Romancing Adrienne

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He stood up. “You really are a good cook. I can’t think of anyone who does a better job than you.”

  She blushed. “Thank you. Coming from you, that’s a big compliment.”

  He happily followed her back into the inn.

  Chapter Eleven

  Once Trevor understood that Adrienne did appreciate him and his work, he allowed himself to admit what he had been holding back since the moment he saw her on the train. He had thought she was pretty and was trying to think of a way to introduce himself to her when the thieves appeared. When she didn’t say anything to him after the robbery, that didn’t bother him. He figured she was mute but reasoned that if she could navigate her way through train stations, she could read and they could communicate through writing. But as soon as she ridiculed his work, he lost complete interest in her.

  Now that she had taken time to read his book and showed enthusiasm for it, he was thrilled to pursue her romantically. At least, she was no longer adamantly opposed to marriage, so he could thank Clark for that. From the way she squeezed his hand on the porch swing and told him that she was going to show him what romance was, he knew that she preferred him over Clark. After all, she made no such intimate moves toward Clark.

  He felt much better about being stranded in the town since he knew what she thought of him. He did wonder if she would be willing to go to New York with him. She was beginning to grow attached to the people in town, but he figured it was because she was hiding from her father who had tried to force her into the marriage she dreaded. Surely if she was married to him, she wouldn’t have a need to hide from her father anymore and could continue on her way to New York.

  He sat next to her at church and invited the youngest Peters’ boy, five year old Jack, to sit on his other side so that he had to sit close to her. He wanted to hold her hand but settled for their arms touching during the service. He looked over at her a couple of times and smiled when she looked back. She seemed startled. You’d better get used to a lot of affection and praise, sweetheart, because I intend to shower you with both.

  After the service ended, she excused herself so she could mingle with some of the other people. He watched her walk over to Melissa Peters. He frowned when he noticed Hank Peters smile at her. She was like a magnet to men. Maybe it was easier when she was resisting marriage. As soon as he saw her focus her attention specifically on Melissa, he felt much better.

  Before he knew it, a group of children surrounded him and asked him if he would give them piggy back rides. He couldn’t say no to them, so they went outside. The people grinned at the sight of him and the kids who were laughing and yelling for their turn to ride on his back.

  “He’s really good with children,” he heard Adrienne tell Melissa as they walked out of the church.

  He was pleased by her comment. He wanted her to be glad that he would be the father of her children.

  When it was time to go home, Mrs. Gallows, at Adrienne’s request, invited the Peters family to join them and the Harpers for supper. He wondered why Adrienne would want them over but figured that she wanted to talk to Melissa since they were close in age. She probably missed her friends from back home. He could understand her feelings. He missed his family. He decided it was time to write them a letter that day, even though it wouldn’t be picked up until Tuesday. He was glad he could assure them that he was alright, even if he wasn’t in New York yet. More importantly however, he was anxious to tell them about Adrienne. He hadn’t realized how much she meant to him so soon. He saw her with other people and knew she had a good heart. She would make a wonderful wife and mother.

  He considered it might be too soon to ask her to marry him. He knew that a long courtship wasn’t necessary for a good marriage. It’s not like I have a lot of time to waste. I have to make it to New York in a little under two months, and I don’t want to leave without her, nor do I want to leave without being married to her. It wouldn’t be appropriate to travel unaccompanied with a single young lady. I just hope I don’t scare her off. She might be open to the idea of marriage and a romance with him, but those decisions were very recent.

  Once the kids went home with their parents, he walked over to Adrienne who was still talking to Melissa. “Can I walk you back to the inn?” he asked her.

  Adrienne looked startled by his question.

  She’s easily spooked. I better take it easy in how I approach her.

  “Oh, Melissa just invited me to her house to visit until I help Mrs. Gallows get supper ready,” Adrienne replied. “In fact, Melissa offered to help make the supper, so you can try her cooking.”

  “I’m not sure it will be as good as yours,” Melissa said. “You have a gift for it.”

  Adrienne blushed. “I tasted your potato salad on Friday. You do a fine job of cooking too.”

  Trevor smiled. She knows how to build people up. No wonder she is winning so many friends in this town. It was nice to finally be included in that list of people she chose to be cordial with.

  “I’m looking forward to learning some new cooking tips from you,” Melissa told her.

  Adrienne looked over at Trevor. “I hope you don’t think I’m too forward but I was telling Melissa that you write some very entertaining plays. I was hoping to show her The Path to Christmas. It was my favorite one.”

  His heart flipped at her confession. “You are welcome to show her any of the plays that you want to.”

  “He’s writing a romantic comedy for a theater owner in New York,” Adrienne continued to tell Melissa. “Have you ever been to New York?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Melissa said. “I haven’t been outside this town but Hank has been to Richmond for college.”

  “Would you like to go to New York?”

  She shrugged. “I hadn’t thought of it. I like life here but I suppose it would be a nice place to visit at least once.”

  Adrienne frowned. “Oh. Well, I grew up in San Francisco and can assure you that a big city is filled with a lot of fun and excitement. You won’t get bored.”

