“Is that what we’re doing?”
She knew it was, but she didn’t know what else to say. Much as she loved him, she knew he would walk out of her life someday. Would it be better if they became lovers? She was afraid it would be worse. That old saying, “It was better to have loved and lost than never loved at all,” was sheer nonsense. How could she watch him leave Heart City and still believe there was a Prince Charming for her?
“I’ll walk you to your door,” he said with resignation. “We’ll talk another time.”
After Dan left her at the door, her little apartment seemed empty and lonely. For better or worse, he’d changed her life forever. She didn’t have a clue what she’d do without him after he left. Was there any future at all for them?
Sitting on the edge of her bed, too despondent to go through the motions of getting ready to sleep, Amy tried to sort out what was really important in her life. She focused on her family, her job, and her friends, but she was only kidding herself. She was in love with Dan, but she couldn’t see a happily-ever-after future.
CHAPTER 16
Amy had never spent so much time in a cattle barn or enjoyed it so much.
“How long does it take you to care for Queen Bess every day?” Dan asked an earnest young future farmer whose entry in the competition was contentedly munching in a roped off area.
Wandering ahead because her interest in cows was fading, Amy mused over this new side of Dan. She doubted he had an avid interest in cattle, but he obviously connected with the young people who’d brought animals to the county fair. In fact, he loved kids of all ages, which only made her adore him more.
“How about some lunch?” he asked, catching up and capturing her hand. “Seeing the fair is hungry business.”
“If you want a really good meal, the farm co-op ladies serve fried chicken to die for. Or we could hit the midway and try a corn dog or a burger.”
“What do you like? Home cooking or lunch on a stick?” He put his arm around her shoulders as they left the barn, making their way through the Saturday crowd.
“I have a yen for a frozen banana,” she said.
“You’re kidding!”
“No, they’re delicious dipped in chocolate and frozen. Don’t tell me they don’t have them in California.” She bumped against him, trying to avoid a cone of cotton candy someone had dropped on the path.
He hugged her closer and bent his head to nuzzle her ear. Dan wasn’t usually demonstrative in public, but the fair invited intimacy in an odd sort of way. Most fairgoers were so intent on experiencing everything the event had to offer, they were oblivious of what other people were doing. Of course, Dan was practically wearing a disguise: thread-bare jeans, a red t-shirt, sunglasses, and a baseball cap worn backward. She felt overdressed in a flowered skirt and a pink top with spaghetti straps, not that it mattered as long as she could spend time with Dan.
“I smell something wonderful,” he said as they approached the food concessions.
“Onions frying on a griddle,” she said. “The aroma is supposed to make burgers irresistible.”
“You’re irresistible,” Dan said, dropping his hand to her waist. “Hey, let’s ride the Ferris wheel before we eat.”
They had to stand in line, but time flew when she was with him. Before she felt the least bit impatient, it was their turn to get into one of the open gondolas and gradually soar to the top of the wheel.
“Wonderful view,” Dan said as they stopped at the top. He wasn’t looking at the scenery.
“I love looking down at tiny people scurrying around,” she said, feeling totally secure with his arm around her.
“I love looking at you.” He leaned over and kissed her, and then did it again. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be stranded up here for a few hours?”
“Wouldn’t you get bored with the view?”
“Never.” He pressed his leg against hers and squeezed her knee just as their car moved downward again.
After two more times around, their ride was over.
“That didn’t last nearly long enough,” he said.
“Good things never do.” Amy wanted this day to go on forever, but she knew it wouldn’t. The farmers would take their animals home, the carnival rides and concessions would move on to other fairs, and the crowds would forget about it until another year.
The fair had never seemed so magical, and Amy decided to enjoy it to the fullest, storing up wonderful memories for a time when Dan wouldn’t be with her.
“Now what would you like for lunch?” Dan asked.
“You choose. I’ve been to lots of fairs, but you said this is your first.”
“If that long line I see is for the fried chicken, I say go for the corn dogs,” he said.
Amy didn’t especially like the hot dogs on a stick baked with a corn meal batter, but today they tasted wonderful. So did the onion rings served in a paper cone and the fried ice cream. When they came to a stand selling funnel cakes, Amy begged off but Dan wanted to try them. He fed her bites as they walked until their lips were ringed with powdered sugar.
“Now what haven’t we done?” he asked when they were so stuffed they were giggling about it.
“I’ll pass on the wild rides,” she said, not trusting her stomach after so much food.
“What about the Tunnel of Horrors? I don’t think that will shake us up too much.”
“It’s usually a big nothing,” she said, remembering the less than scary ride in past fairs.
“When I’m with you, everything is fun,” he assured her, taking her hand and leading her to the ticket seller.
They were fortunate to get rear seats in the open car that would carry them through the attraction. A group of rowdy teenagers filled the places in front of them, but Amy scarcely noticed their loud comments and boisterous behavior. She settled against Dan, his arm sheltering her from whatever hokey scares lay ahead.
