“Did your last experience show you that you shouldn’t be helping them?” he asked, sounding a bit hopeful she would agree with him.
She shook her head. “No. In fact, quite the opposite. They really need help.”
“I know you well enough to know that you aren’t going to listen to me without proof on this subject. I just hope that you stay safe and Bart doesn’t hurt you.” He ran his hand down the outside of her upper arm.
“Thank you, Max. I know you’re just trying to look out for my safety, but we brought along a bunch of guys and were safe the entire time. In fact, we left when it looked like it might become dangerous. Logan even called the Bozeman sheriff to tell him about what happened.”
Since their last trip to Bozeman, she hoped that the sheriff was getting rid of Bart and helping those poor souls find homes…or make it back to their families, where possible.
“I heard that Logan went with you. Are you two getting along again?”
She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she detected a little bit of jealousy in the way his eyes narrowed and his voice deepened when he said Logan’s name.
She couldn’t help but smile. Not because of spending time with Logan, or at least she didn’t think it was because of him. No, she smiled because Max did care after all.
“I’m trying to work through my issues. Everyone keeps telling me I have to forgive him, but I still don’t even know why he broke up with me. It just came out of nowhere. Everything was great and on track for me going to college with him, and then BAM! He just broke up with me and left. He didn’t even give me a chance to ask questions or try to talk him out of it.” She shrugged. She didn’t want Max to know how much it still hurt her, but she was starting to realize that forgiveness was what would help to heal her heart.
After the pastor’s sermon on forgiveness a few weeks back, she had some more study on the topic and a lot of praying. At first, she had no idea she needed to forgive Logan in order for her own heart to heal. She had thought forgiveness was something the transgressor needed, not the one who was injured.
She was slowly coming to the conclusion that forgiveness was something her own heart needed to do before it could let go of the pain and move on. The act of forgiving had nothing to do with the person who hurt her—in this case, Logan—but everything to do with her and God.
Because she hadn’t forgiven Logan, she hadn’t been able to receive the peace that only God can give a person’s soul.
In her studies, she had learned that God commands us to forgive those who hurt us. And since she hadn’t, she’d been sinning these past ten years, which can drive a wedge between her and God. It was no wonder she couldn’t get past the pain and find love again.
“Did you ever listen to the pastor’s sermon on forgiveness? The one I told you about?” She looked at him and watched, waiting to see if he understood what she was saying.
He shook his head. “No, I have the CD and keep meaning to listen to it when I’m on the road, but just haven’t done it yet.”
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth knew this was the time to speak to him about his past. “I think it would do you a lot of good. I’ve heard others in the congregation speak about that sermon. I think we all needed to hear it. Whatever happened in your past isn’t going to go away. You’re going to continue to feel the hurt and anguish until you can forgive.”
She paused and looked at him, wondering if he was listening and taking her words to heart. “Do you know what I mean?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think I do. I have a road trip again this week. I’ll probably listen to the CD when I head out of town.”
She nodded. “You’ve been traveling a lot lately. What’s up with that?”
He turned fully and looked her in the eye. His small smile was a nice change from the pain she had seen on his face for most of their conversation.
“The other rep covering the counties next to mine is getting ready to retire and has cut back his hours. Until the company replaces him, I’ve been tasked with helping to cover his accounts. Actually, that’s what I wanted to discuss with you.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Go on.” Elizabeth figured she knew what he was going to say. Something inside her had prepared her for this.
It seemed as though their time together was coming to an end, no matter what the catalyst was.
Chapter 20
Elizabeth sat there patiently waiting for him to say what he needed to say. She had an idea of what it was going to be, but he needed to say it.
Max ran a hand through his thick head of hair and sighed. “I guess there really isn’t an easy way of doing this. I’ve thought it about long and hard for the past two weeks, and I think it’s for the best. We haven’t been getting along very well lately, and we seem to be going in two different directions.”
She nodded. Part of her was ready for this, but another part of her wasn’t. He was the first man she thought she could trust since Logan broke heart ten years ago. Saying goodbye wasn’t going to be easy.
“My company is relocating me to be more central to all the accounts I’m helping to cover. It’s supposed to only be temporary, but even when we bring on a new guy, I’ll be the one who trains him. So I will most likely be away for at least six months.” He still couldn’t look at her.
His shoulders slumped, and she knew he felt horrible. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad.
“What does this mean for your current clients? Will you still handle their accounts?”
He smiled and replied, “Yes. My schedule is going to be very crazy for a while. I won’t have any extra time for myself.”
“Or for dating.” She knew what he was trying to say.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I truly am. But with the way things have gone for us these past weeks, don’t you agree some time apart would be good for us?” Finally, he looked her in the eye. Sadness filled his eyes.
She could tell he was sad about their situation. They had been together for a while, and until she started working with the homeless, it seemed as though they were a good team. Was this God’s way of showing them they weren’t really meant for each other? She couldn’t understand why He even let them get together in the first place. But she wasn’t going to be upset about their relationship. They never crossed a line, or even got close.
