Chapter Nine
Despite having started the day on a lighter note and with good intentions in the morning, today had been a rough day for Madelaine.
It had highlighted the fact that she was being dishonest to a man who clearly didn’t deserve it.
She felt the urgent need to unburden her heavy heart from having to keep up a lie she no longer wanted to tell.
She hadn’t lost faith in God, but had He lost faith in her?
Madelaine opened her mother’s beloved Bible, even though she didn’t think she deserved to even hold it. She opened to a passage which usually gave her guidance.
Then, she opened her journal and began to write. She wrote down everything she truly felt. She hadn’t lost her love for God. She hadn’t lost her trust in Him. That would never happen. She just felt trapped, needing His guidance to find a way out of this mess.
So, she wrote down the prayer she’d shared with Belle and Simon tonight before they went to sleep: Heavenly Father, we thank You that all good things come from You.
We thank You that we can trust You for the future of our family.
Please guide these children in every step they take.
Please, let them know your provision and protection.
Make steady their steps. This I pray. Amen.
***
After breakfast the next morning, Evelyn surprised Madelaine with the idea of going into town together to get some groceries.
Madelaine wasn’t thrilled. Given the current circumstances, she really didn’t want to leave the house. She didn’t want to be noticed, or—in the worst-case scenario—be seen by one of Phineas’ men, or even Phineas himself. What a disaster that would be.
So, she began her day, trying to stall Evelyn as much as she could.
At first, Madelaine pretended that she was busy with all kinds of household chores she needed to get done before lunch—which weren’t many, since the house was kept spotless, so Madelaine couldn’t even find anything to clean or organize.
Then she wanted to check on Tinsel, and she made it a point to take Simon and Belle with her, since both children would drag out the usually quick march to the barn.
By the time they’d checked on the horses, it was time for lunch, which was another good excuse to keep stalling—especially doing all the dishes, including all the pots and pans, afterwards.
Much to Madelaine’s surprise, Luke and Caleb showed up shortly afterwards.
“You two are early! Is everything all right?” Evelyn asked when they walked in.
“Everything is all right,” Luke replied calmly, looking straight at Madelaine, who blushed profusely. He sometimes made her nervous, and she had no idea why.
As he moved around the house, she watched him secretly, as she often did.
Madelaine didn’t want to admit it, but there was something about him which drew her eye to him.
Granted, he was a very handsome man, but the way he carried himself with so much confidence, without ever bragging or being arrogant, made her feel safe, somehow.
Before Evelyn, Caleb, or Luke could say a word, Madelaine rushed back into the kitchen and began to prepare a meal for both men using the leftovers from lunch, heating it all up in all the pots and pans she’d just cleaned minutes before.
When Madelaine brought out the plates, piled high with steaming hot food, before setting them down right in front of Caleb and Luke, the clock chimed on the mantle above the fireplace. It was one in the afternoon, and it became clear that Evelyn couldn’t take it anymore.
“Okay. That’s enough dilly-dallying,” she said, looking pointedly at Madelaine. “Caleb, Luke, I need you two to look after Belle and Simon for a while, because I am taking Madelaine into town to get some groceries.”
Madelaine froze on the spot.
“It’s a beautiful day today. It would be good for you to get out of the house,” Luke said with a gentle tone of voice as he looked up to her with a warm glow in his eyes. This was the first time he had directly spoken to her since that evening two nights prior.
This was not what she wanted to hear. Not at all.
“Are you all right?” he asked then, when she didn’t react. He did so quietly, as if he wanted to ask only her. His hand brushed against hers, but Madelaine quickly pulled hers away. She didn’t know if this gesture had been intentional, or if it had been an accident—either way, it was unsettling.
She lowered her head in half a nod, while Evelyn clapped her hands excitedly.
“Yes! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it helped you remember things again?” She walked over to Madelaine and took her hand with both of hers, squeezing it gently.
“I don’t think we should burden the men with looking after the children,” Madelaine said evasively.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” Luke said, reassuringly.
Caleb shrugged. “We’ll find something interesting to do.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Madelaine tried again.
“We will both look after them. I think it’s time to teach this little man some manly work on the ranch,” said Luke, before he shoved a big spoonful of stew into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he chewed. “This is absolutely delicious, by the way.”
“Thank you! Madelaine added some herbs to the recipe, which made it more fragrant,” Evelyn explained
Luke nodded appreciatively. “Then maybe Madelaine should do the cooking from now on, since she’s better than you.
” Madelaine’s eyes shot up once again, and as he held her gaze, she saw the corners of Luke’s mouth curl upwards ever so slightly.
Was he actually smiling at her? What in the world was happening here?
“Well, I don’t mind either way,” Evelyn said. “But if we don’t go now, it will be too late. I want to be back before dark.
***
Not even half an hour later, the women were wrapped in heavy woolen coats, thick-knitted scarves, warm leather gloves, and boots. Evelyn held the reins, steering the trusty old draft horse, Jeremy, who was pulling the wagon.
