Daughter of Darkness Part 1 by R. W. Murrain

Shane Connelly pushed open the door of his new bedroom and set his box of belongings on the
desk that had gotten there before him. He instantly began taking out the items that were inside: his two
Marshall Stanmore II Bluetooth speakers, his desk lamp and his HP printer. He set them up around the
room in the places that they would be most effective, and he went back down to the first floor of his house
to retrieve another box, meeting his younger sister at the bottom of the stairs. She had her arms crossed
over her chest and her lips were locked in a pout.

“What’s wrong, Jenna?”

“What’s wrong is that I’m 150 miles away from all of my friends because mom had to volunteer
for some stupid job in another town that we’re not even in!” Jenna Connelly exploded angrily. “And she
didn’t even talk to us about it!”

“Jen, come on,” Shane said, sitting at the bottom of the steps. “Can you at least give this place a
try before you completely write it off and say that you hate it?”

“I don’t want to!” Jenna snapped. “I just want to be with my friends! I want to hang out with
them, and I’m stuck here!”

“Jenna, it’s only for a year,” Shane reminded her. “It’s temporary, okay? You just have to give this
one year, and then you’ll be back in Indianapolis with all your friends just in time for senior year.”
“I don’t know why I couldn’t have just spent the year with Kelly or Macie.”

“Yeah, right,” Shane said, scoffing. “Like Mom would’ve let you live 150 miles away from us
where she couldn’t be there if something happened to you, where she couldn’t keep an eye on you.”
“Hmph! Don’t know why you’re so cool with this.”

“Honestly, I’m just not gonna let it bother me. I’m gonna take the change as it comes. Try and
make the best of what I’ve got.”

Jenna huffed and picked up another box that was going into her room, and she stomped up the
stairs past her older brother, who sighed and shrugged.

“Did you mean what you said?” Shane’s mother Lainie Connelly said as she reached the foyer.
“That you’re going to make the best of what you’ve got?”

“Of course I did,” Shane replied with a nod. “Hell else am I gonna do? It’s not like there’s a lot of
people in Indianapolis missing me right now. Far as I’m concerned, the year away from the city could be
good for me. Give me time to reset.”

Lainie nodded. “I agree with you there. I’m just worried about Jenna. She’s taking this a lot
harder than I thought she would.”

“It’s her junior year, Mom,” Shane said. “Not to mention, things kinda got upended when I went
away. I think she was hoping that things would just go back to normal, and then…”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the job at the museum.”

“It’s a bump in pay by $15,000 a year. And then when we go back to Indianapolis, it’s another
$15,000 a year on top of that. In one year, your salary is going up by $30K. I think that’s what they would
call ‘an offer you can’t refuse.’”

Lainie chuckled. “I just hope that it won’t cost me my family.”

“Well, you’re not losing me.”

Above them, they heard a door slam.

“Jenna, on the other hand…might take a little warming up.”

Lainie sighed deeply. “This is going to be one hard adjustment period.”

“It might be.”

“Well, in the meantime, what should we do about dinner?”

“I did a little checking in the car on the way here. I saw a pizza joint on Market Street east of
here. I could go there and pick up a couple of pizzas, if you want.”

“You don’t mind?”

 

“Not at all. It’s gonna take me a while to unpack anyway.”

“Well, put the order in, and then go and get it when it’s done.”

“Sounds good to me.” He picked up another box and started up the stairs.

“Shane…”

He turned back and looked down the stairs.

“This is gonna be good for us.”

Shane managed a little smile. “Are you saying that more for you or for me?”

“I’m saying it for both of us. For all of us.”

Shane nodded. “I believe you.”

He resumed his journey up the stairs to the top and hooked to the left, heading to his bedroom at
the end of the hall, overlooking the garage. He set his box on the floor and sat on the mattress of his
already-assembled bed. He sighed deeply and looked around at the four walls of his room, bare and
nondescript. Very reminiscent of where he had been before, a place that he had hoped he would never be
again.

About half an hour later, Shane stepped into the attached garage of their house and remotely
unlocked the doors to his seven-year-old Ford Mustang 5.0, already off the trailer that they’d hauled it on
from Indianapolis. He dropped into the driver’s seat, buckled up and pressed in his clutch. He turned over
the engine and queued up the GPS to direct him to the pizzeria on Market Street, just east of the heart of
town. He eased the Mustang out of the garage to the driveway and out to Centennial Street. He took the
car south to Market Street, the main east-west thoroughfare out of town, and he joined the flow of traffic
east towards his destination. He kept his drive at a lazy pace, stayed in first gear. No need to make his
presence known or draw attention to himself on his first day in a new town.

A couple of miles later, he found the pizzeria on the right, flipped on his signal and rolled into the
parking lot effortlessly. He parked, shut off the engine and climbed out. He smoothed out his white T-shirt
and stepped inside, greeted by the smell of baked dough and fresh red sauce. What a good smell.
He walked up to the counter and waited for a moment before the cashier came up.

“Picking up an order, name of Connelly.”

“Just a sec.”

As Shane waited, he seated himself off to the side, just as the front door opened and he spotted a
man in a police uniform that had a lot of decorations across the chest. The one thing that stood out most
prominently on the uniform were the stars on his collar. There were four of them, which meant one thing:
he was a high-ranking cop, if not the high-ranking cop in town.

Best behavior, Shane thought as a half-joke.

Shane continued to wait, checked his phone, and he saw the cop walk up to the counter.

“Hey, there,” he said.

“Hey, chief,” the cashier said. “What can I get you?”

“Two large pizzas, one with pepperoni, sausage and bacon, the other with chicken, pineapple,
onions.”

“You got it, Chief.”

He looked at his phone and then set his eyes on Shane himself. The young man locked eyes with
the cop for a good five seconds, and then he issued a welcoming smile. Shane returned it.

“How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain,” Shane replied. “How’s it with you?”

“Another long day in the books.”

“I get that.”

“You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“What gave it away?”

“Well, I do my best to get to know a lot of the people in my town, and I am pretty sure that we’ve
never met.”

 

“If you’ve only met most of the people in town, aren’t there some that you don’t know?”

“Perhaps, but I have a bit of a sixth sense in this. Call it the cop in me.”
Shane chuckled. “Okay, you got me. I’m new to town. I just moved with my family today.”

“Well, allow me to welcome you. Nathaniel Cohen, Chief of the Nappanee Police Department.”

“Shane Connelly.”

The two shook hands.
“Where’d you move to?” Chief Cohen asked.

“We moved into a house on Centennial Street.”

“Ah, good street, good neighbors there. Got your bearings?”

“Well, I found the pizza joint, so that’s a start.”

The two of them laughed.

“So, what brings you to Nappanee?” Cohen queried.

“My mom got a temporary job at the museum in Fort Wayne, but we could only find housing that
we liked here, so…here we are. It’s a long commute for her, but the bump in pay is good too.”
“And what about you? What do you do?”

“I picked up a job with a motorcycle mechanic in town.”

“Darrell Bridger?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Good guy. He’ll treat you fair, long as you work hard.”

“I’m not one to shy away from hard work.”

“That’s what we like to hear in Nappanee.”

The cashier came up with Shane’s order and he paid for it in cash.

“Well, if you need any help with anything,” Chief Cohen said, “come by the station and we’ll do
our best to assist you.”

“I’ll remember that,” Shane said. “Nice meeting you, Chief.”

He returned to the Mustang and fired up the engine. He eased the car out of the space and went
back out to the road.

After their first dinner in the house and a lot more unpacking, the Connelly family turned in for
the night. Shane, however, couldn’t quite sleep yet, instead sitting on his bed and looking out the window.
Then a knock came to his door and he said, “Come in.”

The door opened and Jenna stepped in.

“Hey, kid. You good?”

“I’m okay,” Jenna said. “How about you?”

“I’m fine,” Shane said. “Just…getting used to it. A lot bigger than the last room I was in.”

“I know,” Jenna said with a nod. “You like it?”

“I like it a lot. I need to get some of my posters up and plug in the television, but…so far, so good.
I’m not complaining, unlike you.”

“I know, I know. I was being a bitch about it. I just…I miss my friends.”

“I know, Jen. I miss mine too.”

“Yeah, but…you miss yours for a different reason.”

Shane shrugged. “True. But look at it this way. You’re still gonna Skype them. Talk to them. And
in the meantime, you can make some more friends here.”

“I really hope so.”

“I know you will. School’s starting in a couple of days; you’re gonna do just fine.”

Jenna nodded. “I’m gonna try and get some sleep.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Jenna hugged her brother and bid him goodnight before leaving his room, closing the door
behind her. Shane turned his eyes back to the view in the window for a while longer before finally settling
on his bed and letting sleep carry him away.

 

They spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and getting their house the way they wanted, and
on Monday morning, the Connelly family started their week off. Lainie took off early on her 60-mile,
hour-long journey to the museum in Fort Wayne, while Shane got Jenna up, made sure she was dressed
and fed before driving her to the local high school.

“All right, first day of a new year,” Shane said as he pulled up to the drop-off curb. “Try and start
it on the right foot, sis.”

“I’ll try,” Jenna said with a nod.

“You got everything you need?”

“Yeah, I got everything.”

“I’ll make you lunch tomorrow morning. Sorry I couldn’t put it together today.”

“It’s fine, Shane. Thank you.”

“No problem, sis. Have a good day, okay?”

“I will. You, too.”

She leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek before climbing out of the Mustang.
“Call me if you got problems,” Shane said, “but don’t have any problems.”

“Do my best. Have a good day at work!”

“Thanks,” Shane said, and he rolled down the windows, turned on his playlist of country music
and pulled out.

From the high school, it was a straight shot to work down Nappanee’s Main Street, the big north-
south thoroughfare through the town. Any way he sliced it, he would be there early, but he didn’t dawdle,
driving south on Main Street at a good place. Quick enough to get there with time to spare, slow enough
to see how Nappanee got going in the morning.

