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No, she wasn’t pushing him away anymore.

“I wanted you before the kids, and this” –he waved his hands around them before returning them to her shoulders– “is better than I could have imagined.”

Oh, no. Walls were crumbling. Fears she’d so carefully cradled shattered. Chaos and wreckage raged in her heart. Would there be room for new beginnings and a fresh start when the war was over? Her hair whipped in the wind, blowing in all directions like her thoughts.

Uncertainty clawed at her chest. She didn’t know how to be the woman he wanted–the one he needed.

“I never learned how to love,” she whispered.

He leaned closer, but only by an inch. “Me either. I was thinking we could learn together.”

Yes. That was exactly what she wanted. Her fists tightened against his coat, gripping the thick material and pulling him closer. She wanted–

“Ahhh!”

Abby’s scream pierced the air, ebbing and rising with the wind.

They took off in an instant, bolting up the path toward the continued scream.

Chapter22

Colt

“Help!”

Colt pushed the run harder as he rounded the curve. Ben was calling for help, but the first scream had been Abby’s. A small trail veered off the main path about halfway up the hill, and Colt didn’t have to question where the kids had gone. The wranglers used the spot as a drop-off when they needed to lessen the load on the horses on the way back from a long trail ride.

Remi’s footfalls pounded behind him. “The crevice.”

Pulling extra lungfuls of air in through his nose, Colt pushed toward the path. Which one of the kids had fallen into the crevice? He’d given the jagged, rocky drop a wide berth every time he had to go near it, but the kids didn’t know to watch out for it.

He cut the corner sharp, slashing the side of his face and neck with bare branches. Abby was still screaming, and Ben was still calling for help.

When the small clearing came into view, Colt slid to a stop on the rocky ledge. Ben had a double hold on Abby’s wrist, straining to pull her up.

Colt reached down and looped an arm around Abby’s middle, hoisting her up in one quick motion. With her safe in his arms, he settled onto his knees and clung to her. His eyes closed, blocking out the view of the rocky crevice’s deep bottom.

Abby wailed next to his ear as he said a silent prayer. It gutted him to hear her cry in fear, but he’d take the crying over silence any day.

“Mommy!” Abby’s hold on him loosened, and Remi was beside him, pulling Abby into her arms.

Remi’s gaze met his over Abby’s shoulder. Her face was pale, and the mix of fear and relief was a haunting expression he hoped to never see again. Crying out for Mommy was normal for scared kids, but reaching for Remi had been intentional.

Abby’s cries settled into a softer cry, but every muscle in Colt’s body remained taut. Ben sat panting by the drop-off, and Colt pulled the kid into his arms.

“You okay, bud?” The shake in Colt’s voice would probably stick around a while.

“Yeah.” Ben’s grip on Colt’s neck tightened, and the racing of their hearts pounded in unison. “I was afraid she was gonna fall.”

“Me too, but you kept a hold on her. Good job, kid.”

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt?” Remi asked.

Abby pulled out of the embrace and pointed to her side. “I hit right here.”

Remi tugged Abby’s coat and shirt up to reveal a new bruise. The color was still mostly red, but it spread wide over the little ribs.

“Let’s get you back to the house. It’s freezing out here. Then, we’ll get some ice for that.”