Coming Home: (Contemporary Christian Romance Boxed Set): Three Stories of Love, Faith, Struggle & Hope

by Debra Ullrick

  The others snickered at the obviousness of the statement.

  Sami pursed her lips, knowing she would have to be stubborn enough to take all of them on or she would never get to leave this house again. “Look, if I start to feel bad or woozy I’ll take a break, I promise.”

  “Okay, but I want you to start off slow. I’ll see how you’re doing at lunch. I’ll decide then if you can finish out the day or not.”

  “I give you my word, I’ll take it slow.” She sent her dad a reassuring smile.

  Chase squeezed her arm. “And, I’ll make sure of it.”

  She smiled again. “I appreciate it, Chase, but I don’t need a baby sitter. I’ll be fine.”

  Bart looked around the table, shrugged, and gave her a wink. “I think you’re gonna have to get used to having a babysitter around because I see seven of them right here at this table. Eight if you count the crippled one.” He nodded at Brent, and laughter swirled around the dining room.

  Over the next few days, Sami’s injury quickly became a thing of the past. In no time, she was back to full-throttle, helping with everything she could get her hands on.

  “I can’t believe we’re a week ahead of schedule having the cattle ready for the sale,” Sami said, folding her legs Indian style under her as she sat down on the sofa. “We have never been this far ahead.”

  “What’s the final inventory count?” her dad asked.

  “Are you ready for this?” Excitement mingled in Miles’ voice as he read off the inventory stats.

  “We should have a good sale this year. Our quota is up thirty-two percent since last year.” Sami proudly handed the figure sheet to her dad.

  “This looks good.” Her dad nodded with a proud smile as he scanned the paper. “This really looks good.”

  “Hey, let’s not forget the most important thing,” Brent said.

  Everyone turned and looked at him.

  “What’s that?’ Sami asked.

  Brent slapped his cast. “My cast is coming off next week.”

  “Good. It’s about time you get back to work. Aunt Edna has babied you enough,” Sami teased.

  Brent stuck his tongue out at her.

  “And, I get to be the one who gets to watch them take it off. So, you’d better mind your Ps and Qs, or I’ll tell the doctor to remove your foot, too.” Sami picked up one of the cushions and threw it at Brent.

  “Ha. Ha. Ha.” Brent rocked his head back and forth. “You’re just too funny.”

  “Oh shoot. I just remembered, I left a bag of dog chow in the trunk of my car. Would one of you boys get it out for me?” Edna asked as she walked into the living room, dangling her car keys.

  “I’ll get it.” Her dad grunted as he stood. “Miles, you just finish up with the figures. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Just as her father closed the door behind him, his cell phone rang. Miles and Sami exchanged glances.

  “Sami, see who it is.” Miles nodded toward the phone.

  Sami picked it up and looked at the screen. “It says private.”

  “Answer it,” Brent said.

  She bit down on her bottom lip and looked at Miles. “You think I should?”

  “Maybe we can find out who his secret caller is. Go ahead, answer it.”

  With shaky hands, Sami flipped the phone open but didn’t speak.

  “William, are you there?” It was a female voice on the other end of the line.

  “This is his daughter. Would you like to leave a message?”

  Sami heard the woman gasp, and the click followed.

  Closing the phone, Sami looked at Miles. “It’s a woman all right. I think I spooked her because she hung up.”

  “Well, at least now we know dad has a lady friend,” Miles said. “But why is he being so secretive? I think it’s great if he has a woman in his life again.”

  The door opened, and all of them watched their father walk over and take his seat again. Then his gaze went up to the phone still in Sami’s hand. “Why do you have my phone?”

  “You had a phone call while you were outside.” Sami handed him his phone. “I tried to take a message, but she hung up.”

  “Who gave you permission to answer my phone?” He swiped his phone from her hand.

  “Pop, we didn’t think you’d mind. It’s not Sami’s fault, I told her to answer it,” Miles said.

