Love me.

He would, too. She knew it. Knew that he might not be a perfect man but he was honest and tough and strong and real.

She’d watched him here on this ranch, and he did nothing halfway. When he was worried one of the young calves was missing, he’d gone back out in the dark, in a snowstorm, to track it down. And he hadn’t come home until he’d found him.

A man of his word.

A man of the word. He’d waited for her. Prayed for her.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and went to the window above the sink to look out. Stars still shone brightly overhead. She searched the dark sky for a sign... her own North Star.

And then something amazing happened.

The sky lit up in a thousand colored lights. Red, blue, green, yellow, gold, white. Light after light glowing brightly, revealing the white landscape glittering in a fresh clean layer of newly fallen slow.

Leaning toward the window, she realized that it wasn’t the sky filled with lights but the big tree in the corner of the yard.

The huge pine tree—twenty-something feet tall—was covered in brilliant glowing colorful light.

The huge pine tree was a Christmas tree.

Oh, God.

The biggest most beautiful Christmas tree she’d ever seen. Here. Here. And she knew who’d done it and she knew why he’d done it and she didn’t think she could bear it.

It would have taken hours.

It would have taken all night.

She put her head down on the counter, and cried.

Crying because it was too much. It was. There weren’t words for things like this. Weren’t words for things so beautiful and magical. Life-changing. Momentous. Life-changing. Healing. Life changing.

Hope.

Faith.

Grace.

God.

And Harley just cried.

How could she leave them? How could she go? How could she leave when there was nowhere else she’d rather be?

“We think you’re supposed to be here,” Molly said, her voice soft and hushed on the far side of the kitchen.

Harley straightened, turning abruptly, wiping her cheeks dry. It was impossible. The tears kept falling.

Molly and Mack were in their pajamas and yet beneath their pajamas were snow boots and snowflakes glittered on their hair and dusted their pink cheeks.

“We know you’re supposed to be here,” Mack corrected. “It’s the plan.”

“The plan?” Harley whispered.

Molly walked to Harley and took her hand. “We figured it out last night after Dad told us about your kids, how you lost your kids, like we lost our mom.”

Mack nodded. “We couldn’t sleep ‘cause we knew why you were here. Mom sent you here. She knew you missed your kids and she knew we missed her...” His voice faded.

For a moment there was only silence.

Molly squeezed Harley’s hand. “We think our mom is in heaven taking care of your kids,” Molly said quietly. “Because I bet even in heaven, kids need a mom, and I bet my mom would be a good one. Dad said she was a good mom. Dad said she loved us.”

“I’m sure she was the best mom ever,” Harley whispered, the lump so big in her throat that she was afraid she’d cry all over again.

“We bet you were a really good mom, too,” Molly added. “A really, really good mom. Because you’re not even our mom and you’re really, really nice to us.”

Harley held her breath, praying for control. But when tears fell, Molly’s cool fingers were there, on Harley’s cheeks, carefully wiping them away.

“We like you,” Molly whispered in a low voice. “We like you a lot, Harley, so please don’t go.”

Mack nodded. “I think, we think, we know, Mom sent you to us.