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His love could cleanse anyone, including her. His love could heal any rift and any scar and any heartache.

Her insecurities.

Her scars.

Her heartaches.

Edith had always believed in God’s love, but it had almost existed somewhere outside of her. It didn’t apply to her as fully as it did others. Until now.

“I think it’s hot,” Alex murmured as he joined her at the sink.

Edith looked over to him, the rugged handsome face of her brother blurred by her tears. “Do you really think he’ll forgive me?”

“Without a doubt.” Alex pulled Edith into his chest, where she clung to him as she cried. The tears for her fears and worries and insecurities flowed out quickly, and then Edith’s tears became those of hope and joy and love.

The sound of the running kitchen sink finally reached her ears and irritated her enough for her to pull back. She reached to flip it off. “Okay.” She took the kitchen towel Alex held toward her and pressed the whole thing to her face. Why did crying make her eyes so hot and her lips feel like they’d been blown up with a tire pump?

“Okay,” she said again. Gumbo meowed as he ran himself along her ankles. She looked over to Alex, holding onto that hope and love and using it as a barrier against the fears which threatened to seep back in, creep back in, and steal her future from her again.

“What should I do? Call him? Go over there?”

“He’s helping Kevin and Bethany Ann pack today,” he said. “At least some of their things in the storage sheds. They have a truck coming this weekend to get the outbuildings clear.” Alex started the sink again and washed his hands with the kitchen lemon soap Edith insisted they always have on hand.

“Was he asking me to come help with that?” she asked.

“We were talking about him moving in,” Alex said. “I said of course I’d be there, and I’m sure he wants you there too.”

“But he’s not moving in for a couple more weeks.” Edith frowned, trying to see her way through this plot point to the happy resolution.

“He doesn’t have much, but his momma and daddy are helping with the furnishing, so there’s still plenty to move.”

Edith nodded. Finn had told her a little bit about the gift his parents had given him so he could get the ranch, and she knew he had to complete the harvest and sell the cattle though he wasn’t in full ownership of the ranch yet.

His texts on the matter had said, It’s just a matter of time so the loan can go through.

“So you have no ideas of how I can get him back.” Edith gave her brother a glare, and he rolled his eyes as he took the kitchen towel back from her.

“Edee, he’s a man. Go to where he is and tell him you’re sorry and that you love him, and that’ll do it.” He turned back to the dogs. “Come on, guys. Everyone with me this morning. Edee’s got her riding clothes on, and that means she’s going to cheat on you with Reagan.” Alex grinned at her and indeed took all four dogs and a meowing Gumbo out the back door.

Edith did the dishes and made herself a stack of toast before she pulled on her boots and collected her cowgirl hat and keys to her SUV. She did have an appointment with Reagan this morning, but that didn’t bother her. It was the one with Bull afterward that would challenge Edith.

“But you can answer his questions now,” she told herself, and that knowledge got her out the door without hesitation.

Forty minutes later, Edith’s heart stopped again when she saw Finn jogging around the homestead and to his truck. He still hadn’t answered her text, and Edith simply didn’t know what to do. She hated this fragile ground between her and Finn, like she had to start all over with breaking the ice again.

He got behind the wheel, but he didn’t pull out immediately. Edith started inching her car toward the homestead instead of pulling into the parking lot at Courage Reins the way she should’ve.

Finn didn’t move his truck, and her phone chimed with a text from him as her front bumper went past his back one. She stopped, grabbed her phone but didn’t look at it, and slid from her SUV.

She went around the back of his truck to his window, where she found his head bent, the brim of that sexy cowboy hat concealing a lot of his face as he texted.

Edith loved him so much, and she hadn’t even known it until that moment.

Then she reached out and knocked on his window.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Finn dang near jumped out of his skin. He jerked his head up and looked out the window, expecting to see his momma standing there with his forgotten lunch.