Plain Target

by Dana R. Lynn

The children covered their mouths, but he still heard the snickers. Grinning, he shrugged. Well, now everyone knew he was hungry.

  He was scooping a large bite of pancake dripping with warm maple syrup in his mouth when Jess raised her arm suddenly, knocking his food off his fork. It landed with a sticky slurp on his clean shirt. Grabbing the cloth napkin, he removed the mess, scrubbing at the spot, aware that he was making it worse. Finally giving up, he placed his napkin back on the table.

  Jess was most likely wanting to crawl under the table with embarrassment, he mused. He turned to face her, prepared to make a joke of the accident. The joke died on his lips. Jess was rocking in her seat, her eyes darting from person to person. Actually, she was looking from face to face, zeroing in on their mouths as they talked.

  Her panicked eyes caught his. He knew what she was going to say even before she signed it.

  “My battery died. I can’t hear.”

  Perfect. That was just great.

  Because they needed one more challenge in their bid to survive.

  * * *

  Jess tried to remember when she had changed her battery last. Yesterday morning. Her batteries always lasted longer than that. What a time to get a bum battery!

  She was trying to read lips so fast her vision was strained. If this continued, she would have a headache before lunch.

  When Levi stood to go to the barn and look at the lame horse, she shoved her chair back and stood with more alacrity than grace. Belatedly, she remembered her manners. Heat seared her cheeks as she paused to thank her hostess.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Miller. Breakfast was delicious.”

  “You’re welcome, Jess. We are glad you decided to come to us.”

  Frustrated, Jess watched her hostess’s mouth move, unable to decipher the rest of the words. A wave caught her attention. Discreetly, Seth signed, keeping his hands low. “She said you are like family.”

  A lump clogged her throat. Jess had felt bereft of family since her brother died. Just knowing that Rebecca’s family accepted her touched her more than she could say. Again, the Lord blessed her when she needed it. Unable to reply without tearing up, she smiled and nodded before following Levi, aware that Seth had risen and joined them. Tension knotted her neck muscles as they walked to the barn. The way the men kept constant surveillance made her feel squirrely. By the time they reached the barn, she half expected someone to jump out at them. Men!

  Jess fell in love with the mare Levi led her to the second she saw her. She was a chestnut thoroughbred, and stood about sixteen hands. The mare’s legs weren’t swollen, so that was good. She leaned down to feel the legs. No extra heat. Also good. The mare stood quietly while she examined her, not even protesting when Jess lifted her leg to look at the hoof. When she moved the horse to look at her gaits, the animal moved without pampering one limb over another.

  “What a sweet girl,” she crooned. The horse nudged her with her nose. “I can’t see any problems. My guess is that she stepped on a rock or something, and it bothered her for a few steps. Nothing permanent. Keep an eye on her for the next day or so, just in case.”

  That done, she figured they would head back to the house. As it was Sunday, the family might have plans to visit family or neighbors. Now that the animals had been tended to, there was no more work that they would do.

  So she was somewhat startled when Seth laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

  “Jess, there’s a situation you should know about before we go,” Seth signed.

  “What situation?” Her stomach started to hurt, the way it always did when she was scared.

  “Early this morning, the dogs woke the two of us,” he indicated Levi and himself, “and I saw someone running behind the barn. I don’t know who it was. It might have nothing to do with us, but I thought you should know.”

  “You think we’ve been found.” It wasn’t a question. And if Seth believed it, she believed it, too. He was observant, and had seen enough to know how serious their situation was.

  Nor did Seth try to sugarcoat things. All her life, people had tried to shield her from bad news. It was something of a relief to meet someone who didn’t try to keep information from her. Even if it was unpleasant information.

  “So what you’re saying is someone could be watching us right now?”

  Seth nodded. Levi merely shrugged, a skeptical expression on his face. He apparently didn’t feel they were in danger here. But as long as Seth did, she would assume the same.

  “What do we do?” Calm. We need to stay calm. She repeated the words in her mind over and over.

  Levi spoke. She was relieved when Seth signed, interpreting for her. It was exhausting to try and read Levi’s lips.

  “Mam and Dat will go visiting today. My brothers were out courting last night, so they will remain at home today. I had planned on visiting my girl today. If you need me, I could stay here.”

  “Oh, no! I don’t want to interrupt your plans.” She replied. Then curiosity got the better of her. “You have a girl?”

  Seth sent her a glare, which she ignored. Yes, she was being nosy. But she had never known Levi to go courting before.

  She almost relented when he shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, I have a girl. We are getting to know each other.”

  “Then you must go and see her. Seth and I can stay here out of the way. We have plenty of information we need to sort through. And plenty of suspects to consider. I’m going back and forth about whether or not I think Lisa and Bob Harvey could be guilty.”

  “Lisa and Bob Harvey? My girl cleans house for several Englisch families. The Harveys are one of them.”

  Jess’s mouth dropped open. So did Seth’s. Any plans to stay quietly tucked safe and sound at the Miller house fled. A golden opportunity had just been handed to them. She for one didn’t want to waste it.

