"You're sure it's not that you feel . . . sorry for him? Because of what he's been through?"
Hannah smiled and shook her head. "But I don't know how he feels about me. Sometimes I feel like he's looking at me . . . like there's something there, and then I wonder if I'm just imagining it. It's not like he's flirting . . ."
It was Jenny's turn to shake her head. "Chris doesn't strike me as the kind of man who plays with a woman's feelings."
"I'll get the door," Hannah said when someone knocked."You relax."
The fire investigator stood on the front porch. His expression was grim. "Is Matthew Bontrager available?"
Chris watched Jenny wave to get Matthew's attention as he stood on the edge of the field. Matthew acknowledged her wave and began walking toward her.
One of the first things a soldier learned was to study body language. If he didn't understand how to read a person's mood, his intent, it could cost him his life. A battlefield wasn't always marked; an enemy didn't always wear a uniform. Sometimes a person—even a child—could suddenly pull out a weapon, trigger a riot, or become a human bomb.
So he studied the way Jenny stood stiffly, wrapped her arms over her chest as if she were shivering—even though the day was still warm—and wore a worried frown as she talked to Matthew.
Matthew stood with his back to him so he wasn't able to see his expression, but he saw Matthew straighten and he put his hands on his hips as he listened to his wife. Then he touched her shoulder in a reassuring way and they began walking back to the farmhouse.
The fire investigator's truck was still parked in the drive.Had Jenny come to get Matthew because the investigator wanted to talk to him about the barn? If so, that couldn't be good.
Chris glanced out at the road and saw a buggy parked to one side. From where he stood, Chris couldn't see its occupant.He felt that odd sensation of being watched again. It had happened a number of times that day because so many buggies and cars had slowly gone by.
He shook his head, telling himself he didn't have time to let it concern him. There was too much to be done. He turned back to his work.
10
Matthew walked into the kitchen where Hannah sat with Jenny at the kitchen table, mending some of the kinner's clothes.
"What did the fire investigator have to say?" Jenny asked him.
Matthew's glance slid to Hannah, then he looked at Jenny and shrugged. "Not much. He poked around the barn and said he'd get back to me when he knew something."
"That sounds like he thinks it wasn't an accident," Jenny said, putting down the mending. "Otherwise, he'd just say he didn't see anything out of the ordinary."
When her brother glanced her way again, Hannah stood. "I think I'll go see if Phoebe needs anything in town."
"You don't have to leave."
Hannah looked at Matthew. "I think you need to talk to Jenny privately."
"Why would he need to do that?" Jenny made a knot and clipped the thread. "We're not talking about anything personal."
"He just said that he'd prefer it if I didn't say anything about the investigation," Matthew said.
"Hannah is your sister, not an outsider."
Matthew nodded. "I know." He sighed. "You know how it is when something happens. People talk. Rumors get started.I think the investigator is just saying the less anything is said about it, the better, regardless of whether the fire was an accident or something more."
He got a glass, filled it with water, and drank it down. "I need to get back outside. We'll talk later."
Hannah picked up her mending when he left. After a few minutes, she put it down again. "Do you want some more tea?"
"No, but have some if you like."
She fixed the tea, brought it to the table, and let it cool while she tried to concentrate on fixing a rip in one of Annie's dresses. The child was harder on her clothing than anyone Hannah knew.
Getting up, Hannah checked on a casserole she'd brought over for dinner. Jenny had been grateful for it, although Hannah didn't think it took any special effort on her part to make a second when she was already making one for herself and Phoebe.
She found herself wandering to the kitchen window, looking to see what the men were doing out in the fields. Allrecht, maybe she looked to see what one particular man was doing.
When she turned to walk back to the table, she saw that Jenny watched her, a faint smile on her lips.
"Feeling restless?"
"No, of course not." Hannah took her seat again. Then, after a long moment, she gave up. "Would you mind if I took this home to finish later?"
Jenny looked up. "Of course not. Why would I mind? It was nice enough of you to offer to help to begin with."