Amish Hideout

by Maggie K. Black

  Her voice trailed off.

  “Hush now,” Miriam said firmly, “and eat, then sleep. We can talk more about your situation in the morning.”

  Celeste nodded. She started to eat. The food was warm, hot, soothing and delicious, with tender chunks of beef, along with carrots, potatoes and another root vegetable she couldn’t place. There was a quiet to this place and to Miriam that she appreciated. She’d never been good at small talk and always felt socially awkward around strangers. It was nice, somehow, to be able to feel it was okay to just sit there in the peace and not try to find the right words to say.

  “This is really good,” she said after a long moment. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

  “It’s Amos’s favorite,” Miriam said. “The baby’s, too.”

  “How did you two meet?” Celeste asked.

  “At my shop,” she said. “The building belonged to Rosie and Mark’s father. His name was Isaac. He said he always felt that God wanted him to use it to help others. He wanted to take things that were unwanted, unused and damaged, repair them, and give them to others who needed them. He wanted to raise money to help people doing God’s work overseas. He believed in healing broken things.”

  Her eyes glanced past Celeste to the window, as if looking at something very far away.

  “We moved here as a family, following his dream,” she continued. “But he died before the store was open. I was alone with nothing, in a new community and a widow with two small children. Many people were very kind to us. Then I met Amos. He was carrying a lot of hurt and a lot of anger.”

  “I know Jonathan regrets hurting him very much,” Celeste said.

  “Three stubborn men living under one roof, all of whom lost the woman who held them together.” Miriam shook her head. “Like bulls knocking around hurting themselves and each other. When I met Amos he had such a deep need to love and be loved.” Her smile deepened. “We healed each other’s hearts. Two months after we met, we were married.”

  “So quick?” Celeste felt herself gasp and then felt guilty almost immediately. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t judge anybody else’s relationship. I’ve never had what you and Amos have. I wouldn’t know what it’s like.”

  A chuckle slipped Miriam’s lips, but not an unkind one. It reminded her of the way her mother would laugh under her breath when Celeste complained she would never solve a computer problem just moments before she invariably did.

  Instead, all Miriam said was, “Get sleep while you can. I’ll make sure Rosie comes in to wake you in the morning and helps you get dressed. In the meantime, there is a nightdress for you at the end of the bed. Sleep well.”

  “Thank you.”

  Miriam slipped out of the room, with a rustle of fabric and skirts.

  Celeste waited until the door was closed, then set the tray back down on the table and changed into the nightgown. She guessed it was Mark’s room she’d been given and wondered where the young man was sleeping. Miriam had taken the lamp with her, but dim moonlight filtered through the window and slowly her eyes adjusted. She crawled under what felt like a mountain of blankets, pulled them up around her chin and curled into a ball. There was something soft and gentle about the darkness and silence that surrounded her.

  What time was it? She had no way of knowing. It could be after midnight. It could be as early as nine. Whatever time it was she doubted somehow that she’d have been in bed if she was back home in her old apartment. No, she’d likely be reading a book on her tablet, surfing the internet on her laptop, clicking through social media on her phone or streaming something on her television. Doing anything other than lying still and letting the darkness enfold her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling an odd sense of peace spread through her limbs. It was only then she realized with a start that her usual tension headache and the nagging pain she was so used to feeling in her limbs was gone.

  Despite the chaos, despite the fear, despite the uncertainly, there was a deeper, more enveloping peace that surpassed her understanding.

  Thank You, Lord. I don’t know what You’re doing. I don’t know why I’m here or what happens next. But thank You for bringing me here. Please be with this family and in this home. Help me share this sense of Your love and peace with Jonathan...

  She drifted off to sleep with the US marshal’s dark eyes filling her mind and his name on her lips.

  * * *

  Celeste was awoken by the morning sun spreading across the floor and onto her face. Then came the sounds of birds chirping, animals baying, the twins running up and down the hall, and dishes clattering from the kitchen below her. She sat up and looked out, feeling her breath catch in her throat at the beauty that spread out beneath her. Prayers of thanksgiving surged through her heart that her mind couldn’t even begin to find words for.

  A gentle knock brushed the door frame.

  “Hello?” It was Rosie.

  “Come in.” A smile crossed Celeste’s lips as the door slid open and the young woman’s face filled the doorway, her arms filled with brightly colored fabric. She slipped from between the covers and gave the young woman a hug. “It is so wonderful to see you again.”

  “You, too.” Rosie smiled. “Mamm thought you might like some help getting dressed.”

  Three dresses hung loose and soft over her one arm, one in peach, one in a bright green and one in the faintest yellow. In the other she held a small white prayer kapp and box of pins. She laid the dresses down on the bed. “And our last lesson in how to pin a dress was rather rushed.”

  Hidden behind a curtain while a criminal came looking for her. Yes, it had been.

  She giggled. Celeste laughed.

  “Well, I’m very happy we have more time now,” Celeste said. Her hands ran over the fabric and let it fall through her fingers. She couldn’t believe how good the fabric felt or how lovely and delicate the colors were. She’d always assumed that the fact Amish clothing was plain meant it couldn’t also be pretty. But the simple colors and the way the fabric flowed was more beautiful than anything she was used to.