“If you get scared, I’ll protect you,” he teased.
The only thing that really scared her was the prospect of losing him, but she snuggled closer as the car moved forward with a rasping groan.
The boys in front of them were reacting to the spooky atmosphere with scornful hoots and loud laughter, but Amy was hardly aware of the headless ghost, the mechanical bat flapping down at them, or the zombie with fake blood. She and Dan were necking like kids on a first date, and she loved the furtive nature of their kisses and the shiver of pure pleasure that had nothing to do with phony horrors.
The ride was too short. Whenever she was with Dan, time went so fast it made her dizzy.
They walked out hand in hand, ready to wander aimlessly as long as they could do it together. Dan didn’t seem to want to leave any more than she did, even though they’d pretty much exhausted the pleasures of the fair.
“What’s that barn?” he asked as they passed a structure they hadn’t visited yet.
“Looks like farm equipment,” she said, not caring where they went as long as she was with Dan.
They stepped into the cool interior, but Dan’s phone interrupted before they could wander down the row of shiny new machines, some bigger than tanks.
“Sorry, I have to answer,” he said regretfully, stepping aside to let a family with small children in a double stroller pass them.
She knew. The phone had been a bulge in his side pocket all day, a reminder that doctors never really had a day off. It might be as minor as a patient with a skinned knee or something much more serious.
He checked call waiting and grinned broadly.
“Hello, Mom.”
Wandering away to pretend interest in a huge combine, Amy gave him privacy to talk. Dan loved and admired the woman who’d raised him with only the help of his older brother. She felt the same way about her mother, so she understood how important it was fo
r the two of them to keep in touch.
Their conversation lasted several minutes. When Dan caught up with her, he was grinning broadly and stuffing the phone back into his pocket.
“Good news,” he said as she waited expectantly. “My mother is coming here for a visit.”
“Great! When will she be here?”
“The first of September. She’ll fly into Des Moines and rent a car. Leave it to my mother to insist I don’t have to pick her up at the airport.”
“How long can she stay?”
“She’s taking a two-week vacation, but she wants to spend some time with my brother and his family too. I think she’ll be here a week.”
“That’s so nice for you!” Amy was happy for him, but she was also eager to meet the woman who’d raised such a wonderful man.
“She was a little mysterious, though. She wants to discuss something with me, but she wouldn’t give me a clue what. I guess I’ll have to wait until she gets here. I have a surprise for her too.”
“What?” Amy asked. Her biggest fear was Dan would find a way to end his work in Heart City before his two years were over. This was the happiest time of her life, and she didn’t want it to end a single day sooner than the end of his contract.
“You,” he said.
He took her hand, wandered over to a complicated piece of farm equipment, and pretended to be interested until a salesperson approached him.
“No thanks,” he said to the company rep, linking his arm in hers as they continued their stroll.
She almost asked why his mother would want to meet her — why she even knew anything about her. But Dan’s mind seemed far away, and she didn’t want to say anything that might upset the tentative relationship they had now.
“Complicated business, farming,” he said. “Some of this equipment must cost a fortune. A person has to have a lot of confidence in the future to make such a big commitment.”
Amy walked beside him in silence. Was he talking about the chancy life of a farmer or their own future? Right now, she didn’t want to hear anything that would spoil the joy of being with him.
CHAPTER 17
“You’ve been here four days, and I still don’t know what your mystery is,” Dan said as he ate delicious whole grain pancakes his mother had made for their breakfast.
“All in good time,” she said. “We do need to have a long conversation, but we’ve both been so busy.”
His mother was right about that. He’d been dealing with a late summer outbreak of chicken pox, and she’d been caught up in what he could only call a social whirl. The women in Heart City had not only made her welcome, they’d included her in enough activities to keep her busy day and night.
“Are you free tonight?” he asked with an ironic smile.
On her first day there, he’d introduced her to Amy and her mother, and from there it snowballed. She’d gone to a bunko group — he wasn’t sure exactly what that was, but it involved throwing dice and winning silly prizes. His mother came home with a small figurine of a demented gnome. His nurse, Georgia, took her to a knitting club, and now his mother was clicking away on thick needles, making something that looked like an extra-long scarf.
The women in Heart City weren’t just friendly. They’d adopted his mother and gone overboard making her welcome. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her so bubbly and happy.
“Amy and Alice are taking me to an ice cream party this evening,” his mother said. “It will give us a chance to get better acquainted, although I feel like we’re old friends already. Of course, you’re welcome to come too. It’s a fundraiser for the Garden Club.”
“I’ll pass,” Dan said, wondering if his waistline would survive a week of his mother’s cooking. When he’d lived at home, she’d been too busy with work to fuss much over meals. Apparently she was trying to make up for all the salad suppers and take-out pizzas in one week.
