Maddie ran inside and headed to her room, calling out something about her dolls. Trinity said nothing. She felt nothing. She didn’t belong here, she belonged back in Vermont with the people that had known her for her whole life. Emmett was a very kind man, and Maddie was a sweet little girl, but they needed someone that belonged with them. Someone that knew how to be a family.
Trinity didn’t know how to do that. All she knew was how to sew clothes and help the needy at the church.
“I have to go back to where I belong… this family deserves a real mother.”
Trinity whispered the words to herself, but hearing them out loud was enough. Her mind was made up, she just had to plan out when she was going to head back.
And how she was going to break the news to Maddie and Emmett.
Chapter 7 – Turning Around
“If this rain keeps up, I am going to be out of a job.”
Emmett joked the next morning as he looked out at the rain pounding against the window. He had been spending much of the past few weeks plowing the upper fields, getting them ready for planting, but the rain made it impossible to keep footing on the slippery hillsides, so he had to call it quits until the rain stopped.
Trinity enjoyed having Emmett in the house with her, and so did Maddie. She still hadn’t said anything to either of them about her leaving… Trinity figured she would just slip out when she had the chance, and leave them a letter explaining what she had done. She had even gone so far as to make the letter last night. Now, she was going to hang onto it and wait for the right time to leave it out.
With Emmett in the house all day, Trinity didn’t know if she would find the right moment. Although he spent most of his time plying with Maddie, they were both still around, which made it difficult to know when to place it.
Maddie was close with her father, and spent every second she could following him around or sitting on his lap. She would bring all of her dolls out from her room and relentlessly pester Emmett until he gave in and played with her.
“Daddy! Daddy! If you don’t have to work outside, can we play dolls? Can we? Pretty please?”
Emmett laughed at his daughter as she tugged on his shirt, then he bent down and hoisted her up to look out the window with him. Maddie got bored with looking at the rain, and again pestered him to play with her. Finally, Emmett gave in and told her to go get her toys.
Trinity wasn’t ever openly invited to play along with them. Deep down inside, she knew she would have been welcome to join in, but she also didn’t want to intrude. Maddie didn’t get to see her father a lot with all of the work that needed to be done, and since Trinity was inside the house to watch her, he spent much of his time outdoors, working on various activities.
Trinity didn’t mind sitting back and watching the two of them play. She would often grab some mending that needed to be done, or occasionally a needlework, though it was rare for her to work on needlework projects. She felt she had spent enough of her life sewing, and she didn’t want to volunteer too much of her time working on projects that didn’t need doing.
There were times, however, when Trinity did wish Maddie would entertain herself. Trinity didn’t get a lot of time with Emmett, either, and she felt she got even less time with him than Maddie got. Of course she knew Maddie was his daughter first and foremost, but she wanted to get to know her husband, and it was difficult when he spent all of this time indoors playing games with Maddie.
I’m sure they spent a lot of time playing together when it was just the two of them, but I need to have him to myself sometimes, too. How am I supposed to get to know him if I can’t ever have a few minutes with him without Maddie interrupting?
Of course, I don’t know how to bring this up to him, either. He adores her, as well he should, but I wasn’t prepared for this when I moved out here, and I’m not sure I’m prepared for it now.
The more she thought about it, the less Trinity wanted to bring it up to him. It seemed to her like she would appear to be whining or complaining, and those were two things she certainly never did. She wasn’t about to start now… Trinity had gotten herself into this, she was going to get herself back out of it.
“Daddy, I’m hungry… when are we going to have dinner?”
Maddie suddenly asked in the middle of their game. Trinity involuntarily looked up at the clock that was on the mantle. It hadn’t been that long since breakfast, and Maddie had hardly touched hers.
“Not for some time, Sweetheart, but you just had your breakfast. Why don’t you go play in your room for a while? I am going to see how the back fields are holding up to all of this rain.”
Emmett groaned as he stood, and exclaimed that he was becoming too old to play dolls.
Maddie stamped her foot on the floor and put her hands on her hips.
“No! You will never get too old to play dolls with me. Never! Can I go with you?”
Emmett laughed and looked out the window.
“I don’t know, Darling, It’s pretty wet.”
“Please? Please Daddy? Please Please Please?”
“Oh, all right. I am going to walk the whole back way… are you sure you want to?”
“Yes!”
“All right then, we’ll only be gone an hour or two, Trinity. When we get back we can start dinner. What do you say?”
Trinity looked up from the project she held in her hands and nodded. She wondered if Emmett even realized nobody had asked her if she wanted to join them. Maddie whooped and ran to get her things on, and Emmett pulled on his jacket. They both bid Trinity a good morning, and headed out the door.
Trinity rose from her spot and walked over to the window, looking out to see if she could find them. Maddie was chasing after her father, jumping in the puddles as she did. Trinity laughed to herself. That little girl was awfully cute. Part of her wished she was out there with them, but that feeling that told her she didn’t belong crept back up.
