The Search The Secrets of Crittenden Cou

Chapter 23




“There’s no strength where there’s no struggle. My Mamm taught me that.”

SHERIFF MOSE KRAMER




More frightened than he’d ever been, even more scared than the first time he’d made an arrest by himself in the middle of a drug bust in a dark alley in Cincinnati, Luke prayed that Frannie was all right.

Seeing her through the window, he pounded on the door. “Frannie! Let me in!”

But she seemed frozen to her spot. Staring at him like he was a stranger, and a scary one at that.

“Frannie, it’s me. Luke. Come on. I need to talk to you.”

Two blinks and a mental shake later, she had refocused. With precise movements, she unlocked the door and opened it for him. “Chris is meeting with someone. He had out his gun. Did you see him?”

“Yeah. His buddies from the DEA are here. I was pulling up when they arrived. When I realized he was going to need some time to brief them, I told Chris I’d come back here to see you.”

“You scared me something terrible.”

“I know. I’m glad you opened the door.” He smiled softly at her, hoping against hope that she’d be still so shaken up by his visit that she’d practically leap into his arms so he could comfort her again.

She didn’t look like she was in a hurry do any such thing. No, right before his eyes, she began to distance herself from him.

“Why did you come over, Luke? Did you have more questions for me?”

“I suppose I deserve that. I came over to make sure you were okay.” Of course, the minute he said that, he felt like the biggest fool in the world. She had a team of armed DEA agents in her front parlor, and last time he’d seen her, he’d practically called her a liar and a suspect in his case. He’d also told her that they didn’t have a future.

After he’d kissed her.

And—oh yeah—she was still recovering from her surgery.

“I am fine. You may go now.”

Though he tried to tamp his expression, he felt his eyes widening. No doubt showing Frannie how surprised he was. “I don’t want to leave you yet. How about I stay here with you until the agents get organized? You don’t want to do all of this alone.”

“That is not necessary.” Her voice was a little snippy. Curt. “Chris said he would protect me. One of his coworkers is going to come here so I wouldn’t be alone.”

Chris would? A bolt of jealousy that was completely ridiculous came out of nowhere. “I’m staying.”

“No, Detective, you will not. It is not necessary.” And with that, she turned her back on him and traipsed out to the front room.

Luke stayed in the back as he heard Chris greet her, then introduce the other men on his team to her. As Chris began to explain what would happen next, Luke edged into the back of the room, nodding at the other men when they took note of his appearance.

Then Frannie looked his way once more. And right in front of everyone, she said, “Detective, if you have no other questions for me, I’d appreciate it if you would be on your way. It’s been a long day.”

Conversation stopped. The three other men looked his way, all of them wearing expressions of varying degrees of amusement.

Yes, Frannie Eicher had effectively managed to put him in his place. With witnesses. There was nothing to do but leave, as she asked. “All right, Miss Eicher,” he replied, speaking just as formally as she had. “Thank you for your time.” They both knew he was saying goodbye.

Frannie nodded.

That was it.

One of the men a few feet away coughed—a not-too-subtle attempt to remind Luke to move on.

Looking neither right nor left, he walked to the door and let himself out. And noticed that the conversation resumed once he was out of the way.

Just as if Frannie had hardly noticed he was gone.

Only by thinking about bugs and snakes did Frannie keep her posture straight and her bearings tight.

Thirty minutes later, she met Jack, the man chosen to stay with her at the inn. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe, ma’am,” he said.

“Danke,” she said, before turning to Chris, who was standing at the door. “You’re leaving now?”

“Yep. Thanks for everything, Frannie,” he said. “I am sorry about all the scares. I promise, if I could have prevented them, I would have.”

“I understand. You take care, Chris. May the Lord watch you and take care of you.”

Chris looked genuinely touched. “Thank you for that.”

“I will pray for you, Chris.”

The expression on his face—a mixture of gratitude and surprise—would have made her weep if she hadn’t been able to relate to it so well. “Even if—” He stopped talking.

She knew why. Sometimes it was too hard to come to terms that an almost-stranger could care so much. She did the speaking for both of them. “Chris, I will pray for you even if I never see you again. You matter to me.”

“Thank you.” Carefully, he reached out and squeezed her hand for a second before dropping it. As if he was embarrassed—but why a man who was so tough would ever be embarrassed by such emotions was hard to fathom. “I won’t forget you,” he said. “Or Beth. Please tell her that—even though I doubt she’ll care. Would you?”

She smiled slightly. “I will.” Privately, Frannie knew that Beth would care very much that Chris planned to keep her in his thoughts. But it was likely that she would never confide in Frannie about that.

After he left, Jack stepped forward. “Ma’am, just tell me where you want me and I’ll get out of your hair.”

Frannie blinked. For a moment, she’d forgotten that the other man had been in the room, watching and observing and listening. But as she noticed the same pent-up emotion that had surrounded Chris, she rubbed her palms—still tender from the cuts—along her sides. Then got to business. “Nonsense. I just took some fresh cinnamon rolls out of the oven. Why don’t you have a few?”

“Oh, I couldn’t. I mean, I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality.” But his eyes had lit up with anticipation.

“Sure you could, jah?” she said briskly, thickening her Amish accent a tiny bit. “I mean, you need to eat, so you might as well eat in my kitchen as long as you’re here with me, right?”

“Right.”

She turned on her heel and was gratified he followed her into the sunny kitchen. Later, after Jack had eaten not one but four cinnamon rolls and then had taken himself up to Room 3C, Frannie sat down in her favorite chair with a sigh. Oh, but she was so tired.

So, this was how it was, she realized. She was destined to be an innkeeper. A woman who excelled at taking care of others, but had little luck taking care of herself.

She seemed to pick the absolute worst sort of man to fall in love with. First there had been Perry, who she’d hoped would change, if she’d only loved him enough.

But then it had become obvious that he hadn’t loved her at all.

Now, of course, she’d practically thrown herself at Luke, an English detective, no less! She’d fooled herself into thinking that he had found something pleasing about her that had nothing to do with Perry or detective work. She’d imagined that when he’d looked at her cut-up face, he’d ignore the ugliness and remember how she looked when she was at her best.

But he’d let her know that his only reason for seeing her had nothing to do with friendship or love, but everything to do with his job.

He hadn’t left her bed-and-breakfast because he’d thought staying there would be complicated for a couple that was inclined to flirt a bit. No, he’d moved because he had considered her a suspect in a murder.

Frannie only hoped and prayed no one else would ever find out how silly and juvenile she’d acted around the man. If they had, she’d be the cause of gossip and rumors for years to come . . . and she would have no recourse but to realize that she deserved every sly look and whispered comment.

She was deep in thought when she spied a shadow at the door. For a split second, her heart leapt to her throat. Then she recognized the slightly slumped posture.

And the black hat that was always slightly skewed.

Her father had come to visit.