Elizabeth was busy at school for the rest of the week. Trying to catch up on her lessons and trying to keep the children focused on the work. Classes had been interrupted with the planning and setting up of the festival, but it had been worth it. Elizabeth looked at her little library, which was a half shelf at the back of the classroom. She would still keep a few books here in the schoolhouse but she was excited to move everything over to the new library as soon as she could clean it up and paint.

After school during the week, Elizabeth would spend a couple hours cleaning and sweeping. Also moving out the extra things that had been stored there. Elizabeth knew that she had asked so many things of the town already but maybe she could ask for help to find a couple bookshelves to start with. She knew that the library wouldn't be perfect when she opened, but she would do her best to make it somewhere where people would want to be.

Saturday morning, Elizabeth asked Laura to come and watch Jack so she could spend most of the day at the library. She had gotten most of the cleaning done and the room was completely empty. She wanted to get the painting done if she could today. She had ordered paint earlier in the week and it arrived yesterday. It was a beautiful sky blue color she thought would be calm and inviting. As she walked into the room, she could see everything completed in her mind.

She put down large cloths to cover the floors where she would start and set up the paint and brushes. She had brought an old apron from home and tied up her hair. She left the door open to let the paint air out and hopefully let it dry.

Nathan had saw her walk over to the new library that morning. She looked beautiful walking with a purpose, carrying the paint cans and with her hair up off her neck. He knew that he had never felt this way before. Not with Margaret and not with anyone else before. Nathan felt a pull to the library and before he knew what he was doing he got up from his desk and walked across the street.

Elizabeth had just started to put the brush against the wall. She had put a couple marks of the light blue color on the wall and set the brush down on the paint can. She took a step back to look at the wall and tilted her head, trying to see if she liked it or not.

"It is starting to look good in here," Elizabeth heard a voice say. She turned and saw Nathan standing there in the doorway. He was dressed in his serge. He was smiling at her with his crooked smile like he always did. Elizabeth thought he was a handsome man. When he stood in the library she realized how very blue his eyes were, like the blue she had chosen for the color of the new library.

"Thank you. I think it will be wonderful when it is all finished. I am trying to get it painted today. What do you think of this color?"

"I think it is great. Do you need some help?"

Elizabeth looked him up and down and said, "I wouldn't want you to get the serge dirty."

Nathan laughed, taking off his serge and hanging it on the doorknob. He had a short sleeve henley on today, Elizabeth noticed. No rolling up the sleeves today like at the festival, but she could still see all his muscles. "What can I do?" Nathan asked.

"Uh what?" Elizabeth didn't hear his question, she was too distracted at the man standing in front of her.

"I asked how I could help. Do you have an extra brush?"

"Oh yes." Elizabeth picked up a brush from the side with the extra cans of paint. "Here you go. I was going to start on this wall first."

Nathan took the brush from Elizabeth, both of their hands touching. They both looked in each other's eyes, feeling the spark. They stood there for a couple minutes just feeling the emotion, holding hands with the brush. Elizabeth pulled back first lowering her head and brushing her hands over her apron trying to calm herself. "We better get started," she said looking back up at him smiling.

Elizabeth got her brush and both of them started painting. The two of them kept looking at each other and laughing. Nathan started to go really slow and then really fast to make Elizabeth laugh. He just loved to hear the sound. Nathan went to get more paint from the can and a there was a mischievous thought in his head. He took a finger and put it lightly in the paint. He snuck up behind Elizabeth and smeared a light line of paint on her cheek.

"Hey!"

Nathan stood over to the side, laughing with his eyes sparking while looking into Elizabeth's eyes.

Elizabeth looked at him and while giggling said, "you think that's funny, huh?" Elizabeth was thinking about what she would do next when Lucas walked in.

"What's going on here?" Lucas said with a serious look on his face. Nathan had tried to avoid going to the saloon since Lucas had arrived but in the few times he had met him, he had not seen him smile or laugh.

"Nothing. Did you need something Mr. Bouchard?" Nathan asked.

"I was in the mercantile and Mr. Yost had a telegram for you. He asked if I could bring it to you. I went by the Mountie Office but then I heard the laughing."

"Thank you."

Lucas left shortly after that, heading to the saloon. Elizabeth saw the look on Nathan's face as he looked at telegram, not opening it.

"I was going to walk over to the cafe and get a cup of coffee. I can go while you read that telegram if you like. Would you like a cup?" Elizabeth asked.

"Thank you Elizabeth. I would love one. Just black, no cream or sugar." Elizabeth nodded, heading for the door. Nathan opened the telegram, reading the words from Mountie headquarters.

As Elizabeth walked to the cafe, a strange man watched her. He sat hidden between the buildings next to the library. He had seen Lucas Bouchard walk out of the building and then the woman walk out after him. He wasn't sure what relationship the two had to each other but he would need to head back to where his group was waiting in the woods to let them know what he had seen. Then they could make a plan how to move forward.

––––––

When Elizabeth had gotten back to the library with the coffee, Nathan had already wiped the paint from his cheek. Elizabeth knew he would have but she thought how happy she was when that had happened. The two of them talked for a few minutes as they shared their coffee. Nathan had to excuse himself after that telling Elizabeth that he had to go talk to Bill about the telegram he received. Elizabeth hoped that nothing was wrong. Nathan smiled as he put on his serge, offering to come help her with the painting later if she was still there.

Nathan walked into Bill's office, "Hi Bill, are you busy right now?"

"I am but I can use a break. What is going on?"

"I got this telegram from Mountie Headquarters today," Nathan said handing the telegram to Bill..

Bill looked up after reading the telegram, "Amos Dixon? That is the robber who has been in the neighboring towns?"

"That is what they are saying. I think there is something else going on."

"You think this is all to do with Bouchard, don't you?"

"I do. And if that is the case, I think we need to be prepared that he could come here. He usually travels with a group of men so we would be outnumbered."

"At least the festival is over so we don't need to worry about that," Bill said.

The two of them sat in Bill's office that afternoon coming up with a plan to keep Hope Valley safe in light of this new information. They planned to take shifts at the saloon at night to keep an eye on things there with one of them staying in town at all times. Nathan was also worried about keeping Allie safe but he didn't want to worry her. He would try not to plan any fishing trips away. Everyone would be safer in town.