Chapter 32
— chapter thirty-two
Jenna had met much of Nelson’s family at Jimmy’s funeral. Because Alliance was a family-owned company, Nelson’s father and uncle had both known Jimmy.
So, as she stood up and hugged everyone hello, she wasn’t hugging strangers. She also quickly realized that her sitting next to Nelson in his hospital room didn’t come as a surprise to them. They all seemed to know that he’d been looking after her and Katie for a long time.
When a nurse came in to tell everyone that Nelson was going to need to get his vital signs checked and possibly be taken down the hall for another CT scan, Jenna knew it was time to leave.
As much as she would’ve liked to be there for Nelson, she felt anxious about staying too.
It was a blessing when Nelson took the decision out of her hands.
“Jenna, thanks for wanting to stay here, but all I want to do is sleep. Why don’t you go get Katie, go home, and get some rest too?”
“Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
“I’m more than sure,” he said with a tired smile. “There’s nothing you can do for me now.”
“Come on, Jenna,” Fanny said. “Nelson’s right. He’s probably going to be asleep before we get to my car.”
Noticing that his eyes were already drifting shut, Jenna finally agreed.
Luckily, it wasn’t a far drive from the hospital to her parents’ farm. When Fanny pulled up to the house, she gasped. “Oh! This is a lovely place! Look at the garden. It’s gorgeous.”
Fanny wasn’t wrong. Her mother had the prettiest garden she’d ever seen.
It was a cross between a manicured English garden and a field of wildflowers—a riot of hydrangeas, vincas, daisies, and black-eyed Susans mixed with Queen Anne’s lace, marigolds, and zinnias.
Perhaps it didn’t need to fit in either box.
Everywhere one turned there were flower beds, bird feeders, sitting areas, and glorious smells.
“My mother is a master gardener,” she said. “This is her happy place.”
“I think it could be everyone’s happy place,” Fanny said as she parked the car.
“If you have a moment, I’d love for you to meet my mother.”
“Thank you. I’d like that.”
“Mamm!” Katie called out as soon as Jenna got out of the car. Running closer, she said, “Mammi has a new bird nest, and there are blue eggs inside.”
“Robin’s eggs are very pretty, aren’t they?” she asked as she gave Katie a quick hug. “Do you remember Fanny?”
Katie nodded. “Hiya, Fanny.”
“Hello, Katie.” Pointing to Katie’s boots, she said, “I like your yellow rain boots.”
“Me too.” She smiled. “These are so I can help Mammi in the garden and Dawdi feed chickens and not get the kitchen floor dirty.”
“They sound like a very good idea.”
Seeing her mother approach, wearing a light-pink dress with a matching apron and flip-flops on her feet, Jenna smiled. “Hi, Mamm. Thank you for watching Katie.”
“No need to thank me. Katie’s been a big help.”
“This is Fanny. She’s Nelson’s cousin. I don’t think you’ve met.”
“I think we met at Jimmy’s funeral. You were there, yes?”
“Yes, I was,” Fanny said.
“Well, it’s gut to see you again,” her mother said with a kind smile.
“I was just admiring your beautiful gardens.”
“Danke. It’s a lot of work, but I enjoy it.” Sobering, she said, “How is Nelson?”
“He’ll be going home soon, but he’s going to be sore for the next few days,” Fanny said. “And that’s if he behaves himself.”
Her mother’s eyebrows rose. “Behaves himself?”
“He’s not a good patient, Mamm.”
“Few men ever are,” she replied. “Would you like to come in for a glass of lemonade, Fanny?”
“Thanks, but I need to head on home. I’m happy to drive you and Katie to your house, Jenna.”
“Thank you, but I’m going to visit with my parents for a little while.”
“Katie?” Daed called out.
“Oh! I gotta go!” Katie said. “Dawdi knows where a mama bunny had her babies. We’re going to go see them,” she added before running back into the barn.
“As you can see, I might be here for a while.”
“I’d want to stay too. Baby bunnies would be hard to resist.” Reaching out, Fanny gave her a tight hug. “Thanks for everything you’ve done. Nelson is lucky to have you.”
Feeling her mother’s piercing gaze, she smiled nervously. “Please tell him that I’ll be over to see him either tonight or tomorrow.”
“Will do,” Fanny said as she walked back to her car. “Good to see you,” she said with a smile before climbing in and driving off.
“She is a nice woman,” Mamm said. “So bright and cheery. Like the sun.”
Jenna grinned at the comparison. “You’re right. I like her a lot.”
Her mother gave her another long look before looping her arm around Jenna’s elbow. “Let’s go get some lemonade and sit down. You can tell me what you’ve been doing.”
