It’s not what you see that lets you know that Christmas is just around the corner. It’s that special feeling of expectation that suddenly fills the air.
BETH BYLER
Despite his protests, Beth had checked on Chris during the night. But he had been as good as his word. Each time she’d slowly peeked into his room, he’d been lying on his back, resting peacefully.
While he had slept, she’d tossed and turned. Thinking about his return. Thinking about him.
Christopher Randall Hart. Finally, she had a name—a real name—for the man who’d consumed far too many of her dreams.
The fancy, three-part name suited him, she decided. Suited him far better than Chris Ellis. Chris Ellis was blunt and to the point. This new name was long and complicated, complex.
Far more like him.
Not that she should be thinking of him at all, Beth reminded herself as she pinned together the front of her blue dress and slipped a black apron over it. Chris represented everything she wasn’t and had never intended to be. He was a secret government worker, pretending to be mixed up in the drug and gun trades in order to catch bad people.
And no, Chris hadn’t actually revealed that, either. He’d been too secretive to ever be so forthright. Instead, it had been Frannie’s husband, Luke, who’d told her so much of what she knew about Chris.
One evening, long after the investigation surrounding Perry’s murder was over, she’d admitted to Luke and Frannie that she couldn’t stop thinking about Chris.
After a moment’s hesitation, Luke had told her what he knew about him.
But instead of that scaring her off, she’d secretly become more intrigued with the mysterious Chris Ellis. There was something about a man risking everything, even his reputation for a greater good, that appealed to her.
She’d only ever lived in Marion, Kentucky, and had only ever visited a few places. Most of her time was occupied with caring for her mother and watching other people’s children. In many ways, she’d never risked anything.
Chris? It seemed he’d risked everything he had, his family, his reputation . . . his life.
Unable to stop thinking of him, she finished dressing as quickly as she could, then half listened for him to call her name while she washed her hands at the kitchen sink and put the kettle on the stove. She was wondering if he would be able to eat some eggs and toast while the tea was steeping. She was debating whether she should go check on him again when there was a knock at the back door.
Imagining the worst, Beth peeked through the sheer white curtains, then felt silly when she saw it was only Lydia Plank staring back at her, a tote bag in hand.
Not wanting to reveal too much, Beth opened the door halfway. “Lydia, what are you doing here?”
“It is verra nice to see you, too,” she said with a bit of humor lighting her face.
While Beth warily stood sentry at the door, Lydia stomped one of her boots, making bits of ice and salt fly up. “It’s pretty cold out here. Yesterday’s sunshine has left us, and more snow is on the way. Are you going to let me come in?”
“Sure. Of course.” Reluctantly, she stepped back. “I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I just happened to be nearby and wanted to check on you.”
“Why?” Her stomach knotted. Had she forgotten to wipe away some of Chris’s blood on the sidewalk?
Lydia looked at her curiously. “Because I promised Frannie I would.” After sitting down in one of the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table, she said, “Beth, what in the world is going on with you? You seem nervous.”
“I have a new guest,” she blurted. “He’s sleeping and I don’t want to wake him up.”
“I could have sworn Frannie said she only needed you to house-sit.”
“Well, he’s here. And he’s asleep, so we must stay quiet.”
Lydia’s brows rose. “I didn’t realize we were being loud.”
Flushing, Beth realized that she did sound a bit paranoid. Oh, she was going to do a horrible job of keeping Chris’s visit a secret!
“I’m kind of surprised you’ve got a guest here so close to Christmas.”
“It’s not my place to question guests’ behavior.”
If Lydia was taken aback, she didn’t show it. “Frannie would say it’s not your place to guess what your guests are doing in their rooms. But we can still wonder about them, right? I mean that’s human nature.”
“Perhaps.”
“So, what’s he like? Is he handsome?”
Feeling like a gnat caught in a spider’s web, Beth shrugged.
Since her lies weren’t working, she decided to be evasive. “Let’s not talk about him. He doesn’t matter. How is Walker?”
Luckily, Lydia let herself be sidetracked. She smiled sweetly. “Perfect. He’s doing well on his Deutch, and enjoying life on the farm.” She leaned forward. “And guess what? The bishop has given us permission to marry at the end of January.”
“That’s wunderbaar!” Beth knew just how many obstacles Walker and Lydia had gone through over the past year. Not only had they both been friends of Perry’s, they’d both been suspects during his murder investigation. In addition, Walker was English, while Lydia was Amish. Even after they fell in love, neither knew if they were supposed to be together.
