Simple Choices Read online

  © 2011 by Nancy Mehl

  Print ISBN 978-1-60260-782-8

  eBook Editions:

  Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-271-6

  Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-272-3

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Some scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  For more information about Nancy Mehl, please access the author’s website at the following Internet address: www.nancymehl.com

  Cover image: © Chris Reeve/Trevillion Images

  Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683.

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  About the Author

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  For this last visit to Harmony, I want to thank the people who made this journey so special.

  As always, to Judith Unruh, Alexanderwohl Church Historian in Goessel, Kansas: You kept me on track throughout the series. I can’t thank you enough.

  To Sarah Beck, owner of Beck’s Farm in Wichita: Thanks for all your help. The Harmony Series was made better because of you.

  To Deputy Sheriff Pat Taylor—the real one: Thank you for always being available to help me with research, and thank you for allowing me to use your name. I hope I didn’t besmirch it too much. LOL!

  My thanks to Doctor Andy (Andrea McCarty) for being the world’s best doctor and for helping me with all my medical questions! You’re the greatest!

  Thank you to Marjorie Vawter, my wonderful editor. Your hard work is always appreciated.

  Thank you to Alene Ward, owner of DesignsbyAlene.com, who is one of those “divine connections” God puts in our lives. Thank you for creating “Sweetie’s Christmas Quilt.” One for our contest and another one for me! I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I look forward to the future and more adventures together!

  To Penny and Gus Dorado: Thank you for always being ready to help in any way you could. You’re both very precious to me.

  To my agent, Janet Benrey: Thanks for your help along the way. You will always have a special place in my heart.

  As always, my thanks to the folks at Barbour: Becky, Mary, Shalyn, Ashley, and Laura. You gave me a chance, and I will always appreciate that.

  To the Mennonite people and their rich heritage: I hope you feel I’ve represented you well.

  Special thanks to my wonderful husband, Norman. I’m so thrilled that we’re working together now. There’s no one else I’d rather share my journey with. I love you.

  To my son, Danny, who has always encouraged me: I am still amazed that God has allowed me to be your mother. You are one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. I’m so blessed.

  And finally, to the One who has set my feet in a broad place: Without You, I have nothing. With You, I have everything. Without You, I am nothing. With You, I can soar like an eagle, move mountains, and become more than I ever dreamed I could be. I love You so much. My most fervent prayer is that when people read my books, they will see You.

  DEDICATION

  To Fred Mehl, my wonderful father-in-law, who battled the great darkness that is Alzheimer’s. You were never diminished in the eyes of those who loved you. We always saw the real man you were—a man of strength, love, character, and incredible creativity. I’ve tried to represent your struggle through the character of Papa Joe. I pray I’ve succeeded. We all still miss you.

  Chapter One

  You will get packed right now because … because … I said so!” Yikes! I almost turned my head to see if my mother had crept up behind me. Because I said so? Isn’t that what parents say when they can’t think of anything else?

  “You are not my mother, you know,” Hannah said defiantly.

  Like I wasn’t very well aware of that. I shook my head, trying to come up with something that sounded wise. I could use some of Sweetie’s good old homespun smarts right now. She’d know what to do. Several of her past pearls of wisdom flitted through my head, but none of them seemed to fit this situation. There was something about pigs flying, but that didn’t seem appropriate either. Feeling defeated, I slumped down into a nearby chair. “Listen Hannah, you know how hard it was to talk your parents into letting you come to Wichita for six weeks and take art classes. I fought for you. I promised to take care of you and not let you get into trouble. But … but just look at you!”

  The beautiful young woman who stood in front of me certainly didn’t resemble the chaste, quiet Mennonite teenager I’d brought to Wichita six weeks earlier. Her simple clothing had been replaced with jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt that stated TODAY WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER! I had the distinct feeling this would not prove true.

  “Robin gave me these clothes so I wouldn’t feel like such a freak, and I like them,” she responded. Her bottom lip stuck out in a definite pout.

  A twinkle of silver caught my eye. “She gave you that bracelet, too?”

  Hannah raised her wrist. “It’s a friendship bracelet.”

  The bracelet was made with silver and colored beads, and a silver heart dangled from it.

  “It says ‘Love, Friend, and Forever.’” She pointed to engraved inserts evenly spaced between the beads. “It means Robin and I are forever friends. But you want to send me back to Harmony where I don’t have any real friends at all!”

  I sighed so forcefully, it was a wonder the girl stayed on her feet. “That’s ridiculous. You have all kinds of friends in Harmony. I actually thought I was one of them.”

  No response. Just more pouting.

  “Listen,” I said forcefully, “I want you to put on the clothes your parents sent with you. I’m responsible to them, and I can’t take you back to Harmony looking like this.” I stared closely at her. “Is—is that mascara? And are you wearing lipstick?”

  “Everyone wears it.” Her bottom lip stayed in the pout position.

