The Search The Secrets of Crittenden Cou - By Shelley Shepard Gray Page 0,37

could finally move on. And not have a smidge of guilt.

There really wasn’t a choice.

“Then what happened?” she repeated, attempting to smile. “Oh, nothing much. After I told him I wouldn’t change and wouldn’t move, he was angry and upset. So I turned away and ran.”

He leaned forward. “And what did he do? Did he follow?”

“I don’t know what he did, Sheriff. I never looked back.” Her voice had been even and calm. It almost sounded truthful, even to her ears.

He looked at her sharply. “You are sure that is everything that happened?”

“Yes, Sheriff. That is all,” she lied. No longer caring if she was going to get into trouble later for lying. No longer caring what Sheriff Kramer thought of her anymore.

All that mattered right that minute was that she find a way to get the sheriff to leave her room. Even sitting by herself in a beige hospital room would be better than remembering the look on Perry’s face when she’d tossed those sunglasses into the woods.

Two minutes later, he fulfilled her wish and got to his feet. “If you happen to remember anything else, use that card I gave you and call me. Or you could tell Luke, too.” Without waiting for her response, he shuffled out, his manner looking exhausted.

He didn’t even say goodbye.

It left her unsettled and anxious, worse than she’d felt after Micah had left earlier.

Oh, how she just wanted to go home and return to her regular routine. She wanted to wait on guests at the inn and pretend that nothing mattered except cleaning rooms, making coffee, organizing the linen closets.

Five minutes after the curtains parted and his footsteps faded away, Frannie could still feel the sting of unshed tears in her eyes, her nose. A puddle welled in her good eye, and she absently wondered if crying would hurt her injured one. She didn’t care—there was nothing she could to stop the tears from spilling over.

She cried softly, hoping all the while that the patient on the other side of the curtain had been asleep and hadn’t heard her conversation with Mose. Or at the very least, wouldn’t comment on it if she had.

Chapter 12

“This would be a better world if everyone were as good as he wished his neighbor was.”

AARON SCHROCK

I was beginning to think you were determined to stay a stranger. Staying away ain’t no way to get to know people,” Mr. Schrock chided when Luke wandered into the family store just minutes before closing.

The comment was said in jest, but the words caught Luke off guard. His first days in Crittenden County had been difficult. No one had spoken to him—in fact most had gone out of their way to avoid him. But little by little, folks were starting to warm up. Now it even seemed that some folks were determined for him to become a part of the community, at least for a little while.

“I never wanted to be a stranger here,” Luke said. “I just thought it would be a good idea if I waited a while in between visits.”

“And why is that?”

“Because,” he quipped, looking around the store, “I have learned that you never know what will pop out from the ceiling or run across my feet when I visit your store!”

“Come now, things aren’t that bad.”

“You’ve got more going on in this place than an amusement park. I needed to give myself some time for my heart to recover.” He gave an exaggerated wince. “A man can only take so much, you know.”

Rocking back on his heels, Mr. Schrock chuckled. “I guess some men are more able to handle an exciting life than others.”

“Without a doubt.” Thinking about what the other men on his squad would think about his efforts to fit in, Luke shook his head. He’d only been in Marion three weeks, but he’d noticed changes in his habits and demeanor. He was listening more to his heart and his internal clock. Rising earlier without the need for an alarm, and ending his days earlier. When the sky darkened and the streets turned still, he found himself looking forward to a stretch of peace and quiet.

He was making friends, too—or at least the first steps of friendship—in the most unlikely places. Never would he have imagined he’d feel so relaxed around an Amish owner of the most unusual general store in the state.

He wasn’t sure how he should feel about these changes. He didn’t belong here—his life was in the city. But it