Page 80 of Relentless

No more processing old wounds, they could go back right where they belonged —

Buried and forgotten.

And Shep.

She even felt a spark over seeing her husband again — in small doses, of course.

Harper exhaled in relief, plopping down on the bed. She folded a pair of jeans, and placed them in her suitcase.

The thought of Shep gave her the desire to reach out and let him know that, despite their harsh arguments over the last year, she was still so very proud of him.

Pulling out her phone, she fired off a quick text.

Harper — typing…

I heard the good news, my love.

I’m in Montana. Send the jet.

Chapter 23

No Vacancy

Maeve stood at the wall of windows overlooking the pasture, watching a deer traipse peacefully by. The sun was dipping behind the distant mountain range. Snow had blanketed the roads all afternoon, causing even more closures on the windy mountain roads. Despite the terrible conditions, Dallas was still promising to be home that evening. No matter how many times she had bombarded him with texts asking that he pull off the highway, that hard-headed man wouldn’t budge. She smiled, taking a long drink from her mug.

They were both stubborn and strong-willed in a way that smoothed out their rough edges.

She did her best to keep the worst-case scenarios from creeping into her mind, quietly handing her worries over to the Lord.

The front door slammed shut with a gust of blustery wind, signaling Oakleigh and Crew had returned from their afternoon chores. They shook the snow off their coats and stamped their boots on the mat before yanking them off and leavingthem by the doorway. Crew took Oakleigh’s hand, leading her through the house and into the kitchen.

“Fresh coffee on the stove,” Maeve announced as if they didn’t already know.

Oakleigh pulled two mugs down and tipped the percolator, filling them nearly to the brim. She splashed some cream in each, followed by two heaping spoonfuls of sugar.

Maeve came beside her and topped off her mug.

“Late night tonight?” Oakleigh observed.

“I think so,” Maeve replied, raising an eyebrow as she inspected Crew’s coffee. “Oh, not you too, kid.”

He pulled the mug to his lips, and took a long sip. “Life used to be plain and simple, like my coffee,” he chuckled.

Oakleigh gasped, giving him a sharp elbow.

“Well, you can kiss those days goodbye.”

“Gladly,” Crew whispered.

Her expression transformed into a satisfied smile as Crew tilted her chin, and gave her a tender kiss.

“All right, settle down,” Maeve chimed in with an amused smile. “We have some business to discuss.”

Setting her mug down on the counter, Maeve crossed her arms. “We’ve got a competition coming up,” she reminded. “You feeling ready?”

“Sure am,” Crew replied with a confident grin. “I even heard Stetson’s back in town, and running his mouth.”

His longtime rival had rarely been seen around White Bridge since the night of Crew’s accident.

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