He stayed close but let her work through the moment. She didn’t ask for his help, and he understood her continued drive for independence.
“Daphne.” She snapped her fingers, a look of triumph brightening her eyes. “She was one of the only foals ever born here. You wanted to keep her and train her, make her a real cow pony.”
“Yep.” That was one of the best summers of his life. He’d been ecstatic at the chance to raise and train his very own horse.
Dad had allowed it, but only in the hours when he didn’t have other ranch obligations, and he made Chase learn as much as he could about training horses before he started with her.
Mom knocked on the barn door. “Dinner’s ready.”
Michelle grabbed him around the waist.
The sudden shock of her embrace froze him to the spot.
“I’ll put everything in the office.” Mom laughed under her breath, whatever else she said lost in the cascade of footsteps and Michelle’s excited bouncing.
“It’s all starting to come back.”
“That’s good.” He meant it. He’d wanted nothing more than for her to recover. Even more than he wanted her to love him again, he wanted her happiness. It had been difficult at first, but he’d found his way clear of the betrayal and staring down at the excitement and joy in her face, he forgave her once and for all for leaving him.
She popped onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’ve come back to the Lord and He’s not done with me yet. I can feel it. He’s healing parts of me that I didn’t realize were broken.”
The rest of the world fell away, and her words hammered home in a series of healing thuds.
“I’m not giving up on us. Not by a long shot. I hurt you when I left, and even though I thought I was doing the right thing, I went about it the wrong way. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.” She nestled her head against his chest and tightened one arm around his back.
He cradled his hand on the back of her head, fighting down the need to kiss her and tell her everything would be okay. If he knew, absolutely and without a doubt, that they were meant to traverse this path again, he’d allow his feelings to take control.
But he had no assurances. He held a woman giddy with the flush of memories of how she used to feel.
“I forgive you.” He smoothed her hair back from her cheek. “It’s part of our past, but it doesn’t have to hold us back. I’d like us to move forward.”
It was the best he could offer in a moment of careful optimism.
He released her, biting back a mental protest that begged him to hold on a little longer.
They spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the night sitting outside the mare’s stall, checking on her every two hours until daylight broke the horizon.
Michelle whispered memories to him, checking them as anchors in her new reality.
His hope soared with every new moment between them. She never left his side, never complained.
It gave him a glimpse of what the future might hold. He grasped it with all his power, praying for God to see him through whatever might happen next.
Chapter Sixteen
She could do this. One more hard thing in a long list of difficulty that she’d managed to navigate over the last few months. It was necessary, and therefore not to be put off any longer.
Yvonne gave her an encouraging nod while setting down a cup of coffee near Michelle’s elbow and backing into the kitchen.
She’d chosen to make the phone call outside, mainly because the steady hum of Blue River calmed her. After the long weekend with Chase and the injured mare, combined with hours of prayer, she’d come to a conclusion.
It was time to have a candid conversation with her boss.
Her phone rang at exactly ten, the time she’d agreed on when first setting up this meeting for Monday morning. A twitch of her thumb answered the video call. She didn’t bother pasting on a happy smile but let her face relax into a neutral expression. “Good morning, Sherry.”
Sherry sat behind her black desk, in her usual black business suit, with the earpiece tucked behind a wave of black hair. Her fisted hands sat on top of the desk, and she examined Michelle across the distance. “You’re looking well.”
“Thank you.” It might not have been a genuine compliment, but she accepted it as one. “I’m feeling much better.”
