by Woods, Emily
She nodded and gave him one more smile. It lifted his whole mood and made him forget all his worries.
What a wonder this day was turning out to be.
* * *
Christina could hardly believe it when Alex approached her. She’d been taking a short walk, clearing her mind as her sister had suggested, when she spied him riding up. Purposely, she pretended not to see him until he spoke. As much as her heart was softening, she was still a product of her upbringing.
How eloquently he’d spoken to her! As much as she enjoyed the civil banter, it seemed a tad silly given their environment, but if he didn’t care, she made up her mind not to either. The brief conversation had brightened an already beautiful day, and she took the revelation he’d made in stride. She’d already realized that he was a gentleman, but that he was Luke’s son was a surprise. She still didn’t quite understand why he’d engaged in such elaborate subterfuge, but perhaps he would tell her another time. She’d look forward to that.
The fact that she hoped to bump into him again surprised her. A week ago, she was looking down on him and annoyed by his attitude toward her. However, now she felt his behavior was justified. He probably had looked at her and seen an over-privileged woman who couldn’t see past the end of her own nose. And now she agreed.
“It’s another beautiful day,” Valerie exclaimed when she returned to the house. “I’m glad you took advantage of it.”
Here was another thing. She suddenly not only understood but appreciated her sister.
“Thank you for putting up with me,” she said humbly. “I’m beginning to see why Mother and Father sent me to you. I guess you would say that it’s all part of God’s plan?”
Valerie reached over and gave her sister a quick hug. “I most certainly would. He knows what’s best, and even though we can’t always understand it, we have to trust Him.”
At that moment, Jessica skipped into the room and grabbed her hand. “Can we sing some more, Auntie Chris?”
The title that had been so abhorrent to her on arrival now sent waves of warmth through her. “Absolutely, darling. What should we sing?”
“‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’, of course!” She laughed and swung Christina’s hand. “It’s the best song ever.”
Christina laughed, joy filling her up from the inside out. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this way, so free, so light, so happy. “I agree with you. So, let’s sing!”
* * *
Alex rode away thinking about how different Christina was. Something had happened over the past few days, and although he was tremendously curious about what it was, he knew better than to pry. His own revelation hadn’t shocked her in the slightest. In fact, he’d say that his confession raised her opinion of him, or rather, he hoped it did.
Her words made him realize that he had to fulfill his duty to his grandparents, so instead of riding toward Austin and Cole like he’d planned, he headed back to where he knew Luke was inspecting a new foal.
Luke’s face lit up when he approached, sending a stab of something bittersweet through his heart. What would life have been like if he’d grown up with such love?
“Want to watch Thomas break in our newest horse?” he asked. “He’s a real pro.”
Alex shook his head. “I think that I should go to town and send my grandparents a telegram and a letter explaining my behavior, if that’s alright with you. I mean, I’m technically still your employee.”
“No, you’re not. Everything’s different now. You’re part of the family, and while I hope each person contributes to the running of the ranch, you can have much more freedom.”
The words were kindly meant, and perhaps later he would appreciate them more, but for now, he had to focus on the task at hand.
“Thank you. Then I’ll be off. I’m worried that they might have received word from Stanford that I never arrived and may be thinking the worst.”
Luke nodded and asked, “And what will you say, if I can ask?”
“I have the ride to town to think about that.” He wasn’t trying to be difficult. At that very moment, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to say.
“I’ll write them a letter at some point. No need to overwhelm them.” He paused and took a long look at Alex. “You’re fine to travel? Not too tired?”
The conversation felt awkward. He didn’t feel comfortable with Luke being so fatherly, not so soon.
“I’m fine, thank you.” His voice sounded a cold, and he didn’t care for the hurt look it produced on his father’s face, but he didn’t feel like he could be close to him, not yet.
“Alright then. We’ll see you when you return.”
It occurred to him to take the minister’s horse along with him, so he tethered the two horses together and set off. As he rode to town, he was surprised to realize how well he’d adjusted to riding in just over a week. And to make the trip to town twice in two days was going to add up to nearly ten hours of riding altogether, but he looked forward to the solitude.
However, his heart was restless, and he felt the need to upbraid himself several times. He’d been given all that he could wish for, and yet he wasn’t satisfied. What kind of logic was that? But then he realized why he was feeling so unsettled. Somehow, he felt there should be a price to pay. It was all a bit too easy…on Luke. Even though part of him wanted to forgive his father for everything, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it. More and more as he realized what he’d lost, he begrudged him all the years lost.
By the time he arrived in town, the streets were filled with people going about their business. The post office was closer than the church, so he took care of business there first. After sending a telegram telling his grandparents he was fine, he acquired some paper and wrote them a letter explaining what he’d done and why. He apologized for his deception and promised to repay the money he’d spent. At this point, he wasn’t sure about university, or if they would even pay for him to go now, but he didn’t even mention that. He would write more later.
