Franey looked from Rufus to Annie, but her face remained open, even amused. The hard edge Annie expected from an Amish mother who had just found her son in the barn with a strange woman did not appear.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here,” Annie said. “Rufus had nothing to do with it. I take full responsibility.”
“I raised my son to give a cup of cold water to a traveler in need,” Franey said. “Or at least a cup of kaffi. Do you like kaff?”
Coffee? “Very much.”
“I’m going to take her into town,” Rufus said. “I have to meet Tom.”
“Tom can wait ten minutes while our guest straightens herself out,” Franey said. “Please come to the haus, Annalise.” She gestured out the wide door toward the house. “Sophie should have been out to milk the cow by now.”
Annie felt compelled to accept the invitation and fell into step beside a woman she judged to be about twice her age—or perhaps not quite that old. If Rufus was her son and Jacob was her son, Franey Beiler had spent a lot of years having babies. She must have had a handful by the time she was Annie’s age.
In the house, Annie made a couple of false starts with the water pump at the bathroom sink but finally succeeded at splashing water onto her face. She dug in her bag for something to tie her hair back and stared at her reflection in a small, dull mirror. If she didn’t know better, she would not have guessed that the young woman who stared back was a successful software creator who already had made a small fortune.
Yesterday morning she woke in her own paid-for condo and drove to her own office in her own loan-free car. She had known the day would bring upheaval, but she had not expected to end up in the San Luis Valley preparing to ride in an Amish buggy.
Where in the world was Westcliffe, anyway? What would she do when she got there?
Annie didn’t have a clue.
Safely behind the closed door, she opened her laptop. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. Within seconds, she found service and used it to give herself a hot spot connection to the Internet. A quick look at Barrett’s web activity was all she needed for now. When she got to Westcliffe, she would figure out her next physical move.
She could see that Barrett had tried. Persistently. For a long time. But he had not hacked her system. Annie saw no activity in the last several hours and imagined Barrett and Rick had knocked some furniture around before deciding to sleep a few hours. They would try again. Determination was one of the qualities Annie admired most in Barrett.
Annie couldn’t help opening a new search window and typing in the words “Amish bathrooms.” She scanned through information that surprised her then laughed softly at herself. She was standing in an Amish bathroom, after all. Other than the lack of mirrors and excess lighting, the basics were there. Annie closed the computer and slipped it back into her bag.
In the hall, she smelled the rich fragrance of serious coffee and followed the waft to its origin. Despite its log exterior, the home was spacious with generous rooms flowing into each other. The simplicity of furnishings slowed her pace with their beauty. An armless rocker beckoned, and Annie let her finger trail along its curved back. She had not sat in a rocker in years. Over the dark, scrubbed hardwood floor, a handcrafted rug warmed the space with its rich hues of browns and blues. Simple maple tables accented the room, each one also clearly serving a purpose, holding a lamp or basket. A German Bible sat on its own stand, the large volume prominently displayed. Annie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to picture the last place she had seen her Bible.
“There you are,” Franey said when Annie finally found her way to the kitchen. She handed Annie a steaming mug. “Kaffi?”
Annie sipped carefully to test the temperature of the coffee, grateful for the first swallow washing down her throat. Out the kitchen window, she saw a slim girl in a gray dress move toward the barn. She could not have been more than twelve or thirteen—Sophie, she supposed.
“Rufus said you’re in trouble,” Franey said.
Annie was startled by her directness. “Well, I … ran into an unexpected circumstance. I’m not sure it qualifies as trouble. I’ll figure it out. I’m good at solving problems.”
Franey nodded. “We don’t have too many visitors from the outside in our haus, but I trust Rufus.”
“I got myself into this mess,” Annie was quick to say.
“It is not our way to turn our backs on someone who needs help.”
“Thank you,” Annie said again. She couldn’t imagine how an Amish family could help her out of her muddle, but she did appreciate Franey’s sincerity.
“The buggy is ready,” Rufus said, saving her from having to muster a more complex response.
Annie took a deep swallow of coffee. “So am I.”
A few minutes later, Rufus clicked his tongue to get Dolly moving. Annie shared the bench of the small green, cartlike buggy with Rufus. Behind the open-air bench was flatbed cargo space. It would not accommodate nearly as large a load as Tom’s truck, but Annie supposed Rufus used the cart frequently to haul loads of wood for whatever his work was. She pondered the network of leather strapping across Dolly’s brown haunches, the animal’s swinging white tail, and the smooth shafts of wood that connected the cart to Dolly’s shoulders. With no experience to compare to, she had little vocabulary available for what she saw. The wooden wheels cranked in rhythm to the horse’s pace. Annie turned her head slightly at the drift of an unpleasant odor.
Annie wondered if it would be polite to ask how long it took a horse and buggy to traverse five miles. Rufus carefully kept the rig to the side of the road, leaving ample room for cars to pass them. She watched the cars, one after another, and could not help noticing the empty passenger seats in most of them. Although Dolly seemed to keep up a brisk trot, to Annie the pace was torturously slow.
