Joshua’s voice was low and sounded full of grit. “I don’t have any proof. I have a feeling in my stomach that makes me wary. It’s the way he looks at you.”
“What about it?” She swallowed and put a hand to her waist. When she stared deep into his eyes, she didn’t like what she saw there. It almost looked like...
Fear.
For her.
Joshua’s voice, though, was firm. “It reminds me of the way he looked at Mary.”
Joshua leaned back, his heart heavy. But after hearing what Peter had to say about his visit with Julian, he knew his instincts were correct. “I don’t want to say anything else that sounds condemning of Julian, all right?”
Anna studied him for several moments and then her shoulders relaxed a bit. “All right.”
“But my hackles have been up after watching him with you. Yes, I’m jealous. You’re my fiancée. I can’t wait to marry you. I want to protect you from anyone that might hurt you.” How could he convince her that Julian might be dangerous? Maybe if he told her that someone shot at him, but then she’d really think he’d lost his mind.
“Who says that he’s going to hurt me?” She stiffened again, her lips in a thin line.
He held up a hand. “I’m saying that he might hurt you emotionally. What if you can’t help him like you hoped? What if he says something that breaks your heart? And what if—hear me out—what if you find out that he has done something terrible? How will that affect you?”
She gazed at him. Then shifted her glance to her father. “I appreciate the fact that you both want to protect me. But didn’t you see how Julian came to my—our—rescue with the Oppenheims? That has brought me so much relief. We wouldn’t be able to even do this dig without his permission. Another thing to be grateful to him for. He’s been patient and taught me about gardening. All so I could bring you something beautiful, Dad. Doesn’t all of that count for something?”
Peter speared Joshua with a look. They weren’t going to convince her of anything. Not today. Maybe not for a long while. He’d said nothing to Anna yet of his suspicions of Walker with the rope that had sent him careening, the trap on the trail that he used, and then the gunshots. But he’d shared them with her father.
The simple fact that Julian Walker carried those ribbons around in his pocket should have been enough to convince Anna. But no. For some reason, she was digging her heels in. If they told her about their other suspicions now, she’d probably blame it on the Oppenheims. There was no winning because she was blind to the whole situation. Which made Joshua more than a little afraid for her.
“Anna.” He breathed deep as he peered down at his shoes. “I need to ask you something, and as the man you love and have agreed to marry, I’m hoping you will respect my opinion. And your father’s.”
Her lips moved into a thin line. “Yes?”
“Will you please—for me and your father—not go over to Julian’s anymore without someone else with you?”
Shaking her head, she glared from him to her father and back to him. “I can’t believe you two!”
“Don’t look at me like that!” Mr. Lakeman’s voice boomed.
Anna jumped back, her eyes wide. “Dad—”
“No. No more.” Red suffused his cheeks. “I forbid it. Plain and simple.”
twenty-five
“It is hard when a man has toiled all his life with unflagging energy and enthusiasm to be cut off when he had gotten where he could make his efforts count, yet the loss is not his. It is the loss to his family and to science.”
~Earl Douglass
THURSDAY, JULY18
Staring off into the distance, Anna couldn’t believe it was already past mid-July. Joshua was leaving at the end of the month. What would she do when he went back to school? She wouldn’t see him for a year. Would they be able to make it with just letters? Every time she thought about it, her stomach tied up in knots. The past three years didn’t give her a lot of confidence.
With a lift of her chin, she forced herself to be positive. They’d patched things up. Shared from their hearts. They would be fine.
Just fine.
But last night’s discussion with him and Dad had not goneas she expected. Of course, they both wanted to protect her. They loved her. But they couldn’t see what she could see.
Julian needed someone to help him.
Still ... Dad hadn’t raised his voice at her like that in years. So she’d promised and let the whole thing drop. But deep down, her conviction was still there. She would not neglect Julian again as she had after Mary disappeared.
