Madeline: Bride of Nebraska (American Mail-Order Bride 37) by Mia Blackwood

glanced over at Hank, who also had a grim look on his face, and his jaw set in a hard line. He reached for his gun belt, coat, and hat. “Don’t hold dinner on me. Cow’s been milked. Stay inside. Keep Georgie safe. He’s napping right now. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told her in a no-nonsense tone as he buckled his belt.
    Madeline bristled a bit at his authoritative tone, but she knew it was coming from a place of love and concern, so she bit her tongue and merely nodded. She desperately wanted to know what Hank had found that had gotten him so riled up, but she knew better than to ask right now. She set the bundle on the table as Caleb turned to go.
    Caleb walked up to the buggy, spoke briefly with Hank, and returned to the door with the rifle. “Here,” he said as he handed it to her. “Remember what I taught you.” He kissed her tenderly, then shut the door behind himself as he headed out to the barn.
    Madeline locked the door and then watched him follow the buggy into the barn from the kitchen window. She waited at the window until she saw Caleb and Hank ride towards town, then she turned and walked through the house and made sure that all the doors were locked and the windows shuttered.
    Once she felt the house was as secure as it could be, she returned to the kitchen and prepared dinner for herself and George. No matter what was happening outside, they still needed to eat. Not to mention the fact that she found comfort in performing her daily chores. She kept the rifle within arm’s reach at all times.

Chapter 8
     
    By the time Caleb returned, it was full dark outside. Both she and George were in the kitchen, with George happily pounding away at a piece of dough Madeline had given him while she worked on making supper.
    Madeline heard the sound of the horses as the men returned and felt herself relax as she heard Caleb’s and Hank’s voices. She wiped her hands with her apron and opened the back door for him, anxious to know what they might have found.
    Caleb was surprised when he reached for the handle to the door and the door miraculously opened for him. He smiled at the sight of his wife as memories of their lovemaking rushed back at him. He kissed her as he came through the door, then closed it behind him quickly to shut out the cold.
    “Did you find anything?” Madeline asked as she wrung her hands nervously.
    Caleb glanced over at his nephew to see if he was listening. George appeared to be happily playing, so Caleb answered her as he removed his hat and coat and hung them on their pegs. He kept his voice low. “There were signs that someone has been hiding out in the barn, but that’s all we could find.”
    “Do you…” Madeline stopped herself and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Do you think it was him?”
    He shrugged. “Probably. Don’t know who else would camp out in the barn like that. The sheriff’s going to have the place watched until we catch him.”
    Madeline started to shake a bit as the realization hit her that the murderer could have been there while she was picking things up for George. “I could have gotten Hank killed. I could have…”
    Caleb cupped her face in his hands and silenced her with a kiss. “Sssh, now,” he consoled her as he rested his forehead against hers. “Darlin’, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t know where he was hiding out. Now we can finally bring him to justice.”
    She looked so frightened that he wrapped her in a bear hug and held her until her nose started twitching.
    “My bread!” she shouted as she bolted from his arms to the stove. She grabbed a towel and swung open the oven door. Using the towel, she quickly pulled the bread out of the oven, set it on the table, and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw it was only dark brown and not burnt.
    Caleb, his lips twitching with the hint of a smile, used this moment to take his boots off. He was afraid Madeline might throw something at him if he chuckled out loud.
    Madeline