Amish Country Undercover Page 5

  Grace ran her gaze up his large frame, then locked it on the reflection of herself in his lenses. She hated that she saw fear staring back at her. But she also hated to lie to the sheriff, even if Hank had proved to her that word wouldn’t get back to the bishop. Lying would be wrong.

  “I’ve told you before, it’s nothing that I can’t handle,” she said. “I really don’t need you to concern yourself with this.” She swallowed hard before saying, “Or with me. I appreciate all you have done for me these past few months since Mamm’s death. Your understanding of our ways of living life out of the spotlight and the news has been appreciated, but I can handle this problem.” The sheriff had been able to keep a buggy accident out of the news, but there was no way he would be able to keep a thoroughbred theft and shootout from making headlines.

  Hank stood still for a moment. Then he removed his glasses with one hand. His light blue eyes held a look of affection. She’d seen it more and more these days, but always acted like she didn’t. “With your mamm’s passing and your daed’s illness, I know your days are hard. I can’t pretend to not care. You’re like a daughter to me. Please consider me a friend. Things are only going to get harder with your father. It will be good to know you have people to reach out to for help.”

  Grace sighed and smiled up at the man, who was at least thirty years her senior. She was being silly by ignoring his act of friendship, even if he was English.

  “I’m sorry, Sheriff—”

  “Hank,” he corrected, like he always did.

  Grace frowned. She didn’t feel right using his name in a personal way. “You know the Amish don’t affiliate with the law. We are supposed to handle problems on our own, in our own way. Accepting your help is hard for me.”

  “And just how are you handling these thefts?” he asked.

  Before she answered, she heard a throat being cleared behind her, followed by a man’s heavy footsteps. Too heavy to be her daed.

  “I’m here to help the Millers,” a deep voice said. “I came right away when I heard there was a troublemaker.”

  Grace glanced out of the corner of her eye to see a tall Amish man. For a moment, she didn’t know who stood beside her. But in a flash, the realization of his identity had her turning to openly gawk.

  A transformed Jack Kaufman tapped his chin to tell her to close her mouth.

  He told the sheriff his name, but Grace didn’t hear much after that as she studied every minute detail of his attire. The changes went beyond the clothing she’d left out for him. His hair reached the correct length beneath his black brimmed hat. It had to be fake. How else could it have grown so fast?

  But that wasn’t all that was fake.

  The way Jack stood was not his normal authoritative body language. Instead, the lanky man towering over her projected a humble demeanor. His shoulders drooped and his chin stayed low as he addressed Sheriff Maddox.

  Hank smirked in a condescending way. “If you don’t mind me asking, what makes you think you can hold off a man with a gun?”

  Jack was slow to respond as he lifted a hand to rub his clean-shaven face, now so smooth. Grace didn’t know what made her reenter the conversation. Maybe it was Jack’s transformation into a credible Amish man, or maybe it was Hank’s sudden conceit, but she straightened to her full five-feet height, looped an arm through Jack’s and stepped close to him.

  “Jack is a family friend from a community in upstate New York. They do a lot of hunting and are good with a gun. He makes his targets practically with his eyes closed. That gunman last night won’t be back, that I am certain sure of. Right, Jack?” She pulled on his arm, and her chipper voice hung between them.

  The dark brown eyes Jack leveled on her told her to stop while she was ahead. “If he does, we’ll be sure to let you know, Sheriff.” Jack turned to Hank and held out a hand to shake. “Thank you for checking in on Grace and Benjamin. I really appreciate it.”

  At first Hank didn’t take the proffered hand, but then he reached out and slowly nodded. “I’m glad to hear you have some sense.” Hank glanced Grace’s way, then he asked, “How long do you plan to stay, Jack? Just so I know when Grace might need some help.”

  Grace felt Jack tense beside her. He said, “I’m able to stay as long as I need to.”

