SHATTERED AMISH SANCTUARY

After witnessing the murder of her best friend, Elizabeth Lapp flees to the Amish community she left years ago, hoping the killer won’t find her. But the murderer follows Elizabeth, trapping her in her family’s barn, and she’s sure she won’t survive—until an Amish man rushes to save her. As the attacker runs off, Elizabeth sees her rescuer is none other than Thomas King, the handsome farmer she left behind with her dreams and her heart. Now widowed with two small children, Thomas vows to keep her safe...despite not being ready to forgive her. And suddenly, the man whose love she longs for—but can’t allow herself to accept—is all that’s standing between her and a cold-blooded killer.

“Thomas!”

The urgency in Elizabeth’s voice made his blood run cold. Had that man returned? He raced toward the back of the barn. When he cleared the open doorway, he skidded to a stop.

Elizabeth stood to his right, leaning heavily against the barn wall.

Thomas shot a hurried glance in every other direction, trying to find the danger or intruder, but saw nothing. His heart squeezed at how fragile and small and scared Elizabeth looked. Her body trembled and the piece of paper she held in her hand rattled.

“Elizabeth? What’s wrong?”

The blood had drained from her face. She was almost as white as the paper. Fear widened her eyes and she didn’t speak. Shakily, she held out the note.

He slid it from her fingers. Anger coursed through his body when he read the words: “I want what is mine. I will contact you again soon with a time and place to meet. Tell no one. I warn you, give it to me or die.”

“I won’t let anyone harm you,” Thomas assured her.

Dear Reader,

The national political scene was the initial inspiration for this story. So many politicians ran on family values and Christian beliefs but didn’t hesitate to sling mud and ridicule their opponents only to rally around and praise the same opponents if they were elected.

Made me think a lot about secrets and lies.

This story came to life when Elizabeth and Thomas emerged from the recesses of my mind. Would the Amish, famous for their family values and deep religious beliefs, keep secrets and lies? If so, what kind of secrets and what would be the motivation behind them?

And, as always, most of my stories deal with questions of trust and forgiveness because I believe each one of us is faced with these issues at some time in our lives.

I hope you enjoy the story of Elizabeth and Thomas as they are forced to face these issues amid a backdrop of danger and intrigue.

I love to hear from my readers and can be reached at diane@dianeburkeauthor.com and also can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Blessings,

Diane Burke

DIANE BURKE is an award-winning author who has had seven books published with Love Inspired Suspense. She won first place in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense and finaled in the ACFW Carol Award for book of the year. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys taking walks with her dog, reading and spending time with friends and family. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at diane@dianeburkeauthor.com. She can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.

The Amish Witness

Diane Burke

www.millsandboon.co.uk

We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

—James 5:11

To my granddaughter, Emberleigh Valcich.

You are deeply loved.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Elizabeth Lapp couldn’t distinguish anything out of the ordinary in the shrouded stillness of the empty Amish landscape. She lifted her kerosene lamp closer to the windowpane, pressing her face against the cool glass, and stared harder. Still nothing but dark winter shadows sheltered by even darker ones stretching across the Lancaster farm.

He was out there.

She knew it.

If not today, tomorrow or the next day, but he’d be there. Every instinct told her he would come. She’d seen him standing over Hannah’s dead body—and he’d seen her.

He’d come. If only to silence her...

Dear Lord, please keep me safe. Bless me with inner peace and wisdom as I face the days ahead. And thank You, Lord, for leading me home.

The first glow of morning sun would not touch the horizon for a few more hours. Elizabeth chastised herself. There was work to do, more than enough to occupy her mind, and she needed to get to it. Chores came early on an Amish farm, even in winters in Lancaster County, when the fields lay dormant under drifts of waist-high snow.

A finger of light from the quarter moon was the only thing illuminating the distance between the house and the barn. She studied the shadows. She dared one of them to move and prayed in the same moment that none would.

Where was he? How much longer would she be tortured with the wait?

She raised her face from the glass.

Enough. You’re going to make yourself sick. Where is your faith?

“What do you look for, Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth startled at the sound of her mother’s voice. Her left hand flew to her chest. She swallowed a small gasp and spun around.

“You frightened me, Mamm. I didn’t hear you coming.”

“Don’t be foolish. I come down these stairs the same time each morning to fix breakfast and begin the day.” Mary Lapp came close, smoothed a strand of hair beneath her daughter’s white prayer kapp and smiled. “Why do you stare out that window? Tell me, child, what do you hope to find out there in the darkness?”

It was what she didn’t want to find that frightened her so.

She returned her mother’s smile. “I’m not hoping to find anything, Mamm. I guess I’m having trouble adjusting to how dark it is here. There’s always light in the city. No matter what time it is. The city never seems to sleep.”

A shadow flitted across her mother’s face. “Do you miss it already? Are you sorry you came home?”

“I’m just sorry I stayed away so long.” Elizabeth had only arrived home yesterday afternoon, but she knew she had made the right decision to return. She placed her lamp on the table near the front door and a soft light enveloped the room.

Seven years had added a few strands of gray to her mother’s hair. The small lines etched at the edges of her mouth had deepened, and now there were crow’s feet at the edges of her eyes, but her mother would always be young and beautiful in her eyes.

“I don’t miss the city, Mamm, and I’m glad to be home.”

Her mother gave her a warm hug. “I’m glad you’re home, too.”

Sadness wiped the smile from Elizabeth’s face. “I regret I wasn’t here when Daed died. I never got the chance to say goodbye.”

Her father had died two years ago of pneumonia. Her mother’s eyes still carried her grief. Elizabeth hadn’t learned he was sick until it was too late.

“I am sorry, too, little one. Your daed would have been pleased to have you home again. Maybe the Lord has told him you are here now. If he does know, I am certain your daed is thanking Gott every day.” Mary playfully pinched her daughter’s chin. “Kumm. Help me with breakfast.”

Elizabeth followed her mother into the kitchen and lit two more lamps, as well as the gas fixture over the table. She stared at the long wooden table and smoothed her hand against the grain. Her father had made this table as a wedding gift for her mother over thirty years ago and it still looked brand-new. A pang of loss filled her heart. She wished she could have seen him one more time before he died.

“I don’t remember your head always being lost in the clouds. Is that something you learned to do in that fancy city of yours?”

Elizabeth returned her mother’s smile. “Sorry, Mamm. Just thinking about Daed. Wishing I had been here...”

“No good comes from looking behind you. We can’t change the past.” Her mother turned from the stove. “He never stopped loving you. Never.” Her mother smiled. “And he knew you never stopped loving him. He understood your decision to leave even if he didn’t agree with your choice.”

Tears filled Elizabeth’s eyes.

Silence stretched between them.

She remembered the last day she had seen her father. It had been an early winter morning like today and they’d been talking in the barn. She remembered his look of disappointment, the pain and loss already reflected in his eyes, and the warmth and love of his final embrace moments before she left.

“Elizabeth, please, get that head of yours out of the sky. We have chores to do.”

Elizabeth nodded, gathered plates, silverware and mugs and set the table.

The delectable aroma of bacon and freshly brewing coffee teased her nostrils. Her stomach growled. Because her stomach had been too twisted in knots with dread and fear, she hadn’t eaten much at dinner last night. But this morning she was hungry and nothing was going to snatch away her appetite.

“Could you gather some eggs from the henhouse?” her mother called over her shoulder from her spot at the propane-powered stove.

“If I can bring in a jar of your strawberry jam from the pantry to smother on your homemade bread I like so much.”

Her mother smiled and waved her away. “Ja. Ja. Now go.”

Elizabeth decided not to bother with a coat. From the house to the barn was such a short distance and she would only be exposed to the elements for a brief time. She threw a shawl over her shoulders, grabbed the hurricane lamp and hurried out the door. She’d barely cleared the third step down from the porch when a prickling sensation raced up her spine and froze her in place. She threw her gaze in one direction and then another. Looking. Anticipating.

Nothing.

Just a foolish girl’s imagination running wild. That’s what city life did to you. You don’t trust anything or anyone anymore, do you?

She held the lamp high. The only sound was ice cracking on tree branches. Her feet wanted to scamper across the yard, but she forced herself to step off the final stair and walk slowly and purposely toward the barn.

Dear Lord, please help me stop being so afraid. If he had followed me, wouldn’t he be here by now?

She took one final look around the yard.

Darkness covered the objects and bushes like shrouds.

