Page 11 of Faith for the Cowboy
Everyone laughed.
“Let’s talk more about that after we sit down. Is everyone ready to eat?” Lydia asked.
Nods and grunts of agreement filled the room.
“Alright then,” James Macklin said. “Let’s bow for prayer.”
Harper’s heart skipped a beat as everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes. When was the last time she had stopped to pray before a meal? She closed her own eyes and was sure she could hear a pin drop for several moments before James spoke.
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for our family gathered here, and for Harper who has joined us. Thank You for keeping her safe during the storm. Please be with her as she navigates what to do next.”
Harper felt warm all over as she listened to the words. The words of the prayer felt familiar, but still strange and distant. When she started traveling, she hadn’t made the time to find a church every Sunday. Being in a different town so often made that difficult. She used to watch a church online, what was the name of it? It had been so long she couldn’t remember.
She was sure the Macklin family went to church every Sunday. Lawson probably was on some kind of leadership committee and helped out on Sundays. Inwardly, she sighed. No, even if it were possible for her to be interested in him, he would never want to be with someone like her. A wanderer and a person who couldn’t remember the last time she prayed.
When Mr. Macklin said, “Amen,” all the adults and children echoed the word after him.
The women started a line in the kitchen, and everyone began to fill their plates. Sierra hooked her hand through Harper’s arm and pulled her toward the food. “Come on. It’s ladies first.” She pushed Harper in front of her to scoop chicken and rice with fresh vegetables onto her plate.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Sierra said. “I know it must have been terrifying.”
Harper nodded as she swallowed to push down the lump in her throat. “Yes,” was all she could manage to say.
“Well, you’re here now, and if there’s anybody who knows how to take care of someone who’s been through a rough time, it’s the Macklins. Lydia will be thrilled to have the company. The boys are working all the time now with calving season. The other wives and I try to come by and visit when we can. And of course, we’re here for dinner.”
“You eat dinner together every night?” Harper’s eyes grew wide.
Sierra shrugged. “Yep. There are times when one or two can’t be here because of a commitment, or we have a sick kid or something. But Lydia cooks every night and everyone comes if we are able.”
“Wow,” Harper said. “That’s…” She didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
Sierra’s eyes softened as she smiled. “It’s special,” she said.
Harper felt that twist in her stomach again. It was special. But it was family who did everything together, and that was something that Harper didn’t have anymore. And she didn’t know if she ever could again.
8
The next day, Lawson was up with the sun. That wasn’t unusual for him, or any of his brothers, but this time he had barely slept the night before. His thoughts had swirled around in his mind, keeping him awake. He kept envisioning the storm again. The wind, the sound, the horrible feeling in his gut that this might be the end for him.
He was thankful they made it through, even though Harper had lost so much. He remembered the words of the weatherman who came to speak at his elementary school. “We can get you a new house and new things. You need to find a safe place because we can’t replace you.”
That was true for Harper. Only she hadn’t lost a house because she didn’t have one. She had lost the vehicle she traveled in and all her possessions.
Maybe that’s what was bothering him now. She had lost everything, because what she had was so little. She had chosen to live a nomad life. He tried to focus on his work for the morning, but it felt like he was going through the motions while his mind was elsewhere.
At lunch he rode his horse, Thunder, toward the house. He was early, but he decided it would be best to eat. Maybe then he could get back to work and focus on what needed to be done.
The object of his thoughts sat right there on the front porch. Lawson watched her as he drew near to the house. Harper rocked back and forth in one of the rocking chairs his grandfather had built years ago. She held a coffee mug in both her hands, but she wasn’t drinking it.
Lawson usually thought rocking on the front porch was relaxing, but Harper didn’t look relaxed at all. Her eyebrows were lowered, and her mouth was pulled back in a straight line. She remained silent as Lawson dismounted and tied his horse to the hitching post in front of the house. The heels of his boots thudded across the porch as he moved toward her.
He took the seat next to her and rocked for a few moments before he spoke. “Hey,” he said, “are you alright?”
Harper turned and looked at him as if he surprised her. “Um,” she said quietly. “I, uh, I don’t really know.”
Lawson felt the strongest urge to pull her into his arms and hold her until everything was alright. But he wasn’t sure that would help. Holding her wouldn’t change the fact that she lost everything.
“I’m really sorry for what happened.”
