When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 3: Steps Forward

In Capital City, Bill investigates the scene where Lucas was shot outside his office. He times how long it takes to get to the alley and back, testing Pike's confession story. Bill believes someone is lying.

Back in Hope Valley, Lee reviews paperwork with Mike and Lucas at the saloon. Lee signs and assures them that he is just the new owner, as Mike will continue running the day-to-day operations. Lucas asks whether Lee is okay with him continuing to use his office there, and Lee agrees. He asks Lucas whether he has seen Elizabeth since he has been back, and offers to talk about it if Lucas ever wants to.

At the school during recess, Nathan drops off Allie's lunch to Elizabeth. Nathan thanks Elizabeth for the party and notes that it was a night of surprises, but he is happy that Lucas is back. Elizabeth tells him that things were just starting to feel normal again, and Nathan assures her that she means a “good” normal. Allie tells Nathan that her lunch is in her school bag. Nathan gives her the one he brought anyway and leaves.

At Minnie and Joseph's, Cooper is upset with Angela because she gave his best baseball to Scout, who chewed it to bits. Angela says Cooper used her favourite ribbon for a slingshot, and Minnie steps in. The two children refuse to eat together and leave. Joseph and Minnie agree that while Cooper and Angela have been fighting like cats and dogs lately, the two of them always work it out.

Nathan walks into his office and sees Bill at his desk. Bill explains how he went to Capital City and tested Pike's confession, but it does not add up, as someone else must have been driving the getaway car. Nathan assures Bill that Montague was investigated, but Bill thinks Montague could have hired Pike and a driver to do the dirty work.

At the schoolhouse, Elizabeth dismisses class but asks Toby to stay back to discuss his maths test. He tells her that he memorised the answers to the homework, but Elizabeth tells him that maths does not really work like that. She tells him she is there to help, and that he should focus on his reading instead. She assures him that he will get there with maths.

In town, Rosemary approaches Bill while he reads the paper. She asks him whether he found anything out while on his trip to Capital City. Bill maintains that he does not know anything, but Rosemary reveals she has an interview with Montague tomorrow. Bill reminds Rosemary that by doing this, she could tip Montague off, but she knows the case is closed and Montague is not under investigation. Bill says he wants to listen on the call, which Rosemary agrees to.

At the café while Mei and Mike have tea, their hands touch and Mike leans in to kiss her. Mei spills the sugar and they laugh. Mike reminds her that it is only a couple of days away from their five-month anniversary. They both want to celebrate in a special way, and Mike says he will come up with the perfect plan.

At the saloon, folks are lined up to meet with Governor Bouchard. One man in particular is worried that the resort is causing implications on the rest of the townsfolk and business owners. Lee gives him the number to a business that sells mulch that drives groundhogs away. He thanks Lee and asks whether Rosemary is still at The Valley Voice, as he thinks that speaking to the paper might help the Governor actually listen to the people of Hope Valley.

Later that night, Elizabeth and Rosemary have tea at Elizabeth's. Elizabeth asks why Rosemary did not tell her that Lucas was coming back. Of course Elizabeth is happy he is back, but it makes things more complicated now that he is here, and she just wants to go back to being friends. Rosemary thinks they were never just friends because Lucas always had eyes for her. Elizabeth wants to make sure Lucas is okay and that he is not hurting, but Rosemary believes he is having the time of his life. Rosemary says that if they are both mature, there is no reason being friends could not work out.

At The Valley Voice the next day, Rosemary types away as Lee enters. She tells Lee that Jade Campbell nearly talked her ear off yesterday about the implications of the resort. Rosemary is busy cleaning up his statement before sending it to the printer. Lee notes that Jade was upset at the saloon about the resort, and Rosemary tells him that many people are concerned about its implications. Lee wonders whether they need to publish naysayers, and Rosemary reminds him that as a journalist, the paper needs to reflect the opinions of everyone.

