“I’ve come to see you. I—” Whatever he’d meant to say vanished.
She waved a letter before him. “I wrote you. I was about to mail it. Here.” She thrust it into his hands. “Read it.”
He looked at the envelope.
“Not here.” She led him into a little clearing in a grove.
He broke the seal, unfolded the sheet of paper, and proceeded to read. A lump grew in his throat at her words asking for forgiveness. The lump expanded when he read her closing.Love.
“I’m so sorry for being judgmental.” Her voice wobbled. “I can’t hold on to the past and move forward.”
“I forgive you.” He choked back the lump. “I realized I needed to forgive my pa if I wanted to live a life free of that memory.”
“We’ve both had to learn about forgiveness.”
He rattled the letter. “Love, Addie?”
She lowered her head, but not before he glimpsed the red creep into her cheeks.
He caught her chin and tipped it upward, waiting forher eyes to lift to his. “Are you saying what I hope you’re saying?”
“I guess that depends. What do you hope for?”
“That love is a possibility between us.”
Her eyes shone. “I hope it is because that’s how I feel.”
“You love me?” His words were only a whisper. “Even though?—”
She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “For whoyouare.”
He whooped, sending birds from the trees in startled protest, and pulled her into his arms. “Addie Stone, I love you with my whole heart.” He lowered his head and caught her ready lips with his.
Epilogue
Addie snuggled close to Nash as the wagon rattled over the narrow trail to his ranch.
In the days and weeks following their admission of love, he had come to town often. As they spent time together, walking and talking, sitting with the Stones over a meal, or attending church, her love for him had grown. He was everything she needed and wanted.
They journeyed to his ranch in his wagon—her first visit to what would be their future home. The narrow trail wound around rocks, and at times, the edge of the road dropped away, sending her heart plummeting to her toes. But it gave her reason to cling to Nash’s side.
She laughed with joy.
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Happy?”
“So happy. For the most part, I’ve welcomed the life the Stones lived—moving often. It protected me from getting too close to people. But being with you…I realized I’ve been afraid to open my heart to love.” Her smile flattened. “It hurts so much when that love is lost.”
His warm fingers curled around her hand. “I’m notplanning to leave. God willing, we will grow old together.” His fingers tightened. “Surrounded by our children.”
Tears welled up in Addie’s eyes, making it difficult for her to speak. Instead, she pressed closer.
“Whoa.” He stopped the wagon. “There’s your first look at your home.”
A peaceful sigh escaped her chest. The log house stood before a stand of tall pine trees, with the barn and corrals further away. Horses grazed in the nearby pasture while a river sparkled in the distance. Sunlight bathed patches of green grass. Mountains rose like huge guardians.
“‘As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever,’” Nash quoted, his voice heavy with emotion.
She lifted her face to him, and they shared a tender kiss, sealing their love for each other.
