Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) (38 page)

“See, there’s no help for you here.” I grabbed his other hand and pulled him away from the table.

We held hands and strolled over to the fountain. In the dusky glow of evening, lights flickered on and highlighted the fountain and the benches. The sounds of people and children laughing and playing echoed behind us. The aroma of freshly cut grass combined with the sweetness of honeysuckle created an atmosphere so special I wanted to remember the sights, sounds, and aromas forever.

Sam swung my hand back and forth as we walked. I felt a peace inside me that I’d never known before. I wanted to savor it, so I slowed my steps down to a stroll. As if he felt the same thing, Sam matched my unhurried gait with his own.

“Abel’s talking about having a funeral for Glick,” he said. “He hasn’t mentioned it to John yet. He’s not sure how John will feel about it.”

“Wow. Not sure if that’s a good idea. Glick caused a lot of heartache in this community.”

“I know, but Abel says funerals are for the living, not the dead. The idea of John burying his father alone doesn’t sit too well with either one of us.”

I considered this. “You’ve got a point. Maybe a small, private funeral for John and a few friends.” I sighed. “I like John. He shouldn’t feel bad about Glick. We don’t get to pick our fathers.”

As we reached the benches, Mary walked past us. She carried a large box full of pies.

“Boy, that smells good,” Sam said. “Need some help?”

She smiled. “Thanks, Sam. But I’ve got it. These won’t last long. You two better get back soon so you don’t miss out.”

I nodded. “Good point. We’ll do our best.”

After flashing us another smile, she took off toward the food table.

“Well, that’s an improvement,” I said.

Sam nodded. “I think we’re going to be okay. We had a talk the last day I worked on Ben’s house. She finally admitted that she knew we weren’t right for each other.” He stopped walking and turned to look at me. “You know, after only knowing you a few days, I realized that I’d almost made the biggest mistake of my life. I’d picked someone to marry because I didn’t think I had any other choices. I was willing to give up passion for—for convenience, I guess. After Mary and I ended up engaged, I bought her a ring.” He laughed. “Funny thing, I could never bring myself to give it to her. With my lightning-fast mind, you’d think I’d have figured out why. But anyway, after you left the other day to pick wildflowers for Ida, I got that ring out of the drawer where I kept it and...”

“You threw it into the lake,” I finished for him.

His eyebrows arched in surprise. “How did you know that?”

“I saw you. Of course, I didn’t know what you’d tossed into the water. I have to admit that I wondered about it.”

He grinned. “Did you think I was getting rid of evidence? I couldn’t have killed Jacob Glick you know. I wasn’t even born...”

I put my fingers up to his lips. “Oh hush. I don’t know what I thought, but I couldn’t have been too suspicious. I actually forgot about it until you just brought it up.” I frowned at him. “You could have gotten your money back for the ring, you know.”

“For some reason I really needed to pitch it, Grace. I don’t know if you can understand that.”

I gazed into his eyes. “I understand it completely.”

His face flushed slightly, and he guided me to one of the benches. He sat down and pulled me down next to him. “Before you start in on whatever you wanted to say, can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

He took my hand and covered it with both of his. His head hung down as he stared at the ground. “I—I told you that John and I had a lot in common. Do you remember that?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Th–the truth is that I have no idea who my father is. When my mother got pregnant with me, she wasn’t married.” He breathed in deeply and let it out. “John didn’t know who his father was until after his mother died. He was born out of wedlock, too. I may never know my father, but the thought that he might be someone as awful as Jacob Glick makes me feel sick to my stomach.”

I squeezed his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

He swung his head up. “I was afraid you’d think less of me. It’s embarrassing, Grace.”

I shook my head. “Look, I want to be understanding, I really do, but I don’t see why in the world you should be embarrassed. It had nothing to do with you.”

His face flushed. “It sounds like my mother was loose or something. But she wasn’t. She might have made a mistake, but she was a wonderful mother. She did everything she could for me. And she took me to church.” He cleared his throat. I could tell this was difficult for him. “And she didn’t abort me. She could have.”

“I don’t believe for one moment that your mother was loose, as you put it. You’re the most wonderful man I’ve ever known. I’m certain your mother had a lot to do with that. We’ve all made mistakes. It we didn’t, we wouldn’t need Jesus, would we?”

He shook his head.

“Have you ever thought about trying to find your father?”

“I’ve toyed with the idea. I get the feeling Sweetie knows something she hasn’t told me. But to be honest, this thing with John made me even more reluctant. Obviously, finding your biological family doesn’t always turn out like a fairy tale. There’s not always a happy ending.”

I had no answer to that. His conclusion was probably true.

Sam got up and walked over to the plaque attached to the fountain. “Remember how I told you that Harmony is a special place?” he said evenly. “I believe that even more now. Since—since you came here.”

