Home on the Ranch 47 - Tina Radcliffe
Page 20
“When you’re ready to give up control, when you’re ready for my love without your terms and conditions, let me know.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out keys. “The one thing you aren’t getting through your thick cowboy head is that I love you. I always will.”
He couldn’t believe this was happening. “But—”
“But nothing. What you have done is sentence us both to life without love because of your stubborn Sullivan pride.” She crossed to the Jeep. “I can see it’s a darn good thing I didn’t unpack.”
Untying the reins from the bumper, she handed them to him and calmly got into the Jeep. The engine roared followed by a loud scraping noise as the reverse gear jammed.
Will grimaced. “Uh, that’s Third, not Reverse.”
“Thank you,” Annie said, smiling sweetly, her eyes sparking with unleashed anger. She shoved the clutch into Reverse.
Annie started counting as she watched the green trees of the orchard from the Jeep’s rearview mirror. Will had paced back and forth half a dozen times and now appeared to be talking to Okie.
“One,” she said aloud. “Lord, he needs to be talking to You, not that silly horse.”
She checked the mirror again and slowed down the Jeep, shoving it into second gear. There was no use getting ahead of herself. Men were slower at things than women. She let the vehicle coast a bit.
Shaking his head, Will jammed on his hat. In the next moment he tightened the cinch on the horse, mounted and now sat in the saddle under the peach trees, apparently thinking.
“Two,” she said. “What’s there to think about? That cowboy is running out of time.” She put her foot on the gas. “And I am running out of sweet patience. I’ll be crossing the border into Mexico before he figures it out he really loves me.”
A moment later Will, astride Okie, was next to the Jeep motioning for her to stop.
“I can’t hear you,” she called.
“Pull over,” he hollered, irritation rising in his voice.
“What?”
“I said pull over, Annie.”
“Three,” she announced, slowing down to a stop and jerking up the parking brake.
“What did you say?”
“I said three.”
“You were counting?” His blue eyes widened with realization.
“You bet I was. That was close. You almost ran out of time.”
He removed his hat and scratched his head, then set the hat on the back of his head. “I swear I will never figure women out.”
“You don’t need to. Just concentrate on me. I’ll keep you busy for the next hundred years or so.”
He swung off Okie, walked over to the Jeep and, hands on the roof, stared at her for several moments.
Finally he leaned into the vehicle, and for the longest moment his gaze simply met hers.
“I’m scared, Annie.”
“I know, Will. I know.” She blinked back the moisture pricking at her eyes.
“No, Annie. I don’t think you do. I’m not just scared. I’m terrified.”
“I do understand, because that’s exactly how I feel. Terrified you’re going to give up on us.”
“You know, I always thought my greatest fear was the Huntington’s.” He released a ragged breath as though her confession had freed him. “I was wrong. Seeing you drive off, I realized that you leaving again is my greatest fear.”
“Will,” Annie breathed.
“I realized I have prayed every day for the past two years for you to come back. Oh, not your kind of prayer, but prayers nonetheless.”
“He heard you. He always hears you.”
“I guess so.”
“And the past six weeks all I’ve done is pray for a way to make you stay. Apparently all I had to do was love you.”
She smiled, biting back the emotions pouring into her heart.
“We’ll do it your way, Annie,” he said, his voice husky.
“No, Will, we do it God’s way. We turn it all over to Him. Day by day, moment by moment. For the rest of our lives.”
He nodded solemnly, his eyes bright.
“When it’s time, then you’ll take the test. But it won’t change our love, because we are forever.”
“Forever,” he repeated the words with reverence, his lips a gentle caress against hers. “I never thought forever was something I’d hold in my hands.”
She smiled tenderly at this man she loved so much.
“You are so beautiful,” he said.
Annie felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
“What was that verse about love, the one that Rose talks about?”
“Love never fails.”
He nodded. “I love you, Annie.”
This time she kissed him with all the love she’d been saving for God’s best. Annie gasped at the sweet beauty of his lips on hers.
Finally and much to her regret he released her.
“Now that is what we should be doing, instead of arguing.”
“Not until after the wedding.”
Will grinned. “Does this mean you’re going to keep helping me with the ranch? ’Cause you know, between us, I’m thinking we’re going to turn that ranch into our legacy.”
“You’ll have to hire me full-time, you know.”
“So you’re not going to Mexico?”
“Maybe for a honeymoon?” she countered.
Will’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “As long as we always come home to Sullivan Ranch.”
Epilogue
The opening chords of Pachelbel’s “Canon” began, and Will watched as the barn door slowly opened and the small processional began.
The rafters twinkled with thousands of tiny golden lights, lending an ethereal glow to the converted barn. Bouquets of chrysanthemums, daisies and brown-eyed Susans overflowed from baskets that led from the barn door to the platform in back where Will, Ryan and Pastor Jameson waited.