She knew she was being foolish. No one in the city except her best friend, Hannah, had known she came from an Amish background. And Hannah had never told anyone. Had she?

Mental images of the tall man standing over Hannah’s dead body flashed through her mind. Who was he? And why had he killed Hannah?

When she reached the barn door, she lifted the latch and swung it wide. The pitch-black interior gave her pause. Holding her lantern high, she stepped inside and moved deeper into the barn.

The pungent smells of livestock, hay and manure were a far cry from the exhaust fumes of the city, but they pinged nostalgia, reminding her she was home once again, and it felt good. The cows bawled as she approached, indicating their need for milking. She’d have to hurry with breakfast and get back out here to tend to them so her mother wouldn’t have to.

The clucking sound of the hens in the chicken coop drew her back to the task at hand. She rubbed her hands together and blew warmth into them. Maybe she should have worn her coat. She opened her apron, holding it with her left hand, and reached inside the coop with her right. Soon she’d gathered enough eggs for both breakfast and a pudding recipe she had learned from one of her friends. Her mother would be surprised to discover that life among the Englisch hadn’t been all bad. She’d learned to cook some wonderful recipes. She nudged the door to the coop closed.

It wasn’t a sound that caught her attention. It was a feeling, an innate sense that she was no longer alone. She swallowed and tried to calm the wave of fear threatening to drown her.

It’s nothing, Elizabeth. You’ve been on edge. Seeing bad men in shadows like children see animals in clouds.

But the internal scolding did little to calm her sense of unease.

The squawking and clucking of the hens in the coop gave her pause. The chickens knew it, too. She wasn’t alone. Someone was standing close behind her...too close.

Taking another gulp, she clutched the apron filled with eggs to her chest and turned around.

A man, his face obscured in the darkness, loomed in the entrance to the barn.

Elizabeth gasped. “Who are you?” she asked. “What do you want?”

The stranger moved into the light and Elizabeth’s heart stuttered.

It was him. The man she’d seen standing over Hannah’s body.

“I want what your friend gave you. It belongs to me.” The coldness in his tone froze her in place.

Elizabeth’s eyes shot around the barn. Where could she run and hide? What could she use as a weapon if she was forced to protect herself?

“You know who I am, don’t you?” he demanded.

Elizabeth took a step back. “No, sir, I don’t. Please...leave. I don’t know who you are. I don’t have anything that belongs to you.” She straightened her spine and tried to exude strength she didn’t feel. “If you don’t leave this property, I am going to send for the sheriff.”

Then her deepest fear became a reality. He moved toward her with such speed she barely had time to react.

Elizabeth’s throat muscles froze and she couldn’t scream. She backed up as fast as she could until her body slammed against a solid surface. Trapped against the chicken coop with nowhere to run, sheer panic raced through her veins.

No. No.

Elizabeth raised her hands to cover her face, dropping the edges of her apron. The eggs smashed on the ground and a few rolled across the floor.

Within seconds he was on her, his hands clasping her shoulders, his face inches from her own.

“You want me to leave? Then give me what’s mine and I will.” He shook her shoulders and banged her against the wooden piling behind her. “I’m not playing. Unless you want the same fate as your friend you will give it to me.”

Spittle sprayed across her face as he screamed at her.

She kicked at his shins and tried to scramble from his grasp. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Hannah didn’t give me anything. Go away. Please. Leave me alone.”

An almost evil sneer came over his face. “Hannah? So you do remember me.” He dug his fingertips painfully into the soft flesh of her upper arms. “Don’t make the same mistake she did. Just give me what’s mine and we’ll call it even. I’ll go away and leave you to live your life in this forsaken place.”

“Please, mister, I don’t know what you want. I don’t know who you are. Hannah didn’t give me anything of yours.”

He squeezed her arms harder and tears sprang to her eyes.

“She told me she did. She told me with her dying breath. I don’t believe an Amish woman would pick that time to lie.”

Trapped against the piling behind her, Elizabeth twisted in his grip. “Leave me alone!” She reached up and clawed at his eye.

He yelped in pain and for a split second he grabbed his face and released his grip on her arms.

It was all she needed. She threw herself sideways. The sudden shift in weight threw her off balance. She stumbled over his boot and fell hard against the wooden floor of the barn, the breath temporarily knocked out of her.

He stood over her, just like she’d seen him standing over Hannah. His hands moved to her throat. “She told me you had the information I need. Do you really think I’m going to let you ruin my life? Unless you give it to me, I’ll have no choice but to make sure you suffer the same fate she did. Is that what you want?”

His hands squeezed her throat.

“Please...” she whispered. “I don’t have anything. I don’t know what you want.”

“Hey! You! Get away.” Another man, an Amish man by the sound of his dialect, entered the barn and ran out of the shadows straight toward them. “Leave her alone.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw the man grab a pitchfork and continue toward them.

The stranger gave one long, hard squeeze to her throat and whispered close to her face. “This isn’t over. I’ll be back. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut or I will permanently shut it for you.”

He turned and ran toward the barn’s open back door. Just as quickly as he’d come he was gone.

Elizabeth rolled to her side, coughing, trying desperately to draw oxygen into her lungs.

The Amish man, whoever he was, had just saved her life.

* * *

Thomas King kneeled beside the woman who was crumpled in a heap on the dirt floor.

“Mrs. Lapp?”

What had happened? Who was that man and why had he attacked Mrs. Lapp?

Thomas offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving that he had arrived when he did. He came to the farm at the same time every morning since her husband had died. He wished he could devote more time to help out on her farm, but it was all he could spare from his own farm and family. Mrs. Lapp had always been grateful and appreciative of his help. His body shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he had arrived a few minutes later.

“Mrs. Lapp?” His hands trembled as he reached for the woman. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he gently turned her toward him. “Are you all right?”

The lantern light dappled across her face.

This wasn’t Mrs. Lapp.

He stared into the woman’s face and a shaft of pain shot through his chest. He knew this face all too well. It was a face he’d thought he’d put out of his mind and his life forever, a face he’d once loved.

Elizabeth.

His eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe for any obvious injuries and found none. “Elizabeth?”

The shock registering in her pale blue eyes must have mirrored his.

“Thomas?”

“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head.

“What are you doing here? Who was that man?”

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” She sat up and then allowed him to help her to her feet. Her hand felt tiny in his and her fingers trembled despite the outer calmness she tried to display.

Elizabeth gently pulled her hand from his. She brushed dirt and pieces of hay from her dress and apron. “I don’t know what you are doing here at this hour but I am glad you are. I hate to think what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come when you did.”

“Who was he?” Thomas glared at her. He knew his emotions were flashing across his features, but he was too surprised at what had happened, too shocked at whom it happened to, too upset to gain control. “What did he want? Why was he trying to hurt you? And what are you doing back at your mamm’s house?”

“Let’s go inside.” She threw a nervous glance over her shoulder. “I don’t know if that man is still around.” She took a step forward and stumbled.

Immediately, Thomas reached out, clasped her elbow and steadied her. “Are you hurt?” he asked again.

“No,” she whispered. “Just shaken up.” She placed her head against his chest for just a second while she steadied herself. He could smell the fresh scent of her hair despite her prayer kapp covering locks he knew were silky and blond. He remembered her scent, fresh soap and lemon, from their rumspringa days, when he’d lie awake at night and think of her.

Before she’d betrayed him.

Before she’d abandoned him.

Pain and anger washed over him. Where had she been all these years? And why was she back?

She felt small and fragile leaning against him.

He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to hold her closer, tighter. Maybe if he did, she wouldn’t run away this time.

But she was good at that, wasn’t she? Running away. Leaving without a word.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” She straightened and stepped away. “When I think of what could have happened if you hadn’t come...if you hadn’t helped.” She stared at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. “Denki, Thomas.”

What had happened between them seven years ago was ancient history. They both lived different lives now. He wouldn’t let himself feel or remember or care. Not again.

But images of the man’s hands around Elizabeth’s throat filled him with rage. The possibility of what could have happened threatened to overpower him with a raw, primal fear. He had lost her once. He wouldn’t be able to handle losing her again. Especially in such a heinous way.

Lord, everything happens in life according to Your plan. But this? Lord, help me understand and be strong enough to accept whatever Your plan entails.

TWO

“Elizabeth?” Mary Lapp called, presumably from the top of the porch steps. “Are you all right?” Her voice drifted into the barn. “Thomas, are you out there?”

“We’re coming, Mamm.” Elizabeth picked up the few unbroken eggs she was able to gather from the barn floor and started toward the house. Thomas silently followed.

