Hidden In Amish Country
Dana R. Lynn
Can she unlock her memories…so she can stay alive? Find out in this Amish Country Justice page-turner There’s a bullseye on her back, and Englischer Sadie Standings can’t remember why…but she’s sure she can trust Amish widower Ben Mast. With the single dad’s help, she’ll hide in Amish country while trying to figure out why someone is after her. Because unless she uncovers the secrets of her past, both their lives will be forfeit.
Can she unlock her memories...so she can stay alive?
Find out in this Amish Country Justice page-turner
There’s a bull’s-eye on her back, and Englischer Sadie Standings can’t remember why…but she’s sure she can trust Amish widower Ben Mast. With the single dad’s help, she’ll hide in Amish country while trying to figure out why someone is after her. Because unless she uncovers the secrets of her past, both their lives will be forfeit.
DANA R. LYNN grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she’d met the man she was going to marry. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural northwestern Pennsylvania with enough animals to start a petting zoo. In addition to writing, she works as a teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing and works in several ministries in her church.
Also By Dana R. Lynn (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
Amish Country Justice
Plain Target
Plain Retribution
Amish Christmas Abduction
Amish Country Ambush
Amish Christmas Emergency
Guarding the Amish Midwife
Hidden in Amish Country
Amish Witness Protection
Amish Haven
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Hidden in Amish Country
Dana R. Lynn
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09757-4
HIDDEN IN AMISH COUNTRY
© 2019 Dana Roae
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Note to Readers (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
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“I can’t stay here.”
Ben glanced to see that Sadie had moved to his side. “You want to leave?”
“I have to, Ben. I think that my memories are starting to come back to me. And I am desperate to keep trying to find Kurt. If the police hide me away somewhere, my hands are tied. I’d be alone and helpless, with no way to find the truth.”
“Then we will keep moving toward where my family is.”
“You still want to go with me? What if I bring danger to your family?”
“Sadie, I was honest when I said I think my old district is the safest place for you. We must trust in Gott. He will protect us.”
However, Ben couldn’t quite shake the worry that Mason Green was still out there. Nor could he forget the flashbacks that Sadie was experiencing.
What if the amnesia she was afflicted with hid a dark secret? One that could hurt her as much as Mason Green could?
How was he to protect her and his family from a danger that she couldn’t remember?
Dear Reader (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d),
I am so thrilled to be able to tell you another story from Waylan Grove, Ohio. Sadie, Ben and Nathaniel are all brand-new characters. I fell in love with them as I wrote this book, and I hope you did, too.
I have always been intrigued by the idea of amnesia. When Sadie woke up to discover she had no memories and a killer after her, it took a lot of determination to survive and find the truth. Sadie had those qualities. What she lacked, though, was faith.
Ben Mast has survived a horrible heartbreak. He has been wounded, but somehow his faith has remained strong. I loved watching him show Sadie the truths about God while they fell in love and tried to escape a killer.
Thank you for reading Hidden in Amish Country. I love to connect with readers. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or contact me through my website, www.danarlynn.com (http://www.danarlynn.com).
Blessings,
Dana R. Lynn
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
—Isaiah 41:10
To my husband, Brad. Even after so many years, you are still my best friend and the love of my life.
Contents
Cover (#u2d7e5367-5ff2-5497-80d8-805ccbf9b362)
Back Cover Text (#u5cee1cac-7589-5cec-98ae-06906c0200f8)
About the Author (#ub0dc84ae-00ac-56f1-8c68-be831b73ce19)
Booklist (#ue93299d9-886c-5745-8985-adbea9227452)
Title Page (#u17629ed4-311c-5425-bcdc-738edf3d577b)
Copyright (#u5ca6634b-af5f-5c95-9e1a-7429cdd5afbf)
Note to Readers
Introduction (#u6393ea2e-b1ff-5d76-beb2-96c264deb100)
Dear Reader (#ued0f1c9a-d151-59b1-8963-a83e2389ffc9)
Bible Verse (#ue478ccdd-d428-5106-803e-906181bf068d)
Dedication (#u32edaa90-ecdd-5a40-a343-b608e150485a)
ONE (#uf446dc14-d675-5d49-8297-677b85f1262a)
TWO (#u0a3614ae-2e5e-510e-88a3-f80d1407b72f)
THREE (#uc1bf8f48-15ff-5727-aef4-95899b3235ee)
FOUR (#u06d9351d-5b3f-5878-9652-4cbf2d812091)
FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
ONE (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
Someone was watching her.
Sadie Standings whipped her head around so fast that her light brown hair swung across her face, blocking her vision. Shoving her fingers through her hair to push it out of the way, she searched the area behind her. The parking lot at the local shopping mall was busy, filled with people who had stopped on their way home from work, but none of the other shoppers appeared to be looking in her direction. Seeing no one suspicious, she scrunched her eyes into a squint, desperately trying to catch sight of whoever was watching her. Still, she saw nothing.
She should have been comforted.
She wasn’t. Unease still pricked at her.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, she knew that she was under surveillance. In fact, she had known since the day before when she had spotted the man with the cold blue eyes watching her as she left the post office. He was so familiar. When she had seen him, she had a flash of what she thought may have been a memory, but it had made no sense. In her mind, she could hear a cold voice calling to her, shouting, but couldn’t make out the words. Was it a threat? A warning? Although she couldn’t understand the words, the tone was harsh.
Although it seemed improbable, she knew that she had seen him somewhere before and instinctively cringed. A chill had run through her when his posture stiffened at her reaction. Had she offended him? She didn’t think so. Since then, she’d had the sensation of hard eyes boring into her. It was like walking around with a target on her back, like the one her brother used when sighting in his rifle before hunting season.
The spot between her shoulder blades tingled again, like a spider skittering across her skin. He was there. Somewhere he was out there, watching her. Briefly, the idea of going to the police crossed her mind, but she quickly vetoed it. What would she tell them? That she believed someone she’d bumped into was following her, but she hadn’t actually seen him following her? Oh, and she thought she might have met him before, but had no real recollection of doing so. Yeah, right. They’d think she was crazy or making the story up.
Thankfully, she was in a parking lot full of other shoppers, so there was little chance that anyone would come after her. Still, she didn’t like the feeling of being out in the open. Hoisting her purse higher on her shoulder, she held the bag close to her body and pushed herself to move faster. The October wind bit into her skin as she practically ran the last few feet to her car. Her eyes teared at the cold. She didn’t care what the people around her thought. Every instinct inside her was screaming at her to flee.
She held out the key fob and pressed the unlock button several times as she approached her vehicle. The lights flashed in two short bursts. Opening the driver’s side door, she threw herself inside. Her elbow slammed into the steering wheel in her haste. She ignored the sharp pain that shot down her arm. She pushed the key into the ignition with fingers that shook. The first time she tried to turn the key, it was stuck and wouldn’t move. Not now. She’d had trouble with the ignition jamming before. Thoughts of being stranded here while someone with malicious intent drew closer crowded into her mind. Clenching her teeth, she held her breath and turned the steering wheel to the left. When it clicked, she tried to turn the key again.
Relief flooded through her as the engine roared to life. The sooner she arrived home and was locked inside her house, the better she’d feel. She was concerned that someone might try to break into her house, but she shoved that fear aside. She had good locks, and she didn’t live alone in the house her family had owned for the past fifteen years. Her brother would be home shortly.
Pulling out of the parking lot, she sighed, allowing the tension that had built up inside her to drain away. She had half-expected someone to follow her, but no one did. Maybe she was being paranoid.