Bill and Nathan sit with Lucas and Edwin, and Bill asks about more security in Hope Valley, citing the recent attempt on his life. Bill tells Lucas that Pike's confession does not add up; Lucas agrees that it seems convenient and asks after new evidence. Edwin says Pike is incarcerated and they should all move on. Bill asks Lucas whether he can remember anything about the shooting, but the last thing he remembers is stepping out of his campaign office. The doctor told him he hit his head very hard after he was shot.

Nathan assures Lucas that they are here to protect him, but Lucas tells them more security is not needed and sends them off.

Outside, Edwin tells Nathan that once they get the resort underway, he and Lucas will head back to Capital City, as the Governor is needed there. At the café, Lily dances around as Minnie, Molly and Florence attempt to watch her. Rosemary enters with Elizabeth and overhears their conversation about Faith struggling to care for Lily. Molly and Florence volunteer to watch the children, and Elizabeth notes that they do have a space in town that they could use. Elizabeth eyes Henry sitting at the café, and they all approach him with Lily.

Outside of Faith's office, Minnie, Molly and Florence ask what she thinks of the new daycare centre behind them. They explain how they will all volunteer for shifts and that Henry gave them the space for free. They tell Faith they will all be there to help for as long as she needs.

Lucas walks through town and runs into Elizabeth. He tells her that his doctor has ordered physical therapy and she asks to join his walk. Lucas tells Elizabeth that he and Edwin had to talk Nathan and Bill down about adding more security. Elizabeth thinks he should listen if Nathan is worried too, but Lucas says that Pike is behind bars, and Nathan has agreed to let it go. Elizabeth is happy that Lucas's injuries are healing, and Lucas says everything is on the mend.

Elizabeth enters Nathan's office hoping to speak to him about Lucas, but she only sees Scout. Elizabeth pets Scout as a shirtless Nathan comes around the corner. Elizabeth apologises and so does Nathan before she leaves quickly with a smile on her face.

At Rosemary's office, Bill stands by and gives Rosemary pointers as she begins her call with Bernhardt Montague. He tells her he was surprised at her interview invitation, as he and Hope Valley are not on very good terms right now. She asks him whether he cares to comment about Governor Bouchard's recent plans for a resort in Hope Valley. Montague wishes Lucas well and says it is an interesting idea, which Rosemary presses, as she does not believe Lucas and he are on good terms. He asks what this is about, and she asks him about his response when he heard the news that Lucas was shot.

He says his response would not be fit for print; Rosemary asks whether it is fair to say he was pleased about it. He says not to put words in his mouth, and Rosemary asks where he was when he heard of the shooting. Montague tells her that he was in Union City at Governor Balfour's election event. He tells her that over 100 people saw him at that event and that she is grasping at straws; he hangs up the phone. Rosemary and Bill wonder whether Montague counted on there being so many people there, and whether anyone would have noticed if he had slipped away early.

At the schoolhouse, Elizabeth sees Toby crying. She asks him what is wrong, and he says he is trying to figure out what is wrong with him. She tells him there is nothing wrong with him. He thinks he is going to fail every maths test, but Elizabeth tells him fractions are not easy. He still wonders whether he will never understand, and she tells him they will spend time learning it together. For now, he will not take any tests.

Outside Elizabeth's house, Nathan tries to train Scout, but Scout sees Elizabeth and runs towards her. Nathan apologises for barging in on her, but she notes that now they are even. Nathan asks what she wanted to talk about earlier, and Elizabeth asks him about their concerns over Lucas's safety. Nathan tells her Lucas refused more security and it is his call.

At Lucas's office, Edwin speaks to Lucas about their first bid, which happens to be from Montague. Montague told Edwin he was inspired by a recent phone call with Rosemary Coulter, but Lucas flatly refuses Montague's bid. At the saloon, Mei approaches Mike at the bar. Mike says he is working on their special date, but she says she has got it, and asks whether he is free that afternoon.

At the schoolhouse, Toby shows Elizabeth the figure that he made for their town art piece. Lucas enters the schoolhouse and asks to speak with Elizabeth. Lucas tells her that he is hosting a press event at the resort site, and he is hoping that she and the students might come. Lucas knows it is a waste of instruction time, but Elizabeth agrees.