As they drew closer, Mary called out, “When you didn’t return with the eggs I became concerned. I thought I may have heard a commotion. Is everything all right?” Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw her daughter’s face in the lantern light. “Elizabeth, you look scared to death! What happened?”

Elizabeth kept shooting glances over her shoulder and staring into the shadows as she hurried up the porch steps to the safety of the house. As she brushed past her mother and entered the house, Mary shot a questioning look his way.

“Thomas?”

He cupped the older woman’s elbow with his hand. “Let’s go inside, Mary, where it’s warm. We’ll talk there.”

Without another word, Mary led the way. She set the lamp on the small wooden table inside the front door and followed the sounds of Elizabeth moving about the kitchen. Mary stood with Thomas in the doorway.

Elizabeth tried to appear calm and unflustered, but her hands shook as she tried to fill three coffee mugs without spilling any of the hot liquid, giving her away.

“Elizabeth? You’re frightening me.” Then she looked at Thomas. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, his tone of voice grave. “There was a stranger in the barn when I arrived. I saw Elizabeth fall to the floor and the man put his hands around her throat...”

Mary gasped. Her hand flew to her chest and she rushed to her daughter’s side. “What man? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

Thomas’s eyes never left Elizabeth’s face but he spoke to Mary. “I thought it was you. I knew you were expecting me so I didn’t announce myself. When I saw what he was doing I panicked. I grabbed a pitchfork and raced over to help.”

“Who is this man, Elizabeth?” Mary put her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders and turned her around. “Is that why you were staring out the window this morning into the darkness?”

Elizabeth nodded.

“How did this man find you? Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t know him but—but I saw him. I saw him do something terrible. I am sure he followed me here. We are a small community, Mamm. You know it would be easy to find our farm once he came into town. He only had to mention my name and any Amish person would have been able to direct him.”

Elizabeth collapsed into the nearest chair and hung her head. She couldn’t seem to meet their eyes.

“I didn’t know that Elizabeth had returned home,” Thomas said into the uncomfortable silence.

“She only arrived yesterday afternoon,” Mary replied. “There was no time to let you know.”

“Did you tell her I kumm every morning to milk the cows and clean the stalls?”

“No. I—I couldn’t seem to find the proper time to bring up the subject.”

Thomas’s eyes locked with hers. “You thought if she knew I worked this farm every day that she would run away again, didn’t you?”

Mary looked away, but not before he saw a flash of guilt in her eyes. Her voice dropped an octave. “Of course not.”

Before either of them could say anything more, Elizabeth spoke. “Please. Stop.” She wrapped her hands around her mug, then squared her shoulders and looked directly at him. He saw the determination in her posture, the strength in her resolve. This was a different Elizabeth than the girl who had left years ago. This was a strong, independent woman staring back at him and Thomas found the changes intriguing.

“Denki, Thomas. I am grateful you were here to help me. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”

“Did he hurt you?” Mary asked. “Oh, my, look. Your throat is red. It will probably be badly bruised.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No. I’m okay. He frightened me. But I am fine now.”

Mary gently touched her arm but asked no further questions, giving her daughter the time she needed to compose herself and tell the story in her own way.

“Gut.” Thomas remained standing in the doorway. “I am glad you were not hurt.” He lifted his flat-brimmed winter hat, ran a hand through his blond hair and put the hat back in place. As much as he wanted an explanation, he knew it wasn’t his place to demand one. His heart slammed against his chest. His lungs threatened to rob him of breath. He hadn’t seen Elizabeth in years and here she was right in front of him. To think that just a minute or two longer and she might have died at the hands of a stranger in her very own barn was more than he could handle at the moment. He’d get the details later. For now, he needed distance so he could breathe. “I will leave the two of you to speak in private.”

Before either of them could respond, he nodded at both women. “Excuse me. I have work waiting for me in the barn.” He strode as fast as he could from the room.

He worked for over two hours, refusing to let his mind whisper one single thought. He milked the cows and prepared the containers for the local man to collect and take to market. He cleaned the stalls and pitched fresh hay with such speed and force a sweat broke out on his forehead despite the freezing temperatures of morning.

And although he fought hard to keep Elizabeth out of his thoughts, she crept in softly and slowly, like the sun was doing now with the dawn. He doused the lanterns and, pausing for a moment in the broad opening to the barn, stared at the white clapboard house.

Who was that man? And why had he tried to harm Elizabeth?

He knew it was not his business. He had no right to question her, to demand answers. Their time together had passed long ago. But he couldn’t seem to let it go.

He went to the tack room and washed his hands in the sink, then splashed water across his face and along the back of his neck.

Obviously, Elizabeth needed help. She must have come home looking for that help and trouble had followed her.

Thomas hung the wet towel on a rod, finger-combed his hair and put his hat back on. He sighed heavily.

She had to be terrified, even though she fought hard to make an outward show that she was in control and able to handle things on her own.

What had happened to her over the years? Where had she been?

It was none of his business.

She had made her choice years ago and it had not been a life with him. He had gone on and made a different life for himself. A happy life. One that had no room for her. He thought about his kinner and a smile caught the corners of his mouth. They were his joy. He couldn’t help wanting to introduce them to Elizabeth. Foolish, he knew. But once she had been a friend...and so much more.

Thomas sighed again.

But if someone was terrorizing Elizabeth or trying to do worse, than he would have no choice. He wasn’t the kind of man to walk away when someone needed help. And he would never walk away from Elizabeth when she needed him. He would be a friend to her. He would find a way to help.

Even when the shattered pieces of his heart silently wished he had never laid eyes on her again.

* * *

Elizabeth stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes when her mother came up behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth reached up and patted her hand. “For what? You did nothing wrong.”

Mary turned Elizabeth to face her. “I’m sorry you had that frightening encounter with the stranger in the barn. I am also sorry I did not tell you sooner about Thomas. I am sure the shock of seeing him again was difficult for you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Mamm? Was Thomas right? Did you think I would run away again?” Elizabeth studied her mother’s face. She’d known she would see Thomas sooner or later. She had tried to prepare herself for it before she returned to Sunny Creek. But she supposed no amount of preparation would have been good enough. The shock of seeing him again—leaning over her in the barn, standing in the kitchen doorway, his blond hair catching the glint of the lamp’s glow—had made her heart seize despite all the self-talk and preparation that had gone before. There were no words good enough to dampen her feelings or assuage the guilt for betraying him.

“Never mind. It’s all right, Mamm.” She put an arm around Mary’s waist. “Let’s sit. We’ll have a cup of coffee and talk this out.”

“Go to the barn and ask Thomas to kumm in.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. That was the last thing she wanted or needed right now.

“Now that you have had time to compose yourself, you will sit and tell both of us the story of this man.”

“I will tell you, Mamm, but I don’t think we have to involve Thomas.”

“Thomas is already involved. He deserves an explanation.” Her mother smiled at her. “Besides, he is a smart man. He will be able to tell us what to do.”

Elizabeth bristled. She’d lived independently and successfully for years. She didn’t need a man, especially not Thomas, to tell her what to do.

But she was back in Amish territory and things were done differently here. Women listened to their men. Men listened to the bishop and the elders. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? To be home again? To feel safe?

For the first time, she wondered if coming home had been the right thing to do. She had come home to be with family and friends, where she had always felt safe. But had that decision been selfish? Was she inviting danger into the lives of the people she loved? Why hadn’t she considered that possibility before she’d come back? Now it was too late. If anything happened to anyone in the community, it would be her fault.

Elizabeth looked at her mother. She should leave. Today.

But where would she go? This was her home. These people were her family. And she knew she needed their wisdom, their guidance and their love. She would tell them the truth, all of it. Then she would gauge their reactions and consider Thomas’s counsel. But if she felt her presence would put her loved ones in danger she would not hesitate to leave.

“You’re right, Mamm. I will call Thomas in for breakfast. He must be finished his chores by now.”

“Gut.” Mary moved to the stove and lifted a cast-iron skillet. “I cook for him every morning and he always brings a healthy appetite.” Mary began fixing the meal.

“Thomas has a beard, which means he also has a wife. Doesn’t his wife fix him breakfast?” She said it as nonchalantly as she could, but one glance at the smile on her mother’s face and she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Her mother continued with her cooking and replied as nonchalantly. “He waited a year for you to return. Kept coming by the farm every week to see if we had heard from you. Finally, your daed took him aside and had a man-to-man talk with him. I don’t know the details. I never asked. But I assumed he told him to stop waiting for you because shortly afterward Thomas married.”

