Madeline: Bride of Nebraska (American Mail-Order Bride 37) Read Online Free PDF

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    When they arrived at the house, they found Caleb and the sheriff standing under the elm tree near the barn. The wagon had been pulled out of the barn and the team of oxen had been hitched up to it. Inside the wagon were two hastily constructed coffins, as well as a few cages which held the family’s chickens. The nanny goat and the horses were tied behind the wagon as well.
    Reverend Young quickly dismounted his horse and walked up to the two men, the reins of his horse in his hand. He could see the pain in Caleb’s eyes. “Caleb, I am so sorry. You have my condolences.”
    “Thank you, Reverend,” Caleb choked out. It felt like he had just lost his mother not long ago and his father had been gone for over a decade now. To lose his only brother and his sister-in-law was just overwhelming. Thank God he still had little George.
    “I’ll give the place another going over, Caleb,” the sheriff said. “If the man who did this is anywhere nearby, we’ll catch him. I promise I won’t stop looking for him until we do.”
    Caleb, who was beyond words at the moment, merely nodded.
    Hank looked around the yard. “Where are Jim and Silas?” The last he had seen of them, they had been placing the coffins in the wagon. Now they were nowhere to be found.
    The sheriff spoke up. “They went to dig the graves.” He gave Caleb’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he headed back to the scene of the murder. He had gone over it a dozen times already, but he felt he owed it to his friend and neighbor to look one last time.
    “Come on, son,” the reverend said gently as he placed his arm around Caleb’s shoulders. He slowly guided him to the wagon seat.
    Caleb pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. Once he felt composed enough, he hauled himself up into the seat and picked up the reins. He glanced down to make certain the carpet bag with his nephew’s clothes and belongings was still sitting under the seat.
    Then, with a flick of the wrists, the wagon pulled out of the yard, the goat and horses following dutifully behind. Caleb was thankful that Hank had thought to bring the farm animals back to the ranch with them. They would drop them off on the way to the family cemetery. He certainly did not want to visit his brother’s house, and the scene of his murder, any time soon.
    Hank and Reverend Young followed alongside the wagon. Hank was on high alert, his rifle ready and held across his lap as they rode. There was no telling who had killed Ben and Lily Stark, nor how far they had gone after the deed. Until they found the murderer, he would stay on high alert.
    *****
    When they arrived at the ranch, Caleb and Hank quickly deposited the chickens, horses, and the goat in the barn while the reverend remained on guard outside. Once they had locked them in their proper stalls, Caleb climbed back into the wagon and drove the team of oxen on toward the graveyard.
    The graveyard itself was located about a half mile from the house. A wooden picket fence surrounded the area and a linden tree grew in the corner. Caleb’s grandparents had died shortly after the family had arrived in Chimney Rock , which was well before the church had been built, and they had continued to use the family graveyard instead of the little one by the church ever since.
    Jim and Silas were already there. They had two deep holes ready and waiting, with rope nearby to lower the caskets into the ground. Caleb was grateful to all the ranch hands. Over the years, they had become more than just men who worked with him. They had become family.
    Hank and Caleb carried one of the caskets over to the graves and set it alongside one of the holes. Jim and Silas moved the other.
    Before Reverend Young began the funeral service, he gently placed his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Do you want George to be here for the funeral?”
    Caleb was taken aback by the question. He hadn’t even thought of poor little