“That’s one of your strengths, Madelaine. Don’t ever lose that,” he said as he bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. When they were done tidying, they left the room and stepped outside. It was very early, barely light out, but the dark pink sky was clear.
They walked around to the back of the schoolhouse, where they found Tinsel still in the overhang, munching awayon the hay that was stored there. “Hello, sweet girl!” Madelaine greeted her, rubbing her neck, shoulders, and legs to warm her up a little.
Then they heard a commotion near the church, which was right next door. Luke stepped back and saw several men—some arriving on foot, some on horseback—gather outside before entering the building. He saw Caleb as he jumped off his horse and ran inside.
Luke grabbed Madelaine’s hand and pulled her with him toward the nearest entrance. Stepping inside, they were greeted by the priest.
“You’re alive!” he exclaimed, raising his hands to the ceiling. “Praise the Lord!”
At the same time, Luke heard Caleb and some of the others talking near the front of the nave. It seemed that Caleb had heard the priest, because just as Luke and Madelaine walked up to him, he spun around.
“Luke!” Caleb sounded relieved. “Dear God, I thought you were dead!” He went to Luke in two strides and pulled him into a tight embrace. “You scared me!”
Luke winced a little as Caleb released him. “You know me, I’m like a weed. I keep coming back,” Luke jested. Caleb snorted half a laugh.
“Are you both all right?” Caleb asked, looking at Madelaine inquisitively. She nodded.
“Yes, we’re fine,” she said. “Where is Evelyn?” she asked with a worried frown.
“I sent her back to be with Mary and the children. She’s safe with them,” Caleb explained, and Madelaine sighed, seemingly glad to hear it.
“What’s the situation out there?” Luke asked. Some of the men voiced their outrage at all the damaged buildings and chaos left behind. Looking at the men gathered around them, many looked just as bruised and battered as Luke was himself. The group wasn’t as big as it had been at their last meeting in this church.
“I tried to get more men together,” Caleb explained, “but after what happened yesterday, a lot don’t want to fight anymore, or they can’t because they need to protect their families. That gang is larger than I thought. We need more boots on the ground if we want to take them down.”
“I feel like I’ve lost a lot of trust in these townsfolk,” Luke admitted quietly. “This should never have happened. We should all have been prepared.”
“But this wasn’t your fault!” Madelaine exclaimed, grabbing his hand from behind him.
Luke sighed. “It kind of was. I could have done more. Much more.”
“We all could have done more,” Timothy’s voice called out as he came in from the back. “Give him a break. He’s one man. He needs all of us!” he said firmly. He was greeted warmly by everyone around. Luke was extremely glad to see him alive and well.
“Before you ask,” Timothy held up his hand, “when you all disappeared, I went to go check on the girls. They and the children are all doing well. They’re mostly worried about you,” Timothy said, pointedly looking at Madelaine, who blushed. “Evelyn said that you just took your horse and raced off! She was barely able to catch up with you.”
Madelaine looked up at Luke, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. No point in crying over spilled milk now.
In that moment, they heard shouting and yelling outside the doors of the church. Luke instinctively stepped in front of Madelaine, pushing her further behind him.
The door burst open, and James marched in, followed by a large crowd of visibly enraged men, ready to go to war.
“There he is!” James called out to Luke, and now it was Caleb stepping in front of him. The stream of men walking in didn’t let up, the front of the church filled with more and more people, and suddenly it was packed. Everybody seemed riled up, and Luke wasn’t sure which direction this would take. They all talked over each other, loudly exclaiming their frustration and outrage about yesterday’s events, but nobody aimed their anger directly at anyone.
“We need to capture these bastards! They burned half the neighborhood down!” a slightly older man called into the crowd, which earned him agreeing outcries.
“I thought we had a plan already!” someone at the back exclaimed with an angry tone, again getting a lot of approval for his statement.
James stepped in front of them and held up both hands. “Calm down, everyone!” he said. “How about we let our sheriff take over and see what he’s got to say!” Turning around to Luke, he raised his chin at him, giving him the opportunity to speak as the crowd somewhat quieted down.
“I know I messed up,” he began, letting his head hang for a few seconds. Some voiced their agreement, others the opposite. When he looked back up at them, he straightened his posture and pulled back his shoulders.
“But I will never give up!” he said, giving his voice a stronger tone. He stepped forward, and Madelaine followed him. Now it was her who was held onto his hand reassuringly, and he certainly felt that. Looking at the faces around him, he took a deep breath.
“Wecan’t give up!” he continued. “This gang has been terrorizing us for too many years now, stealing our horses and belongings, destroying our homes, and murdering our families—giving us the run-around, as if we are useless sheep, run by a pack of wolves! We need to turn this around so that our loved ones didn’t die in vain. Looking at all of you now, we match their numbers, and if we all work together, wecantake them down, one by one!”
The men exchanged glances, nodding in agreement with each other and him. Luke looked over his shoulder, back to the priest. Then he looked at Timothy, and finally, Madelaine.
“God will be on our side,” he said, which garnered him agreeing statements. He watched as Madelaine’s eyes widened and filled with tears, and he knew that the love he felt for this woman was unlike any other. He raised his voice as he continued.