On Mei and Mike's date, she takes him to a picnic she set up at the site of the resort. As they go to kiss one another, Elizabeth, Lucas and all of the students arrive, followed shortly by Edwin, Lee, Rosemary and the press. Rosemary bickers with Randall about who gets the photo opportunity, but the story will run in both papers so they both get a shot. They take pictures of Elizabeth with Lucas as the children play behind them. Randall tells them that this land, the base of the mountain and the access road belong to Benson Hills.

Edwin says that getting these details sorted out for the resort is just a matter of negotiating with the mayor of Benson Hills.

Bill comes to speak with Nathan as he brushes horses at the stables. Bill tells him that Montague is hiding something and he does not believe his alibi. Bill says they both know that there is more to the story. As he leaves, he notes that Nathan is brushing Elizabeth's horse.

At the café, Faith asks Lily about her day with Florence at the daycare centre. Lily says that Jack's mum is Goldie's auntie, and Goldie's mum is Jack's auntie, but she herself does not have an auntie. Faith asks whether Lily would like to call her Auntie Faith, which Lily does.

At Minnie and Joseph's, they see Cooper and Angela fighting again. Joseph tells them that they need to talk things out because they are siblings. Joseph tells them that he has a brother named Jacob, and they never hear about him because they stopped talking years ago. He and Minnie do not want to see that happen to Cooper and Angela. The children promise Joseph they will try to get along.

At Rosemary's office, Bill enters and shows her the train schedule out of Union City the night of Lucas's shooting. Bill believes Montague could have jumped on the express train from the party, but Rosemary tells him that a photo in the paper was taken of Montague in Union City after the shooting occurred. Rosemary still does not think it adds up, as Pike's confession is clearly fabricated. Rosemary wonders who Montague is covering for, and she does not think they can ultimately rule Montague out yet.

At the Canfields', Angela and Cooper apologise to one another. Angela got Cooper a new baseball, and he got Angela new ribbons. Cooper tells Angela that he misses her since she is always out with Allie or Emily, and she notes that he is always with Toby. Cooper misses doing things just the two of them, and they make plans to hang out on Sunday after church.

Outside the saloon, Nathan reads The Benson Hills Beatle as Elizabeth approaches. Lucas called the both of them and other townsfolk there to discuss the resort. Nathan notes to Elizabeth that the Governor will be leaving town soon once the resort details are squared away. Elizabeth tells Nathan that they can get back to normal life then. Once inside, they hear Lucas tell the crowd that he is not going anywhere, as he needs to stay put in Hope Valley and sort out the resort.

“Steps Forward” closes outside and then inside the saloon. Nathan is reading The Benson Hills Beatle when Elizabeth arrives; Lucas has called both of them, and other townsfolk, to discuss the resort. Nathan tells Elizabeth that the Governor will be leaving town soon once the resort details are squared away, and Elizabeth says that they can get back to normal life then. Inside, Lucas tells the crowd that he is not going anywhere — that he needs to stay put in Hope Valley and sort the resort out. The episode ends on that reversal rather than on a cliffhanger.

What the ending does not settle is the shooting. Bill ends the episode with two pieces of work in progress: he has shown Rosemary the train schedule out of Union City for the night of the shooting and argued that Montague could have taken the express from the party, and Rosemary has countered with a newspaper photograph of Montague still in Union City after the shooting occurred. Neither of them can close that gap, and the recap records Rosemary saying explicitly that Pike's confession is fabricated and that she does not think Montague can be ruled out yet. Nothing in the episode confirms that Montague was involved, and no new evidence against him is produced.

Two further threads are deliberately left unresolved. Lucas still cannot account for the shooting beyond stepping out of his campaign office, and the doctor's note about hitting his head is the only explanation the episode offers for that gap. And the land question raised at the press event — Randall's statement that the base of the mountain and the access road belong to Benson Hills — is answered only by Edwin saying it is a matter of negotiating with the mayor. Whether that negotiation succeeds is not addressed.