A kaleidoscope of emotions exploded inside Elizabeth’s heart. What had she expected? For him to love her forever even after she’d left him? Of course he would marry. She had been gone for seven years. But when she’d seen him again those years had vanished and all she saw was the man she’d once loved.

She couldn’t allow those feelings to resurface. They would only cause pain. He was a married man with a family now. Besides, the reason she’d left, the secret she couldn’t share with him, still existed. She’d left for his good. She’d wanted him to be happy, to marry and start a family. But she’d never realized how deeply it would hurt both of them.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. She brushed them away before her mother could see her distress.

“Did he marry someone I know?” she asked, unconsciously holding her breath, not able to picture Thomas with one of her former friends.

“He married Margaret Sue Miller. You never met her. Her family moved to Sunny Creek from Ohio a few months after you left.”

Elizabeth folded her hands in her lap and pondered the information.

“I think you would have liked her,” her mother said. “She was such a happy, loving woman of Gott. She always had a smile and a kind word for everyone.”

Elizabeth’s head snapped up. “Was?”

“Ja. Poor Thomas. He lost Margaret two years ago. She died from complications during childbirth.”

This new information rocked Elizabeth to her soul.

Oh, Thomas. How horrible that must have been for you.

“And the child?” Elizabeth asked.

“They had a beautiful little girl. Named her Rachel. She has a sweet disposition like her mother. She’s a bundle of smiles. Not like that brother of hers. He is all boy. Skinned knees. Energy that doesn’t quit. A dirt magnet, that one.” Mary laughed. “I don’t know how Thomas does it raising them on his own. His parents help when he is working the farm. But they leave to spend six months in Florida every winter. They left a few weeks ago. Margaret’s parents help in their absence. And I step in now and then. But still the responsibility for their upbringing rests on his shoulders.”

Mary carried her mug to the sink more, Elizabeth suspected, to steal a moment to collect her thoughts than to clean.

“Thomas brings the kinner here a couple times a month,” Mary said. “He pays me to watch them while he goes into town for supplies. I think sometimes it is more to help me than to help him. He knows I love children. I am alone, and I can certainly use the little extra cash it brings. But the rest of the time he is both mother and father to those children.”

“Two children?”

“Ja. Benjamin and Rachel.”

“How old is Benjamin?”

“He just turned five.”

A bittersweet smile twisted Elizabeth’s lips. She was happy for Thomas. She had known years ago that he would make a good daed someday.

“Now, go. Get Thomas. He must be hungry by now.” Mary crossed to the stove. “Tell him I have a hot breakfast waiting for him.”

Elizabeth’s heart fluttered. She could hardly wait to see Thomas again and yet knew she had to keep a distance between them. It wasn’t just her heart that was in danger of being lost, but her life, too. She could not put Thomas at risk by being around him, especially when he had two little ones to raise. She wished she hadn’t come back. She’d put her mother at risk, too, and she didn’t know what to do about it. What had she been thinking? The Amish were not selfish people. They always put the community’s needs before their own. Had living in the Englisch world changed her? Was she not Amish anymore?

She needed to rethink her situation. She couldn’t bring evil here...unless it was too late and she already had.

I will be back. Keep your mouth shut if you want to live.

A chill raced over her bones as she remembered the stranger’s words.

Maybe she should go to the sheriff and tell him what she knew.

But the Amish frowned on involving outsiders in their business. They handled things together as a community whenever possible. Besides, the murder had happened in Philadelphia. What could the local sheriff do here?

How could she convince this man that she didn’t know his name and wouldn’t be able to identify him so she wasn’t a threat? And what did he think she had? Did Hannah really tell him she’d given something to her that this man was willing to kill for? If she could talk to him, convince him she was no danger to him, maybe he would believe her and go back to Philadelphia.

The memory of his dark eyes and threatening sneer seized her breath.

Or maybe she wouldn’t talk to him.

Dear Lord, how have things gone so terribly wrong? Please guide me to make good decisions. Don’t let my foolishness hurt others.

Stepping outside, Elizabeth paused at the top of the porch steps and took a good look around the farm now that daylight had arrived. It was beautiful here. Peaceful. Quiet. It seemed like millions of miles away from bottleneck traffic, talking on cell phones and witnessing her best friend’s murder.

But was it far enough?

She placed her fingers gently against the tender flesh of her neck. She could almost feel her attacker’s grip on her throat. She knew with certainty he would return. And now, because of her selfishness, she had led an evil man straight to the doorsteps of the people she loved most.

Please help me, Lord. Please give me wisdom and guide me. I don’t know what I should do now.

She stood in silence and waited.

What? Did she expect some booming voice from heaven to start telling her what to do?

What was wrong with her? She knew better. Gott answers all prayers. He speaks quietly in the inner recesses of one’s soul. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no, sometimes wait. But He answers.

She needed to learn patience and to relearn trust. Maybe He’d be slow to answer because it had been so long since He’d heard from her. For seven years she had not gone to Him for guidance, or little else for that matter. Maybe He no longer recognized her voice.

I’m sorry, Lord. Forgive me.

Placing her fears in Gott’s hands, she stepped into the yard and headed for the barn.

* * *

Thomas had milked the cows, put the tall metal containers of milk outside the barn for pickup for market, moved the horses into the pasture, cleaned the manure from the stalls, laid fresh straw and finished sweeping the wooden floor. There was nothing left for him to do, but he couldn’t make his feet carry him to the house. Elizabeth was in the house.

A flood of emotions—anger, guilt and something else he wouldn’t acknowledge—tormented him.

It was not the Amish way to hold on to anger. He’d thought he’d forgiven her. But when he saw her again, anger simmered in his blood as fresh and strong as it had the day she’d betrayed him and left.

Guilt gnawed at his insides. How could he allow himself to have any feelings of any kind for Elizabeth? Wasn’t that a betrayal of his dear Margaret? He’d have to keep his distance. He wouldn’t let himself betray the memory of a wife who had loved him with all her heart...like he had once loved Elizabeth.

“Thomas?”

He froze. The soft tones of her voice caressed his nerve endings like hot caramel coating an apple in autumn. His emotions tumbled and fought each other for center place. Anger won.

“Ja?” He turned to face her. He grasped the pitchfork tightly and, barely noticing the whitening of his knuckles, tried to hide the anger flooding through his body. He knew he had failed when she glanced into his eyes and he saw guilt and sorrow looking back.

“Mamm wanted me to ask if you are almost finished with your chores.”

He nodded. “They’re done.”

“Gut. She has a hot breakfast waiting.”

“Denki.” He knew the word of thanks hadn’t hidden the iciness in his tone but he couldn’t help it. He needed time to process his feelings. Time to ask the Lord to help him forgive. Time to figure out a way to be in her presence without his heart shattering into painful shards.

She nodded and turned to leave.

“Elizabeth,” he said quickly.

She froze but didn’t turn back toward him.

“Who was that man? Tell me. What are you running from?”

“I’m not running from anything.”

He caught her arm with his hand and turned her toward him.

“Is that what the Englisch taught you? To lie?”

She didn’t move a muscle. She couldn’t meet his eyes, either.

When she didn’t answer him, he threw more questions at her.

“Why did you leave with Hannah? How could you leave your church and abandon your faith?”

“I never abandoned my faith.” She kept her eyes down. “I believe today as I have always believed.”

“You left your parents and your community.” His voice was filled with accusation and hurt before it broke into a hoarse whisper. “You left me.”

Silence beat loudly between them.

Thomas murmured a prayer for Gott to forgive him for harboring these negative feelings and to give him the strength he needed to forgive Elizabeth. When he spoke again, he tried to soften his tone.

“I deserved more than that handwritten note your mother gave me, which said nothing more than goodbye. We deserved more.” He stared at her slumped shoulders and continued to wait for an answer that didn’t come.

Slowly she lifted her face. “Thomas...” Her eyes pleaded for understanding but her words offered no explanation. Pain stabbed through his chest.

What had happened to his Elizabeth? Who was this stranger standing in front of him?

“Why did you kumm back?” He glared at her, his heart holding such hurt he could hardly bear it.

“This is my home. Where else should I be?”

He recoiled in shock as if she had slapped him. He knew his face registered his surprise but he couldn’t hide his emotions. “You’re staying? This is not just a visit?”

She straightened her shoulders. “I’m not sure. When I came back, I planned to get baptized and remain here.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Now I’m not sure that was a wise decision.”

