Driving out to the old homestead, where Reece had grown up, the years slipped away. Matt had never taken care of his grandmother the way he should, but Reece would, just as he always did. He stopped at the farmhouse and slipped an envelope containing cash into the mailbox. That should tide her over for another month. He should go see her, but she would disapprove of what he planned to do.
He drove on to Gina’s house. The truck idled in the road as his gaze wandered over the place. They kept it up nice. He couldn’t remember who used to live here, but it was always run-down. A shadow passing the front window arrested his attention. He shut off the truck and killed the lights. Darkness hid his vehicle. Moments later the light flipped on and he could see Matt and a little girl enter the room.
He should have realized Matt would stash her here. He wouldn’t want to run the risk of Hannah seeing her. Reece grinned. He’d like to be around when Hannah realized how Matt had been lying to her all this time.
He stared at the child. His daughter. An unexpected emotion welled up in him as he gazed at her. His. She looked so much like Hannah. Sweet and pure, completely moldable. Why had he thought to give over her training to someone else? Matt could never be the father Reece could. It was up to Reece to raise her to be the right kind of woman. One who obeyed her husband someday. His gaze touched the child’s unruly hair again. He’d made a mistake, but he could fix it yet.
MATT CARRIED CAITLIN piggyback down the hall toward the bedroom. The evening had gone by way too fast. It was great for Blake and Gina to keep her, but she belonged with him.
He eased his daughter off his back and dropped her in the bed. “I’ll listen to your prayers, then I’ve got to go, princess.” He knelt on the floor beside the bed.
She slipped onto the floor beside him and flung herself against him. “I want to come home, Daddy. It’s scary out here where it’s so dark outside.”
“I know. It won’t be for long.” He kissed her again. “I’ll bring you a surprise tomorrow.”
“I just want to come home.”
Matt found it disconcerting to look in his daughter’s eyes, so much like Hannah’s. The problem was never far from his thoughts. “Me too. Now let’s pray.” He was touched to hear her sweet, simple prayer for him and her aunt Gina. And even for Trudy. As she prayed, he added his own plea for forgiveness for the lie he was living. Was it ever okay to lie—even for a good reason? He was Caitlin’s daddy. His role was to protect her. But the blow to his conscience was crippling.
Still, he would endure anything for his little princess. He swelled with pride. She was turning out so well, even without a mother.
She had a mother.
He didn’t want to think about it. As Caitlin’s father, he was responsible for protecting her from people like Reece. She was too young to deal with all this. He kissed her and tucked the quilt around her. “’Night, princess. See you tomorrow.”
“’Night, Daddy.” Her voice was muffled, and her eyes closed.
He tiptoed out the door. The phone was ringing in the living room when he got there, and Gina answered it. “It’s for you,” she said. “The captain.”
“Hey, what’s up?” Matt said into the phone.
Sturgis’s voice blared in his ear. “I’ve been calling your cell for half an hour.”
Matt’s hand went to his belt. The phone wasn’t there. “I must have left it in the SUV. What’s wrong?”
“O’Connor picked the lock at your rental.”
The alarm that spread up his spine surprised him. “On my way.” He ran for the door.
“Gotta go,” he called to his sister. “Big problem.” She called after him, but he just waved and ran on to the vehicle.
He expected to find the women cowering in the house, but instead, Hannah was making tea. Ajax lay at her feet.
He stared at Hannah. She was dressed in some slinky number that showed off a set of amazing legs. She’d kept those hidden all these years? And she’d done something to her hair. It curled around her face and down her back in a tousle that made her look different, mysterious. Her hair and eyes brought to mind a roused lioness.
Her gaze held determination. “He’s not going to terrorize me,” she said. “Not anymore.”
“What happened?”
She pointed to the door. “He drugged Ajax, then picked the lock on the kitchen door.”
Matt knelt by his dog. “You okay, buddy?” Ajax whined and licked Matt’s hand, then dropped his head onto his paws again.
Matt clamped down on the anger that rose within him. “We’re looking for Reece. He can’t hide for long. Every deputy in the county is on the lookout.”
“You said you were sending a car by here,” she reminded him. “Where was it?”
“The car only comes by every hour.” He didn’t know what Reece might do, but the man was dangerous. “I’ll stay here tonight, talk to the captain.”
He went to the back door and examined the evidence. The lock had been jimmied, and scratches marred the brass. Ajax got up and followed, though he was a little wobbly. Stepping outside to the back deck, Matt scanned the dark yard. Reece would be long gone, but maybe he’d left a clue of some kind. He pulled a flashlight from his belt and let its beam sweep the ground. The recent rain had left the dirt soft. The grass was matted down under the kitchen window. The hair rose on the back of Matt’s neck. Reece had stood here and watched the women.
What did the man want? Something so simple as wanting his wife back? Matt feared Reece was after more, that he wanted Caitlin too. But maybe not.
He prowled around the yard for about half an hour, then headed to the back door.
The screen door creaked as Blake came through it. “We got a call. Moe’s mother, Nora, was run off the road in her buggy. She’s dead.”
Matt winced. This would hit Hannah hard. “It all seems directed at Hannah’s family.”
Blake shrugged. “Might just look that way.”
“This is very targeted.” Could it be that Reece had a vendetta against all of Hannah’s family? Maybe he wanted to strip her of all her support except for himself. Abusers isolated their victims, but this took it to a whole new level.
“We’ve got to pick Reece up and question him.”
“When did this happen?”
“About an hour ago.”
“But Reece was here, terrorizing Hannah.” Unease rustled in his gut. What was going on? “Did you tell Hannah about her aunt yet?”
“Yeah.”
The screen door opened again. Hannah’s strained face was wet, but she held on to her composure. “I need to be with my family. They’ll be hurting about this. I’d like to go out first thing in the morning.”
“You all need protection. If we put you together in one place, maybe I can protect you all.” He wanted to tell her he was sorry about her aunt, but the words clogged his throat. She’d already been through so much. When he finally got the condolences out, she turned and walked back inside. He knew she wasn’t about to let him see her grief.
SIXTEEN
“The Tumbling Blocks Quilt is built piece by piece. It’s a picture of how the Amish life is built around community.”
—HANNAH SCHWARTZ,
IN The Amish Faith Through Their Quilts
Hannah could count the days, the weeks, the months, the years since she’d seen Luca’s crooked smile. Ten years, six months, eleven days. An eternity. Yesterday.
Tuesday morning, she sat in the car beside Angie and listened to the tick of the engine cooling. Could he really tear out his love for her, their past, like he pulled up the weeds in the garden? It seemed as though he had. He’d been back for several days and hadn’t come to find her.
Maybe he was in the greenhouse. Oh, she was just making excuses. The fact was, he didn’t want to see her. If he did, he would have come to find her.
She should have talked to her aunt sooner. Now whatever Nora knew was lost for good. Hannah had thought she had time.
“Are we just going to sit here?” Angie asked. “Reconciliation doesn’t come unless you’re face-to-face.”