"Ned!" Fiona burst into the mercantile, startling Elizabeth. "Carson needs extra gauze and bandages, whatever you have!"

"What happened?" Ned asked, seeing the distress in Fiona's eyes and moving quickly to fulfill her request.

Fiona spread her hands, hurrying over to him. "Someone's been shot!"

Elizabeth felt her stomach drop. "Who?"

Fiona looked at Elizabeth, shaking her head. The look in her eyes pierced Elizabeth's heart, telling her something was desperately wrong. "Fiona!"

A man's voice echoed into the mercantile from the street. "I think it's Nathan! He's been shot!"

Fear curled its strong tentacles around Elizabeth's heart. Her eyes widened and she quickly walked to the mercantile steps, hoping against hope that it wasn't true. There had to be a mistake. She looked across the street at the prisoner transport wagon. She could see Carson inside, with Bill just outside looking in. A group of people was gathered around.

Elizabeth gasped and hurried down the steps, coming to the wagon.

Bill held out his arms to the gathered crowd. "Step back, folks. Step back, please, and give us some room."

Elizabeth stopped outside the wagon as Carson climbed out. She could see the red serge inside. Still, unmoving.

Carson's quiet words to Bill confirmed her worst fears. "He's gone."

Utter devastation filled Elizabeth. Her breathing came more rapidly as tears sprang to her eyes.

Not Nathan! Her heart broke into a million pieces. She couldn't do this again. She couldn't lose him too, not like she had lost Jack. The pain shot through her like a knife, pain she'd only experienced once before. She turned from the wagon slowly, unable to breathe.

As she turned, a flash of red filled her vision. Her heart stopped again and her mind tried to comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

Nathan was walking toward her, leading Newton. He looked sad and tired, but he was alive.

He was alive!

Relief unlike anything she'd ever known filled Elizabeth. Not stopping to think, not caring what the townspeople might think, she ran to Nathan, throwing herself into his arms. She clung to him, holding him as close as she possibly could, cheek pressed against his red serge, so thankful that he was alive. She felt his hands come to rest on her back, holding her as well, his chin resting lightly on her head.

She could feel his labored breathing, as if he were trying to hold back tears. Her own emotions were rolling out of control. The relief was strong, but her fears were right there with them.

She could have lost him. Tears filled her eyes. How close had he come to being the one who was shot? Elizabeth closed her eyes, unwilling to continue down that path of thought. She pressed closer to Nathan, drawing comfort from his very real, solid presence. Nothing in the world could have been more comforting to her in that moment than feeling Nathan's strong, steady heartbeat against her cheek.

Their embrace lengthened on, but neither of them noticed the time. They were nestled in their own little world, finding comfort and strength from each other.

Elizabeth felt moisture hit her hair, and she drew back slightly, looking up at Nathan. His eyes were on the prisoner transport wagon that was being led away by Carson. Nathan's face was tear streaked, his eyes vacant. He spoke slowly as he watched the wagon disappear from sight. "He shouldn't have died, Elizabeth."

She could hear the grief in his voice. Though he hadn't known the Mounties transporting the prisoner with him, she knew that they considered themselves brothers by profession. Nathan would feel the loss of a fellow Mountie keenly, whether he knew him or not. But she had a feeling there was more to the story.

"What happened?" she asked.

Nathan started to answer, then seemed to realize where they were. He took in the townspeople gathered around them. Elizabeth suddenly became aware of how this must look. She let him go, her arms falling to her side, her cheeks pinkening. She took a step back, mouth working but no words coming out.

Bill appeared in her line of vision. "I'll take care of your horse," he said to Nathan. "You two go find somewhere to talk." He clapped Nathan on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Nathan looked at him, shaking his head wordlessly. Elizabeth looked between them, wondering what exactly had happened to shake Nathan this much. Was it just the death of a colleague or was it something more?

Mouth grim, Bill nodded. "I understand. I'll come check on you in a little bit."

"Thanks, Bill," Nathan said woodenly. He stepped to the side, motioning for Elizabeth to follow him. "We can talk in my office."

A rollercoaster of emotions swirled through Elizabeth as they walked to the jail. Her heart was still racing from the combination of the fear she'd felt of losing him and the relief of seeing him alive. Now that she'd had time to think about it, she was surprised at the intensity of her reaction.

A simple hug would have been one thing. One friend hugging another out of a sense of relief that the friend was okay.

This had been different.

Her cheeks flushed anew as she recalled how she had clung to Nathan. No, that was not the reaction of one friend hugging another. He meant so much more to her than that.

With a jolt, she realized that her heart had chosen Nathan. After all the months of feeling torn between Nathan and Lucas, Rosemary had informed her just a couple days ago that when the time was right for her to choose, she would know.

She knew. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. Months ago, Nathan had told her to let him know when she figured out what was in her heart. The choice had been unconscious, but she couldn't deny it any longer.

A small pang hit her as she realized she would have to tell Lucas. She didn't want to cause him any pain, but she also knew she had to put an end to his attempts to court her. As much as she liked him, she knew in her heart that they could only ever be friends. He wasn't the one for her.

Perhaps she had known that all along, but he had felt safe and familiar, harkening back to her life in Hamilton. In a time of such uncertainty, she had wanted to hold on to the familiar even though it was from her past life. Nathan had stirred up uncomfortable feelings and emotions in her, ones she hadn't been ready to face. His job alone had made her wary of letting herself feel anything for him. Lucas knew how to romance a woman while Nathan had bumbled through his attempts to even talk to her. Her feelings for both of them had confused her, making her wonder how she was going to decide.

Now she knew. Maybe she had known all along but had been too afraid to admit it. If she allowed herself to love Nathan she would have to open herself to that fear again. The fear of losing a man she loved to the Mounties. The fear of loving someone who was so brave. The fear of feeling so broken and alone again if anything were to happen to him.

Maybe love was worth the fear.

Elizabeth glanced at Nathan as they walked along, her heart melting. He was trying to be strong, but she could see he was hurting. Everything in her wanted to stop and take him in her arms once more, decorum be hanged. But she resisted.

There would be time for that down the road. For now, they needed to talk.