The sins of the past…

The sentiment would always remain in the back of her mind.

“Mama’s baby,” Amber whispered as she continued brushing Zeus. She patted his flanks and leaned her head against him. The past two weeks had been a blur, a reminder that life changed on a dime. The nightmares continued but she was finally able to face each day. Sighing, she took a step back. “There. You’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as his mommy.”

She smiled and tipped her head. Every time he walked into a room, she swooned, her pulse racing. Camden had been a guardian angel, keeping her safe. Loving her. “My handsome cowboy. I’ll take those kinds of compliments any day.”

Camden walked closer, easing the brush from her hand and wrapping his arms around her. “And I plan on giving them every day, no matter whether you’re a good girl or very bad.”

“Hmmm… I’ve been very good lately.” She laughed seeing his eyes. They’d barely spent more than two hours apart after the horrible event and she was grateful for his love and his protection.

“Well, not quite that good.” He eyed the door to the stall before holding the brush into the light. “This might work very well.”

“What are you talking about?” She pushed at his chest.

“A hard spanking. You haven’t had one in what, four days?”

“Three, thank you very much.”

“Long overdue.” Capturing her mouth, he slipped his tongue inside, entwining them as he rubbed his hand down her back, cupping and squeezing her ass.

She adored his attention, his utter dominance and her skin was alive, her pussy wet. This man, her man created the most dazzling sensations.

He broke the kiss and nipped her nose. “Come on. Be a good girl and pull down your jeans.”

“You are serious.”

“As only a cowboy can be.” Grinning, he pointed toward the gate. “Pants and panties down and hold on.”

Giving him a disgruntled look, she did as she was told, her mind falling into thoughts about the upcoming week. Another meeting with the various ranchers. Three had already signed onto the deal with Rush, their entire life ready to change. The other two would need additional convincing, but she’d become quite good at nudging people in the right direction. The town was abuzz, making heroes out of the men from Rush Enterprises. In truth, she was happy to have all three around, even for only a few days.

After undoing her jeans and shoving the tight material down her hips, she gave him a pouting look. “Can’t I get a pass this time?”

“That’s what you said last night. No more passes.” He pointed again and tapped the brush against his hand.

She studied the dense wood, the thickness and shape and knew this punishment was going to hurt like a motherfucker. But she refused to say the words. No more soap in the mouth for her. “Yes, sir.” She yanked down her panties and turned toward the gate.

Zeus flipped his tail and snorted.

“Don’t you dare give me attitude.” She shook her head as she gave Zeus a harsh look.

“He knows you,” Camden said as he caressed her naked ass. “Thirty.”

“You are trying to kill me.”

“Right.”

Smack! Crack!

“Ouch!” Her entire body shook as pain shot through her ass down her legs.

“Stay in position.”

“Yes, sir,” she grumbled.

Pop! Slap!

“That’s better,” he huffed.

Better than what? She closed her eyes and tried to keep from yelping.

Slap! Smack!

The spanking was damn painful.

Crack! Slap!

“You need to remember that I’m in charge,” he reminded her.

Pop! Whack!

“Yes, sir. I know, sir.” You bet there was defiance in her voice.

Crack! Slap!

“Just for that, I’m adding five more.”

Pop! Smack! Crack! Slap!

Tears welled in her eyes and she knew they had nothing to do with her spanking. She remained saddened, her heart aching for her friend. The depression from the loss of the baby plus Kyle’s total control over Pepper had driven the girl into an altered state. But Amber wasn’t angry. At least Pepper was getting the help she needed. The last visit with her friend had been more encouraging.

Slap! Pop!

“Very good.” Camden’s voice was soft, a sweet caress.

“Mmmm…” Her pussy remained wet, her nipples hard.

Crack! Smack!

As the spanking continued, all she could think about was the way he’d fought to keep her alive, shooting Kyle. At least the man was still alive to face the various criminal charges. Thank God, for Drago. If the man hadn’t tackled Pepper before she reached Kyle with the butcher knife, things might have turned out completely differently. Even Drago had changed, the chip stripped away from his personality. Still dark and foreboding, he’d learned to trust and was now the foreman of the oil rigs to be developed. He was also good friends with Camden. How things changed. She had to smile. Life was special.

Pop! Slap!

