Page 87 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

“You were worried about me even before Paul proved his idiocy?”

His fingers tightened against her waist. “I’ve been aware of you since college.”

“Right. But enough to be troubled?”

“I knew Paul wasn’t good enough for you.” Graham sighed. “I’m glad he proved it. Not sure your parents believe it yet, though.” Did he dare ask how things had played out since he’d bought their house in Cadence’s name?

“I’m not sure, either. I think they might come around. At least, Mom admitted to me she was the one gambling. She wanted so much to give me a fabulous society wedding and she just…” Cadence’s voice broke.

Graham tugged her close as she wept into his chest. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

She sniffled. “It’s not your fault.”

“I know.” Some days it seemed everything was his fault, but not this.

“But you helped fix it.”

“I tried.”

“You did more than try. What you did blows my mind away. I don’t know what to do with a house in Hinsdale.”

He managed a smile — not that she was looking — as he rubbed her shoulder. “It might come in handy someday. Or you can just let your parents live there.”

“Mom’s going into rehab.”

That caught Graham’s attention. “Really?” It was more than he’d hoped. He’d kind of figured he was throwing dollar bills into the void, but he’d done it for Cadence, not her parents, so it didn’t matter.

“Next week. Dad finally pushed her to face up to the gambling.”

“I’m so happy for them. For you.”

Cadence dabbed at her eyes. “I hope it makes the difference long term.”

“If they turn things over to God, it will.”

“God.” She offered a light chuckle. “Who knew He was so into our everyday business?”

“Grandfather has tried to drill that into my head. My mom and dad… a bit less so, though they took me to church growing up. They’re kind of distracted these days with all the trappings. Busy-ness with the company. Keeping up appearances.”

“My parents, too. They had money — less than you grew up with, for sure, but more than most. But the almighty dollar danced in front of them and made them forget everything else in pursuit of it.”

Graham sat with the thought for a moment. Wasn’t that what Grandfather had talked about the other day? How hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God because they felt they were self-made and didn’t need God?

When all the trappings were stripped away, though, all people were equal in their need of God. Whether they were rich or poor, Black or white, educated or not… wasn’t that what the Apostle Paul had said in Galatians?

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Graham had been surrounded by his bubble of privilege his entire life, while he had cousins who didn’t know to whom they belonged. Somehow Eleanor had instilled her faith in God in Nadine, and Nadine had shared it with her sons. Was Weston a believer? Was Jude? Neither of them had overtly said, one way or the other, though they sat in the Sullivan pew of a Sunday morning.

“So… Montana?” Cadence prodded.

“It’s an option,” he admitted. “Much as Past Me would laugh uproariously at the thought.”

She chuckled. “Me, too. I like it here.” Her foot hooked around his in the cool water as her fingers tangled with his. “But then, I’ve always liked horses.”

Graham’s shoulder still twinged from his earlier spill. “It wasn’t Ranger’s fault today.”

“He sensed what was going on with that skunk before we did.” She angled to look up at him. “Will you ride him again?”

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