by Mary Alford
The eldest, Aaron, stepped forward. “It’s gut to see you again, bruder. I wish it was under different circumstances, but we’re happy you’re home.” A pretty blonde woman held a toddler in her arms. At her side stood a young man who had to be Caleb, Aaron’s son.
“This is my fraa, Victoria, and our dochder, Katie. And you may not recognize my sohn. He has shot up into a fine young man.”
Mason greeted Victoria and couldn’t get over how much Caleb had grown since last he’d seen him.
At the back of the group, past his brothers Hunter and Fletcher, stood the one he’d hurt the most. Eli. His brother who he had treated so badly had come to see him.
“Eli. Thank you for coming.”
Eli came to his side. With him was a woman who appeared familiar and noticeably pregnant. “I’m glad to see you, bruder.” Eli hugged him before he turned to the woman at his side. “This is Faith. She and I have been married for almost a year now.”
Mason was speechless. “I’m pleased to meet you, Faith. You look so familiar.”
Faith chuckled and shook his hand. “That’s because I grew up here in West Kootenai until I turned ten. I remember you well. You were always urging your bruders to be adventurous.”
Mason cringed. “That’s why we were always in trouble.”
This was the first time he and Eli had spoken since that time long ago, but he didn’t want it to be the last. “I’m sorry, bruder. I drove you and Miriam away when I shouldn’t have.” Mason swallowed several times. Regrets weighed heavy on his shoulders, but he couldn’t rewrite the past. All he could do was make it up to his brother.
Eli clasped his arm. “We all made mistakes. The past is finished, but the future is wide-open.”
Mason looked to Willa. “Yes, it is.” And he was so ready to jump into it with her at his side, and with this precious child who obviously wasn’t sure what to make of the crowd of people around her. But she would. In time. They would become her family, too, and he looked forward to both him and Samantha getting to know his grown-up brothers...with Willa at his side.
EPILOGUE
Eighteen months later...
Willa stopped at the door to her mamm’s room and listened. The giggling had been going on for quite a while.
She stuck her head into the room. “All right, you two?”
Samantha glanced up from the book she had been reading to her grossmammi.
The love Samantha and Willa’s mamm shared always warmed her heart. Though her mother had her bad days, Willa believed it was thanks to Samantha’s gentle love more than the medication prescribed that Mamm’s condition had not worsened in the past months.
Today was a special day, and Willa had baked two pies, cleaned the kitchen until it shone and scrubbed all the floors before lunch because she couldn’t stop worrying. Today, she and Mason would find out if they became the official mamm and daed for young Samantha.
In the year and a half since the nightmare of the attack on her home had happened, Willa’s life had changed so much.
For a time, she and Mamm had gone to live with Mason’s mother while his bruders repaired her family home.
Mason had been able to pull some strings and become Samantha’s guardian. Then, when she and Mason married, Samantha came to live with them and Mamm.
He and his bruder Fletcher had fulfilled their lifelong dream with the help of Ethan Connors. Their hunting guide business continued to gain new clients each season. They’d even helped rescue several lost hikers last fall when an unexpected snowstorm caught them unprepared.
And Samantha had been so brave. She’d gone to court and pointed out the man who killed her parents. Thanks to her testimony, along with Owen’s son’s, Lucian Bartelli would spend the rest of his life in prison. Dante hadn’t remained loyal to his brother. He’d sold Lucian out. No honor among thieves.
Bartelli’s empire had crumpled. Samantha was safe at last.
The nightmare the child had gone through was slowly fading with time. Samantha kept a picture of her family in her room. Willa wanted her to remember them.
But today things might be changing. Would Samantha be theirs for real? Willa had prayed so hard. On her knees, pouring out her heart while scrubbing floors. And then she’d prayed some more.
She placed a tray of food on the bedside table. “You want to take your lunch with Grossmammi?” she asked, though she knew the answer.
“Jah.” Samantha said the word and giggled. She was slowly learning their language. Willa was so proud of her.
“That’s perfect.” The child beamed at her praise.
She handed a plate of meat loaf, green beans and mashed potatoes to the little girl.
“Shall we pray?” Willa waited until Samantha had bowed her head before she told all her fears to Gott.
Please don’t take her from us. We love this little girl so much. And she loves us.
“Amen,” Willa whispered in an unsteady tone that only Mamm understood.
“Why do they call it a silent prayer? Why don’t we pray out loud?”
Willa looked to her mother, who smiled adoringly at the child.
“Because we believe our prayers are for Gott to hear alone. They are between Him and us.”
Samantha accepted her grossmammi’s answer and dug into her favorite meal.
Though Willa had taken the test and learned she would be spared her mother’s diagnosis, not a day went by when she didn’t wish she could take it from her mamm.
While she did not understand Gott’s way in this, she would treasure each day she had with this wonderful woman who had taught her so much, and she would love her for as long as Gott allowed them to be together.
Mamm mouthed, “Any news?”
