Love Without End: A Kings Meadow Romance by Robin Lee Hatcher

Author:Robin Lee Hatcher
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2014-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHET FELT AS IF HE’D FOUGHT THE FIRE FOR twenty-four hours, but in truth, it hadn’t taken long for the barn and all that was in it to be destroyed. At least none of the nearby outbuildings had been lost—and no horses either. He was grateful for that mercy.

As the firefighters began to mop up, Chet turned toward the house. Kimberly and Anna were on the porch with Pete and Tara. Chet had no idea when the two teenagers had returned from their ride, but it was good to know they were home and safe. He had enough to worry about.

The barn was a complete loss. It would have to be rebuilt without delay. He couldn’t run an operation like this one without a sizable barn. Feed had been lost too. And tack. Lots of tack. Where would the money come from to replace all of that? Insurance would cover a lot but not all. Not enough. Insurance never covered enough. He would have to take out a bank loan, and that didn’t sit well with him. Chet preferred to heed the Proverb that warned, “the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” But what choice would he have now?

Feeling the weight of it all press down on his shoulders, he walked toward the house and climbed the steps to the porch.

Anna reached out to touch his forearm. “Chet, I’m so sorry.”

Sorrow mingled with weariness in her eyes, and for the first time since her return to the ranch, Chet thought she looked her age. He patted her hand, at a loss for words.

“How did it start, Dad?”

Chet looked at his younger son and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Sam came up the steps then. His face was streaked with soot, his hair gray with ash, his expression grim. Like Chet’s own expression, he imagined. Sam glanced back to where the barn had stood. “The chief says they’ll be here until they’re sure there’s no more chance it could flare up again.”

Kimberly said, “If you’d like, Tara and I could fix sandwiches for everybody. Get something for the men to drink. They must be hungry and thirsty by now.”

“That’s a good idea, dear,” Anna added. “I’ll help too.”

The threesome went into the house, leaving Chet alone with his sons.

“It’s bad, isn’t it, Dad?” Sam said. “Money-wise, I mean.”

“Bad enough.”

“You can use my college fund if you want.”

Chet laid his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Not a chance. You’re only a year away from graduation. You’re going to need that money . . . and a scholarship.”

“Doubt that’s going to happen.”

“You’d better make it happen.”

It was something Chet had said often to Sam, especially over the last couple of years. Not that it did a lot of good. Sam was a smart kid, but he wasn’t an enthusiastic student. He never had seen much value in the extra effort it would take to get straight A’s. He was as content with a B or a C. Pete, on the other hand, loved to learn, loved to excel at whatever he tried his hand.

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