Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) (17 page)

As the singers and musicians left the platform, a man came up and stood behind the pulpit. I figured him to be somewhere in his middle forties, although with his receding hairline, he could have been younger. He towered over the retreating musicians by quite a bit. His thin frame and rather large nose put me in mind of drawings I’d seen of the fictional character Ichabod Crane. When he opened his mouth to speak, a rich voice rolled out. I sighed deeply as he introduced his sermon topic—“Walking in Love.” In other words, God had my number. I could almost feel the target on the top of my head. By the time Pastor Jensen finished, I’d been properly spanked. I’d learned long ago that God disciplines his children through His Word. When a sermon reaches into your heart and shines a light on your wrong attitudes, it is the Holy Spirit bringing His loving conviction.

I was convicted all right. I glanced over at Mary. My visit to Harmony had disrupted her life. Perhaps it wasn’t my fault, but my reaction to her situation
was
my responsibility. When the sermon came to a close and we were dismissed, I asked Sam to wait for me in the truck. I knew he’d offered to go with me if I decided to talk to Mary, but I felt strongly that this was something I had to do alone. He gave me an odd look but headed for the exit. I caught up to Mary just as she scooted out of the pew where she’d been seated.

“Mary, may I speak to you privately for a moment?” I put my hand on her arm and held on.

“I—I don’t know...” Her expression reminded me of a fox I’d found caught in a trap once when we lived in Nebraska. It had taken quite awhile for him to trust me enough to let me open the trap and free him. I kept the light pressure on her arm.

“Please.”

She sighed, and resignation registered on her face. “I suppose it would be okay.” She pointed toward a small alcove to my left. I released her arm and followed her there. As she walked in heels higher than I’d be comfortable with, her dark, silky hair bounced in rhythm to her full but rather short skirt. I tried not to think about the appropriateness of her outfit for a church service. It wasn’t my job to judge her. Especially now. When we reached our destination, she turned and folded her arms across her chest, her red mouth pursed in a pout. “What do you want, Gracie?”

I prayed silently for the right words, clearing my throat to give me a second to hear from God. “We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, Mary,” I said finally. “I’m not sure why, but I’d like to clear it up if at all possible.” I gazed into her deep brown eyes and saw the hurt and insecurity there. A wave of sympathy washed through me. “I’m not interested in Sam romantically,” I said gently. “He’s a wonderful man and has been a good friend since I arrived in town—but that’s all. Whatever’s going on between you two has nothing to do with me. Please understand that I’m not your problem—or your enemy. In fact, I’d like to be your friend if you’ll let me. Like Pastor Jensen said, we’re a family. We should act like one.”

Instead of the warm reaction I’d hoped for, her mouth tightened and she stepped away from me. “I honestly don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I know Sam Goodrich. He has feelings for you. It’s obvious. Maybe you don’t return them, but that doesn’t change a thing. We’re engaged—at least we were until you showed up.”

Well, I guess the soft-answer-turning-away-wrath thing doesn’t work all the time. This certainly wasn’t the reaction I’d prayed for. “Look, Mary,” I said slowly, “surely you realize that if your relationship with Sam is secure, my presence won’t interfere with it in any way. If you two are meant to be together, no one will be able to come between you—on purpose or accidentally.”

“How dare you!” she huffed. Her face flushed an angry red. “I couldn’t care less about your opinion on any subject. I understand stealing fiancés isn’t the only kind of theft you’re interested in.”

My good intentions flew out the window. Anger coursed through me in a torrent. “Look here, you little...”

“That’s enough, Grace.”

Sam’s stern tone caught me off guard. I turned around to find him standing behind us, Ruth at his side.

“But she said...,” I sputtered.

“This is all my fault,” Ruth said, interrupting what promised to be a scathing report of the injustice leveled against me.

Her words stopped me cold. “Wh–what?” I managed to get out between clenched teeth.

Ruth reached over and took my hands in hers. “I said, I guess this is all my fault.” She glanced up at Sam and shook her head. “Sam told me that you couldn’t possibly have taken the vase. I’ve known him ever since he came to live here, and if there’s one thing I can count on in this life, it’s the truthfulness of Sam Goodrich.” She squeezed my hands. “I can’t say I understand how my vase got into your trunk, Gracie. To be honest, it will take a leap of faith for me to believe you had nothing to do with stealing it. But I trust Sam. And I didn’t actually see who took it. Those two facts have to outweigh my suspicions. I have no choice but to give you the benefit of the doubt.” She smiled at me. “Could you possibly find it in your heart to give me another chance?”