  He wondered why she felt it necessary to highlight the benefits of being in a big city to Melissa.

  “I kind of like the farm life,” Melissa said. “I grew up on a farm and hoped to marry a farmer.”

  He knew that she and Clark were a good match. He would have to pair them up. “Did you know that Clark plays the fiddle?” he asked.

  “No, I didn’t. I don’t get a chance to see the Howards very much. They live out of town and rarely come in.”

  “I am the temporary farmhand out there. They’re having a little party out there on Saturday. We should all go.”

  “What a great idea, Trevor!” Adrienne agreed.

  She was smiling but he suspected it wasn’t because she thought Melissa would be a good match for Clark. He was used to picking out details and she seemed a little too eager for the trip, didn’t she?

  “Adrienne, will you be coming?” Melissa wondered.

  “Oh, I plan to.”

  “That sounds like fun. We should arrange something then,” Melissa agreed. “Will you be coming with me to my house now, Adrienne?”

  “Trevor, would you like to join us?” Adrienne asked him.

  “Actually, I was hoping to make girl talk,” Melissa interrupted. “With so many brothers, I don’t get much of a chance to talk to another woman.”

  He noticed how disappointed Adrienne was and felt pleased that she was eager to spend more time with him. She does care about me. “It’s alright, Adrienne. I should work on my play. I have some new ideas I can incorporate into it and I’m anxious to develop the plot and characters. You were right that this version is better than the one that got destroyed.”

  Adrienne nodded. “Alright. We’ll get to see you at supper, correct?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss one of your homemade meals for anything.”

  She smiled. “And you can try out Melissa’s pudding.”

  He shrugged. “That sounds fun too.”

 
“We’ll see you then.”

  As he watched them leave, he smiled at how wonderful Adrienne looked when she walked. It was nice to enjoy the view instead of resisting how great she looked for a change.

  ***

  Supper that night was good but he hardly noticed any of the dishes except what Adrienne made and even then he had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. She and Melissa seemed to get along very well, for they were talking as if no one else was in the room. He, in turn, spent time talking to Jack Peters and the Harper kids. Jack reminded him of his nephew. Several times, he talked with Hank and Tom as well. Tom, though four years his junior, was taller and built stronger than him. He hadn’t noticed how slender his frame was before he came to this town. He was able to do his chores on the farm, but he wasn’t built for the stronger tasks. He was much better off holding a pencil. He wondered if women were more attracted to the stronger type.

  Hank and Tom were a lot alike. And it seemed that both of them were attracted to Adrienne, though Tom understood she would not consider someone as young as him. Hank kept asking him questions about Adrienne, which bothered him more and more as the meal progressed.

  “Is it true that she just learned to cook?” he asked between bites of the meatloaf Adrienne made. “This is the best meatloaf I ever had.”

  Anything Adrienne made tasted like a gourmet meal. “Yes, she didn’t cook anything before she came here,” Trevor answered.

  “It’s amazing how quickly she picks stuff up.”

  “She’s a quick learner, alright.”

  “Now, you two aren’t together, are you? I heard you were going to be engaged but broke it off due to some personal issues.”

  Word gets around fast. He should be used to it since he had lived in a small town, but it annoyed him that so many people knew his business. “Actually, we got back together.”

  Hank frowned. “Oh.” He quickly smiled again. “My apologies. I had entertained the possibility of courting her but now that I know the situation, I won’t interfere.”

  He was relieved to hear this. “I plan to propose to her soon but wish to court her a little while first.” He sat up. “You know, Bonnie Howard enjoys poetry. She’s looking for someone to settle down with. Why don’t you join us out there when Melissa, Adrienne and I go out for the party that the Howards are going to host on Saturday? Bonnie plays the flute.”

  “Bonnie Howard, huh? I hadn’t considered her. I rarely see the Howard girls. How old is she?”

  “Nineteen.”

  “She’s of marrying age. You say, she likes poetry?”

  “Yes.”

  “I will come out to their farm.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. Adrienne was naturally attracting single men. The sooner they knew she belonged to him, the sooner they would leave her alone. He had every intention of letting them know she was going to be his wife.

  He grinned at Adrienne when she glanced over at him. She seemed confused that he would smile at her.

  After the supper, Adrienne brought Melissa over to him. “I thought you two might like a chance to talk. Melissa grew up on a farm and so did you. She likes to read. You like to write. She makes good food. You like to eat good food. Anyway, those are just a couple of things you have in common. I’m sure you’ll discover more as you talk. Oh, let me get a copy of your book so you can read The Path to Christmas to her. Melissa, it truly is a beautiful Christmas play. Just imagine what it will be like if you two have children and they acted it out.”

  He stared dumbly after her as she left the room to go to the lobby where his books were on display. He slowly turned to Melissa, his eyes wide. Oh no. Adrienne isn’t trying to do what I think she is. The stunned look in Melissa’s eyes assured him that Adrienne was indeed trying to fix them up together. All that talk earlier about showing him romance was really about her pairing him up with Melissa so she could show him what romance was like.

