All for Hope by Olivia Hardin

only two who knew the truth were Ranse and Doniphan. Ya’ see, Doniphan knew that Hallie loved Ranse so he sacrificed, he saved Ranse and let her have him. For the love of a woman—”
    He got a faraway look and Hope wondered what thoughts were spinning in his mind. She waited a minute, watching him and wishing she could curl up there beside him. The urge to lay her head against his shoulder, nuzzle his neck and place a kiss to his cheek nearly overwhelmed her.
    Damn, this isn’t getting any easier.
    “ Ready?” he asked, looking up at her with a smile that made her insides tumble.
    “ Yeah.” She nodded and reached out to take Michelle from him. “I’m ready.”
    It was a lovely day, completely clear with the sun pouring a sweet warmth to heat up the chilly morning air. They laid a blanket beneath a tree, and Brennan held the baby on wobbly feet while she took in everything going on around her. Michelle’s face was glowing, her eyes bright and alert as she watched a group of older kids play with a little pup. When the dog noticed them, she trotted happily in their direction.
    “ She’s not aggressive. Worst she could do is lick someone to death.” The mom of the two kids spoke as she approached to retrieve their pet.
    “ No problem.” Bren spoke up, coaxing the puppy to him so that Michelle could see her close up.
    Hope wasn’t nervous about the dog necessarily. She’d been around pets all her life, and it was obvious this one wasn’t a danger. But there were too many people around, too many eyes watching them, too much attention focused on her and the baby. Every nerve in her body screamed “run.” She stood and rubbed her sweaty palms against her thighs.
    Smiling, Bren looked up at her. His eyebrows raised, and his eyes widened when he saw the look on her face. He turned back to the mom and nodded to her as she took the pup into her arms.
    “ Thanks for letting us see her up close. You guys have a good day.”
    When the woman, puppy and kids moved away from them, Brennan reached up to grab Hope’s hand and tugged her down to her knees on the blanket beside him.
    “ Babe, you have got to relax.” He put his hands to hers so that Michelle’s tiny fingers could clasp her fingers. He rolled over onto his back, arms bent so that his hands could support his head.
    “ Brennan, I just can’t. I see people watching me around every corner.”
    “ Well, of course people are watching you. People always watch you because you’re striking.”
    She slapped his thigh with the back of her hand. “Stop flirting. I’m being serious. How do I let go and try to be normal? I mean, when I decided to do this, I was sure I’d never make it out of the house with Michelle, but then I had her and I was on the run and I thought someone would recognize me any minute. Now you’re with me, and it isn’t any better. Everything in me says we’re just buying time.”
    He sat up and crawled up close to her, his face just inches from hers. “We’re all just buying time. That’s life. We can’t be stupid, but we’ve got to be alive. She needs a normal life.” He looked down at Michelle who was chewing on Hope’s finger.
    “ I know—” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
    “ Do you trust me?”
    She closed her eyes and swallowed. Trust was tricky with Brennan. She trusted him to care about her. She trusted him to be her friend. She trusted him to show her a good time when she needed one. She didn’t trust him to be responsible. Responsibility just wasn’t his thing.
    “ Hope, I’m here. I didn’t have to come but I did, because no matter what else we were always friends. I won’t promise you more than I can give you. I’m not that same kid who broke your heart.”
    “ Okay.” She took a shaky breath. “Okay, I’ll trust you. Or I’ll try.”
    He leaned back and grinned. “Good.”
    She watched as he turned and grabbed Michelle’s diaper bag. He pulled out a wooden cigar box and placed it before