He lifted a bandaged hand. “Not yet. I need to say something else while I can still bear to remember what happened out there today. Tomorrow, I plan to forget everythingâ¦except my Heavenly Father.” He met Melanie's eyes. “I thought I was a goner. So I prayed for the
first time in two years, as I've never prayed before. And right then, the wind shifted south, whipping the fire away from me.” Coughing again, he struggled to continue. “The flames were so close I could reach out and touch them. But when the wind shifted, I was able to get inside my fire shelter and wait it out. I kept praying and didn't move until Jim found me.”
Jim patted Scott gently on the shoulder, his eyes slightly damp. This was an emotional time, even for big, strong firefighters.
“Let's go to the hospital,” Jim said.
“Scott, Iâ¦I⦔ Anne stepped near, her eyes filled with penitent tears.
He smiled and reached for her with his bandaged hands. With a hollow sob, the girl launched into his arms, missing his grimace of pain. He didn't say a word, but held the girl close for several moments. Melanie could just make out her whispered apology.
“I'm so sorry.” Anne's shoulders trembled. “For everything. For being rude and saying you were a dirty rotten ranger. I'm so glad you're okay.”
He closed his eyes tight and turned his face so he could kiss her hair. “It's okay, Anne. Shh. Don't cry, honey. Everything's gonna be all right. I'm glad you and your mother are okay, too.”
He opened his eyes and met Melanie's gaze. She found herself brushing tears away from her cheeks again. This had been a difficult day. All it took to center one's priorities was a life-threatening catastrophe. Nothing else mattered in the world except the people she loved.
Scott released Anne, then stood as Jim steadied him. Melanie hated to let him go. Hated to lose sight of him. What if he were more injured than they believed? She'd heard of lung damage taking a person's life following a
forest fire. But right now, in front of these people, wasn't the time to tell him how she felt about him. And yet, she might never get another chance. “Scott, Iâ”
The medic bolted through the door. “A chopper just arrived to fly Mr. Ennison to Evanston.”
Two paramedics rushed inside and aimed their sights on Scott. Within moments, they whisked him out the door toward the helicopter parked in the front yard. Shelley stayed right beside her dad. Melanie and Anne followed.
Most of the firefighters had left, moving to the east where they would maintain the fire until it burned itself out. Jim had assigned one crew to clean up at Opal Ranch, to ensure that the fire in Melanie's fields was really out. Ash blanketed every available surface, turning the front lawn to gray. Melanie almost laughed. What did a little ash matter when the man she loved was safe and she'd see him again tomorrow?
Tomorrow! It seemed like forever. Melanie hated to let Scott go.
Frank Donaldson and Marty Taylor stood at the bottom of the porch steps, waiting to greet Scott. At Scott's urging, the medics paused for just a moment.
Frank held his beat-up cowboy hat with his plump, blunt fingers. His face flushed with humility. Melanie stood close by, finding it ironic to see such a large, tall man looking so ashamed.
Frank reached out to shake Scott's hand. The man stuttered and shifted his weight with discomfort. “Iâ¦I heard what you did, Mr. Ennison. I just want to say I'm sorry for all the trouble my family and I caused you. No other ranger's ever kept his promise to us.” He swallowed hard. “I didn't know what kind of man you were until today.
I'm sorry. You won't have any more trouble from me or my family.”
“Call me Scott. And apology accepted.” Scott nodded but didn't smile.
Melanie wondered how he continued to be so gracious. Surely he must be in tremendous pain. In spite of everything, he'd offered his forgiveness. How lucky she was to have such a man in her life. She didn't want to lose him. Didn't want him to leave.
“I also owe you a debt of gratitude,” Marty said. “If you hadn't plowed that fire line across Melanie's south pasture, the fire would have burned right through and come over the hill to my place. I can't thank you enough for stopping it in time.”
So finally the other ranchers had seen what a good man Scott Ennison really was.