“I’m so excited, and so anxious to start my married life with him.”
“I bet. I can’t wait to help you with the wedding.”
“Danke. I knew I could count on you.” Lydia stretched out her hands. “We’ve all been through so much, it’s hard to grasp it all. I’m almost married to Walker; Frannie and Luke are married and are in Cincinnati for the holiday; and Deborah and Jacob are celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple.”
“Yes, much has changed,” Beth echoed, trying not to feel sorry for herself, since her life seemed exactly the same. She was alone, the only one in their close circle of friends without love in her life. “I haven’t been to Schrock’s lately. How are Deborah and Jacob?”
“Not so well.”
“They have a lot of burdens.”
“I think so. I’m not sure how they are going to get through everything. I mean, we were all surprised when they insisted on marrying despite her parents’ protestations. . . .”
Beth nodded. Deborah and Jacob had had a difficult path, for sure. Not only did Jacob’s father kill Deborah’s brother, but Deborah’s parents still blamed Jacob—and to some extent Deborah—for much of what had had happened to Perry. They were never able to see the faults in their firstborn son, despite the trouble he’d brought to the entire community.
“It’s so sad. I heard that, despite it being Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Borntrager have been ignoring them both,” Lydia said.
Beth sat down next to her friend. “Though they didn’t attend the wedding, I had thought their hurt and anger would have softened by now.”
“The last I heard, that isn’t the case.”
Beth wished she had some idea of how to make her dear friends’ lives easier, but she knew there was little she could say or do to make things better. Only their faith could help right now. “They’re just going to have to rely on prayer.”
“You’re right.” Reaching into the tote bag, Lydia pulled out a plastic container of muffins. “I made you and your mother these. They’re morning-glory muffins.” Looking pleased, she added, “Have you had them before? They’re chock-full of carrots and pineapple, spices and nuts.”
“They smell delicious.”
“They are. Filling, too.” Looking toward the doorway that led to the rest of the house, she added, “I supposed you can serve them to your guest.”
“I will put them to good use.” She was beyond nervous now. Chris needed her to keep his presence a secret, which meant Lydia needed to leave before he cried out in pain.
Or anything else happened.
She stood up. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to chat. Running a B-and-B is a busy job, you know.”
Lydia’s brows rose but she said nothing. Instead she got up slowly. “Beth, if you start feeling overwhelmed, or have any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask for help. This is the slow time at my parents’ nursery.”
“I won’t have any trouble. I’ll be just fine.”
“Sheriff Kramer is doing extra patrols, too. If you get worried or scared, I bet he could stop by regularly.”
That would be the absolute last thing she wanted to happen! “I won’t need the sheriff here, Lydia. There’s no need for him to trouble himself with me.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to check in on you. It’s a big house to be in all alone.”
“I’m not alone, though. I have a guest.”
“Who is a stranger,” Lydia pointed out.
“I will be fine.” When Lydia stared at her with wide eyes, Beth tried to temper herself. “I mean, please don’t send Mose my way.”
“Um, okay, then. Hey, Walker and I are going to spend Christmas Eve at my house with my family. We’d love for you and your mamm to join us. Mamm and I have been baking for days.”
“Danke, I’ll talk to my mamm.” Of course, she knew there was no way she was going to leave Chris’s side until he left Crittenden County for good.
Firmly, she walked Lydia out. “Thank you again for the muffins.”
Lydia nodded but stared at her friend hard before turning to leave. “You’re welcome.”
The moment she shut the door, Beth locked it, turned the dead bolt for good measure, then practically ran to the stairs.
She jerked to a stop when she saw Chris standing in the upstairs hallway, his jeans riding low on his hips. A gun was in his hand and his expression looked murderous.
“Who was here?” he rasped.
She’d thought she’d seen every expression on his face, but she now realized she’d been wrong. Standing in front of her, he looked dangerous and fierce.
He looked like no man she’d ever seen before—not even when he’d appeared in her dreams. “It was no one, Chris. No one you should worry about. Just a friend.”
His hard expression didn’t ease. “Who was it? You said you wouldn’t have any visitors.”
Her mouth went dry as she continued to stare at the gun. At his bare chest. Felt his hard gaze settle on her. And realized that there was something about him that she wasn’t ever going to be able to forget.
It was starting out to be a very trying day, and it was barely 9:00 a.m.