Page 18 of Steadfast

The words felt like a punch.

“I’m so sorry.” Maeve choked back the tears that stung her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, trouble seemed to follow her.

The door jingled open behind them.

It was Abel Callaway.

“I got Sam cooled off, Mom.” He pulled his mother into a comforting hug. “We’re going to get this all figured out.”

Maeve slipped past them, fighting the real temptation to dash out the back door and never return.

“And who’s thisfirecracker?”Abel asked, stopping Maeve in her tracks.

“Maeve—just, Maeve,” she answered.

“Well,justMaeve, thanks for defending my mom back there.“ He gave her a nod. His warmth immediately drew her in. Even though they had just met, he felt familiar, as though she had known him for a lifetime.

June came up beside Maeve. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “You said everything we wanted to say but couldn’t.”

“Don’t encourage her, you two,” Ruth scolded them. “June, I’m surprised at you,” she exclaimed, shaking her head with dismay at her best friend, who held firmly to her opinion. June was the only one who could pull off such a feat with Ruth and get away with it.

Maeve barely recognized herself. Her anger and hurt that simmered just under the surface had frightened her, and she felt completely out of control.

One thing was sure—

She had become a nuisance to Ruth Callaway.

That evening after her outburst on the street, Maeve sat at the top of the stairs, listening to the family discussion around the dining room table. She wasn’t a Callaway, and the details of the ranch were certainly none of her business. However, she couldn’t help but eavesdropjust a little.

To her surprise, her ears perked up to Ruth’s voice echoing up the stairwell.

“Maeve, come on down. You’re a part of this,” Ruth called out.

The invitation sent a wave of consolation that washed over her as she went down the stairs. Maeve felt hesitant, biting her lip as she chose the seat at the dining room table next to Abel.

“Hey there, Firecracker,” he grinned.

Maeve hoped to conceal the red flush across her cheek as she settled in closely beside him. Abel was, by far, the most attractive man she had ever seen. It was much more than just his looks that made Maeve’s heart skip a beat. There was a kindness and inclusion that seemed to radiate from him, and she was already confident he was someone she wanted to know better. She couldn’t help but hope he felt the same way.

Abel launched back to business.

“I figure we can sit around and hope the Montana cattle industry turns around, but that could take years,” he said. “According to what Sam was yammering on about today, it doesn’t sound like we have that long. He’s calling in the loan, Dad.”

Roy buried his head in his hands.

“We’re in this together, Roy,” Ruth said, squeezing him tightly. “We’ll get it figured out.”

“I’m just going to need you to trust me. I have a plan.” Abel took the lead. His calm, reassuring tone caught Maeve’s attention even more.

“It means selling off most of the land,” Abel strategized. “It’ll settle our debt with Sam and give us the collateral to start something new.”

“Without our land, we have nothing at all,” Ruth exclaimed, waving away the very suggestion.

“I don’t think so, Mom,” Abel replied. It wasn’t often that he would hold his ground against his mother, but in this instance, Abel was ready to double down. “I’ve been talkin’ with Dallas, and I think the ranch’s future is rodeo.”

“Oh, that Dallas,” Ruth balked, “That boy will never grow up.”

“Just promise me you’ll think on it and pray about it,” Abel said, his eyes yearning for his parents to believe in his dream.

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