A/N This story takes place six months after my one-shot, "You Remind Me of Home," but can be understood without reading that first. I have 5 chapters total planned for this one, and it will likely be mostly fluff. Enjoy :)

Hope Valley

June 1923

Sergeant Nathan Grant slowed his horse as he neared town, shifting his hat to shield his eyes from the bright June sunshine. There were quite a few people out and about, enjoying the beautiful warm weather of early summer. He loosened his hold on the reins, letting Newton lead the way to the stables, where he brushed him down and left him with a little snack.

Exiting the stables, he turned toward Main Street, eager to finish his work for the day and get home to his family.

He smiled as he neared the library and saw Jack sitting at the small table outside, in the middle of what seemed to be a very intense game of chess with Lucas.

"Who's winning?" he asked as he got closer.

Jack turned around, beaming when he saw the source of the question. "Hi, dad!"

"Hi, Jack," Nathan returned the greeting.

"To answer your question," Lucas began, "your son is well on his way to winning. I'm pretty sure I don't stand a chance."

Nathan chuckled. "And that's why I no longer play with him. He's gotten too good for me. It isn't even a challenge for him anymore, is it?" He ruffled Jack's hair.

"Well, Jack, I'm happy to play with you anytime I'm in town."

"Thanks, buddy." Jack moved his bishop and grinned smugly. "Check."

Nathan watched the interaction for a few more moments before excusing himself. As he made his way toward the jail, he thought of how grateful he was that Jack and Lucas were able to maintain their relationship after Elizabeth broke off the engagement.

It had bothered him at first—that Lucas still spent time with Jack—and he didn't quite know why. After all, he had maintained a relationship with the young boy throughout Lucas's and Elizabeth's courtship and engagement. But he, Lucas, and Elizabeth had had some difficult, but necessary, conversations in the months following the breakup, and now, things were in a much better place. Two and a half years on, the three of them could all honestly say that things had worked out for the best.

Lucas had been elected governor and began to split his time between Capital City and Hope Valley, unwilling to part fully with the town he called home. Surprisingly, Fiona had become a confidant to him after the election, and they had been spending a lot of time together. Nathan figured it was only a matter of time before they admitted there was something more between them.

And then there was Elizabeth. Nathan smiled at the thought of his wife.

Understandably, she hadn't wanted to jump into another relationship immediately after ending things with Lucas, but it didn't take long before she was unable to deny her feelings for him. His feelings, of course, had never waned, despite all of his attempts to move on. They'd had a short courtship and a small wedding a month and a half before Christmas. They had just celebrated six months of marriage a few weeks before, and they had been some of the happiest months of his life.

"There you are," a sweet voice said when he entered the jail.

"I was just thinking about you." He grinned, stepping forward to wrap his arms around Elizabeth and dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Oh, really? What about me?"

"Just how happy you make me." He stepped back, placing a hand on the small swell of her belly. "How's the little one today?"

"Well, he was kicking up a storm before you came in, but now he's quiet. I think he likes to listen to you."

He leaned down and moved his hands to cradle her belly, speaking softly to his unborn child. "Hi, sweetheart. It's your dad. I love you so much."

His smile widened when he was rewarded with a small kick. He still could hardly believe that a child—his child—was growing in there. He'd hoped that they would be blessed with more children, but had been shocked when Elizabeth broke the news to him just three months into their marriage that she was expecting a baby. She was halfway through the pregnancy now, and Nathan could hardly wait to meet their little one.

"He loves his daddy." Elizabeth feathered her fingers through his hair as he stood back up. "So do I." She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

"Well, that's good, because I happen to love his mama."

"So you agree with me that the baby is a boy?"

He laughed. "You know I don't have a feeling either way. I'm just thrilled to be having a baby with the woman I love." He slid his arms around her again, resting his hands on the small of her back. "This is more than I could ever have hoped for."

She returned his smile. "We do have a good life here."

"Now, as much as I would love to spend the rest of the afternoon discussing how wonderful our life is, I do have some work I need to get done."

"That's okay. I have an appointment with Fiona soon, anyway."

He reached up and rolled a strand of her hair between his thumb and forefinger. "You still don't want to grow it back out?"

"Do you want me to grow it back out?"

"I think you're lovely no matter how long your hair is, but I do love it shorter."

"Then that settles it." She kissed his cheek. "See you later?"

