Bride of Paradise: Book 1 in Mail Order Ministers Read online

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  Sally Jenkins hurried home from the post office and set the letters addressed to her and Albert on the table. She’d read them as soon as she finished fixing lunch for her hardworking husband. Being the wife of the seminary president was hard work, but it was a life full of joy that she was called to live.

  She put the reheated chicken casserole on the table and poured them each a glass of milk. Albert came into the house at twelve on the dot, just as he always did. Sally thought his orderliness was one of the things she liked best about him. She wasn’t orderly at all herself. If Albert hadn’t been her husband, she didn’t know what would have become of her. But she knew every day at noon Albert would walk through the door wanting his lunch. It was good to know your schedule would be adhered to exactly.

  Albert sat across from her and gripped her hand, immediately bowing his head for their noon prayer. When he’d finished he looked down at the letter on the corner of the table. “From an old student?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Of course. Who else ever writes to us?” Their children lived so close that they had no need to write letters. She tended to think of all the former seminary students as children too. And all the children that had grown up in the congregation they’d pastored before moving on to the seminary as well. “It’s from Samuel Benner.”

  Albert nodded, never saying much, because it wasn’t in his nature. “What does he have to say?” His eyes met hers as he ate the meal.

  She shrugged. “I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I will once I’ve finished the lunch dishes.” She smiled at him. “How’s everything shaping up? Were you able to replace Pastor Crowley?”

  “Finally.” Pastor Crowley, a long time teacher at the seminary, had died of a heart attack just as the semester ended. They needed someone else who could teach about the history of Christianity.

  “Good. Please tell me the new teacher has a wife.” She hated that all the men who’d been hired in the past few years had been bachelors. She wanted to be able to have small dinner parties for the other teachers and their wives. She enjoyed hosting parties for his co-workers and always had.

  “He does. He’s a younger man, around thirty-five, I think.” He ate his food methodically while they talked, because he only allowed himself thirty minutes for lunch every day.

  Sally smiled happily. She was thrilled there would be another woman around the seminary to show the ropes. She loved mentoring young wives. It was her favorite thing to do. And if there were children involved? Well that was even better.

  Once Albert had left, she quickly washed the lunch dishes and started a stew for dinner. As soon as the stew was on, she sat down at the table and read the letter from Samuel. Her frown grew more and more as she read, wondering how she could help him. This was the fourth letter in two weeks she’d gotten from one of their former students who complained of loneliness. She needed to help them all. But how?