Read Online Texas Brides Collection by Darlene Mindrup - Free Book Online Page A

He motioned to Ma and Pa’s bedroom. She grabbed a pistol. The two guns were heavy, but at least she knew how to use them.
    “What do you think they will try to do?” she asked.
    “Shoot at us until they get tired, then most likely set fire to the cabin.”
    Her gaze swung in his direction. “So what do we do?”
    “Prayer would help.” The look he gave her pointed to the seriousness of their position.
    Another rifle shot pierced the air and lodged in the side of the door. Thankfully, Pa had insisted on a heavy piece of wood.
    From her position, Serena saw Chet haul a chair across the floor to the window and balance one of the rifles on it and through the window. Snatching off his hat, he propped it atop the trigger.
    “I’m going out the back,” he said, grasping a loaded rifle and a pistol. “Keep ’em busy.”
    She nodded while a hundred warnings darted in and out of her mind. She tried to pray, but all she could muster was a plea for deliverance.
    Serena’s mind raced.
Lord, I’ve never shot a man before. It’s killing, but if I don’t, they’ll kill us for sure
. Meeting her ma’s gaze, she saw fathomless sorrow. Regret. Fear. Both of them had jobs to do.
Help us
, she prayed repeatedly.
Pa looks terrible, and he’s losing blood
.
Ma’s as scared as I am. Lord, keep us safe. I can’t do this without You
.
    “Go, Serena,” Chet instructed, touching her arm. “Time’s wasting, and we don’t know what they will do next.” He followed her into the bedroom and pulled back the tiny flowered curtains she’d help Ma sew. “You have a clear shot of anyone coming out the barn. Don’t be afraid to hit them.”
    She swallowed hard. An attacking boar looked a whole lot different than a man. Serena and Chet bent beneath the window, so close she could feel his warm breath against her face. Another time, another circumstance, she’d have welcomed his nearness.
    “Serena,” he whispered, “we only have a few moments, but something needs to be said.”
    She tore her concentration from the barn and into the beloved face of her ranger. Biting her lip to keep the tears from overcoming her, Serena waited for him to speak.
    His finger traced her lips. “So many things I’d like to say, but I can’t. Pray without ceasing—like the Bible tells us to do. I love you. No matter what happens, remember that.”
    “I love you, too,” she murmured. “God will deliver us. I know He didn’t bring us together to die today.”
    He cupped her chin in his hand as if memorizing every feature about her. His ineffable glance spoke volumes. “Do not let them take you or your ma,” Chet said with deadly gravity. “I have an extra pistol.” He pulled the gun from his side. “If they get inside…use it on you and your ma. Don’t let them take you….Promise?”
    She hesitated. Taking her own life and Ma’s went against God’s commands. How could this man of God ask her to do such a terrible thing?
    “I’ve seen what they do to women,” he added, as though reading her frenzied thoughts.
    And she clearly understood his meaning. “I’ll do my best.”
    “You have a special strength, Serena, one God doesn’t give everybody. You are going to need it.”
    He touched her lips with his and offered a faint smile. Without another word, he left her alone to ponder what manner of sin she dare commit—murder those men in the barn or take her and Ma’s life. Confusion and fear raged through her, leaving her stunned and cold.
Your will, Lord. Whatever You want of me, I’ll do
.
    She watched the empty barnyard, blinking back the stinging tears. Chet loved her, and if she died this morning with him, the thought would help her take Jesus’ hand into eternity.
    The rooster took his station on top of the well, calling in a new day. Then it grew quiet, not like other mornings. Pa had always said the waiting proved to be the hardest. He’d spoken the truth.
    “We smoke ’em out,” a voice called, breaking the stillness,