Chapter 30

'Maddie...' Abeline started, sitting down on the couch beside the teen. 'Let me look at your wrists.'

She obliged without argument, holding her hands out to her. The rope had done a number on her skin when she'd tried to get free and already the first signs of infection could be seen.. 'Stella, August...' She questioned softly. 'They okay?'

Abeline nodded as she opened the first aid kit she'd brought with her. 'Bon will stay with them until Cordell gets back.'

'That's good.'

Silence.

Gently Abeline tended to the teens wounds before bandaging them up. 'How does that feel now?'

'Better.' She offered a slight smile of appreciation. 'Thank you.'

Abeline nodded as she packed everything back away into the kit then turned back to Maddie. The marks on her neck had become large bruises and at the sight of them, her blood boiled. That bastard had laid his hands on her Maddie...

'Abby...' Maddie's voice was soft, breaking the silence and interrupting her thoughts. 'I-I didn't know my father had a part in Emily's murder-'

'Hey, hey, don't you go there.' She interjected gently. 'Maddie, regardless of what happened, you are not your father. I'm not going to treat you any differently because of that, you don't deserve to be punished for what your father did.'

Her eyes began to mist with tears. 'But what if the rest of the family doesn't feel the same way?'

'Come here honey.' Abeline offered her arms to her, the girl curling up in her hold. 'It was a shock, yes, but you had no part in it. It's not your fault.'

'I-I can't believe he had another family.' She started after a pause. 'All that time... He didn't want me, never wanted me and now I know why. He was married. He had a kid with her... All those years and I had no idea who he really was.'

She rested her cheek against the teens head. 'I know it's quite a shock for you, learning all this, but it doesn't have to change anything. You still have a home here, with us. We want you.'

'I know...' Her voice cracked with emotion. 'Apart from Mom, you guys are the only people who have wanted me. Here is the only place I feel safe...' Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip. 'And today, with everything that happened... God, my brain is so muddled up right now.'

'I imagine it would be.' Abeline replied, feeling the same way. All that time and it had been Stan who had murdered Emily. The same guy earlier that day she had offered an open invitation to... Stan who had eaten at their table, even after what he had done. Who had hidden that secret for over a year. The same man who had kidnapped Maddie and almost had Cordell killed. 'But we'll get through this, just as we always do.'

'I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight.' Maddie said after a moment. 'I was so scared...'

Abeline pressed a kiss to the girl's head. 'It's all over now though, you're safe.'

'My Dad, with those kinds of people though...' Her voice trailed off and she looked up at her. 'All I ever wanted was for him to love me, now I know why he couldn't. He didn't love my Mom, he didn't love me...' She paused for a moment, thinking. 'I remember when I was little overhearing a conversation on the phone Mom had with her mother. She had found out Dad had been cheating. It must have been Cali all along...'

Silence fell between them again, Maddie's eyes starting to grow heavy as she lay curled up beside Abeline. 'Abby, can you sing for me?'

'The song your Mom used to sing you?'

Maddie nodded and closed her eyes as she rested her head back down against her shoulder, drifting slowly off to sleep as Abeline sang to her.

When Bonham returned to the house after Cordell had gotten home, he was greeted with a sweet sight. Both his wife and Maddie were curled up on the couch together, fast asleep. Quietly he walked over and took a blanket from off the other chair, draping it around them both then pressed a soft kiss to Abeline's forehead. He pulled back, smiling sadly as she slept on. It had been a long day.


'Hey girl...' Skylar snorted softly as Maddie walked into her stall the next morning, giving the mare a scratch on the neck. 'How's that leg of yours doing, hey?' The mare nudged her gently, sniffing her pockets to see if she had any treats. She chuckled as she pulled the sugar cube out and offered it to her. 'There you go, you knew it was there all along, didn't you?'

Her expression sobered as the mare crunched away at the sugar cube, running her fingers absentmindedly through her mane. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, neither had Abeline for that matter. What had taken place kept playing and replaying over and over in her mind. In her thoughts she re-lived what she had been through, the kidnapping and Cordell finding her then seeing those dead men... Not to mention what Stan had revealed to her about her father.

It was a lot to deal with.

