Beginnings (Crawley Creek Prequel) Read Free Page A

in the direction of the barn. Staring silently
out into the distance, she thought about all of the wonderful
blessings she had in her life.
    Thanks to scholarships, she and Abe had both
been able to go to junior college and get some schooling. His was
in business and agriculture, and hers was in English. Not that hers
did her any good being a rancher’s wife, but it made her feel
better about herself. After college, Abe had proposed and they’d
planned a wedding in just six short weeks. They’d moved into a tiny
one-bedroom home in Montford, and he’d worked at the same
fertilizer plant that his father did while she’d worked as a
secretary for the mayor. Saving every extra penny, they’d dreamed
of starting their own ranch, and building a legacy together.
    When Andrew Edwards had a stroke and his
kids decided to put him in a nursing home, she and Abe had reached
out and made an offer on his existing ranch. It was dilapidated,
and only had a few dozen head of cattle, but they came to an
agreement on the price. The day they moved in, Abe had surprised
her with a wooden sign, which he hung just over the front door. It
read “Crawley Creek Ranch Est. 1976”.
    She still looked at that sign every day as
she entered her home, admiring the roots they’d planted and the
love that had carried them through the hard times. It wasn’t easy,
but together they’d begun making repairs and purchasing healthier
livestock. With careful breeding and purchasing, Abe had managed to
build their herd up to a couple hundred head, and their income was
more fluid now. That didn’t mean there weren’t tough months, like
this month with two visits from the vet.
    Sighing with resignation, she turned back to
face the mess in the kitchen. It was ironic that she seemed to be
cleaning up messes one after another lately. Each of her own
making.

Chapter 3
     
     
    Four weeks later, Sera was no closer to
answering her problem. After Smit had determined that the cattle
were sick from eating moldy grain, they’d had to thoroughly clean
all the feeders on the ranch and find a new grain source. Abe had
returned and been swamped with the project, so she’d told herself
that she just wanted to wait for things to settle down before she
gave him the bad news.
    But now, after a full month, she still
hadn’t told Abe the news. In fact, she’s spent most of her energy
on avoiding telling him. It was eating her alive inside, and she
knew he was suspicious.
    Lying in bed with him at night was the
worst. Not because she didn’t enjoy her time with him, but because
that was when they usually shared intimate conversation and spoke
about their plans for the future. Twice he’d mentioned her
ovulation calendar going missing from the bathroom, and both times
she’d changed the subject to avoid explaining.
    She’d never lied to him before. It felt
awful. Like a black rain cloud was constantly pouring down sadness
over her life, blocking out the joy. Today, she was going to seek
out advice from the only person she felt safe spilling the beans
to.
    The heavy door of the church creaked when
she opened it, and the familiar smell of roses, vanilla candles,
and Murphy’s Oil Soap hit her, soothing her frazzled nerves. This
was a place of serenity and acceptance in her life, and she
regularly sought the chapel out when she needed a private moment to
think. Now, privacy wasn’t what she was searching for.
    Mary Gillian was plucking the brown leaves
from a few plants in the foyer of the church as she hummed a hymn,
and Sera was smiling before she even called out a hello.
    “Sera! It’s lovely to see you.” Mary said,
returning the smile and approaching her for a hug.
    “Hello Mary. The plants are looking
beautiful.” Sera complimented her oldest friend.
    As a shy teenager, Sera had found herself
fearing her first day in a new school, but luckily her next-door
neighbor turned out to be ripe for a new friendship. Mary Reeves,
as she was called before she married