  Seth apparently agreed. “We would very much like to talk with your girlfriend. Do you think she would agree?”

  There was a brief hesitation. It might have been her imagination, but she knew it wasn’t. It was one thing to allow them to enter his family’s home. Quite another to introduce them to his girlfriend. If she remembered what Rebecca had told her correctly, dating couples didn’t officially tell their families until a marriage proposal had been made. Although everyone knew.

  Slowly, Levi nodded.

  “Jah. I do not know if she will talk with you. She’s shy. But you are my sister’s oldest friend. I don’t believe you are in danger here. But if someone is after you, it would be right to help.” Levi’s stern expression softened. “But you should not go dressed like you are now.”

  “I don’t have anything else with me.”

  “Jah, but Rebecca left most of her clothes when she left. You could wear those.”

  She blinked. Wasn’t there some kind of rule against what he was suggesting?

  “You want us to dress Plain?”

  Confirmation never hurt.

  “Jah. I think it the best way. I think it would be safer for Laura if your enemy didn’t recognize you.”

  Her heart softened. “Levi, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  A casual shrug lifted his shoulders. “We will leave when you are ready. And when we come home tonight...”

  “No,” Seth interrupted.

  “No?” Maybe she had read the single word that fell from Seth’s lips wrong. No was such a small word. And there were other English words that looked the same. Like toe. Or lo. Both were quite a stretch.

  He flicked his gaze toward her. It was filled with tenderness. And regret. Her breath got stuck in her lungs. This was either going to be very good, or very bad. Riveted, she gulped as he started to speak, signing for her benefit.

  “I’m sorry, Jess. I know that you are among friends here. And Levi, we appreciate al
l that your family has done for us. Is still doing for us. But I know I saw someone this morning and I firmly believe that they were here for Jess and me. I doubt the person will go after your family, because they have nothing to do with this. And anyone who lives in the area knows the Amish community wouldn’t go to the police to solve their problems. But if he or she recognizes Jess at your house, someone else might get hurt. So I think the best plan would be to let us talk with Laura, then help us find shelter for the night. You can pick us up tomorrow on your way to work so we can use the phone.”

  Her heart heavy, Jess agreed.

  Levi did not. He started to argue. Before he could get too far, though, his mother called him in to the house to assist her.

  “This isn’t finished,” Seth waited for her to walk out of the stall, then he relatched it.

  Jess held her tongue. Hopefully, their discussion with Levi’s girlfriend would provide answers. They were out of options.

  TEN

  Jess was ready to crawl out of her own skin. She just knew someone was watching them. Her shoulder blades twitched under the plain blue dress, feeling a stare boring holes in her back. Her hand trembled, itching to reach up and adjust the white prayer kapp she had placed on her head. Resisting the urge was difficult.

  With each step she took she braced herself for the bullet she expected to pierce her skin. It was a toss-up whether her inability to hear was a pro or a con at the moment. Did she want to hear a gunshot and know that death was coming if there was no escape?

  Think of how Rebecca walks, she reminded herself. Concentrating on taking quick, gentle steps like her friend helped take her mind off the eminent danger. After all, she was wearing Rebecca’s old dress and shoes. Might as well pretend to be her for the next fifty feet or so.

  Closer. Closer.

  Almost there.

  The last few steps she had to force herself not to run. The questionable safety of the buggy beckoned to her. Seth stepped up beside her to offer her a hand into the buggy. She avoided his eyes. Not because she was upset with him. She wasn’t. Both he and Levi were doing their best to keep her safe. Levi had even gone as far as raiding the family’s clothes to locate an appropriate disguise for her and Seth. Her fear was that if she risked raising her head, her attacker would get a look at her face.

  Jess didn’t know much about the attacker. One thing she was absolutely certain of, however, was that it was someone she knew. Or at least someone who knew her. How else could they have known where she’d go to take shelter on this side of the flooded creek? That’s why it had been so crucial to mimic Rebecca’s mannerisms. To become someone else for even a few minutes.

  Without needing to be told she moved to the back of the buggy, sliding into one corner on the dark gray bench inside. Levi had cautioned her not to let her head be seen out of the side windows. It meant she had to sit at an awkward angle, but she didn’t care. If staying alive meant she had to twist herself up like a pretzel, then that’s what she would do.

  The buggy shook as Seth took a seat in the back with her. She had to smile. He looked very uncomfortable in Levi’s old hat and plain clothes. The buggy moved forward with a lurch, and they were both pitched against the back wall.

  “I will never complain about how small my car is,” she signed to Seth.

  Only the tiniest twitch at the corners of his mouth told her he was amused. She was getting good at reading his eyes, though. They were warm and full of caring. But guarded.

  “I’m sorry that I put you in such danger,” he said.

  He thought he’d put her in danger?

  “I think you have that backward. I’m the one who convinced you to bring me to that party in the first place, even though I knew someone was out to get me. So technically, I put you in danger.” She rested her hands in her lap, waiting.

