Bouquet for Iris (10 page)

“Oh no.” June’s tender heart was obviously hurting for the lost sheep. “What did the boy do?”

“He left all of his other sheep in a safe place and went to find the little lost sheep. He looked and he looked until he finally found it.” Iris hoped her improvisation of the scripture in Matthew was acceptable to God. Jesus didn’t tell exactly how the shepherd had found his sheep, but she was certain he would have looked high and low.

“One time, one of our calves got stuck between two big rocks.” Anna lifted her arms up high to show the size of the boulders. “And it took Grandpa and two other men to get it out.”

“That may be what happened to the baby sheep. Or maybe he just wandered off and couldn’t find his way back home. But anyway, the shepherd boy found the baby sheep, picked it up, put it on his shoulders, and took it back home with him. He was so happy that he had found the baby sheep.” Iris hugged June close. “That’s because that shepherd boy loved his sheep the same way that Jesus loves you and me. That’s why I’m here now. To hug you and take care of you—”

“And make sure we don’t get caught in any rocks.” Ever the practical one, Anna interjected her thoughts.

“That’s right.” Iris hugged June first then Anna. “I’ll make sure you two get out of any tight spots.”

Their smiles warmed Iris’s heart. She stood up and returned to her chair. “How about if I say grace this morning since I feel extra thankful to get to watch out for two smart little girls?”

They nodded their acceptance. The three of them held hands. The girls bowed their heads, and Iris followed their example. “Lord, thank You for giving us this special day together. Thank You for watching out for all the lost sheep, and help us to be good shepherds with each other. Bless the hands of those who prepared this food. May it nourish our bodies in the way You nourish our souls. Amen.”

Anna and June began to eat their food, but Iris only picked at her eggs and biscuit. She wanted to make this day special even if they could not go outside for a picnic. She looked around the room for inspiration. Several framed landscape paintings—some depicted mountainous terrain while others portrayed springtime meadows—decorated the walls. One in particular had become her favorite as it reminded her of Ma’s garden back home. The artist had created a profusion of colorful flowers, including Iris’s namesake. Inspiration struck, and joy filled her heart. “I know what we can do today.”

“What?” June’s voice held a note of hope that had been missing earlier.

“We’ll have our picnic right here.”

“But”—Anna looked around the room—”that’s not a picnic. It’s just a luncheon like we have every day.”

Iris shook her head. “Not if we spend the morning decorating. As soon as we finish eating, we’ll get out those watercolors and start painting flowers and trees. By the time we get done, you won’t be able to tell we’re still inside.”

Dismay turned to anticipation as both girls finished their breakfasts quickly and urged Iris to hurry so they could begin their art project. After securing aprons from Josephine to protect their clothing, they excitedly returned to their parlor and looked to Iris for guidance.

Four hours later their aprons were liberally splattered with the colors of the rainbow. It had been a little slow at first, but Iris had shown them how to paint trees and flowers on their canvases. While their artwork would never capture the eye of a collector, the canvases were filled with bright swaths of color that seemed to brighten the dreary day.

Josephine had prepared a basket of food and helped them move the table to one corner of the room. They spread a blanket on the floor and sat in the middle of it while they munched on fresh cheese and bread.

“Anna, you may be outside in the middle of nowhere, but young ladies must still wipe away their food with napkins, not their sleeves.” Iris’s statement elicited giggles from both girls, and she smiled when the younger complied.

“Which painting is your favorite?” asked June.

“I don’t know. They are all very pretty.”

Anna stood up and walked over to one her sister had painted of a meadow ringed by mountains. “I like this one. It’s the same as my Indian name.”

“That’s right, Anna. And wasn’t June smart to think of painting something special for you?” Iris smiled at June, relieved to see that her sadness had been replaced by a look of satisfaction. “And I especially like the flowers you put in your picture. They look just like the irises that grow wild in the meadows at home.”

“Do you like my river picture?” Anna wandered to a canvas that looked to Iris like a mishmash of greens and blues.

“Yes, it’s very nice.” She pointed to a dark blob on one side of the blue slash that was apparently Anna’s idea of the Tennessee River. “What is that?”

“It’s a fish. There are lots of fish in the river.”