  She chose the green dress, and then paid close attention to every tuck, fold and pleat as Rosie helped her pin it on. After that the younger woman waited while Celeste brushed her hair and curled it into a bun, and then helped her pin her white starched kapp in place.

  They walked through a hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen. Warmth and clatter rose to greet her, with the smells of sizzling bacon and eggs. They stepped into the kitchen. It was the largest kitchen she’d ever seen, with drip coffee brewing on the wood-burning stove and a long wooden table that she imagined would sit at least fifteen. It was laden with breads, jams, preserves, fruit compote and skillets of eggs and cheese.

  Amos, Mark, David and Samuel were so engrossed in their breakfast and happy conversation that they didn’t seem to have noticed her. But her eyes were drawn to one man, sitting tall and strong at the side of the table, in a simple white shirt and overalls, his dark hair with a touch of curl bent low over his food. Jonathan turned and looked up at her with a look so simple and honest that it stole her words from her lips.

  She then realized the only one missing was his father, Eli.

  “Gude mariye! Good morning!” Miriam’s voice turned her attention to the sideboard, where Miriam stood with a frothy pitcher of milk. “How did you sleep?”

  “Very well,” Celeste said, her voice sounding more relaxed than she was used to. “I think that was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.”

  All forks dropped and conversation stopped. The men rose, but Jonathan was quickest to his feet.

  “Welcome,” Amos said. “We apologize for starting to eat without you, but Miriam said we should let you sleep and that you’d probably prefer a more relaxed start your morning.”

  Celeste felt a smile cross her lips. “Yes, she was right, thank you.”

&n
bsp; There was a slight pause, then Amos waved his hands and people sat down and went back to eating. All but Jonathan, who stayed standing, his eyes locked on her face with a look so genuine and raw that it was like they were the only two people in the kitchen. Maybe even in the world. He pulled out the chair beside him. She walked over to him. He waited.

  “We’ll talk later, after breakfast,” he said quietly. “How are you?”

  His hand brushed her back as he pulled the chair out for her. They sat. She turned to look at him. How was it possible this extraordinary man was just inches away from her, sharing a meal with her in his family home?

  “I’m very good,” she said. And she was, in a way she didn’t know how to explain or put into words. Here in this kitchen, with people she barely knew, she felt at peace in a way she couldn’t ever remember feeling before. That longing in her heart had returned, tugging her toward the place where it belonged. Could it be something like this? A large, warm kitchen with a table full of food? A married couple in love with four children and another on the way? A space filled with people who clearly cared about each other and God?

  Conversation flowed cheerfully and happily around the table. David told her that he’d found three eggs the day before and wondered how many he’d find today. Samuel wanted to go sledding. Rosie was excited her favorite horse was going to have a foal.

  They lingered over the meal, sitting and talking long after the food was done. When the meal was done, Amos rose to help Miriam and Rosie clear the dishes. When Celeste tried to join them, Miriam waved a hand in her direction, with a smile on her face that was inscrutable yet sweet. “Why don’t you get Jonathan to show you around the farm?”

  “I’ll help you!” David shouted, rising to his feet.

  Samuel was only a moment away on his heels. “I’m coming, too!”

  Celeste glanced at Jonathan. He looked at the boy’s eager faces. A smile beamed across his face and set something alight in his eyes, as if he was seeing for the first time something he’d thought he’d lost.

  “I’m sure your uncle Jonathan and Celeste would like a quiet walk...” Amos started.

  But Jonathan held up a hand. “I’d love for David and Samuel to show us around. If that’s all right with Celeste.”

  “It’s very all right,” she said.

  The boys yelped and ran for the door, only remembering to pause and clear their dishes when their father waved his hand ever so slightly in their direction. The boys wriggled into their boots and put their hats on. When they dashed outside, two farm dogs raced up to greet them.

  “There are a couple pairs of boots by the door,” Miriam said. “Take whichever pair fits you best, and we’ll pick up some that are the right size from the store later today. There are mittens on the bench. The cloak and bonnet closest to the door are for you.”

  “Thank you,” Celeste said, realizing she’d said the words more in the past few hours than she’d said in her life. “How do I say that in Pennsylvania Dutch?”

  “Danke.” Miriam smiled widely.

  Celeste felt her own smile grow in response. “Danke.”

  She slid her feet into a pair of soft brown boots and slipped the cloak around her shoulders. It was warm and comforting. A gentle blast of cold air made her look up. Jonathan was holding the door open. A warm brown jacket sat around his shoulders, and a wide-brimmed hat covered his head. He reached for her arm.

  “It’s pretty icy,” he said. “Let me help you. The paths can be kind of tricky until you get used to them.” Her hand slid neatly into the crook of his arm. She followed him outside. The farmhouse door slid closed behind them.

  “I want you to wear a cloak and bonnet whenever you’re outside,” he said. “I don’t think we have to worry about aerial drones here. We’d be able to see them a mile away. But I will feel better knowing that you’re as unrecognizable as possible.”

