‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 10 Episode 3 Recap: A Twist in Gowen’s Case and a Surprise for Rosemary

Change is coming to Hope Valley, though not everyone is happy about it. News of the healing hot springs has spread. Now, newcomers are streaming into town, as we see in the third episode of When Calls the Heart Season 10. But some of these strangers might be up to no good. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tries to pull off a surprise baby shower for Rosemary and Lucas comes up with a creative way to keep Henry out of prison. 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 10 Episode 3.]

Strangers arrive in Hope Valley in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 10 Episode 3

Word is out about Hope Springs, thanks in large part to Rosemary’s (Pascale Hutton) article in The Valley Voice, and visitors have begun to stream into Hope Valley. Some residents welcome them with open arms. The entrepreneurial Ned Yost (Hrothgar Mathews) has already set up a bicycle rental business. But Mayor Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) isn’t so thrilled. For one, he’ll no longer have the hot springs all to himself. Plus, all these visitors are a headache, especially when they park their cars in the spot where he normally hitches his horse. 

However, Bill begins to see the strangers in a new light when he meets Madeline St. John (Stefanie Von Pfetten), who is visiting town with her stuck-up son Jamie (John JJ Miller). He’s taken with the sophisticated woman from Philadelphia. But could there be a hidden motive for her visit? At the end of the episode, she makes a call to an unknown person. 

“These are nice people,” she says. “Are you sure this is the only way?” Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good. 

Elizabeth throws a baby shower for Rosemary 

Rosemary’s due date is fast approaching, and the closer she gets to giving birth, the more anxious she gets. However, despite her nervousness, she’s still the same old Rosemary at heart. Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) is planning a baby shower for her bestie, but Rosemary keeps trying to take control of the process, offering lists of approved activities and detailed menu suggestions. 

What Rosemary doesn’t realize is that Elizabeth (along with the rest of the women in town) has secretly arranged for the shower to happen a week earlier than expected. After whisking her away for a day of pampering at Fiona’s (Kayla Wallace) beauty salon, Elizabeth brings the mom-to-be to the cafe, where all her friends are waiting to surprise her. 

Of course, it’s a lovely party and Rosemary receives some nice gifts. Even more importantly, her friends reassure her that she’s going to be a good mom. “Think of motherhood as your greatest role,” Elizabeth tells the former stage star. Rosemary knows exactly what Elizabeth is up to, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate the effort. 

“You knew I was nervous. You knew I had my doubts and you wanted to help me through it,” she says. 

“A big part of motherhood is supporting other mothers,” Elizabeth replies. 

Lucas puts some old skills to good use 

Last week, we were reminded of Lucas’ (Chris McNally) card-playing skills when he sat down for a game of poker with Elizabeth’s aunt Agatha. This week, he puts those skills to good use again, though this time, he’s playing a slightly different game. 

Lucas’ former business partner Jerome Smith (Dean Paul Gibson) is still in town, waiting for Henry Gowen (Martin Cummins) to be sentenced for his role in the mine explosion. Lucas appeals to Jerome to drop his complaint against Henry, arguing that by blowing up the mine, he actually did them both a favor. If they’d moved forward with reopening, there’s a good chance there would have been another collapse. People would have died and Lucas and Smith could have been legally liable because they’d received a report that said the mine was not safe. 

Smith is unmoved. The engineer later disowned his report (under strong pressure from Smith, it’s implied). And he just happened to die a few weeks ago, so he can no longer testify. How convenient. But Lucas is undeterred in his efforts to keep Henry out of jail. 

The engineer’s widow sends Lucas a signed statement he made before his death. In the document, he asserts that he only withdrew his report after Smith bribed him. It seems Lucas is holding a trump card. If he presents the statement to the judge, Smith could end up behind bars. The crooked businessman won’t risk it, and he withdraws his complaint against Henry. 

But there’s a twist. Lucas never shows the statement to Smith. And when he hands it to Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum) to put somewhere safe, we see that there’s nothing in the envelope but a blank piece of paper. Lucas was bluffing, and Smith fell for it. 

All this means that Henry won’t be going to prison. He’s not as thrilled about that as you might expect. He wants to “pay his own bill” and go to prison as a way to deal with his guilt over the mine explosion that killed so many men years earlier.  But it turns out Henry’s actions have had an unexpected benefit. When he blew up the mine, the explosion created the hot springs, potentially changing Hope Valley’s future for the better. 

Elsewhere in this episode of When Calls the Heart:

• Faith (Andrea Brooks) reluctantly agrees to let Nathan (Kevin McGarry) accompany her on her rounds.
• What’s in Rosemary’s trunk that she doesn’t want to look at? Is it her old costumes from her acting days?
• Lucas sweetly suggests to Elizabeth that they use an old family recipe for their wedding cake. Then, he teases the low-key bride-to-be by suggesting they cover the cake in gold leaf, prompting a horrified look before she realizes he’s joking. 

New episodes of When Calls the Heart Season 10 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. 

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