Maybe she wasn’t being sensitive after all. “I didn’t imagine I heard gunshots. I know I did. Someone was firing a rifle in the dark.”
“How can you be sure?” she asked. “Did they find any casings?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Your buggy wasn’t actually hit, was it?”
“Nee. But the gunfire scared my horse.”
“Shame, that.”
“Jah.” Actually, so much about their move to Kentucky had been a disappointment.
“Though our first weeks here have been eventful, I’m looking forward to celebrating Christmas here in Kentucky,” Amanda said, in that friendly way of hers that she’d mastered around the age of four. “Hart County is so different, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy the holidays very much.”
The woman’s posture eased. “I’m glad you are settling in. Now that you all are getting out and about, I suppose we’ll get to know each other better.”
“I imagine we will,” Amanda said with an angelic smile. It was another move she’d mastered.
Amanda was born with golden-blond hair and cornflower-blue eyes. She was bright, while Susanna appeared, with her brown hair and hazel eyes, more burnished. Amanda’s personality matched her appearance. She was vivacious and chatty while Susanna often struggled to find the right words to say.
“Would you girls like to sit with us?” the blond woman asked. “My name’s Rachel, by the way.”
“We would. Danke, Rachel,” Amanda said eagerly.
“But of course. We want to do everything we can to help ease your transition here.” Smiling far more warmly at Amanda, Rachel gestured to one of the long tables near the end of the driveway. “I’ll save you both a seat. You are okay eating outside, aren’t you? It’s a little chilly, but since the sun is out today, it’s better than being in the barn. It can get stuffy in there.”
“Oh, I agree,” Amanda said with an even brighter smile. “Now that most of the snow has melted, eating outside in the fresh air is wunderbaar. Before we know it, we’ll all be stuck inside for weeks.”
“Jah,” Susanna agreed. When Rachel and Amanda both turned to her, obviously hoping to hear something interesting or cute, she only smiled awkwardly. “It’s good to appreciate nice days, the weather is so unpredictable.” Of course, she realized that she was talking about so much more than the weather.
As they followed the other women out of the barn and over to a long table situated in the sun, Susanna scanned the crowd, especially the group of young men sitting near to where the food was set up. “Hey, Amanda? Do you see any man who looks the way I described my hero?” The paramedics had told her that the man who had rescued her asked not to be identified.
She’d thought that odd. Her father had, too. But her mother pointed out that the man might be afraid that they would do something to embarrass him. Some people didn’t like to be thanked.
Susanna had been really hoping to catch sight of him. Before church, when all the young people were milling around, she’d scanned the area carefully. But so far, no one looked like that burly man with the pale-blue eyes and ruddy complexion.
Amanda shook her head. “It’s too bad you don’t remember more details about your mystery man’s appearance.”
“I had a concussion and it was pitch-black outside. I was otherwise occupied,” she said with a grin. “I did remember his light-colored eyes, though. I know I would remember them. They were so light, one might even think they were gray.”
“Maybe we can ask Rachel and her friends if they have any idea who the man is.”
“That’s a gut idea.”
When they joined Rachel, the rest of the seats at the table were filled. After smiling at everyone, Susanna took a bite of her chicken and concentrated on learning more about the ladies.
First, there was Ava and her two daughters, Rachel and Ruth; then, there was Charity, the woman in line with dark hair, and sitting near her was her sister, Camilla. At the end of the table was Maggie, who didn’t say much but seemed to listen and watch all of them intently.
“Are you enjoying your new home?” Charity asked.
Susanna barely stifled a sigh. She had hoped to not talk about their house anymore, since it seemed to bring up so many bad feelings.
She studied Charity closely. Why had she brought it up? Was she being snide . . . or was it merely Susanna’s imagination? Shaking off the sense of unease, she nodded. “We are. It’s plenty big and has two bathrooms, which is always good when there are three girls in the house,” she joked.
If she had known them better, she would have explained how, compared to the small duplex they’d lived in back in Berlin, the purchase of this farm in Kentucky was a dream come true for all of them.
From the time she’d been a child, Susanna had hardly seen her father. In order to support them, he’d managed a wealthy Englisher’s farm. Because of the distance away, he’d even slept in a small suite of rooms in the back of one of his barns four or five nights a week.
While he was working, their mother took care of her, Amanda, and their little sister, Traci. Susanna knew her mother was lonely, and they all missed their happy, hardworking, affectionate father. But she’d also learned not to complain or wish for anything different. They were blessed to have each other.
But then about a year ago, two things happened that changed everything. First, their mother contracted a series of illnesses, eventually being in bed for almost a month with pneumonia. Their father worried about her terribly.
The second thing had been even harder on their father. The gentleman he worked for passed away—and had gifted him in his will with a sizable amount of money. Enough money for Daed to buy a farm of his own.
That money, combined with the money he’d saved, had been an answer to a prayer . . . until he realized how very little it would buy in Holmes County, Ohio. The land there was expensive. That’s when he hired a real estate agent and started searching for another location.
Which brought them to Kentucky and to the Vances’ property.
