“Your quilts are so beautiful, Elizabeth,” Shauna said with a smile. “I love the ones you’ve made for Christmas, with the red and green patterned squares. Oh, and thank you again for gifting me and Liam a wedding quilt. We love it.”
“Wilkom, Shauna. It was my pleasure. You have made my cousin very happy, ain’t so?”
“The feeling is mutual,” Shauna assured her.
“David has not yet returned?” Elizabeth was far too aware of how long David and Liam had been gone. She missed him, which didn’t make any sense as they each took care of their own shops. It wasn’t as if she as accustomed to chatting with David all day.
They had gotten in the habit of sharing lunch together at the Sunshine Café. Would David return in time? Had he and Liam found something near the spot where someone had fired a gun at them?
She chided herself for being so curious. Normally Liam wouldn’t be investigating an incident involving the Amish.
Yet she couldn’t help feeling on edge. The niggling concern didn’t go away until she saw David and Liam walking down the center aisle of the barn. Considering their grim expressions, she suspected the news was not good.
“Is everything okay?” She stepped forward to greet them. “Ach, you didn’t run into trouble, did you?”
“Everything is fine,” David assured her. He smiled, but the light didn’t reach his blue eyes. “Liam found the bullet and will see if it matches the one embedded in the baby cradle.”
“Elizabeth, are you familiar with the Green Lake Grill?” Liam asked.
“No, certain sure I have never been there. Why do you ask?”
“We’ve been there, Liam,” Shauna said. “But just that one time. There were several rough-looking guys hanging out, so we decided against staying to eat.”
“I remember,” Liam said dryly. “But Elizabeth, I’m curious if you’ve heard of any Amish going there.”
She shook her head, wondering what they were getting at. “No, Liam. I have never heard of the place, and it would be unusual for anyone within the Amish community to go there.”
“I know it’s not normal practice,” Liam admitted. “But I have seen several Amish men around town. It wouldn’t be completely unheard of for them to stop at a restaurant to eat.”
“That much is true.” She glanced between David and Liam. “Is there a connection to the Green Lake Grill, then?”
“No connection, yet.” A wry smile creased her cousin’s features. “You know it’s my job to ask a lot of questions, without giving answers.”
She narrowed her gaze. “It’s not an admirable trait.”
That made him chuckle. “Sorry, cousin, but my goal is to bring bad guys to justice, which means finding evidence that can be used to prove guilt.”
To be fair, Liam was very good at his job. But among the Amish, justice and punishment were handled much differently. “That’s your choice, Liam.”
“Yes, it is.” Liam glanced at Shauna. “I’m heading back. Do you want to stay here or come with me?”
Shauna looked torn. “David? Do you need my help?”
“No need to stay, Shauna. Go with Liam. I’ll be fine.” Even as David spoke, a couple wandered into his shop. He moved over to greet them politely, but then stepped back to give them space to browse.
There was much to admire about David McKay. He was strong and gentle at the same time, and she liked the way he managed his furniture by displaying her quilts. She had to force herself to return to her store.
Before she could pick up the quilt she was working on, customers came in to view her stock, gravitating toward the Christmas display. From that point on, there was a steady stream of customers to keep her and David very busy.
A good busy. Tomorrow was Saturday, the last day of work for the week. After that, the shops would not be open again for business until the following Wednesday. And even then, only for two days before they’d close for the holiday.
Three days of not seeing or spending time with David. On the heels of that thought came a sense of shame. Elizabeth knew she was blessed beyond measure.
Wanting something that was out of reach was wrong.
Mayhap it was a good thing Sunday was coming up soon. She certainly needed to attend church services.
As the hour passed noon, her stomach began to rumble with hunger. Yet the crowd of shoppers hadn’t abated at all. If anything, there seemed to be even more of them.
When she’d finished ringing up another sale of a Christmas quilt, she saw David approach. He held two bags in his hands. “I’ve brought lunch.”
“Ach, you didn’t need to do that.” She made it a habit to pay for her own meals.
