Her Secret Read online

  Frank and Carolyn Burns were in their early sixties and stocked just about everything anybody would ever need in their small, packed store. It was always crowded, too. Far more crowded than the bigger, newer supercenter located on the other side of Munfordville.

  Jenny was sure people frequented it because Frank and Carolyn treated everyone who walked through the doors like old friends instead of paying customers. She’d certainly felt that way from the first time she’d visited.

  The moment she walked in and the leather strap of sleigh bells hanging from the door handle jingled, Mr. Frank looked up from the cigarettes he was stocking behind the counter and smiled her way. “It’s Miss Jenny Hilty!” he said. “I’m glad to see you.”

  Walking up to the counter, she smiled right back. “It’s gut to see you, too, Mr. Frank.”

  “What brings you in today?”

  “Milk.”

  “Want me to go grab you a gallon of two percent?”

  “Nah. I’m going to look around for a few minutes, first.”

  He winked. “Gotcha. Take your time.” Lowering his voice, he said, “You might want to take a gander over in aisle four.”

  Curious as to what he was referring to, Jenny walked there and then felt herself start blushing furiously. There was Cole Woods, standing smack in the middle of the aisle. Cole not only worked part-time for the grocer, he was one of her new friends. He looked over at her in surprise when she appeared.

  “Hey, Jenny,” he said. “You need something?”

  She wasn’t sure if he was teasing her or not. Wishing she could think of something remotely interesting to say, she shook her head. “Nah. Nothing here.”

  A little of the light that had been shining in his eyes dimmed. “Oh.”

  Great. Now he probably thought she was being mean on purpose. “I meant that I only came here for milk.”

  “Huh.” He pushed his thick glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Milk is in the dairy section.”

  “I know.”

  Jenny was glad about that. Though she didn’t know Cole real well, she liked him. They were about the same age. She guessed he was maybe one year older than her, probably fifteen, since he was already done with school. He’d been really nice to her the first time she’d joined some of the other kids in the area for a Sunday-night singing. She’d been so nervous! She’d desperately wanted to fit in.

  But though she always felt a little fluttery when she was around him, Jenny wasn’t sure that they would ever be more than just friends.

  Another guy had also been really nice to her lately, and he was older and more mature.

  Trying to fill in the silence, she mumbled, “I was just wandering around.”

  “If you have some extra time, do you want to go with me to the Millers’ haus for a while? They have a litter of kittens. They’re all different colors and really cute.”

  “Danke, but I better not. I should be getting home.”

  “Because your family is waiting on that milk.”

  “Yeah,” she said quickly. “Well, I mean, it’s something like that. See ya.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. Well, bye, Jenny.”

  Abruptly, she turned, claimed the gallon of two-percent milk from the dairy section, then carried it to the counter.

  Mr. Frank raised his brows. “Checking out already? You didn’t look around too long, little lady.”

  “I know.”

  “Didn’t you go down aisle four?”

  “I did, but I don’t have as much time to shop or talk as I thought.”

  After he took her money, he slipped the plastic jug in a paper sack and placed her change on the counter. “Thanks for stopping in, Miss Jenny. See you soon.”

  “Sure thing. Bye.”

  She scurried out of there before she felt any guiltier about not staying longer to talk to Cole.

  Just as she turned the corner, she saw the other person who had been occupying her thoughts. Shane McGovern. He was in the hardware store parking lot, putting something in the back of his white pickup truck. She slowed her steps, glad that he was occupied so he couldn’t see her staring.

  He was everything she shouldn’t be interested in. He was older. Probably twenty-two, maybe even twenty-three. He was English, and he was also a bit slick. He talked fast and his gaze constantly looked around, like he was searching for something he couldn’t quite locate.

  He was also handsome. And when he stared at her, he made her feel like she was important and special. He listened to her, too. He was always asking her questions about her life and her family, as if he really cared.

  Realizing that she’d been staring at him for a good couple of minutes, she ducked her head, intending to walk on by, but suddenly he looked up and waved a hand. “Hey, Jenny. Wait a sec, would you?”

  A lady who had been standing next to him eyed Jenny curiously, then stopped and watched as Shane slammed the tailgate on his truck and trotted over to her.

  As he crossed the street, Jenny tried to appear calm and collected, though she feared she probably failed at that terribly. It seemed she had no modesty where he was concerned.

  “Hi, Shane,” she said as she watched him approach. Today, he was wearing faded jeans, a knit T-shirt that fit him so tight she figured it could have been painted on, and thick-soled boots. He was tan, had earrings in his ears, and had blond hair that curled at the ends.

  He was muscular and strong and supremely confident. He was her guilty crush. He was also everything her parents didn’t want her to associate with and her uptight older sister would warn her against.

  But maybe that was why she liked being around him so much?

  “What are you up to today?” he asked as he came to a stop right next to her.

  “I had to get some milk.”

  “Ah. Are you in a hurry to get home?”

  “Not so much.” Surely her milk would be fine for a while? “What about you?”

  “That’s the good thing about working for myself. I can decide when and where I want to work. How about I put that milk in my truck and we go for a walk?”

