The episode was filled with fond farewells to the Benson Hills residents and quite a few surprise returns, including that of Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin)!

NEED TO KNOW

• Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) finally get engaged in the season 13 finale of Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart
• Several characters return to Hope Valley, including Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin) in a surprise cameo
• The Benson Hills community departs Hope Valley after a season-long arc tied to a devastating fire

The season 13 finale of Hallmark Channel's hit drama When Calls the Heart was filled with hellos, goodbyes and that highly anticipated engagement.

After an entire episode earlier this season dedicated to Nathan (Kevin McGarry) and Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller) figuring out Elizabeth's ring size and several thwarted attempts, Nathan finally popped the question — and Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) said yes!

But before those tears of joy came tears of sadness, as it was time for the Benson Hills residents to leave Hope Valley and return to their town following the massive fire that broke out at the beginning of the season.

Among the standout departures were the town's Mayor Maisie Hickam (Samantha Ferris), whom Lucas (Chris McNally) endorsed to succeed him as governor, and Gwendolyn (Alex MacIsaac), a young girl taken in by the Coulters while her single father healed from his fire-related injuries.

The latter was especially emotional, as Gwen evolved over the course of the season from an angry child to a loving, joyful one. She even noted that she feels she now has two families.

As for the hellos, Lori Loughlin made a surprise appearance as Abigail Stanton for the first time since 2019! The episode also saw the return of Angela Canfield (Vienna Leacock) since she left for college at the end of season 12, and Edie Martell (Miranda MacDougall) was back in Hope Valley with unfinished business after several episodes in Union City.

That unfinished business? Her relationship with Lucas.

After the governor announced at the Fall Harvest Festival that he would not be running for another term and referred to Edie as his "North Star," he performed a magic trick and disappeared. She found him later, and his touching speech to her continued.

"When I first ran for office, I really wanted to make a difference, but winning that private grant with you and getting the school funded, it just felt like the first time in quite a while that I'd really accomplished something," Lucas said. "You make me go further … in fact, you have since we first met. … I hope it's not too late to say I was a fool."

Edie then revealed she's heading to New York the next day for work for several months. After a pause, Lucas asked, "Do they need help in New York?" and Edie kissed him. It appears that once his term as governor ends, he'll be joining her.

Meanwhile, Joseph Canfield (Viv Leacock) surprised Minnie (Natasha Burnett) and Cooper (Elias Leacock) with a visit from Angela and a new sign for The Café, renaming it Minnie's Café.

And Angela was just in time for the Fall Harvest Festival, where she served cider with Allie and Oliver (Jacob Shoemay) — and couldn't help but notice the "vibrations" between them. Young love may have been in the air for them all season, but we'll have to wait until at least season 14 to see them finally kiss.

Finally, as the Fall Harvest Festival was winding down, Nathan's moment had arrived. He approached her as she was watching the action. "That was a lovely sendoff, wasn't it?" Elizabeth said of the Benson Hills community's departure. "Everything just feels right."

Nathan asked her to take a walk and began his speech: "I love that you planned all this. I mean it. It's so easy to go on day-to-day and not think about what everything means, how everything changes, how today won't be the same as tomorrow. It's a gift. Elizabeth—"

She cut him off with a gasp — "I just had a crazy idea!" — and walked away.

Moments later, she's climbing Hope Valley's signature water tower with Nathan several rungs behind her.

"Oh my… You really can see everything. Like a hawk," Elizabeth said when they reached the top.

"I can see winter coming," Nathan responded, and Elizabeth added, "And spring. And summer. And all our days stretched out like a map."

"You're a wonder, do you know that? I mean it, Elizabeth. If I'm ever a good father, if I've ever helped anyone or made anything better, it's because of you. You're like silver: You reflect back the best of anyone lucky enough to stand in your light," Nathan said as he pulled a unique ring from his pocket. "I wanted four stones, one for each of us. Because we're a family."

He continued: "Elizabeth Thornton, will you be my wife? Will you walk with me through this valley for the rest of our days? Will you marry me?"

She immediately kissed him. "Wait, you didn't say yes," Nathan said once they pulled apart. Elizabeth responded, "Yeah, but I was gonna."

The season wraps up with one of Elizabeth's voice-overs heard over glimpses of all the happy Hope Valley families: "We celebrate the harvest to give thanks for all the bounty of the year before, but also to share hope in the abundance to come. It's a kind of bargain we make with the past, that the hardship and struggle with fly away like ash and leave us with the tender chutes of tomorrow, full of possibility and promise, so that all our days might always contain a tiny seed of hope to remind us that no matter how long it takes, spring will always come."

But, alas, that wasn't really the final scene. Once the voice-over ended, a car pulled up along Hope Valley's main drag. A woman’s foot stepped out of the vehicle, and the camera panned up: It's Abigail Stanton (Loughlin)! Smiling, she looked around and said, "It’s good to be home.”

As PEOPLE announced in December, Loughlin is returning to the series in season 14.

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When Calls the Heart is streaming on Hallmark+.

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