But even as he wanted the weather to trap Greta and Astrid, deep inside he didn’t want to win them by default. If they stayed, he wanted Greta to make the choice, willingly. Which wasn’t about to happen . . .

All he could hang on to was that they’d only be apart till spring.

He drew in a deep breath. Somehow they’d have to be okay. They loved each other, and that would see them through the difficult days ahead. That and a lot of hard work. He’d drive himself hard over the winter and keep himself too busy to think about her.

He had a heap of work to do to get ready for his herd of Shorthorns. And although part of him wanted to give up the new herd in order to be with Greta, another part of him thrummed with the anticipation of seeing the herd and driving them up onto his land.

If only she didn’t have to go away . . .

With a whispered prayer for strength to release her and to keep persevering, he mounted his horse and started toward the barn. As he drew closer to the homestead, he saw her touch everywhere, from the clothesline to the cellar to the new chickens. He even saw her in the little details like the braided cornhusk rug outside the cabin, the curtain she’d fashioned for the window, and the new huckleberry patch she’d cut and transplanted from the foothills.

In the weeks since she’d arrived, she’d transformed the ranch into a home. And he didn’t know how he could live there without her.

Pain pounded against his heart, and he forced himself to ride directly to the barn. He couldn’t spend the evening with her or see her again. If he did, he’d beg her not to leave.

Chapter 30

Strange silence settled around Greta as she stretched to wakefulness. Silence. It was blissful. For a moment, she burrowed under the warm covers, unwilling to face the chill of the cabin before the stove pumped out its heat.

But the quiet was too abnormal, and it could mean only one thing. She flipped over and felt the spot next to her. It was empty.

Greta’s eyes flew open to find the bedroom dark with only the first hints of dawn. Panic erupted. She scrambled up and pushed the covers away.

“Astrid?”

The stillness from the other room confirmed her worst fear. Astrid had run away again.

But why? When Greta had arrived home last night, she hadn’t mentioned anything to the little girl. Since their belongings were still packed from earlier in the week, she’d decided to finish readying to leave in the morning so she wouldn’t alert Astrid to the plans.