Page 10 of Relentless

It just wasn’t Oakleigh’s day as the grumbling voice of their cantankerous neighbor interrupted her peace.

“You Callaways think you’re the only competition in town,” Sam snarked. “Well, you just wait and see.”

Rarely did Sam and Amos come to the coffee shop at the same time since the two crabby old men couldn’t bear to be under the same roof.

Without another word, Oakleigh picked up her drinks and gave Audrey a double thumbs up, backing her way out the door.

“You’ve got this, girl!”

The loud jingle drowned out any of Audrey’s protests as Oakleigh retraced her steps down Main Street.

When she finally arrived back at the feed store, Crew had just finished loading the animals into the truck bed. Four crates were packed in tightly, each with an adorable baby goat inside.

“Awww!” she swooned. “They look like puppies.”

“If you thought the goats were cute,” Crew said, his eyes twinkling as he drew her attention to a cardboard box emitting a cacophony of sharp chirps.

Oakleigh popped open the lid and gasped as her eyes connected with the hoard of little yellow chicks. She practically squealed as she shoved the drinks into Crew’s hands before nabbing a squeaking puffball and drawing it to her cheek.

“They’re so soft!”

Crew chuckled. “They won’t stay that way for long, you know,” he reminded. “Murphy thinks you’re absolutely nuts for ordering baby animals right before winter.”

“They’ll be fine,” she insisted, dashing away his concern.

“Well,” Crew began. “He was so thrilled with the sale that he threw in a rooster.”

“Let me see!” she gasped.

He opened one of the crates to reveal a bright orange and black bird with frantic wisps of feathers just above his eyes. Its familiar blank expression reminded her of someone.

“Audrey, is that you?” she smirked.

“Mean,” Crew snorted, nudging her with his elbow. “Is that what you’re going to name him?”

“No,” Oakleigh replied, giving him a conspiratorial glance. “Well — maybe.”

“Why don’t you take a vote,” he suggested. “See what the followers say.”

“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” she beamed, giving him a grateful peck on the lips.

Before the ranch truck rumbled across the bridge, Oakleigh remembered to check in at the new church building. After all the hard work it took to finish, they were finally in the home stretch. The steeple was in place, and they were simply waiting on a few last-minute details.

“Hey, love,” Oakleigh chimed. “Let’s post an update.” Although she had explicitly promised to stop drawing attention to the town, Oakleigh also had an obligation to herfollowers. They had enthusiastically raised nearly every dime for the church project, she rationalized — plus, she desperately needed content. With all that in mind, she snapped a quick selfie with her handsome blonde cowboy beside her. The rustic white church with beautiful black trim made the most beautiful, charming backdrop that pushed all hesitation from her mind.

She typed out the caption —

See you in two weeks.

With a tap of her finger, it posted.

“You think two weeks, huh?” Crew asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

Oakleigh shrugged.

“If it takes a bit longer, I’ll just post an update.”

By the time they returned to the ranch house and unpacked the animals, Oakleigh was exhausted. The sun had just begun to dip below the distant mountain range, and she still had one last task to accomplish before she could finally unwind.

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