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As he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, what surprised him the most was knowing the hardest part was going to be holding back.
26
Elise was surprised at how hard it was to leave the ranch to go back to her parents’ house the following Monday. Every day before their trip, she had been desperate to get up and out the door, putting as much distance between herself and Garrett as possible. Today, she would’ve stayed with him all day. In fact, she wished that she could ask him to take her on that horseback ride he had promised.
But that would have to wait. There was still so much to do at her parents’ house, and no one to do it but her. No, she couldn’t think like that. She had prayed and surrendered things to the Lord, to say that she wasn’t gonna do it all on her own anymore. Garrett was there to help, and the entire Macklin family had offered to help in any way they could. The only problem was she wasn’t sure how to let them help. That’s what today was about. Lydia had offered to let the boys stay at the ranch and play, so Elise committed to making a list and figuring out how to finish the house over the next two weeks. Also on her list for today was to call a real estate agent to get ready to list it.
With her coffee cup in hand, and her notebook tucked under her arm, she entered her parents’ house. Somehow it looked very different than the last time she had been here. Elise knew it was because of how the Lord was working on her heart. Without even thinking, as she shut the door behind her, she began to pray out loud. “God, thank You for the work You’re doing in my life. This is still one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I never would have believed that I would be having to pack up my parents’ house and getting ready to sell it after they were gone. Well, maybe, but I would’ve expected it to be much later in life. I don’t know why I’ve had to walk through this, but, God, I know now that I’m not walking through it alone.
Not only have You never left me, but You have given me a new family and support system to help me through it.” She took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to get the emotion out of her voice. She knew if she let herself, she would be crying in moments. “Thank you, God, for giving me the strength to do this. You have given me hope when I had no hope.” Her heart fluttered as Garrett’s face came to her mind. “And I think, just maybe, You might be giving me love when I never thought I would find it.”
Before she could get any more emotional, she set to work about the house. The many tasks kept her busy, but her mind frequently wandered to Garrett, their home, the boys, and what the future would look like.
* * *
“Now isn’tit exactly what we needed?” Sawyer said to the family.
Garrett glanced around from his seat on the pontoon boat. He had to admit it was a nice view. Water stretched as far as he could see, and the clear blue sky made it a perfect day to be out on the lake. “It definitely is different,” he said. “Never thought I’d see this bunch of cowboys out on the lake for a day.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s good. We needed a break.”
“When is it my turn on the Sea-Doos?” Jensen asked.
Sierra swatted at him. “Aren’t you too old for that?”
Jensen bounced their baby boy, Elijah, on his knee. “No way! Are you too old to ride horses?”
Sierra smiled sheepishly. “Never.”
“Then I’m never too old to ride a Sea-Doo.”
Garrett watched his brother and sister-in-law interact with each other but knew that he had no interest in riding a Sea-Doo. Really, he had no interest in being anywhere other than where Elise was. He glanced down at their hands, linked together, sitting so close together that their legs touched.
“Does this count as a cruise?” He leaned close to whisper in her ear.
That elicited a giggle. “Not exactly, but it’s nice.”
Garrett shifted his position and put his arm around her shoulder. Elise tucked her body into him. He took in a deep breath and let it out. “Are you comfortable?” he asked.
“Mmhmm,” she answered with a nod. “Perfectly.”
That was exactly how he felt. Perfectly comfortable with Elise. How had he missed it for so long? That the easy friendship they had could grow into something so much better. How could he have watched his brothers fall in love, hold hands, cuddle, and laugh with each other and ever think that he could go his whole life not wanting that?
There was that word he had avoided: love. Was that really what this was?
“Do you want some water?” Elise asked, stretching her legs and standing up.
He was sorry to lose the closeness of her sitting next to him, but he let himself gaze at her standing in front of him. Her pink swimsuit cover-up dress hung down over one shoulder, revealing the light blue of her swimsuit, and her dark hair was swept up in a ponytail that cascaded down her back. He had always known she was pretty, but he never let himself fully appreciate her beauty. Now he knew Elise was gorgeous.
“Garrett?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, sorry, I was distracted.” he winked at her. “Sure, water would be great.”
She glanced at him over her shoulder as she walked toward the cooler at the back of the boat. At that moment he wished they were alone here. He would go after her and just maybe he would give her the kiss he’d been dreaming about.
When she made her way back to the seat, a wake caused the boat to tip back and forth quickly.
“Woah,” Elise’s voice rose as she tried to keep her balance, carrying two ice-cold bottles of water.
