18

After the long sick worry of a week, Bethany helped Naomi sew a binding on a quilt top on Friday evening and found it strangely calming. As soon as they finished, Naomi wanted to drop it off at the Sisters’ House so it could be wrapped and taken to a fundraising auction in the morning. A full moon cast eerie shadows all around Bethany and Naomi as they drove home from the Sisters’ House in the buggy.

The more time Bethany spent around the sisters, the more amazed she was at their quiet and purposeful lives. Now she understood why their house was a mess—they had better things to do with their time than clean and tidy and iron and dust. And they didn’t just talk about doing things—they did them. They even cared for Bethany’s own mother.

She still didn’t know the story behind that, but she was taking Geena’s advice to sit on it and pray about it. Geena said she would know when the time was right, but so far, nothing. She hoped Geena was right. This praying and expecting and waiting for an answer to come was new to her. She would prefer a burning bush.

“I’m glad for the chill in the air,” Naomi said as Bethany turned the horse down the road. Bethany stopped and looked both ways when they reached the intersection, although she knew there wasn’t a car in sight. She tugged the horse’s reins and murmured, “Tch, tch,” to urge him forward.

All of a sudden, Naomi grabbed her arm. “Look out, Bethany!”

She pulled back on the horse and slammed on the buggy brake, stopping no more than a yard in front of something lying across the road. If Naomi hadn’t spotted it in time, the horse would have tried to jump it and the buggy could have been wrecked. “Shootfire! That was close. What’s in the road?”

“I don’t know.”

They got out of the buggy together and walked to a large tree limb that was lying crossways in the road. “How in the world did that get there?” Bethany looked up. “There aren’t any big trees hanging overhead.”

“Maybe it fell off a truck,” Naomi said. Bethany leaned down to pick up one end of the tree limb and was about to ask Naomi if she would pick up the other when Naomi said, “Something’s not right here. Quick, Bethany. Get back in the buggy. We can go back down the way we came.”

“Why? That’ll take a lot longer to get home.”

“I can’t explain it. I’m just getting a funny feeling.”

“I thought you only got those when you had a headache.”

“Hurry! We need to get out of here!”

She straightened up to see what Naomi was so anxious about, and just as she did, a man emerged out of the cornfield. She opened her mouth to ask for his help, but before she could utter a word, it dawned on her that tree limb wasn’t there by accident. The man came toward her, slow and deliberate, and stopped just as he reached the buggy headlight. He took a step closer, moving across the beam of the headlight off the buggy, and she saw who it was.

Jake Hertzler.

He walked right up to her and smiled, but his eyes showed no warmth, only a cold, hard gaze. “Hello, Bethany.”

She stood like a statue, frozen to the spot.

“Bethany, who is he?” Naomi asked in a trembling voice.

“I’m Bethany’s boyfriend, Jake Hertzler. Bethany, honey, I’ve come for you.” Jake’s voice was soft and charming, like always, and there was the faint scent of Old Spice aftershave lotion, like always, but he didn’t look the same and he didn’t act the same. He had a strange look on his face that scared her. Something had changed, something essential, deep down. Even then, Bethany thought it was odd that she’d noticed such a thing.

“What is it you want, Jake?” Bethany practically spit the words. “You killed Chase. You ruined the gardens. What more can you take from my family?”

Jake sneered and his eyes narrowed slightly in the way of a man studying a mildly perturbing question. “I need to talk to Tobe and I think it’s best if you’re with me.”

“She doesn’t want anything to do with you,” Naomi said boldly. “Nobody does.”

Jake waved his hand at Naomi, as if he were brushing away a pesky fly. He kept his eyes on Bethany.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Bethany snapped. “You keep away from me!”

He gave her a slow look over, up and down, in a way that made her feel filthy.

“Don’t you touch me,” she said, teeth chattering. She didn’t want him to see how cold she was. She was shaking with it, she was feeling so cold. She took a step back.

Jake lunged toward her and grabbed her wrist. “You know you don’t mean that. You know you belong to me.”

She tried to yank her hand away, but he slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, then hit her again with his palm. She tried to get away, but he held on to her wrist tight as a trap.

