LITMIR.BIZ

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was silent for a moment. Then the familiar pounding of hooves sounded.

      Amy tensed as the rapid slams increased in speed, growing closer. She opened her eyes, pushed her arms higher and advanced, pushing him back.

      Thunder cut right, sweeping back with heavy stomps. His cry slashed through the air, piercing her ears. He tossed his head then nestled against the fence and stilled.

      Amy waited for several minutes then advanced slowly toward his hip. Thunder jerked as she touched his back but stilled when she moved her palm over him with soothing whispers. His breathing slowed and Amy’s followed the same, calm rhythm, her breath passing past her lips in white puffs on the frigid air.

      “I’m sorry,” she rasped.

      Her throat tightened, cutting off the sound, and tears scalded her cheeks. The cry echoed inside her. It burned her chest, leaving her gasping and mouthing the soundless words.

      I’m sorry.

      And God help her, she was. Sorry for Thunder’s pain. For betraying Logan. For every day that passed without her beautiful daughter in it.

      Her arms dropped, her hands clutching her middle, and she cried. For Sara. For Logan. For the girl she used to be. And what could have been.

      She didn’t notice how much time passed. Didn’t realize when the tears finally stopped. But the knot in her chest untied and her shoulders sagged with sweet release. The kind she hadn’t known in years. A sense of peace. A welling of hope and forgiveness. Silent comforts that had escaped her for so long.

      Thunder remained still, head lowered and body relaxed.

      “I’m right here,” Amy whispered. “Whenever you’re ready.”

      She began walking, moving slowly along the curve of the fence and rounding the pen. The wind slowed to a gentle breeze and she inhaled, the clean air filling her lungs and refreshing her spirit.

      It was on the ninth pass that Thunder followed. He took hesitant steps at her back but kept time with her, matching her step for step.

      They completed one lap. Then another and another until Amy lost count. The only reminder of their efforts was the sheen of sweat collecting beneath her shirt and coating Thunder’s hide.

      The air warmed and a hint of red peeked above the horizon. Dawn approached and the tendrils of sunlight had never looked so bright or felt so warm. Amy stopped, soaking in the glow of the sun.

      Something warm and wet nuzzled her palm. Thunder’s broad head nudged her arm up. Smiling, she turned and looped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead to his warm neck and praising him.

      Thunder’s heat spread to her belly. A gentle throb pulsed in her veins, flowing through her blood and pooling in her middle. She knew the feeling. Recognized it immediately, even though she hadn’t experienced it in years.

      It lit her up on the inside, fighting off the frigid air and blazing bright in her chest. She was hopeful. And that feeling was strong. More all-consuming than ever.

      Amy smiled, wrapping her arms tighter around Thunder’s neck, holding on to it all and savoring every delicious thrill. The hope of a miracle. Another chance at being a mother.

      The sweet promise of the future had never felt this good before. And she knew the only reason it did now was because she’d felt the bad.

      “Are you tired, boy?”

      Thunder snorted, nudging her with his nose.

      She laughed. “Neither am I. Wanna run? Like we used to?”

      She left the rope behind, exited the pen and left the gate open for Thunder to join her. Amy gripped his withers and made to jump but a strong pair of hands wrapped around her waist.

      “That’s my girl.” Logan’s deep tenor rumbled at her back as he lifted her.

      Amy settled astride Thunder and glanced down. “How long have you been out here?”

      “Long enough.” He looked up at her, his dark eyes warm and tender.

      “Well, I’ll be damned.”

      Dominic stood several feet behind Logan. The boys stood on either side of him, bulky coats zipped up and wide smiles across their faces.

      “Yeah,” Kayden drawled, crossing his arms like Dominic, “I’ll be damned.”

      Dominic cringed and clamped a hand over Kayden’s mouth, sneaking a peek over his shoulder. “All right, now. Don’t say that around your aunt Cissy.”

      Amy laughed, the sound bursting from her chest and mingling with Logan’s. Jayden ran over to beam up at Thunder.

      “Is he happy now, Aunt Amy?”

      She nodded. “He will be.”

      Logan lifted Jayden. “Give him a good pet. Your aunt Amy’s gonna take him out for a while.”

      Jayden patted Thunder’s neck, smiled and whispered, “Thanks for making him happy, Aunt Amy.”

      She returned Jayden’s smile with her own. In that moment, the bitter in her life was balanced with the perfect amount of sweet. The kind of sweet promise she deserved to hold on to. Even if it meant letting Logan go.

       Chapter Nine

      “Blue wrapping paper, silver ribbons, name tags, cowboy hats and—”

      “A partridge in a pear tree?” Amy winked as Traci dumped a pile of shopping bags on the wide leather couch in the family room.

      “No, but if the store sold ’em, I’m sure Dominic would’ve bought those, too.” Traci puffed a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. “He settled for a trampoline instead.”

      “A trampoline?” Cissy’s blond head shot up. Her hands froze over the present she wrapped, a bit of tape clinging to her fingertips.

      Amy grinned. The past few days had flown by in a flurry of shopping, wrapping and hiding. She’d helped Cissy hide more Santa presents for the boys in two days than she could remember receiving over all her childhood years put together. Since it was Christmas Eve and stores closed early, Cissy had felt it safe enough to send Dominic out for more wrapping supplies without him returning with another armful of toys.

      “Now, don’t get upset, baby.” Dominic edged sideways through the living room door, his dimpled smile as wide as the load of firewood weighing down his arms.

      Cissy frowned. “I asked you to get more wrapping paper, not more gifts. At this rate, there won’t be enough gift wrap in the world to cover the boys’ presents.”

      Undeterred, Dominic dumped the wood in a basket by the blazing fireplace and crossed the room to kiss Cissy’s forehead.

      “It’s Christmas,” he murmured, smoothing a hand through her hair. “Only comes once a year.”

      “But you’re spoiling them, Dominic.” Cissy flushed, eyes fluttering shut as he feathered more kisses to her cheeks and the tip of her nose.

      “Mmm-hmm. Gonna spoil my girls, too.” He placed a gentle hand over her belly. “Anyway, I didn’t buy the hats. That was all Logan’s doing.”

      Logan walked in, holding a couple of thick oak logs. “I didn’t see anything wrong with buying my nephews one more present. The boys have been good this year.” His brow furrowed and a crooked grin broke out across his face. “For most of it, anyway.”

      Cissy sighed, blue eyes dancing. “You’d think two big, muscle-bound men could stand up to a couple of little boys. Turns out, you and Dom are the biggest pushovers in existence.”

      Amy laughed. Logan’s dark eyes locked with hers.

      “That,”

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