Jonah guided Liddie to his woodworking shop where he called the sheriff’s department with a cell phone he kept for business purposes. When he ended the call, he stopped and carefully studied Liddie pacing the small space, her delicate hand by her face.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, suddenly hyperaware of his surroundings, of her.
Liddie cut him a sideways glance and nodded, seemingly reluctant to say anything.
“Did you know that person?”
Her gaze went wide and she jerked her head back, as if he had offended her.
“I mean, do...” He let his words trail off. What did he mean? He suddenly felt guilty that he had been avoiding her for the most part since she came to live here to work as his children’s nanny. He had thought engaging her in conversation, treating her as part of his family, would somehow make him disloyal to his wife’s memory. Now, he realized it only served to put a distance between them that now was going to be tough to bridge.
“A deputy should be here soon.” He eyed her coat, now muddy from being dragged across the field. “Are you warm enough? Maybe we should go in the house.”
Liddie stopped pacing and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “I’m fine.”
A small kerosene heater hissed in the corner of the workshop. He hadn’t been this protective of someone other than his children in a long time. For some reason, he felt responsible that a stranger had dragged his children’s nanny across his field. Just like he had felt responsible for his wife’s death. He hadn’t been there when she was attacked because he had been working construction in the suburbs of Buffalo. A small whisper of gratitude skittered across his brain. Thank Gott he had been home today. That he had heard his son’s screams.
Inwardly he shuddered at the alternative.
What was going on? Why was Gott testing him so?
Jonah moved to the open barn door where he could watch for the deputy and keep an eye on his home where his children were with their grandmother. “Perhaps it would be better if we stayed here to talk to the deputy in private,” he said. “I don’t want to scare the children.”
Liddie nodded.
A few minutes later, a sheriff’s patrol car turned onto his property. His mind flashed to another time when his farm was overrun with patrol cars and rescue vehicles. The workshop suddenly felt close and the floor swayed. He ran his hand nervously down his beard and stepped out into the yard to get some air. He sensed Liddie following him, but he didn’t turn around to check. Even though it was dark, he didn’t trust that his expression wouldn’t betray his feelings. Feelings he had kept stuffed down inside for the past thirteen months for the benefit of his children. He needed to be strong for them. And it was easier to suppress his emotions than air them in the light of day.
Deputy Eddie Banks climbed out of his car and strolled over to them. “Hello, Jonah.” The man’s stern gaze, lit by the soft light flowing from the workshop, turned to Liddie. “Hel-lo.” He stretched the single word into two long syllables that sounded more like a question than a greeting.
“This is Liddie Miller,” Jonah said, not giving her an opportunity to speak for herself. “She’s my children’s nanny. Someone grabbed her by the greenhouse.” Saying the words out loud sent renewed fears skittering up his spine. Had whoever killed his wife returned?
He took off his hat and scrubbed a hand across his hair. No, no, no. That wasn’t possible. That man had been arrested and sadly killed himself at the county lockup.
The deputy adjusted his stance, hooking his thumbs on either side of his utility belt. “Perhaps you can tell me what happened, Miss Miller.” The way he pronounced Miss sounded like a swarm of angry bees.
“Of course.” Her voice sounded softer than usual. “Andy and I were tossing a ball around and when I went to retrieve it from the weeds, I smelled cigarette smoke. When I called out, someone attacked me and then dragged me across the field.” Liddie touched her forearm, as if remembering where he had grabbed her.
“Did you recognize them?”
“Neh,” Liddie said, and a faraway look descended into her eyes, as if she were reliving the moment. “It was dark. He had a hood on.” She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “He might have had a scarf. I can’t...”
“It’s okay.” The deputy turned his attention to Jonah. “Did you get a look at him?”
“Like Liddie said, it was dark, and he had his face concealed.”
“Okay.” The deputy seemed to be considering something. “Jonah and I will take a look around the property. Why don’t we see you safely to the house, Mizzz Miller?” That buzzing sound again. It struck him as condescending.
Liddie looked like she wanted to say something more, but she simply nodded.
Jonah escorted her to the house, checked on his children and mother-in-law, then met the deputy in the yard. The deputy directed his flashlight in the direction of the greenhouse. “Seems you’ve had a run of bad luck on this farm.”
Jonah didn’t bother to respond.
