Simple Deceit (The Harmony Series 2) (12 page)

A few irate shouts exploded from the gathered residents. Joe Loudermilk loudly called out, “Rand McAllister would sell his mother for a few bucks. He couldn’t care less about this town.”

A man in the front row stood up. I recognized my pastor, Marcus Jensen from Harmony Church. “I know several of you felt this venture would help to undergird your businesses, but it seems to me we were all doing okay before this proposal came along.” He turned and smiled at the crowd behind him. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think it would be great to welcome a few new people into our community. But do we really need to get this upset if it doesn’t pan out?”

Paul Bruner from the leather and feed store jumped to his feet. “Small towns are dyin’ all over the state, Pastor. Are we makin’ it? Yeah, I guess so. But some months we just barely get by.” He pointed his finger at Eric. “This man came here and started tellin’ us we could do better for our families and our town. I don’t want to move away from here just so my kids can have some of the things other kids have. But if that’s what I have to do, I may just pack us all up and go to Council Grove or Topeka.”

“I’m sorry, Paul,” Eric said. “I thought this deal was done. I guess I should have waited until all the papers were signed before
I shot off my big mouth. But Rand seemed so set on this venture, it never occurred to me that he would back out.”

One by one, three other men shot to their feet. But a hush fell over the room as Ida slowly stood up. The sight of this elderly Mennonite woman clothed in black seemed to quiet even the most outspoken citizens. The men sat down, deferring to one of Harmony’s most respected residents.

“I am not used to talking to large groups,” she said, her voice strong but quaking with age. “However, I love this town, and I would like to ask permission to speak.” She turned and looked over the crowd. “Is there anyone here who would be offended if I addressed this assembly?”

No one voiced an objection. Several people offered their encouragement.

“Thank you.” She turned back to Eric. “Mister Beck, I have no reason to believe your plan was anything more than a good business proposition. One that many of our citizens felt would be a help to our town. I do not fault you for this.” She turned back toward the crowd behind her. I held on to her arm as she teetered a little. “That being said, I have had misgivings about this venture since I first heard word of it. You see, many of you were content with your lives until the idea of gaining more money and possessions was held in front of you. I realize that some of you may be experiencing hard times. But in my whole life, I have never seen anyone in Harmony go without assistance when they were in need. Neighbors have helped neighbors as long as I can remember. And the church has reached out whenever someone could not make it on their own. Perhaps we are not what the world would call wealthy in goods or in monetary treasures, but in truth we are very rich, ja?” She smiled. “There are not many towns that have what we have.” She looked at Eric. “Now this man comes and our town is in turmoil. There is division. Our sights are set not on
what we have, but what we do not have.”

Once again she faced the crowd. The room was eerily quiet. “Harmony is an exceptional place. I implore all of you to remember what makes us this way. It is not money, and it is not possessions. It is a sense of community. It is the feeling of family. It is love. Above all, it is God’s blessing, ja?” She shook her head. “If this new development is built, then I will pray God’s blessings on it. If it is not, then I will pray God’s blessing on our town anyway. It is not this proposal I am afraid of. It is the darkness in our souls. The Good Book asks what good there will be if a man gains the world but loses his soul in the process. This is my fear. That Harmony’s soul is at risk.” She fastened her eyes on Eric. “That is all I have to say, Mr. Beck. I am sure you are a good man who truly believes he is doing what is best for our town. I disagree with respect, and I thank you for giving me time to speak.” She grasped my shoulder and slowly sat down.

There was silence for several seconds, and then someone in the back began to clap. Soon many in the room joined in. A glance around told me that not everyone agreed with Ida’s sentiments. Mason Schuler, who owned a local dairy farm, stood up.

“First of all, I want to say that I appreciate what Mrs. Turnbauer just said. There’s a lot of truth in it. But she can’t speak for all of us. I love Harmony as much as anyone else, but I have two teenagers who want to go to college. My desire to see more money come into this town has nothing to do with wanting to be rich or with buying a bunch of stuff. Bonnie and I honestly want to offer our kids the chance to make something more of their lives.”