Willa shook her head. She helped her mother with the meal and talked about what she’d been doing.
“Samantha, did you tell Grossmammi how you mastered the craft of milking?” Willa glanced at the child.
“I milked Buttercup all by myself,” she said proudly. “Mamm said I could do it every time as long as I made sure she was there. She said Buttercup sometimes takes a while to get used to new people, but we’re friends already.”
Willa suppressed a smile. “She’s becoming very helpful around the place.” Her voice broke off as she thought about the possibility of losing the young girl. She loved Samantha so much. She couldn’t imagine her life without this beautiful child in it. “I’m going to teach you how to cook next.”
Mamm had tears in her eyes. “I can’t wait to taste her wonderful dishes.”
Samantha took a bite of food and frowned when she saw the tears. “Why are you crying?”
Mamm shook her head. “No reason. I’m just so happy.”
Willa turned away to brush off her own tears.
A noise outside grabbed her attention. A buggy was coming their way. Mason had returned.
“I’ll be right back.” Willa caught her mother’s troubled expression before she left the room and hurried through the house to stand on the porch.
Mason urged the buggy down the path toward her. She couldn’t tell anything from his expression. He pulled the buggy in front of the barn and she hurried down the steps to his side.
By the time she reached her mann, he was on the ground. She stopped a few feet away and searched his eyes.
A smile spread across his face and she ran into his arms.
“She’s really ours?” Willa whispered in between sobs.
“She’s ours.” He held her close while all the tension left her body.
“I was so worried.” Willa looked at him and smiled before she kissed him tenderly.
“I know. Me, too. My hands were shaking the entire time. But she’s ours and no one is going to hurt her again.”
The strength in those words had been there many times before. Every time he spoke a
bout Samantha, that fierce protectiveness filled his tone.
Willa couldn’t stop smiling. If she had been told it was possible to be this happy the year before Mason returned, after her daed’s death and her mother’s deteriorating disease, she couldn’t have imagined it.
Gott had shined his blessings on them. She had not only gained a husband but a brand-new family, as well—filled with bruders and sisters, and a mother-in-law who proved so caring. Her life was full.
“I love you, Mason. I’m so happy.” She went into his arms and held him close. Samantha was their child.
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Let’s go tell Samantha and your mamm. I can’t wait to see their faces.”
There might be clouds on the horizon, but today would be a day filled with joy.
Together, they stepped into Mamm’s room, and her worried eyes found Willa’s. She hurried to her mother’s side and hugged her tight. “She’s ours,” she whispered. “No one is going to take her from us.”
Her mother’s frail body quaked with sobs. While Willa held her tight and tried not to cry, as well, Samantha noticed her grossmammi’s tears and hurried to her side.
“What’s wrong, Grossmammi? Are you sad?”
Willa turned to her daughter and answered, “She’s not sad, kinna, she’s happy.” Willa looked to Mason, who scooped Samantha up into his arms.
“What your mamm means is you are our daughter. I went to court today and asked the judge to let you stay with us forever. He said yes.”
Willa waited and hoped Samantha would be as happy with the news as they all were.
“Like when I had to go and sit in the chair and tell them what happened?” The child rarely talked about having to testify or the time when her parents had died. For a long time, there were nightmares. Willa spent many a night holding her daughter while she cried. But lately, those times were few.
“Yes, like that.” Mason kept his answers simple so Samantha could understand.
“And they said I could stay here. I don’t have to leave?” The little girl with the solemn eyes held Mason in her spell.
“Yes, that’s right. You are our daughter. No one will take you away from us.” He waited for a reaction.
Her tiny face broke into a smile and Samantha hugged his neck. “I’m so happy, Daed.”
Willa’s eyes widened at Samantha’s use of the word for father. She’d been practicing the word for some time. She’d called Willa Mamm for a while now but had struggled with the word for dad. What a perfect day to say it properly.
Mason’s eyes flew to hers. “She called me Daed.”
Laughter bubbled from deep inside Willa. “She did, and she said it perfectly.”
Not long ago, Willa’s future had been plagued with darkness and doubts. Now she had more than her heart’s desire, and she was looking forward to each new day that came her way. With the boy who had become the man she loved with all her heart.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, don’t miss Mary Alford’s next Amish romantic suspense, available next year from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Cold Case Double Cross by Jessica R. Patch.
Dear Reader,
I find myself reminiscing about childhood things a lot lately. Reliving some of the happy and, yes, silly moments from that time brings a smile to my face. It was a simpler time. A different world.
For Mason Shetler, it takes coming back to his childhood Amish community to realize how special that life once was for him. Through the courage found in a little girl who has lost everything, and the strength of a woman whose future is uncertain, Mason discovered what he had been searching for all along.
I truly hope you enjoy Mason and Willa’s fight to protect young Samantha and the love they find along the way. And I hope their happy ending leaves you with a smile.
