Jeweldean loaded the rifle with six bullets and walked back out onto the porch, hoping that what she had just seen was gone. But it wasn't. There were two riders on horseback, at a ground eating gallop making their way for the house. Jeweldean couldn't make out much since the riders were still a ways away, but she could tell that both of the riders faces were covered. On the side of the men's saddles she saw something shiny. Jeweldean lowered her rifle, and focused on the shiny thing on the mans saddles.

"A gun." Jeweldean raised the rifle again and made aim for the first man, her finger was on the trigger, and she was about to pull the trigger when she heard the first man shout.

"Jeweldean!"

Once again Jeweldean lowered the rifle and moved out further into the yard to see who was shouting her name.

"Jeweldean!" There it came again, and it was definitely coming from one of the men on horseback, the one who she had just pointed the rifle at five seconds earlier. Jeweldean thought she recognized the horse that the man who was calling her name was riding.

"Bronco?" Jeweldean questioned. She couldn't be sure though because the horse was still a ways away.

Jeweldean's eyes never once left the riders faces, and as Jeweldean heard her name be called again, she saw the man remove the cloth from his face. He was still to far away to clearly see his face though.

As the horses got closer, the man continued to shout Jeweldean's name. Then suddenly, the man who had been calling her name jumped off his horse, who looked an awful lot like Bronco, while the horse was still galloping and began to run straight for Jeweldean.

"Jeweldean, Jeweldean!" The man stretched out his arms while still running towards Jeweldean.

Then it hit Jeweldean. "Sonny?" She pushed away the thought. It couldn't be, Sonny was dead. But as the man came closer and closer, it looked and sounded an awful lot more like him.

"Jeweldean. It's me, Sonny." The man shouted, still running towards her.

"S-Sonny?" Jeweldean almost fell to the ground, but instead she dropped her rifle and ran towards the man.

"Sonny!" Jeweldean waited for her to wake up from this dream, but the faster her legs began to move, the more and more she was convinced that it wasn't a dream. If she wasn't so sure, she would've stopped running, but something made her keep moving forward.

"Jeweldean!"

The two finally met, and strong arms came around Jeweldean and her arms flung around this man.

"I'm home, baby. I love you." The man said. He pulled back and looked Jeweldean in the eyes. "I love you." Then he kissed her. Jeweldean knew right then that this was not a dream. This man was Sonny, and he was home, and he was kissing her.

Jeweldean kissed Sonny back several times then pulled oh so slightly back to look him in the face. Catching her breath she asked, "S-Sonny?"

Sonny smiled a smile bigger than the whole state of Texas. "Yes, darlin', it's me. I'm here." Jeweldean saw tears forming in Sonny's eyes, just as tears formed in her own eyes.

"You're not de-dead?" Jeweldean still couldn't believe it.

Sonny's hands came up and caressed Jeweldean's face. "No, no I'm not dead. I'm right here and I am never leavin' your side ever again. I love you. I love you so much."

Before Jeweldean could respond, Sonny kissed her again, and again, and again. Jeweldean let herself melt into his kiss as her arms came around his neck. It felt so right, to be here in his arms again.

"I love you." Sonny said again.

"I love you too, Sonny." Jeweldean said between kisses.

Sonny kissed her once more, a kiss that held more than a promise and love. That kiss meant more to Jeweldean than any other one in all her seven years of marriage to this man.

Sonny's love then turned into apologies. "I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so so sorry." Sonny said into Jeweldean's hair as he hugged her close.

"You're home now, that's all that matters." Jeweldean said, fingering Sonny's hair.

"I'm sorry." Sonny said again.

Just then the other horse and rider rode up beside Sonny and Jeweldean. The couple pulled back to look at the man, but Sonny's arm stayed tight around Jeweldean's waist.

The man dismounted and walked over to Sonny and Jeweldean. Jeweldean looked at Sonny for an explanation. She still couldn't believe that Sonny was finally home. This all seemed like a dream to her. She had so many unanswered questions to ask Sonny.

Sonny was the first to speak. "Oh, uh, this here is Tucker. He helped save me and he helped to get me home. Without him, well-" Sonny looked at Tucker. "Well, I would probably be dead right now. Tucker helped save my life. Well him and God, of course."

Jeweldean didn't believe that it was God, just because of what He put Sonny through, but she wouldn't let Sonny know that.

Jeweldean didn't want to let go of Sonny, ever again, but she did free her right hand and extended it to Tucker.

"It's a pleasure, Tucker. Thank you for all that you did to help Sonny get home."

Tucker shook her hand and said, "It's not a problem, ma'am. He's a lucky man." Then turning back to Sonny, Tucker said, "Well, Sonny, she's a might prettier than you described her."

Jeweldean blushed. Sonny turned towards her again and said, "Yes she is." Sonny bent his head down again and kissed Jeweldean.

Jeweldean looked back up at Tucker when he spoke. It was then that Jeweldean realized just how young Tucker looked. He didn't look too much older than nineteen.

Tucker repeated his earlier question. "Where do you want Bronco at?"

Sonny drew his eyes away from Jeweldean long enough to answer Tucker. "The pasture right yonder to the left of the barn is good. Just set the saddle on the rail and I will have Clint put it away later. You can set Daybreak in there, too."

The sound of Clint's name had become foreign sounding to Jeweldean since it had been almost two months since Jeweldean fired Clint. She wondered how Sonny would take it when she told him. She sure wasn't looking forward to telling Sonny about Clint because she was sure that it would not go well.

"Yes, sir." Tucker replied.

Sonny turned his attention back to Jeweldean. He reached a hand up to tuck a stray piece of hair back behind her ear.

"What happened, Sonny?" Jeweldean asked in a small voice.

"I don't know all the details. I think it would be better if I just showed you and I can tell you what I know about it then."

