The Rancher's Wife Read Online Free

cheeks, warming his expression. Logan lifted his hand, the blunt end of his finger smoothing over the tight line of her mouth. “There’s my girl,” he whispered. “I miss you, Amy. I miss us .”
    Amy sagged against the chair, shoulders dropping. “Us fighting?” She shook her head. “Because that’s all we’re good at anymore.”
    His big palm cradled her jaw, calloused thumb sweeping gently over her cheek. “We’re good at a lot more than that. We just need to work at it. Do things right this time.”
    Amy drew back, slipping away from his touch. “No. That’s not why I’m coming home. And I don’t plan on staying permanently. You already knew that.” She nudged the papers with her fingertip. “That’s why you signed these.”
    His eyebrows rose. “Did I?”
    â€œGood Lord, I’m glad you’re here.”
    Traci rushed into the room, sweeping past Logan and barreling into Amy’s middle. Grateful for the distraction, Amy wrapped her arms tight around her sister’s waist. The bulk of Traci’s coat made it difficult to pull her close.
    â€œWe’ve been waiting out there for hours,” Traci mumbled against her neck. “It’s cold, I’m bored and Logan refused to go anywhere. He wouldn’t do anything but sit there and wait.”
    Traci’s frantic whisper tickled her ear. Amy laughed, drawing back to say, “Why did you ride out here anyway? You knew I was coming home today.”
    Traci shrugged, stepping back and tugging at her hood. “You know Mama always starts cooking the night before Thanksgiving. If I’d stayed home, I’d have had to peel all the sweet potatoes for the soufflés.” She curled her lip. “A girl can get carpal tunnel doing that.” Her fingers picked at the cuffs of her jacket. “And I missed you.” She shrugged. “Besides, there were too many people stuffed in that house. I needed to get out of there for a little while.”
    Amy smiled. “I take it Raintree’s packed for the holidays, as usual.”
    â€œOh, you don’t know the half of it. I spend one summer visiting you in Augusta and munchkins invade while I’m gone.” Traci shook her head. “When I got back to the ranch last August, six-year-old twins were tearing up the place.”
    â€œTwins?”
    â€œYeah,” Traci said. “Dominic married their aunt last fall. They’re seven now and I swear those boys got wilder. You’ll see what I mean.”
    Dominic, Logan’s younger brother, had been Amy’s friend the moment she’d arrived at Raintree all those years ago. She couldn’t imagine Dominic getting married and settling down. He was a nomadic bull rider, living in the moment and always searching out adventure.
    â€œDominic got married?” Amy glanced at Logan for confirmation.
    Logan nodded, a small smile appearing. “He came home for good last year and he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.” His smile slipped. “You’ve missed a lot.”
    Amy tensed, looking away from the sad shadows in Logan’s dark eyes.
    â€œWe’re really glad you’re coming home for a visit,” Traci said, squeezing Amy’s arm. “It’ll be nice for us all to be together again.” She withdrew, moving around the desk to tug at Logan’s elbow. “Can we start back now?”
    â€œSoon.” Logan nudged Traci toward the door. “Go on out and warm up the truck. We’ll swing by Amy’s, load up her bags, then head out.”
    Amy watched Traci leave then cocked her head at Logan. “Who’s doing the assuming now?” she asked. “I never said I was riding back with you.”
    â€œNo. You didn’t.” Logan walked to the door. “But I promised Betty I’d get you home safely, and I always keep my promises. Plus, your sister’s