Page 44 of Steadfast

“Abel deserves better than someone like me.”Maeve finally answered, diverting her gaze.

Ruth gave her a tender look devoid of judgment. “Abel’s made his choice, hun. He’s chosen you.”

“He doesn’t know everything about me, Ruth,” she said, not wanting to admit that she had been holding something back.

“And you’re planning to tell him today—” Ruth tracked, tapping her fingers along the smooth countertop.

“He’s not going to want me anymore,” Maeve whispered, feeling her eyes begin to pool with hopeless tears. “I’ll have nothing.”

“Really,” Ruth cocked her head to the side, clearly unconvinced. “You’ll havenothing?”

Ruth glanced around the room, taking a deep breath before finally speaking. “Maeve, I want you to listen very closely to what I’m about to tell you.”

Maeve nodded. Her mind felt blank, and the ache in her chest felt overwhelming as she listened, hoping for any words of wisdom that would bring her solace.

“Abel is a good man, and I’m not just sayin’ that because I’m his mom,” Ruth said. “At the end of the day, though, your worth can’t come from him. Do you understand that?”

“But—” Maeve started to speak through her tears. Her words halted as Ruth put up her hand, indicating she wasn’t finished.

“You’re right about one thing. If you keep looking for your peace in people like us, you’ll end up with nothing.” Ruth shook her head. “We’re all going to fall short, one way or another. Even Abel—although I know he’d rather saw his own arm off than see you disappointed.” Ruth met Maeve’s eyes as though she were making certain that the young woman fully understood what she was trying to say.

“No matter what others do to you, what you’ve done in your past, or what happens in this life, you can rely on the Lord.” Ruth stepped off the stool and came around the counter. Sweeping her arm around Maeve, she gave her a motherly squeeze. “Put your trust in him, Maeve. He’s the only one who won’t ever let you down.”

That evening, Maeve sat on the porch, fidgeting with her tan cowboy hat. She kicked around the dust on the step with the heel of her boot as she thought about what Ruth had said.

Maeve knew she was right.

The problem was that all the knowledge she had stored away in her mind did little to calm her anxious heart.

“Hey there.” Abel’s voice broke the cycle of her spinning thoughts. He held two sets of reins as he led the horses from the barn. “Have I told you that you’re beautiful today?”

Maeve certainly didn’tfeelbeautiful.

She scanned her red plaid button-up shirt, tucked into her bootcut jeans which were frayed at the bottoms. Having quickly learned that style had no place in ranch life, her outfit was practical and functional.

“Not since this afternoon, I suppose,” she responded. Stepping to her feet, she patted the dust off her jeans.

“Shame on me,” he smiled widely, his dimples marking his strong jaw. His expression conveyed that he was the luckiest man in the world. “You’re beautiful, Maeve.”

She was always quick to push away a compliment, but this time, she allowed his kind words to wash over her.

He handed her the reins, and Maeve slipped her boot into the stirrup. Riding a horse had once seemed daunting, but now it was just part of the job. Very rarely did they have the opportunity for a leisurely afternoon trail ride.

She dug her heels in and spurred the horse to gallop, feeling a flash of adrenaline course through her veins.

“Hey!” Abel’s voice called after her. Before long, he was clipping their heels on the wild mare that had become his favorite horse.

Maeve felt the wind on her face and let it whip through her hair. Feeling her tan cowboy hat flip away, she let her worry blow away with it across the open fields.

Arriving in the South Pasture, she pulled hard on the reins. Her horse dug his hooves into the soft dirt, causing it to billow in a plume of dust.

She gave Abel a playfully smug smile as he rode up beside her. “I win.”

“You’re a cheater, you know that?” he grinned back at her. “Plus, I had to go back for this.” He displayed her tan cowboy hat, which he had stopped to retrieve.

“What a gentleman,” she said, taking it from his hand and slipping it back on.

He dismounted from his saddle and went to the wood fence that divided the pasture.

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