Page 98 of Falling for the Cowgirl
“Months?” Dylan started back through the maze of desks toward Tipton. “And he’s just now bothering to let me know?” Dylan tamped down his rising irritation. Elijah Bliss was a drunk and had been for years. Getting angry at the man wouldn’t do any good. In fact, Dylan was mighty lucky Mr. Bliss had the wherewithal to bring it to the police station at all, much less late.
As Dylan took it, his heart gave an extra beat at the sight of his friend’s handwriting. The envelope was open—no doubt Mr. Bliss had read the letter from his son. Tipton poked at the pastrami before he took a big bite, avoiding Dylan’s gaze. No doubt Tipton had read the contents too.
Dylan made it to his desk, flipped open the flap, retrieved the sheet within, and unfolded it to reveal more of Jericho’s handwriting. Dylan had no right to pray or hope Bliss wasn’t giving him bad news, but what other reason did family have for writing except to tell of deaths?
He scanned the date from November of last year—over six months ago. He closed his eyes and took a deep, painful breath. When he began reading again, he couldn’t keep hishands from shaking. There was no denying it. He missed his family and had since the day he’d arrived in Chicago.
Flynn had sent a few letters directly to the police station a couple of times after Bliss had told the family about their life in Chicago. But he hadn’t known what to say in reply to his brother’s letters and so hadn’t responded at all. What was the use in communicating with family? He wouldn’t be able to return to South Park and see them again. Not with the death warrant hanging over his head for unpaid gambling debts.
Dylan focused on the words penned on the paper telling of Bliss and Ivy getting married on his first night back, Ivy’s small ranch, and her venture in raising sheep. Bliss was still working for Pinkerton and searching for outlaws, but his traveling didn’t take him far from home for long.
Dylan’s muscles tightened. When was the bad news coming? It was just a matter of time before it would. Bliss probably saved it for the end of the letter.
His attention skipped to the final paragraph.“Ivy and I both agreed on what to do with the reward money. We took the gold to Bat and paid off your gambling debts and ended the death warrant. That means you’re free. You can come back to Colorado. We want you to come home. Everyone does....”
Dylan’s pulse tapered to a halt. Ivy and Bliss had paid off his gambling debt to Bat and his gang? The amount had been inordinate, too much for a working man to ever repay honestly. He’d long ago given up hope that he’d be free of the debt. But he vaguely remembered Bliss’s tale of finding stolen gold last year with Ivy. Apparently, they’d been rewarded for returning the treasure.
And they’d used their reward to help a scoundrel like him.
Hot tears stung the backs of his eyes. He lowered himself into his chair. Why would they use the gold on him? He didn’t deserve a single nugget. Not after the way he’d lived. Not after the mistakes he’d made. Not after the trouble he’d brought to his family. Not after the angry way he’d parted with Bliss, making all kinds of accusations against his friend.
Surely Ivy and Bliss needed the gold to build up Ivy’s ranch and purchase sheep. They could use it to invest in more land. They didn’t have to erase a debt he’d brought upon himself by his own foolishness and stupidity. He never should have been gambling in the first place. Or drinking.
He read the last paragraph again.We want you to come home. Everyone does.They’d not only paid off the money he owed, but they were inviting him to come home.
His throat pinched, and tears clouded his vision.
Home. Was it really possible he could return? Without the debt and the death warrant, nothing was stopping him. He would be free.Free.For the first time in years.
Dylan dropped his head and let the tears flow. Hot moisture dripped onto his palms. Ivy and Bliss were forgiving him and giving him a new chance at life. What if that was what God was offering him too? The opportunity to accept His forgiveness and move forward with a new life?
A tremor shimmied through Dylan. He wasn’t worthy of a second chance from his family or from God. But what if he accepted this gift? What if he left today and never looked back at his old life? What if he allowed God to work in him to clean him up and change him? Was that even possible?
Even as doubts assailed him, Dylan knew deep in his bones that he could do nothing less than give it a try. He was so tired of living in misery and being such a failure. He wantedto become the kind of man who would make his family proud. Maybe he’d never been able to live up to his brothers’ reputations. But somehow, now, with this gift of God’s grace and mercy, Dylan wanted to try—really try—to live rightly before God and man.
He sucked in a deep breath, wiped his eyes, and smiled.
He was finally going home.
