Free Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) by Johanna Jenkins

passed, my father sort of shut down for a while. He was accounted for, but to say he was present was a stretch. Most days I entertained myself with word games I made up, trying to teach myself to be a good girl. ”
    Mercy smiled and her eyes brightened slightly, with unshed tears as she continued. “My father hired a nanny to show me how to act like a lady. She stayed with me until I was ten. That’s when my father remarried. Charlotte, my stepmother, never liked me. I was less than a flea on a mangy dog in her eyes. When my father passed, his inheritance, some of it anyways, should have passed to me. I learned later on that she’d had his will changed. She took everything and kicked me out the day after his funeral.”
    Impossibly moved by her harrowing childhood, Kale placed a hand over hers. “I’m so very sorry that life has been so difficult for you. It’s remarkable and a testament to your upbringing, what little you had, that you turned into such a lovely and beautiful woman.”
    “I give all the glory to God for guiding me to the right people,” Mercy smiled. “When I was thrown out I didn’t know what to do. I was penniless and didn’t even have a place to sleep. Then I met Rosita Romero. She was the woman who ran the shelter that I lived at. She needed a full-time helper and I needed a place to stay. She promised me I’d always have shelter if I worked for her, so I did. She paid me what little she could afford and I used it to buy only my necessities.”
    “What did you do with the rest?”
    “I bought items that others needed, especially the children. It was heartbreaking to see so many people pass through the shelter. Some got back on their feet, but not all of them unfortunately.”
    “I imagine those who knew you would attest to what a blessing you are. I’ve only known you a few days and you’ve already blessed my life.”
    “Thank you,” Mercy smiled. “You’ve been a tremendous blessing to me. You offered me an opportunity to get out of the mess I was in. I never would have imagined what God had in store for me here.”
    “So tell me,” Kale asked. “What is your vision, should we continue to court and turn this into a marriage?”
    “I don’t want to change anything,” Mercy said. “I love your home and the ranch! You know your business inside and out. I would hope that someday I’d be as efficient as you in my manner with the animals and that I’d be a help to you as well. Do you want children?”
    The question caught him off guard and made him chuckle. “Eventually,” he smiled. “I’d like at least a couple years with you first, if we decide to marry.”
    “I can understand that,” Mercy grinned. “It may take me that long to get used to the animals and how your ranch runs.”
    “No way,” Kale smiled. “I give you less than six months before you’ve got it all down. You’re a smart, talented woman. There’s no way you won’t have all this figured out before then.”
    “Your vote of confidence is reassuring,” Mercy said, her eyes twinkling. Nearly as soon as they pulled up Mercy was begging to see the twins. Mercy neared the gate where the two calves rested with their mother nearby. As she opened the pen and headed toward them, she was swamped by a love for this place. A love for the animals, the land, and an inkling of love for the man who watched over all of it. “Look at you two! You’ve already grown so much.”
    “Like all babies, it doesn’t take them long.”
    *****
    Life’s Blessings
    Kale couldn’t explain the wave of emotion that passed through him when Mercy went all soft for the two little additions to his ranch. Every time she was around them, it was like watching a flower blossom. While he truly hoped that Alicia found the happiness and settled life she was looking for in St. Louis; he was evermore glad he’d chosen Mercy.
    Thank you Lord for bringing Mercy to me. Thank you for her heart and strength, for the integrity she has. I’m so