Page 83 of Steadfast

Maeve responded as she usually did and generously offered up the ranch house. They didn’t expect much of a response from the locals. Most were busy cleaning up their properties from downed branches and assessing the loss from the heavy winds and rain.

To their surprise, that evening, a line of cars and trucks made their way down the dirt road to Callaway Ranch for worship.

Maeve went to work brewing coffee, but it was already clear that it wouldn’t be enough.Familiar faces filled the Ranch House, bringing with them warm, friendly conversations.

Mia hobbled down the stairs. Her ankle was still swollen from the accident. She took a seat on the sofa next to Oakleigh and propped her leg on the armrest.

Paisley sat across from them, silently sipping her coffee and still avoiding all interaction with her older sister.

Oakleigh’s words remained locked inside her. She feared that any attempt to mend things with Paisley would end up in another hurtful shouting match. Instead of forcing conversation, it was easier to ignore her entirely, giving her space to sulk.

Crew followed Sawyer in through the front door. He gently pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered to chat in the foyer. Crew’s blue eyes searched the room and sparked to life the moment he connected with Oakleigh. He went over to the couch, not bothering to stop by the rack to hang up his cowboy hat.

“Hey there, beautiful, I’ve barely seen you all day,” he grinned. Plopping down beside Oakleigh, he threw his arm across her shoulders. His charm was as contagious as ever, bringing a much needed smile to Oakleigh’s face.

She clutched his collared shirt and pulled him close, flipping up the brim of his hat with a flick of her finger. Crew got the message and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the lips while she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. It was as though they were the only ones in the room.

“Everyone is looking at you guys,” Mia whispered, bringing attention to the fact that she was also still sitting beside them.

“Who cares,” Oakleigh shrugged away her friend’s concern.

An audible gasp was heard as Maeve came up behind them and snatched the hat from Crew’s head. “Crew Beckett, I’vetaught you better than to wear your hat indoors.” Maeve snapped. “This ischurch. You two start behaving like it.” She was still muttering under her breath as she returned to her post at the front door. “Gone for one single day, and these kids have forgotten how to act.”

Sawyer came from the kitchen and knelt beside Mia with a bag of ice.

“You comfortable?” Sawyer asked.

Mia smiled and nodded, hardly able to suppress her giggle of excitement at his attentiveness.

He rose to his feet, his tone uncharacteristically soft. “You let me know if you need anything, you hear?”

Sawyer drew everyone’s attention as he stepped in front of the fireplace.

“Find a seat where you can. Thanks for making it out here tonight. I know we’re going through some hard times, but it’s good to be together and remind one another that the Lord is still in control,” he said reassuringly. He lifted his guitar off the stand and pulled the strap over his head, giving it a quick tuning. Bethany stepped beside him while waiting for the worshipers to settle into the living room.

In times like those, Oakleigh was reminded that, despite his jagged edges, Sawyer had a big heart for the Lord and for others. In that way, he was clearly Maeve’s son.

She scanned the room for familiar faces, taking a second glance as she caught sight of her mother. Although she triedto ignore Harper’s judgemental gaze, Oakleigh couldn’t help but catch her eye every so often.

Harper had found a dark corner of the house all by herself, noticeably as far away from Maeve as humanly possible in the tightly packed room. Even though the little town of White Bridge was not exactly up to her social standards, she was recognizable enough to be forced into her best behavior. Oftentimes, Harper Davenport’s best behavior was simply not saying anything at all.

Her presence was enough to make Oakleigh feel unsettled, and she wondered why her mother had even bothered coming down from her room at all that evening.

The guests were still arriving, and each stopped to hug Maeve to thank her for generously hosting that evening. When Bosco came through the door, he immediately jumped on his hind legs. Pushing Maeve back a step, he greeted her with a sloppy, wet lick.

“Bosco down!” Sadie started with her usual flustered apology. “I knew I shouldn’t have brought him.”

Maeve patted Bosco’s head and gave Sadie a reassuring smile. “Everyone’s welcome, even this big guy.” Her voice went a little higher pitched as she addressed her furry friend. “Aren’t you, boy? Yeah, you’re important too.”

Sadie gave her a grateful glance as she led Bosco to a seat near the back of the large living room where Harper was standing. When they approached, Bosco pulled on the leash and gave a low growl. Harper’s face pulled into a deep, disgusted scowl.

Crew leaned in to whisper not so discreetly in Oakleigh’s ear. “He senses evil.”

Oakleigh slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her outburst of laughter before she caught Maeve’s disapproving look. To her relief, June finally arrived, diverting Maeve’s attention entirely.

“Congratulations on your big win at nationals.” June swooped Maeve into a tight hug. “Abel would have been so proud.”

So much had happened over the last few days that the groundbreaking win for the ranch had been completely overshadowed.

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