Nappanee was a town of about 6,600 people, not particularly large, but enough people to the
point where everybody didn’t know everybody, Chief Nathaniel Cohen’s “sixth sense” notwithstanding. It
was the kind of place where someone could blend into the population and not make waves. It was just
what Shane was looking for—a temporary quiet alternative to the bustle of Indianapolis.
Sure, there was part of him that missed Indy, but there was a lot of him that was glad for the
change of scenery.

It wasn’t until he got past Centennial Street, where the Connellys had made their temporary
roots, that he started venturing into what was known as Downtown Nappanee. He slowed down from his
50-mile-an-hour gallop in the Mustang to the indicated 25-mile-an-hour speed limit. He wasn’t looking to
cause too much commotion on his first full week in town, though the aftermarket exhaust system on his
car would certainly fight that wish of his.

When he rolled up to the red light at Main and Market Streets, he swiveled his head around and
got a look at the nucleus of Nappanee and felt its vibe—small-town Americana. Anytown, U.S.A., a little
heartland mecca. There was a dentist that didn’t appear to be a part of any chain, and a candy shop right
across the street. Perfect. Once the kids had rotted their teeth out on sweets, the parents could take them
across the street to get their cavities filled. There was a coffee shop on the northeast corner that looked like
it wasn’t a chain either, which made Shane supremely happy. He didn’t like coffee shop chains. Too played
out, in his opinion. Across the street was a vintage store.

The light turned green, and Shane eased the Mustang through the intersection. He saw more to
the town, a book store and a hair salon and a barbershop, as he approached Lincoln Street and hooked a
left. He barely drove half a block before swinging a right and down an alley. He found the building he was
looking for, tucked behind a banquet hall and another hair salon. He wheeled the Mustang around into a
dirt space and shut the engine off. Climbed out of the car and looked around.
No one was there yet.

Until Shane heard the rumble of an approaching motorcycle, and he got ready for his first day.
He saw the rider coming. And he saw the ride, a deep purple Harley with black rims and blacked-
out chrome and a bat-wing fairing with no oversized windshield, thundering up the alley. It circled the

Mustang and then the rider backed it into the space next to him. The engine shut down and the rider took
off his helmet.

He was an older man with a flattop of salt-and-pepper hair and sharp blue eyes set in a square
face of weathered, tan skin. He had a built frame, about as built as the bike he was on, thick with bulging,
veiny muscle and rife with tattoos up and down his arms. His arms, they looked like two transmissions,
bigger than Shane’s, which was a feat considering the working out that he did. He was in a gray T-shirt, a
black leather vest and thick navy blue jeans with a big brass belt buckle. He had a pair of black leather
harness boots on his feet and black leather open-fingered gloves and his hands, and a black-and-white
bandana around his neck.

“Nice ride,” Shane complimented. “Harley Electra Glide. She a ’72?”

“’74,” he corrected. “FLH 1200.”

“I like the blacked-out look with the dark purple. Definitely unconventional.”

“I’m not the conventional type,” he said as he engaged the kickstand and dismounted from the
bike. “You’re my new employee, I presume.”

“You got it. Shane Connelly.”

“Darrell Bridger,” he said, and the two shook hands. “Connelly? Am I sayin'; that right?”

“Nailed it.”

“Good. First question, Shane. You got your own bike?”

“Yeah, a five-year-old Indian Scout and a ’93 Fat Boy that I’m fixing up.”

“Good. Tomorrow, come on your bike. One thing I pride myself on is our customers seeing the
rides that my employees got.”

“Understood, sir,” Shane said as they walked to the front door.

“And just call me Darrell.”

“Got it, Darrell.”

Darrell unlocked the front door and they walked into the main showroom, replete with completed
bikes and parts hanging on racks on the walls.

“We’re early, so you’ll meet some of the others later on today,” Darrell indicated. “So, what brings
you to Nappanee?”

“Mom’s got a new job. Didn’t find anywhere in Fort Wayne she liked, so here we are. I needed a
job that spoke to my skills. And you’re the only game in town?”

“Yeah, we got the only shop for about 100 miles in most directions,” Darrell said. “So, we get
most of the business. Hope that doesn’t scare you, Shane.”

“Like I told the Chief last night, I’m not afraid of hard honest work.”

“You met the Chief?”

“You know him?”

“Nathaniel Cohen. Went to high school with him. Good buddy. Straight shooter.”
“Glad to hear that.”

They went through the showroom to the actual garage, and Darrell flipped on the lights. The
garage was what Shane expected, equipped with the standard tools and racks and lifts, and there were
even a few bikes either partially assembled or fully disassembled or fully assembled.

“Wow.”

“Impressed?” Darrell asked.

“Very.”

“Where’d you come from?”

“Indianapolis.”

“Well, we ain’t Indianapolis, but we got some things they don’t.” Darrell went to the controls for
the roll-up garage door and raised it. With an electric buzz, the door began to ascend.
“So, Connelly, ready to do some honest work?”

“Absolutely.”

 

Shane’s first week went by swimmingly, with no hiccups whatsoever. It went the same way for
Jenna and Lainie, the former actually singing the praises of her high school and touting that she had
already made two new friends. Shane and Darrell worked out an agreement regarding his little sister:
Monday to Friday, he would take one hour to pick her up and drop her off at home before coming back to
close out the day.

The first week went without a hitch, and Shane got to Saturday night, having worked tirelessly
every day. They were performing a last-minute tune-up on a couple of Victory motorcycles for a couple of
clients who had come to pick them up.

“These look good,” Darrell complimented. “You’ve got a good hand at this, Shane.”

“Thanks, Darrell. I do try.”

“I think this’ll be a fine finish to this week, don’t you?”

“Damn straight,” Shane agreed. “But, uh…how does one cap off a hard work week?”

“Well, if you’re anything like me, it would be a cool drink and relaxing. But if you’re anything like
I was when I was younger, you’d go looking for a decent watering hole.”

“Any suggestions?”

“There’s only one real bar in Nappanee,” one of the bikers said. “They close at midnight, though.
You wanna have some real late-night fun, you gotta hit the joints in Bremen. Couple ‘o them don’t close
until 3:00.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shane said.

They finished up the tune-up and got the bikers back on their way. Once it was done, Shane,
Darrell and the rest of the employees closed up the shop and called it a night. They all said good night and
went their separate ways. Shane mounted his bike and rode back home for dinner with his family.
It was a very Midwestern dinner—good, old-fashioned T-bone steaks about two inches thick,
garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed broccoli and creamed corn. The three of them talked about their day,
which in this case consisted more of Jenna and Lainie asking how Shane was liking his work at the
motorcycle shop, which he told them that he was. He wasn’t lying; it was good work and Darrell was
treating him great.

“I’m gonna go out tonight, Mom,” Shane said. “Need to have a little fun.”

“You sure?” Lainie asked.

“Yeah, Mom, I gotta see what else is around here. Couple of bikers that got their hogs tuned up
told me about this place in Bremen.”

“A place?”

Shane shrugged. “A bar.”

“Shane…”

“I can’t avoid every bar in the world for the rest of my life, Mom. I can’t live in fear. I have to try
and get to some semblance of normal.”

“I know, but…I just think about what happened and where it happened and why it happened,
and…I don’t know if I can go through that again.”

“You won’t,” Shane said. “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make sure I don’t end up in that kind
of situation again. But I can’t live my life shut in my room. I gotta go out. Live a little.”

Lainie sighed. “Okay. I need you to be back by 1:00 a.m., okay? Not a minute later.”

“You got it, Mom.”

“And…if you’re gonna bring someone home…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What makes you think I’m bringing someone home with me?”

“Well, I remember that’s how you got your first girlfriend.”

Shane scoffed. “I’m not looking to get wifed up the first week I’m in town. Please. What, I’m
gonna find some…dairy-land princess with big blue eyes and hay-blonde hair and suddenly I’m gonna fall
head-over-heels in love with her? Yeah, right.”

“Okay, okay, okay, but…the fact remains, if you bring someone home, you’re responsible for
taking her back where she came from.”

 

“Catch and release, big brother,” Jenna chimed in.

“No one asked you, squirt,” Shane said.

The three of them laughed.

“But seriously, Shane…” Lainie said, “…just be careful tonight.”

“I will, Mom. I promise.”

The three of them finished dinner and Jenna helped Lainie clean the dishes while Shane went
upstairs to clean up and change clothes. After a ten-minute shower, he came out of his personal bathroom
and put on a fresh ensemble for the evening. He chose a tight black V-neck tee that he tucked into the
front of a pair of navy blue boot-cut jeans with distressed knees, a pair of cognac brown square-toe harness
boots, and a brown leather multi-pocket biker vest. Lastly, he picked up his helmet, a matte black Scorpion
EXO Cover X with an attached bandana-style face mask, also in matte black, and a gold visor that he
detached since he was riding at night.

He headed down to the garage, kissing his mother on the cheek on his way, and he activated the
garage door opener. As the door rolled up, he mounted his bike, a 2016 Indian Scout Sixty. It was painted
a dark blue and was modified with a quick-release fairing and vinyl bag that mounted right behind it and
above the speedometer, a custom black leather saddlebag on the right side, and a rear seat. The wheels
had been replaced with blacked-out five-spokes, and the chrome had been replaced with a gloss-black
finish as well. The headlight was upgraded with a Pathfinder LED straight from the company itself, and
the turn signals were upgraded with Eagle Lights Sunburst LEDs.

Shane mounted the bike, disengaged the kickstand and turned over the engine. He pulled on his
helmet, engaged first gear and pulled out. It was 9:11 p.m. when he left.

