Love on the Line - Deeanne Gist [126]
Was that what alerted the predator? Was she at fault? Letting out a low moan, she dropped to her knees, for whether it had been snake, cat, hawk, or raccoon, one thing was certain. Edward, Alice, and Leopold were dead.
She rocked back and forth, keening, grieving. How could this have happened? She’d watched over them all night.
But that wasn’t exactly true. She’d dozed off and on, then been interrupted by Necker and Luke. She’d abandoned them completely to rouse Bettina, only to fall asleep the moment she returned. And at some point, something had grabbed those fledglings.
If only she’d stayed awake. If only she’d never left them. Her watery gaze traveled over the utopia she’d created for her birds. Oaks, cottonwood, and elm. Buttonbush, sumac, and honeysuckle. Columbine, Turk’s cap, and coneflower. She’d given them everything they needed. A veritable Garden of Eden.
Yet a serpent had come calling and it had swallowed up the helpless chicks.
No, she wanted to scream. They were safe with me. I provided for them.
But they weren’t safe. She might groom her garden to help His creatures. She might set out houses and fill up feeders. But ultimately, it was her Father in heaven who clothed them, fed them, and taught them to fly.
Suddenly, Luke’s words rang in her head. I’ve sworn to protect. And in order to do my job, sacrifices sometimes have to be made.
Had the fledglings been sacrificed? But why? She looked around her garden. Perhaps it was because some other of God’s creatures needed life. And God in His infinite wisdom had the perfect plan.
She swallowed. It didn’t make the hurt go away. It didn’t keep her from watching helplessly as Albert and Victoria flew down a branch, confused and upset.
Still, she wasn’t God. She couldn’t control the universe and all the living things in it. That, she admitted, was something best left up to Him.
Immediately, Bettina’s face flashed before her. She’d sent a nine-year-old, in the wee hours of the morning, by herself, to a town sixteen miles away. All because she wanted to help where no help had been requested.
This was much worse than leaving a colorful ribbon out. If anything happened to Bettina, Georgie would never forgive herself.
Scrambling to her feet, she stumbled inside just as a knock sounded. She swung open the door, and there Luke stood, nothing short of a gift straight from heaven.
Chapter Forty
Nussbaum looked even younger than usual, his hair tousled, his glasses missing, his union suit covered by trousers he’d yet to button. Even after a full night’s sleep the man didn’t have any whiskers to speak of.
“Palmer?” He squinted. “That you?”
Luke pushed inside the sheriff’s home. After telling Georgie he was to round up a posse, he’d gone straight to the boardinghouse, lifted some loose planks in his floor, then collected a satchel of handcuffs along with his clothes, hat, boots, gun belt, badge, and Warrant of Authority. It felt good to be himself again. “Go get your glasses, Nussbaum.”
“Look here, what do you think—”
“Go get your glasses,” he barked.
The sheriff fell back, then shuffled down the hallway grumbling. A few minutes later, he returned with glasses and a hastily donned shirt. “If you’re comin’ about the lines that were shot down, I already know about ’em. You needn’t have woken me up.”
Luke opened his jacket to reveal his badge, then handed the sheriff his papers. “I’m Lucious Landrum, Texas Ranger of Company ‘A’. I need to get a posse together.”
“Lucious Landrum?” Nussbaum huffed. “You’re no more Lucious Landrum than I’m—”
“Read the warrant. I don’t have a lot of time.”
The tone somehow penetrated and Nussbaum scanned the document, looked up, then scanned it again. “You’re not Luke Palmer?”
“No.”
“Then, who’s gonna fix them telephone wires?”
He barely checked the impulse to roll his eyes. “I need to make some arrests, but time is of the essence, so I’d appreciate it if you’d help me put together a posse.”
“Who ya wanna arrest?”
“Arnold Necker, Peter Finkel, and