The next morning, he went to do his rounds after the ranch hands had completed the early chores. Bert stayed with the babies, and Casey called his aunt, just to make sure she was feeling well enough to start helping him out on a full-time basis the next week as they’d agreed. There were two baby boys who needed nurturing and love while he was working to provide for them, and his wayward heart was not the top priority. Those boys were.
When he’d done his rounds, Casey headed on up to the main house. He parked his truck and stood outside for a moment, the cool morning air soothing his mood. The sun hadn’t risen very high in the sky, but the warm rays felt good on his shoulders. The curtain flicked, and he saw Ember standing by the kitchen window. She wore a gray sweater, her hair tumbling down around her shoulders, and those direct blue eyes followed him with a mildly curious expression.
“I can’t put it off, Lord,” he prayed under his breath. “Guide me.”
Sometimes God expected His children to hand deliver a blessing to someone else. If only that particular blessing wasn’t the one he’d been praying for, himself.
Casey headed to the side door and knocked once before opening it. Mr. Vern was seated at the table with his ledgers open as he worked through the ranch’s monthly finances, and he glanced up as Casey came inside.
“Good morning,” Mr. Vern said. “How’s the herd?”
“Twelve new calves last night,” Casey said. “All healthy.”
“Good, good.” Mr. Vern nodded, turning his attention back down to the ledger. “I’m just trying to get these accounts sorted out. I need to write a check for the nursing home.”
“No problem, sir. I’m here to see if Ember’s well enough to ride,” Casey said, turning toward Ember. She stood by the counter, her bandaged foot gingerly touching the floor, but obviously not holding her weight. She took a sip from a mug.
“That depends on how much will be expected from me,” she said.
“I’ll get you in and out of the saddle,” Casey said, and he had to admit, he was looking forward to any excuse to be close to her again.
“If that’s the case, let’s go.” She put her mug down on the counter and turned to Mr. Vern.
“Thank you for breakfast, Mr. Vern.”
The older man looked up with a distracted smile. “Not a problem.” He pursed his lips. “Are you any closer to a decision on this place?”
“It’s beautiful land, sir,” Ember said. “But unless I can find some solid proof that the Harpers homesteaded here, I’m not going to put in an offer.”
Mr. Vern nodded slowly. “All right, then. Thanks for being honest.”
And he sank back down into his ledgers again. Casey looked at his boss for a moment, his heart going out to him. The financial pressure was heavy this time of year, and with his wife’s medical care getting more expensive, Casey could only imagine the weight of those worries. But it would be over soon enough, and Mr. Vern would have his sale.
Casey helped Ember limp down the steps and into the waiting truck. He turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. Then he looked over at her. God worked things together for good—not just for a collective good, but for an individual’s good, too. For a man with a heart that kept loving when it shouldn’t, for two tiny boys whose parents were dead and for this woman who’d been through too much in her lifetime. God worked things together for good—Casey had to hold on to that.
Casey pulled out of the drive and headed down the gravel road toward the red horse barn. He felt better with Ember by his side, even knowing that he was about to give her the keys to this place, figuratively speaking. What was it about Ember Reed that did this to him?
“How is your ankle on the bumps?” he asked. “Because on a horse, it’ll be even worse.”
“It’s not too bad,” she said. “It wasn’t as bad of a sprain as I thought—or maybe it was the ice compress Mr. Vern gave me last night that fixed it right up. I expected to see all sorts of black-and-blue on my foot, but it’s only a little bruised.”
Casey was thankful to God for the small blessings—it could have been a whole lot worse. They fell into silence for a few more minutes as he circled around toward the barn. When they arrived, he pulled to a stop and leaned forward to look at the corral.
“I think this will be worth it for you,” he said.
“Casey, I’m not a country woman,” Ember said with a low laugh. “It might be easier to just tell me about whatever it is you think I need to see... Besides, I’m not sure I’m going to pursue this sale. I was praying about this pretty seriously out there by the river, and in response, I was attacked by wolves and sprained my ankle.”
“Maybe that wasn’t a response to your prayer,” Casey replied.
“And maybe it was. I don’t need to be shown any more rugged territory to convince me that I’m in over my head, Casey. You’ve already accomplished that.”
“This isn’t about proving that you don’t belong here,” he said with a shake of his head. “This is...just for you.”
Casey got out of the vehicle and circled around to help her down from the passenger side of the truck. She was warm in his arms as he helped her down, and he went ahead to open the door for her into the barn.
Casey had the horses saddled and ready, so all he had to do was help Ember up into the saddle. Once she was settled he looked up at her, drinking in this beautiful woman with the aching heart. She was lovely, interesting, tender, smart—the whole package. But she wasn’t for him. He could