Wedding attendants, Chris LaFarge and his wife, Joanie, slowly moved up the aisle, followed by Lulu Parson. Today Lulu had given up her usual polka dots for the simple cranberry matron-of-honor dress that matched the autumn flowers Annie had chosen for the wedding.
Annie was right as usual. The barn was the perfect setting for a wedding. Their wedding.
“So how’s it feel to be the luckiest guy in the world?”
Will turned slightly to catch the expression on Ryan Jones’s face, his attention never leaving the door where his bride would soon appear.
“You know, Doc, I only asked you to be best man so I could keep an eye on you.”
Jones laughed. “No worries. Annie loves you, so I’ve decided that’s good enough for me. And I guess you’re not so bad if you like the silent, cranky type.”
“Who’s that you brought to the wedding?” Will looked out at the guests seated on the satin-covered folding chairs. There was a dark haired woman behind Rose’s sister, but her face was obstructed by Ellen’s straw-brimmed hat.
Suddenly the music transitioned and bold notes of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” filled the large building, echoing to the ceiling.
“We’ll talk later, Hoss,” Ryan said. “I believe this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.”
Will blinked as Annie stood in the doorway like a princess in frothy white, her hair long and flowing with small flowers at the crown of her veil. The light behind her blinded him for a moment until she stepped onto the carpeted runner.
Then there she was. Annie. She never looked more beautiful. It was only right that it was Rose who escorted the bride to her groom.
The picture left Will breathless, his heart full.
He swayed.
“You okay?” Ryan whispered.
Annie smiled at him from beneath the sheer veil, and Will nodded.
The hardest thing he’d ever done was to let God in and let Annie love him back. Yeah, he was going to be okay.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed my very first Love Inspired Inspirational Romance. I am delight
ed to be able to share Will and Annie’s story with you. I lived seventeen years in Oklahoma, working most of that time as a registered nurse. Granby, Oklahoma, is a fictitious town but was created using my wonderful memories of all those great towns I lived near, such as Bixby and Jenks. I have a very special niece who told me once that God gives us grace for one day at a time. That’s very much the heart of The Rancher’s Reunion. Both Annie and Will must learn just as we must, to trust the Lord one step at a time. Thank you for reading their story. I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at my website, www.tinaradcliffe.com or by email at tina@tinaradcliffe.com.
Tina Radcliffe
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
One theme of The Rancher’s Reunion involves living today and letting God take care of tomorrow. That’s a difficult thing to do. How are you able to incorporate this theme into your life?
Will admits that he follows God on his terms. Do you have areas where you struggle to let go and let God?
Annie Harris dealt with survivor’s guilt because she was alive after the attack on the clinic. Have you ever known someone who also dealt with survivor’s guilt? Were they able to turn it over to God for the ultimate healing?
Annie, Will and Rose are not biological family but they feel like they are. Can you relate to this? Is there anyone in your life who, while not really your family, shares a special bond with you that is like family?
The setting for this book is a small town outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Small towns often have a unique and special community feeling. What are the small towns you are familiar with, and how do they evoke community?
Annie and Ryan discuss the pastor’s sermon for the singles group, about waiting for God’s best for their life. What are your thoughts on singles finding God’s best?
Will Sullivan carries a tremendous burden. Huntington’s chorea, or Huntington’s disease, has had a breakthrough with the isolation of the gene in 1993. Have you ever heard of this disease or ever known anyone who was diagnosed with this disease? More information can be found at the Huntington’s Disease Society of America website, www.hdsa.org.
Annie struggles with concerns that she has some negative qualities that her mother had. What is your thought on this? Do you believe people can inherit character traits? If so, can God still free us from those negative traits?
Lulu and Howard reconnected late in life. Lulu sees beyond Howard’s physical impairment. Have you ever known couples who reconnected in their golden years? Share some of these happy stories.
Will discovers that the symptoms he is having are stress-related, not the Huntington’s. Have you ever gone through a period in your life when you were very stressed and ultimately that stress made you ill? If you can relate, how were you able to turn things around?
Margaret Reilly is a very savvy and sophisticated Christian businesswoman. She can also be very controlling. How can we deal in love with controlling people in our lives? How do we set boundaries?
Annie doesn’t want Will to be tested yet. This is because she wants him to understand that her love, like God’s, is unconditional. It is not based on a test and it will not change. What are your responses to Annie’s request?
Who is your favorite character in The Rancher’s Reunion, and why do you relate to them?
What is your favorite scene in this story? Why, and what emotions did it bring out?
Sullivan Ranch ties Annie, Will and Rose together. It is only fitting that Annie and Will marry at the ranch. What do you think of this setting for a wedding? Have you known other couples who chose settings that meant a lot to them yet were unusual places for a wedding?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7995-1
THE RANCHER’S REUNION
Copyright © 2011 by Tina M. Radcliffe
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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