For a Saturday night, he didn’t mind being a little raucous. He wanted to have a little bit of fun on
his evening ride, so he made some notable noise when he hit Main Street and rode to Nappanee’s nucleus.
He gave the engine a couple of revs and got some surprised looks from the passersby on the sidewalks of
the town that night. There were couples and families and singles out and about on that warm evening in
early September, and many of them turned their gaze in his direction. He just smiled.

The light turned green, and Shane flipped the turn signal and hooked a right, heading west on
US-6, which was Market Street. The seemingly endless row of houses gave way to a few auto dealerships,
a large sprawl of commercial businesses, and then open two-lane road. He really opened up the taps of the
Indian Scout at that point, breaking out to 50 miles an hour and cutting across the open plains. He raced
past farms and a few more sparsely spread commercial businesses before approaching the smaller town of
Bremen. He came off of US-6 onto Douglas Road, and he approached the eastern outskirts of Bremen
from the north. There was a long, lazy curve and it took him west into the heart of Bremen on its main
east-west thoroughfare called Plymouth Street.

As he rode on the old asphalt rife with filled cracks, he could see a few neon lights ahead, and the
hubbub of congregating revelers on both sides of the street. He gathered that there were two
establishments, just across the street from one another, both of them with their own draw of patrons.
The bikers were right. These places were hopping.

Shane flipped a coin in his head and chose the bar on the right to try first. He came up in front of
the bar he’d chosen and backed up his bike at the end of the row of motorcycles that formed an unofficial
parking line. He gave it a couple of last revs before shutting the bike off and lowering the kickstand. He
took off his helmet and shook out his long black hair before dismounting from the bike, stepping up to the
sidewalk and strolling into the bar called Sadie’s.

The interior of Sadie’s was a bit smaller than he expected, but it still had the elbow room he was
looking for. A little familiar to him, but not fully reminiscent.

There were tables that were all fully-loaded with people, four or five to each one. There were
baskets with burgers and subs and mounds of fries and mugs of draft beer. There were glass bottles of beer
as well on some tables. The bar was long and thick, made of some kind of hard wood, and behind it, there
seemed to be a display of every alcohol known to man, top-shelf and bottom. There were black leather
stools and almost every one of them was occupied, save for a couple, one of which Shane mounted up on

at the far end of the bar, near the corner, shouldered between a guy in a plaid button-down shirt and a
burly biker and his stacked old lady that were draped all over each other. He didn’t feel sandwiched, but
he was well aware that he was between two people.

It didn’t take long for the bartender, an older guy with long dark brown hair in a man-bun and a
white T-shirt and leather vest, to make his way down to Shane and leaned on the bar in front of him.

“You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Is it tattooed on my face?”

“No, you just got the new guy vibe, man. Not a bad thing.”

“Well, sure hope so.”

“So, what can I get you?”

“Budweiser Classic and Old Forester Bourbon, neat.”

“Got you, man,” he said, and he started assembling his drink order. “So, where you from?”

“Just moved into Nappanee this week.”

“So we’re neighbors, then?”

“Suppose so.”

“Well, good to have you.”

He popped the top on a cold bottle of Budweiser and set it and a rocks glass of bourbon in front of
him.

“I’m Charlie Hankerson, and this is my place.”

“Your place? And it’s called Sadie’s?”

“Yeah, I got it from the original owner, my mother Sadie, and I promised her I’d take care of it for
her. Didn’t change a damn thing.”

“I like it,” Shane said. “I’m Shane Connelly.”

“Good to have you, Shane. And just so you know, you’re always welcome here.”

“I appreciate that,” Shane said, picking up his beer and sipping from it. “God…” he chuckled.
“This is the best beer I’ve had all year.”

“Well, I’m damn glad to hear that,” Charlie said with a little laugh. “Let me know if you need
anything else.”

“Thanks.”

Charlie moved on down the bar and Shane began nursing his beer, surveying the bar and getting
a feel for the patrons that were in attendance that night.

It was a mix of people, different cultures and backgrounds. There were definitely a large number
of bikers inside, which attested to the number of bikes that Shane had seen when he had posted up. They
took up several tables with their groups. The other half of the patrons of Sadie’s were in street
clothes—most likely locals or people coming from neighboring towns, of which there were few. But it
seemed that no matter where they came from, no matter their backgrounds, they were all getting along.
He saw some bikers conversing with locals in the din of the bar. It had a sense of community that he was
very much appreciating.

If things went well, he would definitely make this place a frequent watering hole for his year of
residence in Nappanee.

As he worked through his first beer, he got to talking with the burly biker and his old lady, finding
out that they had come back from an extended vacation in South Dakota, which included a week at the
Sturgis Bike Rally. They were on their way back to Decatur, Indiana via Chicago, but they decided to rest
their heads in Bremen for the night. They seemed like good people, not the rabblerousers that sometimes
attended those rallies.

Shane had wanted to go to Sturgis and Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach, Florida, but he wanted to
get adjusted to regular life again before he made such a big move. The biker and his old lady told him
what he would be in for if he went.

Eventually, the two of them took their leave, and Shane subsequently finished his first beer. He
was only about halfway through his bourbon when he asked for another Budweiser from Charlie, who

obliged instantly and set it in front of him. He took a sip from his glass of bourbon, chased it with a slug of
beer, swung his body to the right…

…and saw someone new.

He didn’t know how he had missed her, but she was on his radar now.

She was a wheaten blonde with natural peaches-and-cream skin in a black skater minidress with a
five-button front and teeny spaghetti straps. Her hair was long and full and wavy, parted to the left and
styled in tousled waves. She had a Stella Artois in her hand and was sipping it slowly, sweeping her eyes
back and forth subtly, almost like she was looking for someone, but not looking too hard because she was
having too good of a time.

And then her eyes landed on him.

There was no denying it. They saw one another. Locked eyes for a solid three seconds.
And then she smiled. It wasn’t a big smile. But it was one of those cute, faux innocent smiles, the
kind that could seem like she was just being nice, not looking to get in any trouble, but at the same time,
she knew exactly what she was doing.

But damn if it wasn’t cute.

Shane couldn’t help but smile back, and she must’ve seen something that she liked, because she
came off her stool, rounded the corner of the bar and posted up on the now-empty one next to him.
They didn’t speak right away, instead opting to size up one another for a good 30 seconds—at
least, that’s what Shane thought, since he saw her keep her eyes on him for that long before giving him a
head-to-toe sweep and smiling a little wider. All the while, he got a better look at her.

She had a squarish face of the aforementioned peaches-and-cream skin, with a pair of blue eyes
that were sharp and mesmerizing, a steely robin’s-egg blue set between flashy upper and lower black
mascara and some thin, sharp black winged eyeliner. Her nose was narrow-bridged and normal length,
leading to a pair of full lips that were naturally pink—no lipstick or lip gloss necessary.

The dress revealed a pair of slender shoulders and a slim frame with an ample medium bosom.
The bottom of the dress gave way to a pair of long, svelte legs with muscular thighs and dainty feet in a
pair of black stiletto heels. Her nails on the ends of her fingers—gripped around a little black purse of
patent leather—weren’t painted, but they were well-maintained nonetheless.

“Hi there,” she said, loud enough to be heard over the din of the bar.

“Hi yourself,” Shane said. “I’m glad you came my way.”

“I’m glad you looked my way,” she replied. “Are you new here?”

“It must be tattooed on my forehead. Yeah, I’m new here. Just moved into town this week. How
did you know?”

“I’ve been coming here for about a year now. I know a bunch of the regulars here, and…well, I’d
remember if I’d seen your face before.”

“Well, thanks for the compliment,” Shane said, the corner of his mouth upturned in a crooked
smile. His eyes drifted to her beer bottle. “Could you use another?”

“I could,” she said. “Interested in helping a girl out?”

“My pleasure,” Shane said and he flagged down Charlie. “Another Stella for her, and one more
Bud for me.”

Charlie thumped the bar and went a little ways to rummage around for the beers they asked for.
He got the caps off and set them in front of the two of them. They instantly picked them up.

“I’m Shane,” he introduced.

“I’m Hannah,” she said.

They knocked their bottles together and drank.

“So, Shane, you’re new to Bremen?”

“Actually, I’m new to Nappanee,” Shane said. “My mother and sister and I moved into Nappanee
Friday before last.”

“Are you liking Nappanee?”

“So far, yeah. I like the small-town feel. Not too small, but just enough.”

 

“So, you go to school in Nappanee?”

“No, I’m actually 22. I’m out of college. I’m working at a motorcycle shop. Mechanic.”
“Really? A mechanic? What does that entail?”

“Tune-ups, fluid changes, rebuilt some transmissions, rebuilt some engines, electrical
maintenance, suspension rebuilds, aftermarket upgrades, some fabrication.”

“Fabrication?”

“Welding.”

“Ah, I see! And you like it?”

“I love it, honestly. I’d love to open my own shop one day.”

“Might be a hard place to set up shop, Shane.”

“Well, I’m only going to be in Nappanee for a year. My mom’s got a job at the museum in Fort
Wayne, but it’s a temporary assignment. She’s filling in for some old guy that just retired, and they gave
her a bump in pay. After a year, we’re going back to Indianapolis.”

“But you’ll be in Nappanee for a year?”

“That’s the plan, yes,” Shane said.

“Good. I like you. I’d hate to lose you after just one night.”

“Lose me?”

“Well…call me emotional and sentimental, but I already kinda like you a bit.”
Shane chuckled.

“What?”

“Nothing, just…it’s been a while since a woman liked me.”

“Why’s that?”

“I haven’t been around a lot of women until recently.”

“And why is that?”

“Uh…that’s a longer story.”

“I understand.”

“What about you? You from here?”

“No, I’m from Nappanee too.”

“Ah, I see. Just came out to get into a little mischief?”

“Well, I don’t know. The night’s young, I think.”

“Not that young,” Shane replied, his smile growing a tad.

