baby girl. You cry all you want. Let the whole damn world know you’re in it.”
Grace opened her eyes. Those beautiful blues widened up at him, her cries fading away. She blinked and took up squirming, the pink blanket shifting with each thrust of her legs and arms. One tiny fist broke free and made its way to her mouth. Her lips moved with sucking sounds and she frowned. The fist flailed and Grace released a more demanding cry.
Logan looked up, returning Cissy and Dominic’s smiles with one of his own. “You were right, Dom. She’s perfect.”
For once, Logan’s arms were heavier than his heart.
Logan made it back to the ranch in record time. He refused to wait for the sun to rise. Instead, he threw essentials into his overnight bag, grabbed the packet of papers and ring then stuffed them into his pocket.
He hopped into his truck, twisted the key in the ignition and slammed his foot on the pedal. He could just make out Raintree’s main house in the rearview mirror as he drove away, the taillights casting a red glow through the haze of dust billowing up behind him.
Logan smiled. It still hurt to look back but it felt good to move forward.
“DO YOU NEED another box? There’s more in the break room.”
Amy puffed a strand of hair out of her face and stretched a strip of packing tape across the top of the box in her office chair. She glanced up, smiling at the receptionist hovering in the doorway.
“No, thanks, Kimberly. I think this will do it.”
Amy smoothed a hand over the tape, then sighed with satisfaction. It had taken several days to finish packing up everything at her apartment and her office but the task had been a welcome distraction since she’d left Raintree. Everything was taped up and ready to go. Except for her heart.
“You’ll be missed around here.” Kimberly sighed, studying the two boxes stacked on top of the mahogany desk. “I sure hope the newbie coming in knows their stuff.”
Amy laughed. “I imagine that’s what someone is saying about me right now in Michigan.”
“Maybe so. But I’ve really enjoyed working with you. I know this is a good opportunity but I wish you didn’t have to go.”
Amy’s smile slipped. She’d wished the same thing over the past week. Wished she didn’t have to leave Raintree’s sprawling fields or her family. She missed Betty’s cooking, Pop’s bear hugs, Traci’s good-natured banter with the boys, Dom, Cissy and...Logan. She missed Logan so much more than she ever had. She wished she could go back to Raintree for good. Wished—
“I wish I didn’t have to go, either,” Amy said, straightening her shoulders. “But sometimes, you have to move on whether you want to or not. Take the bad right along with the good.”
Kimberly nodded, calling over her shoulder as she left, “I’ll be right out front if you need anything.”
Amy closed her eyes, unable to stop herself from wishing one last time that things were different. That this move would be to Raintree instead of in the other direction. That Logan would be at her side, hoping for the best for this baby and making their family complete.
She placed a hand over her belly and focused on the good. Six weeks. New life had thrived within her for six weeks. A life she and Logan had created.
Today was difficult. Driving to the airport in the morning would be even worse. But the next day would be better. So would the next. Eventually, more good days would come. And she’d appreciate them more than ever before because she had known the bad. Of that, she was certain.
Amy smiled and lifted the last box from the chair, setting it on top of the desk with the others. A heavy tread sounded down the hallway followed by the rapid click of Kimberly’s heels.
“Sir, please.” Kimberly’s breathless voice echoed in from the hall. “Wait one minute so I—”
“I’m through waiting.”
Amy’s head shot up at the low words. Logan strode into the room, closed the door and rounded the desk. She caught a glimpse of the determined set of his jaw and warm, dark eyes before he claimed her mouth.
His lips parted hers, the familiar taste and masculine scent of him overwhelming her. The heat of his touch spread from her shoulders down her back and over her bottom, his broad palms kneading and caressing along the way. The tender advance continued, Logan’s touch faltering when a soft cry escaped her.
His hands stilled on her waist. He lifted his head, nuzzled his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear, “Just so we’re clear, babe, that wasn’t for practice.”
Her heart flipped over at his gentle grin. “I don’t think you need any.”
“Ask me.”
She blinked. “Ask you what?”
“Ask me why I wanted you to stay.”
Amy hesitated, belly fluttering. “Wh-why did you want me to stay?”
His big palms cradled her face, thumbs sweeping over her cheeks. “Because I love you, Amy. Always have in one way or another. I was so afraid of things not working out that I didn’t trust it. Didn’t want to risk losing you or make a mistake. And, after losing Sara, I didn’t want to take a chance on anything. But I want to now. I want to move forward. With you.”
He kissed her again, each sweep of his tongue and glide of his hands making her knees weaker. A low moan escaped his lips and entered her mouth.
She trembled, leaning back and trying to catch her breath. “Say it again.”
He smiled. “I love you,” he repeated. “Always have. Always will.”
“I love you, too, Logan.”
He brushed his hand through her hair, dark eyes locking with hers. “Thank God for that.” His palm slid around her waist to cover her belly. “I’m ready. For everything. Anything. No matter what happens.”
“Does that mean you’re here to bring me home?”
“No. You’re my home. Wherever you go, I follow.”
He stepped back and pulled the pack of divorce papers from his pocket. His tanned hands held them up and ripped them several times over. The torn pieces fluttered to the floor in a soft, white shower of chaotic disarray.
“I want to start over.” He took her hand, slipped her ring on her finger and ran his fingertip over the band. “Live every day of my life to the fullest, with you in it.”
She fought to ignore the heated rush of her blood and studied his face. “Things may not work out any better with this pregnancy than they did before.”
“Or they might.” He slid his hands over her hips and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Whatever happens, we’ll pull through it. The good and the bad because we’re stronger together.” His expression softened. “We’ll make our
