The Rightful Heir by Angel Moore Page B

didn’t come to put her out. I came to be with Grump. I had no idea he had passed.”
    â€œWould you have come if you’d known?”
    Jared hadn’t considered that. Would he have moved this far west? There had been other ranching jobs in Maryland. Just because the ranch he’d worked on had gone under didn’t mean he couldn’t find work closer to home.
    But it wasn’t really home. This was his home.
    â€œPine Haven is my home, Doc. My father and mother lived here before I was born. Pa and Grump built this paper for me when I was a small boy. I came to carry on the legacy they created.”
    Doc nodded. “Then God will work it all out for you. He has a way of bringing folks to the things—and the people—they need in their lives.”
    Jared wasn’t sure. “God didn’t show much interest in me in Maryland.”
    Doc Willis shook his head. “Sometimes things happen that God didn’t have anything to do with. It doesn’t mean He isn’t interested. It can mean He wasn’t consulted. Or even that it wasn’t time for a particular thing to happen. Either way, I’ve learned something about God. He’s always good.” The doctor gave a quick nod for emphasis. “And He’s always right.”
    â€œI’ve got no argument with that.”
    â€œDon’t close yourself off from things—or people—too quickly. There just may be an answer waiting for you if you’re willing to hear it.”
    â€œDoc! Come quick!” An older gentleman waved at the doctor from the center of town. “There’s a fight at the saloon! Looks like they’re gonna need you again.”
    â€œI wish the town council had never let Winston Ledford build that saloon.” He stepped onto the street.
    â€œWould they have approved it if men like you or your father-in-law had been one of their number?”
    Doc Willis paused to ponder his question. “They wouldn’t have had my vote. Mr. Warren didn’t move here until after the saloon opened.”
    â€œThat’s just the sort of thing a man can influence when he involves himself in political matters.”
    â€œThat’s a thought worth thinking on, Jared.” The doctor nodded as if it were something he’d think about immediately. “You have a good afternoon. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”
    As the doctor made his way toward the waving man, Jared thought about what Doc had said about God working things out for people. Grump had read him Bible stories when he was a boy. Every story had ended with something good that God had done. His mother had read to him, too, until he’d learned to read for himself. But not with the enthusiasm of Grump. When Grump read, the characters all took on different voices. He’d even made the lions roar before Daniel had been thrown into the den. The memory warmed his heart.
    Doc was right. God was always good.
    And in his heart, Jared knew God was always right. If only he could see God’s plan for the future. He’d known coming to Pine Haven was the right thing to do.
    Why hadn’t God told him to come sooner?
    For the first time he acknowledged that he couldn’t blame that on his mother or God. Jared was twenty-four years old. He’d been working on the ranch for years before his mother passed. He could have come to visit Grump any time after he’d started working. No, it wouldn’t have been an easy trip, and his mother wouldn’t have approved. But the fault was his alone.
    I’m sorry, Lord. Please forgive me for the hurt I’ve bottled up inside and the blame I’ve held against my mother. Help me to forgive her. And myself.
    Elmer Finch came out of the general store. He was looking down and bumped into Jared.
    â€œHey, be careful.” Jared put out a hand and caught the man by the arm to keep him from tripping off the porch.
    Mr. Finch snatched his arm from