Hannah noticed and smiled in reply, sipping her beer. “So, Shane, if you fix motorcycles, do you
ride one?”

“I do,” Shane said with a nod. “I have one out front.”

“How much fun is it to ride?”

“It would be even more fun if I had a bigger gas tank, but for what I can do, it’s great.”

“And what can you do?”

“I can probably get about 100 miles before having to fill up again.”

“So you could get as far as South Bend?”

“And back, presumably. Why, you got friends there?”

“No, no friends there. But I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like. I’ve been stuck in Nappanee all
my life, and I’ve never gotten very far. I’ve wanted to see more, but…my family…they don’t make it easy.”

“I get it,” Shane acknowledged, finishing his bourbon. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get out there one
day.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

Shane shrugged. “Optimism is something that’s not in short supply for me anymore. I can
actually afford to give it out now.”

Hannah laughed. “That’s good to hear. I like an optimistic man.”

“So, forgive me for saying this, but…you seem a bit young. How old are you, exactly?”

“I’m 21.”

 

“Are you really?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Honestly…it’s shocking to me that you are.”

“Here, let me show you.”

She opened her purse and produced an Indiana photo ID that indicated she had been born on
October 17, 1999. The picture next to the info was definitely her, and her name matched the ID: Hannah
Leigh Coulter.

“Wow. I stand corrected,” Shane said.

“I know, it’s my youthful looks.”

Shane laughed. “It’s definitely that.”

Hannah smiled playfully as she sipped her beer.

“So, what does one do in Nappanee, Hannah?”

“Not much, I’m sorry to say,” Hannah said, playfully apologetic. “There’s the Amish Acres, and
unfortunately you just missed the annual arts and crafts festival.”

“Can’t say I’m sorry I missed that.”

Hannah laughed. “Then there’s the Nappanee Apple Festival. That’s coming up in a couple of
weeks, actually. That can be fun.”

“Not filling me with a lot of confidence here.”

“Well, I imagine that there are some things that you can do in town to keep yourself occupied.”

“Got any ideas?”

“Well, there’s a movie theater, so that’s a start.”

Shane snorted. “Can’t go wrong with a good movie, I guess. Long as you’re seeing it with the right
person.”

“So, Shane…were you courting someone back home in Indianapolis?”

“I was, but…she left me.”

“Oh…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Shane dismissed, drinking from his beer. “Life goes on, right?”

“I suppose so. But…aren’t you lonely?”

“I…I am alone, but I’m not lonely. And after all…how could I be lonely when I have such
wonderful company?”

Hannah smiled. “It’s a mutual feeling,” she replied.

He didn’t say anything, just opting to set his warm, meaningful gaze on her, and she returned it.
“You’re not saying anything,” she said in playful sheepishness, biting her index finger.

“You are so beautiful.”

Hannah giggled, looking down. “Thank you,” she said. “So are you, Shane.”

“Ah, I’m…just some rough-and-tumble guy from Indianapolis.”

“Well…I like my men a little rough.”

She eased her hand across the little space between them and laid her palm on his knee. She
brushed her fingers up from his knee to his thigh and back down.

“How rough are you?” she asked him in a sultry purr, a brow raised.

Shane chuckled. “Well…I…I can be a little rough,” he admitted.

He reached out and brushed away an errant strand of hair, and then he ran two fingertips down
her cheek. It was like touching soft silk.

“But I also take care of delicate things. Beautiful things.”

The two of them smiled, his a little crooked and knowing, hers impish and inviting.
“Charlie?” Shane said. “Ring up my tab for me?”

The back door opened and Shane and Hannah stepped out into the night air. They both took in a
deep breath and sighed contently.

“Thanks for getting my drink,” Hannah said.

 

“Not a problem,” Shane said. “Thanks for making me feel welcome.”

“Not a problem,” Hannah replied with a smile.

He drew her closer to him, pulling her hand gently, and the spikes of her stilettos clicked as she
strutted closer until she was right in front of him, looking up into his eyes with a mischievous grin on her
natural pink lips. She took hold of his shirt and tugged on it, pulling him down as she rose on her tiptoes,
and the two of them met in the middle in a soft kiss.

Her lips were cool and awash with the taste of her beer, and her wheaten blonde hair was as
shockingly soft and smooth as her skin. He heard the anticipatory breath she took in, and he felt the
excited trembling behind her lips as they opened and she introduced her tongue to his, brushing them
together, gently swirling it around. Her tongue was as cool as her lips, and it sparked a fire in his chest that
had been unfamiliar until the moment when it reignited, like the first coals on a hearth. It built and built
in him until it flared, and the two whirled around and Shane gently pushed Hannah up against the wall.
She hitched her leg around his waist and drew him up against her body. He leaned into her and kissed her
again with a deep, bubbling fervor, and she felt him bulging up against her. Straining against his jeans. So
she put him out of his misery and unbuckled his belt first. Popped the button on his waist and unzipped
the fly. She reached into his jeans and took hold of him. He was already semi-stiff, but it didn’t take long,
the touch of her hand alone bringing him fully erect.

“Mmm!” Hannah warbled approvingly. “Someone’s happy to see me.”

“Let’s just say that it’s been a while,” Shane said in a low voice.

“Well, we should take care of that, shouldn’t we?”

She moved in and kissed him hungrily as he sent his hands gliding up her smooth thighs, raising
her dress along the way, until he felt a flash of lace and grabbed onto her hips for a moment, drawing a
gasp and a moan of effervescent surprise from her. He slid her panties off her thighs and got a little look at
them—black lace trim and silky smooth leopard print.

“Very nice,” Shane complimented.

“A friend bought 'em for me.”

“Good friend,” Shane said as he pocketed the panties.

Hannah swooped in and kissed him hard as she grabbed hold of him and stroked him a few times
as she pulled him up against her. She locked her leg around his waist again and guided him inside her. She
screwed her eyes shut and bit her lip to fight against the moan she wanted to let fly into the night sky. She
unbuttoned the five buttons on her dress and slipped one strap off of one shoulder. Shane cupped her
exposed breast in his hand as he began, thrusting into her, up against the wall. She grabbed hold of the
nape of his neck and tugged on a fistful of hair. She leaned in and laid a deep bite on his neck, leaving a
deep red mark on his skin. Shane hooked his hand under her ass, big, round and firm like a peach, and
squeezed hard, slapped it once, twice, drawing sharp moans out of her.

All the while, she kept her eyes pinned on him, to the point where it seemed like she wasn’t
blinking because she didn’t want to miss a moment of it. Admittedly, Shane didn’t want to either. All of the
old sensations came flooding back into him, like old times, but it had been so long that he didn’t want a
second to elapse with his eyes closed.

But he took his eyes off her for a split second to bite her nipple, and this time she let out a loud
moan and quickly covered her mouth and laughed, slapping his shoulder. “Damn you,” she whispered in
between giggles.

“Can’t help myself,” Shane said, kissing her neck, her jaw, and then French-kissing her wildly,
their tongues mingling.

He rifled through her hair, disheveling her waves just a little, tousling them up, but somehow
making her even sexier. His fingers trailed down the side of her face, Hannah licking the tip of his index
on the way, down her neck, gliding over her suprasternal notch, back to her breast, and he squeezed it
again. It was full, soft, warm, jiggling with every collision between the two.

“Shane…I’m gonna…I’m gonna…oh, God…”

 

Shane got the hint and didn’t let up, instead turning up the pace a little, driving into her, making
her gasp and pant and whimper until she grabbed onto his biceps and punched her nails into his skin as
she climaxed. He felt her pulsing, contracting tightly, sharply around him, and he almost came inside her
right then and there.

“Oh, wow…” Hannah moaned. “You are really something.”

“So are you,” Shane replied.

“I want you in my mouth. I want to take you in my mouth. Please?”

“Are you sure?”

Hannah leaned in and kissed him deeply. “Oh, yes,” she warbled.

Shane pulled out and Hannah dropped to her knees with a naughty smile adorning her lips. She
took hold of it with both hands and licked the head of it with the tip of her tongue before taking him all
the way in her mouth. Shane groaned and leaned against the wall, bracing himself up with one hand,
caressing her cheek with the other, letting her do all the work, returning the favor.

His breath caught in his throat as she consumed him, feeling her lips and tongue bobbing back
and forth relentlessly, drawing a low growl out of him. The fire in his lungs built and built and he let out a
low moan, seconds before he climaxed with an angry grunt, his body flexing every muscle. Hannah didn’t
flinch for a second, sealing her lips around his member as he pumped into her mouth. She swallowed in
three big gulps without missing a beat, the throaty noise shockingly loud in the quiet lot. He let out a
shuddering breath as she swirled her tongue around his member and fellated him slowly a few times more
before finally releasing him and doing him up again. She buckled his belt for him, rose up and kissed him
hard on the mouth.

“Wow…” Shane murmured.

“Right back at you,” Hannah said with an impish giggle. “Hey…I don’t want to impose on you,
but…do you think I could get a ride back to my place?”

“Sure, where do you live?”

“I’m on County Road 3, about half a mile south of a little town called Locke. It’s a stone’s throw
from Nappanee, so you won’t be going too far out of your way.”

“Well, you’ll have to direct me, since I’m new here.”

“Sure. Let me just tell my friends I’m leaving.”

She did up her dress and took a phone with a pink case out of her purse and unlocked it. Shane
could see that it was a phone that was a couple of generations older than current, but still functional,
which at the end of the day was all that mattered. She sent a text, using her index finger in a hunt-and-
peck technique, and then she put it away again.

“All right! Let’s go!”

 

They rounded the building and found Shane’s Indian Scout. He opened the saddlebag and took
out a second helmet, this one a half-helmet with a chin strap, and handed it to Hannah, who fastened it
with no problem. Shane mounted the bike first, taking off the face mask and storing it, and then Hannah
did the same.

