Noses sniffed the little face and a tongue ran over the cheek. His arms came up and he let out a squeal. The dog sniffed him again and Sam made another squeal. Grace pushed the dog away and picked up her brother. He wrapped his arms around her neck and carried him into the kitchen.

The dogs followed her as she carried Sam to their mother. She was cutting up meat for dinner and stopped when she saw them approaching.

"Trix and Zero were bothering him again."

She smirked and said "That's a good thing. They need to get used to each other."

Grace looked down at her brother and found him looking around the kitchen from his spot in her arms. He turned his eyes up to her and she looked into his brown gaze. He smiled and then looked up at their mother. A delighted squeal filled the room and Joe took him from his sister. She let the young woman take over chopping the meat and walked over to the kitchen table.

She glanced back at Grace and found her going to town on the meat. She had taken lots of lessons while at school as well as helped with making meals whenever home and it was certainly paying off. Feeling the litte arms wrap around her neck, she looked down at Sam and grabbed his bottle from the fridge.

"Just be careful."

Grace smiled and said "I always am."

Smirking, Joe left the kitchen and carried Sam down the hall. They walked outside into the early morning and he curled closer at the brisk temperature. Wrapping her arm tighter around him, she crossed the drive and headed to the noisy barn. She found the marshalls working in the stalls and looked into the office. Her father and brothers were going over something and she watched Sam pull his head away from her neck to look around.

He let out a joyful squeal and all four heads shot up. She laughed and handed him over to her father. He held the boy up and she watched her brothers take turns handling Sam. They had all melted around the two twins and she knew the same would happen when Jeff's unborn child came along.

"He's really getting good at soaking up attention."

Mack laughed and said "Takes after his mother."

"Hey now. I was never that bad."

Jeff snorted and said "You ate it up when you were his age."

She shook her head in disbelief and watched them each hold Sam. He waved up at each of them and she smirked.

"Has either one of them tried moving on their own?"

"They're only a few months old. They aren't ready."

Sam waved back at her to escape the men and she took him back into her arms. His little arms wrapped around her neck and she left the men to get back to what they were doing. They left the barn and she walked back inside the house. The walk down the hall was quiet and they entered the family room. Bear looked up from his spot by Adam and she lowered Sam down to join his brother.

She watched Bear check the boy over and said "I promise there isn't a scratch on him."

He snorted and she laughed as she ruffled his ear. Standing up, she walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back to let the daylight in. In a few months the snow would finally be gone and she prayed by then everyone would be fine. Her thoughts drifted upstairs to her room and focued on the man trapped in bed. Compared to the last time he was trapped in bed, he was taking it better but she hated seeing him in so much pain.

He was holding back the worst of it to spare her from facing it at night and she hated it. She didn't want him to hold back anything from her, especially if he was in any sort of pain.

"What are you thinking about?"

The deep voice startled her and she looked over her shoulder. He was leaning against the doorway and looked a little better than a few months ago. Some color was back and some of the bruises were gone but not the cuts. They were closing slowly but she wasn't sure if they would disappear or leave scars in their departure.

"Joe?"

She crossed the room and wrapped an arm around his as she said "You shouldn't be up."

He sent her a look and said "I've been in that blasted bed for months now. I want to see my sons."

"You can see them any time you want, in bed."

His eyes narrowed and she shook her head as she helped him sit down in the chair. Bear lifted his head and watched her hand Adam over to his father. The boy looked up at him with a searching gaze and a slow smile captured his face. He waved his arms and kicked his legs to get attention and Reese looked up at her.

"He doesn't look like you."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and said "Sam does."

Frowning, he looked up at her and asked "How are you feeling?"

She kissed his brow and said "I'm fine."

"Your arm?"

"It hurts but I'm not surprised."

He looked down at Adam and felt her rest her chin on his shoulder. The boy looked up at them and he felt the small hand catch his. He had helped raise Teddy from birth but had missed his first born's first years. This time he wasn't missing anything in either Adam or Sam's lives.

"He's going to probably end up like you."

The man shook his head and said "I doubt it."