Iris tilted her head. She nodded. “I see it now. My goodness, what a great big fish. Big enough to feed this family for a week.”

Anna nodded. She came back to the blanket and sat down. “I wish we were really outside though. Then we could find some real irises and give them to you.”

“I have a secret for you, Anna. And for you, too, June.”

Both girls leaned toward her. “What’s your secret?” they asked in unison.

“No bouquet of flowers could be more beautiful to me than the two of you. You’re the most precious bouquet any nanny could ever want.” She held out her arms and gathered them close, so thankful for their loving arms and enthusiastic kisses.

“They are adorable.” Iris kept her voice low to avoid waking Camie’s sleeping children. “They look like little angels.” She watched as Camie tucked the cover more securely around her daughters and thought about how nice it would be to have children of her own.

Happiness and anticipation made her stomach flutter as she followed her friend out of the bedroom. Nathan would be here soon to have dinner with her and the Sherers. She wondered if he was the man God wanted her to marry. He was certainly nice. She was looking forward to getting to know him better.

Camie’s voice interrupted her musings. “Lance and I are going to take the girls to Brainerd Mission for Easter to see Ma and Pa. We’d love for you to join us.”

“I’d love to! I’m sure Mr. Spencer wouldn’t mind if I took the day off.”

“Good. I know how much Ma and Pa would like to see you. They were so excited when you agreed to come.”

“Me, too.” Iris squeezed Camie’s hand. “You know that I consider your father’s letter an answer to prayer.”

Camie’s reply was halted by a knock at the front door. “That must be Nathan and Mr. Pierce.”

Iris wondered why Mrs. Pierce was not attending and made a note to ask if Nathan’s aunt was ill. She smoothed her collar with nervous fingers as the Pierce gentlemen entered the parlor. A flurry of greetings and introductions filled the room.

Nathan Pierce was as nice as she remembered, but his uncle was another matter entirely. Looking from one to the other, she wondered how Nathan could be so unassuming and have a relative who practically oozed self-importance.

Although the elder Mr. Pierce was much shorter than Nathan, she could see some family resemblance. They both shared the same cornflower blue eyes and blond hair, although the hair of Nathan’s uncle had begun to thin.

“It’s too bad your wife could not come for dinner tonight, Mr. Pierce.” Iris folded her hands in her lap.

He cleared his throat before answering. “She died some years ago, Miss Landon.” He fastened his blue gaze on her face with some interest as though he was considering whether she would be an acceptable replacement.

“That is a shame. I’m sorry for your loss.” Iris turned to Nathan. “I know your uncle must rely on you greatly to keep him company since your aunt’s death.”

Nathan shifted his feet. “I don’t know about that. I run the store so Uncle Richard can tend to the town’s business as well as keep our accounts straight.”

“I see.”

“You have an expressive face, Miss Landon.” Mayor Pierce thrust out his chest. “I am rather an expert when it comes to reading faces, you see.”

“Is that so?” She assumed what she hoped was an interested expression as the mayor droned on about the subject of wordless communicators.

She would be relieved when the Sherers joined them. Their housekeeper was visiting family in Athens, Georgia, so Lance was helping to set the table, a chore Camie had forbidden Iris to do. Iris loved her friend, but she didn’t need help in finding a husband, which was obviously the reason for tonight’s dinner party. She wondered if Camie intended to pair her with Nathan or his uncle. Either way, the plan was doomed to failure. When God decided it was time, she would fall in love with a good Christian man, someone who would provide for her and their children the way Lance provided for Camie, Emily, and Erin.

Lance and Camie entered the parlor together, their hands linked. Iris could admit to herself that there would be advantages in having a husband, like the companionship and shared laughter that seemed to be a part of her friend’s marriage. But she was content to wait for her own knight.

She glanced toward Nathan. He was a nice-looking man and very considerate. He nodded at something his uncle said. She could not fault his manners or his attitude toward her. He was exactly the sort of man she should be attracted to, so she determined she would keep an open mind. Perhaps she would fall in love with Nathan once she got to know him better.

