“It’s homemade?” Sarah asked, admiring the plumpness of the loaf and the golden brown crust.
“Yah.” Rebecca arranged the meat and cheese on a platter. “I always make extra bread and sell it to tourists who stop at our driveway.”
Sarah looked out the window, suspicion growing within her. “Do people often come to your house?”
“It is not something that should worry you,” Rebecca assured her.
In spite of Rebecca’s comment, Sarah couldn’t shake off her concern about strangers visiting the Burkholder farm while she stayed there. She continued to peer from the window, hoping for some sign of Joachim—and for no sign of anyone else. The door to the barn hung open, and the interior looked dark and foreboding.
Rebecca claimed Joachim was caring for his horse, but what if she was wrong? Victor could have returned and overpowered Joachim when he wasn’t looking. Perhaps Victor was ready to barge into the house and capture Sarah again.
Minutes ticked by, only increasing her worry. “Why is Joachim taking so long?” she finally asked, unable to calm her unease.
“You could go to the barn and ask him yourself,” Rebecca suggested. “Or you could join me in the main room where I have my mending. Joachim will come inside shortly.”
Joachim had assured Sarah earlier that she was safe, but it felt to her as if too much time had elapsed since he had left the house. Rebecca moved into the main room and started humming. The tune, a childhood favorite, should have calmed Sarah’s unease. Instead, it only added to her concern. What was she doing in a strange house with people she didn’t know?
She glanced at the oil lamps on the wall, the candles on the sideboard and the matches on the table. Her chest constricted and her pulse raced. A ringing sounded in her ears that failed to overpower the voice screaming through her mind.
Fire!
She wrung her hands. The memory of that night so long ago returned, constricting her lungs and leaving her gasping for air, overcome by the same panic that filled her every time she even thought about flames.
She had to leave. Now.
Ever so quietly, she opened the kitchen door and gulped in the damp air, all the while the voice continued to warn her.
While in the buggy, she had seen a sign for Willkommen. Victor had mentioned Miriam was being held somewhere in that area. Their aunt lived in Willkommen, as well. At least that’s what their mother had told them. If Sarah could get to Willkommen, she might find her aunt, and together they could search for Miriam.
She pulled in a fortifying breath and then raced down the steps and scurried past the barn, heading toward the pasture and a line of trees on the far side of the field. She would hide there until the roadway looked clear. Then she would cross to the opposite side where a thick patch of trees flanked the road. Hidden by dense underbrush, she would make her way to the narrow two-lane that veered off from the main road, where she had spotted the sign for Willkommen.
As much as Sarah had appreciated Joachim’s help, she couldn’t rely on him to keep her safe. He was Victor’s neighbor.
She checked the road for cars, saw that it was clear and crossed the pavement. The approach of a vehicle sounded in the distance. Her pulse raced. She turned to glance over her shoulder.
Her heart stopped as a red pickup crested the nearby hill. Victor!
She ran toward the trees, needing to disappear in the brush. She wouldn’t let him capture her again.
The truck accelerated.
She ran faster.
The screech of brakes made her heart lurch.
Victor had seen her.
Footfalls pounded the pavement. He was coming after her.
She’d been so foolish. Victor was more of a threat to her safety than the matches and candles and oil lamps. She never should have traded the security of Joachim’s house for the outdoors, where she was so vulnerable.
“Sarah!” Victor screamed her name.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then chastised herself for being so easily swayed.
Fighting against the pull of his voice, she forced herself forward, remembering how he had choked her this morning until she couldn’t breathe.
She pushed through the bushes, needing to escape his voice, his control. To escape him.
“You won’t get away, Sarah,” he called, as if reading her mind. “I’ll follow you. You can’t escape from me.”
The branches scraped her arms and pulled at her sweater, but she kept going, ignoring the cuts to her flesh. She couldn’t listen to her body. She had to listen to her mind, warning her to run fast, run hard, run away.
She made a sharp turn to the right and ran all the faster. The only sound she heard was her own raspy breath and pounding heart. For an instant, she thought she had eluded him until the sound of his footfalls returned along with the rustle of leaves.
If only she had stayed at Joachim’s house. He would have protected her.
“Sarah!” He was close. Too close.
She tripped.
He grabbed her.
She fought to free herself from his hold.
No! She tried to scream, but his hand clamped around her mouth.
“Sarah?” Victor called again. This time, he was farther away and moving in an opposite direction.
If Victor wasn’t holding her, then who was?
* * *
Soft. Her skin was so very soft.
Joachim dropped his hand, releasing Sarah from his hold.
She stood ever so still, as if afraid to move.
“He’s heading back to his truck,” Joachim whispered. “You lost him when you made that sharp turn to the right. I saw you cross the street when I left the barn, but it took me a while to catch up to you.”
“Oh, Joachim,” she said, pulling in a deep breath. “Victor was following close behind me.”
“But you outsmarted him, Sarah.”
She turned to gaze up at Joachim with blue eyes that were crystal clear and filled with sorrow. His heart tripped in his chest, making him want to move even closer.
“I never should have left your house,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the way her nearness affected him. “It wasn’t because of any distrust for you or your sister. It was me. I didn’t want to cause you any problems. If Victor found me at your house, I’m not sure what he would have done. Plus, I need to get to Willkommen. My sister Miriam—”
She shook her head. “I haven’t mentioned my aunt. My sister, my mother and I came here to find her, but dirty cops hijacked our car. Miriam and I were taken and our mother was killed. Victor said he bought me so I could take care of his mother. I’m still so confused.” She pulled in a ragged breath. “It was crazy of me to think I could have found my way to Willkommen, yet it seemed like the best choice I had in that moment. I don’t have any place else to go.”
“You have my house. Victor will not find you there. I will protect you.”
At least Joachim hoped he could keep her safe. “Willkommen is a two-hour buggy ride from Petersville,” he tried to explain. “Even if you were strong, the trip would be difficult for you to manage on foot. You have been held captive. You must gain your strength first. I will take you when you are ready.”
“I wasn’t thinking.”