Things are heating up in Hope Valley!
In an exclusive clip from Sunday's upcoming episode of When Calls the Heart, new-in-town Saloon owner Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) adorably asks teacher Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) out to dinner. After the pair have a sweet chat outside and he helps her out, Elizabeth exclaims, "I can't believe you did all of this."
Lucas says it's his "pleasure" to assist her, and adds, "Well, you must be starving. Can I interest you in a bite at the saloon?" After a brief pause, he clarifies with a smile, "To discuss library business."
Elizabeth turns down the "kind" offer, saying that she "should be getting home to my son."
"Of course," he says as Elizabeth walks away and waves to someone off screen.
The camera pans over and reveals fellow Hope Valley newcomer, Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry), as the man Elizabeth was waving to. Lucas offers a head nod to the handsome Mountie, as he realizes that Nathan had been watching the pair's entire conversation.
When ET caught up with McNally last year, he described Lucas as "a good guy" with "good intentions."
“[Elizabeth] catches his eye immediately as a person of interest but she's very very reserved, so I think Lucas is trying to plant a seed," he teased at the time.
In a March interview, Krakow said that, despite multiple suitors, Elizabeth would be "taking her time" in the romance department, following the birth of her son, Jack, after the death of her husband last season.
"We are bringing in two very handsome, and kind and personable young bachelors and Elizabeth does become friends with Nathan and Lucas," the actress teased of the two men. "We're trying to lay the groundwork for something in the future. By the end of the season, you do see that there's maybe a little chemistry happening, but we're not going much further beyond that."
Following the show's brief hiatus due to former star Lori Loughlin's legal woes, it returned for a two-night event with both strong ratings and support from fans.
"The results from last week’s two-night When Calls the Heart event demonstrate the enduring passion and commitment of the show’s fanbase," Michelle Vicary, EVP, Programming and Network Publicity, said. "Currently clocking in as the highest-rated scripted series across the cable spectrum, the show is truly a force to be reckoned with."
When Calls the Heart airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.
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