He called her name. "Amy?"

"Yes, Ty."

He heard her voice and felt her fingers running through his hair as she kissed him. The taste of her lips was so soft and sweet. Shivers ran down his spine every time her body touched his. He held her tight, his lips brushing hers.

"Ty, not so tight. My ribs are better but still sore." She pushed on his chest.

"Oh, sorry, Amy. I didn't mean to hurt you. I—I just really need to hold you."

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't hurt me." Her hand touched his cheek, a look of concern on her face. "Ty, are you okay? What's wrong?"

He wasn't sure how to tell her about his nightmare. Why did he keep seeing the image of her body being covered with a sheet? Was she a dream, or was she real and the memory of the race and the crash a dream? He wanted her—no, needed her—to be real. How did he explain it to her?

"Ty, please tell me what's wrong."

He took a breath and pulled her in close to him. "Amy, I keep having this nightmare—seeing an image in my mind of you riding Dexter on race day. Dexter breaks his leg and falls on you."

He stopped, looking into her eyes. He wanted to see her understanding what he was telling her, but he didn't see what he was hoping for. He continued. "I keep seeing your body lying on the track covered with a white sheet." A chill caused his body to tremble as he finished. "But you're here, and I'm touching you and you kissed me. So why do I keep seeing you dead?"

She sighed, her hands reaching for his face. "I'm so sorry, Ty. I don't know what to say."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

She stared at him with a smile, but it was like she was staring right through him.

His eyes began to blur with tears. Why could he not see into her eyes? They'd always had this connection before, and now it was like she wasn't there.

He didn't know if it was because of the tears, but her image became dimmer, fading from his sight. She appeared ghostly to him. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was going to jump right out of his chest.

"No, Amy, don't leave me, please! I can't live without you!" His tears streamed down his face.

"Shh, Ty, I know. I love you. Never forget that."

The feel of her kiss lingered on his lips. His tears soaked through the pillow that muffled his sobs. Finally he fell into a dreamless sleep.

He awoke the next morning exhausted. His mind told him that Amy was gone, but his heart wasn't willing to believe it.

The sound of horses whinnying and buckets clanging brought him fully awake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and glancing at the clock. He hadn't overslept, so who was feeding the horses? He heard familiar voices talking below.

"Good morning, Grandpa."

"Morning, Amy. How you felling?" Jack asked.

Ty sprang out of bed. His feet hit the floor so hard, he was sure it was heard down in the barn.

He bolted for the stairs. It's not possible! Or is it?