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

work and be on guard at the same time. He knew that little George could be quite a handful, though.
    They ate in silence for some time before Caleb decided to speak up. “Did you want to learn to use a pistol or a rifle first?”
    Madeline looked up from her stew. She was still angry that he didn’t think she could handle things around the house, but managed to calm her voice down to what she thought was an acceptable level. “Whichever you think is best.”
    Caleb frowned. His sweet wife was being awfully snippy, though he loved the fact that she had both a sharp mind and spirit. He decided to ignore her sharp tone and gave the matter some thought before answering. “Well, a pistol would be easier for you to hide on yourself. Rifles are nice for distance. Why don’t we try them both and see which you are more comfortable with? Once you’re doing good with the one, we’ll move on to the other.”
    George, who had been listening to the conversation, suddenly spoke up. “Auntie Maddy shoot bad man!” he said emphatically.
    Both Madeline and Caleb jumped and stared at George in shock. He had not spoken about what he had seen since it had happened. He had cried and had begged for his mama and his papa, but had never once mentioned the murder itself. Until that very moment, Caleb had wondered if he had actually seen the murder happen or if he had found his parents after the fact. Now he knew that his nephew had seen the man who did it.
    “Georgie, did you see the bad man?” he asked him softly.
    George stared up at his uncle and simply nodded. His eyes were as round as saucers.
    Madeline, worried that this talk would upset George, spoke up. “Caleb…” she said warningly.
    Caleb made a shushing motion towards Madeline and continued questioning his nephew. The sheriff had nothing to go on at this point. They didn’t know who they were even looking for. If George knew who the killer was, they needed to find out.
    “Is the bad man someone you know? Did you ever see him before?” Caleb pressed on, desperate to find the man and seek justice.
    George shook his head as tears filled his eyes. He looked to Madeline pleadingly, as though she could make it all go away.
    Madeline’s heart ached for the little boy. Couldn’t Caleb see what this was doing to his nephew? She stood up angrily. “That’s enough!”
    Surprised, Caleb looked up at his wife. The sun was shining through the window behind her, wreathing her in a golden glow. She looked like an avenging angel. “I just needed to know…”
    Suddenly George erupted in a wail. “I want my mama and papa!” Tears streamed down his face as he began to sob.
    Madeline raced around the table and scooped George up in her arms before Caleb could even turn to try and comfort his nephew. “How could you?!?” she shouted at Caleb just before she stormed out with George and raced upstairs with him.
    Caleb sat at the table and stared after his wife. He felt bad that he had made his nephew cry, but did she not understand that no one was safe until the killer was caught? He shook his head in disbelief. “Well, I suppose it’s a good sign that she’s bonded with Georgie,” he said with a shrug.
    *****
    Madeline sat on George’s bed with him on her lap and rocked him gently while he cried for his parents. She gently cooed to him and stroked his hair to settle him down. She desperately wanted to do something to take away his pain, but knew firsthand that nothing could. The best she could hope for was to help him through it and she prayed for the strength and guidance she would need to do so.
    She vaguely heard her husband leave the house to head back to work. She knew that she had chores to do, but decided that they were not as important as loving this sad little boy. She had always wanted to have a child, but had always assumed that she would start out with a newborn and not a three year old. Nothing like being thrown into the fire!
    She and her first husband had tried to