Hunter's Montana Bride (Montana Ranchers and Brides #8) by Maya Stirling

carving themselves on her heart. Gretchen felt the breath slide out of her with an involuntary gasp.
    Hunter had said he couldn't go on living if he didn't have Gretchen by his side? Gretchen could hardly believe her ears. Had Hunter really felt her absence so keenly, so acutely? Had it really been a matter of life and death whether Gretchen return to him?
    "Oh, Chloe! What am I to do? He wants the truth and I can't give it to him. Nor to anyone," Gretchen cried out.
    Chloe paused and then squeezed Gretchen's arm once more. "Can't you tell him something, Gretchen. Give him something that he can accept. Something that will satisfy him for the moment?"
    Gretchen shook her head. She looked at Chloe with a suddenly determined expression. "What do you think it means to give someone a promise, Chloe?"
    Chloe stiffened, apparently taken aback by the question. "A promise? What kind of promise?" she asked.
    "The kind where you give someone your word that under no circumstances will you reveal something so important, that if it were to be revealed, the whole world would think you are the worst kind of person," Gretchen said.
    There. She'd said it.
    That was absolutely as far as she could possibly go, Gretchen said to herself. There was nothing else she could say, apart from speaking of the promise in the most abstract terms. She hoped Chloe wouldn't press her for more details.
    Chloe seemed to consider her response for a very long time. "I would say that if I had given someone such a promise then I would do everything I could to honor it."
    "Even if it meant that the promise was a barrier to your happiness with Trent?" Gretchen asked breathlessly.
    Chloe seemed uncertain about that last point, but eventually she nodded. "Even if it meant that Trent would have to accept my judgment about what was right. Yes. I would. I would trust Trent to understand that it was important to me," Chloe said with a firm nod of her head.
    "And Trent would be fine with that?" Gretchen asked.
    "I think he would understand. It might take a while. But I think he would," Chloe said emphatically.
    Gretchen straightened and laid her hands in her lap. It seemed so clear now. Chloe was right. Hunter would have to trust Gretchen. He would have to show faith in her. She understood how hard that would be, but in the end the most important things were that Gretchen was back in his life, unharmed, and that she had brought the twins back with her.
    Gretchen's return had put an end to Hunter's suffering. But it appeared that it had also replaced one uncertainty with another, just as profound. Gretchen knew that Hunter was a determined man. He was a man who would do what it would take to get answers. And that worried her.
    Gretchen glanced at Chloe and saw a kindly expression on her friend's face that spoke of understanding and sympathy.
    "You'll be fine, Gretchen," Chloe said. "You'll both be fine. Think of the twins."
    "I can hardly think of anything else," Gretchen admitted.
    "Well, that's entirely natural, my dear," Chloe said. "They are so beautiful. You have both been blessed," she said.
    "I know we have. And that's what makes the other thing so frustrating," Gretchen said.
    The sound of the opening of the door to the parlor caught Gretchen's attention. She looked toward the house and saw the figure of Mrs. Roper leaning her head out of the room. Mrs. Roper looked up the length of the garden and called out. "Just thought you'd like to know that Hunter is back," she announced.
    Gretchen felt her breath stop in her lungs for a brief moment. She glanced at Chloe who merely smiled. "Here's your chance," Chloe said.
    Gretchen bit her lip, raised her eyebrows and nodded. "I suppose you're right. No time like the present," Gretchen said.
    Both women stood. Gretchen straightened her dress and looked questioningly at Chloe. "How do I look?"
    Chloe reached across and pushed some stray hair away from the side of Gretchen's face. "You look as lovely as ever, my dear."
    As both