by Debby Giusti
“So I’ve heard, but as the sign on my gate says, I’m selling the property myself and haven’t entered into an agreement with Abbott Real Estate.”
“For sale by owner is next to impossible.”
Which Brad had told her.
“I don’t suppose I could take a peek inside the house today.”
She held up her hand. “It’s not a good time.”
“Certainly, I understand.” He rounded the front of his car and climbed the porch stairs.
Julianne had to fight the urge to slam the door in his face. He held out his hand and looked eager to make a connection. She accepted his handshake.
“Nice chatting with you, Ms. Graber.”
“It’s Julianne.”
“I’ll talk to Brad in the morning and he’ll contact you.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Have a good night.”
Julianne hoped she would.
As Ted pulled out of the drive, she realized her mistake. She should have told the developer she wasn’t listing her property with Abbott Real Estate, although she wanted to talk to Brad first. Did everyone expect her to sell her farm to the first buyer, especially someone who was interested in cutting up good farmland for home development?
The farm had been in her family for three generations. She wanted to find a buyer, but the right buyer.
“What did he want?”
William startled her.
“I saw the white sedan in your drive and thought you might want some company.”
She patted her chest, hoping her heart would stop racing. “You scared me nearly to death.”
“Was the guy asking directions?”
“He was asking to buy my property.”
William glanced at the sign. “Evidently the For Sale sign worked.”
“But I’m not selling.”
He smiled. “You’re staying on the farm?”
She shook her head. “I’m selling, but not to him.”
“Because?”
She told him about Ted McDonough’s plans to divide her farm into small parcels of land. “I’m surprised the mayor is so eager to expand the town.”
“The mayor’s getting his real-estate license and plans to work with Brad Abbott on the side.”
“You’ve heard that?”
William nodded. “Nothing is a secret in Mountain Loft.”
Except the identity of the man or men who wanted to scare her away from her home.
“So the mayor has a personal interest in developing some of the rural areas?” she said. “More homes to sell and commissions to make. I wonder how many folks will go along with the idea.”
“I’ve heard a few Amish guys talk about investing their money.”
“In real estate?”
Will shrugged. “It’s an option.”
“Would they sell their farms?”
“Some of the younger Amish families are moving on to other areas. Mountain farming can be difficult. Winters are rough. The growing season is longer in the southern part of the state, better weather, better return on their money and their labor.”
“Young people leave town and the parents want to move to where the kids live.”
“Or move to town and live off their investments.”
“It seems counter-Amish,” said Julianne.
“Things change with time. Land is scarce in some areas so the Amish are moving, relocating.”
“What about you, William?”
“I’m staying here. Mountain Loft is my home.”
“For seventeen years, I thought it was my home, too.” What William had said was true. Times change and so had she, although now that she was back home, she was unsettled about her future. The Englisch life had been alluring. To have her own apartment and car. To wear fancy clothes, although she had stayed clear of flashy colors or less-than-modest attire. Seeing Aunt Mary in her homemade dress and apron brought back so many memories—good memories—of her mamm.
“I need to get some of Aunt Mary’s things from upstairs, then I’ll lock up and head back to your house.”
“I’ll wait for you, Julianne.”
She appreciated William’s protectiveness.
Leaving him on the porch, she hurried upstairs and grabbed a shawl her aunt had left in the guest room and the tote Julie had packed earlier. Her phone rang, which surprised her. Expecting to hear the sheriff’s voice or Brad Abbott’s, she raised the cell to her ear.
“Julianne, this is Ted McDonough again. Look, I had a thought and wanted to run it by you before I got too far away from your farm. I planned on grabbing an early dinner in town before checking into my room at the B and B and wondered if you would care to join me.”
“Join you?” Was he talking about taking her out to dinner?
“I’ve never been to Mountain Loft and don’t know where to find a good meal. I hate eating alone and thought it would be enjoyable to get to know you better. That is, if you’re not busy.”
He was asking her out.
“The Country Kitchen has good food,” she said. “There were a few other restaurants when I lived here previously, but I’ve been away for a few years.”
“The Country Kitchen works for me,” he assured her. “I’ll turn around and be back at your place in five minutes or so. If that gives you enough time.”
“Mr. McDonough—Ted—I already have plans for dinner.” With her Aunt Mary and William. “But you’ll find a nice selection of dishes on the menu that should suit your fancy.”
“We’ll get together another time then.”
Or maybe not.
“I’ll talk to Brad in the morning,” he continued. “We’ll be in touch.”
If Brad called tomorrow, she would set him straight. If only she could warn the good people in town, as Ted had called them, that having a large influx of city folks move to Mountain Loft would change the town’s character. She’d heard the old-timers in Dahlonega bemoan the growth in their town as they reminisced about the past.