At least though she wasn't going to be called as a witness at Stan's hearing later that morning. They'd deemed there was enough evidence that would land him in jail for a long time without needing her to go back through it all to tell the court. She was thankful that Cordell and Captain James had said she didn't need to go, so damn thankful...

She was still reeling from what he had revealed to her, that her father had been married with a second family. He'd had another child. She had questions, questions that there'd never be answers to. Stan said he never got over the loss of the child he had with Cali. Why could he love it and not her? She sighed heavily then started to tend to her mare. She'd deal with those thoughts later.

'How's she doing?' Bonham asked, leaning over the stall door as Maddie rebandaged the mare's leg again.

'I don't think it's as hot as it was. The vet will be here today though to look her over, right?'

He nodded. 'Later this afternoon.'

'She's comfortable for now though.' She finished bandaging and gave the mare a pat as she stood. 'Someone has changed the packs from yesterday afternoon though.'

'I checked on her after Cordell got home. You weren't in any fit state to do it yourself.'

'Yeah, no...' Maddie agreed, leaving the mare to her haynet. 'I um... I'm sorry... About-' She swallowed as she looked up at him. 'Everything... I um... I lost my temper, I should have better control over myself.'

'Forget it, you gave that son of a bitch exactly the same treatment I wanted to.'

'Still doesn't make it right.' She replied softly. 'It's not my proudest moment, that's for sure.' With a sigh she exited the stall, Bonham locking the door shut again for her. 'Do... Would you mind if I took one of the horses out for a ride? I really need to clear my head and try to get thoughts sorted out.'

'Do you want company?'

She shook her head. 'I just... I need some time alone.' She looked up at him. 'I promise I won't do anything stupid but I need to be alone.'

Bonham thought about it for a moment then nodded. 'You can borrow Ace, on one condition. You call me if anything happens. If you get those thoughts about hurting yourself or the like, call. Deal?'

Maddie nodded. 'Deal.'


'Oh Abby-'

Abeline chuckled upon hearing Maddie's voice, looking back at her from the stove. 'I know that tone.'

Maddie grinned, walking into the kitchen with her hands behind her back. 'Close your eyes and hold out your hands.'

Placing the spoon back into the pot, she obliged and a moment later, she felt the teen place something on her hands. 'Hmm... let me guess... Flowers?'

She giggled. 'Yep.'

'Thank you honey.' The girl gave her a hug and she kissed her forehead.

'I thought they might help cheer you up, I rode over to the Anderson's while I was out riding to ask if I could have some of their daisies. I know you said they were your favorite.'

Abeline smiled, looking down at her. 'You are such a sweetheart my girl. I'll put these in water right away.'

'Good idea, I better go put Ace away-'

She chuckled as the teen skipped out again then looked down at the bouquet in her hands. Maddie really was a sweetheart, despite everything she had been through... Somehow she'd fallen asleep with her on the couch the night before but it hadn't been long before a nightmare had woken the girl.

She had forgotten what a good night's sleep was like.

It wasn't Maddie's fault though, she knew the girl had no control over her nightmares. She couldn't help them and if she'd been through what Maddie had to deal with, she didn't doubt that she'd have nightmares too.

And then, to add to what she was already dealing with, she'd been kidnapped by Stan too.

Looking down at the flowers in her hand, she smiled again. Despite it all, Maddie still thought more of those around her then of herself. After placing them down on the bench she got out a vase and then started to trim the stems to arrange them in the vase.

'I wondered what Maddie was doing when she rode in from the Anderson's direction.' Bonham remarked as he walked into the kitchen, seeing the flowers on the bench. 'Nightmare apology?'

She shook her head with a wistful smile. 'Maddie thought I might need cheering up.'

'That little girl is a genuine ray of sunshine... How she can be with having a past like hers though, I'll never know.'

'She had another nightmare last night, I just wish there was something I could do to help her.' She sighed softly. 'I know it's not her fault but I'm so tired Bon...'

He placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Why don't you take a night off sometime? Bunkhouse is empty. I can stay here and look after her.'

'Sure is a tempting offer...' He chuckled as he went to pour himself some coffee. 'As long as you're happy to do it-'

'I am Abby. Besides, you've been doing most of the work with her. You deserve a break.' Bonham replied. 'Do you regret it? Offering to take her in?'

