Page 107 of Forever After All

Ridge was quiet for a moment before answering. “Tomorrow afternoon, if things don’t change. I’ll ask Cheyenne to keep an eye on it for you. She’ll give you a call when it gets closer.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. I better get going. Sounds like I have wood to chop as soon as the sun comes up.”

“You need me to ride out? I can be there in a couple of days.”

“I can handle it. Thanks for the offer though.”

“Take care, man.”

Linc slid the phone into his pocket and rested his head in his hands. If they had a storm coming, it might bring sleet or snow at this altitude. They needed a functional fireplace ASAP. The wood stove would be fine until tomorrow.

Jess was counting on him. The ranch was counting on him. His friends were counting on him.

The pressure should have been crushing, yet having people around who trusted him to do his job and take care of things that mattered meant he had something worth fighting for.

That’s what had been missing in his life before coming here. He’d lived a life looking out for himself. He’d choose this life over the old one every time.

The scare with Jess earlier left something unsettled in his chest. She was fine. Why couldn’t he convince himself to relax?

Because the nagging feeling wasn’t just about Jess. It was a call from his heart.

Good grief, he was turning into a sap, but at least he was a sap who knew a call when he heard it.

Leaving his head in his hands, he whispered into the quiet night. “Okay, God. You have my attention.”

He sighed and let the pressure ease as he submitted to the Lord. “You have my attention. Sorry I didn’t listen before.” He swallowed hard. “But You got me by the throat today. I’m glad You saved Jess because I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s the woman I want in my life, but I guess You had that planned. I have to say, I like the way You work things out sometimes. She led me here.

“I’ve been running, but I don’t want to anymore. I know You’re here. I know You know better than I do, and I want that. I want to trust what You have planned for me. I want to do better. I’ve done things all wrong, but I want to change that.”

Linc rubbed his hands over his face and clasped them in front of him. “I hear You know how to forgive people, but I’ve done a lot. I guess You know that. I’m ready to own up to all those things and ask if You can really forgive all that I’ve done. I want You in my life.”

Linc sat there for a moment, breathing through the resignation taking root in his life. He wanted to hand it all over–his life, his trust, and his soul–to the Lord.

Finally, he whispered, “I’m not worthy, but please love me anyway.”

He bit the inside of his cheek and lifted his head. The forest was still dark, and the air was still icy. Nothing around him had changed, but everything inside him had shifted, welcoming a new alliance with the One who had his best interests in mind.

Chapter33

Jess

It had been a full twenty-four hours since she decided to fall off the face of the earth, and someone had apparently sewn Linc’s mouth shut because he’d been quieter than usual.

What was quieter than quiet? Lincoln North.

Jess stared at him across the fire where they’d been eating lunch for the last ten minutes. The only reason they were still sitting was because Linc had gone for seconds of her less-than-stellar oatmeal.

She’d watched him for the entire ten minutes, and he hadn’t looked at her once. Oh, he’d thanked her for cooking, which had been a real feat with only one working arm, but other than that, the entire day had been silent.

Her nostrils flared as the pressure in her gut built. It was probably impolite to just outright ask him what was wrong, but she didn’t like knowing thatsomethingwas bothering him.

Linc stood and held out a hand for her bowl. “I’ll clean up. You go rest.”

“I’ve done nothing but rest, and I need to do something.”

Linc shook his head, still averting his gaze. “I don’t know what’s wrong with your shoulder yet, but using it might do more harm than good.”

“Jameson said it was probably just bruised. I’ll be fine. I just hit a rock the wrong way.”

---