Thomas pulled her close, so only inches separated them. His breath gently fanned the loose tendrils of hair on her neck. “Why now? Why after all these years?”

She didn’t answer.

He studied her closely.

“You used to be able to talk to me,” he said. “We were friends...more than friends.” A thread of steel laced his words. “We are not leaving this barn until you tell me the truth.”

“You cannot order me around, Thomas. I am a grown woman and make my own decisions.” Before he could ask any more questions, she eased her arm out of his grasp and hurried to put a distance between them. “I’ll tell Mamm you are ready for breakfast,” she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the house.

* * *

A short time later Elizabeth had just set a tray of spam, fried potatoes and scrambled eggs on the table when she heard Thomas enter the house. He joined them in the kitchen. He’d hung his hat on the rack by the front door. His face and hands were clean and water droplets glistened in his hair from cleaning up after doing his chores.

Elizabeth’s pulse quickened. It was so good to see Thomas again—too good.

Thomas took a seat at the head of the table, as if he belonged there.

But why shouldn’t he?

If he helped her mother every day with the heavy chores, brought his children to visit with her and then paid her besides, it was obvious he had earned that place at the table. He had done more for her mother than she had over the years, Elizabeth realized, and a wave of guilt washed over her.

“Denki, Mary,” Thomas said as he looked at the plate of food she placed before him. “I am hungrier than I thought.” He smiled at her mother and Elizabeth’s heart melted with the wish that she could be the recipient of that warmth. She knew the coldness in his tone during their conversation in the barn was well-deserved. But that hadn’t prevented his words from hurting her.

Elizabeth stayed silent as Thomas ate his meal. She smiled occasionally as she listened to Thomas and her mamm discuss the newest antics of his children, and chat about next spring’s planting once the last frost had gone. She was a polite hostess as she passed plates of food and served coffee, but her mind wandered, was constantly mired in days gone by and useless musings of what-ifs.

“Elizabeth?” The surprised and stern tone in her mother’s voice pulled her out of her reverie. “Thomas asked you a question.”

“What?” Her gaze flew from her mother to Thomas. “I’m sorry. My mind wandered. What did you ask, Thomas?”

“I asked about Hannah. Did the two of you remain friends after you both left our community?”

Elizabeth’s heart seized. “Ja, we did. We were more like sisters than friends.”

“How is she—” Mary asked.

“Will she be returning to Sunny Creek, too?” Thomas interrupted, his tone more accusatory than questioning. The intensity of his gaze made Elizabeth lower hers.

“No.” She hoped the softness in her voice would hide the high anxiety storming through her body. Her hands trembled so she immediately folded them in her lap.

“I’m surprised,” Mary said. “I know Hannah was happy here until her mother died. I always believed that one day she would return.” Her mother sent her a puzzled look. “Is the Englisch way so appealing that it is worth leaving everything and everyone she knew behind?”

Elizabeth lightly covered her mother’s hand with her own. “Hannah loved the Amish way, Mamm. Always. The appeal of the Englisch was never the reason we left. You know that.”

“Then why?” An icy edge took hold in Thomas’s voice.

Elizabeth and her mother gave each other a telling glance but remained silent, keeping a secret between them that neither woman was ready to share.

“It is a simple question, Elizabeth. This sister of yours, if she did not leave for love of the Englisch, then why isn’t she returning, too?

Elizabeth squared her shoulders and met his gaze unflinchingly. She saw the anger, pain and confusion in his eyes, and she felt sorry for him. His question wasn’t about Hannah. It was about them and her betrayal. Yes, she owed him an explanation. But not now. Not yet. The time wasn’t right. She wondered if the time would ever be right. She offered him a gentle smile and spoke softly. “As I said, Thomas. Hannah won’t be returning home.”

“Then she couldn’t have loved our way of life as much as you say,” he said.

“Leaving Sunny Creek was one of the hardest things Hannah ever did.”

“Couldn’t have been too hard. She left. You both did.”

Elizabeth remained silent beneath the verbal slap of his tone. She knew it was pain speaking.

Mary stood and gathered up some of the empty platters. “What does it matter now, Thomas? It happened so many years ago. Elizabeth has kumm home. Let us be happy about that.”

“I am sorry if I upset you, Mary. But I am confused.” Again he turned his focus on Elizabeth. “Why is asking a simple question so difficult to answer? If Hannah loved it here as much as you say, if you are as close as sisters, then why hasn’t Hannah returned with you?”

“Because Hannah’s dead.”

Mary gasped. “What? Hannah died?” She placed the platters back onto the table and sank down into her chair.

Elizabeth’s words caused a heavy silence to descend on the room for several seconds.

Thomas, appearing surprised and chagrined, spoke more softly. “I am sorry you lost your friend. That must have been very difficult for you.”

“She was so young,” Mary said. “You never told me she was ill. I would have told you to bring her home. I would have helped care for her. When did this happen?”

Elizabeth knew she’d have to tell them the details. She should have told her mother last night, when she showed up on her doorstep unannounced. But she’d played mind games with herself, pretending that if she didn’t say the words out loud then they wouldn’t be true.

She folded her hands together again and braced herself. “Hannah wasn’t ill, Mamm. She was murdered.”

Neither Mary nor Thomas spoke, they simply glanced at each other then back at Elizabeth and waited.

Her thoughts did a somersault through her mind. How much should she tell them? How much was their right to know versus her desire to dump this heavy burden on other shoulders, too? With every passing second she was certain it had been selfish to come home and bring a potential danger with her. What had she been thinking?

She hadn’t been thinking. She’d simply known the Amish community always took care of their own, and her love of that community, her need for their guidance and their help, had brought her home.

“Tell us what happened.” Thomas’s calm tone soothed her. His strength gave her courage.

“Hannah and I had just rented a condo together. I was helping move some of her things. I came in the back door and—and...”

Mary reached over and clasped Elizabeth’s hand.

Elizabeth glanced back and forth between her mother and Thomas. She only saw empathy and kindness looking back. She inhaled deeply then continued the story. “I saw Hannah lying motionless on the floor of the kitchen. A man was bent over her, his hands around her throat.”

Mary cried out and offered a quick prayer.

“Go on, Elizabeth.” Thomas’s entire demeanor offered her encouragement and strength.

“I screamed when I saw what was happening. The man stood up and raced toward me. I turned and ran as fast as I could. He almost caught up with me but I got away.”

“How?” Mary asked.

“I learned how to drive while I was gone, Mamm. I jumped in my car and drove away.”

“And Hannah?” Mary asked.

“I called the police and then doubled back to the complex. Shortly after I got back, I saw them carry her body out on a gurney to the coroner’s van. There was nothing more I could do for her so...” She threw a glance between them. “I came home.”

Mary got up and threw her arms around her daughter. “As you should have.” She tilted Elizabeth’s chin to look at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I should have,” Elizabeth replied. “I’m sorry, Mamm.”

“Now I understand.” Thomas’s voice caught both women’s attention. “The man who attacked you in the barn. He murdered Hannah and he followed you here.”

Elizabeth nodded.

Mary gasped again. “Is that who you were looking out the window for this morning?”

Elizabeth hugged her mother tightly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I never should have come home.”

“Nonsense.”

“You don’t understand, Mamm. I have brought danger home to you, to this community.” Elizabeth sprang to her feet. “I need to leave.”

Mary caught her hand and stopped her. “Leave? Where would you go? What would you do? You cannot face this terrible thing alone.”

“Mary is right.” Thomas gestured to the seat Elizabeth had vacated. “Sit. Have another cup of coffee. We’ll talk and together we’ll decide what the right thing is to do.”

“Thomas.” Elizabeth’s eyes pooled with tears. “The man knows I can identify him. He can’t afford to let me get away.”

“What do you think he will do?” Mary asked. “Do you think he will try to kill you, again?”

“Ja, Mamm.” Elizabeth lowered herself back into her chair. “And anyone else who tries to help me. That’s why I have to go. I was wrong to come and it would be wrong to stay.”

“It is wrong to leave.” The iron steeliness crept back into Thomas’s voice. “Running is not the answer to problems. I would have hoped you’d have learned that lesson by now.”

A heated flush painted her cheeks. She knew his words had a double meaning. She hadn’t run away before. She had chosen to leave. For him. For his happiness. But she knew he couldn’t know that.

