"I can."
He bent down, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead. When she opened her eyes, he was gone, and she was once again somewhere else, now standing in an open meadow, the sky above filled with bright stars and a full moon on the horizon.
Almost frantic, she glanced all around and sighed with relief when she saw that her father was there as well, looking strong and content. He wore a plain white shirt and beige pants but no shoes, like he was connected to the earth beneath him.
He held out his hand for Beverly to take, and she did without any hesitation. As they began to walk together through the tall, golden grasses of the meadow, her father began to tell her stories, stories of faith and hope too. Everywhere they went, he pointed out beauty in nature that reflected God's glory: lush trees with vibrant leaves that provided shade and shelter, delicate wildflowers that added tiny splashes of color to otherwise barren patches of soil, peaceful streams filled with darting fish, even animals large and small that shared their space within this world without fear.
"Father... does this mean you're in Heaven? Why didn't... How... Your faith..."
"Each one comes to their faith in their own time, in their own way. My path wasn't the same as yours. Maybe I should have shred more with you, but you are finally on your way. I knew you would always spread your wings. You can soar to Heaven. You'll see me again."
"Not just in dreams?"
"Not just in dreams."
"How do I... This might just be a dream and nothing more."
"Does it matter? Faith is what matters. Faith and love. Dream or not, you know I love you."
Beverly clung to him again, crying once more, and when she woke, she was still crying.
ChapterFifteen
The days turned into weeks which passed on by quickly, almost too quickly. It was almost time for Easter, and with Beverly being as resourceful as she was, she had been able to come up with solutions to the foundational issues in two of the buildings so neither had to be torn down and built from scratch.
In fact, tomorrow would be their last day working together.
And Easter was four days away.
He didn't want to let her go. She had gone to mass on one Sunday that he had seen with her mom. He had hoped to talk to her afterward, but Jack diverted his attention, and when he had looked around for her again, he hadn't seen her. She hadn't been the next Sunday, and while they talked about God a little bit, most of the time, they would speak about work or else got to know each other a little more.
A lot of times, they would eat lunch together, but she often would just eat with her mother, so he would with his brothers or with the Spanglers, all of them. Every time, though, the cowboys would all tease him about Beverly. He didn't care, didn't mind at all.
Every night he would sit back and look at all the progress they had made since morning.It gave him immense satisfaction knowing that what once was broken was now being restored back to its original state or, better yet, an improved version of its former glory!
But the thought of saying goodbye to her tomorrow... No. No, he had to figure something out.
Once lunchtime rolled around, he nudged his elbow toward Beverly. "Let's take a break."
"We're so close." Her eyes danced.
"Yes, but we need to eat to keep up our strength."
She laughed. "If you insist, Boss Man."
"I do." He grinned and rubbed his hands together. "I made some arrangements with Colton. He's got a great campfire spot where we can sit outside and enjoy the breeze while we enjoy our lunch."
Beverly smiled and nodded, and he hoped she was glad that he had put such care into planning their afternoon together. He wanted to be thoughtful without being too over the top.
He quickly hurried to the office to get the food he had gotten for them both, and then he returned to Beverly. They headed to the remote area near the edge of the orchard.
When they arrived, Beverly looked all around, her jaw dropped. "I don't remember being here before during the tour!"
"The storm didn't affect here much at all, somehow," he explained.
They laid out a blanket, and he placed their food onto it: a small picnic of fruit, cheese and crackers, and some homemade sandwiches.
Beverly's eyes lit up. "This looks delicious! You didn't have to go all out."