Suddenly her confidence that she had recognized the man dwindled. He probably just had one of those faces that looked vaguely like someone she had known. Even with the doubt, she couldn’t completely shake the sensation that she had escaped from some nebulous danger.
She was being ridiculous.
She neared the intersection. Wow. She needed to pay attention to where she was going. She hadn’t realized that she had driven so far already. She tapped the brake to slow as she neared the stop sign.
Her car didn’t slow. Her insides quivered.
She pushed harder on the brake. In horror, she glanced down to see that her foot was all the way to the floorboard.
Her brakes weren’t working.
The car stopped to the left started into the intersection. She was going to wreck! Slamming the heel of her hand against the horn, she let out three sharp blasts. The driver jerked to a halt, yelling angrily as Sadie vroomed past.
She held the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip and leaned forward, her eyes frantically searching the passing roads.
In less than a mile, she’d be at another busy intersection. How far could she travel before she collided with someone? Making a split decision, she wrenched the wheel to the side and peeled off onto a dirt road. The road was at a slight incline. Her stomach began to settle as the vehicle started to slow as it continued uphill.
The relief vanished when she realized that on the other side of the incline was a steep drop. Her mouth was dry. The moment she crested that hill, her car would begin to accelerate again.
Frantically, she stomped on the brake, hoping against all logic that the brake would suddenly begin to work again.
It didn’t. As she neared the top, she knew with utter clarity that if she didn’t figure out a way to stop the car, she was going to crash and possibly kill herself and anyone in her path.
“Dat, they’re going to crash!”
Ben Mast heard his son’s shout a mere moment before he heard the roar of a vehicle approaching way too fast. Throwing his hammer down on his work bench, he rushed out of the brown log-sided structure and raced down the gravel driveway to his seven-year-old son Nathaniel’s side.
The red compact car swerved wildly down the hill, tires spinning on the slick surface.
Ben grabbed Nathaniel and dragged him back from the road, despite the boy’s protests. If the driver left the road, he didn’t want his son to become a victim of some Englischer’s recklessness. His lips tightened in anger. Didn’t these people care that others might be out on these roads? He knew for a fact there was a sign posted saying that children lived on this street.
The car zoomed past, the high-pitched whine of the engine searing the silent afternoon. He caught a glimpse of the driver’s face and saw sheer panic. Why didn’t she try to slow down?
A familiar clopping noise gained his attention. He whipped his head around, mouth so dry he couldn’t have swallowed if he’d wanted to. A horse was coming up the hill. It was pulling a buggy with an Amish couple and several children. The man pulled on the reins, but the car was still coming. Where could the family go? Ben felt the inevitability of the collision clenching his stomach painfully.
“Gott, help them!” he shouted out.
The car swerved to the side, careening off the side of the road and plowing into an ancient maple tree with a horrendous crash. The tree shuddered, and the hood of the small car crunched in like it was made of cardboard. Steam burst from the engine, with a long, loud hiss.
There was no movement inside the car. Fearing the worst, Ben turned urgently to his son. “Go to Caleb and Lovina’s,” he said, pointing to the house across the street. “Caleb has a phone in his business office. Ask him to call for help.”
Most of the houses on the road belonged to Amish families. Although there were a few Englischer homes, as well. Lovina and Caleb were their closest neighbors.
Nathaniel’s head bobbed in a hurried nod, then he shot off across the street. Ben waited until he saw his son was with Lovina before he dashed down the street to the car. He knew that Caleb was probably already calling but giving Nathaniel a purpose would keep him out of harm’s way. Ben reached the car and saw that the front windows had shattered upon impact. Glass crunched under his feet as he approached the driver’s door.
“Miss?” The woman inside the car was hunched over the steering wheel, but he could see part of her face through the curtain of light brown hair. Blood was running down her cheek. Taking care not to cut his arm, he reached in through the broken window and placed his fingers on the side of her neck, feeling for a pulse. He found one. It was strong and steady. Ben sighed and closed his eyes, murmuring a soft prayer of thanksgiving.
The driver of the buggy stepped down to see if he could help. Ben heard the cries of children in the buggy. Looking up, he also saw that the woman sitting in the front looked very pregnant and quite ill.
“Nee, denke. Why don’t you take your family home? My son went to Caleb’s to call the ambulance.”
The man nodded. “Once I get my wife and children home, I will come back to see if you need me.”
Ben agreed, but his attention was back on the vehicle.
He looked at the front of the car and frowned. There was so much damage. He didn’t see how she could have escaped injury; possibly she had internal bleeding. She’d have to go to the hospital. He flinched. He had lost his wife to a cancer that no one had been aware of until it was too late. Their unborn daughter had also perished. The hospital where they had died would forever be stamped in his memory. He never wanted to step inside one of those places again.
He looked again at the woman. It would be easier to decide what to do if the door weren’t in the way. If it even opened. He looked doubtfully at how the frame had been bent on impact. He had to try it, though. To his surprise, he was able to wrench the door open. It swung wide and hung at an odd angle, but he was already focused on the occupant of the car. She was so still. He wished he could see her legs better. He wondered if he should try and pull her from the vehicle but decided against it. He didn’t want to risk hurting her any more than she already was.
“Is she alive?” Caleb’s deep voice startled him. He’d been so wrapped up in his inspection that he hadn’t heard his neighbor approaching.
“Jah. I can’t tell how bad she’s hurt, but she’s alive.”
Caleb wrinkled up his nose. “What’s that smell?”
Ben froze. The distinct sharp odor of gasoline rose to his nostrils. Bending down, he saw the gas was dripping from her car. She must have punctured the line during the crash. He reversed his earlier decision. She might have internal injuries, but if the car exploded, she’d be dead.
“Let’s move her from the car,” Ben said.
The other man grunted in response. Between the two of them, they slowly maneuvered the woman from the vehicle. Ben surveyed her for any other signs of damage as he helped Caleb carry her across the street to his porch. There was blood on her left arm, but other than that and the cut on her cheek, she appeared to be whole.
He looked around. Some of the neighbors had emerged from their houses to see what was happening. “Stay back,” he yelled a warning. “There might be a gas leak.”
Some of them stayed where they were, although several went back into their homes, shooing their children ahead of them.
Sirens sounded in the distance. As they zoomed closer, Nathaniel ran up to him and stared down at the woman.
“Is she going to die, Dat?” The little boy’s voice trembled. It broke his heart to hear it. He wanted to say no, but he would never lie to his child. Nathaniel had already learned the hard truth of human frailty. Although Ben and his son did not speak of his wife’s illness, he knew that Nathaniel had not forgotten the agony of watching his mother waste away and die. How could he forget it?
“I don’t know, Nathaniel. It’s in Gott’s hands. We have called the ambulance, that’s all we can do.”
The ambulance arrived. Ben waved at them to pull up the driveway. A police car pulled up behind the accident, red and blue lights flashing. The paramedics jumped down from their vehicle and rushed to the young woman lying on the porch. With calm efficiency, they started checking her vital signs.
“You shouldn’t move someone from a vehicle if you don’t know the extent of their injuries,” one of the paramedics informed Caleb and Ben.
Caleb grunted, unimpressed. Ben felt it was up to him to give an explanation.
“Jah, I know that. We smelled gasoline and feared it was too dangerous to leave her in the car.”
He watched as they lifted the still-unconscious woman onto a stretcher. Something about her pale face surrounded by wavy light-brown hair tugged at him. Almost like a memory, but hazy. Hopefully they would find some identification in the car and be able to notify her next of kin. His mind again traveled to the hospital where he had spent the last day of his Lydia’s life. It had seemed to him such a place should have been filled with warmth to comfort patients but was instead filled with Englisch technology. The idea of the stranger waking up alone in such a place bothered him, although he told himself that it wasn’t his concern.
