Gabrielle Meyer - The Gift Of Twins

Unexpected Holiday Blessings

Finding twin five-year-old boys on his doorstep isn’t the first surprise Reverend Benjamin Lahaye has faced lately. Emery Wilkes, the new schoolteacher the town has hired, turns out to be a very pretty woman—not the man they’d been expecting. And though the twins and Emmy are only boarding with Ben until Christmas, the arrangement feels all too natural.

Emmy has moved to Minnesota to put loss behind her. Marriage would mean forsaking her position and her purpose, and Ben is an honorable man who understands her refusal to wed. But as he gets closer to tracking down the little boys’ father, Emmy realizes just how much she wants their sweet temporary family to become permanent.

Emmy hadn’t known Ben for long, but she sensed he was out of sorts the whole day.

It was almost as if Ben was jealous of Adam—but that would be preposterous. Ben had never intimated that his feelings were more than platonic.

“Is something wrong, Emmy?” Ben took a step toward her, concern clouding his eyes.

“I—I was going to ask you the same question.”

For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and when he looked up she saw the old Ben reappear. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Then why the sullen mood today?”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so moody. There’s no excuse for it.”

“Maybe not, but is there a reason?” The question came of its own accord, as if her heart longed to hear that his feelings did run deeper while her mind begged her to walk away—nay, run—before he answered.

He studied her for a moment, as if he, too, wanted something he knew he shouldn’t want, but then he shook his head and started toward the door. “Good night, Emmy.”

Ben’s actions were so out of character she didn’t know what to think or believe. But his feelings were not what concerned her the most—her feelings scared her even more.

Dear Reader,

When I research the history of my hometown, I’m always amazed at the little nuggets of information I find. One of those nuggets is about Miss Ellen Nichols. She arrived in Little Falls in 1855 and served as the first schoolteacher in town. She and her husband, C.S.K. Smith, also have the distinction of celebrating the first wedding in Little Falls soon after her arrival. In a town known for its large male population, it’s no wonder the schoolteacher married quickly. This historical information was the idea that sparked and grew into the third story in my Little Falls Legacy miniseries.

This story is especially dear to my heart because I modeled the twins, Zeb and Levi, after my own twin boys, Judah and Asher, who were six at the time I wrote The Gift of Twins. I tried to imagine how Judah and Asher would react if put in the same situation as Zeb and Levi. Some of the scenes were hard to write when life wasn’t fair to the Trask boys, but other scenes were a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed watching Ben and Emmy fall in love with them.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this story as much as I have.

In His name,

Gabrielle Meyer

GABRIELLE MEYER lives in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River with her husband and four young children. As an employee of the Minnesota Historical Society, she fell in love with the rich history of her state and enjoys writing fictional stories inspired by real people and events. Gabrielle can be found at www.gabriellemeyer.com, where she writes about her passion for history, Minnesota and her faith.

The Gift of Twins

Gabrielle Meyer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Therefore shall a man leave his father

and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife,

and they shall be one flesh.

—Genesis 2:24

To Beka Swisher, Sarah Olson, Lindsay LeClair and Jessica Janski. Thank you for being some of

the first people to read my stories and believe in

my dream. Your friendship is a gift from God.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Little Falls, Minnesota

October 15, 1858

Reverend Benjamin Lahaye was usually a man of patience, but tonight he felt like a caged bear, pacing up and down the room. He stopped in front of the fireplace and placed another log on the blazing flames to give himself something to do. When he stood, he glanced out the window at the raging blizzard and started to pace again.

The new schoolmaster, Mr. Emery Wilkes, should have arrived on the stagecoach hours ago, but the temperature had dropped steadily all day and an unseasonable snowstorm came out of nowhere. Maybe the stagecoach driver had stopped to find shelter. At least, that’s what Ben hoped. He’d hate to think the schoolmaster was stuck in a snowdrift, freezing to death.

A knock sounded at the front door, bringing Ben’s worries to rest.

He sprinted across the room to the front door where a lantern sat on a table near the window. He kept it lit every night to welcome friends or strangers who might need a warm home, a listening ear or a bit of counsel. Tonight, the lantern would welcome the first male schoolteacher to Little Falls—a much-needed change after the three previous female teachers had all married before their contracts were fulfilled. In a town that boasted over two hundred bachelors, women were in high demand. As a school board member, it had become a tiresome task to refill the position, so Ben had been adamant about hiring a man. He’d also offered to let the new schoolmaster board with him, since he lived alone.

Ben opened the door, a smile at the ready. “Welcome, Mr.—”

A young woman stood on his front porch, shivering and hugging her body as she blinked up at him with snowflakes clinging to her long lashes. Her cheeks and nose were pink, making her blue eyes more brilliant under the light of the lantern. “H-hello,” she said through chattering teeth. “A-are you Reverend Lahaye?”

He stood there, speechless at the sight of her.

“I’m M-Miss Wilkes,” she continued as a shiver moved through her body. “Th-the new schoolteacher.”

She couldn’t be. He’d reviewed the application himself. It had clearly said “Emery A. Wilkes.”

She stared at him for a moment, a frown creasing her brow. “Y-you are R-Reverend Lahaye, aren’t y-you?”

He finally found his voice. “Yes.”

“May I—I come in?” She took a step toward the warmth of his home. “I—I’ve never been s-so cold in m-my life.”

Where were his manners? He couldn’t let her continue to freeze on his front porch. He opened the door wider and let her come over the threshold. “Yes, of course, come in.”