"Emma?"

Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Emma jumped and dropped the wet rag she'd been smoothing across Liam's brow on the pillow beside his head.

"Hi Anita..." Emma whispered, her voice tight with fatigue.

"Sweetheart, why don't you got take a break? You've been at his bedside for days."

Emma shook her head as she looked down at Liam's pale, drawn face. Chase and Kyle had moved him back into his own cabin the evening before—they'd insisted that when he woke up he'd rather be at home.

Emma was terrified that they'd never know for sure what his reaction to waking up at home would be. The doctor had cleaned and sewed the wound to his shoulder and had told them the wound itself was not life threatening.

But the blood loss had been great and he continued to run a low fever. The doctor had also voiced concern about the welted lump on the back of Liam's head.

Emma's heart was broken. Her husband, a man she had been dreaming and planning a future with, was lying on the bed nearly dead. He hadn't woke up a single time. Emma had no idea if he would even want to see her if he woke up.

They had so many things to talk about.... Apologies to say and feelings to voice. Liam couldn't die...now now...not like this.

"Emma, please, sweetheart. I have to head back to town. Can you at least come outside and get some fresh air for a few minutes before I leave?"

Again Emma shook her head. "I won't leave him. He might wake up while I'm gone."

Anita sighed and the sound was sad. "I want my nephew to wake up just as badly as you do, but Emma, we have to...."

"Stop!" Emma's voice was loud and desperate as she squeezed her eyes shut tight. "Please..." she whimpered. "Just stop."

Anita's hand gently touched her shoulder. "Okay. I have to be going, Emma. Lauren is waiting for word on Liam. We'll both come out tomorrow."

Emma merely nodded, refusing to look away from her husband's face. She heard Anita walk out and knew that she and Liam were once again alone.

"Liam? Can ya hear me?" she whispered. "I need ya to wake up. I don't want to lose ya. I'm sorry for how I acted before ya left. I was scared and foolish and I spoke without thinking. I need to know if ya forgive me, Liam."

She watched him, hoping, praying that he might respond. He didn't. He continued to lay there still upon the bed.

Emma wet the rag once again in the basin beside the bed and continued to smooth it across his slightly heated brow.

Emma lost track of time. She was lost in her thoughts and her worries. Only when Patrick entered the cabin did Emma look away from Liam and realized that sunset was approaching.

"Emma, honey, you need to go on and stretch your legs awhile," Patrick stated and it was clear the man meant it as an order.

Emma shook her head. "I don't want to leave him, Patrick... what if he wakes up while I'm gone?"

Patrick sighed as he pulled off his hat and gun belt. "If I promise to sit right there in that chair you're sitting in and holler out that door at you if he even shows the smallest sign of waking up, will you go out and get some air for a few minutes before it gets dark?"

Emma chewed her lip as she debated whether or not she truly wished to leave Liam's side.

The choice however was made for her by nature's call. As badly as she did not want to leave her husband for a single moment, it appeared she would have to.

Slowly, Emma got to her feet, wincing painfully as blood rushed down her sleeping legs. Her feet tingled and she swayed, surprised when Patrick rushed forward to steady her.

"Watch yourself, honey. You gotta give those legs a minute. You've been sitting there all day."

Emma nodded but removed herself from his grasp as soon as her legs were steady enough. She had come a long way in speaking to people and feeling more comfortable in their presence, but physical touch, especially from men, was something she had not grown accustomed to.

"I'll be right back."

Patrick shook his head. "Take your time. Rest. I'll take care of him."

Emma walked out the back door, paid a quick visit to the outhouse and then walked to the middle of the clearing and wrapped her arms tight around herself.

The wind whipped the long grasses and her skirts around her legs. Her dark hair tangled around her face. Tears that Emma had been fighting back for days suddenly rushed into her eyes and she was powerless against them.

Emma's chest heaved as the mournful, desperate droplets ran down her cheeks. She let her feet carry her quickly to the river and fell to her knees at the base of a tree.

