One Year Later, Mercy Creek, Kansas, 1872

Rosalie sat in the sunny spot by the window, staring out at the garden below. A year before, she’d been standing there as she waited to marry her beloved husband. Now, she sat in a chair with her baby boy in her arms.

She glanced at his perfect little face. Silas was only a month old, but he had a shock of brown hair and the sweetest disposition. He slept sound in her arms, his eyelashes kissing the tops of his cheeks. Her heart swelled with love as she kissed his forehead.

“I love you, Silas,” she murmured. “No one in the world will ever love you as much as I do now. Well, except for your father. He simply adores you.”

She had named him after her father. After her wedding, Rosalie had started struggling with feelings of resentment toward her father. She’d been plagued by nightmares, and she battled with terrible anxiety as Lucius’ trial proceeded.

Rosalie had fought to come to terms with the fact that she’d almost died in the woods. Some nights, she’d wake up screaming in terror. All throughout that difficult period, Gideon had patiently comforted her and guided her through her fears.

And then she’d found out she was pregnant. She had to accept the fact that she’d been furious with her father. As much as she loved him, she needed to feel that anger so that she could move past it and forgive his misguided attempts to secure her future.

Lucius’ trial had concluded after about a month, and he was found guilty of kidnapping, murder, theft, and a whole host of other crimes. Gideon had taken her to the court for the verdict. Lucius had glared at her intermittently during the sentencing, but she simply ignored him.

He’d looked thin and haggard in his chains. There was very little trace of the man who had once scared her into leaving behind her childhood home. It was only after they’d left the court that she realized Lucius hadn’t changed. Rather, she’d grown past her fears, and she was the one who had transformed for the better.

By the time Silas was born, she’d left all that behind. She missed her father more than ever, and she decided it was only fitting to honor him by naming her son after him. Gideon had agreed and had commended her for moving past everything that had happened.

“Today’s a special day,” Rosalie cooed, stroking Silas’ cheek. “You’re going to meet your big sister today. She simply can’t wait to meet you. The poor thing was beside herself when she couldn’t be here for the birth. But she’ll be here soon, and you’ll get to meet the best big sister in the world.”

Silas sighed and brought his balled-up fist to his cheek as he cuddled closer to her.

“There you are,” Gideon said, walking into the room. He made his way over to them and kissed her cheek before gently touching Silas’ cheek.

“Careful,” Rosalie whispered. “I don’t want him to wake up just yet. You know what he’s like when he doesn’t wake up by himself.”

Gideon chuckled and leaned over the chair as he studied his son. “My goodness, only a month old and he’s already running the show! He certainly has you under his spell.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t adore him just as much as I do,” Rosalie said, shaking her head at him.

“You’re right,” Gideon said, his smile growing. “You know, one of these days you’re going to have to share your secret with me.”

“What secret?” Rosalie asked in surprise.

“Well, I want to know how you managed to give birth to the most perfect son in the world? I mean, all the other mothers are going to be jealous,” Gideon teased.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him, but warmth spread through her chest as she sank into her seat. “I think we’re a little obsessed with him, darling. We keep calling him perfect. What if his head gets too big? Or, worse yet, what if he thinks that we put too much pressure on him?”

Gideon shrugged. “I think it will be all right. He won’t remember anything until he’s around five years old anyhow. We might as well say whatever we like around him. Then, once he’s a little older, we’ll ease off a bit.”

Rosalie laughed and shook her head at her husband. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea. You might not be able to rein yourself in when he’s older. What will he think if we keep calling him perfect?”

Gideon tilted his head slightly as he considered her question. “Like I said, it’s only been a month. Let’s enjoy our perfect little baby… And yes, I said perfect again. Because that’s how I feel, and that’s what he is. And if it becomes a problem, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“All right,” Rosalie said with a shrug. “I suppose I’ll have to trust you. After all, you raised a wonderful daughter.”

“Speaking of,” Gideon said, standing up. “We ought to go downstairs so that we can welcome her as soon as she gets back.”

Excitement rushed through Rosalie as she handed Silas to Gideon and stood up. It had been four months since she’d last seen Nellie, and that had been too long. She missed Nellie deeply ever since the young woman had gone to the city to attend her teaching school.

While Nellie tried to visit home frequently, it was never quite enough for Rosalie.

She couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she followed Gideon down the stairs. Winnie and Amos were already there setting the table alongside Mrs. Bell and Eunice. Everyone had come for a special lunch to welcome Nellie home.

“Those forks aren’t straight,” Winnie said, peering over Amos’ shoulder as she held her growing belly.

“The forks aren’t straight?” Amos raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure no one would notice but you.”

Winnie scowled playfully at him and pinched his cheek lovingly. “I noticed!”

Amos rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he straightened the forks.

“I see you’re enjoying giving your husband a hard time,” Gideon joked, wagging a finger at Winnie.

“Well, I’m currently carrying his very heavy baby, who likes bouncing on my bladder, so I figure it’s only fair if I give him some grief,” Winnie quipped, raising an eyebrow at him.