“That’s enough,” Camden whispered.

She heard the sound of him dropping the brush as well as the husky tone of his voice. There was such sadness.

He placed both hands on her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck. “I love you.”

“I know you do. Feel like a little hot sex in the barn, my cowboy?”

“Not right now. Later?” he whispered, his words almost inaudible.

“What’s wrong, baby? Why won’t you talk to me?” She was terrified that the last demons still entrenched in his soul were going to eat him alive.

“You know, I was terrified that I’d lost you. I could have killed Kyle easily.”

“But you didn’t,” Amber said quietly.

He chuckled. “Oh, but I wanted to. He tried to take you away.”

“But you didn’t lose me, and you won’t.”

“I know,” he said as he rubbed her back. “Get dressed. I just… We’ll talk.”

She heard his footsteps walking away. His emotions, as well as hers, had been all over the place. Yes, there was no danger of her losing the ranch any longer and she had Rush Enterprises as well as her father’s secret to thank. Zach had identified issues with the contract that her father had entered into. Not a court in the land would uphold the contract to any degree. Her poor father had kept the terrible fear that his secret would be discovered for nothing.

Amber fastened her jeans and hesitated before going to find him. Camden had been holding onto something that was killing him. But he had to tell her when he was ready.

Finding him on the back deck, she had to smile seeing the open bottle of wine and two glasses. “A little romance on your mind.”

He smiled and poured two glasses. “Come sit with me.”

“Okay.” She eased down beside him on the step, taking the glass of wine, and remained quiet.

“You were right all along. I left Dallas because I couldn’t face the person staring at me in the mirror.”

“I know.” She took his hand into hers, holding, letting him know that she would be with him through anything.

“Sarah.”

“You told me about her.”

Camden nodded then dropped his head. “But I never told you about our baby.”

She blinked several times. “What?”

He tipped his head to look into her eyes, his filled with tears. “We had a little baby boy. He was such a joy.”

Swallowing, she felt as if his world was crushing down, the weight killing him.

“When we learned she was pregnant, we were shocked. She was on birth control. We had nothing to our name and knew that the baby would cause issues in her family, but we didn’t care at first. He was born with ten little toes and fingers, a ball of perfection,” he laughed as he said the words yet there were tears in his eyes. “I loved that little boy so much. He was the light of our lives.”

Amber had no idea what to say. “What… What happened?”

He said nothing for several minutes.

“We made a difficult decision when he was just two months old. We allowed another couple to adopt him. I can’t tell you the agony we were in.” He closed his eyes as the tears continued to fall. “I shouldn’t have agreed. She insisted and I… I just wanted to… I just…”

She leaned against his shoulder, allowing him to cry.

“I should have told you.”

“You just did,” she whispered, tears slipping down her face.

Camden groaned and wiped his eyes. “There isn’t a day I don’t regret our decision. We made certain he had a wonderful adoptive family. They have money and I know he’s had a wonderful life.”

“Have you… Have you seen him?”

“Only once. I shouldn’t have gone, but I went by their house. They seemed so happy. After that, everything started to fall apart. Sarah and I broke up. We just decided that we should end the relationship. Then she got sick and I don’t know. I just lost myself in work and tried to pretend the life I loved so much had never existed. I was a fool.”

They remained quiet for a few minutes.

“Does Mitchell know?” she asked. What she’d learned about Mitchell was that he was a decent and caring man and would die for his friends.

“No. I haven’t been able to tell him.”

“You have to.”

He kissed her hand and rubbed his lips back and forth across her skin. “I know. I can’t see a future until I do. I’m going back to Dallas to talk to him. I can’t live with the guilt any longer. I hope you understand.”

“Of course, I do. Do you want me to go with you?”

Offering a smile, he shook his head. “I need to do this by myself. I’m coming back to the ranch and if you’ll allow me, I’m going to bring my horses.”

She felt the familiar tug at her heart. “I’d love that.”

He released her hand and rose to his feet.

“Don’t go yet.”

Camden chuckled. “Not until the morning.” He slipped his hand into his pocket then knelt on the stairs. “I love you more than I can say. You are the reason I learned to live again, to love. I can’t spend another day without you.”

Amber sniffed as the tears slipped past her lashes. “I love you too.” When he pulled out a ring box, she gasped.

