Laura

She shook herself to break free of the memory.

“He didn't want you,” she whispered to herself as she put away the horse blankets. “He got rid of his phone and never even made an attempt to contact you. You don't go where you're not wanted.”

She sighed and wished things were different. She wished a lot of things were different, but that didn't change them. She had to live the life she had. She remembered her mom's saying: if wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets to the sea. She didn't have time for wishes.

She checked her phone to make sure there were no messages from her siblings. She was so glad that Mia had invited them to come to the event today. She didn't have anyone to watch them, so the fact that Mia was willing to have them here meant the world to her.

She wouldn't have survived without their help.

She was lucky to have a boss as great as Mia and Carter. If she didn't have them, she didn't know what she'd do since her parents died. They'd helped her not only with her grief at their sudden deaths, but at taking over the role of parent for her siblings. Mia was always lending a hand and Carter gave her way more time off and flexibility than he had to.

She wished she had a way to repay them for their kindness.

More wishes, she thought, shaking her head. She could hear her mother's voice in her head, whispering again about casting a net. She missed her parents terribly.

“Stupid plane crash,” Laura whispered, setting down a box of supplies harder than she intended. It had only been eight months since they'd died, but if felt like forever and yet no time at all. Sometimes the grief would come rushing up at her from nowhere and she didn't know what to do with it.

She missed her mom. She missed her dad.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” a woman said, stepping through the open barn door into the warm yellow light. “Can I be in here? I'm just looking for a quiet place where we won't bother anyone.” The woman motioned to a baby in her arms. “He keeps waking up with all the people around.”

“As long as you don't mind the horses, you're welcome to be in here,” Laura said, grateful for the distraction from her grief. “There's a bench just over there if you want a place to sit.”

Laura recognized the woman as Emma Saunders, the wife of billionaire Jack Saunders. Laura remembered reading about their secret beach wedding a few years ago. It had made all the papers. Now they had a beautiful baby boy.

“Thank you,” Emma said, settling herself on the bench. She made sure her baby was tucked safely in her arms and leaned back against the barn wall. “I really appreciate it.”

“It's no problem,” Laura assured her. She paused, looking at the sleeping baby. He looked so peaceful and safe in his mother's arms that she envied him a little. “How old is he?”

“Almost three months,” Emma said with a smile. She carefully moved the blanket out of his face, doting on him as a new mother should.

“He's beautiful,” Laura told her. She tried not to think about her own mother.

“Thank you. He's got his dad's smile,” Emma replied. “I'm glad, because it's a good one.”

“He has your eyes,” Laura said. “The shape is the same.”

Emma smiled up at her. “You're Laura, right?” she asked, shifting the baby's weight slightly. He didn't stir. “You run the ranch for Mia?”

“I run the horses side of the ranch,” Laura replied. “Kenna will be running the kid side.”

“Gotcha,” Emma said with a nod. She looked around the barn. “I'm so impressed with what Mia is doing here. She's going to help a lot of kids.”

“I think so too. I'm really excited to see what else she comes up with for this place.”Laura nodded in agreement. “Don't you run a charity as well? One for animals?”

Emma nodded and smiled. “It's a wildlife restoration and rehabilitation program. It's actually been a lot of fun getting to help Mia get her charity started. It reminds me of when I first started out.”

Laura was about to comment when the wind rattled the door hard enough to make them both look. With both of them quiet, the whine of the wind through the trees was louder than Laura expected.

“There must be a storm moving in,” Laura said after a moment. She shivered.

“Do you think it will snow?” Emma asked, tucking the blanket a little tighter around her baby. “It was so nice out this morning.”

“It probably will. We get snow up here all the way through the end of May,” Laura replied. “But don't worry. We made sure the rooms you are staying in are nice and warm. Mia wanted the best.”

The door rattled again, but this time it opened. Instead of the wind, it was a person.

“Is Elliot in here?” Jace asked, looking around the barn. His cheeks were red from the wind and his hair in disarray.

“Elliot? The little boy you were working with?” Laura asked, trying to remember who she saw Jace with earlier. To be honest, she'd been more focused on Ethan and couldn't remember anyone else he was with.

Jace nodded. His eyes darted around the barn again. “We can't find him.”

“I saw him a little while ago,” Emma said from her bench. “He was playing with another little boy. They were throwing sticks for Ella's dog outside the garage.”

Laura paused. She remembered her brother telling her about a dog he met and another kid who liked space a lot. “What did the other little boy look like?”

“Um, he was around five years old. Short brown hair, and he had a blue collared shirt on,” Emma replied, her face scrunched up as she tried to remember. “Why?”

“That's my little brother, Dallas.” Laura looked over to Jace. “You said you can't find Elliot?”

Jace shook his head. “He's not with the other kids. They're probably just out playing hide and seek or something, but...”

“But?” Laura felt the pressure in the room change. It was the same feeling she got before a big thunderstorm. It was the feeling she got right before she got the call about her parents.

Jace looked uncomfortable. “But, I can't find Jupiter either.”

The bottom slowly dropped out of Laura's stomach. It felt like she was leaking all her substance and would crumple to the floor like a used balloon, yet somehow her legs stayed beneath her and she didn't collapse.

She took a shaky breath in, telling herself that it was probably nothing. The two boys were probably just out behind the trees or hiding somewhere in the house. Dallas was fine. He was fine.

“Would you excuse me? I'm going to go look for my brother.” Laura set the box she was carrying down against the wall. It wasn't anywhere near where it was supposed to be, but she didn't care. She needed to know Dallas was okay.

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, her face worried. “You look like you're about to pass out.”

“I'm fine,” Laura murmured, heading to the barn door. She did her best to smile at Emma, but she knew it looked fake. She was too worried to care, though.

Laura opened the barn door and stepped out into the wind. She had to find Dallas. She had to.