Snowbound Amish Survival by Mary Alford

Author:Mary Alford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-22T21:39:31+00:00

NINE

Was it possible everything they’d gone through had been about money? Hope couldn’t imagine doing such horrible things because of greed. They’d hurt innocent men who hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Did they say anything else?” she asked her father. Every time she looked at his face, anger burned within her. He could have suffered another stroke, or worse.

“The one man looked too afraid to speak. The other was too busy beating on me. I thought he would kill me and so...” He hung his head. Daed had given them what they wanted.

Hope squeezed his arm. “I’m glad you did.”

“The man who beat you sounds like the one calling the shots,” Conrad told them. “He was furious when the others came back without Hope and Naomi. He pointed the gun at my head and demanded to know where you would go for help. I told him about the phone shanty.” He stared down at the floor. “I had no idea I would be leading them straight to you. Yet, if I hadn’t, I might have died.”

Conrad’s words drove home how dangerous these men were.

Past the weary faces of the passengers in the buggy, Hope caught a glimpse of something through the blizzard. “Oh, no,” she whispered.

Hunter turned.

A single vehicle coming their way. Through Hope’s panicked thoughts, she tried to think of someplace safe for them to hide. Their only choice was the woods near the road.

While Hunter guided the horse toward the trees, Hope kept her attention on the advancing lights.

“They are going way too fast,” Hope murmured. The vehicle flew down the road despite the conditions. At that speed, it wouldn’t take long before they reached the buggy.

As the vehicle continued closing the space between them, the buggy reached the trees.

“Do you think they saw us?” Hope asked.

Hunter kept the horse moving away from the road. “I sure hope not.”

Headlights illuminated the place where they’d been.

“Please don’t stop,” Hope whispered. The lights went a little way past the spot and stopped. “They saw us. Hunter, we have to keep going.”

Hunter shook the reins. The weather-weary animal trudged forward.

Through the headlights, Hope was almost positive she saw movement.

Before she could get the words out, the woods near the movement exploded with gunfire.

“Get on the floor,” Hunter shouted above the noise.

The three people in the back hit the floor. Hunter grabbed Hope and tugged her down low with his body covering hers. Bullets blasted large holes in the fiberglass of the buggy.

It felt as if the shooting would never end. The gelding, frightened by the barrage of bullets, charged through the woods. A new fear became far too clear. Recent fires had left dozens of downed trees scattered around. One wrong step by the animal and it would be over.

Hunter returned to the bench seat and wrapped the reins around his hands. Hope scrambled up beside him as he did his best to control the animal while the shooting continued. By now, they were out of range for a direct hit. Still, calming the panicked horse wouldn’t be easy.

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