Keeping Faith (Book 3 in the Red Valley Series)

Chapter 20

This had to have been ten of the longest days of her life, but Saturday was finally here! Faith sat on the top railing of the corral fence, looking over her land. Soft rolling hills grew into dominating mountains in the distance. She never tired of admiring their beauty, it was therapeutic actually. She knew that no matter what was going on in her life, when she woke up the next morning, those majestic mountains would be there, waiting just for her.

Faith squinted as the sun peaked over the tip of the tallest mountain, bathing everything it touched in dawns first light. First there was a rosy hue that slowly turned into the golden light of the day. Sunbeams danced off of millions of tiny droplets of the dew covered grass, making it look as if the ground were scattered with millions of shimmering diamonds. This was her favorite time of day, until sunset.

Smiling, she looked around giving thanks for everything she had been blessed with. Her eyes caught sight of the bunkhouse causing her smile to fade into a grimace. She'd been sleeping there since her house had been destroyed by the tornado. It was a roof over her head but that was it. It had not been easy trying to carry on her normal daily routine. And the nights, the nights were the worst. She smiled again, by pure accident she had chosen Cade's bed to sleep in. Every night when she lay down, his scent engulfed her, filling her with a need so strong it was almost painful.

It wasn't just a physical need. True her body craved his, but it was so much more than that. She felt so lonely, no she felt so alone. Faith thought about sleeping in another bunk but couldn't bring herself to give up the small measure of comfort and security she got from sleeping in Cade's bed. Hopefully she would only have to sleep in there one more night, then she would have her house back with her own room and bed. The men would be able to get out of the barn and have their own beds back as well.

Levi had ordered everything they were going to need. Wagon loads of lumber and other materials had been arriving every day for the past week. Her brother and Cole had even sent over a few extra men to salvage what they could and clear off the rest of the debris. The sound of horses drew her attention to the drive. Faith sucked in her breath at what she saw. A line of horses and wagons were making their way down her drive, kicking up dust as they went. The first two horses pulled away from the rest of the group. With a huge smile on her face, she jumped down to meet the two men that were dismounting their horses and walking toward her.

"Levi, Cole! I can't believe all the people you brought with you! There must be at least forty people." She hugged her brother then Cole.

"There will probably be about thirty more shortly. All of my men and Cole's will be here along with hands from some of the nearby ranches. Most of the town's people are here with us now. We're going to do our best to have you a finished house before sunset tomorrow."

Faith stood back in awe. They had just finished the second lunch, the men decided to eat in shifts so work would continue on the house. The foundation had been laid and two of the four walls were up. It was going up so fast, she could hardly believe her eyes. Faith turned her head to take in the organized chaos going on. Everybody had a job. Some were cutting the lumber to size, others were carrying it to those who were nailing the boards into place. The older boys were making sure the men had the supplies they needed while the older girls were either watching the smaller children or carrying water to the thirsty men. The woman had prepared dishes and brought them for lunch and were now cleaning up. No one would let her do anything, saying that she had been through enough.

"Do you have a minute?"

Faith turned around to see Grace Weston and Hope standing there. "Of course I do, no one will let me do anything."