All that was why she hated to apologize for her father being so tough in his negotiations for that farm. If it had been more expensive, they would still be in their duplex, waiting to find the perfect piece of land for them.
But it sure didn’t seem like anyone here was interested in hearing their side of the sale. As the minutes wore on, everyone looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“What, um, Susanna means to say is that we are sure we will be mighty happy here,” Amanda said, for once sounding as tentative as her sister. “We feel blessed that the house came up for sale when it did.”
But if anything, the mention of being blessed seemed to bother everyone even more. Rachel exchanged glances with her girlfriends.
Sipping her coffee, Susanna was starting to wish they’d simply gone home right after church. She’d much rather be sitting in their family room reading than navigating her way through this awkward conversation.
Deciding to finish as quickly as possible, she took a big bite of macaroni.
Obviously resolving to smooth things over, Amanda smiled at everyone. “Can any of you all do us a favor? You see, when Susanna got in the accident, a local man came to her rescue. We know what he looks like but not his name.”
“That’s intriguing. Was he Amish?”
Susanna nodded. “He was. He was so kind, too. I kept hoping that he would stop by our house and say hello, but that hasn’t happened.” She shrugged. “But maybe he didn’t know my name, either.”
“That’s probably true. There are a lot of Amish in the county, now. It ain’t like it used to be, when we all knew each other and our horses, too.”
Susanna began to relax. Maybe this was going to be all right. She just had to stop from taking offense at every imagined slight.
“Describe him the best you can. Then I’ll start bringing likely men over,” Charity said with a smirk.
Susanna could just imagine how awkward that would be! “Nee,”
she said quickly. “There’s no need for that.”
“Come on. It will be fun. What’s the benefit of sitting with people who know everyone if you don’t put us to good use?”
Amanda grinned. “She has a point, Sue.”
“All right. You’re right.” Smiling awkwardly, she said, “Well, the man was large.”
“Fat?”
“Oh, nee. He was built large, but not fat. More like a football player. Tall, too.”
“What color were his hair and eyes?”
“He had on a knit cap, but his eyebrows looked kind of brown.”
“Dark or light brown?”
She had to think for a minute. “Dark brown. I think.”
“And his eyes?”
“That, I remember,” she said with a smile, pleased at the game. “Light blue.” Remembering something else, she said, “Oh, and he had fair skin.”
“So you were rescued by a tall, hefty man with light-brown hair, fair skin, and light-blue eyes.”
“Jah. He had a deep voice, too. Kind of scratchy, but I could be wrong about that.”
She felt a new kind of tension as the other women exchanged glances. “What? Any ideas?”
Charity nodded. Rachel looked pained.
“What did I say?” Susanna asked. “Is something wrong?”
Again, everyone looked awkwardly at each other.
“You all are starting to make me worried,” Amanda joked. “What is the matter?”
“Nothing, except the man you are describing sounds an awful lot like”—Charity looked around, then pointed to a trio of men standing by the barn—“him.”
“Who?” Susanna got to her feet and turned. Staring at the men.
Just then, one of them looked directly at her. His gaze was solemn and blue. His pale cheeks were scruffy. He had on a thick wool coat, but even in the company of other men who were bundled up, he stood out.
He blinked, as he obviously recognized her, too.
She smiled.
Oh, but this was wonderful! At last, she was going to be able to thank him in person.
“Susanna, sit down,” Amanda said.
“I can’t. That’s him,” she said as she was about to begin walking his way. “Ladies, thank you! I’ve been so worried I wasn’t going to be able to thank him properly.”
Just then she noticed that the other women still weren’t smiling. “What?” she whispered. “What is wrong?”
“You really don’t know who he is, do you?” Rachel asked at last.
“I know he saved my life. What’s his name?”
“That is Neil Vance.”
“Neil Vance?”
As if reading her mind, Rachel nodded. “That very one. Your family bought his family’s farm.”
She felt like every bit of food she’d just consumed was now lodged in her windpipe. “That is quite a coincidence.”
“It’s something, all right. Because your parents didn’t want to pay a fair price for the farm, they are all living in a relative’s tiny older house. Everyone is struggling to make ends meet. At Christmastime, no less.”
“Instead of a coincidence, I think we should call it ironic. That’s more fitting. Ain’t so?” Charity asked the table at large.
Now Amanda was finally getting angry. “What is ironic?”
“Well, Neil Vance saved Susanna’s life, just days after all of you practically ruined his.”
CHAPTER 3
Sunday, December 10
Well, I’ll be,” Neil Vance muttered as he watched the brown-haired woman with the striking green eyes approach. There she was, just as if she’d stepped out of a dream.
Or at least a mighty good memory.
“Who’s that?” Dale Kaufmann, his best friend and former neighbor, asked as he caught sight of the woman approaching him.
“That is the girl I saved in that buggy accident in November.” Unable to help himself, he smiled. Looked like some wishes did actually come true.
Dale pulled the brim of his black hat down over his eyes so he could stare at her without looking too rude. “You didn’t tell me she was so pretty.”
“I thought she had pleasing features, but I didn’t remember her being so pretty.”
