Blessed are the Merciful (32 page)

Suddenly, gunshots came from inside the bank. Seth moved with catlike speed and grabbed the man in front of the bank, pulling him off his horse and slamming him to the ground. He shouted to Adam to take cover.

Two men carrying smoking guns and a canvas bag bolted from the bank. Adam froze in his tracks.

“Adam! Take care of this one!” Seth shouted.

Adam darted to the man on the ground and drove a hard punch to his jaw. A bullet hummed past his ear. It stunned him a bit, but he managed to hit the man again with enough power to drop him cold.

When Adam looked up, he saw the other two robbers lying on the ground with bloody shoulders. Seth was picking up their guns, and two male bank employees picked up the money bag. By the time Sheriff Ben Colter arrived, everything was under control. He holstered his gun and listened as people on the street told him what Adam Burke and the deputy U.S. marshal had done.

While Colter was shaking hands with Seth Coleman, Adam felt something moist running down his right jaw. He put a hand to it and realized his ear was bleeding.

“Adam, you’ve been hit!” Seth said.

“A bullet hummed past my ear, but I didn’t feel anything.” Adam
pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to his ear.

The bank president joined them, telling Sheriff Colter that no one inside the bank was hurt. The robbers had only fired into the ceiling to frighten everyone into submission.

“Adam,” Colter said, “you need to let Doc Holcomb have a look at that. I’m glad it isn’t worse.”

“What about these two over here, Sheriff?” one of the bank employees asked. “They’ve both got bullets in their shoulders.”

“I’ll need some of you men to take them to Doc. I’ll haul the one Adam laid out to the jail and lock him up.”

Seth stayed with Adam while Dr. Harry Holcomb treated the wounded ear and put in two stitches. “Mr. Burke, you just about left this world today,” Holcomb said as he bandaged Adam’s ear. “If that bullet had been an inch and a half closer, they’d be digging your grave right now.”

The hair bristled on Adam’s neck. “That was close, wasn’t it?”

“Too close,” Seth said. “Your new bride came within an inch and a half of becoming a widow.”

Adam was shaken, though he tried not to show it as he and Seth walked out of the doctor’s office. “I’d like you to meet Rachel,” Adam said. “Do you have time?”

“I’ve got to be back on the road in a little while, but if we can go see her right away, I’d sure like to meet her.”

“Our house isn’t far. Come on.”

Seth led his horse as they walked, and Adam talked about the ads he had put in several newspapers. He explained about the letters that came from young ladies in several parts of the eastern United States, but how Rachel’s letter captured him the moment he read it.

Seth tied his horse at the front porch and followed Adam to the door. When they moved inside, Adam called, “Rachel, I have somebody here I want you to meet! Where are you, sweetheart?”

No answer came, and Adam went out to the backyard. Not
finding her there, he searched the rest of the house. He then told Seth to wait in the parlor while he went to the closest neighbor. He returned in minutes.

“The neighbors said they saw Rachel walking toward Main Street earlier this morning. She could be in any store in town. It might take some time to find her.”

“Probably be easier just to let her come see us,” Seth said. “I can wait a little longer before riding out.”

“Good. I hope she gets back before you have to go. In the meantime, I need your help.”

“I’d be glad to help anyway I can.”

“You told me before you left for Washington, D.C., that you had been born again.”

Seth’s face lit up. “That’s right.”

“The pastor here has talked to me about it, but I’ve been foolishly putting it off.”

“Well, I think we both were reminded today that a person never knows when he might be snatched out of this life.”

“That’s exactly why I brought it up.” Adam touched the bandage on his ear. “If I had been killed today, I’d be in hell right now. God has given me a warning, and I’m not going to reject His Son any longer. I want to be saved, Seth. Will you help me?”

The day was getting older, and Rachel still had not come home. Finally Adam walked Seth to his horse and they embraced, pounding each other on the back. Seth mounted his horse and looked down from his perch with a grin.

“Oh. I almost forgot to tell you. We’re putting a U.S. marshal’s office in North Platte. Be about six months. Now that I know you’re here, I’ll make application to work out of this office. I’m sure Rachel and Bettieann will become friends, just like you and me.”

“I have no doubt of that,” Adam said.

Seth put his horse to a trot. When he reached the corner he paused and waved. Adam wiped tears from his eyes and waved back.

A
DAM
B
URKE’S HEART WAS FILLED WITH JOY
as he entered the house. He glanced at the clock on the mantel and realized he had been gone from the office a long time. By now Olivia had probably heard of the shooting. He must go back to the office and let her know he was all right.

Adam left the office again a little past 3:30 and headed for home. If Rachel wasn’t home by this time, he would search through town until he found her. He felt a little nervous about telling Rachel he had become a Christian, but as he pondered their recent conversations he thought she would want to be saved, too.

As he drew up to the house, the front door was open. He hurried across the porch and into the house, calling her name.

“Adam, darling!” Rachel called from the kitchen. “What are you doing home this early?” She came through the kitchen door with flour on her hands and stopped when she saw the bandage on his ear. “Adam! What happened?”

He took her in his arms and kissed her, saying, “I’m not hurt bad, honey. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad it’s not serious, but what happened?”

“You haven’t heard about the bank robbery?”

