totally on American Sign Language, or ASL. People were always surprised to find out how little she could lip read. English was a difficult language to lip read well, with so many sounds looking the same on the lips. Add the fact that Rebecca’s family spoke Pennsylvania Dutch at home into the mix, it was no wonder she hadn’t bothered with it.
“Yes. We helped your two employees move them to the back pasture. How are you? I was scared when I found you unconscious.” Rebecca’s hands flew.
Jess looked at Seth. Did he need her to interpret? Her mouth fell open when he answered Rebecca in almost fluent ASL. That was a whole different skill set than putting signs to English grammar. She was impressed in spite of herself.
“My partner and I need to take her to the hospital,” he signed, indicating someone behind her.
Jess hadn’t even noticed the other paramedic. The woman walked their way, pushing a stretcher. She gave Jess a professional smile.
Jess turned her attention back to Rebecca and Levi. “Did anyone call the fire department?”
They both shook their heads. “We didn’t think it was necessary,” Levi answered her. “The fire was out. It was gut, jah?”
No surprise there. Calling for outside help would not enter Levi’s mind unless it was absolutely crucial.
She hesitated. Part of her was relieved not to have to handle the firefighters or police. She had dealt with so much scandal recently, she didn’t have the heart to face more. But the other part of her wondered if the fire was an accident. It just seemed odd that it started in Cody’s office for no apparent reason.
A stretcher halted on her left side. The female paramedic had reached their small group.
“I called the fire department a few minutes ago.” The blond woman leaned over to check something on the stretcher. “It’s not uncommon for a fire to restart hours after it’s put out. It’s pretty standard procedure to have the local fire department check it out.”
So there was no longer any choice. Jess sighed. She just wanted this day to be over. Quickly, she murmured a prayer for strength. Seth gave her a startled glance, but didn’t comment. Instead, he and his partner loaded her into the ambulance and whisked her off to the hospital.
Two hours later, she was receiving her release papers and, except for a lingering headache, a clean bill of health. What was unexpected was that Seth reappeared as she was getting ready to leave with Rebecca. And with him was a police officer. A very grim-faced officer.
“Jess, this is Sergeant Jackson from the LaMar Pond Police Department. He needs to speak with you for a minute.” He signed the introductions, then started to back away.
Without thought, her hand shot out and caught at his. “Stay. Please.”
He raised his eyebrows, but nodded. She closed her eyes, feeling some of the tension in her chest disintegrate. As little as she trusted Seth, he was someone she knew. Being alone with a police officer was a frightening prospect for her. All she could think of were the accusations of fraud and theft, not to mention the thorough searches she’d endured, that had happened both before and after Cody’s death. No matter how much she and Cody had protested that he hadn’t stolen money from his foundation or rigged horse races, no one believed them. And even knowing the police were just doing their job didn’t shake her feeling that they looked at her with suspicion.
Plus, she reasoned, Seth signed, which could help. As well as she read lips, she sometimes needed to see the words to be sure she understood them. And interpreters were hard to find. She could be here hours if she waited for one.
Sergeant Jackson cleared his throat. “Miss McGrath, the fire department investigated the fire at the stables. It’s their inspector’s opinion that the fire might have been deliberately set.”
A shiver worked its way up her spine. Her day had just gotten much worse.
* * *
Gravel crunched under the tires of Seth’s Ford pickup truck as he turned into the driveway of River Road Stables the next morning. Water splashed up on his tires. The heavy scent of wet hay slipped through the inch-wide crack in his window. It had stormed the night before, and puddles were everywhere. His front tire hit a particularly deep puddle, and he was jarred by the motion as his truck bounced. Man, they really needed to fix the potholes on this driveway.
A yawn crept up on him. He had barely been able to sleep last night. The image of Jess’s distraught face haunted him. A queasy sensation settled in his stomach as he realized that the only reason she wasn’t being investigated for possibly causing the fire was because of her injury. Yet. He had seen the look in Gavin Jackson’s eyes. And he had been around cops enough to know that often arson was committed for insurance fraud.
He expected to continue up the lane to find Jessica in her one-story ranch house where she should be resting, as per doctor’s orders. His plan shifted when he spotted her brown ponytail swaying as she walked into the barn. Pressing his lips together, he parked his truck in front of the barn. Frustration and worry mingled. As hard as it was to believe, she didn’t have a concussion from her accident yesterday. Still, he was sure she probably was feeling some aches and pains. Enough to convince most people to take it easy and rest. A sigh escaped. Not that he was surprised that she refused to slow down. She always had pushed herself harder than others around her. In his mind, he had always wondered if she felt that being deaf, she had to overachieve in order to prove herself.
To be fair, she had probably been right. He could remember the one class they had together—biology. The teacher had tried to convince her to drop the class, telling her in front of her peers that he didn’t have time to waste trying to keep her caught up.
But she had been stubborn. And the guidance counselor had asked Seth to tutor her, to ensure her success. He’d agreed, reluctantly, knowing it would look good to the teachers and guidance counselors who would eventually write him college recommendation letters. And soon found that they had all underestimated her. Had started to admire her, to like her—and that was where the trouble had begun.
He winced. Those were memories he didn’t want to relive.
Parking the truck, he grabbed the wallet he had found on his floorboard that morning. If she had noticed it missing, she might be panicking about now. It gave him the excuse he needed to pay her a visit, although he refused to think about why he was so anxious to see her again. He was a paramedic—it was his job to worry about people, particularly people who had just been injured. He had been skeptical when she had agreed to follow the doctor’s directives. Something told him that she wouldn’t be able to sit still. He had seen the stubborn look in her eyes.
Obviously he had been right.
Didn’t she know she needed to rest? He admitted to himself that he was concerned. Working alone in the barn was not safe for her. And she had said the day before that no one would be coming in until after lunch. It hadn’t struck him until he had dropped her off that someone—meaning her—would have to come out to take care of the horses in the morning. All alone like that, she would be an easy target if the person who’d attacked her stables came back. He shook off the thought. For all he knew, the fire was a random act by a group of kids. Yeah, right.
The stable door was standing open. He headed that way, pausing just inside it. Jessica stood outside the office door, her arms closed tight against her belly, her eyes squeezed shut. He started, ready to rush in and...what? Comfort her? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he didn’t like seeing her so vulnerable. Never had, even though their association had been so brief. Which made what had happened even more contemptible. When he had betrayed her trust, he had left her open to the cruelty of others. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t been a part of the actions they had taken against her. He knew what a soft heart she had. And that she had a crush on him. But instead of protecting her, he’d stepped back and allowed her to be hurt in a disaster which ended with her being pulled from the school.
He drew himself away from his painful memories. Then he noticed her lips were moving. She was praying. Okay, now he felt really