Love Inspired Suspense June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2, page 24
He felt the warmth of Liddie’s gaze.
“There’s no shame in calling us, Mr. Troyer. If you don’t want to call 9-1-1, call me directly. We can keep it under the radar.”
“I appreciate that, but...” Instead of accepting the deputy’s offer, he felt the need to deflect. He so desperately wanted this all to go away.
The deputy lifted her chin a fraction. “You’re not alone out here. It’s the sheriff’s department’s job to keep the peace. Despite the rules of the Ordnung, I’m telling you there’s no shame in calling us.” She ducked down and tucked herself behind the steering wheel.
“Guder mariye.” Her perfect Pennsylvania Dutch reminded him of her Amish roots.
Bitsy started her vehicle and drove away. Liddie turned to him. “Did you find anything when you walked the property with Bitsy?”
“Neh, nothing out of the ordinary.” He took a step toward the house and paused. “I’m not sure what we accomplished other than inviting Outsiders onto my land.” He hated his mournful tone.
“Jonah...” She called his name and let it hang in the air until he stopped and turned around. “No one is going to look at you differently because of all of this.” If Jonah hadn’t been watching her, he might have missed the subtle flinch, as if she realized the folly of what she had said as soon as it left her mouth. “Okay, yah, people do gawk at us. They like to think that what happened here couldn’t possibly happen to them if they follow the rules. But you did follow the rules. Me—” she pressed her hand to her chest “—I made bad choices that led to bad things. But you didn’t. You need to stop trying to overcompensate to prove you’re worthy.”
“Prove I’m worthy.” He repeated the words that stung because they hit close to home. When his in-laws had invited their daughter and husband to take over the farm, Maggie’s extended family grumbled that Jonah didn’t deserve it. Maggie’s older sister had more children and a smaller farm. But, for whatever reason, Ellen and Abe Stolzfus had extended the offer to Maggie and Jonah. Secretly, he suspected his in-laws worried that his employment outside of the Amish community would lead to temptation. Working the land was the closest one could get to Gott. Yet, Jonah had accepted his in-laws’ generous offer of land and home, and none of it worked out the way any of them could have imagined.
Jonah shook away the thoughts crowding his mind and turned to Liddie. Based on the tilt of her head and the question in her eyes, she must have said something when he was distracted. “What?” he said, a little too abruptly, trying to tamp down his self-doubt.
Liddie sighed. “Let’s go inside and check on the children.”
“Okay,” he acquiesced. He turned on his heel and strode quickly to the house, but she kept pace.
“You don’t have to give up your construction jobs. I’ll make sure the children are safe.”
Without slowing down, he climbed the porch steps. “The jobs have dried up with winter coming. I’ll take care of my family.” He opened the door and allowed her to go ahead of him. Surprise flashed in her eyes.
Or maybe it was wariness.
When he hired a nanny for his children, he had only considered his family’s immediate needs. He hadn’t anticipated the long winter days ahead of them, both cooped up in the house.
EIGHT
The next day started out much cooler than the previous. Plump bruised clouds hung low on the horizon promising rain, or if the temperatures dropped further, snow. Liddie held her coat together with one hand and hustled from the buggy toward the grocery store entrance, Daisy at her side, her doll tucked close to her face. With the threat of inclement weather, Liddie had convinced Jonah to take Andy and run across the street to get what he needed from the hardware store. And then the four of them could return home. Together.
As the automatic doors whooshed open, Liddie glanced over her shoulder. Jonah stood outside the hardware store, waiting for them to get safely inside. It seemed Jonah took his commitment to not letting them out of his sight seriously.
Daisy hung close as Liddie navigated a small grocery cart through the produce aisles. An elderly Amish woman froze, green apple in hand hovering over the plastic bag, and openly gawked at her. Or maybe at Daisy, the motherless little girl in her charge. She couldn’t be certain. Between the two of them, they provided enough fodder for even the busiest flapping jaws in the small town of Hickory Lane. This was the one thing Liddie hadn’t missed about coming into town. Tucked away at the Troyer farm, she hadn’t been subjected to the blatant stares. She wondered how long she’d be the sister of the Amish girl who was abducted by drug dealers. And would sweet Daisy always be the girl orphaned by a violent murderer?
