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The day he’d stopped taking her up on his horse with him and banished her to the house, he’d made it clear that he had no use for a daughter. Then when Mother finally birthed a son, Samantha had all but ceased to exist in her father’s eyes. Sam was the name of a girl trying to be the son her father wanted. Samantha was the grown woman whose dreams no longer relied on her father’s approval.
“I won’t be forced into an unwanted marriage just so you can expand your holdings.”
Daddy might have passed the fifty mark a couple of years ago, but he was still in his prime. Tall. Strong. Frightful when angry. Yet never cruel.
It’s a father’s job to see that his daughter is provided for.”
“You’re nineteen years old, Samantha. Most girls with your beauty and advantages are already married and setting up their houses.”
All wealthy and highly invested in the cattle market. Makes me think you’re less interested in my personal happiness and more interested in what advantage my marriage can bring to your ranching empire.”
“I’ll admit to knowin’ precious little about raisin’ a girl. I probably made a mess of things more’n a few times, especially after your mother passed, but never in all my days have I wanted anything but the best for you.” He jabbed a finger toward the door. “That ballroom is
I know the ones who honor God with their lips and those who honor him with their lives. I culled out the best of the herd and invited them to this here shindig to meet the daughter I value more than all the beeves in Texas, but it seems she’s too busy makin’ assumptions and casting stones to give any of them a second look.”
He’d never once asked her opinion or preference.
Asher’s lips twitched at the thought. He’d have to tell Fergus about that one. His little brother was constantly creating stories about mischievous animals, usually when he needed someone to blame his own mischief on, but the kid’s imaginative tales delighted their mother, and anything that lightened Mama Bess’s load was worth encouraging.
Breaking into another man’s house might be walking a thin spiritual line, but his cause was just. Eli Dearing had wrongfully evicted Asher’s stepmother and brothers from their home. Callously put them out on the street with no way to support themselves.
All he sought was proof that Mama Bess had not been late on her payments.
He sent his wages to Mama Bess every month for that express purpose. Had been doing so since his father died six years ago.
Tenant Elizabeth Ellis.
She wanted to believe he meant them—he’d sounded like he meant them—yet they didn’t match her experience of being pushed away, brushed off, and ignored. Or had bitterness skewed her memories?
“Clinton Abernathy Dearing! You scared me.” Her little brother shrugged. Twelve-year-olds rarely
If I marry, it will be to someone who loves me for who I am, not for the dowry I bring or the career advancement my father can provide.
after her passing, Samantha had found comfort in baking. Or, more accurately, in Mrs. Stewart. The grandmotherly cook at
In her mind, a man who worked for his money understood its value and was less likely to squander it.
she hadn’t considered that a boy of twelve might actually miss having his sister around.
They’d grown close during those years, but the older Clint became, the more interest their father showed in him.
Boston.” She missed her volunteer work there, though, the calling that had breathed new purpose into her empty life.
maybe actions that seemed bad at first glance had more complicated explanations.
hide the boot.” What? Clint shot her a glance, his eyes pleading. “He saved my life, Sam. The least we can do is cover his tracks.”
Duke Kendrick, foreman for the Three Cedars, came alongside, looking nearly
Martin Hanover, one of the top hands
“I’m more of a doer than a feeler. It’s why I struggle to understand you sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t admire your passion.”
her childish beliefs fell away. He wasn’t larger-than-life. He was just a man. One with weaknesses and flaws. One who probably had no idea how to relate to a daughter
she cared little about who a man knew. Who a man was carried much more weight.
If only he and the others would cease trying to impress her and simply get to know her and let her get to know them in return.
She sought a relationship—one to last a lifetime.
mutual respect, shared values, and camaraderie. She wanted someone who would make her laugh and hold her when she cried. One who would listen to her opinions and consider them of equal worth to his own. One who enjoyed her company and sought her out instead of relegating her to a role separat...
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would she be so jaded by past disappointments and fearful of future hurts that she failed to take the risk required to find love?
you need to listen to him. Listen not with the ears of a child, but with the ears of a woman, one who understands how complicated this world can be.”
viewing the world through very different lenses. One wasn’t better or worse than another. Both had value. And both had pitfalls.”
Your mother valued social status and judged herself on her ability to achieve it.
You are more than enough. You are exactly who God intended you to be.
She really needed to have a hard, honest conversation with her father. Not so he could give her value or shape her identity—she’d found that in her Lord and in his work—but to gain a better understanding of his thoughts and motives. Perhaps it would heal old wounds and help them find a path to reconciliation. “I
“I’d like your help in finding a way to minister to the less fortunate here in Palo Pinto.”
“I don’t simply want to be Eli Dearing’s daughter. Privileged and prized for my dowry. I want to make a difference in my community.” Her
In a big city like Boston, I imagine you rarely crossed paths with the people you served. Here, however, it will be impossible not to cross paths with them.”
People don’t like to be thought of as charity work.”
Whether it is your intention or not, they are predisposed to see any help you offer as an act of condescension.”
But to be effective in this place, you need to serve from a place of humility,
They must feel respected, not pitied. Ministry is not about you helping those in need, it’s about God helping those in need through you.
It’s hard to open old wounds and not focus on the pain. Give me eyes to see things from his perspective instead of merely my own. You make all things new, Lord. Soften my heart so I can join your work of reconciliation instead of hindering it.
she couldn’t allow herself to be mired in old hurts any longer. She needed to forgive her father and move forward.
“Kids don’t always know what’s best for them. It’s not a parent’s job to give a child everything she wants. Sometimes we gotta look past what we want and do what’s best, even if it’s hard.”
“Your mama wanted the best for you, and she had very specific ideas of what that entailed. Some days I thought her dreams were too lofty, too . . . far-flung. She talked of you becoming the wife of a steel baron or a senator. Of using your position in society to make a difference in the world. Personally, I just wanted you to grow up to marry a local boy and stay close to home.”
“I made your mama a promise as she lay dying, Samantha. I had to carry it out. Even if you and I both hated it.”
