Page 13 of Reunited with the Sheriff

“You’ve always been a man of faith,” she said in a bewildered voice. “If that’s true, how can you be so unforgiving?”

For a moment he didn’t answer her. He stood there like a statue, his eyes shooting daggers at her. His breathing sounded choppy and ragged. His eyes resembled glaciers—cold and unapproachable. His hands were clenched at his sides.

“I may be a man of faith, but even faith has limits. As long as my sister is still sitting in a wheelchair, I’m going to find it a bit difficult to forgive the woman who put her there.”

Chapter Four

Tate briskly walked away from the enclosure, nearly barreling headfirst into a pair of lovesick teenagers who crossed his path.

“Watch where you’re going!” he yelled as he stared down the couple, who were holding hands and making goo-goo eyes at each other. One word from him had them letting go of each other’s hands and muttering profuse apologies. For a moment he just stared at them as he battled the temptation to warn them about the perils of young love.

What good would it do? he asked himself. His teenaged self would never have listened to any adult advising him against falling in love with Cassidy. It had felt way too good at the time. And he’d been convinced that their love would last a lifetime. Young, stupid love.

At least he’d never been foolish enough to repeat that particular mistake again. Ever since then his heart had been off-limits.

He should never have sought out Cassidy at the bazaar. From the moment he’d arrived at the fairgrounds his radar had been on high alert. His gut instinct had told him that some of the townsfolk wouldn’t be able to resist hassling her. At first he’d watched from the sidelines before allowing himself to step into the breach. He hadn’t been able to stop himself. The sight of a vulnerable Cassidy, fighting back tears, had torn him up inside. Even when they were kids he’d never been able to resist playing the role of her protector. Clearly, not a lot had changed in that regard.

The moment he’d clapped eyes on her decked out in a romantic floral dress and a pair of tomato-red cowboy boots his heart had nearly popped out of his chest. It had been near impossible to keep his eyes off her.

It’s not like she’s the only beautiful woman in town, he reasoned with himself. But it wasn’t just about beauty, was it? It was about heart and soul and a hundred other things he couldn’t define.

The tender feelings she evoked in him left him feeling frustrated and unsure of himself. He could’ve sworn those feelings were dead and buried. He’d fallen out of love with Cassidy years ago. But this afternoon when he’d been in her presence, he’d felt more joyous than he’d felt in years. He’d felt alive. Wonderfully, achingly alive. And he hated himself for being so weak-minded, so up and down with his emotions.

But wasn’t it only natural to remember all they’d shared? Love. Friendship. Joy. Dreams of forever. It was so easy to slip back into the familiar rhythms of the past, to relive the glory days of their love story. He imagined it was normal to replay the past and how things used to be. But what he was feeling seemed so much bigger, so much more powerful than just a walk down memory lane. It seemed real.

Don’t be an idiot! There were so many things that trumped the old feelings she was bringing back. Holly. Loyalty. Betrayal. Honor.

Cassidy’s own words had caused him to second-guess everything he was feeling.

I don’t think you can solve your problems by running away from them.

When those words had come flying out of her mouth he’d almost challenged her on the spot. But his pride had reined him in. Had he been one of the problems she’d been running from? Is that why she’d called off their wedding and run off to another life in Phoenix?

It was all so confusing to him. The past he’d worked so hard to make peace with had caught up with him. How was he supposed to feel with Cassidy back in town and reminding him of everything he’d lost? He shut his eyes and did the one thing he knew would soothe his soul. Prayer. The only good thing that had come out of the accident was his relationship to God. In the ensuing days, weeks and months he’d turned to God to see him through Cassidy’s desertion and Holly’s paralysis. It had been the only solid thing he’d been able to hold on to when everything else in his life was falling apart.

And through prayer he’d learned the most important lesson of all. That the greatest peace lay in placing your burdens before God. Lord, please help me to deal with all my bitterness toward Cassidy. Help me to truly walk the path toward forgiveness and not harbor any anger or resentment.

“What’s got you looking so twisted up?”

The sound of Holly’s voice interrupted his prayers. He turned to his sister, noting the smirk on her face and the twinkle in her eye. She was wearing a T-shirt with the words This is How I Roll emblazoned on it, along with a picture of a wheelchair. Against his will Tate felt the corners of his mouth turning upward in a smile. As usual Holly’s indomitable spirit was awe-inspiring.

“What makes you think I’m twisted up about something?”

Holly smirked. “For starters you look madder than Rooster Cogburn.”

Rooster Cogburn was the Lynch family rooster. He was legendary for his feisty temperament. He ruled the Lynches’ ranch with an iron fist and raised a ruckus every morning at the crack of dawn. They’d named him after one of their favorite John Wayne movies.

“Not to mention the fact that you’re walking around mumbling under your breath,” she added with a knowing look. “That’s always a clear giveaway that you’re aggravated.”

Tate nodded, acknowledging Holly’s assessment. “I am...a little annoyed. But it’s no big deal. It’ll all blow over.”

Blow over? Yeah, right! It hadn’t blown over in eight years.

&n

bsp; “Humph. If you say so.” Holly was eying him skeptically, as if she didn’t believe him for a second.

He raised an eyebrow and scowled at his sister. “It isn’t every day I get compared to the family rooster.”

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