“That’s fine. I don’t imagine we’ll be out very late, although Alice did mention stopping off at a friend’s house. She had minor surgery and is still recovering. There’s a whole network of people looking after other people in this town. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
When his mother smiled, the lines etched in her face seemed to fade away. The years of struggle raising two sons alone had taken their toll, but she was a beautiful person. Her hair was salt and pepper now, but it flattered her oval face and lively dark eyes. She was slender — almost too thin — but wore clothes with grace and confidence, even when she bought them at discount stores. Dan had always been proud of her. Now his heart swelled with affection. He wished they had more time to be together. Her visit was flying by, and he still hadn’t had a serious conversation with her.
“I have to go to work,” he said, getting up from the table. “When will I see you again?”
“I’ll try to be home by nine,” she said with a little grin. “But don’t feel you have to wait up for me.”
• • •
Amy was pooped. Her mother and Dan’s had taken to each other like long-lost twins, and keeping up with them took all her energy. Fortunately, her mother took vacation time that week, so she was free to entertain Virginia Prince during the day.
That evening they were taking Hannah to the ice cream party. Amy didn’t have time for dinner, but it was probably just as well. The Garden Club went all out for the make-your-own-sundae event. Participants could choose ice cream and syrup flavors and dozens of toppings. It would be a challenge to hold Hannah down to a modest sampling, and the homemade hot fudge was the stuff of dreams.
Her only regret was that Dan had faded into the background. She hadn’t been alone with him for more than ten minutes all week, but, of course, he wanted high quality time with his mother.
Amy drove, stopping first at Dan’s apartment to pick up his mother. She’d hoped for a few words with him or at least a glimpse of the man who peopled her daydreams and kept her awake at night, but she was disappointed.
“Dan had to go to the hospital,” Virginia said. “Hopefully he’ll be home when we get back. I’m afraid I’m throwing a wrench into your time together.”
“Not at all,” Amy said politely. “We’re delighted you’re here. My mom hasn’t had so much fun in ages.”
“She’s a wonderful person. We have so much in common, both having raised children on our own. I can’t believe we both wanted to be dancers when we were children, although I had to accept I have two left feet.”
What hadn’t the two mothers discussed? Amy was curious to know what they said about Dan and her. Did Virginia realize her son could hardly wait to get to California? She hadn’t even told her own mother how poor the chances were for a long-time relationship.
The evening delivered on the promise of fun and good companionship, but Amy had to work to stay focused. She missed Dan even though she understood why he couldn’t join them for an ice cream party.
“I want pink ice cream and chocolate sprinkles and cherries,” Hannah said after they picked her up at home. “Are you going to have ice cream at your wedding, Aunt Amy?”
“Honey, I’m not having a wedding,” Amy said, quickly interrupting her niece before she could talk about her plans to be a flower girl.
“Tell Mrs. Prince what you did last weekend,” Amy’s mother said, trying to stem the little girl’s flow of words before she started talking about Prince Charming.
Amy was grateful, but she wondered what the two mothers discussed when they were alone. She knew her mother adored Dan, but did either of them realize how unlikely it was there’d be a happily-ever-after ending?
• • •
The longer his mother delayed telling him what was on her mind, the more curious Dan became. After he picked up take-out chicken and mashed potatoes, he went home to wait for her return. How odd was this, the son pacing while the mother partie
d? Worse, Amy was with her, so he didn’t even have the solace of talking to her.
“I’m home!” his mother called out as she came into his apartment. “You can’t believe how fancy the ice cream party was. I haven’t had chocolate ice cream with marshmallow topping since I was a kid. I’ll have to live on salads for a month to make up for it.”
“Glad you had fun,” Dan said, greeting her with a kiss on her cheek. “Tell me all about it.”
“Later,” his mother said. “I have something very important to discuss with you. I’ll enjoy the rest of my visit even more when I’ve done it.”
“You make it sound serious,” Dan said, straddling a kitchen chair as his mother sat down opposite him.
“First a bit of sad news,” she said. “Do you remember your great uncle William? He owned a grocery store in Stockton.”
“Vaguely,” Dan said, searching his memory to call up an image of a man he’d only seen once or twice when he was really young.
“He was my father’s only brother. He died recently, but I didn’t even know it in time to go to the memorial service his friends had for him.”
“I’m sorry,” Dan said. “Were you close at all?”
“Not really. He was a loner, in spite of success in business. I think there was some bad blood between my father and him, but I never heard the details.”
“Then you weren’t affected too much by his death.”
“Sadly, no, but he did something that will change my life.”
“How?” It wasn’t like his mother to tell him things in a roundabout way.
“Uncle William never married, and he outlived most of his close friends. When he made out his will, he left quite a bit to various charities, but he also mentioned me.”
“You inherited some money from him?” Dan was pleased for his mother’s sake but still didn’t understand why she’d been so secretive about it.
“Quite a bit. In fact, I can help with your college debts now. You could pay them off and return to California.” She studied his face for a reaction.
Heart to Heart Page 69