Page 58 of Branded By the Cowboy

But she’s safe.

She’s safe.

Dad is there with the hose. Tom has a blanket. Shay is sobbing on the porch.

Henry is at my side instantly, hauling the gate open and helping me carry Luna to safety while I’m still half-blind from the smoke.

“I’ve got her,” he says gruffly. “You’re burning up, brother.”

“No,” I growl. I won’t let go.Can’t.

Not until the paramedics arrive and pry her from my arms.

* * *

At the hospital, they bandage Luna’s arms and monitor her breathing. Her burns are minor, but the smoke inhalation scared them enough to keep her overnight, hooked up to monitors and oxygen.

She’s resting now, pale against the white sheets, eyes closed.

I sit beside her in the white noise of machines and antiseptic, gripping her hand like it’s the only thing anchoring me to the present.

“She’s lucky,” the nurse tells me quietly.

“No,” I whisper. “Iam.”

* * *

She wakes near midnight. Eyes bleary. Lips cracked.

“Did we lose the barn?” Her voice is hoarse.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “We did.”

Her brow crumples. “I’m sorry.”

I lean forward and press my forehead to her temple. “You’re alive. That’s all I care about.”

She swallows. “Cheese Puff?”

“Safe and sound with Biscuit, Pretzel, and the other goats. Bossy as ever.”

Her hand squeezes mine.

Tears slide down her cheeks as she whispers, “I thought I was going to die. And all I could think about was you. And this place. And how—for the first time—I didn’t want to go.”

She chokes out the next words. “I love you, Angus. So much.”

I exhale like I’ve been holding my breath for years. “I love you, too, Luna. More than this land. More than air.”

She lets out a small, broken laugh. “Even without the clause?”

“Especially without it.”

I kiss her forehead. Her cheek. Her mouth.

Then I whisper, “Stay as long as you want.”

Her eyes are red-rimmed. But when she smiles, it’s still hers. “Forever sound good?”

---