Free Safe Hearts (Amish Safe House, Book 3) by Ruth Hartzler Page B

night ended, he was a changed
man.”
    Kate looked back up as Jeremiah
continued his story, and right then, she made the decision to make
herself a promise. She would not let Glen Tryston, Victor Daxton,
or anyone else, fill her mind with fear and torment. She would
stand tall and have faith, no matter how dire the circumstances
might seem at that moment. Kate had always been accustomed to being
brave and fearless in her line of work, but this was the first time
that she was actually the target. If Jeremiah could stand like an
immovable tree through a raging storm of winds that threatened to
knock him down, she wanted to be able to find the strength in
herself to do the same.
    Jeremiah smiled and sipped
his tea. “But that’s enough about my time spent in that place. I
want to move on from it and use my experiences to strengthen
myself. So, even though it was a trying and troublesome
time, Gott put me
there for a reason, and because of that, I will only allow it to
assist me, never to hinder.”
    Beckie nodded. “I hope that man you
met there truly changes for the better and repents for his sins,”
she said in a soft tone.
    “ I have faith that he will.
I watched the hatred leave his eyes as we spoke, and as our
conversation went on, he began to understand my rationale of
thinking much more clearly. His name was Arthur, and he confessed
to me that he had never spoken to an Amish person before, and that
his perception of us had been entirely incorrect. If anything that
has happened recently can be considered a positive occurrence, it
is most certainly that man’s change of heart. He was facing charges
of assault for seeking vengeance on someone that hurt his sister. I
helped him find the inner strength to forgive the person who hurt
her, and to forgive himself for not doing so sooner.”
    Jeremiah turned to Kate. “Thank you,
for that, for your kind visit with Beckie, and for convincing Ryan
of my innocence. You encouraged him to get me released. Without
each of you,” he said, making eye contact with each woman, one
after the other, “I would still be trapped there, tried for a crime
I would never commit.”
    Beckie spoke up. “Kate,
we’d like you to come to dinner tonight at my haus , to thank you, and you, too,
Beth.”
    Beth and Kate glanced at each other.
“I’ll have to speak with Bill,” Beth said. “I’m not sure if he’ll
want to leave the house unattended. That suspicious man could still
be lurking about.”
    “ Yes, that’s
understandable,” Jeremiah said. “Kate?”
    Kate looked up, feeling
like a deer trapped in headlights. She wasn’t sure if it would be
such a great idea to leave the property, either. David Harper was
on his way to extract her, and Glen Tryston could strike at any
moment. The last thing she wanted to do was endanger others, but
when the details of Jeremiah’s story flooded her mind again, she
made the quick decision to not let the fear control her. Besides,
Beckie only lived a short distance away; she didn’t even have to
drive out on the main road to get to her house. “I’d love to
come, denki ,” she
said.
    “ Gut ,” Beckie said. “This tea has been lovely as well. Thank you
kindly, Beth.”
    Jeremiah nodded and smiled.
“ Jah, denki .”
    Beckie looked out toward the front of
the house before speaking again. “I should probably head home to
prepare the dinner. We’ll see you soon, Kate.” She then looked at
Beth and continued. “And if you and Bill are free to join us, we
would love the extra company.”
    Beth nodded and smiled. “I’ll speak to
him.”
    Jeremiah nodded as he stood from his
chair. Beckie then did the same, and after everyone exchanged
goodbyes, the pair walked out to their buggy. Kate looked at Beth
and smiled. “It’s so great to see the importance of humility and
how it can be the saving grace for many who have lost their
way.”
    “ I agree with that
sentiment completely,” Beth replied. “Now, I need to be getting
back to work,