He had done his part. He had made sure the emergency personnel were called. She was being well cared for. If she had family, they would soon be with her.
It didn’t help. What if she didn’t have family?
He couldn’t get the horrified expression on her face as she barreled down the hill out of his mind. Had she run into the tree on purpose to avoid the buggy?
The police were finishing up their inspection of the car. The tow truck arrived and hooked it up.
“Not that she’ll be able to do anything with this,” the driver remarked, chomping on a piece of gum. “I’m guessing the insurance adjuster will say it’s a total loss.”
“Why’d she crash? Did you see what happened?” an officer asked Ben.
He shook his head. “I saw her coming down the hill. It looked like she couldn’t stop, but that’s all I know.”
The officers finished up, and within twenty minutes the street was quiet again.
But Ben remained unsettled. Something about the situation continued to eat at him.
“Dat. I found this.” Nathaniel held up something for his father to inspect. It was a cell phone. Ben’s brow furrowed. It had probably slipped from the woman’s pocket when he and Caleb had carried her to the porch. The Amish didn’t use cell phones, not even in their businesses. Their bishop allowed them to have a landline phone in their businesses if it was necessary, but cell phones were considered excessive. But from his interactions with them he knew that the Englisch relied heavily on their devices.
It gave him an excuse to check up on her, just to make sure she was all right. The thought made him pause. It wasn’t like him to be so concerned about what was happening in the Englisch world. He had a few Englisch friends he’d made through his work as a carpenter, but he avoided any deep attachments. He had learned his lesson the hard way. He couldn’t rely on others to protect his family. And technology couldn’t always help. He had lost his wife and their unborn daughter when Lydia had been struck with cancer, and no amount of Englisch technology or medicine had been able to save them. All he had left was his son and he was determined to be careful.
He would check on her, he decided, then he would leave. His conscience would be eased, and he would never have to see the woman again.
His mind flashed back to the memory of the driver’s panicked face before she had hit the tree. She had obviously been aware of the danger. He couldn’t recall any of the telltale clues that she was trying to stop.
His eyes flashed to the tree in question. The bark had been scraped off in several places. He could see bits and pieces of it littering the ground. Although the mangled car was gone, he doubted he’d forget the image anytime soon.
Why hadn’t she stopped?
TWO (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
“Sadie? Sadie, can you hear me?” a strange voice pleaded, over and over again.
Why wouldn’t he just be quiet? Her head was pounding with every word he uttered. Irritated, she dragged her eyelids open to confront the man who kept talking to her when she just wanted to rest. Two blurry figures stood beside her bed. That didn’t seem right. She blinked, and they wobbled before coalescing into one man. His messy brown hair and dark brown eyes gave her the impression of an excited puppy. He was obviously happy to see her.
But who was he?
Panic stirred inside her at the sudden realization that she had no memory of the man standing before her, a ridiculous grin stretched wide upon his face. He, however, obviously knew her.
“Who—who are you?” she gasped out, feeling like the panic was a steel band around her chest, making it difficult to take in a full breath of air.
His grin faltered and those brown eyes sharpened.
“Are you messing with me, Sadie?”
Sadie. The shock went through her. Her name was Sadie. The sound of the name was unfamiliar.
“My name is Sadie?”
The man’s formerly grinning mouth was now a grim frown. His brow was furrowed. Concern emanated from him.
“Your name is Sadie Ann Standings,” he began slowly, as if her ability to process information had disappeared along with her memory. She fought the urge to sigh in impatience. “My name is Kurt. Kurt Standings. I’m your brother.”
She’d forgotten her own brother?
“You’re my brother?” she blurted. She didn’t doubt him, but it was so much to take in at once.
He shrugged. “Stepbrother, but our parents have been married since we were both eight years old. When they married, my dad adopted you, gave you our last name. That was sixteen years ago.”
Which meant she was twenty-four. Why couldn’t she remember any of this? He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. She jerked it away from him, then winced at the hurt on his face. Still, she was relieved when he didn’t try to touch her again. The thought of a stranger touching her so familiarly was disconcerting.
“Here,” he said, pulling his wallet from his back pocket and drawing out a picture. A young woman with light brown hair and a younger version of the man standing before her stood behind an older couple sitting on a couch, smiling at the camera. She glanced at it and then back at him, awaiting the explanation. He jabbed a finger at the young woman. “That’s you. This is your mom and my dad.”
She looked closer and saw a clear resemblance between the two women.
“Where are our parents?” Shouldn’t they have come the moment they heard she was in the hospital?
His face grew sober. “I’m sorry, Sadie. Dad and your mom, Hannah, were killed in a fire two years ago.”
The loss swamped her, even though the people he talked about were strangers.
“What was your father’s name?” she asked softly.
“Our father, Sadie. Your biological father was long gone. Our dad’s name was Tim.”
“Hannah and Tim,” she whispered to herself, wishing she could remember.
“Look, we need to get the doctor in here.” Kurt took the control near her bed and pressed the button.
Within minutes, a doctor and a nurse were in the room. The female doctor flashed a light in her eyes and asked her endless questions, most of which Sadie was unable to answer. She didn’t recall her family, where she went to school, anything about her job. She couldn’t even tell them what she had been doing when her car had crashed.
“You swerved to avoid colliding with an Amish buggy and hit a tree instead.” The doctor lifted her eyes from her laptop and slid her glasses up to rest on the top of her head. “The car was totaled, or so I hear. You’re very fortunate that no one else was hurt.”
Sadie detected a faint note of censure in the doctor’s voice but wasn’t sure why.
“I guess.” If only she could remember!
The doctor nodded. “You must have been going very fast to have hit the tree so hard.”
“What about my memories? Will they come back?” This total blankness was intolerable. She couldn’t imagine dealing with it for the rest of her life. A movement caught her attention. Kurt was frowning, his face disturbed. When he noticed her watching him, he smiled, but she could still see the strain in it.
The doctor’s expression softened. “There’s no way to know that. You may regain some memories, or you may regain all of them. In some instances, the amnesia is permanent. Your brother and your friends will undoubtedly be willing to help you fill in the missing memories.”
“Of course, we will, sis. Don’t you worry about it.”
Which was silly. Obviously, she would worry about it. It was somewhat unsettling to have someone of whom she had no recollection talking to her with such familiarity. She wondered vaguely if they had been close siblings.
As the doctor was leaving, another stranger entered the room. Sadie felt her eyes widen. This stranger was taller than Kurt, and his dress was very simple. Blue button-down shirt, dark trousers, sturdy brown boots. His hair was dark, and so were his eyes. The lower part of his face was covered with a beard. No mustache, though. She blinked at the sight of an Amish man standing in her hospital room. The beard signified that he was married, or at least she thought it did. Huh. It struck her as odd that she could remember how the Amish dressed, but that she couldn’t recall her own name.
“Ben!” Kurt strode to the door, astonishment stamped on his face. “What are you doing here?”
“Kurt. You know her?” He jerked the hand holding his hat toward where Sadie lay watching from the hospital bed. She could see the surprise in the rigidness of his posture.
“Know her? She’s my sister.” Kurt’s voice retained its puzzlement.
Ben, whoever he was, hadn’t said what he was doing there yet. Sadie listened avidly. Maybe he would have some details about what had happened to her. It was a rather desperate hope.
