by Lenora Worth
When he heard hammering footsteps again, he whirled with the woman still in his arms. Had someone else been caught on the road that ran beside their house? The valley seemed to go silent again, making him think he was imagining more bad weather. Maybe tin bumping the house or one of the restless animals in the barn kicking. A lot of echoes hovered out over the yard. The quick storm had left things unsettled and changed.
He looked down at the woman who lay unconscious in his arms. She seemed frightened of more than just the storm. Where had she been headed?
Or more to the point, where had she come from? And what was she running from?
TWO
Samantha grabbed at the warm blanket covering her, her damp jeans and cotton shirt sticking to her skin. Her heart pounded and she had a tremendous thirst. When she tried to sit up, dizziness overcame her. Touching her hand to her head, she felt a piece of gauze covered with two strips of bandages.
Where was she?
Blinking, she lay still until her injured head stopped spinning. Taking a tentative glance around, she took in the muted lamplight and plain furniture. She was in someone’s house. An Amish home. How had she gotten here?
Her head buzzed and hummed and finally settled. The car. The storm. Wind and darkness. A truck ramming her car over and over. The truck she’d feared seeing had been chasing her. A tornado!
This wasn’t Gramma’s house. Who had found her? She strained to see out the window. Darkness had settled into shadows, making her think someone was out there waiting to harm her. Would he make them bring her back?
“Patch?” she called, her words barely above a whisper. “Patch?” she cried, her voice rising. She had to get her dog and get out of here, but where could she go now?
Why had she thought this would be a good idea, to hide in her grandmother’s empty house?
The door opened and a man walked in. An Amish man.
Samantha stared up at him, the light from a nearby lamp shining on his jawline and eyes. Dark eyes and dark curly hair clung to his forehead and curved against his neck. He didn’t have a beard, so he must be single.
“I remember you,” she said, pushing up on the pillow to get a closer look at him. He’d rescued her. She’d only caught a glimpse of his face before she’d passed out. His voice had been deep, calm and sure. She noticed the bandage on his left cheek. “Your face was bleeding.”
“So was your head,” he replied, a soft smile on his lips. “You had a bump on your forehead. We cleaned it up and put a bandage over it.”
Samantha touched the bandage again and winced as she felt the tender spot. “Thank you.” She looked at the gauze on his cheek. “Are you all right?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said. “Do you hurt anywhere besides your head?”
She moved around, her muscles protesting. “I’m good, other than being scared out of my wits.” And not just because of the tornado. She’d almost let it slip about the truck trying to run her off the road. “The wind lifted my car and I remember screaming. Then a jolt and pain. I must have hit the roof of the car.”
“That was a mean one,” he said. “Brought down a lot of trees. I saw your car ramming into the hay field. I got caught in the storm and had to slide against the car and wedge myself under it and wait the storm out.” He explained how he’d found her and Patch.
“I’m sorry you had to do that,” she replied, horrified that he could have been hurt trying to help her. She wanted to ask if he’d seen the truck but decided against that. She squinted, her head throbbing. “Did I hear children?”
“My brother and sister,” he explained. “They’re with Patch right now. He’s a feisty little thing.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she asked, “Is everything okay with your property?” Surely he’d mention the truck if he’d seen it. She had a vision of the truck being pushed by the tornado’s force.
Murky memories floated to the surface. The truck had flipped into the ditch at the edge of his property. She could have dreamed the truck was chasing her, but she believed this nightmare was real. She’d never told anyone in Winter Lake that she used to be Amish so how had they found her so quickly?
The man watching her now nodded. “I made sure the barn was still together and tried to settle the animals. I wanted to talk to you before I go out again to clean up limbs and check for leaks in the barn and on the roof.”
Panic slushed through her with the same stickiness her clothes held. Now, a fear greater than her pain filled her with a deep dread. What if those people who’d been tailing her were still out there? They could have survived and could now be looking for her on foot.
“How long have I been here?” she asked. She could sneak away again after dark, but without her car that would be hard to accomplish.
“About an hour,” he replied, studying her with a quietness that put her on edge. His suspicion was obvious. He would have questions that she didn’t want to answer.
She looked him over now that he was closer and she wasn’t seeing two of him. His hair curled in a rebellious way even after he raked a hand through it. His eyes were dark but held a hazel tint of gold as they widened with an unyielding interest. He had a strong face, a face that looked honed by hard work, yet still remained handsome. His frown seemed permanently etched. Or maybe he frowned at having her here.
Samantha felt the same interest she saw in his eyes. He was a stranger who’d been forced to help her. “What’s your name?” she asked to calm herself.
“I’m Micah King,” he said. “I live here with my younger twin siblings Emma, or Emmie as we call her, and Jed, or Jedidiah as he hates to be called.”
That made her smile. “He has a long name like me. I’m Samantha Herndon. Or Samantha as I like to be called.”
“Gut to meet you, Samantha,” he said. “Other than going through a tornado, I mean.”