“Now, hold on tight,” Shane instructed. “I don’t want you falling off.”

“I won’t,” Hannah promised, looping her arms around his chest and locking them tight. She
bunched up as close as she could to him as Shane disengaged the kickstand and fired the engine. He gave
the engine a couple of revs before peeling out from the impromptu parking space. As they came out to the
street, Hannah waved at a trio of girls coming out of the other bar across the street.

“Your friends?” Shane asked.

“Yes!” Hannah said.

“Can’t imagine what they’re thinking!”

Hannah just laughed.

They rode east out of Bremen to Douglas Road and connected to US-6, but then they veered off
of it a couple of miles out of town, going onto the Plymouth Goshen Trail at Hannah’s direction. Once
they were on it, Shane opened up the taps and the bike easily hit 60 miles an hour. They took a short burst

to County Road 150 and hooked east, and then north on 100, then east on 50 in another high-speed burst
until they came up to County Road 3. They turned south and Shane slowed the bike down when Hannah
pointed out her place. He came to a stop at the end of a dirt drive that led to a farm complex, with a two-
story house about 500 feet away. He could see the silhouettes of some looming buildings behind it, but he
couldn’t make out what they were.

“This is where you live?” he said.

“Yup!” Hannah said as she dismounted the bike and stored her helmet for him. “Thank you so
much.”

“Anytime,” Shane said, taking off his helmet for a moment. “Hey, uh…you want my number?”
“Sure!”

Shane relayed her number to Hannah, who texted him her name, and he added the contact to his
phone’s memory.

“Well, thank you again for the ride,” Hannah said. “It was really quite exhilarating!”

“Well, thank you for…everything,” Shane said with a little laugh. “I really needed that.”

Hannah smiled, stepped in close, lifted his chin and kissed him soundly, wetly, making a lasting
impression on him. They necked at the mouth of the gravel drive for a good thirty seconds before finally
breaking away.

“You can take this road all the way to U.S. 6, and then you make a left,” Hannah instructed. “It’ll
take you back into town.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you,” she countered. She gave him one last peck on the lips. “Good night, Shane!”
She turned and sprinted up the drive, not stumbling once. Shane watched her until she was out of
sight, and then he pulled on his helmet, revved the engine a couple of times and pulled away rapidly.
He raced down to U.S. 6 and hung a left, and it took him into town. From there, it was all
memory navigating him back to his house on Centennial Street. He backed the bike into the garage and
shut the door remotely. He killed the engine just as the door closed and lowered the kickstand.
Dismounted the bike and stepped into the house as he took off his helmet.

“You’re home sooner than I thought!” Lainie said.

“Didn’t want to overdo it my first week in town,” Shane explained succinctly. “And I found what I
was looking for. A good time, and no trouble.”

“That’s good to hear. You had fun, then?”

“Oh…” Shane chuckled. “Yeah, I had fun. “I had some good fun.”

“Well, I hope you’re not too worn out, because we’re going out to a farmer’s market tomorrow.”
“A farmer’s market?”

“I found out from some of the locals in town that there’s an Amish farmer’s market in town at
Coppes Commons. It’s running from 12:00 to 4:00, and most of the Amish families come from all around
Nappanee to sell their goods. Should be a good time.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shane said. “Maybe there’ll be some good produce to buy.”

“Here’s hoping.”

“Well, I’m gonna turn in for the night, Mom. I’ll get up early so we can all go.”

“Thanks, son. And thanks for not being late.”

“Not gonna take your generosity for granted, Mom,” Shane said as he headed for the stairs.
He climbed them to the top and went left to his room. He closed and locked the door and began
to disrobe, hanging up his vest and tossing his shirt in the clothes hamper. As he started taking off his
jeans, he felt something soft in his pocket and then fished around and found the source.
“Oh, shit,” Shane said, snickering.

He still had her underwear. She’d ridden all the way back to her place bareback, essentially. And
she didn’t mention it?

Maybe she just forgot. Or she didn’t care.

Either way…

 

He got a whiff of fresh fragrance wafting into his nostrils. Smelled like fresh soap and roses.
He softly laughed to himself as he pocketed the panties and draped his jeans over a chair before
switching for sweatpants and crawling into bed.

As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, his mind drifted to his night, replaying all the events in his
mind, and then he was stuck on Hannah, the image of her eyes and her smile and her long hair slowly
etching into his memory as he carted himself off into slumber.

On Sunday morning, Lainie and Shane got up early to make breakfast together, a mother-son
team that came up with a cheese omelette, bacon, sausage, and canned cinnamon rolls. He brewed coffee
for the morning, and then he rousted Jenna out of bed and got her to come down.

“So, how was your night out?” Lainie asked Shane. “I didn’t get any real details from you.”

“Oh, it was great,” Shane replied. “Just nice to get on my bike and ride again. That was what I
missed the most, you know? Riding my bike, driving my Mustang. Felt so…familiar again. Felt like I never
left.”

“Good,” Jenna said, rubbing Shane’s shoulder. “It was hard, seeing your bike and your car just
sitting there, and your project.”

“It was harder being away from both of you.”

Jenna took his hand and held it. “Promise me you won’t do something stupid like that ever again.”
“You got my promise, sis,” Shane said.

“So, where’d you go in Bremen?” Lainie asked.

“This spot on their main drag called Sadie’s. It was hoppin'; for sure. Looked like all kinds of
people went there for a drink. The guy who owned it, nice fella.”

“Wait, a guy owns a bar called Sadie’s?”

“Sadie was his mother. He inherited it.”

“Oh, well, that’s nice. So, that’s all you did? Went out, had a drink, came home?”

“Talked to some people. Nothing substantial.”

“Well, you don’t want to overdo it your first night out in so long.”

“Exactly. And after last night, I could use a nice, relaxing Sunday.”

“Hopefully, that’s what we get.”

After breakfast, the three of them got dressed and headed out from the house in Lainie’s Dodge
Durango. They drove down to Market Street and went east towards Coppes Commons, and then they saw
a police officer standing next to a sign on the sidewalk that read, “Farmer’s Market Parking.” The officer
directed them to park anywhere in the lot of the Methodist church, adjacent to the mall. Lainie found a
spot and parked, and the three of them stepped down and walked to the Coppes Commons parking lot,
passing the mall’s building on the south side, walking along the sidewalk next to Lincoln Street, which was
closed off. Parked on Lincoln Street was a line of horses and buggies with attached wagons, all of them
attended by one man or woman from the Amish community in their standard garb, all of them genially
bidding the Connellys good afternoon as they passed. The Connellys were equally genial, smiling and
waving and saying hello as they reached the market that had been erected in the parking lot.

There were rows of erected tents that looked a little too modern for the older, simpler lifestyles of
the Amish, so perhaps they had been donated by the locals. There were numerous families, one for each
booth, all of them in some configuration of parent and children—some with one parent, some with two,
some with one child, some with two, some with four, and some with more. They were all in the standard
Amish garb: solid-color shirts, black suits, and broad-brimmed hats for the men, calf-length dresses in
muted blues and grays and blacks and black or white bonnets for the women.

Each booth had a lot to offer. There were similarities among some booths, though they were
spread out and not in blocks, and all of them had different names—Bauer, Peters, Holmhauer, Keller,
Zimmer, and the like.

They didn’t know where to start, so they just chose at random, browsing through the rows of
booths, occasionally picking up something that looked appealing to one of them. Shane stopped at one of

 

the booths, Zimmer Fruit Farms, and purchased a large jar of strawberry jam. Jenna bought a couple of
loaves of homemade bread from another booth, the Bauer Family Farm. Lainie, however, was a little more
reserved, waiting until she had seen the majority of the booths at the market.

They got to some of the last booths there, and they found one that was a bit more sprawling, since
it was manned by a large number of people in a wide range of age. The name of the booth was Holtz
Family Farming, and they were far more expansive in what they sold than most of the other booths at the
market. Among the items that the Holtz family offered, they sold potato salad, which excited Shane the
most.

“Oh, man, I can’t remember the last time I had good potato salad,” Shane admitted.

“Well, I certainly hope that it meets your standards,” the eldest male at the booth said.

He looked as if he was approaching 60 years old, dressed in standard Amish attire—black shirt,
black suit, simple black boots and a black, broad-brimmed hat. He was a tall man, maybe just half an inch
off of Shane’s six-foot-zero height, with blond hair that was fading to silver and an accompanying well-
trimmed short beard that was doing the same. He had a square face that was well-weathered by time and
hard work and hours under the sun, a nose with a pronounced but narrow bridge, and a thick-lipped
mouth. He stood tall, his hands clasped in front, right over left, the stature of a proud Christian man who
made his way through the world with the determination that his faith offered.

“Thankfully,” Shane said, “my standards aren’t too high.”

The man laughed softly. “Would you like to try a sample?”

“Yes, please,” Shane said politely.

“Obadiah, a sample for our visitor.”

“Yes, Pa,” one of the older boys replied crisply, and he knelt down and opened a portable cooler.
He couldn’t have been much older than seventeen, but he looked like he could’ve played inside linebacker
for the Indianapolis Colts.

He retrieved a large container of potato salad and scooped out a golf ball-sized scoop of potato
salad and put it in a small plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. Shane instantly tried it in front of them and
was bowled over.

“This is incredible!” he gushed. “I mean…not for nothing, but this is the best potato salad I’ve
ever had.”

“Can we interest you in some to take home for yourself?” Obadiah asked.

“Yes, definitely,” Shane answered. “I’ll take a pound of it.”

“If you’d like, we could hold onto it for you until you’re ready to leave.”

“I would appreciate it very much, thank you. How much?”

“It’s five dollars,” Obadiah’s father said.

“Sounds fair to me,” Shane said, taking a fiver from his wallet and handing it to him.
“Are you new in town?”

Shane was almost tired of hearing that question, much less answering it.

