Page 66 of A Sunny Sweetheart for the Cowboy

“Good message today.”

That was the same thing Jude said every Sunday. Did he really think Pastor Marshall’s sermons were perfectly on-point every week?

But Weston needed to respond. “Yeah.” The man had been on about Philippians chapter four for several weeks now, starting with the whole ‘rejoice in the Lord’ bit. They were clear through to the thought life.

Jude glanced at Weston as pews emptied around them. “Thinking about only good things is hard when life is a mess around us.”

Weston managed to choke off a scoff before it slid out. What did Jude have for problems? Didn’t seem like the golden boy had any. He was only a few months away from making his dreams of flying come true. Grandfather had already hinted at buying a plane for the ranch so Jude could take tourists up sightseeing. What had possibly gone wrong in his life?

“You been practicing that lately?” Jude angled his head and studied Weston. “Seems like you have been.”

Had he? “Sort of. I mean, not thinking about these verses, exactly, but knowing how my woulda-coulda-shoulda thoughts can spiral into the pits, yeah, I’ve been trying to remember the good things God has done for me.”

For a few brief hours he’d thought Paisley was one of those gifts. And she still might be. He refused to give up hope just because she wasn’t answering calls or texts. Knowing her, she’d probably forgotten her charger in Montana and hadn’t had a chance to buy a new one.

Keep telling yourself that, Kline. Whatever it takes.

Yep, he was being as positive as he could.

Jude nodded thoughtfully. “Wanna grab lunch at the Golden Grill?”

“Sure.” Mom usually left sandwich fixings and a cauldron of soup for guests looking for Sunday lunch at the resort, something one of the kitchen workers could easily set out and clear away with a minimum of fuss.

They drove over to the town square, where the duck pond and park looked to be a busy place this sunny day. Beyond the park, Jewel Lake gleamed in the sunlight. Jumping out of Jude’s truck, Weston absorbed the beauty. Surely the entire world couldn’t be too nasty if such magnificence existed. He needed to hold the faith and keep trusting God. New thoughts, but ones he needed to cling to.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

He followed Jude into the busy café amid the regular Sunday crowd. The Cavanagh clan crowded around their usual row of pushed-together tables down the center. Emma was amid her brothers.

Weston nodded at Emma, and she grinned back. She was a good kid. Or maybe not a kid. She was in college? He couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. She was way too young for him. Also, she wasn’t Paisley.

He slid into a booth and peeked at his phone. Still no message from Paisley. Was she okay? Was her mom okay? If he had any idea how to find her in Phoenix, he’d be on the next flight.

The server laid menus on the table. “Hey, cowboy! Long time no see.”

Weston looked up, startled. “Rayna?” He couldn’t help it if his voice sounded a little harsh.

“One and the same! Wow, it took me long enough to track you down to Jewel Lake. Last I heard, you were in Missoula.”

He stared at her. She’d put on a few pounds and colored her hair red, but there was no doubt. But wait, she’d been looking for him? Why?

Jude cleared his throat. “Rayna. I’d like to say it’s good to see you, but I’d be lying. Why are you here?”

She beamed at Jude. “The Mulligans advertised a need for servers, I applied, and here I am.”

“Oh, how fortuitous.” Sarcasm dripped from Jude’s voice. “Last we heard from you, you’d decided you were too good for my brother and could do better. What happened to California, huh?”

Weston leaned back in the booth as assorted emotions washed over Rayna’s face. He had a suspicion about her apparent change of heart, but would she be blatant enough to admit it?

He hadn’t counted on Jude. “You might have heard that our grandfather bought Sweet River Ranch. Did that have anything to do with rethinking your decision?”

“I, um…” Rayna’s gaze darted to Weston before refocusing on Jude. “Really? That’s great. I know you guys missed the Circle K when your mom had to sell.”

Yeah, Rayna was totally back here because she’d heard Weston had discovered rich relatives. How much tackier could she be?

“It is good to be back on a ranch.” Weston opened his menu and looked at Jude across the top. “Know what you want to order, bro? I’m feeling generous. I’ll buy.”

Jude slid his back to the end of the table. “If that’s the case, sure. I’ll take the 12-ounce steak, medium rare, with a baked potato and salad, please. Extra sour cream.”

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