Page 67 of Love in the Wild

“So praying doesn’t mean you get what you’re asking for?”

“Nope. It means we have a relationship with God and can talk to Him. No matter what we think is right, only He knows what’s best.”

“If things go wrong today, that could be for the best?”

“Believing in God doesn’t mean life is always a bed of roses and we get what we want. It means trusting and having faith that we’ll always have the strength to handle the tough times because He is on our side.”

“He is on whose side?” Gage asked.

“The ones who dedicate their lives to Him. He’s the Creator, but He gave us free will. All I can say is that my life has been better since I chose to love Him. I have a peace now that I didn’t even know existed before.”

Gage stared out at the forest surrounding them as he chewed on his breakfast. “I can’t say I know anything about peace.”

“But you can. Don’t you want that? To be free of all the hatred and the fighting and the sneaking around?”

He took a deep breath and turned to her. “It sounds too good to be true.”

Hadley shook her head. “It’s real. It’s nice having a Father who loves me after having one who didn’t.”

Gage reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. The contact was a sweet balm to her soul as he abandoned his breakfast and kept his hold on her hand. “It’s his loss. He has no idea what he’s missing.”

“I doubt he cares.” She’d spent too many years convincing herself she didn’t need a dad in her life. None of her mom’s boyfriends had even come close to being a good father figure, so the easiest thing was to learn to be her best self without one. “I’ve been doing okay without him.”

Gage’s grin was back, and the twinkle of pride in his eyes was enough to lift the weight off her shoulders. “That’s my girl.”

Oh no. Gage’s possessive words had her heart doing a ridiculous dance in her chest. “Your girl, huh?”

“If you’ll have me,” he added. “Ask your boss when I can meet him. I won’t be able to go to the ranch unless things today go perfectly, so it’ll need to be somewhere private.”

Hadley’s heart rate skyrocketed as she stared up at him. “Really?”

He brushed a hand over her hair and down her braid. “I’m going all in on this fight for peace, so I guess it’s time to make plans to move forward.”

“Fight for peace. That sounds a little contradictory.”

“Not really. This is war in the name of love.” He turned his attention back to the food. “I probably need a Bible. I don’t have one.”

War in the name of love. Was this a dream, or was Gage talking about the actual four-letter word that she was only beginning to understand herself?

“I’ll get you one. I’m sure Mr. Chambers has one too. I actually haven’t been to church myself in a few weeks. We’ve been having Sunday morning services at my place since Thea can’t go out in public.”

“How does that work?”

“Brett arranged it. Mr. Chambers is a pretty good teacher. We’ve been doing a lot of praying for Thea and her family. Well, your family too.”

Gage rubbed a hand over his face. “I hope Brett knows what he’s doing.”

“I don’t think any of us do because we can’t predict what your uncles will do today. All I know is that we have to do something if we want things to change.”

Gage’s lips pulled up on one side. “You’re amazing. You know that?”

Hadley’s breath hitched as his words caught her off guard. “What?”

“You’re brave. This isn’t even your fight, and you’re standing up for us. You’re so optimistic, it makes me want to believe in the larger-than-life things you think are possible.”

“I don’t know what else to do,” Hadley said.

Gage rubbed the pad of his thumb over her chin. “Don’t change. You’re perfect just the way you are. I thought I had things handled until you came along. You’re showing me how to do things differently, and I’m a better man for it.”

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