The shock in Kieran’s eyes is all the proof I need to know I’m right. About everything. He’s only been using everything I’ve fed him to get to me. To get my ranch.

“Kyle was right about you,” I whisper, hurt filling the depths of my soul.

Shock lights behind his eyes and I hear Olivia coming down the stairs. “What do you want for dinner?” I ask her.

“I’m not picky,” She says, before heading out the door. I stare after her. I expected to feel like a hostage in my home after all this. But I don’t. I feel like a mom, a wife, dealing with the new fires that have sprung up since I last put them out.

“You make dinner,” I tell Kieran before hurrying after Olivia.

“What is your plan?” I ask her as she heads toward the pasture Jenny and the colt are in. She turns to me.

“Simple,” she says, a shy smile on her face. “I like you, Emma, a lot. And I know dad likes you too.” We walk, side by side toward the pasture. “I was hoping that, if we spent the night, you’d realize you like us too, and maybe we could be a family.”

My heart breaks at the simplicity of love and family in a child’s mind. It’s easy to forget that she’s nine. She’s so very mature, so grown up, it’s more like being around another adult rather than with a child.

“It’s not that simple,” I tell her and she looks over at me as she climbs up on the fence to watch the mare and colt playing in the pasture.

“Isn’t it?” she asks, and we both watch the horses play.

I wonder what she means. There’s so much more that goes into love, into falling in love than just spending some time together. Besides, her father doesn’t seem like the type to fall in love. And with all he’s been through, I doubt love is something he’s even open to right now.

As we stand, Jenny’s colt wanders over to Olivia, who reaches a hand out to let him sniff. He seems interested in her and sniffs her face, nibbles on her hair, before rearing playfully up on his back legs and dashing off toward his mother.

Olivia, as if unaware I’m still here, brings her fist to her chest. “You’re a warrior, little colt,” she says softly, her eyes focused on something only she can see.

I smile at her, Kieran’s words floating back into my mind. They thought she’d die. She almost did.

That’s why they do the chest thump thing, I realize. She’s his little warrior. Because she almost didn’t make it.

I feel the sting of tears and blink them back.

When we finally head back to the house, Kieran has dinner ready, and I have the amazing feeling of coming home. It almost feels like dad is right here, sitting with us, enjoying the company.

We take our places and eat, and I finally figure out what was bothering me. Something Olivia said. I know Kieran’s plan is to sneak around, to take it easy on her and not push. That’s his way. Go easy on her, because she’s having a rough time.

“So, Olivia,” I say as I take a bite of the salad before me. Kieran had made beautiful baked chicken with rosemary and thyme, a salad with fresh tomatoes from the garden, and baked potatoes. Simple, perfect. “What did you and your mother talk about?” I ask.

Kieran tenses right up and I expect a swift kick under the table.

But Olivia chokes on her bite. “Um,” she says, taking a drink of her milk. “We talked about how I could come stay with her.”

I sense a shift in Kieran’s attitude, and know my hunch was correct. “Oh,” I agree with her. “Where is she at?”

“I can’t tell you,” Olivia says, looking miserable as she picks at her food.

“I mean,” I say, side stepping the refusal. “is she in a hotel? Apartment? House? I mean, you want to live on a ranch, is she on a ranch?”

“She didn’t really say,” Olivia says.

“Olivia,” Kieran says, his voice a warning.

She refuses to look at him, and I sense her bravado waning.

“Olivia, look at me,” Kieran demands, and she listens. Only now do I see the sparkle of tears in her eyes. “Did you talk to her?” He demands, and Olivia stares at him, her eyes red as two tears slip down her rounded cheeks.

She says nothing, but her eyes tell us everything we needed to know. “We’re going to talk later, young lady,” Kieran says, but I shake my head.

“Feel free to talk now. Having a mediator might help.” I mean it as a joke, but he glares at me.

He goes back to eating, as I take another bite. I sense he’s unable to keep contained, and I take a breath and wait for it.

“You’re grounded,” Kieran says, and I wince.

“Why did you lie, sweetie?” I ask, looking her in the eyes. Offering her silent strength, I think hard at her as if she can hear me. If you tell him, maybe he’ll understand rather than just be mad.

“I just wanted to stay here,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

He says nothing, but I push her. “Why?” I ask, my food all but forgotten. It’s delicious, but I’m interested in what the girl has to say. And I know Kieran is too, even if he’s ignoring us right now.

“Because you’d be a good mom,” she whispers, her blue eyes locked on mine as my heart stops dead in my chest.