Three Years Later

The late summer sun hung low over the ranch, painting everything gold.

Mary Ann sat beneath the shade of the cottonwood tree near the house, one hand resting on the arm of her chair while the other remained tangled with Frank’s.

His fingers lazily traced circles across her knuckles.

A smile tugged at her lips.

He probably wasn’t even aware he was doing it.

Some habits had become so natural between them that neither thought about them anymore.

Not that she minded. Quite the opposite.

After everything they had survived to find each other, she doubted she would ever grow tired of feeling his hand in hers.

The familiar weight of her swollen stomach rested beneath her free hand. The baby shifted.

Frank glanced down.

“You alright?”

Mary Ann grinned. “There you go again.”

His brow furrowed. “What?”

“You look at me every time the baby moves.”

“Of course I do.”

“Frank.”

“I can’t help it.” The complete sincerity in his voice made her laugh.

Nearly four years of marriage had changed many things. It had not cured him of worrying. If anything, becoming a father had only made it worse.

A shriek erupted somewhere across the yard.

Both of them looked up. Louise came tearing across the grass at full speed. At three years old, their daughter possessed enough energy to power the entire territory.

Her dark curls bounced wildly behind her. A flower crown sat crookedly atop her head. One shoe appeared to be missing.

Mary Ann had stopped questioning such things.

“Papa!” Frank barely had time to react before Louise launched herself at him. He caught her automatically. The force of the collision nearly knocked his chair backward. “There you are.”

“I found a grasshopper.”

“Congratulations.”

She held it up for him to see. “It jumped.”

“I imagine that’s what grasshoppers do.”

Louise nodded solemnly. Then, she immediately lost interest in the conversation and scrambled off his lap.

Mary Ann smiled.

No matter how many times she witnessed it, seeing Frank with their daughter never failed to warm her heart. The man who once believed he wasn’t worthy of a future had become the most devoted father she had ever known. Louise adored him. The feeling was mutual.

A burst of laughter erupted from the long tables arranged beneath the trees.

The birthday celebration had been going strong since early afternoon. Today marked the first birthday of William and Josephine’s son. Little Samuel currently sat in a highchair, wearing a look of profound confusion as everyone fussed over him. His bewilderment only seemed to amuse the adults further.

Louise, however, had decided that if there was attention available, it clearly belonged to her. So far, she had succeeded remarkably well.

Mary Ann shook her head. “She’s stolen that poor boy’s birthday.”

Frank chuckled. “He doesn’t seem to mind.”

Samuel chose that moment to shove an entire fistful of cake into his mouth.

Nobody could argue with that.

Mary Ann leaned back in her chair and allowed herself to simply watch. These hours had become her favorite—where she could enjoy the people in her life and the precious times that many people take for granted. They are the kind that she once feared she would never have.

Across the yard, William stood beside Josephine, who was talking to Christine. William wasn’t listening to whatever conversation was taking place around him. He was watching his wife.

It was the same way Frank still watched her. The realization made Mary Ann grin.

Josephine looked up and caught William staring. A faint blush colored her cheeks.

Mary Ann shook her head. “She’s still embarrassed when he looks at her.”

Frank followed her gaze. “William’s been staring at her for two years.”

“And she still blushes.”

Raising his eyebrows, Frank said, “Maybe that’s why he keeps doing it.”

Mary Ann laughed softly.

Perhaps it was.

The two of them looked happy—truly happy.

Josephine deserved that. For years, she’d tried so hard to be what everyone else wanted her to be, but now she seemed completely comfortable in her own skin.

William had retired from the Pinkertons shortly after helping bring down The Phantom Raiders. After the twins, Henry, and Frederick had been sent to prison for multiple thefts, robberies, murder, and attempted murder, he’d decided to take the sheriff’s position in Drummond.

They still visited Flint Creek often, mostly because Josephine refused to stay away from her family—not that William complained. As far as Mary Ann could tell, he would have happily followed Josephine anywhere.

A sudden movement farther down the table caught her attention. Thomas sat beside Annie. Their hands rested together beneath the tabletop, thinking that no one noticed.

Mary Ann certainly noticed. So did everyone else.

The fact that they believed they were hiding something was almost adorable.

Annie laughed at something Thomas said. He looked as though he’d won the prize calf at the fall festival.

Mary Ann’s eyes softened.

When she’d first left Cottonwood Creek all those years ago, she’d never imagined her brother would eventually settle out West. Yet, here he was, working alongside Frank, helping to manage the ranch, building a life of his own, and finding someone to love.

The transformation still amazed her.

