Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
W eston loved her.
Paisley lowered the phone beside her where she sat on the bed and stared at the grimy window.
Weston loved her. Did she love him?
Yes, she absolutely did. After the gray anguish of the past few days since Kait had summoned her, bright, vibrant flowers seemed to unfurl in Paisley’s heart and soul.
Those blossoms were a little thing called hope. A little thing that opened up the future with possibilities. She didn’t need to be held prisoner to the failings of her past. What was that verse?
She thumbed open the Bible app in her phone and searched. Ah. There it was. Jeremiah 29:11. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
A hope and a future.
“God? What do you want me to do now?” Paisley asked out loud. Because Weston was right. It didn’t matter so much what she wanted or what he wanted, but what God wanted.
What if God wanted her to lose her job in Montana and stay in Phoenix? What if the moment with Weston was only that, a moment meant to get her attention? Would God be that cruel?
He was a loving God. His corrections were for her own good. She had to hold onto that knowledge. If God meant for her to stay in Arizona, it was for her best. God had something better than Weston in mind for her.
How could anyone be better than Weston? Okay, he’d been surly at first, but lately? Not so much. He had a tender side. He was genuinely seeking God and asking her to do the same, like a true leader.
Weston loved her. Her, Paisley Teele.
And she needed to phone Tate, but on a Sunday afternoon? Better now than minutes before she missed the staff meeting. Did she have Tate’s number or only the lodge office? She tapped around in her contacts list. As a senior staff member — her, Paisley Teele! — she’d been provided access to personal numbers. She had no excuse.
“Lord?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Please help me. Guide me. Help Tate be understanding. Or not, as You will.”
She tapped the number. It rang twice.
“Tate Sullivan here.”
“Hi, Tate.” She swallowed hard. “It’s Paisley Teele.”
“Paisley! Good to hear from you. What’s up?”
If he knew anything, he wasn’t letting on. Here went nothing. “On Friday night, I heard from my sister that my mother overdosed and was admitted to the hospital in Phoenix. My sister wasn’t sure Mom would make it. I… I flew down Saturday morning, and I won’t be back in time for tomorrow’s staff meeting.”
“I see. How is your mother doing?”
“Better than I thought. She’ll be coming home tomorrow.”
“When can I expect you back on the job?”
“Wednesday at the earliest? But, if at all possible, I’d like the entire week. I know I don’t have vacation time coming.” The words rushed out like a creek after a beaver dam had been blasted. “I know you need your staff right there, doing the jobs we were hired for. I know you have no obligation to make an exception for me. I know I have a lot going on at the ranch with the family activities and with the Independence?—”
“Yes.”
Paisley blinked. “Yes? Yes, to what?”
“Yes, to the week.” Amusement tinged his voice.
“Really? I mean thank you, but I thought you would fire me.”
“Emergencies happen.” His tone sobered. “I’m not going to soften this, Paisley. If this were nearly anyone else, I would’ve had to let him or her go. Not out of meanness, but because you’re right. We need our workers working, especially at this extremely busy time of year.”
“Then, why?”
“Weston,” Tate said simply. “Two reasons there. He and Cadence and Graham have a solid handle on the Fourth of July celebrations, thanks to the notes you left.”
Paisley winced. Those notes were a mess, even to her. To someone else? There was zero chance they could see into her head and make sense of it all. Perhaps she could wrap things up from Arizona. She should have plenty of time around Mom’s and Kait’s needs without the distraction of the kids’ activities and the not-so-grumpy cowboy she’d grown to love.
The cowboy who’d stepped in and kept her from being fired. “The second reason?”
Tate chuckled. “He said if I let you go, I’d need to find a new head wrangler, too.”
“He what ?” Paisley blinked back tears as she pressed her hand over her heart. “He couldn’t have said that. He barely likes me.”
“Not true. I believe his exact phrasing included the word love .”
Weston Kline loved her. He’d said to her just minutes ago, but it was difficult to believe. He knew her failings, and he still stood up for her. Whatever Tate did to Paisley, Weston would take the same punishment. For her. She didn’t deserve him. But she’d do her best for the rest of her life to be worthy of him.
“Sounds like you two need to talk,” Tate went on. “But… yeah. Cindy and Sabrina are keeping on top of things with the activities. With your team on the festival comprised of two of my cousins and a soon-to-be cousin-in-law, you’re good to go. But please keep me in the loop. It really is a very busy time here.”
“Thank you, Tate.” Paisley’s voice choked on her churning emotions. “I’m sorry. I promise to do better. I… I was afraid.”
“Don’t be. Take care of things there, and we’ll hold the fort while we wait for your return. ”
“I’ll come as soon as I can.” Her fervent promise lingered in her ears after they’d said their goodbyes.
Were those God’s words, or was Paisley imagining Him saying what she wanted to hear? She considered her thoughts, her emotions, but all she felt was peace. Peace to stay for a few days and then return to her life in Montana. To return to Weston and see where that cowboy would take her.
Maybe riding off into the sunset together?
A girl could hope, because — light dawned — he was like Jesus to her. He’d stepped in between her and judgment and offered to share her punishment because he loved her.
