Sam knew the real me, and he loved me. I was still waking up, but I had enough understanding to know how special last night was. He and I had held onto each other with so much relief and love that I took a deep breath just thinking about it. I closed my eyes and thanked God for yesterday. I thanked Him for twoamazing things happening, and I promised to look at my Bible once I made it to the bedroom.
I stared at my phone, waiting for Sam's text and absentmindedly checking my email. Within a minute, I had a text.
Sam:
There are people in the kitchen, but no one was near the back door. You should be able to sneak upstairs. Do you want me to wait here to watch out for you?
I texted him back, feeling suddenly nervous at the thought of going back inside and encountering someone. I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed because of being in love, but I was sleep-deprived and in a bit of a haze, also. I promised myself some coffee as a reward for braving the back door.
I texted Sam back.
Me:
Thanks, I'll be fine. You should go meet Judd. See you in a bit. Have fun shooting. Be careful, please.
I wanted to type the words 'I love you'. My thumbs hovered over the letters, and I considered it, but I just hit send without adding the extra letters.
He texted me back right away.
Sam:
Thanks and we will. ILYTY
I read the text and the letters attached, and I felt like I wanted to cry.
I typed.
Me:
ILYSAM
And I sent it back to him. My heart was beating a thousand miles an hour, partly because of the text I had just sent and partly because of the task that lay ahead of me.
I left the workshop, pulling the door closed behind me and heading up the sidewalk toward the house. I was nervous, and I had to stifle a laugh as I jogged lightly through the cold air back to the house.
Sam had been right. There was action in the kitchen, but it had been easy for me to sneak in the back door and make it upstairs undetected. I made it there fine, but that didn't stop my heart from reacting like I was being chased in an action movie.
I sat on the end of the bed, smiling and catching my breath. I wasn't sure how much sleep I had gotten. I thought it was a few hours. It was plenty. There was no way I was going back to sleep. It was 8am now, and we were supposed to leave the ranch in an hour. I would use this time to shower and get dressed.
I hopped in the shower.
It felt amazing to wash my face. I had my hair carefully pulled up so it wouldn't get wet, and I let the warm water hit my face and body. There was just no way to keep Sam out of my mind. I couldn't help but feel sweet and nostalgic at the thought of getting Jesus and Sam on the same day. It might just very well have been the best day of my life.
The shower was exquisite. My heart was happy, and I was anxious to get on some fresh clothes and makeup so I could run downstairs and get some coffee. I read that Psalm my sister showed me, and then I put on some jeans and a light blue sweater. My hair was still pulled back, and I was in the middle of putting lotion on my face when I got a call. I picked up my phone and saw that it was my sister.
"Hello?" I said, holding the phone to my ear.
"Where are you?" she said.
"I'm getting dressed. Where are you?"
"I'm here," she said. "I came shooting with you, and you're not here. Henry needed to help his dad this morning, so I came back up here with him. I thought you were coming shooting. I came out here to hang out with you."
"Oh, I was, but I slept in. They weren't going to Missoula till nine, so I just told them I'd pick them up on our way out. Are you with Sam and Judd right now?"
"Yes. And I'm going with you to Missoula because Henry's helping here. Do you have room for me?"
"Yes. Of course. I'm taking that SUV Dad rented. I'll probably let Judd or Sam drive it."
