Page 29 of The Marshal's Bride
Excitement burned in Sam. “She quacks; the little girl, she quacks!”
“Wait.” Tommy reached out an arm, “There!” He pointed with that same arm. “Look, geese.”
Sam started to run. He could feel the boy following behind him, and the sound of horses coming from different directions.
He couldn’t see her, but the trapper was right. There was a gaggle of geese in the field. If Hope had seen them and no one was paying attention, that is precisely where she would go.
“Hold on, Hope, Papa’s coming.”
Chapter Ten
Justine was exhausted.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was going to die today. She prayed that it wouldn’t be Sam. Marjorie was still sitting in the back of the jail alone. Justine hadn’t gotten anywhere with her, so she finally gave up and moved to the front office to wait for her husband to return. June had left to go home to her children, leaving Justine and Dillon to drink coffee at the small table.
“How can you be so calm?” she asked him as he stirred his coffee to cool it.
“I can’t control anything,” he said softly. “I’ve learned in the oh, forty years I’ve been out here that you can’t control anything. Not the weather. Not the crops. Not time. Certainly not other people. So why get upset? All you can do is hand it over to God.” He took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. “That’s horrible. I’ll have to bring a bag over from the store.” He put the spoon on the table. “Whatever is eating her is going to eat her alive until she learns how to forgive. You’re going to have to forgive as well.”
“Forgive what? That woman paid men to steal my child.”
“Doesn’t matter. If you don’t forgive her, it is going to eat you inside out. Like poison. Sam will find that little girl. But you still need to forgive that woman back there. My Rosie has a favorite Bible verse. Would you like to hear it?”
Justine wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anything that didn’t agree with her anger. “I suppose so,” she said begrudgingly.
Dillon closed his eyes. “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.Mark 11:25.” He opened his eyes and looked sternly at Justine. “It means God won’t forgive you if you don’t forgive others. Have you forgiven Jacob for leaving you? Maybe Hope for angering you by not speaking?”
“She’s just a child!”
“But you get angry. Have you asked forgiveness yourself for finding love again?”
“I-I.” She didn’t have an argument for that.
“Forgive that woman for not knowing how to process her grief, and forgive yourself for finding a new path. We aren’t meant to be alone in life, and God has a way of guiding us to where we need to be, even when we don’t like how it’s done.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I was very angry when my first wife died.” Justine’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. Not many people know that. She died on the wagon train out here. I was coming out to open this store. Wagons full of supplies. I needed someone to help me, and Rose needed a husband. We ended up getting married, but I resented her because she wasn’t my Adeline. Every day my anger and bitterness made everything harder. Eventually I had to just let it all go and forgive Addie for dying. It wasn’t her fault, but I couldn’t see it. I just saw the loss. I’m surprised Rose didn’t bury me out on the prairie herself.”
“Rose never even hinted.”
“She wouldn’t. That’s just her. I had to forgive myself before I could ask Rose to forgive me. Now I ask myself… is this, whateverthisis, worth getting that upset over? A little girl being stolen… worth getting upset about. Others are handling it, and I trust them, so I remain calm. This.” He waved his hand in the air. “Not so much. Takes too much of my energy that I’d rather put towards loving my wife.” Picking up the mugs, he walked towards the door. “I’m going to go get some fresh coffee. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Justine watched him leave, thinking about what he had said. It was true. The anger deep inside of her made every day harder. She prayed daily about it but still had no idea what to do about it.
Nodding her head, she stood, knowing the decision had already been made.
Please, Lord, give me the right words.
Walking down the hall, this time, she felt calmer.
It was as if the Holy Spirit had wrapped her in a cocoon.
Marjorie was laying down on the cot, facing the wall. Her shoulders were shaking as the sound of sobbing echoed through the cell. Justine was struck by how empty the building was.
Sliding into the seat once more she looked at Marjorie’s back. The woman’s perfectly coifed hair was now messed and falling from its pins. Her blouse was wrinkled, and the hem of her skirt was stained from being dragged along the dusty floor.
“Marjorie,” Justine said softly. “I know that you are hurting. Being angry won’t bring Jacob back, nor will taking Hope away. My husband will find her and bring her home. The sheriff will get you the help you need.” She took a deep breath. “Once I leave here today, I won’t be back. So, I want you to hear what I have to say next. Listen carefully.”