  Adrienne doesn’t care for me. Well, she does in a way but not the way I want her to.

  “I thought you wanted me to talk to Clark Howard,” Melissa whispered as her shock wore off.

  “I do.”

  “So what is Adrienne doing?”

  “Trying to show me what romance is and, apparently, she thinks we make a good match.”

  “Oh.”

  “‘Oh’ is right.”

  Adrienne returned with his book. She looked pleased with herself as she gave it to Melissa. “The parlor would be a good place to read it. It’s nice and quiet in there. I’m going to help the women clean up.”

  He watched in disbelief as she ran off.

  “I suppose she means well,” Melissa said. “When she saw us talking yesterday, she must have assumed you were interested in me.”

  He looked back at Melissa who was a couple inches taller than him. Couldn’t Adrienne tell just by looking at them that they would make a horrible match? Melissa was perfect for Clark. “Well, we might as well make the best of it,” he replied. “You will come out to the Howard farm when they have their party, won’t you?”

  “Certainly. I did find Clark to be quite agreeable when I saw him yesterday. I hadn’t realized he grew into such a fine, handsome man. He really fills out a shirt well.”

  “Yes, all that heavy lifting made him strong.” Did Adrienne prefer that type of man too? Strong, tall and dark?

  “I do feel better knowing we agree that we are bad idea. Not that you’re not a good catch.”

  “I understand. New York isn’t for everyone.” That was his nice way of putting it.

  “I suppose we should read the story. I did enjoy the one you read Friday night.”

  That made him feel better. He would rather read it to Adrienne though. He shrugged and went to the parlor with Melissa. There has to be a way to win Adrienne over. If there was one thing he learned from losing his play during the train fiasco, it was that there was more than one way to write a play. As soon as the guests go home, I’m going to make a list of ways to pursue Adrienne. She was right about one thing. She told him she was going to show him what romance was, and he was going to let her. Well, sweetheart, let the lessons in romance begin.

  Chapter Twelve

  When Adrienne woke up the next morning, she got dressed and opened the door. She gasped when she saw Trevor leaning against the wall across from her door, wearing a plaid brown, white and black shirt with black pants. He had on a pair of brown boots and he was wearing a brown hat. His blond hair was neatly combed and he was clean shaven. His green eyes sparkled and his smile lit up the hallway. She was struck by the fact that he was so good looking.

  “Howdy, ma’am. You are looking especially beautiful this morning,” he greeted in a low voice that made her pulse quicken. “Can I walk you to the kitchen?”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet.

  “Now, don’t be shy, sweetheart.” He took her hand and led her down the hall. “I like the feel of your hand. Your skin is so soft.”

  Her feet were unsteady as she followed him. “Trevor, I don’t understand.”

  “You said you were going to show me what I need to know about romance, right?”

  “Well, yes,” she admitted. She could hardly concentrate on anything but how good his hand felt around hers.

  “What is your first lesson?”

  “Pardon me?”

  He stopped and turned to her. “What do you have planned for me? What would be best for my play?”

  She didn’t know what to say. She thought he and Melissa seemed to get along well the night before, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to think of him in such romantic terms. But it’s not like he’s courting her. All he did was read to her.

  Two of the Harper kids saw them and giggled as they hurried to the dining room.

  Trevor turned back to her. “Well, when you come up with your first lesson, just let me know. I’d like to get the most out of it. I try to be a studious observer so I can write more effectively.”

  He took a
step toward her.

  She subconsciously took a step back. He smells clean and masculine. A memory of summer days on the beach, watching the waves crashing along the shores, came to her mind. He was as thrilling as the ocean.

  His voice brought her mind back to the present. “I do notice small details. Take your eyes as an example. When the sunlight reflects off of them just right, you have specks of gold throughout their hazel tint. A man could get used to a woman with such a lovely eye color.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “You do have a way with words. I guess it’s because you write so much.”

  “Thank you for the compliment. So, what are you making for breakfast this morning?”

  “I don’t know. I let Mrs. Gallows decide.”

  “Are you going to the restaurant today?”

  She nodded.

  “Can I walk you there? I like to be in the presence of beauty and grace.”

  She shook her head. “Shouldn’t you be saying this to Melissa?”

  “Why? All I did was read a play to her.” He paused. “Oh, you weren’t trying to get something going between me and her, were you?”

  “I...” How did he figure that out? Was she that obvious?

  “I hadn’t considered her for a romantic lesson. Perhaps I should. That wouldn’t bother you, would it?”

  She shrugged. “Of course not,” she lied. Why did it suddenly bother her? “You can be with whoever you want.”

  “Great! I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. So, can I walk you to the restaurant?”

  “That would be nice.”

  He kissed her hand.

  No one had ever spoken to her or treated her in such an intimate way, and she found that she liked it coming from him. She enjoyed his touch.

  “Someday, I would like to kiss you on the lips. I never kissed a woman before and could use the experience,” he whispered. “But I’ll settle for holding your hand for now.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the promise. He gently led her to the dining room and told her he would think of her while she made another delicious meal. She slowly entered the kitchen.