Page 37 of The Preacher's Bride

“No need to say anything more.” Colton stopped him. “What are friends for, right?”

Caleb and Mia said their last goodbyes and then closed the door behind them. Shane was playing outside in the snow.

Mia looked over at her new son. “Shane, why don’t you hop up into the seat and let’s go?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “You’re not my mother, so don’t tell me what to do!”

Caleb gave him a swat on the bottom and Shane’s eyes welled up with tears. “Shane, I told you that we treat each other with respect… and that includes Mia. You don’t have to call her Ma if you don’t want to, but you will treat her with respect. And if she asks you to do something, you will do it. Understand?”

Shane nodded, saying nothing as he glared at his father.

“What was that?” Caleb asked, his eyebrows raised.

Shane swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Now….” Caleb looked into his son’s bright blue eyes. “Would you like to climb up into the front seat of your own accord, or would you like me to put you there?”

Without another word, Shane climbed up onto the front seat.

Once everyone was settled in, Caleb took the reins, and clicked his tongue. Immediately, the horses launched into an easy trot. On the way home, Caleb didn’t look over at Mia at all,nor did he speak. Now that they were alone, it appeared that he was going to talk to her only when necessary.

On the way home, she reached for Shane’s hand, but he pulled away and folded his arms across his chest, silent tears flowing down his cheeks. She had hoped that Colton’s talk would have sunk in, and it wouldn’t have come down to this. But she guessed that a confrontation was inevitable. After all, the boy was being forced to tolerate another woman in the place of his mother. Her heart went out to him. She knew that he would never think of her as his mother, but she hoped that, one day, he would at least come to accept her as a member of the family.

Mia was lost in thought as they rode home. The rhythm of the horses’ slow trot lulled Hailey to sleep in no time, and before long, Shane leaned his head against Mia’s arm and drifted off to sleep. Then he caught himself and sat up abruptly, gave her a dirty look, and turned his eyes to the road.

Mia’s heart sank. She hadn’t quite known what to expect when she came here, but this wasn’t it. She knew that Caleb and the children were hurting, but she hadn’t expected Caleb to treat her like an outsider invading their territory, speaking to her only when necessary. She knew it would take time for them to accept her into the family, and she just had to have patience. At that moment, she vowed to do what she could to lessen their pain and win them over.

Mia just hoped that she could get past the shadow of his late wife. She could see her everywhere. In Caleb’s eyes every time he looked at her, and in the eyes of the children. She felt her presence in Shane’s loyalty, in Hailey’s need for a mother, and in Caleb’s loyalty by only speaking to her when necessary.

This was Mia’s first real relationship, and definitely not what she had expected. As a child, her dreams were the same as every girl her age: to be swept off her feet by her knight in shining armor and carried away on his white steed.

But dreams were overrated.

Before they were married, Caleb had made no pretenses about their relationship and what he had expected from it. He needed someone to care for his children and his home. Nothing more. And that was what she had agreed to in exchange for a good home, food in her stomach, and to be treated with civility. And Caleb had done just that so far. What was there to complain about? Giving up her dream of romance was a small price to pay.

Then her thoughts went to Ella and the babies. She let out a deep breath, knowing that she would never have a baby. But she had already come to think of his children as her own. And right now, they were more than enough.

Mia adjusted the quilt once more over herself and the children to keep them warm. Shane pulled away from her every time she tried to tuck the blanket in around him. But when he started shivering violently, he relented. She felt bad for the children to be out in the cold like this, but she knew they would soon be home.

Twilight began to fall over the earth, casting golden and orange hues and long shadows across the snow. Just then, Caleb pulled the team onto a sprawling farm where a white, wooden house with a huge front porch stood in the middle of a field blanketed in snow. It looked cozy, even if it didn’t quite feel like home yet.

Caleb pulled the team to a stop in front of the house, and Shane jumped over the seat into the back and then jumped down out of the buckboard and ran inside.

“Well, this is it,” Caleb announced a bit too cheerfully. He pulled the brake and wrapped the reins around the front bar. “What do you think?”

Mia jumped slightly, surprised that Caleb had finally spoken to her and was asking her opinion. “I like it,” she answered, smiling. “It’s beautiful.” It sure beat the tenement she had rentedin New York with Ella. But at that moment, she missed it profoundly.

Caleb smiled. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

“It’s wonderful,” she replied, smiling as he took Hailey from her and helped her from the buckboard.

“I’m glad you like it.” He offered her his arm to help her up the stairs. “I’ll put some more salt on the steps so it won’t be slippery for you and the children.”

She smiled. “It’s fine.”

He held the door open for her, but her breath caught when she walked in. Everything was in order, probably thanks to the ladies of the church. It appeared that he had tried to clean up before she came, but it could definitely use a woman’s touch. It was clear that he and the children had been on their own for a while, even if it had been for just a few short months.

A lump formed in her throat as she looked around the house, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. Mia guessed that it was because she felt as if she were invading another woman’s home. When she looked around, Jessica was everywhere.

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