by Dana R. Lynn
“Levi...look, I appreciate all you are doing for us. I really do. But Jess and I, well, I don’t think we should stay at your place tonight. It doesn’t feel right, putting your family in danger.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Levi shook his head. “I do not agree. We saw no sign of anyone following us this morning. You need to trust Gott. He will protect you.”
Seth set his feet apart and matched the Amish man, stare for stare.
Uh, oh. This could become ugly. Men. Why were they always so stubborn?
“Levi,” Jess broke in. “I have to go with Seth on this one. I would feel guilty forever if something happened to anyone in your family because of me. I have already dragged Seth into my troubles.”
She ignored Seth when he moved impatiently. If Seth was irritated, that was just too bad.
“Jessica, what is your other choice?” Levi asked slowly. Her heart softened. He was trying to make sure she could lip read him. She knew that even though his sister was deaf, Levi was uncomfortable signing. Felt it drew too much attention to himself. But he tried to find other ways to accommodate her and Rebecca. He was a good brother. Just like Cody had been. “You cannot go off on your own and spend a night in this man’s company. Even if you are in danger. It would not be right.”
A few more minutes were spent arguing. Levi and Seth were both unmovable in their stance.
“You have to go,” Laura interrupted. “My dat will not like it if you stay in his barn alone tonight. You go with Levi. You cannot stay here.”
And it was settled.
Not that Jess was satisfied with the outcome. Neither was Seth. She could see worry etching deep lines in his forehead. Her fingers tingled with the desire to reach out and smooth the wrinkles away.
She slammed her hands into her pockets instead.
The short walk to the buggy was tense. By unspoken agreement, Seth and Levi sandwiched her between them. The blue sky had darkened to a heavy gray. She sniffed the air. More rain? Her heart sank at the thought. The clouds moving in had banished the sunlight, creating the perfect background for a horror story. Unfortunately, the horror story was her life. Again, her shoulder blades twitched, as she imagined someone watching them. Without her hearing aids to give her some clue about what was going on around her she was relying on her vision, eyes in constant motion, side to side. Was that a movement? Was someone in the trees? Good grief. She was going to drive herself crazy.
Her neck soon started to ache from the way she’d been holding herself so stiffly. The urge to lengthen her strides was strong.
That wouldn’t do. She forced herself to slow down. Calm. Have to appear calm.
Seth moved his head to gaze at her. He slowed, motioning her into the buggy ahead of him. As she moved past him, his hand snaked out and grabbed hers. Startled, she glanced up at him.
“Jessie, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Jessie? Maybe she had read it wrong, but she didn’t think so. Blinking, she pushed back the moisture gathering in her eyes. It had been so long since anyone called her Jessie. Only her father ever had. But he was gone now. Everyone was gone. And the one man to make her feel alive didn’t want her.
Straightening her shoulders, she pulled away from Seth. “I’m good.”
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. Clearly, the man didn’t believe her. Well, that was his problem. Ignoring him, she reached up and pulled herself into the buggy. Warmth crept up her cheeks as he grasped her elbow to assist her. Tingles swept up her arm from where he touched her.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
If only she could hear her voice right now. Did it sound normal? She often read in the Christian romance novels she enjoyed that the heroine’s voice sounded breathless when she was affected by the hero’s presence. Did she sound breathless? She certainly felt that way. And was none too happy about it. The last thing she wanted was to give Seth the idea that she was attracted to him. Even if she was. Maybe she should stick to sign only until she had her aids back.
When they pulled up outside the Miller house, it was still quiet. The family hadn’t returned from visiting for the day. Levi hopped down from his seat and went to unharness the horse. “I will put the horse in the back field for the night. Make yourself at home.” Leading the horse, he disappeared around the corner.
“We might as well go in,” Jess murmured. She made to jump out, but Seth pulled her back.
“Let me go first.”
She rolled her eyes, but let her macho companion lead the way. Suddenly, she remembered what he had said before about failing those he cared about and realized that his attitude wasn’t macho. It was the sign of a brave man putting others’ safety ahead of his own. She couldn’t mock him for that. Her insides trembled as he stood clear outside, like a target. On purpose. She was about to call him back when he nodded and climbed back inside.
“I don’t see anyone, but I’m not sure I trust that. I was sure I saw someone this morning, even if Levi and his dad disagree. How fast can you move into the house?”
“I can move very fast in these...oh, no!” Her hands covered her mouth. Seth raised his eyebrows, waiting. “Seth, we left our Amish clothes back at Laura’s barn. Anyone watching us will know who we are.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I thought of that a few minutes ago, but there was no way we could go back. I had the feeling we had all but worn out our welcome there. Not to mention the fact that anyone noticing us signing to each other will figure it out. You ready?”
No.
“Yes.”
Clambering down, they started running to the house. Seth grabbed her hand and dragged her to match his quicker pace.
A chunk of driveway blew up in front of her. Someone was shooting at them. A second shot hit the front post of the porch. A golf ball–sized hole appeared, the smooth white paint and wood beneath it disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Racing together they ran up the steps. Two steps before the door, Seth lurched forward, slamming against the wall next to the door.
