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people who had prayed for Whitney during the service.
Honey, you just hold on to that.
You re both so nice. Maddie didn t want these dear
people worrying about her, so did her best to blink the
moisture out of her eyes and brighten her smile.
Well, you just remember Leland further endeared
himself to Maddie by the awkward way he patted her
shoulder you have friends right here.
Brenda Coulter 113
As they descended the church s front steps together,
Leland spoke over Maddie s head to his wife. Does she
know about Saturday?
Oh! Gloria grasped Maddie s arm and pulled her close.
We want you to come to our barbecue on Saturday night.
It s going to be a real, old-fashioned party. Leland s borrow-
ing a great big smoker so we can have brisket and sausage
and chicken.
We re rentin tables, Leland added as they all stopped
at the bottom of the steps. And Gloria s gonna make a
whole washtub full of her famous potato salad.
Disappointment flooded Maddie s heart. Thank you so
much, but I can t. I ll be on duty at the hospital until midnight.
Well, plans can change, Gloria said bracingly. You
just remember that the invitation stands. We ll start
serving food around seven, but you ll be welcome any
time. She squeezed Maddie s arm. We live on William
Travis Street, the very last house before the dead-end at
the river.
Next to the park? The little picnic area on the Prairie
Springs River had become Maddie s favorite spot to sit and
think.
No, the park s at the end of David Crockett Street,
Leland said. Although you can also get there from James
Bowie Street. That s the one that forks off
Travis, Crockett and Bowie? Maddie was unable to
suppress a smile. Are you giving me driving directions or
a history lesson on the fight for Texas s independence?
Gloria chuckled appreciatively. Leland s weathered face
hosted a brief smile, but then he turned serious.
This is a town that appreciates heroes, Maddie. Not just
114 At His Command
the dead ones, but the live ones across that river. He nodded
in the direction of Fort Bonnell.
Noah had been a hero. And Jake. Both had been awarded
medals for meritorious service and valor. But Maddie would
never be a hero.
Sighing, Maddie pushed back some strands of hair the
balmy evening breeze had blown across her cheek. Then she
thanked Gloria and Leland and took her leave.
As she walked to her car, two more friends called to her
from across the parking lot, wishing her a goodnight. She
waved to them, the ache in her heart easing a bit.
She would never be a hero. But in her own small way, she
could brighten the lives of the people around her. Between
her work, her volunteer activities at Children of the Day and
her involvement with her church family, just for starters, she
had ample opportunities to bring good cheer to others.
Someone with her special talents could build a satisfying life
here in Prairie Springs, Texas.
And that was exactly what Maddie intended to do.
Chapter Seven
Jake needed some advice on a legal matter, so he had asked
one of his father s old friends, an Austin attorney, for a con-
sultation over dinner on Friday evening. When the man ex-
pressed a strong preference for Japanese food, Jake had held
back a sigh and said he knew just the place.
It was nearing midnight when Jake headed back to Prairie
Springs after an evening spent drinking hot tea and repress-
ing shudders of revulsion as his father s friend gulped cold,
quivering fish like an eager dolphin. He skipped the inter-
state in favor of the old hilly, curvy two-lane highway, which
was much more fun to drive, particularly on a fine late-
summer evening.
Because he d eaten nothing at the restaurant, he stopped
at the drive-through window of a small-town hamburger
joint. Back on the deserted highway, he hadn t gone another
two miles before he crested a hill and spotted the emer-
gency flashers of a car on the road s shoulder. He decided
to stop, if only to make sure the driver had a cell phone and
had called for assistance. But as his foot touched the brake
116 At His Command
pedal, he noticed the vehicle was a yellow Ford Escape.
Grimly, he pulled in behind it and turned on his own flashers.
Of course it was Maddie. She had her interior lights on,
so Jake could see her clearly. As could anyone driving past
didn t she realize that? Did she believe that every man who
pulled off the road when he saw a young woman alone was
a nice man?
His temper smoldered as he approached her car. It burst
into flame when he realized she was so absorbed in the
booklet she was reading that she was completely unaware
of his presence. Even worse, her window was rolled all the
way down. Anybody could have reached in and
He didn t allow himself to finish that thought. But neither
did he attempt to check the fury in his tone when he said,
Good evening, Madeline.
Oh! Startled, she dropped the booklet on her lap. Then
she recognized Jake and her face broke into a smile. Jake!
You re the answer to my prayers!
He d been called a lot of things in his life, but never the
answer to a woman s prayers. In another time and place,
that would have pulled a laugh out of him, but right now
he was too angry. He glowered at Maddie and waited for
an explanation.
My headlights aren t working, she said. I was driving
along and suddenly they just went off. Scared me to death.
She patted her chest as though to calm her racing heart, then
picked up the booklet she d dropped. I ve been looking at
the manual, but I don t see anything about
You ve blown a fuse, Jake interrupted, perilously close
to blowing a fuse of his own. Why was she on this road alone
at this late hour?
Brenda Coulter 117
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