“I won’t be able to live with myself if anyone gets hurt because of me.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

“No one will get hurt. The Amish community takes care of its own and you are still one of us, Elizabeth. We will talk to the bishop and ask his guidance. Everything will be all right.”

“Thomas is right. The bishop will have sound advice.” Mary sat down again. “Don’t worry. Gott will protect us.”

“He didn’t protect Hannah.” Elizabeth regretted the words the moment they left her lips.

“You must not question Gott,” Mary said, reprimanding her. “It was His will that Hannah be called home. And we must place this problem in His hands. He loves us. He has a plan for our lives. Whatever happens it will be His will. Trust Him, Elizabeth, always.”

She lowered her eyes in chagrin. “I do, Mamm. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

“Finish your coffee.” Thomas gestured to her mug. “Tell us everything. We will make a plan to keep you safe.” Thomas’s resolve remained solid and steady.

Elizabeth dared to relax a moment, to allow someone else to help her carry the burden. The ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she looked at Thomas. He had always been there for her. He was there for her now. But she couldn’t miss his thundercloud expression as he said one more thing.

“This plan, Elizabeth, will not include running away.”

THREE

Elizabeth moved quickly through the barn toward the rear exit.

“Where are you going?” Thomas stepped out of the shadows.

She startled and spun in his direction. “Don’t creep up on me. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“You’re too young for a heart attack. And I’m not the one who appears to be creeping around.”

“Don’t be foolish. I’m not creeping anywhere.”

“I thought you’d be in the kitchen helping Mary clean up,” Thomas said.

“And I thought you’d left for home.”

“I was leaving.” He came closer. “But I remembered one of the horses has a sore on his leg and I wanted to take a second look at it.” He grinned. “Your turn. What are you doing scampering through the barn?”

“I don’t scamper.”

He raised an eyebrow and grinned. The Elizabeth he had known all his life never walked if she could avoid it. She scampered, scurried, skipped and frolicked through life. It did his heart good to see that some things about her hadn’t changed.

“I was going to check on my car.” She waved her hand toward the rear barn doors. “I’ve got it under a tarp behind the barn.”

“And you think one of the livestock took it for a joyride?”

Elizabeth laughed at his foolishness, which was exactly what he wanted. He’d always tried to make her happy and her life carefree. He knew she needed a heavy dose of that now. Besides, he had always loved to hear the tinkling sound of her giggles and was not disappointed to hear them now.

“That is a ridiculous notion and you know it.” But she covered her mouth to stop a giggle anyway and he smiled. “If I am going to stay, I have to get the car shipshape and ready to sell.”

“If you stay?” he asked.

“We haven’t spoken to the bishop yet. He might not want me to stay.”

Thomas grinned. He didn’t speak but sent her a knowing glance.

“Okay. So he’s probably going to let me stay. But I’ll still have to sell my car.”

“How did it feel to be able to drive your own car?”

“I must admit that is one of the Englisch luxuries I really enjoyed.”

“Will you miss it?”

“Nah. If I feel like driving, I’ll climb on one of the plows and take a spin in the fields with the horses.”

Now Thomas had to laugh, as his mind painted a picture of that event.

“I find it hard to picture you behind the wheel of a car,” he said. “You seem more the buggy type.”

“I am the buggy type. Always have been. But I loved my little Honda Fit, with its racing stripes on the side.”

“Honda Fit?”

“Yep. C’mon. I’ll show it to you.”

Like a flash she was off, scampering across the barn floor toward the back exit. Thomas chuckled, pushed off from the stall he’d been leaning against and lumbered after her.

“Thomas.”

The urgency in her voice made his blood run cold. What if that man had returned? He raced toward the back of the barn. When he cleared the open doorway, he skidded to a stop.

Elizabeth stood to his right, leaning heavily against the barn wall.

Thomas shot a hurried glance in every other direction, trying to find the danger or intruder, but saw nothing. His eyes moved back toward Elizabeth and his heart squeezed. She looked so fragile and small and scared. Her body trembled and the piece of paper she held in her hand rattled.

“Elizabeth? What’s wrong?”

The blood had drained from her face. She was almost as white as the paper she held in her hands. Fear widened her eyes and she didn’t speak. Shakily, she held out the note.

He slid it from her fingers. Anger coursed through his body when he read the words:

I want what is mine. I will contact you again soon with a time and place to meet. Tell no one. I warn you, give it to me or die.

* * *

“Kumm in. Sit down.” Bishop Eli Schwartz ushered Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary into the front room. His wife, Sarah, offered them tea and cookies, which they gratefully accepted. Once his wife had left the room, the bishop turned his attention to his guests.

“Welcome back, Elizabeth. It is good to see you again. I heard you were back. Are you here for a visit or are you planning to stay?”

Elizabeth wasn’t surprised he had heard she was back. Nothing traveled faster in the Amish community than news. She tried unsuccessfully not to squirm in her seat. Instead she attempted to hide her nervousness by clasping her fingers tightly in her lap.

“My intention, Bishop, was to be baptized and move back permanently.”

“Wonderful.” The bishop’s gaze flew from one to the other before it settled on Elizabeth. He raised a brow. “And now?”

Thomas glanced at her for permission and when she nodded he took over the conversation. She listened with only half an ear as he filled in the bishop on everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.

She released a breath and relaxed. She knew she shouldn’t be relying on Thomas. She should be explaining the circumstances to the bishop on her own. She was strong, independent and hadn’t needed a man’s help for seven years. She didn’t need a man to speak for her now.

But having someone to talk to, someone to comfort her, someone to make her feel protected and safe, even if just for a little while—was that really so bad?

“Elizabeth?”

She startled at the sound of her name.

“The piece of paper?” The bishop held out his hand.

Elizabeth drew the folded paper from her apron pocket and handed it over.

The older man studied it, deep furrows appearing in his forehead and at the sides of his mouth. Then he folded the paper and handed it back to her.

“Who else knows about this?” he asked.

“No one.”

The bishop nodded, leaned back in his chair and silently stroked his beard.

“I am willing to leave, Bishop, if you think it would be best for everyone else,” Elizabeth said.

“I am sure Gott has waited patiently for you to return, to repent and be baptized.” The bishop smiled, sipped his tea and then placed the cup back down on the side table. “I know your mamm has waited many years for you to find your way home. Now you are here. That is a gut thing. Who am I to send you away?”

“But this man?”

“We will deal with him. I will speak with the elders and tell them what is going on. Meanwhile, you need to go home. Keep your eyes open. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t do anything foolish.”

“Should we tell the sheriff?” Thomas asked.

Elizabeth knew it was hard for him to ask that question of the bishop because the Amish do not like to involve the Englisch, especially law enforcement, in their lives.

“I don’t think that is necessary yet.” The bishop nodded toward Elizabeth’s pocket, which housed the note. “The man wants to meet with Elizabeth. Until he contacts her again, I do not believe she is in any immediate danger.” He stroked his beard again. “What do you have that he wants? What did Hannah give you?”

“She didn’t give me anything. I don’t know what this man wants.” Elizabeth tried to remember every conversation between them on the day of Hannah’s death.

“Wait!” She leaned forward. “I have a carton of Hannah’s belongings. I dropped the one I was carrying into the condo when I ran for my life, but I had another one still in my car.” She couldn’t keep the excitement and hope out of her voice. “That must be it! Whatever the man wants must be in that box.”

“Where is this box?” the bishop asked.

“On the floor of the backseat of my car.” She shot a hurried glance at each one of them. “I completely forgot about it. It has to be in the box. I don’t have anything else.”

“Gut.” The bishop’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “For now, we will play his game. We will let him think we are willing to return this elusive item. No sheriff. Not yet. Let me discuss it with the elders first. You go home and search through that box. Whatever was worth killing poor Hannah over should be easy to recognize. When we know what we are dealing with we will decide the proper way to proceed.”

The bishop stood, indicating the meeting was over. Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary stood, as well.

“Denki, Bishop Schwartz, for seeing us without notice. We appreciate it,” Thomas said. He placed a hand under Elizabeth’s elbow. “I will do my best to keep an eye on things at the farm the best I can and I will try to keep Elizabeth and Mary safe.”

“Gut.” The bishop nodded. “I will speak with the others and get back with you shortly. Elizabeth, if there are any problems, ring the porch triangle and we will all kumm running.”

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Bishop.”

“Meanwhile, stay safe. Go about your business. Prepare for your repentance and baptism. Let us pray about what the next move should be. And let me know immediately if there are any more letters.”

“Denki. I feel better already.”