  “This is my phone, my business. Don’t let it happen again.” He pointed at all three of them. “That goes for all of you.”

  ♥♥♥♥

  The door opened behind Chase, and Emily stepped out onto the porch. She sat down on the top step next to him and laid her hand on his arm. “Whatcha doing?”

  He stretched his arms back behind him, propping himself up. “Oh, I needed some down time. It’s been a long week.”

  “You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”

  Leave it to Emily. Chase sat forward and let out a breath. “I tried not to. I honestly don’t even know when it happened. All I wanted to do was to be a friend to her and help her to see God loved her and wanted to heal her broken heart. But before I knew it, I found myself loving her. So, how did you know?”

  A gentle laugh escaped her lips. “A person would have to be blind if they couldn’t see it in your eyes. Have you told her how you feel?”

  “Not yet. I mean, not exactly like out loud. I don’t know how she’ll react. One day, she lets me get close to her. Then the next day she pushes me away. I just wished I knew how she felt.”

  Emily locked her arm in his. “Chase, when that special someone comes along, you’ll know it. You want to spend the rest of your life with them. They make you laugh when you feel like crying, and you would lay down your own life to keep them safe. That’s love. Don’t give up on her. If she feels the same way about you, love will find a way.”

  Chase looked down at Emily and saw her eyes filled with tears. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. “I’m so sorry, Emily.”

  “I miss him so much. Why did he have to leave? Why did he leave me behind?”

  He held her in his arms while she cried. This was the first time since Chris’s funeral that Emily had cried. She needed closure, and this was a step in the right direction.

  “I don’t have all the answers, Emmie. But one thing I do know is, God knows our past, present, and future. We may not know or understand why we face such heartbreaking things in our life. But, God knows. He’ll heal your broken heart if you’ll let Him.”

  Emily looked up at Chase with tears streaming down her face. “Will you pray with me?”

  “Of course I will.” He took both of her hands in his and bowed his head.

  ♥♥♥♥

  A few days later as Sami was closing the shed door, hands covered Sami’s eyes from behind. “Hey!”

  “I have a surprise for you,” Chase whispered in her ear. His breath on her cheek sent chills racing through her.

  “What are you up to?” She reached up and tried to pull his hands away from her eyes.

  “Wait. I’m going to move my hands, but you have to keep your eyes closed.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t trust you, that’s why. Now hold still.” He covered her eyes with his bandana. “No peeking.”

  “What is going on? It’s time for lunch.”

  “Oh, stop complaining. Trust me for a change.” Chase wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her along. “Okay, now I’m going to help you get on the horse. Now it’s not Stardust because Miles thought we needed to let him rest that leg a little bit longer. So, Old Fred will have to do.”

  “That’s fine. Old Fred’s a good horse, too.”

  “Good. Here we are.” He took hold of her hand and put it on the saddle horn.”Are you ready?”

  “Wait. I can’t ride blindfolded.” She reached up to pull the blindfold down, but he caught her hand, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against him.

  “Oh no, you don’t. I’m going to be
your eyes.”

  “Oh, that’s comforting.”

  “Trust me,” he murmured against her ear as he moved in even closer to her and kissed the side of her face.

  After Chase lifted her up into the saddle, he patted her knee. “Here we go.”

  They chitchatted as they rode along. Excitement stirred in Sami’s stomach as she wondered what Chase had in store for her at the end of their ride.

  Curiosity finally got the better of her as she shifted in her saddle. “Where are we going? We’ve been riding forever.”

  “We’ll be there in just a few more minutes. Oh, I’ve cleared this with your dad. So, we don’t have to be in a hurry.”

  “Cleared what with my dad?”

  “Would you just relax and enjoy the ride?”

  Sami had no clue what Chase was up to, but she was enjoying the peaceful ride even if she was blindfolded. She thought about the growing relationship between her and Chase. She enjoyed being with him more than anyone else she’d ever known. He made her feel alive on the inside. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to give him her whole heart. She wanted him to be a part of her life. So, why was she still feeling cautious and fearful?

