Knowing he would turn around and come back to find her, she rounded the farmhouse, climbed the steps to the porch and pounded on the door.
“Mr. Lavy! Will! It’s Julianne Graber. I need help.”
She thought back five years to the morning she had fled in shock from her own house. William had been working in his barnyard. She had run toward him, tears streaming from her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Julie?” he’d asked. “Tell me! What happened?”
“Datt... Bennie...” She’d gasped. “They’re both dead.”
Shoving aside the memory, she pounded on the door again.
Another sound came. She dropped her hand and listened. A car engine. Her pulse raced and her throat went dry. The man in the bandana was coming back.
She dashed around the side of the house as the white car pulled into the Lavys’ drive. A lump filled her throat, but she fisted her hands, unwilling to cry. Ducking behind a large hedge, she held her breath. Her heart thumped so hard she was sure he could hear her.
His car door opened. He stepped to the drive. Through the branches of the shrubbery, she could see his pant legs and mud-caked boots.
A beam of light flickered from a flashlight. He turned it first to the porch and then toward the barn and outbuildings. Angling her gaze, she saw his black jacket and trousers. The bandana still covered his face. He hesitated for a long moment and then climbed into his car, backed onto the road and turned toward town. Driving slowly, he aimed the flashlight along the side of the road.
As he neared the path to the pond, she held her breath, fearing he would see tread marks in the mud. “Please,” she whispered. “Keep driving.”
The car eased to a stop. Light flickered over the path. Her heart nearly crashed through her chest. After what seemed like an eternity, he drove on.
Letting out the breath she was holding, she tapped 911 into her phone. Nothing. She checked her screen. No bars. Her stomach churned. She raced to her car and wanted to scream when she tried her cell again with the same result.
She needed to alert the sheriff’s office. If her phone wouldn’t work, she’d go there in person. Hunkered down in her car, she waited thirty minutes, giving the man in black time to arrive at his destination and be off the road. She turned the key in the ignition, relieved when the engine hummed to life, and stepped on the gas. A whirring sound filled the air as the tires spun in the soft mud.
With an audible moan, she got out, rounded to the rear of the car, placed her hands on the trunk and pushed with all her might. The car wouldn’t budge, and all she succeeded in doing was sinking deeper into the mud. Her only option was to wait until morning.
She shivered, not only from the cold, but also from being attacked and having her car stuck. Her side ached, and her head felt like it would explode from stress. So much for a happy homecoming.
Something rustled in a nearby stand of trees.
After climbing quickly into her car, she hit the door lock button, scooted lower in the seat and narrowed her gaze, trying to discern what was roaming in the darkness. A fox or coyote perhaps? Brown bears were not uncommon in the mountains.
She blinked to bring the form into focus, but it disappeared from sight. Or had she imagined the movement altogether? One thing was certain—she would stay locked in the car until the first light of dawn.
Yanking a heavy lap blanket from the rear seat, she wrapped it around her shoulders and rested her head back. As the minutes passed, her eyes grew heavy. She snuggled into the blanket and closed her eyes.
The man with the red bandana who wanted to do her harm was the last thing she thought of before falling asleep, but it was William’s face that filled her dream. She was at the lake so long ago. The moonlight broke through the trees and illuminated his searching eyes as he lowered his lips to hers.
Tap, tap, tap. The sound startled her and pulled her from her slumber. She opened her eyes to a glare of sunlight and blinked a blurred form into view.
A man stared down at her through the windshield. “Julianne?”
She rubbed her eyes and pulled herself upright, recognizing the angled face, full mouth and crystal-blue eyes.
William Lavy.
He was wearing an Amish jacket and a wide-brimmed felt hat.
“Is that you, Julie?”
She hadn’t seen Will in five years, and until last night, she hadn’t expected to see him again. She threw aside the blanket, adjusted her sweater and raked her hand through her hair, embarrassed he had found her asleep.
His brow was raised, and his mouth set in a frown as he continued to stare at her.
Pulling in a fragile breath, she offered him a weak smile.
“What happened? Are you okay?” His raised voice was filled with concern.
For half a heartbeat, she thought she was dreaming.
“Answer me, Jules. Are you okay?”
She tapped the button to lower the automatic window before realizing the car’s engine was off. She grabbed the handle and pushed open the door.