  Hank stepped back. He put his sunglasses back on and patted his Stetson. “Just don’t go taking the law into your hands, or these matters won’t be your own anymore. I will have to get involved.” He looked Grace’s way, and with a warning nod, headed down the steps and back to his cruiser. His tires spit gravel behind them as he headed down the driveway and out onto the road.

  It wasn’t until his car disappeared from sight that Grace and Jack uttered a single word, simultaneously.

  “Ach.”

  * * *

  “Amos, you came.” Benjamin raced into the living room and reached out to Jack. He let the old man hold him tight as he looked over his shoulder at Grace’s startled expression. Then he mouthed, “Who is Amos?”

  “Daed’s little brother.” She lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “He must think you’re him.” Grace put her hands on Benjamin’s shoulders. “Daed, this isn’t—”

  Jack shook his head to stop her. He patted Benjamin’s back. “It’s all right, brudder. Ich bin doh.” Jack asked about Benjamin’s state of well-being.

  “We had an intruder last night!” the elderly man confided, mentioning his frantic fears the night before.

  Grace frowned and tears filled her eyes, which were greener than Jack had realized. In the shadowy darkness the night before he’d thought they looked blue. But now the liquid bluish-green hue reminded him of a wooded pool in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado where he used to swim. But those memories had turned nightmarish the day his hands were put in handcuffs, just as Grace’s eyes did for her father’s frightened mind.

  “All is well,” Jack said to both of them. “I promise to catch him.”

  Benjamin shook his head and spoke at a rapid rate. “Ar mawg ’n deeb si, oddar ’n marder.” He lifted his head and with piercing eyes, searched Jack’s face. Would Benjamin realize that Jack was not Amos? Jack braced for the accusation, but then Benjamin repeated the dreaded words for thief and murderer. “Deeb and Marder.” Fearful tears sprung to his old eyes.

  The idea of a thieving murderer on the loose was no joking matter. The man had a valid reason for being afraid. Especially when he couldn’t protect his daughter. Jack leaned close, peering into the old man’s eyes.

  “I will protect you.”

  “Fershprech?” Benjamin implored Jack for reassurance.

  “I promise.” Jack looked past Benjamin and studied Grace’s worried look as she bit her lower lip. Just a few hours ago, he had come here to arrest her. He still might have to, but for now he could relieve their fears of danger. As long as he was there, they would be safe. “I promise,” he said to her, drawing her attention away from her father.

  Her body visibly relaxed before him. She sighed and her shoulders fell, as did her eyelids. She reached for Benjamin’s hand. “Komm. It’s time for breakfast.”

  Jack watched the two of them slowly make their way toward the kitchen. He might be making a big mistake protecting her, but until he had more information from the racetrack, he would hold off detaining her. To bring her in and find out later he’d been wrong wouldn’t look good for him. But if he was right, and she was involved...

  Jack shook his head. He would do the right thing and bring her in if that turned out to be the case. Regardless of her pretty eyes, he would do his job.

  The smell of eggs and bacon quickly filled the house, and Jack’s stomach growled. He was so hungry he could eat a gaul. A horse.

  A silent laugh escaped his lips at the irony. All this danger had befallen Grace because of stolen horseflesh. People would go to great lengths for a good horse. Even become
thieves and murderers.

  But why? There had to be a good reason to go that far.

  Jack closed the front door and walked to the kitchen. He took in the interaction between the daughter and her ailing father. If Grace was involved, he knew why. She would have convinced herself Benjamin was worth the risk. That he would need more resources for his care than she alone could provide.

  But that didn’t explain the people in charge of the operation. They would have very different reasons. Ones much more sinister.

  A sound from outside caught his attention while he helped set the table for the food Grace was preparing. Jack stepped to the window and noticed a horse and buggy coming up the driveway.

  “Visitors,” he said.

  Grace hobbled over to the window with a plate in her hand and moved the curtain aside. Instantly, the plate slipped from her fingers and shattered into pieces across the floor.

  She shrieked at the sound, but looked frantically from the window to Jack. Whoever was out there had her green eyes darkening to blue again and had rendered her unable to speak.

