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buy a house without central air?
    “Hey, new neighbor lady!” Luke called out. “We came to see if you need any help yet.”
    Nora nearly choked on laughter—but maybe if she kept quiet, these rubes would go away.
    “I know you’re in there,” Luke teased in a singsong voice. “Smells like chicken noodle soup.”
    Nora swore under her breath as she turned off the burner. Her hair was a mess, she was wearing no makeup, she was hot and tired and testy—and she would find a way to convince these two turkeys to leave her alone. When she opened the back kitchen door, however, Luke walked inside as though he owned the place, followed by his companion.
    “This is my little brother Ira,” he said as he nailed her with a green-eyed gaze. “And we’re pleased to make your acquaintance, Nora .”
    “H-how’d you know my name?” she stammered.
    Luke’s lips flickered wryly. “Hiram stopped by to tell us you’d moved in.”
    The blood rushed from her head as she caught a whiff of wintergreen on his breath. What else had Hiram revealed about her—and her past? What if these guys went blabbing to everyone about how she’d—
    “Hey, nice stove,” Ira remarked as he looked around the cluttered kitchen. “So, do ya like to cook, Nora?”
    Their hopeful expressions brought Nora out of her panic. Here was her chance to get rid of two nosy Amish bachelors looking for home-cooked meals. “If I can’t microwave it, I can’t cook it,” she replied plaintively. “But there aren’t any plug-ins. So I’m figuring out how to open soup with a manual can opener and—”
    “Nobody told ya about the solar panels?” Ira blurted.
    Luke was staring at her as though he couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed the lack of electricity when she’d bought the place. Nora found herself way too riveted by his intense gaze, so she watched his brother open the pantry door. “Solar panels? That sounds too progressive for an Amish town.”
    “Ah, but see, Hiram had more gadgets than he was supposed to,” Ira replied as he held up two cables with electrical adapters on the ends.
    “Which is why those solar panels are on the back side of the roof, away from the road,” Luke explained. “Knepp arranged his power cables so they came into closets, so any visitors from the district wouldn’t see his TV set and the computer that hooked up to the security system in his barn. He’s a real piece of work, Hiram is.”
    Nora was so ecstatic about having power for her small appliances that she momentarily set aside her concern about any information the former bishop might’ve revealed to Luke Hooley. She could plug in her microwave and blender and blow dryer! She could make toast for breakfast! Maybe these guys were worth knowing, after all, if—
    “Annie Mae used to tell us about her dat ’s gadgets when Luke and I were runnin’ the roads with her and Millie Glick,” Ira said in an offhand voice. “And gee, now that Annie Mae’s married to Adam Wagler, they’ll be your neighbors on the other side.”
    Nora had lost him at the mention of her daughter’s name. Once again she fought waves of panic, wondering if these brothers knew more about her than they were letting on—maybe baiting her to reveal more answers. I remember Annie Mae when she was in diapers! What kind of losers are these guys, if they’re nearly my age yet dating girls young enough to be my daughter—not to mention running the roads with my Millie?
    She struggled to keep a straight face. These chatty brothers might be rubes, but they were also potential fonts of knowledge about Willow Ridge and its inhabitants. “So, what else can you tell me about this house and—”
    Luke’s catlike eyes narrowed as he walked around her, looking her up and down. “You could pass for Millie’s sister,” he murmured in an appreciative voice. “Don’t you think so, Ira?”
    Ira studied her face and hair, his thumbs hooked behind his suspenders. “Millie’ll never have this