  “Okay. We’re here. But don’t take the blindfold off just yet. Let me help you down.” He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her down from the saddle. He held her arms and walked with her several steps. “Okay.”

  Then with a flourish, he pulled the blindfold off. She blinked several times to restore her vision in the bright sunshine. To her surprise, they were standing at her favorite place on the ridge. A blanket was spread on the ground with a picnic basket and cooler on top of it

  “What is this?”

  “Don’t be mad. I’m not trying to invade your space. But, I wanted to spend some time with you. Alone.” He walked around in front of her and gazed into her eyes, making her heart quiver and her legs jiggle. “This place seemed appropriate for that. Miss Edna helped me set it up. You haven’t said anything yet? What do you think?”

  “Chase, this is wonderful!” A warm sensation spread through her limbs as her smile widened in approval.

  He blew his breath out and wiped the invisible sweat from his brow. “You had me worried there for a minute. I was afraid you didn’t like your surprise.”

  Her eyes shot up to his. “Are you kidding? This is great.”

  He took her by the hand, locked his fingers with hers, and led her over to the blanket. They sat down, and then Chase opened the basket. “I hope you’re hungry. It looks like Miss Edna packed enough food to feed an army.”

  “That sounds like Aunt Edna.”

  “At least we won’t go hungry.”

  Sami peeked in the basket and shook her head. “No, but after this we may have to go on a diet.”

  “I agree.”

  He removed all of the food from the basket. Then he pulled off his hat, he reached over, took hold of her hand, bowed his head, and prayed over the food.

  She was so accustomed to seeing Chase pray, without even giving it a second thought she removed her hat, bowed her head, and closed her eyes as well.

  Prayer concluded, Chase dug into the basket. “Would you prefer a thigh, drumstick, or breast? It looks like there’s a whole chicken in here.”

  “Well, we can radio in and see if a couple of the boys want to come out here and eat with us,” she teased as she pulled her walkie out of its case and wiggled it in front of his face.

  “Not on your life.” He grabbed the walkie from her and tossed it into the picnic basket.

  A giggle escaped her lips.

  After they finished lunch, Sami glanced over at Chase as he put the last of the leftovers back in the basket. “You want to go for a wade in the stream.”

  “Sure.” In one quick movement, he was up on his feet, and he dropped his hand down to her. She slipped her hand into his, and then he pulled her to her feet.

  “Lead the way, Madame, and I’ll follow.” Never turning her hand loose, Chase reached down and swooped up his hat.

  A few minutes later, they trotted their horses up to the stream, and Sami cut her eyes over at Chase. “What do you think?” Sami asked as she slowed her horse and slipped out of the saddle onto the ground.

  “Wow! I can see why you come out here. The scenery is incredible. Just look at those mountains. It looks as though they were painted.” He dismounted his horse and strolled beside Sami as they led their horses to the water.

  Sami looked up and smiled as she watched the brilliant white clouds drift across the clear blue sky. “I love it here.” Her eyes took in the vastness of the place. “There are days when I feel like life is closing in on me, this is the place where I can find peace, quiet, and solitude.”

  The sounds of an eagle’s cry caused Sami to look up, and she spotted a golden eagle soaring gracefully across the brilliant blue sky. “Look how graceful he is. Isn’t he beautiful?”

  “His beauty doesn’t even compare to the beauty I’m looking at right now.”

  “What are you looking…?” The words froze on her lips when she realized his eyes were set on her.

  He lightly touched her cheek with his fingers. “Sami, I need to tell you something.”

  She exhaled softly. “What?”

  He pulled her into his arms and whispered against her face. “You don’t know what you do to me. You’re all I ever think about. You’re in my thoughts during the day and in my dreams at night. But most importantly, you’re in my heart.”