“No. I’ve been at the Gann home since this morning. Barbara and I heard some shots, but we thought it was probably someone just outside of town hunting rabbits or pheasants.”

Adam told her about the attempted bank robbery and of the part his friend Seth Coleman played in foiling it. In the exchange of shots a bullet grazed his ear.

“That bullet was too close. You could’ve been killed!”

“I know. It was a close call.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close for several minutes. Then she eased back and looked into his eyes. “Would you come into the kitchen, darling? I’m making bread, but I need to talk to you. It’s very important.”

Adam sat down at the kitchen table. Rachel placed the dough in the oven, then wiped flour from her hands and sat down facing him.

“Adam, I told you a moment ago that I was at the Gann home.”

“Yes. What were you doing there?”

“I … I had a bad night last night. Didn’t sleep much.”

“I know what you mean.”

“The reason I couldn’t sleep was because I was so troubled about the things my aunt has talked to me about over the years. I couldn’t wait till Sunday to get right with God. I went to the parsonage to talk to Pastor Gann. He wasn’t there, but Mrs. Gann … Barbara … asked if she could help me. I told her I was there because I wanted to be saved, Adam. I hope you understand.”

“I most certainly do.”

Rachel sighed, a look of relief on her face. “Barbara took me through the Scriptures to make sure I understood. Adam, I took Jesus as my Saviour. I’m a Christian now.”

“I’m happy for you, honey.” There were tears in Adam’s eyes as he reached across the table to grasp her hands. “Now, let me tell you a story.”

The words tumbled from Adam’s mouth as he told Rachel he had brought Seth to the house to meet her, and while they were waiting, Seth had led him to the Lord.

“Seth told me the first thing to do now is to let Pastor Gann know what happened and to tell him I want to be baptized.”

“Adam, Pastor Gann came home while I was still there. I’m already set to be baptized Sunday morning. Oh, praise the Lord! We can be baptized together.”

On Sunday morning, Adam and Rachel entered the church building and were greeted warmly by the people standing in the vestibule. They walked into the auditorium to find seats, and Adam’s eyes strayed toward a row of pews near the front. His heart lurched when he saw his father turned in the pew, looking at him.
My father in church?
Adam couldn’t ever remember seeing his father inside a church.

Rachel saw Patch and waved at him. “Hello, Mr. Smith!”

Patch stood up, smiling at her as she came to greet him. “I received the thank-you card,” he said. “It was kind of you to send it.”

“And it was very kind of you to give me this beautiful brooch.”

“It looks nice on you.”

Rachel looked around to see if Adam was behind her and saw him across the room, motioning her to come. She excused herself to Patch and went to sit beside her husband.

When the service was over, Patch joined the long line of people who came by to welcome the new couple into the church. When it was his turn, Patch shook Adam’s hand and smiled, then welcomed them both and moved on.

“I feel such a peace in my heart since I let Jesus come in,” Rachel said as she and Adam lay in the darkness about to go to sleep.

“Wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh. Adam … could we talk a minute?”

“Of course,” he said, rolling toward her.

“There’s something I want to talk about that was too difficult for me before.”

“What’s that?”

“Mama. You probably wondered why I never told you about how or when she died, or anything.”

Adam swallowed with difficulty. “Well, yes. But I told myself I would just wait till you brought it up. I didn’t want to cause you any unnecessary pain.”

“You’re sweet.”

“Sometimes.”

Rachel smiled. “Anyway, I haven’t told you very much about my life. You see, Daddy and I haven’t lived in Memphis very long. We’re from Philadelphia originally. Mama’s name was Nancy … I don’t think I ever told you that.”

“No.”

Rachel told him the whole story. “And the … the scum who ran her down didn’t even have the decency to stop! Just left her lying in the mud to die!”

That night Adam did not sleep. The next morning he pretended that everything was all right, but he was torn up inside.

Adam and Rachel studied their Bibles daily and memorized Scripture to hide the Word of God in their hearts. Rachel was filled with joy at the beginning of each day and often recited Psalm 118:24 to Adam when they woke up: “This is the day which the L
ORD
hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Adam rejoiced over his newfound faith too, but the secret he carried was slowly crushing him. Rachel loved Adam with her whole being, and she sensed deep within that he was gravely troubled.

During supper one evening, Rachel had to tell Adam twice that they couldn’t go into the country for a picnic on Saturday evening because a family in the church had invited them over.

“Darling, is something troubling you?” she said.

Adam pressed a smile on his lips. “Why would you ask that?”

“I’m your wife. I love you. And I sense that you’re worrying about something.”

“Just pressure from the load I have at the office,” he said, rising from his chair. He leaned over and hugged her. “Business is too
good … if that makes sense to you. I’m about to the place where I’ve got to hire another attorney to join the firm.”

This scene was repeated often as time passed. On each occasion, Adam would assure her that his preoccupation was only work pressure and nothing more. Each time, Rachel tried to believe him, and for a short time she felt better. But as his preoccupation continued, a growing apprehension came over her.

One morning after Adam had gone to work, Rachel sat down at the kitchen table, bowed her head, and asked God to give Adam the courage to tell her what was troubling him.

Day after day, Adam’s conscience ate at him. He struggled to keep his secret hidden, convinced that he must never tell Rachel that it was he who had run her mother down.