“What? Were you blind?”
Turning away, Neil tossed Dale a disparaging look. “It was pitch-black. And snowing. Plus, she was on the ground and hurt. I wasn’t exactly checking her out. I was helping her, you know.”
“I would have helped her, too, of course.” He paused. “But then I would have noticed what she looked like.”
“Somehow, I think you would have.” Dale had always been a flirt.
“Don’t act like I’m being rude. You’re noticing now.” He smirked. “If you ain’t careful, she’s going to realize you’re staring at her as much as I am.”
“Shut up and be nice,” Neil hissed under his breath as he stepped forward. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Looking from him to Dale and then back again, the woman flushed. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation.”
“It weren’t important,” Dale quipped.
She smiled, then looked back at Neil. “This is kinda awkward. I mean, I don’t know if you remember me—”
He smiled. “I remember you.” When she still looked unsure, he added, “You made a pretty big impression on me, seeing as how I was worried that you were gonna die.” As Dale jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow, he realized that was pretty blunt. “Sorry. I mean, I don’t think I could forget about you if I tried.”
Her green eyes warmed, making them look almost liquid. “You did save my life. I’d venture to say it ain’t every day that a man gets to be such a hero.”
“I’m glad I happened to be there. I guess the Lord intended for me to be taking a walk that Friday night.”
But instead of looking relieved, something in his words made her look even more fretful. “I have wondered why you were there . . . we seemed to be the only two people in the area.”
He wasn’t sure, but he kind of thought he heard a layer of doubt in her tone. “Obviously, that wasn’t the case. Someone was shooting that rifle and it wasn’t me or you.”
“Oh! Yes. Of course. It’s a blessing you happened to be nearby. An answer to a prayer, for sure.” Before he could comment on that, she continued. “Anyway, I remembered you, too, though I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s—”
Looking increasingly troubled, she talked right over him, continuing in a rush. “I’m Susanna. I had thought maybe the deputy would have told me your name when he came by the hospital, but he didn’t. So I never got the chance to ask him who you were. If I would have known, I would have thanked you before now.”
“No thanks are necessary,” he said, meaning every word. “I’m just glad I was there to help you. But let’s fix our introductions now, okay? I’m Neil Vance. And this is my friend Dale Kaufmann.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Susanna,” Dale said. “Mighty nice.”
As usual, Dale was putting on his charm a bit too thickly. Feeling a little possessive over her, though that made no sense, Neil said, “Don’t mind Dale. He’s just overtly friendly. Like a, um, puppy or something.”
Dale raised his brows. “Really, Neil?”
“Weren’t you just telling me that you needed to leave?”
“I was not.” Turning to Susanna, Dale said, “Since you are new, we noticed you from across the yard. Where did you move here from?”
“Funny you should ask that.” She cleared her throat as she awkwardly gestured over to a table of women watching their interplay. “I came from Ohio. I mean, my family did. And, um, I was just telling those ladies that I remembered what my rescuer looked like, but I hadn’t caught your name. After I described you, they pointed you out. I canna hardly believe it.”
“Small world, right?”
“Jah.” Her smile eased slightly, but it was still tremulous. Neil wondered why. Was she naturally shy? Did she think he was going to get mad
at her or something because she sought him out? If so, he needed to fix that.
Stepping closer, he smiled as he folded his hands behind his back. “I’m glad you came over to say hello. I’ve thought about that night more than once. I wondered what happened to you. You okay now?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Neil, I just want to say . . . well, I just want you to know that I’m so very grateful to you. You saved my life that night.”
“I don’t know if I did that, but I’m glad I was there to help you.”
“Nee, I’m fairly certain you did. The doktah at the hospital told me that my Good Samaritan gave me a wonderful early Christmas gift. You gave me my life.”
“You’re embarrassing me now,” he teased.
She laughed. “I’ll stop, then. Embarrassing you wouldn’t be the way I’d ever want to repay you.”
When she laughed, Neil thought her face fairly glowed. Barely able to stop staring, he looked down at his boots as he sought to regain his composure.
He wasn’t sure why God had meant for the two of them to have crossed paths that way, but now he was thinking that surely the Lord had intended for them to know each other well. For what other reason could He have given them such an incredible meeting?
He had to see her again.
“Listen, where are you living? Maybe I could stop by one evening this week after work.”
“I would like that, but, um, well, after the girls told me your name, I realized something else. Something that you might not know about me.”
“And what is that?” He could only imagine what tales those girls had told her.
“Um, well, you see, my full name is Susanna Schwartz.”
“Schwartz.” He’d literally choked out the name.
While Susanna continued to stand there motionless, obviously waiting for him to absolve her of any guilt she might be feeling, Neil felt every muscle in his shoulders and neck tense.
Actually, he felt like he was cracking into a dozen pieces. Though of course she had nothing to do with his father’s poor financial investments, his secrets, or his increasingly outlandish ways of solving their problems.
But while he knew that, he also knew that this woman who was standing in front of him—looking so composed and, well, perfect—seemed to symbolize everything that had been taken away from him.
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