Plain Refuge

by Dana R. Lynn

  “Are you going to kiss her?”

  Startled, they both turned to see they had a small audience. Six teenagers, an equal mix of male and female, were standing on the sidewalk, watching avidly. The girls were whispering and giggling, phones out.

  Aiden tossed them a grin. “I’m getting to it.”

  Before she could respond, he went down on one knee. “Sophie Larson, I love you and want to spend my life with you and be a brother to Celine. Will you marry me?”

  Sniffing, she nodded. “Oh, Aiden, I love you, too. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I’ll marry you.”

  The kids on the sidewalk started cheering and clapping. Aiden jumped to his feet and pulled his new fiancée into his arms. When he leaned close, she welcomed his kiss and all the love he was offering. He broke the kiss long enough to whisper that he loved her and then recaptured her lips. She gave herself up to the joy, forgetting about their audience.

  When they broke apart, she laughed. All six teenagers were holding out their phones.

  “Did you guys record that?” she called out.

  All six nodded.

  “You want me to send you a copy?” one asked.

  She normally wouldn’t share her email, but this one time she made an exception.

  “I’ll bet that Jennie will want to see that,” Aiden remarked.

  “So will Celine.”

  He looked around. “Speaking of Celine, where is she?”

  “She’s at deaf camp this week.”

  Celine would be disappointed to miss this. “I think we should take a short trip and tell her. She’s going to want to be my maid of honor.”

  He gave her the crooked grin she adored. “And Levi will want to be best man.”

  “Levi! He’s okay?”

  He nodded. “He’s great. I talked with him last week. He knows I was coming here to propose. He said he’d get his bishop’s approval to attend the wedding.”

  “Wait. His bishop?” This was new.

  “After his stay with the King family, he realized that he belonged in the Amish world. He traveled to Berlin to reconcile with his family. It’s not official yet, but he is hoping to join the Amish church in the near future.”

  She thought about that. “I’m happy for him.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek.

  “I agree. I can’t wait to see my future sister. And to start planning our wedding.”

  Neither could she. As they strode to her car, he captured her hand and dropped a soft kiss on it.

  She couldn’t wait to begin their life together.

  EPILOGUE

  Sophie set down her paintbrush and stood back to admire her work. She’d never tried to stencil a border before, but decided she liked the look of it. It was time-consuming, true, but in her mind she envisioned what the completed room would look like. The slate blue walls were matte, which created a softer look. She sighed happily. It would be gorgeous when she was done. She couldn’t wait for Aiden to see it.

  “Sophie?”

  She glanced at her watch. He was home early. Eagerly she turned toward the door.

  “Back here, Aiden,” she called.

  Within seconds, he entered the room, his grin breaking across his handsome face like the sunrise. “Looks good.”

  Her heart sped up as she watched his face. They’d married three months after he’d returned and had been married for almost five months now, and she still couldn’t believe he was hers. The man she’d almost given up on was standing beside her in the house they were building together. He turned and his eyebrow shot up as he caught her staring. She flushed, but flashed an answering smile at his crooked grin. He’d told her several times that he still felt the urge to reach out and touch her just to make sure she was real.

  God had truly blessed them.

  “I brought the paint you wanted.” He gave the room a once-over. “Maybe I picked up the wrong color. It doesn’t look like it would match the color scheme you’ve picked out for this room.”

  She swallowed her grin, joy bursting inside her like a water balloon hitting the ground. She ducked her head, busying herself with arranging the stencils so he wouldn’t see the expression on her face.

  “It’s not for this room. I had an idea for the extra room next to ours.”

  “Oh?”

  She pulled out the stencil she’d hidden at the bottom of the pile. It was an ABC stencil, in large bubble letters.

  She held her breath.

  He looked at it for a single moment, uncomprehending. Then she saw the knowledge flickering across his face. His dark eyes shimmered briefly before he blinked.

  “Sophie.” He cleared his throat, smoothing out the emotional edges in his voice. “Sophie, are you trying to tell me—”

  “Does he know?” Celine burst into the room, shouting.

  She skidded to a stop before them, her hazel gaze shooting between them. They both smiled at the way the thirteen-year-old was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

  “I think your sister was just about to tell me something.”

  Both pairs of eyes focused on Sophie with laser precision.

  “Well?” Celine demanded.

  “Yes, Aiden. You’re going to be a father.”

  He whooped and grabbed her in a hug, lifting her feet off the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. After a couple of seconds, he lowered her back down but didn’t release her. She buried her face in his neck, breathing in the woodsy scent that was all him.

  “Still here, you know.”

  Celine’s sarcasm broke them apart. She didn’t appear upset. More amused.

  “When, do you know?” Aiden asked.

  “Sometime in the fall. The best I can figure is mid-October. I’ll need to go to the doctor to get a better estimate.”

  “I’ll be in school then,” Celine mused. “Eighth grade starts end of August.”

  “Yes, but you’re not going to be living away from home, so you’ll still be here every evening to see your niece or nephew.”