  She held onto his arms because she didn’t trust her own trembling legs to support her weight. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her throat tightened. Her face burned. Everything else around her just seemed to fade away like a breath in the wind, except for Chase.

  Was this what it felt like to be in love?

  “Would you kiss me already?” she softly whispered and closed her eyes.

  Chase’s arms trembled as he tightened them around her, and a quiver raked over his body.

  He lowered his head, and ever so slowly, his mouth covered hers in a tender, yet hungry kiss. He pulled away long enough to kiss her eyes, her cheeks, and the tip of her nose. Then his mouth made its way back to her waiting lips. The touch of his lips on hers sent rolling shock waves throughout her entire body.

  This moment would forever be engraved in Sami’s mind. Only one word could describe it, perfect.

  “Sami!” someone shouted.

  Sami felt like she’d been ripped right out of a dream.

  Chase moaned and took a step back. “It’s Miles, Sami. Something must be wrong.”

  She turned to see Miles riding up as she stepped away from Chase. “What’s wrong?”

  Miles’ face paled when he jumped from his horse and took hold of Sami’s arm. “Sami, you need to come back to the house right now.”

  “Why? What’s going on? Did something happen? Is anyone hurt?” Her nerves tensed immediately. Her ears roared, waiting to hear the bad news Miles was about to deliver.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. Everybody is okay, I promise.” He turned to Chase with apologetic eyes. “Sorry about this Chase. I know I’ve ruined your plans, but this is important. Sami, we need to go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. I can see it in your face, something’s wrong.” She placed her hands on her hips and stared up at him. She was still trying to gather her senses and pull herself back from paradise.

  Miles wagged his head from side to side. “Why do you always have to be so stubborn? Why can’t you just do what I ask without giving me such a hard time?”

  She tilted her head to one side. “Do I ever?”

  “You’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “Tell me.”

  His shoulders slumped in defeat, as he looked Sami straight in the eyes. “It’s about Maggie.”

  Her stomach constricted at just the mention of that name. Sami clenched her fist so tig
ht that her nails dug into her palms. Taking a deep breath, she asked through clamped teeth, “What about her? What did you hear?”

  “It’s not what I’ve heard. It’s her.”

  Sami’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not making a bit of sense. What are you talking about?”

  Miles climbed out of the saddle and took her by the arms. “She’s here. Maggie’s here.”

  “What? Here in Homestead?” She blinked back the shock of Miles’ words as she pulled away from him.

  “No, Sami. She’s here at the ranch. She came rolling in about an hour ago.”

  Fury boiled inside of her like hot lava from a volcano. “Oh, Miles, please tell me you’re pulling some kind of cruel joke on me. If so, I don’t think it’s very funny.”

  “Sorry, Sami, I wish I could say it was a joke, but it’s not.”

  Still Sami didn’t move from the spot as she twisted her arms in front of her. “What is she doing here?”

  “I don’t know. She just showed up, and Dad’s acting like she’s a wayward child who’s just returned home.” Jerking off his hat, he slapped it against his leg, and then shoved it back on his head. “I knew you’d want to know.”

  Sami noticed Miles’ hands were trembling. She’d not seen him this visibly shaken in a long time. Trying to keep her own anger in check, she swallowed hard and asked, “What? He didn’t throw her out?”

  “No. Matter of fact he’s thrilled she’s here. It’s like she never left.”

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t believe this!” She flung her arms in the air and walked around in a circle. “What’s wrong with him? Has he forgotten what that woman did to him? To us?” The volcano of anger erupted inside her and boiled to the surface, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

  “You’re going to have to face her sooner or later. Dad sent me out to get you and to bring you back to the house. We need to go.” He slid his hand under her elbow.

  “Don’t!” She yanked her arm out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest. With a single look, she dared her brother to touch her again. “Don’t touch me. I’m not going. I don’t want to see that woman!” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ll wait out here until she leaves. I’m sure she won’t be staying long.”