Big Lies in a Small Town - Diane Chamberlain Page 0,51

the Herald, she remembered those mornings with her mother with a wistful tenderness.

What would her mother have thought of the Bible lesson that was always on the front page of the Chowan Herald? Anna couldn’t imagine seeing a Bible lesson on the front page of a Northern paper. Miss Myrtle was after Anna to go to her Baptist church with her, but so far, she’d resisted, although she was beginning to think maybe she should go. Church was important here, and she wanted to stay on people’s good side. She and her mother had been Episcopalian, but they only went to church on Christmas and Easter, and sometimes not even then, depending on her mother’s mood. These days, though, Anna was fed up with God. Why had he made her mother’s life so unbearable? Why had he taken such a wonderful woman so young? She hadn’t forgiven him for that and wasn’t sure she could sit through a service that praised him.

She was lifted out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps heading toward the sunroom, and in a moment, Miss Myrtle appeared in the doorway.

“You have a gentleman caller, dear,” she said. “He’s waiting for you in the front yard.”

A gentleman caller? The only gentlemen she knew were the so-called movers and shakers in town. She knew they were anxious to see what she’d come up with for the mural, but she didn’t think Miss Myrtle would leave one of them standing out in the cold, despite her house rules.

“Who is it?” she asked, setting down the paper and getting to her feet.

“You’ll see,” she said cryptically.

Anna smoothed her skirt and headed through the living room toward the foyer. She opened the front door to see a man leaning against the lamppost, smoking a pipe. He wore a brown suede jacket with a leather collar and a rust-colored woolen scarf. He was a good-looking older man, perhaps late thirties or early forties, and when he tipped his brown cap to her, she was startled by his mop of thick red hair. She didn’t think she’d ever seen such a vivid color on a man’s head. She stepped onto the porch and he smiled up at her. He had a dramatically crooked front tooth, but even that couldn’t detract from his handsomeness.

“I’m Martin Drapple,” he said, standing up straight now. “And you’re the little lady who stole the mural competition out from under me.” He never did lose his smile, but Anna feared she lost hers rather quickly.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She remembered his wife’s fingertips digging into her arm through her coat sleeve. “I know that must have been terribly disappointing.”

“I’m only teasing you.” He grinned, slipping his pipe into his jacket pocket. “I’m actually here to apologize for my wife’s behavior. She told me about bumping into you at the library. I’m afraid she had a frightful headache and took it out on you.”

“Oh, that’s all right,” she said. Her mind scrambled to connect that nasty woman to this charming man. “I’m sorry she wasn’t feeling well.”

“So,” he said, dragging out the word, “have you ever painted a mural before?”

She felt immediately on guard and shivered in the cold, wrapping her arms across her chest. “Yes, in art school,” she said, hoping he didn’t ask the size of the painting. She didn’t want to lie, but there was a huge difference between painting a five-by-four mural and a twelve-by-six.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’d be happy to help you in any way I can,” he said. “No compensation,” he added quickly, his hand in the air in front of him. “As long as I have free time, it’d be my honor to help you with the stretcher or anything else you might need. It’s a huge job. You can’t possibly do it all on your own.”

She was stunned by his generosity. “Thank you,” she said, “but I couldn’t possibly ask you. I’m looking into having a few students help me.” Her fingers were already starting to ache with the cold and she rubbed her hands together. “It’s very kind of you, though. I’ll certainly contact you if I need help.”

Mr. Drapple tilted his head, seeming to appraise her. “My cousin’s taken a shine to you,” he said, in a rapid change of topic.

It took her a moment to remember that Mayor Sykes was his cousin. They certainly looked nothing alike.

“Mayor Sykes has been very helpful,” she said, trying not to think about the rumors