When All My Dreams Come True (29 page)

Once they were at a safe distance, Bobbie climbed onto the saddle. Mack snorted and pranced, eager to be on his way, waiting for her command that would set him free. She patted his neck. She had wanted to do this for days. A few weeks ago while out rounding up horses, she found a beautiful spot overlooking the river. A perfect place for prayer. The fact that it would take a brisk ride to get there only added to the pleasure of her outing.

She nudged Mack with her heels, and he sprang into action. Within seconds, he stretched out into a full gallop. She whooped and laughed with sheer joy at the feel of the wind skimming across her face. How could she ever describe to anyone how wonderful it felt to be free? Free to move about as she wished, and free from the sinful life that had enslaved her. Her heart felt as though it would jump from her chest.

When they neared the river, she reined Mack to a slow walk. The sun began its ascent and made the dew on the leaves and grass glisten like diamonds. Water ran in the distance as the birds greeted the morning in song.

She stopped and breathed in the beauty of the day. Gone were the solitary days of the past. God had filled her with His Spirit, and she would never be alone again.

She nudged Mack forward. When she found the boulder she sought, she dismounted and tied the reins to a branch. She approached the rock with a sense of reverence.

Bobbie placed the toe of her boot on a lip of the boulder, but her foot promptly slipped off. She tried again, to no avail. The dew she admired earlier now became a hindrance. She walked around the rock looking for a better foothold, carefully avoiding the drop-off to the river only feet away. None could be found. Not about to be deterred, she walked back to where she started. She pulled off her boots and placed her foot, now only in stockings, on the lip and pushed herself on top. She grinned at her success—and her wet feet. The smile turned to a frown at the idea of a wet bottom.

She looked up and whistled. “Come here, Mack.” When the branch pulled at his rein, he stopped. She called him again, and he tugged until the branch snapped. She released the blanket from the saddle, then sent Mack away, not liking him so close to the drop-off.

She placed the blanket on the rock, sat, and gazed around. The view looked just as she remembered only now it seemed more beautiful. She bowed her head and praised God for His goodness and love. Time stopped as she poured out her heart.

Jace jumped out of bed. The sun hovered near the top of his window instead of at the sill. He shouldn’t have stayed up late praying and thinking. Now, he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to find Bobbie alone. He needed to talk to her.

He threw on his clothes and hurried to Annie’s, hoping she still had some breakfast. His sister’s eyebrows went up when he rushed into the kitchen.

“I overslept.” Bobbie’s bedroom door was still closed. He jerked his head toward it. “She’s not up yet?”

“I guess not. I figured she had trouble sleeping.” Annie stopped scrubbing the pot long enough to look at him. “Is something wrong? You look, I don’t know...anxious I guess.”

“I need to talk to Bobbie.”

“Then go ahead and knock.”

He tapped on Bobbie’s door but didn’t hear a response. Tapping again, he turned the knob while calling her name. “Bobbie?” Inside, her bed lay neatly made. He returned to the kitchen. “She’s not in there.”

Annie stopped scrubbing and looked at him.

He read concern on his sister’s face and shrugged. “She must be out watching the sun come up. She likes the sunrise. I’m going to look for her.”

Jace checked the porch before heading toward the barn. Maybe
she was getting Mack saddled for the day. When he found the stall empty, he ran back outside and scanned the ranch site looking for her big bay. Nothing. He headed back to Annie’s house, stepped inside the kitchen, and let the door slam behind him.

“Mack is gone. Did Bobbie say anything to you about going for a ride this morning?”

“No.” Annie walked into Bobbie’s room and checked the dresser. Her clothes were folded in neat piles inside. Annie slid the drawer shut, the worried frown gone from her face.

“Why did you look in her dresser?”

“I don’t know, Jace. I guess I needed to know for sure. She seems happy enough, but she’s never done anything like this before. I just wanted to check.”

“Well, her bed’s made so I don’t think anyone took her from here.”

“What? What do you mean, Jace?”

He could have torn out his tongue when he saw the alarm on his sister’s face. “Now, Annie—”

“You think someone’s still after her? She said there’s one more robber out there. Do you think he’s trying to kill her? Is that why you’re making her stay close to the ranch?”

Jace ran his hands through his hair. “I’m not sure.”

“Jace!”

He pulled Annie toward him to calm her down, but she pushed away.

“Why are you still standing here? Go find her!”

He ran for his horse and was about to climb onto the saddle when he saw his cook walking with a purposeful stride toward him.

“What’s up, Beans? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“You going to look for Bobbie?”

Jace nodded, and Beans pointed to the mountains toward the west. “I saw her head off in that direction.” When Jace moved to leave, Beans grabbed his arm. “You tell her whatever it takes to make her stay.”

“What’re you trying to say, Beans? You think she wants to leave?”

Beans shuffled his feet, eyes downcast. “I don’t know, Jace. I just know she’s acting different.” He shrugged. “I know she wants her own place. Maybe she thinks it’s past time to be looking for it.”

His old friend may as well have stuck a knife in his gut. “Thanks for the help.”

“You know, she’s quite a girl, boss.”

Jace smiled. “That she is, Beans.”

He mounted his horse and headed toward the mountains. He rode for over an hour and still hadn’t found her. Twice he thought he’d seen her, only to come up empty. He headed toward the river, though he could think of no reason why she would need to be in that area.

He was about to head east when he spotted Mack in the distance. He peered around trying to get a glimpse of Bobbie as well. She sat on a large rock, her back against another one overlooking the river flowing below. He left his horse behind a thick cluster of bushes.

A twig snapped, and Bobbie grabbed for her pistol. A deer stepped into an opening between them. Bobbie smiled as the buck sniffed its surroundings. The tail flipped up into the air, and the deer ran off into the woods. Bobbie drew her legs up and rested her forehead on her knees, her hands folded in front of her.