  “Sure,” she said nervously. This was the first time he was actually rearranging his schedule for her. That had to mean he thought she was really special, didn’t it? “I can’t walk for too long, though,” she said quickly.

  “How about just an hour, then?”

  She nodded.

  “Good girl.” Holding out a hand, he said, “Give me your milk and I’ll put it in my truck. Then we can go.” He smiled again. “And while we walk, you can tell me all about what you’ve been up to. And what your family has been doing, too.”

  “All right,” she promised. As she watched him cross the street again, it occurred to her that he always asked her questions, yet she still wasn’t exactly sure what he did.

  Maybe today, she’d ask some questions, too.

  “Want to go for a walk in the woods?” he asked, pointing to an old trailhead that Cole had told her no one liked to use.

  “Sure, but I heard it’s overgrown with weeds.”

  “Weeds are a small price to pay for having you all to myself, Jenny.”

  Her heart felt as if it was melting. Obviously, Shane really liked her!

  Pushing her misgivings aside, she followed him to the woods. She deserved to have some fun in her life. It wasn’t her fault that her older sister had such bad taste in men and that her parents had just thrown the worst news possible at her.

  If Jenny tried hard enough, she could pretend that none of that was happening and she was only just a girl, and that Shane thought she was unique and special.

  And if he thought that, then she could pretend that nothing else mattered. Nothing but that moment with him.

  CHAPTER 7

  Monday evening, July 11

  Taking a deep breath, Isaac knocked on the front door of the Hiltys’ home and prepared himself to spend the next thirty minutes feeling worse than dirt.

  After Mrs. Hilty answered the door and looked at
him curiously instead of asking him in, he knew his expectations were right. “Isaac, may I help you with something?”

  He folded his hands behind his back. “I was wondering if I might be able to talk to Hannah for a few moments.”

  “Hannah?”

  She looked so surprised, he now felt even more ill at ease. Either Hannah never got visitors or she had mentioned his insensitive remarks.

  “Jah.” Hating how his voice squeaked, he cleared his throat. “I mean, yes, I came to pay her a call. Is she here?”

  “She is.” She smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t expect for her to be receiving any callers. Come in and sit down in the living room.”

  Now this was worse than bad. Mrs. Hilty was getting the completely wrong impression of why he’d shown up. He didn’t dare correct her, though. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass Hannah.

  Entering the small room that only held a small couch, two chairs, and two side tables, Mrs. Hilty said, “I’ll go tell Hannah you are here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Thank you.”

  When he was alone, he took a better look around the room. The furniture seemed new and it was well made. Not cheap by any standard. That surprised him. Their house was nice enough, but on the small side. He’d gotten the impression from Ben that they didn’t have a lot of extra money. Not for furniture like he was sitting on. Though it didn’t matter to him if they had money or not, he realized that he’d made yet another quick assumption about Hannah and her family.

  When he looked toward the hall to see if Mrs. Hilty was on her way back, he was startled to spy Hannah walking toward him.

  Today, she had on a light-green dress with long sleeves. Everything about her looked serene and calm. Except for her eyes. They looked as turbulent and troubled as he’d ever seen them.

  “Hi, Isaac,” she said hesitantly. “My mother said you wanted to speak to me?”

  “Jah.” Realizing that she was standing while he was still sitting, he got to his feet. “Want to sit down?” he asked, knowing he sounded as awkward as he felt. When she didn’t move, he rushed on. “This won’t take long.”

  “All right.” At last she sat, but she didn’t even bother to hide her feelings. It looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

  He didn’t blame her; he knew the feeling.

  “Well?” she prodded.

  “I wanted to apologize to you for how I acted the other day.” Looking at her earnestly, he continued. “I sounded like a jerk and I should have been more welcoming. Definitely more understanding.”

  “Understanding?”

  “Jah. On account of all you’ve been through.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What, exactly, have I been through?”

  That lump appeared back in his throat. Somehow, he’d just made a mess of things. “Well, you know,” he said weakly. How, exactly, was he supposed to mention something that she probably hadn’t wanted to talk about in the first place?

  “Nee. I’m afraid I do not.”

  How was he to handle this now? Feeling like he was in the middle of a train wreck, but seeing no other way to go, he kept talking. “I talked to your brother the other day. When he was over at our house. With Samuel. I mean Sam.”

  “Yes?”

  “And he told us about why your family moved here. The real reason.” When she stared at him, her expression carefully blank, he took a deep breath. This was awful! “You know.”

  She exhaled. “You mean because an Englisher was stalking me? Taking pictures of me?” Her voice turned sharper. “How it’s my fault we had to move because he was lurking outside our house and taking photographs of me through my bedroom window?”

  He’d felt sorry for her, but now he was shocked. “I didn’t know all that.”

  She sat up straighter. “What? Ben didn’t tell you everything about my personal life?”

  “Well, um . . .”

  “Did he tell you what you needed to know? Or maybe there are other details you are curious about?”

  “Nee—” He was mentally squirming now. If only there was a way to start this conversation again!

  Hands clasped in her lap, she spoke quietly. “Danke for coming over. I appreciate your apology. You may go now.”

  Maybe the right thing to do would be to leave. But he couldn’t.