“I wanted to.” David handed her one of the bags. “I’d like to stay, but there isn’t time. If I’d known it would be this busy, I’d have asked Shauna to stay and help.”
“Sehr gut to be busy, though, ja?” She gratefully accepted the meal. “Once Christmas has passed, the crowds will diminish. Denke for lunch, David.”
“You haven’t seen Jacob, have you?” David asked.
She shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t come here. He has his farm to care for.”
“Okay.” David offered a quick smile, then turned away to walk back to his store.
As she took a quick bite of the sandwich David had brought her, she wondered why he’d asked about Jacob. But the steady stream of customers didn’t provide idle time to think.
The crowd finally thinned out thirty minutes before closing. She quickly straightened the various displays, then placed her current quilt pieces together in a bag to take back home with her.
When she’d finished, David joined her. “Elizabeth, I’ve arranged for Liam to drive you home.”
“You did?” She had secretly looked forward to the walk home with David.
“It’s for your safety, Elizabeth.” His gaze was serious. “We don’t know who shoved you to the ground or fired those shots at us.”
She knew accepting Liam’s help was the right thing to do. “Ach, that’s fine. I appreciate the ride. Denke.”
“There’s one more thing.” David grimaced and avoided her direct gaze. “I would like to sleep on your sofa again. Only to protect you and Mammi Ruth,” he hastened to assure her. “Please know I would never risk ruining our friendship by doing anything improper. But I worry about the two of you being in the house alone.”
“I see.” She ducked her head as she wrestled with his request. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. But having him stay would cause a stir in the Amish community. Even with Mammi Ruth as a chaperone, there were many who would look down upon her.
Then again, her closest neighbor was Jacob and she would much rather have David sleeping on her sofa than go to him for help. Mayhap that was exactly what Jacob wanted—for her to seek shelter with him.
“I accept your kind offer, David.” She mustered a smile. “I would appreciate you staying for a few days.”
“You would?” He looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh, thank you, Elizabeth. I was trying to come up with a way to sleep in the barn without freezing to death.”
“Don’t even say such a thing! I wouldn’t want you to do something that drastic.”
“Your safety is what is most important,” David told her. “So, then, when Liam arrives I hope you won’t mind stopping at my house so I can pick up a few personal things.”
“That’s fine.” His comment made her realize this was the reason he’d asked Liam to drive her home. Yet she could understand his wanting a change of clothes and perhaps a razor. As an unmarried man, he shaved his beard each day the way the Amish men did. Only married men wore beards, yet she secretly preferred David’s face as it was.
Not that his choice to shave or not was hers to make. Still, the way he honored Amish traditions made her smile.
“Are you ready?” David asked. “I told Liam we would meet him out front. That way, if Jacob is there, he’ll see us leaving with the sheriff.”
The comment gave her pause. “Did you tell Liam about Jacob’s attempt to court me?”
There was a slight hesitation before he inclined his head. “Yes, but only because Liam needs the big picture. You must realize Jacob is still a suspect.”
A stab of disappointment hit hard. She’d expected David to keep the investigation centered on the gunfire, not on the other events.
“Don’t be angry,” David said softly. “I only want you to be safe.”
“Without taking into concern what I want?”
He didn’t answer. Elizabeth turned away to don her cloak. As upset as she was, she wasn’t ready to refuse David’s offer to sleep on the sofa.
She told herself that Mammi Ruth needed to be safe, too.
But deep down, she knew the truth was that she cared about David.
More than she should.
He didn’t like making Elizabeth angry, but he wasn’t sorry that he’d told Liam about the series of events that had taken place over the past twenty-four hours.
As they walked through the now empty Amish Shoppe, he glanced at her. “There’s something more you need to know.”
“There is?” Apprehension darkened her eyes.
“About me, my past.” David’s chest tightened. She could very well refuse to let him stay once she knew the truth. Yet he didn’t want to lie.
In fact, this conversation was something he should have had months ago.