By now Jake’s cool exterior had vanished; he was seething. She looked into that face, into eyes that were relentless, ruthless.

“What’s the matter, Bethany? Aren’t I good enough for you anymore?” Jake put his hand on her throat and moved it down over her body. She began to shake all over even while she was trying so hard to be brave.

“Leave her be, Hertzler.” A voice spoke out calm and clear in the dark.

Jake stilled.

“Hertzler, I told you to leave her alone,” the voice said a little louder. In the beam of the buggy headlight stood Rusty.

Jake dropped Bethany’s wrist as if it were a hot potato and spun around. Bethany’s legs gave out and she fell into the dirt. Naomi ran to her side.

“Run along, kid,” Jake said. “You’ve been paid for your work.”

“You can keep your money,” Rusty replied in the same calm voice and pulled out a handful of crumpled bills from the pocket of her jeans. She threw them at Jake’s feet. “Leave the women alone.” Bethany realized she had never heard Rusty’s voice before. She spoke as quietly as a person in a library. “They won’t fight you, being Amish, but I will.”

Jake laughed at Rusty, sizing her up and dismissing her. He turned back to Bethany and grabbed her arm. “Get up. You and me are going for a ride.”

Rusty pulled the buggy whip from its socket and whipped it, like a flash, against the back of Jake’s hand so that he released Bethany. “I told you to leave her alone.”

Jake gripped his stung hand. Then he swung at Rusty, but before he could land a single punch, she kicked him in his privates. He bellowed out with pain and she kicked him again so that he dropped his hands to the front of his pants and doubled over. Rusty pulled something out of her back pocket and held it up high, in front of her, so Jake would see it in the beam of the buggy headlight. In her hand was a six-inch knife. It looked familiar, like the knives that belonged to the Grange Hall kitchen.

“Now, why don’t you just get along back to that rock you live under,” she said, still in that calm, quiet voice.

Strangely authoritative, Bethany realized, and wondered why her mind was working though her body wouldn’t budge.

Jake turned to run and Rusty kicked him in the small of this back. He made a whoomp sound and limped off into the dark.

Rusty watched, making sure he was gone for good, before she turned to Bethany, her breath coming as easy as if she’d been out for a walk. “You all right?”

“Where did you come from?” Bethany’s voice was high and shaky, and she cleared her throat.

“Just heading back to the Group Home.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Rusty nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. “I’ll move that tree limb out of the road. Then I’ll be getting on.”

“No!” Naomi cried. “What if he comes back?” She was as pale as a ghost.

Rusty hoisted the tree limb and shoved it to the side of the road like it was a feather pillow. “I don’t think so. Not tonight, anyway. He’ll be hurting for a while.”

“I can’t drive the buggy,” Bethany said. “My hands are shaking too much.” Naomi was trembling even more.

“I’ll drive you,” Rusty said. She hopped right into the driver’s side of the buggy. Naomi helped Bethany in, then got in and sat in the backseat. Bethany wanted to know more about Rusty, to ask how she happened to be right there when they needed her, how she knew Jake, why she was willing to fight him off. And how did she know how to drive a buggy? But Bethany’s cheek was smarting where Jake had hit her and her teeth kept chattering and she wasn’t sure she could get the words out in any order that made any sense. Rusty didn’t volunteer any information—she just drove the buggy down the road like she’d been doing it most of her life.

When Rusty pulled up to Naomi’s house, Jimmy came out of the front door. “Galen was just wondering where you were, Naomi.” He stopped short as he realized there were three in the buggy. “What’s happened?”

From the backseat, Naomi poked her head out the buggy window. “Bethany needs help.”

Jimmy jumped the porch rail, landing near the buggy.

“We just had a scare, that’s all,” Bethany said.

“The scare of our life,” Naomi added.

Jimmy yanked open the buggy door, and Bethany slid out and fell into his arms.

“Let’s get her inside,” Naomi said, hurrying to climb down from the buggy.

Jimmy wrapped his arm around Bethany and helped her up to the house. Her legs still felt shaky—she couldn’t have walked to the house without his help. They reached the porch steps before she remembered Rusty and turned back to the buggy.

“Rusty!” she called, but there was no answer in the darkness.

