Rosaline’s voice carried over the congregation in the tiny chapel. Light was streaming through the stained glass windows as everyone looked up at her with friendly smiles.
“Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”
Her heart soared as Thomas smiled up at her from the front row in his best Sunday suit, his arms crossed over his chest.
Her dark green dress swayed slightly as she sang. Thomas had surprised her with a dress fitting before her grand performance. She smiled to herself. He had been referring to her singing in the church as her grand performance. He let her choose the color of the fabric as well as the style and cut.
“'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”
His smile widened as she lifted her voice to the heavens.
“Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.”
It was Thomas that had suggested she sing on Sundays. The proud look in his eyes when he suggested it to the church elders still made her stomach flutter. He was proud of her and her talents.
Unlike the Vosses who always belittled her gifts, Thomas and Arthur encouraged her to sing whatever she wanted. This was what she had always wanted, a home and a family that loved her.
“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures...”
The blood in her veins turned to ice as she caught a glimpse of a man in a top hat carrying a gold-tipped cane exit the church and disappear into the sunlight. She stammered on the last word and almost lost her place.
Thomas frowned and shot her a puzzled look. He was about to stand when she regained her composure and finished the song.
The congregation clapped politely as she curtsied and took her seat beside Thomas as the Reverend took up his position at the altar to finish the service.
“Are you alright?” Thomas leant in and whispered to her, squeezing her hand gently.
“Just got a little dizzy is all,” she smiled. There was no need to worry Thomas when it was probably just her imagination. It couldn’t have been Diedrick Voss, she reassured herself. Her mind was just playing tricks on her because she had been thinking of him.
Her nerves eased as Thomas held her hand for a moment or two before letting go and listening to the service. His presence and support made her feel safe. She loved him now more than she cared to admit to anyone but herself.
Thomas had made so much progress since she came to the ranch. He was now regularly attending church on Sundays and committing his life back to God. Admittedly she wanted him to return her love, but God had already blessed her with so much. She had a loving home and a God-fearing family that encouraged her to grow her talents and sing the hymns she treasured so dearly. She felt that asking or even hoping for more would be selfish.
God had already given her more than she had originally asked for, yet there was still an inner voice that longed for a child of her own when she held Robbie in her arms. Robbie was her son and she loved him dearly, yet she wanted to know how it felt to carry a child inside of herself.
Her thoughts were drawn back to the service as the Reverend asked the congregation to bow their heads in prayer.
She closed her eyes and prayed that the man she had seen was not Diedrick Voss.