He walked up to where she sat, trying to be as quiet as possible. He leaned on a nearby rock and watched her. After several minutes, her head came up, and she stared straight ahead with a peaceful look on her face.

“You’re a tough lady to find.”

Bobbie jumped, her head snapping in his direction.

He smiled. “Hi, Bobbie.”

“Good morning, Jace. How’d you find me?”

“It wasn’t easy. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have found you at all if Beans hadn’t pointed me in this direction. Were you trying to hide?”

She looked straight ahead again. “No. I just wanted some time alone. I left a note on the bed.”

“It must have blown off. We didn’t see it.”

“We?”

“Annie didn’t see it either.”

Bobbie nodded, then motioned to her surroundings. “I found this place while rounding up your horses. I thought it was pretty.”

“It is.” He paused. “Do you still want some time alone?”

“No. I was about to head back.”

Jace leaned on the boulder and waited in silence for her to look at him. In a few minutes, she turned to him, her eyebrows raised. He glanced away and cleared his throat, then removed his hat and twisted it in his hands.

“I need to talk to you about something.” He could feel her staring, waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t return the gaze. He cleared his throat again. “Well actually, I need to tell you something. Confess really.”

“What is it, Jace?” Her voice was all business.

He rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “I could have stopped that man from touching you, Bobbie.” He looked up when she didn’t respond and could tell by her expression he had her full attention.

Bobbie shook her head as though he’d slapped her. “What?”

He stared into the distance. “David and I were about to ride from the butte into the valley when we saw you talking to those men. David wanted to race down there right away, but I...I stopped him.”

Silence.

“Why, Jace?”

He couldn’t get the words past his tight throat.

“Why did you stop David?” The pitch of her voice sliced him to his core.

He forced himself to face her. “Because...when I saw you with those men, the only thing I could think of was the letter to Morgan about the woman robber and her two companions. In my eyes, it confirmed your guilt.”

Bobbie gasped, and he knew he had hurt her more than he’d feared. If only there was a way to take everything back. Start over.

“I’m sorry, Bobbie. I’m sorry I doubted your innocence. Can you ever forgive me?”

She turned away from him and swiped her sleeve across her eyes. He remained silent. There were no words.

“Why did you think I was guilty? What made you turn on me, Jace?”

The pain in her voice tore at his heart. “It was my own fault. I allowed someone’s suspicions to sway what I knew to be right. I’m the only one to blame.”

“What’d Coop tell you?”

Jace shook his head. “That’s not important anymore. I just wish I had figured out the lies before it was too late. I’m sorry, Bobbie. I hope one day you can forgive me.”

“I already have.”

Her words gave him the courage to finish saying what he’d come for to begin with. “I need to tell you something else.”

She turned to look at him, a look of unease in her eyes. He set his hat on the rock. He’d tortured it enough.

“I care about you, Bobbie.” Jace stopped. “No, that’s not right.” He looked into her eyes. “I’m in love with you, Bobbie.”

Her brow furrowed, and she dipped her head so he could no longer see her face.

“I know that doesn’t make much sense after the way I treated you the last couple weeks. Maybe my feelings for you scared me, and I needed an excuse to turn them away. I’m not really sure right now. What I am sure of is how I feel about you. I don’t ever want you to leave this ranch. I want you here by my side for the rest of our lives.”

It was time to stay silent for a while. After several moments had passed without a response, he took her chin in his hand and turned her face toward him. Bobbie didn’t pull away, and hope rose. “You didn’t react when I told you I loved you.”

Bobbie smiled, but the sadness in her eyes remained. “I guess that’s because love for you is different than what I call love.”

“Love is love, Bobbie. Don’t make this difficult for me.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Jace. Honestly.” Her tone was calm, almost sympathetic. “As far as I know, love grows from friendship and trust.”

“Haven’t I been a friend to you?” He kept his eyes trained on her face.

“Hey, I admire you for giving a woman a job as a wrangler. But if you couldn’t trust me as a ranch hand, you’d never trust me with your heart.”

“You said you forgave my mistake. Are you telling me different now?” Jace reached for her arm, but she twisted away from him.

“I told you the truth.” Bobbie slapped her hand over her heart. “I do forgive you, Jace, but I’d always have to prove myself to you.” She shrugged and kicked at the boulder. “I’m used to having to prove myself. You did no different than the rest, so don’t feel bad or—”

“No different than the rest?” Jace grasped her hand and pulled her close. “Do you have any idea what you do to my heart? How it threatened to pound through my rib cage when you ran your fingers through my hair while you were cutting it? Or the way it begs for you to send a smile my way?”

Bobbie tried to pull free, her tongue wetting her lips. The sight sent a shock through his nerves. He wanted to kiss her. He leaned in further until their lips were a breath away. She pushed against his chest.

“Don’t, Jace.” Fear and apprehension clouded her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair as he turned away. “I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

A moment of silence passed before she touched his arm. “Maybe I just need more time.”

He held out his hand. She put hers into it and let him help her down from the rock. She leaned against it to replace her boots while he reached to grab her blanket. He thrust his crumpled hat on his head.

Her hand settled like a feather on his arm. “Thank you for coming to talk to me, Jace. It helped ease a lot of hurts.”

“I should have done it sooner.”

She sent him a tentative smile and climbed into the saddle. “It’s enough that you did it.”

They rode at a slow pace until they reached the clearing. Then Bobbie grinned at him. Before he could react, she and Mack took off at a gallop. He gave a whoop and spurred his horse after her. Her laughter floated back to him and he smiled. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait as long as he thought.