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Three years later...
"Logan." She calls out softly, her voice sending a warm chill over his skin. Light footsteps patter up behind him. His shoulders uncoil as she secures her arms around his shoulders and rests her cheek against his. Her short light brown hair tickles his ear. She lightly presses her lips to his cheek, just above where his dark shading of stubble starts. They are soft and warm against his chilled skin. Absentmindedly he lifts up his hand and traces patterns on her bare arm. She rests her chin against his shoulder and yawns.
It is pitch black outside, all the light has gone and is not yet willing to come back.
"I do not appreciate waking up to half the bed being cold." She teases lightly. Her breath heats up his skin. "How is she doing?"
She lifts her gaze to the mare occupying the other half of the small barn. She is heavily pregnant, her belly large and swollen. There is no doubt that a foal will be among them within a few days. However it does not appear as if it will happen anytime tonight. The mare lies quite comfortably on her deep straw bed, eyes half closed and dozing. Clearly she is not yet in any pain indicating that the foal is coming.
"She is well." His answer is short so she rubs his shoulders gently. She exhales slowly, trying not to yawn again. Her eyelids are getting increasingly heavy. Her mind works slowly, the majority concentrating on how to get back to the warmth of her bed as soon as possible.
"Is there something you wish to speak with me about?" She manoeuvres around him and sits by his side. He immediately places his arm around her shoulders and hugs her close, an action so familiar, so natural that Logan does not realise that he does it. She reaches up and relaxes out the lines on his forehead, a small peaceful smile on her lips. "This is not like you. You have been distant since you received that letter." Logan shuts his eyes for a moment and her heart stutters. She fears that it could have been bad news.
His eyes open and look down at her with clarity. "The letter was from Lady Zara Ricell. It is the first time I have heard from her since..." his voice trails away, discomfort clinging in the air. "She wished for me to know that she has gotten married to a Lord from the Tikva lands. She writes that he is a good and honest man who brings out all the better qualities within her and tempers the worst."
"So you are worried about her? I can understand that. Do you think she is happy?" She asks without any judgement.
"A little. But she does appear to be happy if I can trust her words." He lightly kisses the top of her head. "I am sorry; I should have told you earlier rather than keeping it to myself."
"She is a part of your past, a part that I was not part of. I understand that you wish the best for her. All I ask is that you always come back to me. I am your present and your future." She smiles sweetly and Logan chuckles and tilts her chin up.
"I never left you and I never will."
He kisses her and she laughs against his lips. Heat grows between them. Logan pulls away and rises to his feet. He glances down and his brow furrows. She follows his gaze and flushes. Her feet are bare against the cold ground and tiny bumps have erupted all over her skin where the light nightgown does not cover. In one swift movement he lifts her from the ground and carries her out into the cold night air, frost crunching underfoot. She slaps him on the shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"Carrying my wife inside since she was foolish enough to go out without footwear." He shakes his head and tries to look down at her with disapproval.
She simply raises an eyebrow and wriggles. She manages to get out of his grip and quickly runs to the house, the frost melting below her feet. She reaches the door and opens it allowing the warm orange glow of flames to light up the path. She stands there for a moment, green eyes sparkling above a myriad of light freckles.
"I am safely inside now. You should return to your mare." She teases, her lips stretching upwards, dimples forming in her cheeks. Logan shakes his head, happiness bubbling from his throat. He jogs forward and pushes her back into their cottage. He kicks the door shut with his foot and grins down at her. She looks up at him; something determined arising in her eyes. "Three, two...one." She declares before darting backwards and charging up the small staircase. Logan is close on her heels as she flies towards the bed and snuggles up under the covers. Her eyes close and she sighs, completely content.
Logan chuckles and removes his boots before climbing into bed beside her. She turns over and cuddles up to him, her head fitting into the crook of his neck. "Goodnight my love." He whispers. Her lips twitch up.
