not.” Logan held up a hand. “That horse is dangerous.”
“I can help him. You know I can.”
“Neither one of us knows that for sure, Amy.” He blew out a breath in frustration. “You could get hurt. Badly.”
“Then help me.”
He hesitated. If he refused, there was a good chance she’d leave or, worse yet, put herself in even more danger by trying to work with the horse on the sly. But his throat tightened at the thought of her approaching the maddened stallion.
She interpreted his silence as agreement.
“So it’s settled. I’ll stay. Just until it’s time for me to take up the post in Michigan. I’ll work with Thunder and help ease Mama into the idea of the move. But as for us,” she said, shaking her head, “I can’t stay in this marriage, Logan. It’s not good for either of us. We’d both be miserable.”
“What makes you so sure?” His muscles tightened, a wave of nausea flooding through him. “Is there someone else?”
“No,” she stated firmly.
He forced the next question past his constricted throat. “You’re not still hoping for another baby, are you?”
She recoiled, fear flooding her features, and shook her head.
He stepped forward and cradled her arms. “I’m sorry, Amy. I know how hard it was for you to accept that you can’t have any more children. But after Sara—” he swallowed hard, eyeing her pale cheeks “—I have no desire to have another child, either. So what’s to stop us? It’ll keep the family together.” He rubbed his thumbs gently over her skin. “Plenty of marriages have been based on a lot less than the friendship we have.”
“Had,” she stressed, moving away. “We lost our friendship along with everything else. And I won’t stay in a marriage out of duty.”
“That’s a damn sight better than throwing it away.” He spun the ring on his finger with jerky movements of his thumb.
Amy kicked off her shoes, slamming the loose heel against the porch rail to break it off, then did the same with the other and rolled up her pants legs.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting started,” she said, slipping her shoes back on and scooping up the beer bottle. “The sooner I begin helping Thunder, the better.”
She made her way down the porch steps, plucking the pins from her hair with one hand as she went and combing through the long, dark waves with her fingers.
“It’s too cold out, Amy.” He fell in line behind her, body tightening with a surge of heat at the supple sway of her hips. “Come back inside and get a good night’s sleep. It’ll wait ’til morning.”
“No time like the present.”
And that was it. That was all he got before she tipped up the beer and quickened her step, raven hair swinging as she disappeared into the dark night.
Logan stopped, rammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and headed back to the house. Stubborn, hardheaded woman. Only Amy would camp out in a stable in the dead of night, freezing her tail off. Hell if he’d encourage her.
He took long strides across the lawn only to halt at the foot of the stairs. He should let her go. Walk away. It was the sane, sensible thing to do.
And he almost did. Almost kept right on going. Into the house and an empty bed. Away from Amy. Away from the mess of their marriage. Only, his legs wouldn’t budge.
“Damn.”
Logan spun back around and followed the same path Amy had taken, moving swiftly across the field toward the stable.
“She’s dead.”
Amy inhaled, her peaceful hold on sleep slipping with the intrusive whisper.
“Nah,” a second voice declared. “She just breathed, see?”
“No, she didn’t. She freezed to death.”
That was Jayden. The uncertain tremor and concern in his voice gave it away.
A small hand poked Amy’s chest and the warm presence of two small bodies closed in at her sides. Her mouth twitched. She kept her eyes shut and shifted on the stable floor, pressing deeper into the heat at her back, reluctant to release her relaxed state.
A strong hand flexed on her hip. Amy stilled, her stomach flipping as she recognized the familiar strength at her back.
Last night, Logan had tried his best to talk her into going back inside but she’d been determined to stay by Thunder’s stall. The stallion had been left alone too long, cooped up away from everyone. She couldn’t stand the thought of him spending another night in isolation. Instead, she’d settled on the cold stable floor, keeping a vigilant eye on Thunder.
She’d hoped Thunder would relax after getting used to her scent again. Had thought it might even help him settle down and find comfort in having someone close. It’d worked to a certain extent. Even though Thunder had started his usual intimidation tactics when they’d arrived at his stall, he’d eventually quieted down after a couple of hours. After which, she must have fallen asleep.
Logan, true to his word, had stayed at her side, gathering her against him and throwing a blanket over them. And, as usual, she’d settled right back into his arms. Even in her sleep.
“If she’s dead, then that means Uncle Logan’s dead, too.” Kayden’s whisper tickled her ear. “He was with her. And he ain’t moving neither.”
“Uh-uh,” Jayden argued. “If Aunt Amy’s dead, it’s ’cuz she freezed to death. But Uncle Logan wouldn’t die ’cuz men don’t get cold.”
Logan’s chest shook. His gentle breaths of silent laughter ruffled her hair. Apparently, he was playing along, too.
“I know how to check,” Kayden said.
Amy cringed as the tip of Kayden’s tiny finger jerked her eyelid up, making her eye roll with discomfort. He released it and sat back with a sigh.
“Yep,” Kayden said sadly. “She’s dead.”
“Do something.” Jayden’s voice turned anxious.
“What do you want me to do?” Kayden’s tone was long-suffering.
“Give her CRP.”
“What?”
“CRP,” Jayden said. “You know? Blow air in her mouth.”
Okay. That was enough playing along. Amy opened her eyes.
Kayden
