Free A Sister's Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page A

would do such a thing. It makes no sense why they would mess up the kitchen and your room yet not bother with any of ours.”
    “I—I don’t understand it, either, but to my knowledge, nothing was taken.” Grace stood on trembling legs and clenched her teeth, trying to stop the flow of tears.
    “Maybe Martha’s right about either Heidi or Fritz hearing the intruder and scaring him off before he had time to ransack the other rooms.” Ruth glanced around. “It does seem odd that nothing is missing, though.”
    Before Grace could respond, Martha rushed into the room, her face flushed and her eyes wide with obvious concern. “Did they break anything? Have any of your things been stolen?”
    “Not that I can tell.” Grace pointed to her bed. “They threw some of my clothes on the bed and tore up a couple of my dresses.”
    “Look over there!” Martha pointed to the desk on the other side of the room. “They emptied everything out of the drawers onto the floor. Looks like some of your papers have been shredded, too.”
    Grace pivoted. She’d been so concerned about the things in her cedar chest that she hadn’t even noticed the desk. Tears burned her eyes, and she nearly choked on the lump lodged in her throat. Who could have done this? Who could hate her enough to rummage through her room and make such a mess?
    She froze as an image of Gary Walker popped into her head. Could he be responsible for this? He’d said he would get even with her someday for breaking up with him. Had he finally made good on his threat?

Chapter 9
    It was difficult for Grace to go to work the next day, but she had no legitimate reason for staying home other than feeling traumatized over the break-in at their house. She wished she could tell Cleon about the break-in, but she knew he and his family had left for Rexford, Montana, to attend a cousin’s wedding. In all likelihood, they wouldn’t be back for a week.
    When Grace arrived at the restaurant, she was surprised to learn that Esther was out sick with the flu. That meant Grace was needed more than ever, confirming that she’d done the right thing by coming to work.
    She donned her apron, grabbed an order pad and pencil from behind the counter, and headed for the dining room. She’d only taken a few steps when she halted. There sat Gary in a booth in her section, looking as smug as always. Grace had no choice but to wait on him.
    Her legs felt like two sticks of rubber as she slowly made her way across the room. When she reached Gary’s table, she placed the menu in front of him, avoiding his piercing gaze. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
    “Sure, that’d be great.”
    “I’ll take your order when I bring the coffee.” Grace turned and walked away before he could respond.
    When she returned a few minutes later, she had calmed down some. She’d decided to come right out and ask if he had anything to do with the break-in at their house when she spotted a notebook lying on the table beside his camera. That’s when she remembered that Gary had said he was some kind of reporter. If she mentioned the break-in and he wasn’t the one involved, he might want to do a story about it, and seeing a story about their break-in in some publication would make her father furious. Maybe it would be best if she didn’t say anything—at least for now. No point in letting Gary know how upset they had all been.
    “Are you going to stand there staring at the table all day, or did you plan to give me that cup of coffee you’re holding?”
    Grace drew in a deep breath and placed the cup on the table; then she reached into her apron pocket and withdrew her order pad and pencil. “What would you like for breakfast?”
    He jiggled his eyebrows and gave her a quick wink. “Is a date with you on the menu?”
    She moaned. Apparently Gary hadn’t changed. He’d always been a big flirt, which she’d been attracted to at first. But when she got to know him better, she’d come to see how moody