○ ○ ○
Logan groans loudly and buries his head in his pillow. The early morning sun flows into the room, uninterrupted by the presence of any curtains. Logan blinds feels around and groans again when he finds her side of the bed empty and rather cool. Slowly he sits up and stretches his arms high above his head. The sound of a child laughing downstairs has him groaning again and wishing he could go back to sleep.
Soon enough though he rises from the bed and changes into fresh clothes. He pulls on his boots and trudges downstairs. His wife, Skyrah, stands at the table, flour colouring her skin from her fingertips to her elbows. She beams at him, light shining from her. By her side stands his niece, Tilly. She also has flour crawling up her arms and quite a bit spilled down the front of her dress. Fortunately she wears an apron that has saved her dress from the worst of it. She watches Skyrah's movements carefully, trying to copy the exact method of kneading the dough.
"Good morning." Logan speaks and Tilly grins up at him.
She holds her hands up, a mischievous grin dancing on her face. "I would give you a hug but..."
"But you shall stay on that side of the table and continue working with your aunt." Logan quickly puts in and Skyrah laughs and nudges Tilly with her elbow. Tilly giggles as if there is a secret joke between the two. Logan beckons his wife over and they both move over to the window. She crosses her arms and the white powder clings to her. "I do not recall Bronco asking us to watch her."
"Perhaps that is because he brought them over in the early hours of this morning and begged me to entertain them for the day. He wished to take Lilly out and I just could not say no." Logan rolls his eyes and glances over at Tilly. She has grown so much in the last few years but she still is very much a child. He nods slowly before all of his wife's words sink in.
"Them?" He echoes and Skyrah stifles a sound of amusement. She gestures over to a basket on the floor. Then she goes back to Tilly and starts coaching her through the next steps. Logan wanders over to the basket and kneels down by its side. The eighteen month old baby blinks up at him with clear blue eyes. A smile covers his face and he reaches up for Logan. He does not need to ask twice. Logan lifts him up. "Good morning Colt." He says softly.
Skyrah glances over at him with a soft smile. Tilly follows her gaze. "Daddy thought that you should get some practise in." She comments easily and Logan goes a little white.
"I thought we were keeping that little bit of information to ourselves?" Skyrah's brow creases and she looks pointedly at him. If his hands were free he would throw them up in surrender.
"I had not mentioned it to a soul but I believe you now have." He teases, his voice deepening. She gapes and then she looks down at Tilly whose eyes flit between the two of them. She then squeals and jumps up and down. Excitement thrums through her veins and she quickly hugs Skyrah, leaving a trail of flour as she then leaps around the table and hugs Logan. He is only able to lightly pat her on the back before she has pulled away.
"You are having a baby! I am finally going to have a cousin." She sings and lifts Colt from Logan's arms. She dances around with him and he gurgles and waves his arms around.
Skyrah comes to Logan's side and buries her head against his arm. "I guess this can no longer be kept a secret."
"Well you did say it in front of a child unable to keep secrets." Logan mocks her but his tone is kind. He threads his fingers through hers. "We could ask her to keep it to herself?"
"No. That would be cruel. We should have your family around tonight and tell them. She can keep the secret until then I believe."
Tilly suddenly goes quiet and still, she turns to the two of them. "I wish Hunter could be here." Her tone is sad, distant. Logan separates himself from Skyrah and moves over to ruffle her hair.
"I know. I wish he could be here too." He looks down at her, a strained smile on his face.
Skyrah claps her hands, not wishing for their happy news to be swallowed up in something else entirely. They all missed Hunter but it has been a long time. They cannot continue to dwell on it. Grieving for their loss cannot go on forever. It would not do any of them any good. She places her hand on her presently flat stomach. Logan sees and accepts her unspoken words.
"It appears to be a beautiful day, how about we all go for a walk while the dough is rising." He suggests lightly and the darkness that had settled, lifts.
The End
So we have reached the end of Love and Honour! I could only have done it with all you lovely readers and your supportive comments, votes and reads. Three years on and Logan has found his happily ever after with Skyrah ;) Thank you for everyone who commented on the last chapter. Stay tuned for details on the next story...