  Celine nodded, content. “Can I call Aunt Jennie?”

  Aiden glanced at Sophie, eyebrows raised. She and Jennie had become close friends in the past few months.

  “Can you wait a few minutes?” Sophie asked. “We’ll tell her the news together.”

  “Fine. I’m going to set up the computer so we can Skype.”

  Celine skipped from the room. It was so good to see her happy.

  After everything that had happened, Celine had struggled with whether or not she wanted to return to the school for the deaf. She was terrified of being away from home, away from her sister, all week. Sophie no longer wanted to live in Chicago. Also, Aiden wanted to be near his sister, Jennie, and his new nephew. Jennie had named her son Luke after his dad. Everyone called the adorable little boy LJ. Aiden had been away from her for so long. When he and Sophie had found a house in a quiet part of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, they had made an offer the same day. It was close enough to the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf to enroll Celine as a day student, so she could still attend a school where everyone signed but would come home every day.

  And they were able to see Jennie and LJ every weekend. It was perfect.

  Celine would get impatient soon. Aiden helped Sophie pack away her painting supplies for the day, and then they made the phone call to Jennie. As expected, Jennie was over the moon for her brother and Sophie. She promised to help them decorate the baby’s room and pick out furnishings.

  After the call ended, Sophie and Aiden walked out to sit on the deck he’d built at the back of the house. On the way there, he grabbed the iced coffee he’d picked up for his wife on the way home. Caramel with whipped topping, complete with caramel drizzle. Her heart melted. Her husband knew her well. She waited for him as he nipped over to the refrigerator and grabbed a Dr Pepp
er for himself. Together, they settled into the wicker love seat she’d fallen in love with, holding hands as they enjoyed their beverages and each other’s company.

  “A baby.” He leaned his head back and smiled. “Jennie’s kid will have a playmate.”

  “Well, there will be a small age difference. How’d your day go?” Sophie licked a glob of caramel and whipped topping off her straw before sipping the coffee itself. Cold, sweet and delicious. Life was good.

  “It was good. I had a few sophomores and juniors, but most of the students were freshmen.”

  She listened carefully for any hint of discontent and was relieved when she heard none. When they had moved, he’d put out feelers to old contacts and had been immediately contacted by a former captain, asking if he’d be willing to take a position as an instructor at the police academy. They’d prayed hard about it.

  Sophie would never have asked him to step away from a career he loved, and he knew it.

  “Are you happy you took the position?”

  “Absolutely.” Not a second of hesitation. “You know I’ll tell you if I want to return to the field, but I was burned-out. It was time to try something new.”

  A sigh left her. He put his soda on the table beside him.

  “Hey, what’s that sigh for?” His thumb rubbed her palm, sending goose pimples up her arm.

  “Nothing.” She leaned her head on his strong shoulder. “I’m just so happy here.”

  She moved her head to gaze up at him. He wrapped his arms around her, smiled and leaned down, erasing the distance between them. Just before their lips met, he whispered, “Me, too. I have everything I need, right here in my arms.”

  He kissed her, telling her without words that she was precious and beloved.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this book, don’t miss the other heart-stopping Amish adventures from Dana R. Lynn’s Amish Country Justice series:

  Plain Target

  Plain Retribution

  Amish Christmas Abduction

  Amish Country Ambush

  Amish Christmas Emergency

  Guarding the Amish Midwife

  Hidden in Amish Country

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Secrets Resurfaced by Dana Mentink.

  Dear Reader,

  I am so thrilled to be able to share Aiden and Sophie’s story with you. The idea of an undercover police officer who breaks his cover to protect someone has been in my mind for a while now. I especially wondered how he would suffer being immersed in his cover, like Aiden was. Aiden is wounded by all that he suffered, but he still held tight to his faith, which carried him through.

  Sophie has allowed her faith to slide, but the danger she finds herself in helps her remember what is truly important. And having a handsome protector didn’t hurt, either.

  A bonus for me was adding in the character of Celine, Sophie’s younger sister, who is deaf. She won my heart, and I hope she touched yours, as well.

  I love hearing from readers! I can be found on Facebook and Instagram, or you can contact me through my website at www.danarlynn.com.

  Blessings,

  Dana R. Lynn

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  Secrets Resurfaced

  by Dana Mentink

  ONE

  Show yourself.

  Dory Winslow peered down into the darkening canyon, searching for her quarry in the lengthening shadows. Her muscles were cramped from crouching. Grit clung to her hair where it poked out from underneath her cap. If anyone saw her there, binoculars pressed to her eyes, face streaked with sweat from an unseasonably hot April, they might think she was a stalker. In a way, they’d be right. She lifted the binoculars, careful to angle them so the failing sunlight would not strike the lenses.

  Rocks bit into her elbow where she squeezed against the granite shelf. Far below, the rising silver moonlight reflected off the ribbon of river that eventually meandered along to the ocean. She took in the twisted rock layers, jutting here and there, white and porous. It might as well have been a desert canyon. Odd that not two miles away from this desolate spot was the magnificent central coast of California, a place where ranch land butted up to the beach, a breathtaking patchwork of grassland and surf unlike any other.

