Simple Deceit (The Harmony Series 2) by Nancy Mehl

quickly at Sam. “Alone. I don’t mean to alarm you, but it’s very important.”
    For the life of me, I couldn’t begin to figure out what Abel would need to say to me that Sam couldn’t hear, but I could tell the kind pastor was truly upset.
    “Why don’t you stay here and finish your lunch,” I said to Sam, who seemed as surprised as I was by Abel’s strange request. “Abel and I can move to another table.” I looked up at him to see if he agreed. He nodded silently, still grim-faced.
    I pointed toward an empty table that sat all the way across the room. “Is that okay?”
    Once again Abel nodded. I followed him, trying to avoid the prying eyes of customers who wondered why the pastor of Bethel Mennonite Church would call me aside for a private meeting.
    Even Harold looked interested. Abel and I sat down, and I scooted my chair around so that my back faced the rest of the room.
    Abel suddenly scanned the room as if he hadn’t noticed we were being watched. “Oh my,” he said. “I didn’t realize… Maybe we should go to my office where it’s more private.” He nodded for several seconds. “Yes. That would be better, Gracie. I should have thought of it sooner. It’s just that… It’s just that I was so shocked…”
    “Abel, you’re scaring me,” I said, trying to keep my voice soft but firm. “I don’t want to go to your office. Please just tell me what you came to say. You said everyone is okay. No one is ill? No one is dead?”
    He laid his hat on the table and studied it. Finally he cleared his throat. “This has nothing to do with anything like that, Gracie.” He reached into his pocket and took out a folded envelope, which he handed to me. “I found this stuck in the door at the back of the church about thirty minutes ago when I arrived to prepare my Sunday sermon. I felt the right thing to do was to bring it to you. I saw Sam’s truck in front of the restaurant and hoped you were here with him.”
    Frowning, I reached over and picked up the envelope.
Pastor Mueller
was written in block letters on the outside. Inside was a folded piece of notebook paper. I opened it up and read it.
    Dear Pastor Mueller,
       
The baby left at the church belongs to Gracie Temple. I saw her put it there.
    A Very Concerned Citizen
     

Chapter Four
     
    I had no idea that emotional shock can hit you just like a physical punch in the gut. I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t seem to catch my breath. Who in the world could do something like this? I’d come home to Harmony—my place of safety. A place where I was loved. A place where I belonged. And now this?
    “You know it’s untrue, don’t you, Abel?” I finally croaked out. “You know the baby’s not mine?”
    Abel looked past me, unwilling to meet my gaze. “Gracie, I’m a pastor. I may not be
your
pastor, but I still have a pastor’s heart toward you.” He finally looked into my eyes. “If you tell me this isn’t true, I will believe you.”
    “It isn’t true, Abel. I’ve never had a baby. And if I did, I wouldn’t abandon it. Ever. How could you…” I didn’t finish my sentence because in a flash of clarity I knew the answer. I was outside the church when the baby was found. Abel hadn’t seen anyone else there. I’d been gone for almost three months, and I’d come back to town thinner than when I’d left. I put my hand over my mouth to hold back an inappropriate desire to giggle. If a deserted baby weren’t involved, this would actually be ratherfunny. But the look on Abel’s face dispelled any urge to laugh.
    “Then that’s that,” he said. He picked up the letter and put it back into the envelope. “I intend to get rid of this. We won’t talk about it again.”
    I reached over and put my hand over his. “Abel, I swear to you as your Christian sister that there isn’t a shred of truth to this. Someone is playing a really cruel joke, and I intend to find out who it is. Maybe you should keep the letter for now. It might lead