She trusted him.
Maybe that was what this was for her—a chance to learn how to trust a man again. If so, then she would be grateful for the time she had with Max and all their fun times together.
It was time she told him how she felt. “I understand and I agree, Max. I do think we need some time apart. These past few weeks, everything between us has been so strange. But I will be forever grateful for the time we had together.”
She put her hand on his and continued, “You’re a great guy, Max. You are going to make some woman very happy one day. I just hope you can find forgiveness for whatever has caused you to hate the homeless so much.”
He started to say something, but she put her hand up to stop him.
“I know, there are bad people in the homeless groups, but you know what? There are bad people everywhere. Just because someone is homeless doesn’t necessarily make them bad. But I know we disagree on this, and I don’t want to argue over it anymore.”
He took her hand in his. “Thank you. I don’t want to argue, either. I know that there is something in my past I need to deal with. Maybe this time on the road will help me figure it all out.”
“Can we part as friends? It’s not like something horrible caused us to break up. I think our time together has come to a natural end.” She shrugged, not knowing how to describe exactly what she felt about the breakup. The only thing she wanted now was to know they could see each on the streets of town next time he came here, and everything would be alright. She didn’t want anything to be weird between them. He really was a nice guy, someone she could see herself being friends with.
For the first time in w
eeks, his smile touched his eyes and caused her to smile in return. He really did have a nice smile. The kind that could melt a woman’s heart.
“Yes, I would like that very much. I’ll be back in town on occasion checking on my accounts, including the general store.” He gave her a quizzical look. There was something in his eyes, but she couldn’t quite understand what was going through his head.
“Then maybe we can have lunch or something when you come to town next. I would like to know you’re doing well once you move away. You’re going to be so busy, I worry that you won’t get enough rest.” Her eyes widened. “Wait! What about the derby finals? Will you get to compete?”
When he chuckled, she relaxed just a bit. She really did like his deep laugh. But it didn’t send tingles up her spine like it once did. Was she really over Max already? They’d just broken up like two minutes ago.
“Yes. I told my district manager that I had the finals, and since they sponsor my car, they were adamant that I take the time I needed to get ready for the event and win.” The light sparkled off his white teeth when he gave her a toothy grin.
“Am I still invited to watch you compete?” She wasn’t sure if he wanted her there, but she did want to go. It was important to her to show she still supported him, even if they weren’t together anymore. That’s what friends did, right?
“Of course you are. I’d be hurt if you didn’t go. In fact, I hope a large group from town joins us. It’s less than a thirty-minute drive. It’s just on the other side of Bozeman.” He rubbed his hands together and looked toward the north, toward Bozeman, where he would be competing in the demolition derby finals in less than two weeks.
Elizabeth stood up. “Wonderful. I can’t wait to watch you win. Just…be safe. Alright?”
He nodded. “Of course. I’m always safe.”
He gave her a cheeky grin, and she lightly punched him on his shoulder.
“Alright Mr. Crash Test Dummy, I wish you luck and I’ll see you soon.”
He stood up and hugged her. “Thank you for understanding.”
She didn’t respond, just hugged him tighter and then let go. Without looking at him, she walked away and toward her car.
Chapter 21
The next day, Elizabeth was called out to the Bar One Ranch. It seemed word had gotten out about Mr. William’s issue with shipping fever. Now all the ranchers in the county who had purchased any cattle whatsoever were calling and asking to have theirs checked out. Chances were really slim anyone else would have contaminated cattle.
It wasn’t like any cattle would need to be put down, if they did have it. Most could be treated with medication and then be fine. The medication would also leave their system well before any of them would go up on the butcher’s block. There wasn’t a need to panic, but whenever some gossip about cattle and disease spread, panic usually followed.
She and Milton were going to be very busy the rest of the week, at least.
That wasn’t even accounting for any of their regular appointments or the horses that were ready to foal. Or even any other emergency situation.
With her schedule, Elizabeth really didn’t have time to think about breaking up with Max, or what that could mean for Logan.
So when Logan approached her Friday afternoon, less than a week after she and Max were officially no longer a couple, she wasn’t ready to see him.
Elizabeth was coming out of the diner after a quick lunch and was looking down at her phone. She should have been paying attention to where she was going, she knew that. Her sister was the one famous for not watching where she was going. Elizabeth was the one who hated it when people messed around on their phones while walking or driving. It wasn’t safe.
“Whoa, be careful little lady.” The smooth sound of a familiar voice called out to Elizabeth, and she froze.
Logan chuckled, and Elizabeth slowly raised her head. “Logan, what are you doing here?” She knew it was a stupid response; he worked just a few doors down and across the street from the diner.
His dazzling smile sent chills down her spine, like it always did. But what surprised her the most was that she didn’t feel any more anger toward him. She had been praying about forgiving him lately. Maybe it really did help.
