Rosaline gave him a grateful smile. Arthur Stratton reminded her of her own father, a strong, kind man who put his family first. Thomas was fortunate to have a living father who embodied everything that was good. She comforted herself with the thought that, even if Thomas never came around and warmed to his son again, he would always have Arthur. They both would.
She still hoped and prayed that Thomas would come around, and she was going to do everything in her power to see that he did.
Her attention was drawn to the sound of running water as they walked through the trees. Arthur had suggested they take a walk together after church. Hoping that Thomas would join them, she had suggested after breakfast that the family spend the afternoon together when the service had finished.
Thomas dismissed the suggestion with the excuse that he had work to do on the ranch, but Arthur had taken pity on her and asked if she would like to accompany him on a walk to his favorite place.
“Where is that?” she had asked.
“It’s a surprise,” he had replied with a wink.
The trees gave way to a scene that made Rosaline draw in her breath. The creek that ran along the border of the ranch was magnificent. The clear water bubbled over rocks and dipped in places that left dark pools, while thick trees bordered the water on each side.
“This is my favorite place on the whole ranch,” Arthur said triumphantly. “This is where I come to meet with God.”
“It’s beautiful,” Rosaline breathed.
“I knew you would like it. I thought we could take some time, just the two of us, and pray. I feel closest to God when I’m here by the water.”
“I would like that very much,” she said happily. The scene was enough to take anyone's breath away. It was evident why Arthur felt closest to God when he was here.
He lead her down the embankment to an outcropping of rocks where the water gently sloshed against the cool stones. He sat on one and motioned for Rosaline to pick a seat.
She lifted her skirts and carefully made her way across the pebbles and picked a rock that looked like a comfortable fit.
They sat across from each other in silence for a moment as Rosaline surveyed the surroundings, still awestruck by the beauty of the creek.
Arthur allowed her to take everything in before speaking again. “I like to start my prayer time by thanking God for all His blessings before I get to the tougher requests.”
Rosaline nodded and bowed her head, letting the sound of the water carry her into the presence of God.
“Father we want to thank you for your generous provision, for bringing Rosaline here to us. We know that she is an answer to our prayers. She is trying so hard to help our family.”
Rosaline felt grateful tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She had wondered if anyone besides Buena had noticed how hard she was trying.
“We ask that you give her your strength, Lord, and show her the way to build a friendship with Thomas.”
There was a lull in the prayer and Rosaline picked it up as naturally as if she were praying by herself in her room. “Open his heart, Lord. I only ask that you help us bring him to you. Let him see that all that anyone wants for him is to be whole again. Whole and happy in your presence. Help me to grow the friendship between us. May he believe that he can love his family again without fear.”
A few moments of silence passed. Rosaline opened her eyes to see tears streaming down Arthur’s cheeks. She stood and made her way to him. Placing her arm around his shoulders she continued to pray. “And thank you for Arthur, Lord. Thank you for his kind heart that leads this family in love.”
“Amen,” Arthur opened his eyes and gave Rosaline a grateful smile. “Thank you, lass.” He squeezed her hand and they sat for a moment longer in silence as the stream flowed and the birds sung in the trees.
Rosaline felt at peace in her heart. She knew exactly what she needed to do. She would show Thomas that the love of God was more than enough to bridge the gap between them and grow a beautiful friendship.
***
The sun was setting as Rosaline made her way to Thomas’s study. The door was ajar and light was pouring from the room. Knocking softly on the door, she waited. She knew how important his privacy was to him, and she would do everything within her power to respect that.
“Come in,” Thomas called from inside the room.
Rosaline pushed the door open and stepped into the study, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Good evening Thomas,” she smiled gently.
Thomas looked up and hurriedly shut the book he had been writing in. “Is something wrong? Is Robbie alright? Is it Pa?”
Rosaline realized that her coming into his personal space was new to Thomas, and hurried to put him at ease. “No, everyone is well. I just wanted to see how your day went, and if you needed anything?” She shuffled nervously in the doorway, not wanting to push in.
It reminded her of the last time she had shuffled nervously in a doorway. She unconsciously ran her thumb along the scar in her palm.
