Romancing Nadine

by Amy Lillard

  Once the driver stopped at Whispering Pines, everyone piled out, then filed into the building. Down the hall and into what the lady at the front desk called the “rec room.”

  It was a large room that most likely had tables lined across it on the average day. Now they were folded up and stacked against one wall. In the center of the room, there were stools behind easels and paints at every station. At the front of the room, a large canvas depicting a red barn with a bright blue sky and cheery sunflowers.

  Amos took her elbow and steered her toward the front. “Let’s get close where we can see.”

  Nadine wasn’t sure she wanted to be that close, or maybe she didn’t want the whole class to see her with Amos. Not because he wasn’t a good person or he embarrassed her. There would just be so many questions and rumors once Amos decided he wasn’t her true love after all.

  Now why did that thought pitch her stomach?

  She didn’t have time to figure it out as Lorie Calhoun clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

  The room fell silent and all eyes turned to her.

  “Hi, everyone. I’m so glad you’re here.” Lorie introduced herself and explained how they would be painting the picture she had hung behind her. “We’re going to go step by step starting with outlining the barn softly in pencil so we know where to put our sky.” She demonstrated on a blank canvas and waited for them to follow suit.

  Nadine took up her pencil and started to make the necessary marks on her canvas. But her lines were a little off. She supposed that was okay. She could straighten them up when she actually painted the barn.

  Amos leaned close. “She makes it look easy, huh?”

  “Jah.” But when she looked over to his canvas, his lines looked perfectly straight.

  “Softly, folks,” Lorie reminded them as she walked around the group, demonstrating and helping those who needed a little more instruction.

  “How did you do that?” Nadine asked in a low voice.

  “What?”

  “Your lines. They’re perfectly—you know what? Never mind.”

  “Good job.” Lorie stopped by Amos’s easel.

  “I’m Amos Fisher,” he said, grinning up at her like a lovesick puppy.

  Nadine resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  “I remember you.” Lorie smiled. She really was a pretty girl. And she might have been Amish once upon a time, but now she was Englisch all the way, including a sparkling diamond ring on her left hand. “You used to come into Kauffman’s on Tuesdays.”

  “I still do. I love trying Cora Ann’s new recipes.”

  “I’m sure she appreciates that.”

  Lorie’s half sister, Cora Ann, loved to cook. Some might say lived to cook. Nadine supposed that was a good thing, considering her family owned one of the best places to eat in Wells Landing. Wells Landing residents, Amish and Englisch alike, ate there, as well as all the tourists who came in from the neighboring towns and even as far away as Oklahoma City and Joplin.

  Amos turned a little pink around the ears. The old coot! He shouldn’t be carrying on with a young girl that way. And certainly not when the two of them were out together. Not that she and Amos were on a date. That was pretty clear.

  “Okay, everyone. Next step. Blue paint. Here’s where the fun begins. You can make your painting just like the one in the front or you can change colors and make yours different. I have a red barn; you can paint yours whatever color you would like. White, green—”

  “Purple,” someone shouted.

  Lorie laughed, good-naturedly. “Yes, even purple if you like. It’s your painting. But remember, whatever color you make it is the color it’s going to be.” She turned back to the canvas she had already painted. “In my picture, the sky is blue. It’s a clear and beautiful day. But you can paint your sky darker with a couple of stars and make it night. You can add heavy gray clouds. It’s completely up to you. But paint the sky next. Got it?”

  A chorus of got its went up all around, and Nadine reached for her blue paint. She took the little dish that Lorie or someone had supplied and mixed the royal blue with white to make something akin to a beautiful June sky. Of course most of the sunflowers weren’t blooming in June. So it would be an August sky. Still perfect.

  “If you want to add a bird,” Lorie said as she walked around once again, helping and instructing, “that will have to come last. Give your paint a little time to dry before going over it with the black.”

  Nadine glanced over at Amos’s canvas. His sky was perfect. The blue amazing and ... perfect.

  “How did you do that?” she asked.

  “Do what?” he returned. He didn’t look at her, just studied his canvas as he spoke.

  “Make the color of your sky?”

  He frowned. “Blue and white.”

  “That’s what I used.” And the longer she sat there allowing her paint to dry, the darker it got. It was no longer a June sky but it wasn’t dark enough to be a nighttime sky. It was just a faded-out royal blue like a favorite shirt that had been washed too many times.

  “More white than blue,” he advised.

  “Now he tells me.”

  The rest of the evening went pretty much the same. Lorie gave the instructions then walked around the room helping those in need. Amos would execute the request perfectly, to the point that Nadine was certain his painting was better than Lorie’s.

  “Where did you learn how to paint?” Nadine asked, on the way to the van. They had eaten snacks after they had finished their paintings, which had given them time enough to dry. Amos had stuck to Nadine like glue. All the while, she’d pretended she liked it, when in fact she actually did. It had been a long time since she’d had anyone to do things with. She and Charlotte had done a few things over the years, but this was different. She was with people her own age. She was with Amos, who seemed to like her very much. He seemed to care about what she said and what she was thinking—as long as she didn’t tell him that she didn’t believe they were supposed to be together as a couple. Any other subject and she had his full and undivided attention. As much as she wanted to hate it, she didn’t.