Instinctively, Liddie reached down and let her fingers brush Daisy’s bonnet. It might have been easier for Liddie to jump the fence, like her sister, to escape her past, start fresh, but this little girl tugged at her heartstrings. Liddie had to stay for her. At least until Daisy came out of her shell.
Liddie’s thoughts drifted to the girl’s father and how protective and loving he had been toward his children as he hurried to get them ready for their trip into town. It was a stark departure from the stoic man who had rushed off to work early every morning. He was revealing a side she hadn’t seen since her arrival, and she found herself daydreaming about what it would be like if they were a real family.
Liddie’s cheeks flushed at the thought and she lifted her gaze. The woman by the apples continued to shoot critical gazes with an upturned nose in their direction between selecting her produce. Liddie resisted the urge to glare back or make some snappy comment like, “Take a picture, it will last longer,” knowing the jab would serve double duty since they were Amish and didn’t believe in having their photos taken. Liddie also knew one of the Amish tenets was forgiveness, yet a fair number of her Amish neighbors seemed to be withholding theirs.
Or maybe it was the Bible recommendation, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” that her critical neighbors chose to ignore.
Liddie shook off her annoyance at the woman’s open rudeness and decided to take her own advice and not judge her. Who knew what went on in anyone else’s heart? She let out a slow breath and turned to Daisy. “Let’s hurry and get what we need so your dat’s not waiting on us, okay?”
Daisy nodded and grabbed the side of the cart.
When they were done selecting their items, Liddie asked Daisy if she’d like to choose a treat at checkout.
To Liddie’s surprise, Daisy approached the candy display with her cloth doll pressed against her mouth and nose. Liddie had been able to clean the mud off of it in the washbasin. Thankfully, the new puppy had been a nice distraction, allowing time for the doll to dry.
Daisy reached out tentatively and picked up a bag of gummy bears. Liddie bit back a triumphant, “Yes!” and instead smiled encouragingly as the little girl lifted her sad brown eyes to hers. Liddie had feared losing the progress she had made prior to when the girl had gone missing briefly. Liddie still held out hope that the girl would eventually open up to her. But any time Liddie gently broached the subjects of her getting locked in the neighbor’s barn or her mother’s tragic death, Daisy seemed to retreat into herself. Liddie had to be careful. Hopefully, the child would open up more with time.
Liddie placed her hand on the little girl’s bonnet. “I like gummy bears, too.”
Daisy nodded her thanks before placing them next to the bread as it moved down the conveyor. Liddie’s heart softened. The cashier checked them out and Liddie pushed the cart outside. She had expected Jonah and Andy to be done with their errands already, but she didn’t see any sign of them. “Let’s put these bags into the buggy and we’ll walk over to the hardware store to find your father and brother.”
Daisy didn’t respond, more focused on poking her little fingers into the candy packet and pulling out a bear. Liddie couldn’t help but smile.
Their horse and buggy was hitched to a post next to the sidewalk, one of a few in the grocery store parking lot. Liddie set down the bags and approached the horse from the side and stroked its neck with both hands. “Good girl.” She lifted one bag into the back of the buggy. It tipped over, spilling out the apples. It took her a moment to organize the groceries, when she turned and was surprised to see Daisy hanging back. Something about the girl’s body language sent a whisper of dread skittering up her spine.
Liddie abandoned the task at hand and rushed across the sidewalk toward Daisy. “Come on, we need to go.” Her body had gone rigid, and dark shadows haunted the depths of her eyes. The fear radiating off the child burrowed into Liddie’s heart. “Daisy?” Her voice cracked as she moved closer. Jonah, where are you? “What’s wrong?”
The little girl was lost in a trance. Liddie followed her gaze to the other side of the grocery store entrance. A man sat on the cement windowsill under a sign touting twenty-nine-cent-per-pound bananas. He was drawing deeply on a cigarette and talking agitatedly into a flip phone, his face shielded by the bill of his Buffalo Bills cap. Something about him seemed familiar, but she wasn’t interested in drawing his attention.