As they walked through the field, the beam of light danced over the weeds, lighting occasionally on the greenhouse, then back to the earth. After they were convinced the man was no longer on the property, they headed toward the house. “I’ll patrol the area. See if anyone’s lurking,” the deputy said.
“I appreciate it.” Jonah didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that they didn’t find anyone.
The deputy took a step toward his patrol car, then turned around. “I know it’s none of my business, but how well do you know your nanny?”
“Liddie?” Jonah asked, confused. “She was recommended by her grandfather who is a friend of the bishop’s.” He hadn’t felt the need to explore the details of her life beyond that.
“You’ve had a lot of hardship, Jonah, and I’d hate to think this young woman brought something from the outside world that is better left out there.” He lifted his palm to the generic “out there.” His choice of words reflected his job of enforcing the laws among a group of people who had a strained relationship with the sheriff’s department. The Amish preferred to remain separate.
Jonah’s blood chugged slowly through his veins like molasses, as his mouth went dry, his mind raced with all the possibilities. “What has Liddie done?”
* * *
Liddie kicked off her muddy shoes in the aptly named mudroom. She slid off her coat and hung it over the edge of the utility sink. Clumps of mud clung to the hem of her dress.
“What happened out there?” Ellen appeared in the doorway, clutching the apron of her dress. “Andy is beside himself. He said Jonah had to save you.”
“I’m fine.” Liddie searched behind the older woman for the young boy. “Where’s Andy?”
“He’s curled up on the bench with Daisy. He’s had a terrible fright.”
Daisy. Thankfully the shell-shocked little girl hadn’t witnessed the attack.
“I’ll tell you more later, but right now I want to check on Andy.”
Without saying a word, Ellen moved to one side of the doorway. She found Andy exactly where Ellen said he would be. Liddie crouched down in front of the boy, her weighted hem dragging on the hardwood floor. She smiled warmly at Daisy who stared blankly back at her before Liddie turned her focus back to Andy. “Are you okay?”
The little boy immediately sat upright and nodded and started talking excitedly with a touch of awe. “Why were you yelling? I called for Dat. Did the bad guys try to hurt you, too?”
Liddie placed her hand on his knee. “You did a gut job. Your daddy was a big help. I’m perfectly fine.” She and Jonah hadn’t discussed what they’d share with the children, so she made a decision on the spot to keep things vague and upbeat. “Your daddy is talking to the sheriff’s deputy and he’ll be in shortly.”
“Did someone try to hurt you? Are they going to arrest him?” Andy hopped down from the bench and raced to the window and peered out. Liddie’s attention drifted to Daisy, who watched her brother with the same air of concern that always wafted off of her. Poor child.
“Everything’s okay,” Liddie repeated for Daisy’s benefit. “No need to worry.” Tell that to the unease weighing heavily on her chest.
Liddie wandered over to join Andy. The deputy was talking to Jonah and they both kept glancing toward the house. Based on the prickling at the base of her neck, she suspected they were talking about her.
Liddie touched Andy’s head. “Come away from the window.”
“Can you read to me?” Thankfully, he had forgotten that she never answered all of his questions. She didn’t want to scare him.
“Of course, but I want to talk to your dat first, okay?”
“Okay.” Andy picked up a Matchbox car from a nearby basket and drove it along a hardwood plank, as if the lines were the edges of the road. Daisy watched from behind her doll.
“I’ll read to both of you,” Liddie said, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could.
Who had attacked her? Gingerly she touched her forearm, feeling the start of a bruise from where his fingers dug into her arm.
Liddie stepped away from the window as Jonah turned to walk toward the house with a somber expression. Once inside, his primary concern was his children. “Everyone okay in here?” The smile strained his face as he reassured his children. “Everything is perfectly fine, okay? Daddy’s always going to make sure you’re safe.” Liddie sensed that was a promise he vowed to keep. Then, Jonah turned toward Liddie. “Can we talk in private?” He pinned her with an intense gaze that made her stomach flip. Was she in trouble? He held out his hand, guiding her toward the kitchen.
Ellen appeared in the doorway. “I can put dinner out for you two. I already fed the children, although they didn’t eat much. Andy usually has a better appetite.” Liddie sensed the children’s grandmother was searching for the information neither she nor Jonah had been willing to share.