“I’m a former criminal, Elizabeth. I did four years in prison for manslaughter.”
She abruptly stopped and turned to face him. “You did?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I could tell you that my intentions were honorable, that I was only looking out for a woman who was being harassed by a man who touched her inappropriately, but that is mostly an excuse. The truth is, I let my anger get the best of me. And while he struck me first, we exchanged blows. After the third time he came at me, I hit him hard enough that he stumbled backward, striking his head against the edge of a table. The blow was severe enough to kill him.”
Her jaw dropped, but then she reached for his hand. “That must have been terrible.”
“It was.” He could barely look at her. “I have turned my life around since then. I’ve found God and am working hard to earn God’s forgiveness, but you need to know the truth about me.”
“Ach, David, I do know you. We are all sinners, ain’t so?”
“Some worse than others,” he murmured. “Anyway, I think it’s possible that we have two different bad guys coming after us. Jacob could be trying to scare you into marrying him, and the shooter could be related to my past.”
“After all this time?” she asked with a frown.
“The way Shauna and I had been kidnapped last October, probably made the news.” He and Liam had discussed the possibility at length on the ride back to the Amish Shoppe. “The young man who died by my hand, Carson Wells, came from a well-to-do family. One with connections in politics. When I was finished with probation, I relocated to Green Lake from Madison. Carson’s family may have seen the news and found me here.”
“I see.” She frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you being in danger. Is there something Liam can do about that?”
“He’s going to look into it,” David assured her. Then he forced himself to look into her eyes. “Does knowing what I’ve done change how you feel about me?”
“No, David, why should it?” She looked confused. “As I said we are all guilty of sin, and none of us are perfect. And I’m very glad you found God.”
He was overwhelmed with relief. “I—thank you. I feared you would prefer not to be associated with me.”
“David? Oh, there you are.” Liam came inside to catch up with them. “Are you ready to go?”
“I think so, yes.” He glanced at Elizabeth, who nodded.
“Great.” Liam escorted them outside. David took a moment to lock the main doors, then heard a horse and buggy approaching.
Swallowing a groan, he turned to see Jacob riding toward them. The Amish man’s persistence in seeking Elizabeth’s courtship was wearing thin.
He felt Elizabeth stiffen beside him. But when Liam moved as if to approach, she hurried over to put a hand on her cousin’s arm. “Please, allow me to talk to him, ja?”
Liam frowned. “I would like to ask him a few questions.”
“No, Liam.” She stood firm. “If you pursue this investigation into Jacob, I will accept Jacob’s ride home and refuse to allow David to stay on my sofa. You know the Amish will not talk to you, anyway, and they will be insulted by your questions. There’s no reason for you to interfere.”
David wanted to protest, but managed to bite his tongue. Elizabeth walked over to the buggy. She was too far away for him to hear what she told Jacob, but the grim expression on the Amish’s man’s face indicated he was not happy.
After a long moment Jacob nodded and turned away. Elizabeth watched him leave for a few moments, then came back to join them. “I believe Jacob finally understands my position and has agreed to stop offering me rides to and from the Amish Shoppe unless requested.”
“Good,” David muttered, thinking that it was about time he got the message.
“Komm, we should go,” Elizabeth said. “The temperature is dropping, ain’t so?”
Liam looked annoyed, but opened the passenger door of his SUV for Elizabeth. David climbed into the back. “What did you say to him?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I explained that his persistence was scaring me and asked if he had been hiding in my barn. He looked surprised by that, and of course denied doing such a thing. Then I explained how I planned to discuss his behavior with Bishop Bachman after church services on Sunday, unless he stopped coming by without invitation.”
“And he agreed?” David asked.
“He did, especially since I told him that as my neighbor I would certain sure reach out if I needed help.” Elizabeth shrugged and glanced at Liam. “Jacob denied being outside my house last night, or the night before. I’m satisfied that he is aware of my concerns. I suspect he will leave me alone.”
