Read Online Lamb to the Slaughter (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 1) by Karen Ann Hopkins - Free Book Online Page B

eyes kept straying to my locks said he approved. Having the gorgeous guy at my side findingsomething other than my clothing attractive was a definite goal, even though I could have slapped myself for thinking so.
    Daniel’s side brushed against me and he bent down to whisper loudly, “Remember what we talked about in the Jeep. You’re my girlfriend. We’ve just started dating, and if anyone brings up the investigation, tell them it’s closed for all intents and purposes.” He grasped my hand and pulled me to a stop. I couldn’t help but look up in annoyance. “Don’t go asking any questions tonight. Let me do the talking for the most part… okay?”
    All kinds of doubts swirled in my head. The whole thing seemed so damned unprofessional. Is this really what a woman in small town rural America needed to do to get information for a possible murder investigation? What would happen to my reputation if it ever leaked out that I’d masqueraded as Daniel’s girlfriend to infiltrate the Amish community? I had a bad feeling about it. Unfortunately having my hand held snuggly in Daniel’s large, warm one felt nice enough to allow me to push the rational thoughts away. Still, as good as it felt, I looked down at our hands and back up at him questioningly.
    “It’s all part of the act, Serenity. Englishers hold hands when they’re dating—no way around it.” Daniel smiled, and it nearly took my breath away. Was he that good of an actor, or was he enjoying the charade as much as I secretly was?
    We walked toward the crowd in the buttery light of the evening, hand in hand. I tried to remember when the last time was that I’d held a guy’s hand. It had been a long while, that’s for sure.
    Feeling comfortable enough with Daniel to confide my biggest fear of the night, I slowed his forward momentum witha tug, and said, “I don’t believe the bishop will buy any of this. He’s way too sharp.”
    “You’d be surprised what they’ll believe, including Bishop Esch. We’re an attractive couple, just a man and a woman tonight. That’s what they’ll see and it will make perfect sense to them.”
    He sounded awfully sure of himself. I let go of the doubts and shifted my focus to the Amish people around me. Immediately upon entering the throng of people, all eyes were on us. Most of those eyes widened first with recognition of Daniel. Then they settled on me. So far, I hadn’t seen any of the Amish I recognized. I relaxed even further, allowing Daniel to be my guide through the mass of caps and beards.
    “Why, Daniel Bachman, it’s been a long time since I saw you last. How are you doing?” An Amish man stopped in front of us, grinning broadly. He had friendly blue eyes and a golden brown beard. His hand shot forward enthusiastically as he squeezed Daniel’s shoulder with his other hand at the same time.
    I could feel Daniel almost pull back in surprise before he let go of me and reached for the other man’s grasp. Daniel’s face beamed. I could almost touch the joy that emitted from him. Suddenly, I realized that Daniel must have been a nervous wreck himself about this encounter with his people. He hadn’t known what to expect after all these years away. Obviously from his huge smile, he was quite satisfied with his reception from this man.
    I tried to step back and let him have his moment. Before I could, he reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling me tightly into his side.
    “This is Serenity, my girlfriend. Serenity, this is one of my oldest friends, Lester Lapp. Lester and I used to spend whatever time we weren’t doing farm work in each other’s company, getting into all sorts of trouble.”
    Daniel continued to hold me close to his side. I was amazed that it didn’t feel as weird as it should have. I continued to play the loving girlfriend, leaning into him and slipping my hand around his waist. I enjoyed the quick glance he gave me, accompanied by a slight smile and eye brow lift. I would show him