As Martha took a seat at a table near the window in Mrs. Yoder’s restaurant, her heart started to pound. She could hardly wait to see Luke. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that she’d foolishly allowed herself to fall in love with him.
She stared out the window, watching a slow-moving truck follow a horse and buggy up the road, but her thoughts remained on Luke. Was he telling the truth about giving his truck keys to his father? Was she absolutely sure Luke could be trusted? Did he really want to help her learn the identity of the person who’d done the attacks?
If Dad knew I’d fallen in love with Luke and that I’ve been seeing him on the sly, he’d be furious. Martha gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. If Luke knew how much I cared, what would he think?
“A nickel for your thoughts.”
Martha jerked at the sound of Luke’s voice. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here.”
“I just arrived and saw you sitting here by yourself so figured I might join you.”
“Jah, please do.” Martha smiled and glanced around. If anyone they knew saw them together, Luke was doing a good job of making it look like they’d accidentally met and had decided to share a table. She hated to be sneaking like this, but she didn’t know any other way they could meet and talk about the attacks.
“How are things with you?” Luke asked as he took a seat across from her.
“Okay. And you?”
He shrugged. “Things are kind of tense at home, but at work, things are fine and dandy.”
“You enjoy working with wood, don’t you?”
He nodded, and a sparkle of light danced in his dark eyes. “I’d like to have my own shop someday, but I guess that’s not likely to happen.”
“What makes you say that?”
He leaned both elbows on the table. “Think about it. Your daed owns one woodworking shop in our area, and John owns the other. I don’t think there’s a need for three, do you?”
“Probably not.” Martha felt sorry for Luke. It seemed like nothing was going right for him these days. Of course things weren’t going all that well for her, either. She’d spent the last couple of years putting most of her time and money into raising dogs, and she wasn’t much further along now than when she’d first started.
“Maybe John would consider making you his partner,” she suggested.
Luke shook his head. “I rather doubt that. He seems to like being the boss. Besides, I don’t have enough money saved up to buy half his business.”
“I can relate to that. I’d like to buy several more breeds of dogs to raise, but that takes money, and until I sell enough dogs—”
“Have you two decided on what you’d like to order?” their young Mennonite waitress asked, stepping up to the table.
“I’ll have the salad bar,” Martha replied.
Luke nodded. “I’ll have that, too.”
Martha tipped her head. “Is that really all you’re having?”
“Jah.” He patted his stomach. “I had a very big breakfast this morning.”
“Would you like anything to drink other than water?”
Luke shook his head, and Martha did the same.
“Help yourself to the salad bar then.”
Martha pushed away from the table and smiled at Luke as he walked beside her. This almost felt like a real date.
As Luke sat at the table eating his salad and watching Martha eat hers, a deep sense of longing filled his soul. If things weren’t so mixed up right now, and if he knew he could gain Roman’s approval, he would probably ask to court Martha.
“You look kind of verwart,” Martha said, breaking into Luke’s thoughts. “Is something wrong?”
Luke took a drink of water before he spoke. “I … uh … This whole thing with the attacks is enough to make anyone feel perplexed.”
She nodded. “If only we could find out who’s been attacking us and make him stop, things would be back to normal.”
“Have you come up with any new ideas on how we’re going to do that?”
“Not really. I thought I’d make a trip to see the sheriff.”
“What for?”
“To tell him that I plan to do some investigating on my own and say that I’d like his help.”
Luke shook his head vigorously. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Martha.”
“Why not?”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I’ve been mulling things over the last few days, and I’ve put the sheriff on my list of suspects.”
“What?” Martha’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you think Sheriff Osborn had anything to do with the attacks?”
“Think about it. The attacks have been going on since before Grace married Cleon. Wouldn’t you think by now the sheriff would at least have some leads?”
“Maybe he’d have some leads if my daed had told him about the attacks sooner.”
“But he knows now, and nothing’s been done.”
“He’s been keeping an eye on our place ever since Dad’s shop was blown up.”
“How long do you think he’ll keep doing that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Doesn’t it seem strange that a man who’s sworn to uphold the law and do all he can to keep people safe hasn’t done much more than drop by your place and make your daed a few promises to keep an eye on things?”
“That could be Dad’s fault. By the time Sheriff Osborn has found out about most of the attacks, the perpetrator’s trail’s grown cold.”
Luke nearly choked on the water he’d just put in his mouth. “Perpetrator? What have you been reading lately—Nancy Drew mystery novels?”
Martha’s face flamed, and she blinked a couple of times. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“I’ll admit I have read a few mystery stories. I know for a fact that if too much time passes after a crime is committed, it’s that much harder to determine who did the crime.” Martha folded her arms. “I’ve also thought about questioning some of the suspects on my list during my free time.”
Luke shook his head. “That’s not a good idea, either.”
“Why not?”
“If the person you’re questioning turns out to be the one responsible for the attacks, you could be in danger.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Well, you should be. Look what happened to Ruth and Martin. If the person who rammed their buggy is the same one who did all the other things to your family, then he—or she—won’t think twice about harming you.”
Martha’s face paled. “You really think I could be in danger?”
“It’s possible.” Luke reached across the table and touched her arm. “Promise you won’t do anything foolish?”
“I promise.”