Luke closed his cell phone and turned to Rose.

"Is he coming?" Rose asked, looking over her shoulder. "Kane's on his way."

Luke nodded. "He's coming. I think. Come on, let's get these sheep moving before Kane loses it."

Rose hopped off the log and hurried off to call orders to Dagger and Hardy, the two cattle dogs. What her mother saw in Kane she no longer knew. When they had first moved in with Kane, things were amazing. Stevie was happy and Rose had a family. Kaleb had come along ten months after a whirlwind marriage and then nine months ago Stevie had given birth to a girl.

When Kane had finally arrived at the hospital, five hours after the baby had arrived squalling and ready to fight, he had insisted on naming her. Stevie, still weak after sixteen hours in labour, had no energy to argue. So now Rose had a baby sister named Kana. Where Kane had come up with the name, no one wanted to know.

And after last night why her mother didn't want to leave this place, Rose would never understand.

"Rose." Kane's voice rose above the bleating and barking. "You're mother wants you at the house. Move it."

Rose nodded and took off at a run to her horse. Clambering on board she look at Luke who nodded. With a sigh of relief she raced towards the house.

"Mom," she called. "Where are you?"

"In here, Rose."

Rose followed the weary voice of her mother. Leaning against the doorframe of the nursery, Rose watched her mother rock Kana to sleep. Kaleb played quietly in the playpen and grinned when he saw Rose.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Rose knelt beside the rocker and laid her head on Stevie's arm.

"When did it all go wrong, Rose?" Stevie cuddled Kana close and closed her eyes.

"I don't know," Rose whispered. "Let's get out of here."

"I don't have any money, Rosie. How can I take care of you and Kaleb and Kana without money?" Stevie looked at Rose and blinked away the tears.

"Oh, Mom." Rose sat back on the floor. "You've done it before."

Stevie laughed. "I was by myself. The only other body I was responsible for was a dog. No, Rose, we can't go."

"What if we called, oh say, Alex? He'd help us."

"No."

The one sharp word shocked Rose. She stood up and walked over to the playpen. Lifting Kaleb into her arms she faced her mother. Stevie lifted her head and stared at Rose.

The strength that had once been the defining point of her mother was gone. What was left was an empty shell of a woman trying to make it in a life that had gone strangely awry.

"Oh, Mom. We're not going to survive this are we?" Rose patted Kaleb's back.

"You and Luke can leave," Stevie whispered. "You can get out of here and make something of yourselves."

Rose shook her head. "Not without you and the kids. I'm going to go start dinner."

Stevie touched Rose's arm and smiled. "Thanks."

Rose nodded. "Come on, Kaleb. Let's go barbeque some steaks."

Kaleb giggled in her arms and wriggled down to the floor. He toddled into the kitchen and squealed when he saw Hardy lying on the floor.

"So, you want to leave, do you?" Kane looked up from the beer he was nursing.

"How much did you hear?" Rose gasped. "Kaleb, go back to Mommy."

Hardy herded the boy towards the nursery. Rose circled around the table and opened the fridge. Kane emptied his bottle and set it on the table.

"You'd better not be thinking of running out of here with my money."

Rose took a deep breath and turned to face her mother's husband. "What money? You went and blew the last bit on that stupid car that you still haven't sold."

"You watch what you say, girl." Kane knocked the chair backwards as he stood up. "This is my place and you better respect that."

Rose snorted. "You don't deserve respect, Kane Morgan."

Kane grasped her arm and shook. "You are just like your mother."

"No, I'm not. I'm not going to marry a man like you." Rose slammed the bucket of steaks onto the counter. "I'm going to find a man who actually cares about the woman he marries. Someone who won't beat his wife so hard she loses the baby she was carrying."

Kane took a step back. "What?"

Rose nodded. "She was pregnant, Kane and after last night's talk, she lost it. And you were too busy drinking to care that she was hurting. Some husband you are."

Her head whipped to the side as Kane's hand collided with her cheek.

"Kane, keep your hands off my daughter." Stevie stepped into the room. "I don't care if you're my husband, I'm not going to let you harm anyone I love."

Kane stepped away from Rose and towards Stevie. Rose pressed a shaking hand to her cheek and watched Stevie. Her mother was shaking but she wouldn't back down. She was going to protect her children even if it killed her.

"Stevie, right now is not a good time to be telling me what to do. And what is this about you losing a baby? Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Kane grabbed Stevie's arm and squeezed.

"You weren't exactly around to tell, Kane." Stevie wrenched her arm away. "Rose, get the kids and get out of here."

"Mom, I can't." Rose searched the room for something to protect herself. Where were the knives when she needed them?

"Rose, don't you dare leave this house. Kaleb and Kana are as much my children as they are hers. You can't take them from their father."

Stevie shook her head. "The courts tend to side with the mother."

Kane's hand flew and collided with Stevie's face. Stevie reacted in the regular Stevie way. She punched him back.

Rose screamed as Kane's fist flew into Stevie's cheek and the blood flew. Curses and shrieks filled the air. Kaleb, still the hall with Hardy, began to cry.

Rose skirted the fighting bodies and scooped up Kaleb. "Come on, Kaleb. Let's get out of here."

She hurried out the back door and ran into Luke.

"What's going on in there?" Luke asked steadying her.

"He's going to kill her, Luke. Stop him." Rose felt the hysteria rising. Struggling to keep it at bay she looked back into the house. "Do something, Luke."

"Get the kids out of here. Hardy, Dagger, stay with Rose." Luke barreled into the house and the two dogs pressed against Rose's legs.