A man who kept his promise.
As she watched the medics help Scott and Shelley into the chopper, Melanie wished she could go with them. The blades whirred overhead, blowing dust around the yard.
She had to stay here, to take care of her sheep. She wasn't Scott's wife. She hadn't even told him she loved him and she had no right to tag along.
Tomorrow, she'd go see him, even if it meant making a trip to the hospital in Evanston. Even if it meant driving to the ends of the earth. Somehow she must find the courage to tell him how she really felt. To ask him to stay in Snyderville. With her. Forever.
She just hoped he would agree.
S
cott showed up on Melanie's doorstep with Shelley at eight o'clock the next morning. Dressed in his best Sunday suit, he'd taken extra care with his appearance, but figured he still looked pretty rough around the edges. Though they would soon heal, red burns and blisters dotted his neck and ears. When Melanie opened the front door, Scott felt such a sense of relief. Seeing her did something to him inside, making him giddy with happiness.
“Scott!” Her eyes widened in surprise and her gaze swept over his attire. “What are you doing here?”
“I don't mean to intrude, but can I speak with you and Anne for a few minutes?”
She pushed the screen door wide. “Of course. Don't be silly. You're always welcome here. Come inâ¦please.”
He caught the joyful lilt in her voice, the sound soothing his jangled nerves like water to a parched throat. A lance of hope speared him. What he was about to do required quite a bit of courage and he needed all the encouragement he could get.
“Anne!” Melanie called to the back of the house. “Scott and Shelley are here.”
Anne came running, wearing her blue jeans and pajama
top, as if she'd been in the middle of changing her clothes. “Shelley!”
The two girls hugged and Scott realized they'd formed a bond few real sisters ever enjoyed. They'd reconciled their differences over being a rancher and ranger.
Melanie gestured to the recliner. “Sit down, Scott. Are you sure you should be out of the hospital already? How are your lungs? What did the doctor say?”
He chuckled, enjoying her worrying about him. It had been a long time since a woman cared enough to ask if he was okay and he couldn't explain why it meant so much to him now.
Because he loved her. That's all he knew for certain anymore. And he loved the Lord. Until yesterday, he didn't realize how much he'd missed God in his life.
“I'm fine. I have a clean bill of health. The doctor said my lungs are strong, though I may have a cough for a while. Otherwise, I'm good.”
She sat across from him while the girls plopped back on the couch. Their smiles were contagious. They needed to celebrate the gift of life.
“That's amazing,” Melanie said. “I can't believe what you went through and yet you're okay. The Lord really did bless us yesterday.”
“Yes, He did,” Scott agreed. “And I'm hoping He'll bless me again today.”
She tilted her head. “How so?”
He slid to his knees and reached out to gently take each of their hands into his larger, bandaged hands. Even Shelley stared in confusion.
“Dad?”
“Shh.”
They scooted close together and he looked into each
of the little girls' eyes, before finally locking gazes with Melanie.
Melanie gasped. “Scott, youâ”
“Shh. Just listen for a moment and then you can talk all you want.”
She bit her bottom lip, looking so vulnerable that he felt the strong urge to kiss her.
He gripped her hand, trying not to squeeze too hard. “I can't tell you what the past few months have meant to me, working here at Opal Ranch, watching Shelley come to love Anne like a real sister. I know we've never formally dated, but I don't need a night out on the town to know how I feel about you. No restaurant or movie theater could ever compete with the sunsets we've shared.” A lump rose to his throat, but he forged ahead. “I never thought I'd find love again, but I have. It's here at Opal Ranch. If the girls agree, I want us to be a real family. I love you, Melanie. I love you and Anne.”
Melanie's eyes welled up. “Oh, Scott⦔ she whispered.
“I didn't mean for this to happen. In fact, loving you poses all sorts of problems for us,” he admitted ruefully. “But love isn't convenient. It's something that takes hold of our hearts and makes us better people. My love for you has made me whole again.”
Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. “Scott, you've made so many promises to me, to the girls and to the other ranchers. And you've kept every one of them. But I'm afraid I need to ask for one more promise from you.”
“What's that?” Now that he'd gotten the words out, his voice cracked like an adolescent boy. If she refused him, he'd be crushed.
“Promise to stay here with me always and love me forever. Because⦔
“Because?” he urged.
“Because I love you, too. I was frantic when I thought you might be gone. Please stay with me always.”
His heart beat rapidly and he longed to take her in his arms. But he needed to hear one more thing.
He turned to look at Anne. “Honey, would you mind being real sisters with Shelley? No one will ever take the place of your father, but would you mind if I were your new dad?”
Anne's brow furrowed. “You mean for keeps?”
“Yes, for keeps.”
“And you'd live here at Opal Ranch with Mom and me? And I'd have to share my room with Shelley?”
He released a shuddering sigh, praying she agreed. “Yes, that's what I mean.”
The girl hesitated, then her face lit up with a smile brighter than the Fourth of July. “Sure! Shelley will be my real sister and it's a good thing.”
“Why is that?” Melanie asked with a laugh.
“Because then Scott won't be a full ranger. He'll be a half rancher, which isn't quite as bad. And Shelley and I won't be half dogies anymore. We'll both have a mom and a dad.”
Scott chuckled, amazed at the child's reasoning.
Shelley nodded. “I like that plan. I wouldn't mind being a rancher and living here at Opal Ranch.”
The girls hugged each other, hopping up and down.
“Scott.”
Melanie drew his attention and he couldn't believe the love he saw shining in her eyes.
He came to his feet and sat beside her on the couch, cupping her hand in his. “I'm sorry I don't have an engagement ring for you yet. I was hoping you and the girls
might like to drive into Evanston with me this afternoon to pick one out. If you'll have me.”
The girls paused, staring at Melanie expectantly.
“Say yes, Mom. Say yes!” Anne urged.
Shelley grinned. “If you say yes, then Anne and I get to be bridesmaids.”
A happy giggle escaped Melanie's throat. “Yes! Yes! I can't fight all of you. Of course, yes.”
“All right!” Scott scooped her into his arms, kissing her lips, holding her close.
The girls joined them in a family bear hug. The room filled with happy laughter as they all discussed what this change might mean in their lives.
“It means Scott will be a half rancher,” Anne said.
“It means I'll have a new sister,” Shelley added.
Melanie's eyes sparkled. “It means I get to spend forever with the love of my life.”
Scott kissed her again, then drew back slightly, their noses touching. “It means I get to keep another promise to my new family.”
“Family.”
The word whispered past Melanie's lips on a sigh. “There isn't a better word in the English vocabulary.”
As Scott held her tight, he couldn't agree more.
Dear Reader,
As we travel through life, we sometimes encounter people who for some reason don't like us. First as children, we may meet other kids on the playground or in high school whom we have a natural aversion to. Later in life, we may have neighbors, family members or business associates we don't get along with. No matter what the reason, the Lord expects us to seek peace. That doesn't mean we should let other people take advantage of us. Contention is not of God and we should look at ourselves to determine if we are part of the problem, or part of the solution.
In
The Forest Ranger's Promise,
both the heroine and the hero learn this lesson the hard way. According to the Gospel of Matthew, we must love our enemies and bless and pray for them that hate or persecute us. This can be particularly difficult when it affects our livelihood or family relationships. The Lord has not asked us to just get along with our enemies, but to actually love them. This is a higher law that requires a humble heart and lots of prayer to help overcome the anger or hatred we might feel toward some people. But like the Good Samaritan, we must obey God's law, not man's law.
I hope you enjoy reading
The Forest Ranger's Promise
and I invite you to visit my website at www.LeighBale.com to learn more about my books.
May you find peace in the Lord's words!
Leigh Bale