She rubbed her eyes and pulled herself upright, recognizing the angled face, full mouth and crystal-blue eyes.
William Lavy.
He was wearing an Amish jacket and a wide-brimmed felt hat.
“Is that you, Julie?”
She hadn’t seen Will in five years, and until last night, she hadn’t expected to see him again. She threw aside the blanket, adjusted her sweater and raked her hand through her hair, embarrassed he had found her asleep.
His brow was raised, and his mouth set in a frown as he continued to stare at her.
Pulling in a fragile breath, she offered him a weak smile.
“What happened? Are you okay?” His raised voice was filled with concern.
For half a heartbeat, she thought she was dreaming.
“Answer me, Jules. Are you okay?”
She tapped the button to lower the automatic window before realizing the car’s engine was off. She grabbed the handle and pushed open the door.
The cold morning air swirled around her. “I must have—” Her sleep-laced tone was little more than a whisper, even to her own ears. She cleared her throat. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“Looks like both you and your car got stuck in the mud.” He leaned closer. “Are you okay?”
“I... I’m fine. A bit bruised, but—” Tears burned her eyes. She blinked them back.
“You’re hurt.” His gaze softened. “What happened?”
“I came home to sell my father’s property.” She glanced at the letter lying open on the console. “They want to take my farm. I left late in the day and then was delayed by a rockslide.”
The words were tumbling out too fast, but she couldn’t help herself. If she stopped talking, she might cry, and she was struggling to keep the tears at bay.
“When I got to my house,” she continued without taking a breath, “a man in black wearing a red bandana was hiding in the bushes. He attacked me, then followed me in his car. I turned toward the pond, thinking you or your dad could help me.”
Regret flashed in his eyes. “I was at a friend’s wedding and spent the night. I saw your Honda when I returned this morning.”
“Why would someone attack me?”
“Vandalism has become a problem.” He gazed around, as if checking that the man in black wasn’t hiding nearby. “That’s why the authorities are concerned about unoccupied property, but vandals don’t usually attack people.”
She blinked back another rush of tears.
“Let’s get your car out of the mud,” he said. “Then we can drive to town and alert the sheriff. We can also stop at the medical clinic and have the doc make certain you’re okay.”
“I don’t need a doctor, but I do need to talk to the sheriff.”
“Start your car, Julie. I’ll push from the rear. Give it a little gas when I signal you, but not too much.”
She did as he asked and watched for his signal through the rearview mirror.
He stepped behind the car, placed his hands on the trunk and nodded. “Okay...now.”
Julie pushed on the accelerator. The wheels spun.
Stepping to the side, William nodded again. “Put it in Reverse and ease it back, then forward.”
Again, she followed his instructions. The car rolled back and she moved the gear to Drive. William pushed from the rear as she eased down on the accelerator. The wheels grabbed and the car broke free.
“Keep going,” he called after her. “I’ll meet you at the top of the hill.”
Near the edge of the road, she pulled to a stop and waited for him there. Before meeting with the sheriff, she wanted to check her house to ensure the hateful man hadn’t caused any damage last night. No one had known she was coming back to Mountain Loft, yet he’d been hiding in the bushes. What was he doing there, and why had he attacked her?
William hurried to the top of the hill to catch up to Julianne. She was spattered with mud, and fatigue lined her oval face, but he was drawn again to her beauty, just as he had been at the lake so long ago. Long auburn hair, jade-green eyes, arched eyebrows and an open expression that nearly took his breath away.
She leaned out the window as he approached her car. “Climb in. I want to stop at my house.”
He glanced down at his boots. “If you don’t mind a little mud.”
“My shoes are caked. We can clean up at the pump.”
He slid into the passenger seat. She exited onto the main road, drove the short distance to her farm and parked near the barn. They washed at the pump and wiped dry with a towel she had in her car.
After hanging the towel to dry, she stamped the mud from her shoes and then pointed to the shrubbery growing near the side of her house.
“The man was hiding there in the bushes last night. I—I didn’t think I’d survive.”
William searched the area she had indicated. “I don’t see that he left anything behind.”
“Except a few bruises that’ll appear in a day or two.” She rubbed her side and then turned her gaze to the farmhouse and stared at the structure for a long moment.
“I—I haven’t been back since—”
He remained silent, giving her time to control the whirlwind of confusion evidenced by the arch of her neck and her furrowed brow.
She glanced around at the farm that had been her world for the first seventeen years of life. The house, the barn and outbuildings, the pastures in the distance and the fields were all dormant.
“It looks better than I expected,” she admitted.
“I worked construction in Knoxville, and after I returned home last year, I shored up the fencing and completed some minor repairs around the place when I had free time,” he explained.
Fresh tears filled her eyes. Evidently, she hadn’t expected his help.
“Danki, William.”
The Amish thank-you seemed to surprise her as much as the tears. She had left Mountain Loft before baptism and had undoubtedly worked hard to leave her Amish roots behind.
He touched her arm and she drew back ever so
