The woman gasped. “Did I raise you in a barn, Seth Jacob Knight!” She lightly smacked his arm, and he flinched. “You meet a young lady and don’t introduce yourself? Heavens, I’m so embarrassed,” she told me.
I chuckled, delighting in her use of his full name. “It’s fine. We were busy keeping these two apart.” I pointed to the chicken in my arms and the dog at my feet, waiting patiently for me to feed Honey to her.
Not gonna happen, buddy.
She nodded at that. “I’m Maggie, his grandmother, though I don’t like that name ‘‘cause it makes me feel old. I live in the apartment above the garage.” She pointed to thegiant red building, and I noticed the white painted staircase on the side. “You should come over for dinner tonight. I’m cooking lemon chicken and pasta.”
That was a sweet offer, but socializing wasnotmy thing right now. I peered down to see if the topic of cooking chicken offended Honey, but she was currently napping in my arms like a newborn babe.
“I can’t, ma’am, but thank you.”
She raised one eyebrow as if she didn’t like my answer but nodded. “Well, I also host a women’s Bible study on Wednesday nights if you want to swing by for that.”
I cleared my throat and exchanged a tense look with Seth. “I should get going. I’ve got a lot of chores to do back home.”
She waved at me as if unbothered by my ignoring her Bible study invite. “Alright then, darling. It was nice to meet you.”
I gave her a nod and then turned to walk away.
“Dear?” Maggie called over to me, and I spun to face her. She wore a serious look that was filled with compassion. “I was so sorry to hear about your loss in the local paper. Sometimes I wonder what God’s plan is when He allows things like that to happen.”
The color leeched from Seth’s face, and he elbowed his grandmother lightly in the ribs. She shoved him off as if she didn’t care what he thought about what she’d said.
I nodded, refreshed by her bluntness. “You know what? I wonder that, too. I wonder what kind of God sits up there and lets horrible things happen toHischildren when He has the power to stop it.” By the time I finished my words,they were uttered through clenched teeth and the anger was back.
Maggie’s mouth popped open in shock. “I didn’t mean that?—”
“Bye now,” I growled and turned back around, tears trailing down my cheeks.
That was enough peopling for today.
Chapter Eight
Seth
I sat outside on the porch in front of my open Bible, hot coffee in hand, as I stared out at the little white house in the valley. The morning sunrise was my favorite part of the day.
I couldn’t get Ella out of my mind. She was so filled with anger it broke my heart. I remember being that angry when Scarlett died. But it didn’t last long; the Lord broke down my walls of anger, and they quickly turned to desperation and sadness and finally acceptance. I’d moved through the stages of grief pretty quickly, learning to lean on God for strength. But sweet Ella seemed to be stuck on one stage in particular.
I peered at Ella’s house, the house my great-grandfather had built, the house I’d grown up in and later sold to pay for the start-up I needed for this dream.
The cattle farm dream.
My mind raced with thoughts about Ella’s well-being. Was smoke coming out of the chimney? Was she cold in there? Would she figure out how to chop wood this morning? Because I certainly couldn’t chop it for her. She’d practically bitten my head off yesterday. Was it the wood? Or the Bible verse? Or both? It’s not that I thought she wasn’t capable. It’s that I knew what it was like to drown in the daily life tasks while your heart was still healing, and I wanted to take one thing off her plate.
Her words from that night still haunted me.
“My husband was murdered and didn’t chop enough wood before he left me forever. So, no, I’m not okay.”
“I’m not okay.”
She wasn’t okay.
My heart ached in the center of my chest so strongly that I had to reach up and rub the spot.
“Lord, what do I do?” I asked Him and then glanced down at where I’d opened my Bible randomly.
A grin pulled across my face as I read the verse.