Galen opened the door. “I’ll put the horse and buggy away . . . ,” he started to say, then stopped when he saw the bruise on Bethany’s face. “Do you want me to get a doctor?” he asked.

“No,” Bethany said.

Jimmy set her in a chair as Galen grabbed a sweater hanging on the wall and wrapped it around her.

“I’ll get a cold rag for your face,” Galen said.

“I’ll start some tea,” Naomi said, her voice sounding stronger. “Tea always helps everyone calm down.” She filled the teakettle with water and put it on the stove to boil.

Jimmy knelt down in front of Bethany. “Are you all right?”

Bethany nodded, her eyes on her lap, where her hands twitched.

“Look at me, Bethany,” Jimmy said.

She raised her head as slowly as she could, glancing at him, then turning to the stove where the teakettle was starting to sputter.

He covered her hands with his. They were so warm and she was so cold. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes,” she said in a squeaky voice. “He didn’t . . . he tried to make me go with him . . .”

“Who?”

Bethany kept her eyes on her hands that were tucked under Jimmy’s. She took too long to answer, so Naomi spoke up. “Jake. Jake Hertzler.”

“Oh no . . .” Jimmy grabbed Bethany out of her chair and hugged her so hard she could hardly breathe.

“I’m all right, Jimmy. Truly I am.”

The teakettle started to whistle, so Naomi filled a teapot with hot water, then dipped four teabags into it. The cinnamon scent of the tea filled the air, calming Bethany’s racing heart. Galen brought a cold rag and she held it up against her cheek to keep the swelling down. Every few minutes, without saying anything, he took the rag and refolded it so it would be cool, then put it back against her face.

Naomi set the teapot and four mugs on the kitchen table, then sat at the kitchen table and poured tea for everyone. Bethany looked up and saw Naomi gazing at her with concern, handing her a mug of hot tea, and she felt so lucky to have such good friends that tears came to her eyes.

As Naomi’s nerves settled, she was able to start at the beginning. Bethany filled in parts she missed, so that soon Galen and Jimmy heard every detail, including the rescue by Rusty.

When the girls had finished, Jimmy hit the table with his fist. “I’m going after him!”

“No!” Naomi said. “No. You can’t catch him. You shouldn’t even try.”

“Naomi’s right,” Galen said, “but we should call that SEC lawyer. He needs to hear—”

“No,” Naomi said firmly. “We should let God alone deal with this.”

Bethany looked at Naomi. “What else did you see tonight?”

Hesitating, Naomi kept her eyes fixed on her tea mug. “Jake Hertzler cast two shadows. I saw it in the moonlight, plain as day.”

A chill traveled down Bethany’s spine. Jimmy and Galen exchanged a look.

Naomi’s hands were wrapped tightly around the mug. “That man is possessed.”

Early Saturday morning, Jimmy arrived at Galen’s to start work. Galen was in front of the barn, waiting for him, a tight, serious look on his face.

“I thought I’d stop over at Eagle Hill before the day begins and see if Bethany’s doing all right after last night’s scare.”

“Hold on a minute, Jimmy.”

“What is it, partner? You look like someone has died. Naomi’s all right, isn’t she?”

“She’s fine. Jimmy, when I got up early this morning, I noticed that the barn door was wide open. Someone had been in there during the night. But I never heard a thing.”

Jimmy snapped to attention. “What’s happened?”

Galen rubbed his chin. “It’s Lodestar. He’s gone missing.”

Bethany sent Luke and Sammy outside with a basket to gather eggs in the henhouse because Jimmy said he wanted to talk to her privately. He pulled out a kitchen chair. “Bethany, sit down. There’s something I need to tell you before your brothers find out.”

At the kitchen sink washing breakfast dishes, Bethany wiped her soapy hands on a dishrag and sat at the table. She could hear the drip of water in the sink as she waited for Jimmy to say what was on his mind: plink, plink, plink.

He cleared his throat. “Lodestar was stolen.”

Bethany’s shoulders shivered faintly. She squeezed her hands together into tight fists. “Jake,” she said in a deadly quiet voice.

“Probably. Can’t prove it but probably so.”