She took Adam from his arms and put him down with his brother. She looked back down at Reese and took his hand. He stood up slowly and she walked with him into the kitchen. He took a seat by the counter and she dug out some leftovers to make him a hot meal.

"Do you know how nice it is to not be fed in a blasted bed."

Smirking, she gave him a glass of water and said "You are going back to the blasted bed after you eat."

He caught her hand and said "Let me move around. I need it."

She saw the edginess in his eyes and slowly nodded. Putting his plate together, she laid it in front of him and he looked down at the small sandwich.

"What's this?"

"Your appetizer."

He looked up at her and heard "Grace helped prepare dinner and since you are determined to stay up, you will be joining us."

The groan wasn't missed and she watched him bury his face in his hands. Facing his co-workers was the last thing he wanted at the moment. He just wanted to get a break from the bed and see his family.

"Don't worry. They are a silent bunch when we eat."

He looked up at her and asked "How are we paying for all of them?"

She smirked and said "You know I did go to school and get a degree."

"You didn't have that much income coming in."

"You'd be surprised."

He stared at her as she dug out the dishes to set the table and she could feel his frustration. There were still subjects she kept tucked away and now were slowly coming into view. Keeping silent, he watched her set the table and ate the sandwich. The warmth slid through his cold body and helped ease the tiredness still holding on.

"You okay?"

He looked back at her and found her approaching. The table was set and she was getting dinner dished out for serving.

"Yeah."

Her hands stopped working and she said "Maybe you should go back to bed and rest."

He shook his head and said "I can't."

The unspoken need for freedom hit at her and she nodded. She had him help her carry stuff over to the table and watched the simple task lift some weight from his shoulders. He saw the two high chairs and watched her leave the room to get the twins. She returned moments later with Sam in her hands and Adam riding on Will's shoulders. The boy's face lit up when he saw his father up and he put Adam in his seat.

"You look better."

"Glad someone agrees."

They watched Joe seat Sam at the table and heard the main door open in the hall. A routine had been formed while he rested to have everyone come in and eat at a certain time. He watched as everyone filed in and saw the surprise on every single face.

"Look who's back from the land of the dead."

His gaze settled on Jeff and he saw the man smirk. Of course it would be the one guy he was questioning his opinion about and he saw the challenge in the man's eyes. Jeff was trying to get him riled up to get his blood flowing faster but he couldn't feel any temper rise at the moment. His body was exhausted and his head was having a hard time focusing when everything was blurring. The touch on his hand under the table eased some of the blurriness and he shot her a quick relieved look.

The dinner ended in silence and he watched everyone except Joe and the twins take care of the food. Her hand rested on his and he sought out her gaze. She gave him a squeeze and walked over to Adam. The boy let her pick him up and she looked back at Reese. He stood up and took Sam from his highchair.

They took the boys out onto the porch and sat on the porch while the boys tried crawling on the porch. He leaned back against the porch column and felt her head rest against his shoulder.

"You okay?"

He looked down at her and saw her waiting for him to either answer her truthfully or keep it to himself. The woman wasn't pushing him to tell her what had happened but at the same time he knew it was hard for both of them when he kept it from her. He took her hand and kissed her brow.

"I've been better."

"When you want to talk about it, we can."

They watched Sam and Adam move along the porch and he looked at her. She was enjoying watching the twins and he slid his hand through her hair.

"If I hadn't been a rider, I wouldn't be alive."

She looked up at him and heard "Part of your morning wake up is a good kick or beating."

Her hand tightened around his and he sighed "After that, if they wanted to, they could do whatever."

"And did they?"

He shook his head and said "Just the beating and kicking."

"Starving?"

"I wouldn't trust any food given to me. The last thing I needed was to be poisoned."

She turned his hand over and looked at the healing cuts on his wrists. He didn't say it but she understood why he couldn't stand feeling trapped right now. Her brother had finally told her a few days ago that he had found Reese chained up,

"How is your side?"

He felt her shift around and examine it with a gentle touch. The tenderness was slowly fading and he could tell with a few more months of resting, he would be up to full strength again. He glanced down at her again and focused on her wounded arm. She never brought it up or savored it when it bothered her but he could tell it wasn't healing like it should. She took care to keep it wrapped even though the wound itself had healed shut and disappeared at least a month ago.

