Darcy laughed as Blake gushed about the ranch and something warm fluttered in her life, like a bird stretching its wings in anticipation of flight.
“Alright Turnip, you can show me all the places you like out there in the middle of nowhere. I might even get on a smelly old horse if you ask nice.”
Blake laughed offering Darcy his arm and heading for the door. He didn’t have to let her go, at least not yet, and if all went the way he hoped, she would see the truth of it all out on the open prairie where God’s hand print rested fresh on each new day.
He wanted Darcy to know the freedom he had grown up with. To feel the sun on her face, and find peace in the wild places. He wanted her to understand true forgiveness that was offered freely to any who would ask. She had been a prisoner of her own desires, and the life she had stepped into so long ago, but tomorrow was a new promise, and she could start over, hopefully at his side.
Darcy glanced over at the handsome man beside her and sighed. She was a fool for going with him, but he had become someone she could depend on, and for just this once, she believed that he would live up to his promises. Two weeks on a ranch, hidden from reporters and the prying eyes of those who saw her as a bad man’s moll, couldn’t hurt. It might be a chance to let things die down before she decided what came next.
For a moment she wondered if she might even stop by the old homestead and see her own family. She knew they wouldn’t welcome her, but she could see them, know they were still there, still alive, if unforgiving.
Blake liked to talk about this free gift his God offered, but she didn’t believe God could accept her if her own parents never would. She had tried visiting her old home once right after taking up with Pierce, but her clothes, jewels and fancy car hadn’t made her welcome once her parents knew the truth.
Pushing the dark thoughts away, Darcy determined to find a way to do more good in the world. Perhaps, if she dedicated her life to helping others then her family would believe she could be redeemed.
She had taken a step in the right direction, how hard could it be to continue on that track?
Chapter 25
It took another week before Blake’s business with the police force was finished, and he was given medical leave to go home.
He still had the little sports car he and Darcy had been using during their adventures, and Beckett saw no reason for him not to keep it for now.
The sun was bright in a clear blue sky as they bounced over the road toward the Broken J, and he paused at the top of the hill gazing out across the fields of verdant green.
“I love this view,” the cowboy said, peering out the window. “You can see the whole spread from up here, and it never ceases to amaze me to gaze at what my family has built, on faith, hope, and love.”
Darcy grinned. “You really are a Turnip,” she laughed. “This place was built with brains, brawn, and blood.”
Blake shook his head then shifted gears and coasted down the rutted road. “Looks like I need to get the skid out and smooth this road again,” he grinned.
Driving slowly toward the ranch and his own home, Blake soaked up the prairie around him, noting the cattle on the far hills and the horses in the corral.
A lazy breeze turned the old windmill as it pumped water into a large trough and a big team of horses moved through a hay field cutting wide swatches of grass for the winter months ahead.
Things never seemed to change on the Broken J, and yet nothing was the same. Blake knew he was a different person, and that his life had taken an unexpected turn. If his leg didn’t heal completely, he already knew he would leave the police force and return to help his father work the ranch.
His family, large, loud, and loving, would take him back without fuss and he looked forward to settling back into a familiar routine. The outside world saw him as heroic, but he was just a boy who wanted to do good.
“Where will I stay?” Darcy asked, plucking at the ribbon on her dress nervously. “Should I stay with Mae and Reese?”
“You’ll stay with us of course,” Blake said. “Ma and Pa are thankful for all you did to help me and to keep me safe.”
“I didn’t do much.”
Blake pulled the car to a stop by the small gate that led to his parent’s home.
“Darcy, you need to stop doing that. You’re a good person, and you did a good thing at great personal expense too.”
Darcy shook her head. She could feel the darkness in her soul. She was flawed. If she had been a good person, she never would have fallen in with a man like Pierce. Now that she was free, she needed to find a way to keep that darkness, that greed at bay.
“I wish you would accept the truth,” Blake said, brushing a finger along her jaw. “All you have to do is accept, and you’re free.”
Darcy pulled away from the handsome man, opening her door and climbing into the dusty yard.
“Can you get my bags?” she asked, slipping through the gap in the fence. “I’m tired, and I think I’d like to lie down for a while.”
“Sure,” Blake replied watching her start up the trail to the house as he got their bags from the trunk.
“Lord, I don’t know