“Ah.” Ben shifted. His eyes sought out Sadie. He blinked when he saw her watching him. A slow smile, that reminded her of a sunrise, took over his face. She’d been so focused on the beard that she hadn’t noticed how gentle the deep brown eyes surrounded by several feathery laugh lines were. “It’s gut to see you awake. You crashed in front of my house. My neighbor and I pulled you from the car. I found this after you were gone.”
He pulled out a smartphone in a bright pink case and set it on the table beside her. It didn’t look familiar, but then, nothing really did.
“Thank you for bringing it. And thanks also for helping me,” she told him. “Do I know you?”
His thick eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “We’ve never met before.”
She liked the way he talked, slow and soft.
Kurt stepped in before the silence could become uncomfortable. “She’s got amnesia or something. Can’t remember a thing. Her doctor popped in and said she may or may not remember everything.”
That was a lot of information to be giving a stranger. Ben might know Kurt, but he had no true connection with her. She frowned at her brother, trying to let him know to stop telling his friend about her.
A knock sounded on the door. She sighed, wishing to be alone with her thoughts to sort out what she had learned. Kurt opened it. From her position on the bed she could make out a dark blue uniform and a gold badge. Finally. The police had arrived. Maybe she could get some answers. Kurt swung the door wider. “Hey, Keith. Do you have some news about my sister’s accident?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” The officer entered the room.
Sadie sat up straighter. Kurt knew the officer, and the man hadn’t said anything when he’d named her as his sister. Which meant she was, indeed, Kurt’s stepsister. She noticed Kurt straightening his posture out of the corner of her eye as the officer approached her. She felt bad. To her, Kurt was someone she didn’t know, but to him, she was his sister. If only she could remember!
“Keith? What caused my sister’s accident?” Kurt’s question brought her back to the present.
“There was a small jagged hole in the brake line. You most likely tore the line by going over rocks or rough terrain too fast. The line could have been slowly dripping for weeks without your being aware. You might have noticed your brakes feeling mushy. Too many people wait too long before getting their brakes fixed.”
Kurt thanked the officer for his help. Sadie frowned. She had thought he would want to know what caused the accident, but she couldn’t help noticing that his expression was even grimmer than before. His friend, Ben, seemed to notice something was wrong, as well.
“Kurt, are you well?”
Ben’s voice was smooth and deep, unhurried with a slight accent. Not too noticeable, just somehow rounder than the speech she’d heard from others since she awoke.
Her brother glanced at her in a considering way. Then he apparently decided she needed to know what was going on.
“Sadie, you couldn’t have had a leak for a long time.” He drew in a deep breath. “You had the entire brake system, including the lines, replaced last week.”
She shivered, though his meaning wasn’t processing. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“This wasn’t an accident.”
“What do mean, it wasn’t an accident?” Her voice came out strained, like she had to squeeze each and every painful word out.
Kurt—she couldn’t think of him as her brother—gave her a look that was overflowing with sympathy. She was grateful he didn’t attempt to touch her again.
“Someone tried to hurt you. Someone deliberately made it so that your car would run out of brake fluid while you were driving.”
She shuddered. The fear and panic she had felt since awaking with no memory threatened to pull her under. Already she could feel the blackness dragging her down. She fought her way through it. The doctor had said that her memories might return.
The other man, Ben, shifted beside the bed. “If you feel your sister was in danger, shouldn’t you have told the police officer who just left? You knew him.”
That, she thought, was a valid question. Narrowing her eyes, she switched her eyes back to her stepbrother. He sighed, then he grabbed the chair and motioned for his friend to sit. While Ben cautiously settled himself, his eyes wary, Kurt strode to the other side of the room and pulled a second chair to the side of the bed. Sadie had the uncomfortable feeling that she was about to be interrogated.
“Okay, look, Sadie, I know you don’t remember me, but I need you trust me. Okay?”
She nodded. “I believe that you are who you say. I’m sorry. I just don’t remember anything!”
He sighed. “I know. I know. Look, the truth of the matter is that I think you are in danger, but I have no proof.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s possible that it might be my fault. I think you might be in trouble because of my job.”
Startled, Sadie forced herself to sit up straighter. She noticed that Ben sat forward, his gaze sharpening as he stared at her brother. The intensity of his glance made her momentarily lose focus on the conversation. When her brother began to speak again, she mentally shook herself and returned her attention to Kurt.
“Explain, please. How is it your fault that I may be in danger?” She stressed the word may, as she was still hoping it was all a bad nightmare and she would soon wake up with her memories intact.
“I can’t get used to you not knowing things.”
He wasn’t the only one. Irritation stirred that he would find her amnesia an inconvenience. How did he think she felt?
“Kurt,” Ben interrupted him, his deep voice rich with reprimand.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. That sounded really selfish. Sorry. I don’t mean to be insensitive.” He shoved a hand through his dark hair. “I’m a reporter. Nothing big. Smaller stories, mainly section B. I’ve slowly been getting more important stuff, though. Recently my boss put me on a new story. I can’t tell you much about it, confidentiality and all, but I think I might have found something serious. Unfortunately, it’s nothing I can take to the police. I have no actual evidence. Right now, I just have suspicions.”
“One of your suspicions is that someone knows you’re looking?” Ben asked.
“Yeah.”
Sadie glanced from one man to the other. “I still don’t understand how that affects me.”
Kurt sighed. “It affects you because I think someone is telling me that you’ll get hurt if I don’t stop digging.” Frustration rang in his voice. “I’m so close to finding something, so close, and I’m going to have to stop.”
“Are you sure you can’t go to the cops? That Keith seemed to like you well enough. Maybe he’d be able to find the information you are seeking.”
Kurt snorted. “The moment it’s learned I went to the police, any chance I have of uncovering the facts are gone. My boss will never trust me with another major project again.”
It wasn’t her fault. She knew it wasn’t her fault. But she couldn’t stop the trickle of doubt and guilt that wound its way through her. A new fear surfaced.
“Will they still come after me, do you think?”
He didn’t answer her, which was an answer in itself.
“Kurt, you have to protect your sister.” Ben shoved his chair back. The sound of the four legs scraping the floor made her cringe. Ben stood and paced away from the bed. “Your family must be a priority.”
She appreciated him stepping in to speak up for her, virtual stranger that she was.
“I know I have to protect her,” Kurt snapped. “I just don’t know how to do that. Even if I stop digging, they’re still there and will most likely come after me and probably her. I have to get more information so I can go to the police. Once they are involved, I’m sure we can find more protection.”
Ben didn’t let up. “And until then? How do you intend to make sure she is safe before then?” The Amish man slowed his pacing and took a deep breath. She could tell he was struggling to remain calm, although she had no idea why he was so invested in what happened to her. Was it just because he was friends with Kurt?
“You don’t need to worry,” Kurt said, lifting his chin and crossing his arms. “I’ll figure something out.”
Sadie’s jaw dropped open. She couldn’t hide her surprise. Maybe she felt this way because she couldn’t remember her brother, but she was not impressed with him right now. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about her? And about his own safety? Although, she had to admit, she had no idea what he had gotten himself into. That was a definite negative about having amnesia.
She flicked a glance toward Ben. He obviously wasn’t any happier with Kurt than she was. Even through the beard she could tell that his jaw was clenched. His brows were lowered, and his dark eyes were flashing. “I stood beside my seven-year-old son and watched your sister’s car slam into a tree. I will never forget the sound it made. When I got to the car, I thought she was dead. It was horrifying. There was gasoline on the ground. My neighbor and I pulled her from the car, wondering if the car would explode at any moment. I came here this afternoon because neither my son nor I could stop wondering if the woman we had tried to save would survive.”
