Poor Ranch Girl Helped an Old Cowboy Lost in the Blazing Desert — The Next Day, He Saved Her Ranch.

Chapter 2

Dawn crept through the window in pale gray fingers. Lydia woke with a start, her neck aching from the awkward angle of the rocking chair. She looked toward the bed.

It was empty.

She stood up quickly, her heart slamming against her ribs. The blankets were folded neatly at the foot of the mattress. The old man was gone. She walked to the bed, confused. He had been so weak the night before. How could he have possibly left?

On the nightstand, a single silver dollar sat on top of a folded piece of paper. She picked up the note. The handwriting was elegant, flowing—completely out of place in her dusty cabin.

Lydia,

Thank you for seeing me as a person and not a burden. You gave me kindness when you had nothing to spare. Do not worry about me. I found a ride into town with a passing freighter at dawn. I did not want to wake you.

Hold fast to your father’s lessons. Some storms you stand through. Others pass on their own.

—Benjamin Cross