“I was just thinking about being protected,” she replied.
“Well, it worked. In fact, we could put that bathtub in the new house if we wanted.”
“New house . . . we’ll have to rebuild.” He’d said as much, essentially, but it was so hard to understand all the nuances of what was going on when she felt so very tired. “I’d rather not keep that tub. We deserve a new one.”
“I agree,” he said. “And I believe we should institute a new family rule. No sleeping in the bathtub unless the house is on fire.”
“Done,” she said with a small cough. “Now, help me understand about Jenkins.”
“I don’t know if anyone understands about Jenkins, but I’ll try.” Samuel cleared his throat again. “Essentially, the man is no longer sane. He’d built up his practice and his reputation to the point where he believed everything he was saying. When Sinead challenged him, he ran away out of fear, but then he began to cook up a plan. He’d come back to town, say he’d been away visiting a sick relative, and pick up where he left off. For some reason, the fact that he was under investigation and wouldn’t be able to pick up that easily were overlooked.
“When he got back into town, he saw Dr. Porter’s nameplate on his office door, and Sinead’s nameplate nearby. He realized that he’d been replaced. Then he overheard Mrs. Porter telling someone about Bible study at your house and how you’d discussed the importance of being wary of things that sound too good to be true. He decided that you were his biggest enemy, and that’s why he set the house on fire.”
Beth shuddered. “He was trying to kill me in particular, not just attack someone randomly?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know it’s frightening to think of, but yes, you were a target.”
“Because of a Bible study class?”
“Because you spoke the truth. In that moment, he would have attacked anyone who dared speak out against him. I’m going to recommend that he be evaluated mentally before he goes to trial. I don’t believe he sees the same reality we do.”
Beth reached out her hand. Samuel reached out as well, but all she was able to touch was the top layer of gauze. “Thank you for coming back for me.”
“I will always come back for you. That’s a promise you can bank on.”
***
Beth was not released from the health institute until Christmas Eve. Sinead didn’t want her breathing in the winter air until her lungs were stronger, and as she took in the frost on the ground, Beth had to admit that her friend was wise. The biggest issue, though, was the small fact that they had nowhere to go.
“We can stay at the hotel for as long as we want,” Samuel told her. “The owner has been nothing but kind in offering that.”
“That’s likely what we should do, but I want to see our house first. I need to understand what happened.”
Samuel held her hand while they walked down the hill and stood in front of the charred pile of lumber that used to be their house. “I don’t know what to say.” Beth pressed a hand to her mouth. “You weren’t lying when you said it was completely destroyed.”
“The most important things are right here—you and me. We have each other, and we can rebuild.”
She nodded. Things like a house seemed unimportant considering they could have been killed, but this wasn’t just any house. It was the home where they’d fallen in love.
“We’re going to help,” Matthew said, coming up behind them, Sinead in tow.
“The whole community is pledging their help,” Easton added as he joined them.
Moments later, the four Mounties and their four brides stood in a semi-circle in front of the ruins. Beth held on to Samuel for support, even though he wasn’t much steadier.
“We’ve been brought together by love, and it’s love that will see us through this,” she said. “A home doesn’t exist within walls—it exists within hearts, and as long as our hearts are open, we can create a home wherever we are, be it in a house or hotel.”
“Hear, hear,” Easton said.
The moon had risen and cast a glow over the couples. Fog drifted in front of it, creating a misty glow.
“Merry Christmas,” Molly said softly, and the others echoed her in reply.
Peace and warmth filled Beth’s heart. Despite all that had happened, despite the fact that every breath was agony, she was completely happy. She smiled and wiped a tear away as Easton began to hum, and then sing “Silent Night.” Everyone else joined in, altos and sopranos, tenors and basses, their voices lifting and making the night not quite so silent after all.
As the last note drifted away on the air, Beth caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see what it was. For a moment, she was speechless, and then she began to doubt herself.
“Samuel?”
He turned to face her.
“Did you just see . . . a reindeer in the sky?”
“A reindeer?”
He obviously hadn’t, and she decided not to press the question further. But somewhere on that cold Christmas Eve night, Rocky the Reindeer was smiling in the way that only a reindeer can smile, and only when he has a very big secret.
***
Dear Mom,
I hope this letter finds you healthy. It’s been awfully cold so far this year. I wish we’d had a chance to spend some time together at Christmas, but maybe it was best that Jessica and I had our home to ourselves for our first holiday together.
She’s getting so big and trying so hard to keep doing everything she’s always done. I think she needs to take it easier than she does, but she expects a great deal from herself.
More Mounties have heard of you, and they want to have wives to travel with them to their assignment in northern Ontario. This group of Mounties should be more fun for you because they will be there in Ottawa to choose from the brides you have available. They will arrive at your home on January 9th to marry and begin their travels. I hope that works well for you!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I hope the winter is treating you well.
All my love,
Theodore
About Amelia C. Adams
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, an eater of chocolate, and a taker of naps. She spends her days thinking up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you just might see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.
You can reach her at [email protected].
Please join Amelia on her website to learn more about her, sign up for her newsletter, stay on top of news and upcoming releases, and follow her on Facebook.
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The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning (free!)
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
A Narrow Road
The Bitter and the Sweet
The Calm of Night
A Begrudging Bride
A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
A Twisted Fate
An Unspoken Dream
A Joyful Noise
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers (free!)
Cause of Conflict
Touch of Tenderness
Heart of Hearts
Test of Time
The American Mail-Order Brides series:
Hope: Bride of New Jersey
Tabitha: Bride of Missouri
The Hearts of Nashville series:
Whiskey and Women
Records and Rebels
As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:
Mail Order Molly
As part of the River’s End Ranch series:
Accidental Agent
Rugged Rockclimber
Welcome Wagon
; Santa’s Shopkeeper
Delivering Destiny
Lucky Lifeguard
As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:
Meredith’s Mistake
As part of the Magnolias and Moonshine series:
Sweet Georgia Peach
As part of the Burnt River series:
Ashley’s Hope
Phoebe’s Fate
As part of the Rocky Mountain Romances series:
Utah Sunrise
As part of the Mail Order Mounties series:
Bride for Joel
Bride for Jonathan
Bride for Samuel Page 8