Danger in Amish Country: Fall from GraceDangerous HomecomingReturn to Willow Trace (Love Inspired Suspense) Read online

  Joshua didn’t push for more information. He knew Katie would only pull more inside herself if he tried. She would have to tell him in her own way, in her own time, and he would have to be patient.

  But he was more certain than ever that Katie needed a friend.

  Now he knew why God had put it so strongly on his heart to return to Hope’s Creek.

  Joshua needed to discover who was behind the threatening notes, even if it meant he would have to maneuver through the minefield of Katie’s wariness and pride. He was determined to protect her from any danger—and that protection started now.

  TWO

  “Joshua! I heard you were back. For once the gossip is true.” Levi Lapp walked leisurely into the barn and then stopped. His eyes darted from Katie to Joshua and back again. “Am I interrupting something? Is there a problem?”

  Katie could feel the intensity of Joshua’s stare as he waited for her to answer her brother-in-law.

  “No problem, Levi. We were just talking. Joshua really came to see you.”

  Levi smiled. “It is good to see you again, my friend. But if you were looking for me then why didn’t you stop by my house? It would have been easier to find me, don’t you think?” The smile on Levi’s face did little to ease the awkwardness between the three of them.

  Levi had never been Joshua’s friend. He had dogged Jacob’s every footstep and pushed himself into the older trio’s time together with annoying regularity. But it certainly would do him no good to remind Levi of that when Joshua was here to ask for work.

  “It is good to see you again, too, Levi. I was told you come every morning to help Katie with the farm. I thought I might talk to you before you started the chores.”

  Levi tucked his thumbs into his suspenders. “Ya, ’tis true. I was surprised that Jacob left the farm in Katie’s name. It is our family farm. He should have known I would have taken good care of her if anything happened to him.” Levi shrugged. “And that is what I do. I split my time between the farm I purchased when Jacob inherited this land from my parents, and there is no reason I can’t continue to help you.” He nodded in her direction and then caught Joshua’s eye. “I do not wish to be rude but there are many chores to be done and I do not have the time for idle chatter. But I am sure if you join us for church services Katie will extend an invitation for Sunday dinner.”

  Both men glanced her way and Katie nodded.

  “Gut. I look forward to hearing what you have been doing these past years and you can tell us about your cousin’s district.”

  “That is kind of you, Levi. Ya, I will come.” He smiled. “But I came here this morning to lighten your load. I heard you are looking for a good carpenter and I am looking for work. Maybe we can be a help to each other.”

  Levi stared hard at Joshua for a moment before he spoke.

  “Ya, I remember hearing that you became a carpenter and I am looking for someone.” Levi clapped Joshua on the shoulder. “It will be good for us to work together. When can you start?”

  “Right away.”

  “Gut, come with me and I will show you what needs to be done.”

  Levi led the way out of the barn. When Joshua didn’t immediately follow, Levi looked back over his shoulder and shot Joshua a puzzled look.

  “Katie has something she needs to tell you.” Joshua looked at Katie and waited.

  Levi looked her way. “Is this true?”

  If she had had a pie in her hand, she might have thrown it at Joshua. Why couldn’t he mind his own business?

  “He is Jacob’s brother, Katie. He is family. He has a right to know.”

  Knowing Joshua was not going to budge on this issue, she brought Levi up-to-date on all three notes.

  “Why didn’t you mention this to me?” Levi asked. “Particularly since it was only a short time ago that someone set fire to your fields.”

  Joshua looked shocked at that revelation.

  “Please, Levi. I think Joshua is making it more than it is. The fire in the fields was deliberately set. It was evil and intentional. I can’t believe that someone so diabolical would suddenly stoop to something so simple and childish as scrawling a word or two on a slip of paper. They are vastly different incidents and I find it hard to believe the two are connected. Still, I have not been foolish. I have been cautious and alert just in case.”

  “We should go to the police,” Joshua said.

