Read Online Off the Grid (Amish Safe House, Book 1) by Ruth Hartzler - Free Book Online Page A

keep
conditioned for his work. There was no spare tire to be seen, and
his skin was tanned from working outside the office. His striking
green eyes contrasted with his auburn hair. One brow quirked as he
waited for her to speak.
    “Yes, hello, Officer Weaver.” Kate cleared
her throat as she cast her eyes downward. This whole demure thing
was not her at all. Things were so much simpler with a badge. Walk up. Demand updates. Nice and direct . Of course, that
wasn't an option, and wouldn’t be again, not until someone found
that mole and got her out of this mess.
    “I just wanted to check whether if you found
out anything new about the case,” she said, keeping her voice as
calm and ladylike as she could muster. She really needed to study
how the Amish people functioned more closely. Surely she didn't
need to act like she was from the Victorian era to keep from
drawing attention to herself.
    Ryan Weaver stared at her for a moment,
making her heart thump wildly. Why was she so attracted to this
man? Weaver’s hesitation got to her. Despite her attempts to be a
proper, demure lady, she found herself staring up at him.
    “The case is ongoing,” he finally said.
“Don't worry, Ms. Lambright. We'll pass on anything we find to your
authorities,” he said in a measured voice.
    Her authorities? Oh, he means the
bishop , she realized after a moment.
    “I hope you’ve been okay since finding Mr.
Byler like that. It must have been such a shock.” His tone was
gentle and considerate.
    Kate nodded. “Do you have any suspects?
Anyone matching the description of the man I saw?”
    Ryan fixed her with a steely gaze. “Ms.
Lambright, please don’t concern yourself with such matters. The
suspect is still at large, and he may think you’re able to identify
him. It’s best you keep a low profile until all this is over.” He
inclined his head dismissively, giving a small wave of his hand to
gesture toward the lingering people in the crowd. “If we have any
further questions, we'll let you know.”
    Kate narrowed her eyes at him. She missed
her badge, and her cell phone with contacts to fix situations like
these. If she wasn't supposed to be a civilian, she would show him
what questions looked like. She forced herself to smile, trying to
radiate goodwill. “That is wonderful to hear. Thank you,” she
managed to say through gritted teeth.
    He nodded as she turned to leave. She tried
not to notice Beth’s quiet disapproval from where she stood by her
husband. Apparently wandering off to talk to strange men was
frowned upon in this community. She could appreciate their world,
but she was missing the streets back home more and more every day.
She knew how to solve problems with her tech and her network. Not
so much in this culture. She felt helpless and awkward and out of
place. It was not a good feeling.
    As she made her way back to the group, she
stole a glance back at Weaver. To her surprise, he wasn't studying
the area. He was watching her. And there was something entirely
non-official about the way he was studying her.
    Kate felt her face burn. Could he feel the
same way about her that she felt about him? Don’t be silly,
Kate; you don’t even know him , she silently scolded herself.
She made herself walk stiffly back to the buggy, forcing herself
not to look back at him.
     

 
    Psalm 28: 7.
    The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him
my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song
I give thanks to him.
    Chapter
12 .
     
    As they were leaving the cemetery, Beth
explained that Mr. Byler did not have any familye to host
the funeral meal, so everyone was meeting at the Schlabachs’ haus .
    There was yet another polite offer to take
her home, if the day had tired her. In normal circumstances she
might have been tempted to play the sick card. She’d had her fill
of traditional socializing for one day. What’s more, she had a
booming headache developing from meeting with Officer Weaver. Her
temples were