A Baby to Soften the Miner’s Heart – Extended Epilogue

Three Years Later

Although she’d told herself she wouldn’t scream, Rose found herself unable to hold back as she pushed, Bonnie settled between her legs to catch the baby.

She roared like a lion in battle, and Auren clutched her hand tightly, his hazel eyes searching her face.

She opened her mouth to tell him she would be all right, even though she wasn’t altogether sure, but only another scream came out of her throat as the baby was born.

Bonnie caught the already wailing newborn in her arms.

“A girl,” Auren breathed, but Rose could barely see through the tears in her eyes.

“A girl?” she asked with a shaking voice, and he nodded eagerly, grinning even with tear tracks down his face.

“A little cousin,” a tow-headed, chubby little boy said, leaning up against the wall with a small grin, and Rose didn’t have the heart to correct him.

“You’ll be the best big cousin, Thorne,” Auren said, and Rose was grateful because she wasn’t sure she had the strength to answer him.

Bonnie swaddled the little girl and brought her to Rose, settling her on Rose’s chest.

She quickly checked Rose and helped her cover herself as Auren kissed the baby’s forehead.

“What will we name her?” Auren asked, and Rose had been through a dozen names in her head, but only one seemed to stick.

“Hope,” she said. “Hope Isolda.”

“It’s beautiful. Just like you. Just like her,” Auren gushed, and Rose smiled weakly, her arms sagging with the effort of holding the baby.

“Can you take her?”

“Try and stop me.” Auren took the child from her arms, holding her close, more tears streaming down his face as he looked down at her. “She’s perfect, Rose.”

“Good. All that work, she’d better be,” she grumbled, and Auren burst out laughing, used to her mercurial moods during pregnancy.

Bonnie gave a small smile to Rose and she returned it.

“Thank you for everything, Bonnie. How much do I owe you?”

Bonnie scoffed. “Nothing. I’d deliver all your babies for free, you know.”

“Good. Because we’re going to have a houseful,” Auren said eagerly, and Rose laughed.

“Maybe.”

Auren chuckled and started to hum Isolda’s lullaby to the newborn, walking her outside to show Cole and Calvin and Sarina’s boys, who were shooed outside when Rose’s water broke.

Rose let out a long breath, relieved to be done with the work of labor.

“She’s okay? Healthy?” she asked Bonnie, and her friend gave her a big smile.

“As a horse.”

“She’s perfect,” Rose said softly, looking out the screen door to see the pride on Auren’s face as he showed Hope off.

Rose had named her Hope because that was what Auren had given her. That was what she felt, every day, and that was what they were building at A Hopeful Place. Rose and Auren had wanted to be settled first, wanted to spend some time together as husband and wife, and they’d had trouble conceiving. Hope was their little miracle after years of trying, and they’d started the renovation as soon as Rose knew she was expecting.

Two weeks later, Rose was finally feeling spry enough to attend the grand opening – they’d renovated Ebron’s large house and added on to it, creating a shelter that could house twenty people.

So far, there were only ten, so they had plenty of room, children darting between cots and tables.

The Strades had another reason to celebrate – it was Tessa and Penelope’s birthday. Rose had hoped that Hope would be born then, too, but she’d decided to come a bit early.

The house, unrecognizable from the cold, void-like place it had been when Ebron lived there, was booming with noise and booming laughter by the time Rose and Auren arrived with Hope.

Ebron and the rest of his men were in prison, and Ebron himself was locked away for life for his crimes. He’d written letters, asking Rose to visit, but she’d read them and thrown them away, unanswered. Her life before was over, and she’d started a new one with Auren.

Rose cradled the newborn in one arm and couldn’t help but think of Thorne when she first found him. Hope was healthier, had a heartier cry, but Rose could see the similarities between them all the same.

Thorne, nearly dragging his mother through the halls, whooped and hollered, loving the new shelter.

“It’s beautiful, Rose,” Lena said as Thorne excitedly showed her around.

Rose laughed at Thorne’s exuberance, loving the way his personality had started to show after his rough beginning. He had Lena’s eyes, but his smile often reminded Rose of her own.

They were a right little family, with Lena and Thorne having dinner with Auren and Rose at least once a week. Lena had been such a help with the baby, too, giving Rose tips she never would have thought of on her own to get Hope to sleep.

Cole and Bonnie rode up next, riding the same horse, Cole’s arms holding the reins around Bonnie’s waist as she rode side saddle.

He dismounted the horse and helped Bonnie down.

She smiled at him, looking up into his eyes for just a moment before she rushed to Rose, hugging her tightly.

“It’s just like I always dreamed,” she exclaimed, hugging Rose even tighter.

Rose made a squeaking sound in the back of her throat.

“Bonnie, you’re gonna break my ribs.”

Bonnie pulled away, and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

“And with you just having a baby, too. I’m just so excited.”

Rose took her hand. “I’m excited, too,” she admitted.

She’d had her reservations at first about using Ebron’s house, but now she realized that it was the best thing she could have ever done for the land. If there were evil there, the good would cancel it out.

“How many women and children will be staying with us tonight?”

Rose looked over at the open journal that Auren was holding, where she kept all the information about A Hopeful Place.

“Twelve,” she said proudly, and Bonnie squealed, clapping her hands in excitement.

“I bet it’ll be twenty before we know it.”

“If there’s a need for more space, there’s plenty of land,” Auren pointed out. “We can always add on.”

