“This man is my husband,” Madelaine announced, clinging ever so tightly to Luke’s arm. Before she could introduce Luke to her cousin, he extended his hand himself.
“Luke Cross. Nice to meet you.”
Phineas turned to the side, pushed out his chest, and glared at Luke with a menacing stare. He had to raise his chin to do so, and Luke wasn’t sure, but was this scrawny-looking man standing on his tiptoes?
“I can’t say the same,” Phineas said, his face a mask of disgust. “I am her fiancé, and I will marry her!”
Madelaine scoffed a laugh; Luke raised one eyebrow. “You must be deaf. I am already married. You are no longer my fiancé,cousin!” Madelaine spat, putting full emphasis on the last word. “You never were, actually,” she added, pulling her lips into a thin line.
“I always get what I want,” Phineas said, overly confident. “And I don’t care what I will have to do to get it!” Phineas turned his head and looked Luke straight in the eyes as he said this last part.
Luke gritted his teeth but didn’t let anything show on the outside. What he would give to punch this man right now. Afterall, Phineas could be the one who murdered his family, and that thought alone made bile rise up in his throat.
“You won’t this time,” Madelaine said. “I have proof that my father’s ranch belongs to me, and I will never allow it to fall into your greedy hands. Your days are numbered.”
Phineas didn’t react the way Luke expected. Instead, he burst out laughing, which turned a few heads their way.
“Oh, really? Are you sure about that?” Phineas said cockily. “I’ve sent some of my men out to visit a couple of ranches in your neighborhood.” Once again, he said the last part directly to Luke, before his head swiveled back to Madelaine. “Maybe you shouldn’t be out, gallivanting around like some cheap skirt while you leave Simon and little Belle alone at home!”
Madelaine released a wail. Phineas bared yellowing teeth in a menacing grin, his face pulled into the ugliest visage Luke had ever seen.
Then Madelaine turned on her heel and ran toward the exit.
It took Luke everything he had in him not to lose control in that moment, but he left the despicable human being where he stood and chased after his wife. She’d run out the door without grabbing her coat, so Luke had to snatch it fromthe hook it was hanging from, abandoning his own, before he followed her outside. She was already inside the carriage, taking hold of the reins, ready to take off.
“Madelaine!” Luke yelled as he jumped onto the seat next to her, draped the coat around her shivering shoulders, and took over the reins.
“Hurry! Hurry! He’s going to do something to the children!” Madelaine screamed hysterically. “Oh, please, God! Don’t let anything happen to them! Please, God, protect them! I can’t take it! I can’t lose them, too!”
Luke urged the mare to run faster, pushing the poor horse to her limits. For the first time in years, he raised his face to the heavens, praying to a God he wasn’t sure would be listening.
“Please, God! If You can hear me, please, don’t let anything happen to them!” he said.
Luke saw the orange glow reaching up into the night sky—exactly above his ranch—and he thought his heart was going to stop.
By the time they finally reached their home, the house was completely engulfed in flames.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Belle! Simon! Oh, God! No!” Madelaine jumped out of the carriage and ran to the burning house, looking for a way inside to save her siblings, but the fire burned too hot and pushed her back. “Please, God! Nooooo!” she screamed her heart out. Tears were running down her face.
“Madelaine! Stay back! You can’t go in there!” Luke yelled as he grabbed her by the shoulders, physically trying to drag her away. She fought against him with all her might.
“The children are in there! We need to save them! Luke! Let me go!” Madelaine struggled against him like a wild woman, but it was no use. He was too strong. He pulled her tightly against his heaving chest and held her there. “I can’t lose them! Icannotlose them!”
They watched as roaring flames spewed high up into the night sky, howling and whistling as they licked around every single beam and plank. Glass burst, wood cracked, and huge embers flew out from all sides when the roof suddenly caved in right in front of them.
Madelaine screamed until her voice broke. Sinking to her knees, she cried so hard she couldn’t breathe. “They’re all I have left!” she wailed. “Please, God! Please don’t let them die! Please!”
The heat of the fire was so intense, it melted the snow around them, and parts of her new dress got singed when white-hot embers flew close enough to land on it. Luke hit the smoldering parts with his hands to put them out. Meanwhile, Madelaine just stared at the burning house, feeling utterly useless.
She didn’t immediately react to Evelyn’s calling. She kept staring helplessly into the roaring fire as her heart shattered into a million pieces. Then she felt hands on her shoulders again, but these were softer. She saw Evelyn’s face in front of her as she shook her.
“Madelaine! Madelaine! They’re safe!” she yelled at her. “Simon and Belle are safe!”
Madelaine was in such shock, her befuddled brain couldn’t function. “They’re safe?” She didn’t dare to hope. “Are you sure?” she asked.
Evelyn nodded, wiping the tears from Madelaine’s face. “Yes. I am sure.”