A few other residents asked to be heard. Each one basically said the same thing—that Harmony needed the influx of money. That losing the retirement village would hurt the town and its citizens.

Eric listened patiently to each person but didn’t address their
questions until the last person sat down. Then he stepped closer to the podium and stared out at the crowd. His first few words were so soft several people shouted for him to speak up. I was struck by the hurt on his face and couldn’t help but remember when I first met with him and Grant about the project. He was so excited about building a place where people could spend their retirement away from the big city but were close enough to necessary services. Council Grove had a hospital and Sunrise had an emergency clinic. Although Sunrise was ten miles from downtown Harmony, from Rand’s place, it was only six. As Eric learned more about Harmony and began to realize that his development could also help the town, his enthusiasm only grew. Now he stood in front of the people he thought he would be helping without a clue whether he could deliver on the promises he’d made. I felt sorry for him, but I had to admit that I was a little concerned about my own future as well. If this project fell through, hopefully Grant would be able to send other work my way. I’d been counting on this job to see me through the winter. I had a little money saved up, but paying for electricity and heat in my uncle’s old house wouldn’t leave me with much to live on.

Eric stepped away from the podium and got closer to the crowd so they could hear him more clearly. He wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead and stared at me. I smiled in an attempt to encourage him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam watching me. It was my turn to ignore him.

“Look, I know some of you are disappointed that I don’t have better news tonight,” Eric said loudly. “You have my promise that I’ll try to keep this deal alive. I’ll find Rand and attempt to talk some sense into him. If there is any way to save the project, I’ll do it. We might as well dismiss now. After I speak to Rand, I’ll schedule another meeting.”

Mary spoke up again. “If Rand doesn’t want to sell his land,
can’t you find another location to build this place of yours? There’s lots of acreage out here. I can’t believe there aren’t folks willing to sell for the right price.”

“That’s a good idea,” Eric acknowledged, “and we did talk to several landowners in the area. Rand was the only one who had what we needed and was willing to sell.”

“So let me get this straight,” she said. “If you can find something close to the size and location of Rand’s farm, you’ll continue with the project?”

Eric considered her question for a moment. “It’s possible. Just remember that I have several investors. The final decision isn’t up to me. It’s up to them. It would have to be a pretty good plot of land. Trust me, it’s not that easy to find.”

Mary sat down. The crowd murmured among themselves, but no one else addressed Eric. He dismissed the group and hurried off the platform, stopping at the end of the row where I sat. He motioned to me. I excused myself and scooted past Sam.

“Gracie, Grant and I would like to talk to you. Can you meet us in the restaurant for dinner?”

I started to explain to him that I had to drive Ida home first, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Sam.

“You go ahead,” he said. “I’ll take Ida home.”

I looked past him at Ida. “Is that all right with you, Ida?”

“Ja, ja. You go to Mary’s,” she said. “But don’t stay in town too long. If it keeps snowing, you might have a problem getting home.”

“We won’t keep her too long, I promise,” Eric said, smiling at Ida. “And if it gets too bad, I’ll drive her. My truck has four-wheel drive.”

Ida pointed at him. “I will trust you to take care of her, young man. She is precious to me.”

I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be fine. You go home and get warm.”

She nodded and Sam took her arm, guiding her toward the back of the room. Several people stopped them on their way, wanting to tell Ida how much her comments meant to them. By the time I got my coat and purse, Ida and Sam had left the building. Sam had basically ignored me. Self-pity simmered inside me. He’d told me everything was okay. That he loved me. But his actions tonight sure didn’t show it. Just then Eric touched my arm.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded and followed him toward the door. Before I could reach it, someone grabbed me. I turned to find Ruth staring at me oddly.

“Gracie, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to speak to you for just a minute. It’s important.”

“Well, I was on my way to a meeting,” I said hesitantly.

“We’ll see you at the restaurant,” Eric said. “You go ahead.”

Ruth took his comment to heart and immediately pulled me to a corner of the room that was empty. In several other areas, residents had formed small groups and were deep in discussion. I looked for Abel, but he was already gone. I’d really wanted to ask him about the baby.