Silence followed his words.
She was touched by the care he had shown her.
“Your son, is he all right?”
Ben’s glance settled on her. The kindness in those deep, sad eyes struck her. “Yes, Nathaniel is gut. He is very worried about you.”
Kurt sat forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “I’m worried, too. Don’t think I’m not. I just don’t know what to do. I can’t even think of many friends you could stay with. It would be one thing if you could remember, but you’d be so vulnerable without your memory. Unless...”
Suddenly he sat forward. Excitement lit up his face. “I know exactly what I can do and where you can go.”
“Where?” Sadie shivered with apprehension. She might not remember Kurt, but at least she was certain of who he was. The idea of staying with someone she didn’t know made her uneasy.
Her stepbrother gave her his wide cheerful grin. “It’s perfect. No one would think to look for you there, and I could continue digging until I find what I need.”
“Where?” she asked again, growing more tense by the second.
“You can stay with Ben. No one would look for you in Amish country.”
Ben gaped at his friend, certain he had missed something. Kurt was desperate; he could comprehend the feeling, even empathize with it. In addition to that, he and Kurt had known each other for several years. Ben was a carpenter by trade, and they had met several years back when Kurt was writing a story on local businesses. He had included a section on businesses within the Amish community and had come out to interview Ben. They had formed a connection. When Lydia became ill the following year, Kurt had gone out of his way to assist and to be a support to his friend. He was the one and only Englischer that Ben considered more than a mere acquaintance. In fact, when Ben had decided to move away from the district where he and Lydia had both grown up, Kurt had helped him locate a new home.
Even so, the idea of the attractive young Englisch woman staying in his home was ridiculous. A widower did not ask a single woman to stay with him unchaperoned. It just wasn’t done. He knew it would not be appropriate, and the gossip that would surely sprout from such an event could be devastating. Not to mention the trouble he would get in with the bishop.
Nee. He wanted to help. Truly he did. But not this way.
He tried to convince himself that he was making the right decision, but he couldn’t keep the worry about what would happen to her once she left the hospital out of his mind. And almost as important, what he’d tell Nathaniel. His son had been almost in tears when Ben left to come to the hospital, afraid that the woman was dead.
With a start, he realized he was actually considering taking this woman into his home. He needed to put a stop to this foolishness.
“I am a widower,” he told his friend sternly. “I cannot have a single woman living in my home, even temporarily, without a chaperone. You know this. That’s not our way.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” a soft voice said. He turned his head and looked straight into eyes the color of warm caramel. Eyes that intrigued him, although he couldn’t say why. “Please, don’t worry about me.”
He would worry, though. He knew he would. He just couldn’t think of anything else to do. As he gazed into those eyes, he was reminded of someone, but the memory skirted just outside of his reach. This woman was familiar, somehow, but he knew that he had never met her. He shrugged the feeling away.
Kurt shifted in his chair, dragging Ben’s attention away from the lovely Englisch woman with a bandage on her temple. He knew he was doing the right thing, but his conscience wasn’t easy about it.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble with your church. You know I don’t. But isn’t there a relative who could stay with you for a short time? Someone who could provide you with the chaperone you need? It will be for a short time. A week. Maybe two.”
Before he could reply, Sadie turned her attention to Kurt with a puzzled frown on her face. “Don’t I have a job? How is it that I can get away with just vanishing?”
Ben blinked. That was a very good question.
“You work as a high school counselor. There’s no way you could go back to your job in the condition you’re in. I have already contacted them and told them you’ve been in an accident. Obviously, they know nothing about the amnesia yet, but once they know, they’ll agree. You have some sick time saved up, although only about three weeks. If it takes longer than that, you’ll have to take unpaid leave.”
Ben let their conversation wash over him without really hearing it. Every instinct he had was screaming at him that if he left her in the hospital, Sadie would still be in danger. The image of her pale and lifeless-appearing body trapped in her vehicle filled his mind. Englischers could be a very reckless and violent people. He still remembered the father of a childhood friend being murdered years ago by an Englischer. The killer, a local teenager, was still in prison.
He shook his head. He couldn’t hold the actions of one man against all Englischers. Kurt, despite his lack of common sense at times, had proven himself to be a good and loyal friend. Ben knew that their family had suffered tragedies.
He couldn’t get involved, though.
He opened his mouth to tell his friend how sorry he was that he couldn’t help. Instead, he found himself saying, “Let me think about this and see if there’s a way I can make it work.”
Relief filled Kurt’s eyes and a wide grin broke over his face. What had he done? He glanced again at Sadie. Unlike her brother, she was frowning. He could see the slight furrow in her brow.
“Ben, I appreciate your willingness to consider helping me out. I know that you are friends.” She waved a hand between two men. “I don’t mean any offense, but I don’t know you. I don’t even know Kurt, not at the moment, but he is my stepbrother. But we haven’t met before today.”
Kurt stepped closer to the bed. “I would never let you stay with anyone who wasn’t trustworthy. Ben is as fine a man as they come. I promise.”
The exasperated glance she threw at her brother had Ben biting the inside of his lips to keep from smiling. She may have been injured, but she had fierceness inside her. He was glad to see that.
“How do I know that I can trust your word?” she asked. Kurt looked a little hurt at that, but it was a fair question. She shook her head and then winced. “It’s just that if I am in danger, and right now we can’t really prove that I am, I hate the thought that I would somehow be bringing that danger into his home. He has a little boy he has to look after.”
His heart warmed that she was thinking about his son. He needed to get back home. He had left Nathaniel with Caleb and Lovina. If he didn’t go soon, he’d be getting home after it started to get dark. He hadn’t gotten a driver since he hadn’t planned on being gone that long.
“I need to head for home. I just came to assure myself and Nathaniel that you were well.”
She was, for now.
Ben slapped his hat back on his head as he exited the building and strode briskly to where he had left his buggy. It had grown colder while he’d been inside. The chill bit at him. He ignored it. It would grow much colder. Dealing with harsh weather was just a part of his life. He had lived his entire life in this part of Ohio. He expected he’d probably die here, as well. Although, he was over an hour from where he’d grown up. He refused to allow guilt to take root. He’d moved out of the heart of Amish country in Homes County to get away from the memories of his dead wife. And to escape the expectations of his family.
Would Sadie’s brother talk her into staying with him? he wondered as he pulled away from the town. He didn’t know if Kurt’s worries were founded or not. However, he had never known Kurt to be fanciful. Kurt might sometimes act without thinking, but he did seem to be very observant, which was probably why he had been entrusted with what appeared to be a dangerous assignment at his job.
Ben mulled over the facts as he knew them throughout the rest of the evening. He found himself distracted, thinking about the young woman he’d rescued that afternoon. With no memories, how would she know who to trust? Anyone could pose as a friend. Her brother wouldn’t be able to be with her at all times. Just how serious was this story Kurt was following? If what Kurt said was true, and Ben had no reason to believe it wasn’t, he was entangled too deeply to get out of it now.
It was very unsettling to not know what they were going to do. Part of him hoped that they would decide not to bring Sadie out to his home. Then he could just wash his hands of the whole situation.
He didn’t know if he would be able to rest easy, not knowing if she was safe. Somehow, when he had pulled her out of that car, he had become invested in making sure she survived. It didn’t make any sense, nor was it wise to become so deeply enmeshed in her life. He couldn’t help himself, though. Seeing her unconscious, knowing she might not be safe, sat heavily on his mind even as he went to bed that evening.
Tomorrow, he thought, could bring more complications into his life than he wanted. Or than he was prepared for.
THREE (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
Where was Kurt?
