Priceless

Chapter 8: Trust

Thane pulled his gloves off, laying them on Snickers' saddle so he could retrieve and open a bottle of water. He turned to survey the path he and Nessa had been clearing. She still worked a few yards ahead of him, dragging tree limbs off the path and checking the ground for any holes, rocks or roots.

Watching her now, one would never guess how nervous she'd been back at the barn. His gun had caught her off guard, as did the mention of the non-friendly woodland creatures. But now that they were here, in the middle of it, she didn't seem scared at all.

It didn't surprise him. He'd learned quickly that she didn't let the new or unknown intimidate her. She seemed to look at life as a challenge to conquer, unwilling to be held back by her own weaknesses. He knew this drive came from a need to take care of herself after her experience with Mr. Wrong. Yet he got the sense it went deeper than that. It was almost as if she wanted to be able to do everything by herself and not be dependent on anyone for anything. Like she expected to spend the rest of her life alone, dependent only on herself.

His heart sagged at the idea of her never letting someone love her. Knowing what he did about her mother, he could understand her hesitancy and fear. But to keep those walls up had to be exhausting, physically and mentally.

Lord, show me what to do. Show me how to lead her to the truth – Your truth. Help her to see the grace and blessings you offer in spite of her mistakes. Help her see me – to trust me and believe in me.

She finally stopped in the middle of the path, putting her hands on her hips as she looked around. She'd brought along a pair of his mother's old work gloves but her petite hands swam inside them. He'd have to get her some of her own when they went boot shopping.

Seemingly satisfied with her work she turned to look at Thane, asking, "What do you think? Look okay?"

He nodded. "Looks great. Come take a break."

Her shoulders dropped in relief as she made her way to him, obviously tired. She'd pulled her hair into a braid again but all the hard labor had pulled out some of the strands around her face, framing it in curls. Her cheeks glowed a rosy red attesting to the effort she put into her work.

Once again he was struck by how much she looked like she belonged here. She took to the ranch like a fish to water, not afraid to be outdoors, riding horses, or doing hard work. He couldn't fathom why she'd chosen a degree in business when she so obviously didn't belong in an office. But then, she'd done wonders for the excursion business in the past few days, so it all meshed rather well.

She drew up beside him, slightly out of breath, and looked up at him with raised eyebrows and an amused smile. "Stop staring. It's not polite."

He laughed, mostly because he had been staring. Unabashedly. "Sorry. I was just thinking about how well you seem to fit in around here. You look like you belong on a ranch, not inside some stuffy office building."

She cocked one eyebrow, staring at him a moment longer in doubt, before turning to dig a water bottle from the saddlebags. "I don't want to spend my adult life cooped up inside. But a business degree seemed to keep my possibilities wide open. Sure seems to have helped you guys and I've still managed to get outside."

"Guess God knew what he was doing when he threw us all together."

She took a long pull from her water bottle, watching him from the corner of her eye. "You really think that's what happened?"

He nodded. "Too many coincidences to be anything else. The tire. The diner. The rodeo. The hotel room. Reba's brother. The ranch. It all fits together in a rather neat puzzle when you step back and look at the big picture."