The only thing that prevented her from falling into a deep melancholia was her absolute faith in God. Her mother had always instilled a strong belief in her that He would guide her through life and provide her with some kind of a solution. Living with and marrying this man, losing the ranch to him, losing herself in the process, not to mention the turmoil he’d force onto her younger siblings, whom she’d vowed to protect at all costs… All this couldn’t possibly be her destiny, so she poured all her hope and desperation into each and every one of her daily prayers. Despite these terrible times, her faith never wavered.
And God listened.
Just seven days ago, Madelaine went into town to get some much-needed items at the general store. Belle and Simon were both sprouting like weeds—literally outgrowing their clothes. Madelaine loved buying new fabric to make pretty dresses for her little sister, and Simon needed new boots as well, so she had taken the two of them with her to make it an outing as a family. Phineas never showed the slightest interest in what she was doing, so she hadn’t worried that he might follow her.
On that day, it just so happened that she crossed paths with Ian Sterling, the local lawyer in town, who was also in the general store to place an order for paper and ink. Ian was a knowledgeable, slightly older man in his mid-forties, with very kind blue eyes and graying brown hair, who’d recently moved to Stevensville all the way from Boston.
“How are you doing, Miss Peterson? How are you holding up?” he asked Madelaine while they were waiting for the store owner, who was in the back. Like most folks in town, Mr. Sterling knew about the train crash and the loss of her parents.
“Thank you, Mr. Sterling. We are doing our best, given the circumstances,” she replied with a sad smile.
“Well, if you need any help with anything, especially with your legal affairs, I’d be happy to be of assistance. These matters should not be ignored,” he told her with a kind, but urgent tone.
This was exactly what Madelaine had been praying for.
She was so very grateful to hear his advice, since he’d informed her about the importance of the title to the ranch—which was now in Madelaine’s name—and how paramount it was to keep all papers related to her inheritance in a safe place.
“As long as you are in possession of those papers, nobody can harm you and your siblings, nor take your farm away,” he declared, before he tipped his hat to leave.
On her way back home, Madelaine felt reassured and hopeful, knowing that even her greedy cousin couldn’t do anything as long as she had proof.
However, Phineas still hadn’t left the ranch, despite her asking him to. His threats and demands had only increased the longer he’d stayed. How was she supposed to make him go away?
In that moment, Phineas coughed extra loudly and drew her attention back to him.
He turned around, stuck the key into the door, and before he could so much as push it open, Madelaine rushed past him into the frigid room.
Belle was a mess. Her soft blonde hair looked like a bird’s nest on top of her head. She must have pulled at her pigtails in frustration. The silk ribbons were strewn on the floor. Her bright blue eyes were red and swollen from all the crying, her dress was stained and disheveled.
However, nothing of her outer appearance shocked Madelaine as much as the freezing cold inside the room.
The window was wide open. Ice-cold wind blew inside uninhibited, coming straight down from the snowy mountaintops beyond, billowing the thin curtains like the wings of a vulture. It must have blown out the fire in the fireplace, because the logs in there were black, without the slightest hint of any embers, so it was extra cold.
When Madelaine pulled Belle’s shivering body into a tight hug, she immediately noticed her blueish, pale skin. She hastily touched Belle’s icy little fingers, blowing warm air onto her tiny hands before grabbing the blanket laying on the bed and wrapping it tightly around her shivering frame. Madelaine lifted her into her arms and stormed out of the room.
As she ran past Phineas, who just stood there with an unmoved expression on his face, it took everything in her not to lose her composure there and then. Madelaine had more than a few choice words for that despicable man, but in this moment, Belle was more important, and she had to get her warm, quickly.
Belle sobbed silently in her arms as Madelaine ran straight towards the kitchen, where Mrs. Keagan and her daughter Maggie were busy preparing food for the day. A roaring fire crackled and popped in the big hearth, and the large space was filled with the delicious scents of roasted meats and spices.
Madelaine rushed Belle in front of the fireplace and began rubbing her arms and back vigorously.
All of the staff on the ranch were aware of the situation that had been unfolding all morning, but they hadn’t been able to do anything about it—until now.
Mrs. Keagan, a voluptuous middle-aged Irish woman with a big mop of curly red hair and rosy cheeks, immediately sprang into action.
“Heat up some milk with an extra spoonful of honey for this little girl, darling,” she advised Maggie.” This should warm you up quickly, sweetheart,” she said to Belle. Then, she soaked a clean rag in some warm water and came to clean Belle’s little face. “There, there, now. This already looks better,” she cooed to the little girl.
Belle, who had been crying relentlessly for all those hours, finally gave in to all the attention and sank with a big heaving sigh back against Madelaine’s chest. When Mrs. Keagan handed her a freshly baked sweet dinner roll with a fat dollop of creamy butter in the middle of it, Belle devoured her morsel of food within seconds, just in time for Maggie to arrive, who brought her a cup of warm milk with honey.
Madelaine looked up at both of them. “Thank you both so very much. I don’t even know what to say to show my gratitude.” She was so very grateful for these women and their selfless help, she almost wanted to cry with relief. When she heard Belle giggle, Madelaine could feel the tension leave her body, and she allowed herself to relax a little.
“You don’t need to say anything, dear. This situation is outrageous, and if I were you, I would reconsider marrying this despicable man. He doesn’t deserve you!” Mrs. Keagan said angrily as she returned to the stove. Good boy that he was, Simon had followed them into the kitchen and now climbed onto Madelaine’s lap to hug his little sister—and to steal a sip of warm honey-milk from her. Madelaine hugged both of them tightly, buried her nose in their soft hair, and breathed in their scent.
Looking at these two, she knew that she could not and would not allow Phineas to harm them ever again.
Madelaine owed it to them. She owed it to their parents. She owed it to herself.
After everything that had happened, her decision solidified, and she finally knew what she had to do.