The cold morning air swirled around her. “I must have—” Her sleep-laced tone was little more than a whisper, even to her own ears. She cleared her throat. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“Looks like both you and your car got stuck in the mud.” He leaned closer. “Are you okay?”
“I... I’m fine. A bit bruised, but—” Tears burned her eyes. She blinked them back.
“You’re hurt.” His gaze softened. “What happened?”
“I came home to sell my father’s property.” She glanced at the letter lying open on the console. “They want to take my farm. I left late in the day and then was delayed by a rockslide.”
The words were tumbling out too fast, but she couldn’t help herself. If she stopped talking, she might cry, and she was struggling to keep the tears at bay.
“When I got to my house,” she continued without taking a breath, “a man in black wearing a red bandana was hiding in the bushes. He attacked me, then followed me in his car. I turned toward the pond, thinking you or your dad could help me.”
Regret flashed in his eyes. “I was at a friend’s wedding and spent the night. I saw your Honda when I returned this morning.”
“Why would someone attack me?”
“Vandalism has become a problem.” He gazed around, as if checking that the man in black wasn’t hiding nearby. “That’s why the authorities are concerned about unoccupied property, but vandals don’t usually attack people.”
She blinked back another rush of tears.
“Let’s get your car out of the mud,” he said. “Then we can drive to town and alert the sheriff. We can also stop at the medical clinic and have the doc make certain you’re okay.”
“I don’t need a doctor, but I do need to talk to the sheriff.”
“Start your car, Julie. I’ll push from the rear. Give it a little gas when I signal you, but not too much.”
She did as he asked and watched for his signal through the rearview mirror.
He stepped behind the car, placed his hands on the trunk and nodded. “Okay...now.”
Julie pushed on the accelerator. The wheels spun.
Stepping to the side, William nodded again. “Put it in Reverse and ease it back, then forward.”
Again, she followed his instructions. The car rolled back and she moved the gear to Drive. William pushed from the rear as she eased down on the accelerator. The wheels grabbed and the car broke free.
“Keep going,” he called after her. “I’ll meet you at the top of the hill.”
Near the edge of the road, she pulled to a stop and waited for him there. Before meeting with the sheriff, she wanted to check her house to ensure the hateful man hadn’t caused any damage last night. No one had known she was coming back to Mountain Loft, yet he’d been hiding in the bushes. What was he doing there
, and why had he attacked her?
* * *
William hurried to the top of the hill to catch up to Julianne. She was spattered with mud, and fatigue lined her oval face, but he was drawn again to her beauty, just as he had been at the lake so long ago. Long auburn hair, jade-green eyes, arched eyebrows and an open expression that nearly took his breath away.
She leaned out the window as he approached her car. “Climb in. I want to stop at my house.”
He glanced down at his boots. “If you don’t mind a little mud.”
“My shoes are caked. We can clean up at the pump.”
He slid into the passenger seat. She exited onto the main road, drove the short distance to her farm and parked near the barn. They washed at the pump and wiped dry with a towel she had in her car.
After hanging the towel to dry, she stamped the mud from her shoes and then pointed to the shrubbery growing near the side of her house.
“The man was hiding there in the bushes last night. I—I didn’t think I’d survive.”
William searched the area she had indicated. “I don’t see that he left anything behind.”
“Except a few bruises that’ll appear in a day or two.” She rubbed her side and then turned her gaze to the farmhouse and stared at the structure for a long moment.
“I—I haven’t been back since—”
He remained silent, giving her time to control the whirlwind of confusion evidenced by the arch of her neck and her furrowed brow.
She glanced around at the farm that had been her world for the first seventeen years of life. The house, the barn and outbuildings, the pastures in the distance and the fields were all dormant.
“It looks better than I expected,” she admitted.
“I worked construction in Knoxville, and after I returned home last year, I shored up the fencing and completed some minor repairs around the place when I had free time,” he explained.
Fresh tears filled her eyes. Evidently, she hadn’t expected his help.
“Danki, William.”
The Amish thank-you seemed to surprise her as much as the tears. She had left Mountain Loft before baptism and had undoubtedly worked hard to leave her Amish roots behind.
He touched her arm and she drew back ever so slightly, then pulled herself upright. “I didn’t think coming home would be so hard.”
“Don’t go inside, Julie.” His tone was firm, even to his own ears. “It’s not necessary.”
“I can’t control the memories—” She steeled her jaw. “But facing the past in the light of day will help me heal even more.”
