In His Will by Cathy Marie Hake

Miller’s. She clings to a stupid flannel shirt—I was an idiot to ignore how deeply she loved her husband and make such an assumption. The thermometer registered her as too hot to wear one of those flannel jobs, but Dylan knew how much comfort she got from them, so he’d quietly tucked a shirt under the sheet with her when he’d gotten her back home.
    She curled around it, smiled like she’d been given the key to heaven’s pearly gates, and slipped right off to sleep.
    On top of it all, Dylan felt a terrible sense of emptiness. He’d never once had a woman love him. Not like that. Not with all of her heart, the kind of love that went even beyond the grave. Sure, there had been girlfriends—but none of them ever came close to working out. Ken Thankful might be dead, but he’d been an incredibly lucky man to have had that kind of utter devotion.

Seven
    It had been a bad night. Sondra looked completely wiped out. Bless her heart, though, she’d never once complained. In fact, Dylan found her up twice and scolded her for not calling out to get help.
    As the sun peeked through the window, Dylan brought her some juice and set a plate of crackers at the bedside. “Sondra, I’ve called my sister, Teresa. She’s coming to stay with you. I think you’ll like her.”
    She stared bleakly at the wall and nodded.
    Worry speared through him. “Still feeling the baby move?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. Those kicks are a reminder of your husband’s love.”
    She weakly rested a hand on her tummy. “This is all I have left. It’s just him and me now.”
    Taking up a cool washrag, Dylan wiped her cheeks. Her skin was still hot as a branding iron. Lousy as she felt, she tried to valiantly spare him the tears filling her fever-glassy eyes. The woman deserved to bawl her eyes out. Instead, Sondra instinctively turned her face into the small comfort of the cloth and let out a shattered sigh.
    Then the baby somersaulted.
    The way her belly heaved and rolled beneath the sheets with the baby’s actions shouldn’t have amazed him. He saw pregnant animals all of the time. It was a common enough sight. But on her, it looked intimate beyond telling.
    “My last little part of Kenny’s love,” she told herself in a whisper.
    He’d been surrounded by family all his life; she had no one. Sympathy and compassion welled up. “Can’t think of a better gift of love than a baby.”
    “Thanks for saying that, Dylan. For your help, too.”
    He rubbed the back of his wrist against the bristles of his jaw. Instead of focusing on her loss, she concentrated on the positive. He admired that.
    “I decided something.”
    He looked at her and waited. No telling what she was going to say.
    “I’m not great at trusting people, but Miller loved and trusted you. There’s no better recommendation. This ranch is a lot of work.” The corners of her mouth tightened. “But you said you want to run it.”
    He nodded. “That’s a fact.”
    “Then I’ll rely on you instead of hiring a manager.”
    Her trust meant a lot. He curled his rough fingers around her small, soft hand, and stroked the back of her fingers with his thumb. “We’ll do it together.”
    Rustling in the doorway made him jump and turn loose of her hand.
    “Help’s arrived.” Teresa bustled into the room. “Hi, Sondra. I’m Teresa.”
    “She’s still running a fever and weak as a kitten,” Dylan reported.
    “So I see. We’ll turn that around in a few days’ time,” Teresa decided crisply as she nudged him to the side and grabbed the glass of juice. “So is that a boy or a girl you’re carrying, Sondra?”
    “A boy.”
    “Isn’t that nice?” Teresa’s hand dove under Sondra’s shoulders and lifted her head. “A ranch is the ideal place for children to grow up. When are you due?”
    “September second.” Sondra sipped the juice. “Thanks.”
    “September second,” Teresa echoed.
    Patting her tummy weakly, Sondra added, “This is Oklahoma, baby. Folks call us