Although a town, just like a family, couldn’t go back. She had grieved for her father and brother and had wanted to turn back time in hopes of stopping the tragedy from happening. In hindsight, she wouldn’t have told her father that Bennie and William were meeting that night. She had known her father would be upset, to say the least. Had she set him up? Or was she trying to prove something to her brother? That she was someone of worth? After her mother’s death, that had been important to her. Probably because she felt both men blamed her for spreading the illness that claimed Mamm’s life.
Unwilling to dwell on the painful past, Julianne hurried downstairs and found William waiting for her where she’d left him on the porch.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Everything’s fine.” Except it wasn’t. Not when someone wanted to do her harm.
She locked the kitchen door and hurried to the car. William opened the door for her and then rounded to the passenger side after she was behind the wheel.
Glancing at the For Sale by Owner sign, her stomach rolled. How much time did she did have to sell her farm? Her boss in Dahlonega said he’d hold her job, but she would eventually need to get back to work. She thought of the welcome committee that had attacked her the night she arrived home and then returned the following night, and the break-in the night after that, too. Staying in Mountain Loft might be dangerous to her health, as well as her life.
Perhaps she needed to give Ted’s offer more thought, but one thing was certain as she glanced at William. She had made the right decision about declining Ted’s dinner offer. Sitting across from William tonight as they enjoyed Aunt Mary’s delicious meal would be far more pleasant than making small talk with a developer from the city. Ted McDonough was tall and muscular, like the burglar who had broken into her house. Plus, he drove a white car
.
Turning into the Lavy drive, she forced the thoughts from her mind. Ted was full of himself, but otherwise he seemed like a decent guy, even if he had been insistent about buying her land.
Aunt Mary stepped onto the porch as Julianne braked to a stop. “The meal is ready for those who I hope are hungry.”
“That would be me,” William said.
After parking her car in the barn, she and William hurried inside and inhaled the rich scent of stew wafting from the woodstove. Before William closed the door behind them, she heard the clip-clop of a horse’s hooves and glanced outside to see a man dressed in black with a black beard pass by on the road. His gaze was on her farmhouse. He pulled his buggy to a stop in front of the drive and leaned down as if to read the For Sale sign before he flicked the reins.
William stepped closer. “Seems you have someone else interested in your farm.”
“Who is it? Can you tell?”
He nodded. His tone was sharp when he spoke. “I recognize the man in the buggy. You’ve seen him before. It’s Mose Miller.”
A thread of worry wrapped around her heart. Mose Miller wore black, had anger issues and had disliked Bennie, and seemed to dislike William, as well. Did he also dislike her? And, if so, would he do her harm so he could lay claim to her farm?
“We’ll visit Emma tomorrow,” she said, her voice low.
Just so Mose wouldn’t see them. No telling what he would do if he realized Emma had disobeyed him. Would he hurt his wife, or would he take his upset out on Julianne? If Mose had been the man who had attacked Julianne before, what would stop him from attacking her again?
ELEVEN
The next day, William couldn’t shrug off his concern about visiting the Miller home. “Are you sure Mose and his parents will be away from the house?” he asked Julianne as she slipped into her jacket and wrapped a scarf about her neck.
“Emma said they would visit friends throughout the afternoon, Will.”
“Still, it has me worried.”
Julianne guided the car along the narrow country road. “We’ll drive by the Miller farm to make certain Mose and his parents aren’t home. If the coast is clear, we can turn around and go back.”
Passing the house, they both stared at the barn and outbuildings, then at the pastures and fields surrounding the house. “I don’t see anyone,” Julianne said. She made a U-turn and headed back to the entrance to the Miller farm.
William continued to study the area as they pulled into the drive. “Let’s make this a short visit. Meeting Emma in town might have been a better option.”
Julianne parked on the far side of the house so the car wouldn’t be seen by anyone passing by on the road. News traveled fast in the Amish community. Neither of them wanted Mose or his parents to learn that Emma had visitors while they were gone.
The door of the farmhouse opened as they stepped from the car. Emma motioned them inside. “I wondered if you would remember.”
“Of course,” Julianne said. “But we wanted to make certain you were alone.”
They hurried into the sparsely furnished home. The two women hugged as William closed the door. “Mose is gone?” he asked.
“Yah, he and his parents left earlier than planned, but I do not expect them to return until nightfall.” She pointed to the table. “Sit, please. Would you care for a cup of coffee?”
“No, I am fine,” William said and Julianne nodded in agreement.
Once seated, Julianne slipped out of her coat and scarf, then grabbed her friend’s hand. “I am worried about you, Emma. Mose seems upset every time I see him.”
“He and his father have argued recently. Tension in the house is high. His mother says nothing that goes against her husband, but she is on edge, as well. Mose wants to move, but we need land and a house. He hopes to do this before the baby comes.”
“He’s driven by Julianne’s farm a few times,” William said. “On his way to the lake.”