Sadie glanced at the clock on the wall for what must have been the twentieth time. He had promised to be at the hospital to pick her up by ten in the morning. It was now almost noon. She didn’t know if she should be annoyed or worried, although in her present condition she was leaning more toward worried. Was such extreme tardiness something she should have expected from Kurt? She had no way of knowing, but that wasn’t the impression she had gotten from him the day before.
She could try calling him again. The cell phone that his friend Ben had brought in was still lying where he’d left it. She had found Kurt’s name and picture in her contacts. So she really did know him, even though she still couldn’t recall a thing about him. She’d given herself a headache the night before, trying to remember anything about her life. It was all still blank.
Five more minutes passed. This was getting ridiculous.
A nurse walked in the room. “Honey, is your ride coming for you? Do you need us to call someone?”
Great, now the hospital was trying to kick her out. She pasted on what she hoped was a pleasant smile that disguised just how frayed her nerves truly were. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. I’ll give him another call.”
“That’s a good idea. Let me know if you need any help.”
The nurse gave her a comforting smile and retreated out of the room. Sadie snatched the phone from the table and tapped the phone icon next to her brother’s name again.
This time, the call was picked up. She barely let him answer before she was talking. “Kurt? Where are you? They need this room for another patient. Are you coming to pick me up?”
“Ah, yes, Sadie. I’ll be there soon.”
The phone disconnected. She stared at the device in her hand, frowning. The voice was a bit muffled, but it hadn’t sounded like Kurt’s. There had been a lot of commotion in the background, though, so maybe she was wrong.
She stilled. In her mind, she replayed the commotion. Had someone been shouting run?
She glanced again at the phone, shivering as a chill settled into her body that had nothing to do with the cold. Whoever he was running from, they had Kurt. She had no way to prove it. It could have been another friend who had answered his phone, but she knew it was not.
What she did know was that someone was coming for her.
Galvanized into action, she jumped off the bed and grabbed her coat. Kurt had been very sweet the night before, leaving during dinner to bring her a change of clothes. Nothing fancy, just a simple pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt and a pink-and-purple flannel shirt. When she saw the clothes, though, she thought they must have been favorites, judging by the amount of wear in the knees and elbows. Which showed how well he knew his sister. What if she never got the chance to get to know him?
Stop it! This kind of thinking would get her nowhere. She could go to the police. She considered that option; surely it made the most sense. Except Kurt had been so adamant that he couldn’t that she hesitated. She had no way of knowing if she’d put him in more danger by alerting the police. She didn’t want to do that.
Nor could she go home. The ambulance driver had brought in her purse. She had her driver’s license, so she knew where she lived. She also had an idea that if she went there, someone would be waiting for her. Panic started to churn inside her. Then she remembered. The early morning nurse had brought her a newspaper. There was a write-up of the accident in it. She snatched the paper. It gave the address where the crash had taken place. Ben had said that it happened right in front of his house.
She would go there. He wasn’t really expecting her, even though they’d tossed the idea around of her staying with him. Last night she had not wanted to impose on him, a stranger. This morning, he was the only one she felt she could trust.
She made her decision. Grabbing up the newspaper and her purse, she left the room. The nurse at the station was talking with a doctor as Sadie strode by. She averted her face. Neither of them called out to her but continued what appeared to be an intense discussion about another patient. She rode the elevator down to the lobby, feeling the walls closing around her the entire time. She tensed as the door slid open with a soft whoosh, but no one was on the other side.
Relieved, she pulled the hood of her coat up, both to protect herself from the chilly air and to shield her face. She walked past the reception desk and out into the cold.
Now what? There was no one meeting her, and she had no car.
A car with a taxi sign pulled up in front of the hospital, and an older woman got out. She paid the driver and started to head toward the hospital.
Sadie looked around. No other taxis were in sight. This might be her only chance. She quickened her step, trying to hurry without drawing attention to herself. Please, don’t leave.
The driver saw her and he smiled. She could almost see him mentally adding on another customer. “You need a ride, miss?”
She nodded. “Can you take me here?” She pointed at the address listed in the paper.
“Absolutely! That’s about a twenty minute drive. That all right?”
“Fine.” She hurriedly climbed into the vehicle. The driver, a young man in his twenties, pulled away from the curb and slid smoothly into the light traffic. She glanced back at where she’d just left.
A man was jogging from the parking lot toward the hospital. Pulling her hood so it hid the right side of her face, she looked away. Something about the man struck her as familiar. Half a memory of an angry face formed, then it faded. She had seen him before. And he scared her.
She had been right to leave the hospital. Whoever had answered her brother’s phone probably had him, and they were apparently coming to get her, too.
She bit down on the panic that was screaming to get out. Ben was the only one she could go to. Maybe he’d know what to do.
Her phone vibrated. Hands shaking, she looked at the text.
I got away. Hide. Don’t text back. Danger. No police.
Kurt had gotten away. The very fact that he told her not to text back reassured her that it really was Kurt and not someone trying to get to her.
When the driver pulled up at the large two-story farmhouse, she distractedly paid him. There was something very solid and comforting about the look of the house. And, she realized, something familiar. Not specifically about this house, but about the feel of the place.
This was not her first visit to an Amish home, she decided. For a moment, she tried to grasp at the memory, but gave up as it continued to evade her.
A young boy watched her approach from the wraparound porch. He looked about seven. Ben’s son was seven. She thought back briefly, trying to recall his name.
“Are you Nathaniel?” she asked gently.
He nodded, his eyes wide.
“Could you ask your father if he has a moment to talk? My name is Sadie.”
The boy whirled around and dashed into the house, calling for his father. Sadie climbed the steps. The sudden adrenaline rush she had experienced as she escaped the hospital had gone, leaving her exhausted. Her bones felt like they had turned into half-cooked spaghetti. She just wanted to slump down against the wall and take a nap.
Footsteps pounded toward the door. She straightened her spine, embarrassed at her weakened state.
The man from the hospital appeared, his dark eyes astonished as he held open the door for her. His gaze swept the driveway behind her. Searching for Kurt, she realized. He wouldn’t have expected her to show up alone.
When those eyes returned to her, she responded to the question in their depths.
“I need your help.”
Ben stared at the woman in shock. He hadn’t really thought that she would show up here, much less on her own. The silence between them stretched tensely before he realized that her face under the bandage on her temple was pale and drawn. There was an air of sorrow that hovered around her.
He was being rude. “Sadie. Come in. My son and I were getting ready to eat lunch. Please join us.”
He could see the dismay that crossed her face and hurried to make her feel at ease. “It’s no imposition. I made plenty.”
He led the way into the kitchen. The little boy who’d greeted her sat at the table, his eyes excited. “Is it her, Dat? Is it the lady from the car?”
Ben chuckled. His son had run into the house telling him that the lady from the accident was at the door. Ben hadn’t mentioned the idea that she might come and stay with them. The more he had thought about the idea, the more ludicrous it had seemed. He was a widower living with a young boy. Having a young woman in the house at night was not appropriate, and he didn’t know who he could have stay with them. It would have been different had they been near his own family, but he and Nathaniel had moved to this district three years ago after Lydia was gone. They had friends, but no real family close by. He had done that on purpose, to escape from the expectations that he remarry and give Nathaniel a mother.
He had never expected to have her show up on his doorstep alone.
That alerted him that something had gone wrong. His stomach tightened. Kurt had been working on a sensitive project. A potentially dangerous one. Despite Ben’s desire to keep his distance from the pretty Englisch woman, he needed to discover what had happened to Kurt.
