Page 81 of The Preacher's Bride

When they walked outside, there was nothing left of the barn but ash. All the embers had died out, leaving a charred mess in its wake.

“Well, at least it didn’t get to the house, and everyone is safe.” Caleb smiled as he pulled her close.

“We can rebuild it… together.” Mia gazed into his eyes, meaning every word.

“Yes we can.”

“Wyatt! Thanks for coming,” Caleb said as he turned around and shook his hand.

Wyatt motioned toward the men that were standing around. Mia remembered meeting him at the church. “We’ve talked about it, and we came to a decision.” He smiled mischievously. “What are you doing this Sunday after church?”

One side of Caleb’s lips curled into a smile. “What do you have in mind?”

Wyatt shrugged. “We thought that instead of having our usual get together after church, we’d like to come here and have a barn raising. We can go to church for the service, and then we’ll all come over here.” Wyatt arched an eyebrow. “That is, if it’s okay with you.”

Caleb let out a deep breath. “Wyatt, everyone, we appreciate the gesture. But we can’t afford to pay you back right away.”

Harrison stepped in. “Did we say anything about money?”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Caleb said, shaking his head.

Wyatt laughed. “You didn’t ask. We volunteered.”

Harrison shook his hand. “Here in Whiskey River, we all pull together in times of need. Besides, we could never repay you for everything you’ve done for this community. It’s the least we could do.”

“And we can always use an excuse for a dance,” Wyatt teased.

Mia’s eyebrows pulled together, confused as a smile lit her lips.

Eying her confusion, Wyatt added, “After the barn raising, we’ll have a dance.”

Mia’s smile broadened. “I’m surprised that you’ll be able to raise the barn that fast.”

Harrison burst out laughing. “This isn’t our first rodeo, little missy.” Then he glanced over at Caleb. “So, what do you say?”

Caleb shook his hand and gave him a manly hug. “I say thank you! We really appreciate this.”

Harrison smiled. “Hey, we’re a community.” He shrugged as he looked over at Wyatt. “We pull together when we’re needed.”

True to his word, Caleb moved the children out of the main bedroom and into the spare room that night. They spent the rest of the week settling in as a family and getting ready for Sunday.

“Caleb, I’d like to go to the General Store today,” Mia said after breakfast one morning when the dishes were put away. “I’d like to get some more fabric. The children and you need some more clothes.”

Caleb smiled and gave her a quick peck as he walked by. “Only if we can get some for you, too. Get whatever you want.”

She reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you! I’ll get the children ready.” Then, a thought occurred to her. “Did you have anything else planned for today?”

He shook his head. “No, I was just going to spend the day with my lovely wife and family.”

Mia laughed, glad for the change. The past few days had been wonderful. The marriage that she had dreamed of with a doting husband and wonderful children had finally come to fruition. Since the day he professed his love to her, everything had changed, and they became a real family. True to his word, Caleb had become the best husband that Mia could have ever wanted. When he gave his heart, he gave it all.

A few minutes later, the family was on their way to town. Soon, Caleb pulled up in front of the Whiskey River General Store and wrapped the reins around the front bar.

“Yippee!” Shane yelled, jumping out of the buckboard.

“Don’t touch anything!” Caleb called after his son as he darted into the store.

It wasn’t every day that they made a trip to town, especially not to a place that had candy.

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