Chapter 36
The atmosphere that evening at dinner was vivacious. Adam had asked Mrs. Harrison permission for Olivia to spend the day with him. The matron had grudgingly agreed, afraid that Olivia wouldn’t return.
“I give you my word that I’ll bring her back after supper,” he had promised before the woman had smiled and given them her blessings to leave the orphanage.
Ignoring everyone in the town who had wanted to speak with him, Adam had taken Olivia back to the ranch. He had chosen not to speak to the townsfolk for his cheerful mood not to change. Many of them had wanted to sympathize over the loss of his job with him, but he hadn’t wanted anybody’s empathy. In retrospect, he now saw being relieved of his job as a blessing. He would never have known how arrogant he had become, he would not have found God again, and mostly, he would have lost Olivia.
Watching her now as she laughed with Cora seated beside her at the table, he was glad he had returned to Ruby Rock to see her. He would have left with a terrible ache in his heart and would have regretted it for the rest of his life.
Adam’s heart lifted with joy as he gazed around the table at his family and the woman he loved. Everyone had been overjoyed at the news that he was back to being a Christian. It felt a little strange to him that all he wanted to do now was talk to God and study the bible. It was as if he was trying to catch up with all the years he had spent being far away from his creator. Above all, he felt so much peace inside him; he wanted the entire world to know.
“You can’t stop staring at her, can you?” Stephen whispered beside him and Adam’s face turned beet red.
He hadn’t realized that while others conversed and laughed as they ate, he had fixed his gaze on Olivia’s lively face.
“Don’t be ashamed of it, brother. Love does that to us all.”
“I think I understand now,” he whispered back.
Just then, Olivia’s eyes met his, and they shared a warm smile between each other. Adam felt it was a miracle she reciprocated his love. That a wonderful woman like Olivia loved him completely humbled him. He would strive to make her happy and God willing, he would never hurt her again.
When dinner was over, the men retired to the living room while the women stayed back to do the dishes. Cora and Olivia told Annie they could do it, but she insisted on being with them.
“The two of you cooked that sumptuous dinner. The least I can do is help with the plates,” she protested.
“Not in that condition.” Cora declined the offer.
And so, Annie stayed in the living room with the men and played card games with Adam until the other women joined them. A lightness in the atmosphere that wasn’t usually there whenever they gathered like that made Adam know what had been missing. His family could now talk freely about God without him either walking away or butting in with sarcastic comments.
What an odious fellow I have been!
“How were you all able to stand me?” he couldn’t help asking after they had talked about God’s mercy in the person of Paul in the bible.
Cora smiled and patted his hand. “It was by the grace of God, Adam.”
Boone added, “On the cross, Jesus told his father, ‘Forgive them for they know not what they’re doing.’ Those were the words He told me whenever you upset me concerning my faith in God. So, whenever I saw someone who wasn’t willing to listen to the Word of God and cast aspersions about it, I tell myself those words and they help me to move on.”
Annie nodded. “We all have different views in life and in some way have been shaped by our pasts. So, I don’t try to force my own opinions on faith on anyone. The Holy Spirit is the converter. I can’t do His work for Him. All I can do is pray for the person, which we have been doing for you.”
Adam was short of words. Truly, even though he had been an ardent Christian when he was younger, he still had a lot to learn as a Christian.
Boone led the prayers when it was time for Olivia to leave. It surprised Adam when his foster father prayed about the case. He had completely forgotten about it. All he had done was to ask God to take control, and then he had let it go. But he asked God for help to bring Gabe Winters down.
Adam walked Olivia back to the orphanage. The moonlit night reminded him of the time they had made such a journey. He had failed to kiss her that night, but he didn’t make the mistake this time. He took her in his arms and gave her a chaste goodnight kiss. They planned on spending the following day in the next town as Olivia had never been anywhere other than Ruby Rock. He looked forward to it.
“Goodnight, my love.”
She cupped his cheek with a dazzling smile on her face. “Goodnight, my darling.”
His heart swelled with joy as she walked into the compound. Indeed, love was the greatest of all.
Adam just walked past the inn when someone grabbed him from behind. Instinctively, he thought it was one of Gabe’s men sent to do him in. Speedily, he wrenched himself from the man’s hold, turned around, and punched him in the stomach.
The man cursed, coughing as he doubled over. “It’s me, Lancaster. It’s Carlton!”
Adam’s brows shot up! “Carlton? What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. What else?”
