Heart of Integrity (Hearts of the West, #2)

Chapter 10

As the service drew to a close, Ifor glanced over at his father. The sermon this morning—about the prodigal son and the father who’d run to forgive him—would have no doubt hit him hard and made him think even more about Rhys.

His father’s eyes briefly met his own, and he offered a small, sad smile before being pulled into conversation by the man seated next to him.

Ifor swallowed hard. The anniversary of Rhys’s death had come and gone, and they’d navigated it with the inner solemnity of mourning for someone that no one else knew had even existed. They’d kept their grief tucked up in silence and carried on in front of others as though it had been a day like any other.

He sighed.If only Rhys had followed the example of the wild-living son in the parable who’d eventually come to his senses and returned to his father’s love and care.

Opal’s warm voice floated through the air, pulling him out of his melancholy reflections and back into the awareness that Miss Kelly was sitting next to him.

He observed her from the corner of his eye, and as he took in her honey-colored hair and the curve of her jaw, his heart warmed. How beautiful she was. And not merely externally. He’d caught a glimpse of her heart once or twice, of her personality. And, as far as he could see, she was every bit as beautiful on the inside, too.

He paused, aware that Opal and Susan were talking, yet not hearing anything of their conversation. Caution seized his mind. He must be careful not to get carried away with his feelings. He could no longer deny that he was drawn to her. But despite his impressions of her, she was still almost entirely a stranger.

The whole saga with Rhys had taught him one thing very clearly—even the most respectable-looking person could hide dark secrets and unimaginable realities. Rhys—and the woman who had turned out to be his mistress rather than the business acquaintancehe’d passed her off as—had broken his trust, and though he’d made a little more peace with the situation than when the wound had been fresh, his ability to trust others had not yet fully recovered.

Besides, even if he could trust Susan, she did not yet share his faith. At least, he hoped he was correct in including a ‘yet’. It was his earnest desire that one day she would find the atonement that he had, and the peace and joy that only a relationship with Jesus could bring.

He could only see a little of the side of her face as she sat, half-turned towards Opal, in deep conversation. But even so, he detected tension in her posture and a sorrowful ambience around her.

One could never tell—just by looking at someone—what kind of trials and tribulations that person had to privately bear. But looking at Susan, there was no doubt that whatever hers may be, they weighed heavily upon her. His heart ached as a longing to relieve and reassure her filled him—the intensity of it taking him rather by surprise.

Opal’s twittering laugh pealed through the air, and Ifor couldn’t help but smile at its contagious merriness. She was a wonderful lady. Truly, there was no one better for Susan to befriend. Opal always managed to find joy in everything, and her faith was more solid than the mountains surrounding them here in Lone Pine.

Whatever was bothering Susan, Opal wouldn’t be long in finding it out and bringing it faithfully to the Lord each morning until it was resolved.

And he knew thatGod answered prayer. Despite everything that had happened with Rhys, God’s power and faithfulness hadn’t been diminished one iota. And neither had Ifor’s faith in Him. If anything, it had caused him to cling even more tightly to the Lord.

As he shifted to face them more, he offered a silent prayer there and then, that God would use both he and Opal to bring Susan to a place of faith in the Lord, too.

Not for his gain, but for hers.