Liddie got down on eye level with the child. “Daisy, let’s get your dat, okay?”
Daisy blinked a few times, seeming to finally tune into Liddie.
“Daisy?” Liddie repeated.
The girl dipped her head toward the doll that seemed permanently affixed to the lower half of her face. She lifted her free hand and her gaze narrowed fearfully at the man. “Neh, neh, neh.” No, no, no.
Alarm raced across Liddie’s skin.
Liddie once again glanced over at the man who was now staring at them. Dean! She gently lowered Daisy’s hand. “Don’t point,” she whispered. The naked fear on the girl’s face sent a flood of adrenaline shooting into Liddie’s bloodstream. They had to find Jonah and Andy. Now.
Had Dean followed them here?
“It’s okay.” Liddie’s forced reassurance sounded hollow. She placed her hand at the back of Daisy’s bonnet and hustled toward the hardware store. “Let’s go find your dat.”
“Hey!” The man gestured to her with his cigarette pinched between his fingers.
Liddie lifted her chin with a confidence she didn’t feel and ignored him.
“Hey, you. I’m talking to you,” Dean said more aggressively and he stalked toward them.
Liddie drew up short and shoved Daisy behind her and decided to feign ignorance. “I’m sorry, sir, you’ll have to excuse us.” Her mind whirled as her heart raced in her throat. Had someone in the sheriff’s department talked to him? Shared the child’s accusation that he had hurt her mother?
Sweat prickled her hairline as he blocked the sidewalk. Daisy clung to her waist and whimpered.
A slow smile spread across the man’s face but didn’t reach his hard eyes. “Liddie? Liddie Miller? That is you.”
She furrowed her brow. “Yah?”
“You’re Moses’s girl.” A statement. Not a question. Maybe he didn’t know what Daisy had accused him of, after all.
“I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry.” She gave him her best pleading look. Go away!
“It’s Dean. We met at that party,” the man pressed on. His voice hit a high note, as if he were offended that she didn’t remember him. She got the sense that he was fishing for something.
“That must have been a long time ago.” Maybe his appearance here today had been a horrible coincidence.
Dean hitched a shoulder, then pointed at Daisy with his lit cigarette. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing.” A surge of protectiveness welled up in her chest.
Dean studied Daisy closely, his eyes narrowing. Was he trying to scare her? The cold expression made Liddie shudder. She glanced around. The hardware store was directly across the street. They just had to get across the street. Then she’d find Jonah and they’d be safe.
Liddie forced a cheery smile. “Well, nice to see you, Dean.” God would forgive her a little white lie. “I have to meet someone now.”
“Not sure why you’re in such a hurry. I was only trying to say hello,” he called after her. “I heard you’re a nanny now. Over at the Troyers’ place on Windy Road.”
“I really have to go.” Liddie waved a hand without turning around. She checked both ways and rushed across the street with Daisy still clinging to her side. When they reached the sidewalk, Liddie bent down to look Daisy in the eye. “Are you okay?”
Daisy’s wide-eyed gaze drifted across the street. Dean stared at them through a cloud of cigarette smoke.
“Come on,” Liddie said, taking the girl’s cold hand, and opening the door to the hardware store. “Let’s get your dat.”
* * *
Jonah looked up when Liddie and his daughter bustled into the hardware store. Something about the expression on Liddie’s face and the frightened way Daisy hung close to her sent fear pressing into his heart. He set his package of sandpaper and bottle of wood preservative down on the counter. “I’ll be right back,” he said to the clerk. “Come on, Andy.” He gently tapped his son’s shoulder and they rushed over to Liddie and Daisy. “Is something wrong?” Jonah glanced toward the street, but flyers in the window blocked his view.
“Dean,” Liddie said in a hushed whisper, “the driver of that van at the house the other day, was in the parking lot of the grocery store.” Her protective hand shielded Daisy’s ears.
