Amish Fugitive, page 5
He nodded, thinking that he might have just met her but he already couldn’t wait to see her again.
Preferably sometime very soon.
Chapter Six
Lela hated to admit it, but on some days, pet sitting wasn’t all that fun of a job. Sometimes the animals were shy or sad because they missed their owners or tried to bite her. Sometimes the owners asked her to do unreasonable things or didn’t remember to pay her.
And, every once in a while, she had to watch dogs that had no interest in being trained or listening to her. This was one of those days.
As she continued walking her charge down the path at Cooper’s Park, Lela wished she was pulling the dog into his own house.
Instead, she had almost a whole mile to go before that could happen. If her arm survived the walk, that is.
“Brownie, halt!”
Unfortunately, the fifty-four-pound fur ball kept pulling on his leash. The squirrel he was chasing picked up another acorn as if to tease him.
“Whoof!”
Using all her might, Lela pulled hard on the leash.
Brownie stopped at last.
Lela was so, so happy about that. Honestly, whoever believed that Labradoodles were lovely dogs surely hadn’t met Brownie. Brownie didn’t listen, ate everything in sight and pulled on his leash like nobody’s business.
At least he was cute, super affectionate and didn’t bite. “I’ve had more troublesome charges, that is for sure,” she murmured as she stopped for a breather. Bending down slightly, she looked at Brownie in the eyes. “Brownie, I am certain that you are a very good dog sometimes. How about you pull me less and cooperate more? That would make us both happy.”
When Brownie wagged his tail, she took that as a good sign. “I’m pleased you agree. Now, if you sit, I’ll give you some water.” She had a backpack with a water bottle and a collapsible dog bowl inside.
“Whoof!”
“Nee, hund. Sit.”
The dog didn’t look pleased but surprisingly did as she asked.
“Well, look at you. You do listen!” Pulling off her backpack, she opened the water bottle, poured a bit of water into the bowl and then set it in front of Brownie. When he eagerly started lapping it up, she smiled. “Gut hund. Good dog.” When his tail wagged again, she helped herself to a healthy drink, as well.
“Sorry, but he doesn’t seem all that good to me.”
Startled, Lela choked just as she was swallowing. As she continued to cough, she wondered how Daniel had snuck up so quietly on not just her but Brownie, too. Weren’t all dogs supposed to be better at guarding than that?
“You—” And...she started coughing again. Ugh! Would she ever catch her breath?
Next thing she knew, Daniel was patting her on the back. She supposed he thought he was helping, but it was obvious that he didn’t aid coughing women often. His pats felt more like heavy thumps.
“I’m so sorry, Lela,” Daniel said. “I should’ve waited to speak until you were done sipping water.”
When she realized he was about to thump her back again, she at last found her voice. “Stop trying to help me.”
He froze. “It’s not helping?”
She turned to face Daniel. “Nee. Your pats are too heavy. I’m not a burly man, you know.” Now that she’d caught her breath, she stood up a little straighter and attempted to look put-upon.
Though his hands were now safely by his sides, he had the audacity to look amused. “As a matter of fact, I have noticed that you are neither a man nor burly. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of experience comforting women in need. Next time I’ll try a gentler touch. I do apologize if I hurt you.”
Carefully pushing away all thoughts of Daniel touching her in a more caring manner, she cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Just, ah, be careful. It would be awful if you patted your baby that forcefully.”
“Yes, it would. Hopefully I’ll have learned to temper my pats by the time I sire a child.”
He was now sounding very, very amused. Sire a child, indeed.
Well, Lela supposed she didn’t blame him. She’d just chastised him like a wayward child, all because she couldn’t seem to swallow water properly.
Deciding it was past time to delve into safer territory, she looked down at Brownie. The dog was still sitting quietly, his head going between the two of them like he was watching a tennis match. Impressed with his good manners, she rubbed the top of his head. “Good boy, Brownie.”
Daniel smiled at the dog, as well. “His name is Brownie?”
“Jah. Due to his brown color, I suppose.”
“I reckon so.” He grinned. Kneeling down on one knee, he held out a hand for the Labradoodle to sniff, then gently rubbed the dog’s neck. “I stand corrected, Brownie. You are a gut hund, ain’t so?”
Brownie gifted him with two tail thumps.
After petting him for another moment, he stood up. “Whose dog is this?”
“An Englisher family’s. They live nearby. One day a week, both the husband and wife work outside the house. Brownie gets lonely, so I take him for a walk, attempt to train him a bit and give him some attention.”
“He’s one blessed dog.”
“Indeed. He’s spoiled, for sure and for certain.” She smiled at Daniel. “I can’t say that I think that’s a bad thing, though. He might not be too smart, and he pulls on my arm too much when we’re walking, but he is a sweetheart.”
“How much longer will you be watching him today?”
“Not long. We were heading back to his house when I decided to stop for a drink of water.”
“May I walk you back?”
“Why?”
“No particular reason. I mean, not beyond the fact that I have a day off and have too much time on my hands.”