“Denki, Ellen. But I’d like to talk to Liddie. Maybe in a little bit.”
“Okay then.” The older woman’s posture deflated.
Apparently sensing his mother-in-law’s worry, Jonah added, “Ellen, everything is going to be fine. Ich bin dankbar.” I am grateful.
Ellen nodded. “I’ll read to the children.”
Jonah waited a beat until his mother-in-law had retreated to the other room. He hesitated another moment until Ellen’s thin voice floated into the kitchen as she read a well-loved story. Liddie and Jonah settled in at the kitchen table.
He placed his folded hands on the table, leaning slightly toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Anxiety heated her face. “Tell me, what did the deputy say? Did you find anything?”
“Neh, whoever attacked you is long gone.”
Liddie sighed heavily. “Oh...”
“Did you know who it was?” His narrowed gaze did nothing to ease the sting of the question.
“I already told you...” She couldn’t help but bristle at the accusation. Like her father’s pointed questions about how she was responsible for leading a kidnapper to her sister’s doorstep. “What did Deputy Banks say about me?”
“He told me about your involvement with some—” he cut a glance toward the sitting room as if to make sure little ears weren’t listening and Liddie couldn’t help but to fidget with her dress, suddenly eager to get into warm, dry clothes “—drug dealers.”
Liddie’s mouth went dry and any words of defense got lodged in her throat. “That wasn’t my fault. I...” Her thoughts swirled; she didn’t want to sound like she was making excuses. She cleared her throat and tried again, keeping her voice low. “When I visited Bridget, my sister, during my Rumspringa, I met a guy by the pool in her apartment complex.” She tapped her fingers on her thigh, thinking, thinking, thinking. Neh, she needed to go back and explain from the beginning for this to make sense.
None of this makes sense.
Liddie plowed forward before she lost her nerve. “At the time I visited Bridget, she was in nursing school. She also worked at a health care clinic and had reported her concerns that her employer, a doctor, was illegally prescribing drugs.” Even as she retold the story, it felt surreal. “The doctor had been involved with some very bad people who were determined to silence my sister.” Liddie drew in a deep breath to quell a familiar queasiness that washed over her. Surprisingly, her stomach rumbled at the smell of fresh-baked bread. She almost forgot she hadn’t eaten dinner. She shook away the thought. “This guy I met by the pool was part of a gang distributing the drugs. I had no idea.” She disliked how naive this all made her sound.
“Deputy Banks said you had kept in touch with him, leading him to Hickory Lane.”
“I did.” Tears burned the back of her eyes and she looked up at the ceiling to keep them from falling. “I’ll never forgive myself. I had no idea. I misjudged him. But thankfully, Bridget’s okay. She’s married to the DEA agent who saved her. They now live in the Virginia area. All the people involved have been arrested.”
Jonah’s knuckles grew white as he clenched his hands in front of him. “How can you be sure?”
Liddie ran a shaky hand over her forehead and heat crept up her neck. “What are you saying?” Her voice cracked over the last word.
Jonah flattened his work-worn hands and ran them back and forth across the surface of the table, as if he were carefully considering his words. Something about the gesture made her wonder if he had crafted this table himself. “My children are the most important thing to me.”
“The children are important to me, too.” She straightened her back and leaned toward him. “I’d never let anything happen to them.”
“Sometimes things are out of our control.”
“Are you letting me go?” She hated the tremble in her voice, but she couldn’t help it.
The pitter-patter of feet drew their attention to the entryway to the kitchen. Andy ran over and threw his arms around Liddie’s shoulders.
Steeling herself, Liddie smoothed her hand over his soft hair. He smelled of fresh air and little boy sweat. “Now, now. What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Glancing up, she found Jonah staring at her. She couldn’t read the expression in his eyes.
Andy lifted his tearstained face. “Are you going to leave us like my mem?”
“I...um...” There was no way she could lie to this child. Not after everything he’d been through.
But what’s the right answer?
Liddie looked to his father for help. Her pulse whooshed-whooshed-whooshed through her ears like the tension-filled seconds ticking away between them.
Jonah finally blinked and his hard expression softened. He pushed away from the table and came around to her side and crouched down in front of his son. He drew him away from Liddie and took his hands in his. “No need to worry, little man. Liddie’s not going anywhere.” Then he met her gaze. “She’s welcome to stay as long as she likes.”