  “I take it this isn’t a friendly visit,” he said.

  Grace shook her head. “Two days in a row I will have to fight for my life.”

  He patted his side. “Shall I get my gun out?”

  She huffed. “I don’t typically like guns, but for this visit, keep it close.”

  SIX

  The slow thunk of heavy footsteps on the stairs outside the kitchen paralyzed Grace, gluing her to her spot by the window. Any decision to be made seemed out of her reach and impossible. Should she hide Agent Kaufman? Should she hide her father? Should she hide herself?

  None of those things were going to happen. Grace resigned herself to the inevitable. Deep down, she’d always known things couldn’t go on much longer.

  But she had hoped...

  The knock came on the door.

  “Are you going to answer it?” Agent Kaufman asked. “Or do you want me to?”

  “I should be the one,” she said nervously. “Have a seat with Daed and serve your breakfast. I’ll invite them in.”

  Once Jack did as she asked, Grace braced herself with a deep breath and smoothed her apron. She opened the door wide.

  “Bishop Bontrager, what a nice—” The rest of Grace’s greeting lodged in her throat when she noticed Thomas Bontrager hadn’t come alone. She cleared her throat. “—surprise. I see you brought Leroy Mast with you. I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you.” Grace stepped back and waved them in. “Please, komm. We are just having breakfast. I hope you can join us.”

  The bishop stepped over the threshold without a word. His tall frame filled the doorway, and he removed his hat, the extra wide brim of which denoted his high stature within the community. Patting down his stark white hair, he waited for Leroy to follow him before turning toward the kitchen table.

  Grace held her breath, waiting for him to ask who the Amish man at the table was. But her father stood up and spoke first. Jack reached to stop him, but even touching his arm didn’t keep Daed’s mouth closed.

  “I have a visitor. Amos has come to help me with the business. Isn’t that wunderbar?”

  Thomas glanced Leroy’s way with a shocked expression on his bearded face. “Ya, that is wonderful.” He looked to Jack. “But do you know the horse-trading business well enough?”

  “Ya, I do. I am confident that I will be able to keep up with the demands of the community. And Grace here is a wealth of knowledge.”

  Grace bit back a smile to keep from showing her gratitude for his compliment.

  “I see.” Thomas lifted his chin as though to size Jack up. “Amos, where are you from?”

  “Colorado.”

  Grace cleared her throat and lifted her eyebrows at him.

  “Um...by way of New York. I moved from my Colorado community about eight years ago. We had many horses that came down from the mountains. When I was a bit younger, I trained as well as traded.”

  “I see,” Thomas said again, and frowned. He glanced Leroy’s way. “Leroy here has been prepared to...help the Millers. Isn’t that correct, Grace?” Thomas looked for her to agree with what he wasn’t saying.

  That Leroy hoped to be her husband.

  She placed two more plates on the table before finding the words to respond. “That is quite kind of Leroy, but we should have plenty of assistance from Amos and shouldn’t need any extra help. But denki.”

  “No need to ever thank an Amish for aid,” Thomas grumbled. “You should know that. It is what we do and what is expected.” He stepped back to the door and held the handle. “I do wish I would have known you already had assistance coming. New York is a far distance to travel from. Especially when we already had someone ready to help here. Come along, Leroy.”

  Leroy’s brown eyes widened and darkened in an instant from beneath his black hat, where his blond hair frizzed out over his ears. With his feet planted firmly, he said, loud and clear, “No.” The reply didn’t sound like a petulant child having a tantrum, but more like a threat.

  “Is there a problem, Leroy?” Jack asked, his own eyes narrowing.

  “You tell me,” Leroy demanded. “Why haven’t I ever heard of you before? Grace and I have courted. We held off after her mamm’s accident, but we hoped to be married eventually.” He let that statement stand on its own.