“What do you mean?”

He turned toward me. The seriousness in his expression startled me. “I truly believe you were meant to come here, Grace. There were hurtful secrets buried below the surface of this town. God used you to bring them out.”

“Anyone could have...”

“No,” he said firmly. “Not anyone. Ben couldn’t do it. He kept the truth buried for years, letting it cause devastation and pain.”

I got up and went over to him. “But it wasn’t the truth. It was all a lie. Benjamin protected a lie. If the real truth had come out when Glick died, I’ll bet things would have been different for a lot of people. For my family, for Emily, Sweetie...”

“And Levi.”

I nodded. “Yes, Levi, too. Spending all these years harboring guilt and bitterness is almost worse than being in a physical jail, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I believe you’re right.” He put his hand under my chin and kissed me lightly. “I still believe coming to Harmony was your destiny.” He ran his finger down the side of my face. “I want to spend the rest of the week with you. Sweetie said she’d hire some help in the orchard so we can have every possible minute together.”

“Thank you, Sam, but that’s not necessary.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand. I know you have to figure out how to get your possessions out of the house, but I can help. Sweetie really wants to buy the land so we can expand the orchards. She’ll give you a good price...”

“Sam, I’m leaving in the morning. I’m not waiting until the weekend.”

He stepped back from me, his face drained of color. “I—I don’t understand. I–I’m not ready for you to go.”

I sat on the edge of the fountain and looked into the water. “Do you remember when you first showed me this fountain?”

“Of course. It was only a few days ago.”

“I told you I prayed for God’s will in my life. You warned me that I’d asked for something dangerous. You called it a prayer of consecration. You said it meant that my life might take a turn I hadn’t planned on. You asked me if I was ready to accept that.”

Sam’s beautiful gray eyes locked onto mine. “Yes, I remember.”

I could feel the tears that filled my eyes, but I was powerless to stop them. “I wasn’t then, but I am now. Since I came to this town my life has been in constant upheaval. I kept thinking how different the world is in Wichita. At first I wanted nothing more than to get home to it.”

He took a step toward me. “You said ‘at first’?”

I nodded and a sob broke past my lips. “Then all of a sudden, the idea of going back didn’t seem so appealing. I finally realized it wasn’t the life I wanted anymore.”

“I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

I reached up and touched his lips with my fingertips while the sound of dancing water played in the background like gentle music. “I’m leaving in the morning so I can go back to Wichita and pack up my things. I’ve already called my boss. He’s willing to let me do freelance work for him. I’m moving to Harmony because...”

Sam’s kiss cut off anything else I might have wanted to say. His arms held me close, and I could feel his body tremble. In my entire life, I’d never been kissed the way Sam Goodrich kissed me then and there. When he let me go, it took me a little while to speak.

“There is one thing I need from you, Sam,” I finally whispered. “One thing you must promise me.”

“Anything,” he said in a husky voice. “I would do anything for you. Name it.”

I smiled and wiped a tear from his face with my finger. “I can tell you in one word.”

He cocked his head to one side. “Tell me.”

I couldn’t hold back the laughter that bubbled up from inside of me. “Electricity. You’ve got to help me get electricity.”

Laughing and kissing might not seem to go together, but somehow it worked for us.

“You have my word,” he said with a grin. “I’ll even make sure you have a phone.”

“Oh thank you.”

From behind us I heard someone call our names. We turned around to see Abel standing a few yards away.

“I’m attempting to save you both a piece of pie,” he yelled. “You’d better get over here before it’s too late!”

Sam grabbed my hand, and we started walking toward the kind Mennonite man who had become my friend.

“Hey, we’re trying to schedule one more game of horseshoes before it gets dark,” he said. “What time are you two going home?”

I smiled at Abel and squeezed Sam’s hand. “Why, Abel,” I said, “we have all the time in the world. You see, Sam and I are both already home.”

He stood and watched us as we walked back toward the picnic area. He didn’t say anything, but I could hear his hearty laughter floating past us on the gentle spring air.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy Mehl is the author of six novels, one of which,
For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls,
won the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award in Mystery. Her new Harmony Series takes her a step away from the mystery genre she’s used to and into romantic suspense. “This series is a little different for me,” she says. “But that element of mystery has followed me to Harmony. I hope mystery readers will find a little something for them in this new venture. It has been so much fun creating the town of Harmony and getting to know the Mennonite people a little better. I hope I’ve done justice to their wonderful legacy and incredible spirit.”

Nancy lives in Kansas with her husband, Norman, their son, Danny, and a Puggle named Watson. She spends her extra time with her volunteer group, Wichita Homebound Outreach.

Nancy’s Web site is www.nancymehl.com and you can find her blog at www.nancymehl.blogspot.com. She loves to hear from her readers.

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