Lela noticed that his expression had turned solemn. He really was in need of company. “You may walk with me, but you canna come inside Brownie’s house.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Daniel, the things you say! Come on, then. Brownie, let’s go home.”
Unfortunately, that had been the wrong thing to say to the Labradoodle. The dog sprang to his feet and pulled on his leash.
And...there went her arm again. “Heel, Brownie.”
He didn’t listen, of course. He was practically wiggling, he was so excited to head back to his house.
“Brownie, nee!”
“Here. Let me help,” Daniel said. He reached for the leash.
On another day, she wouldn’t have given it up. Walking dogs was her job, after all. But her arm was tired. To her dismay, when Brownie pulled on his leash again, Daniel clicked his tongue. “Nee, Brownie,” he said in a hard, certain tone. “We walk together, jah?”
When Brownie pulled again, Daniel stopped. “Nee. You walk with me, hund.”
Brownie’s big brown eyes darted from Lela to Daniel, then sighed.
“Let’s walk now, Brownie.”
And just like that, the silly Labradoodle began walking by Daniel’s side.
“Jah, that’s right,” he murmured.
In spite of herself, Lela was impressed. “How did you know to do that? Do you have a dog at home?”
“Nee.” Looking embarrassed, he said, “Mansfield has a program for inmates to learn how to train therapy dogs. Once it was looking like there was a good chance that I was innocent, the warden allowed me to participate.”
“It’s a shame that you had to wait so long. How come you didn’t get to do the program when you first arrived?”
“I was sentenced to ten years for involuntary manslaughter, Lela. No one is going to put a convicted murderer with a puppy until everyone is sure that I would treat it well.”
She was outraged on his behalf. “Of course you would treat a puppy well.”
Still walking Brownie, Daniel threw her a sideways look. “Unfortunately, you were not in charge of inmates’ programs, Lela.”
“I’m really glad you were set free.”
“Me, too.” He sighed. “Now all I have to do is hope that the police don’t change their minds about me.”
She gaped at him. “What are you saying? Do you really think they could charge you again?”
“I don’t want to believe that, but anything is possible.”
“But...but I thought there was new evidence or something.”
“There’s DNA evidence that I didn’t shoot the gun that killed your cousin, but I wouldn’t put it past the police to charge me as an accessory or something.”
She shook her head. “My Uncle Nate wouldn’t do that. He’s a good man.” Sure, she didn’t exactly know him, but she knew enough about him to believe that.
Daniel still didn’t look like he completely believed that. “He wants me to recount everything again.”
“Will you?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I have a choice. He’s a cop.”
“Nate wanting to hear your story is a good, right? Or...do you not think that will help?”
“I don’t know. But I see his point. There aren’t a lot of witnesses for him to interview.” Looking straight ahead, he said, “Plus, it’s to my benefit to help as much as I can...no matter how uncomfortable being around a policeman makes me.”
Lela supposed Daniel had a point. She liked Uncle Nate a lot, but then again, she’d only ever known him as the uncle who left and rarely returned. Daniel had likely gotten to know a far different side of policemen.
Realizing they were almost back to Brownie’s home, she pointed to the gray house on the corner. “We’re almost there.”
“Ah. I’ll walk you to the front door and then leave you alone.” He sounded the same but she could have sworn that there was a touch of sadness in his eyes.
“You don’t have to leave me alone, Daniel. I mean, today, yes, but not always. I want to be your friend.”
“I’d like us to be friends, too. Maybe next time I have a day off, I’ll see you walking and we can chat again.”
Lela knew what he was doing. Giving her space and allowing her to keep their relationship hidden from her parents. She appreciated his effort, but she didn’t want to leave their next meeting completely to chance. “Are you working on Saturday?”
“Nee.”
“If you don’t have plans, would you like to meet me at the farmers market?”
“In the town square?” When she nodded, he added, “People will see us together.”
“I know, but all they’ll know is that we both just happened to be at the market. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll see you at the market, then. I reckon I’ll get there around nine.”
She smiled as they stopped in front of Brownie’s family’s front door. “I reckon I’ll be there about the same time.” She held out her hand. “Thank you for helping me with this silly dog.”
“It was no problem. I enjoyed it.” Bending down, he gently ran a hand along the dog’s spine. “Gut hund, Brownie.”
When he straightened, he handed her the leash. His fingers brushed against hers, lighting that same awareness between them that she seemed incapable of turning off. Her mouth went dry.
Tipping his hat, he murmured, “Good day, Lela. I’ll see you on Saturday morning.”
“Good day to you, too, Daniel.”
With another small smile, Daniel Darrel Miller turned away. Unable to help herself, she watched him walk down the driveway then turn back the way they’d come.
Pulling out the house key from her backpack, she looked down at Brownie. “What do you think, Brownie? There’s something there, don’t you think?”
Unfortunately, all the dog seemed to care about was entering his home—and receiving the dog treat she always gave him before she left his house for the day.
Ah, well. Lela supposed she couldn’t blame Brownie. Everyone and everything had priorities. Her friendship with Daniel lagged far behind his comfy dog bed and a treat.
