Free Reunited with the Cowboy by Carolyne Aarsen Page B

something to stop him.
    â€œWhat?” Keira’s mouth fell open and she stared at her.
    â€œThat’s why I left him,” Heather continued, leeching all emotion out of her voice. This was only the partial truth, but she felt she had given her sister enough for now.
    â€œOh, honey. You never said...we never knew...” Keira slipped her arm around Heather’s shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell us?”
    â€œBecause I was too ashamed to admit it. Because I kept hoping that his promises to stop were true.” She slowly exhaled, a release of some of the tension that had held her since she’d signed the final divorce papers. “I should never have believed him.”
    â€œAnd that’s why you divorced him?”
    â€œPartly.” She caught the question in Keira’s eyes and hastily added, “Mostly. Like I said, I should never have married him. I knew he wasn’t a good person.”
    â€œOh, honey. I feel bad that you had to deal with this alone.” Keira touched her cheek. “We Bannister women do like to keep things to ourselves, don’t we?”
    Heather knew her sister was referring to her own secrets. “Well, you didn’t have any choice in what happened to you,” she said.
    â€œNeither did you.”
    Heather shook her head. “No. I’m not a victim. I don’t want to be seen as a victim.”
    â€œHoney, none of us want to be seen that way. I certainly didn’t. But the reality is that sometimes life beats us down. We have to find a way to get our feet under us. The way it happened for me was to trust that God loved me as I was, even when I was crushed and lying in the dirt.”
    Keira’s words alighted on Heather’s wounded soul and she let them settle, not sure she believed them yet, but also not sure she wanted to dismiss them out of hand.
    â€œI know that on one level,” she admitted. “I’ve been told it enough. Just hard to feel, sometimes, like I’m worth it.”
    â€œYou are. In God’s eyes, we all are.” The conviction in Keira’s voice made Heather smile.
    â€œThanks, honey. You’re a treasure.”
    â€œSo are you. Remember that.” Keira shook her finger at her sister and Heather laughed. “In spite of the scratch on your face.” Keira touched it again, shaking her head. “I feel bad that I wasn’t around to help process the cows, though. And I’m still surprised you were willing to do it.”
    â€œDidn’t have much choice.”
    â€œOf course, it probably didn’t hurt that John was around.”
    Heather couldn’t stop the faint blush creeping up her neck. “I just helped because no one else was available,” she said, maybe a bit too forcefully.
    â€œOf course you did.” Keira gave her a condescending smile and Heather just sighed.
    Trouble was, if she were to truly examine her motives for helping, she knew she would find bits of truth in what Keira was saying.
    But Heather wasn’t going to do that right now. She had to get ready, physically and mentally, for church.
    And John was going to be there.
    * * *
    The guitars, drums and voices of the worship team were the first things Heather heard as she stepped into the foyer of the Saddlebank church. The happy and upbeat sounds were a contrast to the usually somber music that Laura McCauley often coaxed out of the old church organ.
    â€œThings have changed,” she said to her sister as they hung up their coats. “I didn’t think Laura would ever give up her spot as organist.”
    â€œShe hasn’t,” Keira said. “But she doesn’t play as often.”
    â€œSo the prodigal daughter has returned home.”
    Heather glanced over to see Brooke Dillon hurrying toward them, arms open wide. Her old friend grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug, then pulled back, holding Heather by the shoulders