A Mail Order Bride to Heal his Heart Bonus Scene

As Caleb was growing up and started to realize the surroundings of Montana, he'd looked up at the sky at sunrise and sunset, and he'd thought it could never get better than that.

After he'd inherited Turner Ranch, he'd stood on the porch and thought the same. Now that he had Alexandra, he knew he'd been wrong both times.

With her, times were better than they had ever been. And better than they ever would be again. She lit his days with just the right amount of warmth in her smile and sweetness in her kiss. He liked to feel her curled up next to him in the master bedroom's big bed, her hand resting lightly on his chest, thick dark hair fanned out across the pillow.

Every day, he was reminded of the privilege it was to gaze upon her beauty and call her his wife. Every night, he was blessed to lie in bed and relive the perfect memory of their wedding beneath the cottonwood tree.

She had been absolutely radiant, such that even the golden eye of the sun could not outshine her. Taking her hands in his before the altar felt like a miracle years in the making, culminating in that first married kiss they shared. Caleb had never known how happy he could be until he allowed her to open his heart.

Now that they had settled into a routine, the rush of love wasn't always quite so dizzying. It had transformed somewhat into a gentle, enduring comfort. She was always there in the morning, and she was always by his side at night. Those became the constants by which he measured his days.

When he could, he stole moments with her during their busy, hectic work hours. Sometimes it was a short walk through the fields or a shared snack in the barn. Occasionally, he stole kisses, which he knew she loved. The blush on her cheeks quickly became Caleb's favorite color.

He wanted to look at her and be with her for the rest of both their lives.

The one thing that kept them closer than ever was horseback riding. Alexandra's newfound adoration of horses brought with it a strong desire to hone her skill.

She only wanted one specific teacher, and Caleb was more than happy to oblige. He loved being able to share that part of his life with her, and he loved watching her grow. She lost some of her natural timidity as she gained strength and balance. Her smiles got even brighter.

And she worked magic with the animals. Caleb had been nervous about adding Everett's rambunctious yearling to her stable, fearing that she might not be able to handle him. Within a week, he was walking gently on her lead, and a week after that, she rode him.

Caleb could scarcely believe it. It was like watching a flower bloom. His wife began to exude a quiet, elegant confidence and poise. Her social life burst forth in earnest—as much as it could do in Maybelle, at any rate. Alexandra's friendships flourished all across town.

She brought Caleb to dinner parties where he still felt uncomfortable, but liked to sit back and watch her exist in her element. He liked to see her laughing, thinking hard, or twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

He liked to see her doing anything, really.

As for him, he lived for those little moments of deep, pure connection. The way he sometimes caught her looking at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. The way she put her arms around his neck or squeezed his hand when she needed comfort.

The way they were able to enjoy silence together, to walk side by side without speaking a word. Each moment he spent with her, he could feel his heart healing more and more. The old scars Eliza had left were faded and forgotten, painted over in the bright new colors of his incredible life.

God, he loved her!

Never had he been so fiercely proud and protective of someone. She had seamlessly become a piece of him, and he waited to be reunited with her at the end of every long, hard day. Nothing lifted his spirits more than seeing her perched in her rocking chair on the porch, on the lookout for him.

And then when she saw him coming, the smile that lit up her face could cure a thousand ills.

He was sure of it. That green-eyed Virginia woman was magic.

Days slipped into weeks, and then into months. The lushness of spring warmed into summer, ebbed into fall, and the tide of winter lapped at the edge of the land. There was less to do outside in the winter, and more time to stay snuggled up together by the fire.

The cozy season got Caleb to thinking about the one thing they were still missing, the last puzzle piece to complete their perfect life. He had always known in his heart that Turner Ranch would need a brigade of children to keep its hearth warm and its heart beating.

And he knew that Alexandra shared his vision of a robust family, but Caleb being Caleb, he wasn't sure how to bring it up. It was on one of those cozy nights by the fire that he gently reminded her how the ranch would always feel empty without the sound of little feet running up and down the stairs, without ponies in the barn, and without voices shouting gleefully in the fields.

"Do you think it's time?" she asked, covering his hand with hers.

He lifted her fingers to his lips, nodding. "We'll be busy, but we'll be happy."

She smiled mischievously. "We'll be busy in a lot of ways. There are two ranches now. That's a lot of little helpers."

Caleb laughed, but he took her at her word. A few months later, Alexandra's belly began to swell gently. Their first child was born in the heat of August; a baby boy with his mother's raven hair and his father's hazel eyes. He was followed by another brother, a sister, and a set of mismatched twins, all in rapid succession.

Thus, the lonely ranch outside of Maybelle, torn by heartbreak and familial warfare, became a haven of warmth and love, its trees and fields always ringing with songs and laughter.

Each day ended on the big front porch; mother and father rocking in the chairs as their children crowded around. They'd watch the sun paint ribbons in the sky until night fell like a blanket across the wide-open sky.

And then they would all troop into the waiting farmhouse to fill its empty beds with precious heartbeats.

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