A warm peace filled her heart as Angie let go of her fear. She knew it might return tomorrow, but if she handed it back to God every day, eventually it would stick. She would have the faith, confidence, and assurance she needed to move forward. Perhaps even now God was putting things in place to give her the desires of her heart. Didn’t the Bible say that sometimes we don’t even know what our heart longs for?
Stretching as a yawn overtook her, Angie sighed then leveraged herself back into her chair and rolled toward her bed. Tomorrow she was meeting Jace right after breakfast, and she needed to be rested if she were going to take a longer ride. Muscles, unfamiliar with sitting in a saddle for even a few minutes were already protesting, and as much as the straps had helped support her, she had found that she had tried to maintain her balance as best she could. Tomorrow would be a new test of her determination, dedication, and desire. She wanted, with all of her heart, to help others who had suffered life-changing injuries adapt to their new normal. This was one simple step in that direction.
As she changed and slipped into the comfortable double bed the quietness of the night engulfed her. The peace of the ancient ranch seemed to envelop her bringing a soothing balm to her soul and sleep to her body. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered about the founders of the Broken J and the history that was dug deep into the Wyoming prairie.
***
“Angie, I’ve hardly seen you at all since you got here,” Mrs. Wade’s accusatory tone made Angie cringe. “Why last time you were here you hung out in the kitchen with me every day.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Wade,” Angie said. “I’ve been enjoying the weather.”
“Mornin’,” Jace walked up behind Angie where she sat at a table closest to the kitchen. “You ready to ride today?”
“Ride?” Mrs. Wade turned back from where she had been kneading bread. The wait staff was busy serving breakfast as fast as guests could eat it, and the matron of the Broken J’s hubb was using her time to begin preparation for the afternoon meal. “I thought you didn’t ride.” Her dark eyes flitted from Angie to Jace and back again.
“Jace has been helping me get used to being on a horse.” Angie’s dark blush was telling, but Mrs. Wade didn’t say anything. “It’s one of the reasons I came back,” the young woman admitted. “I wanted to prove that I could do it if I tried.”
“Well good for you.” Mrs. Wade gave a nod of her head making her short gray curls bounce. “You take good care of her now Jace, or you’ll be on peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week.
Jace’s gentle chuckle rolled over the table as he took a seat next to Angie. “I’ll look after her,” he said shooting a gleaming glance at the older woman, “but your threat won’t work. I happen to love PB&J.”
“Oh get on with you then,” Mrs. Wade grumbled waving a flour-covered hand at the man. “Jim, get these two something to eat, so I can be rid of them,” she added with a grin, speaking to one of the servers. “They have better things to do with their time than bother an old woman.”
A server, a boy in his late teens hurried to the table with a tray laden with bacon, eggs, French toast, and other breakfast goodies making Angie grin. The former school lunch lady was keeping the staff hopping, and the kitchen running straight. It was nice to know some things never changed even in uncertain times.
“So how are you today? Are you up for this?” Jace asked as he loaded scrambled eggs on his plate. “If you aren’t, we can wait.”
“No, I think I’m ready. Will I ride Ben again or does it have to be another horse?”
“We can use Ben. Unless I choose to ride him on the trails, he doesn’t go into the rotation at the ranch as a mount. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you, and I even have some cookies for you to give him today.”
“Horses get cookies?” Angie’s eyes grew wide.
“Sure, horses get treats just like dogs or cats. Ben is partial to the carrot and apple treats. Just watch him when you say the word cookie, he’ll be excited.”
Angie laughed, now curious about how Ben would react to the word cookie. She had seen dogs who got excited about the word ice cream, so why not a horse and the word cookie. “This could prove to be a very interesting day.”
“I hope so,” Jace gave her a wink. “I’ll saddle up one of the other horses as soon as we’re done eating then we’ll go for a little jaunt. Sound like a plan?”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Angie smiled feeling content as she dug into her breakfast with gusto. She had loved seeing the wider reaches of the ranch as a teen and riding in the old pony cart with Michelle. This time she would see it from the back of a horse. Her stomach quivered with excitement, but no trace of the fear she had been experiencing seemed evident. She whispered a heartfelt prayer to heaven that it would stay that way.
***
“All settled?” Jace asked an hour later as Angie guided Ben around the corral for the second time. “Do you feel like you’re ready to hit the trail?”
Angie didn’t