“Yes, I am,” Shane replied. “I’m Shane Connelly, and this is my mother Lainie and my sister
Jenna. And you are, sir?”

“I’m Isaac Holtz,” he introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Shane said, and the two shook hands. “So, you run a farm?”
“Yes, we’re one of the larger farms here in Elkhart County. We distribute and trade with other
families in our community, both in and out of Nappanee. Though my wife handles more of the financial
side of our work.”

“Sounds good to me, since I never had much of a head for math, either.”

The two of them laughed.

“Esther, come meet some newcomers to town.”

An older woman in a dark blue dress with a white bonnet came to Isaac’s side with a bright smile.
“Shane, this is my wife Esther,” Isaac introduced. “Esther, this is Shane Connelly, his mother
Lainie, and his younger sister Jenna. The Connellys have just moved into town.”

 

“Hello,” Esther said with a soft voice that was sweet like honey. “It’s so nice to meet all of you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you as well,” Lainie said. “Your dress is beautiful.”

“Why, thank you. I made it myself.”

“Oh, it’s fantastic.”

“Do you sew?”

“I do, yes,” Lainie said. “It’s been a while, but I haven’t forgotten how to do it.”

“So, are these all your children?” Jenna queried.

“Yes, all nine of our children are here today, though our second-youngest son Jeremiah is minding
the horses at the street.”

“You’ve already met Obadiah,” Isaac said, “and this is our second-oldest son Jonah, and our
youngest son John. And our daughters here, the youngest Rachel, then Joanna, Dinah, Abigail, and our
eldest Shoshannah. Children, say hello to the Connellys.”

“Hello!” all eight present children said in chorus.

“Hello, all,” Shane said with a smile, looking down the line.

“Welcome to Nappanee,” the eldest daughter Shoshannah said.

“Thanks, it’s good to be—”

He stopped in his tracks, choked on his words.

He saw the woman beneath the black bonnet, garbed in the ankle-length black dress that covered
every inch of her skin, and he recognized the hair tied in a neat bun with a few loose strands, the kind
smile that was much more mischievous last night.

He recognized the blue eyes that had been looking up at him that night.

Holy shit, Shane’s mind murmured, wild with alarm. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, shit, shit, shit,
shit, shit, shit, shit…!

“Uh, thank you, it’s good to be here in Nappanee,” Shane said, recovering as quickly as he could
and pasting on a bright smile. “So, you…you all help out on your farm?”

“Oh, yes, we all do,” Jonah Holtz said. “We all have our roles to play on the farm. I help harvest
the potatoes that make the potato salad that you enjoy so much.”

“And I harvest the fruit that makes our pies with my brother Jeremiah,” Abigail added.

Jenna’s eyes opened wide with a gasp. “You have pie?”

“Oh, yes, we have many,” Esther said. “Come, have a look.”

“I think I’m gonna make another sweep of the market,” Shane said. “But I’ll be back for that
potato salad.”

“Take your time,” Isaac Holtz said. “We’ll be here all day.”

Shane broke off from his family and started down the row, but he wasn’t looking at the other
vendors. He was simply trying to calm his racing mind. A myriad of thoughts was running through it, and
he couldn’t process them with any semblance of coherence. He felt like he’d had some practical joke
played on him, except it damn sure wasn’t funny.

He made a slow circuit around the market before stopping at another booth, Peters Butcheries,
and he perused the wide range of meats that they were offering. He ultimately decided that he wanted a
pound of their turkey breast and a couple of pounds of bacon to go with the bread that Jenna had brought
and the potato salad that he had purchased. They had already gone shopping earlier that week, and they
had all the other fixtures that were necessary for a good sandwich in the middle of the afternoon.
“You’re going to like their turkey.”

The sound of her voice made him flinch.

He looked to his left and found Hannah, or Shoshannah, as she was truly known, standing next to
him, smiling up at him. He suppressed the scowl that he wanted to flash her way, instead opting to say
nothing, to hold his tongue. It would be odd to see someone chewing out an Amish girl inexplicably.
“I can imagine what you’re thinking,” Shoshannah said softly.

“No, you really can’t imagine what I’m thinking,” Shane replied as he paid $18 for the turkey and
the bacon. “You really can’t.”

 

“You must feel like you’ve been had.”

“That’s one way to phrase it,” Shane said as they moved away from the booth. “What in
the…what were you doing there?”

“I was out having a good time, same as you,” Shoshannah answered.

“But doesn’t your father—? Never mind, that’s a stupid question. Of course, your father doesn’t
know.”

Shoshannah shrugged. “No, he doesn’t know.”

“How were you out there so far away from home?”

“I’ve made friends with some of the local girls that live in Nappanee. Their families come to the
booth regularly to buy from us, and one weekend, the girls, uh…how do you say it?”

“Surreptitiously?”

“Yes, surreptitiously, they asked me if I wanted to come out with them one night. I thought that
they were having a little fun with me, but after they asked me a couple more times, I went out one night.
They gave me a new dress, new makeup…and some new underwear. Speaking of which…do you…?”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Yes, I have them.”

“Do you have them with you?”

“No, because I didn’t think that I was going to see you, much less in a bonnet!” Shane countered
in a low, hissing whisper. “How long have you been doing this?”

“A few months.”

“Wait a minute…how old are you?”

“Shane…”

“How old are you?” Shane asked with a firmer edge to his voice.

Shoshannah sighed deeply. “I’m eighteen.”

“Oh, my God…” Shane murmured. “Oh, my God. Oh, Jesus…”

“What? My I.D. makes me look like I’m twenty-one, and the age of consent in the state of Indiana
is sixteen. It’s barely a crime, and even if you got caught, it’s not a big deal.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. It is a big deal for me.”

“So you bought an underage girl a couple of beers. So what?”

“I just got out of prison, that’s so what!” Shane snapped in another sharp hissing whisper.
Shoshannah stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded.

Shane sighed, ran his fingers through his hair. “I just got out of prison seven weeks ago,” he
explained, “and I’m on probation. If I screw up, I could be sent back. And I don’t want to go back, do you
understand me? I will not go back, not for anyone.”

Shoshannah sighed deeply. “I understand. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Yeah…you didn’t know.”

“Shane, I want you to know that…” she swallowed. “…you’re only the third man that I’ve done
that with. But you’re the first man that I’ve done it with that lives in town.”

“So why?” Shane asked. “Why do this with me if you knew that you would run the risk of seeing
me?”

“Because…” Shoshannah sighed again. “…because I like you. There’s something about you that I
like a lot more than any other man I’ve talked to.”

Shane swallowed.

“I’d like to see you again. At night. Sometime soon.”

Shane said nothing.

“We won’t go out drinking, all right? We can go and…get something to eat, maybe. Get to know
each other.”

Shane scoffed. “Now you want to get to know me?”

“Yes. I do.”

Shane swallowed. “This is a bad idea.”

“Maybe. But let’s be honest. I don’t feel badly about what I did after we left the bar. Do you?”

 

Shane screwed up his face, his hand on his hip as he let out a frustrated huff. His brow knitted in a
deep furrow as he thought about his answer, and he finally gave it.

“No,” Shane revealed. “I don’t feel badly about what happened after we stepped outside.
Knowing what I know now, I still liked it a lot. But…from here out, you can’t lie to me anymore, okay?”
“I won’t lie to you. I promise.”

Shane looked around as they started to round the southern end of the market.

“Turn your phone on at 8:00 every night this week,” Shane said, “until you hear from me.
Voicemail, text, something. I’ll let you know. All right?”

“All right.”

They returned to the Holtz family’s booth and found a commotion. Isaac and Esther seemed to
be locked in a conversation of raised voices with a couple of individuals, a man and a woman in leather
vests and jeans and tattoos. Bikers. No question there.

As they got closer, they could hear the conversation.

“You tellin' me that you’re not responsible after I purchased your stuff?” the male was saying.
“We did remind you,” Esther said, “that you need to keep the potato salad cold once you
purchase it. We don’t use any preservatives, so it has to be refrigerated quickly.”

“You gotta be kiddin' me!” the woman was saying.

“If you like, you can purchase another one,” Isaac offered. “And we can lower the price just for
this one instance.”

“Fuck that!” the male biker said. “We want our money back!”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that unless what you received was already spoiled,” Isaac said
apologetically. “From what you’ve told us, it went bad from being out in the open air for so long. So…the
judgment more falls on you than on me.”

“You think you’re just gonna fleece me?” the biker said, taking a threatening step forward. “You
think you’re just gonna take my money and get away with it?”

“Hey, hey, let’s take it down a notch,” Shane said cordially, stepping between Isaac and the biker.
“No need to get out of joint on this one, my man.”

“Outta my way, kid,” the biker said angrily.

“Come on, man, let’s not take this somewhere it doesn’t need to go,” Shane offered. “How about
this? I’ll get you something you want, on me, and everything is cool. You’re not out any more money.”
The biker grabbed Shane by the shirt.

“Get out of my way, you little snot-nosed shit,” the biker snarled, “or I’m gonna kick your skinny
ass up and down the parking lot.”

A spark of rage flickered in Shane’s eyes. His jaw suddenly set, his hands closed to fists and he
clenched his teeth. But he took in a calming breath.

“Do yourself a favor,” Shane said in a low voice. “Don’t give me a reason.”

“What did you say?”

“All right, that’s enough,” Chief Cohen said as he inserted himself into the situation. “Let the boy
go or you’re going to spend the night in a holding cell.”

With a sharp grunt, the biker shoved Shane back a step or two and stormed off, with his woman
following him. Shane smoothed out his shirt and rolled his shoulders.

“You all right, son?” Cohen asked him.

“Fine,” Shane said. “Who was that idiot?”

“One of the locals. Some bikers that live on the outskirts of Nappanee. Not part of any big biker
gang, just…a bunch of old dudes who never grew up, so their main pastime is getting drunk and raising
hell at the watering holes in and around town.”

