by Laura Scott
She shook her head. “No, it’s too risky. The best thing I can do is get out of sight as quickly as possible. He may have left for now, but he won’t give up.” She stopped as if she’d said too much. “And it is only a sprain.”
Eli kept his doubts to himself. Once they reached the road, Eli helped her climb onto the wagon. He glanced back at Silver Creek and tried not to think about what might have happened if he’d worked a little longer. Taken a different path home. Gott had been looking out for her.
Grabbing blankets from underneath some of his tools, Eli then wrapped one around her legs. The other he placed over her shoulders.
Springtime in West Kootenai was deceptive. The warmer temperatures lulled you into a false sense of hope. And then a storm like this one happened.
He climbed up beside her, yet he did not attempt to take up the reins. The questions pounding his mind needed answering, but Faith appeared to be one more bad thing away from falling apart.
So far, she hadn’t said anything to settle his doubts. Faith claimed this man coming after her was a dirty cop who had killed someone. Was he involved in more illegal activities? Was she?
I’m a police officer. This woman is being accused of murder. The man’s troubling words played through Eli’s mind again and again. Though he didn’t believe Faith was capable of murder, there was much about what happened that he didn’t understand.
He thought about the trouble following him for the past two years. Losing his wife was hard enough but being accused of setting the fire that caused her death was unthinkable. He’d had firsthand experience with being accused of something you didn’t do.
Eli gathered the reins from where he’d slung them in haste.
“Thank you, Eli,” she said and faced him. “I’m sorry I put you in the middle of this, but I’m truly grateful you stopped. I’d be dead by now if you hadn’t, and I doubt if anyone would know about it.”
Those alarming words confirmed the seriousness of what happened tonight.
“You and I were friends as kinner, and Sarah is my neighbor. I would do whatever I could to help either of you.”
She smiled at his recollection. “You used to walk me home from school sometimes. I remember you always chose pretty rocks for me.” Her smile disappeared. “It’s been so many years ago since I left here. At times, it feels like another lifetime.”
He certainly understood that feeling. He’d been gone from West Kootenai for a long time himself. The life he left behind was not the same one he possessed now. It would never be the same.
“Your grossmammi isn’t expecting you, is she?”
She shook her head, confirming this wasn’t a friendly visit to catch up. Faith was running for her life.
Eli gave the reins a shake, and the horse responded to his skilled direction.
“Why is this man trying to harm you? Why would he try to frame you for someone’s murder?”
She put up her guard. “Because of the things I found out. It’s better for him if I disappear.” The answer didn’t settle anything in Eli’s mind. Far from it.
They passed by the damaged railing. Eli had a feeling the truth was going to be far worse than anything he could imagine.
The mare clomped along the slushy road while snow continued to fall. Eli kept a close eye behind them. The truck had headed away from the community, but something told him this wasn’t the last they’d seen of the man.
Most people around the town and the surrounding countryside knew each other. Had grown up living with the same neighbors for several generations. A stranger would stand out. He’d ask some of his Englisch neighbors if they’d seen a stranger. Eli hoped the man would realize it was better off for him to go back to where he came from.
The turnoff to his and Sarah’s homesteads appeared up on the right. At one time all the property on this side of the road was deeded to the Cooper family.
When he’d first come back to West Kootenai, he’d remembered the property that once belonged to Sarah’s son was sitting vacant, so he’d asked to buy some of the land and the old house. She’d been more than agreeable.
Being reunited with his family again had come at a heavy price. If it weren’t for his fraa’s passing, he wouldn’t have come back. For more than ten years, his relationship with his brothers had been strained. After losing Miriam and their unborn child to the fire, living under suspicion had gotten to be too much. He’d wanted a fresh start. Eli had reached out to his mamm and found the welcoming he’d longed for. But he still felt it necessary to keep some distance between himself and the family. Maybe out of a sense of guilt for his part in what happened between himself and Bruder Mason.
And so, he’d bought the place next to Sarah’s. It was some distance from the rest of the family and away from most of the community. He enjoyed the privacy and Sarah’s calming presence.
Her modest homestead came into view. Eli guided the mare down her narrow drive and stopped in front of the house. Puffs of white smoke disappeared among the snowy night air.
He turned to Faith. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at the house, and he wondered when she’d been here last. He of all people understood how hard homecomings could be.
Eli hopped down and helped her from the wagon. In the distance an engine revved, and she spun at the sound.
“It could be coming from the highway. Sound travels far out here.” Yet he understood exactly what she was thinking because he’d thought the same.
She relaxed. “You’re probably right.” Without another word, she hurried up the steps to the porch. Faith stood in front of the door for a long moment before she knocked.
Eli followed at a slower pace. He didn’t have it in his heart to tell her the engine noise was much closer. After what happened at the creek, there was no way he was leaving two women alone with a killer on the loose in the community. He’d find a way to stay close. Sarah wouldn’t have a problem with him bunking on the sofa.
Even though he’d been home for just over a month, he and Sarah had become gut friends. As a widow alone, she relied on him, and he was happy to help her out in any way he could.
A single lantern showed through the window. Sarah would be working on her quilting. The one thing she enjoyed most these days.
“Sometimes her hearing isn’t so gut,” Eli told her. “You have to knock louder.”
Faith drew in a breath and knocked harder. Waited.
As he listened, the familiar labored steps of the woman who had welcomed him back to the community with open arms came toward them. The curtain near the door moved.
“Sarah, it’s me, Eli. I have someone here to see you.”
The curtain dropped and the door opened. A smile creased her face. Sarah’s smile always made the darkness that haunted him flee.
“Eli, I’m glad you stopped by. Komm inside. The night is cold. I’ll make some coffee to warm you up.” Sarah’s gaze shifted from him to the woman at his side. “And who is this?”
She stepped closer. Recognition dawned in slow surprise. “Faith.” Tears quickly filled her eyes. “It is you.” She swept her granddaughter into her arms and hugged her tightly. “Oh, my boppli. My precious boppli. You’re finally home.”
As much as Sarah was overjoyed to see her granddaughter, Eli worried that the danger following Faith would find its way into this gentle woman’s life.
Copyright © 2021 by Mary Eason
Love Harlequin romance?
DISCOVER.
Be the first to find out about promotions, news and exclusive content!
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Instagram.com/HarlequinBooks
Pinterest.com/HarlequinBooks
ReaderService.com
EXPLORE.
Sign up for the Harlequin e-newsletter and download a free book fro
m any series at
TryHarlequin.com
CONNECT.
Join our Harlequin community to share your thoughts and connect with other romance readers!
Facebook.com/groups/HarlequinConnection
ISBN-13: 9781488072284
Wyoming Mountain Escape
Copyright © 2021 by Laura Iding
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.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at [email protected].
Love Inspired
22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.Harlequin.com
