Page 46 of Steadfast

Tears had filled his expressive green eyes and were tumbling down his dimpled cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Abel,” she whispered. The shame made her stomach ache as she thought about the pain she had caused him. “I’m used up, and I got what I deserved. I understand if you don’t want me. They said no good man would.” She was rambling now, her anxiety pushed her words out at a rapid pace. “But I’ll be okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“It’s my job to worry about you,” he responded, giving a weak smile through his own set of fresh tears, “And I don’t know whotheyare, buttheydon’t speak for every good man, andtheycertainly don’t speak for me.” His voice paused for a moment, as though he were considering his next words carefully. “Can you just tell me one thing?”

She nodded, steeling herself to dig deep for whatever he needed to know to bring him peace. Whatever answers he wanted, she was willing to provide. She would lay bare her sins and do anything to salvage even a spark of their relationship, even if that meant simply remaining friends.

“You went through all that alone?”

Every word left her as her eyes shot to the ground at her feet.

“I see,” he exhaled, swiping his thumb under his damp eyes. Stepping towards her, he drew her close.

His nearness made her breath feel short, and her heart began to pound.

“You are not alone anymore,” he said earnestly. “I’ll stand beside you through the good times and the hard ones too. You’re my partner and my best friend, Maeve. I can’t see any future without you in it.” His voice was quivering, which was unusual for the stoic young cowboy. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself.

“I want you to be my wife.”

Chapter 15

Out of Step

Oakleigh poured fluffy steamed milk over dark espresso. She gave it a quick stir and dashed a little leaf design into the foam. Having watched what felt like a million videos on how to do it, she pulled in a deep breath and gave a satisfied smile at her handiwork.

Her proud moment was interrupted by Audrey’s twangy enthusiasm.

“You’re really getting the hang of that, Oakleigh,” she chimed while carrying a pan of cinnamon rolls to the piping hot oven.

“Thanks,” Oakleigh muttered through gritted teeth. It took her full effort to keep the snark from edging into her tone. Maeve had made it abundantly clear that working with Audrey was her new normal.

Spending the day before with Mia at the new church building had been a nice change of pace. They dove head first into bringing a touch of contemporary beauty to the charming country aesthetic. Oakleigh went live as they mulled over therich, raw wood of the pews to compliment the clean white walls and dark hardwood floors. Her followers ate up every moment, and their robust response made it all worthwhile.

A customer impatiently tapped his fingers on the butcher block countertop, jarring her attention back to the mundane.

“Are you going to hand me that drink, or are you just going to stand there?”

“Oh, sorry,” Oakleigh handed him his latte in a ceramic white mug, noting that he took it and left without the courtesy of a simple thank you.

Oakleigh had begun taking down the next order for a cold brew topped with lavender foam when her phone chimed with a loud text notification.

“Hold that thought,” she said, distractedly raising her index finger, and halting the woman mid sentence. She pulled her phone from her pocket, ignoring the look of exasperation that had crossed the customer’s face.

It was a text from Mia, who had slept in that morning and was apparently just now catching up on her social media.

Mia — typing…

Oaks, Shayna uploaded today.

Try not to flip out.

Oakleigh shook her head in disgust. She knew that if Shayna was posting—it couldn’t be good.

She instructed Audrey to take over the register, briefly apologizing as she overheard the long line of customers groaning about wanting totake a selfie with Oakleigh. She couldn’t help but smirk as she left Audrey behind to field their disappointment.

Stepping out the backdoor, she popped in an earbud and leaned on the old brick wall of the shop. She gathered her nerves before tappingplay.

Shayna was sitting comfortably cross legged on her bed with a smug expression splashed across her face. She obviously had some good gossip and was ready to spill it.

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