  The faintest saltwater freshness trickled across her senses and reawakened the familiar sorrow. She could never picture the ocean without thinking of what she’d lost to it. Chad Jaggert, her life here in Driftwood, their future, all turned upside down by the voracious sea. She recalled the moment five years before when she’d heard the tragic news. Her father, a private investigator for the DA’s office, had broken it to her as she’d returned from registering for her second semester of junior college classes. It had been exactly one month before her twentieth birthday.

  Honey, Chad’s father wrecked his boat and killed someone. It looks like the fool was drinking. He’s under arrest.

  Through the shock, she’d not missed the edge of satisfaction in her father’s tone, as if the tragedy was a validation for what he’d told her since she’d started dating Chad.

  He’s no good for you. His family’s a mess. You can do better than Chad Jaggert.

  Her dad despised Rocky Jaggert, pure and simple. Their rift had started long before she and Chad had even met.

  Her heart had split wide open in that moment for Chad and his father. But that had been only the beginning of the mess.

  Now the rock walls seemed to squeeze in, punishing her for her decision to come back, even temporarily.

  There’s nothing for you here but pain, she could almost hear them whisper.

  “And answers,” she mumbled through gritted teeth. She wasn’t leaving without those.

  A scraping noise snapped her to attention. Was it the scuff of a boot on the rocks? Or the natural sounds of the wind and weather? Frozen, she watched and listened. A bat winged over the canyon top. She tried to ease the cramp in her legs without changing position, a skill she’d learned over her five-year span as a private investigator under her father’s tutelage. Was the fugitive she sought finally within her sights? Had he heard her approach? Seen her Jeep parked in the dense cluster of forest that ringed the canyon?

  She ignored her screaming muscles and stayed stone-still. Most of the time, stillness was more effective than running. It had been a hard-learned lesson. Her father had drilled three things into Dory’s head. Do your research. Call in the cops when appropriate. Collect your fee. But there was one other rule she hadn’t followed this time. Always let someone know your location during a pursuit.

  Dory’d not told a single soul of her plans to return to Driftwood. It would be smart to send a text to her father now, to inform him of where she was in case things went wrong, but that would require explanations she was not prepared to give. Besides, she told herself, even if she’d wanted to, she probably wouldn’t get a signal, she was tucked so deep in this twisted nowhere. She was on her own, as she had been since Chad had cut her out of his life. Her fingers found the silver heart locket.

  No, not alone, she reminded herself.

  This time she heard the unmistakable sound of movement from below. She focused the lenses, breath catching as she saw a hooded figure hiking along the stone-littered trail. She picked out the red glow of a cigarette.

  Blaze was a smoker—that much she knew. All the other attributes appeared to fit her target, also. She pegged him at midtwenties, tall and skinny and... Was that a glimpse of dark red hair she caught from underneath the hood? A hefty pack weighed the guy down and he stopped to flick the ash off his cigarette. He had the comfortable gait of som
eone familiar with the terrain. A shiver went up her spine. Her info had been right. Blaze was holing up in the canyon. Why, she couldn’t imagine, but now was not the time to speculate.

  She eased out her cell phone to take a picture, but her elbow set a rock into motion. She froze.

  “Someone there?” Blaze called.

  She willed every nerve to quiet, every muscle to still.

  After a moment, he took another drag on his cigarette and continued walking.

  She let out a gusty breath at how close she’d come to blowing it. She had to get a photo first, to prove he was who she suspected. Then there would be time for questions.

  She’d used every arsenal in her PI toolbox, but it hadn’t been easy. Her quarry had not accessed an ATM or credit card that she was aware of. He’d given a fake name, Brian Upton, at the halfway house where he’d last stayed and ridden buses or thumbed rides instead of renting a car. But Dory was very good at what she did. She had the patience and tenacity. It paid her bills.

  Only this time, she wasn’t after a paycheck. This time, it was personal.

  “I know who you really are,” Dory whispered to herself. “And you’re going to tell me the rest of your secrets, right here, right now.”

  * * *

  Chad Jaggert handed the clipboard to his adopted brother, Liam, without a word. He’d come to know Liam when ranch owners Gus and Ginny hired Chad on to do some extra chores when his father was drinking away their food money. Liam didn’t mind Chad’s silent tendencies and they’d become closer than blood, as he had with another ranch hand, Mitch Whitehorse. Liam perused the clipboard. On it was a meticulous record of three thousand head of cattle, including the calves that would be kept with their mothers until the late summer weaning.

  The springtime duties that had taken him over the sprawling property of Roughwater Ranch had been especially entertaining, thanks to the antics of the young calves and their reactions to Liam’s goofy dog Jingles and his equally goofy companion Meatball. If those dogs ever learned to herd properly, Chad would swallow his hat.