Page 80 of The Rancher's Wedding Deception

Every time she tried to think, she heard his voice.

You’re the first one. The only one.

So this was what it felt like to be haunted...never mind if the ghost still happened to be alive.

Andie sat up and looked around in desperation, searching for something to distract her.

The bookshelf next to the window had a nice selection of books, leather-bound classics with gold lettering on their spines, a few titles in fantasy, and then a larger selection of books in business and non-fiction.

In most cases, any of them would’ve piqued her interest. She liked to read just about anything. But right now, none of it seemed enough. She needed something else. Somethingmore.

Her gaze strayed to the massive flat screen mounted on the wall opposite the bed, sleek and black and probably connected to every streaming service known to mankind.

But...nope.

It was as if her heart knew exactly what it wanted, but her mind had yet to catch up.

She paced back and forth. Gazed out the window in search for something she couldn’t name. And when all seemed lost, thebedside drawer caught her eye, and Andie pulled it open, not really thinking she’d find anything, but...oh.

Guest rooms in Paul Mitropoulos had Bibles in them?

Andie was already reaching for it in her amazement even as her mind had yet to process this incredible surprise. The cover was a burgundy leather that was exceptionally soft to touch. The weight of it felt right in her hands somehow, substantial but not heavy, like it was meant to be held.

She ran her thumb along the gilded edges of the pages, watching them flutter like wings. Andie opened it with care, and her eyes widened at the handwritten note on the blank space below the publisher’s description.

The handwriting was lovely, flowing script in blue ink, and every word penned with unmistakable care and intention.

Dear Friend,

I’m Star, and my husband Wynd is a friend of Paul, whom you likely know as well.

About a year ago, I started this little ministry where I’d ask permission from my friends about placing Bibles in their guest rooms. Paul was one of the first to say yes, and I just want you to know that it’s no accident you’ve found this.

God wants you to know that He loves you, and He’s always been there for you. If you seek Him with all your heart, you’ll find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). He has so much to say. And this book, this very precious book that wouldn’t have been possible if not for Jesus dying on the cross to save each and every one of us even when we didn’t yet know Him—this book is God’s love letter to you.

Andie only realized she was crying when she saw her tears splash against the pages, small dark spots blooming on the cream-colored paper, smudging the edges of Star’s careful handwriting.

She had never ever prayed before.

Never.

She knewofGod. Heard people shareaboutGod. But she had never really tried to talktoGod of her own volition. Never thought there was a reason to do so, not even during the days when she felt as if she just wanted to give up because life seemed so hard and unfair.

Those days, she would go to sleep and secretly wished that she would never wake up...and then the next day she would feel so ashamed for being so weak and wanting to give up, even if it meant abandoning her mother.

Today...wasn’t that kind of day. Today...was actually the opposite. Today, she felt as if she was on the brink of having her life completely changed, and she realized now that was what terrified her the most.

Bad days, she was used to. But days that were just too good to be true?

It didn’t even have anything to do with Paul.

What scared her right now was howrealGod felt—

And howdesperateshe felt to believe that He loved her, that He was there for her, and that all she had to do was—

God?

—search for Him with all her heart, and she would find Him.