Gideon held up his hands in surrender. “You’re right. Of course. I was wrong to think I could argue with a woman who’s due any day now!”

“Trust me,” Amos said with a wince. “I learned that lesson the hard way.”

Gideon chuckled and clapped Amos on the back.

The door creaked open behind them, and Rosalie rushed toward it. As soon as Nellie stepped inside, Rosalie enveloped her in a giant hug.

“Rosalie!” Nellie protested. “Let me breathe.”

“I won’t ever let you go!” Rosalie said, clenching her eyes shut. “If I do, then you might try to leave me again.”

“You know I’m back for a few months now,” Nellie reminded her with a groan. “Someone has to take care of the school while Winnie gives birth.”

“I’m so glad it’s you who’s coming to take care of the school,” Winnie said, waddling over toward them. “I felt so guilty about leaving, but this really put my mind at ease.”

“Are you certain you want me to do it?” Nellie asked. “I’m only in my first year! There’s still a lot that I have to learn.”

“You know these students better than anyone,” Winnie assured her. “It would be better for them to be taught by someone they know and trust than to waste time bringing in a stranger. Besides, this experience will help you with your studies.”

“As long as you’re sure,” Nellie said uncertainly.

“I’m sure,” Winnie said. “Now, Rosalie, let go of the poor girl. There are others who want to greet her. Including one very special little boy…”

Rosalie smiled as she pulled herself away from Nellie. “I hope you don’t ever doubt how much I miss you.”

“I don’t,” Nellie reassured her. “Besides, I think you miss me more than my own pa does!”

“Impossible,” Gideon scoffed. He pulled her into a hug and quickly kissed the top of her head before letting her go.

“Look at you!” Rosalie gushed. “You’ve grown into a woman.”

Nellie blushed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

It was true. Somewhere over the past few months, Nellie had started dressing more like a young woman. She wore a stylish full skirt along with a woolen jacket that complemented her skin. Nellie also wore a pair of gloves and carried a leather case, likely filled with all her books and other necessities. She looked every bit the modern schoolteacher.

Rosalie’s heart swelled with pride as she studied her stepdaughter.

“Stop,” Nellie said, shaking her head in amusement. “May I please meet Silas now? I feel like I’ve waited forever.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Bell said, hurrying over. “Here he is… Your baby brother.”

Nellie’s eyes widened, and she gently took the sleeping bundle from Mrs. Bell’s arms. An enraptured expression crossed her face as she stared down at him. “He’s… Oh my… He’s…”

“Would you say he’s perfect?” Gideon asked in amusement.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at him and elbowed him gently in the side. He chuckled and kissed her cheek in response. Rosalie’s stomach fluttered. It was incredible how he could make her feel like a lovesick girl with one simple gesture.

“He is perfect,” Nellie breathed.

At that moment, Silas’ eyes fluttered open. He stared up at his sister in bewilderment, his brow furrowed as if he was deciding what he wanted to do next.

“Hello darling boy,” Nellie cooed. “I love you so much! Yes, I do. I swear, I love you with all my heart.”

Silas’ eyes drifted away from her, as if he was bored with the attention he was receiving, and yawned, his mouth forming a perfect O.

“Goodness gracious,” Nellie gasped. She smiled broadly at him and tickled his little belly.

Silas wriggled around, and his lips formed the semblance of a smile.

“He smiled at me!” Nellie crowed. “He likes me! Silas likes me.”

Rosalie chuckled as she shook her head at Nellie’s antics.

“I think it’s going well,” Gideon mused. “I was worried that she might feel left out. After all, she wanted to be at the birth so badly… It’s a shame she wasn’t able to make it.”

“Well, it happened so quickly,” Rosalie pointed out. “We’ll be sure to give her lots of love and reassurance while she’s here.”

“I think we just need to leave her with Silas, and she’ll be perfectly content,” Gideon said.

Rosalie nodded. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Nellie interact with Silas. They were already forming such a heartwarming bond. It cheered her to see how determined Nellie was to have a good relationship with her little brother. There was no doubt in her mind that Nellie would be a kind, caring, and protective older sibling.

She was just grateful that she’d been able to add to the joy of the household by bringing Silas into the world.

“What are you thinking about?” Gideon said, putting an arm around her waist.

“I was just thinking about how happy I am,” Rosalie admitted, looking up at him. “Remember the promise you made on our wedding day?”

“You mean the one where I promised to love and cherish you for the rest of my life?” he teased.

“Yes. Remember I said that it was the happiest day of my life?” Rosalie asked.

“Oh yes.” Gideon snapped his fingers. “And I said I’d take it as a challenge to see if I could make you any happier?”

Rosalie nodded. “Yes. Well, you did it. You won your own challenge.”

Gideon tilted his head slightly then grinned down at her. “Good. Now I can give myself a new challenge…”

“What’s that?” Rosalie asked.

“I want to see if I can make you even happier still,” he said, causing her to laugh.

Gideon’s eyes glimmered with happiness as he kissed her cheek again, and Rosalie settled into his arms. She had no doubt that he would win his challenge again. After all, it was a guarantee. Gideon made her happier than she could ever have imagined.