When Hope Calls

Nora helps Charlotte find the missing foal and Maggie's parents offer her an early birthday present as she contemplates if Sam is more than a friend.

Nora arrives in Brookfield led by an unexpected family connection, while the town welcomes a new Mountie. Hannah Lawrence arrives to claim her late uncle’s ranch that she has just inherited, with the help of Wyatt, the ranch's foreman.

Photojournalist Paul Franklin is wrapping his stay in Brookfield. By now, he blends in as the town prepares for Christmas Eve. Lillian, the orphans, and Gabriel are running out of options to restore the troubled boy’s hope for better times. Just when all seems lost, a secret Santa appears to fulfill all holiday wishes, and Abigail has a profound conversation with a dear friend from the past. Meanwhile, Paul’s lens is recording every miraculous moment.

Brookfield hosts a Christmas festival as one of three contenders in Harper’s Bazaar’s search for America’s #1 Country Christmas Town. The entire town is preoccupied with creating the essence of Christmas for the photojournalist’s lens, though, behind the scenes, residents are not living the spirit of the season. In the midst of the fuss, a stagecoach appears, and out steps Abigail Stanton and her son, Cody, who have brought a troubled boy to Lillian’s orphanage.

When a train robber is spotted near Brookfield, Lillian and Grace must do everything in their power to keep the orphans safe. Nathan Grant visits. Tess interviews candidates for a new foreman. Maggie makes an interesting discovery at the infirmary.

Lillian and Grace are put to the test when a government worker arrives to inspect the orphanage and question Grace's past. Tess pauses her endeavor to buy a truck when Ronnie needs her help.

Lillian searches for an orphan's family member. Gabriel meets face to face with the bank robber who tried to kill him. Grace and Chuck grow closer but Tess orchestrates a scenario to extinguish their romantic spark. Maggie helps Joe with an old shoulder injury.

Lillian has to decide whether or not an old photograph will provide the means to mend fences with Tess Stewart. Meanwhile, Grace is blindsided when Chuck Stewart decides he can make life easier for her on her new job.

Lillian rises to the defense of two of her boys when they become Constable Gabriel Kinslow's prime suspects in the investigation of the town fire. Rosemary and Lee Coulter come to Brookfield to help with reconstruction efforts.

Sisters Lillian and Grace face disapproval when they establish an orphanage in the former's hometown. But when a fire breaks out, they're swept up in the community's effort to prevent the blaze from engulfing the town.