“Amber Harding, stubborn and wonderful woman, will you please do me the honor of marrying me?”

The second he opened the box, she burst into tears. “Oh, Camden. Yes!”

The burning secrets were gone. Then why did she feel such extreme sadness?

Camden stood on Mitchell’s deck, frozen in thought, perhaps even in time. He’d prepared himself for the discussion during the ride back, but he remained on edge, as well as exhausted. The damn reporter wouldn’t leave him alone, finally saying she’d gone to press. He wasn’t certain he cared. Everyone would know what he did, the horror of letting his baby boy go. So, he’d be a monster in their eyes. He only hoped he’d decided to tell Mitchell before he found out from some damn newspaper.

“Whiskey, my friend,” Mitchell said as he handed Camden a glass.

“Thanks.”

“Okay, sourpuss. What’s on your mind?”

He studied the beautiful streaks of color crisscrossing the sky and wanted to find the right words. Perhaps there were none. “You know how much I loved Sarah.”

“With all your heart. There was never a question. I’m very happy for you and Amber. She is perfect for you and I hope one day this will be permanent.”

Camden smiled. “I asked her to marry me.”

“Fantastic! Congratulations!” Mitchell shook his hand, his face beaming.

“Thank you. Amber saved me maybe from myself.” Camden exhaled and swirled the drink.

“I think she did. What do you need to tell me about Sarah? I know she’d be happy for you.” Mitchell asked quietly.

“I think she would. Look,” Camden could barely say the words. “Sarah and I had a baby boy together.” Cringing, he anticipated every emotion in his friend, but the utter silence was something he couldn’t tolerate. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you. Please forgive me.”

“Oh, Camden. Sarah confided in me. She asked that I not say anything to you because she knew that the time had to be right for you to tell me.”

Camden snapped his head, studying his friend’s eyes. “She told you?”

Mitchell smiled and gripped Camden’s shoulder. “I knew the day after you found out she was pregnant. I wanted so badly to talk to you, but I kept her promise. This is what’s been eating you all these years?”

“Well, yeah. I shouldn’t have let him out of my sight. I should have fought her on this decision. I was weak.”

“No, my friend. You were both trying to do the right thing. And, from what she told me, you did do the right thing at the time.”

Camden was shaking, tension and guilt rushing from his body. “I don’t understand.”

“You were trying to please everyone and give your baby the best life. I know you both did what you thought was right.”

“But you don’t agree.”

Mitchell clamped down on his shoulder. “Not for me to say. I wasn’t in your shoes and imagine what you would have done with a baby after she died.”

“Yeah, I’ve thought of that, but I miss him so much. I just.” Camden could tell his knees were buckling and he tried to find the seat behind him. When he was able to sit down, he gulped half the drink. He was chilled to the bone, his mind reeling, every thought about the discussion rushing to the forefront of his brain. And he could see his little boy. His baby’s angelic face and intense blue eyes. The way his little fingers wrapped around his hand. “Oh God, Mitchell. What did I do?”

Easing down on the seat next to him, Mitchell said nothing for several seconds. “I had a feeling you were going to tell me finally when you called. This is what the reporter was bugging you about. Right?”

Camden nodded and rolled his eyes. “There’s going to be an article.”

“Well, if what I told her gets in this article, everything will be fine.”

He glanced into his friend’s eyes. “You talked with her?”

“You better believe it. Threatened her that if she tried to ruin you or my family that she’d have the weight of Rush Enterprises on the Dallas Times.”

Camden laughed. “My formidable friend.”

“I’m glad you were finally able to tell me. I wanted to kick your ass, but I waited.”

“I know I should have trusted you more or maybe myself.”

“This isn’t about trust in any manner, my friend. That kind of decision takes a lot out of a person. What you just told me doesn’t hurt our friendship in any manner. In fact, I feel like your brother.” Mitchell nudged his arm. “And now it’s time for you to know a truth.”

Wiping his eyes, he noticed the envelope being handed to him. “What’s this?”

“Read it. Your decision entirely but one I’ll support either way. Camden. You are an amazing friend and I’ll always love you like a brother.”

As Camden took the envelope, he could see a change in his friend’s eyes. “I…”

“Just read it.”