  He tilted his head back against the wall, but kept his eyes slanted toward her.

  “I wasn’t really that hard to convince,” he signed. “I thought you would be safer at my uncle’s house than in your house all by yourself.”

  For some odd reason, that statement struck her as funny. She started to snicker, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hold the gasps and giggles in. How much she succeeded, she had no way of knowing. Not much, she guessed, as his shoulders shook.

  “It’s not your job to protect me, you know,” she signed after she had finally managed to control herself.

  Uh, oh. She would know that stubborn look anywhere. And if she wasn’t mistaken, her words had offended him. Well, that certainly hadn’t been her intent. How was she to know he was so sensitive?

  “I’m not helping you because it’s my job,” he told her, his signs quick, jerky. Definitely irritated. “I’m helping you because you’re my friend. And friends are supposed to look out for each other.”

  Wow. Friends with Seth Travis. She had known they were growing closer, but to be let into the circle of his friends was humbling.

  Uh, oh. His face tightened. She hadn’t responded. Bad move.

  Okay, then. She needed to make this right. How?

  “I’m sorry I offended you. I am glad you consider me your friend. I was afraid that you considered me an obligation. You know, as if you had to atone for high school, or something stupid like that.”

  A stillness came over him. Something she had said had struck a chord. Good or bad, she wasn’t sure. The expression on his face changed. He looked...vulnerable?

  “Whether you know it or not, I do need to make amends. And not just to you. I allowed my arrogance and my bad relationship with my father turn me into someone I’m not proud of.”

  He shifted, turning his face away. Jess held her breath, waiting. She could sense the struggle inside him. Please, Lord, help him.

  Shifting again, she saw his chest rise and fall with a sigh. “I don’t know if you remember my friend, Melanie?”

  She nodded. In her mind, she could picture the pretty brunette.

  “After I broke up with Trish, Mel and I started dating. After a few years, we even got engaged. But then I let my father turn me against her. I abandoned her when she needed me most. She ended up spending four years of her life in jail. And she was innocent. How do I reconcile that?” He signed, meeting her gaze, his own anguished. “I mean, we’re friends again, but I don’t understand it. How she could forgive me. How her husband could let me be a part of their lives. And even my sister, she doesn’t hold a grudge toward my father. Even though he was a jerk to her mom.”

  He may not understand, but she was pretty sure that she did.

  “They’re Christians, aren’t they? Melanie and your sister?”

  Caution entered his face, but he nodded.

  “They forgave you because it’s what their faith, their love for God, tells them to do. Just like He forgives us, when we ask Him.” She sighed at his closed expression. “Seth, no matter what you have done, He wants to forgive you. No one loves you more than God. And He is waiting for you to trust Him.”

  “How do you know?” His hands were clumsy. He was getting emotional, even though his face didn’t show it. “I have done so many things I’m not proud of. What if I fail again?”

  She couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “Please. Like you have a monopoly on failing those around you? It’s called being human. We all fail. And you may be your father’s son, but you have been very brave and heroic since we met again.”

  He sneered, apparently thinking she was being sarcastic.

  “Seriously, Seth. You have saved my life half a dozen times. And you have not abandoned me. That means a lot to me.”

  She had shocked him. She could tell by the way he kept raising his hands, then setting them down again. He didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

  “I guess.” Pause. “You know what the saddest thing about my fath
er is?”

  She shook her head, not really knowing if he wanted a response. “He’s had so many affairs that he has several children. Not just me and Maggie. One is in jail. One is dead. And I have another sister, although I have no idea where she is. Yet for all those kids, not one of them is close to him. Maggie tolerates him, but she doesn’t trust him.”

  “What about the child who is...lost?” Should she have asked?

  “Her name is Carrie. She’s a teenager being raised by her older half sister. I have never even met her, though I want to. It hurts knowing I may never meet her.”

  “Maybe you will. Someday.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. Maggie and I have tried to find her. But she moves around a lot. Anyway, I figure if I don’t get involved with anyone, then I can’t hurt them, either.”

  And there it was. The warning to keep her distance. But she knew it was too late. She swallowed, wanting to cry. But would she be crying for Seth, who was choosing to shut life out and live in solitude? Or would her tears be for herself, knowing the man she was falling for was placing himself out of her reach?

  * * *

  He couldn’t believe he had gone on like that. He never talked about his relationship with his father. Or about Carrie. She was like some deep dark secret in his family. The only person he had ever mentioned her to was Maggie.

  Until now.

  What was it about Jess? She was way too easy to talk to. Getting him to go all emo like that. Not cool.

  Except he didn’t feel like a dork. Instead, it was like a little bit of the pressure that had been building inside of him had been released and now there was more room to breathe.

  Unfortunately, there was also more to think about. Her words about God swirled around in his brain, so fast he could barely keep track of them.

  God loved him. Did He?

  God would forgive him—how did she know?

  The buggy lurched again, breaking into his thoughts. Seth pushed his hand down on the seat to brace himself. The clop, clop sound made by the hooves or the horse changed. Sharpened.