A dark red stain spread out, covering the top of his left arm.
Seth had been shot.
TWELVE
Jess yanked the door open, using her body as a wedge. She reached out and tugged at Seth, intent on bringing him into the house for safety. He staggered toward her, his face pale, but seeming otherwise alert and coherent. Once they were both inside, she slammed the door behind them.
Oh, no. Levi. Just as she was wondering how to get to him, the floor beneath her feet vibrated from the pounding of approaching footsteps. Whirling in terror, she braced herself to face a monster with a gun. Instead she saw her friend charging inside, his straw hat flying off his head in his haste.
“Are you well?” Levi shouted.
“Seth has been shot. I don’t know what to do.”
Seth tugged at her hand. She turned to see him sinking into one of the wooden chairs from the kitchen table. A chair far from the kitchen window, she noted. Which meant that he couldn’t be seen from a distance. Not unless someone walked right up to the house. She shuddered.
“Easy, Jess,” he said, closing his eyes briefly. “It’s just my arm. Nothing serious. I need your help though. I can’t do this alone.”
“Anything,” she declared. And it was true. She would do anything to help this man.
“Help me get this shirt off.”
He had already unbuttoned the flannel shirt, revealing a dark black-and-gold football T-shirt underneath. She stepped over to maneuver the shirt inch by inch down his injured arm. He tensed beneath her fingertips when she moved the material over the wound. She bit her lip hard, and blinked back the tears that sprouted, clouding her vision. Using her own sleeve, she wiped her face, then continued working.
After what felt like a lifetime, the shirt was off. Rolling
up his T-shirt sleeve, she saw the wound for the first time. The sight of the blood coating his muscled arm made her dizzy. She refused to give in to her weakness. Not when he needed her.
Seth reached over and chucked her under the chin with his good hand. “It’s not that bad. Honest.” He smiled, but it was weak.
“Really?”
“Really. It looks bad because it bled a lot, but look. It’s just a graze. If we went outside, I think there’s a good chance we’d find the bullet lodged in the side of the house. When we get to a phone, we’ll have to remember to tell the police to search for it.”
Moving her head closer, she inspected the wound. Sure enough, there was no hole. The bullet wasn’t inside him. And the bleeding seemed to have slowed down significantly already. She sighed. And for some odd reason, wanted to cry again.
She held off until she had finished bandaging Seth’s arms using the cloths that Levi had brought them.
As she stood back to inspect her handiwork, the horror of the situation sank into her soul. Someone had shot Seth. Aiming for her, no doubt, and missed. Unable to help herself, she glanced down at the flannel shirt lying on the kitchen floor. The sight of the jagged hole in the material, surrounded by a bloody stain, was the final straw. She began to shake. Her mind urged her to flee the room, to hide her tears, but her legs wouldn’t obey. Instead, all she could do was bring her shaking hands up to cover her face.
Warm arms embraced her, cradling her close. She felt Seth’s breath in her hair, and knew he was probably talking to her. Whether he was whispering words of comfort or telling her to stop being a baby, she neither knew nor cared. Both hands grasped at his shirt as she buried her face in the soft fabric and sobbed. Sobbed so hard her chest hurt, for what felt like hours.
Finally, the tears trickled to a halt. She grew aware of her surroundings again. Mortified, she realized that she had lost total control in front of Seth. All she wanted to do now was go and hide.
Releasing her death grip, she backed out of the comforting circle of the strong arms holding her. Her movement met with slight resistance as he tightened his hold, just for a second, before letting her go.
As she moved away, she couldn’t help but see the humongous wet spot on the front of his shirt. Mortification raced back in a warm rush up her neck and cheeks.
A gentle hand moved to her chin. Her breath stilled. Seth tilted her face up and studied her. His expression was torn. Almost tortured. She saw compassion, yearning and regret all mixed. The yearning won out as Seth’s mouth moved. Her name. That’s all he said before his head descended. His lips met hers and her lids fluttered shut.
Everything else faded. As he lifted his head, she could feel his breath stir across her lips before he kissed her again. Deeper and longer.
A quaking started deep in her soul. Now was not the time to explore her feelings. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. Not when this kiss felt like it was mending every bruised and battered strand of her heart.
The kiss ended as gently as it had begun. Seth placed his forehead against hers.
Jess had no idea how long they had stayed like that. Vibrations under her feet indicated Levi was coming back into the room. Was he walking that heavily on purpose, giving them warning before he entered? The thought that he might have seen them kissing should have embarrassed her, but it didn’t. No. A single kiss may not alter the fact that both Jess and Seth had issues to work out. And the odds were not in favor of a lasting relationship between them.
But she had no regrets.
That kiss had been a beautiful gift in a time of ugliness and fear. No matter what happened, she would always treasure it.
Seth wouldn’t, though. She could already read the self-recriminations lurking in his face.
* * *
He had kissed her. Not once, but twice. And if he hadn’t heard Levi’s voice calling his name, he would have kissed her again!
To say he regretted giving in to the urge was a gross understatement. The kiss just made him want what he couldn’t have. Walking away from her when all of this was over just became ten times harder.