She wanted to ask why he didn’t have a wife and why he lived with his siblings. Who else stayed in this house?
That made her apprehension skyrocket again. None of that mattered. She had to keep moving and she needed to be very careful about what she revealed to him.
“Patch?” she asked, barely able to breathe when she thought about her little dog. Her car had to be ruined and...people were searching for her. She had an intriguing man standing in front of her. Right now, she was worried about the dog that had started all of this.
Micah put a hand on her arm. “Patch is being pampered and spoiled by Emmie and Jed. They made him a bed in the mudroom and we’ve fed him some chopped chicken. He should be fast asleep by now.”
“Thank you,” she said, dropping back on the pillow. “When I feel better, I’ll look him over.”
“Like a doctor?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes. I’m an animal doctor.”
When she coughed, he went to a dresser and poured water out of a pitcher. “Here, drink this. I’ll bring you some soup later.”
Samantha took the water and gulped it down, glad he hadn’t pressed her on what she’d said. She wasn’t ready to talk about the details of her life with him. She had to find a way out of here. She needed to get safely to her grandmother’s house because she knew her grandmother was away. She could hide there without endangering Gramma.
“More?” he asked when she handed the glass back.
Shaking her head, she said, “No. Where is my car?”
“Still out in the field,” he said. “I wanted to make sure you’re all right before I make my rounds to check on things. I’ll see how bad the damage is. I did bring in your suitcase and purse.” He pointed to a tall walnut armoire against the far wall. “Inside there.”
She shook her head, causing a rush of dizziness. “I can’t stay.”
“You’re injured,” he said. “Your car is damaged. I don’t think you’ll be able to leave right now with all the roads blocked by downed t
rees. I can call someone to get you to a medical facility.”
“No.”
The one word hung in the air between them for a moment.
“What else can I do for you?” he asked, coming back around to another suspicious study of her.
“You have to hide my car,” she said, panic circulating with each beat of her pulse.
“The car?” Puzzled, Micah glanced out the window at the big sloping field. “Why?”
Fear shined in her eyes. Would she tell him the truth?
“What’s going on with you, Samantha Herndon?” Staring her down, he watched the flush of emotions coloring her skin. The fear was replaced by a taut determination that he didn’t trust. “Why do I need to hide your car?”
She looked up at Micah, dread filling her eyes. “I can’t lie. I’m trying to get away from someone. I think they found me. A truck rammed into my car when the storm hit.”
Micah’s distrust changed to concern. “You mumbled something—about him being after you.”
“Two men in a big black truck. They tried to run me into a ditch. I think someone sent them—to follow me.”
“So you’re saying the truck sent your car flying?”
“They rammed the truck against my car and tried to push me off the road, then the storm hit. The wind tossed the truck and shoved it toward the ditch. It flipped and landed on its side. It’s probably still out there. They’ll come back even if it’s on foot. I need to leave before they do that. I won’t put you and your family in danger.”
Glancing toward where they could hear the children laughing in the other room, he whirled around. “I heard footsteps after the storm when I was bringing you inside. Why do you need to get away? Is it your husband? A boyfriend?”
Shame poured over her with a heat that left her flushed again. Micah rushed to get her more water. Her hands shook so badly, she couldn’t take the glass. “I should leave. I need to get out of here.”
She tried to stand, but she stumbled and held a hand to her head, dizzy. Micah caught her with one strong arm while he set the glass of water down with the other.
After helping her lie down, he said, “I told you, you can’t go out there. The roads are full of fallen trees and your car tires are partially buried in mud and debris, not to mention we don’t even know if your car will crank. Besides, I can tell you’re in no condition to drive.”
Samantha gripped the quilt, her knuckles white. “You have to take me to Martha Byler’s place. She’s my grossmammi. I was headed to her house.”
Micah’s expression registered the shock jarring through him. “Martha—your grossmammi?”
Samantha nodded, tears in her eyes. “I...I used to be Amish. I left when I was young. I call her Gramma.”
Micah saw the pain in her eyes. Right now, she probably needed her gramma’s arms around her, hugging her close. She’d have to wait on that.
He sank down in the chair by the bed. “You do not know.”
“What?” Samantha managed to sit back against the pillow, a questioning look in her eyes. “What? Did something happen to my grandmother?”
“No. She’s fine,” Micah replied. “She left for the summer. Went to see her sister in Indiana. Laura Troyer, I believe?”
“Aunt Laura.” Samantha bobbed her head. “I know, but I was in a big hurry to leave New York. I’d hoped she’d be back by now.”
“You drove from New York to get here?”
She nodded, weariness in her next words. “I live in upstate New York and I left late last night.” She took a deep breath. “I stopped on the road and started out again this morning. The weather turned bad all across the state. I thought if I could get to Gramma’s house, I’d be okay.” Putting a hand to her mouth, she said, “They found me. I don’t know how. I saw them.”
“Who are they?”
