Page 88 of Steadfast

“She might be lost, Oakleigh, but she’s not a lost cause,” Maeve corrected. “And neither is your relationship with Paisley.”She sighed as she chewed on the side of her lip in frustration. “Give it to the Lord. That’s all we can do.”

Oakleigh ran her fingers through her blonde hair as though she were debating if she should bring it up at all. “I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” she confessed. “As weird as it sounds, I even prayed for my mom.”

“It doesn’t sound weird to me,” Maeve replied while keeping her eyes on the road. “Paisley was wrong about you, I can tell you that. Change doesn’t happen overnight, Oakleigh. Give yourself some grace.”

The young woman turned her face toward the window, blinking away her tears. “Thanks for loving me, even though I know it’s not always easy,” she whispered.

“Oakleigh, you are easy to love and worthy of love,” Maeve responded. She grabbed Oakleigh’s hand firmly and gave it a squeeze. “And I’m going to keep reminding you until you believe it.”

Chapter 28

Twisted Metal

That afternoon had been a busy one as Maeve went through her extensive checklist. Her ranch hands would be arriving home soon with Big Slim, and the pasture had to be secured. With no sign of Lil’ Slim in days, they had called off the search and assumed that the raging flash flood had swept away the young bull.

It was a pity, really.

Not only was the animal a hefty financial loss, but they had all grown attached to the oversized furball. His absence would leave a hole in everyone’s heart. Maeve knew she needed to look at the ranch’s assets like a business, but she couldn’t avoid feeling a lingering emotional attachment to the animals under her care.

While the boys went to work mending the fences, she had one last responsibility. Now that the roads were clear and the bridge into town had been fortified, White Bridge was once again open for business. She had sent Oakleigh to the coffeeshop that day to assess the damage, but it was one task she felt needed some oversight.

The days of letting her duties fall by the wayside were over if she had anything to say about it. Abel would have undoubtedly responded with a glint of amusement in his eye that she always had a lot to say about everything.

She drove the rusty blue truck down Main Street. It was quiet that day, with few tourists pursuing the little town in the aftermath of the storm. However, it wasn't just the terrible weather that kept visitors away but also because Oakleigh hadn’t posted in a few days.

After the disastrous few days, Oakleigh had noticeably lost her enthusiasm. If she decided to return to social media, it would certainly draw the crowds. They would flock back in droves, disrupting the flow of the small town once again.

Although the quiet lull was nice, Maeve was worried about Oakleigh.

Maeve pulled into her reserved parking spot, mostly on principle now. Several empty spots were available that day, but with all the headaches that week, she felt like she had earned it. She had gotten word that a tree branch had shattered through the door of Ruth’s Coffee, but nothing could have prepared her for the scope of the damage. Glass and splintered wood littered the sidewalk. She slammed the heavy door of the truck as her boots crunched on the shards of what had once been the window. Making her way to the empty doorframe, she pushedit open with two fingers to avoid cutting herself on the jagged edges.

The absence of the door’s jingle left a noticeable void as she entered the cafe.

“Where’s my bell?” Maeve inquired with a somber smile.

Oakleigh shrugged, pausing with her broom in hand. “No more bell,” she said with a false sense of loss in her voice before bouncing with a hint of optimism. “And maybe we won’t replace it?”

“Keep dreaming,” Maeve chuckled. It felt good to have some lighthearted banter after all the heaviness.

Oakleigh was attempting to sweep up as much of the fine glass as she could. The controversial concrete floors were proving to be a blessing now under the circumstances.

“Finish assessing the damage. I’ll handle the rest,” Maeve offered, extending her hand for the broom.

Oakleigh’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t want to be in charge?”

Maeve absolutely wanted to be in charge. Yet she knew she needed to be intentional about allowing Oakleigh the opportunity to lead. “I’m just here to sweep.”

When the sun set that late afternoon, the shop looked nearly back to normal and ready for business. The door had been boarded up, and a replacement had been ordered. It was all agood reminder to be better prepared. According to the weather app, the next storm was already headed toward their region.

Maeve hung her apron on the hook and looked around with a glint of pride at their teamwork.

“You’ve really done a great job, Oakleigh,” she said, making sure to select words that were honest but could also offer a bit of confidence to Oakleigh’s heavy spirit.

“Why don’t you head home?” Oakleigh suggested a little authority returning to her tone. “I’ll take care of the rest here. There’s not much left to do.”

“I don’t mind helping you lock up,” Maeve replied.

“Go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

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