She held her breath as she watched his eyes soften with love. It was unmistakable.
He kissed her cheek. “I can't lie and tell you I didn't think about that. I won't stand back and let him treat you like he treated you before. I'll always be here as a barrier. But it was not knowing if I could handle
watching him tear at you emotionally that was the problem.”
“I'm going to be okay if you're there beside me.”
He placed his hands on either side of her face and smoothed her hair back. “I really think you are. You're so much stronger than you thought you were.”
“Thanks to you.”
“And thanks to you I think I have a little more compassion than I did have. But here's the dealâwhen you marry me.”
She laughed, she couldn't help it. “A little bold, aren't you?”
He smiled. “I'm just staking my claim. You're one treasure I don't plan to lose, baby.”
“Oh, Seth.” She stood on her tiptoes and hugged him tightly.
“But listen to me,” he said against her ear, hugging her. “You will always be my priority from this day forward.” Holding her shoulders, he stood her away from him and looked into her eyes. “That means I'm serious when I say I won't stand for anyone hurting youâno one. Can you handle that?”
For the first time in her life, tears of happiness filled her eyes. “Oh, yes, I can handle that,” she said. “I love you so much.”
“That's all the treasure I'm interested in,” he said.
And then Seth, the love of her life, kissed Melody like she was the most remarkable woman God had ever created.
T
he call came four weeks later on the day Melody was preparing for her wedding. It was from a facility on the coast of Texas and the caseworker was calling to tell Melody that her brother had entered the program. He hadn't asked to call her himself but had simply wanted the caseworker to let Melody know that he was there and that this time it was because he wanted to be. Melody cried silent tears and hope flickered in her heart.
She'd spent the happiest days of her life over the last month as she and Seth had prepared for their wedding day. She thought of Ty, but she'd successfully detached herself emotionally from dwelling on wondering about what was happening in his life. Instead she'd continued to pray for him, believing that good could come to him if he'd just seek it.
After thanking the caseworker for calling, she hung up the phone and said a prayer for her brother. She asked for God to strengthen him and put people around him in the center who could help him. He had a long
way to go, but for the first time in his life, her brother had made the right choice. On his own.
And so had she. By the end of the day, she would be Mrs. Seth Turner. She closed the journal she'd been reading when the phone rang and gently ran her hand over the weathered leather. They hadn't found any gold inside the cave. But they'd found evidence that once there had been some. It was one of those legends that would forever go unsolved, but as for her and Seth they felt eternally grateful for what they'd found in the search.
“Melody, are you in here?” Lacy called from the front door.
“I'm in here.”
“Well, hop to it, girlfriend. We have a wedding to get you toâ” Lacy stopped in the doorway. “You look beautiful!”
Melody stood up and looked down at her wedding dress. “I couldn't help myself. I knew I was supposed to get dressed at the church, but I wanted to put my dress on here.”
“It's your day. You can put your dress on anywhere you want to.”
Melody smiled, grabbed her veil and let Lacy hustle her out of the stagecoach house and into her pink Cadillac.
“You don't mind if the top is down?” Lacy asked, helping Melody get into the front seat without getting her dress dirty. “I just thought it's such a beautiful day, and you know meâthere's nothing that makes a special day more special than a ride in the sunshine. Kind of puts you close to God,” she said, jogging around the front of the car.
Melody watched as her friend hopped over the driver's door and landed with a plop in the seat. “I think you're absolutely right. Today is the perfect day for a ride. I feel so thankful for what God has done for me.”
“Then tighten up your belt, and let's hit the road,” Lacy said and punched the gas pedal. Instantly, the big tank of a car shot down the road like a pink rocket.
Melody laughed into the wind. Seth was waiting at the church for her at the end of the road. She felt like she was soaring as she held her veil in the air and let the wind stream through it. She was flying along a road that was over two hundred years old. So many people had traveled down it on their way across Texas in search of their futures. Just like she was doingâexcept Melody had found hers and it was with Seth.
As she felt the sun on her face and the wind in her hair, she knew that of those who'd ever traveled this road, she was the happiest of all.
It was remarkable. Wonderfully, happily remarkable.
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for spending time with me and the gang here in Mule Hollow! As you know, I love to keep you guessing about where my next stories are going to take you, and this story is taking you where I really didn't want to go. But I always write from my heart and Melody's story in many ways could be my own story or that of thousands of others across the country whose lives have been touched by the drug abuse of someone we love.
Melody was on the brink of breaking from the strain of dealing with her brother's addictions, and yet she knew that she had to make a change in her life. As a Christian she was especially torn about how she should handle her situation. Seth came along and gave her the strength to trust God even when it felt uncomfortable for her to make the hard choices.
I pray that if you are making hard choices in your life, God will give you a peace about it and guide you. And that you will have the strength to give your heartache to Him. And I pray with hope in my heart for you as you do so.
I love hearing from readers, and though I always fear I may not get to reply to everyone, I try. But please know your letters mean the world to me and touch me as I hope my books are touching you. You can reach me at P.O. Box 1125, Madisonville, Texas 77864, at www.debraclopton.com or through the Steeple Hill address.
Until we meet again, may God give you hope and peace,
Â
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3626-8
LONE STAR CINDERELLA
Copyright © 2009 by Debra Clopton
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
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.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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