“Hmm...” He didn’t say anything else in response. Did he not believe her? Did he think she didn’t care how he’d be affected?
“Casey, I’m serious—”
“I know you are,” he said, and there was a flash of pain in those dark eyes. Then he dropped his gaze and pressed his lips together. “That’s why I said I could be your friend. You’re a good woman. I might think you’re crazy, but you’re deep-down good.”
She smiled at that. “Crazy, am I?”
“I stand by that.” He smiled ruefully. “I actually don’t think I could stay away from you entirely. But I will stop kissing you in moments like this.”
Ember felt a sink of disappointment at that. She didn’t want him to turn off his feelings—even though it was best for both of them. But what did she expect? This wouldn’t work between them, and she wasn’t fooling herself about that.
“Okay,” she said.
He pulled in another breath, then nodded. “Okay.” He smiled into her eyes. “You want a hand up?”
“Sure.” Casey put his hands on her waist and boosted her up into the passenger seat of the truck, and her stomach rippled at the sensation of his touch. He handed the crutch up to her, and then he slammed the door shut, leaving her in momentary silence as he circled around to the other side. She adjusted the crutch to fit more easily down by her feet and leaned her head back.
She’d pored over those grainy photos on her phone’s internet browser while Casey had been gone, and there weren’t any family photos that fit the descriptions from those journals. There were some unidentified pictures of wildly bearded men or somber women standing alone...but what did that help her? They could be anyone. It seemed there was no way to be certain whether this was her family’s land or not. Maybe that was for the best. She didn’t need to disrupt things here any longer. As soon as her car was ready at the shop, she’d leave Vern Acres and let Casey put his offer down on the ranch. He deserved it—he’d worked this land and maybe he was right that this county didn’t need any more Reed influence.
Casey opened the driver’s-side door and hopped up into the seat.
“So why do you want me to be able to ride?” Ember asked, glancing over at him.
“I want to show you something.” He put the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to life. “And we can only get there on horseback. That’s one of the many complications of this place.”
“What do you want to show me?” she asked, shooting him a curious look.
“You’ll have to wait and see it yourself,” he said with a small smile. “Words won’t do it justice.”
“And my ankle?” she said.
“I’ll wait until it heals up enough to get you onto a horse.”
Ember couldn’t help the curiosity that bubbled up inside her, but when she looked over at Casey, his expression was resolute. She wasn’t going to get anything out of him.
“Did you find something?” she pressed.
They pulled out onto that now-familiar gravel road and headed up toward the main house. Casey was obstinately silent, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d stumbled across that proof she’d been searching for. Excitement simmered up within her.
Was this old ranch her home after all?
Chapter Twelve
That night, Casey sat in the kitchen, an untouched mug of tea on the table in front of him. His Bible lay open on the tabletop where he’d been rereading the story of Joshua and those walls.
“I’m sorry, Lord,” he prayed. “I shouldn’t have kissed her. That wasn’t right—it doesn’t matter what I feel for her. She’s not mine to kiss.”
He looked over at the cradles where the babies were sleeping peacefully. He was a dad now. He’d struggled with how he would handle all of this, but it had started to settle inside him. These boys were his responsibility, his God-given obligation. They were also his blessing and his joy. They needed him, and maybe he needed them just as much. Caring for these little guys was hard work—he couldn’t deny that—but he’d fallen in love with them in the process.
“Make me a good father,” he prayed, his voice choked. “Give me the wisdom I’m going to need to raise these boys right. Give me strength, and tenderness, and insight... Make me into the father that these kids need. And please, Lord, take away whatever it is that I’m feeling for Ember. There is only so much a man can handle at one time, and I’m pretty sure I’m reaching my limit here...”
Once he showed Ember his discovery, she’d finalize her offer—and he’d need to figure out where he and the boys would go. Surely, God had something in mind for them. He’d given Casey a family, hadn’t He? If that wasn’t God moving in His own mysterious ways...
But Casey did need a woman in his life—a mother for those boys. He needed someone to stand by him, raise kids with him, wrestle with the hard stuff. He needed a woman who could help him teach those boys the country manners and the Christian morals. He needed a partner.
So what was he doing letting himself fall for Ember Reed? It was dumb—there was no way around it—but he also felt a little helpless when it came to his feelings for her. When he looked at Ember, a part of his heart he’d never known existed woke up.
Casey didn’t sleep well that night. Telling Ember about that stone hearth with the single brick worked in that was by the river wouldn’t be easy, because it would be a sort of goodbye to all of his hopes for this land, too. But at least he’d have some time alone with Ember and