“First of all, I’m so glad you’re back,” Ruth said. “I missed you so much.” She gave me a quick hug, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it.

“What’s wrong, Ruth? I can tell you’re upset.”

“Oh, Gracie,” she said, her round, red face even more flushed than usual. “People are talking. I mean, I know it’s not true, but I just think you should know. Not that it matters what people think, but talking behind someone’s back, well, I mean…”

“Ruth,” I said sharply. “What in the world are you talking about? Spit it out.”

She took a deep breath. “It’s about that baby someone left on the church’s doorstep.”

“What did you hear?” I felt my heart sink.

She reached for my hand. “The story is circulating that the baby is yours, Gracie. Everyone’s talking about it. Well, almost everyone. I told Esther Crenshaw to shut her trap, and so did Cora and Amos.”

“And where did Esther hear it?”

“I have no idea. Esther spreads gossip like wildfire, but she won’t tell where the spark started. I guess she thinks it makes her look innocent of spreading her nasty rumors.”

I glanced around the room. Sure enough, quite a few of the people who hadn’t left were looking my way. Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

“Look, Ruth, there’s no truth to—”

“Don’t you dare deny this stupid lie to
me
, Gracie Temple. I wouldn’t believe it if that baby crawled up here, grabbed your leg, and called you Mama. You would never desert your child. We may not have known each other for long, but I know you well enough to be sure of that. You’re one of the most honest, thoughtful, and good-hearted people I’ve ever met.”

Her sentiments touched my heart, and I hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” I whispered. “At least you and Abel believe in me.”

“Abel? What does he have to do with this?”

“He got a letter from someone claiming the baby was mine. He had to ask me if it was true.”

Ruth crossed her arms and frowned at me. “You’ve only been in town less than a day. Someone’s already written a letter accusing you of something awful, and Esther has hold of this little nugget of poison.” She shook her head. “Something doesn’t seem right here. I mean, even Esther can’t spread a story that fast.” She patted my arm. “You need to be on the lookout. It’s like someone is out to get you, Gracie.”

I tried to smile at her. “I’m sure it’s just Esther and some of her
silly friends trying to stir up something interesting in Harmony.”

Ruth chuckled. “Seems to me Harmony’s already pretty interesting, even without your illegitimate baby.”

“Shhhh,” I hissed, looking past her. “Don’t ever say that.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Ruth reached over and squeezed my arm. “You’d better get going. It’s starting to snow pretty hard. You call me if you need to talk, okay? In the meantime, I’m going to threaten Esther within an inch of her miserable life. If anyone can get her to shut up, it’s me. That woman’s afraid of me for some reason.” She grinned. “Might be because I told her once that if she didn’t keep her gossipy comments to herself, I was going to tell Marvin Upshaw that Esther’s brown curls aren’t really hers.” She covered her hand with her mouth, reminding me of a little girl with a secret. “Esther wears a wig, you know. She doesn’t think anyone suspects. I think everyone in town knows her hair isn’t real. But as long as Esther doesn’t know we know…”

“You have some control over her?” I finished. I grinned at her. “You’re pretty crafty, you know that?”

Ruth giggled. “Let’s just keep that between us, okay?”

“You’ve got a deal.”

I left Ruth and made my way to the front door, looking straight ahead. If people were talking about me, I didn’t want to know it. I stepped outside to find thick, fat snowflakes filling the sky. In the dark, lit by streetlamps and carried about by the wind, their sparkling dance seemed almost magical. I stood for a moment in the cold, letting the flakes drift down on my face and coat. There’s something so special about snow. As I let it fall on me, I felt a sense of peace in the hushed quiet of a winter’s night. It was as if God was caressing me with His love.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I turned to find Marcus Jensen standing next to me. “It reminds me of the scripture that talks about Jesus washing us as
white as snow.” He smiled. “Snow covers up the ugly things. It has a way of making everything seem clean.”

I nodded. “I feel the same way.”

He pointed toward the diner. “Are you going to Mary’s, or were you planning to stay here for a while?”