“Of course, I can. I’m not a thief, Ruth. Really. I would never take something that doesn’t belong to me.” I swung my gaze toward Mary. “Not on purpose anyway.”

Ruth hugged me. “Let’s just put the whole situation behind us, okay? You’re welcome in my shop anytime. Maybe we need to have a cup of coffee together this week and get to know each other a little better.”

“I–I’d like that.”

A quick glance at Mary made it clear her anger was now not only directed at me but at her friend, as well. She mumbled something I didn’t understand and stomped away, stopping to speak to a couple exiting a pew several rows away from us.

“Don’t worry about Mary,” Ruth said. “I can handle her. She gets pretty angry sometimes, but she usually finds a way to move past it.” She put her arm around my shoulder. “I’m going to walk you back to Sam’s truck.” She frowned at him. “I just said some nice things about your willingness to be honest, Sam Goodrich. You need to do that now.” She glanced toward Mary and then back at Sam. “You understand me, boy?”

He nodded, his face pink. “Yes ma’am,” he mumbled.

Ruth guided me away from Sam and Mary. When we were out of listening range, she let me go. “Sorry to rush you off like that, but Sam owes Mary a frank talk. It should have happened a long time ago.” She sighed and shook her head. “Mary pushed and prodded him into this so-called
engagement.
At first, Sam was too nice to tell her he wasn’t certain about it. Finally, I think he just gave in. Sometimes when you live in a town this small, you can start thinking that your choices in life are limited to what’s here. I think in the back of Sam’s mind, he figured he might as well hook up with Mary because there would never be anyone else.” She smiled at me. “Since you’ve come to town, he’s started rethinking that attitude.”

I started to protest, but Ruth pointed toward the doors of the church. “Let’s talk outside. Esther Crenshaw is on her way over here, and she’s the biggest gossip in town.”

Over my shoulder I saw a woman with curly brown hair wearing a bright red dress and a large flowered hat making a beeline toward us. Ruth quickly pulled me out the door, and we hurried to Sam’s truck where we stood on the side not facing the church. Esther followed us outside but stopped to talk to someone else, seeming to forget us completely.

“Listen, Ruth,” I said when we’d safely escaped Esther’s attention, “I have no romantic interest in Sam. He’s a nice man, and I think we’re building a friendship—but that’s all it is. For goodness’ sake, I’ve only known him for two days. That’s not enough time to fall in love.”

Ruth’s round face crinkled as she laughed. “Oh, Gracie. My husband and I fell in love on our first date. I knew he was the man for me, and he knew I was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. We were married almost forty years before he died. And every single year was happy.” She reached over and patted me on the shoulder. “Love isn’t something you buy at the store when you’re ready,” she said gently. “It’s a gift that can arrive all of a sudden—without warning. It can come at the most inconvenient time—and it almost never looks the way you expect it to.” She reached up and touched my face lightly. “The worst thing you can do is not take the gift when it comes. It may never come your way again. Believe me, I know.”

I stared at the older woman, unable to find the words to respond to her. Sam couldn’t possibly be the man for me. Everything about him was wrong. Wrong kind of man. Wrong profession. Wrong town.

“I understand what you’re saying,” I said, trying to sound convincing, “but honestly, Sam and I are not a couple. Nor will we ever be. We’re not a good match.”

She smiled. “Maybe not. Sorry. Guess I shouldn’t stick my nose into other people’s business.”

“It–it’s fine.” I cleared my throat and tried to offer her my most sincere expression. “Look, I want you to understand something. For reasons I can’t explain right now, I’m convinced someone took your vase and placed it inside my uncle’s house just so they could cast a bad light on me personally. I know that doesn’t make sense to you now, but I hope to prove it before I leave Harmony.”

Ruth’s forehead puckered. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, honey. But if someone was actually trying to set you up...” She shook her head. “You know, Benjamin Temple was the loneliest man I ever met. Now don’t get me wrong—I adored him. His honesty, his compassion. But there was something bubbling below the surface of that man. Now you come to town and things start heating up.” She studied me for a moment. “You be careful stirring that pot, Gracie. If it boils over, people can get burned.”

