Page 14 of Unforgiven

His father hadn’t called for him, so Lott figured he could stay where he was. It might have been cowardly, but that gave him some time to get a better look at the man.

He thought back. Until now, the closest he’d been to Seth in the last year was when they were on opposite sides of the farmers’ market. Seth had been buying up a ton of fruits and vegetables. Way more than for just one person. He’d surmised that Seth must have been buying food for one of his ex-con friends.

Well, that had been what a couple of the guys Lott had been with said. Gossiping about Seth was a favorite pastime. Actually, they all talked about him a lot when there wasn’t anyone around to overhear them. That’s when they guessed about what being in prison was like. They’d wondered if any of the other men discovered that Seth had been Amish—and if he’d had to fight a lot or if he’d been hurt or what he’d done to survive. They’d all agreed that he must have changed somehow. One didn’t walk out of a penitentiary without scars.

At least, Lott didn’t think so.

Now, here he was, still seated in his living room, waiting to be summoned. To Lott’s surprise, they didn’t come inside right away. Instead, they chatted for a few minutes. Lott watched Seth’s posture ease and a hint of a smile play across his features. It was almost like his father and Seth were friends.

How could that be? As far as he knew, neither of his parents ever mentioned Seth Zimmerman. Did they meet with him in secret? Or did they just not speak about Seth to Lott, just like they never mentioned what happened to Bethanne? That possibility floored Lott. Sometimes, his parents’ silence had bothered him so much, he’d wondered if they’d forgotten that Bethanne had been attacked.

But of course they hadn’t.

Getting to his feet, Lott continued to watch the two of them talk. Wondered how long he was going to have to wait. And then practically swallowed his tongue when Seth turned and looked directly at him through the window. Even from the distance, Seth’s eyes still looked hard and cold. They also seemed to see too much.

A chill ran through Lott, but he did his best not to act like anything was amiss. He attempted to look bored as he stared right back at Seth. Then tried not to shy away when Seth didn’t avert his gaze.

Natural curiosity won over as Lott’s eyes drifted over the man’s features. Seth had a nose that had obviously been broken once and never set right, sharp cheekbones, a light tan, and no beard. He was wearing jeans and Red Wings, and his black long-sleeved knit shirt was tucked in, showing that Seth’s body was strong and fit.

No, that was putting it mildly. Seth was not only a good four inches taller than Lott, he was also probably seventy or eighty pounds heavier. And not because he had fat on him. No, everything about the man looked muscular and hard. Like he wouldn’t need to think twice about grabbing someone if he had a mind to do it.

Lott’s mouth went dry. Had Seth always been that way? Or had all that time in prison done it?

Realizing that Seth was still watching him, Lott swallowed hard. Man, he wished he hadn’t stayed in the house instead of joining his father. Now he had to sit here and wait. Instead of feeling like he was in the right, Lott felt small. Like a foolish child pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

Maybe someone he’d never been.

As if his father had suddenly realized that Lott wasn’t standing with them, he called him outside.

Lott joined them on the porch.

Seth inclined his head but didn’t say anything.

“Lott, you know Seth, jah?”

“Yeah.”

His father frowned at his poor manners. “Lott—”

“It’s all right,” Seth said. “We know each other but not all that well. Apart from work, we don’t have a reason to speak to each other.”

He was right. They didn’t. Unless one counted the fact that Seth had saved his older sister from getting raped. Lott felt his cheeks heat.

“I’m sure Martha has put out a spread for you. Come on in.”

Seth seemed taken aback. “There was no need to go to any trouble, John.”

“You might not think so, but Martha and I feel differently.” Treating Lott to a look that said everything about behaving himself, Daed opened the door and gestured for Seth to proceed both him and Lott.

Seth paused at the door. “Your floor looks shiny. Martha must have just washed it.”

“Likely so. She’s been looking forward to your visit.”

“Should I take my shoes off?”

“If they’re muddy, yes. Otherwise, there’s no need.”

Their guest looked down at his feet like he had to double-check his shoes’ condition, then he followed Daed into the parlor.

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