She shook her head. 'Of course not. I love that little girl. When we found out yesterday Stan had kidnapped her...' Her voice broke as she shook her head. 'We could have lost her too, Bon. And Cordell.'

'But we didn't.' He said as he returned to her. 'They are both safe and sound. You can't think of how things might have turned out. We're all still here, that's what matters.'

'After the year we've had, what we've been through...' Her voice trailed off again. 'It would be nice just to have a break.'

He nodded, silence falling and he placed his empty coffee cup into the sink before turning back to her. 'I love you, Mrs. Walker.'

She smiled, looking at him. 'And I you, Mr. Walker.'

'I am sorry we didn't get to do our shindig. Not that we're ever gonna step foot in that house again.'

'No.' She agreed, trimming the stems of one of the daisies before turning to him. 'Well, I've realized... we've already been saying everything that we needed to say.'

'And I'm not going anywhere.'

Abeline placed the flowers down into the vase. 'Are you ready to call the kids in? Tell 'em?'

He sighed heavily then nodded. 'I am. Should have done it a long time ago. I've put off a lot. Just give me one more moment.' He stroked her cheek gently as she smiled. 'For us.'

Maddie chose that exact moment to return to the kitchen, stopping in her tracks when she saw that Bonham and Abeline were sharing a moment. A smile came to her lips as she quietly retreated to leave them alone and she had a slight chuckle while she headed to her room. Never had she witnessed her parents show any kind of affection towards each other, she'd never seen them hug let alone kiss. Seeing the way Bonham was with Abeline though, that was how she knew it should be. Not what she had known, not what she remembered growing up.

Because she could see they loved each other, she felt safe.

She felt like she was finally home.


Cordell was about to go to bed, both Stella and August having already gone in that direction ages ago when a knock sounded gently on the door. Getting up he went to see who it was, a little surprised to see Maddie standing on the porch. 'Maddie, uh, what are you doing up at this hour?'

'I couldn't sleep...' She replied. 'I went for a walk and saw the light was still on over here. Is it okay if I come in?'

'Of course, of course. You should have put something warmer on,' He closed the door behind her, ushering her over to sit in front of the fireplace to warm up. 'it's freezing out there tonight.'

'I was planning on staying in the barn.' She sat down on the rug in front of the fire then smiled as Cordell draped a blanket over her shoulders. 'Thank you.'

He nodded, taking a seat on the rug next to her. 'So, uh, something on your mind?' He questioned after she'd been silent for a moment.

'Just... everything that's happened...' She turned to him. 'Do you hate me?'

'Hate you?' He repeated with surprise. 'No, no of course not. Why would you ask that?'

Maddie looked back at the flames dancing in the fireplace. 'Because of who I am, who my father is. My Dad was part of all that. He's part of the reason you lost your wife-'

'No, no baby girl.' Cordell interrupted. 'Don't you take on that guilt. It's not your fault. Nothing is your fault. Your father... your father made his own choices. His own decisions. It's not on you, it was never on you. You, you aren't your father, okay?'

She nodded after a moment.

'You doing okay?' He questioned after she had been silent for a moment.

Maddie shook her head. 'I...I just... I don't know what to think or anything right now. My father was married. Married with a child and another on the way while I was left in hotel rooms scattered about the country. If he never wanted me, why take me out of foster care in the first place? I really thought we could have made it work, be a family...' She turned to him, her eyes glistening with tears. 'I tried, so hard. I wanted to make it work. I wanted him to love me. Now I know that it was pointless. What made that woman so special that he left my mom? What about that other child he had? Didn't he remember I was his baby girl too?'

As she started crying he offered her a hug, the girl allowing him to hold her. 'I-I don't have the answers you are looking for, I think the only one who did took them with him. But sweetheart-' He looked down at her, wiping her cheeks as she struggled to get her emotions back under control. 'Your Daddy's choices weren't because of you. He made those choices and I don't think you'll ever find out why he did. I do know that he missed the opportunity to be a part of something special in not choosing to be part of your life.'

Maddie turned away, brushing the last of her tears off her skin. 'I-I just wanted to be a family, so so bad...'