Finishing that task eased his mind a little, but there was still an ache in the bottom of his stomach. As he rode to the church, it intensified.
“Excuse me? Preacher?”
The church was open like it had been yesterday, but no one appeared. Alex tied up his horse from the ranch and brought the other one around back.
“Good morning,” he called out, his eyes scanning the pretty piece of property. There were several fruit trees as well as a large garden beside a modest house.
“Well, that’s the quickest anyone’s returned something of mine!” the preacher exclaimed from some unseen place.
“Uh, I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to see you.”
“Up here.” Alex looked up and saw the man on a ladder with a pair of strange scissors in his hand. “Hello again. I guess you were very worried that I’d need my horse again?” he asked cheerfully.
Giving him a watery smile, Alex nodded. “Well, that and I had to make a trip to the post office.”
Preacher Howard climbed down the ladder and wiped his forehead. “Whew. Hot day. Come on inside and have something cold to drink, Alex. Do you have time?”
He thought about the work back at the ranch. Well, Luke had said that he had freedom now, and surely he would want him to have a short break before heading back.
“Thank you. I’d like that.”
As they entered the house, he was surprised not to see a woman about.
“You live alone?” he wondered.
Preacher Howard nodded. “Just for a year now. My good wife went to be with the Lord.” He passed a hand over his eyes as they misted over and cleared his throat. “I’m happy for her though, because she was sick. Of course it’s hard on me. Still, I trust the Lord.”
Alex squirmed in the hard, wooden chair. “How can you do that?” he asked before he could stop himself. When the preacher looked at him, he ducked his head. “I mean, how can you trust God when hard things happen, especially to someone like you
?”
“I guess you think being a preacher excludes me from hardship? You are very wrong, son. In fact, the devil wants to discourage me more than average folks. How do I not let it get me down? Well, it takes practice. Also, being rather advanced in years helps. When you’ve been through as much as I have, you start to learn how to see God’s hand in life. I wouldn’t have thought it, but God has increased my ministry through this hard time. Over the past year, I’ve seen more people come to know the Lord, and it wouldn’t have happened if my Gertrude were still alive.”
When Alex gave him a puzzled look, he continued. “Single men, men of low self-worth, wouldn’t have dared cross through the door when she was alive. They would have felt humiliated, but now that I’m alone, I suppose that makes me more approachable. The stories I’ve heard wouldn’t be fit for female ears, but they don’t have to worry about that anymore. As difficult as her death was on me, I can see why God allowed it.”
“But it still doesn’t seem right. Why should you have to lose something? Weren’t you terribly angry with God?”
Preacher Howard chuckled a little. “Maybe for a little while, but He’s done so many amazing things in my life that I had to believe this would result in another. And I wasn’t wrong. Look, it’s like this. Do you think those trees out there like being pruned? Some people believe that it hurts them, but if I don’t do it, they won’t produce much fruit. You see, when you remove a few branches, it allows the sun to reach more of the tree, and the wind can move through it more easily, encouraging pollination. Also, pruning helps develop the structure so that the tree can support the crops. If you leave it alone, it won’t produce much next year.”
Alex understood the concept, but struggled to see how it applied to humans. “Are you trying to say that God prunes us? That we have things in our lives we need to get rid of?”
The big man nodded. “You’ve got it, young man. When we’re burdened with selfishness, pride, and all kinds of sin, we can’t see what He wants us to do. When He prunes us, we draw closer to Him and we can understand what He wants us to do.”
“I don’t think He has any work for me to do,” Alex grumbled.
Again, the preacher laughed. “Ah, but He will, if you let Him. Try to see your suffering from a different perspective. If it hadn’t happened, you might not be the person you are. Now tell me, did you make peace with your father after you left here yesterday?”
Alex shrugged. “In a way, but not entirely. He is clearly very sorry for having left me, but I can’t move past this. I feel like he needs to earn my forgiveness.”
Preacher Howard leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I see. And what have you done to earn God’s forgiveness for your sins?”
The question startled Alex. “What sins?”
“Oh, you’ve never done anything wrong then? Never twisted the truth, hated a person in your heart, had a wrong thought about a woman? Taken the Lord’s name in vain?”
Heat rose in Alex’s face. “I wouldn’t say that. But I’ve tried to do good to make up for it.”
“Ah, but you see, there will never be enough good deeds to wipe away all your sin. If there were, why did Jesus have to die for us? If we can earn our way into Heaven, then the crucifixion was completely unnecessary.”
Alex’s skin started to prickle in that moment, and he felt he was on the edge of understanding something important. “Because Jesus died, I’m forgiven. And if I’m forgiven, I need to forgive.”
A broad smile broke out over the preacher’s face and he folded his hands over his ample waist in satisfaction. “Now you’re getting it, son. And you know what? When you forgive someone, it releases you from the grip of anger and bitterness. If you don’t, those feelings will control you, and you’ll never fully enjoy your life.”
Alex nodded. He played with the condensation on the glass of lemonade. “So, I have to forgive him. But if I don’t feel like I can?”