He shook his head. “You need more time.”
“It’s been five years.”
“A few more days won’t hurt.”
“Except I have a new life that’s waiting for me.” She stared at him, then turned to the porch and climbed the stairs.
A crow cawed and he glanced up as it soared overhead. Clouds blocked the sun and a cold wind whipped across the barnyard, tugging at Julianne’s hair. With trembling hands, she slipped the key into the lock. The door creaked open. Straightening her shoulders, she entered the cold interior.
William wiped the mud from his boots and followed her inside, noting the simple furnishings, the woodstove, the oil lamps and kitchen cupboards. The curtains blocked the light and cast the house in shadows.
With decided steps, she approached the closest window, pushed back the curtain and peered through the dusty pane. She touched the glass, then turned and swept her gaze over the main room. “A good cleaning will help. Plus, I’ll need supplies if I stay here.”
“That’s not wise after what happened last night. I have two spare guest rooms on the second floor. Both would provide for your privacy.”
“And what would the town gossips say, William? Tongues would wag. I won’t dishonor your name.”
He smiled ruefully. “It would not be the first time people talked behind my back.”
“Perhaps, but the bishop would take issue with your father and insist he control his wayward son.”
Evidently, she didn’t know. “My father died five months ago.”
“Oh, William.” She clasped her hands over her heart. “I’m so sorry.”
“I am, as well, but it is the way of life.”
And death, which he failed to mention. Julianne knew enough about death.
“Now both of us are orphans, yah?” he said.
“I feel more like a teenager looking for what I left behind.” She peered into the empty pantry.
His heart went out to her and he stepped closer. “Your aunt asked some of the ladies to clean the kitchen of anything perishable before she closed up the house.”
“A wise decision.” Julie tugged a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t remember much about those first few weeks.”
“The shock undoubtedly blocked your memory.”
She touched the dusty counter and then glanced up at him. “Aunt Mary said you tried to say goodbye.”
“Yah.” He pulled in a breath, seeing the question in her gaze. “I left Mountain Loft for a few years to find myself. My first stop was at your aunt’s house in Willkommen. She said you were not ready to receive visitors.”
“My aunt was protective.” Julie sighed. “Perhaps overly so.”
“She was thinking of your well-being.”
“For which I am grateful. When I left Willkommen—”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re no longer staying with Mary?”
“I live in Dahlonega now.”
“The old gold mining town?”
She nodded. “The site of the first major US gold rush in 1828.”
He smiled. “You have become a history buff.”
“Hardly, but the tourists have questions. They visit the mines and pan for gold and then buy gifts in the shop where I work.”
Glancing at the Englischer clothing she wore and the car parked in the drive, he voiced the question that begged to be asked. “Am I right to believe you are no longer Amish?”
“I decided to make a fresh start in Dahlonega. That included embracing Englisch ways.” She angled her head and gazed at him with her jade-green eyes. “What about you? That night at the lake, you talked about leaving Mountain Loft. I presumed that meant leaving the faith as well.”
“Living Englisch was my plan. Then my father became ill...” He shrugged. “Someone needed to care for him.”
“Yet you struggled under his control when you were young.”
“Young and foolish. We reconciled. His lungs were bad, and his well-being was more important than hanging on to past misunderstandings.”
“You’re a good man, William Lavy.”
Her remark touched a chord. He didn’t think of himself as gut, but he couldn’t let his father languish alone. Julianne would have done the same if she’d been given the chance.
“The sheriff’s never been one of my favorite people.” She glanced around the kitchen and into the main room. “Especially the way he handled the investigation five years ago, but I need to report what happened last night, and I could use some support.”
“I’ll come with you. After we talk to the sheriff, we can stop at the Country Kitchen for waffles and coffee.”
A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “You remembered.”
He remembered a lot of things about Julie that he needed to forget. Instead, he needed to focus on her safety. Someone had attacked her last night. William wanted to ensure the man in the red bandana didn’t try to harm her again.
Copyright © 2021 by Deborah W. Giusti
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ISBN-13: 9780369704221
Alaskan Mountain Pursuit
Copyright © 2021 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Tailspin
First published in 2016. This edition published in 2021.
Copyright © 2016 by Elizabeth Goddard
Mountain Refuge
First published in 2018. This edition published in 2021.
Copyright © 2018 by Sarah Varland
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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