So much had happened over the past two months since she and Judd had moved out to her ranch. They’d lived in tents during September and part of October while they’d labored on the cabin, outhouse, and smokehouse. For the last couple of weeks, they’d been busy getting the interior of the cabin fixed up, installing a stove, and furnishing it by using the stash of money she’d saved up.

They didn’t have fresh produce of their own, but Greta had been more than willing to share the bounty from her garden since Judd was the one who’d done most of the hard work on it. Ivy had spent long hours preserving vegetables with Greta, while Judd had done some hunting and had started smoking meat for the winter.

Now the shelves Judd had constructed were full to the brim with canned goods. Even though Ivy knew she could always call on her brothers over the winter if she ever got in a bind, it felt real good to have everything stored up.

She’d had just enough money left to make her first sheep purchase from Utah, and the seller had promised to deliver them before winter set in. With the end of October drawing near, snow had already started to fall in the higher elevations. They didn’t have too many more days left before additional snow would make the mountain passes difficult for traveling—if not impossible.

Even if she didn’t get her sheep before winter, she was still mighty happy with all she’d accomplished.

As Judd opened the door and the cold air swirled through her skirt and sent a chill over her bare feet, she was guessing somehow the sheep had come in and Judd had kept them over at Flynn’s or Brody’s and was hoping to surprise her with them.

Her heart swelled with affection for this man who’d become a father and mentor over the past weeks. He was crusty on the outside, but deep down he was the softest man she’d ever known.

“Come on now,” he said testily. “Quit dragging your feet, or you’ll force me to get the cattle prod back out.”

Her smile only widened at the thought of the summer day when he’d climbed up to her room and prodded her out of bed. He hadn’t coddled her like everyone else. He’d been downright rough. But it had worked. He’d woken her up to her need to stop trying to build her life on a crumbling foundation and instead to find her acceptance in God’s unfailing love, in the One who would never leave or forsake her.

She still missed Jericho something fierce. And at times her heart and arms ached for baby Willa. She’d always miss them, especially Jericho. But she was learning to take her aches to the Lord instead of trying to bear them all herself.