Thomas helped both women into the buggy, then went around to the other side. After nodding goodbye to the bishop, he clicked the reins and guided the horse back toward the main road.

“See, Elizabeth,” Mary said. “The bishop will know what to do. Everything will be all right.”

They’d traveled about a quarter of a mile when Thomas spoke. “I thought the meeting went well. I told you the bishop would not ask you to leave.”

“It’s not that. I knew Bishop Schwartz would allow me to stay. He has known me and my family since I was born.”

“Then what is it?”

“The danger is real, Thomas. I am not afraid for myself, but what have I brought to the community?”

Thomas placed his hand over hers. A pleasant tingling sensation raced up her arms. Even now, she could still be affected by the mere touch of his hand.

“We will keep you safe, Elizabeth. The whole community will be watching for strangers and things that are out of place.”

“I know.” A pounding headache formed in the sinus area above her eyes. “But what if it isn’t enough? What if he hurts someone?”

“Maybe we will find what he wants in that box in your car. We will give it to him and he will go back to Philadelphia.”

“Do you really believe he will take the box and leave?”

“If he wanted you dead, he had the few extra minutes to do it in the barn before I could reach you.”

Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face as she realized the truth of his words. He could have killed her in the barn. Almost did. But a sense of dread filled her. What if he was lying? What if he had no intention of letting her live once he’d gotten what he came for? She’d seen his face. She was a witness to his crime. She’d lived in the Englisch world long enough to know criminals didn’t leave witnesses behind.

“What you have is more important to him right now than you dead.”

The truth of his words gave her a little inner peace.

“What do you think Hannah put in the box?” he asked.

“That’s just it, Thomas, I don’t know. And I’m scared to death to find out.”

* * *

The steady clopping of the horse’s hooves was the only sound for several more miles as Thomas pondered the day’s events. He’d make sure Elizabeth and Mary were settled in and then he’d have to head home. His former in-laws would be bringing the kinner home soon.

A smile bowed his lips at the mental image of his two precious children. Gott had blessed him with two precious gifts—his smile widened—even if one of those gifts was perpetually drawn to dirt and mire.

His smile didn’t last. How was he going to keep Elizabeth and Mary safe when he was miles away on his own farm?

He couldn’t and that was unacceptable. He had to find a way to protect them daily. But how?

“You’re awfully quiet, Thomas. Is something wrong?” Elizabeth studied him closely.

Something wrong? Everything’s wrong.

When he woke this morning his only thought was getting his chores finished for Mary in time to get back home to take care of his own farm and his kinner. He’d never expected his world to be turned upside down. But the unexpected events in this life reminded him that he was not in control, Gott was.

“Nothing’s wrong, Elizabeth. Just thinking through the day’s events,” Thomas replied.

When Elizabeth smiled at him, his heart skipped a beat. After all these years she could still stir deep feelings in him and, for a moment, he hated himself for that weakness.

“It’s been a crazy day,” she admitted.

“Ja.”

“Denki, Thomas.”

He glanced her way and for an instant was lost in the sky-blue depths of her eyes.

“I know you weren’t expecting to see me,” she said. “And...well, I am grateful for all you have done. Helping my mother on the farm. Taking me to see the bishop. You didn’t have to do any of it and I want you to know I appreciate it.”

Thomas nodded. “Many things have passed between us, Elizabeth, and many years. But not so many that we can’t consider each other a friend.”

Did her smile dim when he called her a friend? Was it possible she harbored deeper feelings, too? No. His mind played games with his hopes. If she’d cared for him as he’d cared for her, she would never have left.

She twisted her hands in her lap and gazed off in the distance.

“Elizabeth?”

She sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop thinking about the note.”

“The note is keeping you safe,” Mary said. “It’s giving you time to find out what this mystery item is. There is nothing to worry about. Gott will protect us.”

“Mary’s right,” Thomas said. “I’d say the man got what he wanted for now. He frightened you. He put you on edge. He has you looking over your shoulder at every shadow and jumping at every sound.”

Thomas clicked the reins and the horse broke into a trot as their buggy turned onto the dirt path leading to the house.

“This will be over soon, Elizabeth,” Thomas assured her. “The first thing we need to do is search the box.” He pulled the buggy in front of the porch and helped both women down. Mary climbed the steps to the house, while Elizabeth almost ran toward the barn.

Thomas tied the reins to the porch railing then walked toward the barn, where Elizabeth had disappeared only moments before. Could the words he’d offered her for comfort turn out true? Would it be that easy? Give the man what he wants and he’ll leave them alone? What could be so important it was worth killing an innocent woman to get? His curiosity grew with each step as he neared the barn.

Mary cried out. “Thomas. Elizabeth. Kumm quickly.”

Thomas spun back toward the house and ran. He burst inside. The older woman was pressed against the wall, her knees nearly buckling.

“Mary?”

“Mamm?” Elizabeth whooshed through the doorway and came up short behind him. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Mary lifted a trembling hand and pointed.

“Oh, no!” Elizabeth whispered as both of them looked in the direction Mary had indicated.

The house had been ransacked. The cushions of the sofa and chairs had been gutted with something sharp and stuffing covered every surface. The end tables were overturned, some broken.

The destruction spilled into the kitchen. Every cabinet door hung open. Every drawer was pulled out and emptied. Silverware and cooking utensils had been carelessly tossed across the linoleum. Canisters of flour and sugar were emptied onto the floor. Pots and pans had been thrown haphazardly into the messy concoction.

Every nook and cranny had been searched, every chance to destroy something had been taken.

“He was here,” Mary whispered. “That evil man was in our home.”

Elizabeth rushed to her mother’s side and wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay, Mamm. We’re okay. We aren’t hurt. This is just stuff. We can fix stuff, right?”

Mary nodded, a stunned expression still deeply etched on her face.

Although Thomas knew Elizabeth was doing her best to comfort her mother and ease her fears, she couldn’t hide the tremor in her own voice from him. He knew her too well. She was terrified.

Both women looked at the destruction surrounding them and remained speechless.

Suddenly Mary headed toward the stairs. “He must have gone upstairs, too.”

Thomas stopped her before she could reach the bottom step. “I will kumm back and take care of whatever damage was done. Right now we have to leave.”

“Leave?” Elizabeth threw him a questioning glance. “Where will we go?”

“Home. With me.” Thomas shot Elizabeth a look that let her know he would not take no for an answer. “But not before we retrieve that box and take it with us. It’s time to see what is so important inside.”

FOUR

Elizabeth couldn’t stop tapping her toe or fumbling with her fingers in her lap. The steady sound of the horse’s hooves clomping up the lane did little to calm her frayed nerves.

“It will be all right, Elizabeth.” Thomas smiled and she assumed he was trying to reassure her. “That man does not know where you are going. You and Mary will be safe with me.”

If he only knew. The stranger wasn’t what made her pulse race and her body tremble with nervous energy. It was seeing his family home, meeting his children. Witnessing a life she’d always wanted but couldn’t allow herself to hope for.

“I’m not afraid, Thomas. I know you will do your best to protect us.”

The buggy turned onto a dirt lane between two white picket fences and her heart stuttered. She could see a two-story white clapboard house in the distance, with a large front porch. Two adults sat in rocking chairs watching a young boy run around the yard. She saw all of them turn their way as the buggy approached.

“Whoa.” Thomas stopped the buggy at the edge of the porch, then leaped out and reached up a hand to help Mary down from the back seat.

Elizabeth stepped down and came around the buggy just in time to see a towheaded boy barrel across the yard and fling himself at Thomas.

“Daed—Daed, kumm here. Hurry. I found a little cat hiding in the barn. Can I keep him? Kumm see.” The boy tugged on his father’s hand.

“Benjamin, mind your manners. We have company.” He tousled his son’s hair. “Say hello. We can go to look at the cat in a little while.”

The boy peered around his father and seemed surprised to see Elizabeth. His enthusiasm for the cat was tempered and he peered at her with the cutest look of curiosity on his face.

“Who are you?” He let go of his daed’s hand and came closer to her. “I don’t know you. Where did you come from?”

“Benjamin. Manners.” His father’s warning tone caused the boy to lower his eyes and stop talking.

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth assured Thomas. She squatted down to be eye level with the child. When he looked into her face, her heart seized. He was the spitting image of his father. “Hello, Benjamin. My name is Elizabeth. I am Mary’s daughter and I am a friend of your daed’s.”