“Let’s get you settled, Brownie,” she said as she opened the door. “I think we’ve done enough for one day.”
Brownie’s happy bark conveyed he completely agreed.
Chapter Seven
The first time Daniel visited Jefferson Park was his first day of rumspringa. The park was a ways off—at least a good thirty-minute bike ride. That distance had made the rather run-down area seem more special than it actually was. He hadn’t cared, though. All that mattered to him was that he was finally going to get to go to the place where all the older kids gathered from time to time.
Minutes before he’d left, his stomach a ball of nerves and excitement, his older brother, Abram, had given him all sorts of warnings about being careful. He’d even cautioned that there was no real reason to even have a run-around time. Some teenagers never did. Abram sure hadn’t.
Daniel had ignored every well-intentioned bit of advice.
Of course, he hadn’t imagined that he would get in any sort of trouble at all. He’d only thought he’d play ball with his friends, talk to some older teens and maybe see a girl or two. Well, all that, and the fact that he didn’t have to be home until midnight. He’d felt so grown up.
Actually, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He’d played basketball, flirted with Emma Hostetler and then gone out for ice cream. When he’d come home at ten that night, Abram had teased him bad.
“You and your big plans,” he’d teased from his twin bed on the other side of the bedroom they shared. “See, I told ya that there was nothing special about rumspringa.”
Daniel had gone to bed thinking that maybe his brother had been right.
The next time he’d visited the park had been a different story, though. Emma hadn’t been there, no one wanted to play basketball and Wyatt had shown up just as Daniel had been about to head home at nine o’clock.
His first impression of Wyatt Troyer had been that Wyatt had seemed older than he’d stated. There had also been something a little off about him, too. Some of his Pennsylvania Dutch words weren’t quite right, and his eyes were constantly darting around the area.
But Daniel soon ignored his misgivings because Wyatt had acted like he was something special. That had been new for him. He’d lived his life feeling like he was firmly in the middle. He wasn’t all that strong or smart or handsome. He wasn’t weak or dumb or ugly, either. He just was himself.
Except in Wyatt’s light brown eyes.
Within just a few minutes of conversation, Wyatt had tapped into a need Daniel hadn’t even realized he’d had. Next thing Daniel knew, he couldn’t care less about Emma or playing ball. He wanted to be around Wyatt, and Wyatt had seemed really pleased about that, too.
And then, of course, everything had gotten very bad, very fast.
Sitting on the park bench while he waited for Nate, Daniel wondered why he’d suggested Jefferson Park in the first place. Had he felt the need for Nate to actually see where his friendship with Wyatt had all started? Or, was revisiting this place more for him? Had he needed to see it six years later with a clear perspective?
“Sorry I’m late,” Nate called out as he strode forward. Like Wyatt used to do, the detective was scanning the area as he approached. “Any special reason you chose this place to meet?”
“There is. It’s where I first met Wyatt.”
Taking a seat next to him, Nate pulled out a small tape recorder. “Do you mind if I record our conversation?”
“Nee.”
After Nate spoke into the microphone, then played it back to test it, he pushed play again. “Tell me about that first visit.”
Daniel did. He told Nate about how his brother had warned him that rumspringa was usually nothing special and how he’d been feeling a little let down that the big event he’d been looking forward to had been anticlimactic. And then he told Nate about his first impression of Wyatt.
“Tell me again what he looked like.”
“Short red hair, scruff on his cheeks like he’d needed to shave. Lanky. A little bit shorter than I am now. I’m guessing maybe a few inches shy of six feet?”
“After you started talking, what happened? Did you make plans to meet again? Did he give you his phone number?”
Daniel shook his head. “Nee. He ended it with something like, ‘I hope I’ll see you around sometime.’”
Nate looked at him closely. “I’m guessing you did?”
“Jah. He...he drove up in his car on my way to work.”
“What were you doing, Daniel?”
“I’d gotten a job at a lumber mill. They promised to train me, but I wasn’t doing anything but cleaning and sweeping.” Remembering how full of himself he’d been, he added, “I was sure they’d lied about an eventual apprenticeship and was sure they were only using me for cheap labor.”
“You really didn’t like sweeping floors, huh?”
“Not at all. .I convinced myself that I was better than that.”
“So, he drove up and what? Rolled down the window?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes. We talked. He asked if I wanted to go for a ride instead of working but I said no.”
“How come?”
“I was too afraid I’d get in trouble.” He sighed. “But the next time Wyatt drove up, I was in a real bad mood. I’d made the mistake of telling my brother that I was thinking of quitting and he’d told me that I was stupid for even thinking about quitting such a good job. So, when Wyatt asked if I wanted to take a break from my life, I took him up on his offer.”
“What did you two do?”
“We came back here for a spell, but there were a lot of mothers and toddlers here, so Wyatt drove us out to an old barn he said was his grandfather’s.” Remembering how it looked old from the outside but far more secure inside, Daniel said, “I should have known right then that Wyatt wasn’t Amish. The inside had a strand of lights attached to the rafters. There was also a cooler and a bunch of large wooden crates that had locks on them.”
