Jedediah takes a deep breath and begins to walk to the barn. He does his calmest talking while he is partially occupied by something he loves. The footsteps behind him tell him that is just what he will be doing. "I'm sorry, I can't offer you anything to drink today."

A scoff can be heard behind him. "I didn't come for a social call over tea and you know that. Tea or no tea it doesn't matter to me because I won't be sticking around long. Just enough time for you to tell me where I can find them and their things and I will be out of your hair."

Lord Jesus, Your words not mine. Jedediah picks up the pile of bridles off of the tack room floor and begins to pull them apart and hang them on hooks lining the cinder block wall. "I'm not sure I quite understand where you come from." When Samuel starts to speak Jedediah holds up his hand a moment before continuing. "I know that Aubrey is different now than when you two were together, but I know it is all for the better. I also happen to believe that no matter how much she has changed for the better she was still a super amazing woman when you had her. That leaves one thing still puzzling me deeply."

The evenness and gentleness of the man's voice surprises Samuel and throws his whole game plan off. He is silent for a long time not knowing what to say. Quite frankly the thing Jedediah was wondering about he often wondered about himself. Why did he leave her? "You want to know why I up and left her and the baby and why I signed my rights off."

Jedediah simply nods.

Samuel sucks a breath in before slowly blowing it back out. "I had my whole life planned out and a baby was no where in that plan. I knew that she would take care of the baby-"

"Cole, his name is Cole."

"Cole. Anyway, I knew Aubrey would be a super mom and it was just easier to sign it all away. Then I didn't have to worry about it. It was like it never happen." He again takes a deep breath.

Jedediah stares at him for a moment. "But it did and obviously you know that because here you are."

"Yeah. The amazing football career I had planned for myself didn't work out and everywhere I looked all I could see was that I had a woman and child out there."

This brings Jedediah to pulls a bucket to sit on in front of Samuel, who has sat himself on top of a old freezer. As he begins to speak nothing, but happiness radiates off of him. "God didn't make you see them for you to get them back. He made you see them for you to find Christ. I'm not saying that Aubrey and I are the ones to show Him to you, but He wants you to have a relationship with Him."

The smile on Jedediah's face and the gentle kind words that he says is a blow to Samuel. However, it doesn't take long for him to recover. "Well can I still see them? I'm sure once she sees me she will be happy to come back with me."
***

Aubrey dishes out four plates of mac and cheese and slides them on the table. Three little boys greedily grab their mini forks and stab the swirly yellow noodles. Keeping three three-year-old little boys out of trouble can be about like herding nine cats, especially on days like today! You can hardly take a step in the house without stepping on a toy horse, cow, bull, or sheep. Not to mention the tractors, trailers and pickups strung around the yard outside. As she digs her own fork into the scrumptious food she closes her eyes and shuts out the noises.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful day, for giving me a loving husband and adorable son. Give me a servant's heart and patience as I go about the rest of my day. I love you Lord. In Jesus Name Amen.

The three quickly finish their food and are asking to get down. "Yes you may get down, but you three need to pick up all these toys, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" They chorus together as they scamper down to the floor with bright cheerful faces.

Just as they scramble amongst the worn toys on the cool white tile her phone begins to ring beside her. To say that the picture of Cole snuggled up on Jedediah's chest melts her heart every time she sees it would be a bit of an understatement. "Hello honey!"

"Hey sweetheart, how's it going with the munchkins?"

Her eyebrows knit together a bit at the lack of cheerfulness in his voice, but decides to find the reason later. With a small laugh and a glance at the living room floor she answers, "Wild."

He chuckles. "Typical boys, huh?"

"Well, used to I would have agreed with that statement, but now I have a new one. Typical ranch boys."

The giggle at the end of her statement tells him that she can't wait to know what he says. A deep rumbling laugh comes from his throat as he throws his head back in amusement. "So you think us ranch boys are worse, do you?"

She giggles as a blush creeps onto her cheeks. She grins sheepishly as she can almost see one of his eyebrows raise and his head cocked to one side. "It is possible."

"Well you are probably right," he says with a chuckle, but the cheerful mood quickly vanishes at the thought of the specific reason he called her. He sighs, just thinking about the words that he has to say makes him wonder what he was thinking when they came out of his mouth.

She frowns. She knows that it isn't often that he is heavily weighed on with thoughts, unlike herself. "Handsome, what's wrong?"

"Are you sitting down? And promise not to throw your phone?" He asks knowing that the news he is about to throw at her isn't going to be necessarily easy to digest.

Quickly she dumps her plate in the sink and sits back down at the table. I'll take care of the dishes in a little bit, she thinks to herself. "I'm sitting. Why would I throw my phone?"

"Because I may or may not have just invited Samuel to dinner tomorrow night when Raely and Traven are coming over, please don't kill me."

A/N
Hey guys! That you so much for reading this book and for all the support you have given me! The next chapter will be the last in this book. I am sad to see the characters go because I have fallen in love with them just as much as you have. Once again thank you for your support!