Her skin was warm and soft, her tiny lips slightly parted in sleep.
She had no idea the world had already marked her as something dangerous.
Something someone wanted to erase.
“You deserve better than this,” I whispered.
A knock at the door made me jump.
The door opened slowly, and a woman with warm eyes and a gentle smile stepped inside.
“Hi,” she said softly. “I’m Nora. Wolf’s wife.”
“Oh—hello.” I lowered my voice. “I’m Laney. And this is Emmy.”
Her face softened instantly when she saw the baby.
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Saint told us a little,” Nora said gently. “He said you might be staying for a while.”
If we survive, I thought.
Before I could answer, three older women appeared behind her like they had been waiting just outside the door.
“Oh my goodness!” one of them gasped. “Is that the baby?”
“She looks just like Saint,” another declared immediately.
“I told you he’d have beautiful children,” the third said smugly.
Nora laughed.
“These are the Magnolia Ladies,” she said. “They run the town.”
“And everyone’s business,” she added, in a whisper.
“I heard that,” one of them said cheerfully.
The smallest of the three leaned closer to Emmy.
“Well look at that sweet face,” she said warmly. “That child has Ranger blood in her. She’ll be just fine.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, overwhelmed. “I didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”
“Oh honey,” one of them said, patting my arm.
“In this town, babies are never a fuss.”
Another one nodded firmly.
“They’re a celebration.”
Their warmth hit me harder than I expected.
For months, everyone I passed on the street had been a possible threat.