  Hannah Hilty wasn’t a stranger. She wasn’t someone he might never see again. She was his neighbor, and he wanted to one day be her friend. She’d also been through too much to only know the worst of him.

  He felt bad. He also felt a little irritated. After all, people misspoke all the time. Couldn’t she try to be even a little bit more understanding? “Look, I know I made a mistake. But I came over here to do the right thing. I came over to apologize.”

  “And you wanted to do that because of my past.”

  “No, because it was the right thing to do,” he countered. Getting to his feet, he said, “I know I could have handled things better.”

  When he saw that her expression hadn’t changed, he started pacing. “Maybe I should have never mentioned what your brother said. Maybe I should have pretended that I didn’t know about your past. Maybe that would have been better. That said, I, well, I think you are making a real mistake by refusing to listen to me.” When he saw her mutinous expression flicker, he added, “I’m not perfect, but I’m sure not as bad as you are making me out to be.”

  Just as he started to turn to cross the room again, Hannah got to her feet.

  “Isaac, stop, please.”

  He did as she asked but didn’t turn around. It was probably wrong, but he didn’t want to see even more hurt and accusation shining in her eyes.

  “You’re right,” she said. “You came over here to make amends and I’ve been nothing but judgmental and rude. I’m sorry that I’ve been so mean.”

  When he turned to face her, he saw true remorse etched in her features. “It’s okay.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she stated, looking like she was as confused as he felt. “I seem to be a different person than I was before. I used to be happier, carefree. Braver, maybe.”

  “What happened changed you.”

  “Jah. It did. I had thought a new place, new people, a new life would make the memories easier to handle, but the opposite is true. Now I can’t help but dwell on the memories. I don’t have anything to take the place of them.”

  He noticed again how pretty she was. Dark hair, unusual light-hazel eyes. A straight, finely crafted nose. High cheekbones. She had an almost exotic look to her, so different than most of the Amish girls’ looks that he was familiar with. He realized why he was reacting so strongly to her. He thought she was beautiful.

  And now that he knew a small part of her history, he felt protective over her, too. He wanted to help her. He wanted to be someone she could trust, to depend on.

  It didn’t make sense, but he’d learned years ago that few things did. Their lives were in the Lord’s hands, after all.

  “I didn’t just come over here to apologize. I also wanted to tell you about a charity event that a group of people our age is putting together. It’s a sandwich sale.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Really? Those sales are fun.”

  He smiled back, glad they had done those types of fundraising back in Berlin, too. “They’re real popular in Hart County. People bring ham and turkey, cheese, pickles, and other sandwich fixings, and get together to make dozens of sandwiches.” One time, he remembered, his mother made over a hundred to help a family whose barn had been lost in a tornado.

  “What are people making sandwiches for?” Hannah asked.

  “Darryl and Mercy Gingerich. Their new baby was born with a heart defect. She needs surgery.” Feeling better now that he was talking about something he felt more comfortable with, he added, “There’s going to be about a dozen of us working on this, most of them our age. We’re going to sell not only sandwiches but bags of chips, homemade pies and whoopee pies,
and jars of freshly brewed tea and lemonade.” He paused, giving her a moment to absorb everything he’d said. “Will you join us?”

  She opened her mouth, seemed to hesitate, then nodded. “That sounds like a lot of fun. Danke.”

  “I’m glad.”

  Hannah smiled slightly. “You are right, Isaac. The best cure for dwelling on bad memories is to make some new ones. Working on a sandwich sale sounds like great fun. Thank you for asking me.”

  “Our first meeting is in two days, on Wednesday. Are you free? Will you go there with me?”

  “Jah. I will.”

  When he met her eyes, he couldn’t resist smiling. Especially when she smiled right back.

  CHAPTER 8

  Wednesday, July 13

  The first meeting for the sandwich sale was at a home on the outskirts of Munfordville. Sitting by Isaac’s side as he drove his buggy, Hannah was a bundle of nerves. She still had a difficult time around large groups of people. She also didn’t want to make a bad impression on Isaac’s friends.

  Just as she was about to ask him about the couple hosting the party, Isaac pulled the brake on the buggy. “We’re here.”

  Turning to gaze at the yard, she practically gasped. It was that pretty.

  Situated in at least one full acre, a large white house stood proudly next to a prosperous-looking garden. On its other side was an old stone and wood barn with a shiny tin roof. Numerous flower beds filled with blooming tulips and daffodils were freshly mulched.

  At least eight dresses hung on the clothesline that ran from the house to a tall white post on the edge of the garden. The dresses were of varying sizes and colors. Their vibrant shades of raspberry, plum, royal blue, and meadow green made the grass underneath them look greener and the sky above look brighter.

  It all looked so tranquil and perfect, Hannah couldn’t help but sigh. She’d always hoped to have a lovely home like this one day.

  “It’s pretty. Ain’t so?” Isaac asked as he parked his horse and buggy near the entrance next to at least five other buggies.

  Hannah nodded as she hopped down. “It’s charming.” She tapped a foot on the limestone walkway that led from the widest section of the driveway to the front door of the house. “This walkway is so pretty, too.”