Emma nodded. “He mentioned your property, but we would need to get a loan through the bank. He had hoped his father would provide a few thousand dollars for a down payment, but the two argued over that. His father does not understand why we want to leave.”
“What about building a separate house here on the farm, which is what most Amish families do? You would have your own space,” William suggested.
“Except his father claims he does not have the cash needed to buy the wood and building supplies at this time and insists we wait until after harvest, yet that would be months from now and there is little room here. When the baby comes we will not even have space for a crib in our tiny bedroom.”
Emma was visibly upset, and William hated to increase her angst, but a question needed to be asked. “Mose has passed my house and Julie’s a number of times on his way to the lake. Why does he go there so often in the evening?”
“My husband enjoys fishing, but during the day he works with his datt on the farm. In the evening, he likes to have some time for himself. Often he comes home with trout and bass.”
“Yet he leaves you with his family?” Julianne rubbed Emma’s arm.
“Sometimes...” She looked embarrassed and hung her head. “Sometimes it is better when he is not here.”
“Oh, Emma, you are making me even more worried,” Julianne said. “What brought you and Mose together?”
Emma shook her head. “I was brokenhearted after Bennie died.” She glanced up. Her eyes glistened with tears. “What the sheriff said was not true. Bennie loved your father. He would never have harmed your datt or himself.”
“Remember we were all at the lake that night,” William said. “What happened after you and Bennie left?”
“He took me home so he could meet with someone about a business deal.” She glanced at Julianne. “I thought you knew?”
“I did, but I believed he and William planned to meet.”
Emma’s brow furrowed. “William had nothing to do with this. It was someone else. Bennie had been excited about an opportunity to make money that had come about a few weeks earlier, but when he looked into this business endeavor, he realized there were problems.”
“What kind of problems?” William asked.
“He didn’t say, but he told me he was gathering evidence.”
Julianne leaned closer. “Evidence makes me think of something illegal.”
Emma nodded. “Bennie said what he had uncovered was upsetting. He planned to make the information known.”
“To whom?” Julianne asked.
Emma shrugged. “I wish I knew. I should have pressed for more details, but I was worried. Bennie had purchased a gun.” She glanced at Julianne. “Did he tell you?”
Julianne shook her head. “I did not know at the time, but buying a gun meant Bennie was concerned about his own safety. He must have thought the person he planned to meet could be dangerous.”
“That is why I was afraid,” Emma said. “I told him to go to the bishop.”
“Did he?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Did you see the information Bennie had collected?”
“He did not want me to get involved, but he assured me he had copies of records that would prove what he claimed was true.”
“Where did he keep the records?”
“He never told me and I did not ask.” Emma hesitated a moment. “But there is something else you need to know.”
“What is it, Emma?” Julianne squeezed her friend’s hand.
“When your Aunt Mary took you to Willkommen so you could get away, she asked me to look after the house and gave me a key. She was so upset that day I doubt she remembers.”
Julianne glanced at William. “You had a key to my father’s house?”
Emma nodded. “I would have returned it earlier, but you and Aunt Mary never came back. From what she told peop
le, you didn’t want visitors.”
“Thank you for holding on to it.”
“Yet there is a problem.”
“What kind of problem, Emma?”
“I kept the key in a trunk in my room. When I looked for it earlier today, it was not there.”
“Did anyone else know about the key?”
“I told no one.” She thought for a moment and then her face twisted. “That is not right. Someone else did know.”
Julianne raised her brow. “Mose knew, didn’t he?”
Emma nodded. “He saw it soon after we married. I told him I planned to return it when I next saw you, but you never came back.”
The sound of a buggy caused Emma’s face to blanch. She hurried to the window. “Mose is returning early.”
Racing back to the table, she motioned them toward the door. “You must leave now.”
“If you feel threatened, come to my house, Emma,” William said. “You will be safe with us.”
“I am grateful you came to my rescue last week, William. You made Mose realize he needed to treat me better, at least when we were in town. So thank you.”
She squeezed Julianne’s hand. “Take the dirt path through the woods. It leads to the old back trail. If you leave by the main road, Mose will see you.”
Julianne hugged Emma, then grabbed her coat and scarf and hurried, along with William, to the car. Thick woods covered the rear of the property, but her car would be visible for about thirty seconds before they entered the densest section of the forest. If only Mose wouldn’t see them.
Mose had passed by Julianne’s house the night she had been attacked. Someone broke into the house the next night and had used a key. The only spare key anyone knew about had been in Emma’s trunk, which would be easy for Mose to retrieve.
Was Mose looking for something or did he want to scare Julianne off the property? Or was there another reason for him entering the farmhouse? Did Mose Miller want to do Julianne harm?
* * *
“Mose Miller is the man in the bandana,” Julianne said to William as they left the forest and turned onto the back path to town. “I need to tell the sheriff.”