The Preacher’s Bride (Mail-Order Bride Book 4)

by Stella Clark

  “Molly? Molly!” He hurried over with wide eyes and a breathless smile. When he reached her on the steps, he stretched out his arms and enveloped her within them. Stunned, she wondered what had happened to cause this embrace. His breath ruffled her hair as he gave her a tight squeeze. Just as she was discovering he smelled like soap and fresh hay, he pulled away. “Molly, you’re …” Adam’s gaze searched hers.

  Self-conscious, she touched her hair and attempted to stand straight. But the blush spreading across her cheeks was something she could do nothing to fix. “A bit of a dust cloud and a rat’s nest, I know. Sorry I’m back so late. I wasn’t sure … what is it?” Molly furrowed her brow at the emotions across his face. “What’s wrong, Adam?”

  “We-we didn’t,” he stammered, “nothing. But … where have you been?”

  Molly’s mouth opened, but the question had caught her by surprise. Only then did she realize, thinking back, that she had never mentioned where she was going. The children had been taken care of, and then she had disappeared. The blush turned into a deeper form of embarrassment and horror. The embrace, then, was because he had worried she wouldn’t return.

  Chapter Fourteen

  He searched her gaze, trying to understand. While he was grateful she was whole and well, Adam didn’t know what had happened since yesterday morning. He touched her cheek delicately as though worried she were fragile.

  Her hand covered his as two tears escaped. His thumb wiped them away, wishing they wouldn’t tarnish her sweet face. “Oh, Adam,” she breathed. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so terribly sorry. My dear, I—I didn’t go anywhere. I was right here. I mean …” Swallowing hard, she looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Mrs. Lyle needed help.

  “Mrs. Ulrich was in labor and the children needed supervision. I went to help them. Though it was only supposed to be the afternoon, they needed help through the night when the babe didn’t come. I stayed until it was over. I didn’t think … I swear, I didn’t mean to …”

  The words he had wanted to tell her the other day came to mind. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but his tongue felt heavy. Just the relief flooding over him was so thick he could hardly think straight. “I thought you left. You speak of Boston so often …”

  She shook her head hurriedly, curls bouncing. “Because it’s the only place I’ve known, the only place with memories. I didn’t mean to give you any ideas. I mean, at the beginning, I thought I should have never come. But how could I leave? Adam, I have the children, I have …”

  “Me,” he nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “You have me.”

  That was when she gave him that irresistible smile of hers. Her dimple appeared, and he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Adam marveled at the speed of his beating heart and the warmth that emanated from his soul. He hadn’t been certain they would reach this point, nor had he been certain he would have an opportunity for a family such as theirs. It was strange, he could admit, and out of the ordinary. But it worked for them.

  “I do, don’t I?” Molly sighed sweetly as she pulled his hand off her face and wrapped both of her hands around it. Immediately, he followed, adding his other hand on top. She was soft and warm as she gave him a squeeze. “And you have me, Adam.”

  Yet he still needed those words said. Just for a final reassurance. “So you’ll stay?”

  She nodded. “I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me. After all, I have a life here. I have you and Thad and Rose and Vera. All I wanted was an adventure, Adam, and I found it with you.” Molly licked her lips as she took a step closer. “We could even—” Her voice was low as she started to say something.

  “Mama!” Adam jumped, so caught up in the moment he had forgotten they weren’t alone. The children noticed she had returned. Vera was the quickest as she rushed over, hugging the woman at her skirts. “I missed you!”

  Thad came next, his eyes bright as he looked back and forth between Adam and Molly. “We were wondering where you were. Adam—Papa—didn’t know when you would come home. Where were you? Why were you gone so long? You’re not leaving again, are you?”

  “Of course she’s not,” Rose retorted for Molly, but then hesitated. “You’re not, are you?”

  Molly shot Adam a look before crouching down. “Nothing in the world could possibly pull me away from any of you darlings. You should know that by now. No, I wasn’t far. I was with Susan Ulrich and her children. You know Marie, don’t you? And Danny? I was with them because they needed help.”

  “We need help.” Vera tugged on her dress.

  Nodding, Molly scooped the girl in her arms for a twirl and a kiss on the cheek. “Darling, I promise I am here for you. For all of you. Next time, I’ll tell you where I am.

  Thad shrugged. “I like Danny. Maybe we could go with you next time!”

  It wasn’t exactly the point Molly was aiming for, Adam knew, but she grinned and ruffled his hair. “Maybe. But let’s not think about that next time, shall we? Let’s see about our own fun. Is anyone going to allow me to join in the splendid game of hoops or not?”

  Always the leader, Rose nodded eagerly. “Please!”

  Adam raised a hand, though, his gaze never leaving Molly. “Just a moment. I want to talk to her first, and then she’ll play with you,” he added to reassure the children. Leaning over, he took Vera carefully from Molly, who gave him a curious look that was interrupted by a large yawn, and set the girl down.

  “You can have my hoop,” Rose offered before grabbing her sister and skipping off. Not to be left on his own, Thad hurried after them, and then Adam was alone with Molly.

  His heart skipped a beat as he considered the young woman. She wasn’t yet twenty, but she was wise beyond her years. It was incredible the bond she had formed with the children, much more quickly than he had managed, and beautiful the way she accepted her life here. He just hoped that some of it was because of him as well.

  Realizing he needed to say something, Adam took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Then he rubbed his neck and straightened his shirt. The words he’d had in mind earlier now evaded him, leaving him stumbling in the dark with Molly. “I just wanted to … you said—well, you were going to say … something?”

  Molly nodded slowly, and he could see the thought coming back to her. She gave him a small, shy smile. There was hardly any space between them. “Yes,” Molly said, physically wavering so that he put a hand on her arm to steady her. “Sorry, yes. I—well, perhaps this isn’t the proper time. I’ve hardly slept, and I don’t really know what I’m saying anymore, and my thoughts are a ghastly jumble of nonsense inside my head.”

  “Tell me anyways?” Adam invited hopefully.

  She blinked and dropped her gaze for a second, just long enough for the hope inside his chest to lunge. Was it a sign she loved her life but not him? Or was she too shy to say anything? She was already more forward than any woman he knew, but he still never knew what to expect with Molly.

  “I was … I was only thinking,” Molly spoke in such a quiet whisper he had to strain to hear her, “that we could … well, you see. While I was away, it got me thinking about our little family and how—how special we are. Only, something’s been missing, and I wasn’t certain how to address it. All of this is so new to me, you know. South Dakota, being a mother, running a house … I haven’t had the opportunity to be a wife, nor you a husband. And I simply wanted to inquire as to see if you’ve, perhaps, ever wanted to reconsider our original arrangement …” She trailed off, inching around an idea she was too shy to put into words.

  But he wasn’t a fool. A wide grin stretched across his face so big that it hurt. Adam didn’t care. He heard what she didn’t say and realized she felt the same as he did. Just as she stumbled through her words with a sheepish smile, his heart leapt for joy. At that point, he could no longer just stand there.

  “I love you too,” he promised her and pulled her in for a kiss. It was their first kiss, and already he couldn’t wait for a second, a
third, and so on. He grinned as Molly giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She was soft, she was warm, and she was never going to leave them. Nearby, they could hear the children shouting and laughing. The turn of events was unprecedented but, Adam decided, not unpleasurable. He could hardly wait for what might come next for their little family.

  The End