  “The police?” Levi shook his head. “I see no reason to bring them in on this. Katie is probably right. The two incidents are most likely not related.”

  “You aren’t going to do anything?” Joshua looked astonished.

  “Of course I am. But I am not going to take it to outsiders. We can handle this situation on our own, ya? I will bring it to the bishop. He will decide what should be done.”

  Joshua nodded his acceptance.

  “Now, come,” Levi said. “Let me show you what needs repair.”

  *

  A week passed without incident. No more notes. No more feelings of being watched. The bishop had made her promise to let him know if anything out of the ordinary happened again. When nothing did, Katie relaxed in the knowledge that she had probably been right all along. The fire in the fields had been an isolated incident, and the notes...the notes were of no importance.

  Life returned to normal, if normal was having Joshua work on the farm each day.

  He didn’t go out of his way to talk to her or interfere in her daily chores. He simply nodded with a smile when he arrived and went straight to work in the barn. When she took him a warm cup of apple cider to cast off the autumn chill, she didn’t know whether to be happy or upset that he accepted the drink, thanked her and went back to his work as if she didn’t exist.

  She decided she was happy that he kept his distance. She didn’t want to get involved in any way with any man. Especially Joshua.

  But...

  She couldn’t keep her eyes from straying to the barn and trying to catch a glimpse of him passing the door now and then. She couldn’t keep the smile from her face when he ate the slice of pie she’d given him at lunch today as if he’d never tasted anything so good. She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering to childhood days of wading in the pond and fishing and taking long walks and talking.

  Reluctantly, she had to admit that she had sorely missed her friend.

  But every time she allowed herself to remember how close they had once been, she would also remember Jacob, and her trip down memory lane would slam to a halt.

  Standing in the yard, she had been so lost in thought she didn’t hear the buggy approach and almost stepped in front of it. She pulled back not a moment too soon. Shielding her eyes against the morning sun, she tried to see who was inside.

  “Guder mariye, Katie.”

  It had been a good morning until Joseph arrived.

  God forgive me for my unkind thoughts.

  “Guder mariye, Joseph. Levi is in the field.”

  “I have not come to speak to Levi, Katie. I have come to speak to you.” He climbed down from the buggy. “You know why I am here.”

  “Ya, Joseph, and nothing’s changed. I do not wish to sell my land.”

  Joseph removed his black felt hat. “I thought you might have changed your mind after Levi returned from the market. I am sure you did not receive the income you expected after losing half your crops in that unfortunate fire. Have they found out who set the fire?”

  Katie didn’t want to be disrespectful of the older man but his presence on her land and his fake friendliness made it difficult for her to hold her tongue. She knew he only wanted to seize her property.

  “You know the same as I do, Joseph. I lost more than half my crop. And no, they have no idea yet who did it.” She shifted the basket of eggs she carried to her other hip, redistributing the weight. “You’ll have to excuse me, Joseph. I have baking to do.”

  “If you do decide to sell, I will give you a fair price. I do not want you to sell to the Englischer. Your land a
buts mine. It is only right that you let me buy it. The Englischer will not farm the land. He most likely will level everything and build apartments or condominiums or, perhaps, a massive housing development. I cannot allow that to happen.”

  Joseph reached out and patted her forearm.

  Katie startled and instantly stepped away.

  His mouth twisted as though he had bitten into something distasteful and he drew his hand back. “Please...if you sell, let Amish land remain in Amish hands.”

  Katie looked Joseph in the eye. “I don’t know how many ways to say it, Joseph. I am not selling my land. Not to you. Not to the Englischer.”

  Joseph placed his hat back on his head. “That is gut. I know the astonishing price the Englischer offered to me to buy my land and I’ve made discreet inquiries of others that also received offers for their land. If he offered you the same, then I would understand how that could appeal to a widow trying to make ends meet on her own.”