The small group settled down to eat. Ben and Nathaniel both bowed their heads to pray silently, the way they always did before meals. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Sadie was staring at her plate uncomfortably. It had never occurred to him that she might not be a praying person. Kurt was, he knew, so Ben had assumed that his sister was, as well. Or had she forgotten?
That was an unsettling thought, that one might forget Gott. Even during the darkest times of his life, he never doubted that Gott was there. Truthfully, he had often wondered how he would have survived without his faith. Shame filled him when he realized that just a few minutes ago he had looked at this woman who was obviously in need and had basically been trying to decide how to best get rid of her because her presence in his life was not convenient. That was not who he was. That was not what he wanted to teach Nathaniel.
Questions burned inside of him. Questions that would have to wait until his son was no longer in the room.
“Sadie,” he began the moment they finished eating and Nathaniel had skipped off. “Where is your stepbrother? I know we had talked about you coming out here, but I had gotten the impression that you didn’t want to do that. Am I mistaken?”
The eyes that rose to meet his were wide with anxiety. “He never came to pick me up this morning. When I called his phone, someone else answered it. I could hear my brother yelling in the background for me to run. I think whoever he was investigating had found him.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone.
“What—”
“Hang on,” she shushed him. “I want to show you this text I received. I believe it’s from my brother.”
He read the text. No wonder she was terrified. Instinctively, he tilted his head and listened tensely. When he heard the sound of his son practicing his spelling words, he relaxed.
“Have any of your memories returned?” Anything she remembered could possibly help them right now. She shook her head, destroying that hope.
They both started when someone pounded on the front door. No one he knew would pound the door that way. And, he thought to himself, he didn’t know anyone who would use the front door. Most people came around to the side.
He moved quickly across the house. He could see a young blond man standing outside. The man wasn’t looking into the house; instead, he was glancing wildly around him as if searching for someone. Even standing as he was, inside, Ben could see that the man was bouncing on the balls of his feet, almost as if he was ready to be off in an instant.
“That’s the taxi driver who brought me here,” Sadie whispered at Ben’s back. “He wasn’t as jittery when I saw him before. Something must’ve happened.”
Ben waved her back, motioning for her to stay out of sight. She gave him a disgruntled look but complied. Only when he was sure that she was not visible from outside did he open the door. No doubt she was still listening. He schooled his face into a bland expression. At least, he hoped he did.
“May I help you?”
“Where is she? That lady I dropped off here a while ago? She still here?”
The questions shot out of the young man so fast that they blended into each other. Ben couldn’t very well say that he didn’t know who the man was talking about. The man had probably seen her talking to Nathaniel before he left. He hesitated to give any clue about Sadie’s whereabouts, however. His instincts said that the driver was honestly concerned about her, but his instincts had been off before.
“Why do you want to know?”
The driver glanced around hurriedly again. “Look, I think she’s in trouble.”
So did Ben. If this young man had wanted to harm Sadie, he’d had plenty of opportunity when she was in his car. Making a decision, he motioned for the young man to enter the house. He shut the door and turned back to find that Sadie had stepped from her hiding place.
Upon seeing her, the young driver exclaimed in relief.
“Man, I’m glad to see you!”
Ben saw her brow crease in consternation. She frowned and caught Ben’s eye for a moment before she looked back at the driver.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
Visibly trying to collect himself, the driver shoved both his hands through his hair. “I went back to the hospital. The woman I dropped off earlier had booked me to come back and pick her up at a certain time. When she got into the car, she was very excited. She was telling me all about how a man had come in searching for a young woman who had been in a car accident. He claimed to be a detective.”
“He was no detective!” Sadie burst out.
Ben wanted to ask her how she knew that, considering she had no memory. He didn’t, though, for the basic reason that he agreed with her. If Kurt was right, the man searching for her was not out to help her. He hated to think that anyone from the local police force could possibly be involved, but that would explain why Kurt was so hesitant to go to the police.
“I don’t know who he was,” the driver responded. “All I know is that my customer pointed out the man who was looking for you as we pulled away. He sure didn’t look like any policeman I ever saw. He looked mean. When he reached into his jacket to get his phone out, I saw a gun. I don’t know if you’ve ever had the feeling that someone was up to no good, but that was exactly the feeling I got.”
Sadie had gone pale.
“Sadie, no one knows you’re here.”
“So will you help me?” Her voice was nearly steady, with the barest hint of a tremble. She’d leave if he said he didn’t want the risk. He couldn’t turn his back on her, though. It wasn’t the way he’d been raised. One didn’t ignore those in need just because it was inconvenient.
“Jah, I will help.”
The smile that lit her face was dazzling, radiant with relief.
It shook him how much he liked being the cause of that smile.
“Look,” the driver said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a card. His features weren’t as strained as they had been moments ago when he arrived, but he still had an air of concern about him. “I think you’re as safe here as anywhere. And the dude’s probably right. I mean, I doubt anyone knows that you’re here. But I want you to have my card, just in case you find that you don’t feel safe. I would be happy to take you to the police, or if you think of somewhere else you think you should go. Just call me. Just tell me to pick you up at—what’s your name?”
He directed this last toward Ben.
“Ben Mast.” He was slightly amused at the earnestness in the young man’s expression. And oddly touched. He was surprised to find an Englisch youth with such compassion.
The young man nodded. “Right. Tell me you’re at Ben’s. I’ll know.”
Sadie looked at the card, then back up at the young man. “Thank you, Braden. I appreciate your help today. I will hold on to this. If I need help, I’ll call.”
Braden took his leave. Within moments, Ben was left standing in his kitchen with his son and the woman who had literally crashed into their lives, and now threatened their peaceful existence with her mere presence in their home.
Gott, please don’t let me regret this decision.
He wondered if the prayer was too late.
FOUR (#u2494f3a0-711c-5c52-a369-910cae258c1d)
Once the decision to allow Sadie to stay was made, there was no going back. But Ben could not allow an unmarried woman to remain in his house with only himself. Even if she remained hidden and no one else in the town was aware that there was an Englisch woman in his house, Nathaniel would know. Ben would not scandalize his young son by teaching him that it was okay to ignore the rules when they were not convenient.
And at the moment, the rules were the epitome of inconvenient. Still, rules were there for a reason. They helped to keep one out of temptation and close to Gott.
“You look very serious, Ben.”
He hadn’t realized that she had been observing him while he pondered the unique dilemma he found himself in.
He smiled at her, trying to ease the concern in her eyes. “Jah, I am trying to solve a problem.”
“May I help?”
He could feel his smile wanting to change into a sarcastic smirk and kept his face still with effort. What would she say if he told her that she was the problem he was trying to solve? No doubt she would not be amused. Nee, he wouldn’t be cruel. It was plain that she was feeling guilty about the situation she had put his family in. Not that he was blaming her. No one would choose to have someone chasing them. And she had to be going out of her mind worrying about her brother, the one solid connection she had at the moment.
“Listen, I need to go and talk with a neighbor. Could you stay here with Nathaniel for a few minutes? I will be back soon.”
She nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
Ben passed her and headed out the door. Without thinking about it, he placed a comforting arm on her shoulder as he passed. He should have left without touching her. A jolt of electricity shocked him. She jumped, obviously having felt the same thing. Not gut.
Averting his gaze, he pretended that he hadn’t felt the spark that shimmered between them, although he was fairly sure that his ears were turning red. Ben jammed his hat on his head and strode out, never looking back. He did not want to see the look on her face right now.
Jogging across the street to Caleb’s house, he rapped sharply on the wooden door frame. Then he grimaced. It was not polite to pound on someone’s door, but he was so rattled he was hardly thinking.
