LITMIR.BIZ

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the short-term rentals where she and her mother and sisters had lived for a month or two at most, before moving on to the next temporary lodging. How foolish she was to think her life in the future would be different, no matter how much she longed for stability and a home of her own.

      Relieved though Sarah was to be free of Victor, she worried about his mother now left home alone with her crazed son. Over the last few weeks, Ms. Hazel’s condition had deteriorated much too quickly, making Sarah wonder if Victor was doing something to speed up her decline.

      Concern for the older woman weighed heavily on Sarah’s shoulders, but she couldn’t do anything to help Ms. Hazel at the moment. Right now, she needed to close her eyes and rest. Sarah had escaped, although she felt anything but free while hiding under the tarp with Victor prowling the area in search of her.

      Should Victor return to question her rescuer again, would the Amish man whose faith embraced peaceful nonresistance be able to save her? Or would Victor find her? She shuddered at the thought, knowing that if he got his hands on her once more, Victor would ensure Sarah never escaped again.

      * * *

      The dark sky mirrored Joachim’s inner struggle. Passing through the intersection where Eli died had been Joachim’s undoing earlier. Now he was hiding a woman he did not know. The added complication only made him more conflicted.

      All too clearly, he had recognized the pain on the woman’s face as she glanced down at him from the window and again as she stood on the stairway inside the Thomin house, her finger to her lips and her eyes pleading for mercy. Her expression had reminded Joachim of his own sense of hopelessness and despair that had overwhelmed him following his brother’s death.

      Was that what had drawn Joachim to the woman and made him long to protect her?

      He glanced at the rear of the buggy, where she lay under the tarp. By the steady rise and fall of the heavy covering, he presumed she had fallen asleep, which was probably for the best. Fatigue had lined her face along with fear that made him grateful he had come to her rescue.

      The wind picked up, and the temperature dropped as dark clouds billowed overhead. Joachim needed to find shelter before the storm brought more chaos to this already confusing day.

      He flicked the reins, hurrying Belle. Instinctively, she knew the route he had chosen to take.

      The woman needed a place to hole up for a day or two until she could connect with her sister. Petersville was the nearest town, but that was the direction Victor had gone. When he failed to find her there, he would more than likely retrace his route to search more thoroughly in the local area.

      The Burkholder farm adjoined the Thomin property, but the road connecting the two homes took a circuitous route around the fields and pastures. Glancing at the sky, Joachim wondered if Belle would get them to shelter in time.

      If his father was tilling the soil in the distant acreage, Joachim might be able to signal his sister, Rebecca, especially if she was working in the garden. She had written him faithfully while he was away, telling him about the family. In spite of the breezy news she shared, Joachim had read between the lines, all too aware of the emotional anguish Eli’s death had caused his family.

      More than anything, Joachim longed to see Mamm again, yet his mother would abide by the rules his father established. Having to watch her turn her back on him would be almost too hard to bear.

      And the woman hiding in the back of his buggy? If his father forbid Joachim entry into the house, he would hole up in the barn and give the woman as long as she needed to decide where she wanted to go. Until that time, Joachim would stand guard, ensuring Victor did not find her.

      But would she want Joachim’s help?

      He shook his head. An Englisch woman was not in his future, yet whether he liked it or not, she was very much in his present. More than anything, Joachim wanted to keep her safe from Victor and from anyone else who might cause her harm.

       THREE

      In her dream, Sarah watched Victor raise his hand to strike her. She screamed, then flailed her arms and tried to free herself from the shroud that covered her.

      “You are safe.” Hands reached for her, removed the heavy covering and pulled her into an embrace.

      Not Victor, but the Amish man.

      “Shh,” he soothed, cradling her like a child.

      It was the first comfort she had felt in far too long. She buried her head against his neck, wanting to remain forever enveloped in his warm and protective hold.

      Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, wetting his cotton shirt. Hearing the rain, she was more than grateful to be under cover and out of the storm, and even more grateful for the human contact.

      The rapid thump of his heart proved the Amish man wasn’t a figment of her imagination. She nestled closer, not wanting to open her eyes or leave the security of his embrace for which she had hungered too long.

      Thunder crashed overhead.

      “Joachim?” A woman’s voice said the name, her tone filled with surprise.

      Another clap of thunder.

      Her Amish protector tensed and pulled back ever so slightly.

      Sarah clung to him for a moment before her eyes fluttered open.

      His head was turned. She followed his gaze to the woman dressed in a calf-length blue dress, white apron and bonnet, who stood just inside the open barn door.

      Outside, rain pummeled the earth. The day had turned dark as night. Or was it night already? She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. The woman’s questioning frown seemed equally dark. Perhaps she was the man’s wife. The thought cut through Sarah’s heart. She had been such a fool.

      Embarrassed by her neediness and the way she had reached out to the man, she untangled her arms from where they had wrapped around him.

      He glanced down at her, a glint of confusion flashing from his dark eyes.

      Was he upset that his wife had found him giving comfort to a woman who wanted nothing more than to return to his embrace?

      “I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, trying to make sense of what had happened. “I was asleep. I didn’t realize...”

      “Who are you?” the Amish woman demanded, glancing first at Sarah and then turning her frosty gaze to the man. “Joachim, is there something you did not tell me in your letters?”

      “She needs help, Rebecca.”

      “Yah, and it looks like you need help as well from the way you clutched the Englischer to your heart.”

      “Father is in the house?” he asked, seemingly sidetracking the issue at hand.

      Rebecca shook her head. “He and Mamm are visiting Aunt Mildred and Uncle Frank in Kentucky. They will be gone for a few more days. Had you written that you were coming home, they might not have left.”

      Sarah was trying to follow the conversation and understand the undercurrent of what was really being said. The man had mentioned his father. No, his tone implied that it was their father. Was the woman not his wife?

      “Excuse me,” Sarah said, pulling away from him and peering at both of them. “You’re not married?”

      The woman huffed. “Why do you think this?”

      Evidently, Sarah had jumped to the wrong conclusion. She held up her hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to offend either of you.”

      She turned to Joachim. “Thank you for bringing me here. If I could stay in the barn until the storm passes, I would appreciate it.”

      His brow furrowed. “You plan to leave?” He shook his head. “This cannot be.”

      He

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