Yeah, because it would have been so easy before.
Levi waved a note at them. “My mam and dat and the others decided to go visiting today. They will be staying overnight.”
“Oh, I’m so glad!” Jess folded her hands beneath her chin, shooting a smile at Levi. Her lips trembled. “I would hate it if they came home while some maniac is out there shooting anything that moves.”
Hardly anything, Seth mused, pressing his lips together. Just you. Of course, he would never point that out. No reason to scare her. But he had no doubt she would come to that conclusion on her own.
“I do not think anyone will shoot at Mam and Dat if you are not with them.”
Thanks a lot, Mr. Sensitive. Seth released a sigh. Loudly.
Before Jess could start blaming herself, Seth tapped her shoulder.
“Come on,” he said, nudging her, deliberately overlooking her stricken expression. “We’ve been still too long. We need to make sure the doors and windows are locked or barricaded. I don’t think we can rely on only the dogs to keep us safe.”
A sense of urgency pushed them into action. The lock on the back door was so worn, it was more for show. It would never withstand the pressure of someone trying to break in. Levi grabbed nails and two hammers. Seth took one and together they nailed the door shut to secure it. Seth shoved the hammer in his pocket and stepped back to inspect their work. Only a temporary fix, but hopefully it would be enough to keep them safe until they could figure out what else to do.
The window over the kitchen sink proved to be the most problematic. Not only was the locking mechanism pathetic, the window itself had no covering. Not even a decorative valance. Anyone could look in.
“Okay, Jess, Levi. I think we need to somehow cover this window. Maybe a towel. It will cut down on the light in the house, but we could use candles if we get desperate.” His arm was aching. He knew he should be resting, but the safety of the others had to come first. Always.
Levi left the room to search for the items they needed. He returned a minute later and laid the towel and some candles on the table. Seth pulled the hammer they had used on the back door out of his pocket.
“Jess, you need to get back.” They couldn’t risk the shooter seeing her through the window and taking another shot. Her nod was unenthusiastic, to say the least, but at least she didn’t object.
Light flashed briefly out the window. Then it was gone. Foreboding washed over him, sending trickles of unease into his mind. Leaning closer to the window, he narrowed his eyes. There it was again. Something in the trees was reflecting the sunlight.
“Get down!”
Even as he shouted at Levi, he caught Jess in his arms and dove to the ground with her, instinctively angling so he took the brunt of the impact as they hit the floor. He grunted in pain as she landed squarely on his injured arm.
CRASH.
The window shattered inward, spewing glass over them. A chunk of the kitchen wall splintered.
Jess screamed as the bullet made its home in the wall. Using his hands to indicate that she needed to keep low, Seth pushed himself to kneel.
Dogs barked outside the house, the bloodthirsty howls raising the hair on the back of his neck.
A second shot rang out. It lodged in the wall next to the first one. Kneeling on the ground between Jess and Levi, Seth’s mouth went dry as he stared at the two bullets. If he hadn’t looked out the window when he did, those bullets would have been lodged inside Jess and himself. It wasn’t a coincidence that had caused the killer to miss them. God had protected them.
“Thank You, Jesus.”
The prayer was sincere.
“Amen,” Levi responded.
He shot a glance t
oward Jess. Her eyes were wide. She had read the prayer on his lips. Right now, all he saw was the trickle of blood on her cheek. The glass had struck her. It was a small cut, but to his mind it was still too much.
They knew exactly where the shooter was. Adrenalin spiked his heart rate. This could be their chance.
Maybe, if he drew the killer’s attention, Jess could escape into town. But how?
How, indeed.
No cars. The buggy was out in the open and unhitched.
The horses, though...
“The horses. You can ride bareback, right?”
Okay, she might deny it later, but that was definitely a snort of disgust at the ridiculousness of the question. Jess’s nose wrinkled and her lip curled in disdain. “Please.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Levi?”
“Jah. But where will we go?”
“And,” Jess drew the word out, her eyes narrowed on him, “how will we get out of here without drawing more fire?”
“We won’t. You and Levi will.” As she opened her mouth to protest, he continued quickly, signing to make sure he was understood. “We know that the shooter is out front. I will go out the front door, and make a run for it. Hopefully, the shooter will aim for me. I’m fast, so I have a good chance. You and Levi will slip out a window in the back. Head for the horses in the field, and try to ride to town. Find a phone and call the police. And if there are no phones, at least find someone who can help us.”
Levi shook his head. “I should go out the front door. This is my house.”
“No. You’ll want to make for Spartansburg, and I don’t know that area well. Or the people. You can find help quicker.”
That, and he didn’t know if Levi was a quick runner. There was a chance that he’d be shot before he stepped three feet out the door.
“Most people won’t be out on a Sunday. Only in emergencies.”
“I would think this qualifies as an emergency,” Seth muttered.
“Jah,” Levi frowned. “This morning Dat and I thought you had imagined the person in the woods. There didn’t seem to be a reason to rush out and use a phone on a Sunday. Tomorrow seemed soon enough.”