He could hear footsteps approaching, then the entrance was opened. Lovina looked surprised to see him.
“Ben? Is Nathaniel gut?”
“Jah.” He nodded at the kind-hearted woman. Lovina was only a year or two older than his own twenty-six years, but she seemed older. He could hear the chorus of young voices inside her house. She and Caleb had four kinner. She also had a widowed aunt living with her. “I was wondering if I might speak with you and Caleb. And Ruth.”
Her eyes widened at the mention of her aunt. He didn’t know Ruth that well, so it probably appeared to be a strange request. To his relief, she didn’t argue or ask questions. “Jah, please come in.”
He stepped inside as she left the room to gather her husband and her aunt. When the three returned, Ben cleared his throat. He had not planned what he would say, and the words seemed to stick in his throat. Finally, he drew in a deep breath and plunged into the story.
“Caleb, you remember that Englisch woman who crashed into the tree.” It wasn’t a question, for he didn’t believe either of them would ever forget it. He would probably hear the sound of her car crunching against the tree in his nightmares.
“Jah, I remember well.”
“Her name is Sadie. She is the sister of a friend I had met through my work. She has lost her memory, and her brother is not at home right now. I have been asked to look after her, at least, until he returns.” He decided not to mention the true nature of Kurt’s disappearance. “I told her I’d help, but—”
“Ack,” Ruth broke in. “It is not proper for you to have a woman in your home without a chaperone.”
Relieved that she understood the situation, Ben sighed. “Jah, but I believe I should help.”
Ruth turned to her niece. “Lovina, I will be moving in to the Mast haus for a few days.” She raised an eyebrow at Ben. He felt like a schoolchild being scolded. “You have a place for me to sleep?”
“Jah, I have a spare room for you.” He’d have slept in the barn, if necessary. Thankfully, that would not be needed.
“Gut. I will come over soon. You should not be in the haus alone with her.”
“Denke, Ruth. I was in a bind.”
The stern lines of her face softened. “Gott wants us to be charitable, Ben. He also wants us to guard ourselves.”
He understood the warning and flushed.
Thanking his neighbors again, he left and rushed back to the house. The moment he entered, he saw that Sadie had cleaned up the lunch dishes and had started to sweep the kitchen. He appreciated it.
“Denke for cleaning up, Sadie.” He glanced around the room. “Where did Nathaniel go?”
“He asked if he could go to his room for some quiet time. I told him that was fine. I figured you wouldn’t want him to leave the house while you were gone. Not with all that’s happened.”
“You were right.”
She narrowed her gaze slightly. “So? Have you solved your problem?”
He nodded. “I believe that I have.”
She pulled the broom close to herself, holding on to it with both hands, and waited. She was a good listener, he decided, at least, when she wasn’t feeling terrified.
“My neighbor’s widowed aunt is coming to stay with us,” he announced. “That way, both our reputations are protected.”
Her eyes widened. He could see the alarm in the stiffness of her posture. Raising his hands, he made a calming gesture. “I was vague in the details, but we can’t stay here together like this. It wouldn’t be proper.”
Tilting her head, she frowned at him. “We weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Maybe not,” he acknowledged, “but it is the Plain way. Ruth will be here soon.”
She opened her mouth, no doubt to ask another question, but the question was never voiced. Knuckles knocking against the screen door ended the conversation.
“Ben! I’m here!” Ruth’s voice boomed through the door. Ben glanced at his companion, choking back a laugh at the amused expression on her face.
“Door’s open, Ruth,” he responded. The older woman entered the house, her sharp eyes zeroing in on the two people standing next to each other in the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to read the reprimand in her stare. Ben found himself backing away from Sadie without even thinking about it. Then he flushed. They hadn’t been standing that close, and Sadie was still holding onto the broom.
“You’re Sadie, ain’t so?” the older woman demanded, inspecting the Englisch woman.
“That’s right.” Sadie inspected her right back, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. Apparently, she wasn’t offended by Ruth’s gruff ways.
“I’m sorry that you were in an accident,” Ruth murmured, her eyes touching on the bandage adorning Sadie’s temple. “Are you in any pain?”
“Not much. My head did ache yesterday, but today it feels a lot better.”
Ben was relieved to know that her condition was improving. Ruth quickly got herself settled into one of the spare rooms on the second floor. He showed Sadie to the room across from that. Ben discreetly moved some of his own belongings from his bedroom to the bedroom on the first floor near the kitchen. It wouldn’t do to have his room so close to their guest. Ruth gave him an approving nod as she observed his actions. It was all as it should be.
Nathaniel, of course, was thrilled to have so many people in their house. It was quite the adventure for him. Ruth was known for her skill at baking, and before they sat down for dinner the house was already filled with the aromas of cookies and a fresh pot of hearty stew. Sadie had pitched in and assisted her, and he noted that she was familiar with baking and cooking. It was interesting how the memory worked, that she could still manage to perform tasks that she had forgotten she had ever learned, but she couldn’t recall basic information about herself.
The remainder of the day and evening went past in a blur. That night, as he lay in bed, Ben considered all the events of the day. Who was after her? Just as important as that question, what had happened to Kurt? Ben fell into a restless doze after eleven. The following morning he awoke to the crowing of the rooster, feeling as if he had not slept more than a few minutes. All he wanted to do was turn over and sleep for another hour.
With a sigh, he threw back his covers. Lack of rest was irrelevant. Chores still needed to be done. The animals needed to be fed and he had a job to do. Customers who depended on him. Crushing the wish to stay in bed longer, he rose and dressed quickly in the dark, then headed out to begin the day’s work. By the time he returned from the barn, the rest of the household was awake, breakfast was on the table and strong black coffee was on the cookstove.
The next two days passed without incident. Sadie didn’t say anything, but he knew that she never relaxed her guard. She peered out the window multiple times a day. He also noted that whenever she went outside, her eyes were constantly moving.
“Sadie,” he said gently on the third day, “I will not let you come to harm.” He immediately felt like a hypocrite. How could he promise such a thing? He hadn’t even been aware enough to see that his Lydia had been terminally ill, yet here he was telling this strange woman that he would save her from an unknown danger.
Nee, not him. “Gott knows what the danger is. He can protect you.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t respond for a moment. Then she sighed. “If only I knew that Kurt was okay.”
He found her concern for her brother touching, and interesting, considering he was a virtual stranger to her. “Have you remembered anything, say?”
She shook her head with a grimace. “Not a thing. Although some things seem so familiar to me.”
“Jah? Give me an example.”
They were in his workshop. She moved over to stand near where he was sanding the top of a large square table. He made the mistake of looking up at her once. The way her brown hair was warmed by the sun streaming in the window made his heartbeat bump. Flushing, he forced his eyes back down to his work and kept them there.
“An example,” she mused, reminding him of their conversation. “Well, for one thing, I love to bake with Ruth. And it’s not like I’m learning. When we made dinner last night, I found myself handing her ingredients before she asked for them. I knew what the next steps were.”
He frowned, recalling the meal the night before. It was a recipe that Ruth and Sadie had put together without any written instructions. It was also, he remembered, a traditional Amish recipe. Yet she had assisted as if she had been making it her whole life.
“I wonder where you learned to make the dumplings. It’s not a recipe most Englischers would know.”
“I have no idea.”
Ben continued to consider the information long after she returned to the house. He imagined that Nathaniel had probably met her at the door. Several times in the past few days, he had stopped just to listen to the sound of Nathaniel’s laughter. His son sure did enjoy having the attention of a woman. They both did. Best not get too comfortable
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