Lois Richer - Gift-Wrapped Family

Caleb watched helplessly, thinking what a wonderful mother this caring woman would make. Somehow he knew that Mia was cut from the same cloth as his mother had been. Mia would welcome a child, make it feel loved, the most important person in her world. Mia would intrinsically know how and when to give a hug. Things Caleb lacked. Because of his father.

“May I give you some advice?” he asked when he couldn’t stand to watch her weep any longer.

“Of course.” Mia blinked away her sadness. Hope fluttered in its place.

“Harlan betrayed you. There’s nothing you can do about that. But he’s gone.” How odd it was to advise Mia to do what he couldn’t. “I’m sure you did your best to be his wife, but now you have to forget all the whys of the past and move on to what’s next.”

“What is next?” She frowned at him. “I doubt anything’s truly changed. I’ll continue designing. I like doing that. Maybe I’ll have some repairs done on the house if I can afford it.”

“Is that all?” Frustrated by her simple response, Caleb wanted Mia to widen her horizons, to think about the possibilities that could fill her life now.

“That’s quite a lot for me, actually,” Mia said pertly.

“But you could do much more.” Caleb turned off the highway toward Buffalo Gap and Riverbend Ranch. “You have opportunities now, Mia. You should take advantage of them.” When she didn’t immediately answer he glanced her way and found her studying him, a pensive look on her face.

“Opportunities like what?” she asked.

“Do you drive?”

“No. I don’t know how.” She shook her head, her amazing hair trembling with the motion. “My mother wasn’t in favor of me learning.”

“You were only seventeen then,” he reminded her. “Your mother probably thought she’d get you lessons later.”

“Maybe. Harlan didn’t want me to drive,” she said thoughtfully.

Caleb wasn’t surprised by that. Freedom to drive anywhere meant Harlan risked Mia seeing him with Reba.

“Why did you ask?” She studied him, her head tilted to one side.

“Wouldn’t now be a good time to take driving lessons? When you get your driver’s license you can buy a car.” Caleb watched her eyes flare, heard her gasp.

“I can’t afford a car!”

“I think if you ask Bella she’ll tell you that you can afford to buy a car,” he said, hiding his smile. So she still didn’t know. “Maybe two of them.”

“Why would I need two cars?” Though Mia frowned at him, she was clearly captivated by the possibility of learning to drive wherever she wanted to go. “I suppose I could learn to drive Harlan’s car, though it’s very big and fancy. I wouldn’t want fancy. I might ruin it.”

“A car can be fixed,” Caleb said, irritated that Mia was so willing to deny herself a simple thing that would bring her freedom. “If you like trees and open spaces, you should consider moving to the ranch.”

“I couldn’t do that.” Mia looked shocked by the idea. “It’s not mine.”

“It will be.” He took pity on her confusion. “I did some investigating. I was trying to figure out how to get some money for Lily from Harlan’s estate.”

“Oh.” Mia frowned at him, obviously troubled by his admission.

“I learned that the ranch is fully paid for. There is no mortgage or lien on it. Harlan is listed as the sole owner, so it will pass to you.” He paused for a moment. “If you lived there, you could have Lily visit.” He let out his pent-up breath, hoping she wouldn’t be repulsed by the idea of seeing her husband’s child.

“No, I couldn’t. I could never have Lily visit,” Mia said in a very firm tone.

Caleb stared, surprised by how adamant she sounded. He didn’t ask why. Mia’s world had already been turned upside down. He didn’t want to add to that now.

“Anyway, I thought you said she was being adopted?” she added.

“Actually, I didn’t say that. Abby Lebret runs Family Ties. She’s the one who will find Lily a home,” he said in his most calming tone. “I’m just trying to help. Don’t worry. Sooner or later Lily will have a family.”

“Everything is such a whorl.” Her confusion tugged at him. “Nothing is what I believed it to be, especially Harlan having an affair.” She blinked furiously. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Because he didn’t want you to. Because you trusted him,” Caleb said. How could he have ever thought her capable of dissembling? “Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure he went to great lengths to make sure you didn’t suspect him.”

“Proof that I’ve been living in a fairy world.” Mia blew out a sigh that ruffled the hairs across her brow. “I feel like Alice in Wonderland after she fell down the rabbit hole. Everything is bewildering.” Fear crept across her face. “I should go home and wait until it’s all sorted out.”

“You can’t run away from the truth, Mia.” Caleb’s heart ached for her. It had to be horribly confusing to have your entire world turned upside down. “This is just a visit. You don’t have to decide anything. You’re only going to take a look at Riverbend.”

“I guess.” Mia gazed out the window with appreciation, repeatedly commenting on the glorious colors of the hillside foliage. “I wish I had my camera,” she said wistfully. “I’ll never remember these exact shades of red and orange.”

“Why do you need to?” Then Caleb remembered her paintings. “You can use my phone,” he offered, pulling to the side of the road. “I’ll email the pictures to you. You do have email?” he asked as an afterthought.

“Of course. I have to. That’s how I connect with my employers.” Mia’s impish grin made his heart rate pick up. “I don’t live completely in the Dark Ages, you know.”

“I never said—” Caleb took a second look at her face and chuckled. When he’d first met Mia he never expected her to be such a delight.

One that he wanted to know much better.

* * *

“I’ve probably drained your battery and clogged up your data space with all my pictures,” Mia said as she handed over Caleb’s phone. “But I just can’t get enough of these colors.”

“How will you transfer them to fabric?” he asked as he helped her back into his car.

“I’m not sure I can.” She smiled, feeling more carefree than she had felt in ages. “But I have to try. Those brilliant reds and oranges would make wonderful quilts combined with leafy greens and silvers, and those subtle shades of browns. Maybe if I—”

Realizing she was chattering, Mia went quiet, pretending to ignore Caleb’s searching look. He was a nice man, sometimes gruff and grouchy, but she was fairly certain that was a mask to hide his soft inside. She knew no one else who would have dived into her affairs, helped her find a lawyer and then taken her for this ride. With every mile her questions about Caleb Grant grew.

Suddenly Mia’s mind went blank as a lovely log home appeared before her, two stories with fence-post railings and a swing on the deck that exactly matched one she’d dreamed about in the days when dreams still seemed possible.

“Welcome to Riverbend Ranch,” Caleb said. She felt his stare even though she wasn’t looking at him.