Page 27 of Muskoka Blue
“Once upon a time, maybe.”
“Hey, for what it’s worth, that woman I saw singing onstage was so free, so strong, so vibrant,” Dan said. “You can be like that again.”
“I don’t think so,” she scoffed.
“God hasn’t changed. He remains faithful. You might not sing quite like that on stage again, but you can own that confidence again.”
Could she? It seemed fairytale impossible.
“God hasn’t finished with you, Sarah,” he said softly. “He has good plans for you and greater things still in your future.”
His words drifted past the doubts to seed in her heart. Maybe she could trust that God had good things still in store. Memories of who she’d been—filled with faith, filled with boldness—tantalized, like a hazy mirage she suddenly yearned to be true.
“I was listening to a podcast the other day,” Dan continued. “The preacher said we need to lean into God and lean on God. If we remember who He says we are, we can stand tall in that again.”
She nodded, his words spinning through her soul, carving away at the weight of fears she’d worn for so long. Godwasfor her, not against her. What more did she need to remember in her quest to be brave? Her chin rose, and she met Dan’s eyes. His warm, faithful, faith-filled eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Your encouragement.”
His lips turned up in a crooked grin. “It’s gonna be interesting.”
“What is?”
“Seeing more of just who Sarah Maguire can be.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” she said, only half teasing.
“Bring it on, Sarah.”
She smiled across at him, holding his gaze a fraction longer than necessary. Gee, Dan was nice to look at. His eyes, those dimples, even that scruffy five o’clock shadow…
“What?”
“Nothing.” She dropped her gaze, conscious of some weird vibe. What was going on? Here she was, trying to figure out the smashed-up foundations of her life, and skimming across the top of her emotions was this…awareness. Almost like…flirting. This was so not good.
She turned her attention to gracefully exiting the hammock, but the sudden shift in weight swung her too close to the edge.
Dan chuckled and pushed to his feet. “Need a hand?”
“Nope, I’m fine.” Clumsy factor was definitely operating right now, as was her signature blush, judging from the heat in her cheeks.
“You sure?”
Wonderful. Just as well she wasn’t trying to impress him. She extracted one leg and placed it firmly on the floor. “Stop laughing!” With a sudden lurch, she hurtled from the hammock, crashing into him, sending him to the deck. “Dan! I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?”
“I’m tough, remember? You’ll have to try harder to hurt me.” He rubbed his elbow.
“You told me to bring it on.”
Amusement filled his face, and she relaxed. Grinned. And as she extended a hand to help him up, relief coupled with joy gurgled up and escaped in healing laughter.
Chapter 6
Vacation days that had seemed too long and too quiet now seemed too short. Dan glanced over as Sarah fanned herself with a battered straw cowboy hat, her book facedown as they attempted to catch a breeze on his back deck.
She swiped her brow. “I didn’t think Canada could ever get this warm.”