“Lovely,” Shane said.

“Is everything all right, Isaac?” Cohen asked.

“Yes, we are fine, Chief Cohen,” Isaac said. “Thank you. And thank you, Mr. Connelly, for
intervening.”

 

“Shane, what happened?” Lainie said as she and Jenna came up. “What was that about?”
“Nothing to worry about, ma’am,” Cohen said. “Just a misunderstanding.”

“Like he said,” Shane echoed. “Mom, Jen, this is Chief Nathaniel Cohen. Chief, my mother
Lainie, my sister Jenna.”

“Ms. Connelly,” Cohen said with a tip of his head. “Jenna. Pleasure to meet you both.”
“Likewise, Chief,” Lainie replied.

“I’d stick around and chat, but I need to make sure that the peace is kept. I’m sure that we’ll run
into one another sometime soon.”

“Certainly, Chief.”

Chief Cohen moved on, while the Connellys remained.

“Isaac, are you all right?” Shane asked.

“Yes, we are fine,” Isaac said. “Thank you again for stepping in.”

“Not a problem.”

“Can we offer you anything as thanks?”

“Uh…well, I’m a sucker for cherry pie. But I couldn’t take a whole pie from you.”

“We have a number of cherry pies,” Esther said. “We can gladly give you one.”

“I…I don’t know if we could.”

“Take one!” Jenna urged, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

“All right, all right!” Shane conceded, laughing. “Yes, I will take one cherry pie, please.”

Esther smiled and retrieved one perfectly latticed pie and paired it with the potato salad that he
ordered.

“Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Holtz,” Shane said. “And thank you, Mr. Holtz.”

“Please, call me Isaac.”

Shane chuckled. “Isaac. Obadiah, kids. A pleasure.”

He joined Lainie and Jenna on their departure from the market, with a passing glance for
Shoshannah as they crossed paths on his way out.

She threw him a subtle wink.

Shane winked back.

“Those people are really nice,” Lainie said. “That Holtz family is made up of some wonderful
people.”

“Seriously,” Jenna added, “especially after they just gave us a free pie. You should get in front of
bikers more often.”

“Yeah, no. Not an experience that I’m looking to repeat.”

As the farmer’s market wound down, the Holtz family packed up what few items that they didn’t
sell, which wasn’t many, and then they loaded up their wagons and mounted up in their buggies to begin
the trek home.

“We did really well today, Pa,” Obadiah said. “Mother says we made a very good profit.”
“I certainly hope so,” Isaac said. “We certainly sold a lot today.”

“The Connellys could be a new repeat customer for us. They truly seemed to enjoy what we had
to offer.”

“Yes, they did,” Isaac agreed. “I’m sure that we’ll see them again.”

“I hope so,” Shoshannah said. “That Shane Connelly is a lovely young man.”

“Yes, he is, dear,” Isaac said. “For an English man. But don’t get too attached, Shoshannah. He’s
from the outside world. He’s not a suitable man for you.”

“Yes, Papa,” Shoshannah said.

Two nights later, after Shoshannah finished dinner with her family and went upstairs to her
bedroom for her evening prayers, she checked her phone, since it was past 8:00 p.m. She powered it up
and waited a couple of minutes, since she didn’t immediately see a message. She sat on the edge of the bed

for a moment. She knew that it was early in the week, but she wondered how eager he would be to see her
again after his discovery of her true identity.

But then she got her answer.

Her phone chirped. She picked it up almost instantly and checked it.

It was him.

“You going out this weekend with your friends?”

She texted him back: “The girls want to go to a bar in Syracuse on Saturday night.”

He sent her a message back: “When you get the address, text it to me.”

Shoshannah texted back: “I will. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

Shane sent one last message: “Me too. See you Saturday.”

Shoshannah shut off the phone and stored it beneath the loose floorboard in her room, where her
“English” clothes resided—the clothes she wore for when she wanted to be a heathen. That would be for
Saturday night.

The entire week went by, filled with hard work in and out of the house, and accompanying her
parents on trading errands with other families that were nearby, going to church services, and basically
being the “good girl” that her family wanted her to be and what she tried to be—at least during the week.
But when Saturday night came, the good girl stayed in the house.

She dressed in the clothes gifted to her by her English friends—a dusty pink lace plunging bralette
crop top and a pair of dusty pink lace cheeky panties, a black leather front-zip A-line skirt, black suede
ankle booties and a cropped black denim jacket. She retrieved her phone and her wallet, and she returned
the hidey-hole floorboard back to its place.

Then she moved on her window, opened it up and stepped through it onto the roof of the back
porch that her room overlooked. She lowered the window again, stopping just enough to get her fingers
through the window when she came back. She moved to the edge of the porch’s roof, swung down and
grabbed the iron-wrought vertical railings. She effortlessly climbed down until she was about a foot above
the ground and dropped down into a low crouch. She crept alongside the house until she was at the
corner just before the front porch. She waited in a kneel and held her phone up, waiting for the signal.
And it came three minutes later, in the form of a text message with a single word: “NOW!”

Shoshannah launched herself into a sprint, hurling herself the 500 feet down the gravel drive. At
the same time, a silver Audi rolled up to the side of the road, coming to a stop just as Shoshannah reached
the gate and climbed it in three steps, hopping over the top and landing solidly on her feet. She ran to the
rear-left door and climbed in.

“Go! Go! Go! Go!”

The driver stomped the accelerator and the Audi’s four wheels instantly gained traction and
ripped away from a standstill.

“What’s up, girl?” the other girl in the backseat said.

“Not much, Taylor,” Shoshannah said. “How are you all doing?”

“We’re good, we’re good,” Taylor replied.

“So, ready to have a little fun tonight?” the driver said.

“You bet, Chloe,” Shoshannah replied with a burgeoning smile. “I do have a confession to make. I
did invite someone to join us.”

“Really, who?”

“Uh, this new man who’s just moved into town a couple of weeks ago. He’s really nice and I think
you’ll love him.”

“Do we know him?”

“Uhm, I don’t know, you might if you’ve seen him around town or something. All I know is that
he’s new to Nappanee.”

“Where’d you meet him?”

“I met him at Sadie’s last week. He’s…got a real sweet side to him.”

 

“Really?” the passenger said, brows raised. “Has he got a cute brother?”

“As far as I know, Brenda, he doesn’t. Just a sister.”

“Damn. Just my luck.”

“Sorry,” Shoshannah said with a little laugh. “Chloe, are we still going to the same place you were
talking about?”

“Yup, perfect little spot in Syracuse. Great spot, great burgers and beers, and they don’t card that
hard, so…perfect for us!”

Chloe, Taylor and Brenda all laughed.

“Good,” Shoshannah said. “What’s the address?”

Chloe relayed it to Shoshannah, and she in turn relayed it to Shane. About two minutes later, he
replied: “On my way. I’ll probably get there after you.”

Shoshannah texted back: “Okay. Can’t wait to see you.”

“He’s looking forward to it,” she said.

“Well, if you’re gonna keep this guy,” Taylor said, “we gotta get you a little gussied up.”

She opened up her purse and started taking out makeup accoutrements for an evening on the
town.

The drive from Shoshannah’s house to Syracuse was about 20 minutes on U.S. Route 6, during
which Taylor helped Shoshannah pick out some of the necessary elements of a lightly-done face of
makeup. She didn’t need a heavy cake job, just a few things here and there to enhance what she already
had.

They followed 6 until they broke off at County Road 29 and rode southeast into the heart of
Syracuse, ending up at the corner of Main Street and Huntington. Chloe parked the Audi on Main Street,
and the four of them got out. Shoshannah was freshly done up in black eyeshadow in a smoky look with a
dusting of eye glitter, big-time mascara on the top and bottom eyelids and winged eyeliner, some contour,
highlighter, a dab of bronzer and some rose-colored lipstick that matched her bralette.

“You wanna wait for him?” Chloe asked. “We could all wait for him; it’s not that cold.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Shoshannah said.

“Well, I also wanna see that sick bike you were on.”

The four girls tittered.

“So, you met the guy at Sadie’s?” Chloe said. “What made you approach him?”

“He had a kind face,” Shoshannah said. “And he had an even kinder voice.”

“Mm! You got me curious!”

Their curiosities were answered a few minutes later when they heard the low, blatting rumble of
an exhaust, but it wasn’t a motorcycle. It was a black Ford Mustang 5.0 with the windows down. The
sound got them all looking at the car as it approached on Huntington Street, and when Shoshannah got a
good look, she could see the driver, and her eyes lit up.

“That’s him!” she said with growing eagerness.

“Wait, that’s him?” Brenda said. “He rides a motorcycle and he drives that sick-ass Mustang?”
The Mustang rounded the corner and nosed into the empty space on Main Street, right behind
the Audi. The windows rolled up and the engine shut off, and then the driver’s door opened and Shane
Connelly emerged from inside the car. He closed the door and locked up the car as he stepped onto the
sidewalk. He was dressed in all black—boot-cut jeans, black-on-black Converse All-Stars, a Black Sabbath
T-shirt, and a black leather sleeveless motorcycle jacket. His shoulder-length hair was done up in a half-
ponytail that kept it out of his face.

When he locked eyes with Shoshannah, he put on a little smile for her.

Her heart skipped a little as she smiled back. She strolled up into his waiting arms and was
pleasantly relieved when he wrapped her up in them.

“Miss me?” he asked.

“I did,” Shoshannah said.

“These your friends?” he asked as he let her go.

 

“Yes, they are. Shane, this is Chloe King, Taylor Rongione, and Brenda MacDonald. Chloe,

Taylor, Brenda, this is Shane Connelly.”

“Ladies,” Shane said with a little nod.

“Hi,” they all said in unison.