"It seems like it's finally improving."

"It is."

She looked up at him and said "Good. I hate seeing you like this."

"You and me both."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nuzzled in and breathed him in. It had been so hard to watch him leave Christmas night and then for him to come back in such horrible shape. This man had grown up around horses and being thrown off bulls, but the damage done on the job was more than she could bare to see. It took her a few minutes looking at him to get past the initial sight of him from the morning after their children were born.

"Mom?"

They looked up as Grace and Will came onto the porch. The two sat down by them and blocked the steps off from the wandering twins.

Will looked over at his father and asked "How are you feeling?"

"Tired but fine."

The boy smirked and said "I've been working really hard around here."

"I heard."

He nodded and said "Greg and the marshalls say I have enough talent to join them when I grow up."

Reese's eyes narrowed but he held his tongue. Will was extremely proud that he was a US Marshall and a bull rider. Reese didn't like the idea of it but he couldn't stop the boy from following his own dreams. He looked down at Grace and found the girl playing with Sam. The boy was chasing her fingers across the wooden boards and he smirked.

He felt her lift her head from his shoulder and met her gaze. She sent him a smirk and slowly left his side.

"All right. It's time to put them to bed and you two settle in for the night."

The two groaned and he smirked. They took Sam and Adam inside and she looked up at him.

"I'm going to settle them in. Care for a ride tonight?"

He held her gaze as she stood and she walked inside without waiting on his answer. She knew the answer and when the door shut he stood up. He crossed the drive without a sound and entered the barn. The horses were bedding down for the night except for two and he walked up to his old friend. Champ gave out a small call and he ran his hand over the horse's snout.

"Ready to get out?"

The stallion nudged his hand and he saddled the beast. They walked out of the stall box and he held the horse calm while he waited. When he saw Joe come outside, he watched her disappear into the barn and pulled himself up into the saddle. The strain on his body was painful but when he was seated he felt the tension lift at being in the saddle again.

"You look good up there."

He watched her reappear with Daemon ready to go and watched her pull herself up. Her arm stiffened in protest but she held it in as she seated herself in the saddle. They flicked the reins and the two stallions took off in a slow walk. She didn't want Champ jarring his body too much and kept Daemon in the lead.

"We can go faster."

She looked back at him and said "In time cowboy."

His frown was drowned out by the moonlight and she laughed. He was wanting to take on all his jobs again but there was no way his body could take it at the moment. She watched him flick the reins and encouraged Daemon to keep ahead as Champ began to trot. When Daemon slowed Champ down again, he sighed and shot her a look.

"I want to ride, Joe."

She came up beside him and said "You will, when you have recovered more."

Her eyes were firm and authorative, something he hadn't seen in quite a long time. She kept Daemon next to Champ and they walked the path to the end of their property before turning back. The moon was growing brighter as they returned to the barn and he looked over at her.

"Did they go to sleep easily for you?"

She smiled and said "They could use a good night from their father since he is up."

He smirked and they dismounted outside the barn. They settled the two stallions in for the night and made their way across the driveway. He caught her hand as she climbed the porch steps and she looked back down at him.

"How are you really doing?"

She smiled and stepped down in front of him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I told you, I'm fine. My arm hurts but I am fine."

He held her gaze and she kissed him to reassure him. Breathing her in, he let her go and they walked into the house. That moment was just enough for him to get him through the night without her comforting touch. They walked up the stairs and she watched him make his way down the hall to Grace and Will's rooms. She entered her room and found the twins still sleeping.

Silently she changed into her sleeping clothes and brushed her hair. As she climbed into bed, she watched him enter the room and check on the boys. They didn't budge as he check them over and then he made his way to bed. She felt him join her and he reached for her for the first time in quite a while. His body was cool against her and she tried to share her body heat with him.

"Joe."

She looked up at him and he said "I love you."

Smiling, she kissed him and said "I love you too."

Her head rested next to his shoulder and she felt his arm slide through her hair. It felt amazing to be back in his arms at night when she had finally gotten used to sharing the bed with him but not being able to help ease his suffering. He kissed her slowly and rested his head on hers as she drifted to sleep.