The boy’s eyes grew wide. He glanced at Mary and then back to her. “I didn’t know Miss Mary could have old kinners. I thought all kinners were little like me.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Little kinners grow up. You will, too, someday.” She offered him her hand. She grinned as he placed his little fingers in her grasp and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Benjamin.”

He took back his hand. “Do you like cats?”

Elizabeth stood and smiled down at the boy. “I do like cats. When I was little like you, my daed let me keep a whole family of kittens in our barn. When they grew up to be adult cats they earned their keep by keeping the field mice away from the barn.”

Benjamin grinned and grabbed her hand. “Kumm with me. There’s a cat in our barn. I’ll show you.”

“Benjamin, what did I say?” Thomas placed his hands on his son’s shoulders. “There will be time for that later, sohn. Miss Mary and Miss Elizabeth have things to do right now. You go play in the barn with your cat. We will join you soon.”

Benjamin didn’t need any extra urging. He was off in a flash, running across the yard toward the barn.

“He’s adorable.” Elizabeth smiled at Thomas and the look of pride in his eyes made her heart swell.

“Kumm.” He placed a hand on her elbow. “Meet the rest of my family.”

Mary had already gone up on the porch and was in deep conversation with the two people sitting there. As Elizabeth climbed the stairs, they stood. The man welcomed her first.

“Gut afternoon. My name is Isaac. I am sorry to hear of your troubles.” He looped his fingers in his suspenders and moved to the side. “This is my wife, Rebecca.”

“Hello.” The woman stepped forward. “Welcome.” She held a toddler in her arms, and she was one of the most beautiful little girls Elizabeth had ever seen. The child sucked on her index finger and stared at her with stunningly blue eyes. Thomas’s eyes.

Elizabeth’s eyes burned with tears and she fought hard not to shed them.

This is Thomas’s family. This is what I had always wanted for him. So why, Lord, does it hurt so much?

“Hello, little one.” She smiled and clasped the child’s free fingers. “You must be Rachel.”

“Ja. This is my precious one.” Thomas took her from Rebecca’s arms. The child giggled in his arms and pulled at his beard. Absently, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Elizabeth’s insides melted as she watched. He was a good daed. She knew he would be.

“Let’s go inside. I started a fresh pot of coffee. It should be ready by now,” Rebecca said. She looked at the two women. “Dinner will be ready shortly. There is plenty of food. You are welcome to join us.”

“Ja, thank you, Rebecca. Mary and Elizabeth will be joining us for all meals for a while. I have invited them to stay in the dawdi haus for a short time. You and Isaac are no longer needing it now that you’ve bought a farm of your own. My parents stay in the main house with me six months out of the year. It was built for family. Seems foolish to let it stand empty. Mary and Elizabeth need a place to stay so I am offering it to them.”

A surprised expression flashed across Rebecca’s face, but she covered her reaction quickly. She smiled at the two women. “Both of you are welcome.” She reached out her arms to Thomas for Rachel. “Kumm. I will set out mugs for us.

Thomas handed his daughter back to her. “Ja. We have much to discuss.” He turned to his guests. “Right after dinner I will show you to the dawdi haus. Usually there is a connecting door and a small bedroom in these in-law apartments but I actually had a small house added on to my own. There is a connecting door off the kitchen. But you will also find a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom inside. Now that Isaac and Rebecca have chosen to purchase their own farm, it is sitting empty. You are both welcome to use it for as long as you need.”

“Denki, Thomas. We are grateful for the help.” Mary put her arms around Elizabeth’s waist and steered her toward the kitchen. Without a word passing between them, Elizabeth knew her mamm understood how awkward and difficult meeting Thomas’s family was for her. Her mother’s secure touch around her waist let Elizabeth know she wasn’t going through any of it alone. Again, her eyes burned with threatening tears. She had missed her mamm...so much.

“I will bring in your bags from the buggy and, of course, the box. I am anxious to see what great secret is inside.” Thomas bounded down the porch steps before anyone could reply.

* * *

Thomas had done most of the talking as he brought his in-laws up-to-date on the day’s events. Even as he spoke he had to admit being surprised with how much had transpired in only a day’s time. He wasn’t surprised, however, at their kindness toward Elizabeth, or their sincere desire to help in any way they could. They were good people and he was honored to have them as family.

Crash!

Finishing his second cup of coffee, Thomas pushed it aside, jumped to his feet and ran in the direction of the trouble, closely followed by the rest of the adults.

Benjamin stood in the middle of the room. He had overturned the box Thomas had placed on the sofa and its contents had scattered across the wooden floor. Benjamin’s lips puckered and his eyes welled with tears as if he might cry at any moment. “I’m sorry, Daed. Don’t be mad at me. It was an accident.”

“I am not mad, sohn. But you know better than to touch things that do not belong to you.”

Everyone helped to pick up the strewn items. There were half a dozen books, a couple of plants, a set of sheets, some bath towels, a few knickknacks and even a few small framed pictures.

Thomas held one photo in his hand and stared at it. “This is a picture of Hannah. The Amish do not take pictures of themselves. Maybe Hannah became more Englisch than you thought in the years you were gone.”

“That is one vice Hannah did like,” Elizabeth said. “She took pictures. Lots of them. She wanted to have something besides her mind to record her memories. I think she felt it was concrete proof that she belonged somewhere with people she cared about and who cared about her, after feeling for so many years that she didn’t.”

“And you?” Thomas asked as he handed the small picture frame to Elizabeth. “Did you take pictures of yourself, too?”

“Not really.” Elizabeth took the frame from his hand, looked at it and smiled at the image of her friend. “Hannah snapped one or two of me over the years when I was doing something with her group of friends.” She shrugged. “But it was different for me. I always knew who I was and where I came from. I did not need reminders.”

One by one, the adults handed various items to Elizabeth as she repacked the carton.

Once most of the items had been cleaned up, Mary and Rebecca returned to the kitchen to finish getting dinner ready and Isaac excused himself to tend to the animals in the barn, leaving the children with Thomas and Elizabeth.

“I’m sure Benjamin meant no harm, Thomas.” She kneeled down so she could be on eye level with the upset child. “You were probably curious, weren’t you? Wondering what I had in the box.”

The boy nodded.

“Why don’t you help me pick up the few things that are left and put them back in the box? Can you do that?”

Benjamin nodded and grinned. He picked up a few things and threw them into the carton.

Thomas eyed every item going back into the box. A key chain. More pictures. Even a small stuffed rabbit. When there were no items left on the floor for the boy to retrieve, he patted his son’s rump. “Go, Benjamin. Get washed up for dinner.”

The boy scampered off.

“I don’t understand.” Thomas placed the last item he’d been holding in his hand on the top of the carton. “I don’t see anything unusual. Certainly nothing worth harming someone to get back.”

Elizabeth sat back on her heels. “I know. I was thinking the same thing. I can’t imagine what that man thinks is so important.” She picked up two of the books and briefly leafed through their pages. “No notes tucked inside.” She rummaged through the box, making sure she hadn’t missed something. “And no journals or anything else that would expose this man’s identity.”

“We must be missing something.”

“Maybe the missing item was inside the box I dropped at the condo.”

Thomas shook his head. “I am sure the man searched that box before he came all this way.” He reached out a hand and helped Elizabeth to her feet. “I’ve been wondering about that, too. Are you sure you don’t remember seeing him before? How would he even begin to know where you might have gone? It doesn’t make sense that he would show up on an Amish farm looking for you. I thought you and Hannah had given up the Amish life. Why would he think of looking for you here?”

“We had. No one knew of our past.”

“You are wrong, Elizabeth. This man knew.”

“Hannah must have told him. But I don’t know why she would do such a thing.” Elizabeth sighed heavily. “There are many things I don’t understand. Hannah and I were best friends. I didn’t think we kept secrets from each other.”

Thomas saw great sadness in her eyes when she looked at him. “I wish she hadn’t kept this man a secret. Maybe I could have helped her. Maybe she wouldn’t have been murdered.”

Thomas frowned. “There has to be something here. What about the pictures? Anything special? Is the man in any of them?”

Elizabeth took a second look. “No. They are photos of friends Hannah made at the restaurant where she worked.” She held one in particular in her hand. “She had just started dating this young man.” Elizabeth showed Thomas a photo of Hannah and a young Englisch man, their heads together, eating cotton candy at a fair and grinning into the camera. “I hadn’t met him yet. She’d only gone out with him a few times. But she spoke well of him. I think she was starting to really like him.” Her expression clouded. “I wonder if anyone told him about her death. The police, maybe?”

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