LITMIR.BIZ

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      Kayden pouted but delivered his good-night kisses to everyone. Jayden followed suit but after kissing Amy’s cheek, he wrapped his arms around her hand and pulled.

      “Will you come in, too, Aunt Amy? I want you to tuck me in.”

      “Yeah,” Kayden chimed, grabbing Amy’s other free hand. “And will you read that same story you read to us last night? No one else does the voices good as you.”

      She smiled. “I’d love to.”

      “You gotta do your good-night kisses before you go in,” Kayden said solemnly. “It’s Aunt Cissy’s rule.”

      Amy laughed. “Well, we don’t want to break any rules, do we?”

      She pressed a swift kiss to Dominic and Pop’s cheeks then peppered a few more all over the boys. They gurgled with giggles and she laughed harder in response. Logan’s chest warmed at the sight. The heat from the fire had painted her cheeks a cherry red, making those gorgeous green eyes shine like emeralds.

      He’d heard her laugh on several occasions throughout the evening and each delightful bout of it melted away another lost year between them. It was easy to recall the teenage years she’d spent at his side by the Christmas bonfire, plucking marshmallows from his roasting stick and sneaking sips of his mulled wine.

      She caught him staring and blushed even more. “Are you coming in?”

      “Soon,” he said. “I’m gonna help clean up.”

      “Come on, Aunt Amy.” Kayden shoved at her hip. “Give Uncle Logan his good-night kiss so we can go in.”

      Logan grinned and arched a brow. Amy hesitated, glancing down at the boys. Their wide blue eyes moved from her to him and back again.

      Amy sighed and stepped closer. She brushed her lips against his cheek, lodging a sweet ache in his belly. Logan curled his hand around her hip, tugging her close and nuzzling her neck.

      A small hand shoved between them. Jayden scowled up at him and wrapped his arms tight around Amy’s leg.

      “You already got your good-night kiss, Uncle Logan.”

      He laughed. “Guess you’re right, buddy.”

      Amy stepped back and tapped the brim of the Stetson with a fingertip. “Good night, gentlemen.”

      Amy left with the boys, following the other ladies and laughing on the walk back to the main house. Cissy looked over her shoulder and blew a kiss to Dominic.

      “I hate to call it quits early, but...” Dominic rubbed his chest and grinned, dimples denting.

      Pop held up a hand and smiled. “Say no more, son. We’ll wrap things up out here.”

      Dominic jogged off, catching up with Cissy and hugging her close as they made their way up the path. Amy trailed behind the couple with the boys, pausing every few steps to point at the sky and answer the boys’ questions.

      “Amy sure has a way with those boys,” Pop murmured. “She looks good with ’em.”

      Logan stiffened. He turned away to watch the hands laugh and pass around another round of beers. Amy did look great with those boys at her sides. But he couldn’t shake the last image he’d had of her holding a child.

      Their child. Sara. And the sight had been gut-wrenching.

      Pop shifted, his elbow brushing against Logan’s. He remained silent for a moment, then cleared his throat.

      “It’s nice having Raintree full again,” Pop said. “It’ll be even nicer when Cissy and Dom’s girls get here. I hate that Amy might not be here when the babies arrive.” He hesitated, rocking back on his heels. “How much longer is she staying?”

      “A couple weeks.” Logan rasped a palm over the stubble lining his jaw and turned away.

      “Don’t mean to pry but have you talked with her any more about things?” Pop’s gaze heated his skin. “I thought Amy might’ve changed her mind about leaving after she settled in.”

      “No.” Logan shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m still working on getting her to stay put.”

      “You two seem a lot closer now than when she first came home.” Pop nodded as if in reassurance. “That girl still loves you. Always has. No amount of time or distance will change that.”

      “You sure about that?” Logan faced him. “You thought the same thing about Mom and we all know how that turned out.”

      Pop held up a hand. “That was different.”

      “How so?”

      Hues of red and orange from the bonfire flickered over Pop’s face. He kneaded the back of his neck as his eyes roved over the acres stretching out around them.

      “Gloria never wanted to come here. Raintree was always my dream, not hers. She tolerated it because she loved me but she wanted something different.” His mouth twisted. “And she found someone else that would give it to her.”

      Logan sighed. “We were better off without her, anyway.”

      “You think so?” Pop glanced at him. “I wanted your mother from the first moment I saw her, but we both knew we weren’t a good match. She was happy in the city and I was a rancher just passing through.” A short bark of laughter escaped him. “That short skirt and high heels of hers did me in, though. I fought it but it didn’t take long for the rest of her to win me over, too. We knew the odds were stacked against us but we loved each other enough to give it a shot.” His smile dissolved. “She ended up being miserable here and wanted to go back to her old life. I tried my best to talk her into staying. It didn’t work out because neither of us was willing to give up one path for the other.”

      Logan scoffed. “Except her path had another man on it.”

      “Not at first. But she did meet him and she ended up choosing a life with him instead of here with us. Wasn’t much I could do about it and still keep my dignity. There are things in life you can’t control, Logan. At least, your mother was honest. Told me how she felt before she acted on it.”

      “And that excuses it?”

      “No.” Pop’s tone turned sharp. “It was one thing to walk out on me. But my boys—” He swallowed hard and looked away. “I wasn’t proud of myself back then. No matter how much I hated your mother for leaving y’all, I still loved that woman in equal measure. Probably always will. And that’s how it is. You don’t get to pick who you fall in love with. It just happens. If it works out, you end up living with ’em. If it doesn’t,” he said, and shrugged slowly, “you find a way to live without ’em. It took me a long time to learn that.”

      Logan dropped his head, focusing on the shadows cast by the bonfire.

      “Guess that’s why I’ve never blamed Amy for going after you like she did,” Pop said. “I knew what it felt like to want someone that much. That girl’s always had a strong spirit and loved you the second she laid eyes on you. As hard as it may be to understand, she was just fighting to keep you.”

      Pop’s hand curled around his forearm. Logan tensed, lifting his eyes to face him.

      “I wish you’d open up for once. Tell me what you’re thinking. Feeling. You’re closed so tight—” He kicked the ground with a boot. “But that’s my fault. I put too much on you when your mama took off. Left you to tend to your brother. I had so much trouble holding myself together I didn’t realize how much you boys needed me.”

      “We turned out fine, Pop.”

      “Fine’s not good enough. Not for me or my boys. You’ve always been careful and independent. Even as a kid. But sometimes living safe keeps you from the best things in life.” Pop watched Amy disappear into the darkness, then peered back at him. “Amy used to enjoy life. Showed you how to at one

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