"What's up?"
"What's up?" she burst out. "What's up?"
"Yeah. You okay?"
"You'd know if you visited me!"
His expression became shuttered. "I didn't think you'd want to see me."
"Well, you thought wrong!"
He blinked. "Evidently you have something to say. Maybe you should just say it."
"So you figured you'd just waltz out of town without saying good-bye?"
"I wasn't—"
"I thought we were at least friends," she snapped, using the line she'd rehearsed on the ride to find him. "Friends don't treat each other this way!"
"No, they don't," he agreed, stepping closer.
"I asked Jenny what 'sweetheart' means."
"You did?" he asked, looking wary.
"Yes. I checked to see if it had the same meaning I thought it did—that it hadn't become something like 'babe' or 'chick.' Like the town of Intercourse nearby."
"So Jenny was right."
"Yes, she said the meaning—"
"No," he interrupted. "I'm talking about what she said the day you were put in the hospital. She said that people can hear sometimes when you think they're unconscious. You heard me."
She nodded. "You call me sweetheart and then you leave? If this is the way people treat each other in the Englisch world then I'm glad I'm here!"
A police cruiser approached from the opposite side of the road. It slowed and the officer leaned out the open window.
"Any problem, folks?"
"Hello, Officer Lang," Chris said.
They knew each other? Hannah wondered where the attractive officer had met Chris and felt a stab of jealousy as she saw how friendly the woman behaved toward him. She bit her lip.
Then inspiration struck.
"He's not supposed to be leaving town, is he, Officer?"
"Pardon me?"
"Well, I mean, you haven't wrapped up your investigation with the shooting, have you? Isn't he supposed to stick around until after it's done?"
"I—" The officer looked at Chris and then back at Hannah.
"Well, no, everything's not all tied up," the woman said slowly. "He needs to stick around for a while."
"I do?"
She nodded. "I'll be checking back."
A voice squawked out something on the communication system in her car. She tilted her head and listened. Then she turned to look at them. "Gotta go."
"But—"
She glanced back at Hannah. "It'll be interesting to see how this works out."
The car accelerated down the road, and the lights flashed and the siren came on.
"I think you need to see something," Chris said. Taking his backpack off, he opened it. "Look inside."
Wary, she peeked in as he requested. She saw a wallet and the library book he'd borrowed along with a plastic bottle of water. There was nothing else.
Confused, she looked at him.
"I was taking the library book back. They found it in Kraft's room. Thought I'd return it. Didn't want you to be in trouble with that librarian. She scared me."
Hannah smiled slightly. "She's pretty careful who she loans books to."
He nodded. "I'm thinking of getting my own card."
"I—don't understand."
"I'm sticking around. You didn't think I could go anywhere you're not, do you?" he asked quietly
She saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen before.
"I—don't know. You haven't said anything."
"What could I say?" he asked. "I kept telling myself I couldn't feel the way I do for you, that it wouldn't work. I did it even up until maybe a few minutes ago."
"Then—what changed?"
She held her breath, waiting for his answer.
"Then you came speeding up, demanding to know where I was going. Refusing to let me go."
He grinned and leaned closer, careful of her arm, and then he kissed her.
"I love you, you impossible woman. And I'm hoping you love me. I think you do."
"Impossible?"
He kissed her again. "Yeah. Impossible. I don't think you'll be the easiest wife, but I'm willing to give this a try."
"Wife?"
"Yeah, wife. I talked to Phoebe. She told me to go speak to the bishop."
He tilted his head and studied her when she just stared at him. "I do believe I've rendered you speechless. Never thought I'd see the day."
"It's likely you won't again," she said, reaching out to touch his cheek.
"I gather that I have months of instruction in the Amish faith, so we can't get married until next year. But I figure that'll just give us a chance to get to know each other better."
She nodded, wondering at the strange turn of events. Who would have thought such a thing would happen, that a man like him would come into her life, that she'd come to care for him so much that she'd walk in front of him to protect him? That he'd stand beside her on a dusty road and talk about marrying her.