“I think we’re ready for you to come into the dining room.” Camie sounded breathless. Iris wondered if the flush on her cheeks was caused by the preparations she had been making in the kitchen, or perhaps her husband had been stealing kisses from her as they worked. Maybe Camie’s refusal to let Iris set the table had been driven by more than one consideration.

Both Nathan and his uncle approached Iris where she sat next to a console table. Iris set her teacup on the table, wondering how she should handle two escorts. The problem was solved when Camie swept forward and took Mayor Pierce by the arm. A nod to her husband had Lance leading the way to the dining room. “Mayor Pierce, Lance has been telling me all about the new fields you will be planting to our south. How exciting.”

Nathan watched them for a moment before turning his attention to her. “May I have the honor of escorting you?”

Nodding her head, Iris allowed him to draw her upward. They followed the others and found that Mayor Pierce was sitting in the place of honor to the right of his host’s seat at the head of the table. Camie’s seat, at the foot of the table, put her next to the doorway leading to the kitchen. As Nathan and Iris entered, she motioned them to the pair of places sitting side by side on her right.

Candles took up the center of the table, casting a golden glow on the room. They were ringed by pinecones and winter-berries, lending a festive atmosphere to the table.

Iris murmured her thanks to Nathan for seating her and turned to Camie. “Everything looks so nice. You’re a wonderful housewife.”

“I’m sure you will be one, too.” Camie looked toward Nathan. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Pierce?”

Iris blushed at his nod and picked up her fork. A banging at the front door startled her.

She looked at Camie, who shook her head, indicating she had no idea who was visiting at this late hour. Iris hoped it was not bad news.

Lance pushed back from the table. “Please excuse me. I imagine that’s some traveler who’s lost his way.”

Iris was not surprised when he grabbed his rifle before heading to the front door. Unannounced visitors after dark warranted a certain degree of caution.

“Should I go with your husband?” Nathan looked at their hostess.

“Don’t be foolish.” His uncle answered the question. “Lance Sherer doesn’t need your help to answer his door.”

Iris felt sorry for Nathan. His uncle’s scornful answer must have stung. Nathan was a grown man after all, not some wayward child.

She picked up her fork and watched as the elder Mr. Pierce calmly sliced a piece of meat off the roast at his elbow and put it on his plate. He was reaching for the basket of rolls when the door to the dining room burst open and slammed against the back wall.

All four diners jumped, and Iris may have even let a small cry escape her lips. She clapped a hand over her mouth to avoid waking the children upstairs and watched as Adam Stuart stumbled into the dining room, closely followed by Lance.

“I told you we are having company.”

Mr. Stuart stopped. He took in the scene with a quick glance and swept a bow in Camie’s general direction. “Pardon me, Mrs. Sherer, for disturbing your dinner party. I have business that cannot wait.”

“Adam, what are you doing here?” asked Nathan, standing up to form a barrier between the rude man and Iris.

While she appreciated his gesture, she was not afraid of Adam Stuart. But when she would have explained her lack of fear, her words were drowned out by Adam’s voice.

“I was told you’d be here.” Iris watched Adam limp his way over to Nathan’s uncle.

Mayor Pierce was practically cowering in his seat, apparently much more frightened by a belligerent man than he ought to be.

“Get up!” Adam raised his fists into a fighting posture.

Camie gasped.

“Leave my uncle alone.” Nathan’s voice was as sharp as Adam’s. “If you have a problem with my family, why don’t we go outside and discuss it where we won’t disturb the ladies?”

Adam ignored him. “I said, get up!”

Mayor Pierce shook his head. “I will not be threatened by a drunken fool.”

“I’m entirely sober and extremely angry. Is it true you called a special meeting of the council this afternoon?”

Nathan reached his uncle’s side. “Why on earth are you asking such a question? Have you lost your mind?”

Although he did not rise from his chair, Mayor Pierce must have gained confidence from having his nephew close by. “Who better than the mayor to call a meeting of the council? They elected me to make those decisions.”

“Everyone knows the council meets at seven o’clock on the second and fourth Monday evenings of the month.” The man spat the words out as though they caused a bad taste in his mouth. “A special meeting should only be called in case of an emergency. Not because you had some sneaky idea that you wanted to shove through council before the townspeople knew anything about it.”