A pool of dread formed in her stomach. She knew that tone of voice.
Her mother hadn’t missed Fanny’s comment about Nelson, and she wanted some answers.
They went inside, filled tall glasses with ice and lemonade, and then Jenna followed her mother back outside.
She had a favorite sitting area in the shade.
“Every time I am here, I am amazed that you ever have time to sit.”
“We don’t always have Katie here,” she said.
“She looks like she’s been having a good time.”
“I reckon she has been. It’s hard not to when you’re a little girl like Katie. She even seems to enjoy weeding.” Mamm sipped her lemonade. “She has also been a wealth of information.”
“What has she been talking about?”
“Nelson this, Nelson that. Sounds like Nelson has been over a lot. And that he now hugs you hello and goodbye? And . . . that you have fallen in love?”
“Wow. She has had a lot to say.”
“Is it true?”
Jenna figured she had options. She could deny it, say that he was a good friend, and insist there was nothing more, or she could tell her mother the truth.
Briefly, she filled her in on the commotion before her club’s meeting and the spur-of-the-moment declarations that had happened.
As she expected, her mother was horrified by Mary’s outburst, shocked about Jenna’s declaration, and moved to tears when she learned about Katie holding him close.
“It sounds like I missed quite the event,” she teased.
“Oh, Mamm. I haven’t even gotten to the part about the storm and everyone running into the house!”
“I do want to hear about that . . . but I want to backtrack to you and Nelson. Did you mean what you said, Jenna?”
She nodded. “I did. I really have fallen in love with Nelson, Mamm.”
Her mother’s eyes widened. She pursed her lips before looking out at the garden. “You sound so sure.”
“That’s because I am. Nelson’s sure too, Mamm. Neither of us planned on falling in love . . . but it still happened.”
“I see.” She picked up her glass and took another sip.
Jenna stared at her mother. Panic gripped her as she prepared herself to listen to a lecture about how everything she was doing was very wrong. How everything she felt was very wrong.
“I guess I should’ve seen this coming,” she said after a long minute passed.
“What?”
“This man looked out for you even during your darkest days. He’s looked out for you and Katie for months and months. Over a year, yes?”
“Almost two.”
“I suppose it’s a shame that Jimmy worked for him. That Jimmy’s accident was at his family’s mill.”
“Jimmy was at fault,” she blurted.
“What?”
“All this time, Nelson hadn’t wanted to hurt me, so he’s let me believe that it was just a bad accident. And it was, but Jimmy wasn’t following the protocols he should have. Jimmy was the one who made all the mistakes.”
“But . . . no one ever said anything.”
“I think everyone wanted to preserve Jimmy’s memory. They didn’t want to tarnish it.”
Her mother’s expression had gone slack with shock. “This paints a whole other scenario, doesn’t it? Nelson cared for you so much, he was even willing to shoulder the blame so you wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Jenna nodded. “I think there’s always been a part of me that thought there was more to the story than I was being told.”
“I don’t know how Mary and Peter will ever be able to handle you marrying again, Jenna.”
“I know. I don’t want to hurt them, and I want them to have a relationship with Katie.” She took a deep breath. “But Mamm, they have to realize that even if Jimmy had been completely innocent and someone else at the mill was to blame, Jimmy is still going to be gone.”
“What are you going to do about Nelson?”
“I want to marry him one day.”
“If you leave the faith, you’ll be hurting yourself,” she warned. “Breaking your vows is a serious thing.”
“I know. But there’s not going to be anyone else, Mamm. I believe that God meant for us to be together. Just as importantly, I want Nelson in my life. I want to marry him.”
When her mother remained silent, Jenna continued. “I mean, sure, I could raise Katie, see my new friends at the widows club, and spend time with you and Daed. But it isn’t enough.” She reached out for her mother’s hand. “Pushing away Nelson Harper is not something I can do.”
Her mother studied Jenna’s expression. Looked down at their clasped hands. And finally nodded. “All right, then. Daed and I will go with you to speak to the bishop.”
“You’ll support me, Mamm? Even if you don’t agree?”
“Darling girl, didn’t you just hear yourself?
That’s what love is, right? It’s loving another person so much that you’re willing to put their needs above your own.
It’s what Jesus did for all of us. If He can die for our sins, I think I can still love you even if things between us will be different. ”
Unable to help herself, Jenna launched at her mother and hugged her tight.
“I love you, Mamm.”
“I know.” She stood up. “Now, let’s go see those baby bunnies and speak to your father.”
“Now?”
“No time like the present, dear.”
“You’re right. There’s no time like now.”