  Which made her hate it.

  She shook her head and tried to get her mind back in order. He was twisting her thoughts around until she didn’t know what she believed anymore.

  But one thing was undeniable: Amos Fisher could paint.

  “I never learned to paint.” He took her painting from her and helped her into the van. Then he went around the back to give the canvases to the driver to store for the trip back into town. Lorie had wrapped each one of their paintings in a brown paper wrapper; then she’d written their names on the outside. But with Amos storing their paintings and the rest of their group climbing into the van, their conversation had reached its end. Even though she had no idea where he had gotten such a talent.

  Painting, baking, knowing how to relate to her granddaughter...

  There was definitely more to Amos Fisher than she had first realized.

  * * *

  The van dropped them off at Dan’s, and the driver helped them unload their paintings. A few folks milled around for a bit, visiting and talking. The night had turned off a little cool, as April nights in Oklahoma were prone to do, so most hopped on their tractors and headed home.

  “Would you like my jacket now?” Amos asked as she got into place to drive them home. She shook her head. “No, danki. I’ll be fine as long as you keep a hold of those paintings.”

  He chuckled, climbed on behind her, and off they went.

  With the night air whipping by his head, his ears were starting to get a bit numb. He wished that he had a scarf to wrap around them. As it was, he turned up his collar and ducked his head. Tomorrow would bring temperatures in the eighties, but tonight ... did not.

  Thankfully he didn’t live too far from the scratch-and-dent store, but far enough that he felt a little like an ice pop by the time she pulled up to his house. A cup of hot chocolate would be the best r
ight now, and he was sure she could use one too.

  How easy it would be to invite her in for a warm cup to keep her on the way home, but he had promised himself that he was going to take a step back and give her some room. She was uncomfortable with all his efforts, and he wanted to give her a little space. And space meant not inviting her in.

  Plus, there was the whole unmarried-and-out-after-dark scenario they would have to deal with. There were enough rumors flying around about them now as it was. Better just to take his painting and wave good night. Oh, and then pray that one day they could say good night to each other without having to leave the other’s side.

  “Thanks for the ride.” He hopped down from the tractor and grabbed the paintings from where he’d stored them behind her seat. He used the headlights from the tractor to see which one belonged to him, then placed the other one back behind her.

  “Thanks for talking me into going,” she said.

  “You had a good time?”

  She nodded. “I had a great time. I really did.”

  “The best was when Cleon didn’t know he had blue paint on his hand and he wiped his nose.”

  She laughed and he loved the sound. “He looked like Adolf Hitler. Only with a blue moustache.”

  “Until he rubbed it a second time.” Amos shook his head. “Well, thanks,” he said again. “Drive home safe.”

  She nodded. “I will. Good night.”

  He smiled as she climbed back into place on her tractor. “Good night, Nadine.”

  Then she cranked the engine and chugged back through the tiny corn stalks.

  * * *

  Nadine drove the tractor from his house to hers with her thoughts going around in circles. Tonight had been a great night, the best night she’d had in a long, long time. Since before Jason died. Maybe even before Daniel was born.

  She shook her head. It couldn’t have been that long ago, but it seemed like it. Maybe because her life had been so different back then. She had been younger, yes, but with the responsibility of her husband and her children. Once that had been taken from her, she’d started to enjoy living without it. No one but herself depending on her to eat, have clean clothes, and on and on. Then, when Charlotte had come to her saying that she wanted a fresh start in Oklahoma, Nadine had come to help and to be closer to Jenna. Of all of her grandchildren, Jenna was so very special to her.

  They had moved to Oklahoma, and she had taken on the responsibility of two members of her family. But tonight was different. Tonight showed her what she was missing by not having a spouse in her life. She cooked and cleaned and washed and sewed for her family, but there wasn’t the same companionship like between a man and a woman. And she wasn’t talking about the kind that went on behind closed doors. She meant the companionable things that couples did. Adult singings, bowling tournaments, picnics, and a host of other things that she had been without so long she couldn’t even remember what they were.

  But that was not what she wanted. She hadn’t wanted to want to be in a relationship.

  And there it went again. Amos Fisher twisting her thoughts around until she didn’t even know what she thought anymore. The worst part of all was that she didn’t think he did it on purpose. There was just some sort of weird power that had her tongue-tied whenever he was near. Sometimes she got too hot when he was around, couldn’t think straight, and was nervous. But that just made her want to be away from him. When she was away from him, she had started wondering what he was doing.

  How strange was that?

  So strange.

  Strange enough that she needed to get him to forget about her so she could go back to her regular life. She didn’t want all these ups and downs, hot flashes and memory loss. She wanted peace and tranquility. She wanted to help her granddaughter get married and live out her days with ... Charlotte.

  Okay, so it wasn’t the best thought, but it wasn’t the worst either. Not by far.

  Nadine parked the tractor under the side port and made her way to the house. Charlotte must have left a light on for her. But it wasn’t Charlotte who was waiting in the living room when Nadine opened the front door, but Priscilla King.