With a sigh, Trinity walked back to her room and grabbed the letter. She was going to leave it on the counter for them to find when they got back. By then, she would be well on her way to town, if not on the stage already. Trinity gathered her things, buttoned her coat, and made sure the note was where they would find it.
Then, with one final look about the house, she took a long breath in and let it out again slowly, and she left.
Chapter 8 – Coming Home
The rain started again before Trinity made it to town. She hoped it wasn’t raining enough back at the house to make Emmett and Maddie come back early. Trinity wanted to get a good start before they got back. She didn’t have much to carry, Trinity only took a couple of dresses to begin with, and the only thing she really wanted to keep was the glass figure Emmett had purchased for her the day she had arrived.
The stage was in and out of town often enough, Trinity knew it wouldn’t be hard to find a ride today. If she had gotten enough of a head start, she may even be to the next town before they found out where she had gone. It wasn’t that Trinity wanted to run away from them, but she didn’t’ want them to feel badly about her leaving.
It really wasn’t anything they had done. It was the fact she didn’t feel she belonged anywhere, and that was something she explained right in the letter she had left. Trinity hoped they would understand, and that they wouldn’t blame themselves. She had even left her address in case they wanted to write to her when she got back.
All in all, Trinity didn’t feel good about what she was doing, but she felt worse about staying. She wanted to be where she felt she belonged, and she didn’t here. At least back home in the church she felt like she had a place, even though it wasn’t a place she liked. A place was a place, and that was all that mattered to her.
Trinity purchased a ticket for the next stage that was coming through. It was set to run through in an hour, so she had some time to wait. Trinity pulled her bag over to the side of the platform, and sat down. If they took their time on their walk, she should be getting on the stagecoach about
the same time they were getting back inside. All in all, it would be perfect timing.
When they got to town, she would be gone, and things would all go back to the way they had always been before. Trinity ignored that gnawing feeling inside of her that told her she was making a mistake, and with resolve in her posture, she sat tall, waiting for the stage to arrive.
As she sat there, Trinity couldn’t help but notice the emptiness that filled her heart. She didn’t know why, but there was something that felt like it was missing. She had never noticed this feeling before, and wondered if she had always felt this way without even realizing it. It wasn’t really a pain, but more of a dullness that was in her chest.
She sighed, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t.
As the minutes passed, it got worse, and for the first time in a long time, Trinity thought she was going to miss them. She wondered if she was making a mistake, but shrugged off the feeling, telling herself she was just nervous for the journey.
Suddenly, Trinity thought she heard something.
It wasn’t the stagecoach.
It was her name. Someone was calling her name.
Trinity rose, and turned around. There, running up the road as quickly as she could, was little Maddie. Emmett wasn’t far behind. They both looked worried, and Trinity could see that Maddie had been crying.
Maddie threw her arms around Trinity as soon as she reached her, sobbing into her shoulder.
“Don’t go, Trinity! Please don’t!”
Trinity held her, but stood up when Emmett reached her.
“Emmett… what’s all this about? Didn’t you see my letter?”
“I did, and I came as quickly as I could. Trinity… do you really think we don’t want you there?”
Trinity didn’t know what to say. She had felt that way, but she didn’t know why. They hadn’t done anything to make her feel that way. She nodded, then shook her head.
“It’s not that you did anything, Emmett… It’s just that I don’t belong. I have never had a family. I have never had a mother or a father, or any brothers or sisters. I don’t belong in one. You have each other, and it is wonderful, but you don’t need me.”
There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, and Emmett reached out and pulled her close, with Maddie in between them.
“Trinity. You have meant more to me than anyone has in years. And Maddie, too. You are the mother and the wife that I needed, and everything to Maddie. I know it can be hard, but I can’t just let you go. I need you. Maddie needs you. I love you, Trinity.”
“I love you, too!”
Maddie was still crying into Trinity’s dress, and at that moment, something came over her. She felt that wall that she held in her heart melt away. It was a new feeling… one she never experienced before. It felt as though a burden had been lifted, yet all of her emotions came out all at once.
Trinity burst into tears, and let Emmett hold her.
“You guys really want me to stay?”
“More than anything!”
Maddie chimed up in her shrill voice.
“More than anything. Please stay.”
Emmett whispered the words in her ear, and for the first time in her life, Trinity felt loved. She felt like she truly belonged here, and she felt she needed these two as much as they needed her.
For the first time in her entire life, Trinity had found her family.
THE END.
A Widow Finds a Rancher
Mail Order Bride
CHRISTIAN MICHAEL
Chapter 1 – You Can’t Be Alone Forever
The rain patted on the side of the window, adding dreariness to the day. Rose looked down at her counted cross stitch, not paying any attention to what was going on in the next room. She could hear her sister Pansy talking to their mother about her, but she didn’t want to hear what they were saying.