Bethany sat there fuming for a few seconds, then she slammed her palms on the tabletop. “It isn’t fair. It isn’t right! He takes everything we love.” She shook her head as if trying to shake off an image of Jake. As quickly as it came, the fury drained out of her and a ripple of hope crossed her face. “Do you think you can find Lodestar?”

“I don’t know.” He lifted his hands, showed his palms. “Maybe . . . it’s for the best.”

“How so?”

He leaned back in the chair so the front two legs lifted. “My mother has been after me to manage the chicken and egg business, full-time.”

“But you hate chickens.”

“I do indeed. But she’s my mother and I do love her. And maybe I’ve been making too much of being a horse trainer. It’s created nothing but tension with my mother. I left Paul alone to handle the chicken business and that wasn’t fair, either. Sometimes, the things we love can turn into our glory. My sense of purpose, my significance—I put it into something finite. Maybe horse training has become too important to me.”

Bethany pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. “Jimmy,” she whispered, wiping guilty tears with the back of her hand. “I’m just so sorry . . .”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? You didn’t do anything.”

“If I hadn’t introduced Jake to my father in the first place, he wouldn’t have swindled all those people, and you wouldn’t have lost Lodestar.”

Jimmy’s mouth split into a grin and he shook his head. “Boy, you sure think a lot of yourself, Bethany. I’m perfectly capable of making my own mistakes, thank you.”

“But . . .”

“I’m the one who was dazzled by Lodestar and bought him from Jake without getting a bill of sale. I did that all by myself. Maybe I’ve lit too many firecrackers in my day,” he said, rapping his head with his fist. “Or maybe I’m just stubborn. Probably that. But whatever I am, whatever I’ve done, I’ve done myself. So quit trying to hog all the credit, will you? Besides, I’m glad things happened the way they did.”

Seeing her open mouth, he laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. I mean it. I’d been thinking about all this even before Lodestar went missing. I’ve ignored my mother’s need for help with the chicken farm. I think maybe God had to shake me to get my attention.”

“You think God arranged for Lodestar to get stolen?”

“Well, I don’t think God opened the stall door or anything like that, but I do think he used the situation to shake some sense into me. Galen said once that the hardest choices in life aren’t between what’s right and what’s wrong but between what’s right and what’s best.”

He leaned forward to brush tears from her cheeks. “And who knows? With that horse’s penchant for running, maybe I won’t have to find him at all. Maybe he’ll come back to me.”

She tried to smile, but it came out all wrong: sad and pitiful.

“So, think you don’t mind being courted by a chicken farmer?”

Bethany’s back went straight up. “And who said anything about courting, Jimmy Fisher?”

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “When are you going to admit you’re crazy about me?”

She gave him a sly look. “You want me to turn into a quiet, timid little Amish girl.”

Jimmy grinned. “Not hardly.”

“Let me tell you something, Jimmy Fisher, I am not the kind of girl who cares about silly things, like whose cobbler tastes best at Sunday potlucks or what anyone might be saying about an early winter or an early thaw or if the wheat might blight this year due to heavy rains.”

“I want you just the way you are. Spitfire and all.” He scooted his chair closer to her. “You know you’re sweet on me, Bethany.”

“Maybe I am, but that’s beside the point.”

“What is the point?” He scooted his chair even closer to her, his gaze fixed on her lips. “The only thing on my mind is kissing you.”

“You need more on your mind, Jimmy Fisher.” She turned her chin away, trying not to think about being kissed by him, so of course all she could do was think about it. His fingers were brushing her hair from her neck and then his lips fell there, on her nape, which made her shudder. He noticed. “Look at me,” he said quietly.

And as if her body belonged to someone else, that’s what she did. She turned to face him and he kissed her. Sweetly at first, full of tenderness. Gentleness. She felt safe here, in his arms.

Luke and Sammy ran past the kitchen windows, holding a basket between them full of freshly gathered eggs.

“Bethany!” Luke shouted. “Open the kitchen door. The basket’s heavy and we’re hungry!”

Jimmy released her. “What happens if we give it a try, Bethany? This relationship thing?”

She only looked at him.

Jimmy smiled his slow, wonderful smile and plopped his hat back on his head. “I’ll talk to you soon.”