For now, David thought grimly.
“I still would have liked to talk to him myself,” Liam said with a sigh. “But I will respect your wishes.”
“Denke.”
Liam shook his head as he started the car. He turned the SUV in the opposite direction from the way Jacob had gone. David’s house was off a rural highway, roughly a mile and a half from the Amish Shoppe, but in the complete opposite direction of the Amish community.
The walk was refreshing, most of the time. But now he didn’t like the way he was so far from Elizabeth.
“Have you changed your mind about me staying with you?” he asked. “I can ask Liam to simply drop me off at home, if you think my being there will cause trouble.”
His heart sank when she hesitated. “It may be best if you stay away, David. I believe Jacob will leave me alone, now. There’s no reason for you to sleep on the sofa, ja?”
He grimaced and repeated Liam’s words. “I believe you may still be in danger, but I’ll respect your decision.”
No one spoke for several minutes as Liam navigated the slippery highway. He pulled into David’s driveway and shifted the SUV into Park. “Do you want me to wait a minute?”
He hesitated, realizing it had been nearly four days since he’d been back, then shook his head. “I should be fine.”
“Ach, just go in with him, Liam. Certain sure it will only take a few minutes.”
David lightly touched Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Good night. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Sehr gut, David. Take care.”
He wondered if the regret in her gaze was real or a figment of his imagination. He forced himself to push out of the SUV, slamming the door behind him.
Liam waited for him to round the vehicle. “I’m sorry Elizabeth changed her mind.”
“Me, too.” He glanced at Liam. “I still think Jacob is responsible, at least for pushing her and striking me. But it’s possible Elizabeth’s approach will cause him to hold back for a while. Especially since he knows she has the bishop’s ear.”
“You told her about doing jail time?” Liam asked.
He nodded and pushed open the front door. “Yes, and that may have contributed to her refusal to have me stay the night on her sofa.”
“I don’t think so,” Liam protested. “She’s not like that.”
But David wasn’t listening. He abruptly stopped and stared at the ransacked interior of his house.
“Stay back.” Liam pushed him aside and pulled his weapon. “Go back out to the SUV while I take a look around.”
“I’m not leaving you alone,” David said grimly.
“You’re not armed,” Liam shot back. “I’m a cop. You’re only going to be in my way.”
David ignored him. This was his house, and therefore, his problem.
“Stay behind me, then,” Liam muttered. He moved forward, checking the living area, the kitchen, then moving down the hallway to the bedrooms and the single bathroom.
Every room had been touched by the person who’d done this. To be fair, his handmade furniture had held up well. It was clear the intruder had taken a knife to several of the structures, but without causing much damage.
Maybe that was something he could use to market his furniture. Durable enough to withstand acts of vandalism.
Yeah, maybe not.
“I’ll check the basement,” Liam said, brushing past him.
David stood for a moment, his mind reeling. This could have happened any time in the past four days. Before he’d seen the intruder that night in the Amish Shoppe.
Had it been the same man? Or was Jacob responsible, viewing him as a threat to courting Elizabeth?
Anything was possible. Yet somehow, this ransacking of his personal space felt viciously personal.
“No one downstairs,” Liam announced, returning to the main level. “Do you always leave your door unlocked?”
“Yes.” He shrugged when Liam rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t have mattered. The person who did this would have broken the door down if it had been locked. Clearly there was no attempt to conceal the fact he was here.”
“When were you here last?” Liam asked.
“Monday night. I worked all day Tuesday, then stayed the night so that I could be there when the shops opened Wednesday morning. Tomorrow is Saturday, so that’s four days.”
“And the intruder shot at you Wednesday night in the Amish Shoppe then again this morning?” Liam frowned. “I don’t like it.”
David didn’t like it, either. And worse, he was concerned that he may have been followed to Elizabeth’s house. If so, that changed things. She wouldn’t like it, but he would insist on spending the night on her sofa.
He’d brought danger to her doorstep. The least he could do was to be there to protect her.