“I can’t seem to quench my thirst to solve the greatest problems.”
~Earl Douglass
There had to be some way to convince Anna that he wasn’t a monster. The look in her eyes when Damian told her Mary was in the garden.
She’d screamed at him.
He didn’t want to hurt Anna. He just wanted her to fix him.
Julian hated it when Damian took over. It wasn’t who he wanted to be. But he couldn’t undo what his brother did. Pacing the garden, he couldn’t get her words out of his mind. Could God really love him? Forgive him for all he’d done?
“No!” Damian’s hate-filled voice pounded at him. “How can a God who created a man like our father fix anything? Godcausedour pain, you simpleton! LetHimcome askourforgiveness.”
“Go away.” Julian didn’t shout. He didn’t scream. Exhaustion seeped out of every pore of his body. “I don’t want you here anymore. Go. Away.” He closed his eyes and sat in the dirt.
The warmth of the sun made him tilt his face up. The light was so much better than the darkness. He longed to soak it in.
So many thoughts warred with each other. But one kept coming back. God loved him.
Was it true?
The thought of a Savior sacrificing Himself for him—even though he was a horrible person—lifted the corners of his lips. His heart felt lighter. Someonecouldfix him.
The sound of horse’s hooves forced him to open his eyes.
Men riding at breakneck speed. They were coming for Anna.
For ... him.
He smiled. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t see the darkness. Couldn’t feel it.
Damian wasn’t around.
Six horses rode up in front of Julian.
Six others rushed in behind him. Into his house.
“Mr. Walker.” The sheriff dismounted. His face stern.
“Sheriff Lewis.” What should he do with his hands? He didn’t want to seem angry, so he shoved them in his pockets.
“Have you seen Miss Lakeman?”
He stared. Started to answer, but...
“No. They can’t take Anna away.”
So Damian hadn’t really left.
“Julian?”
Damian’s fury built. The kind that couldn’t be stopped. He answered the sheriff in a roar. “No.”
“Mr. Walker. We need your cooperation.” Two more men stepped up behind the sheriff. Then the other three joined them.
“You take the sheriff. I’ll take the others.”
Julian frowned at Damian. “He’ll hear you.”
