Read Online Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) by Nancy Mehl - Free Book Online Page A

horizon.”
    “Why don’t you have a cup of coffee with us until they get here?” Sam said.
    The pastor looked at me. “If Grace doesn’t mind.”
    “No. Please do.”
    He grabbed another chair from a nearby table and pulled it up to ours, easing his large frame onto the padded seat. His eyes scanned the room. Mary stood talking to a family seated near the kitchen. The pastor waited until she looked his way and then stuck one of his fingers in the air. The restaurant owner nodded. Seemed as if Mary knew what everyone wanted before they asked for it. In Wichita, I visited the same Starbucks almost every morning, and each time the workers behind the counter acted as if they’d never seen me before.
    “So, how long will you be in Harmony, Grace?” Pastor Mueller asked.
    “Two weeks. I have to get back to work. And please, call me Gracie.” I took a sip from my coffee cup.
    “Gracie, it is,” he said with a smile. “And what kind of work do you do?”
    “I’m a graphic designer. I work for an advertising agency.”
    The pastor’s eyebrows shot up. “An artist, huh? I have a lot of respect for those to whom God has given artistic talent. I’m afraid that’s something He neglected to bestow upon me.”
    “I’ve always loved to draw. I began when I was pretty young. My mother says I started drawing bugs when I was two years old.”
    He chuckled. “Bugs, huh? Glad you moved on to other things.” He took a sip of coffee and then put his cup down. “What are your plans while you’re in Harmony?”
    “I need to find a way to let people know my uncle’s house is for sale. How should I go about that?”
    “Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to spread the word in town first before you put anything in a newspaper outside of Harmony. We have a few young couples that would love a chance at that property.” He looked at Sam. “I’m thinking about Kenneth and Alene Ward. They’ve asked about Ben’s place several times.”
    Sam nodded. “I think they’d buy it gladly.”
    “I’m not sure why,” I said. “The house isn’t bad, but there are much nicer places around here.”
    Pastor Mueller smiled. “Your uncle owns somewhere around thirty acres of the land surrounding that house. When your grandparents lived there, it was farmed for wheat and corn, but Benjamin let it all go after they left. An industrious young couple could bring the land back.”
    A chill ran through me. Farming meant digging and turning over the soil. A good chance my family’s secret would be uncovered. The very thing my uncle had feared.
    “You won’t have any trouble selling Ben’s property,” Sam said. “I’ll help you get the word out. Maybe we can make some flyers and post them around town.”
    I nodded dumbly, but my mind was still focused on the body hiding somewhere under a few feet of dirt. Then another thought struck me. “Pastor Mueller, how did my uncle survive? Financially, I mean. Without any crops...”
    “First of all, please call me Abel,” the gregarious man said. “Pastor Mueller is a little too formal for me.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Your uncle’s income source is easy to spot as you walk up and down our streets,” he continued. “He made all the wonderful rocking chairs scattered all over town. And the birdhouses and feeders. You’ll see many of them in Ruth’s store when you visit.” He shook his head. “Benjamin never lacked for work. He was a skilled craftsman.”
    “I didn’t see any kind of workshop on his property.”
    “Most of the time, he worked in the basement,” Sam said. “Have you been down there?”
    “No. I thought about it last night, but without electricity...”
    “Too spooky?” Abel laughed. “I can understand that.”
    At that moment, Mary showed up at our table with plates for Sam and me. She set his down carefully in front of him. A pile of pancakes topped with butter and a plate of sausage. She shoved my plate toward me without as much care. I looked up to see her