Page 54 of The Rancher's Wedding

Jacob nodded. “Nothing too profound. They just told me that they loved both of us and they’re proud of me. And Pa cried a bit. I asked him why and he said it’s because I didn’t deserve to die so young. They’re like you, never thinking of themselves. They were more worried about what was happening to me.”

Jacob looked over and saw Estelle.

“You can come over, Estelle,” he said.

She walked closer. “I didn’t want to intrude.”

Michael waved the thought away. “Nothing being said here that you don’t deserve to know, too.”

***

She was glad to see them talking and didn’t want to interrupt the tender moment between the brothers. At the same time, she enjoyed watching their reconnection.

“I’m glad you’re not fighting,” she said.

“Yeah,” Jacob said. “Me, too. We couldn’t have done it without you, you know.”

That wasn’t true at all. Estelle knew it. Perhaps she had helped facilitate the moment and encouraged it to happen faster, but their bond was too close for them to stay distant forever.

“You’re too sweet,” she said.

“He’s right,” Michael added. “We would have just gone on living separately like we were doing and probably stay that way until, well, I don’t want to think of it.”

“Well, thank you.” Estelle remembered that she had come here with a purpose and, as usual, it wasn’t the right time. Would it ever be the right time? Looking at the two men, they seemed emotionally drained, and she feared that Michael wouldn’t be ready for another taxing conversation.

But she had written the letter. She had made a promise to her best friend. She had to tell Michael.

“What’d you come out here for?” Michael asked.

Estelle looked at Jacob. He knew what she was thinking, and he gave his head the slightest of shakes to let her know that now was not the time. It was helpful to know that Jacob, who knew Michael better than anyone else on the planet, agreed with her.

“Nothing much,” Estelle said. “I was just wondering if either of you would be interested in having lunch.”

Michael smiled. “Lunch sounds good, Estelle.”

“Will you be joining us, Jacob?”

“Sure thing,” he said.

“I’ll come get you two when it’s ready.” She headed back to the house and, in the process, pulled the letter out of the mailbox. It wasn’t the right time to have the conversation, so she would have to hold off on sending the letter. At least for now.

She brought the letter upstairs and set it on her desk, knowing that every time she looked at it, it would serve as a reminder of the promise she was making to her best friend. The right time would perhaps never come, but she could at least avoid telling Michael at the wrong time.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Michael watched Estelle walk away. The more he was around her, the more he couldn’t stop looking at her. He kept on noticing new things. Today, it was the way the long curls of her hair bounced as she walked. It was hypnotic. The days used to blend together, but after the previous day with the sunset and the near stampede, it felt like he would never get to spend enough time with her.

As if she wasn’t enough, all by herself, she had also managed to mend his relationship with Jacob. It was only a few short months ago that he’d felt as though he had nobody to talk to or spend the day with, and now there were two people that he cared about—in different ways, of course—that he could be with. It seemed as though loneliness was impossible, so long as the two of them stuck around.

It was still baby steps with both of them, but he trusted in the Lord and felt silly for having ever felt for even a second that He wasn’t leading Michael on the right path.

Michael turned back toward his brother. “Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

“For talking to me.”

***

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