Page 21 of The Preacher's Bride

“After the blizzard we had at Christmas, I thought we were nearly through with this.” The front desk clerk shook his head, leaning against the counter.

“So did I.” Caleb headed up the stairs. The door to his room was still open and the children were playing happily on the bed. When Caleb walked in, Mia rose to her feet.

“Well, if you don’t need me anymore, I’ll go freshen up a bit.”

Caleb nodded, knowing he should say something, but unable to bring himself to.

Mia smiled as she walked out and closed the door behind her.

Although he had no intention of anything else, there was no reason why they couldn’t spend an enjoyable evening together. He looked over at the children and said, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” As he headed over to Mia’s room, he knew that she would never be his real wife, but he hoped they could find some middle ground.

Chapter 5

Mia

After Mia closed the door to her room, she let out a deep breath. Exhausted, she walked over to the bed and plopped down, then leaned back and closed her eyes. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks from her closed eyes.

Although she knew they would have a platonic relationship, she hadn’t expected to feel the rejection that was weighing so heavily on her. She had been used to turning men down. She wasn’t used to being the one rejected. And never had she thought she would be rejected by her own husband.

No, she had to steel her heart against him, or she would never survive. She would open it up to the children, but not to him. He had set the rules and now she was determined to live by them.

Knowing she was being ridiculous, Mia sat up, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and crossed the room to her trunk. Then she pulled the chair from the small round table over to it and started rummaging through, looking for a handkerchief to keep by her bed just in case. Then again, maybe she’d feel better if she washed her face.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, causing her to jump. When she opened it, Caleb was standing on the other side.

“Sorry for the interruption.” He looked over at her open trunk, but made no effort to walk in. “Look. Why don’t you leave that? I have other plans. After all, itisour wedding night.”

Mia’s eyes opened wide. Of all the things she had expected to come from his mouth, that wasn’t one of them. Her heart pounded as she looked around, and her eyes landed on a glass vase setting near her on the dresser. She grabbed it and held it above her head. “Don’t you even think of coming near me tonight!”

One corner of Caleb’s mouth curled into a smile, revealing a dimple on his cheek. “No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to take you and the children to dinner in the restaurant downstairs.” He walked over to her and slowly took the vase from her hand, his big blue eyes never leaving hers, suppressing a smile. “And let’s try not to break anything tonight. I can’t afford to replace it.”

Mia lowered her hands, feeling like an idiot. Of course he wouldn’t want to touch her or come near her, even if it was their wedding night. “I’m sorry. I thought….”

Caleb arched an eyebrow, suppressing a smile.

“Never mind what I thought.” She wiped her hands on her dress. “Give me a minute to freshen up and I’ll be right over.”

He nodded once and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Mia headed over to the bed, trying to keep what little that was left of her dignity. She sat on the edge of the bed as tears brimmed her eyes. But she didn’t have time for a good cry. She would save that for later.

Instead, she squared her shoulders and resigned herself to make the best of the situation. Her mother would have told her as much, if she were still alive. Mia crossed the room to a beige porcelain basin and pitcher with pretty pink and blue flowers along the edge, poured some water, and splashed some on herface, careful not to muss her dress. Then she smoothed the loose blonde tendrils back, slipped on a pair of beige gloves to match her dress, and adjusted her hat and pinned it back into place. She pinched her cheeks and then walked out and closed the door behind her.

When Caleb opened the door to his room, his eyes flickered with interest for a split second as he took her in, but it was so quick it caused her to wonder if she were just seeing things. He and the children were standing in the center of the room, their hair combed, and Hailey’s dress straightened. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Yes. Are you?”

Shane narrowed his eyes at Mia, and then ran out the door.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Deep down, Mia was asking about much more than just going downstairs to dinner. “We can bring something up instead, if you like.”

Caleb nodded in the direction Shane went. “Just give him time. He’ll come around.” It was almost as if he was saying it about himself, too. “Let’s go.”

As she walked into the hallway, Hailey left her father’s side and slipped her hand into Mia’s, taking her by surprise. “Ready to go, baby girl?”

A broad grin spread across Hailey’s face, nodding excitedly.

When they stopped at the top of the stairs, Shane was waiting at the foot with his arms folded across his chest. He looked away when he saw them.

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