The last time fans saw it When the Heart CallsElizabeth Thornton and Nathan Grant, were boarding a train out of Hope Valley hoping for a better future, but where will they end up in season 13?
“Nathan and Elizabeth take steps forward,” Erin Krakow explained exclusively Us Weekly ahead of the season 13 premiere on Sunday, January 4, they tease that the TV couple’s time in Cape Fullerton will be important to their growth.
the actresswho plays Elizabeth on the Hallmark series, revealed: “They get romantic together. They get silly together. There are beautiful, beautiful moments between them.”
Krakow, 41, added that she thinks fans will be “more than satisfied” with Elizabeth and Nathan’s romance in the new season after waiting patiently – and with impatience – for them to meet.
Kevin McGarry, Erin Krakow.
Sven Boecker/Hallmark MediaDuring the season 12 finale, which aired in March 2025, Elizabeth decided to bring her son, Little Jack (Hyland Goodrich), from Hope Valley to the larger city of Cape Fullerton for better access to insulin for diabetes.
She didn’t reveal how long she’d been gone, but after a health scare with Little Jack, Elizabeth knew she couldn’t wait any longer and headed to the train station before boyfriend Nathan (Kevin McGarry) returned from his turn as a Mountie.
Once Nathan learned of Elizabeth’s plan, he and his daughter Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller) headed to the station to join them, with the Mountie telling his love, “Where you go, I go.”
Although their time in Cape Fullerton will be pivotal to their relationship, Krakow said we that the couple won’t be around for long, at least in terms of what viewers see on screen. Elizabeth and Nathan, however, will be transformed, even with their style of experience.
“I can draw attention to the one thing we’re all thinking about, which is Nathan’s mustache. It’s back,” Krakow said with a laugh, referring to the posted photos of the character with new facial hair. “That’s something I guess Nathan grew up with during his time at Cape Fullerton.”
The actress noted that Allie “thinks it’s hiding her smile,” so how long the mustache will last is very much up in the air. “It was a fun change of style,” added Krakow.
Jaeda Lily Miller, Kevin McGarry, Hyland Goodrich, Erin Krakow.
Jeff Weddell/Hallmark MediaWhen it comes to Elizabeth’s wardrobe change, Krakow said it was partially influenced her actual pregnancywhich he announced in November 2025. (Krakow is married to WCTH to cost Ben Rosenbaum.)
“I didn’t really have much of a hit,” he explained we. “I found out during the filming of Season 13 that I was pregnant, and luckily I had already asked Barbara, our amazing wardrobe designer, if we could start incorporating some more flowery, 1920s silhouettes.”
Krakow noted that he thought it “would make sense for Elizabeth to come back with a slightly different look to her fashion” after spending time at Cape Fullerton.
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“That ended up working in my favor and luckily I had some little elves who could help me loosen the waist lines as needed,” she laughed. “But it wasn’t much of a blow when we closed out this season.”
In addition to Krakow expecting her and Rosenbaum’s first baby, co-stars McGarry, 40, and Chris McNallyplayed by Lucas Bouchard, the two announced their own family expansions almost in tandem.
McGarry’s wife, Kayla Wallacewhich also starred WCTH before playing Rebecca Falcone Landmanconfirmed it first pregnancy in early November 2025.
Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry.
David Dolsen/Hallmark MediaMcNally, for his part, shared in December 2025 that his wife, partner Distinctive actress Julie Gonzaloshe is pregnant with her second baby.
“We talked about it, but it’s not like we sat down as a group and said, ‘OK, go.’ we of baby fever from scales. “It’s pretty amazing. I don’t know if there’s something in the water or if, you know, we’re all fertile. But here we are. It’s been so fun to be able to share this chapter together.”
As Krakow and her cast mates prepare for off-screen parenthood, she said it’s a little too early to tell if WCTH The character will have a baby with Nathan.
“Never say never. I mean, who knows? I’m (am) constantly surprised and delighted by what the writers come up with,” Krakow said when asked about a possible Elizabeth baby. “Let’s take it one step at a time here. Let’s engage them first, and then we’ll see.”
While fans look forward to an engagement, and possible pregnancy, for Elizabeth and Nathan, they can also expect more romance from the other characters in Hope Valley.
“For our romance-loving fans, of which there are many, it’s not just Elizabeth and Nathan (you’ll see that in season 13),” Krakow said. “We’ve got Bill and Georgie. We’ve got Edie and Lucas, right? We’ve got this cute, you know, budding puppy love between Allie and Oliver.”
He added: “There’s a deepening love story in the marriages, the Canfields, the Coulters, the Hickams. It’s all over Hope Valley. So there’s no shortage of love and romance.”
Season 13 of When the Heart Calls is released Hallmark Channel Sunday, January 4th at 8pm ET. New episodes will air the next day on Hallmark+.