She wished there was some way to take away the pain, but just about the only thing she could do was be by his side through the grief.

“The babe died too,” he whispered after a moment.

“I’m sorry, Wyatt.” She pressed him closer.

“This is all Rusty’s fault.” His voice was hoarse. “He knew she couldn’t handle having another babe, not after the way she almost died giving birth last time.”

Wyatt didn’t speak often of his stepfather, but whenever he did, he’d had nothing good to say, blaming Rusty for his mother’s miscarriages in recent years along with a stillbirth that had left her in poor health.

“I should have sent for her—for them—sooner.”

“You’ve been doing the best you could.”

“I could’ve done more.”

“You’re the hardest working, most determined man I know. If there had been a way, you would have found it.”

His chest shuddered as he drew in a deep breath. His nose burrowed into her neck, and for a long moment she simply held him. Thankfully, Astrid had gotten distracted by the horses and was busy feeding them handfuls of hay.

When he peeled away, she reluctantly released him but held on to his arm. She could feel the inner turmoil rippling through his muscles. With the length of time it took the mail to reach Fairplay, his mother had likely died weeks ago. There wasn’t much he’d be able to do now, as much as he wished he could.

“She shouldn’t have married Rusty. And it’s my fault she had to.”

“No, Wyatt. You did your best with the farm after your father died. You were only a boy—”

“To top it all, Rusty’s saying my pa’s farm is his.” Wyatt spat the words. “Told Flynn he can stay ’til spring, but then he has to take everyone and get on out.”

“Can Rusty do that? Don’t you or Flynn have legal rights to the land?”

“Nope.” The word contained a world of bitterness. “From what Flynn says, Rusty made Ma sign the deed over to him.”

“That’s awful.”

“Guess I knew we’d lost the farm the day Ma married that fleabag.” Wyatt hung his head, then took another deep breath before he lifted his chin, his features filling with the determination she’d grown to appreciate. “Don’t matter. I was fixin’ to have them come by next summer anyhow. Now this just makes it all the more certain.”

On that first day meeting Wyatt during their time together in the cold cavern in the thunderstorm, he’d mentioned bringing his family west at some point. But the recollection was vague, and she’d put it from her mind.

“I’m gonna write to Flynn and let him know.”