He eased his glass down on the table and took the envelope into his hand. After darting another look in Mitchell’s eyes, he opened the flap, pulling out the stapled papers. “I don’t understand.”

“Keep reading.”

Swallowing hard, Camden scanned the first page, then the second. As he looked into Mitchell’s tear-filled eyes, he finally fell apart. “Oh my God.”

Amber floored the engine, accelerating to over eighty. She didn’t give a shit she was exceeding the speed limit. She had to get home. Chowder’s call had been frantic, and she had no details about why. None. She could no longer get him on the phone and she just knew something terrible had happened to Camden. He was due back hours ago. No call. No message. Her phone calls went to voicemail.

Everything in her world was crumbling. Jorge was on his death bed and now this. She couldn’t take any more. She’d had her fill. “I hate you!” she yelled at the sky and leaned into the turn, taking the curve at an excessive speed, her tires squealing. “No, I’m sorry. Please God. Please don’t let anything have happened to him. Please!”

Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she had difficulty seeing the road. She wanted, no she deserved some level of happiness in her life. It was almost perfect.

She felt the ring, twisting and turning the beautiful diamond. They were planning a wedding. They were planning a life. He was her everything. As she entered the ranch, she leaned forward, trying to keep the sun out of her eyes. Her stomach was in knots, the kind of sickness that she couldn’t get rid of.

As she neared the house, she noticed several vehicles parked just in front. Too many. God. They were coming to comfort her. They were… Noticing Camden’s truck, she jerked to a stop and jumped out, racing toward the house. “Camden?”

The moment she was just past the threshold, Jorge stepped out of the kitchen, a huge grin on his face. “Someone told me there was a party.”

“Jorge? What? I don’t understand.” Startled, she blinked and fell against the wall. “But you’re sick.”

“Not today,” he said then laughed.

Throwing her arms around him, she held him close.

“Can’t keep an old cowboy down. I’m doing okay for now,” Jorge whispered as he rubbed her back. “Besides, I have to see my goddaughter get married.”

“We’re not ready yet but…” Easing back, she scanned the room over his shoulder. “Is he here?”

“Of course, he is and Camden has a surprise for you.” Jorge took her hand, kissing her palm.

She noticed his eyes were twinkling. “Are you in on this?”

“Let’s just say I placed the right amount of trust in that man. He’s the right one.”

“I know he is.”

“Now, go. We can talk later.”

After he pointed to the back door, she rushed toward it, flying out and onto the deck. She squinted then covered her eyes as she tried to make out what she was seeing. With every step off the back deck, she tried to focus, to understand what she was seeing. “Camden?”

Hearing her voice, he lifted his head. “Amber.”

She walked toward the fence surrounding the corral. The pony was the spitting image of Zeus, gorgeous in his own right.

And the little boy sitting on top had his father’s smile as well as his violet eyes.

Camden eased the pony toward the fence, holding onto the little boy’s leg. “Joseph, I’d like you to meet Amber.”

Smiling shyly, the little boy waved, giggling the entire time.

Mitchell walked up beside her, draping his arms over the fence.

“You did this for him. Didn’t you?” she managed to ask as tears slipped past her lashes.

“Guilty as charged. Zach and I followed Joseph as he grew. His adoptive parents were killed in an accident not long ago. The tragedy is horrific. If Camden hadn’t stepped in as his real father, the child would have gone to an agency.”

“Joseph is Camden’s?”

Mitchell nodded. “Forever.”

She gave Mitchell a smile before reaching for Camden. “He’s amazing.”

“He’s my son,” Camden whispered, mouthing ‘thank you’ to Mitchell.

“I’ll let you guys have some time,” Mitchell said as he touched her arm. “Good things happen to amazing people. By the way. We need to talk about wedding plans, my best man. Unless you want a double ceremony.”

Camden groaned. “Don’t put any ideas into her head!”

“Very funny,” she snarked as she studied the little boy. A family. She had the family she always dreamed of.

“I will!” Mitchell called.

She climbed over the fence, snuggling against Camden. “I love you.”

“Dear God, I love you.”

As they stood together, each lost in their thoughts, she turned her face to the heavens and smiled.

This was indeed a miracle. As she gazed at the sky, she felt an incredible warmth sweeping over her, over her entire ranch. And she knew both Sarah and her father were smiling.