Safe Hearts (Amish Safe House, Book 3) Read Free

chats provided her clues she needed to orchestrate the solving
of a crime, while concealing her real identity at that. It wasn't
easy to solve murders and bust crime rings while playing the part
of an Amish woman with amnesia.
    Kate would never have gotten anywhere
on the cases without these ladies, even if there was no way to
thank them for it yet.
    “ Isn't it exciting?”
Lillian inspected her stitches with a studious smile. “I’m so happy
for Rose. She found herself a gut
mann in Samuel Esh.”
    “ I hope they have a long
and happy marriage,” Nancy replied agreeably. “After all the
strangeness recently, it’s wonderful to have something nice to look
forward to.”
    Even Maria smiled and nodded. When
Rose's love letter to Samuel was discovered, the ladies of the
community wasted no time giving the two every excuse to run into
one another. There had been dinners and errands, among other
events.
    “ We should get a start on
the wedding gifts, perhaps,” Nancy mused. “I wonder what they
need?”
    Lillian gave a sly grin. “Baby clothes
for a start.”
    “ Oh behave.” Nancy gave the
other woman a light slap of admonishment on the shoulder. “I was
thinking of china.”
    “ Yes, that’s a gut idea.”
    Kate's mind wandered as the ladies
chattered about the things they needed to tell Rose to help her
settle into her new role as a dutiful wife. Kate tried to imagine
herself as a bride in a quiet Amish community, surrounded by people
supporting and advising her. She shook her head. She was touched
and warmed by the scene, but it really wasn't for her.
    The sooner they found the mole, the
better. Kate had a special place in her heart for these ladies. She
admired how well they thrived in this way of life. She had even
come to realize how many things in her life she had taken for
granted. Yet the longer she had to lie to these ladies, the heavier
the façade became. The ladies deserved more than a fake Amish woman
blundering through their traditions, and ruining their perfectly
good thread.
    Kate’s mind drifted to Ryan. She
replayed the scene by the lake in her mind. Ryan had said he wanted
to have dinner with her as soon as she left the Amish. It was so
easy to imagine herself in slacks and a blouse, chatting with Ryan
about various things, such as a new movie, a case, even something
from the local grape vine. It was easy for her to imagine starting
a future with him.
    However, Kate had to face facts. There
was a chance the mole might not be found for years. On top of that,
the invitation had been to Kate, the awkward Amish woman, not Kate
the U.S. Marshal, not Kate, the tech-savvy, crime-solving,
independent woman. Yes, there was something there; she could not
deny that. Yet nothing changed the fact that Ryan was attracted to
an illusion. No matter how sincerely she acted, it was all still
firmly under a mask. And what if Ryan preferred the mask to the
real Kate?
    No. She had to resist dwelling on her
fantasies of the ever-dashing town cop. She had to stay put, until
her boss gave her the okay.
    “ Kate? Kate?” Lillian waved
a hand in front of Kate's face, and gave her a teasing smile. “You
look like you’re a million miles away.”
    Just hundreds of
miles , Kate thought wistfully. She missed
her life. What’s more, she was sure that the many small mistakes
would eventually start to add up. There would be questions she
could not afford to answer.
    “ Is all this talk about
marriage getting to you, dear?” Lillian chimed in. Her eyes lighted
up in sudden inspiration. “Maybe you have someone in mind you
wanted to get to know better?”
    A red-faced Kate was rescued by the
sound of a greeting at the door. Everyone's attention focused
immediately on Beckie as she made her way inside, balancing a
basket with jam and biscuits peeking over the top.
    “ Sorry I’m late,” Beckie
said, in a brittle voice with a weak smile. Her eyes were red and
puffy from crying. She looked tired, as if she had not slept