“You might as well enjoy the scenery,” Rufus said. “I don’t imagine you get to see views like this too often.”
“Colorado Springs is beautiful, too.”
“Somehow I suspect you don’t see the views there, either.” Rufus lifted one hand from the reins to gesture. “God’s beautiful creation.”
He was right. Other than glancing at the mountains to remind herself which way was west, she paid little attention to the landmarks of nature. Her eyes were on the road or on her computer screen or on her phone display. Her world spun around clicks and taps and memory and data patterns. Beside her, Rufus took in a deep draft of air, and Annie found herself doing the same.
“Is there a place in Westcliffe to rent a car?” she asked, recovering her purpose.
Rufus laughed. “The population is 417.”
“Oh.”
“There’s always Silver Cliff, next door.” He paused. “Population 523.”
Annie flushed. She would just have to figure it out when she got there. She turned her head and looked in both directions, understanding she truly was in a rural mountain valley. Changing the topic of conversation seemed prudent.
“What brought your family to Colorado?”
“Look around. Land. Wide-open spaces. Pennsylvania is getting crowded, and land is expensive.” Rufus paused for another deep breath. “I decided to try my hand out here, and my parents chose to come, too. I have younger brothers who will one day need land of their own.”
“Was it hard to leave?”
He shrugged. “Two of my brieder are married and chose to stay in Pennsylvania. I know my mother misses them—and especially the kinner. She only hears about her grandchildren in letters. About fifty Amish families are scattered around the valley, so we do have company.”
“Beiler.” Annie crooked a finger under the gold chain at her neck. “I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
“It’s a common Amish name.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know any Amish people. I heard it somewhere else.” She sat up straight. “It’s my great-great-grandmother’s name. That’s what it is. Malinda Byler. I’ve seen it in the family Bible. She ma
rried Jesse Friesen.”
“Do you have ancestors from Pennsylvania?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ll have to ask my mother.”
He looked at her out of the side of his eyes. “Speaking of your mudder, does she know you’re in trouble?”
Annie looked away from him. “I’ll call her when I get a chance.”
“You should go see her. A telephone is useful for business, but it’s not a relationship.”
“I will. I promise.” He’s rather free with advice, Annie thought.
Rufus turned the buggy on a new road. “We’re almost there. If you don’t mind, I’ll stop by Tom’s and let him know I’ll be right back.”
Annie spotted the red pickup from a hundred yards away.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. “The truck doesn’t look right.” It sat too low to the ground.
They both peered down the road. Tom stood outside his truck with a phone to his ear. Rufus urged Dolly to trot faster. Annie leaned forward as Tom turned and waved. He flipped his phone closed just as the buggy came alongside the pickup.
All four tires were slashed.
Four
In one practiced motion, Rufus pulled Dolly to a halt and jumped out of the buggy. Annie took a little longer to climb down with more care. She stood behind Rufus, who squatted beside the left rear tire. She had a clear view of the back of his neck, where brown hair met white collar.
Tucking his phone into his shirt pocket, Tom looked at Annie, questions in his eyes.
“I’m Annie,” she said. “It’s complicated.”
“I would imagine so.” Tom glanced at Rufus.
“Do you know when it happened?” Rufus slid a finger along the gap in one tire.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Tom said.
“They might have parked at a distance and come in on foot. Looks like a big knife to me.”
“You’re really not going to tell me why you have an English woman in your buggy?” Tom asked.
“I found her in the barn.”
“Oh. That explains it.”
“Before that she was in the back of your truck.” Rufus stood up and flipped back the tarp. “My guess is she was wedged into that space right there.”
Annie nodded.
Tom’s expression hardened. “Who are you? If Karl Kramer put you up to this, you’re making a mistake.”
“She doesn’t know Karl,” Rufus said. “She’s harmless.”
Harmless? Not exactly the word Annie would have chosen. If only Rufus Beiler knew her net worth and what she could do with a computer.
Tom twisted his lips to one side then turned his attention to Rufus. “It’s time for you to get the police involved, my friend.”
Rufus shook his head and stood up. “I understand if you need to report this because your property was damaged, but it is just not our way to get involved with the English courts.”
“How many times are you going to let things like this happen?” Tom asked.
“As many as it takes, I suppose.”
Takes for what? Annie wondered. “That’s what Kramer is counting on,” Tom said. “This nonsense is not going to stop as long as he knows that you won’t do anything about it. He’ll think all he has to do is outlast you, and you’ll leave.”
“The valley holds plenty of work for both of us. He will figure out I mean him no harm.”
“You give him more credit than he deserves.” Tom paced slowly around his truck, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry you suffered for your kindness toward me,” Rufus said, “and I understand if you don’t want to taxi for me anymore.”
“Of course I’ll taxi for you. I have insurance for stuff like this,” Tom said. “But the police are not going to believe this was a random prank. I live too far out of town. It won’t take a rocket scientist to trace this to the fact that I was hauling your lumber.”
“Es dutt mirr leed. Again, I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s you they’re after.”