And now, how could she be like Jesus to her family?
Weston couldn’t get enough of watching Paisley’s animated gestures through the video chat they were sharing with Cadence and Graham. Not gonna lie, he’d been concerned that he’d over-stepped by trying to figure out what was going on with the festivities, but Paisley seemed okay with his efforts as she confirmed or explained the various details the three of them were bringing up.
Focus, Kline. You’ll get her to yourself when the lovebirds get off the call.
Cadence and Graham shared a screen at Graham’s place and kept making sappy eyes at each other. Instead of causing Weston to roll his eyes, he found he was a wee bit jealous that they were in the same space and could sneak a kiss here and there even in a business chat.
He looked down at the notes he was making of things he needed to follow up on with only two weeks to go. Paisley had taken her laptop, so she had access to the group folder where Weston had saved the files he’d created. She’d even thanked him — profusely — for the tidy organization he’d brought to her mess.
To pretend everything had been orderly would be a blatant lie. There was no denying the jumble. But he’d gladly keep organizing if it helped her. If it caused her gratitude like it seemed to be doing.
Finally, Graham closed their window into the chat, leaving Weston and Paisley facing each other with over a thousand miles between. He couldn’t get his fill of seeing her beautiful face. “Hey,” he said softly. Eloquent, Kline.
“Hey.” She bit her lip and smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you more.”
“Is it a competition?”
Weston shook his head. “No. It’s just that everything around here reminds me of you. The dining hall. The stable. Even church this morning.”
“Is Pastor Marshall still in Philippians four?”
“He is. It was a really good sermon. It jabbed me right between the eyes.”
“Oh?”
“He preached on verse eight. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ”
“That’s a great verse.” She sounded wistful.
“And you know my tendency is to think about the things that could go wrong, so that’s why I needed to steep in this verse for a while.”
“Steep, huh?” Paisley smiled. “That’s quite a tea-infused word for a coffee drinker.”
“I might be able to stand a cup of tea here and there.”
Her eyebrows hiked. “Oh, yeah? I have an Earl who’d love to meet you.” Then she grimaced. “But not the other Earl. Oh, Weston, my father’s name is Earl. I don’t even know his last name, and I don’t want to. Do I have to care about him? Because he seriously weirds me out.”
Weston wanted nothing more than to hop the next flight to Phoenix. He, the cowboy who’d resisted flying by pretending he didn’t want to go anywhere. But right now, today, there was no place he’d rather be than Arizona. A desert without mountains, rivers, or trees. Well, they probably had one or two. He didn’t know. He’d never thought about the place before.
“Paisley, if he creeps you out, then don’t put yourself into an uncomfortable situation with him. Please stay on guard. I wish I could be there to protect you from him.”
“Weston?”
“Hmm.”
“Tate said you’d threatened to quit if he fired me.”
“Yeah? Of course, I did.”
“Why?”
“Why?” He huffed a chuckle. “Because if you’re not here, then I don’t want to be, either. Wherever you are is where I want to be.”
“You’d leave the ranch — leave your inheritance — because of me?”
“I love you. Of course, I would. I don’t think Grandfather would disinherit me over it, but if he did, well, whatever. I didn’t know I had rich relatives until 18 months ago. I always figured on making my own way in life.”
He’d done a lousy job of it, but that was neither here nor there anymore. Things had changed. He’d learned a lot about himself, about God, and about love. Those were far more important than anything he’d ever inherit from the Sullivan side.
“Weston, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Paisley dabbed at her eyes.
His arms ached — his heart ached — because she was so far away, and she was crying. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to make sure she understood how much she meant to him. Everything. Everything except Jesus.
“I bought my return ticket for Saturday.”
Still six days away. He’d survive, wouldn’t he?
“I want to be there for Pastor Marshall’s next sermon. That will complete the series, won’t it?”
“Yes, I think so. Then Eli starts a series on treasure. Apparently, he does this every summer in conjunction with the annual Pot of Gold Geocaching Event.”
“Have you ever gone geocaching?”
“Can’t say that I have. You?”
Paisley shook her head. “It might be fun sometime. With you, anyway. I don’t have time to go all in like Creekside Fellowship does every summer.”
“That gives me an idea. I could ask Eli if he wants to put some caches around the ranch on the Fourth. Maybe that will get some of the townspeople up for our celebration.”
Her face brightened. “That sounds fun! Sure, ask him. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done. ”
“I wondered if I had stepped on your toes.”
Paisley shrugged. “There’s no way I could have pulled this off without your intervention, especially from here. I can only be thankful you made it possible for me to stay a little longer.”
“Just not too long.”
“Never. I can’t wait to get back… home. With you.”
Like the Grinch’s, Weston’s heart expanded four sizes in one go, until he thought he’d burst the snaps holding the front of his shirt closed. “I can’t wait, either. But can we talk like this every day? It will help.” He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes.
She smiled. “I think we can. And Weston?”
“Hmm?”
“You said you loved me.”
He’s said it like a dozen times now. He raised his eyebrows. waited.
“I love you, too. Thank you for loving crazy me.”
“There’s no one I’d rather love.”