It was a glorious morning: the sun was shining and the mountains looked gorgeous. An overnight snowfall had left the whole ranch covered in a pure white blanket. But Julie had eyes for none of it. She was staring down at the cabin closest to her home, looking for any sign of movement inside. Her normally bright eyes were clouded and her lovely face was lined with worry. She was starting to think that maybe she had made a big mistake. Large, strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she leaned back in to Jake. He held her against him; his body was hard and powerful, roughened and toughened by more than twenty years of working outdoors and with horses, but he was always gentle with Julie. He kissed her neck. “Hey, baby.” “Hi,” she said, her eyes still trained on the cabin. “Any sign of her?” “No.” “It’s going to take some time, you know that.”