The suddenly, her arm was bumped up as she carefully aimed to push the needle through the soft fabric once again. She smiled and placed her hand on the side of her stomach, and spoke softly aloud.
“It’s ok Little One, I am making this for you after all.”
She picked up the cross stitch and looked it over. Looking back at her was the small face of a stitched teddy bear sitting on a ball, waiving at her. She couldn’t wait for her baby to be born. She was going to spoil him and dote on him in every way she could. Starting with this cross stitch.
Rose Fratt was convinced she was having a boy. A little lad that was going to be the striking image of his father. Tall, strong, and covered in thick red hair. He was going to be brave like his father was, too. And know everything there was to know about his father.
She lay back, thinking of her husband. Missing him. It had been several months since he had passed away in a fire, but the pain was still fresh. He was so proud that he was going to be a father, talking about the topic every single second he could. Rose was so proud she could give him a child.
She just wished he was here to see their child.
Being a widow was hard. She did her best to bring in an income to support herself, but that was getting harder and harder the further along she got in her pregnancy. This last week she had moved in with her older sister and their mother.
Pansy was a spinster herself. She never bothered with marriage, feeling that it was a waste of time and emotions. She would rather be out serving those that were in need than sitting at home caring for her husband or a family. Rose thought it was ironic her sister was now the one taking care of herself and their mother.
“Mother doesn’t need me to take care of her, she is here because she was lonely where she was, and I thought I had plenty of room for the both of us, so why not?”
Rose remembered the conversation she had had with her sister on the topic. They hadn’t been able to reach an agreement, so she let the topic drop. That had been almost a year ago now, and at that time Rose never thought she would be the one in need of her sister’s hospitality.
It’s only temporary. As soon as you are born and I am back on my feet, we are going to get out of here, and make our way on our own.
A rush of loneliness flooded through Rose at that moment, and she briefly wondered if she was destined to be on her own forever. She had been so happy with Frank. She thought she wouldn’t ever be on her own. Frank had promised her he would always be here for her. He promised her he wouldn’t ever leave.
Yet here she was, all alone.
Well, not entirely alone.
I still have you, Little One, and you are part of him.
Rose’s thoughts were interrupted when her mother and sister walked into the room. She didn’t know what the rest of their conversation was about, but they stopped talking abruptly when they saw her looking up at them.
“I thought you had gone into your room to rest, but I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you what we have decided.”
Rose sat up in surprise. She wished she had been listening better, realizing they were discussing something that had to do with her. Pansy always was one that liked to make decisions for the both of them, and now the three of them since their mother needed someone to care for her.
“Decided for what?”
Rose still kept her voice cool and controlled. She didn’t like to show her sister when she got under her skin, which was becoming increasingly more these days.
“Honey, your sister and I have been talking, and we don’t think it’s good for you to be alone like this. Your father passed when I was quite young, and trust me, it’s difficult enough going through life just on your own, but when you have a child to think about, it’s even harder.”
Rose sat up straight, more agitated now than anything. She didn’t like where this conversation was going, and she had a feeling she knew where it was going to end.
“I don’t want to marry again. Frank was the kindest, best man that ever lived. There’s no way I am going to marry another! Never!”
She stood, carefully catching her balance as she did,
and she pushed her way to her room. Pansy tried to follow, but Rose told her she needed to be left alone. She closed the door, right in Pansy’s face, and didn’t open it again, even when Pansy protested loudly.
“You can’t stay alone forever! You know that, don’t you? Think of your child! You might be happy thinking of Frank forever, but will they be? How are they going to grow up properly without a Pa?”
“Hush! I said leave me be!”
Rose blew out the lamp so it was dark in her room, and laid on the bed. As she stared at the ceiling, a thousand emotions flooded through her. She didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself, but they were right.
She couldn’t force her child to grow up without a father, even if she did want to live in the memory of Frank.
“I guess I’ll have to do something. Don’t you worry, I am going to take care of this.”
Rose whispered softly, so no one else in the house could hear, then she rolled over onto her side and faced the wall. It wasn’t long before sleep claimed her.
Chapter 2 – The Discussion
Rose stayed in her room the rest of the night. She woke several times, but she didn’t really want to go out and see her sister. She knew Pansy would be waiting for her chance to pounce, and Rose didn’t want to give it to her.
Whether she married again or not was nobody’s business but her own, so she really wished her sister would just drop the issue.
I’m sure by now she has. I am going out there to get breakfast, and when they come out I am going to keep the topic away from marriage.
Rose was sitting on the edge of her bed, buttoning up her dress. It was getting difficult to wear this one, with the buttons that reached all the way to the floor. Her growing belly was always in the way of what she was trying to do, and the things she was used to doing on a day to day basis were becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
[2015] A Love Miracle Page 50