  “Priscilla? What are you doing here?” Nadine shut the door before realizing the implications of the situation. Someone was hurt. Jenna . . . Charlotte . . . Jenna.

  Her heart kicked up a beat to frantic, but it was no longer in her chest. Now it resided somewhere in her throat. Nadine was afraid that she might be sick.

  Something had happened to Jenna. She just knew it. And it was something bad. Something bad had happened to that sweet, sweet girl while she was out ... painting with Amos Fisher. How was she ever going to forgive herself?

  “What happened?” Nadine dropped her purse by the front door and leaned her painting against the wall next to it.

  “Jenna—”

  She felt her heart skip a beat.

  “Fell this evening. I guess she was chased by one of the camels, and she stepped in a hole. Jenna, not the camel.” Priscilla shook her head. “I’m a little fuzzy on the details.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “Buddy and Charlotte took her to the medical center in Pryor. They left me here so someone would be home when you got back.”

  Nadine had been in such a state that she hadn’t even noticed another tractor parked in the drive when she’d pulled in. How was that for an attentive grandmother? She should be ashamed of herself. She was ashamed of herself.

  “Poor Jenna.” She eased into the room and collapsed onto the chair next to where Priscilla sat. Then she straightened. “We should go.” She might not be able to find a driver this late, but she would take her tractor all the way there if she had to.

  Priscilla patted her hand. “We should wait here for them to get home. They should be back soon.”

  Tears welled in Nadine’s eyes. “How can you know that?” A thousand things could have happened to Jenna on the way to the clinic and even while she was there. They could have found other injuries. “Did she hit her head?” Head injuries were the worst.

  “I think it was just her ankle.”

  “She broke her ankle,” Nadine breathed.

  “I’m not sure. It didn’t look broken to me, but—”

  “You don’t know that for a fact. You’re not a doctor. A doctor needs to look at it.”

  “That’s true, which is the exact reason why they went to Pryor. But I can tell you that Jenna could put a little weight on it, almost walk even. I really think she’s going to be okay.”

  Nadine pushed to her feet and started pacing across the floor. Priscilla could think all she wanted, but until they got home from Pryor, no one would know the truth. How horrible for Jenna to have to go through this! She was just a girl. Well, maybe not in body, but in spirit. She had never grown up after her accident, in spirit, that was. And she needed the care and attention of those around her. Nadine had failed her. She hadn’t been home when Jenna had needed her most.

  “I’m sure she’s going to be fine. Really.” Priscilla stood while Nadine continued to pace. “Why don’t you sit and I’ll make us some tea?”

  Nadine didn’t have time to tell her that she couldn’t stomach a thing at the moment—she was cut short when an engine sounded from outside. A car engine.

  “That’s them.” Nadine rushed out onto the front porch as she waited for the car to come to a stop. Buddy was in the front seat next to the driver. He hopped out and ran around to the other side of the car and opened the back door. “Jenna,” she breathed as Buddy started helping her.

  Nadine could feel Priscilla behind her as she waited for Buddy to get her granddaughter out of the car. It was taking so long she felt as if there had to be some huge cast on her leg. What had started out to be a simple ankle injury had turned into an appointment with a specialist, a huge cast, and weeks and weeks of recovery.

  “She’s really okay,” Priscilla said from behind her.

  “Shhh . . .” Nadine said. She needed a moment to tak
e it all in. Buddy standing by the car, looking forlorn and lost. Charlotte on one side of Jenna, who had crutches! Well, one crutch, but she needed assistance to walk. The poor baby. It pained Nadine more than she cared to think about. Then there was the trauma of being chased by a camel. Lord, please give her peace and healing. Amen.

  “But I want to go back,” Jenna was saying when they got close enough that Nadine could hear. “It’s my home now.”

  “This is your home,” Charlotte said.

  “I have a job to do,” she explained. “I’m a live-in nanny. And I can’t live in if I’m living over here.”

  “Just one night,” Charlotte crooned. But Nadine knew the tone of her voice. She was ready to have her daughter home, and she would say whatever she needed to in the moment in order to make that a reality.

  “Good night, Jenna,” Buddy called. Nadine wasn’t positive, but she thought she saw the sheen of tears in his eyes. He gave her one last look, a sad one, like a little boy who had discovered his puppy was actually someone else’s. Then he let himself into the back seat.

  Jenna turned as the car door slammed. She tried to, anyway. She half turned, stumbled a bit, and barely caught herself. Nadine raced off the porch and grabbed one arm. “Jenna! Jenna, please be careful.”

  “Hi, Mammi.” Jenna smiled at her, and Nadine felt her heart go back in its correct place. Something bad had happened tonight. It could have been worse, but it was bad enough. And she wasn’t leaving Jenna’s side for any more time than was absolutely necessary.

  Priscilla passed them as she made her way to the waiting car. “We’ll come by and get the tractor in the morning.”

  Nadine was glad she didn’t say anything about Jenna. And thankfully Jenna didn’t protest any more about staying. The girl’s play for independence could have ended badly, so badly. But thank the good Lord that hadn’t happened. Now they had a second chance to make it right, and that’s just what Nadine planned to do.