Her tears were uncontrollable and fell with a vengeance. She had held them back since first walking into Liam's room at the doctor's. She had seen Anita's pain, Patrick's pain, Chase and Kyle's pain... all those people had loved Liam, had known Liam so much longer than Emma had... it just hadn't seemed right to act as if her pain could compare.

So she had held it in.

But she couldn't hold it in any longer.

Emma curled her knees into her chest and sobbed into her skirts.

She did not want to lose Liam.

Liam moaned and winced when he attempted to adjust his tight shoulder and pain rocketed through him.

That's when he remembered that he'd been shot. Opening his eyes resulted in the dull ache in his head, roaring to life and becoming an intense thud.

That's when he remembered he'd hit his head.

Liam fought to remember where he was... the last he remembered was getting on Honey's back and pointing her toward town.

A groan left his mouth and he nearly leapt from his skin when he heard Patrick yell. "Damn boy! Are you awake?!"

Liam winced. "Quieter please," he grumbled.

Slowly, Liam opened his eyes and realized he was in his own cabin. Patrick was sitting in the chair beside him looking worn and tired. "How long have I been out?" Liam asked, his voice raspy from lack of use.

Patrick quickly filled a cup with water from the basin and held it to Liam's mouth. Liam took several greedy sips and pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"You've been out for about four days, son. We brought you back here yesterday. Kyle and Chase figured you'd rather wake up at home and the doc said there wasn't anything else he could do."

Liam glanced around the cabin. It was neat and tidy and he could see new pillows and a blanket—had Emma made those? He didn't see her anywhere.

Had Liam lost her? Damn him and his inability to just open up and communicate. If he'd talked to Emma instead of responding to her confused temper and accusations by storming away, he would still have the woman.....

"You look like someone kicked your puppy, son. What's the matter?"

Liam grunted and adjusted the blanket over him—that's when he realized he was naked. "Why aren't I wearing clothes?"

"The doc thought it would be best for your fever if you were kept cool. Emma...."

"Emma?" Liam's head snapped around to face his father. "Is Emma okay? Is she safe in town?"

Patrick chuckled as he nodded. "She's just fine, Liam. There haven't been any problems here while you've been gone."

A frown creased Liam's brow. "She's been living here?"

Patrick grinned. "Where else would she live?"

"Well then where the hell is she?" Liam demanded.

"She went outside a while ago for some fresh air."

Liam glanced at the window, saw the fading sunset and rushed to his feet.

His legs swayed and gave out beneath him as his head spun. Liam clutched desperately at the front of the wardrobe to steady himself as the thin blanket he'd been covered in fell to the ground.

"How long has she been out there?" he growled, as he swallowed back bile and fought the urge to vomit. "It's getting dark... she shouldn't be out there alone."

Patrick held up his hands. "She's been out there for a while but I'm sure she'd fine, Liam. Hell, the woman hasn't left your bedside since you've been injured. She needed air."

Liam's heart swelled. Emma had cared for him?

"I'm gonna go to her," he insisted.

"You're weak. Let me. I'll bring her back in."

Liam shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Stop being so damned stubborn," Patrick snapped. "You damn near died son! The wound wasn't so bad but you nearly bled to death and your fever is just now breaking. Poor Emma has been tending to you for days. Trying to lower your fever and cool your body...."

An image of Emma's dainty hands stroking his bare body flashed through Liam's mind. He felt his blood run hotter as he imagined her biting her full bottom lip as she touched him.

Patrick cleared his throat, turned quickly and his quiet chuckle filled the cabin. "Yeah, you're on the road to recovery, alright."

Liam glanced down and felt his face heat when he realized his father must have seen proof of where his thoughts had taken him.

Patrick went to the front door. "I'll just check on the horses and leave you two alone awhile... but son? You might want to put some clothes on before you seeking your wife." His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Then again, maybe not."