Samantha gave him an imploring stare. “I’d rather not say.”
Micah’s mood darkened while he gave her another direct stare. “Who is trying to harm you? I need to know. You can’t leave yet so we have to be prepared.”
She tried to get up again. “I won’t get you involved. Just take me to Gramma’s. I know where she keeps the key and I’m familiar with her home. I’ll be fine there.”
Again, he stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm. “You can’t go there alone and hurt. Not if someone is after you.”
“I’ll be okay after some food and sleep,” she said even as she slipped underneath the quilt. “I’ll find a way to leave once I’m feeling better.”
A loud knock at the front door caused Samantha to cower underneath the covers. With a stubborn frown, she took a breath and sat back up. “You have visitors.”
Micah glanced back at the partially open door and said, “We will talk later.”
He rushed toward the open bedroom door, his mind reeling with more questions and unease. “Stay here,” he said, glancing back. “It’s probably the neighbors checking on us. You need to stay out of sight and quiet, just in case.”
Samantha called out, “Micah, make sure Patch is out of sight, too.”
Micah gave her a nod before he closed the door.
He wasn’t sure if he could believe her or trust her. She’d fallen into a big batch of trouble and that trouble had followed her here.
THREE
While Micah checked the door, Samantha’s mind went to work on how to get out of this situation, especially how she could get from here to her grandmother’s house without anyone seeing her. Walking was common around here, but she’d been away for years and she was disoriented and confused.
Normally, she met problems and challenges head-on. These people were wicked and they wanted her dead. She’d taken off so fast she’d barely had time to form a plan.
If she’d only made it to her gramma’s house, she could be hiding there now. Of course, the storm might have damaged the small farmhouse. Thankful that her grandmother wasn’t there, she thought about her options. She could sneak out right now and make her way there.
If she left once it was full dark, maybe she’d have a better chance. She only had to follow the road a few miles. The storm had changed everything so it might be a challenge. She had her phone, but she needed to reserve the battery until she could get into town and talk to the local police or find a place to boot up her laptop and find the files she’d saved.
Patch would be able to smell the scent of whoever was looking for them. He’d bark a warning. The same kind of warning he’d barked when she’d found the dog wandering in the woods after she’d gone on a long jog. The little fellow had practically forced her to follow him back to the bad place. What she’d seen there had sent chills down her spine.
She’d taken Patch to her clinic and cleaned him and vaccinated him, her assistant Dorothea helping her. They’d worked together providing medical help for many animals, but Patch had touched both of them.
“Such a sweet little boy,” Dorothea said over and over, her brown eyes full of compassion. Older than Samantha by ten years, she’d been at the Winter Lake Veterinarian Clinic since it opened. She knew the work almost as well as Samantha did and she had gone through certification training to add to her credentials. “You know, he reminds me of Clyde’s little dog.” Giving Samantha a confused stare, she added, “You know, Clyde, that old homeless man we see in town now and then.”
Samantha couldn’t tell her friend the truth so she played dumb. “I found him while I was jogging,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to have a chip to identify him so I have no way of verifying that.”
Dorothea had checked the dog over again. “Are you going to keep him?”
“I’m planning on it for now,” Samantha had replied. She didn’t reveal to Dorothea what she’d seen on the long road off the beaten path. At that time, she didn’t want to falsely accuse anyone, especially her fiancé. Dorothea knew Leon Stant
on, but she didn’t seem to like him very much.
Samantha did what she had to do. She didn’t tell anyone she planned to sneak back to that big warehouse hidden deep in the woods to get evidence of what she’d seen. She should have called the police first thing, but Samantha had to be sure of what she’d discovered. She needed to see the truth in front of her and accept that the man she loved had a life she wasn’t even aware of, a life no one in the community could possibly know about. No one except the unsavory characters he must have been paying to do his dirty work for him.
She’d gone back out to his vast estate late one night and found her way on foot back to that mysterious road. After she’d taken several photos and dictated notes into her phone, she’d found a peephole in a window.
She’d seen something that made her sick at her stomach.
She’d gasped, slipped and fell. Someone had spotted her running away in the middle of the night. Samantha had made it back to her car and hurried home and gathered some clothes and her laptop. She’d called Dorothea and told her she had to go out of town for a few days to visit her grandmother. Dorothea had assumed Gramma was sick and Samantha hadn’t elaborated. No time to explain.
Because she knew they’d kill her to keep her quiet and they’d do the same to Dorothea if Samantha told her the truth.
When one of them had shown up and parked his car across from her apartment, she and Patch had managed to sneak around back and get to where she’d hidden her car.
Now she knew everything and now they’d want to keep her quiet. She had Patch, which proved she’d been there the night they killed that man. Plus, she’d taken pictures with her phone and recorded what she could to use as evidence. They wanted her dead, so she couldn’t testify against them.
* * *
Still reeling from what Samantha had told him, Micah asked Jed to take Patch to the back of the house so the dog wouldn’t try to get loose.