'I know.' He paused, trying to think of the right words to say. 'I know you wanted to be a family with your father and it's going to take time for you to move on from that. We want to be your family though, in time I hope you'll come to trust us and think of us as your family.'

'Cordell, I do trust you...' She replied as she looked back up at him. 'I know you won't hurt me. When I first moved here and saw how you were with your kids, that's what made me question if how my Dad treated me was right. You didn't hit them when they did something wrong like what happened at Laredo. Watching how you were with them is how I started to trust you in the first place. I just... I don't know how to move on from my past. Everytime I think I'm finding my way, something happens. I just want my life to me normal again.'

'It's going to take time, Maddie. But you will get there, I know you can do it.' He encouraged with a smile. 'Look how far you've already come. It's been over a month now and you haven't cut.'

She smiled sadly. 'I sure have wanted to though.'

'But you haven't. That takes strength and courage. It takes guts.'

'I don't know about that...'

'Well I do. You are stronger then your past Maddie, you don't have to let it define you for the rest of your life.'

'Do you really think I'm strong?'

He nodded.

'Then why do I feel so damn weak? I don't want to sleep because every time I close my eyes I see those nightmares... I still jump when I hear a loud noise, I still flinch when someone touches me even though I know they won't hurt me.'

'It's just going to take you time. Just take it one day at a time. You don't have to do it alone. You have help... You have us... We-we want to help you.'

'I know.' She smiled sadly again.

Cordell patted her knee, the teen falling silent again. 'We should probably be getting you to bed though-'

'No, not right now. I um...' She turned to him. 'I was going to sleep in the barn so I won't wake your Mom up. She was up with me for ages last night, she needs to sleep.'

He shook his head. 'Honey, you can't sleep in the barn.'

'At least there I'll only wake the horses.'

An idea came to mind. 'Maddie, what would you say about spending the night here? We could fix up in here like you said you did with your mom and if I'm here to keep the nightmares away, you might get some sleep.'

'You'd do that for me?' Maddie questioned with an amused smile.

'Mmmhmm. Only if you feel comfortable with it though-' He quickly added. 'Don't want to pressure you to stay with me if you aren't ready for it.'

'I think I can manage one night, your mom really needs to have a break. I just don't want to wake you or Stella and Augie though.'

'Believe me, those two could sleep through a tornado.' Cordell said as he stood. 'I'll go grab those blankets.'

It wasn't long before he returned with blankets and pillows, the two of them arranging the couches into beds. Maddie was the first ready and laid down as he added more wood to the fire.

'Comfortable?'

'Mmhmm.' He knelt down beside her, tucking her hair back behind her ear. 'Cordell, thank you. For being patient with me. I know it hasn't been easy.'

He smiled. 'But it's worth it. You are a special girl Maddie, don't believe any different.'

'My Mama used to say the same thing.'

'Your Mom was a smart lady.' He tucked the blankets tighter around her shoulders. 'Warm enough?'

She nodded, her eyelids starting to grow heavy. 'Mom used to give me a good night kiss too.'

'You-you'd be okay with that?'

'Like I said, I trust you. I know you won't hurt me, I don't have to be afraid anymore.' Maddie replied softly, tucking her hands up beneath her chin. 'I like kisses and hugs but my Dad never gave me them ever, even when I asked him to.'

Your father really missed out on something special... He thought as he gently kissed her forehead.

'I could get used to this.' She smiled.

'Now go to sleep.'

She giggled. 'Yes sir.'

That night, for the first night in weeks, Maddie slept the night through.

It wouldn't be an easy road ahead, she knew it; the Walkers knew it.

Together though they would get through.

She had finally found her family.

She had come home.


There we go folks! We have come to the end of this story. I hope you all have enjoyed it, I sure did while writing it.

As always, would love feedback 😉 so drop me a review or two to share your thoughts on this story

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to check out the sequal coming soon titled Walker:Secrets

To say it's time to move on is easy, to actually start leaving your past behind; that is a lot harder.

It's been a few months now since Maddie came to live with the Walkers and slowly, she has begun to find her footing in the family. She's hiding a secret though, a secret that once revealed could break the family more then the Davidson's ever could.

Will the family be able to hold it together to help her get through or will they break apart from the strain?

Set at the start of season 2, continuing through the season.