Rose beamed at him. He and Cole had helped her and Bonnie’s childhood dream come true, and she couldn’t be more grateful or more in love.

She had an inkling Bonnie felt the same way about Cole.

Calvin and Marta came riding up in the big wagon with Tessa, Sarina, Henry and their four children. Penelope jumped out first, before her parents could stop her and skinned her knee.

She didn’t even wail, just stood up and stared down at the blood on her knee with a frown.

Bonnie rushed to her, tsking.

“Look at you. No better than a boy,” she scolded, using a handkerchief to clean up the wound.

“Good,” Penelope said flatly, and Bonnie and Rose both cracked up, holding their stomachs as they laughed.

Penelope was a bit of a tomboy with all those brothers, and Thorne was her very best friend.

“Happy birthday, Penelope. Tessa,” Rose said as Tessa stepped down out of the wagon.

Tessa had grown into a lovely young woman, with red hair like her mother’s cascading down her back. She had a boy from Beacon Hills courting her, one that Calvin didn’t like much. But Marta said he wouldn’t like anyone courting his baby girl.

Thorne ran up to her, gasping, but Penelope was proud more than anything else, showing off her injury to her brothers and Thorne.

They ran around the back of the house to see the other kids playing out back, and Rose smiled at them as they went.

“Thank you,” Tessa said, and Penelope parroted it back to Rose.

Hope fussed and Bonnie gave Rose a knowing look.

“She’s hungry?”

Rose nodded, and the two friends walked inside, leaving their husbands to greet their family.

They found a quiet spot in one of the unoccupied rooms for Rose to breastfeed with a blanket draped over Hope’s head, and Bonnie sat down with Rose. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“Rose. I have to tell you something,” she whispered, and Rose could tell by the light in Bonnie’s eyes that it was good news.

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”

“Promise me you’ll keep it a secret? Cole wants to announce it later.”

Rose started to grin, suspecting the news. “You’re going to have a baby?”

Bonnie paled. “How did you guess? Am I showing already?” She placed a hand on her belly, which was still flat.

Rose laughed. “Nothing like that. You’re just glowing, that’s all.”

“I’m sick as a dog,” Bonnie admitted. “Can’t keep a thing down.”

Rose nodded. “I was the same way when I first fell pregnant with Hope. It’ll get better in a few weeks.”

Bonnie smiled. “And I hope I get my figure back as quickly as you did.”

Rose flushed. She’d filled out in the past three years, her hips growing wider, but she had lost the baby weight quickly.

“No time to eat with a newborn,” she joked, and Bonnie chuckled.

“Don’t say a word to Marta or Sarina or Tessa,” she warned, and Rose made a zipping motion across her smiling lips.

When Hope was sated and sleeping well, Bonnie took her to see her grandparents in the front room.

Rose walked the halls of the renovated house, feeling the warmth coming from every corner. It had grown warm over the summer, and so the kerosene heaters were out in the cellar, but Rose and Bonnie had made sure no woman or child in need would freeze in the bitter winters.

Auren and Cole had renovated the house on their own, with help from Calvin, Henry, and even Jack, who’d changed his ways after Ebron’s arrest.

He might even come to the opening. Rose had long past forgiven him for his part in her troubles three years ago, but he was still apologetic, offering to help Auren and Rose with anything they needed. He’d become a close friend to Auren, and they worked in the mines together after a kind man from out of town took over.

Rose felt the love that her husband and family and friends had put into the place, and she couldn’t help the tears of happiness that sprang to her eyes.

“Are you crying?” Auren asked, frowning as he walked up to her.

“Only because I’m so happy,” she assured him, and Auren put an arm around her waist.

He smiled down at her, nuzzling against her hair. “Come on. Cole wants to announce something.”

Rose hid a secret smile as the two walked into the front room.

Cole stood on a table, rapping his glass with a fork to get everyone’s attention.

“I wanted to say that I’m so happy A Hopeful Place is open, and that my wife and I will be having a baby in a few months!” he exclaimed, blurting it out.

Whoops of celebration and victory sounded all the way through A Hopeful Place, and Rose thought the house had never been filled with such good things.

Happiness, laughter. Hope.

Naming her daughter that felt more right each day.

Tessa, now holding Hope, brought her over to Rose and Rose took her as Bonnie was congratulated within an inch of her life.

Rose caught sight of Sheriff Cutter, whose normally stern face was smiling and warm. After the noise died down, she couldn’t help but go to him, hoping that maybe there was a new update on her father.

As much as Rose had never felt connected to the man, she still wanted to know how he fared behind bars. She supposed hate had never fared well in her heart.

“How is the case going?” she asked quietly, and Daniel turned to look at her, tipping his hat.

“Well, ma’am, I think we’ve rounded up the whole gang. Everyone is being punished as they should. Crimes as petty as small theft up to murder. The courts will be busy come winter.”

Justice had finally been served, and when Auren walked up to her, she relayed the information to him.

Auren nodded, looking somber. “So Isolda helped bring everyone justice, after all.”

“Yes,” Daniel agreed. “Without her letters and her breaking the code for me, I would have never been able to do this.”

Rose thought of her mother’s kind eyes, her soft, warm hands. Isolda had lived in silence and fear, locked away by her cruel husband, but she hadn’t sat idly by. She hadn’t died in vain.

And Isolda’s legacy would continue in the halls of A Hopeful Place.

Rose looked up at Auren, and then around at all her family and friends celebrating, and thought that everything had worked out just the way it was supposed to.

THE END