Was she warning me or threatening me? Truth was, I had no idea who was my friend—and who was my enemy. Could Ruth have planted the vase at Benjamin’s house? Maybe she put it there herself. And what about Mary? She had a good reason for wanting me out of town.

I looked around at the people heading toward their cars. Nice people. Friendly people. But someone in this town hid a dark secret, and I had no intention of leaving until I uncovered it. “Here he comes,” Ruth said suddenly.

I looked past her and saw Sam coming our way. His face was set in stone without a hint of a smile. No sign of Mary.

“Let’s get going,” he said brusquely as he approached the car. “We don’t want to be late for dinner at Abel’s.”

He opened the truck door for me, and I climbed inside. He slammed it shut and rounded the front of the truck toward the driver’s side. A determined-looking Ruth blocked his way. The window on his side was rolled down, which made it easy for me to hear their conversation.

“Did you talk to her?” she asked in a firm voice.

“Yes I did.” By the look on his face and the tone of his voice, it was obvious Mary hadn’t taken it well.

“Good. Now you both can move on.”

Sam grunted. “Not necessarily. She’s pretty angry. I think I’ll have to make myself scarce for a while.”

“Nonsense. She’ll come around. I’ll speak to her. Trust me.”

Sam leaned down and gave Ruth a kiss on the cheek. “Well, if there’s anyone who can settle her down, it’s you. But I’m not sure even your powers of persuasion will work this time.”

Ruth’s light, musical laugh drifted through the air. “Oh ye of little faith.” She stepped out of Sam’s way, and he slid into his truck. Then she leaned on the open window and frowned at me. “You be careful, Gracie. And remember what I said.” With that she turned and walked away.

“What did she say?” Sam asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

“She told me I might be getting ready to bite off more than I can chew.” I sighed. “I’m beginning to wonder if she’s right.”

“Phooey.” Sam backed the truck up, being careful to avoid distracted churchgoers involved in animated conversations in the parking lot. “You can’t give up now. You must be on the right track. You certainly caught someone’s attention.”

I had to agree with him on that point, but as we drove to Abel Mueller’s, Ruth’s admonition kept ringing through my mind.
You be careful stirring that pot, Gracie. If it boils over, people can get burned.

“This chicken is delicious, Emily,” I said, taking another bite. “And this stuffing. I’ve never had anything like it.”

“It’s called
bubbat,
” she said with a smile. “The raisins add a nice flavor, I think.”

“It’s wonderful. And these rolls.” I picked up a round roll with another round knob on top of it. It looked like a little snowman without arms and legs.

“Zwieback,” Hannah said. “Mama makes it all the time. She’s a great cook.”

“She certainly is.” I smiled at Emily. “I’m amazed. How did you put together a meal like this so quickly? Doesn’t your church let out about the same time as Sam’s?”

“I cook Sunday’s dinner on Saturday,” Emily said with a small laugh. “We don’t like to work on the Sabbath. So you see, all I had to do was heat everything up.”

“Well, you’re the best heater-upper I’ve ever met.”

Hannah giggled, and Abel laughed warmly.

Thankfully, dinner was relaxed and enjoyable. Whatever had caused Emily to react so violently to me in the diner wasn’t evident today. I’d been a little nervous on the way over, wondering if Abel and his family had heard about my supposed criminal activity. Sam had assured me that even if Ruth had wanted to tell Abel, there wouldn’t have been any opportunity. Two different churches, two different schedules, not enough time. Hopefully, now that Ruth had removed me from the top of her suspect list, the rumor wouldn’t go any further.

I glanced over to find Hannah’s brilliant blue eyes fastened on me. She seemed intrigued by the new guest in the Mueller house. I was very interested in her, too. A girl with so much natural talent needed encouragement and training. Her chances of receiving it in Harmony were slim to none.

Abel’s house felt cozy and welcoming. Not much different than my folks except for the lack of a TV or DVD cabinet. The Muellers had electricity, and a quick peek into Emily’s kitchen revealed modern appliances. What Abel told me at the diner appeared to be true. His day-to-day existence wasn’t much different than mine except for an effort to keep life simpler and free of outside distractions.