"I'll try to be out of here soon, and I'll pick Allie up on my way." He kissed her one more time. "I love you."

"I beat him two times in a row!" Jack enthused as he recounted his day to his mother. "And he said he'll play with me next time he comes to town, too."

"So you had a good day?"

"Mhmm." He nodded. "Is Allie home from work?"

"Not yet. Dad said he'd walk her home after, but they'll be back in time for dinner."

He looked up at her. "Can I help with dinner?"

"Of course, you can." She smiled, placing a hand on her stomach as the baby shifted. "I was thinking maybe we could have a picnic dinner. We could take a little walk out to the stream and put a blanket down near the trees."

"Can we bring Scout?"

She chuckled. "Sure, we can bring Scout."

"Yes!" he cheered, excitedly throwing his hands into the air.

He loved that they now lived with Allie and Nathan, but the dog was a bonus that he thoroughly enjoyed. And Elizabeth had to admit, she quite liked having a furry friend around once more.

She put her arm around his shoulders, marveling at how tall he had grown recently, and at how much he was like his father. "I sure love you, Jack."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I love you, too, mom. Hey, do you think dad could take me fishing tomorrow?"

"You'll have to ask him. He's been fairly busy at work, so it will depend on how much he gets done today, but I'm sure he'd love to if he can."

"Okay." He fell quiet as they continued walking, his demeanor changing.

"Jack? Are you okay?"

"What happens when the baby comes?" he asked, wringing his hands in front of himself. "Dad's already busy with work, and when the baby comes, he'll be busy with that. Will he still have time for me?"

"Oh, Jack." She stopped walking, gently grabbing Jack's arm to stop him, too. "Of course he will. Dad will always have time for you. I promise. Yes, we'll have to give quite a bit of attention to this baby, but you and Allie are very important to us."

He put his arms around her. "Thank you, mom."

She kissed the top of his head. "I hope you always feel like you can talk to me or dad about any concerns you have, Jack. Even if you think it might upset us. We love you so much, and we want you to be happy."

"I know." He took a step back. "Can we have fried chicken for our picnic dinner?"

She let out a soft laugh. "I suppose we can."

Jack cast his line into the water. "Dad?" he said quietly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Jack," Nathan replied from beside him, keeping his eyes on his own line. "You know you can ask me anything."

"How did mom get the baby in her? Allie says I'm not big enough to know, but I'm seven now."

"Oh, well, uh…" He cleared his throat and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "So, uh, what happens is…" he trailed off, unsure how to approach the subject.

"Yes?" Jack looked up at him, curiosity covering his face.

"You know your mom and I love each other, right? And we do things like hug and kiss?"

He shuddered. "Yeah. It's gross."

Nathan chuckled. "Well, you might change your mind someday, because those are some ways that people show each other how much they love them. And because your mom and I love each other so much, we made a baby."

"You made the baby?" He furrowed his brow. "Out of what?"

"Well, let's see. Have you learned about cells yet in school?"

"Mhmm." He nodded. "They make up everything alive, like people and plants and dogs and horses."

"That's right. Well, moms and dads each have special cells in them, and when those cells come together, they can grow into a baby," he explained. "It's a bit like when you plant a seed, and it grows into a plant."

"Is that how I was made?"

Nathan nodded. "Your daddy in heaven loved your mom very much, and together, they made you."

He smiled and fell silent for a few moments, leading Nathan to assume he was satisfied with his answers.

"But I still don't get how the baby got inside of mom," he spoke up again. "How did the special cells get together? Did she swallow it?"

Nathan coughed to cover up his surprise at the boy's thoughts. "No. Um, I think maybe we should talk about this more later, with your mom. She might be able to give you a better answer than I can."

Jack heaved a sigh. "Okay. I guess I can wait."

"So…" Nathan changed the subject, "you beat Lucas at chess yesterday?"

"Uh huh." He grinned. "Two times in a row. And today, I'm gonna beat you at fishing."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yes." He looked intently at his line as it floated in the water. "Allie told me how to catch lots of fish."

"We'll see how that works out," he joked, casting his line again. "I taught Allie everything she knows about fishing."

"I'm glad you spent the day with him," Elizabeth said as she helped Nathan prepare the fish that he and Jack had caught. "Yesterday, he told me he was worried that you wouldn't have time for him when the baby arrives."

"We'll have to make sure we prioritize spending time with him and Allie both. I certainly don't want them thinking we've forgotten about them."

