“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 oneMadelaine 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.
Chapter Ten
Luke’s Ranch — Early evening
Luke felt the shift in the atmosphere as soon as the two women entered the house after their trip into town. Neither of them said a single word, not even a greeting to either man sitting in the dining room with Belle and Simon.
He and Caleb exchanged wide-eyed glances when Evelyn marched straight into the kitchen, and Madelaine disappeared down the hallway into her room. Something was off; that much was clear.
Was it safe to enquire what had happened between the two women?
Just as quickly as Madelaine had disappeared, she returned.
“Belle. Simon. Time for a bath,” she said, without looking at either man. Then, she sighed and shot a glance at Caleb. “Did they behave well?” she asked, her fingers fidgeting.
“Yes. They were great,” Caleb said with a bright smile, but Madelaine’s unmoving face made him shrink back a little, and his smile faded.
“They were very well behaved. Simon is a very good boy, and Belle is just an angel,” Luke said, hoping to entice some form of reaction from Madelaine. She didn’t take the bait.
“Great,” was all she said, without even looking at him. Then she walked over to Belle, picked her up, and carried her back to their room. “Simon! Don’t make me ask you again! Bath time!” she said harshly, and her little brother jumped off the chair he’d been sitting on before running after her. Then the door slammed shut a little too loudly.
Luke and Caleb both sat there with raised eyebrows, but then Luke decided that this was not how he wanted to spend the rest of the evening and abruptly rose from his seat. When they heard Evelyn angrily talking to herself in the kitchen, Caleb got up, but he turned toward the front door.
“I’ll be outside. I’m going to unload the wagon. You go talk to her. She won’t tell me anything when she’s in this kind of mood,” he said with a shrug. Luke nodded and marched into the kitchen.
“What is going on here?” he asked, putting on his authoritative tone of voice. “Since when are you walking past your husband without even saying hello?”
Evelyn had her back turned to him, but at the sound of his booming voice behind her, she jumped and almost droppedanother cast-iron pot. She spun around with wide eyes and swallowed hard when she noticed the deep frown on his face.
“Oh!” Her eyes darted toward the doorway just as the front door closed behind Caleb. “Well…”
“Well?” Luke probed, stepping a little closer. “Did something happen while you two ladies were gone?”
Several different emotions rushed across Evelyn’s face, but Luke couldn’t pinpoint a single one. “What happened?”