  She nodded. “Agreed.”

  Her eyes scanned his form. The simple coat highlighted the muscles of his broad shoulders and chest, tapering down to his abs. Then she blinked as something hit her.

  “You’re not carrying your gun! Where is it?”

  “In a locked box in the shed,” Jonathan said. A frown creased the lines between his eyes. “It was the condition my pa set. We are welcome in his house and he will protect us. But all weapons have to stay outside.”

  TWELVE

  “Come on!” David yelled, scampering ahead toward the barn.

  “I’m coming!” Jonathan replied, and tilted his head toward Celeste. “It’s still very hard for Amos and Pa to accept that I went into law enforcement. They are very conflicted.” He ran his hand over his beard. “As am I.”

  He guided her up the path, through the snow and toward the barn, holding her as tightly as he dared. The memory of how they’d arrived, cradling her in his arms and to his chest, filled his mind. If he was ever close to her like that again one day, under better circumstances, he might be tempted to ask if he could kiss her smiling mouth. He knew, though, that having any kind of relationship with her was impossible.

  “Why wasn’t your dad at breakfast this morning?” she asked.

  “I saw him early this morning,” Jonathan said. “He said he needed time alone with Gott to think and pray. We shared a cup of coffee before he left. We talked a bit last night. Well, less talked than sat beside each other in silence and watched the fire. He is a good and a very Godly man, but has never been one to talk or say those words of reassurance I needed. When I was younger I couldn’t handle how quiet he was, how he was drawn into long silences and never answered my questions. How could he work for hours in a field without talking, especially when my mind was full of conflicting thoughts? It wasn’t until I’d lived in the Englisch world, with its oversharing on social media and its need for instant gratification to every nosy impulse for information, that I began to understand the value of being quiet and keeping some things inside. Now that he is older and his mind is slower, he talks even less. But he has welcomed me home. And I am not about to change the personality of a sixty-five-year-old man. I guess I will get used to sitting in silence and waiting.”

  “Do you think he’s forgiven you?” Celeste asked.

  “He forgave me years ago, even as I was storming out the door.”

  He waited for her to pry, to ask more questions and to dig away at the broken parts of him he wasn’t ready to reveal. Instead, she said, “I’m glad it went well. If there’s anything more you want to tell me, I’m happy to listen.”

  Gratitude flooded his heart, followed by a wordless longing to have this woman by his side, protecting her and caring for her.

  The boys reached the barn, pushed the door open and tumbled inside, leaving the door open.

  “Wait right there!” David called. “We have a surprise!”

  “We’ll wait!” Jonathan chuckled, then he turned to Celeste. “How much do you remember from the pursuit last night?”

  “It’s kind of jumbled,” she said. “I remember the crash and the man who chloroformed me. I remember you took his phone but let him live.”

  “I couldn’t hold him,” Jonathan said, “and wasn’t about to let him freeze to death. So I let him go and called Deputy Chief Hunter from his phone. Then I disposed of both the truck and the phone.”

  “I remember all that, but it’s cloudy,” she said. “He had pictures of me, right?”

  “Someone calling themselves Poindexter has set up a website collecting pictures and videos of you,” he sighed, wishing he could spare her this. “He’s paying for each tip he gets. He’s offering fifty thousand to anyone who kidnaps you. I don’t know why.”

  “I do,” Celeste said. “Dexter doesn’t know how I found him. He doesn’t know how I beat him and how he was hacked. If he kills me and I don’t testify at trial, he’ll get away with the theft. But he’ll always know he lost to me and he’
ll never know how. If you let me create an encrypted server and go online, I could review the website data and tell you who’s running it and who’s behind it.”

  He shook his head, watching the light dim in her eyes as he did so.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish I could. I really do. But it’s not safe.”

  Her gaze dropped to the snow beneath their feet. “I wish you believed I could do it.”

  “Oh, I do believe in you, Celeste.” His voice dropped. His hand brushed her chin and tilted it up, until her eyes were looking into his. “I have complete faith in your abilities and I wish I had believed you sooner. I know if anyone can figure out who’s running Poindexter’s website, why we have Dexter Thomes’s doppelgänger running around and where the stolen money is, it’s you. But it’s not safe. Not with the tools they have at their disposal and the bounty they’ve put on your head.”

  Her eyes searched his face. She was just inches away from him. The warmth of her breath tickled his cold skin. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to his chest. He wanted to tell her that she was brilliant and impressive, and he believed in her calling to do what she did with computers just as much, or even more, than he believed in his own to be a US marshal. And more than anything he wanted to admit just how very much he wished he could kiss her.

  “Come on!” David called. “We’ve found the kittens!”

  “We’re coming!” Jonathan stepped back like a man waking up from a dream. He steeled his resolve. He didn’t know how, but he was going to make things right for her. He needed to. “I’m going into town with Amos this afternoon. He says there are some disposable phones that have been donated to the store. I’ll use one to check in with Chief Deputy Hunter. And I need you to stay here.”

  * * *

  “But it’s not safe!” she said. “What if Doppel-Dex is still stalking Hope’s Creek? What if he recognizes you?”