Madelaine had been nervous the entire way, but when they reached the center of the town, her anxiety was through the roof.
Evelyn probably thought that she was looking around so much to see what she would remember, but unbeknownst to her, Madelaine knew every nook and cranny of this little town, and she knew most of the faces, too. Thankfully, it wasn’t busy.
The first thing Madelaine noticed, when they entered the general store, were all the new Christmas decorations—most prominently, two tall wooden nutcracker soldiers, painted in vivid colors.
There were boxes filled with shiny baubles and globes in gold and red.
Fragrant gingerbread houses and gingerbread men were lined up, all decorated with colorful pieces of candy.
There were tiny vials of perfumes and heavily decorated candles to mark each day of Advent.
Large glass jars had been filled with pralines and various types of candy.
On the floor, heavy wooden boxes filled with straw were stacked with exquisite bottles of wine and other types of fancy liquors. Others were filled with curious toys for children, wooden animals, and fabric dolls.
The air was filled with various scents of cinnamon spice, fresh pine needles, and something exquisitely sweet, similar to honey and roses, which Madelaine did not recognize.
It was magical, and for a moment, Madelaine almost forgot about her worries.
Eventually, Evelyn managed to snatch an empty space at the counter, where she was able to place her order for supplies—sacks of flour, corn, and sugar, as well as rice. Madelaine turned her back to Evelyn and scanned the store, still trying to figure out what the enticing sweet smell was.
She didn’t notice him at first, but when she realized that a tall man with a black hat and long black coat hadn’t moved and kept staring at her, she felt an icy shower running down her spine.
Spinning around to face Evelyn, she lifted her shawl up to cover her hair and tried to pay attention to the order, but she could still see the reflection of the man in the spaces between all the large bottles and jars in the mirror on the back of the shelf behind the counter.
He still hadn’t moved.
Who was he? Why was he staring at her?
When Evelyn took her sweet time taking out the silver coins to pay for the order, Madelaine began to get nervous. Something felt off.
“Please hurry up, Evy!” Trying to come up with an excuse as to why she needed to hurry, Madelaine lamely said, “It’s too hot in here. I can’t breathe.”
“Well, I need to make sure that I count the right amount. I don’t want to short Mr. Higgins. Give me just a second,” Evelyn said absentmindedly while counting little stacks of coins out on the counter.
“Please hurry up!” Madelaine whispered to her, not wanting to be too obvious. Was she overreacting?
Then Madelaine dared to look over her shoulder, she saw that the man stood nearer the center of the room, ominously looking at the liquor display, but still stealing glances at her.
Madelaine had never seen him before.
“I will just go outside and wait in the wagon,” Madelaine blurted out, which finally caught Evelyn’s full attention.
“What’s the matter? I’m almost done here, and they still have to load the goods onto the wagon.” Now it was Evelyn who looked at her suspiciously. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Madelaine looked back at the man, who now pretended not to look at her, but then she saw his eyes just beneath the lowered rim of his hat, glancing over once again. He was one of Phineas’ men, Madelaine was certain of it.
“No. I don’t feel good. I need to get out of here,” she said in a panic.
“It’s done. Here.” Evelyn put the last two coins onto the counter. “Why are you acting like this? Is everything all right?” Her eyes followed where Madelaine’s were looking, but she didn’t seem to see anything out of the ordinary. “What is it, Maddie? You’re worrying me.”
“I can’t tell you right now. We have to go!” Madelaine realized that her outburst only made things worse, not to mention that it turned a couple of heads her way.
As Madelaine and Evelyn looked at each other, Madelaine had the feeling that Evelyn knew she was lying about not feeling good, and she could see the hurt in her eyes because of it.
Without saying a word, Evelyn nodded, grabbed her things, and turned toward the door.
Her expression was one Madelaine had never before seen on her face before, a mixture of sadness and annoyance.
She led the way, marching straight out of the store with angry strides, and Madelaine followed—straight past the tall, creepy stranger, who even had the audacity to turn on his heel, watching her as she walked outside.
Climbing onto the wagon without any help, Madelaine just sat there with her eyes glued to the doors of the general store, inwardly praying that this strange man would not step outside.
Evelyn sat down next to her and grabbed the reins.
Her movements gave away how disappointed she was at Madelaine’s behavior. She didn’t even look at her.
The women waited in silence as Mr. Higgins’ son loaded the back of the wagon with big sacks full of supplies. When he was done, Evelyn clicked her tongue and slapped the reins on Jeremy’s back. The trusted old draft horse stepped out and pulled onto the main road.
The strange man didn’t come outside, but Madelaine only stopped looking over her shoulder when they finally reached the entrance to Luke’s ranch.
Looking at Evelyn, who hadn’t said a word since they’d left, Madelaine knew that she would have to talk to her—if only to apologize for her insane behavior.
But as embarrassing as it was, that would have to wait, because at the moment, she didn’t know if she was just being paranoid or if she was in real danger.