“That’s a hard one. I’d say that forgiveness is more of a decision than a feeling. Realize that you’ve been forgiven, and then do your best to extend it to others.”
He took a swallow of the lemonade and stood, reaching out to shake the preacher’s hand. “Thank you for everything, the horse, the lemonade, your time.”
“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” he replied with a grin. “And you come back any time you can. I enjoyed talking to you.”
Alex nodded and thanked him once again before leaving.
Riding back to the ranch, he prayed and asked God to help him forgive Luke. He didn’t want to live with the bitterness anymore. And he found as he got closer to the ranch, the more he wanted to see Luke.
Starting today, he would have a father.
13
Christina found herself humming the song she’d been singing with her niece just a few hours before. The words of the song felt real to her now. Jesus did love her and was her friend. He would share her sorrows and her burdens, as Valerie kept reminding her.
“I just feel so guilty for how I used to behave,” she’d told her earlier. “I want to ask forgiveness of everyone I’ve been nasty to in the past.”
“That will take a while,” Valerie joked, but when she saw the stricken look on her sister’s face, she gave her hand a little squeeze. “I’m sorry. I guess what I should have said is that you are responsible for your behavior from today forward. If you have the chance to apologize, do so, but don’t let guilt weigh you down. That’s a tool of the enemy.”
She understood that now too. God wanted her to be free from guilt and had sent His Son in order to ensure it. Still, she decided to go over to the Winstons’ house and ease her mind.
When she arrived, the first person she spotted was Alex. He was talking to Luke and they were laughing together. The scene filled her with joy. How wonderful that Alex was getting a chance to know his father.
He spotted her a moment later, said something to Luke, and walked towards her.
“How are you today, Miss Christina?” he asked with a grin.
Something was different about him today. “I’m very well, but I think I don’t even need to ask you.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, but he was smiling.
She tilted her head and held his gaze. There was something in his eyes that hadn’t bee there before. He was always attractive, even though she wouldn’t have admitted it, but now he was practically magnetic.
“You look as though you’re lit from the inside,” she commented, a smile blooming on her face. “Can I ask you why?”
The smile he gave her back was as bright as the sun. “I guess I finally learned an important lesson today. And I’m beginning to understand why God gave me the life I have.”
His words stirred something deep inside her. “I think I can say the same. When I first arrived here, I wanted nothing more than to go back home, but now I wonder if I even want to. I loved my life in New York, but I don’t think I would anymore.”
“I understand,” he replied. “My home isn’t in Philadelphia. I think it’s here. In any case, I plan to learn how to be a rancher. My father is happy to teach me how.”
“And you won’t go away to university?” Her heart jumped a little and she realized how much he hoped that he wouldn’t.
“I don’t think so. Business was never my passion. I suppose my education won’t be completely wasted, though. I already have many ideas on how to improve the ranch. There are many modern techniques that my father has never heard of.”
She noticed how his face changed each time he said the word ‘father.’
“I really hope you don’t return to New York,” he said suddenly, giving her a shy but intense look. “We didn’t really get off to a good beginning, but am I wrong to think that perhaps we might spend some more time together?”
Now she blushed a little and lowered her head. “I don’t think you’re wrong,” she murmured. The initial attraction she’d felt for him had increased by leaps and bounds. He was on her mind more often than she
would admit.
“You can’t know how happy that makes me to hear,” he replied softly. When she looked up, she could the truth in his face.
“I hope I won’t disappoint you. I was actually coming over to apologize to everyone for my behavior when I first arrived. I was terrible to you, both on the train and when we first met here. I’m very sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me.”
A grin split his face. “It would give me great pleasure to forgive you, Miss Christina,” he declared. “And I hope you will do me the favor of doing the same. I judged you before I knew you. I never gave you a fair chance.”
“Of course I will.”
There was a moment of silence then, not uncomfortable, but filled with the hopeful expectation of good things to come.
Epilogue
Less than two months later, it was known throughout the area that Alex and Christina were officially courting.
“I received a letter today,” Alex told her as they went for a walk by the Falls Creek, her arm through his. Even though the weather was starting to turn cold, this was their favorite spot because it was where they first realized the attraction they had for one another.
“Oh? Who from?”
He pulled out the envelope and showed her. “My grandparents. They received both my letters and replied. Of course they weren’t happy that I didn’t go to university, and even though they don’t clearly apologize for keeping my father and me apart, they seem to understand.”
“So you forgive them?”
He nodded. “I’m finding forgiveness so much easier these days, even when the other person doesn’t explicitly ask for it.”
With a sigh, she looked up at the waterfall that was just starting to freeze in places and smiled. “Can you believe how different our lives are now? Here’s me, practically a country girl and you a rancher. Who would have thought that even a year ago?”
“Not my grandparents,” he replied with a laugh.
They reached their favorite spot. Alex spread out the blanket they’d brought and helped her sit.