  Jack glanced Grace’s way for a split second but didn’t wait for her to respond. What could she say? Leroy was right, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  “She didn’t want to impose,” Jack answered, without missing a beat. He smiled and shook his head. “Imagine that. She worried that asking for help would cause strife. I told her she should have contacted me sooner. But it’s just until Benjamin is able to return to the work he does so well. I’m sure it won’t be long.”

  Thomas still frowned, but he nodded. “That would be good news, to have our Benjamin back to his old self.”

  Grace closed her eyes on a quiet prayer for it to be God’s will. And not only for her sake. She knew the bishop would demand to know Benjamin’s diagnosis soon. Oh, how she would love to say it wasn’t dementia, after all.

  The room grew heavy, with each of them having their silent doubts, but it was Leroy who broke the silence with an angry tone. “Something is going on around here, and I will find out what it is.”

  Grace came around the table to stand in front of him. She did her best not to hobble and give away the fact that her feet were burned. “I don’t know what you’re referencing. Can you explain?” she asked.

  “I know about the trouble you’ve been having,” Leroy said in a low tone, but didn’t elaborate.

  Suddenly, Jack was beside her. “What trouble? Is Grace not safe?”

  Leroy shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.” He leveled his gaze on her. “It will all depend on her choices, I suppose. In the end, it’s all about our choices, isn’t that right, Bishop?” Leroy asked over his shoulder to the man still holding the door.

  “Yes, our choices have consequences. Sometimes we pay dearly.”

  A lump grew in Grace’s throat. The threat was there for all to hear. She’d held Leroy off long enough. He was past antsy and would wait no more.

  Grace had only one choice to make, no matter the consequence.

  “I won’t be marrying you, Leroy. You need to accept my decision as final.”

  Leroy stood quietly for a moment as his dark gaze flitted between Grace and Jack. “I see how it is.”

  “No, you don’t,” Jack said.

  “Just where will you be sleeping? I will not have Grace’s name tarnished.”

  “I am staying in the barn.”

  “With the horses?” Leroy asked quickly, then pressed his lips tight.

  Grace felt Jack tense beside her. He’d noticed Leroy’s quick response. A little too quick.


  “I’ll be fine, but yes, with the horses. Is that all right with you both?” Jack asked Leroy and the bishop.

  Thomas nodded. “Of course. Hopefully, it won’t be for long. Komm, Leroy. Now.”

  With the command from the elder, Leroy had no choice but to turn and leave. He gave one last warning glance at Grace before closing the door behind him. Nobody moved a muscle or said a word until the buggy creaked down the driveway and out of hearing distance.

  “Has Leroy always been so tightly wound?” Jack asked.

  Benjamin huffed from his chair. “My frau never cared for him. Go ask Amelia. She’ll tell you Grace is too free for someone like him. He would strangle her with his severity.”

  Jack raised his eyebrows at Grace. “I think your daed speaks the truth.”

  “Except my mamm is dead, so no, he doesn’t. You won’t be asking her anything,” Grace whispered, and went back to the table for her breakfast. Louder, she said, “Neither of you have to worry about me. I can handle Leroy, and I just did. There will be no more talk of marrying him.”

  Jack sat down. “You say that, but are you prepared for the consequence you may have just unleashed? You may think you can handle him, but that man knows something about the horses, and that could be dangerous.”

  Grace paused in spooning scrambled eggs onto her plate. “How do you mean, dangerous? Leroy’s never hurt me.”

  “Because you’ve never given him reason to.” Jack nodded to the door. “Until now.”

  * * *

  Jack hitched up the two horses to the buggy and tied the thoroughbred to the rear. It felt wrong transporting the horse this way. He had a perfectly secure trailer attached to his truck, which was parked out of sight in the woods. But if he was going to pull off his latest undercover work, people couldn’t suspect that he wasn’t a real Amish man.

  So the buggy would have to do.

  He rubbed a hand down the neck of the sleek stallion. The horse widened his eyes and yanked on his tether. “It won’t be a long walk,” Jack assured him. “Before you know, you’ll be back at home in your stall at the track.” Jack gave him one last pat and walked around to climb up into the buggy.