"Okay." Jeweldean said, looking up into those screaming silver-blue eyes that belonged to the man that she missed so much.

Looking towards the house, Jeweldean changed the subject. "You wanna go meet your new daughter?"

"Daughter?" Sonny's larger than Texas smile appeared on his face again. "Why, I would love to." Sonny and Jeweldean walked towards the house with Sonny's arm around Jeweldean's waist. They made their way inside. Once they were inside the house and in the living room, Sonny stopped walking.

Jeweldean turned to face her husband. "Something wrong?"

"No, just takin' it all in. It feels so good to be home."

"You're tellin' me." Jeweldean said with a smile. Sonny smiled back.

"C'mon, she's upstairs." Jeweldean said and grabbed Sonny's hand, leading him upstairs.

Once upstairs, Jeweldean walked into her room, and straight to her new baby's crib that Sonny had made for her.

Their new baby girl was awake, but not crying, so Jeweldean bent down and picked her up. Sonny's hand fell from hers for the first time since he got home.

"Here you are, daddy." Jeweldean said. She handed her to Sonny.

Sonny received the baby, and Jeweldean watched as tears formed over in Sonny's eyes. The only times that Sonny would get teary eyed or choked up was when his parents passed away, when found out that she was pregnant with her three children, when she had Cody, Suzanne, and this baby, when they got married, when he saw her again for the first time in four months today, and then just now. Sonny was a tough man, but his children and Jeweldean were his soft spots.

"She's so beautiful, just like you." Sonny said.

"She's got your eyes and nose." Jeweldean said, a mischievous grin coming onto her face.

"Don't say it." Sonny said, grinning, he knew what was coming.

Jeweldean said it anyways. "Your 'cute' nose." Jeweldean tapped it with her finger, then Sonny grabbed her around the waist and kissed her. They both laughed. Jeweldean always liked to tease Sonny about his nose. It wasn't small, but it wasn't big. Jeweldean just loved to call it 'cute' only because it always brought a kiss out of Sonny.

Sonny turned his attention back to the new baby in his arms.

"What's her name?" Sonny asked.

"I haven't named her yet."

"Why?"

"I was waiting for you to come home."

Sonny's smile diminished. "You never lost hope that I would come back did you?"

"I had a gut feelin' that you were still out there."

"It was all God."

When Jeweldean didn't respond, Sonny asked, "What were you thinkin' about naming her? I was thinkin'..." Sonny started.

"Sadie." Sonny and Jeweldean said at the same time.

"Sadie," Sonny repeated. "And maybe Lynne for the middle name."

"That's my middle name." Jeweldean said.

"Yeah, Sadie Lynne. What do you think?"

"It fits. To be honest I was thinking about the same thing. I knew I wanted to name her Sadie for sure, but I wasn't sure about my middle name."

"Yeah, but Suzannah has my mama's name, Louise, as her middle name, so I think it fits to have your mother's name, and your middle name, Lynne, for Sadie. You agree?" Sonny said.

"Couldn't agree more." Jeweldean said. She loved the name: Sadie Lynne. Had a nice ring to it too.

"How's Suzanne and Cody?" Sonny asked.

Jeweldean crossed the room to pick up Suzanne. "She's doin' great. Still isn't talkin', though." Jeweldean said.

"Come here baby girl. Let daddy see ya." Sonny cooed to Suzanne. Jeweldean relieved Sonny of a tired Sadie, and gave him Suzanne.

Once Suzanne was in his arms, she smiled and said, "Dada." Pointing to Sonny. Sonny looked at Jeweldean with utter surprise and Jeweldean looked back with the same level of surprise. That was the first word that Suzanne had ever spoken, and it was 'dada.'

"So she too was also waitin' for you to get back, I reckon." Jeweldean replied.

"I reckon." Sonny said. Sonny cooed and talked to Suzanne to see if she would say 'dada' again and she said it once more, but then no more after that. Sonny set her down, so each foot was on one of his boots and he walked her around the room with her standing and bouncing on his boots.

Jeweldean looked at Suzanne and Sonny, and she realized just how much she missed these moments. She had been so worried about Sonny, that she hadn't been paying enough attention to her children. When was the last time she read to Suzanne and Cody, or cooked something with Cody, or danced and sang around the room with Suzanne. When was the last time, that she had laughed, really laughed? Before Sonny disappeared, that's for sure.

Tears she didn't even know were forming in Jeweldean's eyes spilled out as she sat there on the corner of the bed watching Sonny and Suzanne dance and laugh around the room. Jeweldean's tears were happy and sad ones. She was happy, oh so happy, that Sonny was finally home again and they could all be a family again, but her tears were also filled with sadness because of the lack of quality time she had spent with her children. She was also behind in her Bible readings, too, and they hadn't gone to church for over a month.

Sonny looked over at Jeweldean. "Honey, what's wrong?" He asked, scooped up Suzanne, and walked to Jeweldean's side.

He set Suzanne behind Jeweldean on the bed then bent down in front of Jeweldean. Sonny grabbed Jeweldean's free hand in his own.

"I'm crying because I'm a terrible mother, but also because you're home, and we can be a family again..." Jeweldean sniffles turned to sobs.

Sonny pulled Jeweldean into a hug. "You are not a terrible mother, you were grieving. It's not your fault, Jeweldean. It's alright." Sonny held Jeweldean for several minutes and he let her cry onto his shoulder, until they heard little footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Pa?" A small voice asked.

Sonny turned around and saw Cody in the doorway.

"Hey, little man." Sonny said and stood up, offering his open arms to Cody, who gladly accepted them.

"You're home, daddy." Cody replied.

Sonny turned his head to look at Jeweldean who was wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm home, buddy. I'm home."