“Who’s after you?” Annie wanted to know. “Who is this Karl Kramer you keep talking about?”
Tom and Rufus stared at her.
“Okay, so I’m sticking my nose in,” Annie admitted. “But after all, I’m standing right here. Am I supposed to cover my ears and sing while you have this conversation about an obvious crime?”
Tom glanced at Rufus. “She’s got spunk.”
If you only knew. Annie dug one heel into the dry soil.
“What would you suggest we do about the load?” Rufus asked Tom. “I was planning to take Annalise to town then come back to ride with you to the job site.”
“Go ahead and take her in while I figure something out.”
“Hello?” Annie said. “No one answered my question.”
“It does not concern you,” Rufus said.
“Maybe I can help.” Reflexively, she armed herself with her cell phone. “What harm can come from telling me what’s going on? I do rather well at getting the results I want.”
“Somehow I suspect the result you wanted last night did not involve ending up in my barn,” Rufus said.
“Low blow.” Tom kicked a slashed tire, hiding a smile.
Annie was unfazed. “You have no idea what result I was seeking. I assure you I fully met my business objective last night and have ample resources at my disposal for my next steps. On the other hand, your business seems in peril, not to mention your friend Tom.”
Tom extended a hand toward Annie. “We seem to agree on that point.”
Annie shook Tom’s hand. “I don’t know all the background, but I agree that Rufus should talk to the police. Clearly this is not the first incident of this kind.”
“Karl Kramer thinks he runs the county’s construction industry,” Tom said. “He is convinced he is losing business to Rufus’s considerable woodworking skills.”
“And he’s not happy about it,” Annie said, “so he misses no opportunity to let Rufus know how he feels.”
“That about sums it up.”
“Can these incidents be documented for legal action?”
“If Rufus would cooperate, they could be,” Tom said. “But he says that is not the Amish way.”
“It’s not,” Rufus reiterated.
“Tom, is this the first time you’ve been a target?” Annie asked.
“Other than the libelous muck that spews out of Karl’s mouth, yes.”
“Then perhaps we can capitalize on the fact that Karl crossed a line.”
“We?” Rufus tilted his head at her. “I was under the impression you were leaving town.”
Annie shrugged. “We can build a case against Karl that doesn’t have to involve Rufus directly.”
“I won’t be a witness in court to anything,” Rufus said.
“If Karl keeps this up, you won’t have to be.”
“I like this girl,” Tom said.
“I promised to take you into town.” Rufus ignored Tom’s comment. “So I’m going to do just that.” He gestured toward the buggy.
“You might as well go on to the job site after you drop her off,” Tom said. “I’ve already spoken to my insurance agent, and they need an official report, so I have to call the police. I’m not sure when I can get your load out to you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Rufus said. “And I’ll cover any costs your insurance doesn’t pay for.”
Rufus was tempted to urge Dolly to a faster pace to make up for lost time. His crew would be idle and expect to be paid for showing up on time.
“I think it’s better if you don’t involve yourself with the trouble here,” he said to Annalise. “I may know someone in town who can help you get back to Colorado Springs today.”
“What if I don’t want to go back?”
He looked at her out of the side of his eye. “Are you running from something?”
“Of course not.”
“Yet you felt compelled to take refuge in Tom’s truck and my barn.”
> “It’s not what you think.”
“That depends on what you think I think.”
“Don’t play word games with me,” Annalise warned. “I’m very good at them.”
“You seem to be very good at a lot of things.”
“I don’t like to brag.”
“You’re definitely not Amish.” Rufus chuckled. “May I speak plainly?”
“By all means.”
“If you set aside your pride, you’ll admit you were frightened last night. You’re used to solving problems, but you’re in a predicament you don’t know how to get out of.”
“No I’m not.” I know exactly what I’m doing.
“Do you make a habit of jumping into strange trucks?”
“Of course not.”
“So what happened?”
“It’s complicated.”
“So you’ve said.”
“Well, it is.”
“Fair enough.” Rufus could not help noticing the way her gray eyes reflected the colors of the scene around them. “I can respect your privacy. Just do not feel you must solve my problems.”
“You made your point, all right?” Annalise turned slightly away from him and gripped her phone in front of her.
“Good.” He watched her for a moment. Thin strands of hair worked loose from the blue cloth tie and floated against her smooth white neck, intermittently airborne in the breeze the buggy’s motion created. The gold chain around her neck glistened in the sun.
Rufus turned his eyes to the road, his blood pumping hard because of her presence. His life was predictable. Calm. Ordered. This outsider would never understand his way of living, no matter how much she poked her nose into his business. The best thing he could do for both of them was find her a ride back to where she came from.
Westcliffe still lay two miles ahead of them. Mentally Rufus inventoried the tasks and supplies available at the job site at the far edge of town. Crew was an overstatement for the two Amish teenagers who worked for him. He had hoped to frame in a new rank of cabinets in the family room of the private home he had helped to build, but he needed the long pieces in the back of Tom’s truck. His mind wandered to cabinets ready to hang in other parts of the house and the sanding and staining still to be done on the downstairs mantel.
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