She turned from the counter to face him, sliding her hands around him to rest on his back. "I don't think we need to worry about that."

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've had this worry in the back of my mind ever since you told me you were pregnant. This baby is my first related to me by blood, and there's a part of me that worries that Jack and Allie might wonder if I'll love this baby more than them because of that. It's not true, of course, but I still worry a little."

She reached up to touch his cheek. "They know you love them. And more than that, you chose them, when you didn't have to."

A smile played on his lips. "Best decisions I've ever made. It's an honor to be their dad."

"I'm glad you still feel that way after all of Jack's questions today," she teased.

"Oh goodness," he groaned. "I figured he might start asking those questions with the baby on the way, but I still wasn't prepared for it."

"I think you handled it well." She turned back to the counter, continuing to work on their dinner. "But now I'm curious how you handled it when Allie came to you with similar questions."

"Oh." A flush rose in his neck. "Those questions started shortly after we arrived here, because of Jack, actually. But I had her talk to Faith. I was pretty clueless about…all of that."

Elizabeth chuckled. "You're a great dad, Nathan."

He grew serious. "I try my best. Lord knows I've made plenty of mistakes."

She placed her hand on his, gently squeezing his fingers. "You love the children, and they know that. That's the most important thing."

"Jack and I are just going to check on some things at the jail," Nathan ruffled the boy's hair, "and we'll meet you ladies at the café for lunch after the appointment."

"Okay." Elizabeth leaned up to kiss him. "See you soon."

With that, she and Allie turned toward the infirmary, and Jack and Nathan headed off to the jail.

"Thank you for letting me come to your appointment, mom," Allie said as they made their way down the street.

Elizabeth and Nathan had been very supportive when the teenager had started showing an interest in nursing, and Faith had been more than happy to let her come to the infirmary in her spare time. When Elizabeth had offered to let Allie come along on her checkup, the girl was thrilled.

"You're welcome, Allie." She put her arm around her daughter. "I thought it was about time for you to see what a prenatal checkup looks like."

"I'm excited. Do you think Dr. Carter will let me help her?"

"It won't hurt to ask." She opened the door, stepping into the infirmary. "Good morning, Faith," she greeted her friend. "I know I'm a little early, so I can wait outside if you need me to."

"It's been a slow morning." She ushered the ladies into the room. "Come on in. I see I have my assistant this morning." She gave Allie a wink.

Her eyes lit up. "Can I really help?"

"Of course. This will be a pretty easy checkup," she explained. "I really just want to make sure the baby is still growing well and your mom is doing okay."

Elizabeth pulled herself up onto the bed, sitting quietly as Faith checked her vitals, describing everything she was doing to Allie. With that task completed, she leaned back onto the pillow, allowing Faith and Allie to take measurements and check the baby's heart rate.

Allie's eyes widened when she pressed the stethoscope to Elizabeth's stomach. "The heartbeat is so fast."

Faith smiled. "That's a good thing. It means the baby's heart is working properly." She jotted a few things down on a clipboard. "And these measurements look perfect, too. Baby Grant seems to be growing right on track."

"How big will the baby be when it's born?" Allie questioned, glancing over at the numbers Faith had written down.

"Somewhere around seven pounds is pretty typical. Actually," she crossed to the shelf of books lining the wall, searching for a specific title. "If your mom and dad are okay with it, you can borrow this book. It's technically written for expectant mothers, but it talks a lot about pregnancy and the developing baby. I'm sure it can answer a lot of the questions you have."

"Mom?" She looked over at Elizabeth, the question in her eyes.

"Go ahead," Elizabeth told her, sitting up slowly.

"Thank you, mom!" she beamed, accepting the book from Faith. "And thank you, for letting me borrow it. I'll get it back to you as soon as I finish it."

"I have books on just about every subject in medicine. You're welcome to borrow any of them, Allie."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Carter." Allie hugged the book to her chest.

"Anything to help a future doctor," she grinned. Turning her attention back to Elizabeth, she informed her that everything was progressing well, and every indication showed she would likely continue to have a healthy, normal pregnancy. "Of course," she added, "don't hesitate to come by if anything seems off."

"I will," Elizabeth assured her. "Well, Allie, shall we go see if dad and Jack have made it to the café yet?"

"Mom?" Allie glanced up from the book that Faith had lent to her. "Did you know that they think it's the cell from the dad that determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl? So Jack can blame dad if he doesn't get a brother," she joked.