  I pulled myself up from my chair, fighting the urge to say If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you jump off, too? Boy, I really was turning into my mother. “We’re leaving this afternoon, and that’s all there is to it. Allison is returning from her vacation in the morning, and she wants her apartment back. We are going home to Harmony!” The note of hysteria in my voice seemed to startle Hannah, and she took a step back. Had I scored a point? Maybe becoming slightly unhinged would get the results I so desperately needed. I was trying to come up with something really over the edge when Hannah’s bottom l
ip began to quiver and tears filled her eyes.

  “I—I love it here,” she said, her voice breaking. “And Mr. Monahan said I could live with him and his family and attend a high school that has special art classes. He practically guaranteed me an art scholarship to college.”

  My anger began to melt. Hannah wasn’t really fighting against me—she was fighting for her dream. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help her. “Look, Hannah, I understand. I really do. But this is not the way to go about it. We need to go home and talk to your parents. I’ll explain the opportunity Jim’s offered you. If it’s meant to be, then it will happen.” I frowned as my eyes traveled up and down her body. “But you need to get rid of those clothes and clean off your face. If you go back looking like that, they’ll never agree to let you leave Harmony. Or even your room for that matter.”

  She stared down at her sandals. “They won’t let me live here,” she said, her voice so soft I could barely hear her. “We both know that.”

  I didn’t respond, but I was fairly certain she was right. However, sharing that thought at this moment might trigger another bout of resistance that I didn’t have time to deal with. “Your parents love your paintings,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “They know you have real talent. You can’t be completely sure they’ll say no. But even if they do, you’re only a year away from graduating and turning eighteen. Remember that Jim said if you couldn’t go to high school here, he’d still try to get you into a good art school or college. Your grades are excellent, and you have a good shot at being accepted.” I walked over and put my hands on her shoulders. “Hannah, you have to go home. Your parents love you, and you love them. You can’t stay here without their permission. If you put up a fight now, you’ll lose Jim’s support as well as mine—and you’ll hurt your mother and father. I know you don’t really want to do that.” I put my hand under the teenager’s chin and pulled her face up so she had to look at me. “You know I’m right.”

  Tears spilled from her china-blue eyes. “I—I know. It’s just …”

  “You’re afraid if you leave, you’ll never find a way to come back?”

  She nodded, and her face crumbled. “It’s so wonderful here, Gracie,” she blubbered. “Wichita is exciting and full of so many opportunities. If I get stuck in Harmony, I’ll never be anything!”

  I raised one eyebrow at her, wondering if she’d forgotten that I’d chosen Harmony over Wichita. I’d found the love of my life, and my freelance work as a graphic artist was going very well. “If your parents won’t let you come back and finish high school in Wichita, in a year you’ll be free to determine your own future.” I let go of her chin and shook my finger at her. “But if you want me to talk to them about Jim’s offer, you’ll clean your face, change your clothes, and get packed. If you don’t, I won’t raise a finger to help you when we get home. And I mean that.”

  The young girl’s eyes grew wide as she weighed her options, but both of us knew she had no real choice. She turned slowly and headed toward the guest bedroom. While she packed, I set about writing Allison a quick note, thanking her for the use of her apartment. As I wrote, I couldn’t help but compare myself to Hannah. Here she was fighting hard to stay away from Harmony while I was fighting just as hard to get back. Odd how two people can see the same thing in totally different ways. I loved the small Mennonite town with its friendly residents and old-fashioned flavor. Yet Hannah regarded Harmony as her prison.

  I folded the note and put it under the glass candy dish on Allison’s fireplace mantel, aware that she’d see it since she never actually put candy in the dish. She only used it to hold her car keys. I stared at my reflection in the mirror over the mantel. Although I still looked the same—reddish-brown hair and green eyes—the apprehension in my face was obvious. Quickly looking away, I sat back down in the chair next to my already-packed suitcases.

  I felt like a traitor. I’d never suspected our visit to Wichita would turn out like this. If I had, I never would have pushed Emily and Abel Mueller to let Hannah come. They’d resisted my old art teacher’s offer to enroll their talented daughter in his six-week summer art course. Their concern for Hannah had made them reluctant to let her go. But I’d finally convinced them to trust me, and now their worst fears had been realized. Hannah’s view of the world outside Harmony had changed her. How would I be able to explain it? I chewed my lip and worried for a while. Finally, I picked up the phone and called Sam, hoping he could make me feel better. No answer. Great. He and Sweetie were probably out in the orchard picking apples and peaches.

  Sam and his aunt worked hard on their fruit farm. Correction. Soon to be our fruit farm. My wedding to Sam was now only two weeks away. Thankfully, my absence hadn’t caused any major problems since we’d planned a small ceremony, and Sweetie had taken over all the preparations. It was Saturday and my parents would be arriving on Monday—along with my grandfather.