  “I am not alone. I have Levi, and Joshua is making repairs, and Esther buys my eggs and my pies for her bed and breakfast. And you know that Esau and Matthew helped Levi with the harvest.”

  “Gut. I am happy that you will be staying on the land.” He climbed into his buggy. “But if you should change your mind...” He clicked the reins and turned his horse around.

  Katie watched him leave and disturbing thoughts filled her mind.

  If he really knew how much she wanted to sell...how hard it was each day to keep things afloat...how unsure and afraid she was, then he wouldn’t have left so easily.

  But if she sold the land, where would she go? What would she do? Her parents had left the community right after she married Jacob, and moved to the Amish retirement community in Florida. Her father said his bones protested too much with each passing winter. She certainly wasn’t ready to move into a retirement village, so moving back with her parents was out.

  The fire chief’s words last month that the fire in her fields had been deliberately set still caused an icy chill to crawl up her spine.

  Who was doing this to her and what did they want?

  Die.

  The memory of the word scrawled on the last note actually made her skin crawl. She did not want to think that anyone who knew her would say such a terrible thing, let alone mean it. She was unsettled and couldn’t help but wonder what might happen in the months ahead.

  A shiver raced through her and she clasped her arms around her waist.

  Katie continued to watch the buggy until it became nothing more than a speck on the horizon. She almost had to stop herself from racing down the lane to tell him she’d changed her mind.

  “Was that Joseph King I saw?” Joshua approached from the barn. He reached out for the hand towel hanging from her apron and wiped his hands. “If he is here to see Levi, I’m surprised he didn’t stay. He will be back soon.”

  “He wasn’t here for Levi. He came to speak with me.” Katie walked toward the house and Joshua fell into step beside her.

  It never ceased to amaze her that even after all these years their steps matched in stride and rhythm as if they were one.

  “Whatever would he want with you? He’s much too old to come courting,” Joshua teased. He winked at her and she felt color flood her cheeks.

  “Mind your manners, Joshua Miller, or I won’t invite you in for coffee and a piece of apple pie.”

  Joshua paused and drew his fingers across his lips. “You draw a hard bargain, Katie Lapp, but you have a deal.”

  Arm brushing against arm, they climbed the porch steps.

  Katie liked the way his earthy, masculine scent, laced with the fresh aroma of soap, clung to his skin and mixed with the smell of wood chips, hay and dirt that clung to his clothes. On any other man the combination might be unpleasant but not on Joshua. It was unique and masculine and made her want to breathe in the fragrance of his skin.

  She liked the dimple in his cheek when he grinned and the errant wave of hair that fell across his forehead. She even liked the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach whenever he came close.

  What was wrong with that?

  Just because she had sworn off relationships with men didn’t mean she had to stop enjoying their presence.

  *

  Once Joshua settled himself at the kitchen table, Katie placed an ample slice of pie and a hot cup of coffee in front of him. She told herself that she didn’t cut Joshua an extra large piece of pie just to try to please him. He was a hard worker and needed the extra calories for energy, that was all.

  Joshua was on his second cup of coffee and last bite of pie when he again broached the subject of Joseph.

  “I am curious, Katie. If he is not here to court you, then what could Joseph King want with you?”

  “He wants to buy my land.”

  Joshua looked as if he’d been taken totally off guard. He spit his coffee back into his cup but not before some of the hot liquid splattered on his work shirt and the remainder of the brew spilled onto the table.

  Katie grabbed a dish towel and hurried around the table. She righted his mug and sopped up the spill. Then, reacting without thought, she dabbed the towel against the splatter on Joshua’s shirt.

  Within seconds she realized her mistake.

  She found herself standing directly in front of him, her hand moving from spot to spot across his chest, her breath close enough to flutter his hair.

  A sudden intimacy hung in the air between them.

  She froze.

  His warm brown eyes gazed at her. They flashed with an emotion that she didn’t recognize, which just as quickly disappeared. His hand shot up and stilled hers. Gently he took the towel from her hands.

