Simple Secrets (The Harmony Series 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“There’s more furniture here than I anticipated. We’ll have to rent a pretty big trailer to get all this stuff to Nebraska.”
    Sam nodded and took a drink from his glass. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he smiled. “One of the reasons I came by was to show you how to use the propane tank and explain how the plumbing works.
    “We do have plumbing in the big city.”
    He laughed. “I know that, but in this house, water is collected in a cistern that flows into a tank in the basement. If you want to take a bath or wash clothes, you have to turn on a small gas-powered generator that runs water through your pipes.”
    “Well, how does the ... um ... the...”
    Sam grinned and put me out of my misery. “I won’t explain all the intricacies to you, but an air compressor allows everything else in the bathroom to work the way you’re used to. And let me put one other rumor to rest. Old Order Mennonites do use toilet paper. You’ll find it in the bathroom cabinet.”
    The relief I felt must have shown in my face, because he chuckled again. I liked the way he laughed. It was deep and real. His irises were an unusual shade of bluish gray. I’d never seen eyes that color before. His blond hair almost reached his shoulders, and he kept pushing it off his sunburned face. It gave him the kind of romantic look many movie stars would probably sell their souls to possess.
    “One other thing,” he said. “There’s an old wringer washer downstairs. Not very modern, but you’d be surprised how clean it will get your clothes.”
    “Thankfully, my grandmother used a wringer washer when I was young. She taught me how to operate it. When it broke down, she finally got a modern washer, but she always swore that her old machine got her clothes cleaner.”
    “My aunt used to say the same thing. However, she was willing to trade cleanliness for convenience. She’d never go back to the old way.”
    Feeling that we’d exhausted the clothes washer topic, I tried another tack. “Sam, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
    He shook his head. “Of course not. That’s why I’m here.”
    “It’s about my uncle. You see, I never got the chance to know him. I must say I’m shocked he left his property to me. I have to wonder about it. You and your aunt were close to him. Do you have any idea why he’d pass along his inheritance to a niece he’d never met?”
    Sam cleared his throat and frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t. He made it very clear that his personal life was off-limits. I guess he was friendlier with me than most, but there was always a side of Ben that he kept to himself. As you know, he was raised in the Old Order. Never really left it. Most of the other folks in town have adopted more modern ways, although they hold true to the Mennonite principles, plain living, and everything. But not Ben. He and a few others clung to the old ways. Funny thing was, he didn’t hang around them much either. It was like he was protecting himself against something and he couldn’t allow people to get too close.” He stared down at the floor, looking uncomfortable. “Toward the end, he said some things I didn’t quite understand. I got the feeling he hadn’t meant to let them slip out.” He lifted his head and looked at me. “Honestly, I’m not sure I’m comfortable telling you something said in private. If I really thought it was important, I would be willing to chance it. But at this point, I don’t see how it would help anything.”
    A good-looking man with principles. Quite a rare find. Without realizing it, my eyes drifted to his left hand. No ring. For a few seconds, I felt a sense of relief. Then I realized I was having some rather serious thoughts about a hick farmer in a town so small it wasn’t on most maps. This wasn’t what I was looking for. I’m definitely a big city girl. I forced my mind back to the situation at hand.
    “You said my uncle didn’t spend much time with people who believed the