the truth, that she had distanced herself because of her feelings for him, not unless she knew he felt the same way. Thankfully, Robert wasted no time opening up to her.

"Julie, thank you for agreeing to join me for dinner. I wanted to talk to you alone, clear the air and find out what changed between us." Julie had started to protest, but Robert shook his head and continued to speak. "I know something changed, and very quickly. After our initial poor start, I thought we were friends, but then you began avoiding me." Robert reached out and gently laid his hand over hers where it rested on the table, "I've wracked my brain trying to work out what I did to upset you, but I am clueless."

"It wasn't you." Julie looked down at where their hands joined and decided she needed to be honest with him. "It was me, Robert. I thought you and Colleen were becoming close, and I didn't want to interfere; I wanted you to have the chance to ...to be together."

"Colleen? And me? But it isn't like that, Julie, not at all. At first, I spent so much time with her because I wanted to understand her condition and discover the truth of her illness, and then, as she improved, I realised what a lovely person she was and how many people would miss her. Knowing how much she meant to people made me even more determined to help her recover." Robert paused and softly called her name, waiting for her to look at him before he continued. "It is friendship between us and nothing more, nor will there be. It's not like that for Colleen and me, not like it is for us."

"Us?" Julie echoed, her eyes widening at his honesty.

"Yes, us. Unless I am completely mistaken."

"You're not mistaken, Robert. Not at all." Julie felt her cheeks flush with colour; this was unlike any conversation she had ever had with a man.

Robert had smiled at her then, and she couldn't resist returning his happy smile. Could it really be so easy? A simple statement letting the other know how they felt, that they wanted the same thing? Julie's previous flirtations involved playing games to keep suitors guessing.

Hearing noises from the kitchen, Robert squeezed her hand before sitting back in his chair, putting distance between them as Abigail entered the dining room. From that moment, the conversation flowed naturally between them.

As they gathered their things and prepared to leave, Julie wondered what happened now. They had admitted something was between them, but what did that mean? What did tomorrow look like? What did it look like when Colleen had recovered? Would Robert leave Coal Valley? Where would that leave the two of them?

Abigail handed Julie a bag of food, and she knew from the weight of it there was more than one dessert for Nathan. Julie smiled at Abigail's generosity but wasn't surprised. Now that her sister and Nathan were home, Julie would return to living with Rosemary, and he would have to organise to collect his own desserts.

"There is a note in there for Nathan, too," Abigail explained. "I visited Patricia at the Mountie office earlier and wanted him to have the information before he sees her tomorrow."

"Thanks, Abigail; I will make sure he gets it. I heard Nathan and Elizabeth talking about her last night; they are both very concerned about her."

"Me too, Julie."

"If there is anything I can do to help, please reach out to me; I hate the thought of that frightened young girl behind bars, especially when we don't know the reason for her crimes."

"Thank you, Julie. I appreciate that." Abigail paused as she looked into Julie's earnest face. "And, if you mean it, I will take you up on the offer tomorrow if you are free. I need someone to take breakfast to Patricia for me. I will be with her through the morning, so I have to prepare for lunch."

"I can do that, Abigail. I don't have any firm plans except moving back into the row house with Rosemary."

"I could collect you and your things, then drive you into Town," Robert offered quickly. "I want to check on Colleen early, and I planned to see Patricia as well."

"I would love that, Robert and you must join us for breakfast, " Julie said, beaming, pleased a way of seeing Robert again had been offered so easily. "Well, now that is all agreed, we really should get going and let you get home."

The town was quiet as the two of them drove towards home, and there was little conversation until Robert slowed the car in front of her sister's home and Julie turned toward him, smiling.

"Thank you so much for dinner, Robert. I had a wonderful time."

"So did I, Julie and I hope it was only the first of many dinners we will share." Robert twisted in his seat, facing her as he reached for her hand. "Julie, you have captivated me, and while I know this ...thing between us is happening very fast, I don't want to slow down. I want to learn everything about you, spend time with you, and only you."

"I want that too, Robert, starting right now."

Julie waited, staring into Robert's eyes as he slowly leaned forward and kissed her forehead softly. Closing her eyes, she savoured the sensation of his closeness, her heart full, knowing Robert returned her feelings and that he saw a future for them.

"I need to let you go inside before Elizabeth sends Nathan to look for what is keeping you. I don't want the Mounties after me," Robert whispered as he pulled away from her, opened his car door, and climbed out.

Julie laughed at Robert's silliness as she watched him round the car's bonnet toward her door.

Standing before the door Julie said, "I will see you bright and early tomorrow. Sweet dreams," She kissed his cheek and without waiting for a response she opened the door and slipped inside. She leaned against the door until she heard Robert's car start and drive away. Only once the sound of the car engine faded away did Julie return to reality and realise Elizabeth and Nathan were sitting at the kitchen table, staring at her, wearing matching smiles.

"It looks like you enjoyed dinner, Julie", Elizabeth said, lips twitching as she tried to contain her smile.

"Yes, it was perfect." Julie hurried toward her sister, holding out the bag of treats for Nathan. "Abigail sent these for you, plus a note, Nathan, about Patricia."

As Nathan stood and reached for the bag, Julie placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Robert will be here for breakfast tomorrow morning; I hope that's alright. Julie sometimes forgot that Nathan and Elizabeth had been in Brookfield for most of Robert's time in Coal Valley and didn't know him well. Robert had become part of the furniture for her, Colleen, and Allie. He visited so often to work with Colleen and had spent so much time with them that it was strange not to have him around.

"Of course, Julie. Is he coming to check on Colleen?"

"Yes, he likes to examine her at different times of the day," Julie explained. "Once he is finished, he will drive me to Rosemary's. It's time I gave Allie her room back. I am also delivering breakfast to Patricia for Abigail so she can stay with her when you do rounds."

"I'm sure Allie doesn't mind, Julie. She loves having sleepovers with you." Nathan knew Elizabeth liked having her sister around, too. "You will be careful of Patricia, won't you? We still don't know anything about her, and what we do know, we think she made up."

"Abigail warned me, Nathan. I promise to deliver breakfast and leave, but I won't engage her. I could bring you something as well if you like."

"You better not," Nathan said ruefully. "I need to watch how much of Abigail's baking I am eating."

"Starting tomorrow?" Elizabeth teased as he reached into the bag Julie had given him.

"Starting tomorrow," he agreed before taking a bite from a scone.