(Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
“I love the message behind this verse that gives us hope,” She looked up and smiled at the others. “It reminds us that no matter how far we stray from God or where the winding paths of life may take us, there is nothing we can do that will take us away from his love.”
She watched as the corners of Thomas’ mouth curved up as he looked down at his son nodding off in his lap.Thank you that we are finally getting through to him, Lord,she prayed silently before continuing.
“If it was because of our works, I know that none of us would be saved. We are all sinners that fall short of the grace of God, in one way or another.”
“Amen,” Arthur nodded.
(Deuteronomy 31:6-8) “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
“Here we saw how we need one another to move forward into the places that God has promised us. We become each other's strength when we walk together in Christ as a family unit. Encouraging and protecting one another.”
Arthur nodded. “I don’t think I could have done a better reading if I tried, lass,” He winked at her. “You two better be off.” He stood and lifted a sleeping Robbie into his arms and laid the child’s head against his shoulder. “I’ll put this little chap to bed.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go with Arthur? I can stay here with Robbie if you’d like to go to the dance instead,” Rosaline offered.
“Oh no lass, I'm far too old for that kind of thing.” He winked at her again. “Besides, I hear that your performance from last Sunday has gathered quite a bit of attention. I’d make a poor replacement if I showed up to sing.”
Thomas laughed as he stood and retrieved his guitar from the kitchen table. He no longer kept it hidden in his study. He walked over to Rosaline and placed a hand on her shoulder. She breathed heavily as the tips of his fingers brushed against the smooth skin of her neck.
“Pa has everything in hand here. Shall we go?”
***
Rosaline sang as Thomas played his guitar and the crowd clapped and danced in two straight lines, hopping and twirling in a series of country dances.
One of the ranch owners just outside of town had cleared an old barn to be used for the dance. Bales of hay were pilled along the walls to serve as benches for the guests, and a few sheets of white linen hung over some bales to serve as makeshift tables for the drinks.
The crowd cheered and applauded as the song ended. Rosaline caught her breath as other musicians came forward with guitars to take over the next song.
A handsome young rancher came up to Rosaline and asked her if she’d care to dance.
Thomas took her elbow and steered her away before she had a chance to politely decline. “My wife and I would like a moment to catch our breaths, perhaps another time.”
“Of course,” the young man smiled politely and backed away.
Rosaline’s heart thudded in her chest, Thomas had referred to her for the very first time as his wife. Legally she knew that they were married, and she was his wife in name. Hearing him refer to her as his wife sparked feelings inside of her that she wasn’t sure she wanted to face. If anything progressed beyond the growing friendship between them, she didn’t know if she would be able to hold back her feelings for him.
He steered her out of the barn and around the corner into a quiet section of the tree-lined yard.
The light breeze rustled the leaves and cooled her hot skin, making her hug her arms around her waist.
“Are you cold?” Thomas asked as he began to remove his jacket.
“No, it’s just a little chilly but I’ll be...” She began to protest but was silenced when he swung his coat over her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around her.
“That should help,” he said as he smoothed the fabric down her arms.
She could feel the heat of his hands through the jacket.
“You sang beautifully this evening,” he said, not moving back.
He was close enough to kiss her forehead, she thought to herself, a little panicked at the situation.
