Her Forgotten Amish Past. Debby Giusti

the guy from last night, then two men had chased after her in less than twenty-four hours.

      As they watched, the man pulled into Hattie’s drive as if to turn around. He climbed from his car, hurried to the porch and pounded on the door.

      “Oh, Zeke.” Becca grabbed his hand. “That man is crazy.”

      Zeke pointed to the henhouse where his aunt peered from a window. “Hattie is gathering eggs. Hopefully, she stays put and doesn’t try to engage the man.”

      He pounded on the door again, then turned to stare at the farm. Evidently he thought no one was home because he returned to the car and headed down the mountain toward town.

      Both Zeke and Becca let out huge breaths of relief once he had driven away. “Let’s hurry back to the house. I want to warn Hattie to get inside in case that guy returns.”

      “I’m so sorry, Zeke.”

      “You did not cause the man to chase after you.”

      “But I’ve caused so many problems.”

      He smiled, seeing her worry. “You are not the problem, Becca. The man is.”

      After retrieving the water jug and bag Becca had discarded, they crossed the road and hurried to the house. Hattie met them on the porch and filled them in on the unexpected visitor. Becca and Zeke shared their own plight and their concern for Hattie’s safety.

      Once inside, Becca went upstairs to change into the Amish dress Hattie had hung in the guest room.

      “This man worries me.” His aunt gave Zeke a troubling glance as she washed her hands and dried them on a towel. “The man sees Becca walking along the road dressed like the Englisch and starts running after her. I may be getting old, but my mind is still sharp, yet I do not understand what this means.”

      “It means Becca needs to be careful and so do you. Do not open the door if the man returns.”

      Her eyes widened. “You think we will see him again?”

      “I do not know, but we will take precautions, yah?”

      “I am grateful you are with me here on the mountain, Ezekiel. My worry would be even greater if I were living alone.”

      “Soon Becca’s memory will return. Then we will know her story and who was running after her.”

      Zeke left the house and headed to the barn. The mountain had been peaceful before Becca had appeared in the middle of the night. As he had told her, she was not to blame for upsetting their peaceful existence, yet she had to be involved in something outside the norm since a man was so desperate to find her. Or had two different men chased after her?

      He glanced up at the guest room window, thinking of her pretty eyes and smooth skin. Zeke wanted to know the truth about the stranger who was staying with them.

      A question kept troubling him. Who had chased after her and why?

       FOUR

      The sun was high in the sky by the time Ezekiel finished the chores. He wiped his brow, thankful for the cool mountain breeze and glanced at the blue sky, wishing life could be as clear.

      Yesterday morn he had worried about the price of corn and soybeans. Today was filled with thoughts of the woman he had found last night.

      Since then, he had been in an emotional tug-of-war. His intellect cautioned him to be careful, whereas his heart wanted to trust the woman without a past.

      Amnesia or prevarication?

      Irene had lied to him all the while she had worked her way into his heart until he was unable to think clearly. Besotted, his father had called him. The fact that Irene’s father and her brother, Caleb, had left the Amish faith only added to his own datt’s irritation about Zeke’s choice of women.

      Amish men only marry Amish women, his father had told him on more than one occasion, yet his father did not know Irene or what she had shared with Ezekiel.

      I want to return to the Amish way with you, Zeke, Irene had assured him, after I see the world.

      The world she explored had been the small town of Petersville, known for illegal activity and a police department that turned a blind eye to crime.

      The kitchen door opened, and Becca stepped onto the porch. Ezekiel’s throat tightened, recognizing the pale blue dress she wore. A wedding dress Hattie had made for Irene, the woman Zeke had planned to marry.

      “Hattie said lunch is almost ready. You didn’t eat breakfast so you must be hungry.”

      He had been hungry, but after seeing Irene’s dress, his appetite left him. “I will join you soon.”

      Becca hugged her arms as if chilled by the mountain air. “Your aunt found this dress for me to wear until mine is washed and dried.”

      Once again he was at a loss for words. The woman needed clothing, other than the Englisch clothing from the thrift shop, and Hattie had solved that need. Why had her generosity unsettled him?

      “Is something wrong?” Becca asked.

      “No, of course not.” But something was wrong. His quiet life had been turned upside down.

      She stared at him for a long moment as if wanting to say something more, then with a nod, she turned and entered the house.

      He let out an exasperated sigh. How could life become so convoluted overnight? He rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands at the pump and dried them on the towel. In the distance, higher up the mountain, three buzzards circled in the morning sky. He paused to watch their flight, then turned at the sound of a car coming down the mountain, a flashy sports car, traveling too fast over the narrow road.

      He recognized the man at the wheel and waited until Caleb Gingerich, Irene’s brother, braked to a stop. Tall, gangly and midtwenties, Caleb climbed from the cherry red convertible and extended his hand. “Good to see you, Zeke.”

      Hattie left the kitchen and stepped onto the porch.

      “What brings you to this side of the mountain?” Zeke asked, irritation evident in his voice.

      Caleb chuckled. “A piece of Hattie’s pie.”

      Zeke glanced at his aunt. “She has not baked today.”

      On any other day, Hattie would insist on setting another plate at the table for anyone passing by, but this was not any other day, not with their mysterious newcomer inside.

      No doubt hearing the frustration in Zeke’s voice, the younger man’s smile vanished. “After my sister’s death, didn’t we talk about moving beyond that which divides our families?”

      “As I recall, you did the talking, Caleb. Besides, your father will never change.”

      “He grieves for Irene, but I thought we could move beyond the past. I forgave you.”

      Zeke’s gut tightened. “There was nothing to forgive, no matter what your father says.”

      Seemingly exasperated by Zeke’s response, the younger man turned toward the porch. “Expect someone from the movie studio to stop by, Ms. Hattie.”

      “A bearded guy?” Zeke asked, thinking of the man from this morning.

      “A tall guy, clean-shaven,” Caleb said. “The studio needs an Amish farm on which to film a trailer for their next movie, and I mentioned your land. They pay well.”

      “Is that how you bought your new sports car?” Zeke asked, his tone sharp.

      “Credit,