“So, uh…we gonna stand out here on the sidewalk all night, or we gonna eat something?”
“Oh, we’re gonna eat,” Chloe said. “Hope you brought your appetite.”

“I always do,” Shane said.

The five of them started for the restaurant, with Shane and Shoshannah bringing up the rear.
As they walked, Shoshannah reached out with her hand and Shane took it, gently closing his
fingers around hers. She glanced over at him, and he at her with a bashful smile.
“I really did miss you,” Shane said in a barely audible whisper.

Shoshannah smiled a little brighter. “I really did miss you too,” she whispered back.

The five of them went into the restaurant and got a table together. One by one, the girls realized
that they were hungry for pizza, one of the restaurant’s many offerings, and Shane just went with the flow.
They ordered the largest pizza they could with pepperoni, sausage, onions, green peppers and black olives.
He ordered a cranberry club soda and the girls chose an eclectic range of drinks between them—Brenda a
ginger ale, Taylor got a Coke, and Chloe went for a Sprite with grenadine and maraschino cherries.
It didn’t take long for the light grilling to begin from Chloe, Taylor, and Brenda. They wanted to
know the whole nine, as expected—where Shane came from, how he ended up there, what he did, what
he liked, disliked, and the big question: how he and Shoshannah met.

To Shane’s surprise, Shoshannah was unrestrained in her answering of that question. She was
honest, saying that they met at Sadie’s, started talking, which led to flirting, and their first kiss behind the
bar and the two of them having sex, which got the expected hoots and cheers from the other girls. Shane
was the tiniest bit mortified about the revelation, but he got over it in time.

A little while in, Shoshannah excused herself to go to the ladies room. She stood up and started
for the little corridor where the bathrooms were, and as she walked away, she looked over her shoulder at
Shane and raised her eyebrows promptingly.

All the message he needed.

“I, uh…I think I’ll hit the head too,” Shane said.

He quietly got up and headed in the same direction, but he actually darted into the men’s room
because he needed to. Three minutes later, he stepped out and checked the table.
Shoshannah hadn’t come back.

So he leaned against the wall opposite the door, and he just waited. He wasn’t in a hurry.
And then two minutes later, the door opened and Shoshannah emerged. She was initially
surprised to see him standing there, leaning against the wall, one foot propped against it, hands in the
pockets of his vest, smiling subtly.

Her smile grew and she all but rushed at him. She crashed into him and pressed her body into his.
She leaned in with the speed of a lightning bolt and kissed him passionately. He slipped his arms around
her waist and drew her in as close as he could. Snuck a feel of her ass, drawing a giggle out of her.
“Honestly,” he said in a low voice as they kissed, “I was thinking about this all week.”

“So was I,” Shoshannah admitted in an equally low voice as she leaned in and kissed him again.

“We’re not going to stay with them the whole time, are we?”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Shane answered.

“I don’t want to. Let’s stay with them for a while, but…can we get away later?”

“Definitely.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling brightly as he leaned in and laid another kiss on him.

“We should get back before they start asking questions.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Shane and Shoshannah returned to the table, just as the pizza they ordered was set at the table.
The five of them tore through it, accompanying with more inane conversation that suited Shane just fine.

 

By the time they had finished it and the check came, Shane dropped the necessary cash on it and
succinctly said, “Don’t worry about it.”

Once it was paid for, the five of them made their exit and got outside.

“Hey, Chloe,” Shoshannah said, pulling her aside and lowering her voice to an intimate level,
“you don’t mind if Shane and I get out of here, do you? I mean, Shane had a good time hanging with you,
but…we kind of want to spend some time alone.”

“Girl, don’t even worry about it,” Chloe said. “Go on and get you some of that. I mean…good

God, he’s hot.”

Shoshannah laughed. “Thanks, Chloe. We gonna do this again next week?”

“We’ll see, babe. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

They embraced, and Shoshannah went back to Shane, taking his hand and leading the way to the
Mustang. Shane unlocked the doors and opened the passenger door for her. She got in and he followed in
the driver’s seat. He fired the engine and looked over at her, sweeping her from head to toe with his eyes
like she had done to him the night they had met.

“So, what do you wanna do?” Shane asked.

“I want to…just go somewhere private and just talk for a little.”

“Sure.”

They peeled out from the parking space and came around in a U-turn. They rode north to U.S. 6
and took it west back towards Nappanee. But they didn’t go all the way back, instead veering off on a
dusty road south until they found an empty access road that only had a clearing, with no buildings or
structures, just an empty patch of dirt surrounded by grass, with nothing but stars above it.
Shane shut off the engine and the two got out. He went to the back of the car while she went to
the front, and he joined her there with a blanket that he laid out on the long hood to cover the windshield.
They clambered up onto the blanket and Shane laid down first, then Shoshannah clambered up next to
him, laying her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a little smile. He couldn’t help
but smile back, brushing his fingers on her cheek.

“You look beautiful,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She craned her neck up and kissed him gently. “Do you always
carry the blanket in your car?”

“No, I actually bought it this week, after I decided that I wanted to see you. Wanted to do
something like this. Get comfortable. Get to know you a little more. Though, I learned a lot about you on
Sunday.”

“Yes…you did,” Shoshannah said with a guilty chuckle. Her little smile faded. “Shane…I’m sorry.
I’m sorry I lied to you. I didn’t think that our paths would cross again, or not so soon, anyway. But I
suppose I was being naïve. After all, our town is still small.”

“Yeah. I guess it is small. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to find out that you were this…innocent
Amish girl from outside of town.”

“Though I’m not so innocent.”

Shane said nothing.

“Anyway…I am sorry that I lied to you about…my heritage. Where I come from. You deserved
better.”

“I didn’t deserve better. Forgive the pun, but you didn’t know me from Adam.”
Shoshannah chuckled. “True. And after all, who gets into all the dirty details the first time they
meet?”

“Some do. But not all.”

“But…” Shoshannah rolled over on her side to look at him more. “…do you forgive me?”
Shane turned his head to gaze at her, his eyes betraying the yearning that his heart was holding
inside, the deep need to not let go of…whatever this was. His bottom lip quivered ever so slightly as he

brushed her cheek once more, even softer than before, a whisper of a touch on her skin so light that she
barely felt it. Even if she had, she hadn’t given it away, since her focus was riveted on him.

Finally, he spoke again.

“I forgive you,” he said.

“Thank you,” she breathed, and she tipped in towards him and pressed her lips to his. She laid
her head on his chest and stared up at the field of stars above. “So, what do we do now?”

“We play it safe,” Shane answered. “We’ll have to keep this quiet for a while. Until we know what
to do long-term.”

“Long-term?”

“I’m only here for a year, theoretically. I want to say that I know what I’m gonna do, but I don’t. I
didn’t plan on meeting someone like you. And I didn’t plan on…what I’m feeling, on any of this. So…I
don’t know what to do. I’m hoping that I’ll see an answer.”

“Okay. Well…let me tell you this, at least. I’m supposed to go on my Rumspringa in a month or
two.”

“What is that?”

“It’s the period of roaming around that Amish children are allowed to experience. They go out
into the outside and experience it for themselves, and then they return and make a choice: to leave their
community and join the outside world, or to rejoin the community and commit themselves to the Amish
way of life.”

“And what do you plan to do?” Shane asked.

“I don’t know. I’m going to spend at least a week or two away. I know I want to spend some of it
with Chloe and my friends. But…call me crazy, but I want to spend some of it with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Shoshannah…you’ve only known me a week.”

“I know, but…I…how do I say this?”

“As honestly as you can,” Shane answered.

Shoshannah sat up and looked out ahead of her, gazing at the vast fields dancing in the
September evening breeze, swaying from side to side. She took in a preparatory breath and spoke.

“I…feel…something…about you,” she said measuredly. “I can’t really explain it. But I know it’s
more than a passing fancy. There’s something different about you. I can’t place it. But what I feel, I know
that I like, and I want to experience it with you. It’s not just the sex. It’s the…thinking of you. After you
left the farmer’s market, and I went home, I had…I…” She sighed, running her hands through her hair.
“I had you on my mind. I was thinking about you when I was sitting at dinner with my family. I was
thinking about you after my bedtime prayers. I was thinking about you when I closed my eyes that night.”
She looked over her shoulder at him and saw an understanding, sympathetic gaze looking back at
her.

“I thought I was crazy,” Shoshannah admitted. “I thought, ‘There’s no way that I should feel
something like this so soon.’ And yet…I couldn’t dismiss it. I still can’t, even now. So…I want to know
what I’m feeling, and the only way to do that is to…be with you. To know more about you.”
Shane sighed deeply, longingly regarding her with his hazel green eyes. For the longest time, he
didn’t speak a whisper, just looking at her beautiful face, until he reached out with his hand, and she
reached back and took it.

“If we’re gonna spend some of your Rumspringa together,” he said, “then we might need to get to
know each other some more.”

Shoshannah’s lips began to form the inception of a smile. “Does that mean…?”

“Yes,” Shane said with a nod. “We can go together.”

Her smile broadened as she leaned back into him, draping herself across his body. She climbed up
him a little so they were eye to eye, and she nuzzled up against him and pecked him on the lips.

“Thank you,” she said.

 

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, stroking her hair.

“Shane…I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

Shoshannah took in a breath. “How long were you in prison?”

Shane let out a deep breath. Swallowed hard. “I was in prison for six months.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you another time. Right now…I don’t want to think about that. Right now, I just want to
hold you in my arms. Feel your warmth and know that I’m not there anymore.”

“You’re not,” Shoshannah said, curling up into him. “You’re not in prison anymore. You’re out.”
She turned his head so he would set his eyes on hers.

“And you are right here…with me.”

Shane sighed in seemed relief. “And right now…there’s nowhere else I want to be.”
They shared another deep, passionate kiss under the stars, wrapping themselves up in one
another.