Blessings always,
Mary Alford
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Cold Case Double Cross
by Jessica R. Patch
ONE
Dread burst in Mae Vogel’s gut, mimicking the intensity of the red, white and blue fireworks exploding over the lake on this Fourth of July night. She’d taken a week of vacation—but she had every intention of letting her unit chief know it shouldn’t count. Since Mae stepped foot in her small hometown of Willow Banks three days ago, it had been nothing but stressful and tense, which was a far cry from vacation.
If Dad wasn’t dogging her for choosing a “man’s job” then he was ignoring her to pat her younger brother Barrett’s back. Only two years her junior—and also in law enforcement—it had always been clear he was the favorite child. If Mae had been born with a y chromosome, maybe Dad would be proud that she was a cold case agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
A small child crying caught her attention. “Hey, bud,” she said to the preschool boy. “Did you lose your mom?”
His little, pitiful head nod broke her heart. The patriotic music medley against the backdrop of an enormous fireworks display was deafening. Willow Banks Park sat in darkness as families nestled on quilts to endure mosquitoes and ants while publicly celebrating freedom.
Children raced to beat the debilitating heat from devouring their patriotic popsicles. Food trucks, lemonade counters, and stands selling glow-in-the-dark bracelets, wands and necklaces abounded. But this boy had neither popsicle nor glowing beacon, and he wasn’t the cause of her nervous energy coupled with apprehension. Something felt off, almost tangible. The night didn’t feel free.
“I’m a police officer. I’ll help you find your mom.” He lifted his arms, trusting and afraid. Bless him. She scooped him up and he wrapped his sticky hands around her neck and laid his snotty nose against her shoulder. Her maternal gene kicked in, surprising her. Rarely did she let herself imagine being married or a mom. Some things simply weren’t meant to be.
A woman came running through the crowd. “Parker! Oh,” she cried and clutched her chest, a glowing bubble gun in one hand and cotton candy in the other. The little boy—clearly Parker—hollered and went to sobbing, reaching for his mother.
“Mommy!”
The frazzled woman thanked her. “I let go of his hand to pay for the cotton candy and he was just gone!”
“No problem. I was taking him to the security booth.” Parker reached out again and his mother embraced him.
“You scared me to death, little man.” She smiled and thanked Mae then disappeared into the night. One good deed done. Small towns could project a facade of safe living, but Mae had been in many of them working unsolved homicides with her team. Some of them child cases.
No place was truly safe.
But for a moment she was going to take her mind off the job, the tension with her family and her grandma Rose’s failing health, which was why she was on vacation here instead of somewhere tropical.
She moved toward the lawn chairs Mom and Grandma Rose were sitting in, glanced up at the radiant display and smacked into marble.
Nope. A man.
She peered up to apologize, but the words died on her lips as recognition dawned. Cash Ryland. Mae hadn’t laid eyes on him, by design, since high school.
Maybe this was the origin surrounding her jittery feeling.
She put some pep in her step and moved backward, but Cash’s tanned arm reached out, as if assuming she’d stumbled and not retreated from him.
She swatted away his steady hand. “I’m perfectly fine.” No need for physical touch between them.
His thick eyebrows tweaked upward. “Sorry.” His voice had gro
wn deeper, huskier since he was a kid. Cash shoved his hand into his pocket, drawing her eye to the badge clipped to his thick black belt looping through well-fitted jeans.
What? How in the world did Cash Ryland make it into any branch of law enforcement and why would he want to? His teenage years had been spent as a juvenile delinquent. Not that she’d imagined what Cash might be doing now, but if she had it would be more along the lines of doing time for drug possession or grand larceny or maybe both. Not on the grounds with a criminal investigations division badge from Willow Banks Sheriff’s Office.
Unbelievable.
“You never were too good at masking your feelings.”
She glanced from his badge to his face and his lopsided grin rolled another wave into her stomach. How dare her body betray her common sense by being attracted to his strong, chiseled features.
His blond hair had turned a little sandier, but it worked for him, unfortunately. His eyes hadn’t changed—they were still the same intense shade of blue that won the hearts of girls determined to rebel against their parents. Cash had never been meet-the-parents material, unless a girl wanted to give them a heart attack and end up grounded for life.
Not Mae.
Mae knew better.
And she’d still been charmed then burned.
Speak, Mae. You have to at least speak. “I’m just surprised, I guess.” As if she were still a high school girl enamored by the bad boy of Willow Banks and unsure of herself, she folded her arms, which felt like dead weight across her chest.
Cash Ryland—a detective. She’d seen it all.
“Well, it’s a surprising thing. Um...” He scratched the back of his neck. “I actually was looking for you. I saw your family and hoped you would be here. Your brother mentioned you were in town on vacation.”
Why did Barrett have vocal cords? He hadn’t mentioned Cash to her. But then, why would he? Barrett was clueless about what had transpired during her senior year with Cash. All he knew was Mae had tutored Cash in English. But if anyone had been schooled that semester, it was Mae.