Sanctuary by David Lewis

Tall, blond, and exceptionally tanned, the man nodded and smiled as she drove her car into the shed. Getting out, she called her thanks to him, deciding that he must be Elizabeth’s husband.
    “Name’s Thaddeus King,” he said, extending one hand and removing his straw hat with the other. “Are you new to the area?” He held his hat flat against his chest.
    First question … How many more? she wondered.
    “New England’s my home.” That was enough.
    “Just passin’ through, are ya?” How far would he press?
    She turned and scanned the farmland with her eyes. “I’d heard about Lancaster County from friends of mine. I wanted to see it for myself.” Not entirely true, but this would have to suffice.
    “Well, then, Lela will just hafta bring you over again sometime. We’ll show you all around the farm.”
    She didn’t have the heart to tell him she wouldn’t be staying that long. Yet he seemed kind enough. Helpful, too. Still, people like Thaddeus made her feel uncomfortable. She just didn’t know how to take him. Was he as considerate as he seemed?
    “Slide over just a little,” Elizabeth said, waving her hand at young John. “Your auntie can scarcely squeeze herself in.”
    “Oh, I’m fine,” Lela said, giving John a quick hug. “There’s plenty of room.”
    They were assembled in her sister’s big kitchen, all of them, sitting around the long trestle table. Mary Jane helped her mother carry plates of cookies to the table. And there was a tall pitcher of fresh lemonade, the kind Elizabeth was known to serve her guests.
    From across the table, she eyed Melissa, who seemed entirely out of place, what with her blue jeans and trendy T-shirt. Lela hoped the fancy woman didn’t feel uncomfortable.
    “Care for some chocolate chip cookies?” Elizabeth offered a plate of warm treats, all smiles.
    “Thank you” was all Melissa said. Silently, she reached for a single cookie, displaying rust-colored fingernails. Several flashy rings, too—two on each hand. Her Connecticut boarder was clearly well off, wearing diamond-studded rings.
    She tried not to dwell on such thoughts. The Lord was sovereign, giving good gifts to whom He saw fit. It was not her place to judge. Yet she wondered what Melissa was all about. The woman renting her second bedroom seemed as naerfich —nervous—as anybody she’d known. Why so?
    The walk back to Lela’s cottage was pleasant enough, though Melissa felt uneasy about being out on the open road. So vulnerable. Too accessible …
    Even with Lela at her side, she felt the old apprehension settle in. Wild strawberry vines grew in the grassy ditch and occasional roses bordered the road. The setting reminded her of some of Ryan’s favorite haunts in New Hampshire and Vermont, where winding narrow roads led to delightful destinations such as ancient covered bridges and cider mills. The song of many birds gave her courage, sounds reminiscent of her New England home by the sea.
    Home …
    Ryan was and always would be her home. Where he was, there she longed to be. He had found her at a time when she was lost, disconnected from the world. Young and terrified, she had welcomed his love, making his heart her home.
    I have to let him know I’m safe , she thought. He deserves to know that much .
    She walked a bit farther, reluctant to strike up another conversation with Lela. The smell of honeysuckle, the abandoned road, the patchwork land as far as the eye could see—all this offered her a chance to catch her breath. Desperately, she needed to soak in the serenity, because the minute the phone call came, most likely she would be on her way.
    “Such a pretty day,” Lela commented.
    “Yes.”
    “I dislike staying indoors on days like this.”
    She wondered what Lela did for a living. Surely she worked somewhere. “Do you rent out your second bedroom all year long?”
    “I suppose I would if someone needed it” came Lela’s quick reply. “But I just got the notion yesterday to