Ellie tried to connect with the children. She baked cookies and handed them to them with trembling hands.
Mia smiled mockingly, “You’re not our mother.”
And Ben hid behind her.
Ellie’s heart sank, but she didn’t give up. She remembered her own lonely childhood and vowed to be patient.
Little by little, she began to leave them small gifts—carved sticks, wildflowers—in the hope of gaining their trust.
Caleb was mysterious.
He spoke little, his face a sad expression.
But Ellie noticed the tender care with which he piled his children, despite his rough exterior.
One afternoon, she found the woman struggling to carry firewood.
Without a word, she took the load from his arms. “You don’t have to do it all by yourself,” she said hoarsely.
It was the first time she had spoken kindly to her, and a glimmer of hope filled Ellie.
Life in the mountains was exhausting.
Ellie’s body ached from the chores: carrying water, scrubbing floors, cooking over an open fire.
But she refused to complain.
She watched Caleb work tirelessly, and the hungry little faces of the children gave her a sense of purpose.
One day Mia developed a fever.
Ellie stayed up all night, cooling her forehead with wet washcloths.
Caleb watched silently, his eyes softening.
When Mia came to, she hugged Ellie first and whispered, “Thank you.” Ellie’s heart was filled with joy. Ben also began reaching out and asking her for stories. For the first time, Ellie felt like she belonged somewhere, even if only a little.
She began to see the mountains differently. The towering pines, the fresh air, the silence.
It was beautiful in its own way.
She began to walk every day, exploring trails to clear her head.
The exercise was hard, but it gave her strength, and she noticed that her clothes were looser and her steps lighter.
The mountains that had once intimidated her were now her refuge.
Little by little, Caleb opened up too.
Over dinner, he shared stories of his late wife, Sarah, who had died in childbirth.
Ellie listened, her heart aching with loss, and she shared her own pain with him: her father’s cruelty, her struggle with her weight.
At first, they laughed together. Ellie realized that Caleb was not the cold man she had feared, but someone carrying his own sorrow.
The gossip from the town had reached the mountains. They called Ellie a “fat bride” and felt sorry for Caleb.
When Ellie heard this, her old insecurities resurfaced.
She confessed to Caleb in confidence, hoping he wouldn’t mind.
Instead, she said, “They don’t know you. I see how hard you work, how you take care of Mia and Ben.”
Her words were simple but powerful.