  I’d been surprised when my mother called to tell me Papa Joe was coming. My grandfather’s Alzheimer’s was originally considered to be advanced, but recently he’d seemed to rally. Doctors said his lack of speech and other symptoms may have had more to do with depression than the disease. When new medication began to help lift the hopelessness he felt after losing my grandmother and moving into the nursing home, he began to talk again. Although Alzheimer’s still continued its evil and devastating march against him, according to my parents, there were times when he almost seemed like the man he used to be.

  Now Joe wanted to see Harmony once more before he died, and my parents felt he should have the chance before he slipped into the darkness of the disease for good. I looked forward to seeing him even though the last time we’d been together, the man I’d known had seemed so far away. I had some fear that this visit wouldn’t be any different. Seeing him as just a shell of the robust man he’d once been broke my heart.

  With the conflict between Hannah and me finally behind us, I felt more relaxed than I had in days. I’d almost drifted off to sleep when Hannah called my name. I opened my eyes to see the girl I’d brought to Wichita. Her pastel pink dress and plain brown shoes replaced the contemporary clothing her friend Robin had given her, and her long blond hair had been pulled into a bun and tucked under her white prayer covering. I rose from my chair and looked closely at her face. No sign of makeup.

  “Thank you, Hannah. I know this is hard for you, but …” I reached out to touch her, but she jerked away from me.

  “Don’t tell me you know how I feel, because you don’t. Maybe you like hiding out in Harmony, but I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life buried there.”

  I felt a rush of indignation. Somehow I’d turned into Hannah’s enemy even though I’d gone out of my way to give her this opportunity. It didn’t seem fair. I grabbed my bags. “Let’s get going,” I said sharply. “We’re already leaving later than I’d planned.”

  Without a word, Hannah picked up the soft cloth valise her mother had sent with her, and we walked out of the apartment. On the way to the car, all I could do was wonder what would happen when we reached Harmony. An uneasy sense of dread filled me—and it stayed with me all the way home.

  Chapter Two

  I was kinda afraid somethin’ like this would happen,” Sweetie said, handing me a tall, cold glass of her home-brewed iced tea. “That girl ain’t never seen nothin’ outside Harmony and a few small towns around here.”

  She joined Sam and me as we sat in white rocking chairs on the huge wraparound porch of their beautiful red Victorian house. Even though it was July, a cool breeze helped to push the hot, humid air away. It felt good to be home, but I couldn’t get the situation with Hannah out of my mind. “Abel told me that sometimes they drive to Topeka to eat dinner,” I said. “I assumed since she’d seen a larger city, she wouldn’t be overwhelmed by Wichita.”

  “Pshaw,” Sweetie spat out. “That Chinese restaurant they go to is right on the edge of town. Hannah ain’t never been all the way inside Topeka.”

  “Man
, good thing I didn’t take her to Kansas City or St. Louis. She would have really gone off the deep end.”

  Sam reached over and took my hand. “It’s not your fault, Grace. You were trying to help her. You couldn’t possibly have anticipated her reaction. Quit beating yourself up.”

  I threaded my fingers through his and squeezed lightly. “I’m glad you feel that way, but I have to wonder how Emily and Abel are going to react.”

  “They’re not stupid people,” Sweetie said. “And they love you. Besides, they’re not gonna give Hannah permission to live in Wichita with some guy they don’t even know. It ain’t never gonna happen. After that child figgers it out, she’ll settle down.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Truth is, the Muellers oughta be thankin’ their lucky stars. Those girls that went missin’ in Topeka still ain’t been found—alive or dead. At least Abel and Emily know where their daughter is.”

  Sweetie was referring to the disappearance of two young women who’d vanished about a month apart before I left for Wichita. At first, it was assumed they’d taken off on their own. But investigators now suspected they’d been abducted.

  “I don’t think anyone in Harmony really took much notice,” I said. “You know Harmony. No one believes something like that could happen here.”

  “Seems strange after two murders that occurred right on their own turf,” Sam said.

  I shrugged. “One took place over thirty years ago, and the other was committed by an outsider. I’m not saying folks in Harmony aren’t wary of strangers, but most of them truly believe God has blessed this place with special protection.”

  “And so He has,” Sweetie said. She sat up in her chair and stared at me. Her ever-present bun had fallen to the side of her head, making me think of Princess Leia in Star Wars. Of course, Sweetie would need another bun on the other side, hair coloring to cover her gray, and a lot of plastic surgery to come close to looking like Carrie Fisher. She yanked at the T-shirt under her cutoff overalls, trying to adjust it so it wouldn’t tug so tightly at her neck. “Anyways,” she croaked loudly, “we need to stop talkin’ ‘bout all this bad stuff and start thinkin’ ‘bout your weddin’. I got almost everything ready, but I need to go over it with you. There’s a few decisions left that you gotta make.”