Elizabeth chuckled. "And do you want a brother, too?"

She shrugged. "I don't really have a preference. Honestly, when you and dad got married, I was just happy to get Jack as a little brother. I didn't think much about the possibility of you having a baby. But you think it's a boy, right?"

"I do. I could be wrong, but I just have a feeling."

Allie marked her spot in the book before closing it and placing it on the table so she could move closer to her mom. Leaning her head on Elizabeth's shoulder, she asked, "do you have a name picked out for him yet?"

"Not yet," Nathan answered as he came down the stairs after getting Jack to bed. "Somebody is a little bit picky about names." He shot a look at his wife.

"Just because I don't want to give our son the name of my father's lawyer." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"What's the name?" Allie questioned.

"Louis."

"Dad, no. You can't name the baby Louis."

He feigned upset. "And why not?"

"Remember Fort Simpson? Louis Anderson?"

"Oh, right!"

Elizabeth laughed at the look that passed between father and daughter. "Care to share about this Louis Anderson?"

"He was a new recruit who thought it would be funny to pull a prank on a fellow recruit," Nathan explained. "His intention was to switch out a glass of water with a glass of vinegar."

"Except he accidentally switched out dad's glass, instead of the other recruit's." Allie giggled as she finished the story. "I don't think I've ever seen dad make a face like he did when he took a sip."

"Okay, so Louis is out." Nathan chuckled. "But we really do need to start narrowing down the list."

"Why don't you name him Nathan?" Allie suggested. "After all, Jack is named after his dad."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, slowly rubbing her hand back and forth over her stomach. "She has a point. He could be our Little Nathan."

He took a seat on the other side of her. "And set him up for a lifetime of confusion wondering if people are talking to him or to me?"

"And this is why we haven't settled on a name yet," Elizabeth teased.

Nathan slipped his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Thank goodness we still have time."

Elizabeth sat on the porch, rocking slowly in her chair as Scout lay curled up beside her. Allie and Jack were out in the field, playing with three-year-old Goldie Coulter, who let out a big belly laugh at the face Jack was making at her.

She smiled, bringing her hands to her stomach. The baby shifted slightly beneath her fingers. "Oh, little one," she spoke softly, "you have no idea just how lucky you are to be born into this family, into this town. You are so incredibly loved already, by your sister, your brother, me," she sighed contentedly, "and by your dad. You don't know it yet, but you have the very best man as your father."

Her smile widened as she imagined Nathan with their baby, so tiny and fragile in his strong arms. She had been thrilled to tell him that he would be a father again, knowing he would be absolutely wonderful with their baby.

She thought back to the day she told him the news.

She hadn't expected when they discussed the possibility of hanging another stocking up at Christmas that she would fall pregnant just a few weeks later. By the end of January, she'd had her suspicions, and after a visit with Faith, she was certain enough to share the news with Nathan.

He'd treated her to dinner and dessert at the café for Valentine's Day, and after, they spent the evening out on their porch, bundled up as they looked up at the stars. Nathan had gifted her with a delicate silver necklace in the shape of a heart, and she gave him some new wood carving tools, with the explanation that he'd need to carve something to go in the nursery.

It took him a few moments to register what she had said, but his eyes had grown wide. She had nodded in answer to the question she knew he wanted to ask. A baby? Are you sure?

He pulled her into his arms, tears filling his eyes as he whispered, "I love you so much," in her ear.

The crunch of boots on gravel brought her back to the present. She glanced up to see Nathan striding toward her, his lips turning up into a smile as he caught her gaze.

"You looked like you were thinking hard about something," he observed as he approached. "Something good, I hope."

"Something very good," she assured him, holding out her hand as he mounted the steps.

He slipped his fingers into hers, pulling her up from the chair so he could greet her with a proper kiss. "Care to share anything about these thoughts?"

"I was just thinking about the day I told you I was pregnant. And just how loved this baby is."

He placed his hands on either side of her stomach. "This baby is going to be smothered in love," he confirmed. "By you and me, Allie and Jack. By the whole town, really."

He turned slightly to look over at the children where they were still happily playing, taking it all in. It certainly hadn't been the easiest journey to get to where they were, but he was forever grateful that they hadn't given up on each other.

"It's a wonderful place to call home," she mused, sliding an arm around his waist.

He kissed her once more. "You're my home, Elizabeth."