“I was heading into the diner to pick up lunch for Leah and me. We’re doing a bit of inventory checking and decided to skip lunch.” He took his Stetson off his head and ran his hand through his dark brown hair.
Visions of her doing just that to him when they were in high school flashed through her head, and she felt her cheeks begin to heat up. She knew a blush was imminent, and she did not want him to see her cheeks turning red while talking to him. She looked back over her should and bit her lip.
Then thought about work.
The idea of putting her arm inside a foaling mare did the trick. All of a sudden, her face felt cool and she turned back around.
He was looking over her shoulder and frowned. “I was sorry to hear about you and Max.”
Her forehead furrowed, and she wondered where that had come from. She turned to look back over her shoulder again since he was still looking that way, and she realized he had seen Max coming out of the barber shop. Logan must have thought she was looking at Max the first time she turned her head.
Well, she guessed it was better than him thinking she was blushing over thoughts of running her hands through Logan’s hair. Which was not something that she planned to ever do again.
“Thanks.” She really never knew what to say when people said they were sorry for a breakup. She wasn’t sorry, and she certainly didn’t want to talk to Logan about it.
“Soooo.” She put her hands in her back pockets. “Inventory? Now?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I know, it’s not normal inventory time, but when I got back I noticed we had a lot of big equipment in the store taking up too much floor space. I wanted to see if we could discount some of it and get it out in time to begin bringing in Christmas decorations.”
Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I remember when we were kids helping your parents bring in the decorations and setting up on Saturday nights after you closed. That was a lot of fun. Those nights were always the beginning of the Christmas season for me.”
He looked down at his boots, trying to hide his longing for those simpler times. “Yes, they were always the best times for me as well.” He shuffled his boots on the sidewalk. “You know, Leah and I are going to do the setup ourselves. Mom doesn’t want to leave Dad alone so late at night. If you want, you could join us. Mom said she’d make her usual deserts and hot apple cider for us to take to the store that night. Maybe even ask Chloe if she wants to join us?”
Her heart pounded in her chest, and had to bite back a yes. She loved those nights, but that was when she and Logan were a couple. Now she didn’t even know if they were friends. “I don’t know. We’re swamped right now, and Chloe’s getting ready to leave for her new job. Or at least I think she is. She refuses to tell me when she’s leaving, or even if she got a job. I know she did, but she won’t tell me anything.”
He tilted his head and furrowed his brow. “But I thought the two of you always told each other everything?”
“So did I.” Elizabeth had noticed a few packed boxes in Chloe’s place the last time she went by unannounced. Her twin had said that she was just getting rid of some things she no longer needed, but Elizabeth knew what was going on.
It frustrated her that her only sister wouldn’t confide in her. The entire family knew that she was looking to leave town. They all knew she’d gone on interviews a few weeks back. Elizabeth was convinced they had all offered Chloe a job. Maybe her sister was just trying to figure out which job to take and didn’t want to say anything until she had made her choice?
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what was going through her sister’s head, since she refused to talk about it.
However, one of these days Chloe would have to say something. Surely she wouldn’t just up and leave without even a “by your l
eave,” would she?
“I think you two need to sit down and have a heart to heart. Maybe take her to the tree?”
Logan and her brothers had made a tree fort when they were really young. The twins were only allowed in because Logan always brought them. And since he had helped to create the fort, the Manning brothers couldn’t say no. Especially since it was on Logan’s family’s land.
As time went on, it became more and more Logan and Elizabeth’s place. The Manning brothers had more responsibilities on the Triple J Ranch, and they also participated in high school sports, and then dating. There just wasn’t time or interest in a childhood fort.
Elizabeth smiled. “You know, I haven’t been there since junior year.” She shook her head. “I don’t even remember the last time I thought of it. Is it still standing?”
“Yup. The last time I was in town I went out there and fixed it up. A few boards needed replacing and a few spots needed reinforcing, but it’s sturdy and just waiting for someone to use it again.” Logan’s eyes had that distant look, as though he was thinking back to their time in the tree fort, just like she was.
“Did your sister ever use it?” Once they broke up, Elizabeth never went to the Hayes house, or to the fort. She didn’t even ask about it when she saw Leah or her parents in town.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. When she was young and used to follow me around, she would always try to get in, but we never let her. So, I think she was conditioned to not want to go in after so many years.” Logan had been a bit mean to his kid sister when they were younger, but what big brother wasn’t?
If Elizabeth and Logan hadn’t been so close, her brothers would have made sure she didn’t get to go in either.
Her phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. “I’ve got to take this. It was nice seeing you, Logan. Have a great day.” And she meant it, too.
He smiled and waved goodbye. “Think about what I said. Leah and I would love to have you and Chloe help us set up. I’ll let you know what night we plan to do it, in case you want to join us. Oh, and we’ll be playing all the old Christmas songs you used to love so much.”
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