When Liam was alone, he went out dressing as quickly as he could. The bandage on his shoulder, as well as the pain and tightness in those muscles, hindered his movements and made the task a difficult one.

Liam was weak, he was hungry, he was in pain and he felt tired and shaky. But he had to find Emma. He had to speak with her.

Liam made his way out the back door and glanced over the valley. The fading light showed no sign of Emma. Liam listened closely and heard a muffled sound, something much like a sob, come from down by the river.

Wasting no time, Liam let his feet carry him quickly toward the sound.

He found Emma curled up beneath a tree, her face buried in her skirts as she sobbed into them.

Liam stepped closer but it was clear that Emma didn't hear him. Her tears made his heart hurt. It was a new feeling—to have someone else's pain causing him pain and leave him wanting to do nothing other than fix whatever was hurting her.

"Emma?"

Her head snapped up and blue, tear swollen eyes landed on him with shock. "Liam?" she whispered hoarsely.

Emma scrambled to her feet and Liam reached out a gentle hand, wiping tears from her soaked cheeks. "Why are you crying? You shouldn't ever cry Emma. Your smile's too pretty."

Emma's cheeks reddened and her teeth nibbled at her full bottom lip. "I thought ya were going to die."

Liam shook his head. "No, not yet. I was just taking a nap."

Emma nodded as she tucked her messy hair behind her ear. She started forward and then quickly stopped. Liam frowned. He wanted her in his arms.

Instead of speaking, Liam simply held his arms open and tipped his head. Emma rushed forward. Her hands balled into fists as they clutched his shirt and she cried into his chest.

Liam closed his arms around her and buried his face in her dark hair. "I'm sorry, Emma."

"I'm sorry too," came her muffled response.

Liam kissed her head. "Can we pretend that day never happened?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. I was foolish and mean and cruel and....."

Liam pulled away and put his finger beneath her chin to raise her gaze to meet his. "We were both foolish and mean and cruel. That's why we're going to forget that day. I.. I love you."

Emma's jaw dropped open. She stared at him with wide eyes. Liam shifted uneasily. Should he have said that? Liam was a man who tried to always speak the truth. And the truth was that he loved Emma. He'd nearly died without ever telling her that truth and he wanted to make sure she knew.

He rubbed at his neck. Emma reached up a shaking hand and touched his jaw, causing Liam to lean into her touch. "I love ya too, Liam. I didn't think I'd ever get to tell ya that."

"I know that the way we became husband and wife probably wasn't what you dreamed of but..."

"Ya saved my life, Liam," Emma interrupted. "And I was afraid of being a wife... afraid of being the wife my mother was to the husband my father was. But we won't be like them."

"No," Liam quickly agreed. He laid a protective kiss to her brow. "I wouldn't ever hurt you, Emma. We won't be them. And we won't be my parents. We'll be us."

Liam swayed slightly as his vision wavered. Perhaps he wasn't quite as strong as he'd thought he was. It was clear he was going to have to lay down soon or else he was going to fall down.

Emma must have noticed his weakness as the color drained from his face. "Come on, Liam. Ya shouldn't be out here. Let's get ya back to bed."

It was slow going and Liam knew that he leaned much more of his weight on her than he should but eventually they made it back into the cabin.

Liam felt like a child as Emma tucked him into bed, but he didn't stop her. It was nice, in a way, to be cared for. Liam hadn't known anything like it since he'd been a small child.

"I'm going to fix some supper. Ya need to rest and I'll bring it to ya when I'm done," Emma insisted.

"Then you'll join me in bed," Liam replied.

Emma turned so bright red she nearly glowed. "I...uh.. I'll...."

"To sleep, Emma. We'll just sleep."

Lord knew Liam wanted more than just sleep but he was weak and she wasn't ready.

Emma nodded. "Okay. To sleep."

Liam smiled as she quickly turned away and busied herself in the kitchen.