  “I’ve got this,” he said.

  The husky, emotional timbre of his voice wrapped around her senses and filled her with questions she didn’t want to answer, thoughts she wouldn’t allow herself to entertain.

  She realized the inappropriateness of her actions, and heat burned her throat and cheeks. Without a word, she stepped away. Snatching the mug from the table, she hurried over to the stove.

  “Let me get you a fresh cup,” she said, lifting the silver percolator from the burner.

  “No.” He stood and tossed the towel on the table. “Danki, but I have to get back to work.”

  They stared at each other for several heartbeats.

  His eyes hard, intense, challenging.

  Hers wary, embarrassed, denying.

  Katie turned back to the stove and didn’t dare move as she heard the back door slam shut.

  *

  Joshua couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  He’d been shaken to his core. He wasn’t sure if it had been the thought of Katie selling her land and leaving the district or if it was the overwhelming attraction he had just felt for her in that kitchen. The price of a piece of pie and a cup of coffee had been higher than he’d ever thought he’d pay.

  He had almost jumped out of his skin when Katie dabbed the hot liquid from his shirt. He had looked into those incredibly blue eyes and felt like a drowning man in a beckoning sea. Her lips had hovered mere inches from his mouth and he couldn’t deny how much he had wanted to cover them with his own. Her breath had wafted across his skin and it had taken every ounce of control not to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer.

  But he had no right.

  If she knew what he had done, she would never be able to forgive him. How could she when he wasn’t able to forgive himself? The Bible taught that a person must forgive another if they wished to be forgiven. When Peter asked how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus replied “seventy times seven.”

  Joshua wondered what Jesus thought about forgiving oneself.

  He leaned against the back wall of the barn and watched the horses grazing in the paddock. He remembered teaching Katie as a young girl how to ride bareback even though Amish girls weren’t supposed to do such a thing. He remembered teaching her how to hit a ball, to bait a
hook. He remembered comforting her beneath the willow tree when she’d cried because she thought Jacob did not care for her the way she cared for him.

  He remembered loving her and leaving her.

  He remembered his silence about so many things. He’d known about Jacob’s poor choice of friends. He had known about his drinking. He’d even seen a mean streak in him once when he’d found him drunk.

  But he didn’t tell.

  And Katie had paid the price.

  The puckered scar on her wrist flashed through his mind. The memory of the wariness, hurt and fear residing in her eyes tore at his heart.

  He could have saved her if he hadn’t covered for Jacob...if he wasn’t afraid that she might not believe him because of his declaration of love years before.

  Some actions—or inactions—could result in causing others incredible pain.

  Some sins—his sins—were unforgivable.

  THREE

  Katie sat on her porch and watched the setting sun. The sky, a myriad of bright colors mirroring the reds, oranges and yellows still visible on the trees, had hues streaked across the horizon. She drew her shawl closer around her shoulders to ward off the evening chill. It was mid-November and there had not yet been even a dusting of snow. Cold air bit her cheeks and Katie knew that wouldn’t be the case much longer.

  She loved twilight, a time of light and shadows, a peaceful quiet at the end of a busy day. Levi and Joshua had both returned to their homes. She was alone. A smile bowed the edges of her mouth. She felt closest to the Lord when she could enjoy the silence and talk with Him in prayer.

  When her evening prayers ended, Katie placed her Bible on the table beside her and stood. She’d have to remember to take it into the house once she finished her evening chores.

  She had just stepped off the last step of her porch when a car roared up the lane shooting dust and dirt in its wake.

  Katie grimaced. She knew who this was. There was no mistaking the black low-to-the ground sports car that she’d seen too much of these past two months. Mr. Henry Adams. The man drove as though no one else had a right to the road and traffic signs had no meaning. Many times she had to calm a skittish horse as he roared past her buggy on the way to town.