Dana R. Lynn - Amish Haven

“Daddy!” Bethany ran to her father, throwing herself into his arms as if she hadn’t just seen him for the first time in years a little over a day ago. Her sweet daughter apparently harbored no bitterness toward the man who’d always chosen business over family.

She couldn’t be so blasé. The bitterness she’d shoved deep down inside, for her little girl’s sake, erupted.

“What are you doing here?”

Tyler blinked. “What do you mean? I’m going into witness protection, just like you.”

A familiar tall woman stood up from the table. For a brief moment, Annabelle paused, trying to recall the woman’s name. Ah. Stacy Preston. That was it. Stacy smiled at her and intervened in what promised to be a heated reunion. “Why don’t I take Bethany to see if we can find something fun to play.” She gave Karl a meaningful look.

“Excellent idea, Stacy.”

She wasn’t sure, but Annabelle thought she saw the man wink at his colleague. As she watched, the very efficient female marshal blushed and ducked her head.

Annabelle waited until Stacy left the room with Bethany chattering beside her, then turned to her husband again. “You and I are both going into witness protection. But we are not going together. It’s your fault we’re even in this mess.”

Tyler felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. Her words knocked the wind right out of him. Not that he could deny her accusations. He couldn’t. It was all his fault. While he might not have asked for any of it to happen, he had once again brought danger to his family.

But this time, he wasn’t going to walk away.

“I can see you are put into separate placements,” Karl began slowly.

Uh-uh. No way.

“Could we have a moment, please?” Tyler shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He needed to convince Annabelle of his sincerity.

A slight smile touched the marshal’s mouth. “Of course. There’s a small dinette off the kitchen. Why don’t you go in there? I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed.”

Tyler motioned for Annabelle to precede him. She crossed her arms in front of herself and glared. “Please?”

Huffing, she tossed her brown hair over her shoulder and marched in the direction the marshal had indicated. When they arrived in the room, she didn’t sit, but faced him. Her chin raised a notch, as if she was daring him to speak. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, he might have been tempted to smile. She was as adorable as he’d remembered. As it was, there was little cause for humor. Their very lives were being ripped apart.

“Annie—” he began.

“Annabelle,” she interrupted. “No one calls me Annie. Not anymore.”

“Fine, Annabelle. Look, I know I screwed up. I put my work ahead of you and Bethany. I left you alone when I should have been with you. I made it impossible for you to stay. I get that. And I know I don’t deserve a second chance.”

“You’re right.” Her nostrils flared. “Do you know how many times she’s asked for you these past two years? Of course you don’t! Because you weren’t there. But I’m used to that. Even when we were together, you were never there. And now you show up again, but only because you’ve dragged yourself, and us, into danger. It infuriates me knowing that it took someone gunning for you to bring you into your daughter’s life. And what happens when this is over? You disappear again?”

Annabelle stepped closer to him. He could almost feel the energy of her anger crackling off her skin. Her rich brown eyes shimmered with her rage. “She was too young to remember being abandoned before. If you distanced yourself again, it would wound her deeply. I have to protect her from that.”

Would it wound Annabelle, too? He knocked that thought out of his head. He had no right to expect to be welcomed back into Annabelle’s life. They were strangers now. But his daughter... He couldn’t bear the idea that she would grow up and not know him.

“I wouldn’t abandon her.”

Annabelle snorted, cutting her eyes at him. Her scorn made him wince.

“I’m serious. Annie...Annabelle.” Tyler ran his hands through his hair and breathed in deeply. He needed to think. To make her see reason. “There’s no way to tell how long this case could drag out. It could be months. It could be years. None of us would be safe until it’s over. If we go into separate placements, I would never see my daughter again. Please, Annabelle. This is my last chance to be a father to her. I don’t want to disappear on her again.”

He could see her jaw tensing. She didn’t immediately say no. A bubble of hope swelled in his heart. For the second time in less than a week, he turned to God and pleaded for help and guidance.

“I need to think.” Annabelle walked out of the room, without giving him another glance. His heart sank.

A minute later, Karl appeared in the doorway. “Well?”

Tyler sighed. “She needs to think. I can’t blame her.”

“We can’t let her think too long. I’m sorry, Tyler, but time is something we just don’t have.”

Right. Tyler hadn’t felt this helpless in a long time.

“Karl!” Rick, another marshal, rushed into the room. “You need to see this.”

“Coming now, Rick.” Karl nodded once at Tyler, then left the room.

Once again, Tyler was alone with his thoughts. He was tempted to go after Annabelle again and try to reason with her, but really, what was the point? She’d obviously made up her mind. And he couldn’t say he blamed her.

If only she knew about the reason he’d pushed her away. How it had been for her safety. Somehow, knowing that she was in danger even though he’d kept away from her made his reasoning back then seem ridiculous.

A sudden flurry of action caught his attention. Karl marched out to the garage, his phone to his ear as he barked out questions. His intense expression didn’t bode well for the current situation.

Karl called a meeting with Tyler and Annabelle. A couple of other marshals were in the room. He could hear Bethany squeal with laughter in the other room, where she was playing. A smile spread across his face at the sound. When he considered that he might never hear that joyful sound again, his chest grew tight. Rubbing his chest, he turned his head to find his wife staring at him, frowning slightly, her head tilted like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

A throat cleared. Tyler reluctantly removed his gaze from Annabelle and turned it on Karl. He didn’t like the look in the marshal’s eyes. Karl was worried about something, and the way the man continued to watch him told Tyler he strongly figured in whatever was on Karl’s mind.

“Tyler, there’s been a complication,” Karl said finally, confirming his fears. “Jonathan had planned to place you in Colorado. He had a job lined up for you and your new identity was in the works, but we have to change our plans. It seems that Wilson Barco has doubled the bounty on your head. There have already been reports of men resembling you being attacked in ten states, including Colorado.”

Annabelle gasped, her eyes showing her shock. “So what does that mean? What happens now?” Annabelle’s voice was quiet. He knew that voice well. It sounded calm, but it really signaled that her emotions were spiraling very close to the surface.

Karl turned to her, his expression smooth.

“It’s not unexpected,” Karl told the group. “We have been monitoring the airways and computers for anything. An undercover contact has informed us that the bounty has stirred up interest in several states. Plus, Barco has apparently called in favors from all over the country. There’s no way for us to know all the people who are out to get to you. We’re working on a different placement right now. One that will take you farther off the grid and out of Barco’s reach.”