The Sweetheart Secret by Shirley Jump Read Free Book Online Page B

the ‘local economy’?” She put air quotes around the last two words.
    Greta took a long sip of coffee while she weighed her next words. She was in possession of some very interesting information—information that Doc Harper definitely didn’t want shared—and she wanted to be smart about when or if she used it. Perhaps the next time the man prescribed vegetables, she’d remind him of what a good friend she’d been, not telling about his secret wife. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t hint at the truth. “I think our new resident knows Doc Harper, from way back. And that means that maybe our next happy ending could be his. Which means we get a new taxpayer in town, and maybe some future taxpayers in another nine months or so.”
    â€œI thought you hated Doc Harper,” Pauline said. “I’ve always liked him, personally. He’s a smart cookie. And after all he and his family have been through, too. I don’t blame his parents for moving away. Where’d they go again?”
    â€œArizona, I think,” Esther said. “To live with the cactuses. Or is it cacti?”
    Greta waved off Esther’s plural debate. “What are you talking about, Pauline?”
    â€œDon’t you remember? When Doc Harper was just a kid himself, his little brother died. Some kind of tragic accident, though I don’t recall what. Six months later, the Harpers up and moved to—”
    â€œTucson,” Esther cut in. “With the cacti.”
    â€œAnd Doc was here by himself,” Pauline said. “I guess that’s when he went to college, got his degree, all that business.”
    Greta had forgotten about that. Used to be, she knew every single thing that happened in this town. Now, her brain had become a sieve, sprouting more holes every day. “That must have been a long time ago.”
    Pauline nodded. “At least twelve years, maybe more.”
    â€œPoor Doc Harper,” Esther chimed in. “That’s probably why he has such a lovely bedside manner. Plus he has the sweetest eyes, don’t you think?”
    â€œI think if he’s happy, then he’s not going to be such a fussbudget when it comes time for my checkups,” Greta said. Maybe all this past history explained why Doc Harper was such a stickler for healthy living. Either way, it would be a good idea to keep him smiling. “And in the end, a happy ending for Doc Harper is really . . .”
    â€œA happy ending for you,” Pauline finished. She sat back in her chair and laughed. “Why would I expect anything else from you, Greta dear?”
    â€œI’m just trying to be neighborly, Pauline. If I happen to benefit out of all this . . .” She sipped her coffee and thought of her daddy for a moment and how he had always been the first to offer a helping hand, a listening ear, or just an ice-cold beer when a neighbor was in trouble. She hoped he’d be proud of her, continuing a legacy of helping others, in her own little way. “Well, that’s just a bow tie on the package of life, isn’t it?”

Five

    A squat blue coffee cup whipped by Colt’s head, so fast and so close, it made his hair flicker. The words
Fishermen Hook ’Em Faster
spiraled by in a blur, before the nearly empty mug crashed into the wall and shattered on the tile floor. The cup fractured into an alphabet soup, and the remaining dregs of coffee bloomed a brown daisy onto the beige wall. “Grandpa, what the hell—”
    â€œI told you I’m not going for any more tests. Quit making those damned appointments.” Grandpa Earl stood in the kitchen and hoisted the cordless phone by one end, like a snake he’d yanked out of the garden. Even at eighty-two, Earl Harper had the same wiry frame and close-cropped hair of his military days, but age and illness had stooped his posture and hollowed the contours of his face. His dark