Thomas had arrived carrying so much responsibility on his shoulders. He had changed just as Frank had. He was happier and lighter.

The same could be said for their mother, who sat a short distance away speaking with Christine’s uncle. The two occupied neighboring chairs. Neither touched, and neither behaved improperly, but the quiet affection between them was obvious.

Mary Ann had noticed it almost immediately after her mother had moved to Flint Creek.

At first, her mother denied everything. Then, she denied it less enthusiastically. Eventually, she stopped denying it altogether. These days, they spent most evenings together, taking walks, sharing meals, and keeping each other company.

Mary Ann couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mother smile this often.

Another movement caught her eye. Christine stood near the refreshment table. One hand rested unconsciously against her stomach. Her husband hovered nearby, carrying an entire plate of food.

Mary Ann nodded toward them. “Look at Harold.”

Frank glanced over.

The young man was clearly attempting to convince Christine to eat more pie-–again.

Frank chuckled. “He means well. He’s just worried, as he should be.”

Mary Ann chuckled. “He reminds me of someone.”

Frank looked suspicious. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.”

He squeezed her hand, and a familiar warmth coursed through her body.

Neither spoke. They just watched the celebration continuing around them.

Children ran through the grass. Someone started another game of blind man’s bluff. Music drifted through the warm air.

Mary Ann rested her head against the back of her chair. The baby kicked again. This time harder. She winced, and Frank sat forward.

“What happened?” he asked worriedly.

“Nothing.”

He looked at her stomach and back into her eyes. “You made a face.”

“The baby kicked.”

Concern flashed across his features. “Hard?”

Mary Ann exhaled. “Frank.”

“What?”

“It’s a baby.”

He nodded. “It’s our baby.”

The distinction apparently mattered a lot.

She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m fine.”

His expression remained unconvinced.

Some things truly never changed.

Her gaze drifted toward the pasture beyond the celebration.

Cattle grazed peacefully in the distance. The ranch looked beautiful. It was prosperous and healthy. Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe it belonged to them. After Leonard’s death, she’d been certain she would lose everything, but years of hard work had transformed it.

Frank and Thomas worked tirelessly. James and Ben frequently helped. Even William occasionally pitched in whenever Josephine insisted. Together they’d built something lasting—something real.

Mary Ann thought about the tiny calf born during those frightening days before everything changed.

The calf was full-grown and had several of her own calves. The cow was one animal among many, but every time she saw it, she remembered the fear, uncertainty, and the hope she’d felt while watching new life enter the world.

That calf had been born only days before everything fell apart, and it had also marked the beginning of everything getting better.

Life was strange that way. It rarely moved in straight lines.

She thought about how her life had changed in such a short time. Not only had she been able to keep the ranch, letting Frank fulfill his life-long dream of running his own ranch, but she had become the town’s official healer, as the people in Flint Creek swore that she was better than any doctor. She trained young women from nearby towns in the art of medicine.

The baby shifted again.

Mary Ann sighed softly.

Frank rested his palm gently against her stomach.

The baby kicked him.

His eyes widened. “There he is.”

Mary Ann shook her head. “We don’t know it’s a he.”

“It’s a he.”

“You said that about Louise.”

Frank considered this. “Then perhaps I shouldn’t be making predictions.”

“Probably not.”

Louise suddenly appeared again, this time carrying half of Samuel’s birthday cake. “Look!”

Mary Ann blinked. “Where did you get that?”

Louise grinned.

Samuel began crying.

William groaned.

Josephine burst out laughing.

The entire table erupted into chaos.

Frank buried his face in his hands.

Mary Ann laughed so hard that tears filled her eyes. In that moment, watching her family, her friends, and the beautiful mess of the life they’d built together, she realized something.

There had been a time when she’d believed happiness belonged to other people. She’d been wrong.

Happiness wasn’t the absence of sorrow. It wasn’t a life free from mistakes or perfection. It was this. It was a warm afternoon, children giggling, friends gathered around a table, family reunited, a husband whose hand still found hers without thinking, and a future she no longer feared.

She looked at Frank.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned toward her.

Their eyes met.

The same warmth she’d felt the first time he’d looked at her that way spread through her chest.

Years had passed, but the feeling remained.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

Mary Ann touched his face with her other hand. “I love you too.”

His thumb brushed across her hand.

Around them, life continued. For the first time in her life, Mary Ann understood what peace truly felt like—not because the world had become perfect, but because she had finally found her place within it.

As she sat beneath the warm afternoon sun with the people who she loved surrounding her, she knew there was nowhere else in the world she would rather be.