melt in her mouth, her problems seemed a lot more manageable.

“Mom! Hurry and finish so we can go play with Ty’s dog. Ty says Bella’s a cattle dog and has to learn to herd cattle, but playing fetch is good exercise for her.”

“You should come,” Ty said, giving her a smile that melted her heart like the chips in the cookie. “Katie has been having fun teaching Bella some tricks.”

“Yes!” Katie jumped off the bar stool. “I’ll even let you give Bella a treat when she’s good.”

Having just had a treatment, Rachel was feeling pretty good. Ty had been using working with Bella as a way to keep Katie occupied while Rachel had her treatments. They’d all agreed it was important to keep things as normal as possible during Rachel’s illness.

The bonus of a dog to play with that Rachel didn’t have to take care of made it a lot easier. If Rachel got better—no, when she got better—she’d get Katie a dog of her own.

“That sounds like fun,” Rachel said. “I’d love to watch you train Bella.”

They walked the short distance to Ty’s cabin, and Katie flung open the door and called, “Bella!”

Bella came bounding out, and Rachel wasn’t sure who looked more joyful, Katie or Bella.

“Mom, watch!” Katie used some kind of contraption to toss the ball farther than her little arm could throw.

While the ball was still in the air, Bella jumped and caught it, then landed perfectly before trotting back over to Katie.

“That’s amazing,” Rachel said.

Katie grinned, then tossed the ball again.

Rachel looked back at Ty. “I hope this doesn’t take away from too much of your work. You used to always be so busy, and you’ve been traveling to Denver a lot.”

“I remember what you said to me the night on the swing about priorities. I’d always rather be with you guys than anywhere else.” The look he gave her made her feel so loved, it hurt to think that she might be leaving them.

“I’m glad we’re making the most of the short time we have together.”

He glanced over at her, then back at Katie. “There will be more time. There has to be. She needs her mother. I need you.”

His words created an ache in her stomach. It was her daily prayer, but that didn’t mean God would answer. And it didn’t mean Ty got to choose how it all went down.

“But what if there isn’t? Can’t you see that I’m getting worse? Do you know how many people are on the waiting list for a kidney donor? How many people die while waiting?”

He glared at her. “You don’t have to be one of those statistics.”

She’d read about family members being in denial over the patient’s illness. It had just never occurred to her that she would be facing this dilemma. So maybe, rather than seeing this as Ty’s romantic rejection of her, it was more about his unwillingness to face her illness and the fact that they might not have any time.

“Someone has to be,” she said. “Don’t you think all those other families pray for miracles? Why am I so much more deserving of healing than any one of them? All I ever cared about was making sure Katie would be okay. Watching you with her and Bella, I know she will be. If I die, I have no regrets.”

The look on his face told her that he wasn’t going to accept her answer, but what other answer was there?

But before he could reply, a man stepped into the clearing. Rachel recognized him as Hunter Hawkins, foreman of the Double R.

“What’s up?” Ty called out.

“Sorry to disturb you, but that call you were waiting on just came through to the main lodge. Sarah said you weren’t answering your cell.”

Ty reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, then looked at it, a concerned expression on his face. “Thanks. I appreciate you coming out all this way.”

Hunter gave a tug on the oversize backpack he was wearing, which was when Rachel noticed the little girl on his back. She hadn’t socialized much with the single dad, who spent every free moment he had with his two-year-old daughter.

“Not a problem. We were just going on a hike to check the fencing on the north side anyway. You’re on the way, and Sarah didn’t have anyone free.”

Ty walked over to Hunter and gave Hunter’s little girl a tickle under the chin. Her belly laugh warmed Rachel’s heart, and once again she thought about what a great father Ty would be.

Katie also ran over to them. “Can Lynzee play with us?”

Ruffling Katie’s hair, Ty said, “Not today. Her daddy needs to go check some fencing.”

With a pang, Rachel realized just how much she’d already been missing out on in Katie’s life because of not feeling well. Every once in a while, Katie chattered about a little girl named Lynzee, but Rachel assumed she was a friend from day camp.

“We could watch her,” Katie offered.

Ty shook his head. “Sorry, but I need to return this call. It’s urgent.”

He waved Hunter off, then turned to Rachel. “I’m really sorry to cut this short, and I know you were saying something important. I wanted to at least acknowledge that, but it’s all I can do for now.”

As if this had happened before, Katie called out to Bella, who came bounding over. Katie gave Bella a pat, and the two of them walked to Ty’s house, where Katie opened the door, let Bella back in, then firmly closed the door behind the dog.

“She’s really good with her,” Rachel said. “I somewhat regret not getting her a dog.”

Ty shrugged. “She wasn’t at first. Katie is good with Bella because she’s learned how to be.”

How could she be simultaneously angry with him for not addressing the issue at hand and yet have her heart melting at how much he’d invested in her daughter?

“I’m sorry I have to go, but as I said, it really is an urgent matter.”

Katie came back up

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