Jonah gritted his teeth. “I should have never left you two alone.” He thought he could run over to the hardware store and be back to the grocery store before they finished. When would he ever learn? Rage clouded his thoughts. “Did he do something?”
“Neh.” Liddie’s brow twitched, as if she was trying to make sense of it herself. “It seemed like he wanted to let us know he was there.” She hesitated a beat. “And that he knows I’m your nanny.” Her lower lip quivered for the briefest of moments before her lips flattened into a straight line as she fought her emotions.
“Do you think he followed us?” Jonah kept his voice down, too, so as not to frighten the children. “Stay right here,” he added, without waiting for an answer and he stepped outside. The clouds had grown darker and a brisk wind tugged at his felt hat. His eyes scanned the street and the grocery store parking lot. A red van inched out from behind a pickup truck deep in the parking lot. It drove slowly to the exit, then turned onto Main Street in front of him. The van stopped and the window lowered. The driver lifted his lit cigarette to his lips, inhaled deeply, then exhaled sharply, the cloud of smoke billowing out of the open window. Jonah took a step toward him, to confront him.
Did this man have something to do with his wife’s death? Had he been with the accused murderer Oliver Applegate? But why taunt his family? Was he that sick?
Anger and rage clawed at his throat as Jonah stormed into the street.
Dean’s eyes seemed to flash momentarily in surprise. Then the Englischer lifted his cigarette hand and gave Jonah a sly smile, then stepped on the gas. The tires spun out, leaving skid marks in the street and a burnt rubber smell clogging the air.
“Leave us alone,” Jonah hollered to the back of the van as it careened at a high rate of speed around the corner. “Leave us alone!”
He spun on his heel and returned to the hardware store where Liddie held each of his children’s hands. His entire body vibrated from the confrontation.
“What happened?” Liddie asked, still keeping her voice low.
Jonah glanced down at Daisy, who was studying the floor from behind her doll, and then to Andy, who was watching him closely. “Everything is okay. Nothing to worry about,” he said for his son’s benefit. “Can you guys wait right here while I pay the clerk?” He had to get them home.
Liddie nodded tentatively, still looking every bit as frightened as she had when she and Daisy burst into the hardware store. He smiled at her, trying to telegraph his reassurance. “Wait right here,” he repeated. “Don’t go outside without me.”
“Why, Dat?” Andy asked. “Is there a bad man out there?”
Jonah hadn’t anticipated that question so he hesitated a fraction, then said, “Neh, son. There’s no bad man out there. No need to worry.” At that, Daisy hitched her shoulders a fraction closer to Liddie, obviously the less trusting of his children. “It’s cold out. Wait till I pay for my things and then we’ll head out together.”
“Can I help you sand the wood to make it smooth?” Andy asked, the way kids tended to jump from topic to topic. Before Liddie had arrived, Jonah had been explaining some of the tools of his trade to his young son.
“Yah, son, we can.” Jonah gave a quick nod of his head, then rushed over to the counter and pulled out a few bills to pay for the supplies. His eye was drawn to the shotguns lined up in a locked case along the back wall. He thought about his own weapon that was once his father-in-law’s. Jonah wasn’t a hunter, so until the night he had grabbed it to protect Liddie, he had no use for it.
Apparently following his gaze, the clerk asked, “Can I pull something down for you to look at?”
Jonah glanced back at his little family. His family? Was he starting to consider Liddie as part of his family? The way she was crouched down in front of his children and engaging them warmed his heart. If he had done anything right in recent months, it had been hiring warm and endearing Liddie Miller. His daughter had even pulled the doll away from her face to talk to her.
Jonah shifted his attention back to the clerk. “I have a shotgun, but not much ammunition.”
“What kind do you need?” The clerk’s eyes sparked to life in a way they hadn’t when he was selling boring woodworking supplies.
Jonah shared what he knew about the shotgun. The clerk braced his hands on the edge of the counter and leaned forward, as if settling in to tell him a story. “I have one of those myself. Now, I have a few different kinds of bullets. What are you hunting?”
