Free This Time by Rachel Hauck

Father. "I trained and worked so hard for the glory
of football, now I want to train and work hard for Your glory
alone."
    As he prayed the desires of his
heart, a powerful peace washed over him.

Chapter Nine
     
    Belle glanced cautiously toward
the back of the chapel as she slid her Bible into her old saddlebag
and slipped the canvas case around her guitar. She hoped to catch a
glimpse of Burke. Looking quickly, she didn't see him. A slight
disappointment smarted her heart.
    During her prayer time, the
presence of the Lord had tenderized her soul, and once again she
began to see things as He saw them.
    She knew she must give Burke a
chance to say his piece. In return, she must share with him about
the pain and heartache he had caused her.
    With a sigh of resolve, she
walked toward the back of the chapel, guitar and saddlebag in tow.
As she neared the final pews, she could hear the muffled sounds of
praying. She peaked between the pews and smiled. Burke lay
prostrate on the floor.
    Gently she kicked his foot
with her boot. "Hey, Benning," she said in a low voice.
    Burke lifted his head and
peered over his shoulder at her. Instantly, he rose to his knees
and turned his body toward her. "Leaving so soon?"
    " It's been over an hour."
    He slipped into the wooden
pew. "I hadn't realized that much time had passed. The peace felt
so strong."
    Belle rested her guitar
case on the pew and dropped her saddlebag to the floor. "It's
always like that in here," she said, bravely adding, "Listen, I'm
sorry about my attitude last night on the phone."
    He looked up at her. "It's
okay, I understand."
    " You got a minute?" she ventured.
    " For you, yes."
    Nervousness took over. Gentle
tremors shot through her body as she boldly slid into the pew next
to him. She stared at the floor for a long moment, trying to speak.
But emotion choked her words.
    Burke leaned against the back of
the pew as if to give her space and waited quietly.
    " I had such a confidence a minute ago, I thought I could do
this," she confessed with a slight laugh.
    " Opening Pandora's box can't be easy."
    She tried to talk again,
but couldn't. Finally, she gave up all efforts to speak without
feeling. With tears streaming down her face, she confronted him.
"You left me on our wedding day. Not the week before or the day
before, but minutes before. Do you know what that did to me?" Her
shoulders collapsed with sobs. She felt nauseous and
drained.
    Burke's broad, high cheeks
reddened, and his blue eyes watered. "It wasn't because I stopped
loving you, Belle." His words were hushed and sensitive.
    " Then why, Burke? Why?" Out of frustration, she pounded the
pew once with her fist.
    He hesitated before
confessing. "I got cold feet."
    She couldn't believe her
ears. "What?"
    " I got cold feet," he repeated, his tone a level
louder.
    Belle gaped at him. Of all
the reasons she imagined over the past twelve years, being scared
wasn't one of them. "Cold feet?" she echoed,
unbelieving.
    " Hard to imagine isn't it? But it's the truth."
    She slid off the pew and walked
to the window, restless and agitated. Dark ominous clouds obscured
the brilliant colors of the setting sun.
    " Daddy came in the dressing room that day looking white as a
summer cloud. I thought he'd gotten sick. He asked all the girls to
leave, and when the last one out shut the door, he started
crying."
    She turned around to face
Burke and dropped her back against the faded blue paint of the
chapel wall, arms crossed over her chest. His complexion had faded
from red to pale. "I hadn't seen Daddy cry since momma died. In my
wildest dreams I would have never guessed you were the cause of his
tears. Not you, Burke."
    " Belle, I--" he started, but she spoke over him, continuing
her tale.
    " Daddy couldn't speak for several minutes. I thought I'd go
crazy if he didn't say something soon. Finally he said, 'Kit,
Burke's gone.' He might as well have been speaking a foreign
language cause I didn't understand a word he said. After a