Fleeing the clutches of her disreputable relatives, Sera Livingston has made her escape to Australia's Outback. Disguised as a boy, sharp-tongued Sera searches for her sister but is attacked by bushrangers. Thievery becomes her only chance at surviv...
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Sera's hand laid on the spot where her husband should be, but he was gone. She rolled over, closing her eyes and allowing a quiet thought to expand into the memory of their first night together. The vivid recollection of it was still so clear in her mind, so perfectly accurate. The minute details, like his beard brushing against her skin that made it tingle even now, or how the water was so still and calm as he made love to her.
She allowed herself to live in that memory for just a few moments.
Because she missed him.
It hurt, his absence, it would never not hurt. The pain was so sharp in her chest that it ached relentlessly. She tried rubbing it away, but it only caused her to unleash a lone tear that held all her loneliness. The nights and mornings were the hardest, this one no different, but then, the quiet murmurs of her daughter babbling to herself, got Sera's attention and mended it all. Lifting her body out of the bed and staring at the vacant spot, Sera gently smiled and got up. The house was still draped in soft early morning greys.
She went into her daughter's room and saw her sitting in the rocking chair, saying incoherent words to her stuffed llama as if it understood every bizarre syllable. Once she was done with saying her piece to the llama, she shoved her thumb into her mouth and started sucking it. The sable curls around her round, squishable face swished over when she heard the creaking floorboard. The three-year-old popped her thumb out of her mouth and smiled widely, rolling over on her belly and sliding off the chair as one arm held her llama in a chokehold by its neck and the other kept her from falling off.
Every part of Sera started to heal, and she crouched down, stretching her arms to her daughter. "Hello, my little Inala, mommy needs a massive hug this morning."
Inala did her usual habit of looking down at her feet and jumping over to her mom, ringlets bouncing in that adorable rhythm. Once she was at a favorable distance she peered up, her big, beautiful dark eyes so much like her fathers, and then she lunged, Sera's arms wrapping around her daughter, squeezing her tight.
A beautiful love filtered in Sera, snuffing the loneliness out. It would be relit tonight, but for the rest of the day, she was healed. "Oh, you have no idea how much mommy loves to squeeze you tight."
She peppered her daughter with kisses but stopped when she heard a knock on her door and gasped at Inala, leaning back and making an o-shape with her mouth that Inala copied. "I think it's Aunt Ana and Oliver are here!"
Inala clapped then through her arms up, her whole body and face tensing as she shouted, "Yay!"
Sera picked her up and sat her on her hip and went over to the door opening it. Ana stood there, utterly exasperated as her two-year-old yanked on her bun profusely. "Boys are so hard."
Inala cooed, reaching her free hand out to Oliver who abandoned Ana's ratted bun in favor for his cousin. They sat the children down and they both clumsily ran into the kitchen. "Can I make you breakfast? I am about to make some coffee."
