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much class ,” he declared. “But that’s because she doesn’t get out much, what with takin’ care of her grandmother, and livin’ under old Preacher Gabe’s nose.”
    “But since you’re not Amish, you’ll not have much reason to get acquainted with him,” Luke added matter-of-factly. “Except for eating at the café most mornings, he doesn’t get out much anymore, either. Gabe’s so old and crippled up, he’s retired from preaching.”
    Again Nora fought to maintain her neutral facial expression. She’d never known an Amish preacher to retire—it was a lifelong commitment—so her father must be severely disabled. While the Hooley brothers were fascinated by her resemblance to Millie, they seemed to have no clue that Gabe Glick was her father . . . so if Dat has claimed Millie as his granddaughter, she surely believes Atlee and Lizzie are her parents. But if Millie’s living with Dat and Mamma, how will I ever reconcile with them first, without her being in the middle of it?
    This was no time to get lost in such concerns, however. If she was to get any more information about Willow Ridge and the people here, she had to ask questions as though she were a newcomer. “So is there a real grocery store anywhere close?” Nora asked. “Or is that little place with the blue metal roof where you do your shopping?”
    Ira rolled his eyes. “Zook’s Market’s the closest thing we’ve got to a store—”
    “There’s an English supermarket in New Haven,” Luke cut in suavely, “but we usually eat at the Sweet Seasons. Our older brother Ben’s married to the woman who runs the place, and it’s where most everybody goes for breakfast and lunch—”
    “The guys do, anyway,” Ira agreed, “on account of how the buffet, along with the pies and rolls in the bakery counter are the best anywhere. We bring home enough for our supper, usually. If it weren’t for Miriam’s place, a lot of us single fellas would starve.”
    Note to self: don’t eat at the café. The Hooley brothers are always there.
    Nodding, Nora feigned ignorance again. “So, what do people around here do for entertainment?”
    The brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Oh, honey, if ya think there’s movie theaters or miniature golf,” Ira began with a chuckle, “ya moved to the wrong spot in the road.”
    Luke was studying her closely. “Didn’t you check out any of this stuff before you bought a house in an Amish town?” he quizzed her. “The nearest place with anything going on is Warrensburg, where there’s a college—”
    “I did enough homework to know I could find some peace and quiet here,” Nora retorted, hoping her tone would shut them up—and cover the irony of that statement. Peace was the last thing she’d experience once her father and brother found out she’d returned. “Willow Ridge is a quaint little town in the countryside, and the house was a steal, compared to what such a place would’ve cost in Saint—” She stopped before she revealed where she’d previously lived. “Anyway, I figured I’d get an electrician out here, and have cable installed—”
    “Hiram had a satellite dish,” Ira said.
    “Yep. Attached it to the back side of his barn,” Luke clarified. “But of course, since we could see it from our apartment above the mill, he told us it was part of the security system for his Belgian breeding business rather than for watching TV.”
    “Like he thought we were too stupid to know better,” Ira chimed in.
    Although Nora chuckled with them, she realized that too much chitchat with these nosy neighbors wasn’t in her best interest. Luke and Ira probably couldn’t wait to spread the word about their new neighbor when they went to the café for breakfast tomorrow morning—where her father might be eating.
    Nora suddenly felt overwhelmed by the many repercussions of her return she hadn’t anticipated. She had very little time left to remain anonymous, or to tell Mamma